Basketball

Golden State Warriors host first-ever Sikh Awareness Night

Published

2 years ago

November 15, 2018

Mohamed Bafakih

OAKLAND, CALIF. (Diya TV) — Oracle Arena was the site of the first-ever Sikh Awareness Night as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 117-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night.

It was the second one in as many weeks throughout the NBA as the Los Angeles Clippers introduced it to their home crowd last week.

Other teams and leagues have previously hosted Sikh Heritage Nights, including the San Jose Sharks, who were the first NHL team last year to hold such an event.

Aman Singh, part of the local gurdwaras organization to put the event together, was excited for the community to be represented.

“We contribute to society here, so it’s great to be able to be part of this, to be able to have exposure and allow other folks in the community to get an idea of our heritage, Sikh values,” Singh said.

Fans got there early enough to take pictures outside Oracle and awaiting them inside was an up-close view of Stephen Curry’s highly-anticipated shootaround.

Soon enough, Singh — who was also coaching the pregame scrimmage — would hit the Warriors hardwood with 16 young kids from the Sikh community to shot hoops.

For 13-year-old Gagandeep Kaur of Milpitas, it was an unforgettable moment to be out there.

“Being able to play on the same court as my inspirations means a lot,” she said.

The five-minute scrimmage right before players from the Warriors and Grizzlies hit the floor included some dazzling shots and a buzzer-beater as well.

Members of the two teams remained close by as they eventually stood in front of their inspirations during the National Anthem.

Additionally, right after halftime, they were greeted with high-fives from Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and among others coming out of the tunnel.

“It’s great to be part of something like this,” Singh said.

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Basketball

India, Pakistan spar over women’s rights in Kashmir

Published

8 months ago

October 8, 2019

Jose Garza

NEW YORK (Diya TV) — At the United Nations, both India and Pakistan’s representatives took shots at their counterpart over women’s rights. Islamabad’s outgoing envoy to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, said the women in Jammu and Kashmir were suffering due to the communication blackout in the state. India’s First Secretary to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said, without naming Pakistan, these “baseless statements” were ironic given the amount of honor killings that take place there annually.

Rajeev Majumdar is the new president of the Washington State Bar Association, becoming the first state bar president of South Asian descent in the United States.

For the first time, India entered the ranks of the top ten countries sending visitors to the United States, with tourists from India spending nearly $16 billion in the U.S. in 2018 alone.

And while the Kings and Pacers played two entertaining games in Mumbai, their legacy will include supporting five under-resourced schools in and around the region, outfitting them with Smart Classrooms, STEM training and new basketball courts.

Ravi Kapur contributed to this report.

Basketball

Gandhi 150th birth anniversary noted around the world

Published

8 months ago

October 5, 2019

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Celebrations for Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary have been ongoing for the past year, but culminated with a ceremony in New Delhi featuring Prime Minister Modi and another in Washington at the Library of Congress. And France’s government worked with the Indian Embassy there to issue a stamp in honor of his birth anniversary.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal are meeting this week to continue the US-India discussion on trade and investment.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb came to New Delhi to strengthen ties between the Hoosier State and India. Infosys has already made a large commitment there. Holcomb is part of a large delegation of Americans now heading Mumbai to take in the first-ever NBA preseason games in India featuring the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings.

Bollywood turned Hollywood actor Anupam Kher came to the Bay Area to keynote the Akshay Patra annual fundraising gala that helps feed children in India a hot meal during the school year.

Ravi Kapur contributed to this report.

Basketball

Houston cop Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal remembered, fund set up for family

Published

8 months ago

October 5, 2019

Staff Reporter

HOUSTON (Diya TV) — The loss of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal while on a routine traffic stop has stunned people around the country. Everyone from Texas governor Greg Abbott to the Houston Texans football team are honoring the Dhaliwal. A GoFundMe page has been setup to support his family, with totals so far in excess of $700,000.

Before Prime Minister Modi headed back to India following his Houston community summit & UN speeches, he met with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The Hawaii Congresswoman & Democratic Presidential candidate has been criticized for her support of Modi. But she was happy to highlight the importance of the US-India relationship on Twitter.

The NBA is in India this week for their first-ever preseason games that will feature the Indiana Pacers & Sacramento Kings. The Gateway of India was illuminated with bright colors & there are a series of events in and around the games going on in Delhi & Mumbai.

Ravi Kapur contributed to this report.