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India-US Relations Blog

USINPAC congratulates Indian American Manish Shah on his nomination to the key post of U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of his home state of Illinois

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President Barack Obama has nominated yet another Indian American, Manish S Shah, to the key post of U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of his home state of Illinois.

Announcing Shah’s nomination along with seven other judiciary posts, Obama said in a White House statement: “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honoured to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench.”

“They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice,” he added.

An Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois since 2001, New York-born Shah, 40, currently serves as Chief of the Criminal Division, having previously served as Chief of Criminal Appeals from 2011 to 2012.

Shah was also Deputy Chief of the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Section from 2008 to 2011 and Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section from 2007 to 2008.

Both the senators from Illinois, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk, welcomed Shah’s nomination reflecting the bipartisan support he enjoys in the Congress.

“Manish Shah has served with distinction as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and he will bring a wealth of knowledge and legal acumen to the federal bench in Northern Illinois,” said Durbin.

“Manish Shah’s stellar record in working with former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald makes him an outstanding candidate to be the next federal district court judge for Northern Illinois,” Kirk said.

 

Source: Business Standard

India-US Relations Blog

USINPAC celebrates the victory of Indian American Nina Davuluri who became the first Indian American to be crowned Miss America

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Nina Davuluri won the 2014 Miss America pageant on Sunday, becoming the first Indian-American to wear the crown, which went to Miss New York for the second year in a row.

“I’m so happy this organization has celebrated diversity, and, on this stage tonight, there was so much diversity,” Davuluri told reporters shortly after defeating contestants from 49 other states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

“I’m so proud to be the first Indian Miss America,” the 24-year-old aspiring physician said.

The field was narrowed to Davuluri and Miss California Crystal Lee, the first runner-up. Just before the results were announced, Davuluri said, “We are making history right here as Asian-Americans.”

Contestants were judged on a personal interview, a talent demonstration, an on-stage question, and their appearance in evening gowns and swimwear during the two-hour nationally televised event.

Davuluri performed a Bollywood fusion dance and was asked about revelations that American television personality Julie Chen had plastic surgery on her eyes. Davuluri answered that she personally was opposed to plastic surgery and said that one’s diversity should be celebrated.

As the winner, Davuluri will receive a $50,000 scholarship. She said she would use the money to pay for graduate school.

Last year’s winner, Mallory Hagan from New York, crowned her successor.

Several contestants made headlines during preliminary competitions. Miss Iowa, Nicole Kelly, was born without her left forearm and said the competition helped her promote a platform of overcoming disabilities. Theresa Vail, Miss Kansas and a sergeant in the Army National Guard, became the first contestant to display tattoos.

The 93-year-old beauty pageant returned to its hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey, this year after an eight-year stretch in Las Vegas.

Atlantic City is about 60 miles (100 km) south of Seaside Park, New Jersey, the site of a massive boardwalk fire on Thursday night. In a press conference following the pageant, Davuluri volunteered to help clean up the damaged boardwalk.

The pageant’s return to the New Jersey shore could help the local economy, which was hard hit by last year’s Superstorm Sandy. The Atlantic City Alliance, an economic development group, estimated it would bring in about $30 million in business.

The Miss America pageant was televised live by ABC, which picked up the contest again in 2011 after dropping it in 2004 because of a steep ratings decline. Miss America has seen its popularity ebb and flow over its nearly 100-year history and it has been the target of critics who say the pageant format objectifies women.

The judges were former Miss America Deidre Downs Gunn, the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, Lance Bass from the boy band ‘N Sync, comedian Mario Cantone, violinist Joshua Bell and television chef Carla Hall.

 

Source: Reuters

India-US Relations Blog

USINPAC congratulates Indian American Sangeeta Rana for being one amongst the 23 candidates who have been named as Fulbright-Clinton Fellows

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Sangeeta Rana was recently named as one of 23 candidates named a Fulbright-Clinton Fellow.

The Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship is a component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which was inaugurated in 2012.

The Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship allows fellows to serve in professional placements as “special assistants” in foreign government ministries or institutions and to gain hands-on public sector experience in participating foreign countries while simultaneously carrying out an academic research/study project.

Rana has experience in public health research and practice, as well as direct patient care. Previously, she managed a policy research team at Boston Children’s Hospital that developed measures of quality of care for national use. She has researched national health policies in the U.S., China, Brazil, and Ghana, and has worked globally in public health and medicine.

The Indian American received a master’s in public health in health care management and policy from the Harvard School of Public Health, a medical degree from the University of London, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.

Following the fellowship, Rana plans to continue working in global health policy, specifically in supporting public sector institutions to improve access to high quality care.

She is interested in supporting health systems and improving quality of care in resource limited settings. Through her fellowship, Rana will evaluate quality of care in primary health care centers serving vulnerable populations.

Based on the results and identified needs, she will work with local stakeholders to develop quality improvement strategies that contribute to and complement government efforts to improve access and quality.

Source: IndiaWest

India-US Relations Blog

USINPAC congratulates Indian American Puneet Talwar on his appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs

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US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American Puneet Talwar as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs, a top diplomatic post.

Talwar, who was Obama’s top advisor on the Middle East region for over four years was nominated for the position by Obama yesterday.

He is the second Indian-American to be nominated as the Assistant Secretary position in the State Department.

In July, Nisha Desai Biswal was nominated as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

Both the positions need to be confirmed by the Senate. Obama announced his intent to nominate Talwar to the top State Department position along with nearly 30 senior administration positions.

“I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people,” Obama said.

“I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years,” he added.

If confirmed by the Congress, Talwar, in his capacity as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs, will provide policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defence strategy and plans, and defence trade.

The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM), is the Department of State’s principal link to the Department of Defence.

Since 2009, Talwar has been a Special Assistant to the U.S. President and Senior Director for Iran, Iraq and the Gulf states on the White House National Security Staff.

Prior to this, Talwar had served as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate (SFRC) from 2001 to 2009 and from 1997 to 1999, he was the chief advisor on the Middle East to then Senator Joseph R Biden, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Talwar served as a member of the Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 1999 to 2001.

From 1992 to 1995, he served as a foreign policy advisor to Representative Thomas C Sawyer and from 1990 to 1992, as an official with the United Nations.

Talwar received a BS from Cornell University and an MA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Source: The Economic Times

India-US Relations Blog

USINPAC cheers for Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri’s Booker Nomination

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Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri has made it to this year’s Man Booker Prize shortlist for her new fiction ‘The Lowland‘, an intimate portrayal of two brothers set in Kolkata of the 1960s.

Her tale, set in the suburban streets of Calcutta of the 1960s and told through the eyes of brothers Subhash and Udayan in ‘The Lowland‘, will compete alongside five other works of fiction for the coveted literary award worth 50,000 pounds to be announced here next month.

Born in London and based in New York, 46-year-old Lahiri is the daughter of Indian immigrants from West Bengal.

She is also a member of US President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

She won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with her debut short story collection ‘Interpreter of Maladies‘ (1999) and her first novel ‘The Namesake‘ (2003) was adapted into a popular film of the same name by filmmaker Mira Nair.

Her writing is rooted in the Indian milieu and attempts to capture dislocation and ambivalence with a unique play of words.

‘The Lowland‘, released this month, is already being pitched as an easy front-runner among literary circles here.

Birmingham-based Jim Crace is also being touted as among the 2013 favourites for ‘Harvest‘, a novel about the fragile social eco-system of a remote English village, which the author has claimed will be his last.

Like Crace, Colm Toibin is also a previous nominee and is heading the list with ‘The Testament Of Mary‘ – about the mother of Jesus grieving angrily years after her son’s crucifixion.

If it wins, it will be the shortest novel to win the Booker with just 104 pages.

Eleanor Catton, 28, is the youngest to make the cut with her book ‘The Luminaries‘, while Ruth Ozeki with ‘A Tale For The Time Being’ and NoViolet Bulawayo ‘We Need New Names’ complete this year’s selection.

Robert Macfarlane, chair of the judges, said the shortlist was “instantly striking because of its global range“.

“It shows the English language novel to be a form of world literature,” he said.

“We looked for books that sought to extend the power and possibility of the form. This is in keeping with the history of the novel. We wanted novel novels,” he added.

Each of the six shortlisted writers will receive 2,500 pounds and a hand-bound edition of their book.

Source: Business Standard