'We need to see more Indian Americans and people of colour hold elected office and serve in executive roles.'

'Mumbai turned me into a fighter, always hustling to keep up with the world.' 'Now, I hustle for the poor and the ones who don't have a voice because I feel they are poor for no fault of their own.'

A traumatic medical emergency drove physician Dr Devi, of General Hospital soap fame, to run for public office in New York.

'While we may speculate about personality politics, the reality is that there are more important issues that drive the India-US relationship.'

'I consider myself a pilgrim who is here to shape tomorrow.'

'I have never been afraid of death or threats, and I have never wanted to give up and silence my voice.'

'My family goes to the airport every day so that they can find a way out.'

'I am concentrating on working in Hollywood but if the right opportunity from the Indian film industry comes, I will be open to working there.'

As a five year old, Neil Nayyar learnt to play the drums. Today, at 14, he has mastered 107 instruments.

'That we could touch someone's loving memory is fulfilling; it is something we both cherish.'

'I had never run a company before, but when I stood in front of the company, I was channeling my 14 year old self and telling myself that remember what it felt like when you were there.'

'I am most excited about a new video production solution for large organisations -- think Fortune 500 companies -- that have distributed teams, many of which are based in India.'

'A lot of young people, especially women, usually go on in their career path thinking to just put their head down and work hard, and the opportunities will come to them.' 'The only reason I became CEO of Vimeo was because I was pushing to create an opportunity to take the company into a different direction.'

Meet Joya Nandy Kazi, Hollywood's go-to-choreographer for Indian traditional dance and Bollywood style dance routines.

'We look forward to seeing them show off their knowledge and hard work as they square off against the dictionary on the national stage.'

'When I was around 6 years old, my brother was competing in Spelling Bee, so I wanted to do it too.'

'There is a lot of money coming into the business, people are consuming a lot of content, there is no dearth of new films and shows coming out of India and being available worldwide.'

At 12 months, Kashe -- the youngest member of Mensa International - was identifying alphabets, even if she could not say them. By 18 months, she was identifying shapes, colors, all the fifty states of America and naming planets by memory. The 2 year old can also, hold your breath, identify the periodic table.

Indian American children have dominated the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee in the United States since the turn of the new century. Long before this impressive trail of triumphs began, way back in 1985, Balu Natarajan became the first Indian American child to win the Spelling Bee. Rediff.com US Contributor Abhijit Masih catches up with Dr Natarajan as the 2021 Spelling Bee takes off this weekend.

'It was a result of a fundamental Jewish value of kindness and concern.' 'A value that extends beyond our own and on the premise that when we are ok, we are supposed to look up and look around to see who is not.' 'And do something about it.'