Globalindianstories

  When Melbourne-based Veena Nair got a call from Australian Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, she thought it was probably a scam. So much so that when she decided to call back thinking that he wanted to comment on one of her LinkedIn posts, she was taken by surprise when informed that she had won the 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. Just to be assured, the Indian-origin mustered the courage to ask, “Are you sure?” And sure, she is. The head of technology at Melbourne’s Viewbank College, Veena has been awarded for demonstrating the practical application of STEAM to students, and how they can use their skills to make a real impact in the world. “To be recognised in the Prime Minister’s prizes for science, I am deeply humbled. I am very grateful to my school, to my colleagues, to my students, and my family,” Nair said in a video message, adding, “Many people know about STEM — science, technology, engineering, and maths, but STEAM is with an A, which is for Art. A...

  1.From Chennai to New Hampshire, Aishwarya Balasubramanian has kept the aesthetic appeal of Bharatanatyam alive When Bharatanatyam dancer Aishwarya Balasubramanian was a school student, she was very good at academics. The talented artist multitasked her way through school, excelling in her studies and also in dance. As she neared the end of high school, the time came to pick one, a tough choice for Aishwarya. On the one hand, she wanted to be a doctor and on the other, she felt a deep passion for dance.  Finally, she chose the dance over the medical profession.   “I just couldn’t give it up,” says the passionate dancer. She knew that since both the professions have their own demands, she would not be able to do both full-time. “So, I went on to pursue my bachelors in mathematics from Stella Maris College, Chennai while continuing with my passion in dance.”  Life took her from Chennai to New Hampshire, where Aishwarya runs her own dance school, Arpanam, teach...

  History is being created at the Massachusetts-based Tufts University, as Indian-American academician Sunil Kumar has become the first person of colour to be appointed as its next president. Indian-origin Kumar, who is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University, will succeed President Anthony P Monaco next summer. Peter Dolan, the chair of the Board of Trustees said that Sunil “brings to Tufts a lifelong commitment to excellence in higher education and an exceptionally strong record as a leader, teacher, and colleague,” and is confident that Kumar will “help bolster Tufts’ mission to improve the world.” Sunil, on the other hand, was attracted to Tufts because of its mission to serve “not only the people within its confines — its students, faculty, and staff — but the society at large,” and he is keen to take up the presidency on July 1, 2023. Sunil Kumar will be Tufts University’s next president Born in Bengaluru to a father who served in t...

  “A co-worker once told me I looked like a terrorist. While simply going about my daily life, strangers on the street have asked me if I’m carrying a bomb, or what I’m hiding under my turban. It saddened me that my turban, my spiritual crown, the most sacred object on my body, had become an object of fear. My experiences of discrimination were far from the accepting multicultural Australian society I had known and loved since I arrived here (Australia) as a fifteen-year-old,” Amar Singh writes on the website of   Turbans for Australia , a Sikh-led charity organisation that helps Australians in need. The organisation was Amar’s answer to hate as he wanted Australians to see Sikhs as people who could be trusted and turned to in times of need. Seven years later, the Sikh volunteer has been honoured with the 2023 New South Wales Australian of the Year Award for supporting the community during floods, bushfires, drought, and the pandemic. Amar Singh is the founder of Turbans 4 A...