“As the first Hindu-American and South Asian-American woman elected to state office in New York, I take special pride in advocating for new American communities, including those that celebrate Diwali,” Rajkumar
Bangladesh's Expatriate Card: A New Chapter in Migrant Financial Security
The Expatriate Card will be a source of recognition to millions of Bangladeshi remittance warriors and a sign of gratitude from the State for their support to the nation's development.
In Search of Dharma in the Indian Diaspora
We have become an aggressive and divisive society which is becoming intolerant of others' ideas and points of view. For a pluralistic society like India, all the people who live there are important and we need to work together to take the country forward and to great heights. Unless we change our present thinking, we have the danger of becoming an extremist state
Beyond the Remittance: How Bangladesh's Overseas Workers Are Reshaping Post-Uprising Politics
For decades, Bangladeshi governments referred to their overseas workers as remittance warriors—a formulation that was generous in one respect and quietly limiting in another. It honored their economic contribution while bracketing their political identity. The July Uprising may have ended that bracketing for good. What is now taking shape, imperfectly and without clear resolution, is a constituency that earns its living abroad but has not surrendered its stake in what Bangladesh becomes.
US Immigration Policy Change Could Adversely Affect Indians, South Asians Seeking Employment-Based Green Cards
The policy could have particularly significant consequences for employment-based Green Card applicants, many of whom have traditionally relied on adjustment of status (AOS) while continuing to live and work legally in the U.S. There is a large number of Indian immigrants who stand to face significant disruption and delay because of this policy shift.
More on South Asia Diaspora and Global Indians
Rahul Gandhi at Stanford: Pappu can’t dance maybe, but he sure can speak
Rahul G at Stanford was no barefoot messiah in a loin cloth but a dapper Nehru-jacket clad man with a salt and pepper beard who evoked images of truth and moral courage. This was a new Gandhi for a new age – opposing an old-fashioned autocrat who was allegedly subverting democracy and secularism.
Indian American community discovers a reinvigorated Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi cast the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections in India as an ideological fight between those who believe in Mahatma's Gandhi’s message of love and peace and his “coward” assassin Nathuram Godse’s message of hatred and violence.
Indian diaspora in the Caribbean needs the right political impetus
It is about time that celebrations to mark Indian Arrival Day, whether in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, or Fiji, take on a new format and a more scientific approach
Bill to make Diwali federal holiday in the US introduced
The bill says, “Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is an auspicious day celebrated by many South and Southeast Asian communities as well as religious groups including the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain communities”.
Top US military officer nominee advocate of strong defence ties with India
Brown has repeatedly spoken of the importance of defence relations with India for the US. He participated in the Cope India 19 joint India-US exercise in 2018 in Kalaikunda and Panagarh and flew an Indian Air Force Mirage 2000.
Terror, famine, human rights violations heighten global concerns over Afghanistan
Guterres described the situation in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today” with six million Afghans “one step away from famine-like conditions”, while 28 million “will need humanitarian assistance this year to survive”.
Did the US snoop on high-level India-Russia talks? Pakistani policy memos also leaked
It reported that in an internal memo quoted in a leaked document "Pakistan's Difficult Choices", Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that Islamabad "no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States”.
Two Indian American women likely to occupy centrestage in 2024 US presidential campaign
It would have been compelling to see two presidential aspirants in Haley and Harris duke it out during debates. However, those encounters may have to wait for the foreseeable future.
India invited to join regional Quartet on Afghanistan that includes Pakistan and China
Posing a dilemma for India in joining a “Quintet” is that the four countries in the Quartet have the makings of a distinct anti-West grouping and two of them, Pakistan and China, are hostile to New Delhi.
Internecine warfare among rival Sikh gangs in California lead to mass arrests; officials say 'bloodbath' prevented
The official praised Sikh community leaders who condemned the violence and said the arrests do not “in any way reflect or represent a vibrant Sikh community that is such an important and vital part of the greater community in this region”
US state of Georgia deplores academic attacks on Hinduism, condemns Hinduphobia
On the contribution of Hinduism, the resolution said, “Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts, and more have enriched the cultural fabric and have been widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions”.
Ratan N. Tata awarded the 2022 Hoover Medal
Tata was recognized as the 74th recipient of the Hoover Medal in a private award ceremony in January at Somerset House in Mumbai.
With strong bipartisan support for the relationship, US to finally have an ambassador in India
But there is also a point of potential friction in ties with India: the human rights issues as perceived by some in the US, which is a touchy issue for the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At that hearing, Garcetti said, “Respect for human rights and strong democratic institutions are key elements of our strategic partnership and values enshrined in our constitutions, and if confirmed, I will engage closely and regularly with the Indian government on these issues”.
