World
Obama singles out US soccer’s Indian-American chief
By Arun Kumar
Washington: US President Barack Obama singled out US Soccer Federation’s (USSF) Indian-American President Sunil Gulati as he welcomed the US women’s World Cup-winning champions into the White House.
“I want to recognize a lot of people who made these incredibly talented women-put them in a position to be able to showcase their talent so effectively,” he said Tuesday welcoming the team that overcame Japan 5-2 in a thrilling Canada 2015 Final in July
“First of all, US Soccer President Sunil Gulati. Please give him a big round of applause,” said Obama amid applause. He also praised the team’s “outstanding coach, Jill Ellis.”
Allahabad-born Gulati, 56, was unanimously re-elected to a record third four-year term as USSF president in March 2014.
A former president of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer, he is also a senior lecturer in the economics department of Columbia University.
“These champions deserve all the attention that they’ve been getting. After 16 long years, too many heartbreaks, they flew north to put America back on top of the soccer world and they did it in style,” Obama said. All 23 players, coaches and backroom staff filed in to the East Room, greeted by a loud ovation from the invited guests. To begin the ceremony, a 13-year-old girl, Ayla, from Massachusetts, shared a letter she wrote to President and Mrs. Obama towards the end of Canada 2015.
The letter explained her anger after her brother told her that ‘boys are so much better at soccer than girls’, and that she wanted the White House’s help to prove him wrong.
Obama hailed young Ayla’s courage and used her letter to frame his congratulatory remarks to the recent Women’s World Cup champions. “They’ve done it with class. They’ve done it the right way. They’ve done it with excitement. They’ve done with style. We are very, very proud of them,” he said.
“Girls like Ayla [were told] they weren’t somehow supposed to be as good at sports as boys,” Obama said. “And Ayla got mad, and she should be mad with those attitudes.”
“This team taught all America’s children that ‘playing like a girl’ means you’re a badass. Playing like a girl means being the best. It means drawing the largest TV audience for a soccer match – men or women’s – in American history.”
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.