India Herald 041917

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Web: www.india-herald.com • Editor@india-herald.com • Tel: 281-980-6746

24 Pages

India Herald

VOL. 23 • NO. 16 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Vedic Fair

18 Holy Steps at Ayyappa Temple

Visitors at Vedic Fair 6 were greeted with a warm Namasthe by the Ashirwad Young Wingz high school volunteer team on Saturday April 8th at the Cinco Ranch High School in Katy. The play, “Goddess Laxmi – The Divine 8” (above) was highly appreciated by the audience . The fair showcased an amazing line up of ‘Celebrate India’ exhibits, well researched presentations on India, including, Bhakthi Yoga, Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna, Indus Valley Civilization, famous Temples of Goddess Shakthi, Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian Space Research Organization, to name a few. See Page 5.

GEETANJALI RADIO GALA. Shobha Joshi-Hiren Joshi’s Geetanjali Radio(KXYZ 1320AM) held its 25th anniversary gala on April 7 in Houston. Ashok Garg, left, Rakesh Joshi, Chief Guest Attorney George R. Willy, Shoba Joshi, Shanthi Willy and Hiren Joshi at the gala. Geetanjali Radio has been airing since 1992 with the support of great advertisers and local Houston listeners. See Page 7.

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At the inaugural event of the construction of the Holy 18 Steps at Sri Ayyappa Sannidhi which is a part of the corner Mandapam Renovation project at Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, devotees made a replica of the 18 Holy Steps titled “Tatvamasi.” The ‘Mini Brick Sponsorship Puja’ was organized for Ayyappa devotees with the lighting of a lamp to initiate the construction of the Holy 18 Steps. Every Ayyappa devotee, before reaching the sanctum sanctorum is required to climb the sacred 18 Steps symbolizing the shedding of the personal ego. See Page 10

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PROFILE Pinot’s Palette paint and sip studio opens in Cypress Houston area residents Ash and Madie have brought fun and creativity to Cypress and Northwest Houston with their Pinot’s Palette paint-and-sip studio located at 10539 Fry Road in the Bridgeland Lakeland Village Center. The studio held its grand opening on April 15. Guests were invited to paint their own version of Vincent van Gogh’s famous masterpiece, “Starry Night.” A combined love for art, wine, travel and entertaining is what drew Ashish and Madhvi Malhotra into launching their own Pinot’s Palette.

Madie’s “a-ha” moment came on a girls’ night out to a funfilled paint-and-sip outing. Ash’s inspiration came from their younger daughter who happens to be a budding artist. “We look forward to becoming a part of the community, and plan to use our studio as a way to celebrate life,” said Madie. Pinot’s Palette Cypress provides all art supplies needed for each painting class. Guests can now register online to attend two-hour classes ($35/ painter) or three hour ($45/ painter) classes. A featured painting, guided by a trained, local artist, is recreated step-

The newest upscale entertainment destination to “paint, drink and have fun” had its soft opening recently for media, friends and family at 10539 Fry Road in the Bridgeland Lakeland Village Center. by-step. No art experience re- – a revolutionary way to enjoy trained, local artists, who guide quired, but participants must be art and wine, meet new people guests step-by-step through a and bond with friends. With featured painting. By bringing 21 or older for public classes. Pinot’s Palette Cypress pro- more than 132 locations across fun, modern and creative ideas vides an upscale designed two- 33 states and Canada, and new to their events, Pinot’s Palette room layout with public classes locations popping up monthly, curates a unique, rewarding held in the main room that seats Pinot’s Palette is the world’s experience while providing a 48 guests. Private parties, fun- fastest-growing paint-and-sip worthwhile contribution to the draisers and company team- franchise. Guests enjoy a no ex- community. For more information, visit building events are also offered perience-required art class – all in the studio’s private party supplies included – directed by www.PinotsPalette.com room that seats 24 guests. Pinot’s Palette Cypress is a great venue for bachelorette Established in 1995 parties, girls’ night out, birthby Rajeev Gadgil, Seshadri Kumar & Salim Sindhi days, anniversaries, church India Herald (USPS Periodical 017-699) is published every groups, and so much more. Wednesday by India Herald, Inc. for a subscription rate of $25 Guests can even request one- per year. Periodical postage paid at Houston and Sugar Land, of-a-kind artwork for the eve- Texas. POST MASTER: Send address changes to ning. India Herald, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Texas 77487 For more information visit Publisher & Editor: Seshadri Kumar http://www.pinotspalette.com/ www.india-herald.com; email:editor@india-herald.com cypress. India Herald assumes no liability resulting from action taken Pinot’s Palette is a pioneer based on information included herein. of the paint-and-sip experience ©India Herald. All rights reserved.

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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

Indian Music Society of Houston presents

Hindustani Vocal Recital By Pandit Kaivalya Kumar Gurav of Kirana Gharana Pt. Abhijit Banerjee on Tabla and Sanathan Goswami on Harmonium

Abhijit Banerjee

Pandit Kailvalya Kumar Guarv Sanathan Goswami

DATE: Saturday, May 13, 2017

TIME: 5 P.M. VENUE: Jones Hall Uinversity of St. Thomas Buy tickets on line at Ticket2events.com For Information Call Govind Shetty- 713-922-2501

Indian Music Society of Houston presents

a Hindustani Classical Vocal Recital by Manjusha Patil Kulkarni Accompanied by Harshad Kanetkar on Tabla and Rohan Prabhudesai on Harmonium

Harshad Kanetkar

Rohan Prabhudesai

DATE: Saturday, April 22, 2017

TIME: 5 P.M. VENUE: Chinamaya Smriti ,10353 Synott Road Buy tickets on line at Ticket2events.com For Information Call Govind Shetty- 713-922-2501

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 5

VEDIC FAIR 2017

A grand Diorama structure, this year’s Vedic Fair theme Samudra Manthan – Churning of the Ocean that mesmerized the visitors.

Geeta Ravula emerges as the Goddess. Namasthe in Sanskrit is a combination of two words Namah and te. Namah means bow down, te literally means you. Namah can be broken down to Na and Ma which means “not me.” Namah implies we don’t own anything in this world and the Vedic scriptures point out that the real owner is Parah Brahman, the Supreme Being. When we say Namasthe it means I bow down to the Divine in you. This is a gentle reminder to oneself that nothing belongs to us and the real owner of even the body we dwell in is Parah Brahman, the Supreme Being. Visitors at Vedic Fair 6 were greeted by a Namasthe by the Ashirwad Young Wingz high school volunteer team on Saturday April 8th at the Cinco Ranch High School in Katy. Visitors were welcomed by a grand Diorama structure as this year’s Vedic Fair theme was Samudra Manthan – Churning of the Ocean that mesmerized one and all. A huge lotus flower decorated beautifully with 108 lotus petals and lily pads in an ocean, with an 11’ tall Mount Mandara as the churning stick on the back of the turtle Avatar of Lord Vishnu and the snake Vasuki as the rope. Goddess Lakshmi was invoked in a small sitting idol inside another Lotus depicting her birth as a result of the churning of the ocean.

High School children explained the diorama and birth of Goddess Lakshmi to the visitors. Students of the Ashirwad Indian Lifestyle Class of Katy wrote the thousand names of Lord Vishnu on these Lotus petals. Vedic Fair 6 was invoked with an energized recitation of the Lakshmi Astotharam by the Ashirwad Indian-LifeStyle Class teachers and students. It filled the hall with positive vibrations and the grace of Mother Lakshmi. Beaming parents looked on as youngsters dressed up in Indian attire presented facts about Indian heritage in Celebrate India Exhibits contest. Youngsters of 9 years and above showcased varied exhibits on Vedic heritage with confidence. Sai Parthu Aki was named the Champion of Vedic Fair 6 – Celebrate India Exhibits for his superb presentation on Yoga & Meditation where he displayed his creativity by building Surya Namaskar poses with Legos. Vedic Fair 6 showcased an amazing line up of Celebrate India exhibits comprising of extremely well researched presentations on India’s Who’s Who’s, Bhakthi Yoga, Bhagwad Gita - The Divine Song, Vishwaroopam - Cosmic Form of Lord Krishna, Indus Valley Civilization, Chandragupta Maurya, 9 Famous Temples of Goddess Shakthi, Rama Lord of 16 Super Qualities,

Ramayana, Samudra Manthan - Churning of the Ocean, Goddess Lakshmi, Dances of India, Mahatma Gandhi, Dwarka, 27 Nakshatras and their influence, Kumbh Mela, 4 Vedas, ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism and Sikhism made up the amazing line up of 20+ exhibits. Little children dressed up as little Devs and Devtas of Indian heritage were delightful. The Sloka-Thon contest showcased a unique talent of chanting slokas from Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namam & the Bhagwad Gita. Contestants were required to recite Slokas by any number, in increments and in the reverse order. After an intense contest, Srinidhi Srikalyani won the Enchanted Empress, the Slokthon trophy by becoming Sloka-Thon 2017 champion. Saanika Halapeti, 2016 champion was the 1st runner up & Aishani Sakalabaktulais 2nd runner up. The play, “Goddess Laxmi – The Divine 8” was highly appreciated by the audience. The play dealt with the manifestation of Goddess Laxmi from the ocean and Maha Lakshmi choosing Maha Vishnu as her bridegroom in marriage. She is a supreme mother with many forms and her eight most important forms are: Adi Lakshmi, (supporting the Universe) Dhanya Lakshmi (giving food), Gaja Lakshmi (bestow-

Sai Parthu Aki was named the Champion of Vedic Fair 6 – Celebrate India Exhibits for his superb presentation on Yoga & Meditation ing strength), Dhairya Lakshmi (blesses with courage), Santana Lakshmi (blesses with children), Vijaya Lakshmi (bestowing success), Vidya Lakshmi (dispels our ignorance and fills us with true knowledge) and as Dhana Lakshmi (blesses with wealth) for our material pursuits. Devotees worship her in many forms to receive her blessings. Goddess Lakshmi is always with Lord Vishnu in his human incarnations. Goddess Laxmi as Sita Devi in Lord Rama’s incarnation, Rukmini Devi with Lord Krishna, Padmavati with Lord Srinivasa and Vaishnovi Devi meditating in the hills of Trikuta and awaiting Lord Vishnu’s future incarnation Kalki. The play finale ‘Divine Surprise 6’ mannequin challenge depicted Goddess Laxmi in her pure love form and her eternal union with the Supreme. Detailed props, contemporary soothing music, dazzling costumes, coordinated back screen videos made the play an amazing on-the-edge show. Saanika Halapeti, the 2016 Sloka-Thon champion says “I have been in Ashirwad for about 8 years now and very early I learned that I loved to chant slokhas. When I was younger, I had a good memory but after pursuing slokas, my memory has been enhanced so much that I can digest knowledge rapidly. At debate competitions, we have to memorize

points, plans, and citations in thirty minutes to give a 7 minute speech and I can memorize them in no time at all. I can truly and genuinely say that slokas have proved beneficial to me as well as my extra-curricular activities. Thank you Ashirwad!” Geetha Ravula, Vedic Fair Chair thanked Ashirwad teachers, parents, students and team members for their continued commitment and dedication towards Indian heritage She also appreciated Priya and Ravi Sethuraman, Priya Muralidharan, Deepika Maharaj, Sri Ravula, Sailesh and Radhika Kaparaju, Ashutosh and Sonali Sapru, Anish Kumar, Vikas Ahuja, Uma Chidambaram, Mahima Bhat, Manisha and Mahesh Halapeti, Sachin Joshi, Suresh Napa and Ashirwad Young Wingz comprising 35+ high school volunteers. Ms. Ravula also thanked Sam Merchant from Congressman Al Green’s office, Sarojini and Subhash Gupta and all the supporting organizations – Interfaith Ministries, ISKCON, Sanatan Hindu Center, Abhinaya School of Performing Arts, Universal Door Meditation Center, Islamic Society of Greater Houston, JVB Preksha Meditation Center, Sikhs of Greater Houston and Vedic Bazaar Vendors. The Seventh chapter of Vedic Fair will be held in February 2018. For updates, visit facebook. com/VedicFair

PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

COMMUNITY

Comical situations turned into eventful train journey

Senthil Arcot, left, Mani Vaitheeswaran, Govindan omaskandan, Murali Santhanam, Aneetha Murali, Vishy Raman, Surabi Veeraraghavn and Mahesh Ramanathan.

Playwright Chandramouli Subramanian plays the ticket examiner.

Veteran Tamil stage artist TV Vardharajen who was the guest of honor at the play congratulates the troupe. By SESHADRI KUMAR A train journey in India, with its myriad characters, can be a fertile ground for a good playwright. Chandramouli is one such playwright, residing in the US, who used the backdrop of a train journey for his latest

drama “Payanam” (Journey). With this, he proved that he has completely domiciled the art of the Tamil play script and Tamil drama producers need no longer look beyond Texas to find a good script. Bharathi Kalai Manram of Houston staged the play in sup-

port of its Tamil schools. The play was produced by Dr. Kas Saranthan, under his banner Meenakshi Theaters. For this play, Saranathan passed on the mantle of Director to an accomplished Meenakshi Theater actor Vishy Raman. This play is his directorial debut.

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The whole play, set inside a train compartment, offered several moments of laughter and entertainment, with the audience hardly noticing that they were being taken for a ride. The characters and situations were contrived, but the execution was extremely realistic, thanks to the acting talent of the “home grown artists,”, namely Houstonians. Saranathan played the role of a farmer with co-star Lalitha Bala. Though the scope for acting in the roles was limited, the actors executed the dialogue delivery in a southern dialect flawlessly maintaining this consistency throughout the play. The opening scene, with the couple - Murali Santhanam and Aneetha Murali, a chatterbox and gossip queen in one of Chennai apartment’s set the ball rolling for a roaring comedy and it never stopped until the train halted. The duo were on a train from Chennai to Mumbai and were going to meet their son’s fiancé with great expectations. The comic mystery was enhanced by having the girl also travel in the same train. Other characters in the train were a TV talk show personality, a banker, a jilted youth planning to leave India and his close friends, a cricket fan and a ‘garrulous grandma’ a la Kamalhasan in Avvai Shanmumgi or Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Vishy Raman stole the show as the grandma.

The success of the play hinged more on witty and humorous dialogues. As is normal in a situational comedy, the script writer uses the element of bathos or deploys absurdity to be humorous. A veteran of Tamil dramas, TV Varadharajen, who was on a visit to the U.S., watched this play. In his remarks, he highlighting the obvious highpoints of the play and commended its quality but did make a reference to a few exaggerated episodes in the play that could have been eliminated. That would have helped in reducing the length of the play as well. Director Chandramouli seemed to have taken the feedback seriously. The actors who turned the play into a success included Prabhakar Ganapathy, Govindan Somaskandan, Senthil Arcot, Priya Chandru, Mahesh Ramanathan, Surabi Veeraraghavan, Ilas Gandhi, Mani Vaitheeswaran, Venkat Srinivasan, Anish Kumaran, Chandramouli Subramanian (Playwright), Saisuraj Saravanan, Nitin Subrmanian and Yamni Vijayakumar. The director deserves special kudos for introducing three angels of love to dance around the characters to suggest he or she have fallen in love (a movie technique use by film maker Bharathi Raja.). Akshara, Amrutha and Venniala portrayed the role of the three angels.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 7

COMMUNITY

Geetanjali Radio celebrates silver jubilee

Guinness Book record holder Anuradha Subramanian performed a solo Kuchipudi dance for the Geetanjali Radio gala.

India Culture Center of Houston team did a special lungi dance. Ajit Patel, left, Falguni Gandhi, Dr. K.D. Upadhayay, Swapan Dhariywan and Yogina Patel.

Some of the guests with Shoba Joshi is flanked by Raj Malani, and Arun Verma. Among others in the picture are Arjun Chabria, Maya Chabria. Bansi Chabria, Sarla Chabria, Madan Mohan Patel, Dr. Raj Bhalla and rear, Viral Amin, and Dr. Harshad Patel.

Shoba Joshi, a radio personality, music producer, music supervisor, music promoter and owner of Geetanjali Radio which airs on 1320AM KXYZ in Houston, hosted gala to celebrate the program’s 25th anniversary. Geetanjali Radio has an audience of approximately 45,000 families weekly, and has a frequency of over 10,000 Watts, says Shoba Joshi, who has her son, Hiren, co-host the show. Shoba is recognized by the Indian community for her professionalism in running the show and is known by her tag-line: Kuch Kal Ke Geet, Aaj Ke Geet, Pal Pal Ke Geet, Mal Mal Se Geet. Geetanjali Radio features both old and new Indian songs from the Bollywood industry. Shobha’s brother Bansi Chabria, and Saradha Akanuri entertained the audience with their melodius songs even as the ICC crew burst into a boisterous dance, marking the celebratory mood. Earlier, Attorney George R. Willy, a long time advertiser on Geetanjali Radio, congratulated Shoba on her commendable performance and for reaching a milestone in broadcasting. Geetanjali Radio can be heard on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on KXYZ 1320 AM. Call Shoba Joshi at (832)878 4338 or e-mail at shobajoshi999@ gmail.com. Hiren Joshi can be reached at (832)646 211

Visit www. India-herald.com. email: editor@india-herald.com

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COMMUNITY American Academy for Yoga and Meditation in Medicine to hold seminar on April 28 at TMC The newly released 2016 Yoga in America study, conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, shows that the number of US yoga practitioners has increased to more than 36 million, up from 20.4 million in 2012. Medical research in the last three decades has clearly shown either suitable evidence that the use of yoga and meditation in medical practice enhances patient care. Whether it is where pain control is needed, hypertension needs to be controlled, quality of life needs to be improved in HIV patients are decreasing suffering in terminal cancer patients yoga and meditation have been shown by scientific studies to play discrete role in each of these instances. The American Academy for yoga and meditation in medicine is a physician organization that coordinates research, academic discussions, conducts yearly symposia and helps disseminate latest research about yoga and meditation amongst physicians. One of the important missions of this organization is to help physicians understand and bring to practice the latest research in yoga and medita-

tion. As part of this mission it organizes yoga clinics, CME for physicians on yoga therapy, holds a yearly research symposium to disseminate knowledge about yoga and meditation among the practicing physicians. Dr. Basu Ray who is the President of AAYMM and a Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist and a former faculty in Medicine (Cardiology): Harvard Medical School. His research centers on the use of meditation and yoga in modern medicine particularly heart diseases says; “ Tremendous knowledge has been garnered on the use of yoga and meditation not only to keep people healthy but also to intervene in disease states like heart disease and cancers both to prevent them as well as to decrease sufferings. Our intention is to make physicians in this country cognizant of that and also teach them how to use them in their daily clinical practice.” AAYMM will be holding its first of a series seminar on April 28, at the Mitchell Research Building’s, Onstead auditorium in the TMC, 6550 Bertner Avenue at 6 PM.

Visit www. India-herald.com. Email: editor@india-herald.com

Prof Konstantin Korotkov of Russia will be presenting a lecture on, “The application of a Novel Electrophonic Imaging Technology to Determine Health from Different Disease states including Cancer

and Heart Diseases.” CGI Dr. Anupam Ray will be the chief guest at the event and the program will be supported by MD Anderson Cancer Center and Life in Yoga Institute. This will be a free event, but registration is required @ goo. gl/y6jeOB. Healthcare professionals, researchers and those

interested in holistic medicine who seek to be well informed on understanding the human system as a communication system that goes far beyond conventional medicine based on internal and external coherence are encouraged to attend.

Osmania University Alumni Association to host OU Centenary Celebrations in Houston

Osmania University, Hyderabad, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Established in 1917, this one of the oldest universities in India has planned a year long celebrations in Hyderabad. Here in Houston, the Osmania University Alumni Association (OUAA) is organizing an evening of fun filled program on MAY 27, 2017 at India House, 8888 West Bellfort, Houston, Texas. Gracing the occasion will be the vice chancellor of the University, Prof. S. Ramachandram as the guest of honor. The Association is also taking this opportunity to recognize a fellow Osmanian, Dr. Karun Sreerama, the newly appointed Director of Public Works, City of Houston. Dr. Sreerama is the first Indo American to be appointed to this coveted position. The program starts at 6.30 PM and includes cocktails, Hyderabadi dinner and a music and dance extravaganza. Tickets are $45 per person, $80 per couple

and $500 for a table of ten. For tickets please go to tickets2events.com. For details, contact any one of the following members of the organizing committee. Harinath Medi: 832 244 3100; Mahendra Korivi: 713 8707707 Showri Nandagiri: 713 294 3944; Manohar Medi: 82 361 4315. EVENT: OUAAH - 100th Birthday Osmania University Celebration WHEN: Saturday, May 27, 2017, 6:30 PM Sharp to 9:30 PM WHERE:

India House 8888 West Bellfort Houston, Texas 77031

LINK for TICKETS: com/

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“44 Years Years “47 Visit www. India-herald.com.

and Counting, Providing Services Email: 1970-2017 1970 - 2014 To Generations editor@india-herald.com of Businesses and Professionals Around The World”

PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

RELIGION Holy 18 Steps to reach Ayyappa By Dr. Venugopal Menon It was a uniquely divine Saturday of celestial celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple at the inaugural event of the construction of the Holy 18 steps at Sri Ayyappa Sannidhi as a part of the CTRP, the Corner Mandapam Renovation Project. Titled as ‘Tatvamasi’, the ‘Mini Brick Sponsorship Puja’ was organized for Ayyappa devotees to participate by lighting a lamp and initiate the Holy 18 Steps creation. To make a replica of the Holy steps is a rare privilege for our temple and to be part of that godly creation is a huge blessing for the devotees who participate. Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha temples in the world, situated on a 3000 feet hilltop in the state of Kerala. Several thousands of devotees make their pilgrimage during the Makravilakku in the month of January, after observing the obligatory penance for 41 days. Every Ayyappa devotee, before he reaches the sanctum sanctorum has to lay his footsteps over and climb the sacred 18 steps, the Pathinettampadi. The significance of the ritualistic procedure is a symbolic way of shedding the personal ego, as expressed through the steps. Eighteen is traditionally propitious in Hinduism, as noted from the Vedic age, from the number of chapters in the first Veda written by Brahma, the number of puranaas, or of the parvas in the

epic Mahabharata, the number of days the Kurukshetra war lasted, or the chapters in Bhagavad Gita. And the 18 Holy steps in Sabarimala represent the five sense organs or Panchenrdriyas (eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin), the eight passions, the Ashtaragas (Kama or love, Krodha or anger, Lobha or greed, Moha or lust, Mada or pride, Matsarya or competition, Asooya or jealousy, Dhumb or boastfulness.), the three natures or Gunas (Satva – simplicity, Rajas – enjoyment, Thamas – lethargy), and the last two being Vidya or knowledge and Avidya or ignorance. By climbing the eighteen steps the devotee is getting detached from all the abovementioned worldly ties and qualify to attain the divine premise. The title ‘Tatvamasi’ for this event had a deep significance. As displayed above the main gate of Sabarimala Sannidhaanam, ‘Tatvamasi’ or ‘Thou Art That’ has a profound meaning, expressing the fundamental Advaitic philosophy that there is no duality but only the ‘oneness of all’, that the Supreme Reality, the absolute consciousness is the Brahman, and is present in everything and beyond everything. And ‘you are that’ means that each one of us is just an extension of the Ultimate Truth. The practice of Ayyappa devotees calling each other ‘Ayyappa’ is an acceptance of identifying the ‘Divine’ in each other and offering the respect that every soul deserves. In no other place in the entire Hindu pantheon, such an expression of equality, of paying

Devotees were treated to a marvelous treat of classical dance by Divya Unni and her students depicting traditional devotional dances that added to the holy ambiance of the occasion. reverence to others is explicitly and unconditionally practiced as by the Ayyappa devotees. The ceremony started early morning at the Ayyappa Sannidhi with Abhishekam for the deity, followed by Sankalpam at the Ganesha Sannidhi after which the participants proceeded to the main temple visiting each sanctum and then on to the venue, the procession being accompanied by Chendamelam. The grand event was arranged at the Kalyana mandapam with traditionally decorated stage. And what a glorious sight it was! The stage was created in a brilliantly spectacular fashion with stunning craftsmanship from the talented artisans of the temple. As a well-designed Ayyppa Sannidhi elegantly occupied the center, a pair of luminous, gold Nettippattams, characteristically

adorning the elephants during the temple festivals in Kerala, were displayed on either side of the sanctum. A wood framework wrapped up in silver foil to hold about 400 chirags (little oil lamps) was skillfully fashioned and placed as a front drop at the edge of the stage. The whole stage with several nilavilakku (oil lamps) gave the devotees an overwhelming aura of holiness. There was accompanying Bhajans by devotees from Sri Guruvayoorappan temple who did a marvelous job of adding on to the divine ambiance. After the puja, the priests initiated lighting the small chirag lamps that was followed by the devotees who participated in the mini-brick sponsorship. The lamps were placed on the racks

that were filled with about four hundred of such, and when the lights were switched off, the auditorium was transformed into a mesmeric and enchanting Devalokam. After a sumptuous lunch prepared in Kerala style, the devotees were treated to a marvelous treat of classical dance by Divya Unni and her students depicting traditional devotional dances that added to the holy ambiance of the occasion. ‘Tatvamasi’, the Ayyappa Holy 18 Steps event will remain as a memorably rewarding experience to all the attendees for evr. The Temple Board, devoted Ayyappa volunteer team, talented temple silpis, and the dedicated temple priests worked in unison to make the event an unforgettable experience to all the attendees.

Sita Rama Kalyanam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Sita Rama Kalyanam was celebrated at Sri Meenakshi temple with pomp on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Sri Rama Navami is celebrated as Lord Rama’s birthday, as well as his celestial wedding day with Goddess Sita. The wedding is performed to bring the happiness and peace around the world. The style of the wedding as described in ancient Hindu writings is used as the baseline for Hindu marriages today. Lord Sri Rama and Seetha Devi represent the ideal husband and wife, who achieved Divinity by adhering to Truth and Dharma at all times. Devotees gathered at the Ganesh temple with colorful trays of bakshanams, fruits and flowers and started the traditional “seer varisai” procession. Pidi Sutral (offering of colored rice) was performed in front of the kalyana madapam by several

ladies, and the event began with a Vishwaksena Pooja and was followed by authentic wedding rituals, culminating in “mangalya dharanam”. The priests followed it up with the homam, akstharaponam, and mangalaharathi. After the celestial wedding ceremony, the deities were taken on a procession around the temple premises in a silver chariot while the devotees chanted bhajans. The divine wedding concluded with a sumptuous wedding feast. The MTS board, pooja committee, kitchen staff under the supervision of Rani Chilukuri, temple staff, and volunteers deserve credit for planning and organizing a grand event with the able guidance of the event coordinators, Ramachandra Reddy and Ranjana Narasiman.—KAMALA RAGHAVAN.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 11

NEWS

First Indian-American Scottish Bagpipe Band Performs at the 19th Annual NYC Tartan Day Parade

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.: Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band USA performed at the 2017 New York City Tartan Day Parade, featuring nearly 50 bagpipe groups from all across North America. on Apil 8. The Indian American band was certainly a standout in this year’s parade lineup; sporting a traditional, Scottish bagpipe uniform, uniquely accompanied by traditional Indian elements. Other bands and the crowds adored the diversity and flare of the first Indian-American bagpipe band in North America. Thousands dotted the parade route on Sixth Avenue and cheered on as band entertained with Indian melodies and Scottish favorites. Members from the nonprofit organization, Round Hill Highland Games, shared about the band “Got to hand it to this band – they piped the whole length of the parade route with a lot of pep in their step.” In addition, parade organizers, from NYC Tartan Week, agreed with the statement and shared “They sure did! Pure enthusiasm! Awesome to see different cultures embrace the pipes & drums!” Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, an international non-profit Hindu religious organization, promotes spiritual, cultural, and social welfare across the world. Music is a universal language, unifying cultures and people. As such, Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band uses the medium of music to personify the organization’s mission, bringing welfare and peace throughout the world with its eclectic tunes. The band’s earlier branches in Nairobi and London were founded by Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Himself after He enjoyed hearing the sounds of bagpipes during a tour of the United Kingdom. Swamibapa’s spiritual heir, H.D.H. Acharya Swamishree Purushottampriyadasji Maharaj, followed in His guru’s footsteps and founded the newer branches of the band in Bolton, U.S.A., and India. In December 2015, during the 60th anniversary celebrations of the band’s Nairobi branch, Acharya Swamishree brought all five bands together and established one united international band in honor of His guru. Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, the first international Hindu-Indian traditional Scottish bagpipe band, consists of 214 members worldwide from the

United States of America, the United Kingdom, Kenya, and India. Featuring bagpipes, snare drums, bass drums, and tenor drums, the band’s repertoire consists of Scottish tunes, patriotic tunes, and cultural melodies. Band members travel to perform at parades, religious events, cultural expositions, and charity performances across the world. The band is composed of students, entrepreneurs, physicians, lawyers, doctorates, and other professionals, ranging from ages 10-50.

PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

INDIANS ABROAD Vijay Mallya arrested, gets bail few hours later in London

Businessman Vijay Mallya was arrested in London on Tuesday morning but released on bail a few hours later. The next hearing is on May 17. “Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Extradition Unit have this morning, Tuesday 19 April arrested a man on an extradition warrant,” said the Scotland Yard in a statement, adding that he was arrested on behalf of the Indian authorities in relation to accusations of fraud. “He was arrested after attending a central London police station and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today,” the statement said. Tweeting that the issue was a media hype, Mr. Mallya said,”Extradition hearing in Court started today as expected” who is wanted in connection with a number of charges, including defaulting on payment of loans amounting to Rs 9,000 crore earlier this year, with papers being handed over in New Delhi and London. While there is an acknowledgment that the extradition is up to the U.K. court system, sources had said that they believed there was also political will to support the process. While no one had been extradited to India in the first 23 years of the India-UK Extradition Treaty of 1993, who was wanted by India in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots, leading to hopes of future successful extradition requests. During his visit to London earlier this year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley highlighted the seriousness with which India took the issue of defaulters, without direct reference to Mr. Mallya. The issue is also understood to have figured in discussions he had with Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond. In January last, a CBI court issued a non-bailable warrant against Mr. Mallya in the Rs. 720 crore IDBI Bank loan default case. Mr. Mallya, whose now defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, fled India on March 2, 2016. Mr. Mallya, declared a wilful defaulter by banks, including the State Bank of India, had unsuccessfully offered the consortium of lenders an initial settlement of ₹4,000 crore, out of Kingfisher Airlines’ total dues of about ₹9,000 crore.

Sikh cabbie assaulted, turban snatched by passengers in US A 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in the US was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers, an incident the police was investigating as a possible hate crime. The incident took place here early Sunday morning and has left Harkirat Singh, an immigrant from Punjab who moved to the US three years ago, scared. “I’m so afraid. I don’t want to work,” Mr. Singh told the New York Daily News. “It’s an insult on my religion, also. An insult of my faith. It’s horrible.” The report said the New York Police Department is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted in his support, saying “Harkirat Singh — You are welcome here. What happened to you was wrong. You did the right thing by calling the NYPD.” Last week, Sikhs in the US launched a million-dollar awareness campaign aiming to inform Americans about the Sikh faith amid continuous incidents of hate crime against the community. Mr. Singh said he picked up three men and a woman — all in their 20s — around 5 AM Sunday from Madison Square Garden. When they reached their destination in the Bronx, they began complaining that Mr.Singh had taken them to the wrong address. The passengers were allegedly drunk and could not give Mr. Singh a straight answer about where they wanted to go, leaving him “confused.”

Trump to sign executive order on H-1B visa U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that would tighten the process of issuing H-1B visas and seek a review of the system for creating an “entirely new structure” to award these visas, the most sought after by Indian IT firms and professionals. Mr. Trump is scheduled to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the home state of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, to sign the ‘Buy American, Hire American’ Executive Order. This was a transitional step aimed at achieving a more skills and merit based immigration system. The executive order would be signed a day after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has completed the computerised draw of lots from the 199,000 petitions it received for the Congressional mandated 65,000 H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2018 beginning October 1. The lottery was held for the 20,000 H-1B visas for those applicants having higher education from US educational institutions. Opposing the traditional lottery system for H-1B visas, a senior administration official told White House reporters that these visas were being used by companies to bring in foreign workers at a low wage rate and displace local workers. The official argued that there were enough qualified people within the country to meet the demand of technology professionals. “With respect to the H-1B visa programme in particular, which deals mostly with STEM jobs, we graduate about twice as many STEM students each year as find jobs in STEM fields. “The issue of training workers for skilled manufacturing jobs is a different aspect of a policy then, say, the H-1B visa, which obviously is for STEM occupations,” the official said. The official argued that the reality was that the US has large numbers of unemployed American workers. “Right now we’re creating an environment with our guestworker programmes where those workers are being bypassed,” the official said. “If you make it harder to abuse

the guest-worker programmes, it creates more of a market for domestic workers, as well as more of a market for the kinds of job training and vocational training programmes that you’re talking about,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mr. Trump had made the alleged abuse and fraud in H-1B visa system a major election issue during his campaign. The executive order signed by Mr. Trump will call for the strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the U.S. of labour from abroad, for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in America, the official said. “It would further call on the departments of Labour, Justice, Homeland Security and State to take prompt action to crack down on fraud and abuse, which should both be understood as separate problems, in our immigration system in order to protect workers in the United States and their economic conditions,” the official asserted. “As a practical matter, you’re creating an entirely new structure for awarding these visas. I mean, it is a completely...total transformation of the H-1B programme,” the official said. According to the senior administration official, these reforms were broadly supported by groups that represent American workers in the US, and that a lot of the driving action historically for these kinds of guest—worker reforms have been from groups that in fact even tilt Democratic. “This [executive order] would apply across the board, but in particular, the executive order has an additional clause on the H-1B visa programme, and calls on those same four departments to put forward reforms to see to it that H-1B visas are awarded to the most skilled or highest-paid applicants,” the official said. Noting that right now the H-1B visas were awarded by random lottery, the official said 80 % of H-1B workers were paid less than the median wage in their fields. Only about five to six per cent, depending on the year, of H-1B workers command the highest wage tier recognised by the Department of Labour, there being four wage tiers, he said. “The highest wage tier, for

instance in 2015, was only five per cent of H-1B workers. So 80 % received less than the median wage and only 10 % received the median wage,” he noted. “And, so only five per cent were categorised at the highest wage tier of the four wage tiers that are in place for the H-1B guest-worker visa,” the official said. The result of that is that workers are often brought in well below market rates to replace American workers, sort of violating the principle of the programme, which is supposed to be a means for bringing in skilled labour, the official said. “And instead, you’re bringing in, a lot of times, workers who are actually less skilled and lower paid than the workers that they’re replacing,” he stated. The official said Mr. Trump had done more to bring a national spotlight onto the abuses in the H-1B guest-worker programme than anybody in the country has at any point in recent history. “If you change that current system that awards visas randomly without regard for skill or wage to a skills-based awarding, it makes it extremely difficult to use the visa to replace or undercut American workers. These are not bringing in workers at beneath the market wage,” he said. The top three recipients of the H-1B visas, the official said, were the Tatas (TCS), Infosys and Cognizant. “Some companies oftentimes are called outsourcing firms. They’re like the top recipients of H-1B visa. You know, are companies like Tata (TCS), Infosys, Cognizant. They will apply for a very large number of visas; more than they get. Like putting extra tickets in the lottery raffle, if you will,” the official said. “And then they’ll get the lion’s share of visas,” the official said. As part of the executive order, the agencies have been asked to do everything they can, he said. “But you could be looking at things on the administration side like increasing fees for H-1B visas. You could be looking at things like if we could adjust the wage scale to have a more honest reflection of what the prevailing wages actually are in these fields,” the official said. © The Hindu

The passengers then began hurling slurs and banging on the plastic partition in his cab, Mr. Singh recalled. “They’re using bad words, also,” he said recalling that those used expletives and called him “Ali Baba.” Mr. Singh told the group to pay $41.76 and find another cab. While the women gave him the cash after Mr. Singh called 911, one of the men got back into the cab and tried to smash the meter. Then he

punched Mr. Singh in the arm, he said. “After that, he picked off my turban from my head,” he said. “He wanted to snatch my phone also...It was too horrible.” As the men became violent, Mr. Singh got terrified and began to cry, saying he pleaded with the man to calm down. “Why are you doing this, brother? We can sit. We can talk,” he recalled telling the unruly passenger.

“At that time, I’m so afraid — they can do anything to me. They’re gonna kill me.” With the police on its way, the group ran away from the scene with Mr. Singh’s turban, a primary symbol of the faith. The incident occurred just hours after thousands of Sikhs had gathered at Times Square for the ‘Turban day’ event organised by a Sikh group to spread awareness about the faith.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 13

NEWS Sonu Nigam stirs row over ‘forced religiousness’ on loudspeaker

MUMBAI Upset with azaan being played in the early morning hours on loudspeakers from a place of worship in the vicinity of his Mumbai residence, Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam on Monday struck a wrong chord by putting out a series of tweets in which he wondered as to when there would be an end “forced religiousness� in India. He called the use of loudspeakers to broadcast sermons and calls to prayers by mosques, temples and gurudwaras hooliganism. Nigam came out with a series of tweets: “God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India?� In another tweet, Nigam said, “I don’t believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity to wake up

people who don’t follow the religion. Why then..? Honest? True?� “And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam... Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?� he tweeted. Apparently unable to bear the noise emanating from the nearby place of worship, an exasperated singer concluded: “Gundagardi hai bus...� Before long, netizens pounced on him trolled him in a big way, with some one of the critics demanding to know from him if he felt the same way when “we blare loudspeakers for Navratri n Ganesh processions?� “As per ur own logic, there was no electricity even in our Epics. So, why r we Hindus using loudspeakers for our festivities now?� one Maya Sharma tweeted.

“@sonunigam The screeching loudspeakers hurt Old patients, disturb students studying for exams n scare babies‌Am a Hindu but isn’t same “inconvenienceâ€? faced by Non Hindus too when we blare loudspeakers for Navratri n Ganesh processions?â€? Maya tweeted. Another tweet read: “Dear @ sonunigam ji, It’s just the noise of prayers which is waking you up, there are many countries where bullets & bombs will do the same. Activist Tehseen Poonawala tweeted: “Yes Sonu Nigam ban everything that disturbs ppl. From Azaan to ghantis & jagrans to celebrations on roads. Come with me to @CMOMaharashtraâ€?. “@sonunigam I am a fan of urs but this was deďŹ nitely a bullshit statement. U gotta respect other religions beliefs. It’s a democratic country,â€? tweeted Madhur Chandna. “Azaan should be stopped in India, where millions of Muslims live, because desh ka laadla Sonu Nigam can’t sleep. Where is the tolerance?...,â€? Sheru tweeted with a touch of irony. Coming to the support of Nigam, Vivek Agnihotri said: “I am willing to sponsor a campaign against illegal blaring of Azaan and other prayers on loudspeakers. Suggest a creative hashtagâ€?.

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NEWS

US reaffirms India’s designation as Major Defence Partner The US today reaffirmed India’s designation as a Major Defence Partner and emphasised the importance of its strategic relationship as its National Security Adviser H R McMaster met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held talks with his counterpart Ajit Doval. “The two sides discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including their shared interest in increasing defence and counter-terrorism cooperation,” the US embassy said in a press statement after the meetings here. “NSA McMaster emphasised the importance of the

US-India strategic relationship and reaffirmed India’s designation as a Major Defence Partner,” it said and noted that the meetings were “productive”. McMaster, whose trip here marks the first visit by a top official of the Trump Administration, also met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. “The visit was a part of regional consultations that included stops in Kabul and Islamabad,” the statement said. During the US official’s meeting with the prime minister, the two sides discussed key bilateral and regional issues, including defence and counterterrorism cooperation.

Doval, Jaishankar and several key officials were present in the meeting that took place at the prime minister’s residence. Earlier, McMaster and Doval held detailed discussions on Indo-US relations especially the security aspect of the ties, sources said. The US NSA arrived here last evening from Pakistan where he met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and some top officials. In Islamabad, the relations between India and Pakistan figured in McMaster’s discussions with Sharif.

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Air India plans to impose fine up to Rs.15 Lakhs on unruly flyers In the wake of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad episode, national carrier Air India is planning to act tough against unruly passengers by imposing hefty fines up to Rs15 lakh besides immediately registering police complaints. The airline is planning to fine Rs5 lakh for delaying a flight up to an hour, Rs10 lakh for delaying between one and two hours and Rs15 lakh for delaying beyond two hours. “Air India is mulling to penalise passengers who delay flights with their unruly behaviour. This is nothing to do with the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) being amended by the Government; Air India is doing it for its self defence and for better safety and security of both passengers and airline staff,” AI sources said about the proposal. The proposal comes within a month of Gaikwad assaulting an Air India staffer inside the aircraft prompting the national carrier and other airlines to ban him for almost two weeks from their flights on March 23. However, on the day when his flying ban was revoked following his regret letter to Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, another Parliamentarian Dola Sen too held up an Air India flight for 40 minutes and reportedly misbehaved with the airlines staff. The Gaikwad issue had also rocked Parliament and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Home Minister Rajnath Singh had to intervene to sort out the issue. There have been several other incidents earlier too involving the airline staff and passengers, including MPs. Back in 2015, another MP had assaulted an Air India officer at Tirupati airport. Besides the fines, the airline also plans to provide necessary training to the staff for dealing with unruly passengers. Ever since the incidents involving Gaikwad and Sen occurred, the national carrier and the Government have been exploring ways to bolster the existing mechanism to rein in unruly passengers. Under the new procedure proposed to be followed in such cases, the airline wants the flight staff to report such matters immediately to the CMD (Chairman and Managing Director) office or other top officials and avoid any direct interaction with the media. Besides, an FIR or police complaint has to be filed immediately and any property damage to be assessed and claimed at the earliest. The Centre is already in the process of establishing a “national no-fly list” for unruly passengers in the aftermath of Gaikwad’s episode. The Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) are being amended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to facilitate such a list. According to the global aviation body, International Air Transport Association (IATA), “unruly passengers” are one of the top three safety issues that concern cabin crew. As per the IATA, in 2015, there were 10,854 reported cases of unruly behaviour by the passengers across airlines worldwide, which translate into one incident for every 1,205 flights.

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Staord, TX - The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Staord, TX celebrated the auspicious day of April 5th, 2017, Chaitra Sud Nom. According to the Hindu calendar, this day marks the 236th birthday of Bhagwan Swaminarayan as well as the birthday of Bhagwan Ram. This year’s program encompassed the theme: Bhaktavatsal Hari Birud Tiharo, meaning, Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s resolve to care for his devotees. Local volunteers of BAPS organized this joyous occasion. Weeks of the volunteers’ time were spent practicing dances, skits, speeches and song performances to execute a professional stage production. The program highlighted many examples of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Bhagwan Ram’s compassion for their devotees and how, in turn, it inspired devotees to develop ďŹ rm faith in God and cultivate a dharmabased lifestyle. The audience was educated on how they too could nurture a modern dharma-based lifestyle by adhering to a vegetarian diet, maintaining sobriety and abstaining from other types of addictions. The local youth coordinator, Pankaj Patel pointed out that this year’s program was entirely performed by youths from the age of 4 to 21. The life of Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Swaminarayan was depicted by the youngsters performing dances, dramas, and kirtans. One of the singers Akash Patel said, “by practicing for this program I learned that lessons that were taught years ago, can be still be used in my life today.â€? Swaminarayan Jayanti carries much greater signiďŹ cance in the lives of the devotees who had fasted for the whole day in honor

of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Bhagwan Ram. Many had chanted dhun or read His spiritual teaching for hours at length to oer their devotion. The Swaminarayan Jayanti program connected with the members of the audience to bring them together to commemorate the births and legacies of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Bhagwan Ram. The program not only encouraged those who attended to imbibe the positive values presented within their own lives, but also provided yet another way for the local youth to celebrate their culture and proudly display their heritage. B h a g w a n Swaminarayan’s legacy was carried forward by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and today, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj continues to inspire individuals to a lead a wholesome life of spirituality. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) is a worldwide spiritual and humanitarian organization that is dedicated to community service, peace, and harmony. Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families, and individuals. Through various spiritual and humanitarian activities, BAPS endeavors to develop better citizens of tomorrow with high esteem for their roots and culture. Its 3,300 international centers support these character-building activities. Under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is free of addictions as well as morally, ethically and spiritually pure. For more details, please visit www. baps.org.

PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

RELIGION Sankashti Chathurthi observed at Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston

The Sankashti Chaturthi is an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha. It is celebrated on every fourth day of the full moon or Krishna Paksha according to the Hindu calendar. Sankashti Chaturthi is a very famous fast observed by many women for the welfare of their families. Sankashti means deliverance from troubled times and observing this vrat is believed to reduce problems in a person’s life. This is because Lord Ganesha is the remover of all obstacles and problems. People observe a strict fast on this day and break the fast only at night after viewing the moon. Sankashti Chaturthi is celebrated every month. Each month, Lord Ganesha is worshipped with a different name and peeta (lotus petal). The story for each month is recited while worshipping Lord Ganesha on Sankashti Chaturthi. Apart from Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva is also worshipped. The legend and significance of the Sankashti Chaturthi is as follows: Goddess Parvati created Ganesha from the dirt of her body and adopted him as her son. One fateful day, Parvati asked Ganesha to guard the door and went to have a bath. When Shiva arrived with his gang of ghosts, little Ganesha refused to let him in. Lord Shiva who was not acquainted with his son, was angered by this hindrance and ordered his followers to attack the boy. In the fight that ensued, Ganesha’s head was chopped off defending his Mother’s command. On learning about the accident, Parvati was inconsolable with grief. She took the terrible form of Adi-Shakti and decided to destroy the Universe. To please his wife, Shiva promised to restore the boy to life. Thus, Ganesha’s head was replaced with that of an elephant. To set right the damage done, Lord Shiva blessed Lord Ganesha with the boon that he would be worshipped as the God of wisdom, knowledge and prosperity. He would also be worshipped first in any ceremony and would be the re-

mover of all obstacles. It is believed that Lord Shiva bestowed this boon upon Lord Ganesha on Sankashti Chaturthi day. Thus, people worship Sankathara or Vighnaharta on Sankashti Chaturthi to get rid of all the obstacles in their lives. Sankashti Chaturthi also has great significance. The pooja is performed for the well-being and prosperity of the family. It is performed in the evening after sighting the moon. The idol of Ganesha is placed on a clean platform. Flowers and Durva grass is offered and delicacies like laddoos and modaks are placed before him. After the sighting of the moon, the pooja begins with reciting the Vrata Katha or the stories of the particular month. This pooja is usually performed by a couple who observed the fast to get blessed with progeny for the family to grow. The temple celebrated Chaitri Sankashti Chaturthi on Friday, April 14 and was attended by over 250 devotees. The Charthi Mahapooja started around 3:30 pm, followed by Ganesha havan, and Mahaaarti. Mahaprasad was served after aarti. Pandit Pradip Pandya thanked all the devotees

for their support and attending the pooja. The temple is open daily from 9 a.m to 8 p.m and aarti is performed at 7:30 p.m every day. The Gauri Siddhivinayak temple is a non-profit 501(C) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. It is located at 5645 Hillcroft Ave Suite: 701 Houston, TX 77036 For further information or to participate in pooja, sponsor-

ship or volunteering, call Pandit Pradip Pandya at 832-466-9868 or visit http://www.siddhivinayakhouston.org, or email siddhivinayakhouston@gmail.com for details.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR SANT NIRANKARI MISSION Universal Brotherhood Sponsored by Sant Nirankari Mission a van from MD Anderson Hospital will collect blood donations from public on Sunday April 23, 2017 from 11 AM to 3PM. The van will be located in India House parking lot fully equipped with sta. Refreshments will be served to donors. Please bring your ID. For scheduling your appointment contact 832-646-7292. Sant Nirankari Mission holds its weekly spiritual congregation on every Sunday at INDIA HOUSE, 8888 West Belfort Street at 10-30 to 1230 PM followed by community meals. All are welcome. For further information call Raj Bhala at 281-980-2825. Sri Meenakshi Temple 27-APR THU 7:00PM MAHOTSAVA VASTU SHANTI 28-APR FRI 6:00PM MAHOTSAVA 1ST DAY DWAJAROHANAM 29-APR SAT 6:00PM MEENAKSHI PATTABHISHEKAM, POO PALLAKU Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (o Hwy 6 bet. Bellaire & Westpark). Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-423-8541.

Vipassana Meditation

“Register for Houston area Vipassana Meditation course as taught by S. N. Goenka. July 8 to 19,2017, November 4 to 15,2017. All courses are FREE. Donations are accepted from those who upon completing the training wish to contribute for future students. Instruction in Vipassana meditation

is given in ten-day retreats Visit www.siri.dhamma.org Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire o Hwy 6). 281-752-0100. Brahma Kumaris The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Center is open 7 days a week. The center oers free Raja Yoga Meditation classes: MonFri @ 6:00-6:45am and 7:008:00pm, Sat-Sun @ 7:00-8:30am, 10:00am-2:00pm. Visiting hours are Sat-Sun @ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact us at (832) 379-8888, houston@bktexas.com, or bktexas.com to sign-up for classes. All Raja Yoga Meditation teachers at the Houston center are samarpit and have 15+ years of teaching experience. Chinmaya Mission Sunday satsangs for adults, youth, and children. A unique Bala Vihar program for each grade, from PreK to Grade 12. Satsangs in two sessions between 8:35 a.m. 10:15 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. - 1 p.m. Bala Vihar students can take shloka, bhajan and orchestra classes or language classes for Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, and Gujarati. Chinmaya Mission is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77498. New members may visit the welcome desk between 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Visit http://www.chinmayahouston.org/ or contact Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 for more information. Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Hous-

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ton, 14809 Lindita Drive (77083) has classes every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, 1st & 3rd Sunday; Bhagavad Gita, 2nd Sunday; on works of Swami Vivekananda, 4th Sunday; Holy Mother Sarada’s Gospel, 5th Sunday. Swamis of Ramakrishna Order visit to conduct retreats and lectures. www.houstonvedanta. org or 281-584-0488. Jain Society Jain Society of Houston (JSH) located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063 is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. Jain Society of Houston invites Jain scholars all year round. Please call Urvashi Jain 713 789 2338. Visit www.jainsocietyhouston.org for calendar of events and other detailed information. Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated at the Jain Center on April 23 starting with the Children’s Cultural Program the following Sunday from 2 PM to 3:30 PM and will be followed by General Body Meeting including update of the temple relocation and dinner. Voting for the new Constitution shall start at 12 Noon. All members are requested to attend the Mahavir Jayanti Program at the Jain Center. Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies. Heartfulness Meditation Heartfulness Meditation is a practical technique of tuning inwards to experience our higher selves. Meditation with someone who has the capacity of yogic transmission can help you explore the Heartfulness practice more deeply. There are no charges for this, and we invite you to experience the unique beneďŹ ts of this transmission. Workshops on Heartfulness relaxation and meditation are held weekly throughout Houston, including Saturdays at 11 am at India House. Web: www.heartfulness.org; Email: houston.heartfulness@gmail. com. Cell: 713-929-0040. Hare Krishna Dham Houston’s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30 a.m, 7 a.m, 8.30 a.m, 12 noon, 4.30 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 p.m. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com

Houston Namadwaar A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly “Gopa Kuteeramâ€? children’s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity). Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036. Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma). Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail. com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832744-4166. Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603. Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., Staord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English. For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757. Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 713729-8994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us

Preksha Meditation JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts weekly Meditation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions inside its unique Pyramid hall under the auspicious guidance of Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji who are stationed at Houston Center this year. It also runs special events and programs like I-Choose, Meditation Camps and Gyanshala program for children ages 4-14 yrs. JVB is located at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston 77082. Every Tuesday, 9:30am-11:30am, Samaniji has pravachan for all adults interested in learning about Jainism. Every Wednesday there is Swadhyay class from 7-9pm and every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only. Upcoming events include 17th Annual Family camp “Path of Prosperity� from April 14th16th (Good Friday Weekend) @ Radha Madhav (Barsana Dham) Austin, Tx. This camp will offer Yoga, Meditation, Aahaar yoga, Relaxation techniques, Jain Cricket and special lectures by 4 Samanijis. Parallel activities for kids of all ages will be held under guidance of Samanijis. For further Information, please call Seema Jain at 281-575-0575 for further information. Visit www. jvbhouston.org or send email at info@jvbhouston.org for more details. Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281-537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-2425000. Web: www.pyptusa.org and www.DivyaProducts.com. Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-4518238. Visit www.sairegion10.org

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 21

MUSINGS by Gady

Smart Phones? May be. Smart Voters? Yes! To continue with ‘QualiďŹ ed Democracy’ (Musings-IHJan.18), the original meaning of Democracy, born in Greece (Athens), was ‘rule of the majority’ and was meant only for the army of 300 people. That Greek democracy is has been repeatedly ‘improved’ upon, solely by WESTERN politicians & thinkers with decades & centuries of ‘amendments’ (self-perceived as improvement) by political grads from mainly Western universities. Anything you hand over to the (will of) the people is by deďŹ nition popular, hence mostly not the best choice per the intelligentsia. Hence the concept of democracy always interpreted by Western thinkers (as in highly educated) often not considering values of many other cultures but imposing Western values of democracy on other non-Western democracies. The show is still going on with ‘thinkers’ from non-Western world running to Western universities to upgrade themselves with masters & ph. D’s in the advancement of Western idea of democracy. Hence the expansion/extension from ‘rule of the majority’ to free & fair elections (as in fair & balanced news!), to civil rights, human rights, amnesty, animal rights, now gay rights, LGBT rights as in human rights‌‌By this time the idea of ‘rule of the majority’

was overtaken by more noble concepts & ideals. There is nothing wrong with more noble concepts and ideals overtaking the original concept of democracy - ‘rule of the majority’. It just smacks of the elites telling the majority what’s good for them and worse, at an unrealistic pace, as in here & now. Noble concepts & ideals defer from time to time & culture to culture. Even in Western society, the gay rights’ issue was an abominable idea during Reagan administration. Now? Gay marriage is the law of the land spreading like wild ďŹ re all over the world. Nothing wrong with gay marriage. It is a human right. What is wrong is the wild ďŹ re. Some noble concepts & ideals have to be given time to gain roots. Granted some ideals don’t have time to take roots. But an unrealistic pace of imposition on a vast populace (to avoid persecution of minorities) could create more problems than solutions. Try that in Muslim democracies & you’ll ďŹ nd violence at y/our doorstep. Noble concepts, ideals can’t be wrong. Timing? That’s altogether a dierent beast. Democracy was thrust upon postSoviet Republics that now exist in dierent forms & incarnations – from East Germany to West Germany to Germany‌. from Hungary, Czechoslovakia to the Czech Republic &

Slovakia‌.from Yugoslavia to Serbia, Bosnia etc. etc. etc. all these newborn nation-states struggling to move through their own variations of democracy. But is Russia still a democracy? Question Putin and you’ll be stopped right there. Gorbachev was on the right track with his perestroika (restructure) slowly easing into Glasnost (openness)‌his own idea of openness, not the Western idea of freedom of the press‌ expression‌ media. However Yelstin rescued Gorbachev from a military coup & ‘imposed’ democratic freedoms overnight. That led to Putin today. Ye, it is ‘rule of the majority’ in Russia today but no one in the Western world calls it a democracy. Does the majority in Russia care? It’s still their rule. Same with freedom of expression – speech, press, radio, ďŹ lms or TV and now the internet. Like democracy, this freedom is & should be implemented in dierent ways in different countries. Misinterpretation makes it a right without responsibility. Exhibit A? Indian media. This is not the ďŹ rst time for Musings to rave & rant about Indian media but the anti-Modi/BJP Indian media is making a mockery of freedom of the press. Finley Peter Dunne (July 10, 1867 – April 24, 1936) an American humorist and writer

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from Chicago, in 1898 had had Mr. Dooley in his Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War, a collection of his nationally syndicated Mr. Dooley sketches, say, “It is the duty of newspapers to comfort the aicted & aict the comfortable, he was writing about the comfortable rich & the aicted poor. The media ran with it since then as the idea but in India it has come to mean, aict the comfortable majority & comfort the minority, aicted or not. That in turn came to mean majority aicts minorities. They forgot ‘do unto others’, that the two (three?) ideals – comfort the aicted, aict the comfortable & do unto other – are not mutually exclusive. Misinterpretations invariably lead to abuse, misuse in letter & in spirit, violating the very voters whom the media is supposed to protect. Truth becomes the victim leading to alternative facts & fake news. In the US, it’s just another boy, this time with pink skin, pointing at the emperor – fake news - with no clothes. This time the boy himself didn’t have any clothes either. In India, we started noticing journalism without clothes after Narendra Modi’s rise to power. Fake news was promoting fake secularism for decades. We didn’t recognize it then because we didn’t (at least I didn’t) like BJP and any of its leaders then. Far left is no better than far right. Indian media has proved that. If candidate Modi had made statements half as sexist, half as racist and half as anti-Muslim as Trump, candidate Modi wouldn’t be the Prime Minister Modi today. The smart Indian voters would never have voted for him. Unlike the smart Indian voter, America went for Trump. Now the left, the democrats and the liberal media are clueless & lost while Trump tweets them into stupor. Indian voters proved to be smarter than the smart phones. BJP, NaMo & their ilk like UP CM Adityanath know that if voters smell a rat, any kind of rat – communal or corrupt – BJP will lose power faster than you can say Congress or Indian Express. The specter of Hindutva has been repeatedly raised by the Indian media since NaMo became Prime Minister. Exmple/s: “Construing the electoral victory (in UP) as a means to promote an RSS agenda.. its saronised Hindutva essentials would determine the identity of the country would be a recipe for disaster‌.. hidden agenda of RSS‌ loyalty to RSS the criterion‌ India facing perils of the RSS-agenda of saronisation.â€? Indian media is more clever than smart. They cite & incite about beef bans, liquor bans and moral policing. Beef ban should be revisited. It’s like the abortion issue in America.

This column ďŹ nds beef-eating distasteful to say the least, but not for religious reasons. However, just like abortion, religious beliefs of one religion should not be legislated on other religions as in State vs Religion principle. India is Bharat, not Hindustan. There is an easily maintainable ďŹ ne between state & faith, if only all those involved are also informed. India is reportedly a big exporter of beef. There are often instances of cows lying dead in rural and urban neighbourhoods. That makes protests against beef in the name of religion both hypocritical & ignorant. It is like Obamacare protesters shouting ‘Keep Government Out of My Medicare’. Medicare is a government entity always government-owned & operated. The liquor ban should be implemented more for public safety than public consumption. As for the moral police, while it is everybody’s right to express physical love, it belongs in the privacy of your home as per cultural mores of the region (not religion because both Hindus & Muslims have the same aversion for PDA – public display of aection). The real world doesn’t consist of Western culture alone. Imposition of Western mores only increases resentment & noise about inďŹ dels, Satan etc. because many Western mores are not universal and, in fact, are abhorrent to majority of other cultures. Remember Prince Salim & Anarkali did kiss but not in public. Just because those mores haven’t changed much doesn’t mean Indian society is antiquated but Indian media treats it as such. Majority of India’s smart voters know & understand the dierence between legal limits and cultural limits. The twain should meet but not forced to meet. The Indian media has to catch up with smart voters, as in cultural sensitivity. Its anti-Modi volume got louder after he took oďŹƒce – as in the choice of RBI governor, Dalith Rohith’s suicide, Kanhaiya the communist wailing a terrorist’s hanging, the unfortunate ‘lynching’ of a Muslim in Dadri. They even tried demonization by demonetization to taint BJP’s prospects in the latest state elections. But smart voters not only outnumbered smart phones but also the clever (& not too smart) Indian media. I criticized NaMo for his perceived involvement in Gujrat riots. However what was alleged was never proven. So far I see BJP righting the wrongs of secularism along with vikas. If it goes for Hindutva tune, I’ll change my tune in a Bharatiya minute. Send responses to gady7_7@yahoo.com;

PAGE 22 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017

RELATIONSHIP

Why you will marry the wrong person

By ALAIN de BOTTON IT’S one of the things we are most afraid might happen to us. We go to great lengths to avoid it. And yet we do it all the same: We marry the wrong person. Partly, it’s because we have a bewildering array of problems that emerge when we try to get close to others. We seem normal only to those who don’t know us very well. In a wiser, more self-aware society than our own, a standard question on any early dinner date would be: “And how are you crazy?” Perhaps we have a latent tendency to get furious when someone disagrees with us or can relax only when we are working; perhaps we’re tricky about intimacy after sex or clam up in response to humiliation. Nobody’s perfect. The problem is that before marriage, we rarely delve into our complexities. Whenever casual relationships threaten to reveal our flaws, we blame our partners and call it a day. As for our friends, they don’t care enough to do the hard work of enlightening us. One of the privileges of being on our own is therefore the sincere impression that we are really quite easy to live with. Our partners are no more self-aware. Naturally, we make a stab at trying to understand them. We visit their families. We look at their photos, we meet their college friends. All this contributes to a sense that we’ve done our homework. We haven’t. Marriage ends up as a hopeful, generous, infinitely kind gamble taken by two people who don’t know yet who they are or who the other might be, binding themselves to a future they cannot conceive of and have carefully avoided investigating. For most of recorded history, people married for logical sorts of reasons: because her parcel of land adjoined yours, his family had a flourishing business, her father was the magistrate in town, there was a castle to keep up, or both sets of parents subscribed to the same interpretation of a holy text. And from such reasonable marriages, there flowed loneliness, infidelity, abuse, hardness of heart and screams heard through the nursery doors. The marriage of

Compatibility is an achievement of love; it must not be its precondition. reason was not, in hindsight, reasonable at all; it was often expedient, narrow-minded, snobbish and exploitative. That is why what has replaced it — the marriage of feeling — has largely been spared the need to account for itself. What matters in the marriage of feeling is that two people are drawn to each other by an overwhelming instinct and know in their hearts that it is right. Indeed, the more imprudent a marriage appears (perhaps it’s been only six months since they met; one of them has no job or both are barely out of their teens), the safer it can feel. Recklessness is taken as a counterweight to all the errors of reason, that catalyst of misery, that accountant’s demand. The prestige of instinct is the traumatized reaction against too many centuries of unreasonable reason. But though we believe ourselves to be seeking happiness in marriage, it isn’t that simple. What we really seek is familiarity — which may well complicate any plans we might have had for happiness. We are looking to recreate, within our adult relationships, the feelings we knew so well in childhood. The love most of us will have tasted early on was often confused with other, more destructive dynamics: feelings of wanting to help an adult who was out of control, of being deprived of a parent’s warmth or scared of his anger, of not feeling secure enough to communicate our wishes. How logical, then, that we should as grown-ups find ourselves rejecting certain candidates for marriage not because they are wrong but because they are too right — too balanced, mature,

understanding and reliable — given that in our hearts, such rightness feels foreign. We marry the wrong people because we don’t associate being loved with feeling happy. We make mistakes, too, because we are so lonely. No one can be in an optimal frame of mind to choose a partner when remaining single feels unbearable. We have to be wholly at peace with the prospect of many years of solitude in order to be appropriately picky; otherwise, we risk loving no longer being single rather more than we love the partner who spared us that fate. Finally, we marry to make a nice feeling permanent. We imagine that marriage will help us to bottle the joy we felt when the thought of proposing first came to us: Perhaps we were in Venice, on the lagoon, in a motorboat, with the evening sun throwing glitter across the sea, chatting about aspects of our souls no one ever seemed to have grasped before, with the prospect of dinner in a risotto place a little later. We married to make such sensations permanent but failed to see that there was no solid connection between these feelings and the institution of marriage. Indeed, marriage tends decisively to move us onto another, very different and more administrative plane, which perhaps unfolds in a suburban house, with a long commute and maddening children who kill the passion from which they emerged. The only ingredient in common is the partner. And that might have been the wrong ingredient to bottle. The good news is that it doesn’t matter if we find we have married the wrong person. We mustn’t abandon him or her, only the founding Romantic idea upon which the Western understanding of marriage has been based the last 250 years: that a perfect being exists who can meet all our needs and satisfy our every yearning. We need to swap the Romantic view for a tragic (and

at points comedic) awareness that every human will frustrate, anger, annoy, madden and disappoint us — and we will (without any malice) do the same to them. There can be no end to our sense of emptiness and incompleteness. But none of this is unusual or grounds for divorce. Choosing whom to commit ourselves to is merely a case of identifying which particular variety of suffering we would most like to sacrifice ourselves for. This philosophy of pessimism offers a solution to a lot of distress and agitation around marriage. It might sound odd, but pessimism relieves the excessive imaginative pressure that our romantic culture places upon marriage. The failure of one particular partner to save us from our grief and melancholy is not an argument against that person and no sign that a union deserves to fail or be upgraded. The person who is best suited to us is not the person who shares our every taste (he

or she doesn’t exist), but the person who can negotiate differences in taste intelligently — the person who is good at disagreement. Rather than some notional idea of perfect complementarity, it is the capacity to tolerate differences with generosity that is the true marker of the “not overly wrong” person. Compatibility is an achievement of love; it must not be its precondition. Romanticism has been unhelpful to us; it is a harsh philosophy. It has made a lot of what we go through in marriage seem exceptional and appalling. We end up lonely and convinced that our union, with its imperfections, is not “normal.” We should learn to accommodate ourselves to “wrongness,” striving always to adopt a more forgiving, humorous and kindly perspective on its multiple examples in ourselves and in our partners. —The New York Times

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 23

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