These days, it is common to see teenagers hanging out on social media, glued to music on their phones, catching a movie at some multiplex, or chilling out with friends in their spare time. We do often blame technology for its detrimental effect on the Gen Y. However, there are always exceptions. A group of teenagers (15 or 16-year-olds), including an Indian American, use technology and spend time on phones for good reasons.

These teenagers, including Indian American Anika Kumar and some of her high school peers in San Jose, hang out with senior citizens on phone rather than friends. They make phone calls to lonely senior citizens who have no one to talk or listen to them, on Monday afternoons. The calls help socially isolated elderly people speak out their minds, bare their hearts and heave sighs of relief from the burden of pent-up thoughts.

This phone call program for lonely, old people is Indian American Anika Kumar’s humanitarian initiative, Forget Me Not in Santa Clara County, California. A 17-year-old graduate of San Jose-based Notre Dame High School, Anika Kumar started Forget Me Not to put some roses on the withered cheeks of socially isolated senior citizens.

Indian American Anika Kumar hit upon the idea of making personalized phone calls to keep the company of lonely senior citizens when she was 15 and volunteering at an assisted living facility. Her vision gradually led to ‘Forget Me Not’ in Santa Clara County. Today, 12 volunteers devote their time to interact with some 40 senior citizens every week.

What kind of conversation happens between the lonely, old people and the volunteers of Forget Me Not in Santa Clara County? “It’s meaningful, rewarding, refreshing and touching. The elderly talk about their interests, hobbies, families, bygone days, childhood, favorite books and movies,” says Anika Kumar. The volunteers also help them become tech-savvy and social media-savvy. The joy it gives to them is simply immeasurable.

Located in San Jose, ‘Forget Me Not’ Phone Call Program is an intergenerational nonprofit organization. Like Rome, it was not built in a day. Anika did a lot of research on ageism-related issues like depression and the issues of social isolation to enrich her vision of helping the elderly in solitary confinement with company through phone calls. She approached many geriatricians and elder care experts to help her strategize the mission of Forget Me Not.

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The ‘Forget Me Not’ Phone Call Program works systematically and currently operates in Santa Clara County. The older adults in dire need of social life and companionship are required to fill up a registration form with some of their personal details like interests and hobbies in order to sign up for the program. The volunteers of Forget Me Not in San Jose are paired with the registered older adults. High school seniors undergo a mandatory training after they sign up as volunteers.

Volunteers make social, friendly phone calls to lonely older adults and senior citizens for 20-30 minutes at a specified time, once a week. Sometimes, the call duration is 45 to 60 minutes. All calls are recorded for better training provided to the ‘Forget Me Not’ volunteers.

Indian American Anika Kumar is now looking to expand the San Jose-based ‘Forget Me Not’ Phone Call Program beyond Santa Clara County and team with high school seniors as volunteers across the Bay Area so that more and more social isolated senior citizens can benefit from the program.

This story is part of our continued effort at Indian Eagle to promote good work for noble causes by Indians in USA and the rest of the world. We not only strive to make US to India airfares cheaper but also cater inspiring stories, community news, and travel updates to Indian Americans through our free newsletters.       

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Indian American teens are the latest sensations on the American TV. While the nation is tuned to the performance of two Indian American girls – Alyssa Raghunandan and Paravi Das – in the Season 16 of American Idol 2018, 12-year-old Apoorva Panidapu is all set to make her first TV appearance on the NBC show ‘Genius Junior.’ The episode of Neil Patrick Harris’ Genius Junior show featuring Apoorva will be aired on April 22, 2018.

Nicknamed ‘Human Calculator,’ Apoorva Panidapu from San Jose, California will showcase her incredible math-solving talent in ‘Genius Junior’ on NBC. The faster-than-calculator speed of solving any difficult math problem in the brain is her unique trait. A 7^th grader at California Connections Academy, Apoorva got selected for the NBC show on the strength of her performance in multiple auditions. She made it out of thousands of students from across the United States.

Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, an American actor, singer, writer and comedian, ‘Genius Junior’ debuted on the American television in March 2018. The game show series is a celebration of the talent of the brightest students in America. Each of the ten episodes for the first season will be an hour-long test of the participating students’ intelligence. Twelve teams, each having three students aged 12 and under, will be competing against each other in five increasingly challenging rounds of various complex subjects including quiz, spelling, mathematics and memory. The ‘Genius Junior Grant’ will be given to the winning team.

Indian American Apoorva Panidapu’s math IQ is often compared to that of Albert Einstein. Named ‘The Fast and the Curious,’ her team of three incudes a 9-year-old student from Florida who is blessed with photographic memory, and a 12-year-old New Yorker who is brilliant enough to replicate the structure of any building by just looking at it. Californian math whiz Apoorva Panidapu and her teammates can memorize every detail of the US highway just like a robot, solve puzzling math equations and spell out difficult words, without using or depending on any external tool.

Also Check: Indian American Girl Holds Free Health Camps for Poor Kids

‘Human Calculator’ Apoorva Panidapu has been felicitated with the Presidential Volunteer Service Award twice. Equally competent in math and other disciplines, she has won many national, state and regional level competitions in art & craft, speech, creating writing and debate. She made a whopping score of 800 in SAT. She was invited to the John Hopkins Study of Exceptional Talent Program.

San Jose-based Apoorva Panidapu is an artist and philanthropist too. She pursues philanthropy through art. She sells her paintings and sketches to raise funds for the welfare of children in Africa. She donates the proceeds from her math tutoring lessons to VT Seva, which works for the kids with visual impairment in India. Interestingly, her artwork has been exhibited at several places including the Virginia Air and Space Center, and the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Virginia.

Last but not the least, Indian American Apoorva Panidapu won the grand prize in NASA Langley Research Center’s Centennial Student Art Contest in 2017.

Get ready to watch math whiz Apoorva Panidapu’s unparalleled math-solving talent in Genius Junior this April 22, and watch out this space or subscribe to our free newsletter for upcoming stories of young Indian Americans on Travel Beats, an Indian American community portal by Indian Eagle Travel, a leading travel booking partner of Indians in USA.  

The post Indian American ‘Human Calculator’ Apoorva Panidapu to Show Her Math-solving Talent on American TV appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

The Indian American community will be having a gala time in August and September as the calendar of Indian events in USA is full of cultural programs for them. We have listed the best of upcoming events in California, Seattle, New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, Cleveland and Nashville for Indians in USA. It will make your search for Indian events in August and September easier.

Jai Ho! Independence Dance Party in Seattle, Washington

The 6^th annual Independence dance party on August 6 is one of the most awaited Indian events in Seattle. This event triggers the festive season for Indians in Seattle. Celebrate the 70^th Indian Independence Day by dancing all night to the best Bollywood beats. Do get dressed in orange or white or green as there is a dress code.

• Date: August 6
• Venue: NECTAR LOUNGE,412 North, 36th St, Seattle, WA
• Organizer’s Phone: 503-810-2510

20^th Festival of India in Duluth, Georgia

Initiated in 1997 to celebrate the 50^th Independence Day of India, the Festival of India is one of the popular Indian events in Georgia. Now Indians in Georgia will celebrate the 20^th edition of the event as the 70^th Indian Independence Day on August 6 in Duluth.

• Date: August 6
• Venue: Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097
• Organizer’s Phone: 404-915-0497

Kailash Kher’s Live Concert in Cleveland, Ohio

One of the most loved Indian singers, Kailash Kher will be performing live in Cleveland on August 13. The musical event is expected to be one of the most exciting Indian events in Ohio as Kailash Kher will be performing for the Indian community in Cleveland for the first time ever.

• Date: August 13
• Venue: Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115

70^th Independence Day Celebration in Nashville, Tennessee

Indians in Nashville don’t lag behind when it comes to celebrating the Independence Day of India in USA. Said to be the biggest of all upcoming Indian events in Tennessee, the 70^th Independence Day will be celebrated on August 16 in Nashville. Nashville’s Indian community is gearing up with cultural performances.

• Date: August 21
• Venue: Vanderbilt University, Langford Auditorium, Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37212
• Organizer’s Phone: 615-430-1762

Shreya Ghoshal Live Concert in Houston, Texas

Among the Houston events in September, Shreya Ghoshal’s live concert has already sent waves of excitement across the Indian community in Texas. Hold on to your breath until Shreya Ghoshal spellbinds you with her melodious voice on September 2.

• Date: September 2
• Venue: Arena Theatre, 7326 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074
• Organizer’s Phone: 713-545-4115

Sonu Nigam & Atif Aslam Live Concert in Houston, Texas

A musical extravaganza by such popular singers as Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam awaits the Indian community in Houston this September. They will entertain Indians in Houston with electrifying numbers from Bollywood films on September 23.

• Date: September 23
• Venue: NRG Arena, 1 NRG Parkway, Houston, TX 77054

Radio Zindagi Ganesh Utsav in Milpitas, California

Indians in Milpitas in California celebrate Ganesh Utsav like Ganesh Puja in Mumbai, Hyderabad and other Indian cities. For the popularity of its maiden edition in 2015, Radio Zindgi Ganesh Utsav in Milpitas has become one of the best Indian events in USA. The Milpitas Ganesh Utsav 2016 is a 4-day cultural extravaganza starting on September 8. A 15-feet tall Ganesh statue will be worshipped this year.

• Dates: September 8, 9, 10, 11
• Venue: Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035
• Organizer’s Phone: 510-387-5381

Ilayaraja Telugu Live Music Concert in San Jose, California

Good news for Telugu music lovers in San Jose Indian community! Music maestro Ilayaraja will take you on a musical ride with his popular songs on September 10. Acclaimed singers Hariharan and Chitra will sing alongside Ilayaraja at this Telugu Live Music Concern among the upcoming events in San Jose.

• Date: September 10
• Venue: San Jose Event Center, 290 South 7th Street, San Jose, CA 95192
• Organizer’s Phone: 408-785-2282

Gulzar in New Jersey

Indians in New Jersey are eagerly waiting to catch up with eminent Indian celeb Gulzar in Rahway on September 17. Gulzar will sing some of the best songs from his collection in a live concert among the upcoming Indian events in New Jersey.

• Date: September 17
• Venue: Union County Arts Center, 1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07095
• Organizer’s Phone: 973-652-6607

Onam Celebrations in Pleasanton, California

The Indian community in California is all set to celebrate Kerala’s biggest festival Onam on September 18 in Pleasanton. This upcoming festivity is an opportunity for California Indians to get together. With a grand Onam feast and traditional revelries like Pookkalam, Maveli along with Thiruvathira dance, this upcoming India event in California is second to none.

• Date: September 18
• Venue: Senior Center, Pleasanton, 5353 Sunol Boulevard, Pleasanton, CA 94566
• Organizer’s Phone: 309-310-1539

Dream Team USA Concert Tour 2016

Bollywood stars including Varun Dhawan, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Karan Johar are all set to enthrall Indians in USA with the ‘Dream Team’ musical concert. One of the most awaited Indian events in USA, the six-city musical tour kicks off on August 12 in Houston and will travel to San Jose on August 13, Atlanta on August 14, Chicago on August 19, Los Angeles on August 20 and New Jersey on August 21.

• Dates: August 12, August 13, August 14, August 19, August 20, August 21
• Venues: Houston, San Jose, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey

Travel Beats by IndianEagle, a leading travel organization, is an Indian American community portal sharing latest news, stories and events for Indians in USA. Subscribe to Travel Beats’ free newsletter for the latest and interesting updates.

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