The 98^th Scripps National Bee finals concluded in Washington DC. The nine finalists included 5 spellers from Indian immigrants in America this year. Among them, Shrey Parikh emerged as the champion and grabbed the much coveted trophy. Indian-origin spellers have been on a winning spree for the past three decades; precisely, the coveted trophy went to the Indian American community 31 times in the past 36 years. California-based Shrey Parkish is the 2026 Scripps Spelling Bee winner.

9 spellers advanced to 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals 

• Shrey Parikh, California (winner)
• Ishaan Gupta, New Jersey (first runner-up)
• Sarv Dharavane, Georgia (2nd runner-up)
• Kushi Gottimukkala, North Carolina (fourth place)
• Aiden Meng, Danville, California
• Oliver Halkett, Los Angeles, California
• Zwe Spacetime, Washington D.C.
• Avishka Dudala, Dallas, Texas
• Logan Bailey, Houston, Texas

Sarv Dharavane, Georgia 

Sarv Dharavane, only 12 years old, is more determined and better prepared for the 2026 Scripps Spelling Bee trophy than the last year. He had finished third in the 2025 Scripps Bee finals.

Sarv is a bundle of energy and curiosity. Reading and playing outdoors are his favourite pursuits. Other than being active in soccer and swimming, he has earned a green belt in taekwondo. From solving Rubik’s Cubes at a lightning speed to building with Lego and dabbling in coding, Sarv is a problem-solving prodigy. A diehard fan of fantasy books and movies, he aspires to be a scientist or mathematician.

Ishaan Gupta, New Jersey 

Among the 2026 Scripps Spelling Bee finalists, Ishaan is a published author and a Gold Medal winner in STEM. He co-authored a climate fiction book – The Martian Miracle: Ivaan and the Climate Crisis. Interestingly, he has a personal library of over 650 books and a cozy reading corner in home. Biking and hiking are his favorite adventures. His achievements include two 5K marathons and 6-mile hikes (as part of the Appalachian Trail). Playing soccer and tennis is his favorite pastime.

Also Check: Akash Vukoti Started Spelling Bee Journey as a ‘Diaper Kid’ 

Shrey Parikh, California

8^th grader Shrey Parikh aims to win the 2026 Scripps Spelling Bee trophy after having finished for 3^rd place in 2024. He is equally passionate about music and maths. He is a globetrotter too. He has travelled to many countries, and India is his favorite place where his grandparents live. His family flies from Los Angeles to India every year. Solving math problems or playing percussion is what he enjoys most in his free time. He can play other instruments, like bass drum, timpani, toms, marimba, triangle. His other hobbies include chess and tennis.

Kushi Gottimukkala, North Carolina

North Carolina Indians are eying the Scripps Spelling Bee 2026 championship for Kushi Gottimukkala, a 7^th grader at Carnage Magnet Middle School in Raleigh. She made it to the finals by correctly spelling “Chelicerata”. Social Studies being her favorite subject, she has avid interest in history books and documentaries. Apart from being a speller, Kushi takes part in Math and Science Olympiad.

Avishka Dudala, Texas 

The Scripps National Spelling Bee 2026 has two finalists from Texas, including Avishka Dudala from Dallas. Her spelling prowess covers more than 30,000 words. The correct spelling of resveratrol got her entry to the finals. Creative writing is her favorite hobby other than spelling, and reading adventure stories is her favorite pastime.

List of Scripps National Spelling Bee winners, 2010 to 2025 

• Anamika Veeramani, 2010
• Sukanya Roy, 2011
• Snigdha Nandipati, 2012
• Arvind Mahankali, 2013
• Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe, 2014
• Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, 2015
• Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Saireddy, 2016
• Ananya Vina, 2017
• Karthik Nemmani, 2018
• Sahasrad Sathish 2021
• Harini Logan, 2022
• Dev Shah, 2023
• Bruhat Soma, 2024
• Faizan Zaki, 2025
• Shrey Parikh, 2026

Surprisingly, the 2019 Scripps Spelling Bee finals ended in an 8-way tie. 8 spellers including five of Indian origin were declared co-winners. Each of them received a trophy and a $50,000 cash prize.

The post Scripps Spelling Bee 2026 Finalists: Meet Indian-Origin Spellers Eyeing the Trophy Once Again first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

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Not every leader or veteran leaves people behind in tears. The US tech industry is left shocked and bereaved over the sudden demise of Indian-origin Soma Somasegar, a tech behemoth, MD of Madrona Venture Group, and former Microsoft executive for 27 years. He breathed his last on May 19 at the age of 59. Indian American CEOs, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and startup founders are mourning his departure; the loss of a trusted mentor to many engineers and ‘American Dream’ aspirants in the US.

Who is Indian American Soma Somasegar?

Born in Puducherry and educated in Chennai, S. Soma Somasegar belonged to the first generation of Indian engineers who saw computing before India’s technology boom began. He studied Electronics and Communication Engineering at College of Engineering (CEG) under Anna University. During the early 1980s, when computers hardly made it to Indian classrooms, Soma learned programming through IBM mainframes and punch-card systems. Friends and alumni from CEG often described him as intensely focused, curious, and unusually calm under pressure.

After graduating in 1986, Somasegar reportedly got an opportunity to work with the Indian Space Research Organisation. At a time when ISRO was one of India’s most prestigious scientific institutions, many engineers would have considered it a dream career. But Soma chose something riskier and more aspirational. He moved to the USA to pursue higher education and build a global technology career. That decision changed his life. He earned advanced degrees in Computer Science from Louisiana State University and the University at Buffalo before joining Microsoft in 1989, just as the company was beginning to dominate the software world.

Why Silicon Valley is mourning for Soma Somasegar

The reaction to S. Somasegar’s passing has been unusually emotional because Silicon Valley is mourning more than a successful executive. It is mourning a mentor who quietly helped shape an entire generation of Indian-origin tech leaders in America. Across social media, startup founders, venture capitalists, engineers, and AI executives are describing him as the person who opened doors when they were unknown immigrants trying to survive in the US technology industry.

One of the heart-felt tributes came from Sriram Krishnan, a senior AI policy advisor at the White House. Krishnan revealed that he and his wife Aarthi Ramamurthy would not have their careers without Soma’s support. He said Somasegar identified talents early, helped them professionally, mentored them personally, and remained generous with his time despite being one of Microsoft’s top leaders. Satya Nadella also described Soma as someone who stood beside people during difficult times and empowered developers across the world with quiet leadership.

Soma Somasegar’s contribution to Microsoft

When Soma joined Microsoft in 1989, the company was transitioning from a software company into a global technology empire. Over the next 27 years, he became one of the most influential engineering leaders inside Microsoft and helped shape products used by millions of developers worldwide. He worked across operating systems, enterprise platforms, developer technologies, and cloud infrastructure during some of the company’s most important decades.

Soma’s biggest impact came through Microsoft’s Developer Division, where he led the company’s developer strategy for nearly 12 years. Under his leadership, Microsoft strengthened platforms like Visual Studio, .NET, and enterprise developer tools at a time when the company was competing aggressively with Apple, Google, and open-source ecosystems. Inside Microsoft, he worked alongside leaders like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella during the company’s transformation from desktop computing to cloud services.

The Mentor behind many Indian-American success stories

Long before mentorship became a corporate buzzword, Soma Somasegar was already practicing it quietly. Young Indian engineers arriving in the US during the 1990s and 2000s often found in him a rare combination of technical brilliance and personal warmth. He regularly guided immigrant professionals on careers, leadership, and adapting to Silicon Valley culture. Several startup founders, who are now leading billion-dollar companies, say Soma was among the few senior leaders who believed in them.

Even after leaving Microsoft, his role as a mentor only grew stronger. At Madrona Venture Group, Soma worked closely with startup founders in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, enterprise software, and automation. He advised and invested in companies including Snowflake and UiPath. Founders often described him as approachable, deeply thoughtful, and unusually generous with his time, even at the peak of his success.

Achievements and recognitions

Soma Somasegar’s achievements were recognized both in the US and in India. In 2008, he received the prestigious Asian American Engineer of the Year Award, one of the highest honors for Asian-origin engineering leaders in the US. The award recognized not just his technical leadership at Microsoft, but also his influence on the global software industry.

His alma mater in Chennai also celebrated his achievements proudly. Anna University honored Somasegar with an honorary doctorate for his contributions to global technology leadership and engineering innovation. Alumni groups at CEG Guindy regularly featured him among the institution’s most distinguished global graduates.

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Commencement ceremonies at American universities brim over with emotional speeches and dreams of a brighter future. But to over 200 graduating students at North Carolina State University, this year’s ceremony was more than a pleasant surprise. Indian-origin philanthropist Anil Kochhar surprised the graduating cohort of 2025-26 by pledging to pay off their final-year student loans estimated $4 million to $8 million. He, along with his wife Marilyn, made this announcement at Wilson College of Textiles in Raleigh, NC.

Anil Kochhar’s pledge to clear the debt for 202 students is a tribute to his father who had travelled from India to the US in 1946 to study textile engineering. He said, “It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025-26 academic year.”

The auditorium erupted into cheers and a standing ovation. Many students were visibly emotional as they realized their senior-year debt would disappear. The initiative will benefit 176 undergraduate students and 26 master’s graduates from the college.

Who is Anil Kochhar in USA?  

Anil Kochhar is an Indian American billionaire and philanthropist known for his generous contributions to education and student welfare, like Dr Kiran Patel in Florida. He is closely connected to his father’s alma mater, North Carolina State University. He has supported scholarships, faculty initiatives, graduate programs, and endowments established in his father’s memory over the years.

The story behind Anil Kochhar’s gift to 202 graduates began with his father Prakash Chand Kochhar, who travelled from Punjab to Raleigh in 1946; the same year Sardar JJ Singh, another Indian from Punjab fought for the rights to US citizenship for fellow Indians in America. Prakash Chand Kochhar studied textile manufacturing at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. When overseas education was a luxury even for upper middle-class Indians, he arrived in the US for better prospects of life and dreams of a better future.

During his speech, Anil Kochhar emotionally reflected on his father’s journey. “Eighty years ago, a young man travelled thousands of miles from India to Raleigh with little more than hope and determination,” he told graduates. “He could not have known where that journey would lead. He could not have imagined the life it would create.”

“My father found not just an education, but an opportunity that allowed him to build a life, support his family, and begin a legacy that continues today,” Anil added. Prakash Chand Kochhar earned his bachelor’s degree in 1950 and completed his master’s degree in 1952 before beginning his career in the American textile industry. Reports say that he later worked at Industrial Rayon in New York City and built a successful global career before his demise in 1985.

Anil also shared a heartfelt message with the graduating students, “Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve.” His words deeply resonated with the students who are stepping into an uncertain economic environment where educational debt often shapes major life decisions for years.

The impact of the announcement was immediate and emotional. Alyssa D’Costa, a fashion and textile management major, said, “As a daughter of immigrants, this helps me and my family a lot.” David Hinks, Dean of the Wilson College of Textiles, called it an “extraordinary investment in students”. For many students and parents seated in the auditorium, the announcement turned an already memorable graduation day into a life-changing experience.

At a time when student debt continues to weigh heavily on millions of young students in America, Anil Kochhar’s philanthropy stands out not just as a financial gift but also as a message of hope. For 202 students leaving North Carolina State University this year, graduation did not just come with a degree. It came with relief, gratitude, and a brighter beginning. For many Indian Americans, the Kochhar family story mirrors the larger immigrant experience in the USA.

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Many Indian-origin children in America become spellers before they grow out of the ‘diaper’ phase. Indian American Akash Vukoti whose journey to the national spelling marathon began at the age of 2 is a glaring example of such prodigious talent galore in the US. Why they have been the subject of a few documentaries, including Spelling the Dream that Netflix released in 2022, is no surprise. Likewise, a documentary should be made on the world’s youngest biomedical engineer who earned PhD at the age of 19 and started experimenting with artificial intelligence in healthcare before ChatGPT rose to fame.

He is none other than Indian American Dr Tanishq Mathew Abraham whose exceptional aptitude for learning was recognized at the mere age of 2. One of the world’s youngest PhD holders in science, Tanishq graduated in biomedical engineering from the University of California, Davis when he was only 14. Notably, he became the world’s youngest biomedical engineer with ‘summa cum laude’ – an academic level of distinction which is considered the highest honor by most educational institutions across the world.     .

During the hearing of a petition over denial of college admission to a 16-year-old student of exceptional calibre, a judge at the Madras High Court in India referred to Tanishq Abraham and quoted his TEDx talk that Tanishq had given when he was only 9. The judge said, “People should go to university and college when they are ready, not when they are old enough to go”.

While pursuing PhD, he founded Medical AI Research Center (MedARC) to leverage the potential of AI technology in the medical field and revolutionize the way diseases are currently diagnosed across the globe. As CEO of MedARC, he spearheads a team of collaborators from prestigious institutes, such as Stanford University and Princeton University. He is on a mission to advance generative medical AI for accelerating the diagnosis of neurological diseases through real-time AI-based imaging of human brain activity.

Born in Sacramento to an immigrant couple from Kerala, Tanishq has been a brilliant student and an outstanding achiever since his kindergarten days. He started making achievements at the age of 4 when he became a member of Mensa, an international society of meritorious students by scoring 99.9% in the Mensa IQ test. His sister, Tiara Abraham scored 99% in the same test. Since then, his educational adventure has been running high.

Homeschooled by his parents, he enrolled for Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at the age of 5 and completed the math course within 6 months of the enrollment. When 6-year-old, he started studying various science streams, including chemistry, paleontology, biology, and geology. He passed a chemistry course with flying colors, that the University of California Berkley offers online.

At the age of 7, Tanishq Abraham joined the American River College, Sacramento to pursue geology and astronomy courses. He scored ‘A’ grades in both the courses. Impressed with his merit and his interest in astronomy, the astronomy professor set up an astronomy club and made Tanishq its founding vice president. He qualified as a high school graduate with three associate degrees from the American River College in 2014 when he turned 11.

When he was 9 years old, he appeared as the youngest science prodigy to speak at a NASA conference in 2012. Some of his essays were published on NASA’s lunar science website. The opportunity to speak at a TEDx conclave in Sacramento came his way the same year. His insatiable curiosity, appetite for knowledge, and passion for learning has been shaped by his parents and grandparents. His father is a software engineer and his mother is a veterinary doctor. His grandmom, Dr Thankam Mathew was the first Indian woman veterinarian to have received a doctorate degree. She has been a trailblazer. His grandfather was a veterinary surgeon and researcher. They all made sure that their genius child could continue his pursuit for infinite learning and innovation.

On successful completion of his PhD, he said, “My mom quit her own PhD to raise me. 20 years later, my PhD is the best Mother’s Day gift for her. I am thankful for two decades of her love, support and guidance. My mom is truly a super mom!”

Dr Tanishq Mathew Abraham aspires to be a doctor of medicine, research on new cancer treatments, win a Nobel Prize and run for the United States’ presidential seat. He has created a unique device that can measure the heartbeats of burnt patients without touching the body. The sky is the limit for this prodigy who encourages young scholars and scientists to push their limits.

This story about child prodigy Tanishq Abraham is part of our continued effort at Travel Beats, a community portal for Indians in USA to promote the achievements of young Indian Americans. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest community news, regular updates on US visa & immigration, India tourism news, and inspiring stories of Indian Americans.

The post Tanishq Abraham, Indian American Prodigy and World’s Youngest Biomedical Engineer, Earns PhD at 19 first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

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It is high time to rename Midtown Manhattan “Indian Cultural Center or Indian Wedding Street” in New York City. Another Indian band baaja baraat with full-on music and dance shut down 5^th Avenue for a few hours last week. About a year ago, Indian American CEO Varun Navani’s opulent wedding procession with over 400 guests took over Wall Street and broke the Internet in May 2025. From Indian Day Parade in August to Yoga Day celebrations to Times Square Diwali, Manhattan witnesses the best of Indian culture and festivals through the year.

Dr. Avish Jain, a medical journalist at ABC News, tied the knot with Pankti Doshi, a genetic counsellor, in a big fat Indian wedding in New York last week. It was a 5-day wedding event across New York, including pre-wedding ceremonies like Ganesh puja, bridal shower, mehendi, and sangeet. The newly-wed couple called it a family reunion cum a cultural festival; indeed, there are many things to see, do, and experience in an Indian wedding, irrespective of the size, scale, and budget.

Pankti Doshi-Avish Jain’s pre-wedding festivities were intimate and indoors unlike the baraat at Manhattan’s 5^th Avenue, a bustling thoroughfare in the heart of New York City, with iconic landmarks: Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and Trump Tower. Their baraat with boundless energy of the guests in hundreds danced all the way to Rockefeller Center, the wedding venue. Unsurprisingly, its Instagram video went viral over the weekend.

In the Hindi-speaking region of India, baraat is an unrestrained street bash with DJs and dhol players, lights and lamps, family and friends. Though thousands of miles away from India, Avish Jain and Pankti Doshi had an equally high-octane band baaja baraat in New York City. Both the groom and the bride danced their hearts out to a live DJ that churned out foot-tapping Bollywood numbers. Equally enthusiastic were the family, friends, relatives, and guests who grooved.

Interestingly, the groom – Dr Avish Jain – turned a DJ in his own wedding procession, since he is a professional singer. He pursues music as a part-time passion and releases digital albums. He is a performer too. Edison’s Indian-American Mayor Sam Joshi invited him to perform live at the Diwali event in 2025. Avish described his 5-day wedding extravaganza, from pre-wedding photography to saat pheras (seven vows), “a love letter to New York City.”

Indian wedding processions, be it CEO Varun Navani’s or Avish Jain’s, taking over busy streets in US cities continue to go viral and get a flak at the same time. It divides the global Indian Diaspora into two groups; one group despises baraat as an unnecessary hurly-burly in the public space, whereas the other group rejoices in the celebration of Indian culture abroad. Though Avish Jain and Pankti Doshi obtained necessary permits from the city mayor office for certain fees, their baraat did not remain immune to criticism.

Big fat Indian weddings not only shut down bustling locales in America but also take over skies. Global aviation has a history of lavish Indian weddings, like Air India wedding on board, NRI Sanjai Jalaj’s wedding at Terminal 5 of New York JFK Airport, and an NRI wedding on a flying Boeing 747 in the Middle East. Specially, Gujarati, Marwari, Punjabi, and Telugu NRIs leave no stone unturned to make weddings unforgettable events, from inviting international artists to booking business class flights for high-profile guests,” said Sourav Agarwal, Senior Editor of IndianEagle.com.

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk rightly said, “I think America has immensely benefited from talented Indians. I mean America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India.” This weighs in on why American conglomerates continue to welcome Indian-origin talents to the C-suite. Indian American CEOs, from Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy to Asha Sharma (CEO of Microsoft Gaming) to Shailesh Jejurikar (Procter & Gamble CEO), are reshaping the US economy, from tech to FMCG to healthcare. Keeping up with the trend, Sridhar Kuppanna and Venkat Kavarthapu, recently joined the elite club of Indian-origin CEOs in USA.

New Indian American CEOs: Sridhar Kuppanna and Venkat Kavarthapu

Sridhar and Venkat from South India started their ‘American Dream’ journey on an H1B Visa (the most disputed US visa) after having studied in India. Both are from South India where higher education is an ambition in itself. Symplr, a US healthcare technology giant, appointed Venkat Kavarthapu as its CEO on 13 April, and Sridhar Kuppanna was named CEO of ST Engineering iDirect, a global satellite communications company, on 31 March.

Who is CEO Sridhar Kuppanna in USA

Sridhar was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, where he built his academic foundation in technology. He completed his undergraduate studies in computer science from the University of Madras and went on to earn a Master of Computer Applications from Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu. India’s telecom boom in the 1990s became the launchpad for his career before he moved to the USA in the early 2000s.

Today, with over 25 years of experience, Sridhar Kuppanna is a seasoned telecom and network technology leader. Known for his deep engineering expertise and long career in global communications infrastructure, he has steadily risen through technical and leadership roles to lead one of the world’s key satellite technology companies.

Career highlights and leadership journey:

• Former Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Engineering at the same company (2023–2026)
• Over 16 years at Ribbon Communications in senior engineering and leadership roles
• Recognized industry expert in satellite communications, 5G networks, and cloud-based connectivity
• Named “CTO of the Year (2025)” in telecom industry circles
• Early career at Ind-Telesoft in India, working on telecom software and network systems

Who is newly appointed Symplr CEO Venkat Kavarthapu

Like Satya Nadella, Venkat Kavarthapu is from Hyderabad that sends to USA not only meritorious students but also aspiring leaders. His journey from Hyderabad to Houston, where Symplr’s headquarters is located, reflects the rise of India-educated leaders worldwide. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and studied MBA at IIM Lucknow. His career started in India’s IT sector before he travelled to the US to join Edifecs in 2009.   

He saw the best of his career for 15 years at Edifecs, a leading healthcare data management company. He rose through ranks and responsibilities, and became CEO of Edifecs in 2021. By the time he resigned from his position of Edifecs’ CEO, he became an established name in the US healthcare tech industry. At Symplr, CEO Venkat Kavarthapu focuses on leveraging AI and data-driven analytics to improve efficiency, compliance, and patient outcomes across the US.           

The post Sridhar Kuppanna and Venkat Kavarthapu: A Tale of Two New Indian American CEOs first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

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The morning a ladle full of dosa batter makes it to a heated pan and then spirals from the middle of the pan to the outermost edge, emitting a fresh aroma that Indian immigrants in USA are quite familiar with, it makes a fulfilling day. The man who replaced the time-intensive preparation for dosa, idli, and vada with his readily available batter packets making it possible for nuclear Indian families to cook and grab a quick breakfast in the United States, where life is a ‘rate race’, is 70-year-old Mani Krishnan from India. Next to Nestlé’s 2-minute Maggi magic, his batter for South Indian breakfast sold under the brand, Shastha Foods, has been a staple in Indian households across the US and Canada over the years.

Celebrating World Dosa Day 2026, Travel Beats, a leading portal for Indian expats in North America by IndianEagle.com, offers a sneak peek into Tamil Nadu-born Mani Krishnan’s journey from rural India to America, from two grinders to a 35,000-sqft manufacturing unit, from selling hardware to making dosa-idli batter……

It was 1977 when he traveled to the US with a mind full of ideas and dreams, and joined his immediate family living in San Jose, California after graduating in commerce and following a short stint as an accountant in Mumbai. Before making his foray into the nascent Indian food market in the US, he ran an export business dealing in hard disk drives, motherboards, processors, etc. for 18 long years. After an initial success, the business hit the rocks following a bumpy ride for two decades. However, his urge to be own boss did not evaporate. Prior to exporting hardware products to IT businesses in India, he was hired for a routine job at a tech company in San Francisco – which he started disliking.

With Indians migrating to the US and yearning for authentic Indian food there during the dot-com boom in the late 1990s, Mani Krishnan hit upon the idea of selling idli and dosa batter – which took shape in 2003. He mortgaged his house, the only thing he could pawn for the potential success of his new business idea. With his wife’s support, he started manufacturing, packaging, labeling and distribution of idli and dosa batter from home, in order to cater to the growing demand for easy-to-cook Indian dishes.

Distribution of dosa batter packs was the very first challenge that he faced. He went on to visit grocery stores in San Jose and request them to accommodate his product on a shelf. He even agreed to be paid only when the product would sell. He had a hard time convincing the store owners about his compliance with the FDI guidelines right from manufacturing to labeling. Initially, Mani Krishnan’s dosa batter found space only in 10 stores. In spite of the best efforts he put in, the product made only 1,000 sales in the first year. By 2005, his brand, Shastha Foods, started gaining momentum as a household name in California. In 2006, the demand for Shastha Foods’ dosa batter shot up in other parts of the west coast.

Today, Mani Krishnan – the founder of Shastha Foods in the US – prides himself on distributing the batter to over 350 stores and selling 10 packets every minute. The launch of an online portal facilitating the booking of orders for and the delivery of dosa batter and other products gave the business a competitive advantage. Shastha Foods sold over 200 million dosa batter packets in the US and Canada over the past 20 years. A remarkable journey, indeed!

However, Mani Krishnan – the king of idli and dosa batter in America – did not let his journey cease on achieving several milestones. Rather, he continues it through experimentation on varieties of dosa and idli batter at home. Today, Shastha Foods’ merchandise includes batter for multiple dosa varieties, such as oats dosa, millet dosa, brown rice dosa, and pesarattu. He makes sure to take feedback from friends, families and colleagues before moving a product to a large-scale production. Most of his products, ranging from ready-to-cook packets to sweet boxes, sell like a hotcake on festive occasions, including Ugadi and Pongal in the USA.

This exclusive story is part of the series, Indian Life in America, by Indian Eagle, the most trusted travel-booking partner of Americans and Indian immigrants in the US. Subscribe to Travel Beats, a thriving community portal by Indian Eagle, for Indian Diaspora stories, US-India travel news, visa and immigration updates.

The post Meet Dosa King, who Makes it Possible for Indian Families to Cook and Grab Quick Breakfast in USA first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

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India and her diaspora do still have a reason to rejoice, though Homebound, the official entry to the Oscars 2026, is out of the race in the Best International Feature Film category. Lagaan, a Bollywood blockbuster in 2002, was the last Indian film to make it to the Oscars nominations. However, amid the Hollywood titles – Sinners and One Battle After Another – running high with multiple nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, Indian American Geeta Gandbhir has grabbed some spotlight.  

Who is documentary filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir in USA?

Geeta Gandbhir is an Indian American filmmaker, director, producer, and editor known for her compelling work in documentary cinema. She has built a distinguished career spanning nearly two decades, focusing on socially important subjects such as racial justice, violence, systemic inequities, and civil rights. She has won multiple awards and recognitions, including Emmys and Peabody Awards.

She was born in 1970 in Boston to Indian immigrant parents who moved to the United States in the 1960s. Her father, Sharad Gandbhir, emigrated to study chemical engineering, and her mother, Lalita, joined him later. Geeta and her siblings grew up in the Boston area. Her sister Una S. Gandbhir is a superior court judge in Alaska, and her brother Ashwin Gandbhir is a filmmaker and editor too.

Why filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is in the news

Geeta Gandbhir just created history by earning two Oscar nominations at the 98th Academy Awards (2026) for her work in documentary cinema. “The Perfect Neighbor” and “The Devil is Busy” from her repertoire are riding the waves of Oscar nods for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film respectively. This rare achievement has placed her among an elite group of filmmakers whose storytelling is sharper than two-edged swords and has a mass appeal.

Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor is a full-length documentary feature that explores the June 2023 fatal shooting of Ajike “AJ” Owens in Ocala, Florida. Directed and produced by Gandbhir, the documentary has earned critical acclaims for its ethical storytelling and careful examination of accountability. Close to her heart professionally and personally, The Perfect Neighbor won the US Documentary Directing Award after it was premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It streams on Netflix.

The other Oscar nomination that Geeta Gandbhir has earned is for The Devil Is Busy that she co-directed with Christalyn Hampton. It is a 31-minute short documentary on the safety of patients and healthcare staff amid continuous protests against abortion restrictions in America. It portrays Tracii, the head of security at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, and shows how she sincerely protects patients and other staff over the course of a day.

Is Geeta Gandbhir the first Indian American to earn Oscar nominations?

No, Geeta Gandbhir is not the first Indian American to receive an Oscar nomination. That distinction goes to M. Night Shyamalan, a renowned Indian-origin American filmmaker with roots in South India. His directorial, The Sixth Sense, had earned two Oscar nominations in 2000, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Later, two Indian American engineers – Parag Havaldar and Kiran Bhat – emerged among the Oscar winners in 2017.

Geeta Gandbhir’s Education and Early Influences

Geeta’s academic journey began at Harvard University, where she studied visual art with a focus on animation. It was here that she encountered influential mentors who shaped her future career. During her time at Harvard, Spike Lee, the acclaimed filmmaker, taught at the university, and Geeta worked closely with his long-time editor Sam Pollard. These early mentorships exposed her to strong narrative filmmaking principles and encouraged her initial work in narrative projects before she transitioned fully into documentaries.

The post Indian American Geeta Gandbhir Creates History with Two Nominations for 98th Academy Awards first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Indian American Geeta Gandbhir Creates History with Two Nominations for 98th Academy Awards appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Big fat Indian weddings take the world aback every year. After the grand Ambani wedding for INR 5000 Cr became a global spectacle in 2024 and Indian American CEO Varun Navani’s wedding procession rocked Wall Street this year, a pharma tycoon’s daughter and a tech entrepreneur (both from the US) tied the knot today amid sheer luxury and opulence. This billionaire wedding, a three-day extravaganza attended by Hollywood stars and Bollywood biggies has transported the world to the bygone princely era of India.

Vamsi Gadiraju Weds Netra Mantena in Udaipur 

Netra, the heiress of Indian American billionaire Rama Raju Mantena, and Vamsi Gadiraju, a millionaire tech entrepreneur from New York, are the couple who took business class flights from USA to India for their lavish saptapadi in Udaipur, a premium wedding destination with palatial venues and picturesque locations in Rajasthan. The groom, Vamsi Gadiraju, is a New York-based co-founder and CTO of Superorder, an AI-driven tech platform for restaurant operations. Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2024 featured Vamsi Gadiraju, a distinguished alumnus of Columbus University.

Who is billionaire Rama Raju Mantena? 

The Netra-Vamsi lavish wedding in Udaipur owes its unmatched grandeur to the bride’s father, Rama Raju Mantena, the chairman and CEO of Ingenus Pharmaceuticals headquartered in Orlando, Florida. A US-based pharma mogul with roots in Andhra Pradesh, Raju Mantena has been leading the multimillion-dollar business of manufacturing cancer medicines and other health solutions since 2010. Prior to that, he founded and sold P4 Healthcare. He had moved to the US for MS in pharmacy, with a computer science engineering degree in India.

In 2018, Raju Mantena became a household name across India and among NRIs for donating a 28-kg gold necklace to the Tirupati Balaji Temple. The giant necklace made of 1008 gold coins with Sree Venkateswara Swamy’s name on each is currently valued at over INR 30 crores. In 2023, he made headlines for his purchase of a lavish property with a private beach and 16 bedrooms in Florida where another Indian American billionaire, Dr Kiran Patel has a palatial residence spread over 17 acres.

What makes Netra-Vamsi wedding an extravagant affair

Celebrated like a Rajasthani royal event, the wedding of Telugu American Raju Mantena’s daughter is a star-studded affair with Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, and Trump Jr., the eldest child of President Donald Trump, among the guests in attendance. The three-day event spanned over mehendi, sangeet, haldi, and saptapadi amid the folk music and dance of Rajputana at The Leela Palace, Taj Lake Palace, and Zenana Mahal in the historical City Palace. The 5-star properties came alive with a rare blend of majestic beauty, exotic floral décor, and motifs of Rajasthan’s folk culture.

Unlike a Telugu couple, Netra Mantena stole the show like a Rajput bride in a designer red lehenga with a floor-length veil, and Vamsi Gadiraju ditched dhoti for an embellished sherwani with the turban of a Rajasthani groom. The guests, including Donald Trump Jr. were dressed in Indian ethnic fashions for various ceremonies. Precisely, the Vamsi-Netra wedding theme is inspired by the royal beauty of Rajasthan.

Raju Mantena flew out Jenifer Lopez and Justin Bieber from USA to India to set the stage on fire at the cocktail party. Reportedly, it was Jenifer Lopez’s first visit to India. The sangeet ceremony was a dazzling spectacle of Bollywood stars who entertained the guests with their high-octane performances. Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan, and Janhvi Kapoor were the star performers at the Netra-Vamsi wedding in Udaipur.

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The post Who’s Indian American Billionaire Raju Mantena? His Daughter Weds Vamsi Gadiraju from New York in a Big Fat Wedding first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Who’s Indian American Billionaire Raju Mantena? His Daughter Weds Vamsi Gadiraju from New York in a Big Fat Wedding appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Indeed, America is the incubator of ideas, the cradle of innovations, and the architect of billionaire-dollar careers. Evidently, recognition runs high for Kruti Patel Goyal, a new comer in the club of Indian American CEOs; Adarsh Kumar, who won the Global Student Prize from USA; Varun Mohan whom Google roped in for $2.4bn; Tejasvi Manoj whose AI app saves senior citizens from cyber scams. Now the American Dream of two Indian-origin college dropouts – Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha – hit the jackpot.

The college dropouts cum AI startup founders, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha became the world’s youngest self-made billionaires only at 22, stealing the limelight from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was the youngest billionaire at 23 in 2008. The Indian-American college friend duo, along with their business partner Brenden Foody, have reached this milestone after their startup – Mercor AI – is recently valued at USD 10 billion. What began as a simple AI-driven recruiting startup has now grown into one of the fastest-growing companies in the US Silicon Valley.

Who are Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha, the world’s youngest billionaires?

Born to Indian immigrants in California, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha grew up imbibing core Indian values and listening to success stories of Silicon Valley ventures. Both attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, a Jesuit high school known for its academic excellence and award-winning debate team. That’s where they met and discovered their shared passion for technology and problem-solving.

Adarsh’s family traces its roots to Karnataka, while Surya’s parents migrated from New Delhi to the United States in the 1990s. Growing up as US citizens of Indian origin, they shared the discipline and determination of their immigrant families, while embracing the risk-taking mindset and problem-solving attitude of the West. This east-west cultural mix became the foundation of their entrepreneurial journey.

In 2023, they, along with their friend Brendan Foody, founded Mercor, aiming to connect software engineers from India and other emerging markets with tech companies in the US. As artificial intelligence gained global momentum, they quickly spotted a larger-than-life opportunity. The company pivoted from recruiting to providing “human-in-the-loop” AI training services, where real experts help improve AI models through data labeling, testing, and feedback. This shift defined Mercor’s meterio rise.

How Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha became billionaires at 22

Mercor AI’s stupendous valuation catapulted Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha to the league of Indian-origin billionaires, including the richest Indian American Jay Chaudhry. Powered by innovation and timing, Mercor now serves major AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, employing more than 30,000 global contractors, including engineers, lawyers, and medical professionals who assist in training large AI systems. The trio in the C-suite not only propelled Mercor into the global spotlight but also created history as the world’s youngest billionaires.

According to Forbes, the net worth of Adarsh Hiremath, Surya Midha, and Brendan Foody is based on Mercor’s $10bn valuation, not on liquid cash. Each of them reportedly owns about 22 percent of the company, which equals approximately $2.2 billion each on paper. Their net worth will multiply with the increasing valuation of Mercor AI. After raising $32 million in 2024 (Series A) and $100 million in early 2025 (Series B), Mercor closed a $350 million Series C round, which elevated its valuation to $10 billion.

This story is part of our continued series that gives a shoutout to achievements of Young Indians in America. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of IndianEagle.com, the most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians and Americans. Best Indian Eagle flight deals make travel between USA and India cheaper, irrespective of routes.

The post Who are Indian American Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha? College Dropouts who become the World’s Youngest Billionaires at 22 first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Who are Indian American Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha? College Dropouts who become the World’s Youngest Billionaires at 22 appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.