Latest news with #Indian-origin
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- General
- Time of India
Who is Megha Vemuri, the Indian-origin MIT student barred from her own graduation ceremony?
Megha Vemuri , an Indian-origin student leader at MIT, was blocked from participating in her own graduation ceremony after using a campus stage to make a pro-Palestinian statement—sparking controversy over free speech and institutional boundaries at one of the top tech schools in the United States. The incident has sparked widespread debate about free speech and campus protest policies at leading U.S. universities. Vemuri, who was scheduled to serve as a student marshal at MIT's commencement, was informed by Chancellor Melissa Nobles that she would not be allowed to participate in the ceremony and that her family would also be barred from the campus for much of graduation day. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Missing teeth? What are my Options? Dental Awareness Media Learn More Undo 'You deliberately and repeatedly misled Commencement organizers,' Nobles wrote to Vemuri in an email quoted by The Boston Globe. 'While we acknowledge your right to free expression, your decision to lead a protest from the stage, disrupting an important institute ceremony, was a violation of MIT's time, place and manner rules for campus expression.' (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Vemuri, in her response, reportedly accepted that her speech constituted a protest but described the disciplinary action as an 'overreach.' Live Events Viral speech sparks backlash; LinkedIn profile deleted Vemuri's remarks quickly spread on social media, prompting a wave of criticism. Following the online backlash, she appears to have deleted her LinkedIn profile. A screenshot of the now-defunct page was widely shared by users on X (formerly Twitter). Wearing a red keffiyeh—a scarf associated with Palestinian solidarity—Vemuri used her platform at the event to condemn MIT's research affiliations with the Israeli military and the broader role of U.S. institutions in the ongoing Gaza conflict . 'The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with; this means that Israel's assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school,' she said. Vemuri called on her fellow graduates to take a moral stand, stating: 'We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.' She urged her peers to support humanitarian aid and oppose arms transfers, adding: 'As scientists, engineers, academics and leaders, we have a commitment to support life, support aid efforts and call for an arms embargo and keep demanding now as alumni that MIT cuts the ties.' She also praised pro-Palestinian students on campus for their activism, saying: 'Last spring, MIT's undergraduate body and Graduate Student Union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus.' The speech was later posted online by the Palestinian Youth Movement, which identified Vemuri as the speaker. Who is Megha Vemuri? Born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, Megha Vemuri is a graduate of Alpharetta High School's Class of 2021. At MIT, she pursued a degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics, while also serving as the class president. She is associated with Written Revolution, a student organization at MIT that advocates anti-imperialist perspectives and revolutionary political thought. Prior to attending MIT, Vemuri interned at the University of Cape Town's Neuroscience Institute in South Africa and participated in various student science and leadership programs. Vemuri has yet to issue a public statement following MIT's disciplinary action, though her supporters have taken to social media to criticise the university's handling of the incident. Growing scrutiny of campus activism in the US Vemuri's exclusion from commencement has become the latest in a series of high-profile incidents involving disciplinary action against students protesting in support of Palestine. Last month, New York University withheld the diploma of graduating student Logan Rozos after he delivered an unauthorized commencement address condemning what he described as atrocities in Gaza. At MIT, student protests over the institution's ties to Israel have been ongoing since April. Activists have organized sit-ins and walkouts demanding that the university cut financial and research links to Israel's defense sector. While MIT has acknowledged certain partnerships, it has defended them as part of its broader academic mission.
India.com
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet Madhuri Dixit's lesser-known brother, not an actor, as handsome as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, his name is…, works as…
Meet Madhuri Dixit's lesser-known brother, not an actor, as handsome as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, his name is…, works as… Actress Madhuri Dixit remains in the headlines for her love life. Today we will tell you how Madhuri found her love, in which her brother played an important role. By Shawn Dass Advertisement Actress Madhuri Dixit has won the hearts of the audience not only with her acting, beauty, and dance but also with her married life. The pair of Madhuri and Dr. Nene showed how distances can be dwarfed due to true love. How the actress met Dr. Nene 24 years ago and then how they got married. Today, let's know more about Madhuri Dixit's lesser-known brother Ajit Dixit. In 2016, Madhuri Dixit appeared on Anupam Kher's talk show, where she told how her brother Ajit Dixit had planned to meet Dr. Nene. The actress said that after Ajit's insistence, she agreed to meet Shriram Nene, whom Ajit had described as his friend. Ajit's friend was a cardiovascular surgeon in the United States. The actress said that she was surprised when her brother cleverly invited Dr. Nene and his family to dinner at his home. Advertisement === For the unversed, Ajit Dixit is the CEO of CloudIO Inc., a software company. Having an impressive academic background with a in Electrical Engineering from IIT and an MBA from Miami University. Ajit Dixit has made a name in the IT sector. Advertisement === American-born Indian-origin surgeon Shriram Nene had no idea about Madhuri Dixit and how famous an actress she was. When the actress met Dr. Nene for the first time at dinner, the actress started liking him and the two started getting closer. However, the actress had earlier told her husband that she works in films. Actress Madhuri Dixit and Dr. Nene were in a long-distance relationship for a long time. After this, both decided to get married. Being a famous Bollywood actress, Madhuri and her family decided to do this wedding ceremony in a secret manner. This ceremony was held in America and both got married on 17 October 1999. Madhuri and Nene have two children, Arin and Ryan.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
WATCH: Ceremonial first moves at Norway Chess made by people sporting traditional Indian mundus
The ceremonial first moves in the fifth round of the Norway Chess tournament on Saturday were made with a distinctly Indian flavour: six Indian-origin owners of a South Indian restaurant in Stavanger made the first moves on all the six boards while wearing white mundus. The ceremonial first move is a chess tradition where special guest can make the first move on behalf of the player with white pieces. The player can then take back the move and play their actual first move as per their opening prep, or continue with the same move. The owners of a South Indian restaurant named Spisoh, which is also a partner of the Norway Chess tournament, made the ceremonial first moves on Saturday. All the four Indian players, D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali have been ordering their meals from the restaurant while in Stavanger for the ongoing Norway Chess tournament. A post shared by Chess With Lokesh (@chesswithlokesh) Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and player-cum-commentator Tania Sachdev recently visited the restaurant on the rest day for lunch. 'Last time Magnus Carlsen broke FIDE tradition by wearing jeans to a game (at the FIDE world Rapid and Blitz tournament in December 2024). We wanted to extend that and show a fairly unknown India to the West by wearing our traditional dress to the strongest chess tournament in the world. We were not being disrespectful here, we did ask for prior permission to do this,' said Rathish Kunnath, one of the co-owners of the restaurant. A post shared by Chess With Lokesh (@chesswithlokesh) At the halfway stage of Norway Chess, reigning world champion Gukesh finds himself in the last position with 5.5 points in an extremely strong field of six players. Carlsen is the runaway leader with 9.5 points, USA's Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura in the second and third place, respectively. Arjun sits fourth while China's Wei Yi is fifth ahead of Gukesh. In the women's section, Humpy is leading the pack with 8.5 points while the other Indian, Vaishali is fourth with 6.5 points.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US Speaker reacts to Indian-American Megha Vemuri's pro-Palestine speech: 'Have your children avoid MIT'
Speaker Mike Johnson reacted to Indian-origin Megha Vemuri's pro-Palestine speech at the commencement ceremony and called it ignorant, hateful and morally bankrupt. Johnson also took MIT to task as he questioned why the institute has not properly responded to it. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Speaker was reacting to a post by MAGA commentator Megyn Kelly who criticized Vemuri's apathy to the Jewish students attending the ceremony. "have your children avoid MIT & the Ivy League at all costs," Johnson wrote. "So this woman hijacks the MIT graduation to make the whole thing about her personal beliefs about Israel, any insult to the Jewish students or others in attendance be damned. Selfish, self-aggrandizing, disrespectful & RUDE," Megyn Kelly wrote on X as Megha Vemuri's speech condemning her alma mater for its Israeli ties drew mixed response -- several of her classmates cheered and also protested Friday as MIT banned Vemuri from attending the rest of the event. MAGA commentators, some Indian commentators and many Jewish students criticized Vemuri and questioned why she needed to do that. Vemuri gave a different speech to the MIT administration which was approved but on the stage, she delivered a different one praising her classmates for protesting against Israel. "Last spring, MIT's undergraduate body and graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. And you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials," Vemuri said. Jewish students walked out of the speech as Vemuri accused MIT of being complicit in the "ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people". What MIT said on Vemuri's speech Vemuri was barred from attending the rest of the event while MIT said they support free expression but they don't stand by what Vemuri did. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "With regard to MIT's Commencement 2025 activities, the speech delivered by a graduating senior at Thursday's OneMIT Commencement Ceremony was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance. While that individual had a scheduled role at today's Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today's events," an MIT spokesperson said Friday. "MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony," MIT said.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Overreach': Indian-origin Megha Vemuri reacts to MIT's ban on her from commencement event for pro-Palestine speech
Megha Vemuri said MIT's ban on her from the event Friday was an overreach. Megha Vemuri, the class president of MIT 2025, strongly reacted to the administration's decision to ban her from the rest of the commencement event Friday and said the institute's decision was an overreach. Boston Globe reported that Indian-origin Vemuri replied to the email from MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles that informed her about the ban on her and her family, and disputed that her speech was a protest from the stage. In her mail, Nobles said MIT acknowledges the right to free expression but Vemuri's decision to "lead a protest from the state" was a violation of MIT's time, place and manner rules for campus expression. Vemuri was scheduled to marshal Friday's events but after her Thursday's speech where she slammed MIT for its Israeli ties, she was not allowed at the event. This lead to a protest at the event Friday. MIT clarified that Vemuri gave a different speech to the authorities and caught the administration unawares when she delivered her charge against MIT, expressing solidarity for Palestine. What Vemuri said in her controversial speech Vemuri praised her classmates from the stage and told them "you showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine". 'You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation, and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials, but you prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide." 'Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.' 'This means that Israel's assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school. As scientists, engineers, academics, and leaders, we have a commitment to support life, support aid efforts, and call for an arms embargo, and keep demanding, now as alumni, that MIT cuts the ties," Vemuri said. Online trolling of Megha Vemuri from Indian commentators as well MAGA commentators were up in arms against Vemuri as Megyn Kelly called her speech "selfish, self-aggrandizing, disrespectful & RUDE". "So this woman hijacks the MIT graduation to make the whole thing about her personal beliefs about Israel, any insult to the Jewish students or others in attendance be damned. Selfish, self-aggrandizing, disrespectful & RUDE," Kelly wrote. Indian commentators questioned why she wore a keffiyeh in solidarity with Palestine -- being a Hindu and why she did not speak about 'Hindus being tortured in Bangladesh'.
