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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MARCH 22, 2024 | The Indian Eye 35

and Indian immigrants. He is mar- REEMA PODDAR
ried to Anna Menon who works at
SpaceX, and they have two children. Executive elected to
Menon enjoys teaching general avi-
ation as a certified flight instructor
and has logged over 1,000 hours as Oceaneering’s board
a pilot.
Menon graduated from Saint
Paul Academy and Summit School ndian American executive, Re-
ema Poddar has been elected to
in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1995. Ithe Oceaneering board. She has
He received his bachelor’s degree about 30 years of software industry
in Neurobiology, from Harvard Uni- experience, including product strate-
versity, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
1999 and master’s degree in me- gy and product development. Kevin
Poddar,
Welcoming
chanical engineering from Stanford
University. McEvoy, Oceaneering’s chairman
of the board, stated, “Our strate-
At Harvard, Menon studied neu-
robiology and conducted research gic, robotics-focused vision will be
strengthened by her successes as an
on Huntington’s disease. He later spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassa- experienced technology executive
dorial Scholar to study and support Polio vaccination. He attended Stanford and respected thought leader and
Medical School where he studied engineering and medicine and worked on change agent.”
coding soft tissue models at NASA Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley,
Reema Poddar is the co-founder of AdFender Inc. and has been the
California. During his residency training in emergency medicine, Menon CEO for nearly 7 years. She served as a corporate executive council board
joined the California Air National Guard and gained experience in wilderness advisor to the dean of the Jacob School of Engineering, University of Cali-
medicine through support for remote adventure races like Racing The Planet.
fornia, San Diego. Since then, she has served as a director on the boards of
directors of leading firms such as OptimEyes AI and Accion Labs.
DEV PATEL She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades – California’s
Directorial debut ‘Monkey Man’ Top Business Technology Leadership Excellence award, Top 50 California
Diverse Leader award, induction into the Hall of Fame list of 100 Asian
Americans, Most Powerful Women in Technology, Most Impactful Business
gets standing ovation and Technology Leadership award; to name a few.

VIKAS KHANNA

Chef pays tribute through his

dish ‘Kiss in Kashmir’

ew York based Michelin
starred chef, Vikas Khanna,
Nwho is all set to unveil his
latest restaurant venture, Bungalow
New York, is paying a special trib-
ute to Saigal’s latest novel “A Kiss of
Kashmir: A Timeless Tale of Love”.
Author Monica Saigal released
her new book recently, “A Kiss in
Kashmir: A Timeless Tale of Love,”
which is set against the rich cultural
he much-anticipated India-set movie, ‘Monkey Man’ received a stand- tapestry of India’s Kashmir Valley. The story was inspired by Saigal’s own travels
ing ovation at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival, where its
Tworld premiere was held at the film gala. The gala is held annually in as a teenager. It is a sweet romance between Sharmila, a renowned Rajasthani
artist, and George, a retired American professor of Indian art history. It’s a nov-
Austin, Texas. The movie was introduced to the audience by filmmaker and el that explores the depth of love, loss and the many facets of the human heart.
producer Jordan Peele. Inspired by the legend of Lord Hanuman, “Monkey
“I vividly remember the enchanting beauty of Kashmir and how it seemed
Man” is set in Mumbai and features Patel as Kid, a man on a quest for ven- to be a magnet for love and celebration,” she recalled. “What struck me most
geance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue were the newlywed couples, particularly the brides with the wrists adorned
to systemically victimise the poor and powerless. with shimmering red bangles. That image has stayed with me and reinforced
“He (the character) really captivated me. He has been sort of an emblem
for my father and many in my family... If you go to any gym in India, there’s my belief that Kashmir, with its stunning natural beauty and cultural richness,
is a living testament to love.”
like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and Hanuman. What baffled Khanna posted on Instagram to announce a special addition to the Bun-
me growing up was this iconography of this super strong being who could galow menu – the “Kiss of Kashmir” dish. Bungalow will open its doors on
hold mountains in one hand and split his chest open. It reminded me of the March 23rd, a date chosen to coincide with what would have been his sister
iconography of Superman. I was like this is amazing, I wish the world knew Radhika’s 50th birthday.
about it,” Patel said, who was seen fighting back tears.
The film’s cast and crew joined him on the stage. The film stars popular Indian
actors Sobhita Dhulipala, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
Sikandar Kher, Pitobash and Makarand Deshpande, along with Sharlto Copley. our website www.TheIndianEYE.com

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