JULY 2012
LIVING STYLISHLY
Designing Woman Fashions Iconic Homes
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HOUSTON Renowned Author Shares her Affection for this City
BIG BOSSES OF LITTLE INDIA A Series Saluting the Architects of Hillcroft
DIVYA AND CHRIS BROWN A COALESCENCE OF CULTURES
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Great Design Is a Way of Life
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I’ve been humming and buzzing about HUM for a while now. It’s consumed my days and landscaped my dreams…and nightmares! I’ve worried, had performance anxiety about my writing, and felt quite overwhelmed to be sharing space on HUM’s pages with some of the greatest writers I know. Now it’s all come together and it gives me such pleasure to present to you, HUM. Houston exemplifies cultural diversity. This city is a veritable melting pot that charismatically welcomes, embraces, and inspires people from all over the world to live here and revel in their unique identities. HUM was birthed on this premise. Let me tell you a little about HUM. HUM is a monthly lifestyle magazine that celebrates the wildly cosmopolitan spirit of Houston through thought-provoking articles, profiles, homes and living stylishly, interviews, feature stories, opinions, news and views, food, chic travel, health, fashion and the latest trends, parenthood, humor, education, business, society, and the arts and culture. Every month we pledge to color our canvas with the words of erudite scholars, savvy writers, and witty wags. We shall highlight the lives of this city’s movers and groovers, offer intriguing vignettes of the burgeoning social scene, and engage you in au courant conversation. HUM is more than just another frothy and frivolous confection; we will address serious social issues that impact our daily lives. We will be relevant and fill our pages with the voices of those who seek to positively change the world. We want to be your voice. Through HUM, we hope to thread together those that inhabit our city like a garland of faceted gems, distinctly independent, yet boldly united in a climate of sharing thoughts and cultures. Debuting HUM has been nothing short of magical. I must acknowledge and thank my husband Krishna Giri who has been my rock and my greatest support; truly a visionary, he encouraged me to start HUM and journeyed with me through the oftentimes convoluted creative process. Thank you to our wonderful daughter Anushka who inspires me everyday to be the best I can, and to our family, friends, and all who were so positive and excited about HUM. A very special thank you to HUM’s gifted team led by Senior Art Director Saqib Rana who ignored the clock and worked long arduous hours. Your cooperation, can-do spirit, and dedication means so much to me. A special mention must be made of my superb fairy “god-sisters” Carolyn Farb, Chitra Divakaruni, and The Fourth Friday Divas, who guided, advised, buzzed and hummed along with me, and fortified me with their kindness and wisdom. Thank you! Houston, we approached you on little more than a wing and a prayer and asked for you to believe in HUM. We had nothing to show, no fancy prototype or even a hard copy of our vision. You listened to our roughly hewn ideas, understood our passion, and trusted us implicitly. You glorious writers, many of international acclaim, sent in articles that have so enhanced our publication. You sent us your advertisements that bolstered our spirits and contributed to making HUM possible. Thank you so much for your support. We joyously and proudly introduce HUM to you, and look forward to working with you. We hope to grow and improve, and your feedback is essential to our progress. Tell us what you want to see in HUM. HUM means we or us in the Hindi language, or buzz universally.
The buzz is about uzz... Warmly,
Kalyani Giri Publisher
CONTENTS JULY 2012 06
Divya and Chris Brown a coalescence of cultures
30 India Unveiled Robert Arnett
Kalyani Giri
11
A Diplomat and Scholar Shares his Thoughts
12
What I Love about Houston
Tête-à-Tête... with Dr. Carolyn Farb Kalyani Giri
The Buzz about THE Bus Kalyani Giri
People Are Talking About … Jonathan Blake Kalyani Giri
28
Sarah Gish
The Lure of the Lore 40 Ramayana, Then, Now, and Forever Dr. Rathna Kumar
44 India House a Home for All 46 YIKES, it’s Summer!
22 Living Stylishly 26
Ashok Rao
38 Let Freedom Ring (within)!
15 Big Bosses of Little India
21
Our City and Our University Share a Common Goal envisioning a better houston
Publisher/Editor - Kalyani Giri Art Director - Saqib Rana Business Director – Vanshika Vipin Marketing Director – Kelly Blakley Printing Consultant - Ken Hoffman Correspondents – Tamara Levine, Stefani Twyford
Lisa Brooks
47 Slow March of the American Idea
Pradeep Anand
48 From Hindu Temple to Hollywood Hairdo
Alice Smellie and Sanjay Jha
50 The Misconceptions of Dining Out
Dr. Renu Khator
team HUM
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Kalyani Giri
Chitra Divakaruni
16
34
advisory board
•Anil Kumar • Bhuva Narayan •Dr. Carolyn Farb •Chitra Divakaruni •Jayashree Naidoo •Krishna Giri •Leela Krishnamurthy
Kiran Verma •Nellie Naidoo •Rachel Dvoretzky •Dr. Rathna Kumar •Robert Arnett •Sarah Gish •Seetha Ratnakar •Sunderasen Naidoo
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FEATURE
6
Divya and Chris Brown By Kalyani Giri
The first time I saw Chris and Divya Brown was at a cocktail soiree they hosted in celebration of the Asia Society Texas Center’s spanking new edifice in the museum district earlier this year. Divya, regal in a champagne and gold concept saree as a nod to her Indian heritage, her hair cascading artfully around her lovely face, and her husband, dapper in a black suit, made for a striking couple. Caught in the midst of an ever-changing landscape of faces, the poised pair smiled and chatted animatedly with guests, working the room like they were born with the schmooze gene, her hand all the while solicitously engulfed by his larger one. Watching the charismatic duo effortlessly charm everyone present, I was struck by how perfect they would be for the cover story of HUM’s debuting edition. So I squirreled my way through the teaming masses, excitedly conveyed my idea to the couple, and handed them my business card. The Interview When we sit down for our chat a few weeks later, the Browns are casually dressed, radiantly youthful, and openly adoring of each other. I joke with Chris that I will include in the article how he can’t keep his eyes off of his bride of two years for even a moment, and he laughs appreciatively. “Look at how she glows. You’re right! I can’t! She taught me about what real love is - the consistency, the acceptance, the calmness, and the rightness of it all. So yes, I’m a man in love!” says Chris unabashedly. “Doesn’t she look like Christie Brinkley?” he asks with a comically raised eyebrow and more than a modicum of seriousness. “Chris is clearly delusional,” says Divya with a serene smile. “But he’s so cute and kind-hearted. He genuinely cares about people. I have so much respect for him and he’s so funny! We’re best friends and we make each other laugh. I’m more serious and calm, and he is less serious. We are opposite, even in our daily lives, except for our values. We balance each other.” Houston-born Divya, 31, an attorney with a leading global oil services company, and Philadelphia-born Chris, 36, the Deputy City Controller for the City of Houston, met through mutual friends five years ago. To
their surprise, they discovered that they lived diagonally across the street from each other in the midtown area. Over the next few months, they kept bumping into each other at various events and the attraction grew. As the relationship progressed, Divya was apprehensive about taking her all-American boyfriend home to meet her parents. As open-minded as Ajit and Vimla Paralkar are, Divya believed that ideally, they had envisioned her and younger sister Rima, a physician’s assistant, marrying Indian Hindu men. Divya was also nervous about how Chris, raised Christian Episcopalian, would reconcile to the vastly different aspects of Indian culture and traditions. On both counts, her fears were unfounded. “All mom asked was what she should cook for Chris, and whether he ate spicy food,” reminisces Divya laughingly. Having affectionately dubbed his own family the United Nations, Chris was adequately prepared for diversity by his multicultural background. His mother Barbara Tennant (now married to David Tennant) was born in Switzerland and lived in several countries. Chris’s dad, former Houston City Councilman Peter Brown (now married to Ann Brown), respected for his going-green projects and for his advocacy of streamlined governing of this city, also spent several years in over five different countries. Chris has siblings he treasures; older brothers Hoyt and Marlin, sisters Hilary and Catherine, and a host of step-siblings. When the Brown-Tennant families first met Divya, they were “star- struck,” admits Chris proudly. “My family was blown away by her beauty and by how articulate she is. They fell in love with her immediately!” The Proposal Knowing that Divya loved to travel, a smitten Chris spirited her away on a fairytale sojourn to Italy, France, and Switzerland, where he intended to propose to his beloved. He chose the idyllic and ancient city of Chur, in Switzerland, where his grandmother lives, to pop that crucial question. Sadly a local festival saturated the town with revelers that week, clogging the streets and blocking access to Chur. That put paid to his plan. But the resilient Chris refused to be thwarted. He called home and conferred with his mother
who suggested Thermes Vals, because of Divya’s affinity for water and the contemporary. He swept a bemused Divya off to the exquisite Thermes Vals, a luxurious hotel and spa built over thermal springs in the Graubunden Canton in Switzerland. Their first night there over a romantic dinner at one of the hotel’s state-of-the-art restaurants, a starry-eyed Chris dropped down on one knee, held out an elegant ring with an oval diamond in an aura setting, and asked the love of his life to marry him. Surrounded by the sudden deafeningly silent confines of the plush premises, where everyone understood the universal language of love, an astonished and tearful Divya breathlessly uttered “yes” to wild applause. “It was the most romantic proposal,” avers Divya emotionally. “Chris had the beautiful ring, the champagne, and everything was just perfect.” The Wedding “We were so happy to have an Indian wedding. It was charming, colorful, and my southern gentleman values wanted to accommodate her, “ Chris says with a naughty wink. “Seriously though, my family understands other cultures, other languages, and the richness they add to the fabric of this city. We appreciate the beauty and as a family we looked at Indian culture as adding another dimension to our family.” Divya meticulously planned every detail of the wedding, with Chris’s parents helping her secure the venues. “I made the observation to my mother how blessed we were to have Chris’s family,” says Divya. “They were totally accepting of all our traditions, no questions asked, they all came dressed in Indian outfits to the wedding, and participated in all the ceremonies. They really embraced the experience, it was truly a celebration of two families from two different cultures coming together.” The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends of the couple. All looked resplendent in their traditional Indian clothes. So, after setting the bar so high with that magical proposal in an exotic locale, what did Chris do for an encore? He and Divya honeymooned in Cape Town, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Dubai.
FEATURE
7
a coalescence of cultures On Faith, Altruism, and Living Together Growing up Chris went to church with his family on special occasions like Easter and Christmas. Today Divya joins him at those church events and he goes with her to the Sai Baba Center. “We’re more progressive and I believe that there should be more universal acceptance,” says Chris. “I think we’re more spiritual,” adds Divya. “We share the values of truth, compassion, peace, and love. We have friends from all denominations of faith. What we’ve learnt from them is that we all speak the same language. We just practice our beliefs differently. For us, we do it through our community-oriented service projects.” Chris serves on the Board of SEARCH Homeless Services that helps stabilize, educate, employ, and house the homeless; he’s also a Board member at Prevent Blindness Houston. Other organizations that they are closely involved with include Asia Society Texas Center, and the couple also serves on the Boards of the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony, Better Houston, Hermann Park Conservancy – Urban Green, and Pratham Young Professionals. Like several generations of family before him, and inspired by his father’s campaign, Chris plans on a career in politics. “I believe that Chris would make a great politician,” says Divya. “He has all my support because he cares about making things better. We need more people like him in public service,” she adds. And when he’s not out there trying to change the world, Chris likes to keep active by riding his bike and participating in various triathlons. Divya, on the other hand, embraces her creative side in her downtime by painting. With a fulltime job and their many philanthropic, social, and recreational commitments, Divya confides that she rarely has the time to cook Chris his favorite Indian foods. “Chris craves spicy foods. He can’t eat anything bland anymore. Thankfully, my mom lives just half an hour away, so we can go over anytime,” says Divya, and Chris nods enthusiastically. And as I watch them smile at each other - these two young people from such entirely different backgrounds but so entirely in love they seem to me to embody the archetype of this marvelous city: the coalescence of cultures, emerging change, and, above all, hope.
Divya and Chris Brown
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DEMOCRACIES
11
A Diplomat AND SCHOLAR Shares His Thoughts on Freedom By Kalyani Giri America is gearing up for the Fourth of July, the annual celebratory day that commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. With patriotic fervor, fireworks, baseball games, family reunions, parades, picnics and barbeques, the nation will savor freedom and reflect on those who strove arduously to win liberty for this land. On August 15, India, the world’s largest democracy, will welcome its 66th year of freedom. HUM talked with Honorable Sanjiv Arora, the Consul General of India in Houston and the highest-ranking Indian diplomat in Texas, about the two democracies and liberty. Hon. Arora has served his country in the US for the past four years overseeing consular duties in Texas and in eight other surrounding states. The following are excerpts from the interview: What does freedom mean to you in the shared context of India and the USA? The strategic partnership between India, the largest democracy and USA the oldest democracy, is rooted in our shared values of freedom, equality, rule of law and justice. These fundamental values are enshrined in the Constitutions of both countries and form the basis of their legislative, executive and judicial systems. Politically, what challenges have both countries faced in achieving democracy? Both countries have traditionally and
historically cherished the basic values of democracy. It was, therefore, natural that both embraced the democratic system of governance on achieving freedom from colonial rule. Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership by example (“Be the change that you want to see”, as he famously said) mobilized millions of Indians in a non-violent civil disobedience movement against the British rule, that won India her independence on 15 August, 1947. Gandhiji’s life and ideals have inspired leaders and people around the world and his message is eternal. What would be your message to the USA as she celebrates the Fourth of July, her Independence Day? How will you be celebrating the Fourth of July? As the United States celebrates her Independence Day on the Fourth of July, we extend our warmest greetings to all Americans on this historic day, and reaffirm the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two great countries. My family and I have enjoyed the magnificent fireworks and other festivities on the Fourth of July over the last three years of our stay in Houston. We would again be joining these festivities at Eleanor Tinsley Park in Downtown Houston. What do you most enjoy about Houston and how has your and your family’s stay here been? Houston is truly a friendly, diverse and international city. I have had a very interesting, hectic and fulfilling tour of duty in Hou-
Consul General Sanjiv Arora with Houston Mayor Annise Parker
ston from where Consulate General of India services Texas and eight other States. We are very proud of the distinctions and achievements of the vibrant Indian-American community. My family and I have made many friendships that we believe would be life-long. Our younger son, Aakash has just ‘graduated’ from Grady Middle School. He has thoroughly enjoyed his stay and made many friends. As a parent yourself, what would be your message to the youth of this city? It may be gratuitous on my part to give any message or advice to the wonderful youth of Houston. Based on my regular and active interaction with a large number of young students and professionals, especially from India, I can only say that I deeply admire their talents, hard work, enthusiasm and confidence. These young Ambassadors are the future of our countries. I wish them all happiness and success.
VOICES
12
What I Love about
Houston By Chitra Divakaruni
I must start off with a confession. I did not always love Houston. When I landed here one June about a decade ago, after having spent many years in Northern California, I was shell-shocked by the heat and distressed by the flatness of the landscape. And the mosquitoes! They were even more aggressive than the mosquitoes of my Kolkata childhood. I remember turning to my husband Murthy accusingly and crying, “Good grief! Where have you brought me!” But in the intervening years Houston worked its magic on me. Just the other day I found myself saying to Murthy, “I’m so glad we moved here.” A lesser man might have declared, “I told you so!” My husband, being infinitely wise, merely smiled and agreed. What is it I love about Houston? One of the first things I appreciated about Houston was its affordability. In Houston it was much easier to find a great neighborhood with excellent schools that we could afford to live in. The
home we had in California was one-third the size of our home here, and still it cost more and was older and in constant need of repair. (I think many readers who have moved to Houston from other US cities might be smiling in agreement as they read this!) This left us with more money for fun activities for the family, such as eating out. Ah, eating out in Houston! I’ll have to write a separate article on Houston, the mega-foodie town filled with cuisines of all kinds, from Tex Mex, to Vietnamese, to Indian, to French, to Fusion! Once I began to really observe the world around me, I found Houston to be filled with surprising natural beauty. There are many lovely green areas here, such as the Arboretum, located conveniently off of the 610 Loop at Woodway, where one can stroll under the shade of native Texan trees such as Elm and Ash and sweet-smelling Magnolia. I still remember my children’s excitement when we spotted our first armadillo there, scurrying at dusk. The Azalea Trail and
VOICES
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Bayou Bend Gardens, not far from there, are a burst of color in springtime, when Houston weather is at its best. Even more dramatic—and a mustvisit in my opinion--is Brazos Bend State Park, with its lakes, swamps, grasslands, and majestic oaks hung with moss. And all this natural splendor is only about 50 minutes southwest of the city center. What my family likes best about Brazos is that it is an alligator reserve. Walking along the lakeside trail, we’ve sometimes seen up to forty gators, often only twenty feet away. In the beginning I was nervous. (I remember asking the ranger at the gate, “Will the gators try to eat my children?” causing him to burst into laughter). I soon realized why: the gators are really rather lazy, more interested in napping in the sun than anything else! But perhaps the most important aspect of Houston for me has been its multicultural nature, and its welcoming of diversity. Coming from California, I’d been concerned because Texas has a reputa-
tion for being conservative. But Houston is a cosmopolitan city. At the University of Houston, where I teach, we host students from 126 countries. The city’s international festival spans 10 days and features over 400 artists, many of internationally known—but the organizers also invite local children to perform. The festival website claims that “hundreds of thousands” of people attend each year. The last time I visited the festival, it certainly seemed that way! On my own quiet, suburban street, we have Asian, Caucasian, African American and Hispanic neighbors, in addition to Indian families. My children’s friends include Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Jews—and everyone thinks this is quite natural. Houston isn’t perfect. It’s still hot and humid; the only hills you’ll find around here are the gigantic anthills that pop up overnight on your lawn; its mosquitoes could be mistaken for mini-bombers; but it has helped my children grow up as global citizens. What more could I ask for?
Chitra Divakaruni teaches Creative Writing at the Univ. of Houston. She is the author of 16 books; her latest novel is the international bestseller One Amazing Thing. In 2011, along with Salman Rushdie, she received a Light of India award. She invites HUM readers to join her at HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni” \n _blankhttp://www. facebook.com/chitradivakaruni for literary conversation. Her website is HYPERLINK “http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/”www.chitradivakaruni.com.
Big Bosses of
Little India It’s called Little India, that vibrant stretch on Hillcroft between Southwest Freeway 59 and Westpark that also encompasses some of intersecting Harwin Drive. A busy business hive, it teems with traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. Before satellite cities started to mushroom all over a sprawling Houston and create pockets of India everywhere, Little India, also recently named as the Mahatma Gandhi District, was historically the very first region that those early immigrants longing for India could visit for a little taste of home. On any given day, but for Tuesday when most of Little India takes a breather to regroup, the area is inundated with shoppers filling grocery carts with dhals, spices, and fresh vegetables at Patel Brothers, India Mart, or Keemat Grocers. There’s that bride-to-be and her shop-savvy mother and aunts who tote her from Sapna Boutique, Karat 22, and onto Kohinoor Diamonds in search of wedding adornments. A rumbling tummy can easily find purchase at any one of a plethora of restaurants. Udipi Café’s delicious and hearty buffet, Balaji Bhavan’s piping hot idlies and sambar, Raja Sweets (Hillcroft’s first eatery) for Punjabi kadi and those gorgeous crispy jilebis), and across the street, there’s Bismillah’s kebabs and dinner plate-sized parathas, or for sinful pleasures, there’s Hot Breads. There are beauty salons like the veteran Aisha’s, to the new kids on the block, Ruby’s and Sameeta’s. One can get their nails and taxes done in one fell swoop, buy insurance, or select a destination vacation on that prolific strip. And there are places of worship, like the Jalaram Sai Mandir or the Sanathan Shiv Shakti Mandir, secreted in some of those enclaves. It wasn’t always that convenient. Back in the early 70’s when the economy was in a slump, the sole inhabitant of the area was a derelict car dealership. Slowly, yet inexorably, Indian merchants trickled in, encouraging others to join and created a booming business corridor. Starting next month, HUM will be saluting those architects of the Mahatma Gandhi District through a series of articles titled The Big Bosses of Little India. You will read of the challenges they faced and the journeys of each of those visionaries who intrinsically understood the value of unity and working together.
CONVERSATION
16
Tête-à-Tête.. With Dr. Carolyn Farb By Kalyani Giri
Talk volunteerism with Dr. Carolyn Farb and her limpid green eyes sparkle with enthusiasm. Over brunch within the hushed confines of the St. Regis Hotel on a recent summery morning, HUM snagged Dr. Farb for an exclusive conversation that was nothing short of revelatory. We were sweetly surprised to meet the lady behind the mystique; the humanitarian unrivalled in her commitment to righting the wrongs to help foster a balanced society, a whimsical dreamer, approachable, an intrinsically intelligent woman who fearlessly speaks her mind. Renowned for her peerlessly creative fundraising, Dr. Farb has garnered over $50 million during her brilliant career that has benefitted non-profits, arts organizations, and sometimes, political fundraising when there is an irresistible candidate that appeals to her aesthetics, to meet their goals. She has scribed authoritative treatises that include her first book, How to Raise Millions: Helping Others, Having a Ball, and later The Fine Art of Fundraising. In her personal life, Dr. Farb has transcended almost insurmountable tragedy with the loss of her beloved only child Jake Kenyon Shulman in 2004, and has channeled that profound love
into helping children indefatigably through UNICEF, Children at Risk, Playgrounds Without Limits, and Justice for Children. She is at her euphoric best when immersed in a tsunami of activity. An avid animal lover, she has written a children’s book called Lucas Comes to America. Dr. Farb is an inductee into the Philanthropy Hall of Fame, and a recipient of UNICEF’s Gold Medallion of Valor in Recognition of Philanthropic Service to Humanity World Wide. The much-rhapsodized and quintessential style maven was recently lauded with the 2nd Annual Spirit of Dance Award in celebration of the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre’s 10th Anniversary season. Following are excerpts from that engaging interview. What most inspires you? Life inspires me, and the unlimited possibility to dream. I love to embrace a challenge. It beckons my creative energies. My inspiration is people who genuinely care for others and quietly try to make a difference. I love being free to explore all the possibilities when there is a task at hand. I admire
the unanticipated singular acts of kindness, all creativity, and personal aspirations. I am drawn to individuals of rarity, artists who are true to themselves, and statesmen who place principal above all else. Are you spiritual and what role does faith play in your life? I believe strongly in guardian angels who help all of us navigate life. Angels give us the courage and strength to see the light. My two Jakes - my grandfather and my son are always by my side. When you’re not helping organizations with fundraising, what do you do for fun? Volunteerism has been my life. I have lived, breathed, nurtured and championed causes that I am passionate about. The spirit of volunteerism is something that is inherent to my being. In the past, I have tried to take a sabbatical from my “beloved addiction,” and Dr. Carolyn Farb with Dominic Walsh, Principal Dancer and Artistic Director at the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre Photo : Kim Coffman
CONVERSATION
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Photos: Sofia van der Dys
know now that it will forever be part of my DNA- it will never leave me. Friends often say, “If anyone can do it, you can!” That amazes me! When I was sixteen, I wanted to be a writer, bravely sending pubescent articles to the lofty Atlantic Monthly. I enjoy the pleasure of the printed word. I hope that our treasured bookstores will not vanish in this golden age of electronics. I don’t know if you can call my two beloved pets a hobby. “The Boys”- Lucas and Max - an adorable father and son team are my delightful indulgence. Film has always been a passion. When I visited my grandfather in Las Vegas we would go to the film studios to meet studio heads, Harry Cohn and Joe Pasternack who were his friends. I used to ask their assistants to get my autographed photos of movie stars - it was thrilling! I studied acting in my early 20’s with Sandy Meisner at Desilu Studios. There is always a special excitement about going to see a film. Movies have always held a special fascination for me, yet, an almost extinct dinosaur. I love to tour art galleries and vineyards.
Who are your role models? My grandfather Jakie Freedman was my greatest role model who gave me the courage to stand up and be an individualist, reach for the stars, and the wings to fly. I admired Jakie’s spirit in coming to America on his own as a teen. He was very charismatic and everyone adored him. He reached impossible heights with grace and humility. When I was first beginning my volunteerism, the great philanthropist and patroness of the arts, Nina Cullinan, told me I had a special calling and to follow that path. I am reminded of the bravery and heroism of the crew of the Challenger tragedy. They will always hold a special place in my heart. I admire the vision and ongoing vision of the family members and their loved ones who, in the midst of their grief, asked me to help them create The Challenger Learning Centers - a living legacy for future space exploration. Let’s not forget the self-made steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who in 1901 first began the concept of charitable giving. Self-made individuals prove that you can accomplish your goals.
How can donors establish that funds donated actually do reach the beneficiaries? I would wish for agencies and non-profit organizations to partner with one another for the better good and better end result. Today, donors are confused by the duplication of services among organizations. You have to wonder and hope that the services, which are intended for the underserved and underprivileged, are being successfully delivered. I would like to wave a wand to eliminate the bureaucracy, simplify the process so that the humanitarian efforts that are intended could cut through the red tape with more direct solutions. There needs to be transparency within these groups at all times, less hidden expenses, direct interaction, and delivery to those we serve. We need to seriously reevaluate our mission, purpose, and core reason for being involved to make certain that we do not falter in our responsibilities and duties. What are your goals for the future? There is much yet to be accomplished. Regrettably, a new disease, global hunger, and child trafficking are on the rise and new
You’ve received many accolades and awards for your
humanitarianism. Which most moved you? One of my proudest moments was when Northwood University awarded me a Doctorate in Humanities in 2003. I was deeply honored by the Endowed Lectureship in Neurofibromatosis in my name at MD Anderson Cancer Center. It was an honor to be named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International for my work on behalf of the Children of the Dump in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Our journey became an award-winning documentary by Channel 13 anchor Art Rascon. In 1987, I chaired the first Aids event called An Evening of Hope, which was in the very beginning of the disease and the research that was needed. I have felt privileged to be a part of these wonderful moments and groundbreaking experiences. Each represents a cause that I am passionate about and a value I hold in my heart.
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social and injustice issues need to be addressed. As a concerned citizen and someone who hopes to make a difference, I will continue to be actively involved. I have been a crusader since I was a teenager. It’s in my blood and feeds my soul. In fact, my friend the late artist Vladimir Gorsky in his Tapestry of the Centuries has me there as Joan of Arc. I am working on my second children’s book called Along Came Maxi, which is the sequel to Lucas Comes to America. Maxi is too adorable a character not to be revered. I’m waiting for the next exciting and fun opportunity to knock at my door, just like being asked by former Maestro Emeritus William Weibel at Opera in the Heights to perform the speaking role of Ida in “Die Fledermaus.” That’s what’s so wonderful about life - it is an adventure. Don’t be afraid to step out.
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Carolyn Farb is an internationally known fundraiser, author, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She has been published in Interview Magazine, bRILLIANT Magazine, Origin, and is the author of three books; How to Raise Millions, Helping Others, Having a Ball, The Fine Art of Fundraising, and Lucas Comes to America.
FREE RIDE
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The Buzz
About THE Bus Some exciting news for Houstonians. If you’re downtown and wilting in summer’s ferocity, and you spot a trendy colorful bus emblazoned with the word “greenlink”, hop aboard! The free new environmentally-friendly bus service, started June 11, makes eighteen stops in a 2.5 mile route that includes eight hotels, the Central Library, Houston Pavilions, the George R. Brown Convention Center, Phoenicia Specialty Foods, City Hall, Macys, to name a few. METRO-operated Greenlink runs Mondays through Fridays from 6.30am
to 6.30pm. The 28-seat capacity bus service was made possible through a partnership between the Houston Downtown Management District, the multinational oil and gas BG Group, and Houston First Corporation. Greenlink buses run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), produce fewer emissions in comparison to other buses, and have lower maintenance costs. Air-conditioned, contemporary in design, and equipped with bike racks, the buses are a comfortable and convenient alternative to braving the heat. And best of all, it’s free!
Nina Verma Magon
Photos: Tiffany Cintron - Bruce Glass
Living Stylishly
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RISING STAR
By Kalyani Giri Ephemeral spikes of lightning pierce the sky and dark clouds threaten to explode fiendishly as I push open the doors and escape into Nina Verma Magon’s domain in the 1200 block of Blalock. In stark contrast to the gloomy outdoors, I’m surrounded by random bursts of color juxtaposed against a stark white cavernous studio. Racks and racks of fabric swatches in every imaginable hue and texture beg my fingers to touch and luxuriate in their sumptuousness. A potpourri of luscious treasures sprawls capriciously here and there, like the inventively upholstered chair in that corner, or the ethereal Chihulyinspired blown glass sculpture perched on a quaint accent table. Sleek in an earth-toned tunic with her hair swept into a no-nonsense chignon, Nina steps out of her sanctum of creativity to greet me, breaking my covetous reverie, and ushers me into an informal conference room. Leaning haphazardly against a wall are large framed photographs of homes, Nina’s designs. I riffle through the stack. It’s impressive. I pause over one in particular, an outstanding contemporary house, angular in demeanor, with sweeping staircases and outfitted with ultra modern furniture and décor from Cantoni. Nina tells me that the house, selling for $1,65 million, and located at 3 W. Shady Lane, Piney Point Estates, was selected as one of nine houses on the Modern Home Tour in June 2011. As President and Principal Designer at Contour Interior Design, LLC, and Capital Builders and Designers, LLC, Nina is fast rising in the echelons of design/build haute homes. No stranger to industry approval, Nina bagged the Best Interior Designer, Star Award, from the Texas Builders Association in 2011. Clearly, she’s aimed for the sky and landed among the stars. And she makes no bones about deferring to an upscale clientele. Armed with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and Finance from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and with intensive courses in fashion and architecture from the Art Institutes of Dallas and Houston, the 33 year-old parlayed her talent and vision into a business that is a successful amalgam of real estate, design, construction, and fashion to create luxury residential and commercial spaces. Her
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drawing board seems to know no boundaries; Nina wields a heterogeneous pen. “I have a strong passion for what I do. I believe in living stylishly. I’d like to change people’s perceptions of what design is, and I do believe design is a lifestyle that we live in everyday,” Nina says. “Adding fashion to your life is a mood enhancer.” Starting Points Back in 2006 after graduate school, Nina opened a highend European lingerie store at the Galleria but found the retail business too cumbersome. She sold the store and approached her father, realtor Arun Verma, with her idea of combining real estate and fashion to create a custom product. He tossed her the gauntlet, and she designed and constructed her first speculative house in the elite West University area under the banner of Capital Builders and Designers; the house sold for nearly one million dollars three months prior to completion. Validated, Nina started Contour Interior Design. The sister companies work together or separately depending on the needs of the client. Nina gestures to the open studio environment beyond the glass walls where her associates Martin Sosa, Karen Young, and Olevia Nguyen, pore over their drawing boards. “I have a powerful team, they’re all highly educated and skilled, and each has individual strengths. We share ideas and information to get optimal results for the client,” says Nina. “The client can opt for us to custom design which includes full architectural drawings, construction documents, city permits, and everything up to the construction phase. Or the client could bring blueprints done by another architect and we’ll build it. Another option is for us to come in after construction and design the interiors. Typically we work with the client and get an understanding of their personality, likes, dislikes, their work, and whether they’re quiet or outgoing. Our company can be as contemporary, eclectic, simplistic, fusion, or traditional as our clients’ palates are inimitable. We are a full-service design company,” says Nina, whose catchphrase is living stylish. She has been shortlisted for a mainstream reality television program,
and if selected, it will mean national exposure for her business. Her Vision in Design “Houston is very backward in terms of international design,” says Nina, who’s well traveled and appreciates the European tenor of living well and fashionably. “I’d like my company to bring international flair to this city and be the best in Houston.” Nina’s oeuvre includes uncluttered open spaces, high ceilings, tall fireplaces, unusual little flourishes, eclectic and dramatic standout furniture, and neoclassical conversation pieces that make a statement. “When we design, my fervent wish is that people would actually yearn to live in those spaces. I add a “wow” factor to every home I work with,” says Nina. Her company has launched The Aryan Collection, an exclusive, urban chic line of refurbished furniture. The mélange includes trendy chairs, tables, loveseats and other “reclaimed” pieces that have been sanded, painted, or re-upholstered in funky and fun fabrics. Background and Family Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Nina relocated with family to Houston when she was thirteen. Her mother Vinni Verma started the realty business that Nina’s dad runs today. Nina and husband Karun, also a realtor, married in 2005 and are parents to 3 ½ year old Aryan Veer and his toddler sister Alina Noor. Nina has named her “going green” Aryan Collection, and her euphoria-inducing Aryan Collection of Fabrics for her son. Nina is a trained Bharathanatyam dancer and was 2nd runner up in the Ms. Asia America Texas Pageant back in 2001. “As a woman, I want my daughter to know that she can do anything that she wants, that she can achieve maximum success, and that she shouldn’t ever be dependent on anyone,” says Nina. “I learnt that from my mother and my grandmother, both strong and independent women.”
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EDUCATION
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People Are Talking About …
Jonathan Blake By Kalyani Giri
Jonathan Blake walks into my office at exactly 5.00pm. He’s so punctual that I harbor a sneaky suspicion that he’d arrived much earlier and killed time in the parking lot. Casually smart in black jeans, structured jacket and a t-shirt, he’s like a breath of fresh air, disarmingly charming and polite. I’m curious about this man-child who at just 21, is poised to debut his first line of haute couture to a discerning coterie of highbrow and iconic fashionistas at the Junior League of Houston on October 3rd. He shows me his work. Sketches and photographs of his designs so eloquent, that they spring to vivid life on my computer screen. Flirty swing-skirted dresses in jewel-toned silks, exquisite flowing gowns with rococo necklines, trailing trains embellished with Swarovski crystals or delicate handmade organza flowers. His pencil channels classicism faintly reminiscent of vintage Givenchy, but Jonathan’s designs are inherently distinctive. He delves deep into his own psyche and imbues his wearable works of art with a romantic wistfulness and maturity far beyond his years. “I think women are beautiful, and they’re happier when they’re wearing something that makes them feel more beautiful, elegant,” says Jonathan softly. There’s a sweet vulnerability about him that I worry he’d lose in that horrendously aggressive fashion industry. Then he tells me that his favorite historical woman is Marie Antoinette because her clothing “fascinates” him, and I smile mentally and start to think that my fears are unfounded. This young
man is going to be just fine. Flights of Fancy At age 12, Jonathan Blake had serious existential thoughts about what he wanted to be. He vacillated between acting and design. He joined the Page Parkes Talent Agency and did some acting but decided at age 17 that his heart just wasn’t in it. He loved toying with fashion and his peers at the Tenney School started noticing and validating his effortless panache. After high school, Jonathan joined The Art Institute of Houston to study fashion, retail, and merchandise management. Following in his parents’ footsteps, he also got involved in philanthropic organizations that benefit and help children such as Children At Risk and Justice For Children; at humanitarian events, he widened his circle of friends to include people in the fashion trade. Impatient with classes and convinced that he could venture out on his own as a designer, Jonathan ran the idea by his friend, fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo, who encouraged him to take that leap of faith and to start working on his own line of women’s wear. “I just dove in, but it was a lot of hard work,” Jonathan says with an impish grin. His family supported his decision wholeheartedly. “Dad is a career entrepreneur and anything remotely entrepreneurial makes him
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very happy, and as for mom, she’s thrilled by the idea of getting free clothes!” He moved into a sprawling apartment that he fashioned in the Upper Kirby/River Oaks area, a living space he’s obviously proud of. It’s close to his favorite haunts that include Tony’s, Mashraff’s, and Mark’s American Cuisine. Designs On You Who is Jonathan Blake’s target market? “Definitely fashion-forward women who enjoy wearing unique, elegant, and feminine clothes,” he says. “My clothes aren’t boring, they have visual impact and are head-turners.” His designs are often nature-inspired; a soft petal, a plumy cloud, butterflies, the shape of a flower, lends impetus to the creative process. His favorite orchids have sparked hours of inventive reverie that translate into beautiful dresses and skirts. “I’ll mull for days over basic shapes and follow the direction they take me. Sometimes I envision one outstanding gown, or have several different ideas that carry me elsewhere,” says Jonathan. All his designs are in natural fabrics, never synthetics, and he procures fine quality silk from New York. He has a skilled team of eight people that make patterns based on his proto-
type, cut fabric, and sew the clothes. His couture ranges in size from 2 – 10, but upon request, he is happy to please the client. The Chutzpah to Succeed Beyond the youthful demeanor lurks an old soul. Jonathan is driven and he has the chutzpah to succeed. His days begin early and are packed with a tight schedule. When he has free time he indulges in hobbies like reading mystery novels, travel, scuba diving, and snorkeling. He is passionate about his favorite designer Tom Ford, another Texan native, who dramatically restored and revolutionized Gucci. “People don’t just buy a white Tom Ford button-down shirt because of its high quality, they buy it because it stands for his story,” says Jonathan enthusiastically. When he’s done with the launch, Jonathan plans on adding handbags and shoes, menswear, fragrance, and jewelry to his designer line. It’s a plan that excites him. Inspiration Jonathan is inspired by music, nature, and the people in his life who believe in him and help illuminate his path forward. “My heroes are Elizabeth Taylor and Carolyn Farb,” he says without hesitation. “Carolyn is so elegant and she can move mountains.” I call philanthropist and author Dr. Farb who had originally introduced Jonathan to me, and she has equally generous words for the emerging young star. “What is most fascinating about Jonathan Blake is that at 21, he has amazing grace, talent and style. Jonathan’s work shows the flair of someone twice his age. His designs are breathtakingly classic. Personally, Jonathan is reminiscent of the late 20’s actor and pop-icon Rodolpho Valentino and has his own unique persona,” says Carolyn Farb. Jonathanblake.net
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Our City and Our University Share a Common Goal
Envisioning a Better Houston By Dr. Renu Khator Since my arrival in 2008, I’ve learned many things about the city whose name the University of Houston shares. I know which freeways get crowded. I know where to buy good rodeo clothes. I know how to pronounce “San Felipe”. I know who has the best barbecue. And I know why “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” But the most important thing I’ve learned is that the city of Houston truly understands and appreciates the importance of higher education. This is especially evident when I’m invited to speak to local groups. I like to ask those in attendance how many are University of Houston students or alumni. As you might expect, a number of hands shoot up, usually making the distinctive“Go Coogs” sign. For me, it’s wonderful to see that display of Cougar spirit. Then I’ll ask the remaining folks how many of them have a friend or a family member who attended UH? More hands go up. Then I’ll ask how many work with someone who is a Cougar? Or attended a football game or theater performance on campus? Took part in the annual March of Dimes walk held at UH? Perhaps attended a wedding at the Bruce Religion Center? It doesn’t take long before just about every person in the room is raising a hand. And I could keep going, of course. How many of you have children educated by school teachers and administrators who graduated from UH? Gone to an optometrist or a pharmacist or a lawyer trained at UH? Live in homes and work in buildings designed by our architects? Driven across
bridges devised by our engineers? Enjoyed the hospitality at an establishment staffed by our hotel and restaurant graduates? Been informed by the TV and print journalists trained at UH? Had medical treatment facilitated by our scientists and researchers? Listened to the two public radio stations we operate (KUHA and KUHF) – or watched the local PBS affiliate (KUHT/Channel 8)? The point is obvious, but it makes me particularly happy to point it out: UH is helping to make Houston a great city. And, in doing so, UH is becoming a great university. Our destinies are intertwined. Naturally, our growing national and international reputation for academic and research excellence is gratifying. Our designation as a Tier One public research university has filled us with understandable pride and provided our city with yet another significant distinction. Let me ask you – how many major American cities can boast two Tier One institutions? Houston, with Rice University and now UH, can. And the notable success our football team has enjoyed the past few seasons has certainly attracted a good deal of additional attention to our school and our city. The recent invitation to join the prestigious Big East Conference is one more confirmation of our enhanced stature. But such headline-grabbing, high profile achievements are just one way to gauge UH’s real progress. Those “show of hands” examples I mentioned before are another, equally legitimate measure of success. Semester after semester, year after year, decade after decade, UH has consistently played an
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essential role in shaping and sustaining our home city. We have helped edify and inspire Houston’s leaders, train an educated workforce, contribute to the overall cultural climate and serve as a vital component of the area’s economic engine, with a $3.5 billion annual impact. To date, UH has awarded nearly 270, 000 degrees, including more than 8, 000 doctorates and 18, 000 professional (law, pharmacy and optometry) degrees. Notably, more than 3, 500 of our alumni are heads of their own companies or are presidents or chief executives of businesses or corporations. And that is just at UH. Our sister institutions in the UH System — UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown and UH-Victoria — reflect our commitment to deliver quality educational services as the Greater Houston region has grown tremendously. Responding to this continuing expansion, we have filled in the gaps, so to speak, by adding teaching centers and branch campuses in Sugar Land, Cinco Ranch, Northwest Houston, Pearland, and the Texas Medical Center. Taken as a whole, the UH System provides an expansive range of options for aspiring students and continues to meet early benefactor Hugh Roy Cullen’s call for a university that serves “the working men and women and their sons and daughters.” At UH, we take our name very seriously. While we pursue academic excellence and knowledge creation for their own sake, we also strive to be the University of Houston. By that, I mean we have developed a university that meets our community’s needs and encourages its ambitions. We have expanded and improved our programs in energy, in the health sciences and in the arts because those are essential to Houston’s character and its commerce. For example, we have recently become a full member of the Texas Medical Center. We have launched a 75-acre Energy Research Park. We have acquired a second public radio operation to provide Houston with its only full-time classical music and arts station. And we have committed to constructing a major new football stadium. I believe these are all developments that clearly benefit our community as well as UH. Of course, we are also “of” Houston in our student body. Roughly two-thirds of our enrollment comes from the Greater Houston area, so we are truly educating our “own.” However, UH is far from being paro-
chial and, like our city, we revel in having a diverse and international flavor. UH is consistently among the Top 20 universities in the country for the number of international students enrolled. This year, one of every 12 students on campus is from another country, ranging from China and India to Burkina Faso and Sri Lanka. It should be noted that two-thirds of our international student body originate from Asia, including nearly 700 Indian students. As Houston endeavors to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy, UH provides an invaluable opportunity for its students to gain an international perspective. With considerable pride even in these economically challenging times, Houstonians have demonstrated a generous and enlightened support of its premier public university. While many institutions have struggled with notable declines in their philanthropic donations, UH has run counter to that trend. Why? We have told Houston that student success, nationally competitive research, and academic excellence are important to us and, I believe, Houston has answered back, “Yes, these things are important to us, too.” The gratifying level of private and civic backing is the result of our sharing a simple but inevitable realization: Improving UH helps improve Houston. That is a simple truth, but it is one that we – our city and our university – must never forget. Renu Khator holds the dual titles of Chancellor of the University of Houston System and President of UH. The UH System’s first woman Chancellor and the first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive research university in the United States, she assumed her post in January 2008. Renu Khator is the recipient of the prestigious Remit2India Light of India Award 2012 that honors excellence and the exemplary achievement of Indians living abroad. She was the only honoree to receive the Jury Award and the Popular Choice Award – among the 19 recipients honored.
India Unveiled BY Robert Arnett I am often asked what I liked best about India. Without hesitation, it is the peaceful demeanor, devotion, and innate spirituality of the people. To me, what makes India one of the most special countries on earth is that for many people, following the principles of dharma is still a way of life. Dharma is a broad term and has many meanings to Hindus; no English word can include all of its connotations. I use the word here to refer to an individual’s own life — to his or her inherent duty to live in harmony with the eternal principles of righteousness that uphold all creation. Thus, the social and moral implications of dharma are reflected in the highest virtues expected from each member of the community at all times. It is seen most clearly in village India. Once in a small town in Rajasthan, a young boy saw me drop my wallet which had a huge sum of money in it. When he came up to me to return it, I offered him a few rupees as a reward, but he would accept nothing. I asked someone nearby to explain to the boy why I wanted to give him something for his honesty. After talking to him, the man explained to me that the concept of accepting a gift for returning to me what was mine made no sense to the boy. Dharma is a noble act and needed no outside reward. After visiting with many Indian families over a period spanning more than twenty years, I am impressed by the sincerity with which each family member accepts his or her Women admiring Jain sculpture. Adinatha Temple. Ranakpur, Rajasthan
The west gopuram (gateway), Sri Meenakshi Temple. Madurai. Nayak dynasty, 17th century
family responsibilities. Duties were not discharged from a sense of obligation as if they were burdensome. An Indian I met on a bus explained: “Duty is performed from love and affection, like a mother taking care of her child.” He said his mother and wife still served in that spirit. Though there was some inconvenience caused from three generations living together in his home, he stated that his wife did not feel burdened by a house full of people and seemed to thrive on her selfless duties. He was emphatic that “action must be supported by feeling. Once it becomes a duty performed mechanically without feeling, the tradition ends.” Anyone who has ever had an extended sojourn in India cannot help but be impressed by the peaceful demeanor of the people. Once, after a four-hour bus journey in South India from Chennai to the town of Tirupathi, our guide informed us that we would not be able to continue our trip to the nearby holy mountain of Tirumala, as a local labor strike prevented our going further. Because Tirumala is one of the more important pilgrimage centers in all of India, the passengers were very disappointed, yet no one complained. Most were tranquil as we sat together to see what would transpire. In a similar situation in other countries, most people would have complained vehemently, but not these pilgrims. Because of the value and historical proof in Indian life that prayer has worked for millenniums, there was no discussion. It was a given that prayer was the natural and proper course of action. One passenger told me that he viewed the labor strike as a man-made adversity that could serve as a spiritual challenge for all of us. His insight inspired me, and I joined the others in praying silently that our pilgrimage to the magnificent statue of Lord Balaji would somehow be completed. At that moment, such peace came over me that I had no doubt God would grant our request. Shortly after lunch, we were told that the strike had been canceled and the buses would transport us to the mountaintop. Through God’s grace, I had been able to tap into the collective devotion of the pilgrims’ all-pervasive love, which I believe changed the course of events. I learned a great lesson that day: prayer is more powerful than protest! The deep devotion of Hindus to God, especially amongst women, seemed to me to be inborn. My favorite photograph by far of the many thousands that I took in India is
of a young girl ringing a bell at a Hindu roadside shrine in Khajuraho. I spotted the girl while riding a rented bicycle in a rural area outside of the town. She had climbed up on a concrete post so that she could reach the bell and ring it. While a bell has an esoteric meaning in most religions of the world, a Hindu rings one upon entering a temple or shrine to attract the attention of God. This little girl was trying to get God’s attention to express her devotion. Her gaze of concentration as she rang the bell indicated that she had serious business with the Lord. In a way, she was talking to Him, saying, “Lord, here I am. Don’t forget me.” Her sincere outpour-
ing of love for God touched my heart. While most travelers to Khajuraho remember it for the erotic stone carvings, my fondest memory is of this young girl ringing the bell by the roadside shrine. Modern India, like the rest of the world, is in a state of major transition as her people grapple with the enormous task required to balance science and modern technology with the inner peace of the soul. Although for thousands of years, Indian culture has had the resiliency to withstand numerous conquests and invasions, I wondered if it could survive the effects of Western materialism on its growing middle-class. My
The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at night. Amritsar, Punjab.
seven-week whirlwind trip around India not long ago showed me that my concerns were unfounded. My travels revealed that spiritual ideals are deeply ingrained in its society, especially in village India. Not only will India be able to assimilate Western technology into its own culture, but will be stronger for it. Though turmoil often exists in India between different factions, her religious communities have lived harmoniously in spite of selfish motives of some zealots. The memories of my travel throughout India are endearing. Though Sri Meenakshi Temple of Madurai is Hindu, Bodh Gaya is Buddhist, Ranakpur temple is Jain, Amritsar’s Golden Temple is Sikh, and Bhopal’s Taj-ul-Masjid is Muslim — God’s peaceful vibration makes no distinction for religious and cultural differ-
ences. Because of the tolerance of Hinduism, I believe that eventually India will become the example of global ecumenicism, showing today’s multicultural world that peace is possible amongst diverse populations. My sojourn in India has imbued me with great hope for humanity. Our shrinking world makes it easier today than ever before to adopt the best from all civilizations. West and East have much to share. From the spiritual ideals of India and the altruistic material activity of America, a new world ethos will evolve. By combining the best of East and West — meditation plus devotion, balanced with service to humanity — the science of Yoga will be elevated from the individual to the national level, and thereby herald a new world harmony based on India’s
immortal message of the underlying unity of all religions and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, humankind as one family — a message that very much needs to be revived in the world today. For this to become a reality, each of us must do our part. By changing ourselves, we will change the world.
Robert Arnett is the author and photographer of internationally acclaimed India Unveiled and multi-award-winning children’s book Finders Keepers?. For more information about Robert Arnett and his work visit www.AtmanPress.com
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Spotlight on Abhay Divakaruni He’s a passionately spirited hiphop dancer, a Tae Kwon Do black belt, and an Eagle Scout. Abhay Divakaruni, the son of internationally renowned author Chitra Divakaruni and Murthy Divakaruni, is the 2012 Valedictorian at Clements High School, Sugar Land. He was also voted Prom King for 2012. The accomplished young man was president of the Clements dance club, Rhythm, for two years, and president of the German National Honor Society and the English Honor Society. Abhay also served on the Sugar Land Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. He recently graduated from the Chinmaya Mission’s Balavihar program after completing thirteen years of spiritual study. Come fall, Abhay will attend the University of Texas at Austin as a 40 Acres Scholar. His majors are Business Honors and Plan 11 (Liberal Arts) Honors. HUM loves our young role models who inspire and lead by example.
ip ws
ROLE MODELS
THAT ROCK!
Indo-American Pet & Animal Welfare Society of Greater Houston email: info@ipawshouston.org visit us at :www.ipawshouston.org join us on facebook/IPAWShouston
Spotlight on Meghan Kamath Meghan Kamath graduated as Valedictorian from I. H. Kempner High School with honors from National Honor Society, English Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. She is a National Merit college scholarship recipient, a Phi Beta Kappa scholarship recipient, and an AP Scholar with Distinction. Meghan was president of Kempner Mu Alpha Theta and has won over 60 math and science awards at state and local levels. She was one of 11 students selected in her school district for the research-based Gifted and Talented Mentorship Program. Meghan is the daughter of Meera and Sudhakar Kamath of Sugar Land. She will attend Rice University in the fall and major in Economics. HUM wishes you all the best for a bright future, Meghan!
HUM thrives on artistry. We welcome inventive and fresh minds in the creative fields of writing, photography, and any kind of innovative design. Convey your ideas at info@hummagazine.com
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&
Innovation Entrepreneurship By Ashok Rao
Innovation and Entrepreneurship – these are two serious and often confusing topics that are inextricably linked. Let’s start with innovation. It is a very misunderstood word. When the so called experts talk about the meaning of innovation they usually come up with some vague, aspirational definition that goes something like: “fresh thinking that creates value”. We are asked to believe that the term “innovative” is synonymous with “new”, or “novel”? Probably because the word itself is derived from the Latin word “innovatus”, or literally “into - new”. At most conferences, seminars and workshops on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, everything is considered “innovative”. After having been to a few conferences on innovation, I have come away with the impression that according to these experts, the hula hoop, or cabbage patch doll, or the pet rock, (remember them), qualified as an innovation in the same way that Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin did; or Jonas Salk’s discovery of the polio vaccine did; or Cyrus McCormick’s invention of the reaper did; or Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb did; or the Wright brothers’ flying machine did; or Alan Turing’s invention of the “computing machine” did; or Julio Palmaz’s invention of the heart stent did; or even Steve Job’s creation of the iPod and iTunes did. The failure to acknowledge this basic difference is in and of itself symptomatic of our confused fascination, nay obsession, with innovation. An unbiased look at innovation would contend that society views it the same way that biology views mutation. Innovation is the process by which an idea or invention is transformed, i.e. mutated, into goods or services for which people will pay. So how does one go about innovating? Let us look at an example to illustrate; i.e. a good joke that ends with a funny punch line.
People laugh at jokes at their very end, not the beginning. Why? Because jokes make sense only in hindsight after we hear the proverbial “punch line.” We have no context to start laughing at the start of the joke. But once we hear the final line, our mind works its way backwards to make sense of it. We laugh! Ditto with Innovation. “Innovation is an abstract concept”. And an abstract concept remains abstract until our mind works backwards to make sense of it. Voila, this ability to “see value in hindsight” is a crucial skill for the innovator. •Innovation is not an invention, but it could be. •Innovation is not an Idea alone relying on special cognitive abilities of individuals, but it could be. •Innovation is not a brilliant spark, a flash of genius, an epiphany relying on unique insights, but it could be. •Innovation is not always unpredictable and random, but it could be. It is not a new spin on an existing product/service, but it could be. True innovation is what separates the hula hoop from the Leonardo da Vinci’s mobile cannon, or Thomas Edison’s electric light bulb. It is what separates the cabbage patch doll from Fleming’s discovery of penicillin or Salk’s cure for polio. It is what separates the pet rock from McCormick’s reaper or Turing’s invention of the computer. Innovations serve as a catalyst to unexplored opportunities across all spheres of society, lighting a beacon for entrepreneurs. Without the light bulb to the electric car, the internal combustion engine to the flying machine, the integrated circuit to the mobile phone, and the sonnet to the sonata, our lives would clearly be quite different. It is innovation which is the fundamental underpinning and lifeblood of entrepreneurship, communicating value and reaching a critical level of adoption over time. One thing is certain. “Entrepreneurs Innovate”. They “Just do it”. That is as fundamental to our Universe as Newton’s 3 Laws. An entrepreneur is always an innovator; an innovator may or may not be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs create jobs, energize innovation, grow economies and
create wealth. Funny word this - “entrepreneur”. It did not exist in the English language till around 30 years ago. When many like me started our first companies around that time, we certainly had no clue that we were entrepreneurs; we were just people who had ideas and wanted to convert them into a business. The French coined this word, and that too only a little over a century ago, circa 1875. They coined the word from the verb “entreprendre”, which means to undertake. And as the English language has done over the ages, we stole the word from the French and incorporated it into our lexicon. This penchant to liberally incorporate words from other language is what makes English the richest language in the world. Not everyone is, or can be, an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are endowed with what I call the “entrepreneurial gene”. Or I should more appropriately call it an entrepreneurial virus. It is a random virus. My anecdotal, unscientific research says that it infects around 3-4% of the world’s population. It is gender agnostic, ethnicity agnostic, race agnostic, skin color agnostic, religion agnostic. Most importantly, it is not inherited. Think about the people we know; our friends, our families. Some in our families are totally risk averse, preferring to work in large companies or government bureaucracies. In fact they probably drive exactly 55 mph on the highway, not 56, but 55. Then other members of the same family are risk junkies, serial entrepreneurs and totally unafraid of failure. In fact they probably have not one but two radar detectors in their car to be able to risk going as fast as they want. So why is the level of entrepreneurial endeavor different in different countries, different regions and different cultures? As I mentioned earlier, entrepreneurs cannot be created if one does not already have the virus. You either have the virus or you don’t. However, the environment can either let it flourish and grow, or do everything it can to suppress it. The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship can be suppressed by the three factors; environment, cultural pressure and traditions, and most importantly — government. Government can both help and hurt,
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because local institutions matter when it comes to starting and operating a business. Entrepreneurs and their investors need basic rules and regulations like those established by GAAP and the IRS to establish standards of operation, reporting and financial disclosure, and oversight from institutions like the SEC is essential to maintain the integrity of the financial disclosure system. Also, entrepreneurship can be encouraged with startup assistance from governmental agencies like the SBA in the US, or IIPL in Singapore. Even more importantly, entrepreneurs and investors need to be able to “exit”. Without the opportunity to get a return on their equity (both sweat and financial) via an exit, there can be no incentive to take risk and shoot for the stars, while constantly facing the specter of failure. It is only government that can establish and regulate real, non-fraudulent opportunities for IPOs, sales, mergers, and other forms of exits. All of these wealth creation opportunities require stable and liquid financial markets, reliable and open banking systems, and freely traded stock markets. And finally entrepreneurs need the rule of law, under which they can predictably and reliably create, register and operate their businesses. An efficient court system is fundamentally essential to preserving the sanctity of contracts and financial covenants, while also providing swift and efficient methods of redress to correct wrongful or fraudulent actions. The real paradox is that while government needs to help set up all the mechanisms to allow entrepreneurship to flourish, once it does so it also needs to get out of the way. Many countries across the world are saddled with arcane and mind-numbing impediments and regulations that make it very difficult to start, run and operate businesses. Additionally, their courts take forever to redress obvious and blatant wrongdoings and contractual defaults. And then, of course, there is the ugly specter of endemic corruption in many emerging markets. Even the most developed of nations make it difficult to register businesses and property, obtain the necessary permits and get past stupid regulations. The World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” survey of 183 countries ranks them for the degree of difficulty of starting and operating a business, factoring in all the problems articulated above. France for instance ranks 29th in the world overall for the ease of doing business, i.e. fostering entrepreneurship, but a dismal 147th in the world in the difficulty of registering property, and 79th in the world in protecting investors. Even Germany, the best performing country
in Europe economically, perhaps even the world, ranks a lowly 99th in the difficulty in registering property and 97th in protecting investors, while ranking a very decent 19th overall. Model BRIC countries like India and Brazil, with astonishing growth and economic success over the past two decades, rank a distant 132nd and 137th respectively. The United States on the other hand ranks 4th in the world overall, and the study finds that the US would have ranked even higher but for its complex and very high income tax rate. Government is certainly an important factor in encouraging or suppressing entrepreneurship and innovation, but environment and cultural traditions/pressures can sometimes play an even more important role in the success or failure of the entrepreneurial gene/virus. Anyone want to hazard a guess at the country that ranked #1 in the world in the World Bank’s “Doing Business” survey? The answer is Singapore. Singapore is the most entrepreneur friendly country in the world according to the World Bank. But then why is it not the most entrepreneurial country in the world? The answer lies in the cultural and environmental strangulation of the entrepreneurial gene (or virus). The Singapore government is doing all it can to encourage startups and entrepreneurship, but the disgrace associated with failure, along with the cultural environment that celebrates safe and stable careers, pushes young people away from taking risk. Asian and Western European societies have a way of suppressing entrepreneurial desire and activity due to its millennia old hierarchical feudal culture. Working for a big stable company like Siemens or SAP or BP or Singapore Telecom is celebrated, and working for oneself is something one does as a last resort. This must sound very familiar to people (like me) who grew up in India many decades ago. This culture of excoriating failure, instead of celebrating it, inhibits risk taking. It forces young people away from innovating and starting businesses. Instead they go on to join big stable companies, and hope to survive a career there, suppressing whatever entrepreneurial desire they might be endowed with. For anyone infected with that entrepreneurial virus, it is akin to living like “caged animals”. The indisputable fact is that when the world is in trouble, it is the entrepreneur who comes to the rescue. This has been the indisputable case throughout modern history. During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, otherwise known as the gilded age, it was entrepreneurs — legends we make movies about — who ignited economic
growth in the West. Risk takers, game changers, innovators, such as Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright Brothers, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Cyrus McCormick, fueled their startup ventures with far-reaching ideas. Following their dreams of wealth, success and personal fulfillment, these entrepreneurs of the 19th century mirror their modern counterparts. They followed their vision, took calculated risks, controlled costs and gave back to the community — all of which served to enhance the likelihood of their success. Like all triumphant innovator entrepreneurs, these individuals pursued their goals with a single minded purpose and passion that is as relevant today as it was two centuries ago. Similarly, after the end of World War II, in the second half of the 20th century, when global economies were in doldrums, another renaissance was led by entrepreneurs. These legends — legends in their own time — like Steve Jobs with Apple, Bill Gates with Microsoft, Sam Walton with Wal-Mart, Fred Smith with FedEx, Andy Grove with Intel, and Ted Turner with CNN, transformed our economy and quality of life, and arguably even brought down the Iron Curtain. Again in the 21st century, innovative entrepreneurs are continuing to change our lives. Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Google, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, Jack Dorsey and Twitter, Elon Musk and Paypal, Tesla and Space X, Chad Hurly/Steve Chen and YouTube, Mark Pincus and Zynga, Drew Houston and Dropbox and Reid Hoffman and LinkedIn, are just a small sampling of entrepreneurs, who are implementing game changing innovations. These legends — legends in the making — are transforming the way we work, live and entertain ourselves and even helping change governments and depose dictators. To all the innovators and entrepreneurs over the ages, we salute you. We salute you for your vision, your ideas, your brilliance, your courage, your dogged determination, your generosity, and most importantly your contributions to our world. Ashok Rao is a serial entrepreneur with four successful high-tech startups, and with one IPO. Currently he serves as Chairman and CEO of Whodini Inc., a developing cutting edge software for enterprises, utilizing artificial intelligence and computer linguistics. He is the current Chairman of TiE Global, the world’s largest organization of entrepreneurs.
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UP FRONT
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Let Freedom R By Sarah Gish Freedom. It’s such an over-used word in our culture and is often aligned with political purposes. We are the Freedom Fighters in wars around the world and there’s a video game with the same name in which players fight the Russians. Some ate Freedom Fries when they were angry with the French for siding with the United Nations over resistance to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. We as Americans live and die for freedom and let it ring whenever and wherever we can. But as the fourth of July approaches this year, I find myself contemplating what freedom means to me personally, both as a woman and as an almost-50 year old. Freedom means that I can really be myself and love myself, deep in my core. I can be the messy, funny, creative, caring person that I am. I can look in the mirror and see wrinkles and old-age pimples and be okay with that. I can swim my laps and know that my cottage cheese legs are just fine and, in fact, are kinda sexy (at least, that’s what I tell myself!). Indeed, I’m free at last! I don’t have to please anyone but myself and I really don’t care much about what others think of me. Sure, I have my moments when I do care, like the time I recently showed up to a talk about fashion in
a shabby old dress and flip flops that I was wearing when running around with my kids because I hadn’t had time to change. But I concentrated on not going into what my friend Brené Brown calls a “shame spiral” and after a few minutes of trying to explain my non-fashionista look, I let it go. How did I get this independence? I’ve taken a cue from young kids – they laugh, they run, they don’t worry if their hair looks good or if their butt is too big. And I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, which started with really understanding my story and my background in a deep way. I was raised in a family that struggled with alcoholism and became an alcoholic myself. Thankfully, I found recovery and through the process of breaking free from addiction, I cleaned up every area of my life, which included being honest with another human being about events and emotions I had experienced and then making amends as warranted. I was told that if there was anyone that I saw and wanted to cross the street to avoid them, I needed to make things right with that person. Doing so with everyone in my world gave me the freedom to walk with my head held high. My brother died of alcoholism in 2004 and out of intense grief arose a new interest in helping others find
UP FRONT
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Ring (within)! their passion. I saw how addiction robbed my brother of his interest in things he had loved, so I was determined to help others uncover who they were and what they loved before drugs and alcohol could grab hold. I started doing workshops and talks, which had the goal of igniting people’s lives and helping them discover who they were. Through all of that, I ignited my own life and haven’t looked back since. I realized what I loved (helping people and working with kids) and what I didn’t (gardening and cleaning) and I made a conscious effort to spend more time on what I loved and less or no time on what I didn’t. I pruned my inner garden and flowered into what I was meant to be. It’s truly a blessing to know who I am and to love me anyway. As they say, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Thankfully, I’m always there for me. Sarah Gish is the owner of Gish Creative (www.gishcreative.com), and an “infopreneur” since she is obsessed with gathering information and sharing it with others. She is the publisher of The Summer Book: A Guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids and Teens and Gish Picks: A Guide to Cultural Activities for Families. Sarah started a Facebook page called Houston Gems in which she posts about cool persons, places, organizations, or events in town.
Photos: Sarah Gish
FOLK ALLURE
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The lure of the lore
Ramayana,
then, now, and forever By Rathna Kumar “The music in my heart I bore Long after it was heard no more” So said Wordsworth of the song of the Solitary Reaper. But the same words bring to my mind a totally different song, a song that has been ingrained into my earliest memory – of a rich, deep voice lovingly cooing into my infant ears – Rama Laali Meghasyaama Laali (Sleep little Rama, sleep, O Dark hued One) Taamarasa Nayana Dasaradha Tanaya, Laali (O lotus eyed one, Son of Dasaradha, go to sleep) This was the lullaby my mother sang to me and my four siblings, and the song that I have sung to my own two sons, and which I now sing to my two little granddaughters. Strange, how things happen! From my infancy until now, the name of Ram has been heard almost every day in my house, first in an old and traditional lullaby, and now, through the Vishnu Sahasranamam, in which there is a line extolling the greatness of the very name of Rama Sri Rama Rama Ramethi Rame Raame Manorame Sahasra Nama Tat Tulyam Ram Nama Varaanane Translated, these words mean – “One
utterance of the name of Rama is equivalent to the entire Vishnu Sahasranama, only when uttered in that proper consciousness”. I listen to the Vishnu Sahasranamam every morning, but was struck anew by the full force of the meaning of these words as well as the universal appeal of Rama, on a recent visit with my husband to Angkor Wat, Bali and Yogyakarta. In Angkor Wat we saw an entire wall with a most extraordinary mural depicting the whole Ramayana. In Bali we witnessed a very interesting and unusual rendition of the epic in what the locals call Kechak Ramayana, performed on a hilltop overlooking the Indian Ocean, with a Shiva Temple on the other side – a fabulous setting indeed! In Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta) we once again saw an Indonesian version of the Ramayana, performed in an open air auditorium, set against the backdrop of the stunningly beautiful Prambanan (from the Samskrit word Parabrahman) temple. All the performers in the Balinese Ramayana were Hindu, but almost all of those in Yogyakarta were Muslim! The dancers had transcended the religious divide and presented a wonderful theatrical production that filled my heart with supreme happiness. As one with a keen interest in mythology, literature, Sanskrit slokas, art and architecture, as well as a classical dancer with a great love for world dance, the whole experience was indeed a
soul-stirring revelation. That a Hindu epic from India could have found a permanent home in other countries, through art and architecture, was both a wonder and a joyous discovery. It was thrilling to hear the names of Rama, Ravan, Jatayu and Hanuman being so perfectly pronounced by the Indonesian emcees. Of course Seetha became Shingta and Lanka turned into Alengka, but that was part of the charm of the Indonesian version. For those of us Indians used to listening to songs on Ram by Thyagaraja, Tulsidas, Kabir, Ramadas and Annamacharya, watching dancers moving in rhythm to Gamelan music and Javanese lyrics was a wonderful eyeopener, and I realized anew that a story can be both understood and enjoyed anywhere, in any language, as long as it is aesthetic and properly and authentically presented. One of the best animated versions ever made of the Ramayana is a collaborative effort between an Indian and Japanese company. I got my three-year old granddaughter Anjali this DVD, just to keep her occupied while I was busy doing other household chores, and she got hooked on it and watched it every single day, at least ten times, until she discovered the “Sampoorna Ramayanam”, produced and directed by the incomparable artist Bapu, which she now sees, of course, ten times a day! That a child should be so entranced by the story of Rama
FOLK ALLURE
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Ramayana depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king
ao’s
s ’ o a R h s i t Sa
is, to me, the most amazing thing in the world! Anjali has now become an authority on all the characters in the Ramayana, and I plan to consult her for all my future productions on the subject! When it rains, it pours. So it is with the Ramayana in my life. I first choreographed a children’s production (with 95 kids, no less, and all under the age of ten!) more than ten years ago, then I directed Ram Katha for the Chinmaya Mission. In 2010 I had my first visit to Angkor Wat and Yogyakarta. In between that and my second visit to these places last month, I saw Bapu’s new movie, Rama Rajyam, which was a great commercial hit, proving that Ram has eternal box office value! And, like the proverbial icing on the cake, Ram came seeking me again! The Shri Sita Ram Foundation USA, headquartered in Houston, is the brainchild of Dr. Arun Verma, business entrepreneur and philanthropist. Once again, the Foundation is producing Ram Leela 2012, continuing a tradition that it started two years ago. This year, Dr. Verma sought two choreographers with different classical backgrounds – Shiva Mathur, a popular and multi-talented Kathak exponent and Founder-Director of Shivangini Classes, and me, with my knowledge of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Having seen a previous production by the Foundation, it seemed strange to me that Dr. Verma would want to mix north and south Indian dance styles in the same production, while keeping the dialogue in Hindi, but he explained it to us most logically. “Ram was born in the North of India and was raised there”, he said, “but his search for Sita took him South, all the way to Rameswaram, where he encountered the culture of South India, and thence to Sri Lanka, and therefore it seems most appropriate to me to have North Indian dance in the first half of the play and Bharatanatyam and/or Kuchipudi in the second half.” Dr. Verma was right, and of course he would be, considering that he is a great devotee of Ram and the Founder of the Shri Sita
Ram Foundation, a non-profit organization engaged in several philanthropic activities both directly and indirectly, such as assisting religious and educational institutions in promoting the Sanatan Dharma, helping students and disadvantaged persons of the community, and organizing the mega show Ram Leela in Houston annually. Each year the show, featuring local talent, has become bigger and better, and Ram Leela 2012, with its unusual weaving, for the first time, of North and South Indian music and dance into the fabric of the play, along with spoken word and various other theatrical elements, will once again prove, beyond any doubt, that the Ramayana is a timeless epic depicting the triumph of good over evil, which is a common denominator in all the religions of the world. The two silent partners responsible for bringing this spectacular vision to the stage are Dr. Arun Verma, the originator of the annual event, and Dr. Nik Nikam, a supremely tech-savvy cardiologist who spends hours each day putting the dialogue and the music together. Such selfless dedication is bound to result in success. Ram Leela 2012 promises to be a unique, one-of-a-kind event that does not happen too often. Come to the Wortham Center on October 28, and see for yourselves! For information on Ram Leela 2012, contact Dr. Arun Verma at 713 464 7373 Extn 106, or email at Info@ShriSitaRam.org, or visit www.ShriSitaRam.org
Dr. Rathna Kumar is the Founder-Director of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts & Artistic Director, SAMSKRITI. She can be reached at rathnanil@ gmail.com or281 265 ARTS. For more information on the Anjali Center, visit www.anjalicenter.org
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SOCIETY
Salima Merchant Seema Sanghi
Sandhya Ayyar
Asha Dhume
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Anita Garten, 2012 Harvey Houck Award Winner Dr. Giardino, 2011 Harvey Houck Award Winner Carolyn Farb, Robert Sakowitz at the Justice for Children Gala
Anita Samuel
Jonathan Blake, Meredith Loving at the Justice for Children Gala
Beautiful women in decorative hats attended the 5th Annual Mad Hatter Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon recently. The event benefitted the Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels Program. Photos: Twilight Reflections
COMMUNITY
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INDIA HOUSE
A HOME FOR ALL India House is a stunning modern edifice that bears testimony to the Indo American vision of bringing together the diverse communities of this city in a convivial climate of cultural exchange. The building, located on West Bellfort and Gessner Street, represents the dream of over 150,000 Indo Americans, and will be a lasting legacy to future generations of Houstonians and visitors to this city who want to learn about India’s rich cultural heritage. Since inception in 2009, India House has been a meeting place for
PHOTO: KRISHNA GIRI
a cross section of this city’s people from all demographics, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds. On weekends it bustles with activity as cricketers bring their game to its extensive 5-acre grounds. There are yoga and Bollywood dance classes, and the main halls are usually hired out for private events. India House is also a valuable service-oriented resource; a medical clinic staffed voluntarily by doctors from the Indo American community is open on Saturday mornings and patients pay a nominal administrative fee
of $20. A legal center manned by volunteer attorneys on weekends offers expertise in immigration, family law, and estate settlement. After school on weekdays, India House teems with children from neighborhood schools who attend an urban youth program that provides them with food and homework help and serves to keep them safe while their parents are at work. Currently, India House is also host to a summer camp for school children. Ideally, it is a great environment to foster goodwill and serve the communities of
for now. We are planning a $3 million banquet facility instead,” Malani said. He added that India House directors had identified donors willing to put $1 million into the project and substantiate that with a bank loan. Plans are underway to extend clinic hours from Monday through Saturday mornings, and India House directors have received positive feedback from the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston. Volunteer attorneys are also offering their services to an expanded legal clinic. “India House is the pride of the community, and worthy of wider support,” said Malani. HUM will feature unique homes every month. We began the series with India House, the home of the collective community of this city.
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Houston. While India House is a functioning and relevant establishment, it’s a constant struggle to keep it financially afloat, said Jugal Malani, President of India House. “India House has to generate more income to become self-sufficient. Every month we are losing money, expenses are more than the income, and being supported by donations is not very satisfactory,” said Malani. Existing programs at India House do not bring in significant funds, Malani added. India House has taken a $2 million loan, with monthly repayment of the principal at $15,000. Maintenance and salaries costs about $25,000 per month. “The next phase was going to be the construction of a $20 million auditorium, but we have postponed that idea
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YIKES, it’s SUMMER! By Lisa Brooks It sneaks up on me every year, school ends after a ridiculous month of activity I refer to as May-hem, and then June explodes with heat, humidity, and children who have no schedules. Actually that isn’t quite true, I do plan a few camps and activities interspersed through the summer months. But really, what do those of us who can’t or don’t want to do a solid summer of camps, and/or travel, do with our children to keep them, and us, from the craziness of not having any schedule? Summer on a budget! I am a single mother of four children, ranging in age from 9 to 18. For the last several years, we have done a few things that have been wonderful bonding experiences for our family, and given us all something to look forward to. We call this “Camp Neighborhood” but you can be creative, and naming your own camp can become an activity in itself! “Camp Neighborhood” is a suggestion jar of sorts. Each child, and their parent has the opportunity to add items to the suggestion jar, and I also pick up brochures for activities that might be of interest. The activities range from very simple, for example a family bike ride, to the more involved, like berry picking, and full day road trips like touring the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. You, as the benevolent dictator/head of the household, get to decide how often an activity gets chosen, and how to take turns picking. The first activity can be naming your camp, making “camp” t-shirts with inexpensive shirts and fabric paint from the craft store. Then, fill up the jar. Here are some activities that have been very popular, and are either low in cost, or even free. Miller Outdoor Theatre picnic and show
— there are many fabulous family appropriate offerings over the summer, and generally, parking is easy and plentiful, especially if you go early with a picnic. www.millertheatre.com Discovery Green has activities of all sorts, exercise classes, writing workshops for kids, concerts, movies, etc. Check the calendar online. www.discoverygreen.com Downtown Underground — did you know that Houston has a system of tunnels that run under the streets and skyscrapers of downtown, with stores, restaurants, and lots of air-conditioned walking space? You can access the tunnels from most major buildings in the downtown area, or sign up for a tour. www.downtownhouston.org offers free audio walking tours of various downtown attractions, or you can also book a tour for a fee with www.discoverhoustontours.com Bats! Two kinds of bats in fact! Take in an Astros Game at Minute Maid Park (very inexpensive seats available in the outfield) or take a short trip out to see the new minor league team, the Sugar Land Skeeters. It is small town baseball in our large city. The other kind of bats is a free activity at dusk daily. You can watch the bats fly out for an evening of eating skeeters and other bugs at the Waugh Street Bridge over Allen Parkway. There is a viewing platform, and often there is a person who knows about bats there to take you under the bridge to show you the colony and tell you everything you want to know about Mexican Free Tail Bats. www.buffalobayou.org/WaughBatColony Berry Picking! There are several orchards and farms in easy travel distance for a morning activity. I do suggest morning, because it gets HOT. We have had very successful outings to Matt Family Orchard
and Moorehead’s Blueberry Farm. There are many others also, and this is a good overall resource http://www.pickyourown.org/TXhouston Be sure to call ahead to get picking schedules and hours, and sometimes they close to let more fruit ripen. In a jam or in a pickle? Make some! Especially if you just went berry picking. There are numerous simple recipes on the Internet, and it is a very fun thing to do with your children. You may even get your children to eat something they wouldn’t have tried if they didn’t make it themselves. And after all the activity out and about, some nice at home activities can be a welcome respite. Film Festival — stay in pajamas all day and watch movies. Pick a theme such as pirate movies, princess movies, classics, movies your parents watched when they were little... Make popcorn, and relax. Drop EVERYTHING and Read! This can be a daily activity for 30 minutes or an hour, or a full day activity if you are a family of readers. Sometimes it is independent reading, sometimes I read to my children. Yes, I still do that, and even the 18-year-old comes to listen. There are many more, but with these ideas as starters, let your children’s imaginations, and your own go to work, and see what you can come up with for fun too. I hope to hear your suggestions! Lisa Brooks is a teacher, consultant, and mother of four children. She is also a writer and photographer, and in her spare time enjoys cooking, travel, and discovering fun things to do in Houston.
VIEWPOINT
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By Pradeep Anand The United States is the pioneer of the idea that democracy, capitalism, and secularism will bring the greatest good to its people. Since its declaration of independence in 1776, Americans have benefited from the collective brilliance of its founding fathers, its constitution, the three branches of its selfgovernance model, and its adherence to the principles of free enterprise. During the nineteenth century, the US resolved its own internal differences with a bloody Civil War and focused on improving its laws and the lot of its own people. It was a slow transition but the trajectory was in the right direction. On the economic front, Henry Ford’s mass production model and other innovations ignited the country’s move from an agrarian economy to an industrial one that enriched and empowered the individual, creating the mass consumption revolution. This consumer-powered growth pushed the US up the global economic charts but it remained inward looking. Separated from the rest of the world’s continents by two massive oceans and an isthmus, with little access to timely information, the country and its population remained an isolated island of prosperity, building on its military, economic and political strengths. After its reluctant entry into World War II and the victory of the Allied powers, the US became a hesitant leader of countries that chose its winning political and economic models. It led one side of the Cold War that tried to stem the spread of communism militarily. However, its victory, in reality, came from economic and political fronts. As the people behind the Iron Curtain - Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union - traveled abroad and learned about
alternate economic and political models that celebrated the individual and self-determination, in one infinitesimal historical moment, communism disappeared from these countries. Communism had already marginalized religious institutions and monarchy. Unopposed, democracy and capitalism marched in triumphantly. However, more than sixty-five years after the end of World War II and more than twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we, as a people are still inward looking, still naïve about the nature of global winds of changes that the American idea has initiated. The twentieth century was a major turning point in the history of humankind. These hundred years saw several changes in the global economic and political systems that increased the power of the masses. In many parts of the world, the major institutions of the nineteenth century that controlled the world economy and its people - monarchy, empires, and religious organizations - gave way to democracy and secularism. These changes did not come about peacefully. World economic powers were dragged into two major world wars and several other regional “conflicts” to shake out old systems. More than a hundred million lives were lost during the twentieth century, to deliver a world of global prosperity that has been unmatched in history. People of other countries also made this early transition.
For example, India was unique in its early, peaceful transition to this new world because of three pillars on its democratic foundation. The first was the non-violent idealism of its leaders, who fought for independence from British possession. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru provided the leadership that made the transition that could have been bloodless, except that it triggered the largest migration of people in history, dislocating tens of millions and sacrificing millions of lives. The second was an existing infrastructure of governance that went all the way down to its villages, where elected “elders” ran a village council - the Panchayat. The third was India’s long history of its people of different religious pursuits living together (sometimes amicably, sometimes with violent skirmishes), which created and evolved a grass roots sense of secularism that later laws embodied. Ethnocentricity was built around culture, not religion. Due to these transitions, today, the middle-class in India and many parts of the world lives a quality of life that only the royalty and the landed gentry could enjoy a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, billions of people around the world are still stuck in paradigms that ruled the nineteenth century. However, billions of today’s disenfranchised people are not as ignorant as our forefathers. Telecommunications has made knowledge and informa-
tion instantaneously available, so they have remotely experienced a whiff of democracy and capitalism and now want the whole package. Today’s monarchs and dictators, even benevolent ones, have to look back at the trends of the recent past and recognize that the power of this historical juggernaut is infinite. Resistance to it is futile. Despite near-term victories, the outcome is predictable. The core principles of the American Idea - Democracy, Capitalism, and Secularism will win.
Pradeep Anand is president of Seeta Resources, www.seeta.com, a management consulting firm that helps senior executives accelerate revenue growth of their firms. He is the author of An Indian in Cowboy Country: Stories from an Immigrant’s Life.
HAIRY TALES
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FROM HINDU TEMPLE TO
HOLLYWOOD HAIRDO By Alice Smellie and Sanjay Jha The heat is damp and stifling, the sound that fills the air at once distinctive and surreal. Hundreds of cut-throat razors are at work, scraping rapidly, in a hall packed with men, women and children, like so many sheep at a shearing. Thick, dark clumps of hair flop down into baskets at their side until, just seconds later, the former owners look round, blinking and completely bald. This is the Hindu temple of Tirumala on the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh in South India where, every day, thousands of devotees offer up their hair as a gift to Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity. It is also the starting place and principal provider for an astonishing industry, one that has seduced celebrities in Europe and America, and those rich enough to follow them. The trade in human hair is booming. Temple hair, as it is known, has already found its way to hundreds of British salons, where it is sold in the form of real hair extensions costing up to £3,000 a time. One leading manufacturer boasts that horde of celebrities, including Mischa Barton, Eva Longoria and Frankie Sandford have used its products. To fans of extensions, the appeal of human hair is obvious: it both looks and feels better than the synthetic additions made famous by stars such as Jordan and Britney Spears. Moreover, the quality of Indian hair, which is strong and has for the most part never been subjected to Western shampoos, is known to be unusually good. It is safe to say that the temple makes millions from the piles of thick black locks.
Yet the women who once possessed the hair – many of them peasants – receive not a penny, donating their hair, instead, as a religious sacrifice. The shaving ceremony and the sale of hair is not limited to this one holy site, but Tirumala attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims in a single day and is by far the dominant temple in the trade. There are 18 shaving halls, all of them vast, and so big are the crowds that one can wait in the queue for up to five hours. Six hundred and fifty barbers sit in lines on concrete floor, deftly tying up into ponytails the hair of women seated in front of them. Small children being carried by their mothers can be heard whimpering. They too are candidates for tonsuring – the shaving of the head as a sign of religious devotion. With a few expert sweeps of a razor, each head is shaved smooth and is then doused with water, washing away any blood caused by nicks from the razor. The average woman’s head yields about 10oz of hair, which is worth about £210. Most of the women seemed stunned, their hands patting at a scalp that minutes before had been covered in glossylocks. Then in a flash they are ushered away and the next candidate sits down. Often, as they wait for their turn, the women’s faces are impassive, their lips pressed shut, as though trying not to cry. Mayoor Balsara, chief executive of India’s largest exporter of human hair, Sona Devi Trading Company, says: “For poor rural women, their hair is their only vanity. They
Selfless act: Pujari Aruna before and after having her head shaved at the Hindu temple of Tirumala
Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, who wears extensions made from real hair
three strands to the temple. have saved up to make a once-in-a-lifetime Baskets filled with hair are journey. Thousands have made an oath collected every six hours and to their gods – they may have asked to be stored in a vast warehouses blessed with a child or for a good harvest. where it is piled knee deep. The Should their wish be fulfilled, they offer their hair, strong and healthy, has most precious possession as a sign of never been dyed or subjected gratitude.” to anything more abrasive than Pujari Aruna started her pilgrimage coconut oil and herbal soap. early one Sunday morning and, after walking Sometimes it has never in her bare feet for 30 hours, the 40-year-old been cut. The temple then auchousewife was waiting to go into the main tions off the hair – even taking tonsuring hall when we spoke. This is the fifth time Aruna has undergone the ritual and online bids – to exporters around the globe. Mayoor Balsara transports the hair in she is accompanied by 25 family members fibre sacks by truck to Bangalore, 150 miles and friends who will also get their heads away. “We buy hair in metric tons,” he exshaved. plains. “A ton represents 3,000 women.” “Offering your hair to the god is a symBalsara buys about 50 tons a year bolic gesture of surrendering one’s ego,” and ships it round the world. she says, “and a way of giving India exports an estimated thanks for your blessings.” 2,000 tons a year. The Aruna says she is best – or longest – hair thankful because her How thousands of will fetch at least £350 husband, Pujari Nagraja, Indian men, women and per pound. In his facto45, made a swift recovery after an accident. children have their heads ries the hair is washed by hand in giant baths. She seems unconcerned by the fate of her shaved to please the gods... Then the hair is laborihair after tonsure and only for the hair to end up ously pulled through long beds of spikes by shakes her head. “I don’t as £3,000 extensions hand to smooth it before know what temple staff being tied into neat bunwill do with it but I am sure dles of 200 strands each. they sell it to someone.” The hair is then carefully packed Outside in the cool breeze sits into cardboard boxes and flown to Nepi housewife Anita Triupati, 28, who has travin Italy where the pigment is removed, a elled 350 miles, part walking and part spent process that sees the hair soaked in rows of on an overcrowded night train with her two small white baths for up to 20 days. daughters, Padma and Rajamma and three Great Lengths International, a leadgenerations of her family, all of whom will ing manufacturer, supplies 1,300 salons in offer up their hair. Britain alone, selling its products as ‘ethical “It has taken us years to plan this hair extensions’ – ethical because the source pilgrimage and everyone should make their of the hair is known. way here once in their lifetime as it brings god’s blessing,” she says. Frankie Sandford, of The Saturdays, is Mischa Barton one of a list of celebrities to prefer human is said to have hair extensions used products “This is the first time I have had tonsure which used and I am doing it because it is traditional in the so-called my family to come here and offer up our hair. temple hair I don’t know what will happen to my hair, but I know that local film stars wear wigs made from the hair and that some of it is sent to Hollywood as well.” It is not just rural women who offer their hair to Hindu gods. The trend has been customised for well-educated, professional women from cities, too; instead of submitting to a full tonsure, they can donate a mere
After the bundles of hair have been colored, polymer bonds, which mimic the molecular structure of real hair, are attached to them. The bonds will be used to fix the strands to the customer’s head. Philip Sharp, UK managing director of Great Lengths says: “There are no official global statistics but it’s fair to say that hair has become a commodity as precious as gold, diamonds or oil. Some top salons order up to £100,000 worth of hair a year.” The company says that European hair is too thin in diameter for the process; Chinese hair, meanwhile, is too thick and rigid for use with European clients Unfortunately, such are the profits to be made, there is a criminal side to the real hair industry. Real doubt persists, for example, about the origins of some hair sold from Eastern Europe. There are claims that women have been mugged for their locks. Victoria Beckham once said of her real hair extensions that, “[they] come from Russian prisoners, so I’ve got Russian cell-block H on my head”. There has been a flourishing trade in human hair for thousands of years. In Egyptian times, men and women shaved their heads but wore wigs as protection from the harsh sun. Queen Elizabeth I famously sported a head of false tight red curls. In India, temple hair has been sold for centuries – mostly to stuff mattresses, or for the chemicals it contains. Temple officials argue that, unless they sell the hair, they would simply dispose of it. The profit from the hair collected at the temples, an estimated £70 million a year, is spent on orphanages and hospitals. And for women such as Anita Triupati, the tradition of offering hair began long before the glamorous world of real-hair extensions. “My mother and grandmother came here before me and my daughters will do the same,” she says. “We would never seek to be paid – we give our hair freely.”
Misconceptions ut O he T Dining of By Kiran Verma
Congratulations on the launch of Hum magazine! I am delighted to be a part of the inaugural issue. When Kalyani gave me “freedom of speech” for this article, I knew then that Hum would shape up to be a great magazine. Giving writers and contributors the flexibility to write anything they want can only create a more honest publication. For this first column, I thought I would discuss an issue that I think our community may be unaware or uninformed about. Because many of us (and our children) have not worked in the hospitality industry, we do not know about many restaurant industry practices. I have come to realize this through my own ignorance and by talking to Indian friends and guests. I thought I might try to shed some light on the restaurant industry and its practices. 1. Servers earn $2.15 per hour. Many people assume that service staff is paid at least minimum wage. This is not the case. Servers are paid $2.15 per hour, because tips are the largest component of wages. This is why servers work hard to earn their tip. In the restaurant business, leaving 15-18% tip is standard, and anything above that shows that service went above and beyond. 2. Vegetables are as expensive, or more, than meat. Many guests ask why a vegetarian meal is as expensive as a non-vegetarian meal. This is why. Vegetables are pricey. Next time you are at the grocery store, you can do a price comparison on baby eggplant ($2.99/lb.) or okra ($2.99/lb.) or mint ($10.00/lb.) to a pound of chicken ($1.99/lb.). 3. A catering is much more labor-intensive than having an event at the restaurant and is thus going to be more expensive. This is because a restaurant has to recreate its kitchen at your choice of venue - from the salt and pepper, to the cutting board and knives, to the stoves, to the food and staff. 4. A gourmet buffet is more costly to a restaurant than a la carte. Gourmet food begins with quality ingredients. These ingredients are then prepared by trained staff. Every morsel is costly for the restaurant to waste. By serving dishes a la carte, restaurants can offer gourmet food at a reasonable price. 5. Reservations help get the table you want at the time you want it. Understandably, many guests get frustrated when they walk into a restaurant, only to be turned away due to unavailability of a table at that very moment. This can be prevented with a reservation. This guarantees getting a table at a popular restaurant. On the same note, a phone call to adjust the time or number of people in a party or to cancel a reservation is highly appreciated by restaurants. With today’s technology, savvy restaurateurs are keeping track of “no shows.” 6. Appropriate attire is a sign of respect to the business and to your fellow patrons. Fine-dining restaurant staff is required to wear proper attire in order to make the dining experience more elegant. A large part of a guest’s dining experience is dressing up for the occasion. If you choose to eat in a fine-dining restaurant, you are then a part of setting a restaurant’s ambiance.
By dressing up, you are respecting the tone and ambiance the restaurant has worked to set. This goes hand-in-hand with the idea of not using electronic devices at the table, such as cell phones. 7. The majority of children are happy to eat at home. Anyone can understand the difficulty of leaving a child at home, which is why fine-dining restaurants try to accommodate younger guests. But it is natural for young children to be uncomfortable in an unknown environment. This can end up disturbing other patrons who may be conducting a business meeting or celebrating a romantic moment. It is important to keep all of this in mind when deciding to dine out with your child. 8. Pricing reflects location, labor, service, china and finally, the cost of food. This should be kept in mind when comparing restaurants. 9. Can we bring our own booze? The answer to this question for any restaurant with a full-service bar is a clear “no.” This rule is not set by a restaurant, but by the Alcoholic and Beverage Commission. There is a misconception that certain restaurants “choose” to let their patrons bring their own alcohol and certain restaurants do not. To be clear, any restaurant with a beer and wine license can allow its guests to bring their own alcohol. If a restaurant has a liquor, beer and wine license (LBW), guests cannot bring in their own alcohol. Restaurants will be fined if caught allowing this and will lose their license. 10. No restaurant can make it the way “Mummy” made it. A fine-dining restaurant’s reputation is built on the chef’s interpretation of how a dish should taste. While feedback is always appreciated, it is sometimes hard to make a dish to an individual’s taste. Chefs take pride in their dishes and cater to what may appeal to the majority of palates. Since Houstonians dine out more than the people of any other city, I thought this may help all of us become more knowledgeable and sophisticated diners. Bon Appetit!
Chef Kiran Verma, considered the ‘godmother of Indian fine dining,’ has created world-class cuisine for the discriminating palate. Her restaurant, Kiran’s, offers Indian hospitality, with French sophistication and American informality. An award-winning wine list of over 400 labels has been handcrafted to complement the delicate flavors of her food. When she opened Kiran’s in 2005, Chef Kiran made a grand step in the evolution of this ancient cuisine, and in the culinary history of Houston, a milestone has been set. Best New Restaurant – Zagat 2006. Rated Excellent – Zagat 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. Award of Excellence – Wine Spectator 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. 2011. Three Stars – Houston Chronicle. Three Forks – Houston Business Journal. Chef of the Year Nominee – My Table Magazine 2010. Participant in Michelle Obama’s ‘Chefs Move to Schools’ Campaign 2010.
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