Category: iStory

Do Indians really think in a different way that makes them better suited for landscape architecture? Aniket Bhagwat thinks they do. If anyone is in a position to know, it might be Bhagwat.

Among a select group of landscape architects who have earned a global reputation and recognition, Bhagwat heads M/s. Prabhakar B. Bhagwat, India’s leading master planning, landscape design, and architectural firm with offices in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The 64-year-old landscaping architect, who hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, leads a firm that is among the top 50 landscape design firms in the world. He is one of the ten founding members of the Indian Society of Landscape Architecture (ISOLA), and he recently sat down with indica to reflect on his work.

Indian American tech executive Pravesh Kumar wants to bring to Fremont city government the same spirit of technological advancement that’s powered his 25-year career.

Kumar, who recently announced his candidacy for the Fremont City Council District 1 seat, says he’s running because he believes in leveraging technology and innovation to solve the city’s most pressing challenges — from improving transportation infrastructure to ensuring sustainable growth.

Entrepreneur Chirag Kathrani may be a political newcomer, but he has his sights set on changing the San Ramon city council. Among his many priorities, Kathrani does not want the city council to increase the tax burden on residents, and for that, he wants to cut back on the city manager’s expenses.

Tata Trusts has appointed Noel Naval Tata as its new chairman after Ratan Tata’s demise. Ratan Tata served as the chairman of Tata Group for decades and Chairman of the trust. Tata Trusts holds a 66% stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the numerous firms under the Tata brand, with a legacy spanning over 150 years.

Indian Americans are expressing enthusiasm over Arvind Kejriwal recently appointing Atishi Singh as chief minister of Delhi.

Singh, or Atishi Marlena, likes to go by her first name, Atishi.

A staunch loyalist, Atishi is spearheading the Aam Admi Party, which she joined at its inception, as it battles multiple crises. The 43-year-old is now the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj.

Cornell University has appointed the Indian-origin dean of Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Cornell Bowers CIS), as its 17th provost. The appointment was approved by the executive committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees and will take effect on Jan.1, 2024, for a five-year term.

A septuagenarian Indian American professor has won the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize for his invention, the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). Since its development in the 1980s, the IGBT has been the most important semiconductor device for making electrical energy use and petrol consumption more efficient and less polluting during the last 40 years.