Created by RaushanYoganta
Last edited December 28, 2025

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox newspaper

India-West is an Indian American newspaper based in Northern California. Founded in 1975 as a monthly publication, it switched to a weekly format in 1978, and went fully digital in 2022.[1][2]

At its peak, it was one of the two leading Indian American newspapers, alongside India Abroad.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Co-founders Ramesh and Bina Murarka have been the publisher and editor for over four decades.[2][9]

Headquartered in San Leandro, California, it also once operated bureaus in Los Angeles and Mumbai.

The paper has received dozens of ethnic media awards.[10][11][12][13]

Coverage

As a general interest newspaper, India-West has covered a wide range of topics related to Indian American communities.

It has featured interviews with Indian prime Minister Indira Gandhi and U.S. President George H. W. Bush, in addition to a wide range of South Asian and South Asian American artists, entrepreneurs, politicians, and community members.[14][15][16] It was also a publisher of the State of California's "On the Record" columns.[17]

Researchers have studied or cited India-West's coverage of Indian American acculturation,[18] immigration politics,[19] businesses,[20] labor,[21] gender,[22] domestic violence,[23] dance,[24] theater,[25] and community organizations.[26]

One of its most notable investigative reports exposed the presence of beef fat in McDonald's french fries marketed as vegetarian, leading to a high-profile lawsuit and public apology.[11][13][27][28]

Relationship to other media

In 1997, India-West and its East Coast rival India Abroad opened up a shared office building in San Leandro, which India-West hoped to use as a headquarters, and India Abroad as a West Coast office; further plans for integration never materialized.[29][30]

In the mid-2000s, India-West's publishers ran a quarterly lifestyle magazine called Indian Life & Style.[31][32]

In 2019, India-West acquired Southern California paper India Journal.[33]

The paper has also collaborated with other publications, including joint coverage of the Lakireddy Bali Reddy trafficking case with the San Francisco Examiner.[34]

Archives

India-West is archived on ProQuest's Ethnic Newswatch database, and since 2021, in NewsBank America's News.

As a key chronicler of post-1965 Indian American life, it is frequently cited by South Asian American historians and researchers.[35][36][37]

References

  1. India-West To Become A Weekly In August. India-West(June 1, 1978).
  2. 2.0 2.1 Paper offers news of India to immigrants. The Daily News(June 23, 1985).
  3. Culture and Economy in the Indian Diaspora{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2003-09-02). ISBN 978-1-134-49052-3
  4. Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans [4 volumes]{{#if:Bayor|, Bayor}. Bloomsbury Publishing USA(2011-07-22). ISBN 979-8-216-11993-7
  5. Namaste America: Indian Immigrants in an American Metropolis{{#if:Rangaswamy|, Rangaswamy}. Penn State Press(2000). ISBN 978-0-271-04349-4
  6. Counseling Asian Indian Immigrant Families: A Pastoral Psychotherapeutic Model{{#if:Jacob|, Jacob}. Springer(2017-11-01). ISBN 978-3-319-64307-6
  7. To Be or Not to Be South Asian: Contemporary Indian American Politics. Journal of Asian American Studies({Template:Date).
  8. Template:Cite report
  9. Newspaper data book : Encyclopedia of the Newspaper Industry{{#if:|, }. Editor & Publisher(2016). ISBN 978-1-930732-65-0
  10. Awards Honor Excellence in Ethnic Media. AsianWeek(2006-01-26).
  11. 11.0 11.1 India-West Wins NCM Award. India-West(Sep 13, 2002).
  12. India-West Wins Two Awards. India-West(Oct 31, 2003).
  13. 13.0 13.1 Awards. India-West.
  14. We're Not Harassing The People...Prime Minister Tells India-West In An Exclusive Interview. India-West(15 Jan 1977).
  15. President Meets With APA Media. AsianWeek(1992-06-26).
  16. Ro Khanna: I Have a Great Relationship With the White House. India-West(September 16, 2022). Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  17. "On the Record" Column Participating Outlets. Governor of California(December 2019).
  18. Template:Cite thesis
  19. Template:Cite thesis
  20. Template:Cite thesis
  21. Template:Cite thesis
  22. Emerging Voices: South Asian American Women Redefine Self, Family, and Community{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. AltaMira Press(1999). ISBN 0761992952
  23. Template:Cite thesis
  24. Template:Cite thesis
  25. Template:Cite thesis
  26. Live Like the Banyan Tree: Images of the Indian American Experience: an Exhibition at the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies{{#if:Prasad|, Prasad}. The Historical Society of PA(1999). ISBN 978-1-4223-5821-4
  27. For Hindus and Vegetarians, Surprise in McDonald's Fries. The New York Times(2001-05-20). Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  28. McDonald's To Settle Suits On Beef Tallow In French Fries. The New York Times(2002-03-09). Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  29. Pioneer Publisher Gopal Raju Dies. India-West(18 Apr 2008).
  30. India Abroad-India West alliance is announced. India Abroad(26 Dec 1997).
  31. Indian life & style. ISSN Portal. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  32. Indian Life & Style. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  33. India-West Announces Acquisition of Los Angeles-based India Journal. India-West(16 Aug 2019).
  34. How can collaborations between ethnic and mainstream outlets serve communities in the digital age?. American Press Institute(2017-10-04). Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  35. Making Ethnic Choices: California's Punjabi Mexican Americans{{#if:Leonard|, Leonard}. Temple University Press(2010-08-17). ISBN 978-1-4399-0364-3
  36. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, 1900–2017{{#if:Kowalewski|, Kowalewski}. Government Printing Office(2017). ISBN 978-0-16-094356-0
  37. Template:Cite thesis