Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Issue: 41
An initiative by FIA | 100% VOLUNTEER RUN ORGANIZATION EST. 1970
Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT. 501(C)3.The Largest Non-Profit Grassroot Umbrella Organization in the Tri-state of NY-NJ-CT
www.fianynjct.org Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT (FIA) [email protected] Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Issue: 41
An initiative by FIA | 100% VOLUNTEER RUN ORGANIZATION EST. 1970
Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT. 501(C)3.The Largest Non-Profit Grassroot Umbrella Organization in the Tri-state of NY-NJ-CT Indian photojournalist killed in Af Danish Siddiqui, a photojournalist from India embedded with Afghan Special Forces, was covering the clashes between the forces and the Taliban on July 16 when he was shot. Read more on page 4 More power to Abhi, Sameer Just days after New Jersey lad Abhimanyu Mishra became youngest chess grandmaster, Sameer Banerjee lifted Junior
Boys’ Wimbledon trophy Abhimanyu Mishra Sameer Banerjee
e couldn’t have felt prouder of our Back home in India, too, people cheered Indian-American identity than now. for their boy. In war with virus, not FB: WIn the last issue, we told you about Sameer’s father Kunal is from Assam White House Abhimanyu Mishra, the 12-year-old Indian- and mother Usha from Andhra Pradesh. They 3 American kid from New Jersey who is now the migrated to the US in mid-1980s. Sameer was Spyware Pegasus caught youngest chess Grandmaster in the world. born in 2003. snooping on 50k phones He picked up the title on June 30. Abhi, as we “I really just wanted to win a round, I would like to call him, has made not just the didn’t expect this. I had a tough French Open, Pulitzer winner Indian US but also his motherland India proud of him. lost to a good player. So here I just wanted to photojournalist killed in Now, we have another youngster to keep my expectations low so that if I passed 4 Afghanistan celebrate—Sameer Banerjee. The 17-year-old them, then I’d be happy. But this was way from New Jersey has entered the league of beyond my wildest dreams,” he said to a round Guru Purnima: junior Wimbledon champions. He lifted the of applause from the crowd Celebrating the guru in Wimbledon boys’ singles trophy last week in Together, Abhi and Sameer have become our lives his second junior Grand Slam tournament. the youngest flag-bearers for the Indian- When he entered the tournament, American community. Rahman, Ananya show the Sameer wasn’t even a favorite. His 19th rank Here’s praying for their success in future Hindustani Way was not enough to pitch him as a strong endeavors! 5 contender of the title. But on July 11, he FIA will celebrate the 75th Independence Michigan girl Vaidehi defeated Victor Lilov to join a prestigious list Day of India on August 15 this year at the Times Dongre is Miss India USA of Junior Grand Slam winners representing the Square. We are proud to announce that Abhi will 2021 United States. join us on the occasion.
www.fianynjct.org Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT (FIA) [email protected] Tuesday, Page:03 July 20, 2021 THE DIASPORA BI-WEEKLY 2 Indian-Americans to hold key posts in We are in war with virus, health segment not Facebook: White House r Rahul Gupta, former health commissioner of West Virginia, has Prez Biden holds ground on ‘vaccine misinformation on social media’ Dbeen selected by US President Joe Biden to be the next director of the Office of #Washington Last Thursday, US Surgeon General Vivek National Drug Control Policy. If confirmed, Dr ollowing Facebook’s rebuttal of US Murthy, in his first advisory since taking up the Gupta will be the first physician to become President Joe Biden’s remark that social position, had said that vaccine misinformation the chief of the drug control office. Fmedia platforms were killing people with was a factor responsible for slowing down of Surgeon and popular author Atul vaccine misinformation, the latter on Monday the country’s vaccination rate. He had also Gawande has been nominated as assistant chose to rephrase his words. However, he called upon social media platforms to curb administrator of the Bureau for Global held on to his initial summary, saying that misinformation related to the pandemic and Health at the US Agency for International what he said was not to be taken literally, but the vaccines. Development. as a challenge to do more to prevent spread A day later, Biden said that platforms like of incorrect information regarding vaccine on FB were killing people with misinformation, a social media platforms. comment that the latter has strongly objected Seema Nanda is “Facebook isn’t killing people,” he said. to. A post on its website said FB was not the “My hope is that Facebook — instead of reason for US government missing the July 4 Labour dept solicitor taking it personally that somehow I’m saying deadline to vaccinate 70% Americans. ndian-American civil rights lawyer Seema Facebook is killing people — that they would “We permanently ban Pages, Groups, and Nanda has been confirmed by the US do something about the misinformation, accounts that repeatedly break our rules on ISenate as the solicitor for the Department of the outrageous misinformation about the COVID misinformation, and this includes more Labour. Nanda (48) has previously served as vaccine. That’s what I meant.” than a dozen Pages, Groups, and accounts chief of staff, deputy chief of “We are not in a war or a battle with from some of the individuals referenced in the staff and deputy solicitor Facebook,” said press secretary Jen Psaki, press briefing,” Facebook spokeswoman Dani in the department adding “We are in a war with the virus.” Lever said in a statement Monday. during the tenure of Barack Obama. Prior to that, she worked for 15 years in various roles as a labour Spyware Pegasus caught and employment attorney. snooping on 50k phones Sirisha Bandla takes Most of the phone numbers in data obtained by the Amnesty off on space flight International are clustered in 11 countries, including India ast week, when aeronautical engineer he current big news from the digital traces of the spyware. Around 50,000 phone Sirisha Bandla took off with Richard world is the investigation into the numbers of potential targets have been LBranson and others on board Virgin Tleaked data from Israeli tech company leaked. These include heads of states, activists Galactic’s flight to space, she became only the NSO. Its spyware Pegasus has raked up lot of and journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi’s third woman of Indian origin to fly to space. controversy this week. family. She follows the path first walked by Kalpana NSO has claimed that Pegasus is Chawla and Sunita Williams. Born in Andhra intended for use against terrorists and How it works Pradesh in India, Bandla grew up in Houston. criminals. Turns out they are not the only According to AI, Pegasus allows the The flight was delayed by 90 minutes ones the spyware has been snooping on. hacker to gain access to messages, emails, due to bad weather. Just before the media, microphone, camera, calls and take-off, she tweeted, “I am s o The investigation contacts on the target’s phone. Investigation incredibly honoured to be a The Pegasus Project is a ground-breaking has identified potential clients of NSO with part of the amazing crew o f collaboration by more than 80 journalists clusters in 11 countries, namely Azerbaijan, #Unity22, and to be a part from 17 media organizations in 10 countries. Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, of a company whose The efforts are coordinated by Paris-based Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Togo and mission is to make Forbidden Stories with the technical support UAE. space available to of Amnesty International, which conducted In India, the investigation is being done all.” forensic tests on mobile phones to identify by The Wire.
www.fianynjct.org Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT (FIA) [email protected] Tuesday, Page:04 July 20, 2021 THE DIASPORA BI-WEEKLY Covid case rise: India Indian photojournalist drops to 4th place hanks to the consistently declining killed in Afghanistan figures of daily cases of Covid-19, India has now dropped to the fourth place in #New Delhi earthquake of 2015, the pro-democracy T terms of new cases reported in seven days anish Siddiqui, an Indian photojournalist protests in Hong Kong in 2019, the communal ending last Friday. At the top of the list was associated with news agency Reuters riots that coincided with then US President Indonesia with 3.24 lakh cases, followed Din India since 2010, was killed on July Donald Trump’s visit to New Delhi in February by Brazil with 2.87 lakh. UK was at the third 16 while covering a clash between Afghan 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic in India. position with 2.75 lakh while India reported security forces and Taliban fighters near a He had also extensively covered the wars in 2.69 lakh cases during this period. However, border crossing with Pakistan. Danish, 38, is Afghanistan and Iraq. the active caseload is over 4.2 lakh. survived by his wife Rike and two children. He was laid to rest in the graveyard According to the Indian embassy in Kabul, of New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, his alma Danish died of multiple gunshot wounds. He mater, after his mortal remains were flown G’nagar gets India’s was embedded with Afghan Special Forces in from Afghanistan on the evening of July 18. Kandahar. On the fateful day, he was covering UN Secretary- 1st airport-like rly stn the clashes between the Taliban and the General Antonio he next time you go to Gandhinagar, Afghan security forces. The Taliban denied any Guterres and you might want to visit the redeveloped role in his death and expressed regret over the Afghanistan railway station that was inaugurated incident. President Ashraf T by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. Danish was part of a team that was Ghani also condoled The premises, which gives the feel of an awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Danish’s death. Political airport, boasts of state-of-the-art amenities, Photography in 2018 for documenting the leaders in India also a five-star hotel, a centrally air-conditioned Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar. condoled Danish’s multipurpose hall, baby feeding room, Danish had also chronicled the Nepal death. prayer room as well as a first-aid room. Train- travelling be just one of the many features of this station, which aims to function as a city Guru Purnima: Celebrating centre rail mall. the guru in our lives Chandrakant Trivedi Traditionally, Hindus pay tribute to Sage Vyas as well as their spiritual leader on this day. uru Purnima is very popular religious Vyasa, the author of author of Mahabharata and spiritual day among Hindu and son of Sage Parasar and Matsyagandha, Gcommunity word wide. It is annually was born on this day. He is believed to have celebrated on full moon day of the month of started writing Brahma Sutras on Ashadha Govt cancels Kanwar Ashadh (Purnima; in July/ August). It is also Suda Padyami that ended on this day. known as Vyasa Purnima and Gyan Purnima. This is also said to be the day when Lord Yatra after SC rap In Sanskrit, Gu means darkness of ignorance Shiv became the ‘Adi guru’ or the first guru to he Uttar Pradesh government has and Ru means light of knowledge. A guru is the Saptarishi or the seven sages. announced cancellation of the Kanwar regarded as the supreme human who has Source: Wikipedia Tyatra this year, after initially giving it the attained this power through intense ‘sadhana’ go-ahead. The annual pilgrimage, which leads and is willing to help his disciples and others. to one of the largest religious gatherings in This year, Guru Purnima falls on Sunday July the country every year, was called off after 25th. Supreme Court raised objection citing the likelihood of the third wave of the pandemic. Why celebrate Chosen as the day to honour the teacher, Guru Purnima is when we express gratitude for all that we have achieved in the past year, and when we resolve to do what we are here for. Let us thank all the masters of the tradition who have preserved this Knowledge from ages and brought it to us.
www.fianynjct.org Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT (FIA) [email protected] Tuesday, Page:05 July 20, 2021 THE DIASPORA BI-WEEKLY On Olympic Track AR Rahman and Ananya show the Hindustani Way That’s the title of the anthem the duo has prepared to cheer the Indian Rising from the earth we strike contingent at Tokyo Olympics 2020 Tiger stripes Kohinoor eyes Here we come #Mumbai It’s our time India fter weeks of anxious waiting, the We are here to fight Olympics week is finally here. The And if we fall, Games will kick off on July 13. The A we get back up Indian contingent is ready. And, so is India… to We’re born to win cheer them as they put their best foot forward We never stop in the march to the medal podium. Music legend AR Rahman has teamed up with singer-songwriter Ananya Birla past Olympics, starting from Atlanta in 1996 to compose an Olympics anthem for the and going on to Athens in 2004, Beijing 2008, Want to advertise with us? participants. It’s titled ‘The Hindustani Way’. London 2012 and Rio 2016. Ananya has written the lyrics and sang the One can see medal winners Leander We can help you song, while Rahman has composed the Paes, Vijender Singh, Abhinav Bindra, Mary take your brand farther. music. The song was launched by Minister of Kom, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, PV Sindhu, Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and others in Get in touch with us at last week. their winning moments. Remember Dipa’s True to the mood across the country, sensational Produnova vault? It had the entire [email protected] the song is a peppy number that plays in country hold its breath. Those and many more the background as heartbeats soar at critical such moments have been captured in the moments in matches. The viewers are treated video. to match-winning finishes by Indians from the Just feel the energy! Published by Federation of Indian Associations (NY-NJ-CT-PA-MA-NH) Michigan girl Vaidehi Dongre Editor Chitra Nair crowned Miss India USA 2021 Voluntary Design & Graphics Gracia Marcom Arshi Lalani, Mira Kasari named 1st and 2nd runner-ups respectively
#New Jersey feels like a dream. Because my state did not aidehi Dongre’s Instagram post, put up have a pageant let alone, a pageant Write to us! before she participated in the final round director to support me,” her post Got feedback for us? We would love to hear Vof the Miss India USA 2021 pageant, read. about it. Have an event you want others said she has always straddled between Indian Diana Hayden, Miss World to know about? Tell us. Clicked a pic worth and American culture and values. 1997, was the chief guest and sharing? Send it across. Your inputs are Vaidehi (25), who is from Michigan, was chief judge at the event. invaluable. You can mail your comments to crowned Miss India USA 2021 at the event held There were 61 [email protected] over the weekend. She was also crowned Miss contestants from 30 states. Talented for her Kathak performance. They participated in three You can also follow us on Arshi Lalani from Georgia was named different pageants—Miss the first runner-up while Mira Kasari from India USA, Mrs India USA @fianynjct.org North Carolina became the second runner-up. and Miss Teen India USA. federationofindianassocations For Arshi, the win was even bigger, for she Miss India USA is the had faced many a hurdle on the way, including longest running Indian @FIANYNJCTorg a brain tumour. “Winning this pageant.... pageant outside India.
www.fianynjct.org Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT (FIA) [email protected]