Bringing Offshore jobs back to Michigan

Crains Detroit Business is reporting that Strategic Staffing Solutions is bringing jobs back to Southeast Michigan. S3 is opening up a new downtown Detroit contract IT employment center at Penobscot Building. The center will open in March 2010 with about 50-100 employees. President and CEO Cynthia Pasky said

the center eventually will create jobs for 437 new contract IT employees within 2 years' time.

(more at Crains Detroit Business)

Economic Times of india is reporting that System in Motion (SIM), a Michigan based start up which was launched a few months ago is planning to deliver low cost IT services from Ann Arbor and other locations.

System in Motion is promising to create more than 1,100 jobs over next five years in Michigan.

Systems in Motion is backed by several angel investors including Preetish Nijhawan, the Akamai founder, Michael G Parks, the former CIO of Virgin Mobile and Wells Fargo.

For more on this story check out Economic Times.

Fortune's Best Companies to Work for in Michigan - 2010

Fortune is out with its annual list of "Fortune 100 Best Companies" to work for - 2010. There are 3 companies in the list with their Headquarters in Michigan. The Companies are

• Quicken Loans
• Livonia, MI
• Best Company to Work For rank: 29
• Employees: 2,890

• Plante & Moran
• Southfield, MI
• Best Company to Work For rank: 66
• Employees: 1,558

• Herman Miller
• Zeeland, MI
• Best Company to Work For rank: 97
• Employees: 5,646

Talented Orthopedic Surgeon from Mumbai (Bandra), India

Mumbai based Dr. Dilip Nadkarni is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treating sports and fitness-related injuries. He is a distinction holder in MBBS and a gold medalist in post-graduation in orthopedic surgery from Mumbai, India. His patients include top international sportspersons and celebrities engaged in fitness activity. Check out his website Calm Sutra.

So what else does Dr. Nadkarni do? Dr. Nadkarni is also extremely talented singer. Recently Dr. Nadkarni sang "Bandra Re Bandra" at "Celebrate Bandra Festival". Check this video out:

Community mourns the loss of Dr. Haren Gandhi

Listening to Dr. Subhash Kelkar's radio program yesterday, I heard the sad news on the passing away of Dr. Haren Gandhi a Ford Motor Company researcher and the only member of the auto industry to win the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Dr Haren Gandhi died on Jan. 23 at the age of 68. Dr. Haren Gandhi is survived by his wife Yellow, daughter Sangeeta and son Anand.

From Ford Motor Company Press Release

Dr. Gandhi joined Ford in 1967 where he distinguished himself in leading-edge research, development and implementation of automotive exhaust catalysts at the company's Research and Innovation Center.

Among Dr. Gandhi's many scientific contributions is the development of the monolithic three-way catalyst, a discovery that has revolutionized the way the automotive industry approaches emissions control.

His work has resulted in more than 70 technical publications and 53 U.S. patents in automotive exhaust catalysis and related areas, with many more patents in other countries.

In 2003, President George W. Bush presented Dr Gandhi the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in a ceremony at the White House.

DhartiOnline.com a new website for Michigan's South Asian Community

Saleem Siddiqui a long time Michigan resident has just launched a brand new website - DhartiOnline.com. Indian and Pakistanis living in Michigan, are the focus of DhartiOnline, where users may shop, post ads, search for local Bollywood movies, find weekly domestic/international travel deals, locate real estate properties and everything else needed on a daily basis.

Dhartionline’s dedicated news sections keeps users up to date by providing the latest news, editorials, current affairs, and much more both on India and Pakistan. Dhartionline.com offers many benefits and features lacking by other local community websites. With plans to expand in the near future, dhartionline.com will offer other benefits such as helpful sections on immigration, education and health to name a few.

Visit dhartionline.com for more details.

Happy Republic Day - India (Check out Google India's Logo today)

Today is India's 61st Republic Day. On this day in 1950, the Constitution of India came into force. Here's wishing everyone a very...very Happy Republic Day.

Google India has changed its logo today. Here's what it looks like.

Search Engine Optimization Class

Nipa Shah of Jenesys Group LLC informs me that Jenesys Group is organizing a Search Engine Optimization workshop on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at Americenters Novi from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. The same will be held via a WEBINAR on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 from 6.30 to 8.30 pm.

The workshop will teach about

• The three pillars of Search Engine Optimization
• What makes up ideal keywords for your use
• Metatags and why they are no longer enough to optimize your website
• Ethical and non-ethical SEO techniques
• Link building techniques
• Measuring performance

For more info on the workshop visit Jenesys Group LLC.

Neeru Sharma a disabilities blogger dead at 38

Neeru Sharma, a disabilities blogger for The Detroit News, died this morning in William Beaumont Hospital. Neeru was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, which causes fragile bones.

Ms. Sharma suffered a massive heart attack on Saturday (01/16) while having dinner with friends. As a result, she was put on a ventilator in order to breathe. Ms. Sharma did not recover and was disconnected from the ventilator this morning (01/18).

The world came to know of Neeru's untimely passing via her brother Naveen Sharma's facebook status update:

The world has lost a great person today, as my elder sister Neeru Sharma passed away this morning at the young age of 38 years old. Neeru was a very vibrant woman and she will be missed by all. The viewing is going to be from 3pm - 8pm on Tuesday January 19th 2010 followed by the funeral at 10am on Wed. January 20th 2010 at the same location. I am sure Neeru will love to see all her freinds there.

The viewing and funeral will be held at E. J. Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors, Inc., 3801 18 Mile Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48314 ph: 586-997-3838.

Detroit News reports:

Ms. Sharma, a resident of Sterling Heights, worked as a long-term forecast analyst for General Motors' market & industry analysis division. She obtained a bachelors of science degree from the General Motors Institute and a master's degree from Oakland University.

"She tried to get (information) about disability awareness out," said Naveen Sharma about his sister. "She was a very independent person. She went to Europe, Denmark ... she traveled like crazy. She had millions of friends." Ms. Sharma is survived by her brother, Naveen, and her parents, Gurdev and Vimal Sharma.

Tata Technologies to add jobs in Michigan

Tata Technologies Ltd, the engineering arm of India's Tata group, plans to hire 200 more engineers at its facility in Novi, MI by the end of the year. The new positions will cover a wide range of engineering functions.

The company says it provides engineering services, product development information technology services and product management lifecycle expertise to most global OEMs. Main customers in the U.S. include Chrysler, Ford and Honda as well as aircraft maker Boeing. Its work for Chrysler included upfront digital crash analysis.

Tata Technologies currently employs about 600 people in the United States, including 475 in Novi.

In addition to its North American regional headquarters in Novi, the Singapore based company operates offices in California, Illinois, Ohio, Washington and Washington D.C. in the U.S. It also has regional headquarters in Pune, India, and Luton, U.K.

(via WWJ)

Indian American coordinates US response to Haiti Earthquake

Rajiv Shah who is originally from Detroit and recently sworn in as the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, is now the coordinator of US response to Haiti Disaster.

From USA Today

Rajiv Shah is a medical doctor who also holds a degree in economics, Shah is the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration, according to the Press Trust of India. Plucked from his perch leading agricultural department research programs, Shah was still finding his way around USAID’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building when the earthquake struck. His agency, which is in charge of development and foreign aid, plays a lead role in international relief efforts.

Check out Rajiv Shah's bio at USAID website.

Determinism a film by twin brothers Sanjit and Ranju Majumdar

Determinism is a ultra low budget feature film made by 24 year old identical twin brothers Sanjit and Ranju Majumdar. Sanjit and Ranju were born in Queens, New York to South Asian immigrant parents (father Bangladeshi, mother Indian) and raised in Pompton Lakes, a small, white, working-class town in New Jersey.

Determinism is a story about the dark side of friendship set in racially charged fictional college town in Pennsylvania, where students and drug dealers are often one and the same.

Synopsis

Alec, the film’s anti-hero, is an alienated South Asian. He’s always been an outsider, and he certainly doesn’t fit in here. New York is his Mecca. Tristan, his former best friend and a reformed cokehead, is a white guy, living with Alec’s ex-girlfriend, the beautiful, black Lynn. Tristan thinks he’s got it made.

Broke and cut off from his family after he flunks out of school, Alec sets off to free himself from the stereotypical role of “South Asian Geek” imposed upon him from birth. So opposed to typecasting that he can barely use a computer, he is determined to transcend Determinism — by any means necessary.

Karn Gill launches a new Radio Show

Michigan Indian Realtor, Karn Gill has launched a brand new radio show called the "The Karn Gill Radio Show". The show airs on WNZK 690 AM every Tuesday from 8.00PM to 9.00PM. The show includes Bollywood songs, interviews with community leaders, major news and event information for the Metro Detroit Indian community.

Karn Gill started his radio show on September 15 as a way of doing as he describes:

community service (seva) for free, to entertain people, to help people, to educate people. I keep the content of the show very close to the daily life of people around here, and I do my level best to prepare for every show with quality information, lot of work but I like it, I will call it community service, because my intention is not to make single $ from it by selling air time, I will do it for free.

This is great! Karn's daughter Jaasmeen a 11th Grader from Salem High School helps her Dad out in the Radio show by taking over some segments of the show.

You can contact Karn at KarnGill [at] Hotmail [dot] com or visit his website.

Ashraf Sha of Northville, MI on board Delta-Northwest Flight

Ashraf Sha's FB status says it all - "Thanking God after surviving Plane Blow up attempt at Detroit Airport returning from Mumbai via Amsterdam". Ashraf and family were on board Delta-Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit which a Nigerian man allegedly tried to blow up with explosives.

Ashraf along with family (wife and Son - 12 months, daughter - 6 years) were returning to Detroit after visiting his Dad who underwent a ankle surgery.

Ashraf and family were sitting way at the back of the plane. Ashraf says "We heard commotion up in the front and then we see folks running up the aisle with fire extinguishers". Even though there was no panic, passengers were scared and "I said to myself.. this is it and started praying".

Fortunately for Ashraf and the passengers the terrorist was not successful and the plane landed safely.

"This gives a new meaning to life" says Ashraf.

Alka Jupudi - Indian Talent from Canton, MI

Alka Jupudi a resident of Canton, Michigan is a great singer and classical dance performer. She developed her skills in formal Classical Karnatic Music under the guidance of Guru Smt. Ammula Sathyavathi. Alka’s songs were broadcast on All India Radio as well as Doordarshan, Hyderabad. She is a popular playback singer and rendered her great voice to many regional TV serials on Doordarshan, ETV and Gemini TV.

On the silver screen, Alka also had many playback performances to her credit, including songs in popular movies like “SMS”, “Pourusham”, and “ALEX”. These songs were produced under the music direction of famous directors including, Deva, Sanjeev Mogoti, and Dr. Bunty.

This is one of the songs from Alka Jupudi's album Sama which is available here. (info for this blog post provided by Alka Jupudi herself)

Michigan International Chamber's Holiday Party

The Michigan International Chamber of Commerce hosts its 1st Holiday Party and Awards Night on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009. The following companies and individuals will be receiving awards.

• Community Outreach Award: Michigan Asian IndianFamily Services
• Diversity Champion Award: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan
• Academic Outreach Award: Walsh College
• Academic Leadership Award: Virinder Moudgil, Oakland University.
• Champion of the Chamber Award: Dykema Gossett.
• Friend of the Chamber Award: Corp! Magazine.
• Minority Champion Award: Jay Sandhu of NYX Corporation.
• Woman Entrepreneur Award: Neha Patel of Neha Patel Agency.
• Community Leader of the Year: Dr. Rajesh Gulati; MAPI 2009 President.
• Community Leader of the Year: Dr. Dinesh Shah.
• Community Service Award: Oakwood Hospital

The Michigan International Chamber of Commerce is also seeking dynamic individuals to participate in various committees. For more information about participating and joining the Michigan International Chamber of Commerce, please write to Nipa Shah at nipa [at] miicc [dot] com or call 248-470-6299.

My4DWorld launches Edutainment Line of Products

Sivakumar Mambakkam a "Game Designer" from Windsor, Ontario informs me of launch of his company "My4DWorld". My4DWorld provides teachers and parents with professional tools to create lessons for children of all grades. It also provides the general public with easy-to-use and powerful tools to create animations and games. The official launch of "My4DWorld" product line is scheduled for December 12th, 2009 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Ontario Room, WFCU Center, 8787 McHugh St, Windsor, ON Canada.

Their first product is an Edutainment game 'My 3D Crossword'. The game is an excellent way to supplement education of fact-oriented subjects like Science, Social Studies and English. Children can have fun and learn at the same time. The game also encourages the child to understand 3D space as well as help remember word spellings. This game will be available for demonstration, test drive and sale at the December 12th event.

Siva also informs me that he is writing up 3 more games which will be released by the end of 2010, the 3rd Game will fall under MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with 2 versions, one with a Hindu Theme and another with a Western theme.

Pink Glove Dance for Breast Cancer Awareness #jaysean

Check out this "Pink Dance Glove" video put together by staffers of Providence St. Vincent Center hospital. They created this video to the tune of Jay Sean's hit song "Down". They did this to raise money and awareness to fight breast cancer. This video has had nearly 2.8 million views on YouTube. (via Mashable)

Jennifer Granholm at the White House State Dinner

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was one of the select few, invited to the White House State Dinner for India, held last night. So what did Jennifer Granholm wear on a night where majority embraced rich color and were beautifully dressed. Politico reports that

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm wore an Indian-inspired pants-and-tunic set in a white and gold patterned fabric.

Take a look at this image grab from Politico. Our Governor does look stunning.

Richa Gangopadhyay makes her leading lady debut on Silver Screen

Michigan Indian Beauty - Richa Gangopadhyay makes her leading lady debut in the much-awaited film ‘Leader’, by critically-acclaimed/award-winning director Sekhar Kammula.

The film is finally in completion after 5 long months of rigorous shooting. The film is prestigious production house AVM’s 174th film, and introduces “Rana”, the grandson of movie mogul Dr.D Ramanaidu, son of producer D. Suresh Babu, and nephew of south superstar, Venkatesh. The film also introduces the two main female characters in the film, Richa Gangopadhyay, from the U.S., and Priya Anand, model and actress from Chennai.

Shooting for this film involved traveling all over Andhra Pradesh, from Hyderabad to Vizag, including many rural villages in between. As the title suggests, Rana plays the role of a leader in this political thriller, and certain scenes in the movie required huge public gatherings.

This film also marks the debut of Miss India Michigan/Miss India USA ’08, Richa Gangopadhyay, who was able to bag the female lead role in “Leader” after an extensive search done through auditions throughout India. Richa, 23 years old Public Health/Nutrition student, shifted to Mumbai after winning the title, attended the world-renowned Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares Institute for 3 months, and hit the ground running with this film. She has been quite active in Mumbai and throughout India involved with many modeling assignments in the short time frame of 9 months, and is just completing post production activities this month before the film’s release in December.

The audio of ‘Leader’ is done by award-winning music composer, Mickey Meyer, from Kammula’s “Happy Days” fame.

The audio of the film is scheduled for release on November 22nd, and the theatrical release is tentatively scheduled for this Christmas 2009.

Air India One brings Manomohan Singh to Washington D.C.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flies into Washinton D.C. aboard AIR INDIA One for the first official state visit of the Obama presidency. Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama will host a White House State Dinner on November 24th, in honor of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur of India.

Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm and Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal are select few who have been invited to this event.

(Official Press Release from White House)