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    Newsmakers of the Week                                                    JULY 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 30

                             NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

                       Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

                                     NIRAV SHAH                                                          A R RAHMAN

              Indian American Impact Endorses                                       Musician captivates Washington

                      Candidate for U.S. Senate                                  with National Symphony Orchestra

            Washington, DC

               ndian American Impact has endorsed Nirav Shah for United States Senate
               in Maine. If elected, Shah would be only the second South Asian American
            Iever to serve in the U.S. Senate, and the only South Asian American cur-  Washington, DC
            rently sitting in the chamber.
                Indian American Impact endorsed Shah earlier this year in his campaign   usic maestro A R Rahman captivated a packed audience during his
            for Governor of Maine. Shah enters the race with real grassroots strength.   concert with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap, earning
            During his campaign for governor, he hosted more than 30 town halls — more  Ma standing ovation.
            than any other candidate in the primary — and finished first in the initial   Presented soon after the recent United States’ 250th anniversary celebra-
            round of voting, winning both of Maine’s congressional districts and more   tions, the concert brought together Indian classical music, Western symphonic
            towns than any other candidate.                                     arrangements and contemporary compositions in a format that reflected Rah-
                Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact, released   man’s approach to music over the past three decades.
            the following statement:
                “We are proud to endorse Nirav Shah for United States Senate because   Accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra, Rahman pre-
            Maine deserves a fighter, not another term of Susan Collins enabling Trump’s
            corruption after nearly thirty years in Washington. Nirav has already earned  sented orchestral versions of several of his compositions, with In-
            that trust with Mainers, finishing first in the initial round of voting for gover-  dian instruments, classical vocals and live dance integrated into
            nor with real grassroots strength.
                Nirav has always led through crises with steadiness and competence, and  the production. The orchestral arrangements complemented the
            now he’s ready to fight for the people who need it most by: lowering health   Indian musical elements, creating a balanced sound that resonat-
            care costs, holding billionaires and corporations accountable, and standing up
            for our immigrant neighbors against Trump’s attacks. If elected, Nirav would  ed throughout the evening, as per a press note.
            be only the second South Asian American ever to serve in the U.S. Senate,
            and the only one serving in the Senate now.                             Rahman also shared the spotlight with his ensemble of singers and musi-
                Indian American Impact has stood with Nirav from his first campaign,   cians, introducing each performer to the audience and giving them space to lead
            and we are proud to stand with him again as he takes on Susan Collins.”  different sections of the concert. Their performances added depth to the eve-
                Since its inception in 2016, Indian American Impact has endorsed and   ning and reflected the collaborative nature of the production.
            supported 200+ candidates across the country, contributing to the historic   Another standout moment was an orchestral presentation from Rahman’s
            rise of Indian and South Asian American representation in politics. Through   Ramayan project with composer Hans Zimmer. Enhanced by a graceful classi-
            strategic investments and grassroots organizing, Impact has marshaled up-  cal Indian dance performance, the piece seamlessly blended mythology, sweep-
            wards of $20 million to candidates and robust voter mobilization and policy   ing orchestral music, and traditional storytelling, earning one of the night’s most
            advocacy efforts, amplifying the voices of South Asian Americans and driving   enthusiastic ovations.
            positive change in communities nationwide.                                                                   Continued on next page... >>

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