Columbia University professor of medicine Gaurav Shah and his wife Falu are emerging as a high-profile singing couple. Arthur J Pais reports.

United States President Barack Obama recently elevated Dr Rajiv Shah, who currently serves as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture, as administrator for the United States Agency for International Development.

UK based Indian origin scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has won the 2009 Nobel Prize [ Images ] for Chemistry along with American Thomas A Steitz and Isreali scientist Ada E Yonath.

Actor Kal Penn has formally started work at the White House, saying he is happy to take a break from Hollywood to serve in President Barack Obama’s administration.

“This is an incredibly historic time; I’m deeply honoured to be here and I hope to serve my country to the best of my ability,” the actor, whose given name is Kalpen Modi, told reporters on a conference call.

Two India-origin persons –Indra Nooyi and Shantanu Narayen — have been named among the top 25 chief executive officers in the US, who
kept their companies on success path despite challenging economic conditions, according to Forbes magazine.