In recent months, the Indian diaspora in the United States has been shaken by a troubling surge in violent incidents, many of them fatal. These cases ranging from the shooting of Chandrashekar Pole, a student working at a Dallas gas station, to the brutal beheading of motel manager Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah have sparked widespread concern across both Indian and American communities. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, over 842 Indian students died abroad between 2018 and 2024, with the United States accounting for 141 of those deaths. While many were attributed to accidents or health issues, the recent escalation in violent deaths, particularly in 2025, demands a deeper understanding. These incidents are not isolated; they are symptomatic of broader structural vulnerabilities, racial tensions, and institutional gaps that shape the immigrant experience in America.

Indian nationals in the US often occupy labour-intensive roles in sectors such as hospitality, retail, and fuel services and industries that are frequently underregulated and prone to risk. These jobs, typically involving night shifts, solitary work environments, and minimal security, expose workers to unpredictable and sometimes dangerous interactions. Loïc Wacquant suggests that immigrant labour is often relegated to “zones of relegation” social and spatial margins where protections are weak and exposure to violence is high. The murder of Nagamallaiah, who was killed by a Cuban immigrant with a criminal record recently released from ICE custody, underscores how systemic failures in immigration enforcement can have fatal consequences. Similarly, the killing of Rakesh Patel, a motel owner shot while investigating a disturbance outside his business, illustrates how routine responsibilities can become life-threatening in volatile environments....

Noted author Ghazala Wahab’s The Hindi Heartland: A Study has a lot going for it. Her previous book, Born a Muslim, was a runaway hit. Consequently, she can be sure that a section of her readers will pick up this book too. If we take the region — the proverbial cow belt — she puts in the spotlight, it’s a sizeable population we are talking about. The Hindi heartland spreads across the States of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar and accounts for 42.2% of India’s population...

Visitors to the coastal city of Kochi (formerly Cochin) in Kerala often make their way to the picture-perfect neighborhoods of Mattancherry and Fort Kochi. They step into the four-hundred-year-old Paradesi Synagogue, stroll through the narrow, colorful lanes of Jew Town, and peep into old Jewish houses now transformed into shops selling clothes and trinkets. Leaving Synagogue Lane, they feel they’ve seen all there is to know about Kerala’s Jewish past. They couldn’t be more wrong...

Homegrown software maker Zoho is on a rampage with its set of India-made software that is taking on the global giants. Recently, Zoho's Arattai app had witnessed a reckoning of sorts as it topped the App Store charts on Apple App Store and Play Store, while also receiving many positive recommendations from its initial set of users.

​In a matter of days, we have a new Zoho app called Ulaa browser, which has taken over the App Store rankings. While Arattai was meant as a WhatsApp alternative for the masses, the Ulaa browser is aimed at taking a similar sort of competition to Google Chrome on Android and iOS...