E newspaper10092015 by Indo American News

Friday, October 09 2015 | Vol. 34, No. 41

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October 09, 2015

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COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Mahatma Gandhi Library Celebrates 1000 Lights for Peace

Mahatma Gandhi Museum announced at the 146th”Gandhi Jayanti” celebrations.

HOUSTON: Mahatma Gandhi Library along with more than 100 organizations concluded Mahatma Gandhi Week 2015 with big fanfare on Sunday, October 4, at Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park. The evening celebrated 146th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated as 1000 Lights For Peace. The 10th Annual 1000 Lights for Peace, was another huge success. Each year Mahatma Gandhi Library organizes month long activities culminating in celebration of Gandhi Jayanti on weekend following October 2, Gandhiji’s actual birthday. The spirits of the Houstonians attending the program were truly visible during this auspicious celebration. The weather was picture perfect. The brilliant day started with the Walk for Peace with garlanding of a picture of Mahatma Gandhi and the lighting of the authentic 1966 Olympic Torch. The participants walked almost 5 kilometers around Hermann Park voting for peace with their feet and demonstrating that a life of peace is a daily steadfast commitment that requires the patience of a man trying to empty the sea with a cup. During the walk, many proudly displayed signs of Peace, Truth, Non-violence and Love spreading the message that resonated throughout the city of Houston. Upon their arrival back at Miller Outdoor Theater, they were welcomed onto the main stage by a musical tribute from the talented Katy McMeans Junior High band, conducted by George Liverman. The 1000 lights For Peace program, started promptly at 6pm with

an invocation by Imam Mubasher Ahmad from Ahmadiya Muslim Community, Greater Houston, Rev Daniel Dominguez from Centro Familiar Cristiano in Sugarland, and Dr. Kavita Vachaknavee from Arya Samaj Greater Houston. Aashish Jain, recent graduate from Northwestern University, was a commanding Master of Ceremonies and kept the evening flowing with historical perspectives on not only Mahatma Gandhi, but also prominent international social reformers including Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu. The evening started with more than 100 adorable and talented children from Houston’s St. Catherine Montessori Catholic Choir directed by Tim and Mindy Snow. They brilliantly sang “Kumbaya” and “A Candle for Peace.”The Ballet Folkorico “Raices del Peru” of Houston performed the first International act of the evening. Ananya Choudary winner of the 11 and over speech contest, inspired the crowd by reciting her winning speech titled “Does War Lead to Peace?” The delightful children from the

Ahmadiya Muslim Community wearing traditional dresses recited the poem “Lover for All, Hatred for None.” The next cultural item came from El Grupo Folklorico Internacional performing a colorful and rhythmic dance titled “Raices De Mi Tierra.” The students of the Anjali Center of Performing Arts, directed by Rathna Kumar, then performed a classical Indian dance “Seeking Peace”. The crowd then welcomed the adorable Kareena Kamal who dazzled the crowd by presenting her winning speech from the 10 and under category titled “Bullying: My Perspective.” Atul Kothari, founder of Mahatma Gandhi Library, presented a plaque of appreciation to volunteer Sesh Bala for his unconditional and everlasting dedication as coordinator of Walk for Peace. Dr. Manish Wani, on behalf of the MGL board, was thrilled to announce the planning for the new Mahatma Gandhi Museum to be built in Stafford, Texas. The land has been secured and preparations are underway. The Mahatma Gandhi Museum design will unite

site-specific elements with sustainable strategies to promote the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. The unique experience of the new museum will features galleries as separate structures staggered along the east-west axis and linked by an elevated walkway. As the buildings meander through the narrow site, a series of green oases weave the galleries and breezy verandas, where visitors can linger and enjoy the water gardens. As visitors make their way through the museum, they constantly move between the galleries and the verandas. The goal is to provide a venue where children of all ages can enjoy, learn and recognize the importance of the values of peace, truth and nonviolence and also, to offer a place for adults of all ages to reflect and understand the deeper meaning of non-violent truth as exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi. The last international performance of the evening was a dynamic performance by the KoumonKe’le’ African Dance & Drum Ensemble, directed by Christina Gerard. The Keynote Speaker for the evening, Rev. Howard Caesar, Senior Minister at Unity Hous-

ton, addressed the audience informing them about “peace starts with me” and encouraged all to think, 1000 Lights for Peace as Million Lights for Peace. Rev Howard, presented the wellearned awards to more than the 30 winners of the city-wide contests held by Mahatma Gandhi Library. The Gandhi Darshan Exhibit portraying the chronologic lifetime of Gandhiji with actual photographs from that era was also displayed at the Miller Outdoor Theater and was enjoyed by many visitors. The spectacular evening concluded with the lighting of a candle by all in attendance and a pledge to observe peace in their own lives. The candle lighting quickly spread throughout The Miller Outdoor Theater blazing the city of Houston. The crowd reflected on the magical evening and how to emulate Mahatma Gandhi’s life listening to the soothing background music “Imagine” by the award winning Seven Lakes High School Orchestra from Katy, Texas. To view and learn more about 1000 Lights for Peace, visit www.gandhilibrary.org For further information contact Dr. Manish K Wani at 713-829-6979

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October 09, 2015

See article on page 5 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

October 09, 2015 5 COMMUNITY Infusion 2015: A Magical Bollywood Spectacular BY VANSHIKA VIPIN STAFFORD: Last Saturday, October 3, New Stafford Centre bustled with the enthusiasm of jam packed audience swaying to the stellar performances put together by Team Kiron and TinaBose Kumar, in one of their most exclusive infused performing arts presentation. Celebrating their fifth anniversary, INFUSION 2015 in-a-style, the husband-wife duo presented their spectacular & unique trademark of combining magic and dance on stage. The show was a beautifully presented and a unique blend of these two genres of entertainment. Choreographed, directed and performed by this gorgeous couple, the show had various dance styles representing the 80’s night club scenario to the latest Bollywood Hits like, ‘Girls like to swing’ from the Bollywood Hit, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’. The show blended beautiful Kathak performances, by Tina on ‘Radha Nachegi’ from the movie Tevar, with the Hip-Hop mix of songs like ‘Thag le’, ‘Anvai Anvai’ and ‘Party abhi baaki hai’. A thrilling portion of the show was the Grand Magic Illusion activity, done with a brilliant prop of Fire, by Kiron Kumar, on the song ‘Malang Malang’ from ‘Dhoom 3’. Though most of the performances had vibrant and gorgeous costumes, it was fun in particular, watching the rajashtani costume clad dancers performing to ‘Tharki chokro’ from the movie ‘PK’. A religious tinge was bought into the performance, with the high decibel ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’ song, from the movie ‘Agneepath’. On this song, for the first time, the audience experienced artists forming a human tower, with a lady on top. The Finale, beautifully presented, was a medley of Hit Bollywood Songs.

A noticeable surprise on the show was seeing more boys perform on stage, around 70 of them, aged from 3 onwards. The show experienced a nice performance curve to a funny bollywood story. This piece of art, scripted and written by Karthik Chander of Synopsis, saw the story build up from the 80’s and steadly moving into the current year. The story was about a thief who tries to mend his ways and become a good samaritan. But his partner double crosses him and gets him jailed, kidnaps his son to raise him as a thief. The story, like most Happy Endings in Bollywood movies,

finishes with the protagonist being relieved from jail in the current period, he joining hands with his son, and they both winning against the villian. It was a perfect example of a theme of 80’s, set on a revenge saga, set amidst a barrage of peppy bollywood numbers. Special acting talents were portrayed by guest stars, Sunil Thakkar and Sandhya Thakkar. The crowd was so entralled by the show that they gave a standing ovation in the end. Kiron and Tina thanked the audience and also recognized their supporters, sponsors and media partners by presenting them with plaques.

Siddhivinayak Utsav 2015

HOUSTON: The Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston celebrated the Ganesh festival from Wednesday, September 16 till Sat-

urday, September 26. The temple is located at 5645 Hillcroft Avenue, Suite 701, Houston. The temple idol in Houston is replica of the Ganesh idol in the Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir located in Mumbai, India, which is dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. Temple priest Pradip Pandya wants to thank all devotees for their support by attending the utsav. The temple also has idols of Lord Krishna,

Gauri Mata, Shiv Ling, Hanuman, and Ram darbar. The temple is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm and everyday aarti is performed at 7:30 pm. The Gauri Siddhivinayak temple is a non-profit 501(C) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. For further information or to participate in pooja, sponsorship or volunteering call Pradip Pandya at 832-466-9868.

More about Infused Performing Arts: Infused Performing Arts provides Bollywood dance classes and custom choreography for special occasions and competitions, for all ages at their studios in Stafford, Pearland, Katy, and Dallas. Choreographers, Kiron Kumar And Tina Bose are well-trained, professional performers & dance teachers. They have been featured a few times on ABC 13, Fox 26 and CW39 News. Process: The dance school enrols kids throughout the year. The institute charges no registration fee and the first lesson is absolutely Free.

Upcoming events: Get set for a rocking experience of ‘Rockets Halftime performance’, on the April 13, 2016. Dance company audition is open currently for rockets halftime performance, Bollywood concerts, and travel opportunities etc. For further details contact them at 724-638-7338 or visit www.infusedperformingarts.com Photos: Murali Santhana

For photo collage, see page 4

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COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Swami Suhitananda, General Secretary Belur Math, Blesses Houston Devotees

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BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: It was an eventful couple of days for the Vedanta Society of Greater Houston (VSGH), when the General Secretary Maharaj of Belur Math, Sw. Suhitanandaji graced the center with his presence along with Swami Sarvadevanandaji, Head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California and Sw Shubhakaranandaji of Belur Math Sept 24th and 25th. A reception for the Swami was arranged on the evening of September 24, which was attended by important community members like Imam Mubasher Ahmed of Ahmadiya Muslim Community, Matt Kahn, Associate Director of Interfaith Minisries of Greater Houston, Bhai Bhupinder Singh Paras and Mandeep Singh of Gurudwara Sahib of Southwest Houston and Pandit Suman Ghosh, ace student of Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj. An alumnus of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission School, from where Panditji imbibed his training and interest in classical music, paid homage by singing a melodious Bhajan to begin the evening program. Swami Suhitanandaji spoke on, “Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi – The Epitome of Motherhood.” He quoted, “Just as a mother needs no language to speak to the child, similarly, for the Holy Mother, language was never a barrier and she could communicate with everyone.” Even Swami Vivekananda derived inspiration from her as she represented Godliness and provided the strengthening force in the Ramakrishna order after the passing of Sri Ramakrishna. A Youth Forum dedicated to discussing, “The Different Facets of Swami Viveka-

nanda,” was the highlight of the evening of September 25. Swami Suhitanandaji addressed the youth by saying that, “Only one word can describe Swami Vivekananda – Superlative. With him a new chapter of world civilization started. He explained how to utilize knowledge to give a new dimension, to religion, organization, science, morality, spirituality and concept of human life and utilize God for the development of the world through JivaSeva and seeing God in every human being NaraNarayan.” The youth presentations started with a Bhajan by a 9 year old. The enthusiastic participants then talked about Swamiji as a story teller, poet, educationist, young spiritual seeker, and an Epitome of strength. Swamiji's sense of humor and the human side of Swamiji were also among the other topics of discussion at the forum. Participants ranged in age groups from 12 to 27. All the presentations were very well received by the audience and each presentation was well researched. The concluding portion of the forum dealt with the topic of Swamiji as a Musician and aptly enough, the children of Pandit Ghosh interspersed their presentation with Bhajans. The Swamis were impressed by the tremendously dedicated group of devotees and mentioned feeling the good vibrations at the center. The devotees were indeed touched and honored by the visit of the high ranking officials of the Belur Math and this may lead the way to definitely getting a resident Swami at VSGH. The next program scheduled at VSGH is its Annual Sri Durga Puja on October 17, 2015. Please visit the website: www.houstonvedanta.org for updates on Sri Durga Puja and other upcoming events at the society.

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COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Spreading a Wave of Melodious Music & Rhythms: Arijit Singh

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN HOUSTON: Bollywood playback singer Arijit Singh, known for spreading waves of melodious music and rhythms, enchanted his fans, at the NRG Arena on Saturday, October 3. The show was organized by Rehan Siddiqi, of ‘Hum Tum Shows’, who in the past has organized several successful events in Houston, by bringing in popular artists like Adnan Sami, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali and Mika Singh. From the several successful events, his recent one was the ‘Fusion 2015’ concert, which was a huge success. Arijit Singh, who has spread love and ignited romance with his music through songs like ‘Tum hi ho’, ‘Muskurane ki wajah’ and ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’, was thrilled to be a part of his first live concert in Houston. All the hype and excitement before the show was well justified with the brilliant musical extravaganza of this outstanding singer. He performed with a with a 72-member grand symphony orchestra, something that has never been experienced before in a South-Asian concert. Arijit rocked the stage with his voice and performance to his tracks like the romantic hits ‘Suno na sange marmar’, ‘Kabira’, ‘Khamoshiyan’ and

‘Tose Naina’ to the ever-green ‘Dilliwali Girlfriend’ and ‘Mast Magan’. He literally set the stage on fire with his enchanting voice. Arijit then moved swiftly on to the second half of the concert, playing his piano and guitar, and singing some iconic songs from the 60’s to 90’s, like Amitabh’s hit, ‘Chukar mere man ko’ and Kailash Kher’s ‘Teri deewani’, to which the audience waved their smartphone flashlights, creating a stunning appearance of a sea of lights. This act truly enhanced the tempo in the huge theatre, which was already planned and set with a great coordination of light, sound and LED. The mix of contemporary and classical music was such a treat to the eyes and the ears. It was simply stunning to see the stage full of talented musicians along with their backgroup singers, who ensured, as a single team, moments of fresh music coupled with endless heapings of entertainment. The pounding of the drum and intense acoustics, mixed with the simultaneous dancing of thousands of people, literally shook up the floor. In a short span, Arijit, who’s inexhaustible stamina is commendable, wooed the audience with

a couple of lines each, of several of his popular numbers, simply to ensure the audiences do not miss out on any of their favorite tracks. A sweet surprise in this concert was the presence of Arijit’s sister, who along with him sang a couple of melodious tracks, including, ‘Lambi Judaai’. Arijit definitely added a lot of memories to the night by ensuring there was no single dull-moment. His voice was superb throughout the show and he demonstrated a range of vocal notes that got the audiences excited. And what better song to bid adieu to the concert, than by singing the most awaited megahit, ‘Tum Hi Ho,’ from Aashiqui 2, amidst the audience’s roaring response in form of screams and chants.

Rehan Siddiqi, who by himself has a fan following by now, came on stage during the break to bring up the other organizers, thank and acknowledge all the sponsors and media partners. Rehan, who has been thankful to the Houston audience for their continued support, has successfully organised a record number sold-out concerts this year. He has plans to woo Houston once again at the Arena theatre, on October 30, by presenting legendry singer Alka Yagnik, and Atif Aslam on November 13. So stay tuned and don’t give that a miss! For further details visit www. humtumradio.com or call Rehan Siddiqi at 713-545-4115.

Prime Minister Modi in Silicon Valley BY RAKHI ISRANI AND VIJAY PALLOD

HOUSTON: Recently, we were very fortunate to be involved in the Community Reception for Prime Minister Modi in Silicon Valley. As the media-in-charge for the event, we were afforded a unique look into the differences between the inside perspective from the mainstream Media living in India and the outside perspective from the American mainstream media. It is this interesting difference in perspectives that we wish to share. In his speech on September 27, at the SAP Arena in San Jose, CA, Prime Minister Modi used the analogy of a cricket match to note the differences between those who are present at a cricket match and those who are able to watch it from home. While the former must carefully look for the elements that make up the overall progression of the game, it is those who watch from afar who are more accurately able to judge the sequence of events. It is those who, sitting at home and watching the game on TV, are able to see exactly where the ball came from, what it hit, where the fielders are, etc. As we read the articles following the Community Reception for PM Modi in various papers, Indian and American, it was hard not to continuously refer to that analogy. For example, in a recent article in Hindustan Times, the reporter writes that “Modi visit barely got notice in the US Media”. It’s hard to tell whether this is a matter of skewed perspective or just bad journalism. However, rarely can we remember a time in the United States when the head of any country has received so much attention – so much positive attention - for an extension of an official visit. In fact, it was a Wall Street Journal reporter present at the community reception who

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COMMUNITY

Sewa International’s Annual Fundraiser 2015

Sewa Team and Volunteers with Keynote speaker Sonal Shah

BY KAVITA TEWARY

Photos: Bijay Dixit

HOUSTON: Sewa International Houston believes in its motto “Together We Serve Better.” This was exemplified by the great turnout of Sewa supporters and community members on Sewa International's Annual fundraiser 2015 on Saturday October 3, at the Shree Radhakrishna Temple . Sewa asked for H.E.L.P (help every life prosper) and the Greater Houston community came out in big numbers and not only opened their hearts but also their wallets to donate generously . The evening was a glittering gathering of who’s who from the Indian American community as well as Government representatives like Congressman Al Green and Sugar Land City council member Harish Jajoo .The Chief Guest and keynote speaker for the evening was Sonal Shah, a fellow Houstonian, social entrepreneur and an economist . The evening commenced with the lighting of the lamp by few key members of Sewa, Congressman Al Green and Sewa Houston Chapter President Sarojini Gupta, followed by a devotional dance by the most gracious Kusum Sharma of Kalakriti Performing Arts . The tempo for the evening was set by the first speaker Congressman Green, who spoke about the importance of the work Sewa International does with emerging communities and refugees in his congressional district He also presented the Congressional recognition to Sewa International for its service. He kicked off the fundraising by pledging to donate to Sewa International's fundraiser. The Emcee for the evening the most charismatic Meena Datt, kept the audience engaged. The cultural performances by students of Ratna Kumar’s Anjali School of Performing Arts and Kusum Sharma’s Kalakriti were absolutely phenomenal. Sewa International Chapter President Sarojini Gupta’s welcome address was warm and she spoke from her heart about the love and gratitude she felt for all the volunteers and supporters. She also shared a 10 minute video of Sewa International's projects and various achievements over the past year The highlight of the evening was however the keynote address by Sonal Shah. She spoke intimately and from her heart about the challenges refugee families face every day ,when they become migrants by force and not by choice She also spoke about giving back to the community where we live, even though our hearts may still be in India. She urged the audience to give back to the community that nurtured them and accepted them as they came to America as immiCONTINUED ON PAGE

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COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Sewa International’s Annual Fundraiser 2015

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GAURI SIDDHIVINAYAK TEMPLE

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Congressman Al Green presenting the congressional Honor to Sewa International President Sarojini Gupta, Kaushik Chatterjee and Kavita Tewary.

Kusum Sharma from Kalakriti performing Arts

Anjali Center for performing arts performing Madhav Madan Murari choreographed by Dr. Ratna Kumar

grants. From among the audience was Komal Bhandari, a refugee student who went to UT Austin on scholarship provided by Sewa International .He shared his story with the audience and his accom-

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commented about the look and feel of being in the presence of a rock star. In the days following the community reception, most of the California papers and many of the important national papers in the United States, carried extensive headlines – all positive headlines. In two major California papers, The San Jose Mercury News and The Oakland Tribune, news of Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Silicon Valley were splashed across Monday morning’s front page. With a picture of Prime Minister Modi hugging Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, San Jose Mercury’s headlines read “You have forced the world to change the way they look at India.” Also included were pictures of some of the eminent people who met with Prime Minister Modi during this trip to Silicon Valley, under the headlines “On Modi’s Dance Card.” The San Francisco Chronicle, a major US paper, carried the story in Monday morning’s paper. “Premier of India gets warm welcome in San Jose”, it said. It added that “Thousands cheer pledge to boost development of nation’s tech economy.” Prime Minister Modi’s trip to the Silicon Valley was not only noticed by the California papers – it was noticed across the country. In a segment by National Public Radio (NPR) on Monday, in a discussion about how little coverage the Chinese premier received, the anchor specifically mentioned how the visit of all these other heads of states was “overshadowed by the visit of the Pope and of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. In fact, the extremely popular NPR had a one-hour dedicated coverage with three guests -- Vinod Dham, executive managing director of IndoUS Venture Part-

COMMUNITY

Prime Minister Modi in Silicon Valley

Media volunteers at SAP Center

ners, Geetha Vallabhaneni, founder of Luminix and Deepak Aatresh, founder of Aditazz -- on its Monday morning show. In all, NPR had four different stories covering the Prime Minister Modi’s trip. In the Tuesday following the event, the country’s top most business newspaper The Wall Street Journal not only reported about Prime Minister Modi’s support for President Obama’s international climate change agreement, but also extensively reported about the Prime Minister’s meetings with the top CEOs as well as his speech to the Indian diaspora in Silicon Valley. The Los Angeles Times ran an article with some humor: “Silicon Valley welcomes Modi with Song, Dance - and a Shazam joke.” It specifically cited the emcee Rajiv Satyal’s joke that with 17,000 Indians here, we have some tech support. The popular national newspaper USA Today gave substantial coverage to the Prime

The most prestigious US newspaper The New York Times reported twice on the Prime Minister’s trip, one of which made front page headlines. The front page story declared India to be the next unknown frontier for the US technology giants to conquer. The second NYT story, appearing on its business page, headlined with “Indian Premier Courts Silicon Valley in Effort to Ease Nation’s after PM Modi’s speech,Tulsi Gabbard in the center. Poverty.” Last year, after Madison Minister’s Silicon Valley trip under the headline “India’s Modi gets a like at Face- Square Garden, it was evident that the US Government had taken notice of Prime Minbook HQ.” Many, many other newspapers across the ister Modi and India. Now, as evidenced by United States carried Associated Press news the amount of US media coverage in the stories on the Prime Minister’s trip. Popular past two weeks, it is clear that the rest of magazines like Fortune, Forbes, and News- the United States has finally taken notice as week also reported about the visit. Time well. The recent extensive media coverage magazine had extensive coverage under the proves one thing: finally India has a leader title, ”Modi Breaks Down in Tears Discuss- that is widely recognized and respected as one of the top leaders in the world. ing Mother at Facebook Event” Rakhi Israni was the media chair for the “How Silicon Valley can turn India's economy around,” said the commentary in Indo American Community of West Coast, Fortune, while Newsweek reported about the organization tasked with organizing Modi’s trip to Facebook and Google head- Prime Minister Modi’s recent community reception in Silicon Valley. She is a second quarters. The Washington Post prominently report- generation Indian-American attorney and ed about Prime Minister Modi’s emotional entrepreneur based in California. Vijay Pallod was a key member of the memoment at the Facebook town hall meeting under the title, “His (Modi’s) most memo- dia team for PM Modi’s Community Receprable moment? Crying at Facebook,” the tion in Silicon Valley. He works and lives in Texas. daily reported.

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October 09, 2015

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18 October 09, 2015 Make It a Gentleman’s Game The return of Shashank Manohar as Indian cricket board president ends a fortnight-long leadership tussle in the world game’s most influential body which followed the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya. Mr Manohar’s election reflects the pulls and pressures within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as the organisation’s anxiety to show that it is willing to shed its opacity. The Nagpur lawyer, known as a firm administrator, announced on Sunday that he would, in the next two months, make BCCI functioning transparent and root out the conflict of interest that became the central focus following the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal. Mr Manohar has his task cut out as the BCCI will be racing against time to put in place reforms that the Justice RM Lodha panel — tasked by the Supreme Court to suggest ways to improve the board’s functioning — is due to pronounce by the year-end. Those recommendations will be binding, and it will be vital to show tangible improvement in the way the BCCI functions. Appointing an ombudsman and putting the board’s balance sheet on its website will be steps in the right direction. The cricket board is arguably the only Indian federation with a proper structure. Almost every other major sports federation is tightly controlled by a handful of officials. However, this BCCI structure is undermined due to the control exerted by entrenched officials at the regional level. The BCCI owes its standing to the commercial pull cricket enjoys in the country. But the riches have also made the administration complex, with vested interests adding to the problem. It was during Mr Manohar’s earlier term that the IPL kicked off, proving a magnet for the glitzy as well as the undesirable. The controversial decision to tweak the BCCI constitution to allow N Srinivasan to own a team also took place under his watch. Mr Manohar will now have to shake up the system; how far he succeeds will shape the future of Indian cricket and will be watched with interest in the weeks to come. Hindustan Times.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar, Rajiv Shukla (R) and N. Srinivasan (L) during a news conference in Mumbai.

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

‘Conversation’ between Modi & Mark BY MANAS CHAKRAVARTY This is an alleged transcript of the PM’s meeting with Mark Zuckerberg in California, from a completely unreliable source: Modi: GM Mark. Mark Zuckerberg: Mr Modi, sir, GM, GM. It’s an honour having you here. I am a great admirer, in awe of the things you have achieved. Modi: I do all this for the glory of India. Mark: I was actually talking about your having over 15 million followers on Twitter and a humongous number of friends on Facebook. Modi: Chill, Mark. Mark: I’m so impressed I’ve decided to invest a billion dollars in India. Modi: LoL. Mark: What? Modi: I said LoL, laugh out loud. Only a billion? Mark: Ok, make it five billion. Modi: ROFL. Mark: Eh? Modi: ROFL, rolling on floor laughing. Mark: You drive a hard bargain, sir. Ten billion? Modi: LMAO. Mark: Oh my god. Ok, my final offer is twenty billion US dollars. Is that fine? Modi: How about 50 billion? Mark: 50? No, no, I really can’t do it. Modi: Relax, just kidding. 20 billion is cool. Look forward to liking it on your FB timeline. Folks will know I promised AD and they’re getting it. Mark: Alzheimer’s Disease? Modi: Achhe Din. Mark: Oh, sure. Modi: Poke all your friends so that they see it. I’ll update our status to BFF? Mark: Huh? Modi: Best friends forever. Forward this on WhatsApp: Best friends are like stars in the sky. You may not see them, but they’re there all the time. Mark: Like. Will poke. Modi: And will you RT it? Mark: I’ll gladly retweet it. Modi: You see, India is such a

large and diverse country, a good communications strategy, especially a social communications strategy, is absolutely essential and we have to use all avenues. Oh shoot, I’ve used more than 140 characters. Let me rephrase that. Mark: That’s ﬁne. We don’t have a 140-character limit for talking. Modi: TG. Mark: I didn’t catch that. Modi: I said ‘Thank God’. BTW, I met Sundar Pichai from Google. Mark: Was it really Sundar, or was it Google Talk? Modi: I think it was him. Mark: One can never be sure. Besides, Google is now called Alphabet. Modi: Good God, I used to call it Google Guru. Alphabet Guru has no alliteration. What do you think of

Alphabet Acharya? Mark: Nice. Modi: Let’s take a selﬁe. Do you have a cute cat? Mark: No, why? Modi: A selﬁe of us with a cute cat would be nice. Cute cats are the most trending on Twitter. Lots of likes on FB. Very popular on WhatsApp. Mark: No cat, it’ll have to be just the two of us. Say cheese please. Modi: Instagram it with the hashtag ‘epic’. That always works. When I met the Mongolian president he forgot to Instagram it. Total waste of a trip. I unfriended him immediately. Mark: Oh. Modi: Ok. TTYL.Talk to you later. Manas Chakravarty is Consulting Editor, Mint. The views expressed are personal.

India-Pak Region as Seen from Space Station

The photo shows how the winding border between Pakistan and India is lit by security lights that have a distinct orange tone.

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COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Lifeline for Asian Women in Distress Makes Strides to Reach Many More

Asha for Women president Priyanka Kulkarni explained how the charity has helped many women and children escape domestic abuse

Longtime supporter Sheila Murthy ran the auction with wit and a little coaxing

The guests and supporters were able to play at Casino night tables to raise money Photos:Joleen Byrd and Jawahar Malhotra

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA FAIRFAX, VA: As galas and fundraisers go, it was a more relaxed affair, light on speech making and performers but decidedly heavy on entertainment for the over 130 guests and volunteers who attended the Asha for Women event this past Saturday evening, October 3 at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center. The fundraiser that drew many supporters from across the Tri-State area concentrated on delivering a funﬁlled Casino Night, a silent and live auction and a buffet dinner catered by Indique Heights from their catering kitchen in Gaithersburg, Maryland. This was in sharp contrast to the lavish four-station, multi-cuisine din-

ners of the past few years which was delivered by AFW corporate sponsor Sodexo. Instead, Sodexo chef Rajiv Jaggi was on hand (with his wife Pam and mother Karuna) and became part of the evening’s fundraising efforts. Many first-time players were among those experienced ones who frequent casinos in Atlantic City or Vegas, trying their luck at the blackjack, poker and dice tables with vouchers they could exchange for chips and then convert back for additional chances at the rafﬂe for an airline ticket to India. Shrieks of laughter and delight punctuated the air as novices learnt the ropes of gambling or simply stood as spectators hanging around the tables on one side of the spacious hall. Many silent

auction items lined the other side of the hall and were snapped up before the night was over. The event help raise money for the 26-year-old charity that helps South Asian women who are victims of abuse by counselling and assisting them to get out of their abusive environment and take control of their lives. AFW President Priyanka Kulkarni explained how, in 2014, the charity had received 314 emails and even more phone calls for help and in turn was able to assist 96 women and 60 kids out of abusive situations. “For women in a domestic abuse situation, it is not easy to be empowered,” said Kulkarni, noting that October is the Domestic Violence Awareness month. “They have nowhere to go.” In response to this growing need, AFW now has three part-time employees and is searching for an advocate position, as well as for an office in Sterling, Virginia. A short video clip entitled “Break the Silence, End the Violence” by Vasant Naik was shown to a hushed audience. Shot in a sharp contrast, blue and black closeup of a talking woman’s face, narrating her own tragic journey, disturbing statistics of abuse among Asian women were typed over as the 5 minute video played out. The local dance group Rhythmaya performed a medley of two dances set to Bollywood music. The live auction was held by a longtime supporter of AFW, well-known immigration attorney Sheila Murthy, and wife of Naik, who was effusive about the work that the organization has done over the years. A tall and gregarious woman who both encouraged and delighted with her wit and humor, Naik explained how almost one in three women have suffered from some form of domestic abuse and how “even the Gods don’t mess with Asha for Women,” she joked. Talking about AFW’s tireless eightmember Board of Directors, she added “the Board works for zero cash, but for hundreds in your hearts!” Murthy then began the live auction of four items, goading and coaxing many in the crowd to open up their hearts and raise the money for the charity. As an item got stuck at a low bid, Murthy joked, “Can’t let him get away with that so quick and cheap!” The fifth item was for the services of Chef Rajiv Jaggi to develop and cook for the winning bidders and much to everyone’s surprise and delight; four people bid $1,000 each for the chance to have him at an event of their choosing. Jaggi good-naturedly raised four fingers and said he would do all four events, adding, “It’s all for a good cause.” By the time the event was over, over $60,000 was raised for AFW. For more information, contact log on to www.ashaforwomen.org

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October 09, 2015

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22 October 09, 2015

COMMUNITY

Himesh Gandhi Named to HBJ’s 40 Under 40

Himesh Gandhi

SUGARLAND: Sugar Land City Councilman and attorney Himesh Gandhi has been named a recipient of the Houston Business Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 Award. The award annually recognizes 40 of the greater Houston area’s best up-and-coming professionals under the age of 40. Honorees have to be nominated and are chosen by judges

based on leadership, overcoming challenges and community involvement. Gandhi is the managing shareholder of the Sugar Land office of Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC. The State Bar of Texas has recognized his expertise in the area of real estate by being Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Gandhi represents individuals and entities in complex business transactions and litigation matters. His primary areas of focus are in real estate, construction, mergers and acquisitions, commercial disputes, finance and corporate matters. In 2012, Gandhi was elected to Sugar Land City Council’s At-Large, Position One and subsequently reelected in 2014. His duties on City Council have included service on the Sugar Land Development Committee, Economic Development Committee, Finance/Audit Committee,

Intergovernmental Relations Committee and on the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land’s planning task force. His community involvement includes his service as a board member for the Arc of Fort Bend County and the Arc of Texas. “My volunteer service to both the Arc of Fort Bend County and the Arc of Texas is truly near and dear to my heart. The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and development disabilities and actively supports their inclusive participation throughout their lifetime, and serving in this organization has taught me the true meaning of humility.” Gandhi has been a resident of Sugar Land for over 25 years. He is a graduate of Clements High School, a graduate of Houston Baptist University and received his law degree from the South Texas College of Law. He is married to Farrah Gandhi and they have a young son, Jaiden.

11th Anniversary Ramleela 2015

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HOUSTON: Festivities will start soon with Durga puja, Navratri, Dusshehra and Diwali being lined up for celebrations. You no longer need to go to India to watch Ramleela. This season celebrate and spend quality time with family and friends by watching Ramleela 2015 right here. An attraction for a cultural enlightenment evening for all age group, Ramleela provides glimpses of devotional, spiritual, philosophical and ethical values of the great epic Ramayana. Kusum Sharma’s Shri Natraj School of dance has been performing Ramleela since 2005. This year is the 11th Annual brought in association with Kalakriti Performing Arts a non-proﬁt organization devoted to spread Indian culture and moral values through artistic performances. Ramleela is directed by Kusum Sharma who is well-know in Houston for her mythological and contemporary dance dramas like Krishna-Leela, Mughal-e-Azam, Meera, Amrapali and many others. Last year she worked on Houston Grand Opera ‘River of Light’ where she enacted mini Ramleela and played the role

of Sita. This year she featured at the Caminos Gitanos, a Spanish cultural event. Ramleela can be witnessed and enjoyed by all. Though the dialogues are in Hindi, English subtitles are projected behind every scene. The use of sparkling costumes, glittering jewelry, dazzling lights, soulful music and melodious Ram bhajans, captivating dances, impactful dialogues, creative props, pyro dancers, ﬁreworks and special effects makes the show a memorable experience for all. Kusum Sharma’s creativity, unique production team, powerful theatrical presenta-

tion and performances brings new changes and innovative styles each year to attract the Houston audience. Ramleela is a result of months of preparations and dedicated practice by team of around 100 performers and volunteers. In these times of social upheaval, it is of paramount importance that we visit these fundamental principles of living which gets overlooked during our quest for carnal desires. This spectacular Ramleela will leave everyone with something to learn and will keep you all enchanted and engaged throughout the show. Come and be a part of this fascinating Threatical style Ramleela on October 18, from 3-6 pm at VPSS Haveli located at 11715 Bellfort Village Dr, Houston, TX 77031. For further details visit www.ramleelahouston.org

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COMMUNITY BY SEEMA JAIN

HOUSTON: JVB Preksha Meditation Center hosted its 6th Annual Paryushan festival at its premises under the auspicious guidance of Samani Parimal Pragyaji & Samani Maryada Pragyaji (Disciples of Acharya Shri Mahashraman). The 8-day long festivities began on Sept 10 and concluded on Sept. 18. The real purpose of the Paryushan is to purify our soul by staying closer to our own soul, to look at our faults and to ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have committed during the past year. Each day started with Samaniji's morning session of Agam discourses based on Kalp Sutra where she beautifully narrated the life of Bhagwan Mahavir from birth till Nirvana and, the day concluded with evening sessions on the detailed meaning of " Uvsaggaharam Stotra", composed by Acharya Bhadrabahu Swami which is believed to eliminate obstacles, hardships and miseries, if chanted with complete faith and puriﬁes the inner soul and Karma. A highly informative lecture series for the weekend was designed by Samanijis which concentrated on Leshya (Aura) & Its Colors to discover your inner personality through seven different colors of your Aura followed by a fun Jeopardy style quiz competition to test the audience attentiveness and learning from her special lecture. Seven days were days of attainment and the eighth day was one of fulﬁllment or achievement. By performing the Samvatsarik Pratikra-

October 09, 2015

6th Annual Paryushan Mahaparva at JVB Preksha Meditation Center All our programs are offered free of charge. To cover the costs of running the center on a day to day basis, we accept donations. As a charitable 501c corporation, the donations are tax deductible. Please take advantage of this beautiful facility by joining us in the programs we offer. Our center is open to all irrespective of their

religious beliefs. Upcoming events include JVB Annual Day Celebration on Oct. 10 from 5:30pm onwards and Annual Day Adhar Abhishek Pooja on Oct.11 from 7.30 am onwards. For further details visit www.JVBHouston.org or call 281-596-9642.

SAYA Presents its First Ever Resume Workshop man on eighth day, everyone sought forgiveness from each other. Forgetting all hatred constitutes the Samvatsarik aradhana -the annual atonement. Special food arrangements were made for dinner for devotees followed by daily Pratikraman. Parallel Sessions for kids Pratikraman were also conducted in the Evening in English. The dedicated members of JVB Sachin Jain, Jigisha Doshi, Renu Shah, Khushboo Jain and many others kept the tapasya chain going till the end of Paryushan Festival. During these eight days, the entire JVB Community became spellbound in an atmosphere of enthusiasm, felicity and Tapasya with Tela (3 days continuous fasting), Bela (2 days continuous fasting), Upwas ( one day fasting) and Paushad. This year, under Saminijis guidance, a special spiritual practice was followed on each day like continuous 12 hour chanting of Namaskar Mahamantra, 108 hours of Maun (Silence), Samayika, Swadhyay (Scriptural reading) and Contemplation on Amity

& more. Young Gyanshala kids ages 4-14 yrs. amazed everyone by doing Ekasan (eating one time during the whole day),Biyasana (eating only twice a day), and Maun ( observing Silence). With Saminijis blessings and Parent's encouragement, two gems of JVB Gyanshala, Udai Jain( High School freshman) observed Tela (3 days continuous upwas) & Tanvi Jain(2nd grade) did 1 upwas to motivate young as well as old. We are proud of our center, its beautiful surroundings, a unique pyramid shape meditation hall, and a very peaceful ambiance. It is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082. On the ﬁrst and third Sunday of each month there are pravachans by Samani Ji. The theme of the pravachans this year has been: Guide yourself in choosing the path- Detailed meaning of 18 types of Paap. Apart from the regular activities mentioned above Samaniji’s also offer individual or one-on-one conﬁdential counseling to those who are in need of such help.

Back row (from left): Ramesh Anand, Zaid Hussain, Karim Maknojia, Vivek Sharda, Kumail Ali, Samir Humayun, Mohammad Zaidi, Kashif Khan, Amish Maknojia, Adil Sandhu, Mohammed Khan, Zehra Zaidi. Front row (from left): Titiksha Vats, Hafeeza Shaik, Tam Nguyen, Kulsum Ali Lopez, Ayesha Jamal, Nabia Kalia, Vaibhav Tyagi

BY HAFEEZA SHAIK HOUSTON: South Asian Youth Alliance (SAYA), an initiative of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), was launched on April 27, 2014, to help the South Asian young adults ﬁnd mentors, develop leadership skills, build a peer supported network, and learn about their heritage. SAYA’s goal is to have young representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan

and Afghanistan as its members. SAYA held its ﬁrst Resume Workshop on September 19,2015 at Platform Houston. Being an organization for youth, SAYA tries to bring practical knowledge that is beneﬁcial to them. Ramesh Anand and Tam Nguyen, entrepreneurs who have unique backgrounds and experience were the featured presenters. Ramesh Anand is President of American

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CONTINUED ON PAGE

24 October 09, 2015

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COMMUNITY SAYA Presents its First Ever Resume Workshop

CONTINUED FROM PAGE

October 09, 2015 3rd International Conference on Genomics and Pharmacogenomics

Personnel Resources and started his recruiting business in 1985. Tam Nguyen has been a Senior Human Resources Manager at such prestigious companies as Dresser Rand, Halliburton and Waste Management. She has now started her own consulting business, NB Business Solutions. Latafath Hussain, President of IMAGH, welcomed Ramesh, Tam, and the SAYA members and emphasized the need for preparing a well thought out Resume and Cover Letter. Mohammed Khan, President of SAYA, welcomed everyone and initiated a round of introductions. Kashif Khan, Vice-President, Hafeeza Shaik, Secretary, and Zaid Hussain, Historian then introduced the objectives of South Asian Youth Alliance and the importance of the Resume Workshop for the youth. Both Ramesh and Tam gave an interactive presentation on resume writing, cover letter, job search, and interview preparation. With a combination of more than 45 years in these areas, Ramesh and Tam provided excellent and valuable advice. First, no one should undervalue any skills they have and should share their own unique story. Ramesh Anand said, “Every person is unique and must tell their story. This is called the Unique Sales Proposition (USP).” Everyone has something unique to offer. For example in the South Asian Community, most people are bilingual or even multilingual. Or someone has traveled the world and has that experience of meeting and connecting to people from several backgrounds. Another great piece of advice was that each of us have a passion and we must find that passion. This passion is what will help to find a good career. Ramesh and Tam emphasized that if you don’t know what you want to do and what drives you, then you will not be satisfied with what you have or where you are in life. Third, one must come across as confident. If you’re not confident, you will not be perceived as the candidate that you should be. Being confident is what makes you get to where you need to be. Another interesting piece of advice that really intrigued many was that people should blog! Ramesh and Tam both have their own blogs and write about matters that they love. For example, Ramesh loves dogs and rescues them. He shares his stories with the world. For the youth, Facebook and Twitter is the social media where they are highly active. However, writing blogs on various subjects for which they are passionate about will take them a long way! They emphasized that young people should go into a job to learn and deliver. Companies don’t hire people to just teach…. they must also deliver for the position that they were hired for. Another valuable advice was to help others. “Always help someone: no good deed goes unrewarded. You never know when a little deed of kindness can help you in life. No one has been successful without help,” Tam Nguyen explained. Everyone has reached success through the help of someone else. Latafath Hussain and Mohammed Khan thanked Ramesh Anand, Tam Nguyen, and all the SAYA members who attended the first Resume Workshop. Everyone in the room had something very valuable and worthwhile to take from the table.

Dr.Krishna Dronamraju (center) with members of the Third International Conference on Genomics and Pharmacogenomics.

HOUSTON: In his opening address to the Conference, Dr. Krishna Dronamraju reviewed the latest information on Human Gene Therapy. The earliest cases which were successfully treated were two young girls who suffered from the auto-immune disease, Adenosine Deminase Deﬁciency (ADA), which left them susceptible to various bacterial and virus infections. The pioneers who treated them successfully, in 1992, were W. French Andersen, W. Michael

Blaise and Kenneth Culver at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Government, in Washington D.C. However, many attempts to treat genetic diseases since then have failed completely. Much of this work involved gene therapy for various types of cancer as I know from my ﬁrst hand experience as a member of the Recombinant DNA Advisory committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. When

one patient died in 1998 under experimental trials the U.S. Congress put a stop to all human gene therapy trials for a few years. In recent years, new and more powerful methods have been developed which can edit the human genome, enabling us to delete or suppress certain disease causing genes or add new genes at will. This method, now called the CRISPR technology, has been used to correct such diseases as hemophilia and HIV, and offers great promise to treat other complex genetic diseases including many cancers in the future. Dr. Krishna Dronamraju is President of the Foundation for Genetic Research in Houston, and is a Visiting Professor of the University of Paris, France. He is the author of 20 books and over 200 research papers in Biotechnology. He was a member of the U.S. Presidential delegation to India in 2000, and has been actively promoting U.S.-India cooperation in Science and Technology.

For further information, call Latafath Hussain at 713-269-6171 or Email: houstonsaya@ gmail.com or Facebook: www.facebook.com/ SAYouthAlliance.

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October 09, 2015

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Business IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

HPCL Seeks Mozambique Gas for Gujarat LNG Terminal BY PROMIT MUKHERJEE MUMBAI: Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL), the country’s third biggest oil refiner, is negotiating with its partners in the Mozambique gas field, operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corp., to bring natural gas to India for its upcoming liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Gujarat. The deal will not only give HPCL access to gas, which is logistically cheaper to source, it will also give the company a cost advantage in its natural gas trading business, which it started last financial year. Natural gas extracted from oil and gas fields have to be first converted

into liquid before they can be exported. Once exported, it has to be regasiﬁed before supplying to consumers. Therefore, both the source and destination countries have to set up LNG terminals. HPCL is looking at a strong mix of long-term and spot contracts for

sourcing LNG for its terminal, unlike the current trend where most buyers are locked in long-term contracts. For this, the company has initiated talks with the partners in the Rovuma Area 1 gas field in offshore Mozambique, said two officials from two of the three state-owned crude-oil refining firms—Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) and HPCL. They declined to be named. HPCL has an equal joint venture agreement with Shapoorji Pallonji Port Pvt. Ltd to build a five million tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity LNG terminal at Chhara Port in Gir, Gujarat. The terminal will be built at an investment of Rs.5,400 crore and

is expected to be commissioned by 2019, according to HPCL’s 2014-15 annual report. The report said the commissioning of this terminal would facilitate the corporation to source LNG for its own reﬁneries and to market natural gas for customers connected through gas pipelines. “The terminal in Gujarat will be ready by 2019 while the LNG liquefaction capacity at Mozambique will be ready by 2021-22. So, we can look at some contracts from other sources for two years before gas is available from Mozambique. If we get gas from Mozambique, it will be much cheaper for us,” said one of the two ofﬁcials.

An email sent to the firm on Tuesday remained unanswered. The official said the company will look at sourcing gas from LNG aggregators and also fleet operators, such as British Petroleum Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, etc. as that will give HPCL access to spot natural gas. “The most cost-effective proposition for HPCL will be to source gas from Mozambique due to the proximity of the country from India. Shipping cost is almost a fifth of the total cost of landed LNG, and HPCL can benefit a lot from buying LNG from there,” the second official said. -Livemint.com

Indian Banks Forced to Inject Funds into UK Subsidiaries: Report BY ADITI KHAN LONDON: Some of India’s biggest banks like the State Bank of India (SBI) are being forced to inject hundreds of millions of pounds to capitalise new UK subsidiaries under new rules. A recent tightening of regulations by the Bank of England for foreign banks offering retail services to UK consumers means that as many as 50 overseas lenders with branches in the country could face similar obligations, ‘The Financial Times’ reported. India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda are among those affected by the new norms following concern at the UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) that depositors in the UK could lose out if a foreign lender collapsed and its home regulator prioritised domestic depositors. “In some ways it is unfortunate. But

it is an incremental cost that we will absorb and we will move on. While we could have done without it, we don’t see it as discriminatory,” Sanjiv Chadha, the UK head of SBI said. The bank is reportedly injecting about $300 million to capitalise a new subsidiary that it plans to set up by 2017 to house its UK retail banking operation, which has 10 branches and about $2.5 billion of customer deposits. It is expanding in the UK by opening two new outlets in the London suburbs of Ilford and Hounslow and switching all its branches to seven-day opening. It recently launched new savings products and is moving into small business lending and buy-to-let mortgages. More banks from outside the European Economic Area are set to adopt similar steps as PRA works its way through a 50-strong list of foreign banks from Asia and the Middle East allowed to offer retail banking services.

SBI and Bank of Baroda are among those affected by the new norms following concern at the UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority

It is less concerned about wholesale banking operations being carried out by non-EEA banks in the UK via

branches. The UK rules partly stem from the bitter experience of the 2008 ﬁnancial crisis, when Britain had

to compensate depositors who lost money they had stowed in branches of Icelandic banks that collapsed. -Livemint.com

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28 October 09, 2015

PUZZLES/RECIPES

SUDOKU

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

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SUGAR KI DAVA (Home Remedy Sugar Control Medicine) (This recipe was first published in December 2012 and is being repeated with some minor revisions for the fourth time by popular demand) Type 2 diabetes has become a worldwide epidemic which especially gets manifested when people reach mid-life and beyond. Among Indians, the situation is quite grave and the disease is rampant because the Indian diet is made up of lots of foods that are starchy and often fried, all of which contribute to increasing the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream. These foods are rich in refined sugars which put stress on the liver, pancreas and kidneys and cause the person to develop insulin resistivity. Though there are many modern medicines that can tackle the beginning of diabetes or pre-diabetes and others for those who have the disease for a long time, there are home remedies for the control of this disease. According to ancient Indian literature and scientific books, various naturally occurring fruits and herbs can help to control blood sugar levels. These include babhul, bel, piyaaz (onions), lasan (garlic), aloe vera, neem (azardirachta indica), jamun (jambolan), aam (mangoes), kerela (bitter gourd), basil, bhuiawala, methi (fenugreek), guduchi, ajawain (carom seeds) and kalli jiri (black cumin seeds). Old traditional and ancestral Punjabi methods for treating high blood sugar levels often use kerelas (bitter gourds) either cooked or in juice form; methi (fenugreek) and dal chinni (cinnamon sticks). One of the biggest drawbacks to controlling blood sugar among Indians is the heavy use of starchy foods like lentils, rice and all sorts of bread, especially naans and others made of maida (white flour). It’s virtually impossible to have an Indian meal without bread or rice. So it’s better to use whole wheat bread and brown rice. But over the years, for my own use and those of others relatives and friends, I have found that the following recipe is very convenient and has helped control my own sugar level. Once you start using it, it is important to take your blood sugar readings every day to see what the result is. In the olden days, we did not have readily available method to measure the blood sugar, but now ready-to-use at-home meters have made it more convenient, so it is important to take a sample reading every morning.

Ingredients : 50gm methra (fenugreek seeds); 10gm ajawain (carom seeds); 20gm kalli jiri (black cumin seeds) Directions:

1.Combine the three ingredients and warm them slightly over a tava (hotplate) over low heat. Stir often to make sure they do not burn. 2.Pour into a mixee or blender and crush the combined seed into a powder. 3.Mix two teaspoons of the powder in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it at night before going to bed. 4.Drink the mixture every night for 6 months to a year for best results. Some people see a drop in blood sugar levels within a month. 5.As you see a reduction in sugar

levels, you can reduce the dose and then eventually reduce it to once every other day to maintain the reduction. Kalli jiri is often not easy to ﬁnd, but some Indian grocery stores do carry it. In Houston, I have found it at Patel Brothers stores. Do try this easy home remedy to see if it works for you! Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her mid-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable Punjabi recipes.

MAMA’S TIP OF THE WEEK BE CAREFUL TO GET ENOUGH PROTEIN IN A VEGETARIAN DIET

Many Indians are vegetarians, and lots of young people in the US are turning to a vegetarian or even vegan diet. For these vegetarians, getting enough protein in their diet is important to ensure they maintain their strength and energy levels. However, the traditional ways of getting this from lentils, beans, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and vegetables is often not enough. This is especially true of the older person over 60 who has to make sure that they do not lose muscle else they risk having mobility and posture problems in later years. Many doctors prescribe adding other sources of protein, especially as the person gets much older. Often, they recommend soya and especially eggs, fish and added dosages of vitamin D, calcium and Omega 3 and 6 oil or flax seed oil which can be in a capsule form.

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ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

Movie Review: Singh Is Bling

Raftaar Singh (Akshay Kumar) lives in Punjab’s Bassi Pathana village with his colourful family. Our happy-go-lucky guy is the quintessential man with a golden heart. But for one big ﬂaw: he leaves things half done. One day, tired of his antics, Raftaar’s father (Yograj Singh) gives him two options: Either marry an overweight Sweetie or shift bag and baggage to Goa to do a job. Raftaar refuses to marry Sweetie because ‘Wo kushti ladney ki cheez hai, shaadi ki nahi.’ In another part of the world, Romania to be precise, around the same time, Mark (Kay Kay Menon) has become the don of an underworld gang, and he has his eyes set on Sara (Amy Jackson), daughter of another don. He must act soon... because he now has a new enemy. Raftaar Singh! Who? When? How? Goa? If you are as bewildered as me, go watch any of these Prabhudheva ﬁlm -- R…Rajkumar, Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Action Jackson -- and you’ll get the drift. Anything happens at any time in Singh Is Bliing. Take this: Raftaar Singh is once described as ‘Do log aur ek sardaar aaye hain,’ and he responds to it by dancing to the tunes of ‘Mera dil kare chun chaan’. Raftaar is a ‘gaonwaala’, reason why he cannot understand English words like ‘kick’, ‘ass’ or ‘idiot’. The insanity continues. Now, Raftaar hires a ‘chashmish aurat’ (bespectacled lady) Emily (Lara Dutta) as a translator, but this woman has a fetish for breaking balls of youngsters she remains friendly with during the daytime.

October 09, 2015

Independent Cinema Shines on in the Film Mantra BY ASEEM KULKARNI

Yes, I know, this sounds surreal, but trust me, watching Lara Dutta doing all this nonsense in the name of comedy is even more surreal than reading this. Sara is a champ as she knows every form of modern warfare. She also knows how to dance in chiffon sarees in the middle of mustard ﬁelds. Now, she is in Punjab. Otherwise, how would you sail through this mindless saga of 140-minutes! Wait, the torture doesn’t end here. Amy Jacskon is also made to dance to a number called ‘Cinema dekhe mamma’. -Times of India

Today in India one can always be sure to see a poster or TV commercialwith Ranbir Kapoor, Virat Kohli, or Deepika Padukone joyously swigging down a bottle of Pepsi. Yes, India is a globalized country. There are now numerous brand names that make you forget about the good ol’ days when a hot day in India was all about getting your hands on a Thums Up or Limca. But how has globalization affected the Indian people and their way of life? Directed and written by Nicholas Karkongor and starring Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Margarita with a Straw’s Kalki Koechlin, the film Mantra dives into the backdrop of ‘India’s Shining’ period in 2004 and gives us a gripping and heartfelt story about an iconic Indian brand fighting against an onslaught of multinationals, as well as a multigenerational family struggling for survival. Mantra explores this tumultuous time in India through the eyes of Kapil Kapoor and his family. Kapil Kapoor, played by actor and director Rajat Kapoor, is the dramatic embodiment of a country where old and new elements are colliding. He is the founder of King Chips, a company he is desperately trying to save. But it is not simply the company he is trying to salvage, it is also his family. Mantra captures the tale of India today. A tale of a society in flux, of a coun-

try stuck between a globalized world and traditional beliefs, and of a family on the brink of destruction. Beating all odds, playwright and first time film director Nicholas Karkongor shot the film in 25 days with a micro budget. Nicholas says, “Luckily for me, I was able to get a cast and crew who were dedicated to the cause. We managed to put together a little money and shot the film. All the other actors in the film, have not been paid a single penny to date. That’s commitment. That’s belief in one’s art.” Mantra has now launched a crowd funding campaign on Indian site Wishberry.in (https:// www.wishberry.in/campaign/mantra/) to raise funds for the post-production phase. They need to raise 20 Lakh Rupees (2,000,000 Rs) to complete the movie. Once their target is reached, Mantra will release in early 2016. Rajat Kapoor adds, “The good thing today is that more independent films are being made. The bad news, of course, is that not enough of that is happening. The envelope is not being pushed hard enough. Producers are still afraid.” The crowdfunding campaign is open to people from all around the world. Bold and moving, Mantra embodies the drastic effects changing times can have and is sure to capture the attention and hearts of many in and out of India.

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October 09, 2015

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32 October 09, 2015

All-round South Africa Seal Series after Crowd Interruption BY FIRDOSE MOONDA

CUTTACK (ESPN Cricinfo): South Africa 96 for 4 (Duminy 30*, Ashwin 3-24) beat India 92 (Raina 22, Rohit 22, Morkel 3-12) by six wickets Albie Morkel celebrated a return to the South African side in his 50th T20I, after an absence of 18 months with a career-best haul of 3 for 12 and a starring role in a series win. South Africa sealed the series with a game to spare with one of their most commanding performances in this format. They dismissed India for their secondlowest T20 total, much to the chagrin of the Cuttack crowd, who interrupted play twice during South Africa’s chase by throwing bottles onto the outfield, and they did it on a surface snaked with cracks. The Cuttack pitch was not what would be a considered a South African seamer’s playground. It had the appearance of a frozen-over surface struck by something sharp, causing rivers of fissures, and Faf du Plessis chose to make first use of it because of high humidity which he thought would bring dew later on. The expected dampness did not arrive and neither did India’s batsmen. They succumbed to several soft dismissals and showed none of the temperament required to score runs on the surface and South Africa took full advantage. That India’s top-scorers managed just 22 each and the rest of the lineup could only collectively muster 37 speaks about the lack of application by the Indian batsmen. Unsure of conditions, South Africa tried something different when Imran Tahir opened the bowling with Kyle Abbott but it was only when Kagiso Rabada took over that South Africa announced themselves. Rabada banged the ball in hard, but not short, to see if he could extract any bounce and cause the batsmen any discomfort. He managed both and showed the rest of the pack attack what length to employ. South Africa had to shift out of their comfort zone, forget the short ball and pitch it up and they did. Chris Morris had Shikhar Dhawan trapped lbw by a full, straight ball as he tried to

JP Duminy guides the ball behind square, India v South Africa, 1st T20, Dharamsala, October 2, 2015.

whip it away. Dhawan’s early departure would not have been a cause for too much concern but Virat Kohli’s run-out two balls later would have. Morris was involved again, as he collected the ball at deep midwicket, and sent it in before Kohli was able to complete the second run, which Rohit Sharma seemed to want. Rohit was made to realise early that this innings would demand more of him than the one he played on Friday in Dharamsala. He was tested by bounce from Rabada, and pace from Morris and with only 13 runs coming from the 20 balls after Kohli’s dismissal, his patience ran out. Rohit tried to steal a single sending the ball to David Miller at point but he picked the wrong arm. He was also run-out to spark an Indian collapse. Ambati Rayudu swung and missed at a full toss from Rabada but India still had a senior partnership in Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. Raina showed the temperament to take advantage of South Africa’s few lapses - both Abbott and Tahir’s consistency abandoned them momentarily - but the experience of Morkel ensured any youthful, or in the case of Tahir, evergreen, exuberance did not erase South

Africa’s effort. Morkel’s first wicket on his return was of Dhoni, his captain at Chennai Super Kings, who he enticed with width and had caught behind off a thick edge. With the leader gone, India fell further. Tahir’s googly accounted for Raina and Harbhajan Singh in successive balls, India lost three wickets in the space of seven balls and could not recover. Morkel mopped up the tail, with Axar Patel caught at midwicket and Bhuvneshwar Kumar clean bowled, and Morris took the final wicket. India were bowled out with 16 balls left in their innings and lost their last eight wickets for 49 runs to leave South Africa with a clear passage for a series win. AB de Villiers could see the trophy so clearly he dispatched two back-ofa-length deliveries in Bhuvneshwar’s first over. Du Plessis brought some calm to the frenzied start and then got going himself, with good use of the feet against Harbhajan and Ashwin. Du Plessis’ dancing did not serve him that well though when he tried to charge Ashwin for the third time, he mistimed his shot and a running Mohit Sharma judged the catch well at mid-off.

It was only when de Villiers was done in by Ashwin’s change of pace, for the second time in the series and fifth time in T20s overall, that India may have thought they had a sniff. South Africa were 49 for 3 at the end of the eighth over and the heroes of the first match, JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien, promoted ahead of David Miller again, were circumspect. They could afford to take their time and were whittling away at the target, when the fans lost their patience. South Africa needed 29 runs off 54 balls when the crowd interrupted. They began to throw bottles onto the outfield, causing a 27minute break in play. After the authorities had policed the situation, play resumed for two overs before more bottles were thrown and play was stopped for a second time and the players went off the field this time. The break lasted 24 minutes while the upperlevel stands were cleared and the match could resume again. India managed one more wicket but could not prevent the inevitable and South Africa sauntered away with a series win. Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent.

SPORTS

Indian Boxers Get Wins DOHA: Asian silver-medallist Vikas Krishan (75 kg) and Shiva Thapa (56 kg) notched up comprehensive victories to enter the prequarters as Indian boxers made a good start at the World Championships on Tuesday. Shiva, a former Asian champion, started the proceedings on a perfect note for the country as he outpunched Algeria’s Khalil Litim 3-0. The 23-year-old will next face Morocco’s Mohamed Hamout, who got a first-round bye. Later, Vikas also sailed past Hungary’s Zoltan Harcsa 3-0 to make the last-16 stage. Vikas has a very tough bout next up as he will be up against fourth-seeded Tomasz Jablonski, a European Championships silver-medallist. Vikas had won a bronze medal at the 2011 edition of the event - only the second Indian to do so after Vijender Singh. The Haryana-lad dominated his bout against an immensely jittery rival and won by a unanimous decision. “Both Shiva and Vikas dominated their bouts in the first two rounds and took it easy in the third for obvious reasons. They have tough opponents in the next round but fingers crossed for a good result,” national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said. However, it was curtains for Manoj Kumar (64kg) in the very first round as he was stunned 1-2 to Moroccon Abdelhak Aatakni. The former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist was surprisingly rusty in the opening round and the loss of momentum cost him dearly. His movement sluggish in the first two rounds, Manoj gathered himself in the final three minutes but the comeback was a tad too late as Aatakni clinched the bout.

Indian boxer Vikas Krishnan has a good start at the World championships.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

October 09, 2015

Come to City’s Largest Dussehra, Diwali Festival at Skeeters Stadium, Sat, Oct. 17

SUGAR LAND: “Hey Devan, let’s go to this festival on the October 17 at Skeeters Stadium,” said my younger son Rohan to his older brother Devan, clutching an ad out of the local newspaper. “What’s so interesting about it?” he replied. Rohan excitedly told him that it’s the largest cultural festival of India in the city and maybe in the entire State. “And it’s being organized by the Shri Sita Ram Foundation,” he added. Devan quickly glanced at the ad. It showed a grand festival of the Victory of Good Over Evil on Saturday, October 17 to celebrating “Dussehra “ (the destruction of Evil) and Diwali. the “Festival of Lights” (the celebration the victory of Good) . Devan soon got excited about the activities that were planned for the festival. Free balloons, face painting, merrygo-round, moon walk, petting zoo, pony rides, clowns, shooting the demon Ravan with a bow and arrow and many others. “Hey Rohan, there’s lots of other things too.” Devan said, “Look!” he pointed to the ad. A multicolored, ‘Bazaar’ of 40 booths made of pipe and silk drapes lit up beautifully with holiday lights, selling lots of traditional items from India. Many food booths from well-known local Indian restaurants serving different types of dishes from the four corners of India. “I’ve heard that the holiday lights are going to cover the entire Stadium,” Rohan said, “It’s going to be lit up inside and out with multi colored lights, fluttering pennants and flags of Lord Ram and Hanuman making it true festive atmosphere like in India.” And there promised to be more. Folk dances from different parts of India, a huge three tiered decorated stage in the middle of the ball field and

traditional stage plays with adults and children dressed up in ancient Indian costumes . A portion of the Ram Leela depicting the coronation of Lord Ram on stage, a cannon shot salute and flower petals falling from above. “I wonder how they’re going to do the flower petal drop on stage from above?” wondered Rohan. The ad talked about a set of 3 30-foot tall effigies of the Demons Ravan, his brother and son on display brought from India and a smaller set of 15-foot tall effigies which were going to be lit up and burned, setting off the fireworks stuffed inside, to signify the destruction of Evil by the forces of Good. There was also going to be a 25-foot tall figure of Hanuman on display in the field Devan got excited too and said he had heard that there would be many kids and adults dressed up in costumes too. Also there would be a huge parade with majorettes, marching bands, color guards, and over 40 floats depicting scenes from ancient books and scriptures made by various organizations and area temples; joined by King Ram’s horse chariot and a 4-horse drawn stagecoach from Wells Fargo Bank. “Dad, can you take us to this festival?” both excitedly asked me. “It sounds like it’s going to a beautiful and colorful and a lot of fun and it’s from 4pm to 10pm on Saturday, October 17 and tickets are only $5 each.” I noticed that the tickets were available from several Indian stores in Sugar Land and Houston as well as through the website of the organizers, Shri Sita Ram Foundation, USA a non profit 501(c) 3 at www.ShriSitaRam.org; Sulekha.com; and also through HumTumDesi.com. Tickets will also be available at the box office at Skeeters Stadium from 3pm on October 17.

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