Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed International Yoga Day, celebrated annually on June 21, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2014. Highlighting yoga’s holistic approach to health and well-being, Modi emphasized its potential to foster unity among people and cultures. The proposal received overwhelming support, and on December 11, 2014, the UN General Assembly declared June 21 as International Yoga Day. We chose the date because it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and holds special significance in many parts of the world. Yoga, an ancient practice originating from…
Author: Raj Shah
Raj Shah
A software engineer by profession, Indian culture enthusiast, ardent promoter of induism, and a cancer survivor, Raj Shah is a managing editor of Desh-Videsh Magazine and co-founder of Desh Videsh Media Group. Promoting the rich culture and heritage of India and Hinduism has been his motto ever since he arrived in the US in 1969. He has been instrumental in starting and promoting several community organizations such as the Indian Religious and Cultural Center and International Hindu University. Raj has written two books on Hinduism titled Chronology of Hinduism and Understanding Hinduism. He has also written several children books focusing on Hindu culture and religion.
About 10 years back, Aruna and I started this tradition at Diwali time that we will do Diwali pooja at our home and invite parents with young children. It had multiple reasons — first and foremost, our kids and grandkids live in California. Obviously, we miss them. Inviting parents with young children who remind us of our own kids fills that void. The second reason was that I wanted our children to learn about Diwali on a firsthand basis, and the best way to teach anything to anybody is to get them involved. At this Diwali pooja, we made a…
Like Britain, the United States of America may also have an Indian-origin president after the 2024 presidential election. The fresh faces of Indian descent for the US presidential election are Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. This news has created a buzz across the globe as it reflects the popularity of Indians worldwide. According to the report, in a community that makes up 1.3% of the US population, two out of three candidates currently vying for the GOP presidential nomination are Indian-Americans. The Indian diasporic politics of today are on the way to rewriting history with the two prominent American…
By Raj Shah The movie RRR has been making waves in the film industry with its gripping story of rebellion and freedom. But what many people may not know is that the movie was inspired by a real-life revolt that occurred in Andhra Pradesh. The Rampa Revolt of 1922–1924 was an important event in the state’s history and is now finally getting the recognition it deserves. What was the Rampa Revolt? The Rampa Revolt was an armed rebellion against British colonial rule in the former Indian princely state of Rampa in Andhra Pradesh, India. It began in May 1879 and…
Negative news about India is more exciting and sells more copies Indian-American journalists and American media outlets’ coverage of reporting on India not only sees the glass half empty but also sees fingerprints all over the glass This has resulted in a negative feedback loop from India-centric controversies which has created a perverse incentive for Indian-origin journalists and writers to contribute to global media outlets American media often write only the dark side about India focusing on terrorism and conflict You’ve probably heard the expression “half-full” or “half-empty” used to describe how people tend to focus on either the…