Who is Ashok Veeraraghavan, the Indian-origin scientist honoured with Texas’ highest academic award
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Ashok Veeraraghavan has been honoured for his revolutionary imaging technology that aims to render the imperceptible visible.
Ashok Veeraraghavan, an Indian-origin computer engineer and professor, has been bestowed with the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, the highest academic honour in Texas.
The Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science, and Technology (TAMEST), which presents the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, mentioned that Veeraraghavan has been honoured for his revolutionary imaging technology that aims to render the imperceptible visible.
Delighted to receive the award, Dr Veeraraghavan told PTI that it was the recognition of the wonderful and innovative research that many students, postdocs, and research scientists, in the computational imaging lab at Rice University have done over the last decade.
The award is presented annually to extraordinary researchers embarking on a journey of significant scientific development in different fields. It includes medicine, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and technological sciences.
Who is Ashok Veeraraghavan?
Dr Ashok Veeraraghavan is a professor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rice University. Originally from Chennai, India, Veeraraghavan completed his BTech. in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 2002. He received his master’s degree and completed Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
According to the Rice University profile details, Dr Veeraraghavan joined the university in 2010, following which he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017 and Professor in 2020.
The professor has actively worked on computational imaging, comprehensive sensing for imaging, signal processing and computer vision, data science, and neuro-engineering systems.
Veeraraghavan’s research aims to offer solutions for imaging systems where the visualisation target remains inaccessible to the current imaging technologies due to the scattering effect of light in participating media.
Explaining his work to PTI, he said, “One familiar example is when you’re driving a car and it’s foggy, so you can’t see too far out. In this case, fog acts as the scattering medium. If you’re doing satellite imaging, clouds can act as the scattering medium.”
Previously, Veeraraghavan has also co-developed the FlatCam, which is a thin sensor chip with a mask that replaces lenses in a traditional camera. The significant innovation has made sophisticated computer algorithms more practical and enables the process of the sensor to detect and convert the measurements into images and videos.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Raja Krishnamoorthi ranks in Chicago’s 50 most influential by Chicago Magazine
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Placing him at 24th rank, Chicago Magazine describes him as the most powerful South Asian in the Greater Chicago Area. The magazine also says that he is planning to run for the US Senate in 2026.
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has figured in the list of 50 most powerful Chicagoans in the windy city’s influential Chicago magazine. Ranked at 24th, Krishnamoorthi is the highest-ranked individual of South Asian descent. The list is topped by Illinois Governor J B Pritzker followed by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Placing him at 24th rank, Chicago Magazine describes him as the most powerful South Asian in the Greater Chicago Area. The magazine also says that he is planning to run for the US Senate in 2026.
Krishnamoorthi, 50, who represents the northwest suburbs and used his former perch as chairman of a House Oversight subcommittee to investigate everything from the Washington Commanders to the baby formula shortage, has $14.4 million in his campaign coffers — more than three times as much as any other congressional representative from Illinois, and the third-highest total in the entire Congress, it said.
Raja is a huge player across the country, says a political consultant. In 2022, Krishnamoorthi donated $460,000 to Democratic candidates and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but he is said to be stockpiling his campaign cash to run for the Senate in 2026 if Dick Durbin retires, the magazine reported.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Ashwin Ramaswami becomes first Gen Z Indian-American running for Georgia Senate seat
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Ramaswami is a Democrat and he is hoping to replace incumbent Republican Shawn Still, who was indicted with former President Donald Trump for the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
Ashwin Ramaswami has become the first Indian-American from Gen Z to run for a state or federal legislature in the US, indicative of a new breed of young politicians emerging from the community.
Ramaswami’s parents immigrated to the US from Tamil Nadu in 1990. Generation Z (also known as Zoomers) encompasses those born between 1997 and 2012.
“I’m running for (Georgia) State Senate to give back to my community. I want to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities that I had growing up,” Ramaswami, 24, told PTI in a recent interview.
“I want to make sure we have a new voice, people who are young, who come from unconventional backgrounds in politics because we must have people who represent us, not just people who can afford to do it,” he said.
A second-generation Indian-American who has built a career in software engineering, election security, and technology law and policy research, is running in the Democratic party for State Senate in District 48 of Georgia.
Ramaswami is a Democrat and he is hoping to replace incumbent Republican Shawn Still, who was indicted with former President Donald Trump for the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
If elected, he would be the first Gen Z State Senator in Georgia and the only Georgia state legislator with both a computer science and a law degree. By doing so, he would also break barriers as the first Indian American in the Georgia State legislature.
“Everyone should make sure they have access to a quality education. We want to make sure people have access to jobs and the economy, entrepreneurship, and also access to healthcare, reproductive rights, and all these issues that matter to us. That’s why I’ve been running,” Ramaswami said in response to a question.
His parents are both from the IT sector.
“My parents both came to the US in the 1990s. They both came from Tamil Nadu. My mom is from Chennai, my dad is from Coimbatore. I’ve always grown up with Indian culture and also American culture growing up as well. I’m a Hindu. I’ve been very interested in Indian culture philosophy my whole life,” he said.
While growing up, he went to Chinmaya Mission Balavihar where he learned about epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita.
“When I was in college, I actually learned Sanskrit and ended up reading a lot of ancient texts and got very interested in reading Upanishads, ..and my whole life I’ve been very involved in yoga and meditation and now also teaching Baal Vihara to younger students,” Ramaswami said.
Ramaswami said for him, a very important part of my heritage is thinking about where his family comes from and “those values that we’re bringing to the table as well”
A native of Georgia, Ramaswami has worked with non-profits, start-ups, and small businesses to use technology for the public interest and create jobs.
As a civil servant, he worked at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on cybersecurity and election security, working with state and local election offices to secure the 2020 and 2022 elections. He also worked as a legal fellow in the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
“I did my undergraduate at Stanford in computer science. I worked a lot on start-ups at work, but I soon realised that we need more tech people in the federal government, which is why I joined the federal government and started working on election security and cybersecurity starting in 2020,” he said.
Responding to a question, he said that his Gen Z generation is “very aware politically” of what’s going on.
“We very much see the news, we see all these things happening, and we want to ensure a good future for ourselves. But I think one problem we face is we don’t have the resources or ability to actually go and make a difference in the sense that it’s really hard for people my age to get elected because the election process skews towards people who are wealthier and older.
“So that’s one big problem. I hope to show by being successful at this age that we can have that kind of a voice and we can work for everyone regardless of background,” he asserted.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Nine-year-old Indian-American student listed in world’s brightest students list
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Preesha Chakraborty, a nine-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl was honoured for her exceptional performance on the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Testing), School and College Ability Test, or similar assessments as part of the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth Talent Search, as per PTI.
Preesha Chakraborty, a nine-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl, was named in the “world’s brightest” students list by the prestigious Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, based on the results of above-grade-level tests of over 16,000 students across 90 countries.
Preesha is a Warm Spring Elementary school student in Fremont, California, and took the US-based Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (JH-CTY) test in Summer 2023 as a Grade 3 student, a media release said on Monday.
Preesha figured in the list after the results of above-grade-level tests of over 16,000 students from more than 90 countries around the world were assessed, it said.
She was honoured for her exceptional performance on the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Testing), School and College Ability Test, or similar assessments as part of the CTY Talent Search.
Less than 30% of students qualify each year for either High Honors or Grand Honors/SET based on their test scores.
She aced in the test’s verbal and quantitative sections – on par with the 99th percentile of advanced Grade 5 performances – and bagged the Grand Honors, according to the press release.
The achievement qualifies Preesha for more than 250 Johns Hopkins CTY’s Online and On-Campus Programmes for advanced students in grades 2-12 in mathematics, computer programming, chemistry, physics, reading, and writing.
Preesha is a lifetime member of the universally renowned Mensa Foundation, the oldest high-IQ society in the world, where membership is open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test.
She achieved this accomplishment at age six by securing 99 percentiles in the national level NNAT (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test), which assesses K-12 students for gifted and talented programmes. Preesha loves travelling, hiking, and mixed martial arts outside of studies.
According to her parents, Preesha has always been passionate about learning and has consistently displayed exceptional academic abilities.
“This is not just recognition of students’ performance on one test, but a testament to their curiosity and capacity for learning,” Amy Shelton, Executive Director of the CTY, said.
“These students have demonstrated enormous potential, and now we encourage them to seek out experiences and communities that help them challenge and stretch their knowledge, connect with other young scholars, understand diverse perspectives, think critically, and pursue their goals confidently,” Shelton said.
Founded in 1979, CTY is a centre for innovation dedicated to advancing the field of gifted education through research on testing, programmes, and other support for advanced learners.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
US cops continue probe into the death of an affluent Indian-American family in Massachusetts
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Norfolk District Attorney (DA) Michael Morrissey described the tragedy as a domestic violence situation, as a gun was found near Rakesh’s body. Police are continuing to investigate the deaths of the three family members, NBC Boston reported late on Saturday.
Police in the US are still investigating the deaths of a wealthy Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter, who were found dead in their sprawling $5 million mansion in Massachusetts, a media report said. Rakesh Kamal, 57, his wife, Teena, 54, and their 18-year-old daughter, Ariana, were found dead in their 11-bedroom and 13-bathroom mansion on Thursday.
Norfolk District Attorney (DA) Michael Morrissey has described the tragedy as a domestic violence situation, as a gun was found near Rakesh’s body. Police are continuing to investigate the deaths of the three family members, NBC Boston reported late on Saturday.
The report said the medical examiner’s office is still investigating the cause and manner of the deaths. Teena and her husband previously ran a now-defunct education systems company called EduNova. Their company was launched in 2016 but dissolved in December 2021, state records show.
Their daughter Ariana was remembered by the schools she attended as a bright, kind young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, according to the report. She graduated this past summer from Milton Academy, which, in a statement, said it was heartbroken to learn of her death.
”Aria was a sweet, smart, kind young woman who was just beginning to realise her full potential,” the prestigious school said. ”This is a devastating loss to our community,” it added. Ariana, who was in her first year at Middlebury College, a USD 64,800-a-year private liberal arts school in Vermont, was described by one of her professors as ”a brilliant student” who was connected and engaged in class and passionate about everything she did.
The slain teen, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, was studying neuroscience, was also beloved by the college choir, said Jeffrey Buettner, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. She loved singing together, and her choir community was deeply meaningful to her in her first semester, he said.
The grim discovery of the bodies of the family was made after a relative had stopped by to check on the family members after not hearing from them in one or two days, the district attorney said. The slain family members were the only ones living in the mansion at the time of the incident, the DA said, adding that the area, one of the richest in the state, was a nice neighbourhood, a safe community.
The couple appeared to have faced financial problems in recent years, online records show. The family’s sprawling mansion estimated to be worth $5.45 million went into foreclosure a year ago and was sold for $3 million, according to the New York Post. Dover is about 32 kilometres southwest of downtown Boston, the capital of Massachusetts.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Jill Biden honours this Indian-American teen inventor for leading community improvement
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Indian-American teen inventor Gitanjali Rao was honoured by US First Lady Jill Biden for her impactful community improvement efforts and innovative scientific contributions.
Gitanjali Rao, a 17-year-old Indian-American inventor, was recently honoured by US First Lady Jill Biden. Rao was recognised along with 14 other young women leaders for their efforts to bring about change and shape a brighter future in their communities across the nation.
The honour was bestowed upon Rao during the first-ever “Girls Leading Change” celebration at the White House. This event, held on Wednesday, was organised to mark the International Day of the Girl. The 15 young women leaders were selected by the White House Gender Policy Council for their significant impact on their communities.
Jill Biden expressed her honour in celebrating this exceptional group of “Girls Leading Change” at the White House. “These young women are protecting and preserving the earth, writing and sharing stories that change minds, and turning their pain into purpose. Together, they represent the potential of young people across the country, and it is my hope that others can learn from the power of their innovation, strength, and hope,” she was quoted as saying in a White House press release.
Rao hails from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and is a scientist known for her groundbreaking lead contamination detection tool. This invention earned her an EPA Presidential Award and the title of America’s Top Young Scientist by Discovery Education/3M.
She has also authored a book titled ‘Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM’. This book outlines a prescriptive five-step innovation process and is used as a STEM curriculum globally in selected schools.
Rao was named Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year in 2020. She is committed to not only continuing her career as a scientist and inventor but also expanding her STEM education initiative. Her initiative has already reached more than 80,000 elementary, middle, and high school students.
Currently a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rao has also been featured in Forbes’ list of 30 Under 30 achievers.
On International Day of the Girl, the Biden-Harris Administration renewed its commitment to building a future worthy of the abilities and ambitions of all girls. They envision a future with no limit to how far girls’ dreams and talents can carry them.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Indian-American women racially abused in Texas by Mexican origin women
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Plano Police arrested Esmeralda Upton on Thursday afternoon. The incident is currently under investigation by the Plano Police Department’s Crime Against Persons Unit.
Videos of four Indian-American women being racially abused by a Mexican-American woman in Texas, US, have created a storm on social media.
The Mexican-American woman, identified as Esmeralda Upton, is seen hurling racist slurs at the Indian-origin women stating that they are “ruining” America and should “go back to India”.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night at a parking lot in Dallas, Texas.
“I hate you Indians. All these Indians come to America because they want a better life,” Upton says in the video. “Everywhere I go, you Indians are everywhere,” she is seen screaming in the video. “If life was so great in India, why are you here,” she shouted and inserted insulting words.
She suddenly started assaulting the four Indian women, as shown in the video.
The incident has invited wide criticism of women after it went viral and has sent shock waves among the Indian-American community.
The person who posted this video wrote, “this incident occurred in Dallas, Texas, after my mom and her three friends went to dinner. The mom is seen contesting the arguments made by the Mexican-American woman and requesting her not to make racial slurs.
At one point in time, the Mexican-American woman, who says she was born in the United States, is also seen assaulting the mom and her other friends. Many on social media pointed out she seemed to be carrying a gun as she searched her handbag. Though this has not been confirmed by the police yet.
Plano Police arrested Esmeralda Upton of Plano on Thursday afternoon. She has been charged with assault, bodily injury and terroristic threats and is being held on a total bond amount of $10,000. The incident is currently under investigation by the Plano Police Department’s Crime Against Persons Unit.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
What’s it about Indian-Americans and the Spelling Bee contest?
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
This year the Scripps National Spelling Bee was won by 14-year-old Indian-American Harini Logan from Texas and she beat another Indian-origin pre-teen. They’re just two in a long line of seemingly effortless spellers. Find out how their effort goes beyond simply putting alphabets in the right order.
Indian-Americans have dominated the Scripps National Spelling Bee over the past two decades even though they make up only about 1 percent of the US population.
Almost predictably, 14-year-old Indian-American Harini Logan from Texas won the prestigious 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Logan spelled 21 words correctly within 90 seconds to win the Spelling Bee, beating Vikram Raju in a marathon, PTI reported.
The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Scripps National Spelling Bee had eight co-champions, of whom seven were Indian-Americans.
Since 1999, 27 Indian Americans have won the Spelling Bee championship, including Harini Logan.
Past champions
Balu Natarajan became the first Indian American to win Scripps in 1985. Coincidentally, his son Atman Balakrishnan also participated in the competition in 2018.
Rageshree Ramachandran was the second Indian-American to bring home the top prize in 1988.
Between 1999 and 2020, 26 Indian-Americans won the championship. African-American student Zaila Avant-garde won the US Spelling Bee competition in 2021, to break the 12-year-long winning streak of Indian-Americans.
The past Indian-American winners include Nupur Lala (1999), Pratyush Buddiga (2002), Sai Gunturi (2003), Anurag Kashyap (2005), Sameer Mishra (2008), Kavya Shivashankar (2009), Anamika Veeramani (2010), Sukanya Roy (2011), Snigdha Nandipati (2012), Arvind Mahankali (2013), Sriram J. Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe (2014), Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam (2015), Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Saireddy Janga (2016), Ananya Vinay (2017), Karthik Nemmani (2018) and Rishik Gandhasri, Saketh Sundar, Shruthika Padhy, Sohum Sukhatankar, Abhijay Kodali and Rohan Raja (2019).
Why are Indian-Americans so successful?
According to Pawan Dhingra, professor of sociology and American Studies at Amherst College, the success of Indian-Americans at the Scripps National Spelling Bee stems from the firm commitment of their families to spend the kind of time and money needed to prepare their kids.
These children are not just brilliant in spellings, they also excel in geography, mathematics and other academic competitions, Dhingra wrote in The Conversation.
Dhingra had interviewed over 100 Indian-American parents between 2011 and 2018 who believed their children would require a strong academic record to get admission into a prominent university. The academic record would compensate for the weak networking, the parents said.
As such, Indian-American parents looked for hobbies for their children that gave priority to “all kinds of educational attainment,” Shalini Shankar, author of Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal about Generation Z’s New Path to Success, told The New York Times.
Spelling soon became an extracurricular activity, sometimes being passed down in families, like in the case of Balu Natarajan.
Another report by Washington Post attributed the impressive performance of Indian-Americans at spelling bee contest to their perseverance, hard work and well-educated parents.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Explained: How will the new green card recommendations help Indians
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
At present, Indian applicants face the highest wait time as there are a huge number of applicants and the current immigration system imposes a cap of 7 percent per country on allotment of the Green Card
In what could bring cheer to the Indian-American green card applicants, a US panel has recently voted to reduce the internal processing time of all applications for green cards or permanent residency to six months.
If the recommendations by the President’s Advisory Commission (PAC), which has sent them to the White House for approval, are adopted, it will bring relief to several Indian-Americans who are waiting for years for a green card.
What is a green card?
A green card is issued to immigrants to the US, granting them the privilege to reside and work permanently in the country.
At present, Indian applicants face the highest wait time as there is a huge number of applicants in the queue and the current immigration system imposes a cap of 7 percent per country on allotment of the green card.
The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (PACAANHPI) has recommended that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) establish a new internal cycle time goal by removing redundant steps, automating approvals, improving systems and enhancing policies. The panel hopes that the new cycle time for processing forms will come down to six months for forms related to all green card applications, family-based green card applications and DACA renewals.
The panel has also recommended hiring additional staff to process the applications.
Huge backlog
The recommendations will help the USCIS clear the huge backlog. According to a policy paper by Indian American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria, there were 421,358 interviews pending in April this year. In financial year 2021, only 65,452 family preference green cards were issued against the annual 226,000 green cards available, PTI reported.
Why is important for Indians?
A speedier immigration process will help Indian IT professionals who come to the US on H-1B work visas get faster approvals to become US citizens. Getting citizenship will give them greater flexibility to choose jobs or start their own business as compared to H-1B visa, which has stringent employment terms.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal create a Hot Mess Holiday on Comedy Central
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
Comedy Central recently aired Hot Mess Holiday, a Diwali holiday film. The movie just screened on Dec 26th on Comedy Central and will be aired in India in the New Year. This features the zany adventurers of two hot Indian chicks – Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal.
There was a time when young Indian-Americans had to live vicariously through the exploits of white Americans on prime time TV and at the movies – now, no more! But, there is a first time for everything and this holiday season, Comedy Central aired Hot Mess Holiday, a Diwali holiday film. This features the zany adventurers of two hot Indian chicks – Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal – and what audiences realise is that some things are just universal – no matter what culture it is. Best friends, family ties and good food are common to everyone – and now Melanie and Surina even bring in a wild diamond heist into the desi orbit!
What is amusing is that the filmmakers suck in all the tired desi stereotypes, the crazy uncles, the overwhelming aunties, the Garba dances, the celebrated academic over-achievers into this over-the-top comedy caper and share a laugh at their own culture. The Indian-American community comprises individuals and is so much more than just a model minority of spelling bee champions and Ivy League wunderkinds. And when you laugh at yourself, the audience generally laughs with you. Desis do have a sense of humour, and that’s good to know.
Hot Mess Holiday poster
The movie just screened on Dec 26th on Comedy Central and will be aired in India in the New Year. Diwali has rarely been portrayed in mainstream television except in The Office series. So it was a big deal for Indian-American audiences to get their favourite festival on the nation’s radar. An entire film revolves around the antics at a Diwali holiday party and celebrates a strong female friendship.
Hot Mess Holiday is directed by Jaffar Mahmood and is written by Sameer Gardezi. It stars Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal as best buddies and is backed by a cast of South Asian actors who have all made it in the mainstream world of TV and movies – Kal Penn, Punam Patel, Kunal Dudhekar, Chris Geere, Desmond Chiam, Nik Dodani, Richa Moorjani, Ritesh Rajan, Aparna Nancherla, Ravi Patel, Chris Parnell, Titus Burgess, and Lilly Singh. The executive producers who made it happen include Van Toffler, Floris Bauer, Sameer Gardezi, Surina Jindal, Melanie Chandra, Kal Penn, Justin Rosenblatt, Andrew Lutin, Janee Dabney, David Gale, and Barry Barclay.
Mahmood Jaffar
Strong female relationships are important, and the film reflects Melanie and Surina’s real-life relationship. They are almost an odd couple – two very different people yet very close. They have known each other since 2011, and Surina was a bridesmaid at Melanie’s wedding. The short film they made earlier had all their on-screen chemistry, and fortunately, based on that, Comedy Central picked up this film. Surina shared on Instagram: “We can’t wait for you to watch the first buddy comedy starring South Asian women ever!”
This film could only have been made by first-gen Indian-Americans who are fond of their Indian identity and comfortable enough to mock it and make cheeky jokes about it.
“We wanted to make sure the film reflected our experiences authentically,” says Melanie. “As first gen-ers, we’ve always felt a bit misplaced. Often we’re not seen as fully American, even though we were born here, when we are at Indian functions, we feel like we’re not Indian enough – for example, if we don’t speak the language fluently (or at all), as we joke about in the film. So, we were deliberate in making sure that we captured this unique perspective and reacted in such situations how we’d actually react! We’ve found that the more specific and authentic we are to our actual experience, the more that people of our generation, across all cultures, have been able to relate.”
Watching the movie, one is impressed with the camaraderie among South Asian actors where so many well-known names have come together, even in minor roles, to contribute to the larger picture. But, did this camaraderie exist and is there a community where actors support each other?
According to Surina, this camaraderie was real and was one of the most heartwarming aspects of the film. “Everyone was SO excited to be there and be able to work on this project, even though they are all very busy and in-demand actors. We wanted to create a vibe on set that was very welcoming and ensure that everyone knew our gratitude for them coming together to bring our “baby” to life. The other actors contributed to these feelings immensely with their grace, work ethic, and collaboration. We knew we were all making history together and that was such a special feeling.”
As Melanie and Surina point out until now, they were the ones auditioning for roles, not the ones casting them. But, now working with casting directors Cody Beke and Seth White, they could also use their networks to reach out to fellow actors.
“After being in this industry as actresses for over a decade now, it was really neat to be able to come up with our dream list of actors for each role and send audition notices to many of our friends,” says Surina. “There’s a class of actors that have all started around the same time, when roles for brown people were few and far between. It was nice to finally have something mainstream with multiple South Asian roles for hire and to be able to present that to our community of actor friends.”
Mel and Surina have real chemistry between them, rarely seen between Indian female characters in Bollywood. It has an almost ‘Harold and Kumar’ zaniness, reflecting the Asian male comedy duo, which set off a hugely successful film franchise. Hopefully, the diamond heist in Hot Mess Holiday is the first of other spoofs to come. So what else do they have planned if this series takes off?
Melanie says, “We have so many episode ideas that we are eager to start developing. When we were pitching to networks the other year, we had to generate several episode ideas and hone in on season arcs and character arcs, so we have the foundation for a ton of fun material already fleshed out.” Adds Surina, “It’s guaranteed to be a show like no other, with a comedic sensibility that speaks to a niche audience while still being super enjoyable for a broader audience.”
Just seeing Mel and Surina get a phut-phut ride with Kal Pann sets the tone for wackiness – one almost wishes he pops up more often and brings in his over-the-top brand of zaniness. Kal is an executive producer and core member of the creative team, and as Melanie and Surina say, “We would love to continue to work with him and know he feels the same way.”
Ask Kal about the importance of this first dip into the mainstream market with a buddy holiday comedy. He says, “What’s incredible about Surina and Mel, the Diwali movie for Comedy Central, and how it’s resonating with fans is that it’s all based on these hilarious, ridiculous characters and world they created with Sameer Gardezi — which is to say it’s so specific to the real-world experiences of desis, but told in a way that anyone can relate to.”
Sameer Gardezi
Some parting words from Kal Penn show why Hot Holiday Mess will always be a reflective marker for young Indian-Americans in their journey into finding themselves and their place at the American table: “We never grew up with Diwali movies, so the idea that we’re the ones who get to create this for Comedy Central – it’s so special, and has been fun to share with audiences.”
Lavina Melwani is a New York-based journalist who blogs at Lassi with Lavina. Read her columns here.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
5 Minutes Read
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Daily Newsletter
