June, 2020
A note from VegasDesi Editor, Swadeep Nigam
Dear VegasDesi Reader: Following the just-concluded primary election, I have succeeded in moving on to the November general election for the position of Regent, University System District 3. I have wide support for my candidacy from various community groups, both political and social, and I am now asking for my community’s help in succeeding this Fall. I have been a member of the Southern Nevada South Asian community for over 35 years, and have seen their voice and influence grow in local politics. It is my hope that this diverse,Read More
Needed: Kidney Donor
Las Vegas resident Ruchi Chandra is looking for a Kidney Donor for her brother. 46 years old Rohit, has two young children who need a kidney transplant at the earliest. In January of this year, Rohit was diagnosed with late-stage kidney disease and is going through regular treatment, however, the Doctors have recommended a transplant in a timely manner. For further information, please contact Ruchi Chandra at 702.513.0686 Over the years kidney transplants have saved thousands of people with chronic kidney ailments. Kidneys can be transplanted from living donors and deceased. AsRead More
Luncheon with District Court Judge Doug Herndon
SAPNA – South Asian Political Network Alliance invites you to its luncheon with guest speaker Honorable District Court Judge Douglas Herndon, on Saturday, July 11th, at the newly opened Divine Dosa & Biryani Restaurant. The restaurant is following all the necessary health guidelines and cleaning protocols as directed by the local authorities. The newly opened restaurant is located at 3049, South Las Vegas Boulevard, North of Wynn & Encore Hotel. There is ample parking available in front of the restaurant. The price per person is $20, which includes a specially preparedRead More
Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay to Remove Hindu and Jain Religious Statues
At the urging of the local faith leaders from diverse religious faiths, the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay has immediately agreed to remove the religious statues. In a joint statement issued earlier in the week, Nevada’s Greek Orthodox Christian Priest Stephen R. Karcher, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, prominent Buddhist Priest Matthew T. Fisher, well-known Jewish Rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer, and renowned Jain leader Sulekh C. Jain from Las Vegas said that “placing highly revered Hindu and Jain deities to adorn a casino night-club was very disrespectful, out-of-line, and could be disturbing to the adherentsRead More
Divya Ramakrishnan scores 100th percentile in MCAT
Las Vegan Divya Ramakrishnan, daughter of Gopal and Radhika Ramakrishnan, scored the 100th percentile in MCAT. Divya has joined Yale School of Medicine after graduating from Stanford University with a major in Biology. As per the latest scorecard, 90% of applicants who matriculated to medical school in 2019-2020 scored between 500 and 510. These equate to roughly the 50th percentile to the 80th percentile. Divya finished her high school form the elite Meadows School in 2014. She won numerous scholarships to join Stanford University. At Stanford, she was the recipient of the J.E. Sterling Award for her scholasticRead More
National Bengali Conference Cancelled. Fund Raising Planned for COVID and Cyclone Victims
Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the North America Bengali Conference scheduled for July 4thweekend in Las Vegas is canceled. The conference is rescheduled for the July 4th weekend in 2021 at the Westgate Hotel, Las Vegas. In lieu of 2020 conference, the North America Bengali Conference and its parent organization Cultural Association of Bengal is uniting Bengali diaspora citizen from every corner of the globe for an international fundraising drive to assist COVID and cyclone Amphan victims in India, which has devastated West Bengal, especially the south Bengal including Kolkata. The fundraisingRead More
Diverse religious leaders urge Mandalay Bay to remove statues of Hindu & Jain deities & apologize
In a remarkable interfaith gesture; Christian-Hindu-Buddhist-Jewish-Jain religious leaders have urged the Las Vegas casino Mandalay Bay to remove statues of various Hindu and Jain deities from its Foundation Room night club, calling it highly inappropriate. Nevada’s Greek Orthodox Christian Priest Stephen R. Karcher, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, prominent Buddhist Priest Matthew T. Fisher, well-known Jewish Rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer, and renowned Jain leader Sulekh C. Jain from Las Vegas; in a joint statement in Nevada today; said that placing highly revered Hindu and Jain deities to adorn a casino night-clubRead More
Primary Elections – Swadeep Nigam and Radhika Kunnel Move to November General Election
The just-concluded mostly mail-in primary elections resulted in two Indian-Americans candidates winning the nominations and are moving on to the general election to be held on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. The final announcement of results took longer than normal due to mostly all mail-in election. Swadeep won a non-partisan Regent University System, while Radhika won Democratic nomination for the State Assembly District 2 seat which covers most of the Summerlin Area. Both Swadeep and Radhika ran for an open seat as the incumbents were termed out. Democrat Radhika will be facing RepublicanRead More
Virus forcing legal system to consider overdue changes – Guest Author Attorney Paul Padda
Years from now, I hope we’ll remember this strange time in our history as a turning point where we began to rethink the way we do many things we’ve been doing just because it was how we always did things. As an attorney, I would argue that the legal system is especially ripe for change. For starters, we should be embracing new technologies that not only protect people by promoting social distancing, but also save time, energy and money. We should make better use of technologies, in particular video conferencing,Read More
Hindus welcome proposal of Diwali holiday in Virginia’s Fairfax County Schools
Hindus have welcomed inclusion of Diwali holiday (November four, 2021) in the Draft Calendars 2021-2022 of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged the Fairfax County School Board to unanimously approve this Diwali holiday, as included in the calendar drafts presented to them, when it takes final action on the calendar on July 23; thus respecting the feelings of Hindu community. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested that all other public-school districts and private-charter-independent schools inRead More