Dear Readers,

As we close out 2025, I find myself reflecting on how much this year asked of us—and how much we accomplished together.

This was not an easy year for local journalism.

Philanthropic support remained uncertain, and the pressures facing independent newsrooms only intensified.

And yet, India Currents grew—in reach, in relevance, and in resolve.

Through expanded syndication, most notably with MSN, our stories reached nearly 2 million page views, engaging 635,000 readersacross the country. These numbers matter, not because they signal scale alone, but because they reflect trust—trust in journalism that centers the Indian American experience with care, nuance, and integrity.

One of the most powerful expressions of that trust was “We Belong,” our traveling exhibit chronicling South Asian American stories in Silicon Valley. Presented across eight San José Public Library locations, the exhibit welcomed more than 75,000 visitors, turning libraries into spaces of shared memory, reflection, and belonging. Watching people pause, read, recognize themselves—or their neighbors—was a reminder that storytelling, at its best, creates connection.

2025 also brought meaningful recognition from peers. Our reporters earned multiple awards from the California News Publishers Association, the San Francisco Press Club, and American Community Media, affirming the rigor and heart of our newsroom. We received institutional support from Press Forward, LION, URL Media, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the City of San José, and UC Berkeley, which placed a Local News Fellow in our newsroom—allowing us to report more deeply on the issues that shape our lives.

Just as important was our investment in people. Members of our team were selected for competitive fellowships and leadership programs focused on health reporting, AI and audience engagement, multilingual journalism, and nonprofit sustainability. These opportunities are not just professional milestones; they are how we ensure India Currents remains future-facing while staying rooted in community values.

We also took some thoughtful risks this year. In 2025, we made a deliberate effort to engage next-generation readers, using AI as a tool—not a replacement—to inform our work. We experimented with audience personas and tailored content to better meet younger readers where they are. Early signs are promising, and we are committed to building this into a sustainable, human-centered approach to growth.

Yet sustaining this work remains an ongoing challenge. More than 175 readers contributed nearly $70,000 this year to support our journalism, and for that, I am deeply grateful. At the same time, growing a culture of reader support within the Indian diaspora continues to be essential. Community journalism survives not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.

On a personal note, I was genuinely tickled to receive an unexpected email this year—from Radio Zindagi and Building Women Empowered—informing me that I would be honored with the Femfest 2025 Shakti Award. After nearly four decades of building India Currents, often quietly and behind the scenes, the recognition felt less like a personal accolade and more like a shared acknowledgment of the work we have all poured into this community.

To our readers, donors, partners, and collaborators: thank you. Your belief in India Currents allows us to preserve our stories, challenge silence, and create spaces where our community sees itself reflected with dignity and depth.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to being a trusted, independent voice for Indian Americans—and to building a future where our stories continue to matter.

With gratitude and hope,
Vandana Kumar
CEO & Publisher
India Currents

Our Impact

Peer Recognition & Leadership

Invited by San José State University leadership to explore a long-term partnership to preserve the legacy of India Currents and co-build the South Asians in Silicon Valley initiative.
Presented “We Belong” at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation Journalism Retreat on the invitation of Renaissance Journalism.
Recognized by peers, including a testimonial from Sasha Khokha (KQED).

Awards & Excellence in Journalism

Community & Network Impact

“We Belong” Traveling Exhibit showcased across the San José Public Library system, engaging tens of thousands of visitors.
Media partnerships with USC, Growing Up Asian in America, and KQED, amplifying Indian American voices through collaborative storytelling.
Alka Joshi, an Indian–American author and novelist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, found Meher Jammi’s article Teen & Brown In The Midwest: ‘No One Could See Beyond My Color, & It Crushed Me.’ relatable, offering her books to the youth writer.

Media Amplification & Thought Leadership

India Currents’ reporting was republished nationally via American Community Media, URL Media, and INN newsletters, extending our reach and impact.
Vandana Kumar was featured in Nieman Reports, showcasing the role of immigrant-led newsrooms in advancing equity in journalism.
Vandana Kumar contributed expertise to a peer-reviewed study on nonprofit news revenue models published in Digital Journalism.
Vandana Kumar appeared on Sharon Richmond’s podcast, To Lead Is Human, sharing insights on leadership, community-building, and sustaining mission-driven journalism.
We were media partners for 9 Community Organizations / Media Houses / Film festivals
Indiaspora spotlighted the final version of the story on remittance tax in the Big Beautiful Bill by Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney in their newsletter

Training & Professional Development

Leadership Development

Vandana Kumar was selected as a Knight Fellow for the Media Transformation Challenge (MTC), a national leadership program focused on innovation and sustainability in journalism.
Vandana Kumar was named a June & Simon Li Leadership Transformation Fellow by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Staff Fellowships & Specialized Training

Prachi Singh was selected for CUNY’s AI Community Engagement Lab, exploring responsible AI tools to deepen audience connection, resulting in the launch of Career Clarity Compass, a reflective tool to help young Indian Americans think through personal and cultural dimensions of career decisions.
Tanay Gokhale was selected as a 2025 California Health Equity Fellow and Engagement Grantee by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism; reported on the health needs of Sikh immigrant communities in California.
Meera Kymal and Prachi Singh were accepted into the 2025 INN Audience Studio, a national cohort experimenting with ways to increase engagement via better metrics, newsletter engagement, and social video
Vijay Rajvaidya and Priya Lava were selected for Newspack’s Revenue Development Program (RDP), strengthening organizational capacity for reader revenue and sustainability.
Meera Kymal accepted into the 2025 LION Peer Learning Group for Immigrant News Leaders, a national cohort supporting leadership in ethnic and immigrant media.

Industry Convenings & Thought Leadership

Prachi Singh was invited to the API Local News Summit on Civic Discourse Across Generations and the New Product Alliance Summit on Redefining journalism for democratic resilience in the age of AI and platform fragmentation.
Vandana Kumar was invited to participate in the Lenfest News Philanthropy Network convening in Philadelphia, focused on sustainable funding models for local news.
Priya Lavakumar attended INN Days, engaging with nonprofit newsroom leaders from across the country.
Meera Kymal attended a URL Media convening in Washington, DC, strengthening national partnerships.

Leadership in Media & Journalism

Prachi Singh and Vandana Kumar moderated two panels at the California News Publishers Association (CNPA) Gala, contributing to statewide conversations on the future of journalism:
- Can a Nonprofit Model Save Local Journalism? — moderated by Vandana Kumar, featuring leaders from Newswell, Stocktonia, and Ben Romo & Associates.
- Newsletters: How We Did It — moderated by Prachi Singh, sharing practical strategies for audience engagement.
Vandana Kumar was invited by the American Press Institute to share India Currents’ experiments in engaging next-generation audiences, highlighting frameworks for reaching younger readers.
Vandana Kumar served as a speaker at the INN panel in Minneapolis, Breaking Barriers to Serve Multilingual Audiences, sharing insights from India Currents’ community-centered reporting.
Tanay Gokhale was featured on KQED Forum and The California Report, discussing his reporting on Sikh communities in California and elevating immigrant voices in statewide media.
Vandana Kumar was invited to the AAJA Nonprofit Leaders Summit, contributing to national discussions on sustainability, leadership, and community journalism.

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You engaged with us

~2 million pageviews on our stories.
Our Consistent returners grew 263.64% (3.6 times) from 2024
Our Instagram post about Indian Immigrants Growing Old in Florida was shared 2.2K times, has 649 saves and brought us 418 followers
We launched Rooted, a space for young Indian Americans to share their voice and find belonging, with a total of 245.K views and a reach of 86.7K across TikTok and Instagram.
Engagement rate of younger audience on India Currents grew from 69.25% in July of 2025 to 91.62% by December 2025
The IMMIGRATION category was the largest driver of volume, with extremely high engagement of 5.241 minutes.
For one segment of our returning audience, we saw 7.2 visits per reader with 2.9 views per visit, spending an average time of 5 mins 7 seconds.
Our WhatsApp community has grown to 580 members
Based on audience response to our coverage of “Brown Heart” Documentary, we held a Chai & Chat with the Drs. Nirmal and Renu Joshi, one of our best-performing episodes.

Institutional Support & Investments in Our Work

UC Berkeley placed a Local News Fellow in the India Currents newsroom, expanding our reporting capacity and strengthening community-centered journalism.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation awarded $20,000 in support of our local reporting and community engagement efforts.
URL Media provided $11,000 to advance collaboration and amplification of our journalism within a national network of BIPOC-led newsrooms.
Press Forward invested $50,000 to support India Currents’ mission to deliver high-quality, independent journalism serving the Indian American community.
LION Publishers awarded $20,000 to strengthen newsroom sustainability and leadership within immigrant-led media.

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