Category: InNews

Indian-American journalist in New York dies of Covid-19

New York, April 7

Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla has died of Covid-19 that is ravaging New York, the epicentre of the pandemic in the US.

Indian-American journalist in New York dies of Covid-19

The journalist died on Monday morning after nine days in a hospital, his son Sudama Kanchibotla said. Brahm Kanchibotla, 66, was a correspondent for United News of India.

During his 28-year career in the US, he had worked for 11 years as a content editor for Merger Markets, a financial publication, and also did a stint with News India-Times weekly newspaper.

He had emigrated to the US in 1992 after having worked for several publications in India.

Sudama said the family was not sure of the last rites for him because of the restrictions in New York. “We have not set a date and it will have to be a very small gathering because only 10 people are allowed at funerals,” he said.

Brahm Kanchibotla showed COVID-19 symptoms on March 23. When his condition worsened, he was admitted to a hospital on Long Island on March 28 and given an oxygen mask, Sudama said.

On March 31, he was put on ventilator and on Monday he had a cardiac arrest.

Besides Sudama, Brahm is survived by wife Anjana and daughter Siujana.

As of Monday night, 4,758 people have died of COVID-19 in New York City.

The US has recorded a total of 368,196 confirmed cases, while the death toll stood at 10,986. IANS

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the death of senior Indian-American journalist in a tweet.

 



 

Also in news:

  • Many Indian Americans tested positive with coronavirus, died in New York, New Jersey: Reports: While there is no official or unofficial count of Indian-Americans infected with the coronavirus, information available on various private social media groups indicate that a significant number of them are in New York and New Jersey.
  • Four New York Area-based Indian Americans Die of COVID-19 – The Kerala American community offered tributes to Shawn Abraham, 21, who lived with his family in New York City until his death on April 5. The Federation of Kerala Associations in North America confirmed the deaths of three other Indian Americans who died of COVID-19 related illnesses in or near New York: Aleyamma Kuriakose, 65; Thankachan Enchenattu, 51; and Abraham Samuel, 45. The Consulate General of India in New York said that it is in touch with the families of the deceased, as reported by PTI.

Indian-origin student found dead in Notre Dame campus lake

21-year-old Indian-origin female student’s body was recently recovered from a lake on the campus of Notre Dame, a premier university in the US state of Indiana.

St. Joseph County Coroner Michael J. McGann made a positive identification at the scene, the university said. There were no apparent signs of trauma.

“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Annrose,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame. “We will keep her and her family and friends in our prayers.” At Notre Dame, she was a solo flutist for the university’s Folk Choir, which describes her as “irreplaceable.”

annaRose

“Our hearts are broken with the news of the loss of Annrose Jerry. The Folk Choir lost an important and irreplaceable member of our family,” the group said in a Facebook post. “Annrose was a sweet, intelligent, strong, passionate, kind-hearted friend and she will be so dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and loved ones.

Jerry’s obituary describes her as an accomplished musician, having been the pianist for the Blaine High School jazz band and flutist in the school band, in addition to playing the flute for the Minnesota State Band.

Suhas Subramanyam, Virginia’s first Indian American, Hindu Delegate sworn in with Gita

A few days ago, an Indian American politician Suhas Subramanyam, tweeted

Subramanyam, who explains how his name is pronounced (‘Soo-braw-MAN-yum’) is a representative from District 87 in Virginia’s General Assembly. In a recent interview, he explains “Why was it important to tweet about being Hindu, Indian American“

I thought it was important to embrace it. I also want others running for office here or in other areas to not feel that they have to downplay or hide it. My constituency has Hindus and people are exposed to the faith, but it is also a diverse, smart and open-minded community. It is very inclusive, especially in recent years. While campaigning, too, I went to temples and did namaskar, but I also went to churches and mosques. Hinduism is accepting of all faiths as we believe it is one god with many names.

Image
from Subramanyam’s tweet

Subramanyam is married to Miranda Peña Subramanyam, who works for a government contractor and volunteers in her free time at the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter. They were married in Sterling, Virginia, where they currently reside.

About Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit: भगवद् गीता, ) often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.  Popular media in India including bollywood films have long depicted court scenes where witnesses take an oath using Bhagavad Gita (link).

Subramanyam’s swearing in with a Bhagavad Gita follows a trend. With the increasing diversity in the West, many politicians of Indian descent are taking to the Gita during their swearing in:

And the hawks are watching for those who aren’t following this new norm: UK MP under fire for not taking oath on Gita – A British Punjabi Hindu MP has come under fire for not taking an oath of allegiance to the Crown on the Bhagavat Gita. 

Good news story: Pharmacist Raj Gupta dispensing medication even after losing home in the Australian bushfires

The recent Australian bushfires have devastated communities across the region, leaving people without homes and basic necessities.

Raj Gupta’s home went up in flames during recent NSW South Coast bushfires and his town of Malua Bay remains severely damaged, without power and mobile service. However, Gupta continues to run the small pharmacy there, dispensing medicines and essentials to those who need it.

According to news accounts,

The 52-year-old pharmacist is now staying in emergency housing at nearby Batemans Bay, but is continuing to travel back to Malua Bay to keep the pharmacy open.

“We can’t take payments, but that’s not much of a concern. I’ve had my patients come in and say they’ve not only lost their house and their belongings, but also their medication,” he said.

Mr Raj Gupta was born in India and came to Australia 28 years ago. The father of two moved to Malua Bay seven years ago for semi-retirement.

Gupta
From Mr. Gupta’s LinedIn profile

The story of Indian-Australian Pharmacist Raj Gupta who lost his home in the bushfires but is still dispensing prescriptions is heartening indeed.

Related news : Australian bush fires: Social media erupts with stories of unsung heroes helping others and wildlife

25-year-old Mysuru student shot dead in California

In yet another case of an apparently senseless killing, Abhishek Sudesh Bhat, a student of Indian origin was shot dead by an unidentified person in San Bernardino, California. In a facebook post, Abhishek said “Started New Job at California State University, San Bernardino College of Natural Sciences October — Teaching Assistant (TA)”

Image may contain: 1 person, shoes and outdoor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abhisheksudhesh

As per media accounts, Abhishek’s body was found in front of a motel room where he was also working part time. Abhishek’s father Sudhesh Chand is a yoga guru and founder of Sri Upanishath Yoga Centre Trust in Kuvempunagar, Mysuru.

Abhishek’s family has approached the local MP, Pratap Simha and deputy commissioner of Police, seeking their help to bring home the mortal remains.

The motive behind the crime or the identity of the attacker were not immediately known.

Who is Tushar Atre? CEO killed after being kidnapped from oceanfront Santa Cruz home

Indian-origin entrepreneur Tushar Atre who was abducted from his home in California’s Santa Cruz earlier this week has been found dead inside his BMW car, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office said

Atre,  Santa Cruz tech executive was forced from his home in the middle of the night and then killed this week, leaving authorities with few clues but plenty of questions in the slaying.

The body of Tushar Atre, 50, was found Tuesday morning about seven hours after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was alerted that he had been taken from his home “during a crime.”

Law enforcement officials are still trying to piece together the events that led to Atre’s death, which they believe originated with a robbery attempt.

Atre was also in the cannabis business. The city of Santa Cruz confirmed he was “the owner of Interstitial Systems, which is a licensed cannabis manufacturer that operates out of a location on Fern street,” reported Kion456. Heavy has confirmed through state records that Atre was a licensed Cannabis distributor.

 

Atre was the owner of AtreNet, a web design company founded in 1996 that caters to Silicon Valley corporate businesses. According to AtreNet’s website, the company’s clients include technology, marketing and software companies such as Hewlett-Packard, BuzzLogic, Seagate and Tealeaf Technology.

Sandeep Dhaliwal, Sikh Sheriff’s Deputy, is fatally shot near Houston

A Harris County, Texas deputy, Sandeep Dhaliwal, who made headlines after gaining an exemption to wear a turban as part of his uniform, was shot during a traffic stop.

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Tribute from Anon Redditor Painting by an anon Redditor

A sheriff’s deputy in Texas who was an observant Sikh and garnered national attention for gaining permission to wear a turban as part of his uniform was shot and killed on Friday near Houston in what officials described as an ambush during a traffic stop.

Dhaliwal‘s killing comes just days after Indian Prime minister along with President Trump addressed a large gathering of Indian Americans at a historic  ‘Howdy, Modi!’ rally in Houston Texas

Law enforcement officials saluted  Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal as his body was moved to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

CreditJon Shapley/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press

Also in news:

Indian student from Kerala shot dead in Alabama, one suspect arrested

A 30-year-old Indian student, Neil Kumar, was recently shot to death at point-blank range in Alabama last week. The local police have arrested Leon Flowers suspected for killing an Neil.

Neil Kumar, who was pursuing his Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Troy in Brundidge, Alabama was shot to death in an apparent robbery. The 30-year-old was a student at the Sharjah Indian School and a native of Thrissur in Kerala. Neil was working as a part time cashier at a Gulf Gas station convenience store on the busy Highway 10 when the robbery and shooting took place last Wednesday morning.

NielKumar
source: facebook

 

Three CCTV visuals of the attack were released by the police personnel on Thursday. The visuals, carried by local newspapers, showed the assailant who is dressed in all black with white gloves and was carrying a gun. The time code on the CCTV visuals indicate that the suspect had been lurking around the area of the convenience store prior to the shooting. This suspicion was even raised by the Sheriff of Pike County who is investigating the homicide.

Officers have also told the media that this was the first time in years that Brundidge, which is the second biggest city in Pike County, has witnessed such a violent crime.

Born to parents Purushothaman Kumar and Seema, who are based in the UAE, Neil had been studying in the United States for a year after graduating from a Chennai college. His parents and sisters Neema and Natasha flew in to Alabama on hearing the news. Neil’s funeral will be held on Monday afternoon in Alabama, in the presence of friends and family. Apart from computers, Neil also nurtured a passion for photography.

Several friends and classmates remember Neil as a happy person who left a lasting impression on whoever he met. The community at Troy University also held a memorial for their late classmate.

 

Past stories of crime against Indians

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand says she’s in same-sex relationship with soulmate

Same sex relationships and gay rights in India seem to be catching up with rest of the world. Of course, this is not universal or uniform. Some cities and states in India are more advanced than others when it comes to accommodating Gay rights. Some like Bengaluru have gone as far as having Public Toilets for Transgenders (link)

Now comes news that Dutee Chand is the first Indian sports star to openly acknowledge being in a same-sex relationship with her ‘soulmate’. Dutee Chand is the 100 m record holder and winner of two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games.

Dutee spoke to The Sunday Express about her relationship, career plans and eventually settling down with the woman she loves. She is busy training for the Tokyo Olympics and that she hoped to settle down with her ‘soulmate’ in future.

“I have found someone who is my soulmate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with. I have always supported the rights of those who want to be in a same-sex relationship,” she was quoted.

The 2018 Asian Games double silver medalist didn’t reveal the identity of her partner, and wants to safeguard her from being “the center of undue attention”, in a country that is still getting used to the decriminalization of homosexuality.

 

More about  Dutee Chand:

She is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women’s 100 metres event. She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women’s 100 meters event at the Summer Olympic Games. However in the 2016 Summer Olympics, her 11.69s in the preliminary round did not make her qualify to the next round. In 2018 Chand clinched silver in women’s 100m at the Jakarta Asian Games. It was India’s first medal in this event since 1998.

Also in New York Times:  Sprinter Dutee Chand Becomes India’s First Openly Gay Athlete – A champion sprinter with village roots has become India’s first openly gay professional athlete, less than a year after the country’s top court overturned a longstanding ban on gay sex.

 

Amid a record driver shortage, Indian-American Sikhs are taking to trucking

NPR ran an interesting feature on truck drivers from Punjab filling the void in American trucking industry.

The trucking industry is experiencing a major shortage of drivers. But in the last two years, one demographic has been gravitating towards the industry by the thousands: Indian-American Sikhs. It’s an attractive blue-collar job because it doesn’t interfere with articles of faith, like turbans or beards.

Listen to story on NPR  https://www.marketplace.org/2019/03/07/world/indian-american-sikh-truckers/popout

Also check out “Sikh Truckers in America”

“Starting at 2 am, Pandher hopes to cover the 520-mile stretch in about 9 hours with recommended breaks to reach Lincoln before noon. The long journey through the night doesn’t bother Pandher who is used to such hauls. What does bother him though is the nights and weekends that his work takes him away from his family and little children.

“As truckers, we do miss quite a bit on their (kids) growing up. And that hurts more than the hard work. But that’s the price you pay to be a trucker,” says Pandher, wistfully.

Pandher, who started as a truck driver, running an intrastate hazmat in 2003, today owns the Laramie, Wyoming, based Akal Travel Center, which has 9 trucks, 13 tanker trailers and 4 truck stops in Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico. Pandher is among the thousands of Sikhs in the American trucking industry.

Nearly 71% of the freight tonnage on land moves on trucks. The American trucking industry forms the lifeline of the U.S. economy. According to the 2012 Survey of Business Owners by the U.S. Census Bureau, there were nearly 600,000 trucking companies with $300 billion in sales. The American Trucking Association estimates that 3.5 million truckers move 10.55 billion tons of freight annually.