Dhiren John, a boy was born to Iyanrick and Dr. Shilpa John on Sunday, October 18 at Washington Hospital Center, where his mom completed an OB/GYN residency in 2008.  Dhiren has a brother, Kamran, who is two years and four months old.  The family is doing fine and seeks your support and prayers.  Dhiren's grandparents are Harrison and Finnie John.  Harrison is a current SAAA Board member; Finnie, a past SAAA President, passed away in 2007.

 

 

 

Ø  Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh met U. S. President Obama on April 2, 2009 during the G-20 Summit in London.

 

Ø  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Duvvuri Subbarao expects Indian economy to grow at six percent during 2009-2010.  Indian economy is expected to grow at eight percent-plus once global economy is back on track.

 

Ø  Ambassador Ms. Meera Shankar welcomed the guests to the Baisakhi celebrations on April 26, 2009 which marks the beginning of New Year in many parts of India.

 

Ø  President Obama has appointed Indian-born Anju Bhargava , also an ordained ‘pujari’ (priest) as member of a faith-based advisory council of the White House.

 

Ø  Indian American Rajiv Shah has been named by President Obama to the key post of Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics in the Department of Agriculture.  The announcement was made on April 17, 2009.

 

Ø  Kal Penn, Indian-American star of Mira Nair’s film ‘The Namesake’ and a long time supporter of President of Obama is joining the White House as a liaison between the administration and Asian constituents.

 

Ø  The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its 14 rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on April 20, 2009.  It carried an earth observation surveillance satellite, RISAT2s, and the micro education satellite, ‘ANUSAT’.  The rocket with a total payload of 340 kg, was launched from Sriharikota, 190 km from Chennai, at 6:45 am, attaining a speed of 7.2 km per second.

 

Ø  A new low-cost oral vaccine against cholera, whose production technology has been transferred to India, could soon be made available to people in the country’s endemic areas to help them gain immunity.  The disease kills nearly 120,000 people globally every year.

 

Ø  Mary Wakefield, RN, PhD, FAAN, Administrator, leads the Federal Healthcare Agency, Health Resources and Services Administration.  With this appointment, nursing gains a voice at the federal level.

 

Ø  Adventist HealthCare recently thanked the nurses for using their skills, compassion, and dedication to nurture patients holistically and achieve positive outcomes every day.

 

Ø  A 1972 Columbia Union College graduate, Whitaker, in Nursing has been named the Research Nurse of the Year by the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University School of Nursing.  Von Best Whitaker, Ph.D. RN, FAAN is a research associate Professor.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Vincent Gurubatham moved to the United States in 1965 and got his education in Chicago. Later he was hired by the Whirlpool Corporation and he worked for them for thirty-four years as Staff Engineer in their Advanced Research Department. He has acquired over thirty-six US and International Patents. One of them is a dishwasher for the NASA Space Platform which is in space, still working well in zero gravity.

 

Currently, he is working on an engine which will give 62 mpg, and patents are pending on it. This engine was invented by the whole family (daughter, wife, son, & him). The Gurubatham family owns also two other US Patents. Many of the  inventions were a direct result of his wife's (Damayanthi) contributions. In fact, she was the one who gave him the idea for the plasma bag for the detergent dispenser for the space dishwasher.

 

The family is also working on a very good concept for a fuel efficient stove for the developing countries that use fire wood for cooking. The idea is to recapture and recycle the wasted heat that goes out the flute.

 

He states that Mr. R. R. Rouse was his mentor in Spicer Memorial College, Pune, India and that he owes all his success to him and other missionaries who were very nice to him.

 

Mr. Vincent Gurubatham is the brother Dr. Joseph Gurubatham, a long time member of the Southern Asia Adventist Association.

 

 

 

Ted and Yeka Unnikumaran became parents a third time with the birth of their daughter, Naomi Leela Unnikumaran on October 8, 2008.  Naomi was 7 lbs. 10 ounces, according to information provided by her dad.  Her grandfather, Mr. Nathan Purushothaman, is President of SAAA.

 

 

Abigail Anjali, a daughter was born to Amudha and Joe Mulligan on Monday, October 13 at Howard General Hospital in Columbia, MD.  Abigail was 7 lbs. 9 ounces at birth and 19.5 inches tall.  Amudha is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Rajan Wessel.

 

 

Iyanrick John completed the 26+ mile Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 26 in under four hours.  Iyan, an attorney who has run many marathons, is the son of Mr. Harrison John, an SAAA Board member.

 

 

 

 

The 76-year-old prime minister of India recently underwent a successful heart by-pass surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

 

Sania Mirza became the first Indian women to capture a Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.

 

Twenty four students from the Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia, USA spent three days working in the paddy fields of Kerala with peasants there.

 

South Africans of Indian-origin plan to celebrate 150 years of Indian’s arrival in South Africa this Fall.

 

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi has been unveiled in Brossard city of Canada’s Quebec province where a large number of people paid glowing tributes to the man of peace on his 61 death anniversary.

 

A team from the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague, will lay final plans to open a regional center in Delhi for resolving international disputes.

 

The American Heart Association reports that it may be beneficial to include omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds in diet for keeping the heart healthy.

 

India’s rice export thrives in global market in spite of government restrictions to control domestic rice prices.  The total export between January to September 2008 amounted to 20 lakh tonnes. 

 

 

 

 

Ravina Gold Blossom Ravi graduated from Spencerville Adventist Academy.

 

Ernest Devan Ponraj graduated from Loma Linda School of Dentistry with a DDS degree.

 

Salina V. Prasad graduated Magna Cum Laude from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD with a dual Masters degrees - a MS in Biotechnology and an MBA. 

 

Rebecca Shyam graduated from Springbrook High School with high honors and completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

 

Alexander Roberts graduated from Takoma Academy.  He is the grandson of Tom and Ardys Prasada Rao.