They stood mostly in the back of the room, observing the hundreds seated before them decked in elephant gear and American flags. For many of the Indian-Americans attending last week's GOP convention here, it was their first venture into politics. But this was a night of firsts. At its annual convention, the Republican Party threw its support behind Pradip (Peter) Kothari, the first Asian-American to run for a countywide seat in Middlesex that boasts the highest number of New Jersey's Asians....more
Desi Policeman Gets His Due
As a child in New Delhi, William Nathan dreamed of joining either the US Marines or becoming a policeman. His father worked for the American embassy, where the young Nathan would see the Marines posted at various locations. But after he saw the movie, In the Heat of the Night, which showed a black police officer triumphing over racist treatment, he dreamed of becoming a cop....more
Census Shows Asian Wave in New Jersey
A year and a half ago, when Sanjeev Mahajan wanted to leave Chicago to start his own Internet solutions business, he considered moving with his family to California. Instead he moved to North Brunswick in New Jersey's Middlesex County. It helped that he could send his grown up children to the county's well established educational institutions. His daughter now attends Rutgers University in New Brunswick and his son is a senior at North Brunswick Township High School, a blue ribbon public school....more
Wildlife Supporters Upset Over Smuggler's Sentence
Wildlife conservationists and activists are disappointed at the light sentence given to a Mumbai export-import firm that smuggled 308 shahtoosh shawls into America six years ago. Navrang Exports was fined $5,000 and sentenced to five years’ probation by a Federal District Court judge in Newark, New Jersey, recently. Navrang could have fined $500,000 maximum. Court documents estimated the value of the shawls at $246,000....more
Princeton Quake Relief Fosters Interfaith Ties
For years, Princeton University students have been active in different religious organizations on campus. But, as Niraj Bhatt points out they are into their own things. “These aren’t groups that work together on any projects,” Bhatt, a sophomore at Princeton, said. “It takes a tragedy to bring people together.” That tragedy, of course, is the recent Gujarat earthquake....more
Women Denounce Bush’s Abortion Order
Indian Americans who work in the areas of women’s rights and family planning reacted strongly to George W. Bush’s first act as President of the United States. On his first workday in office, Bush announced yesterday that he will block U.S. funding for international family planning groups involved in abortion counseling and services. His first executive order may have far reaching consequences for many humanitarian relief projects in India by turning off the spigot of crucial resources for NGOs....more
Newsday Job Fair for Minority Journalists
One of the leading newspapers in the United States, Newsday will hold a job fair in New York to help minority journalists. The 18th annual Newsday Job Opportunity Conference for Minorities will be held January 25 and 26 at the LaGuardia Marriott Hotel in Queens. More than 60 media companies will be on-hand to seek candidates for editorial and business-side openings. Opportunities will also be available for veteran reporters....more
Rhodes was No-Brainer for Goyal
Lipika Goyal, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, has just won the first Rhodes Scholarship for the University of Pennsylvania in 10 years, but she says her achievement was a no-brainer. “There is no game to it, no strategies, no intricate ways of studying and no trying to fit the model of what they are looking for,” Goyal says. “Just be yourself and let the twenty one years of your life speak for them.
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Hindu Samaj to Construct Temple
Three years after the Hindu Samaj began working on a temple project, they are ready to start working on a $3 million temple. It will be built on a five-plus acre plot, which cost $520,000, in Mahwah, situated near a synagogue and church. “It has good karma,” Dinesh Khosla, an organizer of the group, told a reporter about the site....more
Raval, Goyal Chosen as Rhodes Scholars
Raju Raval, a student at Indiana University, and Lipika Goyal of the University of Pennsylvania are among the 32 students chosen for the Rhodes scholarships this year....more
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