High nos abroad reason behind more Telugus falling victim 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Hyderabad: Of the 1.1 lakh Indian students chasing the education-in-US dream,an estimated 45% are from Andhra Pradesh,followed by Gujarat and Punjab.Those observing the chalo America trend,picking up over the last three decades,say that Telugu students figuring invariably as victims in many accidents or murders has less to do with hatred and more with sheer numbers.
K Seshadri Rao,the MBA student shot dead in Boston,hailed from Odisha,but his Telugu name had many in Hyderabad noting that their communitys resolve to ensure that at least one child makes it to the US has added to the number of students hailing from the state.
Education consultants say its not just an estimate.Almost half of the total number of students studying in the US is from Andhra Pradesh.Obviously if there is crime involving an Indian national,the probability of a Telugu student getting targeted is much higher, says a consultant.
V Venkatramanna,dean,school of management studies,University of Hyderabad,points out how these are crimes rooted in numbers and not hatred.AP produces a lot of IIT graduates and it is only a natural progression that these graduates get into IT companies and often settle in the Bay Area, he said.
Ramana Reddy,special secretary and in-charge for NRI affairs,says that the attacks are not region specific.During the last few years,Reddy says that around 10 students/professionals from AP have been shot dead abroad.Telugu students figured in large numbers among those trapped in the Tri Valley case the university that had been running an immigration racket.
US is largely a safe country for students but after the racial attacks in Australia followed by stricter visa norms in UK,the number of students going abroad has come down marginally, says Surya Ganesh Valmiki,CEO,Valmiki Group.He said that now Canada was becoming a preferred destination for students in AP.
However,Ramana Reddy maintains that annually,the number of students going abroad for higher studies are increasing and especially to the US ever since the US Consulate was set up in Hyderabad.

NEW ROLE 
Desi legal eagle placed in US top court 

Srikanth Srinivasan Gets Highest-Ever Judicial Appointment For An Indian 

Chidanand Rajghatta TNN 

Washington: US President Barack Obama on Monday nominated India-born legal luminary Srikanth Srinivasan to the Federal Court of Appeals,the highest ever judicial appointment of an Indian-American in the US and a powerful reminder of the extraordinary strides the community has made while deeply integrating into American society.
The nomination,which will have to be confirmed by the US Senate,puts an Indian-American in one of the most powerful positions in the American judicial system since the US Court of Appeals sets legal precedent in regions that cover millions of people.There are 13 Court of Appeals across the US with 179 judges,and the Washington DC Appeals Court to which Srinivasan has been nominated is considered particularly influential,with Obama himself calling it the nations second highest court. Because the US Supreme Court hears less than 100 of the more than 10,000 cases filed with it annually,Courts of Appeals serve as the final arbiter on most federal cases.If confirmed by the Senate,the judgeship is a lifetime tenure.
Srinivasans nomination,along with that of New York Counsel Caitlin Halligan,both announced by the White House on Monday,is not without controversy.Some Obama supporters are said to have opposed his name because of his work in the US Solicitor Generals office during the Bush administration,and the Senate blocked Halligans nomination last year.But President Obama,who himself has a legal background,pushed ahead with the nomination,firmly backing the two appointments.
Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience,intellect,and integrity to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Obama said in a statement.This important court is often called the Nations secondhighest court,and it stands more than a quarter vacant.Mr Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and,like Ms Halligan,will serve the court with distinction and excellence.'
The appointment electrified the Indian-American community which has high visibility in the US.We are tugging on the arc of history and bending it towards justice gaining political popularity,strength and sophistication, exulted Toby Chaudhuri,a Democratic strategist who has worked with the Clinton,Gore,and Obama campaigns.This president has appointed a record-number who have shattered barriers across the country. 
Other judges of Indian-origin serving currently include Judge Amul Thapar at the US District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky (Appointed Dec.2007) and Jay Gandhi at Central District of California (Appointed April 2010).
Sri Srinivasan,as he is popularly known,was born in Chandigarh and grew up in Lawrence,Kansas,before receiving a BA,and later a JD and MBA from Stanford University.He clerked with Justice Sandra Day OConnor and litigated with distinction before the US Supreme Court and the US Courts of Appeals,both on behalf of the United States and in private practice,before President Obama appointed him US Principal Deputy Solicitor General (to replace another Indian-American Neal Katyal),a position he has held since August 2011.
Srinivasan has also taught at Harvard Law School.His sister,Srinija Srinivasan,is one of Yahoo originals,employee number 5 of the company before she left the storied Silicon Valley start-up in 2010 after 15 years there.Obama also appointed her as a member of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 2010.