Community

India-West News Desk SACRAMENTO, CA – Fremont resident Ajay Bhutoria has been appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, according to an announcement from the Governor’s office. Bhutoria will serve as a public

India-West News Desk SANTA MONICA, CA - Consul General of India in Los Angeles Dr. K.J. Srinivasa and Vice Consul Priyanka Tyagi visited Santa Monica College on September 25 as part of discussions on expanding educational opportunities between India and the United

India-West News Desk LOS ANGELES, CA - Nearly 300 people took part in the Viksit Bharat Run 2026 at Don Knabe Community Regional Park, organized by the Consulate General of India, Los Angeles, in association with the United Indian Associations of

India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC -The Upakar Foundation has awarded scholarships to 24 new Indian American students as part of its 2026 program, including nine students receiving need-based undergraduate tuition support and 15 receiving one-time textbook scholarships. The nine new Upakar Scholars

Image: CSOH India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC - A sharp rise in online hostility toward South Asian communities is being driven by immigration rhetoric, economic resentment, and digital amplification, according to a report released by the Center for the Study of Organized

India-West News Desk JOHNS CREEK, GA - Consul General of India in Atlanta Dr. Sumit Seth took part in the Heartfulness 5K Green Run at Cauley Creek Park here, as part of a community initiative combining fitness with environmental awareness. During the

India-West News Desk CHICAGO, IL - Career diplomat Dr. M. Anand Prakash officially took charge as the Consul General of India in Chicago on September 3. He succeeds Ambassador Somnath Ghosh, who has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to

India-West News Desk PHILADELPHIA, PA- About 2,000 devotees and community members from the Greater Philadelphia area and neighboring states participated in the Philadelphia Ganesh Festival procession and celebrations at Bharatiya Temple this year. The 11-day festival began September 14, with religious ceremonies,

India-West News Desk NORTHRIDGE, CA – Chhandak Basu, a biology professor at California State University, Northridge, has received $700,000 in NASA grants to study how plants and microbes survive under conditions that resemble those found in space. Basu’s latest grant, worth $400,000, will

India-West News Desk The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin is expanding stem cell donor registration drives across the United States and India to increase the pool of potential donors for patients of Indian and South Asian descent. AAPI launched the

India-West News Desk FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ – Health Camp of New Jersey opened the Lata Atul Shah Community Health Center on September 19. More than 100 community members, doctors, civic leaders, volunteers and supporters attended the opening. The center is being developed as a

BENGALURU-Art of Living founder Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said on September 22 that economic prosperity cannot be separated from peace and inner well-being, stressing that sustainable growth requires societies to address economic inequality alongside human well-being. Addressing Semafor's The Next

CAPTION: B U Patel of the Tarsadia Foundation India-West News Desk SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Indian American philanthropy is growing, with donors directing money, time and professional expertise to causes in the United States and India. Giving is also becoming a way to

India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC -  The O.P. Jindal Global University has appointed C. Raja Mohan as Director and Professor of its Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS), the university announced September 21. Raja Mohan, a foreign policy scholar and strategic

Photos: Mohammed Jaffer/Snapsindiausa India-West News Desk JERSEY CITY, NJ - Bollywood actress Amisha Patel joined the ongoing week-long Ganesh festival celebrations on Newark Avenue, taking part in the aarti alongside host Bhavesh Patel. Patel visited the festival tent and participated in the aarti as

India-West News Desk SAN RAMON, CA - More than 25,000 visitors and devotees attended the Bay Area’s Grand Ganesh Festival at Bishop Ranch City Center in San Ramon on September 19, bringing together families for prayers, cultural programs, food, shopping and

India- West News Desk NEW YORK, NY – Hindus for Human Rights has named Sravya Tadepalli as its new executive director, while Ria Chakrabarty will head Hindus for Human Rights Action, the organization’s separately incorporated 501(c)(4) political arm. Tadepalli joined the HfHR board

India-West News Desk HYATTSVILLE, MD – Neha Gupta, executive director of Teach For India U.S., has been named the winner of the inaugural Deepak Raj Rising Star Award by the India Philanthropy Alliance. Gupta will receive the award and deliver the closing keynote

India-West News Desk LOWELL, MA-Mohammed Jaber Hussain, a 27-year-old engineer was found dead at his residence here, on September 15, less than three weeks after his wedding in Texas. Hussain had moved to the US from Hyderabad in 2021 for grad school

India-West News Desk FORDS, NJ — The Indo-American Cultural Association of Edison, NJ, honored the late Natu Patel with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at a memorial event at Royal Albert Palace, recognizing more than three decades of his leadership and selfless

India-West News Desk NEW JERSEY – South Florida-based technology leader and community advocate Priya Alavadi was crowned Mrs. Universe Elite Global 2026 on September 11 in New Jersey. Indian filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar crowned her at the event. Alavadi had previously won the Mrs.

India-West News Desk CHICAGO, IL - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined scholars, business leaders and members of the Indian American community September 13 at the Art Institute of Chicago for the US–India Legacy 250 Symposium, a program examining more than 250 years

India-West News Desk PHILADELPHIA, PA -About 2,000 devotees and community members from the Greater Philadelphia area and neighboring states took part in the Philadelphia Ganesh Festival procession and celebrations at Bharatiya Temple on September 14. The festival began September 14 and will

India-West News Desk NEW YORK, NY - Dr. Rahul Sharma, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Emergency Physician-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian–Weill Cornell Medical Center, has been elected chair of the New York State Board for Medicine

HALF MOON BAY, CA — Local families gathered at the ALAS Cultural Wellness Center September 11 for a free evening combining STEAM education, art activities and health services. The event was organized by Krafty Kids, a youth-founded nonprofit established by Bay

India-West News Desk OAKLAND, CA – The Association of Indo Americans (AIA), along with community partners and representatives from SEWA International – East Bay, held a remembrance and support gathering September 9 for victims of the devastating floods in Nepal. Community members, volunteers

NEW YORK, NY - A woman dove onto a New York City subway track in an attempt to save a friend who had fallen onto the tracks, but both were killed by an oncoming train that could not stop in

India-West News Desk LOS ANGELES, CA - An Indian Masters swimming team from Bengaluru has completed a rare double crossing of the Catalina Channel off Southern California, becoming, subject to final ratification, the first Asian team to accomplish the feat. The six-member

Photo: @ShabbosK India-West News Desk NEW YORK, NY- A New York taxi driver’s account of helping people in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks has resurfaced on social media, drawing thousands of reactions as the US marks the 25th anniversary of

India-West News Desk SAN RAMON, CA – Three San Ramon high school students have each won $5,000 for their original event ideas in Discover San Ramon’s second annual Event Innovator Competition. Neil Korambeth of California High School, Aditi Ranjan and Chloe Fisher

India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC - Two students have been named winners of the India Philanthropy Alliance’s 7th Annual Youth Essay Competition, which asks young writers to examine challenges facing India and develop possible solutions. Aditi Soham, the high school winner, wrote about

India-West News Desk MOUNTAIN HOUSE, CA - The local community here celebrated Krishna Janmashtami with great devotion and enthusiasm, featuring devotional music, traditional rituals, and a series of handcrafted tableaux illustrating key episodes from the life of Lord Krishna. Devotees from Mountain

India-West News Desk TORRANCE, CA - The Sri Panchamukha Hanuman Temple hosted Jai Ho 2026, its fourth annual celebration of India’s Independence Day, bringing the community together for a day of culture, entertainment and fellowship. This year’s celebration was particularly significant as

India-West News Desk COSTA MESA, CA – The South Asian Helpline And Referral Agency (SAHARA) celebrated a remarkable evening of generosity and community at its 35th Annual Gala, held on August 30 at the Hilton Costa Mesa here, where 280 guests gathered in support of the

India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC - Anti-South Asian hate rose significantly online between January 2023 and December 2025, with anti-South Asian slurs increasing by 109%, according to a new report by Stop AAPI Hate. The September 2026 report, ‘The State of Anti-South

India-West News Desk PHOENIX, AZ - Sethuraman Panchanathan, Arizona State University’s University Professor of Technology and Innovation and former director of the National Science Foundation, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Arthur M. Bueche Award by the National Academy

India-West News Desk GARLAND, TX – The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation has raised approximately $222,000 in donations and pledges through a recent fundraising campaign to support its work in rural and tribal communities in Bharat. The funds are expected to

India-West News Desk SANTA CLARA, CA – Santa Clara University will become the new home of the Under-Told Stories Project, the documentary journalism initiative founded by veteran PBS NewsHour correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro. The move comes as de Sam Lazaro takes on

India-West News Desk CHICAGO, IL - Devon Avenue in Little India was a sea of flags, music and energy as the Federation of Indian Associations wrapped up its months-long patriotic celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence while highlighting India-U.S.

India-West News Desk KATHMANDU — Twenty-two U.S. citizens are among an 80-member group associated with the Isha Foundation that remains unaccounted for after flash floods struck near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. The group, traveling with Isha Sacred Walks, also includes 12 from

Photo: UC Berkeley India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC — While international applicant numbers from India plummeted by 15 percent during the 2025–26 admissions cycle, Indian American students surged ahead as one of the fastest-growing domestic applicant demographics in the United States. According to

India-West News Desk FOLSOM, CA - Jag Nagendra, a candidate for Folsom City Council, has been named one of the 2026 Top 60 Change Makers, a regional honor presented by The Sacramento Bee and the Nehemiah Leaders Programs. The recognition highlights Nagendra's

India-West News Desk LAS VEGAS, NV – Las Vegas shimmered in saffron, white, green and navy blue on August 16 as Friends of India, Las Vegas (FOILV) brought together more than 300 people to celebrate India’s 80th Independence Day. Held at the

Photo: @monica.singhsalazar India-West News Desk SANTA CRUZ, CA -A 19-year-old University of California, Santa Cruz student died after a vehicle went off West Cliff Drive and plunged into the ocean near the Steamer Lane surf break early August 13, authorities said. The crash

India-West News Desk LOS ANGELES, CA - A three-part UCLA podcast is telling the story of Mohana Sundari, a Chennai woman who became an auto-rickshaw driver and later helped organize women working in traditionally male-dominated sectors. “Autoqueen Trilogy,” produced by Re:Work at the

GANDHINAGAR-Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, on the seventh day of his US tour, visited the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in New Jersey on August 23. The Chief Minister was warmly welcomed by BAPS saints at the

Photo: Chitrakutdham Talgajarda Morari Bapu India-West News Desk CAMBRIDGE, MA- Spiritual leader Morari Bapu has on nine-day recital of the Ramcharitmanas at Harvard University here, with the program also featuring scholarly discussions and an observance of Tulsi Jayanti. Titled 'Manas Guru Prasad', the recital began

India-West News Desk LOS ANGELES, CA - Designer and entrepreneur Anijo Mathew took over as dean of the University of Southern California’s Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy on August 1. Mathew joins USC from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute

India-West News Desk AKRON, OH - Life Gurukula has acquired a former Catholic convent in Akron for $2.21 million as it prepares to establish a Hindu temple and retreat center on the 16-acre property. The Hindu spiritual organization purchased the property at

India-West News Desk DIAMOND BAR, CA – A DEVIS (Desi Vibes in SoCal) Dance-A-Thon brought the South Asian community together in Diamond Bar on August 16 for a morning of movement, wellness and celebration. Led by Sarina Jain, creator of Masala Bhangra,’the