India Herald 080118

Page 1

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

20 Pages

India Herald

VOL. 24 • NO. 31 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Hindu Heritage Youth Camp organizers get ready for the event

Hindu Heritage Youth Camp 2018 Camp directors Vivek Shukla and Namita Pallod recently met with 51 counselors at Keshav Smruti to review the arrangements for the five-day camp for juniors beginning July 31 and for seniors beginning Aug. 7 It’s a normal, lazy Sunday to lead activities and games for in June, but the Hindu camp. To fourth year counselor, Heritage Youth Camp (HHYC) Shamal Shah, the general counselors gathered at Keshav atmosphere is “enthusiastic as Smruti are far from being lazy. we are getting ready for camp The fast-paced, ever changing and evolving as counselors environment which switches throughout the summer, all from practicing yoga to playing happy to be together to attend a fierce game of tag with an camp.” Founded in 1984, HHYC Indian spin to it, is a normal occurrence every Sunday as has strived to teach children See CAMP, Page 5 they come together to prepare

Modi greets Imran Khan on poll victory

Nouka Charitam, dance ballet on Aug. 11

Stories of Gopikas and Krishna exemplify the pure devotion which is described as the highest form of unconditional love for God and for Krishna. Gopikas’ spontaneous and unwavering devotion is described in depth across several stories in Bhagavata Purana. Get engrossed in thoughts of Lord Krishna in one such story... “Nouka Charitam’ - The Story of the Boat - written by Saint Tyagaraja and presented by Laasika School of Dance on Aug. 11 at Stafford Center . Laasika School of Dance presents the Kuchipudi Dance Ballet as a fund raising event for Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple - Jeeyar Educational Trust, USA. The ballet is choreographed by Pallavi Kumar. For tickets visit http://www.ashtalakshmi.org/noukacharitamdonations.

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A Pakistani walks past a poster of Imran Khan, head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, at a market in Islamabad, Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Imran Khan, leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), that emerged as the largest political party of Pakistan after the general election of July 25. Mr. Modi’s comment came a day after India welcomed the democratic process of Pakistan and conveyed a desire for a prosperous and progressive Pakistan that would crack down on terrorism.

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 3

NEWS

Spiritual Immersion Week at ISKCON of Houston Immerse yourself in spirituality, combined with great festivities and cultural extravaganza this September! ISKCON of Houston (Hare Krishna Temple) has planned something for everyone during this upcoming Labor Day weekend, as well as a special cultural event on Friday, September 7th, 2018. Festivities kick o with our annual festival, Kirtan Fest Houston. Starting on Saturday, September 1st and continuing through Tuesday, September 4th. Come and experience the bliss of Kirtan, mantra - call and response - meditation, at our majestic temple. Enlivening kirtan singers will take one to a place that transcends the ordinary, whilst simultaneously deepening one’s faith in the Lord’s holy names. This year’s special guests include: Giriraj Swami, Indradyumna Swami, Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami and Bhakti Sundar Goswami. Latin Grammy Award winner Havi Das (Ilan Chester), along with Bada Hari Das, Akincana Krishna Das (formerly with the Glassjaw band) and Krishna Kishora Das (Mayapuris). A nominal registration fee provides daily breakfast, lunch and dinner to all guests. Register at www.kirtanfesthouston. com. Janmastami (Lord Krishna’s Appearance Day) - is on Monday (Sept 3), Labor Day - a national holiday for most of us. The temple is planning costume and coloring contests spread over 2 days (Sunday and Monday). The costume contest is for children ages 11 and under and will consist of 3 age groups. This program starts at 3 PM on Sunday (Sept 2) and 4 PM on Monday (Sept 3). Special aartis (lamp oerings to Their Lordships) are planned for our sponsors on Monday between 7 PM, 9 PM and also at Midnight aarti. Kirtan Fest will continue while we celebrate Lord Krishna’s appearance day in the presence of exalted devotees of the Lord. See our website for additional details. Registra-

tion for the costume contest is also available. Details at www. iskconhouston.org. If you’d like to become a sponsor,contact (management@iskconhouston.org). Srila Prabhupada Festival (Founder Acharya’s Appearance Day) - This special day is on Tuesday (Sept 4). With so many disciples of Srila Prabhupada present with us, it is bound to be a glorious gloriďŹ cation festival for our

founder! Come join us and celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s labor of love while we celebrate and feast on this special auspicious day! Viva Kultura – An extraordinary evening of dance, musical theater, martial arts, live music and spoken word poetry will unfold in Houston for the very ďŹ rst time on Friday, (Sept 7) and you do not want to miss this show! This cultural extravaganza

seeks to entertain, inspire, educate & broaden one’s perspective. Artists from 15 countries will awe the audience with ballet, dance, hip-hop tunes, jazz music and poetry. They have traveled world-wide and ISKCON of Houston is humbled to bring them to town to perform at the Cullen Performance Hall (University of Houston) at 6 P.M. Govinda’s Vegetarian Cuisine will be serving sumptuous

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food items. Tickets can be purchased at www.vivakulturahouston.com! *Please Note - Parking for the Janmastami festival (Monday, Sept. 3 is at Waltrip High School, 1900 West 34th Street). Free shuttle service will be transporting all festival goers back and forth to temple all evening. Connect: ISKCON of Houston (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) www.iskconhouston.org

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Cordially invites you to celebrate 5 < 33 % )) $ ) * #%)* &%/ ( -" $ . () " %* (6 ) * %# $ +%$ % ! " 4 " !) # $

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2018 August

SRI NAVA MAHA

16th

Thursday to

Sunday 19th Thursday August 16th 6:30 PM to 9 PM

Ganapathi Homam & Abhishekam, Anugnai at Ganesh Temple Devatha & Durga Anugnai at Main Temple and Durga Sannidhi

Friday August 17th 10 AM to 12:30 PM

Navagraha Homam & Abhishekam at Navagraha Sannidhi

Friday August 17th 6PM to 9PM

Kalasa Puja, Vilakku Puja by ladies, Lalitha Sahasranamam Archana

Saturday August 18th 9:30AM to Noon

Kalasa Puja, Homam, Lalitha Sahasranamam Archana

Saturday August 18th 5:30 PM to 9 PM Sri Devi Mahatmyam Saptashati Parayanam, 64 Yogini Devathas & 64 Bhairavar Bali Pujas

Sunday August 19th 8 AM to 1 PM

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Kalasa Puja, Sri Devi Mahatmyam Saptashati 13 Chapters Homam Sri Bhairavar Puja, Kanyaka Puja, Sumangali Puja by Dhampathis Vasordhara Maha Purnahuti Abhishekam at Sri Durga Sannidhi Grand Alankaram, Deeparadhanai, Upacharam Procession of Utsava Murthies Kalasam: $51 Every Day Homam: $51 Final Day Homam & Abhishekam: $81 Dhampathi Puja: $101

Grand Sponsor: $251

Proceeds & Donations will go towards Kalyana mandapam renovation. For more information please contact Temple at 281-489-0358 Ext 100/110 or Sheila Sriram: sriramsheila@gmail.com Dhani Kannan: dhanikannan@yahoo.com

PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

NEWS

Hindu American leaders participate in US State Department Ministerial to advance religious freedom Washington, DC (July 27, 2018) — Over the past week, leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) participated in the first ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hosted by the US State Department. As a direct initiative by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador Sam Brownback of the Office of International Religious Freedom, the event served as a pronouncement for global audiences of the Trump Administration’s prioritizing of religious freedom as critical to American foreign policy. “The multi-day event was the State Department’s declaration to both the international community and US lawmakers that promoting religious freedom must be a top priority on par with trade, security, and other interests,” remarked Suhag Shukla, Esq., HAF Executive Director. “However, what received scant mention,” Shukla added, “is a fundamental principle that’s been a key to America’s success in this realm — that is the healthy distance between religion and state. It’s our abiding hope that as our country seeks to promote religious freedom abroad, we not forget the principles which have made religious liberty possible at home.” Beginning with two days for civil society to exclusively engage with US government officials with no foreign governments or media allowed, hundreds of religious leaders and NGO officials, mainly from Abrahamic faith communities, from across the United States and around the world

congregated in the main conference space of the State Department. Several panels in the plenary sessions as well as in breakout rooms were led by State Department and other agency officials were convened to facilitate input from civil society on improving the US government’s ability to facilitate religious freedom initiatives. Survivors of persecution were invited to share their stories before the audience, revealing gruesome details of torture and daily denial of their basic human rights. Many parts of the day were dedicated to informal networking with individuals from around the world. “The Ministerial provided an invaluable opportunity to meet face to face with activists and advocates promoting religious freedom in several of the countries we have monitored for the past 15 years,” said Samir Kalra, HAF Managing Director and author of the organization’s annual human rights report. “Conversations with those on the front lines in countries like Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, where Hindus and other religious minorities face daily human rights atrocities, promise to lead to greater coordination between likeminded groups and ultimately respite and justice to those who are suffering,” Kalra concluded. Over the years, HAF has facilitated dialogue between the State Department and human rights leaders from across the Indian Subcontinent to bolster American foreign policy makers to ensure Hindu minority communities were also ac-

Sharma Tilal Senanayake, CPA

counted for. HAF leaders were pleased that these efforts resulted in an invitation to Dipangkar Ghose, Organizing Secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, working to establish equity, equality, human rights, and social justice for all in Bangladesh. Ghose noted that, “We have a good working relationship with the Hindu American Foundation, whose human rights work touches us directly and personally in Bangladesh. We are grateful for this because our partnership ensures the

voices of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and all minorities of Bangladesh are heard throughout the world.” Ghose and Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations, attended a private reception hosted by Ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin in honor of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, one of 80 ministers leading official delegations from around the world for the third and final day of the Ministerial. Kansara and Foreign Minister Ali spoke on the need to protect religious minorities during the upcom-

ing election in his nation. Minorities have historically been targeted with violent attacks during campaign seasons. Kansara, who regularly attends in the International Religious Freedom Roundtable — an informal group that now meets with Ambassador Brownback weekly — stated, “We look forward to contributing to subsequent Ministerials, and will work with our friends at the State Department to ensure voices from marginalized Hindu minorities are more prominently highlighted.”

In a packed room under the rotunda of the nation’s Capitol on Thursday, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) released its latest policy brief, India: Democracy in Diversity. The document highlights India’s centuries-old status as a multi-religious, multi-ethnic region, and later nation-state, that is both the birthplace of four of the world’s religions, as well as refuge for faith communities fleeing persecution. The report also details the ways in which the Government of India “provides unprecedented religious accommodations to its religious minority population,” with more than $600m allotted in 2016-2017 in benefit programs, the allowance for faith-based law for both Muslims and Christians, and how India has had significant minority representation at all levels of government, mili-

tary, and the judiciary. Furthermore, India: Democracy in Diversity highlights the infrequent nature of interreligious conflict in the country, and explores the varied root causes — from pecuniary to political, and historical to religious — of the same. “Though there have not been major riots or attacks targeting religious minorities in India in recent years, there have been reports of individual incidents involving attacks by Hindus on Christians and Muslims,” the report acknowledges. “HAF unequivocally condemns these attacks and believes that any such violence is unacceptable and contravenes Hindu teachings and India’s pluralistic ethos.” India is a force for stability in the region, the report concludes, recommending the US continue “to strengthen rela-

tions with India…in order to bring greater stability to the region and prevent the growth of radical Islamist and Communist/ Maoist terrorism that is impacting the lives of innocent civilians, causing domestic unrest, and forcing large scale migrations of Hindu refugees (and other religious minorities) from Pakistan and Bangladesh into India.” “This report is both timely and necessary, as it’s release coincided with the US State Department’s inaugural Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom,” said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF Managing Director. “Overall, it seeks to show the broader story of religious freedom and pluralism in India, which is often not reflected in the media or US policy circles.” Visit www.hafsite.org.

HAF highlights India’s Democracy in Diversity

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 5

COMMUNITY Camp From Page 1 around greater Houston the positive impact Hinduism makes on one’s life through lessons, crafts, games, yoga, and a variety of other activities that can be implemented in one’s daily life. These activities not only teach the children but connect them with other Hindus, to learning more about their culture together. In recent years, the demand for camp has grown immensely, despite it splitting into two camps to increase its capacity. This year, registration for some grades ďŹ lled up in a mere 15 minutes. The ďŹ ve day camp in Montgomery, Texas is jampacked with various activities that appeal to all the dierent campers. This year, Junior Camp, for 3rd to 7th graders, is focusing on the Ramayana while Senior Camp, for campers in grades 8 through 12, is centered on the Mahabharata. Most activities at camp will be oriented around these overlying themes, as counselors prepare all summer to become well-versed in each text. The college students and recent graduates who volunteer to be counselors are the heart of the camp. When Priya Patel, second year counselor, was asked what motivates her to continue counseling, she stated that it “introduced me to a community of Hindus, taught me knowledge of Hinduism, and inspired me to want to know more. My goal is to have HHYC aect every camper in a positive manner the way it has for me.â€? The directors for HHYC this year are Vivek Shukla and Namita Pallod. Vivek Shukla is a Texas A&M graduate, and it is his ďŹ rst year directing, although he has been involved with camp for a few years now. His sister-in-law (former director Nikita Shukla) originally inspired him to volunteer as a counselor, which ignited a newfound passion for camp and Hinduism. “My main responsibility is to ensure that all counselors

1st row: Shreya Kulkarni, Sara Joshi, Priya Patel, Sarina Patel, Namita Pallod, Annika Gandhi, Reema Patel, Maanasa Chittari, Amy Patel; 2nd row: Shivangi Dixit, Vrinda Rajkumar, Dhwani Dawar, Trisha Ashar, Kajal Amin, Tanvi Jadhav, Nima Desai, Deven Narayan; 3rd row: Vivek Shukla, Rosch Wadera, Achal Shah, Akhil Singh, Neha Afzalpurkar, Hiral Amin, Rahil Dalal, Akash Tarkunde, Arjun Wali, Ram Mishra, Varun Trivedi; 4th row: Karthik Reddy, Ranjan Veludandi, Pranav Juturi, Yashwin Koniki, Soham Dhar, Shamal Shah, Shiven Patel, Amrit Kathuria are trained and focused to Junior Camp will begin the year for all their campers. give campers the best possible has been just a small part of the on July 31, and the Senior In the future, HHYC hopes preparation. “HHYC has taken experience,â€? Shukla said. Camp will start on August to have its own campsite so the core value of Hinduism and “Our coordinators and 7. In the meantime, the 51 that it can expand its capacity. made it so that our generation counselors do a phenomenal HHYC counselors will ramp For now, please reach out to can relate to and understand job of preparing thorough up preparations for camp as houstonhhyc@gmail.com to the signiďŹ cance of this faith,â€? educational topics that teach they hope to help make the become involved by donating second year counselor Shreya campers about their Hindu week at camp the best week of time or resources. Kulkarni said. religion and cultural identity.â€? “I’m very lucky for camp to have been such a pivotal experience in my life as I grew up, and even more blessed to be able to give back to the same camp by volunteering and helping formulate the best experience possible for our campers today,â€? second year director and UT Austin graduate Namita Pallod said. LAW OFFICES OF Along with the tradition of Sunday meetings and counselor game nights, counselors started $WWRUQH\V DW /DZ a new tradition this year, by teaming up with Sewa 7H[DV /RFDWLRQ International to volunteer in Rosharon, a Cambodian 6DYR\ 'U 6WH farming community destroyed +RXVWRQ 7; by Hurricane Harvey. They spend the morning and 7HO )D[ afternoon helping to rebuild homes and greenhouses and 1HZ <RUN /RFDWLRQ this in turn “made them realize 'DNVKLQL 5 6HQDQD\DNH % 6 // 0 %URDGZD\ 6WH /LFHQVHG E\ WKH 6XSUHPH &RXUW RI 1HZ <RUN how much they take for granted 1HZ <RUN 1< and how a little help can go a )D[ 7HO long way for others in need.â€? At HHYC, the counselors work towards making the + % / 3 71 2 5 ( ( DQG RWKHU QRQLPPLJUDQW YLVDV camper’s experience the best (PSOR\PHQW )DPLO\ EDVHG *UHHQ &DUGV 3(50 , , , ďŹ ve days of summer. Attending &LWL]HQVKLS weekly meetings and researching about Hinduism

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUSt 1, 2018 • PAGE 6

COMMUNITY Kanika conveys the joy of movement in debut dance performance Kanika Draksharam, a disciple of Guru Rathna Kumar, had her Bharatanatyam performance on July 22 at the Jewish Community Center’s Kaplan Theater in Houston. Daughter of Sujeeth and Anjali Draksharam, the Sugar Land teen in keeping with tradition, ascended the stage and demonstrated the student blossoming into a skilled dancer as she performed various dance numbers, exhibiting the knowledge acquired over the years of training. Kanika showcased her classical dance skills in presenting a number, “Tillana” in exuberance, full of intricate patterns, foot movements and hand gestures. She demonstrated histrionic skills in performing to the song in praise of Goddess Durga, depicting the killing of the demon Mahishasura. Bharatanatyam is a multi-di-

mensional art form that integrates elements of dance, music, theater and literature in its repertoire. Guru Rathna Kumar, assisted by Venugopal Josyula, conducted the performance, with visiting musicians N. Sivaprasad, vocal, N.K. Kesvan on the mridangam and B. Muthukumar on the flute. Archana Sharma was the master of ceremonies. Kanika started her journey with Bharatanatyam from the age of five at the Anjali Center for Performing Arts under the guidance of Guru Dr. Rathna Kumar and Venugopal Josyula and continued to be a persevering dance student for the past 13 years. She recently graduated from Clements High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin. While in high school, Kanika was part of Congressman Pete Olson’s Youth Advisory

Council for four years and also served as officer in the Sugar Land Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council during her junior year. Congressman Olson and his wife Nancy, as chief guests of the evening, witnessed Kanika’s performance and congratulated her on her accomplishment. Guru Rathna Kumar, a reputed exponent of two forms of Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, has enjoyed a very successful career spanning six decades as an internationally renowned performer, teacher, choreographer and arts educator. She is also a linguist, scholar, singer, writer, theater and screen actor and a true cultural ambassador of Indian performing arts in the U.S. earning the title of “Jewel in the crown of Houston Arts.” —SESHADRI KUMAR

Indo-American organizations get a briefing on TranStar

Guru Rathna Kumar presents the Certificate of Achievement to Kanika Draksharam, left, on her solo debut dance performance.

awan thanked Shell for their sponsorship of the event and lauded the “leadership, calmness and positivity” displayed by Judge Ed Emmett and Mayor Sylvester Turner in their handling of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. Introducing Judge Ed Emmett, Past President Sanjay Ramabhadran described him as “a household name” and referred to him as “Mr. Hunker Down” – a title earned during Hurricane Ike. As County Judge, he also Sanjay Ramabhadran, left, Karen Francis, Alyssa Holmes Henderson, Harris County Judge led multiple trade missions to Ed Emmett, Ashok Garg, Jagdip Ahluwalia, Swapan Dhairyawan at the TranStar facility. India in collaboration with the Photo by BIJAY DIXIT. Chamber and it was due to his The visit was arranged by Ahluwalia welcomed the wide efforts that the world’s largest By MANU SHAH On July 24, leaders and IACCGH at the “epicenter of spectrum of community lead- tractor company, Mahindra, lorepresentatives from over 20 emergency management” – ers and stated that the whole cated and expanded its facility Chambers of Commerce and the state-of-the-art TranStar purpose of this “exercise was in Harris County. As County Judge, Judge EmIndo American organizations facility in Houston that allows to understand the preparatory mett is the Director of Harris listened attentively as Harris city officials to manage traf- efforts by the city in the event County’s Homeland Security County Judge Ed Emmett re- fic, evacuation if needed, and of the next hurricane and help and Emergency Management visited Hurricane Harvey, its emergencies from one central spread awareness in their reand is responsible for 4.7 milspective organizations.” management and the lessons location. lion people. President Swapan DhairyExecutive Director Jagdip learned. In a riveting address, he shed

Leaders of community organizations and area Chambers with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and IACCGH leadership.

light on how the city handled Hurricane Harvey’s rainfall triggered flooding crisis. Hurricanes are never easy but Hurricane Harvey, he stated, “was a completely different sort of activity.” Meteorologists had predicted 20 inches of rain but Houston was pounded with 50 inches. Predesignated shelters were opened for those who had to flee their homes and NRG and George Brown Convention Center filled up within hours. A personal appeal on television to boat owners to rescue those who were stranded in their homes turned out to be a lifesaver for hundreds of people. Unanticipated snags surfaced, but the key to emergency management, the Judge emphasized was “having the right people, the right assets” and working closely with Mayor Sylvester Turner “because people want one clear voice.” The “real heroes” the Judge declared, were the ordinary day people who voluntarily waded knee deep in water to rescue people. On a drive home, the sight of the heaped piles of debris on both sides of the streets struck him that this was “not just debris but people’s lives.” He’s determined to protect Harris County residents from being put “in the same situation again” and is pushing for support for a 2.5 billion bond proposal that would fund flood protection projects in Houston. Hurricane Harvey also exposed all the natural water flow paths across the county that need to be corrected. 160,000 homes were flooded and of those 105,000 had no flood insurance because they were unaware that they were in the flood line. The inflicted damages are estimated at $125 billion. The Judge anticipated the process of rebuilding Houston to be completed by 2020 - 21.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 7

COMMUNITY Shirdi Sai Baba among the deities installed at Char Dham Temple

Devotees take the Utsva Murti in a procession.

Sai Baba of Shirdi in Maharastra, India, popularly known as “Shirdi Sai Baba” is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva and Dattatreya. An “Utsava Vigraha” or a proxy icon of the Baba was installed at the Char Dham Hindu Temple, The Woodlands on the 26th and 27th of July 2018 as per the instructions laid down in the Hindu scriptures. The two day grand ceremony that began on the evening of 26th culminated with the Pallaki Seva (procession) of Baba’s Vigraha (icon) around the temple at the sunset hours of 27th. Approximately 500 volunteers and devotees participated in the event. As per the Hindu tradition, hymns and mantras are recited to invite the original deity to be a resident guest at the temple through a special ceremony called the “Prana Prathistha”. The eyes of the deity are opened for the first time during the event. At Char Dham, Bhagadvadanugna, Vishwaksenapooja, Punyahavachanam, Ritvikvaranam, Rakshbandhanam, Panchgavyaprasanam, Mrutsangrahanam, Ajasradeeparadhana, Panchagavyaprasanam, Mrutsangrahanam, Ankuraropanam, Agniprathisththa, Yagasala vastuhomam, Kumbha Aavahanam, Kumbha Aradhanam, Vukta homam, Poornahuti, Netronmeelanam etc. were some of the rituals that marked the occasion. All ceremonies were conducted by a team of three qualified priests under the leadership of the head priest, Pandit Srikiran Narayanam. A complete face lift of the existing Vigraha also marked the event. The seat of the existing icon was fitted with a gold plated covering and a new crown installed. Besides the crown, the existing deity was also fitted with a new umbrella and a Malai (garland).

PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

SANATAN SHIV SHAKTI MANDIR OF HOUSTON INC. 6640 HarwinDr, Houston, TX 77036 Website : www.shivshaktimandir.org - Email : shivshaktimandir45@yahoo.com

or follow as on https://www.facebook.com/Sanatan-Shiv-Shakti-Mandir-Houston A Hearty Invitation to all Hindu Devotees to celebrate Shravan Maas STARTS -August 11th. 2018 to September 09th 2018 ||Om Namah Shivay|| 1st.- Monday – August 13 , 2018 – KERI MANORATH DARSHAN 2nd.- Monday – August 20 ,2018 - GANGAVIHAR DHARSHAN 3rd. -Monday – August 27 , 2018 –SHIVAVIAVAH DARSHAN 4th.- Monday – September 03 ,2018 –SRAVAN-BADH0 DARSHAN SHRAVANA AMAVASYA MAHAPOOJA –September 09,2018 Sunday

Donations from Yajman is welcome for Shringar & Mahaprasad. Please bring Milk, Roses for Abhishek & Prasad is welcome.

Mahapuja Every Monday at 5:00 PM. • For Mahapooja, a donation of $201.00 is appreciated, Abhishekduring daytime a donation of $21.00 is appreciated.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 9

PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

NEWS Exercise your right to vote: Register today By PADMA SRINIVASAN can conduct voter registration population. Indian Americans The right to vote is the most drives to encourage people can change this dismal record fundamental constitutional to register and remove barri- by registering to vote today in right that American citizens ers to voter registration. Voter time to cast their ballot in the enjoy. Any citizen, 18 years or registration drives should not upcoming 2018 mid-term elecolder with no felony convic- be misconstrued as political tion. The deadline to register to tion, is eligible to vote. Voting events nor a part of any politi- vote for the mid-term is Oct 9; right gives all citizens a voice cal campaign. Voter Registrars early voting dates are Oct 22 in shaping the present and fu- conducting these drives, by – Nov 2 and the election is on ture of our country by allow- law, cannot engage in politiing us to register our opinion cal discourses with registrants, on how our government should nor can they wear garments On Sunday, June 24th, the operate. This sacred right and or stickers displaying their af- Indian American Cancer Netduty - not accorded to citizens filiation or support to a party or work held an informative outof many countries in the world candidate. Voter registration is reach event on melanoma at the - are taken lightly by Ameri- an apolitical act similar to tak- Arya Samaj, Houston. cans who fail to recognize how ing the census. Drs. Kelly Nelson and Husprivileged we are to live in this Registering to vote impacts sein Tawbi, Associate Prodemocratic nation. our communities by increas- fessors of Dermatology and In order to exercise our right ing our civic engagement and Melanoma Medical Oncology, to vote, all citizens must first involvement in the electoral respectively, at the University register to vote. Voter registra- process. Citizens who are not of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer tion is a tool that ensures that a registered to vote or do not Center, presented information citizen can cast her ballot to the exercise their right to vote are on melanoma. candidates she thinks should unaware of the stakes in a parDr. Nelson provided an represent her at local, state and ticipatory democracy: in order overview of skin cancer, with national levels. to elect candidates who will detailed information on melaRegistering to vote takes represent your interests, you noma identification and preonly a few minutes and can be must vote. By ignoring their vention. done on-line at Register2vote. right to vote, these non-voters Specific educational highorg where one can fill in the are allowing others who have lights of Dr. Nelson’s lecture information and receive a com- their own interests at heart to included review of acral melapleted, postage paid form that influence the outcomes of elec- noma (melanoma that occurs will have to be signed and re- tions. Sadly, minorities includ- on the hands, feet, or nail units) turned. ing Asian Americans belong in that typically appears as a dark Registration can also be this category. Although their spot larger than a pencil eraser done through the League of population has grown by 72% on the palms or soles, or a band Women Voters, the local county (2000-2015 census), Asian of pigmentation extending the offices and drives held in public Americans do not register and length of the nail itself. places. turn out to vote in proportion While some normal pigmenReligious, educational, busi- to their numbers - only 56% tation of the nail plate may ocness and cultural organizations compared to 72% of the white Hari Venkatachalam Hindu Students Association, Board of Directors

November 6. As the fastest growing minority group in America, it is imperative that our community takes ownership of its role in shaping our government and a nation’s direction by registering to vote and electing candidates who will pursue our agenda. Exercising our right to vote is essential to being a good

citizen as well as to ensure that our democratic institutions are protected and passed on to our children. The 2018 mid-term election is a perfect time to start to exercise our fundamental right: Vote. (Padma Srinivasan is a certified Voter Registrar for Harris and For Bend Counties.)

IACAN holds educational program on skin cancer cur, typically several nails are involved. With melanoma, the band of pigmentation is darker than the other bands, may involve more than half of the nail plate, and may enlarge over time. Melanoma prevention focuses on protecting the skin from UV exposure, and being aware of one’s skin. Dr. Tawbi provided a review of the recent dramatic advances in treatments for patients with metastatic melanoma, with indepth discussions of immunotherapy (taking the breaks off the body’s immune system to enhance recognition of melanoma tumors) and targeted therapeutics (exploiting specific genetic mistakes, or mutations, in the patient’s melanoma, by using medications that target the specific mutation). These have revolutionized the care of patients over the past several years. Drs. Tawbi and Nelson are both co-leaders with the MD Anderson Cancer Center’s

Melanoma Moonshot, which provides institutional support to build collaborative multidisciplinary research teams addressing complex challenges within a specific cancer type. Dr. Nelson provides education to dermatologists across the state of Texas to support recognition of melanoma at its earliest stages, and Dr. Tawbi’s background in drug development supports the creation of new therapies for patients with metastatic melanoma, with specific emphasis on patients with melanoma that has spread to the brain. IACAN will be conducting their Biennial Gala on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at Red Oak Ballroom. The key note address will be provided by Dr. Patrick Hwu, Head of the Division of Cancer Medicine, who will also speak on immunotherapy. Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.iacannetwork.org.

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April 6, 2017Get – AUSTIN, TX –your The Hindu Students rid of staffi ngAssociaproblems and spend more tion (HSA) would like to regretfully announce that it will be Good = Good Decisions cancelling its annual Gateway Retreat for the 2017 Numbers year. HSA prides itself in building a strong network of young Hindu Americans, and it looks forward to organizing other events in the future that will link students from its various branches. HSA has been reorienting itself in recent months to doing more grassroots work. “We have been focusing more on accomplishing work on the local and branch level,” said Mrinalini Vijalapuram, National President of the Hindu Students Association. “We have been doing this through many different activities including interfaith events with other religious organizations, building community partnerships, and expanding into other campuses that don’t already have HSA branches.” While the cancellation of Gateway may come as a disappointment for many prospective attendees, HSA hopes to get feedback from students on other projects and events that interest its branch members. Currently, several projects, including developing HSA’s podcast series and releasing monthly articles that highlight the accomplishments of members from the various campuses have been the focus of the organization’s efforts. HSA welcomes student and community members to get involved in these activities to help further the goals of the organization. “It is important that we meet the needs of the campuses and communities we serve,” reiterated Ms. Vijalapuram. “We want to make sure that we are putting our attention on projects that will truly benefit them.” -***-

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RELIGION Meenakshi Temple plans major ritual after 15 years By Priest Sri Manicka Bhattar with M.K.Sriram It is said that in the Kali Yuga, worshipping Goddess Chandi and Lord Vinayaka are of great importance. Goddess Chandi is the most powerful Universal Mother. She is the combination of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswathy. Like the God Rudra, she has two forms. In Her fierce form, she destroys the evil demons, whereas in Her resplendent and benevolent form she is most compassionate. Mother Rajamathangi, who has a special place in our temple, is a form of Sri Chandi. It is interesting to note that Rajamathangi herself assumes different forms at different times of daily puja – MahaShodasi and Bala at dawn and early morning, Bhuvana and Gowri in midmorning, Shyamala at noon, Mathangi in evening and Panchadashi and Shodashi at night. The Board members, priests, artisans, staff and volunteers of Sri Meenakshi Temple are busy preparing for the Nava Chandi Maha Homam scheduled from Thursday Aug 16th till Sunday Aug 19th. This is a very rare event as the last time it was performed was over fifteen years ago. This gives a unique opportunity for the Houston area devotees to partake and experience the power and love of the Divine Mother. Among the sacred texts that laud the glory of the Mother, Devi Mahatmyam is considered extremely auspicious and powerful. Devi Mahatmyam, or the Glory of the Goddess, describes the victory of Chandi over the asuras Madhu-Kaitabha, Mahishasura and ShumbhaNishumbha. The place where the slokas are recited becomes flooded with waves of vibration, purifying the entire place, and invoking the presence of the Supreme Devi. The greatness of the Devi Mahatmyam is extensively explained in ancient texts. At one level, the Devi Mahatmyam chronicles the battle between the Devi and the asuras. At another level it deals with the battle of life. At yet another level it deals with the inner battle between the divine and the demoniac forces within the human psyche. The battlegrounds represent our own human consciousness, and its events symbolize our own experiences. The demons are symbolic of the psychic forces within the shadow. The Divine Mother is our own true being, our inherent divinity and wholeness. Her clashes with the demons symbolize the outward and inward struggles we face daily. The Devi, personified simultaneously as the one supreme Goddess and also the many goddesses, confronts the

demons of ahamkara or ego, of excessive tamas and rajas, that in turn give birth to other demons of excessive craving, greed, anger and pride. In the ultimate sense, the dichotomy between the bad and the good is also a false one. There is no duality. Both are part of one single paradoxical reality. Devi Mahatmyam drives home this truth.The Nava Chandi Maha Homam includes many rituals requiring priests with special skills and knowledge. The highlight of the event is the recital of the 700 mantras from the 13 chapters of Devi Mahatmyam (Saptashati Parayanam) and the Homam. All monetary contributions will benefit the Kalyana Mandapam Renovation project .

AUDITION FOR BOLLYWOOD DANCE & FASHION SHOW Mahi Trivedi presents “DILWALO KI MEHFIL” Bollywood Style Stage & Fashion Show where local talent can participate and shine.

Seeking talented individual or group for the stage show on Jan 12th, 2019 If you are committed and have passion for Dancing. Register for auditions and show us what you got! Selected participant will have chance to perform at Stafford Center. Please send WhatsApp message at 832-208-9043 or email Masterji Trivedi masterjitrivedi480@gmail.com Audition Date:

Tuesday, August 28th

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PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

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NEWS

India plans to buy missile Supreme Court slams custom of genital mutilation Female genital mutilation has numerous health hazards associated with it and amounts to violashield from U.S. tion of right to life and dignity of a woman, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra observed on Monday.

India is in talks with the U.S. to procure an advanced air defence system to defend the National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks. The process for procuring the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II), estimated at $1 billion, has been initiated. “This system will help in preventing 9/11-type attacks [when terrorists ew hijacked planes into New York’s World Trade Center] on Delhi. It is in the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) stage now,â€? an oďŹƒcial source said. Secure airspace India is deploying a multitiered air defence network to fully secure its airspace from incoming ďŹ ghter aircraft, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The oďŹƒcial said this system would complement other systems such as the medium and long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems under procurement. India is also in an advanced stage of talks with Russia for the procurement of very long range S-400 air de-

fence systems. Apart from these imports, India is also developing an indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. Phase-I of the BMD is expected to be deployed soon. The NASAMS was developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and Aerospace of Norway. The Raytheon website says it is a “highly adaptable mid-range solutionâ€? for any operational air defence requirement and provides a tailorable, state-of-the-art defence system that can maximise the ability to quickly identify, engage and destroy current and evolving enemy aircraft, UAV or emerging cruise missile threats.â€? NASAMS-II is an upgraded version of the NASAMS and features new 3D mobile surveillance radars and 12 missile launchers for quicker reaction. India is going ahead with the procurement of the S-400 systems despite diering views of the U.S. over the sanctions against Russia and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

The Chief Justice made the oral observation while hearing a PIL petition ďŹ led by advocate Sunita Tiwari to ban female genital mutilation performed by some communities on children as a religious practice. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud remarked during the hearing that a woman’s complete control over her genitalia is central to identity, dignity and autonomy. Chief Justice Misra asked how such a practice can be imposed on women. “Why should a lady be expected to make such eorts? Is she chattel?â€? the CJI asked. Senior advocate Indira Jaising submitted that the practice of female genital mutilation cannot be considered as an “essential practiceâ€? in religion as it can be brought under the ambit of the Protection of Children from Sexual Oences (POCSO) Act. No one can violate the integrity and the bodily privacy of a woman in the name of religion, the Bench observed. The government has also urged the court to issue directions against the practice. Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal has submitted that female genital mutilation is punished with seven years’ imprisonment. The international community has condemned this practice. However, the Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom, represented by senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, has contended that “khafz/female circumcision as practised by the Dawoodi Bohra community is not female genital mutilation.â€? It is an essential part of their religion and protected under the Constitution. The court will continue to hear the case on Tuesday.

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H1-B visa issue India will raise the issue of H1B visas for IT workers during the upcoming ‘two plus two dialogue’ with the United States, External Aairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said here on Thursday. Addressing the Rajya Sabha, the Minister said that India is trying to avoid changes in the H1B visa policy of the United States. “I assure you that at the ‘2 plus 2 dialogue’, which is to be held in Delhi on September 6, in which the External Aairs Minister and Defence Minister of both countries will participate, we will certainly and forcefully raise this issue during that, too,â€? Ms. Swaraj told the members of the Rajya Sabha. During the annual press conference of 31 May, Ms. Swaraj had said the U.S. had sovereign right to decide on H1B visa but had declared that India would leave “no stone unturnedâ€? in ensuring a fair procedure on this issue. On Thursday, the senior Minister informed the Rajya Sabha that there was not yet a major shift in the H1B visa policy of the U.S., but maintained that growing restrictions on the visa rules by the Trump administration was a cause of concern to the “Indian

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COMMUNITY Pepsi sues Facebook, Twitter; High Court orders posts to be taken down that allege Kurkure contains plastic PepsiCo in its suit claimed that videos/posts made false claims that the snack had inflammable plastic. Twitter user Nikhil Jois received a mail from Twitter notifying that his account information is being submitted to the court for legal process because of his tweet from June 2015 : “Also… did you try burning Kurkure? It has pla” from his handle @nikhiljoisr. Like Jois, hundreds of social media users in India are being notified that their account details is being submitted to the Delhi High Court over an ongoing civil suit in which PepsiCo is suing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. On June 1, PepsiCo India sued multiple American technology platforms claiming Rs 2.1 crore in damages for permitting the circulation of ‘defamatory and disparaging’ content against its Kurkure brand. PepsiCo in its suit claimed that videos/posts on social media made false claims that the snack contained inflammable plastic and was unsafe for human consumption. “From what I understand, Pepsi has an issue with people talking about something that they have attempted to disprove multiple times,” said Jois, one of the users who was notified of the submission of account details to the court. “My tweet didn’t even say plastic, it just says ‘pla’. Many of us joke about kurkure and plastic. To me it looks like a frivolous attempt at bringing up something the from the past.” Jois is currently not seeking any legal help in this matter.

The consumer brand submitted that despite having prior knowledge of the false contents, the social media companies’ refusal to take down the video/post without a court order caused negative engagement on social media, resulting in loss of reputation and goodwill. On Monday, the court directed the social media platforms to submit the account details of individuals who had posted/shared disparaging content about Kurkure in a “sealed envelope” to the court. Though it is not clear what ‘account details’ will be shared, it could encompass the archive of posts, handle, phone number, age, email address and the like of the user. The defendants have four weeks to remove all flagged content and provide the account details. The next hearing is on November 14, 2018. YouTube has said that it has disabled all the identified URLs, while Facebook and Twitter have not confirmed the content has been taken down. PepsiCo submitted a detailed list of all the links hosting the impugned content to the court. On Facebook alone, it submitted 3,412 links and 20,244 posts, while Twitter, Youtube and Instagram had 562, 242 and 6 links, respectively. Another Twitter user Srishti, received a similar email from Twitter about a tweet from 2015 when she had joked about Kurkure being used for plastic surgery. “It was a harmless joke,” Srishti said. Upon hearing the matter on June 1, the Delhi High Court ordered the companies to block

URLs, weblinks, comments and other contents that were disparaging to Kurkure. PepsiCo said that by not removing the video/posts the social media platforms were complicit in the loss of reputation and goodwill, indirectly amounting to encouraging the offender to post such defamatory content on their websites. However, Section 79 of the IT Act is the safe harbour for intermediaries like Facebook and others that do not make platforms liable for any third-party information, data, or communication links made available. “Facebook and others have followed the law by asking for a court notice to take down content,” said Anirudh Rastogi, lawyer at TRA law, a technology law firm. But, under the exception of Section 79, “PepsiCo might argue that since (the defendants) had taken down similar content back in 2013, and that there were several complaints made later on, why did they (social media platforms) refuse to take down similar content asking for a court order. “In asking for the court order, Facebook is relying on Shreya Singhal judgement in 2015 relating to restriction on online speech. which revokes the power of the intermediality to block or decide what is right and wrong.” Facebook and YouTube responded that they had abided by the law in seeking the court order. A YouTube spokesperson said: “As per the Supreme Court’s order passed in Shreya Singhal case for an intermediary the “actual knowledge” under Section 79(3) of the IT Act is only attributable through

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a court order and/or a notification by the appropriate Government or its agency and does not refer to knowledge acquired by way of a complaint by the third parties.” “The immediate cause of action for filing the present suit arouse in the month of May 2018 when the Defendants refused to remove/block the video despite plaintiff’s (PersiCo) complaints,” PepsiCo said in its suit. The issue first arose in October 2013, when PepsiCo came

to know about videos in which Kurkure was being burnt along with claims that it contained plastic. When this was reported by Pepsico, on October 10, 2013 Facebook removed the content. In the period between 2013 and 2017, Pepsico ran multiple campaigns to correct the claims. Recently, in 2018, when Pepsico again asked companies to take down the “disparaging” content, the defendants asked PepsiCo to obtain a court order to do so.

How your selfie obsession has created a Rs 100 crore market in India In India, approximately 10 million users are trying out one or

more of the 20 leading photo-editing apps on a monthly basis. "Yet another girly app,” Panduranga MB, 26, told himself as he tried Meitu’s photo-editing app, BeautyPlus. He had just taken a selfie on his mobile phone and the facial recognition tech in the app allowed him to change the sharpness of his nose, the shade of his skin, size of his eyes and remove scars — basically anything to beautify his picture. A few minutes later, he was hooked on to an app he hadn’t even heard of 24 hours ago. The graphic designer from Bengaluru had downloaded the app after Meitu Inc offered him a job. All he knew about the company was that it was a Chinese developer with a stable of artificial intelligence-led beauty apps. The app’s features reminded him of Photoshop, a graphics editor from Adobe widely used by professionals like him. This was Photoshop for dummies. He knew a thing or two about people’s obsession with sharing their photos on social networks — 95 million photos are posted on Instagram every day, and 100,000 are uploaded on Facebook every minute. Several surveys have suggested over 50% of users edit their photos before posting these online. “Users need these apps.” He did the math and joined the company. Like Panduranga, a lot of digital natives are oblivious of the magnitude of Meitu’s user base. At last count, its apps — Meitu has over 15 photo-editing apps — have been downloaded on 1.2 billion devices across the world. The company refuses to share countryspecific numbers, but sources say it has a user base of 100 million in India across platforms and devices. Meitu is not the only success story in this space. Taiwanese company Perfect Corp’s YouCam Perfect app is used by 15 million Indians every month. PicsArt, a US-based photo-editing app, gets over 23 million monthly active users from India. B612 and Sweet Selfie, beautification apps of South Korean and Chinese origins, respectively, are other prominent members of this global Android download club of 100 million. Closer home, approximately 10 million users are trying out one or more of the 20 leading photo-editing apps on a monthly basis. However, the rapid rise of photo-editing apps in India has gone largely unnoticed in the public discourse. This is despite there being at least 10 photo-editing apps among the top 100 free apps on Android. Major tech players, however, sensed the potential in photo-editing apps early on. Google acquired the photo-editing app Snapseed way back in 2012. Motorola launched its own stock photo-editing app called Moto Photo Editor last year. “At present, all handset makers are looking to include AI-led beauty mode in their camera phones,” says Gaurav Nigam, product head at Lava International. A one-time purchase of tech from these photo-editing apps can cost original equipment makers anywhere between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore. There is nothing girly about them, either. A lot of app developers in this genre say men contribute to over 40% of their user base. Experts peg the market size for such apps at Rs 100 crore in India. It is a business brimming with potential, and India is a market these players cannot ignore. Meitu, for one, counts India as its biggest overseas market. In China, Meitu is a proprietary eponym: the company’s gamut of 20 products include selfie phones, selfie-editing apps, and photo- and video-sharing platforms. Together, they fetch Meitu 300 million monthly active users (MAUs) in mainland China, according to the listed company’s annual report of 2017-18. Outside China, it has over 110 million MAUs. “We are competing against Snapchat and Facebook. I’m not saying it, the numbers are,” says Priyanka Sharma, Meitu’s India business development manager. Meitu’s India journey started in July 2016 with the launch of BeautyPlusMe, now rebranded as PlusMe.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 15

Thank You

N.K. Kesavan, left, (Mridangam), N. Sivaprasad, (vocal), Venugopal Joysula, Assistant Director at Anjali Center, Kanika, Guru Rathna Kumar, Anjali Draksharam, Esha Draksharam, and B. Muthukumar (flute); Rear, Sujeeth Drakshram, left, Nancy Olson and Pete Olson. — 3KRWR E\ $PLWDYD 6DUNDU

Anjali and Sujeeth Draksharam, with daughter Kanika, convey their thanks to Guru Rathna Kumar, supporting artists, Congressman Pete Olson & Nancy Olson, friends and well wishers for their support and encouragement to Kanika on the occasion of her Bharathanatyam Arangetram on July 22, 2018 .

PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

NEWS

AAPI commitsits to strengthen ADOPT-A-VILLAGE Project By AJAY GHOSH India has nearly 700,000 villages. Three out of four Indians and about 77 percent of the poor live in villages. Forty percent in India live below the property line with less than a Dollar a day. The adult literacy rate is 61 percent. The infant mortality rate is 56 per 1,000 live births. The majority of the population has no access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The needs in these rural areas are unlimited and the scope to work are endless. “An individual can make a tremendous difference in the lives of many in India by adopting a village,” says Jagan Ailinani, M.D., FACR, who was instrumental in founding this noble program and set an example by adopting his own birth village in the state of Telangana in India. “A majority of the NRI’s hail from villages and would like to do their part to bring progress to villages in our state and country.” AAPI has been part of the Adopt-A-Village Project, which enables Physicians of Indian Origin to adopt the village they hail from, and make a significant contribution towards its development. “Under the new AAPI leadership team, which assumed office during the 36th annual convention, we want to strengthen the ADOPTA-VILLAGE Project. Through our efforts and coordinating with Dr. Ailinani’s initiative, we will be able to help bring healthcare and basic needs and progress in the lives of millions of people in our home country, India,” said, Dr. Naresh Parikh, President of AAPI. Dr. Ailinani, a former President of AAPI, established the Project by adopting his native village of Motha (population 4,000) in Jagtial District, in Telangana state. In Motha, he funded and established safe drinking water, trash disposal and built funeral shelter with showers and toilets at the cremation site, maintaining proper hygiene and landscaping. He helped expand and upgrade the village school from 7th to 10th Grade with digital classrooms, library and hired an English teacher. He was instrumental in setting up scholarships to needy deserving students. Dr. Ailinani ensured proper nutrition by enhancing mid-day meal with extra eggs and safe drinking water to all the students in school, while teaching personal hygiene and built and maintaining hygienic toilets. Another priority for Dr. Ailinani was to provide periodic free medical, dental and vision checkups and offering free eye glasses if needed to all school children His financial support helped construct a 2 kilometer long road from Mothe villlage to

Dr. Jagan Alinani Jagtial in 1995 under the Janma Bhoomi Project. His another initiative is to construct a community center with matching funds from the Telangana state government. He donated land for the construction of a primary health center in the village and established partnership with regional medical college PIMS to provide obstetrician and pediatricians 3 days a week to improve prenatal and childcare. Dr. Ailinani helped establish a Preventive Health Clinic in Jagtial in 2005 with a mission to improve health and wellness of the rural population of Jagtial and surrounding villages. This clinic conducted health camps in several villages with emphasis on awareness, education and prevention focusing on safe drinking water sanitation, proper prenatal care, child health and education, diabetes, hypertension, prevention, early detection of cervical cancer, educating them about evils of smoking (lung cancer)and chewing tobacco (oral cancer), and free diabetic blood pressure and cholesterol screening. and provide free basic medications. Free ENT surgeries are performed at local government hospital by ENT specialists from Hyderabad. Dr. Ailinani helped organize Rehabilitation camps, providing with artificial limbs. To those who needed. The healthcare camps also served as a platform for the educating the farmers about the health hazards of toxic chemical exposure to pesticides spray and which easily prevented by wearing personal protective gear which include masks, eye goggles and sturdy reusable gloves, and hundreds of kits were distributed to the farmers at the camp . Dr. Ailinani provided the first ever free ambulance in Jagtial in 2001. Another contribution of this philanthropist was establishing a Girls Orphanage Center in Jagtial and donated money for the construction of a permanent home. Dr. Ailinani has not limited his services to his native village alone. His urge to serve humanity took him to initiate

services in several other states and across India. Dr. Ailinani is a founding board member of Prathima Institute of Medical Services-PIMS with a mission to provide specialty services/ Tertiary care to rural population of northern Telangana. He was instrumental in establishing a BLS-basic life support training center as well as a center of excellence for Sickle Cell center, which is only among the four centers in India and He was instrumental in obtaining affiliation with the Southern Illinois School of Medicine, USA organizing student and faculty exchange programs on a regular basis. Dr. Ailinani conducted several CME programs including radiology through AAPI and Medical Council of India in AP, Karnataka, Kerala, Pune, and Delhi, and Assam. He raised and donated $55,000 for Tsunami relief through AAPI Charitable Foundation. He was instrumental in raising $250,000 from the US Alumni for the establishment of a state of the art Digital Library at his alma mater, Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad. He, along with AAPICharitable Foundation raised $55,000 for the relief of to help the victims of the Tsunami in India.. . He has been promoting adopt-a-village programs across all the states in India, which include safe drinking water, sanitation, maternal/ child care and childhood education, farmers welfare,, vocational training for youth and women. “NRIs can adopt the village they hail from originally and make a significant contribution towards its development,” the veteran AAPI leader says. “There is a real will and desire on the part of governments, both at the state and the center to work with NRIs and NGOs to bring development to rural India. There are more NGOs today in India that are professionally run, transparent and accountable, which reach all parts of India and deliver a variety of services, than in the pasThere is a real will and desire on the part of governments, both at the state and at the federal levels to work with NRIs and NGOs to bring development to rural India. There are more NGOs today in India that deliver a variety of services, than in the past. There are more millionaires in India and the United States today and the number of people taking on philanthropic activities in India is only growing. While they are enthusiastic about initiating new programs, they are also concerned about their longterm sustainability. Many of these projects and programs need regular finding,

Through ADOPT A VILLAGE program, protection gear for farmers against pesticide spray being provided. and management of resources. autonomous body, which is Adopting a village costs mon- completely transparent and is ey and an ongoing commit- accountable to those who inment for investment. The cost vest and to those who benefit for adopting a village depends from these services. There is no instant solution on various factors, including the population of the villages, for rural India’s myriad probthe services that are required lems. But by adopting one viland what one is willing to lage at a time and working with commit to for the welfare and the government and NGOs, progress of the village one is NRIs can make a difference. Over time, an improved vilcommitting to adopt. In a Memorandum being lage could lead to an improved submitted to Narendra Modi, region, state and country. Physicians of Indian origin Prime Minister of India, Dr. Ailinani, while explaining the are well known around the premise of Adopt-a-Village, world for their compassion, said, “By adopting one village passion for patient care, mediat a time and working with the cal skills, research, and leadgovernment and NGOs, NRIs ership. They have excelled in can make a difference. After their fields of medicine, and identifying worthwhile, need- thus have earned a name for based projects, an NRI will themselves through hard work, contribute 30 percent of the commitment and dedication to monies required. The other 70 their profession and the people percent of funding will come they are committed to serve. from the Government of India. Not satisfied with their own Planning, execution and main- professional growth and the tenance of the project will be service they provide to their done by a reputable, transpar- patients around the world, they ent and professionally man- are in the forefront, sharing aged NGO or an autonomous their knowledge and expertise body consisting of respected with others, especially those individuals. Each project will physicians and leaders in the involve a tripartite partnership medical field from India. “I want to urge AAPI membetween the NRI, state government and an autonomous bers to consider joining this movement and adopt a village. body.” According to the tripartite May be your own village of model he suggests, 30 per- origin. AAPI will work with cent of funding for the project you in coordinating the efforts comes from the NRI and the and through the support sysother 70 percent comes from tem we have in several states, the government, while plan- will help you achieve this goal ning, execution and mainte- of ‘giving back to our mothernance is taken on by a reputa- land,” urges Dr. Naresh Parikh, ble NGO - will only contribute President of AAPI. For more to the development of rural In- details, please do visit: www. dia. Dr. Ailinani suggests that aapiusa.org the plan is to set up a semi-

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 17

NEWS SC asks authorities not to take any action over Imran Khan’s PTI may Assam’s draft National Register of Citizens invite Modi for oath ceremony The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the publication of the complete draft National Register of Citizens of Assam cannot be the basis of any coercive action against anyone since it is merely a draft. It also directed the Centre to formulate standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with claims and objections. The apex court directed the Centre to place the SOP before it for approval and said it should be fair and giving reasonable opportunity to contest exclusion. A bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman said the Centre should place the SOP before it by August 16 and that a local registrar has to give notice to those who have filed claims and objections, and give them reasonable opportunity for hearing. At the outset, Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) coordinator Prateek Hajela placed before the court its status report giving details of publication of the draft NRC yesterday. To this the bench asked what was the future course of action. Hajela told the court that the claims and objections with regard to inclusion and exclusion in the NRC could be filed from August 30 to September 28. He said till August 7, the draft NRC is being made available to the people to see whether their names are there or not.

Attorney General K K Venugopal , appearing for the Centre, said the ministry concerned is willing to formulate modalities of the SOP to deal with the process of claims and objections and that courts should direct that no coercive action shall be taken till equal opportunity is given to all. The bench asked Venugopal to place the SOP before it for approval. The second and final draft of the NRC, which is a list of the state’s citizens, was published yesterday with over 2.89 crore names out of 3.29 crore applicants in Assam. Names of around 40.07 lakh applicants did not figure in the document. The first draft of the NRC for Assam was published in December end as per the top court’s direction. It was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 where names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated. Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, which was first prepared in 1951. The top court had earlier said that the claims of those citizens, whose names do not figure in the draft NRC for Assam published by December 31 last year, would be scrutinised and included in the subsequent list, if found genuine.

Civil war

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that the National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam was done with a “political motive” to divide people and warned that it would lead to bloodbath and a civil war in the country. Attacking the BJP, she said the saffron party is trying to divide the country and asserted this will not be tolerated. “The NRC is being done with a political motive. We will not let this happen. They (BJP) are trying to divide the people. The situation cannot be tolerated. There will be a civil war, blood bath in the country,” Banerjee told a conclave here. The massive Supreme Courtmonitored exercise to identify genuine Indian nationals living in Assam excluded over 40 lakh people from the final draft list. The issue rocked both house of Parliament after which Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the opposition not to politicise the “sensitive” matter as the list has been published on the directives of the Supreme Court and the Centre has “no role” in it. He asserted that no “coercive” action will be taken against those whose names were excluded from the NRC draft list. —The Pioneer

Over 4 million excluded from NRC

Over 40 lakh people, more than the populations of Uruguay and Qatar, have been excluded from the final draft of a list of Indian citizens living in Assam published on Monday, prompting apprehension among minorities and assurances from the government. The draft National Register of Citizens, whose release is part of an exercise to weed out illegal immigrants, carried 28,983,677 names out of the 32,991,384 applicants, a difference of 4,007,707, RegistrarGeneral of India Sailesh announced. Officials repeatedly emphasised this was only the final draft and not the final NRC, and those missing from the list would have ample opportunity to stake claim or file fresh applications, and even go to court. Several people who were not included in the register expressed worry about being sent to detention centres or deported. But Satyendra Garg, joint secretary (northeast) of the Union home ministry, said there’s no “question of reference to the foreigners tribunals or sending anybody to detention camps based on this draft”. He warned that “anybody creating mischief will be sternly dealt with”. Assemblies of

five or more people have been banned across Assam over the past few days. Soldiers stood guard at government offices where thousands queued up to check their names on the NRC. Habibur Rahman said in Sonitpur, about 200km east of Guwahati, that four of his family members did not figure on the list. “I’m surprised....I had submitted all requisite documents,” he said. “People who don’t find their names in the complete draft have the legal right to apply again by filing claims between August 30 and September 28,” Sailesh said. “Starting August 7, they will be able to know the reasons for non-inclusion by visiting the NRC Seva Kendras and enquiring from the local registrar of citizens registration.” But Nur Banu, 45, whose family of six was missing from the list, said: “Although we have been told we can apply again, we are worried about our future.” Samir Das, a Bengali-speaking businessman in Hojai, said he and his family had not been listed. “We are genuine Indian citizens, and maybe there were some technical problems,” he said. “We will apply once

Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is considering inviting the leaders of the SAARC countries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his oath taking ceremony as the premier next month, a party official said today. The PTI, led by 65-year-old Khan, has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly after the July 25 elections, but it is still short of numbers to form the government on its own. Khan yesterday said that he would take oath as prime minister on August 11. “The core committee of Tehreek-i-Insaf is considering inviting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) heads including Mr Modi and a decision on this is expected shortly,” a leader of Khan’s party told PTI. He also termed Modi’s telephone call to Khan on his victory in the 2018 polls a welcoming sign to begin a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Spokesperson for Khan’s party Fawad Chaudhry also did not rule out inviting Modi to the swearing in ceremony. “A decision about it will be taken by the party in consultation with the foreign ministry in coming days,” he said. Modi yesterday telephoned Khan to congratulate him on his party’s victory in the general elections and hoped that “Pakistan and India will work to open a new chapter in bilateral ties”. Khan thanked Modi for his wishes and emphasised that disputes should be resolved through dialogue. “Wars and bloodshed instead of resolving disputes lead to tragedies,” Khan had said. Khan in his victory speech had also said that better relations between Pakistan and India would be “good for all of us”. “If India’s leadership is ready, we are ready to improve ties with India. If you take on step forward we will take two steps forward,” he had said. The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2014. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Modi’s oath taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday. The India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place. The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016 and India’s surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April last year further deteriorated bilateral ties. The two sides often accuse each other of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, resulting in civilian casualties.

again.” NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela said the decision on the eligibility of four categories of people, numbering 2.48 lakh, had been kept on hold. He said these were D (doubtful) voters, their descendants, people whose cases or references (by police) were pending at the foreigners tribunals, and their descendants. Sailesh, asked whether anyone who figures on the final draft could be excluded from the final list, said they could. People can file objections against anyone they think is wrongly included in the final draft. A first draft containing 1.9 crore names had been published on December 31 last year. Asked how many names from the first draft were deleted from the final draft, Sailesh said the figure would be provided in due course. On July 2, the Supreme Court had accepted a plea from Hajela to exclude 1.5 lakh people who had been included in the first draft but were later found ineligible. Hajela left for Delhi on Monday evening for Tuesday’s apex court hearing of the NRC case. Some critics see the citizenship test as a measure sup-

ported by the BJP, which rules at the Centre and in Assam, to drive out Muslims. The BJP denies any bias, saying it opposes the appeasement of any community. Assam has been racked by sectarian violence over the years with residents, including tribal

groups, clashing with both Hindu and Muslim settlers, whom they accuse of plundering resources and taking away jobs. Over 2,000 Bengali Muslims were massacred by raiders in Nellie, central Assam, in 1983. —The Telegraph

No need to panic, home minister Rajnath Singh says

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the draft National Register of Citizens for Assam is completely “impartial” and those whose names are not included should not panic as they will get an opportunity to prove their Indian citizenship. The draft NRC published on Monday leaves out 40 lakh residents. ”No coercive action will be taken against anyone. Hence, there is no need for anyone to panic. This is a draft and not the final list,” he told reporters here. Even someone whose name is not in the final list can approach the foreigners tribunal, Singh said. ”Some people are unnecessarily trying to create an atmosphere of fear. I want to assure all that there is no need for any apprehension or fear. Some misinformation is also being spread. The NRC process has been done impartially,” he said. Singh said some people may not have been able to submit necessary documents and they will get full opportunity through the claims and objections process. The NRC is a list of Assam’s citizens and it is being updated following a direction of the Supreme Court. The home minister said only after the disposal of claims and objections, the final NRC will be published and even after the final NRC, every person will get an opportunity to approach the foreigners tribunal. “This means that even those whose names do not figure in the final NRC will get an opportunity to approach the tribunal. There is no question of any coercive action against anyone,” he said. The home minister said the NRC process is being carried out with complete fairness and transparency and it has been monitored by the Supreme Court.

PAGE 18 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Art Museum Kannappan Art Museum will be open for public Tuesday 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM, Saturday 10AM to 2 PM, Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Address: 2341 N. Galveston Ave, Pearland, TX 77581.

Sri Meenakshi Temple 3-Aug Fri 7PM Bhagavathi Seva 10-Aug Fri 7PM Aadi Sukravara Ashtalakshmi Deepa Puja 13-Aug Mon 6:30PM Aadi Pooram, Meenakshi and Andal Abhishekam 16-Aug to 19-Aug Thu-Sun Sri Nava Chandi Maha Homam 24-Aug Fri 7PM Varalakshmi Vratham 25-Aug Sat 10AM Onam 26-Aug Sun 7AM Rig Yajur Upakarma Aavani Avi`am 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. 7 Divine Laws for Happiness & FulďŹ llment and Ram Katha Rahasya by Pujya Swami Mukundananda Swami Mukundananda, a worldrenowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation will have Free program on 7 Divine Laws BUY

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Classes in Houston, Mission Bend, & Sugar Land

pm. 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 Summer schedule Both BalaVihar and adult classes will remain closed from May 27th to September 8th. Classes will resume on Sunday, September 9th. New member registration for Bala Vihar will be conducted in Chinmaya Smrti Hall on SUNDAY, August 12th from 2 PM to 5 PM and August 19th from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon. Detailed information will be provided at the time of registration. No registrations will be done for Bala Vihar during September 2018. For more information: Visit www.chinmayahouston.org or call Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, 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 more information. 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 281-568-1690 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 832-744-4166. 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 7-8pm and meditation from 8-9pm. Every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only. Every Saturday, there is Yoga Class from 9-10am and Meditation from 1010.30am. Ist & 3rd Sundays, there is Gyanshala Classes for Kids ages 4-14yrs. from 10-12:15pm followed by Lunch. 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 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; 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) 281-451-8238. Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar. Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. We urge you to make a special eort to join our Sunday services regularly with your family & friends. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by delicious prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am. Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oer Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 • PAGE 19

RELIGION/PHILOSOPHY

The process of finding a Guru

By Swami Mukundananda There is a saying in Hindi: “Pani piyo chhanake, guru banao janake” “Drink water only after filtering it; make a Guru only after carefully knowing him.” We must not accept anyone as our Guru, merely because of a friend’s suggestion; we must ourselves recognize someone as a true Guru, and only then should we surrender to him. However, just as it is not possible for a Grade One student to evaluate the capability of a college teacher, similarly, it is not easy to recognize a Guru, who is a Divine Personality, while we are only beginning the path of spirituality. Yet, there are certain characteristics that provide helpful indications: 1.The true Guru’s words are very impacting. Although we may have heard and read the same knowledge many times without being moved, when we hear it from the mouth of a God-realized Saint, the words change us from within. The reason for this is that the Sadguru does not merely elucidate what he has read in books; he explains from the depths of personal realization. 2. Whatever doubts we have on the spiritual path, if we place them before the Guru, he or she can easily dispel our confusions. A mere theoretical scholar of the scriptures cannot do this. However, the Sadguru possesses realized knowledge,

for he or she has seen the Truth, and is able to reveal it with the benefit of experience to sincere seekers. 3. A true Guru does not give his or her disciple material allurements. Rather, he teaches his followers that the world is not the goal. Nowadays, many so-called saints claim to have a magic formula for removing all the material miseries and bestowing money, wealth, prestige, etc. Allured by such false statements, people flock to them in thousands. We must beware of such imposters who have not yet even understood that detachment from the world, and not material attainments, is the goal of spiritual life. 4. If we associate with a true Guru, we will naturally find ourselves getting attached to God and detached from the world. 5. The above points are all helpful in recognizing a Saint, but the strongest indication will come from God Himself. The Lord is seated in our hearts, and when He sees that we have a sincere desire to meet Him, He will guide us to a true Guru and create faith in Him. And when the inspiration comes from God, we will know it by its intensity; our heart will urge us that we have found the Guru we were looking for. Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation. He is the founder of the

unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul. He received His degrees in Engineering and Management from IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Kolkata). Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. For the last 3 decades, Swamiji has been inspiring people all over the world, on the path of Spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society and God-realization. He has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle etc. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Kellogg and Duke University. Swami Mukundananda will have two Free Week long programs in Houston. The first program is on 7 Divine Laws for Happiness & Fulfillment at India House at 8888 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77031 from August 4th(Sat) – 10th(Fri). The Second Program is on Ram Katha Rahasya at Hindu Worship Society, 2223 Wirtcrest Lane, Houston, TX 77055 from August 11th (Sat) -17th (Fri). Admission is Free & Prasadam is served on all days after program. Visit http://www.jkyog.org/ events for free registration or call 281-630-5982/832-3776070/281-782-7345 or email: houstonjkyog@gmail.com

Order on divine portraits awaits redemption Even 50 years after the C.N. Annadurai government took an

initiative to ensure that no pictures or idols of gods and goddesses (including saints, messiahs etc) are displayed by employees in government offices, the circular is implemented more in breach even at the Secretariat complex in Fort St. George, the seat of power. On July 18, 1968, the Chief Secretary had issued a circular (dated April that year) advising the Heads of Departments to ensure that the pictures/idols of gods are “removed gradually and unostentatiously” in view of the “secular nature” of the State. The Chief Secretary had then told journalists that the circular was issued following a representation received from members of the Self Respect Movement to the Congress-led government in 1966. Subsequently, the Jayalalithaa government had issued a G.O. in 1993 amending the ‘Tamil Nadu Office Manual’, prohibiting the practice of worship by government staff at offices. There have also been public interest litigations in the Madras High Court seeking to implement the circular and the G.O. However, a visit to the Secretariat shows that portraits of a pantheon of gods and goddesses continue to adorn many offices. Religious structures are also a common sight. The employees who have these portraits offer worship at their cubicles on a daily basis. Asked about this, Minister for Personnel and Administrative Reforms D. Jayakumar said the government was secular and its functions would be secular too. “If the spirit of the G.O. is understood and honoured by employees, it would be good. But we respect the sentiments of the employees too,” he contended. DMK principal secretary Duraimurugan said that though the intention of successive governments had been secular, religious groups had urged for some concessions and it led to the dilution of the objective. “What happens is that one religious group wants a prayer hall in the office premises. And once the government gives in, another group wants something and the government cannot deny,” he explained. Only a strong and imposing personality in the government could ensure that the spirit of the G.O. was maintained, pointed out Mr. Duraimurugan. “The leader should be such that the people should understand the intention of the government. Else, it would not work out,” he added. Dravidar Kazhagam’s propaganda secretary A. Arulmozhi said that some believers among government employees had made use of office spaces for worship. Ideally, there shouldn’t be any portrait of Gods, and even the number of religion-related holidays must be equal among all religions to maintain neutrality, she said.

Life comes from life; Does matter come from matter or life? Mind or consciousness determines being or that something is. This is of fundamental importance. Two principles fundamental to science proper are: (1) life comes from life, (2) matter comes from life. Many are ready to accept the first, because it is experienced directly in actually observed nature and therefore must be the only scientific conclusion that is based on experience. The claim of materialism is that life and everything else comes from matter, is merely dogma because it is never observed and attempts to create life from chemicals has never succeed as well as there being no explanation of how such aggregation of matter could produce a living organism that is so different from anything inorganic. Once we understand that mind determines the being of something, then we can also understand the second principle of how matter comes from life. In other words, being is established only because there is a consciousness or mind to say or refer to something as being. When being is presumed to be matter [i.e that which exists without mind or consciuosness] such a concept must be a product of mind itself. In

this way we can say that matter comes from mind/life. While properly understanding this important and essential relation between mind and being we are intrinsically driven beyond mere being because we know being is first of all a ‘mere’ quality, something that is intrinsic to all somethings, and therefore is so completely general it tells us nothing specific. Everything is - but that really tells us absolutely nothing about ‘everything.’ Thus it is said: that which tells us about everything tells us about nothing. My favorite word that supposedly tells us everything is ‘evolution.’ The claim is that ‘everything evolves.’ Bit when such evolutionists are asked to explain the particulars they fall all silent. Another such word is “information.’ There are those who claim everything is information. But we want to know the particulars. We have mentioned thus far in our discussion that ‘being’ is itself known to mind, but is that knowledge conveyed to us by the term information? To make this perfectly clear [hopefully] the word “zoo’ or ‘zoology’ contains all the animals implicitly within it, but does it explain or express

anything about lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, and so on? We want the details with which we can comprehend a system or science. If mind determines the being, does it get information about the object directly or through senses? If it’s directly, then what role do the senses play? If it gets it through senses, is it again through the brain or is there a direct sense-mind connection? In order to answer this question, let’s look at the mind-object relation itself. In this first instance we are considering the mind operating behind the senses on an object in front of the senses, so to speak. The senses refer to eye, ear, nose, tongue, touch - it is not limited to the only the eye which is just one of the senses. Another way of understanding this is to say that we are dealing with the mind at the level of sense perception, because the senses are sentient - we are speaking of the experience at the level of the senses. But we note, although they are intimately related, that there is a difference between the sense organs and the mind. So we consider the senses as the detectors and the mind as determining exactly what has been detected. The senses

don’t make that determination. The mind determines or thinks. The senses are stimulated by their objects, the mind determines how to interpret that stimulation. The first determination of the mind at the level of the senses is that the object is. This being of the object, however, is a ‘mere’ - too much of an abstract generality. The object doesn’t show itself, or reveal itself to the senses and their background mind or consciousness, as a mere being but displays other features such as color, texture, fragrance and so on. Thus the eye detects color, the nose the fragrance, and the touch the texture. These are all inputs that the mind has to organize, unify, and deal with in a way that the senses themselves cannot do. Especially important to note here is that the mind takes the manifold input from the various senses and has to unify them as belonging to and inhering in one object. This is a very important and amazing feat that the mind has to accomplish because what it is doing is posing a manifold of properties in one thing. In other words, it is constituting what is in reality a contradiction of many-in-one.

Thus, for example, the mind establishes the sugar cube is white, crystalline, sweet, and hard, a multiplicity of properties, simultaneously existing in one and the same place of the object. To understand what the mind has to do in order to perform this complex procedure takes a little contemplation. Besides determining the being of the object the mind also has to establish the unity of the object, i.e. the unity in difference of the properties of the object. This activity of unifying the different inputs of the various senses in the being of one object is a very fundamental function of the mind that occurs constantly within us yet is something of which we are totally unaware or unconscious. Kant, who made a scientific study of the mind and its relation to sense perception, following Aristotle who had long before studied this subject in his development of the categories, enunciated twelve categories or functions of the mind that are essential to any determinations of mind in relation to the objects of sense. Unity or unifying the inputs of the senses in one object is, of course, a fundamentally important one. B. Madhava Puri Sadhu Sanga

PAGE 20 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 1, 2018

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