Siliconeer bids a fond adieu to Shashi Kapoor, 79, who passed away Dec. 4. Kapoor acted in over a hundred Bollywood movies since late 1940s, when he first appeared as a child actor. He has also acted in many international movies and was the first Bollywood actor to have done Hollywood and British movies. (Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images)

While the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 had a clear message, empowering women entrepreneurship, it is saddening to see New America Media, a highly esteemed organization of close to 3,000 ethnic media outlets, close its doors after nearly five decades of service.

The three-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 held in November, in Hyderabad, was organized by the U.S. administration in partnership with Niti Aayog. While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited global entrepreneurs to invest in India, Ivanka Trump said that reducing gender gap in the labor force by half can help boost Indian economy by over $150 billion in the next three years. The summit had a clear message — empowering women entrepreneurship. Siliconeer presents highlights from #GES2017.

What once started as a simple mission to give real news about America’s involvement in the wars, back in the early 70s, became the principal support system for numerous ethnic communities in America today. Sandy Close and Franz Schurmann brought forth New America Media and Pacific News Service, a coalition of more than 3,000 ethnic media publishers. It is saddening to see this highly esteemed organization closing its doors after nearly five decades of service, writes our youth editor Vansh A. Gupta.

There are several differing views on his life but Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was an educator above everything else. The man who made AMU possible had his Bicentennial celebrated all over the world this year. And one such event will be held in the San Francisco Bay area at the India Community Center, in Milpitas, Dec. 16, writes Ras H. Siddiqui.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai has come under a blistering attack by several Indian American lawmakers and activists for his proposal to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality policy, writes Lalit K. Jha.

Jan. 5, 2018 marks the 125th birth anniversary of one of the pioneering fathers of Yoga in the West, Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the modern spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, and subject of the highly acclaimed documentary AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda (2014), writes Lauren Landress.

India’s Telecom regulator TRAI, Nov. 28, recommended measures for non-discriminatory access to all content and services available on Internet with some exceptions as required under government rule, court order and the likes. Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal says more consultation is needed.

At 17 years old, twin sisters Riya and Sara Kapoor are forging a new path in the world of dance. By bringing together Jazz, African Beats and Indian Carnatic music, Riya and Sara create pieces that are at once respectfully traditional and daringly modern.

Bollywood film director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest period saga, variously described as a fictional account based on the epic work of medieval Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jaisi penned in 1540 or a historical venture, “Padmavati,” has landed in a huge controversy, writes Priyanka Bhardwaj.

Siliconeer wishes all readers a very happy holidays!