Latest news with #non-Indian
India.com
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Who is Varun Navani, Indian-origin Gujarati techie whose 'baraat' halted Wall Street? Here's how much he paid to book this famous venue
Image: Instagram/Screengrab An Indian wedding that brought New York's famous Wall Street to a halt, is trending on social media platforms, and netizens are amazed at how the groom, Varun Navani– an Indian-origin techie of Gujarati ancestry– managed to pull off the remarkable feat of blocking one of busiest spots in The Big Apple. The wedding on Wall Street According to media reports, around 400 guests attended the extravagant wedding ceremony, which went viral on the internet after video of the event, showing the bride and the groom, as well as the 'baraatis', dancing to popular Bollywood numbers on Wall Street. Another notable thing about the event which stood out was that even non-Indian guests had donned traditional Indian party attires, giving the ceremony a uniquely Indian look, as if it was taking place somewhere in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, or any other Indian metro city. 'We shut down Wall Street for a 400-person Baraat, Who would've ever thought?! (sic),' wrote the DJ who played at the wedding event as she shared several videos from the ceremony on his Instagram page @djajmumbai. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DJ AJ (@djajmumbai) How much did Varun Navani pay for booking the Wall Street? As per media reports, Wall Street can be rented for $11,000 with proper permits, while the cost of blocking each area in the vicinity ranges between $25,000 to $60,000. These included roads, sidewalks and alleyways in New York's bustling Financial District, commonly known as the Wall Street. With over 400 guests, the event had the typical vibe of an extravagant Indian wedding procession, with the New York Mayor's Office describing it as an 'extra large' event. Who was the bride? Varun Navani married Amanda Soll, a risk–management legal compliance director at MasterCard, in a grand wedding at the Wall Street, which has earned him the moniker 'The groom of Wall Street', a play on words of the famous Hollywood flick 'The Wolf of Wall Street' starring Leonardo Di Caprio. According to reports, Amanda was draped in a red Sabyasachi lehenga, looking very much like an Indian bride, as her friends and family attended the key event. Meanwhile, Varun had donned a stylish ivory sherwani, and made his entry in a vintage white car accompanied by groomsmen. The grand wedding has gone viral on social media, and is being talked about across India as well as the United States. Who is Varun Navani? Varun Navani is a Gujarat-born techie who now resides in Boston, and is the founder of and CEO of Rolai– an AI platform that provides adoption solution and data analytical skills for higher education institutions. Notably, Varun Navani was featured in the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list from Boston in 2023, as per his LinkedIn page.
News18
17 hours ago
- Business
- News18
Who Is Varun Navani, Indian-Origin Gujarati Techie Whose Baraat Brought Wall Street To A Halt?
Last Updated: Varun Navani, CEO of AI company Rolai, married Amanda Soll in an extravagant Indian wedding that shut down Wall Street, featuring 400 guests and viral videos. The groom of the Indian wedding that halted the Wall Street, a bustling hub in New York, for some time is a techie with Gujarati roots. Indian-origin Varun Navani is the CEO of an AI company, Rolai. The extravagant wedding gained all the limelight after videos from the event went viral on social media. The groom was also seen shaking a leg on Bollywood songs that echoed through the Wall Street. What made this event stand out from other Indian weddings taking place abroad was the Indian attire which was adopted by non-Indian guests too. About 400 guests attended the event, shutting down the Wall Street during the Baraat (wedding procession) ceremony. The video clips were also shared on Instagram by the DJ (@djajmumbai) at the wedding. Sharing the video, he wrote, 'We shut down Wall Street for a 400-person Baraat," shared their DJ, wrote alongside a clip of the epic moment. 'Who would've ever thought?! (sic)" According to media reports, the area can be rented for $11,000 with proper permits. The vibrant gathering adorned in designer clothes got the netizens wondering who the couple was. Varun Navani got hitched to Amanda Soll. The couple hails from Boston. While Varun is a techie, Amanda is a risk-management legal compliance director at MasterCard. All About Varun Navani Varun Navani is the founder and CEO of Rolai, an enterprise AI platform and adoption solution for higher ed institutions. Rolai helps users to learn data analytical skills through AI and machine learning. In a remarkable feat, Navani made it to the list in Forbes 30 under 30 from Boston in 2023, according to his LinkedIn bio. As per media reports, every region blocked for the wedding costed between $25,000 to $60,000 for pavements and roads of the 'Financial District'. The parade was termed as an 'extra large" event by the New York's Mayor Office. As per reports, Soll donned a red Sabyasachi lehenga as she celebrated the key event of her life with her family and friends. On the other hand, Navani wore an elegant ivory sherwani. He made a classic entry into the big-fat Indian wedding in a vintage white car with who seemed to be the groomsmen. This energy-filled event not only gained attention in India but across US too. Watch CNN-News18 here. News18's viral page features trending stories, videos, and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: May 30, 2025, 17:25 IST News viral Who Is Varun Navani, Indian-Origin Gujarati Techie Whose Baraat Brought Wall Street To A Halt?
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Free Wi-Fi coupon kiosks for international passengers at Chennai airport from June-end
From the end of June, international air passengers with non-Indian SIM cards arriving at Chennai airport will finally be able to access free internet. This is a crucial facility especially for those arriving at the city airport, as many passengers need to book a cab service to reach their destination or make emergency calls. Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said they have awarded the contract for work recently and in the next few weeks, kiosks will be installed in the departure and arrival halls of the T2 International Terminal of the airport. 'Arche Global and BSNL have received the contract for providing this facility. Once the passenger scans the boarding pass and his passport, the kiosk will dispense a small coupon containing the One Time Password (OTP) with which he can use the free Wi-Fi. At present, they are unable to access free internet since those who don't have the Indian sim cards are unable to get the OTP without KYC verification,' an official said. Officials said, initially, there will be two kiosks each in the departure and arrival hall. Passengers will be able to use 500 MB of data for 45 minutes. 'If a need arises, then we will certainly consider increasing the number of kiosks based on the demand,' he added. This request has been consistently placed by international air passengers on 'X' and the difficulties they have been facing without access to free Wi-Fi for a long time now. Sathish G, one of the frequent flyers, said, 'In each international flight, there will be a significant number of passengers including tourists who will require free Wi-Fi It is a welcome move that this initiative will take off in a month. But the authorities need to ensure that there aren't long queues to avail this facility. As such, international passengers are exhausted after the long travel, immigration check and baggage collection. AAI should have about 5-6 kiosks in both departure and arrival halls.' When the facility becomes operational, AAI should put up signage too in key locations of the terminal, so that passengers are aware of this facility, he added.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Review: The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao
Ruthvika Rao's The Fertile Earth is a beautifully narrated tale of cruelty, power imbalance, and love that brings to life Telangana's feudal past and the rise of both the CPI(ML) and Hindutva in the region in the 1960s. Surendra Deshmukh lives with his family in a gadi, a traditional fortified mansion, that towers over the village in Irumi. As landlords, the Deshmukhs' 'authority… and their power over the lives of those who lived in Irumi was absolute.' Surendra has two nieces, Vijaya, a pre-teen girl, and four-year-old Sree. Their mother showers Sree with love and despises Vijaya, who assumes this hatred is because she is dark skinned while Sree is pale. As a result, Vijaya dislikes her sibling. Sree, unaware of this dynamic, often tails her older sister everywhere. Ranga and Krishna are sons of the washerwoman at the gadi. Ranga, the elder sibling is trusted deeply by the Deshmukhs. Krishna and Vijaya are classmates and become friends when he stands up for her against the school bully. Krishna wants to impress her, which leads him to agree to her proposed expedition into the forest to catch a man-eating tiger. Things go horribly wrong for both sets of siblings, and the incident becomes the turning point of their lives. Ranga takes the blame and is punished with the cruellest of whippings by Surendra Deshmukh in the presence of his mother and other workers. Krishna is sent away to Hyderabad to pursue his education on condition that he never return. The novel begins with the shocking image of the heads of members of the Deshmukh family on pikes. The year is 1970 and by then, the public execution of landlords by the people's court of Naxalites is a common occurrence. The book then traces the events that lead the Deshmukh family to this grisly end, taking the story back to 1955 when Vijaya and Krishna had just befriended each other as kids. Their friendship and budding yearning for each other becomes the frame within which the events unfold. Rao's writing is descriptive, sharing a vein with recent books such as Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water and Tejaswini Apte-Rahm's The Secret of More. Unlike Verghese, Rao's intricate detailing isn't targeted at a non-Indian readership. She creates vivid landscapes, describes the architecture, and shows the everyday life at the gadi. She even includes a few Telugu and Marathi dialogues without translating them for English language readers. It is difficult to grasp the exact meaning but the context nonetheless allows you to interpret the words. Occasionally, however, the beauty of the writing is overshadowed by errors such as a mention of the Arts College at Osmania University having five floors (it has two) or of a full moon on Diwali, which is only ever celebrated on a new moon night. Still, the reader is able to ignore these and focus on the story. Interestingly, the most powerful family in Irumi has only daughters and doesn't mourn or long for sons. The Deshmukhs are quite content with their women, even if somewhat controlling of their interaction with the outside world. As always, associations of upper-caste women with men who are not from their strata are severely frowned upon and those involved are punished. Women, despite their high status, do not have the agency to choose who they want to be with, whereas the converse is somewhat acceptable — in fact, associations between upper-caste men and lower caste women are conveniently ignored despite the negative consequences. Often, lower-caste women are sold for two rupees and a bag of grain, which leads many of them to join the Naxalite movement in search of respect. In a drunken state, Surendra Deshmukh once acknowledges the brilliance of Ranga and Krishna and wishes they too were upper-caste. It is this realisation that is the basis of his cruelty towards them; social inferiors were not supposed to be brilliant in skills and thinking. 'Two aberrations! Two who do not fit into the moulds created for them. One? One can be broken, sanded down, made to fit. But two? Two's too many, Ranga. What to do then? Break them both? No. It won't work,' he says. 'No. What you do is break one and make the other watch. Sever what binds them. That's how you get them to fit.' And so Surendra Deshmukh is completely cruel to Ranga, and to all others who need to be controlled. Krishna isn't as transgressive as his brother. In fact, when he comes to the forefront of the Hindutva movement questioning land rights in Hyderabad in the 1960s, he chooses not to participate. His friend Gagan, the one who starts the movement, reminds him of his past in Irumi, a past that separated him from his family. But Krishna simply wants to live a decent life, get his doctorate, and marry Vijaya, if she agrees to spend her life with him. Rao writes all her characters with empathy; she shows all sides of a situation through them without advocating for right or wrong. Even when she describes Surendra, she ensures that his unspoken love for his nieces is apparent. No one is villainised or glorified. They are presented in all their (in)humanity, which frees the reader from seeing them only through the binaries of good and bad, right and wrong. The novel incorporates a lot of research on the feudal system and the politics of the Telengana region in the 1950s and '60s. However, Rao prioritises telling a good story with its many twists and turns over putting her research efforts on display -- a temptation that many experienced authors worldwide cannot resist. A real page turner, The Fertile Earth is a spectacular debut. Akankshya Abismruta is an independent writer.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
HT interview: Over 2,000 Indian students call SLU home, says Robert Reddy, Interim VP, Saint Louis University
During his recent visit to India, HT Digital caught up with Robert Reddy, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management at Saint Louis University (SLU), USA. He spoke about the university's strong connection with Indian students, popular STEM programs, scholarship offerings, and how SLU ensures international students feel at home. Reddy: SLU is a Catholic Jesuit university, but you don't have to be Catholic or even religious to study here. What sets us apart is our commitment to cura personalis — care for the whole person. Education at SLU is not just about academics, but also about personal, spiritual, and emotional development. We focus on nurturing globally responsible individuals. Reddy: About five years ago, we made a focused effort to internationalise our campus. India was one of our first major outreach markets. Today, international students make up about 20% of our student body, and a majority of them are from India. We now have over 2,000 Indian students across our two campuses — St. Louis and Madrid. Reddy: We don't presume what international students need — we ask them. For example, Indian students told us that celebrating cultural events was important to them. Now, our Holi celebrations have become major campus-wide events, growing from 500 to over 1,100 participants, including non-Indian students. There's also strong Indian community support in the surrounding area — a new Indian supermarket just opened near campus, and we've even added Indian cuisine to our dining options. Reddy: At the graduate level, which sees more Indian enrolment, the most popular programs are in STEM fields — computer science, data analytics, cybersecurity, AI, and engineering. Public health and project management are also in demand. Undergraduate interests are more diverse, including health sciences and humanities. Reddy: Over 90% of eligible international students secure OPT positions after graduation. Degree completion rates are also high, well above 90%. We're proud of our employer satisfaction rates, which are also over 90%. These are strong indicators that our graduates are prepared and performing well. Reddy: Most master's programs cost around $42,000 total, which can be completed in three to four semesters. Many students prefer the accelerated 13-month track to reduce living expenses. We offer merit-based scholarships ranging from 10% to over 40% off tuition. While the top bracket is competitive, many students receive aid in the 15–25% range. Reddy: Yes, starting this fall, we're piloting a work program for about 165 international master's students. The program allows them to work 8–10 hours a week on campus to help with living expenses. It's not meant to replace scholarships but to ease some day-to-day costs. Reddy: SLU is located in St. Louis, Missouri, a mid-sized American city that offers everything from cultural and professional opportunities to excellent medical facilities. It's big enough to provide resources, but small enough not to feel overwhelming. Students can easily find Indian groceries, restaurants, and community groups, making it easier to adjust and feel at home.
