Author: Malavika Subramanyan

Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, has announced her candidacy for Congress in Oregon, aiming to succeed the retiring Democrat Earl Blumenauer in representing Oregon’s 3rd congressional district. In her announcement, Susheela expressed her commitment to continuing Blumenauer’s legacy and defending progressive values against MAGA ideologues. Susheela’s campaign platform includes defending abortion and reproductive rights, addressing climate change and environmental issues, promoting democracy, ensuring accessible healthcare, providing living wages and jobs for workers, and increasing federal funding for affordable housing, shelters, and treatment facilities. She also emphasizes making quality education affordable and enhancing community safety. Prior…

Uma Sengupta, a prominent Indian American educator, activist, and community leader who passed away in March of the previous year, has been posthumously recognized with a street sign in her honor in Queens, New York. The street co-naming ceremony took place on October 16 at the intersection of 152nd Street and Union Turnpike in the Briarwood neighborhood of Queens, attended by elected officials, friends, family, and admirers of Uma Sengupta. Among the notable attendees was New York Attorney General Letitia James, who expressed her pride in commemorating Uma’s dedication to social, racial, and economic justice. City Council member James F.…

Shanya Gill, a 12-year-old Indian American student from San Jose, California, clinched the prestigious $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award in the inaugural Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. This competition, co-organized by Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Society for Science, showcased the exceptional talents of Indian American students in middle school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Shanya’s remarkable achievement was joined by three other Indian American students who also secured top prizes, underscoring their growing influence in STEM. In addition to these top awards, an impressive six Indian American students claimed first and second place in various STEM…

India’s strong run in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup has taken a major blow as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya remains sidelined due to an ankle injury, rendering him unavailable for the tournament’s remainder. The injury was sustained during a World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune last month, and despite recovery efforts, the 30-year-old has been unable to return to the campaign. Replacing Pandya in the Indian squad is Prasidh Krishna, a relatively inexperienced fast bowler who received approval from the tournament’s Event Technical Committee. Krishna boasts just 19 white-ball appearances for India and last featured at the international…

Siraj and Bumrah continued to pose significant challenges for the Sri Lankan batsmen, exploiting the pitch’s subtle nuances in Mumbai. Despite the pitch being somewhat favorable for batters, the Indian duo generated pronounced movement off the surface. Particularly, Siraj exhibited an intimidating presence and engaged in a fiery duel with Charith Asalanka early in the game. The Indian bowling assault intensified when Mohammed Shami, the first-change bowler for the Indian side, compounded Sri Lanka’s difficulties by removing both Asalanka and Dushan Hemantha in his opening over. Shami has sustained impressive form ever since his return to the Indian XI the…

Nandini Das’ book, “Courting India: England, Mughal India, and the Origins of Empire,” has been recognized with the prestigious 11th British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding. This distinguished award, presented during a ceremony hosted by the British Academy, celebrates the book’s remarkable contribution to our understanding of cultural dynamics worldwide. In her debut work, Das offers a unique perspective on the genesis of the British Empire by exploring the arrival of Sir Thomas Roe, the inaugural English ambassador to India in the early 17th century. As the recipient of this honor, Das will receive a prize of £25,000…

Rohit Sharma provided an update on the fitness of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of India’s clash with Sri Lanka at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Pandya had injured his ankle during India’s group match against Bangladesh and had been sidelined since. Rohit was questioned about Pandya’s potential return to full fitness before the Sri Lanka match and mentioned that he wouldn’t be available for that game. Rohit explained that Pandya’s injury required daily assessment to gauge his progress and recovery, both in terms of bowling and batting. The captain stated that they would take a day-to-day approach regarding…

The International Cricket Council (ICC) imposed a significant fine on the Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Following their heartbreaking one-wicket loss to South Africa in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the Pakistan team was penalized 20 percent of their match fee. Pakistan had fallen short of the required over-rate by four overs, even after accounting for time allowances. This shortfall led to the fine, which was enforced by Richie Richardson, a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.…

On the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, celebrated as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Divas’ and ‘Run for Unity,’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to the nation, honoring Sardar Patel’s commitment to national integration. He praised Patel’s indomitable spirit, visionary statesmanship, and unwavering dedication to shaping the nation’s destiny. PM Modi attended an event near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, where daredevil stunts by CRPF’s women personnel, following Sardar Patel’s vision, were performed. Artists from villages along the India-China border also participated in the event. In New Delhi’s Patel Chowk, a special event was held where dignitaries including President…

Reliance Jio’s Chairman, Mr. Akash Ambani, disclosed that the company has successfully deployed over a million 5G cells across all 22 circles in India, amounting to 85% of the country’s total 5G capacity. He emphasized that Jio’s 5G rollout is underpinned by an entirely indigenous 5G stack, developed and manufactured by Indian experts. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2023, Mr. Akash Ambani highlighted Jio’s capability to provide 5G connectivity to more than 200 million previously unconnected homes and premises, positioning India as a global broadband leader. He also pointed out that India has already reached over 125 million 5G…