Indian Eagle

30/01/2025

"I couldn't spend my life on H1B. That's why I secured a Green Card in just 8 months," said Aditya. He got it this 27 January.

“I worked at top companies on an H-1B visa. Soon, I realized that I could not spend my whole life on an H-1B visa. There are just too many restrictions, limited career growth, and too much risk of being thrown out at any time,” CEO Aditya Sharma shared in a recent LinkedIn post. He chose […]

30/01/2025

Domestic airfares to Prayagraj from any corner of India are soaring as high as ₹50,000 for a one-way flight, and so is the collective yearning of the nation for a holy dip at Mahakumbh. Even foreigners are not immune to the spiritual fervor of the world’s largest religious congregation at Prayagraj. “Once in 144 years. 450 million visitors in only 45 days. The sheer scale is impossible to grasp... similar to Europe's population and more than the USA," shared Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, the largest Indian airline in terms of domestic market share, who took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam this Republic Day.

IndiGo’s CEO went on to express his awe in a LinkedIn post, “No word, sentence or picture can properly describe this place or the energy. I took the holy dip at 5am in the sacred confluence of rivers, the holy Sangam, with about a million at the same time. Surrounded by chants, prayers, devotion and the unity of humanity 🙏🏻 Found an inexplicable moment of peace in the chaos. Humbled and grateful to be a part of something so divine, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.”

This overwhelming sentiment reflects the bond he has built with India and its cultural heritage since he took charge of the airline in 2022. Celebrating the second anniversary of his leadership and residence in India last September, he remarked, “Bharat ab ghar jaisa lagta hai (India has started to feel like home now).” It seems that Peter Elbers is no exception to the phenomenon, often referred to as "India Syndrome," which describes how foreigners become deeply connected to India, with a profound desire to stay here longer.

Over the past two years, Elbers has travelled extensively across the country, visiting 30 out of 88 destinations in IndiGo’s domestic network, from Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Ladakh in the north. It helped him recognize India’s untapped potential for growth in international aviation. Under his leadership, IndiGo expanded its network, launched business class, and became a leading codeshare partner of major airlines, such as Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, KLM-Air France, Turkish Airlines, and American Airlines.

29/01/2025

Following Kush Desai’s recruitment as Deputy Press Secretary, Bengaluru-born Sourabh Sharma has taken on a key role in the White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO). As a key figure in the Presidential Personnel Office, Sharma’s responsibilities include staffing the federal departments and agencies in the Executive Branch with highly capable individuals who meet the highest ethical and security standards. Precisely, the Presidential Personnel Office is responsible for executive search, screening interviews, candidate evaluation, security clearance, and conflict of security clearance for 4000 political positions.

A biochemistry graduate from the University of Texas, Sourabh has a diverse background, having lived in cities such as Lexington, Seattle, and Austin, giving him a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by everyday Americans. He began his public affairs career in 2021, co-founding the Washington-based conservative organization, American Moment with the mission”— “to identify, educate and empower young Americans”. Sharma later rose to prominence as a Republican activist, serving as chair of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), an organization whose values closely align with his earlier initiative.

Throughout his career, he has proven himself a skilled fundraiser, organizer, and motivator, inspiring young conservatives to shape public policy. In addition to his activism, Sourabh has contributed to several prominent publications, including The American Conservative, The Daily Caller, The Spectator US, National Review Online, The Daily Texan, and Texas Scorecard. He has also earned fellowships from the National Journalism Center, the Claremont Institute, Hillsdale College, and the Conservative Partnership Institute.

Saurabh Sharma’s association with Trump dates back to March 2019, when he was one of the ten student activists invited to join the President during the signing of an executive order on free speech at college campuses. His recruitment today reflects a shared commitment to shaping the American foreign policy, preserves the American Dream for deserving immigrants, and underscores the fast-growing Indian American community’s connect to President Trumps “America First” ideology.

Interestingly, Indian American Gautam Raghavan was the Director of White House Presidential Personnel Office during the Biden-Harris administration.

28/01/2025

In yesteryear Bollywood films, Kumbh Ka Mela was where siblings got separated from each other and from the family only to be reunited 20 years later through similar pendants or identification marks. Thus, Kumbh Mela - the largest human gathering in the world - became infamous for separation and heartbreaks. However, the Bhule Bhatke Baba and his descendants changed this narrative of Kumbh Mela by reuniting the lost ones with their families for almost 8 decades.

In 1946, 18-year-old Rajaram Tiwari stumbled upon a lost child in the milling crowd of pilgrims at Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. With no way to zip through the crowd to locate the child’s family, Rajaram crafted a makeshift loudspeaker from a tin box and began calling out the child’s parents. Miraculously, his efforts paid off, and the family was found. He vowed to dedicate his life to reuniting estranged family members at Kumbh fairgrounds. He founded the Bharat Seva Dal that organizes Khoya-Paya camps whenever and wherever Kumbh Mela is held.

Since then, Rajaram had been known as Bhule Bhatke Baba, a beacon of hope for the lost and the missing. The Khoya-Paya camps have helped nearly 15 lakh lost people of different age groups get back home since 1946 — proving that time may part people, but love always finds a way. The camps are not only places to search for loved ones but also sanctuaries for families to rediscover their bond and faith in humanity amidst the frenzy. The Bhule Bhatke camp volunteers also help foreigners who face a lot of difficulty in understanding Hindi at Kumbh melas.

Rajaram passed away in 2016 at the age of 88 leaving the legacy to be carried on by his son Umesh Tiwari, the family, and 150 volunteers. Even in Mahakumbh 2025, the Bhule Bhatke camp reunites around 1700 people in a single day without charging a penny. Reportedly, a film is being made to tell the story of the Bhule Bhatke Baba who transformed the pain of separation into joy of reunion for hundreds of thousands of families.

27/01/2025

Kush Desai, the US-born child of an Indian immigrant couple, will be playing a crucial role in shaping narratives, speeches, and messages of President Donald Trump. This graduate from an Ivy League institution has been appointed as Deputy Press Secretary in the White House Office of Communications. Luckily, he was born in America three decades before Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for US-born kids of immigrants.

Desai, who started his career as a reporter with The Daily Caller in 2017, is a political communications expert having served as the Deputy Communications Director for the 2024 Republican National Convention prior to being appointed by President Trump. He also served the Republican Party of Iowa as its communications director for one year. in that role, he strategically shaped messaging for crucial battleground states, with focus on Pennsylvania, an essential swing state in the 2024 presidential elections.

It has become increasingly common to appoint Indian-origin brains and talents to high-profile roles in diverse fields, from global corporations to the US corridor of power and policymaking. before Kush Desai made the headlines, Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan was appointed as Trump’s senior policy advisor on AI. Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan, who the Government of India named for Padma Shri this Republic Day, was appointed as Director of National Science Foundation by Trump in his first presidential term. Trump, when elected as 47th President of USA, nominated Indian American Jay Bhattacharya as the next Director of National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Former President Joe Biden, too, had appointed more than 130 Indian Americans to prominent positions in his administration, including Vinay Reddy from Kansas City. Vinay Reddy was hired as the White House Director of Speechwriting. Evidently, Kush Desai's appointment is part of a broader movement of Indian-American influence in the political arena. Indian-Americans, who make up a little more than 1% of the US population, are making history—not just as part of the workforce, but also as key architects of American governance.

27/01/2025

Like Air India, Emirates is zeroing in on A350 aircraft with spacious seating & modern interiors for elevated travel experience.

With more and more major airlines zeroing in on A350 aircraft to upgrade their fleet, Airbus 350-900 has become a ‘poster boy’ for modern aircraft in global aviation. While Air India’s brand new A350-900s have elevated non-stop travel experience between the east coast US and New Delhi, Emirate...

26/01/2025

The inventor of USB, the first Indian dean of HBS, Director of the US National Science Foundation to receive Padma Shri.

Nitin Nohria Indian American Nitin Nohria, the first foreign-born dean of Harvard Business School, is among the four Indian-origin achievers on the list of Padma Awards 2025. Born into a business family in Rajasthan, he made it big in business studies. He is a distinguished alumnus of Jamnalal Bajaj...

24/01/2025

Cups of cutting chai, Irani chai, and masala chai set the mood of India every morning. The same chai sells for up to Rs 300 per cup at major airports in India, except Kolkata International Airport. The newly opened Udan Yatri Café at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport serves tea for Rs 10 a cup and coffee for Rs 20 a cup to the utter surprise of travelers. Udan Yatri Café is one of the economy cafes coming up at 125 airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Though initiated by the civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu, this move to democratize the airport experience for mass travelers was triggered by a social media post in September2024. P Chidambaram, former union finance minister, shared on social media, his experience of tea (made of hot water and a tea bag) for Rs 340 at Kolkata International Airport. He even took a dig by saying, “Inflation is apparently higher in Kolkata than Tamil Nadu.” In 2023, a social media influencer raised a storm over exorbitant airport food prices by claiming to have paid Rs 490 for two samosa, one tea, and a water bottle at Mumbai Airport.

But not anymore! Udan Yatri Café, a cost-efficient alternative to expensive airport dining, offers a curated menu of quality tea, coffee, juices, snacks and Indian breakfast items at affordable prices., such one samosa for only Rs 20. Unbelievable but true!

Located in the departure area of Kolkata NSCB Airport, India aviation’s first affordable airport food outlet has been receiving nearly 1000 footfalls every day since its opening early this month. Indians from different walks of life are all praise of the Udan Yatri Café that has made travel affordable and inclusive for the middle-income class that is spending a hefty amount for flight tickets due to high airfares these days.

Shall the Adani-operated airports in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Lucknow, and Trivandrum implement the same affordable food outlet model?

23/01/2025

You will get alerts on your likelihood of missing connecting flights before reaching London Heathrow or the destination.

Bagless arrival at the destination is no less than a nightmare for a traveler after international long-haul travel. It amounts to an ordeal, particularly for overseas Indians, who pack in ethnic costumes for a family celebration and gifts for relatives in India. With a little guarantee for reunion w...

22/01/2025

Beyond such popular stereotypes as the Rajnikanth-Kamal Hassan debate, is the centuries-old cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu that Tamil Diaspora has been preserving thousands of miles away from the east coast of South India. The recent testimony to this is the introduction of a bipartisan resolution to designate January as the month of Tamil Language and Heritage in America. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an eminent Congressman of Tamil origin from Illinois, spearheaded the bipartisan resolution that coincided with the celebration of Pongal.

Tamil Americans, from Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar to Google News developer Krishna Bharat to Economist Raj Chetty to billionaire Kavitark Ram Shriram to Trump’s AI Policy advisor Vivek Ramaswamy, have exemplified their yearning for roots in India and American Dream in the US. Academic excellence, technological innovation, policymaking, relentless pursuit of knowledge have become stereotypes of Tamil Americans, along with their cultural identifiers such as filter coffee, dosa, Bharatanatyam, and silk.

A striking example of Tamil culture being incorporated into the fabric of America is the display of vibrant Kolam designs, an indigenous art form of Tamil Nadu, during the inauguration of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President in 2021. Their cultural assimilation transcends language and customs in the United States. The US is home to a 400,000-strong Tamil population in New York, New Jersey, the Research Triangle, Texas, Michigan, Los Angeles, and the Washington DC metro area.

The Raja Krishnamoorthi-backed resolution seeks to recognize the Indian American Tamil Community’s contributions to various facets of the United States. Five other Indian American lawmakers, Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, and Suhas Subramanyam, have endorsed the resolution to designate January as a Tamil Language and Heritage month.

The resolution seeks to recognize Tamil Diaspora’s contributions to various facets of the United States. Five other Indian-origin lawmakers, Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, and Suhas Subramanyam, have endorsed the resolution to designate January as a Tamil Language and Heritage month. The Indian American Tamil community has outgrown its size and strength in shaping the diversity and advancing the economy of USA. Many Tamil expats are in the C-suite of Americans MNCs, like Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake Computing; Anand Eswaran, CEO of Veeam Software; Vasant Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis.

21/01/2025

Uncertainty looms large over the future of kids born to over one million Indians stuck in the Green Card backlog.

All about Trump's plans to end birthright ciitzenship for US-born kids of immigrants and 14th amendment to US Constitution protecting birthright citizenship.

20/01/2025

Known for purpose-driven leadership, Aneesh is all set to reform US education after his vision of a brighter America.

High-paying job placements are on the decline for MBA graduates of Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and other top B-schools in America, according to a recent study by The Wall Street Journal. 23% of Harvard Business School’s 2024 MBA batch have remained unemployed for the past 3 months. It provides a c...

18/01/2025

Can you breeze through immigration with just a scan of your passport and biometrics, bypassing long queues? This dream is now a reality for international travelers in India.

India’s Trusted Traveller Program (FTI-TTP) for quick immigration clearance, which was launched in 2024 at Delhi IGI Airport, is now available at seven other major airports - Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, and Ahmedabad – starting JAN 16, 2025. FTI-TTP aims to transform the country’s immigration system in line with the "Viksit Bharat" vision 2047, offering a seamless and efficient travel experience.

While the idea of expedited immigration clearance is inspired by the United States’ Global Entry program, India’s FTI-TTP offers a unique advantage. It applies to both international departures and arrivals, and there is no additional cost involved. Pre-verified, low-risk Indian nationals and OCI cardholders are eligible for expedited immigration clearance at eight Indian airports including Indira Gandhi Airport. The application process for FTI-TTP requires online registration on the Indian government’s Fast Track Immigration website, and your biometrics submission at the nearest FRRO office or a designated airport.

The Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveler Program works through electronic gates at airport terminals. Travelers who are adjudged eligible for pre-approved immigration clearance go through the e-gates. Electronic gates speed up passenger identity and document verification without human intervention, thereby automating the immigration clearance process and reducing the manual workload.

You are required to scan your passport/OCI card at an e-gate. On successful scanning, a camera attached to the scanner at the e-gate will click a picture of your face. The picture will be matched against a database of blacklisted travelers to check within seconds if you are barred from flying abroad or entering the country. You will also submit a biometric scan of your fingerprints to the automated immigration clearance system. On successful clearance, the e-gate will open for you to board the flight for departure or proceed to the baggage claim area on arrival.

FTI-TTP membership is valid for five years from the date of approval. However, it will be canceled if your passport expires or is lost before the end of the 5-year validity period.

17/01/2025

After achieving significant goals in 2024, Air India is eyeing best service standards, new destinations, fleet upgrade in 2025.

Air India, which played a knight in shining armor several times for the countrymen stranded abroad during geopolitical conflicts and COVID-19, was struggling with an albatross (debts, losses, and threats of a shutdown) around its neck before the Tata Group welcomed the airline back home as the best-...

14/01/2025

A host to big shots like Indira Gandhi in USA, Dr Marwah is one of few Indian Americans with US streets named after them.

Dr Amarjit Singh Marwah, an Indian American community leader, philanthropist, and scholar, is among the few Indian Americans whom the US honored by renaming major thoroughfares and intersections after them. The City of Los Angeles immortalized Dr. Marwah by naming the intersection of Vermont and Fin...

13/01/2025

Air India and First-Class travel will soon be synonymous, as the Tata Group is looking to tap into the unexplored market with demand for first class flights to and from India. After Air India’s successful launch of Premium Economy seats to New York, Newark, San Francisco and London, the demand is shooting up for premium travel experience and setting a precedence for First-Class travel.

In a recent media interview, Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal hinted at the launch of First Class suites on wide-body Airbus A350-1000 planes to be delivered in the near future. A350-1000 is more advanced than A350-900 and offers 40% more floor space for premium travel cabins than the latter. Currently, six A350-900 planes with premium economy seats are in service to New York JFK and Newark Liberty airports.

Introducing a top-notch First-Class travel product for the most premium customers and earning their trust is one of the steps that will put Air India a notch above any other airline, according CCO Nipun Aggarwal. New York and San Francisco are highly potential markets for Air India’s upcoming A350-1000 aircraft with First-Class suites. As of 2024, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, and Swiss Air have the best First Class seats.

Do you think Air India would be able to beat the benchmark that Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Etihad’s First Class cabins have set? Share your view in the comments.

11/01/2025

Before Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon were born in garage, Nila Mehta became a brand for NRIs from one-room chawl.

In the 1970s when Mumbai was Bombay; when Lijjat Papad was catching up with Indian taste buds; when Premier Padmini taxis hit the roads of Bombay; when taking Air India flights was a matter of prestige; when Bombay was greener than Mumbai; when Amitabh Bachchan was the new poster boy of Bollywood, a...