This timely panel featured experts in higher education, food sciences, agricultural development, and food security as they explore the growing opportunities for collaboration between India and the US.
Moderated by KV Raman, Adjunct Professor in Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science and Faculty Fellow in the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, the speaker panel included:
Co-sponsored with Seattle University's Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability
In a captivating fireside chat co-sponsored with Indian American Community Services, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Professor of Public Policy and Founder and Director of AAPI Data and Sital Kalantry, Director of RoundGlass India Center and Professor of Law, delved into the factors shaping Indian American political beliefs. Based on extensive polling, Ramakrishnan revealed that racism is the number one factor impacting Indian American voting choices and issues including reproductive rights and environmentalism are of increasing importance to younger generations. The conversation also explored how as the highest earning immigrant group in the US, Indian Americans are finding greater influence as political donors and candidates for elected positions. Missed the event? We’ll be sharing the full video of the discussion soon.
We were honored to host Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi in a captivating fireside chat moderated by Executive Director and Professor of Law Sital Kalantry. Mr. Satyarthi's four decades of social reform for the oppressed and voiceless has changed the world. His organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan has liberated more than 100,000 children from child labour, slavery, trafficking, and other forms of exploitation and developed a successful model for their education, rehabilitation, and reintegration into mainstream society. Mr. Satyarthi's latest endeavor is the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion with a vision to globalise compassion to restore justice, peace, equity and sustainability in the world by working to define, evaluate and enhance Compassion Quotient in individuals, institutions and communities. The resulting conversation was fueled by hope, optimism, and commitment to shaping a more just world.
Senator Manka Dhingra shared wisdom from her beginnings as a law student and King County prosecutor to becoming the first Sikh state legislator elected in the nation in 2017 and the current day Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. Hosted in conversation with Middle Eastern/South Asian Law Student Association leaders, excerpts from the SikhLens film Breaking Barriers for Manka Dhingra were screened.
Described by the Washington Post as “vulnerable and courageous,” Prachi Gupta's memoir They Called Us Exceptional is widely considered one of the best books of 2023. The coming-of-age memoir explores the convoluted and painful experiences of a second-generation Indian American woman who faces detrimental cultural assumptions and struggles with mental health and family dysfunction. Gupta spoke in conversation with Inclusion on Purpose author Tulshyan. The discussion explored how to better support South Asian communities impacted by a Model Minority Myth that hyper-focuses on educational and professional achievement, while downplaying private struggles such as abuse, addiction or mental illness.
To mark the arrival of the new Indian consulate to Seattle seven years after it was first announced, the Center hosted a dazzling welcome reception at The Rainier Club. Special guests included Consul General Prakash Gupta and Ms. Neha Prakash, with welcome remarks by Professor Sital Kalantry, CG Gupta, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. Guests included mayors, public officials, representatives from Port of Seattle, real estate developers, business CEOs, and luminaries from the greater Seattle Indian diaspora community. Welcome Reception highlights
The Center collaborated with the School of Law to explore how the Supreme Court of the largest democracy in the world — India — has progressed since its founding 75 years ago. Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a member of the Parliament of India and a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India who has argued many of its most consequential cases, led the conversation. Additional perspectives were offered by Professor C. Raj Kumar, founding vice chancellor of Jindal Global University, Professor Sital Kalantry, whose new co-authored book, “Court on Trial,” presents data-driven suggestions for improving the effectiveness and integrity of the court, and Dean Tony Varona. Watch "India at 75" on Vimeo.
Seattle University welcomed Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Consul General Dr. K. Srikar Reddy to meet with a dozen university leaders about opportunities for India and U.S. collaboration on education, job skills training, healthcare and technology. Ambassador Sandhu also connected with a small group of faculty and staff facilitated by the RoundGlass India Center.
This conference showcased Seattle’s pivotal role in building economic and political bridges with India and marked the launch of the RoundGlass India Center. Keynotes and Welcome Remarks were offer by the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Secretary Izzo Jackson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Representative Pramila Jayapal, Senator Manka Dhingra, and Sunny Singh. There separate panels on business, law, and philanthropy featured leaders from greater Seattle, Washington DC, and India. Seattle-Setu website
