Hindus make up half of the Indian American community in the United States, according to the 2023 Pew Research Center Survey. Their cultural identity and contribution to America’s ethnic diversity is being acknowledged more than ever. The opening of America’s largest Hindu temple in New Jersey and the celebration of Hindu heritage by more than 20 US states in the month of October are testimonies to their cultural influence on the American way of life.

Recently, the state of Michigan declared October as ‘Hindu Heritage’ month through an official proclamation. Celebrating this monumental achievement for Indians in Michigan, Travel Beats – Indian Eagle Travel’s community portal for Indian Diaspora in America – takes you on a trail to five best temples in Farmington, Novi, Canton, Detroit, and Pontiac. These temples in Michigan are not just places of worship, but also hubs of community events.

Sri Sharadamba Temple, Farmington Hills

Of the new temples in Michigan, Sri Sharadamba Temple is dedicated to Goddess Sharadamba, who is believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Saraswati. The second cultural establishment of Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation (SVBF) in the United States, the Sri Sharadamba Temple of Michigan is next to the first such temple located in Pennsylvania. The other two temples are coming up in Houston, Texas and San Diego, California.

The Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation is an extension of the ancient Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka, established by the 8^th century Advaita Vedanta philosopher, Adi Shankara whose 108-ft statue of Oneness was unveiled for Rs 2141 crore in Madhya Pradesh on September 21. The new campus of Sri Sharadamba Temple in Farmington Hills spreads across 17,000 sq. ft and houses several shrines of Hindu gods and goddesses.

The main sanctum enshrines the Panchaloha (a mix of five alloys) murti of Sri Sharadamba, along with the idols of Adi Shankara and Chandramouleeswara (Lord Shiva). With intricate carvings and delicate sculptures, the temple features a spacious community hall and a temple kitchen. The other shrines on the temple premise are consecrated to Durga, Hanuman, Sri Rama, and Sri Krishna.

Sri Venkateshwara Balaji Temple, Novi

Among the Hindu temples in and around Detroit, Sri Venkateshwara Balaji Temple of Novi stands for the faith and harmony of the Telugu-speaking Indians in Michigan. Built by the Detroit Telugu Association, the two-storey temple is home to Lord Venkateshwara Swamy, the presiding deity of Tirumala Tirupati in India. Envisioned as a ‘cultural and spiritual anchor’ for the Hindu community in Oakland County, the temple caters to the spiritual appetite of and provides cultural enlightenment to devotees.

The temple has a modest canteen, though not as huge as New York’s Ganesh Temple Canteen in size or menu. Known as Balaji Kitchen, the canteen serves authentic South Indian dishes such as idli, sambar, vada, upma, and pongal on Saturdays. The temple complex also houses a library, and an art and heritage section where one can learn deeper about Indian cultural heritage through events and programs held there. Sri Venkateshwara Temple of Novi also enshrines the idols of Sri Ganesha, Sri Hanuman, and Goddess Lakshmi.

The Hindu Temple of Canton

Established in 1990, the Hindu Temple of Canton is one of the most beautiful and serene temples in Michigan. Unlike most temples in America, this temple does not have any presiding deity. Landscaped with well-manicured gardens, the temple complex houses the shrines of Lord Krisha and Radha; Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati; Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Lord Hanuman; Goddess Durga, Lord Ganesh; and Lord Balaji with Sridevi and Bhoodevi.

The Hindu Temple of Canton in Michigan is more than a mandir with a spacious multipurpose hall, a grand prayer hall, a kitchen, a guest room, a library, a dining area, and a gift shop. The multipurpose hall can accommodate over 600 devotees together, and the main prayer hall has the seating capacity for nearly 1000 devotees. There is prasad distribution area too. There is a parking lot with space for nearly 130 vehicles at a time.

Other than hosting religious and community events, the temple offers an educational scholarship program to three eligible graduating seniors among the registered members of the temple. The scholarship application form can be downloaded from the temple website. All Hindu festivals are celebrated with equal enthusiasm at the temple nourishing the cultural and spiritual heritage of Indian immigrants.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Detroit

The grand Akshardham Mandirs in different parts of USA shine as icons of India’s cultural and architectural heritage and Detroit’s Swaminarayan Mandir is no different. It is among the most-visited temples in Michigan, with visitors from all far ends of the state. Inaugurated in 2015, the temple is more than just a place of worship for Hindus. It serves as a philosophical and spiritual learning center for anyone interested in Hindu way of life. The place is imbued with a divine aura that can mystify anyone. Apart from the cultural and spiritual programs, BAPS Swaminarayan temple also hosts a variety of charitable acts to bring various communities together to take part in the acts of seva (service).

Devi Parashakthi Temple, Pontiac 

Indian immigrants of Michigan visit Devi Parashakthi Temple in Pontiac to seek the blessings of Shiva Shakti. Built in 1999, the temple is dedicated to Parashakti Karumari Ambika and one of the Shanmatha tirthas (pilgrimage sites) in the West. Shanmatha refers to the Smart tradition aligned with Adi Shankara’s Advaita Vedanta philosophy. The Smarta tradition is known for the worship of five shrines with five deities – Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, Vishnu, and Surya.

Parashakti Karumari Amman, the presiding deity of Michigan’s Devi Parashakti Temple, is commonly worshiped in Tamil Nadu villages around Chennai. The temple architecture is inspired by the Dravidian style of temple architecture prominent in South India. sprawling across 16 acres of forested land in the heart of Pontiac MI, the temple has a Navagraha mandapam where devotees offer prayers to the nine celestial planets in the solar system.

Annadanam is one of the humanitarian rituals practiced at the temple where a huge kitchen and a big multipurpose hall were recently built as part of the expansion plans. Devotees offer prayers to Lord Ayyappa, Lord Hanuman, Sri Bala Murugan, Sri Radha Krishna, Lord Jagannath, Lord Venkateshwara Swami, Shiva Lingam, Lord Kubera, and Sri Astha Lakshmi at the temple.

This article is part of the series, Indian Life in America, by Travel Beats, a leading community portal for Indian Diaspora. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of IndianEagle.com that thousands of Indians in USA have chosen as their reliable travel-booking partner for international trips. Subscribe to our newsletter for community stories, US-India travel news, visa and immigration updates.

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The US midterm elections 2022 results include two historic wins for the Indian American community that represents itself in the corridor of power and politics. Aruna Miller and Shri Thanedar scripted history, with an overwhelming support to their campaigns and a landslide victory in the 2022 midterms. Aruna has a history of undertaking several welfare initiatives for the people of Maryland, whereas the Black community of Michigan voted Shri Thanedar to the US House of Representatives as their voice.

Aruna Miller, the first Indian American Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

One of the historic wins in the US midterm polls 2022 belongs to Aruna Miller who is the first South Asian and the first Indian American to be elected as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The 57-year-old Democrat, a civil engineer by profession, was born in Hyderabad, India. Her parents immigrated to New York from the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1972 when she was only 7. Her father was a mechanical engineer at IBM. Aruna majored in civil engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Maryland’s new lieutenant governor Aruna Miller is now the running mate of Maryland’s first Black governor, Wes Moore. Naturalized as a US citizen in 2000, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010, and she represented the 15^th District in Montgomery County for eight years. During her tenure in the House of Delegates, she espoused several causes, such as family welfare, domestic violence check, marriage equality, gun purchase control, and renewable energy in the state. She was also vocal about the need to increase minimum wages.

While in the Maryland House of Delegates, she went on to exclude underage smokers from the users of e-cigarettes, implement GPS tracking of domestic abusers, and establish a fund for rape crisis centers in the state. In 2018, she backed the need of studying and promoting alternative treatments to help Americans tide over the ‘opioid’ crisis. She also brought a bill pushing high schools to introduce computer science in their curriculum for earlier grades. She had offered her service as a transportation engineer to local governments in California and Virginia before she relocated to Maryland in 1990.

After the US midterm results were announced, Indian American Aruna Miller tweeted, “Maryland, you showed the nation what a small but mighty state do when democracy is on the ballot. You chose unity over division, expanding rights over restricting rights, and hope over fear. Ever since I came to this country, I have never stopped being excited for the promise of America. I will never stop fighting to make sure that promise is available to everyone.”

Shri Thanedar joins other Indian Americans in House of Representatives 

The US midterm elections 2022 catapulted Indian American Shri Thanedar to the House of Representatives from the 13^th Congressional district of Michigan. With a majority of votes from Detroit, he kissed a landslide victory in the midterm elections this year – which, in turn, enables him to join four other Indian American Representatives: Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, Pramila Jayapal from Washington, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera of California.

Shri Thanedar’s journey from Karnataka where grew up in abject poverty to the US where he became a millionaire, is a rags-to-riches story. Born and brought up in a low-income family, he worked menial jobs to make ends meet for a family of eight members when he was 14. His story of hardships and humble beginnings resonated with the Black community that accounts for nearly 78% of Detroit’s racial fabric. In his victory speech, he promised to work hard for the welfare of his Black supporters and voice their concerns in the US Congress. “I will serve the people of Michigan’s 13^th district to the best of my abilities,” he said.

As a meritorious student, Thanedar graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry only at 18. On completion of his post-graduation at the University of Bombay, he joined the University of Akron, Ohio for a PhD in chemistry, and that made him travel to the United States in 1979. His experience as a researcher at Petrolite Corp, coupled with a PhD degree in chemistry, turned a key to dig gold in the chemical business. He learned the nitty-gritty of the chemical business by working a graveyard shift for $15/hour at Chemir, which he bought for $75,000 in 1991.

“By 2005, his maiden business – Chemir – employed 40 PhD chemists among 160 employees and registered a revenue of $16 million. He sold the company for $26 million to rise over the bankruptcy triggered by a colossal loss that his other businesses incurred during the Great Recession in the USA. His active participation in the 2018 elections for the Governor of Michigan became a launchpad for his political career. He funded his state-wide campaign with $10 million from his own savings and earned the media spotlight, but his donation to a Republican campaign pushed him back in the race for the Office of Michigan Governor,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

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Swami Vivekananda said, “It is only by doing good to others that one does good to oneself.” This maxim is true about Sonny Kakar, a Sikh American of Indian origin, who has imbibed the value of serving the needy. A resident of Washington DC, Sonny Kakar operates a unique food truck to distribute fresh, nutritious meals to the hungry for free in the US capital region where one in every seven households grapples with the pangs of hunger.

Aptly named SevaTruck, Sonny Kakar’s free-meal food truck in the Washington DC metro area and Michigan  is part of SevaTruck Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the vision and mission of mitigating hunger in local communities by providing nutritionally balanced vegetarian meals to anyone in need. Seva Truck has distributed 50,000 free meals to this day.

Picture credit: Sevatruck.org

Three years ago, Sonny Kakar bought an old FedEx truck, got it painted orange, named it SevaTruck and started operating it to serve the kids at hunger risks in underprivileged communities. In only three years of its inception, Sonny Kakar’s SevaTruck in Washington DC became an emblem of humanity, a symbol of selfless service and a pride of Indians in the USA.

Following the success SevaTruck has achieved in accomplishing its hunger-mitigating mission to some extent in the D.C. metro area, Sonny Kakar started the same initiative in Michigan. SevaTruck Michigan has been serving nutritious meals for free in over 35 locations across Michigan, including Detroit since 2017, irrespective of race, religion, gender and age.

Children and veterans in need are the primary targets of the Free Meal Service campaign run by SevaTruck Foundation. Sonny Kakar’s Seva Truck has helped to increase the attendance by 30% in one of the underserved schools by supplying fresh, nutritious meals on a daily basis. 12.9million kids in the United States are in the grips of food insecurity.

Also Check: Indian American Siblings’ Touch of Life Foundation

To combat food insecurity in Washington DC metro area, the nonprofit has partnered with local food banks and several other nonprofit organizations. Sikh Indian-American Sonny Kakar’s free-meal initiative has largely benefited the US Vets which runs an 85-bed facility for homeless veterans and the Latin American Youth Center in D.C. which provides support to more than 4000 underprivileged youths.

The success of Seva Truck is measured not only by the number of meals served, but also the impact the free-meal initiative makes on empty stomachs. Based in Fairfax, Virginia, SevaTruck Foundation is planning to expand its operations in other US cities in a phased manner and is looking to spread happiness.

This inspiring story of SevaTruck USA is part of our continued effort to promote good deeds of Indians or Indian-origin people in USA, at Travel Beats, a leading community portal for Indians in the US. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of Indian Eagle Travel, a most trusted international air travel booking partner of Indian Americans. 

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America’s Top Young Scientist of the Year is so coveted a title that middle school students across the United States compete in Discovery Education’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge every year. Among thousands of promising innovators and inventors with a problem-solving attitude, only the best ten make it to the grand finale of the most prestigious competition. 3M Young Scientist Challenge inspires young minds to think solutions for global issues from water crisis to energy shortage to climate change.

The ten finalists for America’s “Top Young Scientist of 2019” title include five Indian American teen students: Reshma Kosaraju of California, Jaya Choudhary of Michigan, Nishant Lahiri of New York, Camellia Sharma of Virginia, and Samyak Shrimali of Oregon. Unsurprisingly, there was the same number of Indian Americans among the finalists in 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2018.

Jaya Choudhary of Michigan: Energy Saving 

Among the finalists in 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2019 is 13 year-old Jaya Choudhary from Canton, Michigan. Jaya made it to the race for America’s “Top Young Scientist of 2019” title for her eco-friendly invention – Airflow Control Robot – which helps reduce power consumption and save on energy by controlling the flow of hot or cold air to unoccupied areas. Indian American Jaya Choudhury’s Airflow Control Robot is an effort towards lessening the impact of global climate change and energy crisis on the planet. She is a 7^th grader at Canton Charter Academy.

Reshma Kosaraju of California: Wildfire Prediction 

The California Camp fire in 2018, which claimed 90 lives and caused massive damages worth $17B to the wildlife of USA, prompted 13-year-old Reshma Kosaraju to develop an Artificial Intelligence-based predictive model that uses meteorological data and the existing fire index data to predict any possible incidence of forest fire.

A resident of San Jose, California, 7^th grader Reshma Kosaraju is among the 10 finalists of Discovery Education Network’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2019. Her wildfire predictive and preventive model is a boon to the United States that suffers an estimated economic loss of up to $350B due to the environmental damage caused by destructive forest fires.

Nishant Lahiri of New York: Carbon Dioxide Recycling 

A resident of Corning, New York, 14-year-old Nishant Lahiri developed iCART, an innovative, cost-effective solution to recycling carbon dioxide from the air. He believes that recycling carbon dioxide is a community effort towards addressing global warming. Indian American Nishant Lahiri’s iCART is an energy-efficient carbon capture solution that does not use electricity to absorb C02 from the ambient atmosphere of our homes and transmit it to a processing facility where carbon dioxide is recycled. So, no wonder why he is one of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2019 finalists.

Camellia Sharma of Virginia: Water Crisis Reduction  

12-year-old Camellia Sharma from Glen Allen, Virginia has developed underground water leakage system to help nations save water, at the current juncture of water crisis in some parts of the world, including India.

Owing to inadequate repairing of the aging water distribution systems underground, 50 billion cubic meters of water is wasted every year. The USA alone loses 8 billion cubic meters of water through leaky pipes. Water scarcity is a catastrophic problem in developing countries due to the eroding structural and hydraulic integrity of underground pipelines. Evidently, Indian American Camellia Sharma’s invention deserves to be among the finalists of Discovery Education’s “Top Young Scientist of 2019” challenge.

Samyak Shrimali of Oregon: Hand Hygiene Tracking 

One of the five Indian American finalists in 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2019, Samyak Shrimali from Portland, Oregon has created a sensor-based hygiene tracking system. The 14-year-old eighth grader’s innovation helps check whether one complies with the hand hygiene requirement in hospitals and other public places where nosocomial infections, if unchecked, heighten the mortality rate. His invention underlines the importance of tracking hand hygiene compliance during an epidemic.

The 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2019 finalists will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota for an internship program, during which they will actualize their inventions or innovations into working solutions before the grand finale in October 2019. They will demonstrate the usefulness of their unique solutions in our everyday life to a panel of scientists, alongside competing in a series of scientific challenges. The winner of America’s “Top Young Scientist of 2019” title will receive a scholarship worth USD 25,000 and a free trip.

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The mountaineering season of 2019, with a very short weather window for climbing, has been one of the deadliest for adventure seekers on Mount Everest. With hundreds of mountaineers queuing up the one-lane road to hit the summit, the death knell rang for 11 climbers at the high elevation this season. The images of overcrowding on Mount Everest and the news of climbers stepping over dead bodies evoked disgust and dismay in people across the globe, instead of awe that vistas of the snow-clad Himalayan peak do usually leave people with.

Among the climbers this season were two Indian Americans in their late 40s, who summited Mount Everest and returned safely to tell their stories of wonder and euphoria, anger and anxiety. One is 50-year-old Gurinder Ricky Singh of Newark, and the other is 45-year-old Rakesh ‘Rock’ Patel of Michigan.

The first Indian American to have completed 50 marathons in all 50 states of the United States, Gurinder Ricky Singh hit the summit of Mount Everest with the experience of climbing less-challenging mountain peaks including Mount Manaslu and after three years of strenuous training. A fitness freak, he had only one wish on the bucket list to be fulfilled by the time he turned 50 in May 2019.

The most precarious part of a climbing expedition to the summit of Mount Everest is what is known as the “death zone”, which includes an awfully narrow, gusty descent of about 3,000 feet to Camp Four. After safe return to Camp Four, mountaineers must climb down to Camp Two where they can rest overnight, according to Gurinder Ricky Singh.

He decided to reach the summit the day before weather was forecast to be in favor of the mountaineers. Despite a harsh weather, he continued the expedition to avoid the overcrowding of climbers on Mount Everest as much as possible. Stepping over the dead bodies on the way to the most elevated destination through the death zone added dollops of angst to his jubilant mood at the summit.

After breathing in ecstasy of a few moments on the world’s highest peak, 29000 feet above sea level, Newark’s Indian American businessman was gripped with concerns about his safe return to the base.

Gurinder Ricky Singh, who owns all the Speedy Gas Stations in Delaware and a 7-Eleven store in Newark, is looking to help others with their mountaineering goals. “Mount Everest is great, but the lesson from Everest is you have to be careful, you have to do your homework and you must have a reason.”

Unlike Gurinder Ricky Singh, the other Indian American – Rakesh Rock Patel of Michigan – is an accomplished mountaineer who boasts the distinction of having climbed some of the tallest mountains in the world. He says that none of his previous experiences is close to that of scaling up the highest peak on earth.

A resident of Ann Harbor and an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan, Dr. Rakesh Rock Patel ascended to the top after 10 weeks of climbing through thick and thin. “It was always like a fantasy. I was on the verge of tears when I reached the summit,” said Rakesh. The once-in-a-lifetime experience of breathtaking views from the top of the world is slightly embittered by the pale look of the dead bodies that he and others had to step over to make their way up the mountain.

He decided to wait to approach the peak of Mount Everest until the overcrowding of climbers subsided. Hence, he had to face much windy and snowy weather conditions with very low visibility.

Patel, who grew up in Queens that is home to the famous Ganesh Temple in New York, aspires to join the “7 Summit Club” by conquering the highest peaks of Australia and Antarctica in the days to come. He has already summited the tallest mountains in five of the seven continents. He is happy upon return to his 9-year-old daughter after more than two months.

“I think she is proud of me. I want her to pursue her dreams no matter what anyone tells her,” said Michigan-based Rakesh Rock Patel confidently.

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Indian American kids rock! Since the onset of 2019, they have been sweeping awards at leading international talent competitions in STEM and social studies. Our “Young Indians” series of stories about their inventions, innovations and achievements, from Kavya Kopparapu who won the National STEM Award for her brain cancer treatment to Eshika Saxena who won a Junior Nobel Prize for her AI system that helps detect blood-related diseases accurately, will give you unforgettable moments of pride.

Adding a new feather to the cap of global Indian community are two Indian American teenagers who bagged top prizes in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 for their humankind-friendly inventions.

16-year-old Krithik Ramesh became the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 winner. A resident of Denver in the US state of Colorado, Krithik stood first for developing a cost-effective, portable machine learning device for orthopedic surgeons worldwide. He bagged $75,000 as part of the coveted Gordon E. Moore Award named after the Intel cofounder.

The ISEF 2019 winner, Krithik Ramesh designed and developed a high-tech device that uses machine learning to make orthopedic surgeries easier with virtual reality. Usually, an orthopedic surgeon performs a spinal surgery on a patient the way he/she decides on by following X-ray reports and other scans. Krithik Ramesh’s system is comprised of a visor-like headset and a see-through screen. The screen projects a computerized image of the possible post-surgery look of the patient’s operated spine.

Colorado-based Krithik Ramesh’s system maps a patient’s spine or keen joint to be operated and suggests the more accurate surgical procedure accordingly by pinpointing the exact placement of plates, rods or screws within 1.33 millimeters of the to-be-operated part of the patient’s body. His machine learning system convincingly outdates the current method of navigating the to-be-operated part of the body during a surgery, as per a report of the data analysis of 34 surgeries.

Currently, orthopedic surgeons use fluoroscope, a kind of surgical equipment that exposes not only the patient’s body but also the surgical team to harmful radiation through nonstop X-rays in real time. Indian American Krithik Ramesh’s device makes fluoroscope replaceable, as it lessens the use of any such equipment that exposes a patient to constant radiation, by identifying the exact spot where a plate, a rod or screws are to be inserted in a pre-surgical procedure.

The portability of the system makes it possible to use the high-tech device at rural healthcare centers and in far-flung war zones. Krithik Ramesh’s system also earned him the first place in the biomedical engineering category, besides having won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019.

Shriya Reddy who Invents Noninvasive Alternative to Biopsy

15-year-old Shriya Reddy from Michigan won the Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 for her innovative, noninvasive approach for diagnosis of melanoma lesions. A most fatal type of skin cancer, melanoma claims more than 9,000 lives in the United States alone. 90% of melanoma cancer cases can be cured if diagnosed early.

Currently, biopsy is the only best method of diagnosing melanoma. It is an expensive, time-consuming and painful way to diagnose the terminal disease. Her noninvasive approach, which can best be thought of as a dye agent, is an absolute contrast to biopsy. Her innovation is the use of a substance-like material to help doctors with visual discrimination between the affected tissue and the unaffected one.

The antibodies in her substance get glued to melanoma-affected cells. Tiny nanospheres of gold are attached to the antibodies to make them illuminate near the cancerous cells. Going by Shriya Reddy’s approach, doctors can smear a bit of cream or oil containing gold-attached antibodies on a patient’s skin. Cancerous cells will shine glowingly, while noncancerous cells will not glow in the near-infrared light.

A 10^th grader at Northville High School in Michigan, Indian American Shriya Reddy remarked, “Such a noninvasive test would not only be painless but give immediate results with greater accuracy.” She received USD 10,000 as part of the Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation.

1.5 million biopsies are conducted for melanoma every year. Shriya is confident that her test is the best cost-effective alternative to 60% of biopsies for melanoma and that it can save hundreds of millions of dollars in developing countries’ annual healthcare costs.

Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, publishes latest visa, immigration, passport, aviation and Indian community news stories. A leading travel booking partner of Indians in USA, Indian Eagle has a proven track record of booking cheap last minute flights tickets from USA to India throughout the year.

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“If you’re 25 years old or younger, you have never felt this cold before,” said CNN meteorologist Tom Sater with regards to the blood-chilling ‘snow’ effects of Winter Storm Jayden, which is spreading into the Northeast and the South from the Midwest of the United States. 75% of the continental US population, which is equal to some 220 million people, will have to grapple with below-the-freezing-point temperatures through this week.

The news about the harsh impact of Winter Storm Jayden is being reported from all quarters; the worst being the reporting of two deaths from the chilling onslaughts of the storm – one death in Minnesota and the other in Illinois. The Midwest US states, including parts of Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin have been breathing under more than 10 inches of snow from the storm Jayden. Parts of Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and North Dakota have already received 6 inches of snow.

Picture Credit: RICH HEIN at USA Today

So grim is the forecasting about Winter Storm Jayden that parts of the United States, which are used to endure the biting cold weather, are thrown out of the gear to prepare for the worst. The temperature plummeting far below the freezing point has led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights to and from the Midwest US airports, including Denver International Airport. Shutdown is the fate of schools in the Midwest, including Minnesota at the mercy of Jayden.

The cancellation of 3500 flights in total, from Monday to Wednesday (tomorrow) has caused travel havoc. Flights to and from Chicago’s Midway International Airport, a major hub for Southwest Airlines have been cancelled. Airlines called off about 160 flights to and from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Leading air ticketing agencies in the US, including IndianEagle.com have been receiving an influx of calls for flight cancellation or rescheduling.

Winter Storm Jayden is predicted to break most of the previous records of devastating cold weather across the Midwest and Great Lakes. From Tuesday to Thursday this week, Midwest and Great Lakes will be experiencing a plunge in temperatures to 20-40 degrees below zero. Wind chill may further reduce the temperature to 35-60 degree below the freezing point.

“But the deep freeze is just the first half of the story,” CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. North Dakota and South Dakota in the Midwest USA are facing ‘blizzard conditions’ which has made traveling not only impossible but precarious. Mississippi and Alabama are likely to come within the ambit of Winter Storm Jayden.

Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker has issued an alert about “potentially historic winter storm that will bring extreme cold to the state,” according to a CNN report. He has already prepared an emergency plan for the residents and the state agencies. The people of Illinois have been issued a directive to protect themselves from frostbite and hypothermia in the wake of Winter Storm Jayden. They are advised to use warming centers in case of snow emergencies.

Winter Storm Jayden continues to keep the Great Lake Regions alert. In the south of the US, winter storm warnings have been extended from Georgia to West Virginia to Kentucky. An advisory about the biting cold winter weather has been issued for North Carolina and Tennessee. In the north, New England, upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia are not exempt to the winter storm warnings and watches.

Winter Storm Jayden is likely to dump the greatest amounts of snow across the Northeast, from upstate New York to interior parts of New England, including Boston. The Midwest will be felt colder than Antarctica, and Alaska will be warmer than the shivering Midwest states this week, according to the National Weather Service.

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Forbes’ 2016 list of the 400 richest Americans features five Indian American billionaires. These richest Indians in USA are among the few who made their American Dreams come true and whose stories of success are worth sharing. Born in India, they belong to the Indian American community of techies, engineers, entrepreneurs and investors. They stared from scratch and gradually took a leap to dizzying heights of infinite success. Here is a brief about those five richest Indian Americans.

Romesh Wadhwani (left), Bharat Desai (middle), Rakesh Gangwal (right)

Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, California

One of the five Indian American billionaires, Dr. Romesh Wadhwani is the founder and chairman of Symphony Technology Group in USA. With his net worth of 3 billion US dollars, he stands 222^nd on Forbes’ list of the 400 richest Americans for the year 2016. An IIT-Bombay graduate from India, Mr. Wadhwani earned masters and PhD degree from Carnegie Mellon University. A self-made serial entrepreneur in the Indian Community of Palo Alto in California, he is currently the owner of a thriving empire of 17 data, technology, heath care and analytics companies. In 2015, he announced to invest up to $1 billion in entrepreneurial initiatives in India. Dr. Romesh Wadhwani is a philanthropist too. He founded the Wadhwani Foundation aiming to drive economic development in developing nations including India.

Bharat Desai and Neerja Sethi, Michigan     

Forbes Magazine featured Bharat Desai and Neerja Sethi, co-founders of Syntel Inc. in USA, at the 274^th position on its 2016 list of the 400 richest Americans. With a net worth of $2.5 billion, the husband and wife duo is next to Romesh Wadhwani among the richest Indian Americans this year. Born in Kenya and brought up in Ahmedabad, India, Bharat Desai graduated in electrical engineering from IIT Bombay. After a stint as a programmer at Tata Consulting Services, he sowed the seed of Syntel Inc. with an initial investment of $2000 at his apartment in Michigan in 1980. Today, the company has a global strength of 24,000 employees and generates revenues worth over $950 million a year. Bharat Desai and Neerja Sethi are jointly ranked 85^th among the richest tech billionaires in the United States in 2016.

Rakesh Gangwal, Miami in Florida

With a net worth of $2.4 billion, Miami-based Indian American entrepreneur Rakesh Gangwal made it to Forbes’ 2016 list of richest Americans and occupied the 321^st ranking out of 400. Born in Kolkata, he is an IIT-Kanpur graduate and an MBA from Wharton School of Pennsylvania University. His career journeyed from strategic planning for United Airlines in 1984 to the Chairman of US Airways Group to the inception of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. in 2000. InterGlobe Aviation owns IndiGo, India’s largest budget airline by domestic market share, which Rakesh Gangwal cofounded with just one aircraft in 2006. Forbes’ list of 100 richest Indians in 2015 featured him at the 70^th rank.

Johnn Kapoor (left) and Kavitark Ram Shriram (right)

John Kapoor, Phoenix in Arizona

Among the five Indian American billionaires on Forbes Magazine’s 2016 list, John Kapoor is the Chairman of two drug companies: Akom Inc. and Insys Therapeutics Inc. The former deals in ‘difficult-to-manufacture’ prescription drugs and the latter produces opioids for cancer patients. The 73-year-old entrepreneur ranks at 335^th among the 400 richest Americans for his net worth of $2.1 billion. Born in Amritsar, he traveled to USA from India for a PhD degree in medicinal chemistry. A resident of Phoenix in Arizona, John Kapoor also owns restaurants in Chicago and San Francisco.

Kavitark Ram Shriram, California

Chennai-born Kavitark Ram Shriram is the fifth richest in the Indian American community, with a net worth of $1.9 billion. Forbes’ 2016 list of 400 richest Americans ranks him at 361^st. One of the Silicon Valley angel investors in California, he owns Sherpalo Ventures which invests in technology startups. Being one of the first investors in Google, he is still on the board of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Like other India-born ambitious entrepreneurs, Kavitark Ram Shriram moved to USA in 1994 and joined Netscape to make his ‘American Dream’ come true. Then he served as vice president of business development at Amazon Inc. after it Junglee in 1998. He donated $61 million to the funding of engineering initiatives at Stanford University.

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The United States shortlisted 10 young scientists, including five Indian American students for Discovery Education Network’s Young Scientist Challenge 2016. Young Indians in USA have been riding the waves of innovation and invention contributing to the progress of society from different perspectives.

These five Indian American finalists are gearing up for the grand finale of 3M Young Scientist Challenge in St. Paul, Minnesota, while 13-year-old Anushka Naiknaware from Portland became a Google Science Fair winner yesterday for her cost-effective, biocompatible dressing material for chronic wounds.

Meghna Behari from Pennsylvania, Rohit Mital from Rochester Hills in Michigan, Rohan Wagh from Portland in Oregon, Mrinali Kesavadas from Illinois and Sara Makboul from Georgia are potential young scientists of America among the finalists. They will compete for the prestigious title “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Among the finalists of 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2016, Pennsylvania-based Meghna Behari has created an innovative device to make it easy to reach waterways which are difficult to access. The device will also help to analyze the level of difficulty in accessing waterways by monitoring temperature and pH levels of waters. She is sanguine about the usefulness of her invention for scientists.

14-year-old Rohan Wagh from Portland will compete in the grand finale of 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2016 for his invention to eliminate deficiency of energy in underdeveloped countries. This student of grade 8 from the Portland Indian community in Oregon believes that his invention can increase the efficiency of microbial fuel cells. The device is compact in size and requires low maintenance.

14-year-old Mrinali Kesavadas from Illinois has built a cost-effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) simulator to save lives of the poor in underdeveloped countries. Made with low-cost materials, the simulator can give instant feedback through a computer-based program so that the accuracy of CPR tests can be checked. This device by the 8th grader is portable too.

8th grader Sara Makboul’s invention of Nano Cellulose Beads to improve the quality of water is her entry to the grand finale of 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2016. The 14-year-old Indian American girl from Georgia created Nano Cellulose Beads using absorbent cellulose from leaf remains. If combined with sodium polyacrylate and dispersed on land, the beads can absorb excess storm water to decrease the level of pollution.

13-year-old Rohit Mital entered the grand finale for his device to curb pollution caused by emission from diesel automobiles. The device will not only optimize filters to reduce the quantity of hazardous solid and liquid particles in the air but also save 250 million gallons of fuel per year. This 8th grader from the Indian community in Michigan aims to save people from life-taking diseases caused by air pollution.

The 10 finalists will present their innovations to a panel of judges including noted scientists and explain how their inventions can solve everyday problems in the grand finale of 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The event will be held on October 16, 17 and 18. They will also compete in a number of scientific challenges during the event which will be held on October 16, 17 and 18. The winner will be awarded the title “America’s Top Young Scientist” and a scholarship worth $25,000.

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Indian American neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta’s Twitter account with over 2 million followers catapulted him to the coveted status of a social media celebrity and established him as the second most popular doctor in the United States, according to a study on the use of Twitter by doctors across the US. He uses his Twitter account mainly for professional purposes like giving medical advice and opinions to his followers.

Sanjay Gupta is a familiar face in the North American media though the Twitter celebrity status is a new feather in his cap. He is best known as an Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN where he hosts several weekend health shows. He reports on health-related issues from Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He is not only a correspondent but also a columnist. He writes columns for Time Magazine and other leading publications in the US. He is a published author too, with a few books to his fame. “Chasing Life” and “Cheating Death”, two of neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta’s books, were among the New York Times bestsellers. His novel, “Monday Mornings,” made headlines as a New York Times bestseller in 2012. It was also adapted into an American television series in 2013.

At the same time, Indian-origin doctor Sanjay Gupta is an associate chief of the neurosurgery department at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. With 2.03 million Twitter followers, he carved a niche among the celebrities and TV personalities who are mostly followed on the micro blogging platform.

A group of researchers including the students of Augustana University in South Dakota analyzed the Twitter accounts of leading doctors across the USA and filtered the tweets of 4500 users to see how today’s doctors engage and interact with people on Twitter. The research found that Indian American neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta is the second most popular doctor in the US.

A biomedical science graduate from the University of Michigan, he was born to an NRI couple who had moved to America from India in the 1960s. After he earned his doctor of medicine (M.D.) in 1993, he became an advisor to Hillary Clinton and served as a White House fellow for one year. Reportedly, he was approached for the position of Surgeon General of the US in the Obama regime but he denied.

In 2011, Forbes Magazine featured Sanjay Gupta on its list of 10 most influential celebrities. He has contributed articles on brain tumors, spinal cord abnormalities and other health issues to leading medical journals. He has the license to practice medicine in Michigan, Atlanta, New York and South Carolina.

Indian American physician Sanjay Gupta is one of the few North American doctors who have the rare distinction of having reported on medical conditions of victims in war zones and areas of natural disasters including the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He broadcast live reporting on medical aspects of the Iraq invasion in 2003. Besides, he performed emergency surgeries to save many US soldiers and Iraqi civilians in Iraq.

Interestingly, Indian American neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta was named one of the sexiest men of the year 2003 by People Magazine.

Read More News Stories of Indian Americans

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