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Newsmakers of the Week NOVEMBER 06, 2026 | The Indian Eye 31

ANAHAT SINGH A longtime member of the com-
munity, Bhatt says she understands
Squash prodigy loses Silicon Valley the everyday challenges facing local

Open Semi Final families, including balancing profes-
sional responsibilities, raising chil-
dren and managing the rising cost of
living.
Drawing on her professional
background, Bhatt emphasizes a
practical, problem-solving approach
to public service. Her career in re-
search, development, engineering
and technology has involved exam-
ining facts, careful planning and
identifying workable solutions—
skills she believes are equally im-
portant in local government.
Her involvement in communi-
ty service extends beyond her pro-
fessional life. As a trustee of the
AARC, Bhatt has contributed to ini-
tiatives focused on civic education for adults and new immigrants, disaster
relief and essential community services. She has also served as vice presi-
dent of the organization’s Women’s Wing.
If elected, Bhatt says her priorities will include addressing several issues
that directly affect Manville residents and their quality of life.
edwood City, CA: India’s squash prodigy Anahat Singh suffered a 3-1 Among her key areas of focus are stabilizing property taxes and protect-
defeat to Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the ongoing Silicon
RValley Open squash tournament on Friday (Local Time), marking the ing affordability for working families, tackling flooding and addressing infra-
structure requirements, strengthening public safety, and supporting smart
end of the 18-year-old’s campaign in the tournament in Redwood City. development while preserving the character of established neighborhoods.
While Anahat registered an 11-5 victory in the first game, the Malaysian
She also wants to encourage economic opportunities and expand com-
squash player staged a solid comeback to win the next three games on the trot munity services to meet residents’ needs.
to defeat the Indian counterpart 3-1 (5-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7). Bhatt believes effective local government begins with listening to resi-
Notably, Sivasangari had also denied Anahat the gold medal in the wom-
en’s singles squash event at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. dents, respecting taxpayers and developing practical responses to communi-
ty concerns. She has stressed the importance of delivering tangible solutions
After her semifinal victory, Sivasangari praised Anahat’s talent and de-
scribed her as a dangerous opponent, noting that she was already among the rather than making promises that are difficult to fulfill.
Her campaign reflects an emphasis on combining professional expertise
top players despite her young age. She said she started slowly but regained her with community involvement and an understanding of the concerns facing
rhythm by improving her accuracy, which helped her turn the match around. local households.
“Anahat is very talented and so dangerous. She’s definitely amongst the
As she seeks a place on the Manville Borough Council, Bhatt is pre-
top girls now, and she’s still so young. Coming into today’s match, I started a senting herself as a candidate whose priorities center on affordability, infra-
bit slow but got myself back into it, and I’m glad with the way I finished it. Ob- structure, public safety, responsible development and stronger community
viously it’s easy to fall into her game; it wasn’t really a ‘who’s playing the best services.
shot’ kind of game, but I needed ot find my accuracy and once I found that, The fundraiser also illustrated the growing participation of Indian
the game changed. I could have done a few things a bit better, but overall I’m American entrepreneurs in New York’s civic and political life, as successful
happy with the performance,” she said, as quoted by the PSA website. immigrant business leaders increasingly engage with elected officials and
Earlier, Anahat Singh scripted history by reaching the semifinals of the
Silicon Valley Open Squash tournament after defeating world No. 14 Salma candidates on issues affecting the state’s economic future.
Hany 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5) in a 42-minute match. With the victo- To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
ry, she became the first Indian woman squash player since 2019 to reach the our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
semifinals of a PSA Tour Gold-level event. It was also her maiden semifinal
appearance at this level.

MANISHA BHATT

Brings Professional Experience,

Community Service and Practical

Priorities to Manville Borough

Council Race

anville, NJ : Manisha Bhatt, a Manville resident, mother of two, com-
munity volunteer and senior research and development engineering
Mand technology professional, is bringing her professional experience
and commitment to community service to her bid for a seat on the Manville
Borough Council.

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