Indian Origin Man Quits Job in Australia to Vote for PM Modi in Indian General Elections April 15, 2019 11:26
Despite staying in India many people by purpose failed to cast their valuable vote in still afoot Lok Sabha elections but a man hailing from Mangalore and settled in Australia stood out from all to make a decision in his life that would help him vote tranquilly for his ideal leader. The 41-year-old Sudhindraa Hebbaar (41), has resigned from his job as a screening officer at Sydney Airport since he could not get leave to come to India to cast his vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 18.The man got leave from April 5 to April 12 but he was let down as could not get an extension due to Easter and Ramadan rush. So he made up his mind to resign and come back to India, he told National Daily. Hebbaar added, “In Sydney, I’ve been working with people from across the globe, including Europeans and Pakistanis. I’m proud every time they say India has a great future. I attribute this success and changing image of India to the Prime Minister. Obviously, I cannot go to the border to protect my motherland.”He said that now that he has resigned, he plans to stay till the results (May 23) and see who wins the election after that he will go back and search for a new job.He said in a statement “I am a Permanent Residency card-holder in Australia (his wife is a Fiji-Australian) and I have worked at Sydney Trains before working at the airport. Finding another job shouldn’t be an issue.”Similar in 2014 Indian general elections, Hebbaar flew to India for a day to cast his vote for BJP. He was at the polling booth in Mangalore at 7 a.m., cast his vote and returned to Bengaluru to catch his flight to Sydney.By Sowmya Sangam
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Meet the 32-Year-Old Indian American Who Traveled for over 30 Hours Just to Vote in General Elections April 12, 2019 11:45
Despite being in India scores of voters didn’t turn up to exercise their franchise but a 32-year-old job holder in the United States traveled from New York to Nagpur spending a bomb just to cast his vote. Ashish Sharma, who is working as a sales manager in the United States-based e-commerce company, has lately been a frequent visitor to the city owing to his mother’s ill health. As per the arrangement made with his company, his next visit was scheduled around April 25. However, after polling dates were announced, the big follower of Indian politics could not resist and convinced his bosses to let him fulfill his national duties. Sharma reached Nagpur flying for over 30 hours in the early hours of Thursday. “Right after the polling date was announced, I had made up my mind to come here. While during other visits my company would bear the travel expenses, this time I would be paying for my return tickets,” said Sharma. “It’s not about just one vote. I know it won’t make a difference. My main intention is to motivate all the Indians staying abroad to come and vote. Imagine what a big difference can be made if thousands of Indians living just in the United States vote,” said Sharma, who has been posting his inked pictures on social media appealing people living overseas to vote. Voting, for them, is a medium to express their belongingness, Said Sharma. “We are not appreciated much outside as some racism does exist. And we are not appreciated in India as we don’t stay here. What can be a better way than voting to show that we care?” he added. NRI voters were not been extended right to cast their votes online in this Lok Sabha elections. A bill to extend proxy voting rights to NRIs was passed in Lok Sabha but is pending in Rajya Sabha. -Sangam Sowmya
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Meet the Loyal Friend and Nri-Technocrat-TDP Worker Who Is Back Home to Campaign for Chandrababu Naidu April 05, 2019 16:08
The constant friend of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Koteswara Rao Chekuri, who resides in Dallas is doing his best to make Babu retain his power in approaching elections. The 40-year-old Chekuri’s association with the TDP goes back more than three decades. A young Chekuri remembers his family in Guntur district’s Vinukonda village rooting for the charismatic NTR (after he formed the TDP in 1982) because they believed the matinee idol-politician would bring good changes to their lives. He and TDP remained intertwined, though he was too little a child to understand. The youngster grew up, graduated from the Regional Engineering College, Warangal, and did his higher studies at Alabama University in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He found a first-world job, married an IT graduate who works in a reputed firm, and now lives a cushy life that is part of any successful Great Telugu American Dream package. To return the gratitude for his native land, he thought nothing would be a better way than through the TDP and Naidu, who is going to face parliamentary elections this summer. His slogan - “state first, rest next”. He booked a flight to his native state and worked his contacts to canvass for the party. “Don’t I have the duty to pay back to my state which has given me all these comforts? That’s precisely my connection with the TDP as well as Naidu and the people,” says the NRI-technocrat-TDP-worker, who regrets not being ‘home’ when it was split in 2014 and general elections were held. He wants to make up for it. “I have formed party units in the U.S., named appropriately as NRI-TDP, to extend tech-based support to Naidu because of whose initiatives four lakh IT professionals from the state are working in the U.S.” Chekuri became more determined when the TDP lost the 2004 and 2009 elections, and the state was bifurcated in 2014. “I felt bad as a Telugu man, living in the far-off U.S., feeling helpless losing Hyderabad.” He has set up a digital campaign theme to support Naidu this election: “Malli mere ravali” (You must return to power). It turned viral as the ‘flexes’ he designed with Naidu’s photo and catchy two-liners attracted the party cadre and candidates alike across 13 districts. -Sangam Sowmya
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Indian Couple Stabbed in Germany, Husband Dies, Sushma Swaraj Reaches out March 30, 2019 17:13
An Indian couple was stabbed in Germany, confirmed External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj on Saturday. Sushma Swaraj said one Indian national was killed and other was injured after being stabbed by an immigrant near Munich. Condoling the death, the External Affairs Minister said that she has asked Indian mission in Munich to take care of the couple's two children - Saakshi and Shlok."Indian couple Prashant and Smita Basarur were stabbed by an immigrant near Munich. Unfortunately, Prashant has expired. Smita is stable. We are facilitating the travel of Prashant's brother to Germany. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," Swaraj tweeted. "I appreciate the good work by @cgmunich. I have asked our mission to take care of their two children," she said in another tweet. Indian couple Prashant and Smita Basarur were stabbed by an immigrant near Munich. Unfortunately, Prashant has expired. Smita is stable. We are facilitating the travel of Prashant's brother to Germany. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. /1 — Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 30, 2019 I appreciate the good work by @cgmunich. I have asked our mission to take care of their two children. /2 — Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 30, 2019 Prashant and Smitha studied together in Mangalore University, where she pursued Masters in Art, reports The Indian Express. Prashant completed engineering from NMAM Institute of Technology in Karkala, Karnataka. He joined Airbus Helicopters in Donauworth, Germany in 2016. Further details of the incident and the couple are awaited.By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian American Teen Brothers Kicked off Flight Due to Peanut Allergy Concerns, Korean Airlines Apologize March 30, 2019 10:50
Korean Airlines issued an apology to the family of Indian American teens after they were kicked off a flight on their way to visit family in the Philippines. Prajakta and Rakesh Patel, parents of teen sons of age 15 and 16, said their two unaccompanied sons, were removed from the flight because one of them has a severe peanut allergy. Prajakta and Rakesh Patel told "Good Morning America" that their sons were flying alone from Atlanta to the Philippines to see their ill grandfather. They say Delta was notified of their son's allergy and took the necessary precautions for the first leg of their flight, which went from Atlanta to Seoul. After making it onto their second flight with partner Korean Air, the boys were told that peanuts would be served on board. The family says the airline told the boys that they weren't going to deprive other passengers of peanuts so the brothers had two options: to deal with it or get off the plane. "I was very shocked and almost in tears," mom Prajakta Patel said in an interview with "GMA." "It was the most, most stressed out I've ever been." According to the Patels, the teens pleaded with the airline's agents and offered to sit in the back of the flight with the eldest son, who has the allergy, covering himself with a mask. The teens said the Korean Air agents refused. The boys eventually flew back to Atlanta. The family is now filing a complaint with Korean Airlines. Korean Air released the following statement to ABC News, saying, "Korean Air sincerely apologizes to Mr. and Mrs. Patel and their sons. We are reviewing this incident and will strive to create a better customer experience."More than 5 million children under the age of 18 live through food allergies, with peanuts, shellfish, and milk among the most common, according to the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian Origin Shopkeeper Ravi Katharkamar Stabbed to Death in London March 27, 2019 10:34
The 54-year-old Indian origin man who is running newsagent’s shop in the United Kingdom has been stabbed to death during a burglary at his store on Sunday. Ravi Katharkamar, who was thought to have two children, was attacked as he opened his shop in Pinner, north west London, shortly before 6 a.m. The victim was living in Pinner for many years after moving from Sri Lanka. A passerby had found him collapsed inside the shop before police and paramedics were called to the incident but he was pronounced dead 45 minutes later. It was the second robbery at the shop within a period of six months.Formal identification took place by his relative following a post-mortem examination on Monday. The cause of death was confirmed as a stab wound to the chest.Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe from the Homicide and Major Crime Command unit said: "This was a vicious and unwarranted attack on a completely innocent man."Ravi's attacker got away with a few pounds worth of coins, but he leaves behind a family utterly devastated and a close-knit community asking who could do such a thing."Help me catch the man who did this. The attacker fled with a shop till - have you found this discarded or seen someone in possession of a shop till who wouldn't normally have one? Do you know someone trying to use lots of loose change since yesterday morning?"Local residents told the Evening Standard that Katharkamar was a “pillar of the community”.“He was an extremely friendly, polite and hard-working man. I have seen him delivering papers at the crack of dawn for over 20 years and he will be missed by the community.”The local shop owner, Siva Lingam, said: “We are all so sad. He was a very nice, quiet man. I can’t believe anyone would hurt him.“This robbery must have been planned. They knew he was coming in early to do the Sunday papers.”The assailant used a black Vauxhall Astra to run away from the scene.By Sowmya Sangam
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Jet Airways to Compensate an NRI for Misplacing Bag with Items Worth Rs 2.5 Lakh March 25, 2019 13:18
Airlines have in many cases held responsible for mishandling passengers’ luggage. While many air passengers received their luggage in a shabby condition, some others didn’t receive them at all. Recently, Haryana’s Panchkula district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed Jet Airways to pay Rs 58,000 to a Non-Resident Indian whose bag went missing once he landed in India from Canada.On October 2016, Jasbir Singh Purba a resident of Ontario, Canada, and his wife were carrying a total of four bags. Once they landed at the New Delhi airport, they received only three of them. The fourth bag not only contained luxury clothes worth Rs 1.30 lakh but also medication of heart ailment and high blood pressure for his wife’s diabetes.Jasbir then contacted the employees of the airline who asked him to fill an application form and assured that his baggage will be delivered the next day, according to a report in Times of India. Jasbir said that he along with his wife had to endure a lot of trauma, stress, agony, and harassment upon losing such expensive luggage. On November 05, 2016 the airline delivered the baggage at Jasbir’s address but allegedly in destroyed and broken beyond usage condition.After forum sent a notice to Jet Airways and the representatives appeared before the forum, they laid the blame on Jasbir of raising fake claims so that the company could be blamed of deficiency in service.Jet Airways representatives said that the complainant had not disclosed the value of his baggage at the time of check-in.According to the forum, Jasbir had to purchase new clothes in an emergency, which he already had in his bag. On the basis of observation of case, the clothes purchased by him, amounting to Rs 1.30 lakh, would be used in the future, hence, they deemed it just, fair and reasonable to recompense the complainant to the extent of 1/3rd of the expenses subject by him on account of purchase of cloth items.The forum directed Jet Airways to pay Rs 43,333 which is one-third of Rs 1.30 lakh on account of damages suffered by Jasbir as well as Rs 10,000 on account of harassment, mental agony, and Rs 5,500 as litigation charges.By Sowmya Sangam
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‘We Are Indian Citizens, No Matter Where We Live’: NRIs Fly Down to India Ahead of Elections March 21, 2019 16:36
It seems like election ardor of India has spread across the world as even Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) flying down to their native places in India to exercise their franchise in Lok Sabha elections happening next month. Ajith Kubatoor, who moved to Australia three years back, said he has a track record of not missing a single election be it state or national since he turned 18. “I flew down for the assembly elections in Karnataka last year. The perception that NRIs do not care about their country’s development has changed of late. I even informed my office in advance that I would need to take leave some time in April or May to vote in India,” said Kubatoor.Another Indian nation from Arizona, keen to make it to India in time to vote, Jayanth Kumar and his wife booked tickets even before the election dates were announced. “We assumed it would be held in May, like last time, but as soon as the EC announced the date, we changed our tickets. We moved abroad 12 years back but lived in Bengaluru’s north constituency earlier. I make it a point to vote during the LS elections - we are Indian citizens, no matter where we live,” Jayanth said, adding, “Getting leave from work was not easy, so I will be working from home when in India.”“Each and every vote counts, so we have to be there, no matter where we are settled. Even if government schemes and policies no longer directly impact us, our families and friends back home are affected, which is why it is important for us to vote,” said Pallavi Mysore revealing that election fever has hit Indian communities in the U.S., with everyone talking about it on WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms.Pallavi who lived in Bengaluru before moving to the United States 10 years back, was unable to travel during the last Lok Sabha elections, as she had just delivered a baby. But she is not missing it this time.“While my husband could not get a leave from work, I will be flying to Bengaluru to vote. Indian parents in the U.S., whose children are young and do not have exams in April, are making it a point to travel and vote this time,” she added. Talking, criticizing and complaining about the government on social media is not enough, said Venkatanath Doreswamy and Nagaraj Koranthota. “We discuss issues on a daily basis on social media, but that does not change anything. Elections are the one opportunity we get to make a difference.”“I will be working from home for two weeks and taking another two weeks off when I come to vote in Bengaluru. My wife and I booked open flight tickets in advance, we only entered our travel dates after the EC announcement,” said Doreswamy, who lives in Australia. Koranthota, who is settled in the U.S., has been coordinating with his colleagues in Bengaluru to get their voter ID issues sorted out. “Several of my colleagues in Bengaluru did not vote in the state elections last time, as they had issues with changing their address and constituencies. I helped them with the process, while also conducting online campaigns,” he added.By Sowmya Sangam
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Tollywood Comedian Surya Prasad, Two More Arrested in NRI Chigurupati Jayaram Murder Case March 15, 2019 12:13
Telugu film industry comedian Surya Prasad, including two others, were arrested on Thursday for involving in the murder of Florida-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneur Chigurupati Jayaram, police said. Besides Prasad, the police also took Kishore and Anji Reddy into custody. Deputy Commissioner of Police A.R. Srinivas told reporters that they have almost completed the investigations into the case and it has been confirmed that Jayaram's niece Shikha Chowdary had no role in the murder, investigations revealed. According to police, main accused Rakesh Reddy had hatched a conspiracy to extort money from Jayaram. Surya Prasad and Kishore brought Jayaram to his house in Jubilee Hills, where Jayaram was murdered. Anji Reddy reached Rakesh Reddy's house after the murder but did not inform the police. On allegations that Rakesh Reddy spoke to few police officers after the murder, the DCP said they were conducting investigations. He said while Rakesh Reddy had relations with politicians, there was no evidence of any political involvement in the crime. The body of Jayaram, 55, who was director of Coastal Bank, was found on the back seat of his car off the national highway near Nandiagama close to Vijayawada on January 31. Jayaram, also a Managing Director of Express TV, a now inoperative Telugu channel, had come to Hyderabad from the United States a few days earlier before his murder. The crime was first investigated by the Andhra Pradesh Police, which arrested Rakesh Reddy and his security guard, though later the case was transferred to Telangana after it was revealed that Jayaram was murdered at a house in Hyderabad and his body was dumped in Andhra Pradesh. Jayaram's wife Padmashri has also demanded a probe against Shikha, who was allegedly in a relationship with Rakesh Reddy. She had said that after the murder, Shikha barged into their house in Jubilee Hills and that some key documents and valuables were found lacking subsequently. By Sowmya Sangam
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Hindu Man in New Zealand Eats Beef Mislabeled Lamb, Reaches Store to Fund Purification Trip to India March 13, 2019 12:18
An Indian origin Hindu man in New Zealand is fighting a David vs Goliath battle against a local supermarket after he ended up eating beef because of a mistake made by the store. Jaswinder Paul, who moved to New Zealand two decades ago, had asked the store to fork up round-trip airfare to India so that he can purify his damaged inner being. Jaswinder Paul says Hinduism mandates that he now come back home and "do sacred things for four to six weeks, and be purified by priests". "It's a long process," Paul told Stuff.co.nz, a local news website. Paul's fight with the grocery store dates back to September earlier this year when he bought a package of "roast lamb". According to Stuff.co.nz, Paul, who runs a barbershop, cooked the meat and ate it before realizing it was actually beef and not lamb, that the label on it claimed. And ever since, Paul said, his family has turned down to talk to him. Paul realized that he must cleanse his soul in order to "continue on (his) religious path". And so, Paul approached the supermarket - Countdown in New Zealand's Blenheim town - and asked them to fund his 'yatra' back home. The supermarket apologized for mislabeling and consequently offered Paul a gift voucher, according to a spokesperson for the supermarket who spoke to Stuff.co.nz. But Paul declined, in hope that the supermarket would come to its senses and pay up the money required for a cleansing trip back home. However, the supermarket did no such thing. And now, according to Stuff.co.nz, Paul is considering knocking on a court's door, even though he does not want to. "I don't want to go to court against a big corporation. I just want to go home," Paul said, adding that it may look like a "simple matter" but for him, it is "very hard". "I know my society back from my home will not accept me with this breach of the religion's conditions." By Sowmya Sangam
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Group Lotus Indian Origin Director Uday Senapati Banned for Drink-Driving March 09, 2019 10:10
An Indian origin director of British sportscar company Group Lotus has been banned from driving for a year after being caught drink-driving on the roads of Norwich in the East Anglia region of England. Uday Senapati, who appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court charged with driving while over the legal alcohol limit earlier this month. He is the product strategy and managing director for the Norfolk-headquartered sports car company behind models like Evora and Elise. "You cannot see someone who works for a world famous motor company not being able to drive. They [Lotus] seem to be able to make arrangements to keep him on," his attorney Simon Nicholls told the court. The court heard that Senapati had been on a night out with friends which had gone on later than planned. Before getting a taxi home, he decided to move his car to a car park to avoid a parking ticket the next day. He was stopped by police as he tried to drive his black Volvo XC60 into the car park and was arrested after failing a breath test and taken to Wymondham police station in Norwich. "He had the best intentions - it's good mitigation but it's not a defense. It was more than just a few feet," Nicholls said. Senapati was found to have 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milliliters of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35, during the incident on February 15. The 40-year-old admitted drink driving and was banned from driving for 12 months and fined 1,850 pounds. He has also been directed to pay 85 pounds towards legal costs and 170 pounds surcharge, besides undertaking a compulsory course for drink drivers. As part of his job, Senapati is responsible for signing off on new car models. He took charge at the British sportscar maker earlier this year and is a qualified automotive engineer, specializing in automotive refinement, aerodynamics and vehicle engineering. By Sowmya Sangam
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Australian Investigators Striving to Determine Final Movements of Murder Indian Origin Dentist March 07, 2019 16:14
A day after body of Indian origin woman dentist’s was found stuffed in a suitcase in Sydney, the only suspect behind the murder traveled 400 kilometers with the sole purpose of seeing her in spite of knowing that she was dating another man, police have said as they struggled to find out what happened in a gap of several hours yet to be accounted for on the day of her death.The man suspected of murdering the 32-year-old Preethi Reddy, whose body was found with numerous stab wounds, in her car parked in an eastern Sydney street, New South Wales, is another Indian-origin dentist and her ex-boyfriend Harsh Narde.Narde died on Monday night after his BMW car collided with a truck on the New England Highway, a day after his ex-girlfriend was reported missing, New South Wales Police (NSW) said.The head-on collision, around 340 kilometers from where Reddy's body was found, is believed to have been intentional, they said.Police reportedly believe Narde traveled 400km from Tamworth to Sydney for the continuing education course with the sole purpose of seeing his ex-girlfriend despite her telling him: "I've moved on, you need to do the same", The Daily Telegraph reported."Preethi told him she had met someone else and that it was serious and she was moving to Melbourne," an anonymous source told the newspaper.A colleague of Reddy and Narde said he last saw the pair chatting animatedly in the hotel lobby following the event on Saturday night.Narde had no history of violence, according to sources."They looked happy and stayed back to chat after the conference ended at 7 p.m.," he said. "I knew they (had previously been) in a long-term relationship, many of us did. The bizarre thing I noticed that night was that he took down his Facebook shortly after the conference. It made me wonder why."A few hours later, Reddy was captured on CCTV inside McDonald's at the Strand Arcade in Sydney about 2.15 a.m. on Sunday.CCTV footage shows Reddy standing at the counter before she appeared to leave alone and walk south on Market St. Further surveillance footage shows her entering the Swissotel foyer about five minutes later.An NSW Police spokesperson said Reddy stayed in the hotel with "a man known to her" all-night.At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, she spoke to her family over the phone and told them she would have a late breakfast then head home to Penrith. But when she failed to return that night, her family reported her missing to Nepean Police Area Command and created a Facebook page to help find her.Narde was captured on the hotel's CCTV camera getting help from a hotel porter to lift a large and heavy suitcase into the boot of a car on Sunday afternoon, according to The Daily Telegraph.The bag contained Reddy's body, which was discovered in the boot of her car on a laneway in Sydney's eastern suburbs around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. She had been stabbed numerous times.While Reddy was still the subject of a missing person's inquiry on Sunday night, Narde sent a series of text messages, to one of her concerned friends.Friends of Reddy asked Narde about his ex-girlfriend's whereabouts, questioning him via text message at 9.24 p.m. Sunday.In text messages obtained by the Daily Mail, one friend asked if he'd seen or heard from her."Hey, I spoke to her in person on Saturday evening. She said (she was going) home," he replied in the text messages.When the friend suggested Reddy was maybe sleeping somewhere, he replied: Maybe.And when the friend admitted they were scared Reddy had been missing for so long, Narde said he was too. "I feel disturbed as well am sitting at one place for the last 30 minutes," he wrote.Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate revealed officers grilled Narde while Reddy was still the subject of a missing person's inquiry.In a shocking twist, Narde died about 10 p.m. on Monday night, a day after Reddy was reported missing in a head-on collision with a truck near Tamworth in what police believe was a deliberate act.A New South Wales (NSW) Police spokeswoman told news.com.au authorities were not looking for any other suspects in relation to Reddy's murder.Police have since appealed to the public to help them trace Reddy's final movements. But Dengate cautioned against speculation as to what happened.“We're looking at the timeline of when they met up,” he said. “We're still making inquiries. It is very difficult now, with what's happened, to get that. At this stage we know they met up in Sydney, now we're looking at all the movements between those two to establish exactly what happened," Dengate told reporters on Wednesday.By Sowmya Sangam
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