Immigration, education and health care cited as topics of interest to South Asians

From immigration policy to health care, issues of importance to the South Asian community are shaping the 2008 presidential election according to panelists at a recent event sponsored by the Indian American Forum for Political Education.

Two teams of 10 select students at the University of Connecticut get the chance each year to navigate the New York Stock Exchange and learn to invest to the best of their abilities with real money. And while every year is an exciting challenge, this year is especially interesting due to the turbulent state of the U.S. economy and market volatility.

OPEN holds anniversary event in city where first chapter formed: Boston

The Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs (OPEN) of North America celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a conference at the Boston University School of Management on Saturday, Oct. 18.

When Sam White and Sorin Grama entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s annual business plan competition for graduate students last year, they knew they had a decent shot at winning. They nearly pulled it off – the men took second place for the business plan that they developed for their fledgling company, Promethean Power Systems, which earned them a $10,000 prize.

Cambridge-based biotechnology giant Genzyme Corp. has teamed up with two area academic heavyweights and an Indian pharmaceutical company to develop new treatments for malaria.

Parvin Pothiawala said she started her Vermont-based Indian meal take-out business for one simple reason: “I just love to cook.”

“It’s that simple,” Pothiawala said. “[Cooking] is something I always really look forward to doing. It’s my passion.”

While about one in every six women in the world is from India, the lives of Indian women are largely a mystery to Western audiences, who tend to mischaracterize them, according to Maine author and photographer Stephen Huyler.

Aloke Chakravarty was supposed to be a doctor. Instead he gambled on law school. Today he’s a Boston-based assistant U.S. attorney specializing in criminal cases related to national security and terrorism.

For many college juniors, the summer before their senior year is spent working toiling at a low- or non-paying internship in the hopes it will lead to a good job after graduation. In contrast, Suffield resident Raj Parikh spent his last summer as a college undergrad flying to India to figure out how to best distribute a $10,000 grant to bolster his new startup computer training facility.

Indicorps, Just Change and InSPIRE aid voyage of self-discovery

No one can accuse North Kingstown native Sushil Jacob of being shy about getting back to his roots.

Reporter Kara Becker recently asked six people whether rising fuel costs and airline fees have affected their travel plans to South Asia or decisions to take vacations abroad:

The building the Brahma Kumaris Center occupies on Common Street in Watertown is unassuming enough, an elegant old New England structure; it could easily be mistaken for a residence if it weren’t for the small “Greetings of Peace” sign. But walk through the front door and there’s no mistake – there’s an aura of spirituality here.