Mindy Kaling Gets National Medal Of Arts From President Biden

Photo : Screengrab C-SPAN

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – President Joe Biden has presented actress-producer Mindy Kaling with the prestigious 2021 National Medal of Arts, one of the highest awards given to artists and arts patrons by the US.

Kaling, 43, also known as Vera Mindy Chokalingam, was awarded for advancing the arts in America in a ceremony attended by First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on March 21. A host of others including the legendary singer Bruce Springsteen, comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus and designer Vera Wang joined Biden in the White House East Room where they received either a National Medal of Arts or National Humanities Medal for their contributions to American society.

“The first woman of color to create, write, and star in a primetime sitcom, she empowers a new generation to tell their stories with their own irreverence and sincerity. A The daughter of Indian immigrants…” Biden said, presenting the award to the actress.

“We know about that, right? Our Vice President is a daughter of Indian immigrants — a mother who was a great scientist… And, Mindy, we know your mom is always with you in your spirit. We know that,” the President added.

“Imbued with humor and heart, Mindy Kaling’s work across television, film, and books inspires and delights — capturing and uplifting the experiences of women and girls across our nation,” a citation from National Medals of Arts read.

Kaling accepted the honor wearing a lilac, short sleeved dress and matching pumps.

Kaling was born to an architect father and an obstetrician-gynecologist mother who moved to the US in 1979 from Nigeria.

She lent her acting talents to such film comedies as ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (2005), ‘License to Wed’ (2007), and ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ (2009) and voiced characters for the animated movies ‘Despicable Me’ (2010), ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ (2012), and ‘Inside Out’ (2015).

She developed the innovative ‘The Mindy Project‘, which centered on the life of Mindy Lahiri, an obstetrician-gynecologist who is fixated on finding a romantic partner.

Recently, she co-created and co-wrote the Netflix show ‘Never Have I Ever’, about a first-generation Indian-American teenager, and ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’, a comedy series that centers on four college roommates. Present in the audience and cheering Kaling on was B.J.Novak, her former boyfriend and best friend. Novak is also the godfather of Kaling’s five-year-old daughter Katherine Swati and two-year-old son Spencer Avu.