Desi Grandma rooting for Barack Obama

Here's a Desi Grandma who is so..so enthusiastic for Barack Obama. So what inspired her to take part in the OBama campaign. In her words

I was reading his book "Dream of my Father" and I had tears in my eyes. In my heart I fealt he is like a son for me. That inspired me to take part in the campaign

(via)

Women Democrats Elected to DNC 2008

IndiaPost is reporting that

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and the DNC Executive Committee nominated and elected Smita Shah, founder and president of Spaan Technologies; Kamala Harris, District Attorney of San Francisco; and Sunita Leeds, who is currently Chair of the DNC Indo-American Leadership Council Advisory Board.

Smita Shah

Smita Shah, who won the prestigious Ellis Medal of Honor in New York last year, is founder of Spaan Technologies, a Chicago-based company that specializes in engineering, construction management, facility and technology services. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and served on President Bill Clinton's Millennium Council to Save America's Treasures. Shah is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University, and she serves on the Loyola University Board of Regents.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman District Attorney in San Francisco in 2003. With that she also became the first African American to be elected to this post in California, and the first Indian American to be elected to this position in the United States. As a former Deputy District Attorney in San Francisco and Alameda County, Harris has dedicated her career to prosecuting violent crime, combating the sexual exploitation of children and working to improve the quality of life in her community. She has been honored by the National Urban League as a "Woman of Power" and received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association in 2005.

Sunita Leeds

Sunita Leeds has been involved in Democratic politics for years. A software developer by training, she is now deeply involved with progressive non-profit causes particularly focused on education, is on three advisory boards related to education, and Co-Chairs the Enfranchisement Foundation, which funds charities that act as catalysts in breaking the cycle of poverty and ignorance, and charities that specialize in women's issues. As Chair of the DNC Indo-American Leadership Council Advisory Board, Leeds coordinates a network of Indian-American activists, community leaders, elected officials, and celebrities to support the fundraising and outreach work of the Council.

Kay Khan (D-Newton, MA) up for reelection

Meet Kay Khan (D-Newton, MA) a state representative who is up for reelection.

She describes herself as an elected official who is "probably [the] closest to an Indian". How so?. Because she is married to Nasir Khan, a Muslim man who was born in London, but whose family is from Rampur (Now there are 2 Rampur's one in Uttar Pradesh and one in Himachal Pradesh - I am not sure which one)

(via IndiaNewEngland)

Indian council member from Edison, New Jersey takes oath on Bhagvad Gita

Sudhanshu Prasad, a doctor who was elected as a member of Edison, New Jersey town council, too his oath of office on Bhagvad Gita while being sworn in on January 1st.

Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad who belongs to the democratic party has this to say

The Bhagvad Gita is where my conscience is

For more on this story check out Hindustan Times.

Sam Singh an Indian American to run "The Antarctic Marathon"

Sam Singh an Indian American Former Mayor of East Lansing, MI has a BIG and I mean real BIG Agenda planned. Lansing City Pulse is reporting

Come March 2008, 12-year East Lansing Councilman and two-year mayor Sam Singh will finally find himself in a place where zoning and economic development are not on the agenda: Antarctica.
(Note: Keep checking Sam Singh's journey for the next 16 months which will take him to over 25 countries by visiting his website/blog.)
Instead of analyzing bike lane proposals, wooing developers or smoothing university-city relations, Singh will be running a half-marathon along pristine shores thronged by penguins and seals at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic Marathon is one of the more exotic stops in a 16-month, globe-girdling trip Singh began Dec. 31.

Singh, 36, has dreamed of the trip since he was a teenager, when he started an ambitious list of places to visit before he died.

“For a long time, I thought this would be the type of experience I’d do when I retired,” he said. “Then you get fears of ‘Will I be healthy enough?’ or ‘Will I be able to do it because of family situations?’”

Sam Singh is going to mix Community Service along with his travels. This quote from his website

A major component for my travels will be to work with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations throughout the world. I will use this section to highlight groups I work with as well as compiling the trends in the field of international volunteering.

Indian Americans to vote Democrat in Iowa Caucuses

IBN Live is reporting that Indian-Americans in Iowa are all set to vote for Democrats in the upcoming Iowa Caucuses.

Quoting IBN Live:

Just four days into the New Year, many of them will participate in the Iowa caucuses. From all indications, most will swing Democrat.

Says the President of the Indo-American Association of Iowa, Amar Sinha, “I think everybody I've talked to in the last one week or so, they're excited about the change in Government. When I talk to them about what kind of change, they say, ‘Hope to see the Democrats come back again and let's see if they can change things around’.”

Indian-American actor Kal Penn added some star appeal by batting for Barack Obama in Iowa, but there are still many staunch Hillary Clinton supporters within the community.

Says Saatchi Kalra, “India has had a woman Prime Minister. England – Margaret Thatcher. I think it's time the US has a woman President.”

On the January 3, the Indian community in Iowa will send out its message to the Presidential candidates at the Iowa caucus.