indian american

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.

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.

wvcui7w — 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:

New York Times – Sandeep Dhaliwal, Sikh Sheriff’s Deputy, Is Fatally Shot Near Houston
The Guardian – Texas officer who made headlines for his turban and beard killed in traffic stop
Time – ‘Trailblazer’ Deputy, First in Texas to Wear Sikh Articles of Faith on Duty, Killed During a Traffic Stop
Houston Chronicle – Harris County deputy dies after being shot during traffic stop near Cypress
Washington Post – Sikh deputy killed in ‘coldblooded’ shooting after making history in Texas, sheriff says

Sikh community raises over $263,775 for boy who lost entire family in head-on car crash

The Sikh community in Carteret, New Jersey, has rallied around an 11-year-old boy — raising more than $$263,775 for him and his future — after he lost his entire family in a head-on car crash last week.

11-year-old Yashveer, whose family lived in Carteret — a borough in Middlesex County — was traveling with them in Virginia when they got into the deadly crash last Thursday. His parents, Gurmeet Singh, 44, and Jasleen Kaur, 38, were both killed, as was his 6-year-old sister.

Friends of the family provided an update on Monday to NJ.com, saying Yashveer had been released from the hospital and was recovering at a relative’s home. Rosa Diaz, superintendent of Carteret schools, said the entire borough was torn up about what happened to him.

“As expected, this has been an extremely difficult time for our community,” Diaz explained. “Our district has lost a member of our school family and we are working to support [Yash] as he learns to adjust to a life without his loved ones.”

According to GoFundMe

Gurmeet Singh (of Milton Distributors) was a man of few words but many smiles. He met with a tragic auto accident in Virginia on August 15th. The extremely unfortunate accident took away the lives of Gurmeet Singh, Jasleen Kaur, and 6 year old Harjas Kaur.

11 year old Yash Singh, has survived, and is hospitalized with Pelvic Fracture and a few other injuries. In this immensely unfortunate moment, while we all get together to pray to almighty to rest their souls in peace, we are also praying for the speedy recovery of Yash. While nobody can ever fulfill the void in Yash’s life, as friends and family, the least we can do is to come together and contribute our share for the medical expenses of Yash, funeral expenses of the deceased, and more importantly, contribute towards the future of Yash.

No contribution is big or small – please do whatever you can to help Yash have some financial support for the future. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Articles about the incident

Ashish Alfred Named 2019 Maryland Chef of the Year at Awards Gala

Seen as inspiration by fellow cooks, Chef Alfred’s work ethic and three restaurants elevate the food industry’s standard of excellence.

(Bethesda, MD)–The Restaurant Association of Maryland just named Ashish Alfred of the Alfred Restaurant Group Maryland’s 2019 Chef of the Year. The prestigious honor, voted on by the dining public, recognizes overall excellence in the foodservice industry and Chef Alfred’s commitment to the community. The Association awards Chef of the Year to “an executive chef who demonstrates consistent standards of excellence, serves as an inspiration to other foodservice professionals, displays dedication to the artistry of food and exhibits ongoing commitment to the community.”

“It is a real honor for my team and I to be recognized for all the hard work we put in,” says Chef Alfred, 33. “I’m truly grateful for our team that shows up every day and works toward making my visions a reality and making our clients as happy as possible. It’s really a proud moment when all the hard work, the long hours, and teamwork by our staff is recognized by such an important organization.”

The award reflects an honor-filled season for Alfred, chef and owner of the Alfred Restaurant Group, as he continues to earn rave reviews at his three Maryland-Washington, D.C. area restaurants: Duck Duck Goose Bethesda, George’s Chophouse in Bethesda, and Duck Duck Goose Baltimore.

Duck Duck Goose in Bethesda was recently named one of the top ten “Favorite New Restaurants” by Bethesda Magazine and “Best Restaurant in Maryland” by Southern Living Magazine. In a glowing review, The Washington Post says about Duck Duck Goose, “the delights are in the details.” Alfred recently opened Duck Duck Goose in Baltimore, which Baltimore Magazine honors as one of Charm City’s Best Restaurants.

Chef Alfred has recently been profiled by NBC’s TODAY Show, The Washington Post and Baltimore Magazine. He also held a command performance at the prestigious James Beard House, where he prepared a multi-course dinner for a sold-out audience. Alfred was classically trained at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and honed his skills in some of Manhattan’s best kitchens. Grounded by his classical French discipline, he isn’t afraid to go beyond tradition, take risks and experiment with his offerings. He delivers contemporary dining concepts that are rooted in soulful cooking.

Alfred is a popular guest with the media, whether he’s sharing a cooking demo and insights on local TV, or battling it out as a contender on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped.

US war veteran mows down Indian-origin family, thought they were Muslims

According to an IANS report, An African American Iraq War veteran intentionally ran down a family of Indian descent in California thinking they were Muslims, according to police.

A 13-year-old girl identified as Dhriti was in coma and fighting for her life after the attack in Sunnyvale on Tuesday, police said on Friday according to Mercury News.

US war veteran mows down Indian-descent family in California. (Photo: Twitter/@SunnyvaleDPS)

The girl’s father and 9-year-old brother, identified as Prakhar, were also hurt, according to police. One of the eight people injured was listed as Rajesh Narayan, 45, but it was not known if he was related to the two children.

The driver of the car, Isiah Peoples “intentionally targeted the victims based on their race and his belief that they were of the Muslim faith,” Sunnyvale police chief Phan Ngo said according to local ABC7 TV station.

Peoples was produced in a San Jose court on Friday and charged with attempted murder.

ABC7 TV quoted police as saying that Peoples was on his way to a Bible study group when he drove his car into the pedestrians.

It reported that after the crash, a witness said she heard Peoples say, “Thank you Jesus, praise Jesus.”

The newspaper quoted Ngo as saying that Peoples told detectives that he meant to hit the victims and did not show any remorse. He said that Peoples did not have a known criminal history or make any alarming social media posts.

His lawyer and family have said that Peoples suffered from mental problems.

Mercury News said his lawyer Chucks Smith disputed that the crash was intentional, saying that “this act was clearly the result of a mental disorder or defect”.

Peoples, who had been a sergeant in the US Army, served 11 months in Iraq and had received several awards including a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the newspaper said.

It said that his brother and mother told reporters that he had shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from Iraq and had at one point been hospitalised for psychiatric problems.

People’s was working a government defense auditor.

Dhriti, who was a seventh-grade student at Sunnyvale Middle School, suffered bleeding and swelling of the brain, and the left side of her skull was removed to relieve pressure, Mercury News reported quoting a court document.

Previous reports of hate crimes against Indians

Kumail Nanjiani’s Little America Apple series to look at immigrant life

During Apple’s livestreamed event on Monday, the company revealed a series of new services and products, including the TV Plus streaming service, which will present a slate of new shows including The Big Sick actor Kumail Nanjiani‘s new series Little America.

At the Apple event, Nanjiani revealed that he and his wife Emily V. Gordon are writing and executive producing the new show about immigrants in America. Little America will have episodes based on true stories featured in Epic Magazine, which are described on the site as “a small, collective portrait of America’s immigrants — and thereby a portrait of America itself,” according to Deadline. More about Apple’s announcement on cNet

Kumail Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, podcast host, and writer best known for being a main cast member on HBO’s Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley, as well as for providing the voice of Prismo on the Emmy Award-winning animated series Adventure Time. He starred on the TNT series Franklin & Bash and the Adult Swim series Newsreaders. Nanjiani also co-hosted the Comedy Central show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. In addition to his television and film work, he hosted two podcasts: The Indoor Kids and The X-Files Files. In 2018, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Gulf dream, no longer cool for Indians

As we approach the end of 2018, there are a number of media articles that describe how the “gulf dream” is slowly dying for Indians.

A recent Right to Information (RTI) request and an inquiry in parliament revealed that in the last six years, an average of more than ten Indian workers died every day in Gulf countries. In August 2018, Venkatesh Nayak from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) submitted an RTI to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking to know the names, age, sex, and occupation of Indian workers who died in the six Gulf countries from January 1, 2012 till date. He also sought to know the cause of their deaths as mentioned in the death certificates.

Gulf countries, India, deaths, US dollar, working conditions, remittance, Telangana

About 24,570 Indian workers died in six Gulf Countries Since 2012. These include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia recorded the most deaths at 10,416 while Bahrain, at 1,317, had the least.

Mr. Nayak has also analysed the annual ‘Migration and Remittances Data’ released by the World Bank and found that Indians working in Gulf countries accounted for more than half of the remittance that India received from all over the world between 2012-2017. Out of a total of US$ 410.33 billion in remittances from the world over, remittances from the Gulf countries accounted for US$ 209.07 billion.

Articles of interest:

Indian Express – Every day, 10 Indian workers die in the Gulf
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative – RTI REVEAL: MORE THAN 10 INDIAN WORKERS DIED EVERY DAY IN GULF COUNTRIES IN THE LAST SIX YEARS; 117 DEATHS FOR EVERY US$ 117 REMITTED
The News Minute – Modern Day Slaves, how Indian migrant workers’ rights are violated in the Gulf
Economic Times – Arabian Nights are over: Gulf no longer the dream land for Indians
Indian Blood: 10 Indians Die Everyday While Building Skyscrapers In Gulf Countries

Is Sunny Leone – the unlikely role-model benefiting from #MeToo ?

The Me Too movement (#MeToo ) in India has grown out of the international social-media campaign against sexual harassment of women in workplace. In the past few weeks, a slew of actors, ministers, government officials and other influential super-stars have been at the receiving end of accusations of sexual harassment.

The Indian #MeToo movement has brought the topic of sex into the foreground. And it is perhaps a sign of our times that modern India has accepted an icon of sex, the former porn-star as a Bollywood icon. Karenjit Kaur Vohra, the Canadian-born Indian-American actress and model better known by her stage name Sunny Leone is active in Indian film industry.

Sunny has played roles in independent mainstream events, films and television shows. Her first mainstream appearance was in 2005, when she worked as a red carpet reporter for the MTV Video Music Awards on MTV India. In 2011, she participated in the Indian reality television series Bigg Boss. She also has hosted the Indian reality show Splitsvilla.

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Ms Leone’s transformation from porn-star to mainstream Bollywood has not been universally accepted in India, where modern continues to co-exist with traditional and parochial value systems. News accounts last week described possible threats to a recent concert in the tech-city of Bengaluru where Ms Leone was staring. According to Times of India

“The pro-Kannada outfit had threatened to disrupt the event. Around 200 policemen in civil dress were deployed at the venue. The KRVYS, an offshoot of pro-Kannada organisation Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, has been opposing the event for two reasons: first, the event would spoil the culture of Bengaluru and second, Sunny Leone was playing the lead role in a multi-lingual movie Veera Mahadevi, a period drama portraying a warrior.”

Even with a few threats and protests, her concerts and public appearances seem to have a strong fan following. After a recent appearance in Bengaluru, media accounts quoted several women techies

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Chitra P, a business analyst with a leading MNC, was quoted saying: “Sunny is fabulous. She is a powerful women’s voice we have today.”

Preethi, a content writer and a fan of Sunny’s dance skills said: “The protests were uncalled for and it was not in the right taste. People must get past her previous career and see her as an artiste.”

Her fan following has also led to several endorsement deals for products ranging from condoms to Desi Ghee (link). It is a sign of our times that a generation of Indians have embraced Ms Leone’s unlikely transformation into Bollywood.