The Worcester Business Journal has named Kris Canekeratne, chairman and CEO of the Westborough, Mass.-based Virtusa Corp. one of its “Business Leaders of the Year.” Canekeratne was honored in the large business category. Virtusa is a business consulting and IT outsourcing company, which was founded in 1996.
The Indian Medical Association of New England will present Sangeeta T. Pradhan, RD, LDN, CDE, a registered clinical dietitian and certified diabetes educator with more than 13 years of experience, in a talk titled “Indian Diet: Friend or Foe” at the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Dr. Onaly A. Kapasi, an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Boston since 1980, will speak on “Osteoporosis: the Silent Disease” during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Dr. Pankaj Shah, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates since 1979, will speak on menopause, women’s health issues and Human Papilloma Virus, a common sexually transmitted infection, at the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Jay Gupta, RPh, MScIM, MTM, co-founder of the nonprofit organization YogaCaps Inc., will speak on "Yoga Chikitsa for Common Conditions" during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass. Gupta will overview a number of chronic physical and mental health conditions from the perspective of yoga.
Harbinger Capital Partners, a multi-billion dollar private investment fund based in New York, has formed a joint venture with BS Enviro Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of BS Ltd., an infrastructure provider in India, to operate Skywater India Ltd. and bring clean water technology to India and, eventually, to other countries in Southeast Asia.
This weekend the Harvard University annual India Conference will gather for two days on March 9-10 to examine “India vs. India: Local Strength vs. Global Growth.” The conference brings together business leaders, academics, government officials, philanthropists and others to examine the complexity and controversy of India and “embrace the most powerful reality of the Indian story: that there is no single, universal Indian narrative.” The keynote speaker will be Sam Pitroda, adviser to the India Prime Minister on public information and infrastructure innovation.
At a time when overall business growth in India has slowed significantly and the national GDP shows only a marginal rise the India small and medium business segment can be viewed as a beacon of hope. India SMBs show a 14 percent year-on-year rise in Information and Communication Technology expenditures and their adoption of technology is likely to continue to increase. This is a direct result of their need to utilize ICT tools to overcome nagging business challenges.
Leader Bank is the recipient of the Special Achievement Award as the “Top Minority Lender” from Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. Sushil K. Tuli, president and CEO of Leader Bank, accepted the award at a MassHousing ceremony that took place on March 1.
Juniper Networks has deployed a high-performance, common-use network infrastructure for the new passenger terminals at the Chennai Airport. The Airports Authority of India is using Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, integrated with Juniper’s security and routing devices, within its new terminals to support common use applications such as Common Use Terminal Equipment, passenger information processing systems, Flight Information Display Systems and video surveillance.
Sherry Rehman, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, joined Meghan O'Sullivan, a Harvard University international affairs professor, for a public address at the recent JFK Forum, with opening remarks from Iris Bohnet, Harvard professor of public policy and academic dean at the Harvard Kennedy School. Following the address at the JFK Forum, the South Asian Institute at Harvard hosted a lunch with Ambassador Rehman and faculty from across the school.
Pratibha Shah, Master of Ayurveda, will speak on “Prevention with Ayurveda” during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass. Her talk will also feature a custom blend of 11 potent herbs that she recommends for use in winter for protection against respiratory illnesses, as well as general strength and vitality.
Saama Capital has provided new funding for enterprise-mobility and mobile-SI company AgreeYa Mobility. The additional financing will help AgreeYa Mobility expand market share for its enterprise mobility product, Onvelop, reaching companies using Microsoft products including Office 365, SharePoint and Lync, the company said.
The U.S.-India Business Council Chairman Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard Worldwide, arrived in New Delhi on March 11 with a high-powered delegation of American business leaders to accelerate and advance the pro-growth agenda that has brought two-way U.S.-India trade beyond the $100 billion mark, and establishes $500 billion in two-way trade as USIBC’s next goal.
The U.S.-India Business Council welcomed India's 2013 budget as fundamentally sound. Citing steps being taken by Finance Minister Chidambaram to consolidate India's fiscal position, USIBC gave high marks to the Union Finance Minister, who distinguished himself earlier as one of the original architects of India's economic liberalization.
The ReMotion Knee, a low cost prosthetic knee joint, is the latest winner of the Cool Idea! Award from Proto Labs, a manufacturer of machined and injection molded parts. Proto Labs launched the Cool Idea! Award in 2011 to give product designers the opportunity to bring their innovations to life by presenting up to $250,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services to award recipients. D-Rev, designer and manufacturer of the ReMotion knee, is 2013’s first Cool Idea! recipient. Proto Labs is providing D-Rev with injection molded parts to fulfill its next round of testing.
On March 4 at the MIT Media Lab, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, the founders of the online-learning initiative edX, convened a group of academic leaders and other online-learning experts for a daylong summit meeting titled "Online Learning and the Future of Residential Education."
After spending half of last year searching for a new chancellor the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, got the man it believes can lead the state's flagship university into the future — and talking to Kumble R. Subbaswamy about his role it is clear he certainly has the passion for education and vision to maneuver UMass Amherst into an increased education leadership position.
Subbaswamy started his tenure as chancellor with the beginning of the new college school year last fall. A physicist by discipline, he served as provost of the University of Kentucky from 2006 until he began at UMass Amherst in 2012.
Rapid City is a city with a metro population of 128,000 people, in the heart of South Dakota’s Black Hills, and in the shadow of Mount Rushmore. Eighty-six percent of the population identify themselves as “white” … 10 percent above the national demographic average. While the area is a hotbed for global tourism in the summer seasons, there is very little diversity to speak of year round. Less than 1% of the population identify themselves as being of “Asian” descent. For TV viewers in the area, much of the only diversity they see is on the local morning news. Born in Manitoba, Canada, to Punjabi Sikh immigrants, journalist P.J. Randhawa is a highly visible TV anchor and reporter at Rapid City’s ABC affiliate. After graduating from DePaul University with a master’s degree in journalism and working in some of the top network newsrooms in Chicago, Randhawa, 26, began working in Rapid City, investigating crime, social issues and human interest topics. Her morning news segments are broadcast in five states, including North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana to thousands of viewers. Randhawa is the first Sikh broadcast journalist in South Dakota, and for many, she’s the first “East Indian” person they’ve ever seen. I sat down with the TV broadcaster to find out how she is representing diversity and Sikhism in one of the most racially uniform states on the North American continent.
YuppTV, one of the world’s largest Internet TV providers, has launched its first “YuppTV Dongle” in the United States for South Asians away from home. The YuppTV dongle is a device especially for the expatriate Indians who want access to home grown content. It is a small, 1080p, Wi-Fi streaming player which enables Indian expats to watch their favorite Indian TV Channels live, video on demand, TV shows with back to back episodes, Bollywood movies and a wide range of regional movies.
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association is set to kick off its 2013 AAHOA Annual Convention & Trade Show in Houston from March 26-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The event is touted as the showcase event for the voice of hotel owners in the industry.
The American Association of Physicians of India Origin is launching a nine-city tour to raise awareness about obesity in children. The Childhood Obesity Awareness Campaign will include a music concert at each stop by Bollywood singer Shankar Mahadevan.
AGC Networks Inc., a technology services provider that is owned by India’s Essar Group, has acquired the business of Transcend United Technologies LLC, North America. Transcend provides IT systems integration focused on unified communications, data center infrastructure and managed services. The company has annual revenues of approximately $43 million and 130 employees.
At the invitation of the Maryland General Assembly, Ambassador Nirupama Rao visited the State House in Annapolis on March 27 and addressed both the House of Delegates and the State Senate. She also met the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Michael Busch.
The South Asian Studies Association presented its 2013 Community Service Award to Gunjan Bagla, managing director of Amritt for his role in promoting U.S.-India relations and supporting the cause of the organization.
Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries is bringing its fresh-cut Boardwalk Fries and made-to-order burgers to their new location in Gresham, Ore. The restaurant, which is slated to open in March and is owned by Lucky Patel, will be the chain’s third location in the Portland area – all of which are owned by Patel.
Chester's has opened its newest location in Gurdon, Ark., in the Gurdon Quick Mart, which is one of Paramount Shops' four Quick Mart locations that serve Chester's fried chicken. At Gurdon Quick Mart, there will be menu items such as Chester's tenders, boneless wings, Chester's signature potato wedges and biscuits.
Click Security, a security analytics company, has secured $17.7 million in second round funding. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with additional participation from Citi Ventures and existing investor Sequoia Capital. The new funds bring total financing in the company to $24.7 million and will be used to expand sales, marketing and engineering initiatives.
As we passed the five-year anniversary of the start of the economic recession in December 2007, many observers focus on what was lost: 8 million jobs, 146,000 employer businesses and 17.5 percent average individual earnings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined Providence police in the search for Sunil Tripathy, a 22-year-old Indian-American student at Brown University in Providence, who has been missing since March 16. The police, with the FBI and the Brown University Department of Public Safety, have increased their search outside of the Providence area to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Philadelphia.
Hyatt Hotels Corp., Chesapeake Lodging Trust and Real Hospitality Group have opened Hyatt Place New York/Midtown-South, marking the first Hyatt Place property to debut in New York City. The new Midtown Manhattan location represents a move into downtown urban locations for the upscale select service brand, which has grown by nearly 18 percent in the past three years, according to Hyatt Hotels.
Bad news has this habit of sneaking up from behind when I am relaxing in my rocking chair. Man always has to wrestle with man-made laws, and high-handedness is universal. Little changes from country to country except the rules of engagement, but the pin hold on the individual remains the same, no matter where you live. Life, as you know, will kill you. And then, as reliable soothsayers confirm, you die. But, what if you don't leave the planet for good, and are left to nurse insult upon injury, as in the following story?
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has recruited renowned pediatric liver specialist Nanda Kerkar, M.D., to the position of medical director of pediatric liver and liver transplantation in the division of gastroenterology and nutrition in the department of pediatrics. Kerkar has also been appointed to professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Motorola Solutions said that over the last year several top hotels in India signed deals for the company’s wireless networking products, including The Taj, Lemon Tree, Royal Orchid, Starwood, Park Plaza and Spree Hotels. “Top hotels focused on winning loyal customers and impeccable guest experience prefer Motorola Solutions, as the wireless infrastructure is also able to support tools that error-proof, streamline and automate everyday processes to fully complement every interaction between guests and the hotel staffs, resulting in a positive experience and contributing to greater loyalty,” the company said.
Optimal Strategix Group, a strategy consulting and analytics company, has added Samuel Morasca, Jr., a senior partner of SOLIDexecutive Inc., and David Motley, a senior managing director of Headwaters SC, to its board of directors.
SinuSys Corp., a sinus health company, has added Sagar Pushpala as operations advisor. Pushpala most recently was CEO of TSI Semiconductors. According to the company, he will help the company’s entry into the U.S. market.
Sridhar Ramachandran has joined Utilidata Inc. as chief technology officer. Based at Utilidata’s Providence, R.I., headquarters, Ramachandran will be responsible for providing the overall technology leadership and strategic product road map that drives the company’s innovation, the company said. Utilidata is an automated energy conservation and management technology services company.
Risk Management Solutions has appointed Paul Dali as chairman of its board of directors. Dali has been serving as an advisor to the board for the past year, providing invaluable perspective as the company develops new technology and business capabilities to enable insurers and reinsurers to achieve breakthrough benefits from resilient and real-time risk management practices, the company said.
Entrepreneur Chandrakant Shah is bringing the Indian-American community a rare treat with the U.S. premier of his Gujarati film “Saptapadii: A Businessman’s Wife” on March 24 in Boston. A special premier screening will feature lead actress Swaroop Sampat in attendance. The film will have several premier events across the United States before it starts its full theater release on April 19.
Last month, Shivinderjit Singh was sworn in as the traffic commissioner for City of Brea, Calif., by Mayor Ron Garcia at a general session of the Brea City Council. Singh is licensed electrical engineer and real estate broker. He is office chief in city’s Division of Electrical Engineering-Construction, as well as, CEO of DreamWorks Real Estate and CFO of Eagle USA Mortgage.
The South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital, the first major nonprofit organization dedicated to combating heart disease among the South Asian community, has joined Million Hearts, a national initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.
Rabobank has published a report looking at the recent growth in the quick service restaurant sector in India, and forecasting growth of 30 percent across the industry until 2015, outpacing 10 percent for the overall Indian foodservice sector.
SunCoke Energy Inc. and VISA Steel Ltd. have launched a cokemaking joint venture in India. The new joint venture will be called VISA SunCoke Limited. SunCoke Energy holds a 49 percent interest in the joint venture, with VISA Steel holding the remaining 51 percent. SunCoke has invested approximately $67 million to acquire a 49 percent stake in the joint venture.
TD Bank has appointed Nandita Bakhshi to executive vice president and head of retail distribution and products. Based in Cherry Hill, N.J., Bakhshi is responsible for ensuring TD Bank stores and distribution channels deliver legendary service and competitive products to meet its customer needs, the company said.
Boards of directors have two indisputable responsibilities: first, ensure transparency in financial reporting, executive compensation, and corporate governance; and second, manage CEO succession, including the duty to fire a failing chief executive, and recruit a successor who can lead the company through a successful transition.
Abhijit Das’ Boston East India Hotels LLC has opened up a rebranded hotel in Goa, India – The Sofala 15°74. The hotel continues the expansion of Troca Hotels’ luxury properties, joining hotels in New York, London and Amsterdam. Troca Hotels is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boston East India Hotels.
Symphony Teleca Corp., a services organization that helps clients manage the global convergence of software, electronics, the cloud and connected devices, said that TT Electronics has selected the company to set up an engineering center for product engineering services. The partnership is marked by the formation of a dedicated engineering offshore development center that boasts highly skilled designers and engineers who will provide a strategic global delivery solution for TT electronics’ customers, the company said.
Success in any change is largely dependent on identification of the real problem or issue. Many times, the obvious problem is masking an obscured larger issue. This is true in both our personal lives and professional organizations. Within either environment, tough questions need to be asked and answered honestly.
Manu K. Vora, of Naperville, Ill., will be honored by ASQ, the world’s largest network of quality resources and experts, for his innovative contributions and achievements in quality at the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement on May 5 in Indianapolis. He will receive 2013 ASQ’s Spencer Hutchens Medal for his commitment to social responsibility in founding, funding and leading the Blind Foundation for India to serve over 15 million blind people in India.
Yale University, which is located in New Haven, Conn., and England’s the University of Birmingham have agreed to work together to support the development of a new global justice program at the University of Delhi in India. The Nyaya Global Justice Programme will be a major intellectual hub for the study of international ethical questions which have strong implications for India and neighboring countries, according to the schools.
The Worcester Business Journal has named Kris Canekeratne, chairman and CEO of the Westborough, Mass.-based Virtusa Corp. one of its “Business Leaders of the Year.” Canekeratne was honored in the large business category. Virtusa is a business consulting and IT outsourcing company, which was founded in 1996.
The Indian Medical Association of New England will present Sangeeta T. Pradhan, RD, LDN, CDE, a registered clinical dietitian and certified diabetes educator with more than 13 years of experience, in a talk titled “Indian Diet: Friend or Foe” at the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Dr. Onaly A. Kapasi, an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Boston since 1980, will speak on “Osteoporosis: the Silent Disease” during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Dr. Pankaj Shah, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates since 1979, will speak on menopause, women’s health issues and Human Papilloma Virus, a common sexually transmitted infection, at the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.
Jay Gupta, RPh, MScIM, MTM, co-founder of the nonprofit organization YogaCaps Inc., will speak on "Yoga Chikitsa for Common Conditions" during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass. Gupta will overview a number of chronic physical and mental health conditions from the perspective of yoga.
Harbinger Capital Partners, a multi-billion dollar private investment fund based in New York, has formed a joint venture with BS Enviro Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of BS Ltd., an infrastructure provider in India, to operate Skywater India Ltd. and bring clean water technology to India and, eventually, to other countries in Southeast Asia.
This weekend the Harvard University annual India Conference will gather for two days on March 9-10 to examine “India vs. India: Local Strength vs. Global Growth.” The conference brings together business leaders, academics, government officials, philanthropists and others to examine the complexity and controversy of India and “embrace the most powerful reality of the Indian story: that there is no single, universal Indian narrative.” The keynote speaker will be Sam Pitroda, adviser to the India Prime Minister on public information and infrastructure innovation.
At a time when overall business growth in India has slowed significantly and the national GDP shows only a marginal rise the India small and medium business segment can be viewed as a beacon of hope. India SMBs show a 14 percent year-on-year rise in Information and Communication Technology expenditures and their adoption of technology is likely to continue to increase. This is a direct result of their need to utilize ICT tools to overcome nagging business challenges.
Leader Bank is the recipient of the Special Achievement Award as the “Top Minority Lender” from Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. Sushil K. Tuli, president and CEO of Leader Bank, accepted the award at a MassHousing ceremony that took place on March 1.
Juniper Networks has deployed a high-performance, common-use network infrastructure for the new passenger terminals at the Chennai Airport. The Airports Authority of India is using Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, integrated with Juniper’s security and routing devices, within its new terminals to support common use applications such as Common Use Terminal Equipment, passenger information processing systems, Flight Information Display Systems and video surveillance.
Sherry Rehman, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, joined Meghan O'Sullivan, a Harvard University international affairs professor, for a public address at the recent JFK Forum, with opening remarks from Iris Bohnet, Harvard professor of public policy and academic dean at the Harvard Kennedy School. Following the address at the JFK Forum, the South Asian Institute at Harvard hosted a lunch with Ambassador Rehman and faculty from across the school.
Pratibha Shah, Master of Ayurveda, will speak on “Prevention with Ayurveda” during the upcoming Indian and South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass. Her talk will also feature a custom blend of 11 potent herbs that she recommends for use in winter for protection against respiratory illnesses, as well as general strength and vitality. 
Saama Capital has provided new funding for enterprise-mobility and mobile-SI company AgreeYa Mobility. The additional financing will help AgreeYa Mobility expand market share for its enterprise mobility product, Onvelop, reaching companies using Microsoft products including Office 365, SharePoint and Lync, the company said.
The U.S.-India Business Council Chairman Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard Worldwide, arrived in New Delhi on March 11 with a high-powered delegation of American business leaders to accelerate and advance the pro-growth agenda that has brought two-way U.S.-India trade beyond the $100 billion mark, and establishes $500 billion in two-way trade as USIBC’s next goal.
The U.S.-India Business Council welcomed India's 2013 budget as fundamentally sound. Citing steps being taken by Finance Minister Chidambaram to consolidate India's fiscal position, USIBC gave high marks to the Union Finance Minister, who distinguished himself earlier as one of the original architects of India's economic liberalization.
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association is set to kick off its 2013 AAHOA Annual Convention & Trade Show in Houston from March 26-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The event is touted as the showcase event for the voice of hotel owners in the industry.
The American Association of Physicians of India Origin is launching a nine-city tour to raise awareness about obesity in children. The Childhood Obesity Awareness Campaign will include a music concert at each stop by Bollywood singer Shankar Mahadevan.
AGC Networks Inc., a technology services provider that is owned by India’s Essar Group, has acquired the business of Transcend United Technologies LLC, North America. Transcend provides IT systems integration focused on unified communications, data center infrastructure and managed services. The company has annual revenues of approximately $43 million and 130 employees.
At the invitation of the Maryland General Assembly, Ambassador Nirupama Rao visited the State House in Annapolis on March 27 and addressed both the House of Delegates and the State Senate. She also met the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Michael Busch.
The South Asian Studies Association presented its 2013 Community Service Award to Gunjan Bagla, managing director of Amritt for his role in promoting U.S.-India relations and supporting the cause of the organization.
Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries is bringing its fresh-cut Boardwalk Fries and made-to-order burgers to their new location in Gresham, Ore. The restaurant, which is slated to open in March and is owned by Lucky Patel, will be the chain’s third location in the Portland area – all of which are owned by Patel.
Chester's has opened its newest location in Gurdon, Ark., in the Gurdon Quick Mart, which is one of Paramount Shops' four Quick Mart locations that serve Chester's fried chicken. At Gurdon Quick Mart, there will be menu items such as Chester's tenders, boneless wings, Chester's signature potato wedges and biscuits.
Click Security, a security analytics company, has secured $17.7 million in second round funding. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with additional participation from Citi Ventures and existing investor Sequoia Capital. The new funds bring total financing in the company to $24.7 million and will be used to expand sales, marketing and engineering initiatives.
As we passed the five-year anniversary of the start of the economic recession in December 2007, many observers focus on what was lost: 8 million jobs, 146,000 employer businesses and 17.5 percent average individual earnings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined Providence police in the search for Sunil Tripathy, a 22-year-old Indian-American student at Brown University in Providence, who has been missing since March 16. The police, with the FBI and the Brown University Department of Public Safety, have increased their search outside of the Providence area to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Philadelphia.
Hyatt Hotels Corp., Chesapeake Lodging Trust and Real Hospitality Group have opened Hyatt Place New York/Midtown-South, marking the first Hyatt Place property to debut in New York City. The new Midtown Manhattan location represents a move into downtown urban locations for the upscale select service brand, which has grown by nearly 18 percent in the past three years, according to Hyatt Hotels.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has recruited renowned pediatric liver specialist Nanda Kerkar, M.D., to the position of medical director of pediatric liver and liver transplantation in the division of gastroenterology and nutrition in the department of pediatrics. Kerkar has also been appointed to professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Motorola Solutions said that over the last year several top hotels in India signed deals for the company’s wireless networking products, including The Taj, Lemon Tree, Royal Orchid, Starwood, Park Plaza and Spree Hotels. “Top hotels focused on winning loyal customers and impeccable guest experience prefer Motorola Solutions, as the wireless infrastructure is also able to support tools that error-proof, streamline and automate everyday processes to fully complement every interaction between guests and the hotel staffs, resulting in a positive experience and contributing to greater loyalty,” the company said.
Optimal Strategix Group, a strategy consulting and analytics company, has added Samuel Morasca, Jr., a senior partner of SOLIDexecutive Inc., and David Motley, a senior managing director of Headwaters SC, to its board of directors. 
SinuSys Corp., a sinus health company, has added Sagar Pushpala as operations advisor. Pushpala most recently was CEO of TSI Semiconductors. According to the company, he will help the company’s entry into the U.S. market.
Risk Management Solutions has appointed Paul Dali as chairman of its board of directors. Dali has been serving as an advisor to the board for the past year, providing invaluable perspective as the company develops new technology and business capabilities to enable insurers and reinsurers to achieve breakthrough benefits from resilient and real-time risk management practices, the company said. 
Entrepreneur Chandrakant Shah is bringing the Indian-American community a rare treat with the U.S. premier of his Gujarati film “Saptapadii: A Businessman’s Wife” on March 24 in Boston. A special premier screening will feature lead actress Swaroop Sampat in attendance. The film will have several premier events across the United States before it starts its full theater release on April 19.
Last month, Shivinderjit Singh was sworn in as the traffic commissioner for City of Brea, Calif., by Mayor Ron Garcia at a general session of the Brea City Council. Singh is licensed electrical engineer and real estate broker. He is office chief in city’s Division of Electrical Engineering-Construction, as well as, CEO of DreamWorks Real Estate and CFO of Eagle USA Mortgage.
The South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital, the first major nonprofit organization dedicated to combating heart disease among the South Asian community, has joined Million Hearts, a national initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.
Rabobank has published a report looking at the recent growth in the quick service restaurant sector in India, and forecasting growth of 30 percent across the industry until 2015, outpacing 10 percent for the overall Indian foodservice sector. 
SunCoke Energy Inc. and VISA Steel Ltd. have launched a cokemaking joint venture in India. The new joint venture will be called VISA SunCoke Limited. SunCoke Energy holds a 49 percent interest in the joint venture, with VISA Steel holding the remaining 51 percent. SunCoke has invested approximately $67 million to acquire a 49 percent stake in the joint venture. 
TD Bank has appointed Nandita Bakhshi to executive vice president and head of retail distribution and products. Based in Cherry Hill, N.J., Bakhshi is responsible for ensuring TD Bank stores and distribution channels deliver legendary service and competitive products to meet its customer needs, the company said.
Boards of directors have two indisputable responsibilities: first, ensure transparency in financial reporting, executive compensation, and corporate governance; and second, manage CEO succession, including the duty to fire a failing chief executive, and recruit a successor who can lead the company through a successful transition.
Abhijit Das’ Boston East India Hotels LLC has opened up a rebranded hotel in Goa, India – The Sofala 15°74. The hotel continues the expansion of Troca Hotels’ luxury properties, joining hotels in New York, London and Amsterdam. Troca Hotels is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boston East India Hotels.
Symphony Teleca Corp., a services organization that helps clients manage the global convergence of software, electronics, the cloud and connected devices, said that TT Electronics has selected the company to set up an engineering center for product engineering services. The partnership is marked by the formation of a dedicated engineering offshore development center that boasts highly skilled designers and engineers who will provide a strategic global delivery solution for TT electronics’ customers, the company said.
Success in any change is largely dependent on identification of the real problem or issue. Many times, the obvious problem is masking an obscured larger issue. This is true in both our personal lives and professional organizations. Within either environment, tough questions need to be asked and answered honestly.
Manu K. Vora, of Naperville, Ill., will be honored by ASQ, the world’s largest network of quality resources and experts, for his innovative contributions and achievements in quality at the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement on May 5 in Indianapolis. He will receive 2013 ASQ’s Spencer Hutchens Medal for his commitment to social responsibility in founding, funding and leading the Blind Foundation for India to serve over 15 million blind people in India.
Yale University, which is located in New Haven, Conn., and England’s the University of Birmingham have agreed to work together to support the development of a new global justice program at the University of Delhi in India. The Nyaya Global Justice Programme will be a major intellectual hub for the study of international ethical questions which have strong implications for India and neighboring countries, according to the schools.
