NRI Pulse December 2019

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NRI Pulse

December 2019

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper December 2019

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December 2019

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December 2019

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper December 2019 Kamala Harris Pulls Out Of Presidential Race

New York: (IANS) Kamala Harris, the senator of Indian heritage, has pulled out of the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination as she tumbled in the polls, despite a strong start,and was running short of campaign finance.

"It is with deep regret - but also with deep gratitude - that I am suspending my campaign today," she tweeted on December 3..

She said in a message to her supporters that the "truth today" is "my campaign for president simply doesn't have the financial resources we need to continue."

"I've taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life," she added.

Harris, who is from California is of partial Indian descent - her mother is the late cancer researcher Shyamal Gopalan and her father, Donald Harris, is African Jamaican.

Now there are only six serious candidates left to participate in the upcoming debate - all of them white in a party that trumpets its diversity and its caring for minorities - after Harris, who qualified for it dropped out.

She is the second candidate of Indian heritage to try for a major party's presidential nomination. Bobby Jindal, the former governor of Louisiana, ran against President Donald Trump in 2015 for the Republican Party nomination for the 2016 election.

But unlike Harris who was initially a strong contender getting as much as 15 per cent support in polls, he polled only about 1 per cent and quit the race in less than six months. Memorably he had called Trump a "narcissist" and his campaign a "carnival" act, shutting him off from any administration position.

Harris started out strong holding the third spot in the polls behind former Vice President Joe Biden and the socialist Bernie Sanders from December last year through April.

After a powerful showing in the Democratic Party debate in June she surged to the second spot in July behind Biden with 15 per cent support in the RealClear Politics aggregation of polls. By the end of November, she had tumbled to the fifth place with 3.4 per cent support.

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Indian-American Student Found Strangled In Car

New York: (IANS) An Indian-origin student was found strangled in her car in a university campus in Chicago and a suspect has been arrested and charged in the crime, according to authorities.

Ruth George, 19, was found dead at a parking garage on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on a Saturday and the alleged killer was arrested the next day, campus police Chief Kevin Booker said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The newspaper said the arrested man, Donald Thurman, 26, was charged with first-degree murder and sexual assault.

It said that he is an ex-convict who was sentenced to six years for a robbery in 2016, but was let off on parole last year.

A picture of the man on the newspaper’s site showed him be a non-white person with dreadlocks. ing from her since Friday evening and her phone In an earlier statement, Booker said that was tracked to the parking garage, where she was her family contacted the police after not hear- found in her car, he said.

Pichai Becomes Alphabet CEO As Google Co-Founders Step Down

San Francisco: (IANS) Signaling the end of an era, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have decided to relinquish their current positions in the parent company Alphabet, making India-born Sundar Pichai the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.

Page and Brin, the CEO and President, respectively, of Alphabet, have decided to leave these roles, the company said, adding that the change is effective immediately.

Page and Brin will continue their involvement as co-founders, shareholders and members of Alphabet’s Board of Directors.

Pichai will remain the CEO of Google and a member of Alphabet’s Board of Directors.

“I’m excited about Alphabet and its long term focus on tackling big challenges through technology. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Larry and Sergey in our new roles,” Pichai said.

“Thanks to them, we have a timeless mission, enduring values, and a culture of collaboration and exploration. It’s a strong foundation on which we will continue to build, he added.

Pichai joined Google in 2004 and helped lead the development of Google Toolbar and then Google Chrome, which grew to become the world’s most popular internet browser.

In 2014 he was appointed to lead product and engineering for all of Google’s products and platforms — including popular products such as Search, Maps, Play, Android, Chrome, Gmail and Google Apps (now G Suite).

Sundar became Google’s CEO in August 2015. He joined the Board of Directors of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in July 2017.

Under his leadership as CEO, Google has been focused on developing products and services, powered by the latest advances in AI, that offer help in moments big and small.

It has invested in new opportunities such as Google Cloud and YouTube and has continued to be a leader in advanced technologies, including machine learning and quantum computing.

Pichai, who grew up in Chennai and studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, holds a master’s degree from the Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Investigations showed that she entered the garage at 1.35 am on Saturday and another person with no connection to the university who entered it shortly afterward is being held in connection with the case, he said.

Booker identified the man Thurman and said he confessed to the crime, the Tribune reported.

The County Medical Examiner determined after a post-mortem that George was strangled, WGN-TV reported.

Her cousin, Sunaina Deborah, posted on Facebook, “Dearest Ruthie baby… we miss you… just not able to believe you’re no more…

You were a loving and wonderful daughter, sister and cousin… Rest in peace.”

UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said, “All of us are devastated by the loss of Ruth George, a member of our Honors College and a talented kinesiology student with dreams and aspirations to become a health professional and help others.”

Atlanta Man Attacked With Whipped Cream Pie

An Indian-American was attacked with a whipped cream pie at The Mall West-End, in what the victim believes, is a racially motivated attack, reports Fox 5 News.

Joel Singh was visiting a friend’s jewelry kiosk at the mall recently, when a young man suddenly shoved a tin or pie plate with whipped cream on the left side of his face.

Singh told Fox 5 News his face was numb and his vision was blurred for almost three hours.

He felt like he was targeted because of his race.

Surveillance video shows three young men close to each other. One of them pulls out a pie tin or plate, then fills it with what looks like whipped cream. He walks over to Singh and shoves it in his face.

The youngster also allegedly hurled racial slurs at him.

After the attack, the three youngsters fled through the back door of a restaurant. Atlanta police are actively looking for them.

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December 2019

Together We Can Heal: Community Gathers To Support Raksha At Annual Fundraiser

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “I am Raksha ki Beti,” meaning, “I am the daughter of Raksha,” the voice of a domestic violence survivor who embraced the organization as her mother, summarized the noteworthy contribution of Raksha, Inc., to society. Raksha Inc., is the only Atlanta based nonprofit that works toward healing, justice and empowerment for survivors of violence in the South Asian community. Many such survivors found their platform to share their needs and realities at Raksha’s annual event “Ek Shaam Raksha Ke Naam” themed “Together We Can Heal”, held on November 9, 2019 at the Westin, Perimeter.

Community members who have served the organization’s mission of a stronger and healthier South Asian community in their own unique ways were also recognized for their contributions.

The evening opened with a reception welcoming Raksha’s supporters, friends, families, sponsors, members of the media and dignitaries to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails while mingling and browsing the strikingly curated silent auction items on display. Spectacular pieces of original art, sarees and jewelry from local merchants, privately prepared dinners, and vacation get-aways awaited patrons to claim as their own.

A flashy surprise awaited the audience as they were ushered into the ballroom when several Raksha staff and board members led by Moksha, an Atlanta-based multicultural dance company broke into an impromptu flash mob-esque dance sequence, which marked the beginning of promising evening yet to unfold.

The emcee of the night, child and adolescent psychiatrist and author of “A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist’s Couch”, Dr. Suvrat Bhargave, officially welcomed the guests and proceeded with the night’s first of three awards, the “Seeds of Change” award, which was presented to Drs. Arun and Deepti Munjal. Dr Arun Munjal specializes in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Neurology and Psychiatry and consistently provides pro bono and timely services to Raksha’s clients, meeting their needs in a culturally competent manner. Dr. Deepti Munjul, a board-certified physician in medical oncology and internal medicine, has always been a strong Raksha supporter and offers to assist clients as needed. “Their unwavering determination, compassion and dedication to Raksha is exemplary,” said Aparna Bhattacharyya, Executive Director, Raksha.

A Raksha client, who choose to protect her identity, but not her odyssey of trials, tribulations, and the eventual triumph as a survivor and a mother under the “Raksha” (protection) and guidance of the organization, was fittingly awarded the “Himmat (or Courage)” award. Identifying herself as “Raksha ki Beti”, the domestic violence survivor chose to share her story in a moving presentation detailing her heartbreaking and inspirational journey of tears and cheers.

Dr. Suvrat Bhargave was awarded the “Ramesh and Vijaya Bakshi Community Change award” for his constant service to numerous community entities in the greater Atlanta area. His involvement and compassionate approach to providing support in various ways comes from insight as a fellow traveler trying to help another traveler cope with complicated emotions. He lectures nationally on a wide range of topics including personal growth, relationship ful-

governmental actions that continue to support rape culture and other types of oppression. They also asked to ponder about actions that create situations where minority groups flee and seek asylum and how the likelihood of sexual assault is high for asylum and refugee seekers.

“Let us create a new culture. Hold on to your traditions but do not replicate rape culture,” urged Amita in their passionate closing lines.

A thoughtfully choreographed three-piece dance presentation titled “Liberate”, “Empower”, and “Transform” by Moksha aligned perfectly with the theme of the night and the vision of Raksha.

A delightful spread of delicacies prepared by the Westin’s own Chef Dinesh awaited the attendees.

The audience was treated to mellifluous performances by accomplished singer, Purnima Mathur, Amita Swadhin with Aparna Bhattacharyya. founder and director of Malhaar Music Academy, including a serenade that revived nostalgic melodies, both recent and from yester years. The night ended on a high note with DJ Sahib keeping attendees dancing for the rest of the shaam (evening), Raksha ke naam, of course.

“Raksha’s staff and board are greatly appreciative of the generous support from community members and sponsors and of the time and energy from volunteers in making this 21st “Ek Shaam Raksha ke Naam” a huge success. The evening is dedicated to all who utilize Rakha’s services; their strength and courage is truly inspiring! On behalf of the clients we serve, we are thankful to you, our supporters, for helping to make the lives of our clients better, both in tangible and intangible ways. As Ek Shaam Raksha Ke Naam is RakL to R: Aparna Bhattacharyya, Dr Suvrat Bhargave, Vi- sha’s annual fundraiser, there jaya & Ramesh Bakshi. Photos by Photography by Vinod. continues to be a call for financial support so Raksha can continue to meet the unique needs fillment and effective parenting. The Bakshi couple of Raksha’s adult and child clients,” said Aparna. have been long time Raksha supporters and part of the Gold Sponsors: Kore, Patel Brothers, Sheth founding Ek Shaam team.

Family Foundation, UPS Silver Sponsors: 27th In“Sexual abuse and domestic violence are a univervestments, American CyberSystems, Kumar, Prasal phenomenon,” stated keynote speaker for the night, bhu, Patel & Banerjee, Delta Air Lines, The Pranan Amita Swadhin, an educator, storyteller, activist and Foundation, Premier Kings of Georgia, Redwood consultant, dedicated to fighting interpersonal and inWealth Management Bronze Sponsors: Ace Bookstitutional violence against young people. Amita, who keeping, Allstate (Massie Hundal) Antonini and uses as “they, them/their” as their pronouns, approachCohen, Asians Americans Advancing Justice- Ates their work from their experiences as a genderqueer, lanta, Atlanta Hand Specialist, Atlanticus, Bhavya femme queer woman of color, daughter of immigrants, Chaudhary and Associates, Boardwalk Developand years of abuse by their parents, including eight ment Group, Chugh Firm, East Marietta Dentistry, years of child sexual abuse by their father.

First Medical Care, GCFID, Gokare Law Firm, Dr. “Sexual violence is a learned behavior,” noted Jayanthi Srinivasiah, Klinke Immigration, Kuck Amita, speaking from their own experience where Baxter, Madras Mantra, Metro Medical Associtheir father was abused as a child. Unsurprisingly, their ates, Morgan Stanley (Sid Ganju), One Path Legal, address was personal, provocative and compelling, Pyramid Consulting, Shah Law Firm, and Vision but their message also included a call-to-action for Hospitality Group. We are grateful for our media every member in the audience to change rape culture and inkind sponsors Atlanta Dunia, Desi Express, by teaching kids about consent, even in simple acts of Divinity AV Productions, DJ Sahib (GTB Producasking them permission to hug them. They asked the tions), Khabar, NRI Pulse, Photography by Vinod, audience to also look at the systems and to reflect upon TV Asia and Wownow.com.

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December 2019

Indian-American Supporters Fired Up At Tulsi Gabbard Debate Watch Party

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Atlanta, GA: “I just wanted to come here and say thank you, because this campaign is about you, for you and our campaign truly is people powered campaign that can bring about systemic change in our leadership that will ensure our government is by and for the people,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at her cozy official watch party at the Dante’s Atlanta Music Project, organized by her supporters, majority Americans and Hindu Americans on Nov 20th 2019.

Gabbard was one among the 10 presidential hopefuls who took to stage at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta for the fifth Democratic debate.

As the first Hindu American elected to United States Congress, Gabbard naturally enjoys the support of many Hindu-Americans. She is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

According to AAPI Data based out of the University of California, in the first quarter that ended March 31 Gabbard had raised more than $237,000 from the Indian American community and Indian green card holders in the U.S who are also eligible to contribute to U.S. political campaigns.

That Gabbard was the last candidate to make

it to the Atlanta debate, barely reaching the above 3 percent polling in four national polls, days before the DNC deadline, hardly mattered to her staunch supporters.

“Democracy is derailed now. Tulsi is working towards that. We need to support her as she is standing up for us,” says Atlanta supporter Sridhar Venkat. Venkat, like many of her supporters, is thrilled to have a leader willing to invest in infrastructure rather than wars.

What draws her supporters? Among others, civil liberties, integrity, Gabbard’s 16 years of military service along with tours of duty in the Middle East, and her non interfering international policies seem to top the list.

“She is a natural born leader, who connects with the audience because she stands for unity, love, peace and respect for everyone, all grounded on the universal nature of our Hindu Dharma,“ says Atlanta’s Srinivas Konteti.

Konteti believes she is the only presidential candidate who talks about cutting spending on regime change wars and diverting that money towards more productive spend on the infrastructure, healthcare and education for everyone.

“We all believe that she not only has the will and leadership that is needed to bring the change and as a true leader, but also can bring sanity to the bi-partisan politics.”

Unlike her fiery self during debates, the watch party witnessed a much warmer Gabbard.

The homely milieu had her father Mike Gabbard accompanied by three friends with whom he played in a folk band back in high school. Among others, they sang a song written for Tulsi by her dad, She’ll do the right thing for you and me / Tulsi in 2020.

“Tomorrow is a new day. I need every one of you to be the messengers of truth, peace, bringing voice to so many people, who have not been heard by our county’s leaders,” said Gabbard, adding it was necessary to fight back with aloha and with the with truth. “Are you in,” she asked.

No alcohol was required at the non-alcoholic watch party to get Gabbard’s patrons charged, as they chanted “Tulsi, Tulsi,” in unison.

NKK Celebrates Deepavali And Rajyotsava With Traditional Fervor

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: With members of NKK and NKK BOD and EC walking in with lit lamps and Karnataka flags to the tune of the popular Kannada star, late Dr. Rajkumar, Nrupathunga Kannada Koota (NKK) celebrated Deepavali and Kannada Rajyotsava with much pomp and traditional fervor on November 9, 2019 at Berkmar High School. Dr. B. S. Srinath, Managing Trustee and Surgical Oncologist of Shri Shankara Cancer Foundation, Bengaluru presided as the chief guest of the evening.

Kids of Kasturi Kannada Shaale brought in the flavor of state with the patriotic rendition of the state anthem. Various energetic dance and musical presentations by kids and adults added to the milieu. A satire, “Sirigannadam Gallige” showcased various ways Kannada language gets molded in ways almost impossible to be understood. Emcess Madhu Diwakar, Sheona Diwakar, Sudhanva Athreya and Anirudh Kowlagi led by Shruthi Anil kept the audience entertained.

“It is our honor to have Dr. Srinath among us. I’m personally indebted to him for treating my in-laws,” said anchor Shruti Anil.

“I’m overwhelmed by the grand celebrations of Rajyotsava and Deepavali here in Atlanta,” said Dr. Srinath in his address. He went on to speak about the importance of cancer awareness and the contributions of SSCF to society, elaborating on new technologies explored and deployed for Cancer prevention and treatment. He highlighted the

Photos by Girish Modi. affordable pricing for treatment at the center for all patients and free treatment provided for the poor.

“Meravanige”, a procession of spirited dance and music accompanied by Dhol, Chande and Taala played by members Sudeep Hebbar, Srinivas Prasad and Chandrakumar and members of NKK added vibrancy to the proceedings.

NKK recognized Girish Modi for his generous contributions to NKK and his free photog-

raphy services. NKK also recognized volunteers of Kannada Kali, who teach Kannada to students.

The primetime show, an Instrumental Musical Ensemble titled V3, for Veena, Violin, and Venu (flute) accompanied by Tabla and Mridangam captured hearts of the audience. Vidushi Shashikala Narayan Swamy, an accomplished Veena player and vocalist from Bengaluru played the Veena, with artists from Atlanta, Krupanand Narayan Swamy playing Violin, Flute by Suresh Byagathvalli, Mridangam by Subra Vishwanathan and Tabla by Shiv Prasad Kotegal, accompanying her.

A delicious array of south Indian dishes by Madras Mantra added flavor to the event.

“The team of 2019 has done a wonderful job of hosting and managing successful events under the leadership of President Vinay Venkatesh. We wish them the very best and I can assure you that NKK is in safe hands with the new team of 2020.

We are thankful to all the donors, artists, volunteers and prestigious members who made the event a grand success,” said Dr. Subramanya Bhat, Chairman, NKK. Team of NKK 2020 includes Diwakar Nidagatte Dyamanna, Sudeep Hebbar, Sarpabhushan Mallikarjunappa, Srinivas Prasad in EC and Dr Annapurna Bhat and Ajay Madwesh in BOD.

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December 2019

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, Officials Meet Indian-Americans

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: Cobb County is thriving, in more ways than one. With frequent announcements of business expansions and incentives making headlines, it was only a matter of time before the county showcased its rapid development to highlight what it has to offer to businesses and communities, including fostering bilateral relations with international companies. And it did, with staggering stats to substantiate, too.

“Due to the efforts of members of the chamber and the government we have grown our tax digest by 40% and that is an extraordinary number. It reflects the confidence the business community has in us.

Now that they are here, it is important that they stay here,” opened Mike Boyce, Commission Chairman of Cobb County at a meeting with an Indian-American delegation held at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center on November 20, 2019. He was joined by two members from Cobb Chamber, Sharon Mason, President, CEO and Dana Johnson, EVP of Economic development and Executive Director of Select Cobb, Michael Hughes, Cobb Economic Development and Ross Cavitt, Communications.

Kartik H. Bhatt, consumer member for the Georgia Board of Examiners for the Certification of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Laboratory Analysts assembled the Indian delegation for the meeting.

“Our school system is perhaps one of our most valuable commodities. One of Cobb county schools figure in the top 5% of every best school rating in the country. We have 13 Libraries in the county,” noted Boyce, adding that he recognizes the importance of education to the Indian-American community. Boyce highlighted Technical colleges of the county that provide academic and technical pathways, that form the basis for a robust workforce.

“We have a strong diverse economy,” stated

Johnson. From international corporations such as Lockheed Martin to recent corporate partner, Plethora, this year alone the county attracted 19 projects, 10 recruitments, and 9 retentions. “Over its lifetime, Select Cobb has helped out with 30K jobs, and 2.89 billion $ of new investment.”

With SunTrust park and 6 Flags under its belt, tourism is quite the contributing industry in Cobb. “2018 generated $3.14 billion, employing 40 thousand people in hospital and tourism space,” noted Johnson, emphasizing two big events being hosted at the SunTrust Park – the 2021 MLB AllStar Game, and the Visa Big Air on Dec 20-21, 2019. Visa Big Air is part of a multi-year commitment by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring big air events to the masses in breathtaking new environments by hosting one city big air event per season leading into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

“A lot of what we do at the chamber is fo-

cused towards building international partnerships,” said Johnson, citing Cobb Chamber International Reception hosted by the county, attending the SEUS-CP Conference, an economic forum founded at the initiative of the Québec government and the state of Georgia, meeting Korean Consulate and other consulates as part of their outreach program. “We would love to create bilateral co operations from India.”

Johnson drew attention to Ignite HQ Incubator and The Farm Comcast Accelerator that brings both national and Atlanta-based startups to the heart of Atlanta’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. ”If you have an idea, we have the means to formalize the idea, create a business and get the skills and tools you need grow. Our educational institutions, businesses and workforces are all working together so we can have a pipeline of talent to work together in all sectors including Biotech, Healthcare, Technology, Construction, and Trade.”

“We are very blessed in this county to have incredible leadership. We are so strong because we all work together, we collaborate. At the chamber we advocate the local and federal levels working with our many partners,” stated Mason.

“My first priority is to ensure the renewal of the current Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax. That will ensure that we continue to provide our citizens with quality roads and public safety equipment,” said Boyce to NRI Pulse about his priorities for his second term in 2020. With regards to budget, he said there will be no increase in the millage rate, continuation of the reduction in the water transfer rate—from 9% to 8% and adoption of a step-in-grade compensation feature for public safety officers, for the upcoming term.

Acknowledging issues with traffic, among others, Boyce said America has always been about problem-solving and will find a way to address its issues. Addressing issues of Burglaries, Indian homes in particular and the recent incident of a student walking into Wheeler High School with a gun raised by NRI Pulse, Boyce said appropriate measures had and will been taken.

“We do have one shortfall for the Indian community – the lack of a Cricket stadium,” quipped Boyce. He cited an Indian American DQ franchise owner in Cobb whose kids went on to be neurosurgeon and biotech engineers. “This is not a one-off. This is the story of the Indian community in Cobb County.”

“The strength of America has always been its people. There must be a divine intervention to have people from 160 countries to come live here and we have found a way to successful. And that is because you the opportunity to be successful.”

“We want people to come to Cobb county because we are family. It is not just the quality of life but a representation of the American dream,” concluded Boyce.

Konkani Association Of Georgia Celebrates Diwali 2019

Atlanta, GA: The Konkani Association of Georgia (KAOG) had their annual Diwali celebration on November 9th at the Gurukul in Duluth. For the second year in a row, a new venue was chosen, and it fit the bill from the viewpoint of both audience and performers.

It is the finale of the year, and as always, it started with pooja and arti. This year, set up near the arti, was art by kids. The art added to the decor, besides creating interest among people readying for the spectacle that is entertainment.

Following the arti was the most awaited program of the evening - the entertainment. It started with a spell-binding and beautiful Ganesha dance

by Tanvi Shanbhag, who performed the dance gracefully. Tanvi then got into ‘mufti’ for her other main task of the evening - emceeing the program along with Diya Kamath and Shriya Nayak. The association always strives to put together an eclectic offering of songs and high-energy dances across genders, genres and ages, built around a couple of skits. This time, the adult dances had a storyline the journey of a couple of falling in love through to marriage and beyond. Each stage in the journey was portrayed by a dance. There were Bollywood dances by not only children, but several medleys by ladies and gents set to choreography that was top-notch by Savita Shanbhag, who worked with

all the groups spread across the northern suburbs.

One of the high points of the evening was a skit involving kids, and a couple of adults, entirely in Konkani, with flawless delivery of lines by the young actors none older than twelve years. Written by resident playwright Banur Nageshrao, who conducted the practice almost entirely by phone, it involved a hilarious situation on an airline in flight. Not many in the audience quite knew how it ended, but it didn’t matter! A unique and endearing aspect of Konkani - repeat words such as chiri-chiri - was woven into the names of various

characters and other things (such as Piri Piri, Pat Pat, etc). The language seemed to be in good hands as it gets passed down to the next generation!

The association welcomed Ram Acharya visiting from California, who is co-president of the 2020 Konkani Sammelan in San Jose, CA in July. It is the first Sammelan after the hugely successful one in Atlanta in 2016, and there appears a lot of enthusiasm from the Georgia Konkanis to show up in greater numbers (while dispensing advice!) as the immediate past host.

KAOG’s teen aged photographer Soham Honnavar enthusiastically clicked all the pictures.

Post dinner, it was time to take to the dance floor. Before dinner, the committee for the next year was selected, with several first-timers step-

ping up. The president Murali Shenoy expressed his gratitude to the present committee for pulling off fine programs this year so well.

The KAOG was formed in 2000, when a few families who have been meeting informally decided to form an association. Member events typically occur three times a year - Yugadi celebrations in March/April, a summer picnic in an outdoor setting, and Diwali celebrations in October/November. There are about 60 active families in the Atlanta metro area, and the few families strewn across Georgia who enthusiastically make the trip for each of the events. The Diwali program is the grand finale, capping off the years’ events, and occasion to showcase the talents of the community, and encourage participation. This year’s celebration capped off a year of successful events with tremendous participation at all levels, setting off a positive vibe for 2020. In the 20th year next year, plans are afoot for a robust celebration of the evolution of a small, yet vibrant and close-knit community.

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December 2019

Taste Of Gwinnett: Over 1000 People Pamper Their Palettes To Fight Cancer

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Atlanta, GA: What does a normal high school student do when an event he volunteers for is cancelled? Go a movie, perhaps? Well, not all high school students. Saddened by the cancelation of Gwinnett County Relay for Life Event at the Gwinnett Fairgrounds due to inclement weather back in 2017, Gwinnett high school student Sunil Reddy gathered a group of friends who uncovered a delectable way to fight cancer, by hosting a charity tasting event featuring the diverse selection of restaurants in Gwinnett County. Soon a slogan was born, Eat Food. Fight Cancer and along came the business title, Taste the Charity, Inc. The verified non-profit organization hosted a unique event, Taste of Gwinnett, at the Infinite Energy center, under the leadership of Shivani Desai, the new CEO, on November 16, 2019. The event was well attended with nearly 1000 attendees pampering their palettes.

Featuring 30 signed vendors, the event kicked off with the VIP hour, an hour earlier than the event was open to public. While student orchestral quartet played in the corner with refreshments and select gourmet desserts for guests to enjoy, servers brought up exclusive samples

from vendors below to the VIP attendees. The VIP program held in the meeting rooms above the exhibit halls of the event provided a full screen glass view of the happenings below. “The VIP hour was a great chance to network and honor our sponsors and ticketholders,” commented Desai.

While live music and orchestral groups by high school / middle school student performers entertained the attendees, food bites by various vendors across Gwinnett and surrounding areas including a wide array of American, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Caribbean among many others along with some delightful deserts, offered a rare experience to sample various cuisines under one roof.

Restaurants were recognized by a judging panel of Toby Bloomberg, Chef Cassandra Mason, Tandelyn Daniel, Chef Barbara Byrd, Keisha Cameron under various categories. The winning vendor samples included Noona Steakhouse for Best Entree, Luciano's for Best Appetizer, and Luciano's for Best Dessert. People's choice winners included Poona Indian Restaurant and Daddy O's Irish Ice Cream.

Naming themselves officers of the charity, the teenage team of 6 that put together the event in the age ranges between 16-18, comprising of 4 Juniors from Peachtree Ridge High School: Shivani Desai (Chief Executive Officer), Katie Kim (Director of Marketing), David Lee (Director of Legal), and Kyle Zuluaga (Director of

Desai. Why Infinite Energy Center?

“The center is one of the hallmarks of Gwinnett and metro Atlanta. The Forum Exhibit Halls were the perfect central site to host the Taste of "Gwinnett" within the county.”

How do these busy high school kids manage logistics? They divide and conquer. “Katie has redesigned our brand by redesigning our logo into what it is today, producing our business cards, name tags, and flyers.

David manages our legal status and insurance, as well as working with Kyle on recruiting new vendors. Kyle works with our Relay for Life connection, Gwinnett county school board for support, and connects with our networks of restaurants with David. Isabel and Jace are our chief sponsorship team.

Jace manages all of the funds and accounting in our budget, and connects Top row, L to R: Kyle Zuluaga, Jace Sum- us with local politicians, business outreach, and helps manage the team and mers, Isabel McHenry. Bottom row, L to R: other issues,” elaborated Desai.

David Lee, Shivani Desai, Katie Kim Indian American media NRI Pulse and WOWNOW were among supportOperations); 2 Seniors from the Gwinnett School ers of the cause as sponsors. “We would of Mathematics, Science, and Technology: Isabel like to thank all our sponsors DoMyOwn, Print McHenry (Chief Management Officer) and Jace Trade Company, Peach State Freightliners, BusiSummers (Chief Financial Officer). ness Innovations, Patel Brothers, WOWNOW, When all her teammates of last year, includ- Hood Insurance, Norsan Group, & Onsite AV, ing Sunil Reddy graduated past spring, Shivani Meadows & Ohly, Cornerstone Management, Desai was assigned the job of rebuilding the team. Lail Family Dentistry, Bruce Bo Realty, Dave & “As CEO, I try my best to assist my team Buster's, Peachtree Corners Magazine, NRI Pulse, and delegate task in terms of priority, as well as and the Georgia Food & Hospitality Network and deal with the logistics of the event itself,” says all of our returning vendors,” concludes Desai.

Navya Sarikonda Wins Best Young Syrian-American Scholar’s ‘Book Author For ‘The Enchanters’ Child’ Of Love’ Debuts At Carter Center

Atlanta, GA: Navya Sarikonda’s novel, “The Enchanters’ Child” was awarded a gold medal for Best Novel by a Young Author by the Moonboom Children’s Book Awards committee in Traverse city, Michigan on November 9th, 2019.

The award is given to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and is dedicated to supporting childhood literacy and life-long reading.

Navya was also awarded Best Young Author of 2019 by Literary Classics of International Award committee on November 15th, 2019. Her novel received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval from the organization with a 5-star rating.

The novel was also an award-winner in the 2019 American Book Fest, winner of the Literary Titan Award, and an award-finalist in the 2019 International Book Awards in the Young Adult Fic-

tion Category. Navya is also short listed for the prestigious Dante Rossetti Award for Emerging Talent.

Navya Sarikonda is a young author from Atlanta. “The Enchanters’ Child” was published when she was sixteen and was started when she was twelve. In addition to her novel, Navya is the founder of AuthorsOrigin, an organization that strives to equip and empower kids with the tools to grow in their writing and to aid them along the publishing process. Navya is also the recipient of the Narayan Seva Sansthan “Shakti” (Feminine Energy) Award as their youngest recipient. Navya’s goal is to inspire others to write and show that anything is possible, regardless of age.

You can connect with her on her website www. navyasarikonda.com or on Authorsorigin.com.

Atlanta, GA: On October 6th, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy’s latest book, “The Book of Love” debuted at the prestigious Carter Center as part of the “Book of Love” book tour which began earlier this year in the United Kingdom through an initiative by The Madina Institute of Non-Violence and Peace Studies. The significance of the event was evident by the diversity of faiths and culture amongst the guests that attended the event, emphasizing that love is a universal language understood by all. Some notable guests included, Brenda Lopez Romero (GA Representative from 99th District), Rey Martinez (Mayor of Loganville), Kirkland Carden (Duluth City Councilman), Subhash Razdan (Chairman of Gandhi Foundation), John Naugle (President of Atlanta: City of Peace), Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley (Pastor Emeritus of Providence Missionary Baptist Church), Imam Plemon El-Amin (Imam Emeritus of Masjid al-Islam), Soumaya Khalifa (Executive Director of Islamic Speakers Bureau-Atlanta), Joy Pope (Director of AJC Decatur Book Festival), Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp (Professor of Religion at UGA) and Professor Waqas Khwaja (Professor of English Literature at Agnes Scott).

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December 2019

Oncologist Dr. Srinath B.S Raises Cancer Awareness In Atlanta

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “No child who walks in with a cancer diagnosis is sent untreated at Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital, irrespective of whether they can pay or not. And we pride in providing affordable care to all patients,” said Dr. Srinath B.S, Managing trustee and Chief Oncologist of Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation (SSCF) in his exclusive interview with NRI Pulse.

Dr. Srinath was in Atlanta to raise cancer awareness and raise funds for SSCF to enable free cancer treatment to kids whose families are unable to afford it. He presided as the chief guest at NKK Deepavali and Rajyotsava celebrations on November 9th and a Meet and Greet fundraiser event in Roswell organized by Ajay Madwesh on November 10, 2019. The fundraiser in California raised 168K for the cause.

“Through US donations of $525,000 raised since 2014, SSCF has treated 127 patients, free of cost, and 35,000 in all. Apart from providing treatment, deserving families are offered free medicines and free food is handed to over 100 patients each day,” said Soma Shekar, Board member, SSCFUSA. “Cancer should be prevented when possible.

Establishing and maintaining a cancer hospital is very expensive. The specialized equipment, medicine and treatment rendering is expensive, and outcomes are unpredictable. Hence prevention needs focused attention,” urged Dr. Srinath.

Sixty-nine and raring to go, Dr. Srinath showed no signs of fatigue having landed in California from India days before his Atlanta visit.

Operational since 2012, SSCF was founded with the sole purpose of helping cancer patients receive optimal treatment at affordable cost. The

Dr. Srinath B.S. (3rd from nine-storied SSCF facility in Bangalore is well equipped with 300 beds, staff of 600 which includes 70 doctors who have treated 35,000 patients since 2012, 8 operation theaters where close to 300 surgeries are performed per month, Two mobile cancer units to work in rural areas, furnished with - Ultrasound, X-ray and dental chair, Mammography & Ultrasound, 4 doctors, 2 clinical psychologists and 22 assistants.

“Breast and Lung cancers in adults are most prevalent in Bangalore,” noted Dr. Srinath, adding that most cancers are preventable and mostly caused due to lifestyle, environmental and food choices. “Use of tobacco, alcohol, consumption of unhygienic and unbalanced food lacking in vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, A, Magnesium, to name a few, that are vital to the body, and lack of exercise are some of key contributing factors to cancer,” stated Dr. Srinath. “Environmen-

tal factors like residual pesticides, which absorbed by the roots, thus being present within the fruits and vegetables, industrial waste, lead and arsenic contents, HIV and HPV are also add to the risk.”

“Approximately 70% of the population live in rural areas far left) in Atlanta. away from medical help.

Patients do not seek treatment until late stages. Number of government-owned cancer facilities are very few and private cancer hospitals clustered in the major cities,” said Dr. Srinath, addressing cancer care challenges in India.

“SSCF has dedicated wings and a comprehensive approach to address various aspects of cancer including research, prevention, awareness, palliative care, pain management, patient caregivers support groups for breast, ostomy, pediatric and, gynecological cancers, bereavement counselling and even holistic care including yoga, meditation, psychological counselling, art therapy and music therapy, all of which are available to patients at affordable pricing and free for the economically backward,” elaborated Dr. Srinath.

The mobile unit travels deep into the villages screening patients, raising awareness and offering

free treatment to the poor.

India ranks 3rd in cancer cases after China and the US and is the second most common cause of death in India. India accounts for 20% of childhood cancers in the world. Pediatric cancers constitute around 2-4% of all cancer diagnosis in India. “The causes of most childhood cancers are not very clear. In children, like those in adults, cancers are thought to develop as a result of mutations in genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and eventually cancer,” said Dr. Srinath.

“This time we are seeking funds to treatment of pediatric cancer patients, especially since it is highly curable when detected early and most deserving. It is very fulfilling to see a child cured of the ailment and grow up to be a healthy person. It is our goal at SSCF to treat all childhood cancers free of cost, “pledged Dr. Srinath.

Towards that goal, SSCF facility has an exclusive 60-bedded Pediatric Cancer Centre with provision for individualized care and facility for every child, a first effort of its kind in the country.

The comprehensive plan includes free long stay facilities, temporary employment for parents, free nutritional diet and financial support, family counselling and after care treatment.

“Our goals for 2020 include a paediatric Long Stay, construction of 2 more floors at SSCHRC, a bone Marrow Transplant Centre and a 3rd Linear Arc,” stated Dr. Srinath The daily increase in number of patients and referrals from even the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh stands testimony to the state-ofthe-art facility that provides quality treatment at affordable pricing, apart from the free treatment.

You may check http://sscfusa.org/ for details.

Atlanta Seniors Pray For Global Peace On Diwali Day

BY MAHADEV DESAI

Atlanta, GA: Senior Citizens Program, in its 24th continuous years of existence, celebrated their annual Diwali with great joy and enthusiasm at the Ashiana Banquet Hall, Norcross, Georgia on Sunday, November 3, 2019. The stage was elegantly decorated with flowers, diyas, and a picture of Goddess Laxmi.

The program began with diya lighting and an uplifting aarti of Goddess Laxmi. Executive Director Raj Razdan welcomed all, especially thanking generous sponsorship of Vikas and Dolly Verma for their unflinching financial support every year since the inception of SCP in 1996.

In his brief remarks, Vikas Verma thanked Raj for commendably running the SCP since inception and for its phenomenal growth and wished all a very happy Diwali. He assured Raj of his ongoing support to the program.

Raj felicitated the Vermas with flower bouquets.

As a member of the SCP, the writer can easily testify to the success story and growth of SCP. From a meager membership of 30 seniors to a mailing list of 600 with average attendance to its monthly events of over 150! Kudos!

The program began with a brief presentation through Harry Mehra and Karen of North Point Wealth Management/ForeCare about retirement and insurance planning. Raj thanked them and presented them with flower bouquets.

It was show time for entertainment. While the attendees were enjoying appetizers, Raman-

bhai Patel, Shobhnaben Shukla, Kalpanaben Dave, Ramesh Shah, Darshan Kaur, took turns to entertain them with nostalgic Bollywood hits, uplifting bhajans, poems, and jokes.

Pallaviben Patel, a wellknown and talented dancer teamed with her proficient student Hina Ferrell in a scintillating dance to the song “Taal se taal mila”. Hina Ferrrell recited a poem in praise of her dance-guru and close friend Pallaviben.

Yoga practitioner Rajveer Singh, a farmer from India, demonstrated and explained benefits of a few Pranayama asanas like Anulom/Vilom, Kapalabhati, and Ujjayi pranayamas and its importance for good health, especially during golden years.

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation's representative Ranchhodbhai Lakha provided a brief overview of EVF and its upcoming fundraiser “Ekal se Taal Mila ke Jhoom” at Mountain view High School, Lawrenceville, on Dec.15, 2019.

The cheerful cake cutting ceremony marked the birthdays and anniversaries of all the SCP

Photos by Tracy

Dr. Subhash Joshi, Hemantbhai Shah and Harshad Shah (who also managed the sound system) regaled the audience with more evergreen songs.

Raj and Dolly Verma felicitated Atlanta journalist and SCP’s long time member Mahadev Desai and Atlanta’s profiMarshall Productions. cient photo/videographer, mental health advocate members born in Noand social worker Tracy Marshall for their outstandvember. The gathering ing service to the community with flower bouquets. cheerfully sang “Tum The program ended with a sumptuous Dijeeyo hazaron saal” as a cake was cut to mark wali lunch. In the tradition started by Vikas and the birthdays of Sharad Dolly Verma, seniors were presented with mouthShah, Ranchhodbhai watering ladoos for Diwali festival.

Raj thanked dedicated long time volunteers Lakha, K.C.Shah, ManShashi Sidhaye Isha Goyal, Chinti Bali, Minesh sukhbhai Patel, AswinModi, Dolly Verma, Nivedha Dave, Nikki bhai Patel, Swarn Arora, Dedani, Madhu Gupta, Darshan Kaur, Mahendra Bhulabhai Patel, SuShah, Nalini Gandhi and many others for their manben Parikh, Divya- commitment and devotion in service of the elders. ben Panchal, Shantaben SCP provides seniors a free forum for camaraPatel and Bhartiben derie and exchange of knowledge. Monthly events Amin. Sharad Bhai’s include picnics, movies, celebrations of Valentine wife Anjana read a Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, India’s Indepenpoem, and wished hap- dence Day, religious events like Mata ki Chowki, py Diwali to all. etc. SCP’s devotion and service to the community Ravindra Dave, is highly commendable and indeed appreciated!

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December 2019

In The Spirit Of Service

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give, the timeless quote by Winston Churchill embraces the spirit of Christmas in its truest form. To give. With people in need of food, shelter, surgeries, or help in remote areas, there is no shortage of ways volunteers can make a difference.

We examine some of these volunteer run organizations that contribute to society, spreading cheer all through the year.

Sewa International

“Our philosophy is based on “Nar Sewa, Narayan Sewa,”, meaning, humanity is service to divinity,” says Swadesh Katoch, VP, Disaster Recovery, at Sewa International (SI). Atlanta, one of the most active chapters in the US with a wide range of projects is serving the community for over a decade. In just 2019, Sewa clocked in more than 6,600 hours, youth volunteers worked with more than 60 families, Run team and sports team raised well over $9500, had 24 donors sponsor 170 chil-

dren, Family Services team worked on 15 cases, Bhutanese Empowerment Project funded $6,000 for the community, organized Holi event attended by 8,000 people, had 125 individuals donate blood, volunteers served county to keep roads clean delivered food to about 20 families every month.

Sewa’s ASPIRE & Youth Programs have high school students mentoring first and second grade students, with gym and yoga instructions, along with summer internship for underserved kids and volunteer opportunities for youth, including the popular 5K run. Sewa’s Community Outreach Programs include Food for the Hungry, a monthly event organized in collaboration with the MSG Foundation. Under the Keep County Beautiful program Sewa has adopted three roads under the Adopt-A-Highway scheme to maintain litter free roads and in collaboration with Life South, executes 8-10 blood drives a year. Family Services include Workshops to promote health awareness, preparation of wills, Yoga workshops, and support to families in distress. Sewa sports organizes games such as Badminton, Chess, Cricket, Table Tennis, and Volleyball. The Disaster and Relief wing of Sewa International engage in rescue, relief, and rehabilitation stages of disasters. Sewa volunteers have served during the relief phase of Hurricane Katrina (2005), Superstorm Sandy (2012), Bastrop, TX Wildfire (2011), Colorado Floods (2013), Hurricane Harvey (2017), and many such natural and man-made disasters. https://www.sewausa.org/

Indian American Council (IAC) for Atlanta Community Food Bank

The Indian American Council (IAC) for Atlanta Community Food Bank targets a crisis primal to human existence – Hunger. Launched in Atlanta on October 2, 2019, with the rallying cry of “Hunger Mitao!” (Wipe Out Hunger), the council aims to raise hunger awareness, improve engagement, and channel resources and contributions of the region’s Indian American community in support of the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s mission.

Dismayed by the knowledge in 2014 that certain school kids in North Texas struggled with hunger on weekends when school meals are not available, Raj and Aradhana (Anna) Asava, who are retired from corporate jobs, decided to volunteer for the food bank and started "Million Meals March" campaign with a goal of raising funds for 1 million meals. The Asava couple launched IAC in 2017, to galvanize the Indian-American community toward the cause. While integrating to mainstream, the couple also found ways to highlight and celebrate diversity by holding special volunteering and food drives on iconic Indian festivals such as 15 August (India’s Independence Day), Diwali, and Holi.

“The IAC is a volunteer movement which enables us to increase our impact exponentially through collective philanthropy,” noted Aradhana. “In the spirit of ‘give where you live,’ the Indian American community – led by IAC – has enabled 7 million meals through food banks across the

country in just two years,” said Raj. Kyle Waide, President, CEO, Atlanta Community Food Bank commended the support of Indian American community and the role of IAC. Attorney Neera Bahl of Atlanta is also a staunch supporter of the cause.

"When 1 in 5 Georgia children doesn't always know where their next meal comes from, that's a community problem. But the good news is our entire community can do something to help, especially during the holidays. The Indian American community across metro Atlanta has taken that to heart. Members of the Atlanta Community Food Bank's IAC are giving funds, collecting food, and volunteering their time to make sure everyone has a meal this holiday. They're truly inspiring and the Food Bank is so grateful," quoted Greg Sims, Director of Individual Giving, Atlanta Community Food Bank. More at www.acfb.org/iac

Narayan Seva Sansthan

Udaipur, India based NGO, Narayan Seva

differently abled girls treated for corrective surgeries are worshipped as goddesses. NSS organized a National Blind Cricket Championship 2019 this year in association with CABI and RCAB by inviting 6 Blind Cricket Teams from the various states of India. https://www.narayanseva.org/united-state

SN OM Trust Inc USA

Sansthan (NSS) runs charitable hospitals in the country with 480 branches in India and 49 branches abroad serving the cause of physical, social and economic rehabilitation of differently abled and destitute sections of the society. The 1100 bed hospital, with a complete physiotherapy center, prosthetic and orthotic lab and a team of 125 doctors/medical staff performs 85-100 corrective surgeries, diagnosing 300400 patients in the out-patient clinic daily. To date, NSS has successfully conducted well over 410000 free-of-cost polio corrective surgeries and provides vocational training in computers, mobile repairs, and sewing, benefitting over 2310 people to date.

Well over 27456666 and counting have received free helping aids such as artificial limbs, crutches, calipers, tricycles, wheelchairs, hearing aids, blind sticks, sweater, clothes, school uniform, blankets, sewing machine, etc. from NSS. “I was part of the Africa Seva Tour for artificial limb measurement camp held in September 2019 under our ‘India for Humanity’ program,” says Atlanta based Manoj Barot, Executive Director, NSS, Atlanta. In course of the tour, the team identified potential corrective surgery beneficiaries and measured artificial limbs & calipers in Mombasa, Nairobi, Lenasia, Durban. “Our goal is to serve 5000 differently abled in Africa in 2020,” says Barot.

Under their Divyang Vivah, or mass marriage ceremony program conducted twice a year, 2000 marriageable differently-abled and disadvantaged couples have been tied into wedding unions. Each year during Kanya Pujan, Navaratri,

“We take great pride and pleasure in sharing that 'Charity Navigator' has accredited the SN OM Trust Inc USA, a leading Indian charity since 1988 and fund raising arm of Sankara Nethralaya (SN) as a 4-star charity, the highest rating for nonprofits in the country,” says Bala Reddy Indurti, President, Atlanta Chapter, SN. Indurti has served as trustee for the past 3 years and unanimously s(elected) as President of Sankara Nethralaya USA (2019/2020). Currently 25 trustees representing USA in Atlanta, Dallas, Washington DC, New Jersey, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles will be increased to 35, starting Jan 1, 2020, with plans for new chapters.

Since 2016, SN has consistently raised a million dollars a year in a row and sent three million dollars to India.

Founded by Dr. S. S. Badrinath to address blindness issue in India in 1978, SN today caters to 2,400 outpatients and 200 surgeries per day providing free eye care of international standard to indigent patients in the India. SN has partnered with Google to create, validate and implement advanced vision screening algorithms.

SN’s current two MESU units, a one of its kind operation theater on wheels in Asia have screened about 85,000 villagers and performed over 15,000 free surgeries. MESU provides a stable, self-sufficient mobile platform that guarantees a controlled and sterile environment for performing cataract surgery. “The interest to procure new MESU is high and got a boost with an initial funding of close to $40k,” says Indurti.

Atlanta-based trustees led by Bala Reddy Indurti, Moorthy Rekapalli, Srini Reddy Vangimalla, Meher Chand Lanka raised $ 200k earlier this year to support over 3000 cataract operations for the indigent individuals in India, through a dance ballet ‘DrishTi’ conceptualized & directed by Padmaja Kelam, written by Siddarth.

“We (Dr. S.S Badrinath, S.V Acharya, and Bala Reddy Indurti) appeal to the community in the year end fundraising to fulfil our mission to generate funds for operations which included 450,000 outpatients and 23000 surgeries for fiscal year. We are approved to participate in Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for 2020. Our CFC No. is 68803.

We urge the community to support the noble cause of giving the gift of vision,” appeals Indurti. http://www.sankaranethralayausa.org/ NRI Pulse is well aware of the very many volunteer organizations in Atlanta that serve various causes, be it Raksha, AIM for Seva, Access Life America and very many more. We salute all these people and organizations who give, simply for the joy of giving.

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.....City Pulse .....

SarisToSuits Calendar: Empowered Women Pose For A Cause

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: They tread the untrodden trail, paving their own paths in pursuit of their passions. Their fields of work are all unique, be it medicine, research, entrepreneurship, executive positions, journalism, sports, law, music, education, and humanity, even.

cation through her column, Dr. Nina’s What You Need To Know. Dr. Nina Radcliff is a member of the New Jersey State Senate Health Committee.

Face of March, Atlanta based Priya Yadav, at 16, along with her TiE Young Entrepreneurs, patented the use of placental stem cells for the regeneration of skin in burned victims. Priya’s inspirational odyssey began early on when she was adopted as a 2-month-old baby from Pune. Priya is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and a sophomore at Emory University.

The Month of April fea-

Seema Verma

Frances West & Veena Rao Patti Tripathi, a trailblazer in her own right, picks these incredible South Asian women of substance each year to showcase their success stories in her signature calendar, Saris to Suits. The Pose for a Purpose campaign calendar seeks to raise funds for various women-oriented initiatives in the US and India, such as rehabilitative care for victims of trafficking, sex slavery, campaigns against domestic violence and gender inequality.

Take a bow, women of the 2020 edition, for inspiring, invigorating, and illuminating the world with your drive and determination.

The face of January, Seema Verma, one of the key Indian-origin members in the Trump administration, serves as the current administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services in Washington DC. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Seema Verma, a mother of two, resides with her kids and husband in Indiana.

Face of February, Dr. Nina Radcliff, a network news and syndicated medical advisor bears a royal lineage, as niece of the king of Udaipur, along with being a board-certified anesthesiologist in New Jersey. Dr. Nina believes in changing lives by means of health and wellness communi-

and performer. Having learned Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam and majored in Western Classical music, Movina’s music seamlessly meshes her influences. She released her debut single Call Me Baddie in early 2019.

August features Marsha Nicholas-Nigri, an elementary education teacher for about 25 years originally from the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

She and her husband Achille Nigri are owners of Café Amici, a popular Italian restaurant in downtown Sarasota, Florida, frequented by celebrities

an outspoken feminist. A former civil servant, she willfully chose to fight for women’s right to justice and gender equality, sacrificing her cozy bureaucratic career. A force to reckon with, Abha Singh has initiated several Public Interest litigations. Abha Singh was invited as keynote speaker at Columbia University, NY, where she delivered a

Patti Tripathi, Founder of SarisToSuits.

tures Atlanta’s most endearing duo, Frances M. West and Veena Rao, who share a tender mother-daughter relationship and a soulful connection beyond borders. Veena Rao is the founder and editor-in-chief of NRI Pulse. She is in the Limca Book of Records as the first Indian woman to edit and publish a newspaper outside India. Having won the SparkPress STEP contest for her debut novel The Purple Lotus which will be released this year, Rao will soon be a published author. 97-year old Frances spent 20 years in Nigeria where she founded Ogmobosho School for the blind. An indomitable spirit, she realized her lifelong dream of visiting India at age 94, with Veena by her side.

Patti pays a moving tribute to her mother, Poonam Tripathi, for the month of May in honor of Mother’s Day. Having lost her mother very early on at age 56 to a rare lung disease, Patti finds solace in the fact that her fiercely protective mother of three lived long enough to see her only daughter accomplish her dream of becoming a pioneer news anchor.

June features Dr. Naina Sachdev, Medical Director at her NainaMD anti-aging and regenerative clinic in California. An alumnus of Chicago Medical School and expert in her field of work, her client base is spread across California to Japan, Dubai, the Netherlands and the Philippine.

Her skincare line based on patented age reversal complex and ingestible products.

Face of July, Atlanta based Movina Nagarajan, is an Indian American singer, songwriter

and vacationers. Her heritage can be traced to the wave of indentured laborers who were brought to the Caribbean islands for farming in the 1800s.

Posing for September is Raji Venkat, who embraces arts at its cultural best, being a Bharatanatyam exponent, an accomplished opera singer and included among the top ten in the National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS). Currently at New England Conservatory in Boston, Raji has performed worldwide including China and Croatia.

October model Payal Patel is an award-winning, multilingual communication professional in Chicago, leading PR efforts and serving as the primary spokesperson for Navy Pier in the Midwest. A leading advocate for girls’ education, Payal Patel serves as an ambassador of Room to Read, Chicago Chapter which raises funds for girls’ literacy programs worldwide. She supports Apna Ghar, which works with immigrant communities to end gender violence.

Face of November, Natasha Subhash, has been the first ranked player in the country in Girls 12, Girls 14, and Girls 16. She was ranked as high as 26 in the Junior International Tennis Ranking.

She has played all four Junior Grand Slam tennis tournaments and won her first Professional Singles title in 2019. Natasha is a freshman on a full tennis scholarship at the University of Virginia.

Natasha is inspired by Sania Mirza and considers Mirza her role model.

Gracing December is Abha Singh, a Bombay High Court advocate, a social activist and

Dr. Nina Radcliffe riveting speech on the impact of the #MeToo Movement on corporate culture in India. Her book Stree – Dasha aur Disha promotes women empowerment by highlighting real-time cases and their legal recourse and aims to educate women of their rights.

Atlanta based board certified obstetrician-gynecologist and an EMMY award winning medical journalist Dr. Sujatha Reddy completes the compilation featuring in January 2021. She is a medical correspondent for Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA and a medical columnist on CNN. Dr. Sujatha Reddy serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation.

Having nurtured a dream to anchor news since an early age, Patti Tripathi’s industrious efforts and determination bore fruition when she blazed the trail becoming the first woman of Indian origin to anchor network news. She made her mark in the 2000s anchoring now defunct CNN Radio and was a regular face on CNN Headline News.

Since its inception in 2012, Patti Tripathi’s Saris to Suits has strived to break down barriers that constrain advancement of immigrant women, illuminating light on factors that can advance women’s empowerment, cultural awareness, and social justice.

Saris to Suits calendars can be purchased online at: https://www.saristosuits.org/

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NRI Pulse

USCIS Proposes 83% Hike In Cost To Become US Citizen

Washington: (IANS) US President Donald Trump’s administration has officially proposed an 83 per cent increase in cost to become an American citizen, claiming that “current fees do not recover the full costs of providing adjudication and naturalization services”.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees charged by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).The citizenship application fee would now increase from $640 to $1,170 while fees associated with legal permanent residency will go up by 79 per cent to $2,195, according to an ABC News report.

The proposed rule also outlines a series of other kinds of fee increases that impact immigration-related applications by asylum-seekers, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and legal permanent residents, said the report.

The Trump administration also seeks to divert $207.6 million of USCIS funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it added.

.....NRI News .....

December 2019

Indian Students Among 90 More Arrested By ICE New York: (IANS) A total of about 250 students, mostly from India, have been arrested in a sting operation by US immigration officials who set up a fake university in sting operation, according to media reports.

About 90 students were arrested in recent months in addition to the 161 the officials said they had arrested in March after the crackdown on those enrolled at the fake institution called Farmington University, the Detroit Free Press reported recently.

The institution was set up by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) originally to catch those who recruited students on false premises and students got caught up in the operation.

Framington University had no real faculty or facilities and after getting admission there, students were able to work elsewhere using its practical training programme.

The crackdown began in January when about 100 students were arrested in early morning raids, the American Telugu Association reported at that time.It said that warrants had been issued for 600 students.

Around the same time, the DHS filed charges in a federal court in Detroit against eight persons who allegedly acted as recruiters for scam.

In court documents, the DHS admitted that it set up Farmington University with undercover agents as staff in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to target foreign students who were staying in the

US without proper authorisation.

Prosecutors called it a “pay-to-stay” scam because the students paid the recruiters to get documents from the fake university to enable them to stay on in a student visa without attending classes.

Farmington was the second fake university known to have been created by ICE for sting operations against student visa scams.

Earlier in 2013, ICE had set up the University of Northern New Jersey and arrested 21 people in 2016 and canceled the visas 1,076 students, most of them from India and China, involved with the university.

The Free Press reported that the eight recruiters in the Farmington University case were convicted after they admitted guilt in court and seven of them have been sentenced to terms ranging from a year to two years. The remaining person, Phanideep Karnati, 35, is to the sentenced in January, it said.

Those sentenced were identified by the newspaper as Barath Kakireddy, 29, Suresh

Kandala, 31, Santosh Sama, 28, Avinash Thakkallapally, 28, Aswanth Nune, 26, Naveen Prathipati, 26, and Prem Rampeesa.

Court documents showed that the recruiters were paid between $5,000 and $20,000 at meetings with Homeland Security Investigations agents involved in the university for recruiting the students.

The Washington Post, quoting ICE, said that 80 per cent of those who were arrested chose to voluntarily leave the US, while 10 per cent of the students received a “final removal order,” either from an immigration judge or from Customs and Border Protection authorities.

The remaining 10 percent of students have challenged their deportations, with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, according to an ICE statement, the Post said.

The Free Press said that according to emails obtained by it the university charged an average of $12,000 per student per year and probably made millions of dollars.

A lawyer who represented some of the students, Rahul Reddy, told the newspaper that the government had “preyed upon them” and “trapped the vulnerable people who just wanted to maintain (legal immigration) status.”

An ICE spokesperson said in January that the arrested students would only face civil penalties and not criminal charges.

Indian Students In The US Surpass 200,000: Report

New Delhi: (IANS) The number of Indians studying in the US increased by almost three per cent over the last year to 202,014, — the sixth consecutive year marking such growth.

According to the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released

recently, Indians make up over 18 per cent of all international students in the United States.

India provided the second highest number of graduate students and jumped up to third place in undergraduates, it said.

Speaking at the United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF), the Embassy”s Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Charisse Phillips said, “Student exchanges between our two countries help strengthen the foundation upon which our strategic partnership is built. Indian students are looking for a great education

and the United States offers the best return on this investment.”

In 2018-19, US colleges and universities hosted more than one million international students for the fourth consecutive year. The total number of international students expanded for the thirteenth consecutive year.

The top places of origin for international students studying in the United States were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. The top host states were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

Open Doors is published by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which has conducted an annual statistical survey on international students in the United States since its founding in 1919 and in partnership with the US Department of State”s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972.

EducationUSA is a US Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centres in 178 countries and territories. EducationUSA is the official source on US higher education. In India there are 7 EducationUSA advising centers.

USIEF hosts centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. The centre in Bengaluru is hosted by Yashna Trust and the one Ahmedabad is hosted by IAES.

16

NRI Pulse

Pamela Anderson Writes To Modi To Promote Vegan Food

B a y watch icon and former Bigg Boss guest star Pamela Anderson recently wrote a letter on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to serve only vegan food at all government meetings and functions.

In this letter, she urges Modi to lead India’s fight against climate change by serving only delicious vegan (wholly plant-derived) food at all government meetings and functions. The animal rights group and the actor explained that raising animals for meat, eggs, and dairy causes nearly one-fifth of all human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions.

“With your country’s innovation and agricultural history, I’m sure that India-produced soy and other versatile foods can easily replace these damaging foods,” she writes. PETA Director urged Modi to adopt pro-vegan steps taken by other countries such as New Zealand, China and Germany.

“I appeal to you to show that India can equal or best them,” the 52-year-old actor added.

Expressing concern over climate change she wrote, “My heart goes out to everyone affected by the severe air pollution plaguing Delhi. I worry about the residents as well as the animals who can’t wear face masks or stay indoors.”

She said that according to latest reports, 36 million Indians could face the threat of annual coastal flooding by 2050. The World Bank has predicted that at least 21 cities in India are approaching zero groundwater levels for next year and that 40 per cent of Indians may not have water to drink by 2030.

Anderson in her letter praised India’s cuisine that made it the ‘easiest place on earth’ to be vegan. “India is the easiest place to be vegan… I still remember the beautiful colour of saffron rice and the alluring aroma of veggie biryani. India’s foods are so fantastic and varied that it’s the easiest place on earth to be vegan”, she added.

.....NRI News .....

Founders Of Health Tech Start-Up Firm Charged In $1 Bn Fraud

New York: (IANS) Two co-founders and a former executive of Indian-origin at a health technology start-up have been charged in an alleged $1 billion fraud involving advertising, according to prosecutors.

Rishi Shah, 33, and Shradha Aggarwal, 34,

the co-founders of Outcome Health, and former executive Ashik Desai, 26, are among the six people accused of fraud “that targeted the company’s clients, lenders and investors,” the Justice Department said on Monday.

“Outcome’s former executives and employees allegedly deceived lenders, investors, and their own auditors by falsely representing revenue for additional profit,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Cronan.

Outlining the case against them, Brian Hayes, the chief of the criminal division in the federal prosecutor’s office for Chicago, said,

“The deception alleged to have been committed by the defendants tricked clients into paying for advertising it failed to deliver and served to falsely inflate the value of Outcome Health.”

The Justice Department said that in 2015 and 2016 they allegedly “perpetrated a fraudulent scheme by selling clients – most of whom were pharmaceutical companies – advertising inventory the company did not have and then under-delivering on its advertising campaigns. Despite these under-deliveries, the company allegedly still invoiced its clients as if it had delivered in full.”

They also allegedly used inflated revenue figures to obtain a total of $972.5 million in debt and equity financing, the department said.

Outcome Health said last month that the company entered into an agreement with the Justice Department under which it agreed not to prosecute the company for the “the past misconduct of the company’s founders and select former employees.”

The company said it also agreed to pay $65.5 million as restitution to its customers.

Oucome Health says it provides television in waiting rooms in health care facilities and tablet for patients in examining and infusion rooms as well wifi for patients.

December 2019

150 Indians Deported For Flouting Visa Norms

Around 150 Indians were deported from the US for allegedly flouting visa norms. The special aircraft carrying the Indians, many from Punjab, landed in Delhi via Bangladesh in November.

The Indians were deported for allegedly flouting visa norms or for illegally entering the US. The deportation comes after over 300 Indians were deported from Mexico on October 18 for trying to enter the US illegally.

The deportation of the 311 Indians, including one woman, was the first case of flying back such a huge number of illegal migrants from Mexico.

According to data, over 7,000 Indians are facing deportation proceedings in courts in the US. As many as 9,000 Indians and other South Asians tried to enter the US last year via the US-Mexico border, seeking asylum.

According to a North American Punjabi Association report of last November, 2,400 Indians were languishing in US jails for illegally crossing the border.

Nita Ambani Becomes First Indian Trustee Of The Met

Nita Ambani, the founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, has been elected an honorary trustee of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the arts powerhouse of the US. Popularly known as The Met, the museum is a landmark institution on the US displaying tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world. Under her leadership, the Reliance Foundation has supported several programs at the Met. In 2017 she was honored by the museum at The Met Winter Party celebrating the achievements of “those who foster greater diversity and inclusion in the world of art”.

She “is especially committed to preserving

and promoting India’s art, culture, and heritage”, the Met said.

Reliance Foundation has sponsored key cultural events such as “The Elephanta Festival,” and “Abbaji,” the annual concert of master musician Ustad Zakir Hussain, in its mission to recognise the cultural legends of India and ensure their relevance to a younger generation.

Besides collaborating with the Met to promote knowledge of Indian arts to international audiences, the Reliance Foundation has supported presentations such as “Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings” at the Art Institute of Chicago. Forbes recognized her as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia.

Spotting Vikram Was A Challenge When NASA Couldn’t, Says Techie

Shanmuga Subramanian, the eagle-eyed citizen space scientist who found Vikram moonlander said on Tuesday that he took spotting it as a challenge when NASA couldn’t.

He said in an email interview to IANS: “It was something challenging as even NASA can’t find out so why can’t we try out? And that’s the thought that led me to search for Vikram lander.”

Subramanian, who works as an information technology architect, in his spare time looked through the images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) camera on September 17 and spotted a debris from Vikram.

Those images were taken when the light during moon’s dusk was very harsh at the place

where the moonlander crashed and the long shadows made the hunt for Vikram difficult, NASA and LRO said at that time.

LRO Project Scientist Noah Petro, to whom Subramanian emailed his finding, told IANS: “The story of this really amazing individual (who) found it, helped us find it, is really awesome.”

Vikram was launched from Chandrayaan on September 6 in hopes of making a safelanding and

exploring the moon’s surface. However, it lost contact with ISRO minutes before the scheduled landing and crashed.

Asked how he got interested, Subramanian said: “The crash landing of Vikram made more people interested in it and it also got eventually hooked me, which lead to me searching NASA’s pic for nearly some 4-5 hours every night.”

On being able to narrow down the area for

his search, he said: “Though there was no data available about the path of Vikram lander, I eventually concluded it would have come from North Pole as one of the tweets from ‘cgbassa’ said Vikram has crossed the North Pole of the moon. And from ISRO’s live images, I made out it would have stopped short of around 1 km from the landing spot so it eventually led to me searching around 2 sq km around the landing area.”

“I searched around North of the landing spot as Vikram approached the landing spot only from the north and though there was lot of false positives, I found a tiny little dot and compared with previous LRO images upto last nine years which eventually confirmed it would be the debris. Then I reached out to NASA.”

17

NRI Pulse

Harley Davidson Opens Dealership In Jammu

Tapping the potential of tier-II cities, American motorcycle marquee brand, Harley Davidson has launched its first dealership in Jammu.

Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India said with the country's focus shifting to developing markers beyond Tier-1 cities, consumers are not just discerning of their brand preferences but also seek a deep understanding of brand beliefs. "Harley-Davidson has consistently demonstrated the power of freedom and the expansion in Tier-II cities play a significant role for the brand", he added.

Colonel K.L. Khajuria, GM, Ridges Harley Davidson (Jamkash Biking Private Limited) said: "Jammu holds great potential for the motorcycling community not just by way of rider patrons in the area but also for travellers riding up to the valley and travelling beyond on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Through our newly launched facility we endeavour to deliver service excellence to our patrons in Valley and beyond".

India IT Services To Hit $13.3bn This Year

Led by system integrators, the India IT services and business market is likely to grow annually by 6.9 per cent to hit $13.3 billion by the end of this year, an IDC report said.

According to the IDC's 'Worldwide Semiannual Services Tracker - 1H19," the IT and Business Services market is further expected to grow annually by 6.8 per cent to be valued at $14.2 billion

by December 2020. The highest revenue generating segment in IT Services market continued to be Systems Integration in 1H19, on account of the shift towards modernized infrastructure and applications.

"Vendors are investing heavily on re-skilling and upskilling their workforce to gain confidence and drive more business across major verticals such as BFSI, government and manufacturing, among others," said Shweta Baidya, Senior Research Manager, Software and IT Services, IDC India.

Vendors and start-ups are also partnering with each other to create innovation hubs, share ideas and collaborate to achieve greater synergy, through transformational projects.

The IT Services market contributed 77 per cent in 1H19 and is further expected to expand to $10.2 billion by December 2019, growing at 7.2 per cent annually. IT Services market will grow at a CAGR of 8.2 per cent between 2019-2023, to be valued at $14 billion by the end of 2023.

.....Biz Pulse .....

December 2019

India To Be Top Player In Data-Driven World Next Decade: Michael Dell

Austin (Texas): (IANS) The 'data king' of the world and founder of IT giant, Dell Technologies, Michael Dell feels that the next decade would be driven and shaped by data, and India could be one of the significant players. In an exclusive interview with IANS, here at the company's Global headquarters the American billionaire businessman and Chairman of Dell, one of the world's largest technology companies said that India figures as the topmost destination for his enterprise in the years to come.

From building a microsensor into a small finger ring to transforming autonomous vehicles, including aircraft by redefining artificial intelligence (AI), Dell seems determined to shape the world by the next decade through a revolution in processing and storing data.

"Dell is the only company in the world capable of achieving this objective...and I feel India has the potential to be a centre of excellence for us," said Michael Dell, who leads the IT company which has a revenue worth over $90.62 billion, adding, "I would be visiting India soon and our company has ambitious plans to expand in a country known for its intellectual capabilities."

Talking about Digital India, Dell said that

it's an excellent initiative of the government (led

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi). "The Make in India (project) also impresses us. But it would be more appropriate if India focuses beyond manufacturing smartphones, (hinting that a lot more is happening in the manufacturing business related to IT). India has to focus on other areas too," Dell told IANS during an interaction at Dell Technology Summit.

"If you look at the countries of the world and compare them with India, the outcome of human progress is tremendous. It (India) has all the possibilities to enhance its capabilities...and Dell is excited about this," he said.

The 54-year-old billionaire with net worth of over $31 billion, is seen as one of the topmost philanthropists from this part of the world. His company is empowering people from economi-

Whatsapp Invests $250,000 Into Indian Startup Ecosystem New Delhi: (IANS) Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently announced to invest $250,000 worth ad credits into the Indian startup ecosystem to help entrepreneurs better connect with customers and grow businesses.

The investment will provide 500 startups approved by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DPIIT) with $500 each of Facebook ad credits.

With the credits, startups can create ads that invite customers to click to open a chat on WhatsApp so they can deepen connections and increase sales, the company said in a statement.

"India's entrepreneurs are at the forefront of bringing impactful social and economic change, and we at WhatsApp are committed to providing them support in achieving success," said Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp India.

In order to be eligible, startups must be at an early traction or scalable stage and must be recognized by DPIIT. Selection will be on first-comefirst-serve basis and once registered, the first 500 entries will receive free Facebook ad credits worth $500, said WhatsApp. Currently, one million businesses in India are actively using the WhatsApp Business app to have meaningful conversation with their custom-

ers.

Globally, five million businesses are using WhatsApp for the same purpose.

The investment is part of a tie-up with Startup India, a flagship initiative of the government that was launched in 2016 to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation in the country.

"India is at an inflection point and as the second-largest community of startups in the world, our focus has always been to support the ecosystem and promote innovative solutions to today's challenges," said Deepak Bagla, CEO and MD, Invest India.

The investment comes on the heels of the "Startup India-WhatsApp Grand Challenge" where WhatsApp awarded five Grand Challenge winners with a grant worth $50,000 each (nearly Rs 35 Lakh).

"The Startup India portal has played a pivotal role in enabling the ecosystem to drive inclusive growth and we're constantly working to support the next generation of Indian innovators with partners like WhatsApp," Bagla added.

In three years, over 19,000 startups have been registered with the Startup India program across 513 districts.

cally weaker sections with software technology.

For instance, a door to door delivery salesboy from Boston, was recently trained in software skills and has now become part of the Dell engineering. Girls of a similar profile from Brazil have also joined the Dell team. Such examples are innumerable. By the next few years, Dell Technologies also dedicates 50 per cent of the jobs to women.

"In India, we are working with Tata Trusts in the field of social and health care services, and we have reached 11 million people. By the next few years we will try to reach 44 million.

We have also set up a Dell Medical University in Austin, and we are focussing on providing innovative medical services to the unaffordable.

"Our social commitment would be a top priority for the next 35 years. In the last 35 years Dell has grown from a small company to a global giant....and in the next 35 years we not only want to lead the world of technology but also want to focus on people who have been lagging behind in society. The world has to be better for everyone, in many ways," said Michael Dell, once (in 1992) the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company to becoming a leader in shaping the future of the world.

Ambani 9th Richest In The World: Forbes

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the ninth richest person in the world, according to 'The Real-Time Billionaires List' of Forbes.

The RIL Chairman was ranked 13th globally in the Forbes' 2019 rich list, released earlier this year. His rise can be attributed to RIL surpassing the Rs 10 lakh crore market capitalisation mark, becoming the first Indian company to do so. According to the Forbes 'The Real-Time Billionaires List', RIL Chairman's 'Real Time Net Worth' stood at $60.8 billion.

The list was headed by Jeff Bezos, CEO and Founder of Amazon, with 'Real Time Net Worth' of $113 billion on Thursday. The list "reflects changes since 5 p.m. EST of prior trading day," Forbes said on its website.

On Thursday, RIL shares hit the 52-week high of Rs 1,581.25 on the BSE, rising 0.64 per cent. While RIL gained nearly 40 per cent during the last year, the Nifty50 index advanced over 13 per cent.

Reliance is followed by TCS as the second most valued firm. HDFC Bank, Hindustan Uniliver and HDFC were the others.

Among RIL's big ticket announcements was its aims to be net debt-free by the end of FY20.

The company also announced selling of 20 per cent stake in refining and petrochemical business to Saudi Aramco.

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NRI Pulse

December 2019

..... Books .....

“It Was The Right Time To Write About Sita’s Strength And Power” Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni talks to VEENA RAO about her new novel, ‘The Forest of Enchantments’.

Celebrated Indian-American author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s new novel is a retelling of the epic Ramayana from Sita’s perspective. The Sita of ‘The Forest of Enchantments’ is not the docile, long -suffering queen of public perception. She is a warrior princess, a woman of indomitable spirit and wisdom, a role model for the contemporary woman.

It is hard to remain unaffected by the sensitive, empathetic, lyrical voice of the protagonist who questions the difficult circumstances of her life, and her rights as a woman in a patriarchal world.

These are questions that continue to remain relevant today.

While ‘The Forest of Enchantments’ is the tragic love story of Sita and Ram, it is also the story of the other women of Ramayana.

Urmila, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, Mandodari, Ahalya and Surpanakha, who, the author says in this Q&A, have been pushed to the edges even though they propel the epic forward, come alive as many-layered characters.

Why did you choose to write about Sita, who is seen as a docile, long-suffering figure, at a time when the women’s em- It was so important for me to do a good job and present to the reading public a Sita powerment movement is gaining inspire the present generations of women (and men as well, I hope) while breaking the strength around the world? mould in which she had been imprisoned for so many years.

I have, for quite a while, had was the most important subject I’ve ever written some show us the tragic cost of certain actions. I a sense, especially as I started to do research on the Ramayan, that Sita is not the about, even more important than Draupadi in The just want readers to appreciate these women in all docile, long suffering figure we have long been Palace of Illusions. (After all, Draupadi is not their complexity. led to believe she is. Since she continues to be an held up as the ideal of Indian womanhood—inicon of the perfect woman, I thought this was the stead, she is treated as a cautionary figure!) It was There are no villains in Chitra Banerjee Divaright time to write a book where her strength and so important for me to do a good job and present karuni's version of the Ramayana. Even the to the reading public a Sita who would inspire the traditional villains of the story like Kaikeyi, power is showcased. present generations of women (and men as well, Raavan and Surpanakha are portrayed as huWe are introduced to a different Sita- a war- I hope) while breaking the patriarchal mould mans with good qualities and bad. Is it because rior princess, a healer, a woman who speaks in which she had been imprisoned for so many the narrator is Sita, a woman, and women are her mind. “Why can’t customs change?”, she years. I was afraid for a long time (this book took intrinsically more empathetic?

That could be one reason. Sita is, after all, once asks her mother, while expressing her de- me 10 years to write!). Finally, I had to take a sire to rule Mithila. What were the challenges deep breath, put the fear aside and focus on the wise and compassionate, though she is also smart and doesn’t let anyone take advantage of her! of molding a protagonist who is so different task at hand.

But it’s also because I believe that humans aren’t from the public perception of her?

I had to do a lot of research so that no one Forest of Enchantment isn’t the story of Sita black and white. All of us are a mix of the positive would discount the Sita of The Forest of Enchant- alone. It is the story of Urmila (who is referred and the negative, and that’s what makes us unique ments as my personal creation. I took small hints to as the unsung heroine of Ramayan), and and interesting. and mentions in the Ramayans of Valmiki, Kritti- the other women of Ramayana- Kaushalya, bas and Kamban, as well as the Adbhuta Ramayan Kaikeyi, Mandodari, Ahalya, Surpanakha. Endure. That is what Sita’s mother advises her to sculpt the courageous warrior princess—admi- What do you want readers to learn from the to learn when she gets married. Is that advice relevant in the modern-day world? rable but very human—who is the heroine of my diverse lives of these women?

All of these women in the Ramayan are such Endurance is a powerful quality. It keeps novel. Also, I did not change any of the major interesting, many-layered characters. And they Sita from breaking down when she is in the direst incidents that Sita goes through. have all been pushed to the edges even though of situations—imprisoned in Lanka, or banished What is it like writing about mythological figures they propel the action of the epic forward. With- to the forest while pregnant. But for Sita, endurthat are revered by millions? Does it add pres- out Kaikeyi and Surpanakha, for instance, the Ra- ance is only the 1st step. The second is to figure sure to the writing? Does it affect your creativity mayan would have been a totally different story. out what she needs to do in such a situation and and freedom as a writer? Were there fears at the There is something for us to learn from all of them focus her energies on it. For instance, when she in terms of women’s strength and women’s love/ gives birth in the forest to Lav and Kush, she puts back of your head of being challenged?

Oh yes, I felt tremendous pressure. This desire. Some of them are positive lessons, and all her energy into bringing them up as wonderful,

evolved human beings. We must not forget this second step.

There are deep truths about love at the end of every chapter. These insights seem as relevant today as they were several centuries ago.

Thank you. I wanted to make The Forest of Enchantments a book that was also about Sita’s understanding of love in all its aspects. Different situations in her life and the lives of those around her make her experience or comprehend different kinds of love. I have heard from many readers that they have really appreciated this part of the novel!

‘The Forest of Enchantments’ talks about the futility of war.

Is there a message there for our modern times?

Definitely. It is very interesting and significant to me that both our great epics, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat, depict horrific scenes of war and the destruction it brings about. I only wish humanity today could take this lesson to heart.

who would patriarchal

What kind of research did it take to write this book?

It took me several years of research. I read and thought deeply about major versions of the Ramayan, such as those by Valmiki, Krittibas, Kamban, Tulsidas, and a wonderful 16th century Bengali text by Chandravati as well as the Adbhuta Ramayan and folk songs and folk tales about Sita and the work of modern scholars. Several of these sources were quite different from the others, which also made me realize how diverse the tradition of the Ramayan is.

The Forest of Enchantment is a top 10 bestseller in India. Did it come as a surprise?

Yes! I was surprised and delighted. And it was the #1 bestseller at the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2019, which also was a great surprise. I am most appreciative of how readers have taken the book to their hearts. Many have written to me and said they love it even more than The Palace of Illusions. Many said it made them weep (which I take as a great compliment). Many women said that they are reading the book along with their mothers or their husbands and discussing the ideas in them. I am deeply thankful that the book is resonating with so many readers.

What’s your next novel about?

I’m working on a historical novel about a strong woman who fights the British during their occupation of India. Another strong and complex female character. Her name must remain a secret for now!

19

NRI Pulse

..... Perspective .....

December 2019

Water Crisis In India: The Clock Is Ticking

BY MAHADEV DESAI

Fortunately, the 2019 rainy season in India so far has been better than normal, but still the country need not be complacent and must take steps to safeguard against the looming water shortage crisis.

India is home to 18% of the world’s population but has access to barely 4% of world’s fresh water. Traditional irrigation by 180 million smallholder farmers uses 80% of water. There is lot of wastage due to practice of flood irrigation resulting in surface run off, percolation and bare soil evaporation.

The problems of water shortage cannot be ignored any longer. According to the report of Niti Aayog by 2020 the groundwater of 21 major cities will drought. More than 70% water supply of India is polluted. Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad are among 21 cities to run out of ground water by 2020.

Due to lack of irrigation water, and resultant crop failure, a number of farmers commit suicide.

Approximate 70 percent population is using polluted water for daily use. Around 82% of rural households lack access to piped water supply. In rural areas, women have to walk long distances to fetch water. Due to water scarcity, people have to queue up for long hours for water delivered by water tankers and water trains. In the previous 10 years there has been a 61% groundwater decline.

Farmers need to plant less water intensive crops. But it is not easy as farmers opt for sugarcane and paddy because they don’t need a big labor force and bring more money. Also, they

should also use more drip irrigation like in Israel. With drip irrigation, instead of water going all over the field, water flows only to the roots, resulting in less water wastage and better crop quality and output. Israel also has expertise in desalination plants. India has a desalination plant in Chennai but more needs to be done in in this area.

The Central Government has started India Jal Shakti Program the same as swachh bharat abhiyan, on 1st July, 2019.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is an Indian politician from Rajasthan who is currently serving as Union Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The country will do major efforts for water conservation and rainwater harvesting. Jal Shakti Water Saving and Awareness Program will be regulated in two phases.

The first phase will start from 1st July 2019 to 15 September 2019 and the second phase will begin from 1st October 2019 to 30th November 2019. In the beginning of Jal Shakti Abhiyan water-stressed blocks in 256 districts will be covered. District water conservation plans will be made and implemented in water-stressed districts.

Jan Andolan will make people aware of water crisis and will teach people to adopt rainwater harvesting renovation method, water for irrigation purposes, store rainwater in monsoon time and after that use this water for utility purposes.

Various types of water saving camps will be organized. People will also be encouraged to plant more trees. Release of chemicals and effluents into rivers, streams and ponds will be checked. Around 30% of water loss is caused by

leaky pipes and steps will be taken to prevent this loss.

On 15th August 2019, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated Jal Jeevan Mission whose

According to a Niti Aayog report,. more than 70% water supply of India is polluted. Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad for saving life and water to protect the planet. He are among 21 cities that will run out of remarked that bilateral cooperation between Israground water by 2020. el and India in the fields of water use efficiency, goal is to ensure that every household gets potable water by 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also inviting citizens of the country to join the campaign. In Jal Shakti Campaign government will teach people to adopt rain water harvesting renovation method, water for irrigation purposes, to store rainwater during monsoon months and after that use this water for utility purposes.

Water is the lifeline that bathes us and feeds us. One must remember the President of Force Water NGO, Jyoti Sharma’s mantra of 5 Rs—Reduce; reuse; recharge; recycle; respect. There is not one silver bullet to solve the water shortage problem. But with public awareness and cooperation, the problem can be addressed.

Shekhawat, during his visit to Israel requested it to "innovate together" to create a synergy

desalination, waste water and grey water reuse, pollution abatement, technological interventions etc. would be of immense help to both the nations.

He noted that climate change, population and pollution were putting a lot of pressure on water resources, making management of water in India a big challenge. India has a huge population, and Indian landscape is full of diversity. India has 18 per cent of the world's population and 18 per cent of the world's livestock population. But it has just 4 per cent of the freshwater resources of the world which creates a formidable problem of water scarcity.

India has abundant access to seawater so with Israel’s help in desalination, India can alleviate water shortage.

Courtesy: https://pmil.in/central-government-scheme/jal-shakti-abhiyan/

20

NRI Pulse

..... Features .....

Bikram Choudhury: Yoga, Sex And Humiliation

Once a hot yoga guru in Hollywood, Bikram them to achieve it. He is stern, strict and scolded Choudhury is today labelled a rapist, predator, his followers and sometimes humiliated them, racist and control maniac. How did his successful and his yoga classes seemed more like a cult. story turn around so drastically?

"Welcome to Bikram's torture chamber, The new Netflix documentary "Bikram: where you'll kill yourself for the next 90 minYogi, Guru, Predator" aims to answer that ques- utes," he used to say while starting the class. tion. It traces the journey of how he built his The story takes a different hue in the second "Bikram" empire, putting spotlight on the dark half, as it trains focus on the rise of a predator, side of the movement, driven by stories of sexual rapist and liar, and the fall of a yogi. He is shown exploitation, brainwashing, racist comments, rape calling his students bitches and sometimes climband control on things outside the yoga studio. ing onto women as they posed.

Bikram started having his hot moment in Sarah Baughn, the first one to publicly accuse the US when he went to Beverly Hills Bikram of sexual misconduct, said that REVIEW from India in the early 1970s. WearBikram used to show himself as a chaming a tiny black Speedo pion who the followers and a tight ponytail, he needed in their lives to started carving his story achieve their goals. by showing the route of Director Eva Orner healing with 26 postures has used actual footage to over a 90-minute roushow the extremes of his tine practiced in a room behavior, wherein his forheated to 41 degree cenmer students recall how tigrade. He even tried he would mock them. getting a copyright for "What are you doing his yoga postures. for your fat f**king stomach?" he said to one, and His success was backed by star power, and "You need a pedicure" to another. In one instance, his client list included names such as Madonna, he asked a woman to "massage" his groin area.

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Pandhora Williams accused Bikram of racial Robert Downey Jr., Frank Sinatra and Jason discrimination, claiming he kicked her out of a Bateman. His clientele shone with names like Mi- course using racist language, telling his assistant: chael Jackson, Jeff Bridges, Shirley MacLaine, "Get that black bitch out of here. She's a cancer", Barbra Streisand and Raquel Welch. and refused to return her fee.

Born in Kolkata in 1940s, he said that he Larissa Anderson recounts how Bikram was mentored by the yoga master Bishnu Charan raped her, saying: "I felt like my physical body Ghosh, and claimed that he cured Richard Nixon was completely limp, totally numb". of phlebitis.

"I want the conversation to continue, and In his autobiography, Bikram claimed that I want him to be stopped. Or, at least minimise he got his green card in the 1970s -- thanks to opportunities he can (abuse) somebody else. And Nixon -- and opened his first yoga school in 1973 that's always been the driving force," Anderson after being urged by Shirley MacLaine. told latimes.com while opening up about her deStarting the narrative with his successful cision to share her story in the documentary. moves, the documentary takes a turn to show the With legal cases piling up against him, he other side of the story -- which seems like a per- was formally charged in 2016, after which he fled fect fit in the #MeToo era. the US. Bikram, who has denied all the charges, The over one-hour film begins by showing is launching his "Bikram's India Legacy Tour" in the flashy and pompous life of the yogi, with peo- January 2020, which will travel to cities like Delple narrating how he grew with "no advertising, hi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Jodhpur. With the story no social media, no marketing". back in focus, it is to be seen whether he is quesIn the first half, he is shown as the "last liv- tioned for his actions, or he keeps minting money ing yogi", who saw potential in people and pushed with his poses and yoga.

December 2019

Five Reasons Why Montreal Is The Perfect City For College

BY KRISTEN MOON*

One of my favorite trips this year took me just an hour's drive from the U.S. border – or a quick two-hour flight from Atlanta – to a city with mid-70s weather and a cool breeze in August. The architecture has a distinctly European feel, a reflection of the city's strong Scottish and French cultural heritage, with sidewalk cafes dotting the streets.

This is Montreal, the largest city in Can-

to Montreal, the city has ample ways to get around. Montreal has 400 miles of bike paths, making it a relatively easy city to navigate on two wheels. There’s also a robust public transportation system, with a four-line subway system and bus routes that crisscross virtually every part of the island.

3. Close To Home As we mentioned before, Montreal can give you a cosmopolitan cultural experience while also keeping your home base within arm's reach. It's within driving distance of much of the northeastern United States – roughly a six-hour drive due north from New York City – and you can hop on quick flights from many major airports.

4. You Won't Be Bored McGill and Concordia are both demanding universities, so your studCOLLEGE PREP ies will take up the bulk of your time ada's province of Quebec and one of in Montreal. But when you want a the most distinctive travel destinations break or a quick weekend getaway from school, in North America. With multiple excellent options for higher education, it's also the perfect city for a Montreal has countless opportunities for fun. You can explore the city’s many delicious food tracollege student. Here are five reasons why. ditions, like the famous poutine, take in one of the excellent museums, such as the Biodôme or, 1. An Identity Of Diversity Montreal is one of the most diverse cities if the weather is nice, take a jaunt over to Parc on the continent, with one in every four resi- Jean-Drapeau, Mount Royal Park or La Ronde, dents of the greater Montreal area being an im- an amusement park operated by Six Flags. migrant. Quebec is a French-speaking province, but 55% of the population is bilingual in French and English, so you’ll get around just fine if English is your only language.

Two of the city's top universities use English as the primary language of instruction.

McGill University is ranked as one of the top universities in the entire world and has produced 12 Nobel Prize laureates, and Concordia University, the largest university in Canada by enrollment, boasts the prestigious John Molson School of Business. If you do want to learn French, there are ample opportunities to do so.

Quebec's Ministry of Immigration offers free courses, both in-person and online.

2. No Car? No Problem!

Even if you aren't able to bring your car

5. A City With It All And this might be the best part about Montreal and its universities: You can get the excellent education and rich cultural experience for much less than you'd have to pay for a private university in the United States, as McGill's annual tuition for a Bachelor of Arts degree for the 2019/20 academic year is just over $18,000, and Concordia is around that same total.

A cosmopolitan feel, endless opportunities for fun and cultural enrichment and excellent, affordable education to boot: Montreal really might be the perfect city for college students.

Kristen Moon is an independent college counselor and the founder and CEO of Moon Prep.

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NRI Pulse

Taapsee: Half Of Hero's Pay Equals A Woman Driven Film's Budget

Panaji: (IANS) Bollywood has a long way to go as far before pay parity between male and female actors happens, actress Tapsee Pannu claimed, hoping that gender-neutral wages would become a reality in her lifetime.

"We have a long way to go. It is insane," Taapsee said, at an interactive session during the ongoing 50th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which is underway in Goa. She said the amount that actresses get in Bollywood are "not even half of (what) the leading men (get paid)", and added: "It is way less than one-fourth at times -- to be honest, even less.

Half of the salary of the leading hero is the entire budget of a female-driven film of an A-list actress," Taapsee said.

The 'Pink' actress also said that at times, even top female leads were paid one-fourth of the remuneration paid to a male star, and added that only box-office success of women-oriented films would end the sexist lopsidedness.

"I hope it changes in my lifetime. That can happen when more and more people walk into a female-driven film in theatres. Only box-office can change this. Yes, women-driven films have increased drastically over the last four to five years but the big difference will happen when the (box-office) numbers come in. There is no other way," she summed it up.

..... Bollywood Pulse .....

December 2019

Rishi Kapoor: Budding Actors Should Focus On Mind Building Rather Than Muscle Building Mumbai: (IANS) From the time of his debut in 1970 with "Mera Naam Joker" to his upcoming release "The Body", iconic actor Rishi Kapoor has lived his Bollywood career transforming from a child actor to a top star to a character artiste. In the course of his journey, he believes he has managed to stay relevant with time because he builds his mind as an actor, and not the body.

Asked what would be the one advice he would give to budding actors, Rishi told IANS: "These days, budding actors are more interested in grooming and building their body. They focus on building muscles than emotional exercise, which is important for actors. Build your mind rather than your body when you prepare for acting, because if you have the acting skill, you will surely become an actor. If you don't have that, you are replaceable. Look at me, do I have the body? But I am still working, because in every film I try to create a character."

He added after a pause: "Okay, I maybe old, I do not inspire youngsters. But look at Ayushmann (Khurrana), Rajkummar Rao, Ranveer Singh, Vicky (Kaushal) and -- I'm not taking his name because he is my son -- but Ranbir too is a talented actor! None of them have 'dole-shole' (muscles). Kyunki dole rahne se, kalakar nehi banoge.

Bus gym mein paise phukega (Having muscles won't ensure you will be an artist, you'll only waste money in the gym). (Amitabh) Bachchan saab ko dekho (look at Mr Amitabh Bachchan), he did not have muscles. But even today, he is the original angry young man of Hindi cinema!"

Quite interestingly, Rishi changed his image from a romantic hero of films like "Bobby", "Khel Khel Mein" to films like "Love Aaj Kal", "Do Dooni Chaar", "Agneepath", "Kapoor & Sons", "102 Not Out" and "Mulk".

In Jeethu Joseph's "The Body", Rishi co-

stars with Emraan Hashmi, Sobhita Dhulipala and Vedhika. The film is slated to open on December 13.

During his recent stay in the US for health treatment, Rishi says he got a chance to see how his films still hold relevance among the international audience.

"When I got to know that they are interested in watching my films, I suggested around 10 titles, and '102 Not Out' was one of them. The next morning a guy came to our place with flowers and a long handwritten emotional note. He couldn't hold his tears because he said the film narrated the story of his life. He said that his son wants him to die fast so that he can get all the properties. He said that he is 82-years-old and his son does not even talk to him," recalled Rishi.

"I realized cinema as a medium is so universal that it touches thousand of hearts. I felt bad for him, but I was moved by the power of cinema," the actor concluded.

Yami Gautam: It's Not Easy To Be Self Made

is very important... Films is a part of New Delhi: (IANS) Actress Yami Gautam, my entire life... Having said that there who has given a string of hits like "Vicky Donor", is a lot of gratitude. It is not easy to "Kaabil", "Uri: The Surgical Strike" and "Bala", be here (Bollywood) and be self made is very happy the way her career has shaped up and make it on your own," she added. and says it is not easy to be in Bollywood and be Yami is thankful for all the good self made and make it on your own. work and love coming her way.

Asked how does the brush with stardom feel "There are so many talented like, Yami told IANS: "I am aware of how I feel boys and girls out there probably evolved as an actor... There's 'Vicky Donor', 'Badwho couldn't get the opportunity... I lapur', 'Kaabil' and Sarkaar, it did not do well but am glad and thankful that I got and it will still be a special film because of Amitabh getting such opportunities to work Bachchan, then 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' and now with such filmmakers on such good 'Bala'." that way that I am star... I am still that pahadi, "Of course, I feel evolved and I don't think Chandigarh girl which I love about myself that scripts," she said.

Ileana D'Cruz: Always Had Issues Accepting My Body The Way It Is Mumbai: (IANS) Ileana DCruz, who regularly gives sleepless nights to netizens with sexy snapshots on social media, has revealed that she has always had issues accepting her body the way it is.

At the same time, the 33-year-old actress claims that she is in a happier space right now, and that she respects her body a lot more than before.

During an interview with IANS, Ileana said: "I have always had issues accepting my body the way it is. I have finally come to a place maybe where I am learning to like it how it is. I am respecting it a lot more and taking care of it a lot more. And I think it is showing, so I am happier right now."

Ileana, who returned to the Bollywood screen after a hiatus with the multistarrer "Pagalpanti", also shared diet and fitness tips with fans: "There are times when I workout like crazy, for months. I lose weight and look great.

Then, I give it up for a while. I have realised that if you change your lifestyle completely, it makes a difference.

Earlier I used to spend so much time in the gym and did not focus as much on what I was eating.

I have realised that ninety percent of what you look like is your diet. So, you need to eat well. Invest in a good nutritionist if possible.

Eat clean, eat well.

That's what I try and do as much as possible now. I am very careful about what I am eating.

Keep a check on how much sugar you consume daily."

While she sets social media afire with her social media pics, Ileana admits it isn't easy to look picture perfect in real life all the time.

"People have a certain perception of how you are supposed to look. When you are portrayed on screen, you are portrayed in a glamorous way.

Women are meant to look pretty and perfect. Now there is the paparazzi phase.

When you get papped outside the gym or airport, you often look just normal. I try to put in a sense of reality on Instagram more than anything," she said, adding: "I am a normal person and there are days when I don't look perfect and it's fine."

On the work front, Ileana's latest release "Pagalpanti" is currently running in theatres. The comedy film has been directed by Anees Bazmee.

The actress will next be seen alongside Abhishek Bachchan in "The Big Bull".

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NRI Pulse

..... What’s Cooking? .....

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad With Lemon Sesame Dressing Ingredients: 3 cups dry penne pasta, 2 small size zucchini, thinly sliced, 5 baby corns, thinly sliced, ½ cup frozen peas, few basil leaves, 2 lemons, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, chili flakes (optional), salt pepper Squeeze lemon juice in a mason jar or a small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

Then, add parmesan cheese along with sesame seeds and extra virgin olive oil. Give it a whisk and set it aside to be used later.

Bring a big pot of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon salt to it.

While the water boils, heat a grill pan and drizzle some oil. Layer the sliced zucchini and baby corn. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes in high heat and then ip it. If the pan is small, grill the veggies in batches.

Herbs To Keep You Warm In Winter

Preety Tyagi, Lead Health Coach and founder of MY22BMI, underlines some properties of herbs found in household that may help you stay healthy during the season.

1. Tulsi Tulsi is known to help relieve the symptoms of allergies, breathing problems and bronchitis. A couple of leaves can be consumed straightaway or in tea. Herbal supplements of the plant are also available.

Once the water is boiled, drop the penne pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until it's cooked to al dente. At the last minute, drop the frozen peas and allow them to soften.

Keep a serving bowl ready. Once the pasta is done, drain it along with the peas and put it in the bowl along with the grilled veggies.

Pour the dressing and give it a toss. Scatter some basil leaves and shave some parmesan cheese on top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

December 2019

2. Ginger Ginger is also considered as a herb. A recent study showed that oral ginger supplements improve asthma symptoms. It can also be taken as detox drink by using it in tea. It relieves throat infection. Ginger mixed with honey and black pepper is an excellent reliever of breathing related allergies and helps in clearing the nasal passage.

effects of antihistamines.

However, this herb has some side effects as well. Over consumption is not recommended at any case.

4. Stinging Nettle Leaf/ Bichhoo Buti Stinging nettle is a perennial flowering plant that has been used medicinally for ages. Regarding seasonal allergies, stinging nettle has been shown to have excellent anti-inflammatory abilities. This is important because it is those inflammatory events that cause seasonal allergy symptoms.

5 . Rosemary Researches have proved rosemary's ability to help fight allergy symptoms and provide relief to asthma sufferers. The herb contains rosmarinic acid which has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It is a free radical scavenger that can suppress the inflammatory responses of certain white blood cells, as well as allergic antibodies. Rosmarinic acid should 3. Butterbur help improve seasonal allergy symptoms. Just Butterbur is a remedy for migraine. Stud- one word of caution: If you’re taking rosmarinic ies have showed that it can improve unpleasant acid as a supplement, take it with food to prevent allergy symptoms while avoiding the sedative a potential mild stomach ache.

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December 2019

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NRI Pulse

December 2019