Renuka K, Author at Hind Himalaya

Jayapal named to top post in US Immigration subcommittee

by Renuka K | Feb 1, 2023 | Immigration, Indian-American

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has been named Ranking Member of the US House Judiciary Committee’s panel on Immigration, making her the first immigrant to serve in a leadership role for the subcommittee.

Jayapal, 57 — who represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District in US House of Representatives — will succeed Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to serve on the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.

“As the first South Asian woman elected to the US House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalised citizens in Congress, I am honoured and humbled to serve as the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement,” Jayapal said in a statement.

In the US, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party.

“I came to this country when I was 16, alone, and with nothing in my pockets. After 17 years on an alphabet soup of visas to become a US citizen, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to live the American Dream, a dream that is out of reach for too many immigrants today.” Jayapal, a Democrat, said that in her new role she will focus on the country’s broken immigration system around dignity, humanity, and justice.

Her appointment comes as the immigrant visa backlog in the US increased by nearly 9,000 in the month of January, according to the Department of State’s National Visa (NYSE:V) Center (NVC).

The number of people scheduled for green card interviews increased by nearly 3,000 from December 2022 to January.

The NVC scheduled 36,167 interviews in January, compared to 33,406 in December.

The White House is looking into the recommendations to reduce the adjudication and processing of Green Card applications to just six months and remove all the backlogs by April 2023.

The fight to reform immigration laws has been a core tenet of Jayapal’s work in Congress.

She has introduced multiple landmark bills and resolutions including her Roadmap to Freedom Resolution, Access to Counsel Act, Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, and Protection of Kids in Immigrant Detention Act, among others.

Before coming to Congress, Jayapal was a longtime organizer and activist for immigrants’ rights.

Post 9/11 attacks, she started OneAmerica (formerly Hate Free Zone), the largest immigrant rights organisation in Washington State that successfully sued the Bush Administration to prevent the deportation of more than 4,000 Somalis.

She was the founding co-chair of the We Belong Together campaign to mobilize women in support of common-sense immigration reform to keep families together and empower women.

She was also arrested during a civil obedience demonstration protesting the Trump Administration’s zero humanity family separation policy.

The Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement will be chaired by Rep Tom McClintock, and has jurisdiction over immigration law and policy, naturalization, border security, refugee admissions, non-border immigration enforcement, and other various issues.

It was previously known as the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

India-US group meets to advance bilateral space collaboration

by Renuka K | Feb 1, 2023 | Indian-American

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Top space officials from India and the United States met here to discuss ways to advance bilateral space cooperation.

“India and the United States are working closely to elevate bilateral space partnership to higher orbits!” India’s Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said in a tweet.

His comments come after he addressed the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) along with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and ISRO Chairman S Somanath at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department on Tuesday.

The eighth meeting of the CSJWG from January 30-31 was co-chaired by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jennifer R Littlejohn and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations Karen Feldstein for the United States, and Shantanu Bhatawdekar, Scientific Secretary of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for India.

The CSJWG discussions covered collaboration in earth and space science as well as human space exploration, global navigation satellite systems, spaceflight safety and space situational awareness, and policies for commercial space, the State Department said in a media release.

Participants also considered implementation of guidelines and best practices developed by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, it said.

Observing that the United States and India have strong bilateral cooperation in space, the State Department said the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission planned to launch in 2024, is expected to systematically map the earth, using two different radar frequencies to monitor resources such as water, forests and agriculture.

The mission will provide important earth science data related to ecosystems, earth’s surface, natural hazards, sea level rise and the cryosphere, it said.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the National Space Council Chirag Parikh, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Department of State Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina and Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu also spoke on behalf of the United States.

The US delegation included officials from the Department of State, NASA, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, United States Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the Department of Commerce.

S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, and Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu delivered remarks on behalf of India.

The Indian delegation included representatives from ISRO, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Indian-American singer Raveena Aurora on paying tribute to her motherland at Lollapalooza India

by Renuka K | Jan 31, 2023 | Entertainment

Reading Time: 3 minutes

With a fairy-like twirl and a twinkle in her eyes, Raveena Aurora floats on stage at Lollapalooza India, in Mumbai this past weekend. In an iridescent, shimmery dress, with her hair tied in a wavy ponytail, the 29-year-old Indian-American singer, holds onto a mic covered with pink and purple flowers, and croons one of her most popular songs, “Honey…,” her dreamy voice washing over the crowd.

For Raveena, performing in India is a dream come true. Her music exists in between genres, pulling influences from R&B, pop, and old-school Bollywood. “In my own journey as an artist, and visually, I love combining Bollywood influences. It’s the dreamiest, most ethereal space. It’s what I was raised on, it just feels so natural,” she says, in an interview with The Hindu.

Her latest concept album, Asha’s Awakening, follows Asha, a Punjabi space princess, exploring love, loss, modern society and herself. The Indian touch is undeniable, with soft taps on the tabla introducing the song “Time Flies…,” and a chorus in Hindi on “Kismet…”

“We’re going to sing in Hindi now,” she cries out to the audience. “ Ek, do, theen, char, chalo na, mere saath:” she sings the start to “Kismet,” adding the shimmy-esque moves and dramatic sighs that defined Hindi films in the 60s and 70s.

Powerful lyrics
Raveena’s artistic strength lies in her ability to pair soothing sounds with powerful, soul-baring lyrics. “There’s a certain sweetness, but also incredible strength and passion to Indian women. I love exploring that dichotomy in my music. So much of the sounds we hear from famous Indian women in music like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, have such an enchanting and innocent quality about them. But what we go through as brown women is tough. It’s really insane what we’re put through in these bodies, as women. So I try to speak to that experience.”

Her songs have tackled topics like sexual assault, heartbreak, sexuality and identity politics. The raw quality of her lyrics and her melodic style create something of a syrupy safe space, where loving, learning and losing come together, without feeling cloying.

Raveena says having music as a way to process and reflect on these experiences “saved” her. “Everything I do is based on this healing quality, it’s like about soothing the self and inspiring other people to love themselves deeper and care for themselves and understand themselves better, as I do that myself.”

Rooted to culture
Raveena is unabashedly proud of her Indian roots. Raised by Sikh-practicing parents, she grew up between New York and Connecticut in a rich Indian immigrant community. “I grew up in a very brown space. I just felt like if I had something to offer to music, it was this experience in both cultures. It’s definitely a challenge because musically it’s so different, there’s literally different scales, and entirely different sounds and rhythms and, and patterns. But I think that’s the beautiful challenge of being a musician.”

Raveena’s exploration of sexuality and identity makes her something of a changemaker, especially with regards to queer South Asian representation.

In her 2018 single, Temptation, she revealed she is bisexual. Being able to perform in India, at a time when the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and societal acceptance is in full swing, she says makes her feel honoured “to be able to provide a bit of representation in that space and be a little agent of change. I know there’s a long way to go… but it’s hopefully a step in the right direction.”

At Lollapalooza, Raveena paid tribute to Asha Bhosle. Slinging her guitar over her ponytail, she began strumming the riff to “Dum Maro Dum,” from the 1971 Bollywood film, Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Her energy, as she lowered her voice to match Bhosle’s, and then raising it as she vocalised, sent Lollapalooza’s crowd into a frenzy.

Raveena sang “Dum Maro Dum,” at Coachella in California last year, where she was the first artist of Indian origin to perform. She says she later found out that her performance had triggered racist comments on South Asians. She says that while Asha’s Awakening “really hit” among brown people, the album revealed to her that, “there was a lot more education in America to do, around Indian music, around certain stereotypes that they still have around South Asian people.”

Performing at Lollapalooza India, however, really feels like a big moment for her, she says. “It’s really interesting coming here and feeling way more celebrated and way more understood… It’s so comforting. I feel so at home and loved.”

Although she visited India regularly while growing up, this is the first time Raveena was in Mumbai for work. Visiting as an artist, she says, allowed her to get “perspective” on India’s art scene, as a member of the diaspora. “I just want to be a student right now and just soak up everything and learn from people. There’s so much amazing art coming out of here constantly, I want to learn from all the creatives here.” She said she would love to collaborate with artists like Prateek Kuhad, who also performed at Lollapalooza, and from the diaspora, Bangladeshi-British singer Joy Crookes and Indian-British artist Jai Paul.

Indian-American surgeon demands $76,000 refund from celebrated wedding photographer; here’s why

by Renuka K | Jan 31, 2023 | Indian-American

Reading Time: 2 minutes

An Indian-American surgeon from New Jersey is reportedly demanding a refund of $76,000 from a celebrated photographer after firing him just days before his daughter’s wedding. The reason for the firing has been identified as last-minute demands made by the photographer.

Dr Amit Patel, 59, claimed in a lawsuit that the celebrated shutterbug he originally hired began making eleventh-hour demands. Later, Patel had to scramble to find another professional photographer for the wedding of his daughter Anisha (28) with Arjun Mehta in a four-day celebration in Turkey.

The four-day celebration took a year of planning and included 250 guests, 13 custom outfits for the bride, and a feature in Vogue, according to a media report.

“It was the first wedding for the family in a long time,” Patel told New York Post, adding that the total cost of the affair was “a good six-figure number.”

However, it nearly became a disaster due to the demands made by noted photographer Clane Gessel.

“It’s panic. You can imagine telling your daughter a few days before her wedding that the photographer she selected, he’s not coming,” Patel told the publication.

According to the report, Gessel and his namesake studio agreed in writing that he would be the “main photographer” at each of the gathering’s multiple events, and that he and his team would stay at the Doubletree by Hilton, instead of the luxury, five-star Mandarin Hotel, where the wedding took place.

Gessel allegedly sent an e-mail to Patel when the father of the bride was waiting to board a plane to Turkey for the wedding — to say he would “decide who is shooting what and when,” and demanded to be booked into the same luxury hotel where the wedding was to take place.

#Indian-American surgeon seeks refund
#Clane Gessel
#Indian-American surgeon seeks money from photographer

Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari nominated by Biden for crucial post

by Renuka K | Jan 30, 2023 | Indian-American

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari has been nominated by US president Joe Biden for the post of Air Force brigadier general, the US State Department said on Thursday. The appointment will be finalised by the Senate, which approves all senior civilian and military appointments, the State Department added. “Air Force Col. Raja J Chari for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Chari is currently serving as the Crew-3 commander and astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Texas,” an official statement read.

Here are five points know about Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari:

1) Chari was born in the United States’s Milwaukee but considers Cedar Falls, Iowa, as his hometown. He attended Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa. He is married to Holly Schaffter Chari, and the couple has three children.

2) He earned a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado and a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

3) He graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School, Maryland, and US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

4) Raja Chari served as the Commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched on November 10, 2021. He served at the ISS as part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth on May 6, last year, and completing the American agency’s third long-duration commercial crew mission with the international crew of four spending 177 days in Space’s orbit.

5) His many accolades include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Aerial Achievement Medal.

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