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Friday, January 17 2014 | Vol. 33, No. 03

Indo American erican News

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Soaring ! MAKAR SANKRANTI

A Raja

Keeps His Vows

Movie Review

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

P21

January 17, 2014

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COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

A Beautiful Day for Kite Flying, Picnicking and Demonstrating Support

Photos: Bijay Dixit

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for getting out after the cold, hard freeze of the weeks before had made everyone huddle indoors for days on end. It made you wonder at the magic of Makar Sankranti – that actually marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) and heralds the arrival of Spring in India. It is one of the few Indian festivals which fall at the same date in the Gregorian Calendar every year: January 14, with a few exceptions. So on this auspicious day, Hindus all over celebrate the “holy phase of transition”, with events that draw them outdoors, especially as it is still breezy enough to make kites soar. And soar they did at George Bush Park on Harris County’s extreme

western edge, as an estimated 4,500 people came to not only enjoy the kites but participate in camaraderie at a free event orchestrated by the Hindus of Greater Houston, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Gujarati Samaj of Houston,

which provided the traditional masala khhichdi (spicy rice and lentil gruel) that is eaten to mark Makar Sankranti. Volunteers from Ekal Vidyalaya gave out free tea. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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January 17, 2014

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COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

JVB Play on Harishchandra Shows How Devotion to the Truth Will Set You Free

Participants, attendees and organizers on Saturday, January 11, at the Cullen Auditorium of the University of Houston when the Jain Vishwa Bharati Preksha Meditation Center of Houston unveiled its latest stage production, Raja Harishchandra. Photo: Biyani Photography its latest stage production empha- after a Jain and lastly Acharya of dra is the fourth in a series of plays BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: As the play “Raja sizing the benefits of a virtuous Tarapanth Congregation” and the that the JVB Houston has presentHarishchandra” ended last Satur- life steeped in piety and concern Anuvrats Code of Conduct were ed over the past five years, all with day night, the depth of the produc- for the Brotherhood of Man and flashed onscreen to a full audito- a common theme of embracing the tion and the actors left many ex- the environment we live in, all rium as the Samanijis chanted the equanimity and awareness in one’s hilarated at the amazing range of central tenets of the Jain faith. invocation sholuks and explained daily life in order to conquer the The play, “Raja Harishchandra” more about the Acharya’s life. cause of human suffering. Added talent that exists among the amaA book on his life was also given with the other plays – Nal-Damamarked not only the fifth such stage teurs in the community. After the plays produced by various com- production for the local branch of away in the lobby before the start yanti (2010), Chandanbala (2009) munity organizations over the past the JVB but also the Birth Centen- of the event, as well as a souvenir and Maha Sati Anjana (2008) – this few years, and the rising crop of nial celebration of Acharya Tulsi, that explained more about his life’s showed the evolution of the people singers, musicians, dancers, actors, regarded by the faithful as a true work, the play and the power of behind the productions, especially producers and directors that have visionary and transformational truth through many articles writ- producer Nikhil Jain and director been nurtured in the midst, Hous- leader of humanity and the JVB. ten by various Samanijis. The sou- Hemant Bhavsar who have develIn his honor, a short slide pre- venir also expanded on the evolu- oped great skills at staging plays. ton has solidified its reputation for sentation and narration by the tion of the Houston JVB with a This latest production included a being a Mecca of talented Indo Americans in the performing arts. Samanijis Parimal Pragyaji and couple of articles by young kids cast of over 100, fourteen scene And it was all on display this Vikas Pragyaji before the play and surprisingly an essay by Sam changes, multiple props and cospast Saturday, January 11, at the focused on his guiding principles Torabi who owns a business next tumes and complicated sound, Cullen Auditorium of the Uni- and the humility of this revered door to the Center and has experi- video, music and light controls. “The whole cast practiced for versity of Houston when the Jain soul. His famous quote, “First enced personal transformation and four months at the JVB hall”, exfeels enriched through his associaVishwa Bharati Preksha Medita- and foremost, I am a human beplained the radiant Meena Datt, tion and attendance at the Center. tion Center of Houston unveiled ing, then a spiritual being, thereThis latest play, beloved and iconic hostess of the Raja Harishchan- long running and Music of India

radio program. She introduced the event and as expected, delivered a clever joke, which she said summarized the impeccable character of the JVB Chairman, Swtantra Jain, who strives to stay out of the limelight, even though he has worked tirelessly to make the Center a hub of activity. He also had a cameo role in the play. The story of Raja Harishchandra is well known to many kids in India, not so to those born overseas, and even so, the story is not often told onstage so the play was eagerly received by the audience as each scene unfolded. In Hindu texts, Harishchandra is the 36th king of the Solar Dynasty. He is renowned for his piety and justice and adherence to two qualities: keeping his word and never going back on his promise and never telling a lie. Raja Harishchandra is the central figure of some legends of the Mahabharata and the Markandeya Purana. As the legend goes, Harishchandra kills a deer that belongs to the great sage Vishwamitra, who demands restitution. Harishchandra offers his kingdom and when the sage comes to collect, he asks for an additional 1,000 gold coins as Dakshina (honorarium) to be repaid in a month as Harishchandra has no money after losing his kingdom. His dutiful wife Taramati and son Rohit follow him to Kashi where she is first sold off for 500 pieces to a Brahmin Grihastha as a servant for his domineering wife. Then Harishchandra himself is sold for the rest of the amount to a guard at the cremation ground to collect taxes for bodies to be cremated. One day, Rohit goes to the jungle to forage for food when he is bitten by a snake and dies. His grief SEE PHOTO COLLAGE ON PG 15 CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

Salt Lake City Entrepreneur Donates to U of Michigan and Builds Houston Roots

From left: Dr. Dinesh and Kalpana Patel with Vijay and Ashok Dhingra.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: By the time most people read this, the engagement ceremony of Abhishek Dhingra to Avni Patel would have been over, since it is this Saturday, January 18. But in forging this alliance of love, the young couple has realized a connection between Salt Lake City, Utah and Houston, Texas that would have been hard to imagine for their parents years earlier. It turns out that the two sets of parents are in the life sciences business, with Ashok and Vijay Dhingra’s firm Expotech distributing laboratory, chemical and industrial equipment and supplies globally while Dr. Dinesh Patel, along with his wife Kalpana, cofounded TheraTech, a leading drug delivery company based in Salt Lake City with proprietary technologies that was acquired in

India House and Harris Health System cordially invite you to join the celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony of the

1999 by Watson Pharmaceuticals. Just this past week, Dr. Patel was lauded when he made a generous $1 million commitment to his alma mater, the University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy to fully fund the Chottubhai and Savitaben Patel Fellowships, established in 2005 by Patel and his brothers in honor of their parents. Patel received his PhD in 1979 and later in 2009 received the College’s Alumni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award and most recently was honored with BioUtah’s 2013 Utah Life Science Award. Patel’s gift to the University will directly support graduate students at the College. As a prominent entrepreneur and business leader in Utah, Patel has founded or co-founded multiple Utah life science companies. He was the founder and CEO of TheraTech, now a major Utah division of Actavis and a co-founding managing director of vSpring Capital, which has invested in many Utah-based life science companies, and supported more than 20 other companies as an angel investor. Patel is considered to be the father of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in the Mountain West region. He currently holds 15 US Patents and Foreign Counterparts and serves on several non-profit boards. Born in Gujarat, his family moved to Zambia and later moved to Utah to take up a job but soon decided to go into business himself. The Dhingras are from Delhi and have been in the Bayou City for over 40 years. Both sides are delighted at the connection made between the two families, thanks to their children.

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January 17, 2014

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COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

IACF Forms New Executive Committee

HOUSTON: The Indo American Charity Foundation is starting of the New Year with several new Board members and a new Executive Committee, it was reported this past week. The new officers for 2014 are (from left) Neeta Balsaver, Treasurer; Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala, President; Dr. Kamala Raghavan, Incoming President for 2015; and Dr. Vanitha Pothuri, Secretary. Outgoing President Murthy Divakaruni was not available for the picture. “We have many hands-on initiatives planned for this year in partnership with

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COMMUNITY

BY JAGAN ANNAMALAI HOUSTON: The Greater Houston Tamil Community celebrated New Year with a splendid event on Saturday, Jan 4 at the Seven Lakes High School in Katy. The response was overwhelming and more than 600 people from Katy, Houston, Pearland, Sugarland and Cypress joined the celebrations. The guests arrived in beautiful ethnic wear and were all invited at the entrance by kids with the traditional santhanam (sandalwood), kalkandu (sugar candy), kunkumam (vermilion) and panneer (rose water). The event started off with Tamil Thai Vazhthu and was followed by a dazzling array of programs by the kids and adults. The songs, dances and music delighted the audience. A video of Katy Tamil School kids wishing everyone a happy new year was well appreciated. There was also a valuable message by Dr. Gopal Krishnan, President of Greater Houston Tamil School. He explained how language adds civility to humans and how learning Tamil is important to preserve our culture, values and history. He also announced, to great applause, the opening of a new Tamil school branch in the Westheimer / Wilcrest area and requested the continuing support of

January 17, 2014

Greater Houston Tamil Community Celebrates New Year in Style

parents for Tamil school. The highlight of the evening was the music performance by the popular Houston Ragas band. Led by their lead singers Ragavan Vaidyanathan, Ganesh Rajamani and Karthika Mahadevan, the band performed a medley of popular songs, both old and new. Upcoming young talents were also given opportunities to perform. Inspired

by the music, several people were seen dancing on the floors! The comperes, Raman Chockalingam, Roopa Thiagarajan and Priya Muralidharan, kept the audience engaged throughout the programs. The technical team, led by Balaji Lakshmanan, Peri Periyasamy and Senthil Varadappan, expertly handled the audio and video systems.

Long buffet lines were seen for the delicious dinner catered by Bombay to Beijing. The event provided a great opportunity for everyone to socialize with their friends and also to make new friends. The event was graciously sponsored by Vishala Grocery, Prudential Insurance, Colony Builders, Camelotis, Sari Sapne, Bombay

Bazaar, BKM and more. Some of the sponsors had setup booths and provided an opportunity to shop. Women, in particular, were seen milling around the garment booth! A vote of thanks was given by Chandrasekar Dev and Kuppu Ramasamy. Volunteers who had worked tirelessly for several weeks were called on to the stage. The sponsors, Houston Ragas, KISD, Bombay to Beijing, volunteers and participants were all thanked for their efforts in making the event a great success. The event was brought to a close with the band belting out some more popular songs. In the end, everyone was left happy and yearning to come back for more. To be invited for future events, please send request to Katy Tamil Friends facebook group. For further details on Greater Houston Tamil School, visit www. houstontamilschools.org.

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10 January 17, 2014

COMMUNITY

Touching the Lives of Many: Life as an Entrepreneur

BY SAJI PULLAD HOUSTON: In 2012, Cenil George, an Indian American entrepreneur living in Houston decided to give back to the less fortunate and with the help of some friends, took a dozen giant teddy bears to the Texas Children’s Hospital. The bears were distributed to terminally ill patients with diseases such as leukemia and other cancers. Attached was an inspirational bible verse found in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” “You can imagine being 8 years old with terminal cancer and being completely scared; the bears were a reassurance that they are not alone” says Cenil. Soon after while attending his home church of Lakewood, the Lord had put in his heart to reach out and do something for the country of Kenya. A friend of Cenil met some lakewood members who have a grandmother in Kenya named Mama James. Lakewood church has many missions projects and one of them focuses on Kenya. However, flying to Kenya would be very expensive. At that time, a well connected friend of Cenil offered him an airline pass to fly the world for free. The project God gave to Cenil was called “ransom for many” because Jesus Christ became the ransom for all humanity. The project provided 2 suitcases full of t-shirts plus several soccer balls that were distributed to local Kenyans at the famous Tenwek hospital. There were two routes to get to the clinic, one route took seven hours and the other took 3 hours. On the morning of the trip, Mama James accidentally took him on the 7 hour route and soon after they came across an orphanage and decided to bless the children living there. Taking the 3 hour route home, he soon realized that it was a barren area with no residents and he would have missed the orphanage completely and missed the purpose of where he was supposed to go. His life changed that day knowing that God was in total control of his steps. In addition to his car dealership and real estate business, he also studies hotel management and frequently travels the world every month. Cenil George is the youngest son of George Abraham and Sosamma George. When asked about his future plans, he says “ God is my pilot; I just ride shotgun (passenger seat).” In 2014 he plans to do more mission trips around the world to help the less fortunate and those in need. INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

IACCGH Presents New Board at Reception Honoring Durga Agrawal

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From left: Sanjay Ramabhadran, Harris County Judge, Ed Emmett, Dr. Durga Das Agrawal, Pankaj Dhume and Jagdip Ahluwalia.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: With the New Year barely getting into stride, the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston wasted no time in holding its first function to announce its new President and Board, while also taking the occasion to honor the efforts of its first President, Dr. Durga Das Agrawal. The reception held over dinner at the HESS Building near the Gelleria drew a full house of 200 people who responded to the invitation and included many politicians from the area as well as prominent community business owners. Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia recognized many of them and then turned to introduce Harris County Judge, Ed Emmett, a great friend of the Indian community and a close neighbor of the Agrawals. Emmett jestingly recalled the invitation he received from Ahluwalia to “felicitate” Agrawal and how he was confused by what that was supposed to mean. “The truth is that Durga felicitates our entire community”, he said, “by being a pillar, an outstanding businessman, a public servant and having a wonderful family. Most importantly, he is always smiling”, Emmett added. Slightly taken aback by the outpouring of platitudes, the usually reserved Agrawal who prefers to work behind the scenes thanked the IACCGH for the honor. He has been a force in several community

organizations, but has devoted his efforts mostly to establishing the Chamber and India House, along with his friend, the cardiologist Dr. Virendra K. Mathur. “I have been in the piping business for 38 years”, he said of his company Piping Technology and Products on the South Loop, “and networking helps”! Agrawal spoke about his recent appointment to the Board of Regents of the University of Houston and the challenges that UH has responded to and overcome to become a Carnegie-Recognized Tier One university. He commented on the progress that UH has made under the helm of President and Chancellor Renu Khator and the goals for the future. In closing, Agrawal turned to promote the India House Doctor’s Clinic which has recently announced the opening of the Sareen Harris Health Clinic through the generous $250,000 donation from Bal and Rita Sareen and the partnership with Harris County Hospital District, now known as Harris Health, which donated the equipment. It will be the second diagnostic clinic in the county. Outgoing Chamber President Pankaj Dhume spoke about “the phenomenal work we did last year, with an average of two events a month” and noted with a tinge of sadness that his year was over when turning the baton over to incoming President Sanjay Ramabhadran. He acknowledged the

wholehearted support of his wife Asha and Director Jagdip Ahluwalia in making his year successful. Ramabhadran acknowledged the changing of guard and said that “growth happens because of you all”. He recognized faces in the crowd including Pradeep Anand who was one of the architects of the recent successful IIT Global Convention (Anand briefly spoke at the podium) as its President Witty Bindra listened from the audience. Ramabhadran presented his Board of Directors and the 2015 PresidentElect Ashok Garg, and then outlined some programs planned for the year ahead. The reception ended with some closing remarks from 2012 President Ajit Thakur in his trademark jovial and witty way who recalled the first Trade Delegation to India that he went on in 2003 with the Chamber.

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12 January 17, 2014 COMMUNITY First Ever Hindu Dharma Emblem for Boy Scouts

Troop 38 Dharma Group Award Ceremony: Participants from left, ﬁrst row: Teacher Priti Parikh, Dhavan Dayananda, Amol Perubhatla, Som Radia, Siddarth Mohan, Bijon Radia, Kishan Dayananda and Group Coordinator Bimal Radia, second row: Namratha Perubhatla, Jay Mehta, Vineel Kodikanti, Akash Mehta and Anish Sankhavaram.

HOUSTON: Boy Scouts Troop 38 from Sugar Land, recently initiated a Religious Emblem program for all scouts in the troop. One of the tenets of Boy Scouts is that “a scout is reverent”. As a part of this program, 12 scouts from Troop 38 and 4 scouts from Troop 616 completed their Hindu Emblem Merit Badge under the guidance of NAHA (North American Hindu Association). They received their “Dharma Award” after completing the detailed coursework prescribed by NAHA. Bimal Radia, the Group Coordinator from Troop 38, got in touch with NAHA and formed the group of scouts who were interested in this program. Jon Sturgis (Scoutmaster for Troop 38) and Carl Sedita (ASM for Troop 38) initiated this program for both the troops. This is the first time this program was offered by Boy Scouts Troop 38 and Troop 616. It was the second largest Dharma Award group in the USA according to NAHA. As a part of the program, NAHA required that a traditional teacher (Dharma Bhakta) be appointed to teach the scouts their coursework designed and provided by NAHA. So, Radia approached acharya Shree Gaurangbhai Nanavaty of Chinmaya Mission of Houston, for guidance.

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Pujya Gaurangbhai appointed Priti Parikh (the Dharma Bhakta) to teach the scouts as she has over 20 years of experience teaching religious scriptures to students. The course was conducted over two months of summer and included weekly instruction, homework, puja and field trips. Finally, all their work was graded by NAHA and approved for the Dharma Award. The following scouts earned their Merit Badge as a part of the program: 1. Bijon B. Radia 2. Som B. Radia 3. Amol Perubhatla 4. Ajith Sundarraj 5. Srisha Sundarraj 6. Kishan Dayananda 7. Dhavan Dayananda 8. Vineel Kodikanti 9. Vishu Kodikanti 10. Akash Mehta 11. Anish Sankhavaram 12. Siddarth Mohan 13. Jay Mehta 14. Anuj Mehta 15. Karthik Talwar 16. Christian Banziger 17. Yash Rahurkar 18. Arvind Ramachandran

Carl Sedita, ASM Troop 38, introduces Bimal Radia and Priti Parikh for Dharma Award distribution to the Boy Scouts of Troop 38. From left: Priti Parikh, Bimal Radia, and Carl Sedita.

Dharma Group Scouts with the Teacher Priti Parikh, at the Saumyakashi Sivalaya for conducting 16-step Puja ceremony with the priest.

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COMMUNITY

January 17, 2014

Sewa Honors Volunteers and Community Partners

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From left: Bhakti Sharma, Laura Frye, Dr. Kiran Bhatia, Alexis Angelo, Aneel Bhimani Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: The Sewa Houston community gathered together the evening of Friday, January 10 to honor some of Sewa’s most dedicated volunteers and community partners. Volunteers are the lifeline of Sewa International, and as such, Sewa’s volunteer base is truly appreciated for their continuous support and efforts in strengthening the organization and assisting the Houston community.

The evening’s program was led by two of Sewa Houston’s newest members, AmeriCorps Volunteers, Alexis Angelo and Laura Frye. President Saroj Gupta began the festivities by sharing her gratitude with all of Sewa’s devoted volunteers. Through the efforts of volunteers Sewa has expanded its four program verticals, namely: Refugee Empowerment, Family Services,

Get Inspired Houston, and Sewa Local Events. Ganesh Raghu spoke about community outreach involved in the Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment program and the great success in Screen Printing classes that were established in the Los Arcos Apartments as a means for skill development. Sewa’s AmeriCorps VISTA team Aneel Bhimani, Bhakti Sharma, Laura

Frye, and Alexis Angelo spoke about the expansion of Sewa’s youth programming into Alief Independent School District’s Language Institute for Newcomers program and future goals for outreach in the Alief area. Ritesh Seal and Kunal Deshmukh reported Sewa’s successes in helping to plan the De Ghuma Ke Cricket Tournament in October 2013 which raised $15,000 for Uttarakhand flood relief. Sewa President, Saroj Gupta, and Arun Kankani Spoke about the development of the Sewa Family Services Program, which has grown tremendously in the past year and is expanding to include a Stop Diabetes Movement in 2014. Finally, Kavita Tewary spoke to the audience about Local Sewa Events and the great work that the high school volunteers have been able to accomplish in the last year, which led to Sewa being awarded the Jefferson Award for Public Service by the Mayor’s Office. Sewa honored some of their community partners who were instrumental in Sewa’s growth over the past year. These partners included: Gujarati Samaj, Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program, Ibn Sina Foundation, Star Plus Dental, Alief ISD’s Language Institute for Newcomers program. Sewa also recognized Dal Bahadur Darlami, a dedicated participant in the Skill Building Program at Los Arcos Apartments. Each of these awards was presented by Sewa’s special guests: Ramesh Bhutada, Arun Verma, Surrend and Lalita Trehan, Vijay Pallod, and Subhash Gupta. The evening’s program was followed by a dinner catered by Madras Pavilion.

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14 January 17, 2014 JVB Play on Harishchandra CONTINUED FROM PAGE

stricken mother carries his body to the cremation ground and encounters Harishchandra who does not recognize her. Once she relates her life story though, Harishchandra recognizes her and though heart broken over his dead son, is dutybound and refuses to disobey his owners rule for payment before the body is lit. Taramati gives him her mangalsutra and half her sari in payment and at that time, a miracle happens and the sage Vishwamitra manifests himself at the scene and praise Harishchandra for his steadfastness. He bring Rohit back to life and, (this was not shown in the play) offer the king and queen instant places in heaven. (The remaining legend shows how Harishchandra gets his kingdom’s subjects to heaven with him and Harishchandra’s son Rohit is installed as the king, founding the town of Rohtas Garh in Bihar as

well as Rohtak Rohtagi, Rastogi and Rustagi are his descendants.) The entire drama was well depicted by amateur actors who dug deep into themselves to memorize long pages of dialogue in shudh (proper) Hindi and bring out the wide range of emotions, quite uncommon for a community play screened for just one show. Special kudos go to Vaibhav Shrivastava (Harishchandra), Dipti Kanhere (Taramati), Neer Jain (Rohit), Tapas and Vridh (Akshay Deshpande), Narad and Nakshatra (Nikhil Jain who had one of the two comic roles), Brahman and Dev (Pradip Jain, the other comic role) and Brahmani (Mukta Jain). Padmini Chari choreographed the single dance number. JVB Houston President Vivek Jain thanked them and the whole cast and crew all at the end of the play, for their hardwork and dedication.

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COMMUNITY

A Beautiful Day for Kite Flying, Picnicking and Demonstrating Support CONTINUED FROM PAGE

While most were busy frolicking around, community activists had organized a “Walk for Unity” to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and also show solidarity for building the Statue of Unity, a monument to the venerated Indian Independence Fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on a river island called Sadhu Bet in the Narmada River in Gujarat. When completed, it will the world’s tallest statue at 192 meters (597 feet) and the island will also house a visitor center, memorial garden, hotel, convention center and research institutes. About 350 demonstrators walked a loop around the parking area from the covered pavilion, shouting slogans of unity, while one of them, dressed like Sardar Patel (and bearing some resemblance to him) marched at the head. Other activists involved in the Narender Modi for Prime Minister campaign collected contacts

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January 17, 2014

Vaikunda Ekadasi and Goda Kalyanam Celebration at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Lord Narayana with Sridevi and Boodevi on Garuda vahana Photo: Kaushik G

Devotees waiting to enter Swarga Vaasal

PEARLAND: On a warm and beautiful wintery morning more than 500 devotees gathered and eagerly weaved their way in a winding queue to enter through a special door for the darshan of Lord Narayana, resplendent on the Garuda Vahana (mythical bird that is the mount of the Lord) with Sridevi (Mahalakshmi) and Bhoodevi (Mother Earth). Chants of “Govinda! Govindaa!!” rose amidst the singing of bhajans by enthusiastic devotees. The place

Photo: M.K. Sriram

was Houston’s own Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, and the occasion was the Vaikunda Ekadasi celebration on Saturday, January 11. The belief among devotees is that, Vaikunda Dwaram (or the gate to Lord’s Inner Sanctum) is opened on this day. This was symbolically represented at the temple by devotees entering the main temple through a special door which signiﬁed walking into Swarga Vaasal (the door to heaven). After taking darshan the devotees took a procession

of the magniﬁcently seated divine Lord Narayana with the divine mothers around the temple. The devotees at Sri Meenakshi Temple were treated to a second auspicious function, Goda Kalyanam, on the following morning Sunday, January 12, which coincided with the celebration of the mandalam completion of the consecration of the new Ganesh temple. The month of Marghazi from midDecember to mid-January represents a holy month in the Hindu calendar. It is believed that Sri Mahalakshmi took birth as Andal/Goda in Srivilliputtur. As one of the foremost among the 12 Alwars (great devotees of Lord Narayana), she composed the Thiruppavai (30 songs in praise of Lord Narayana) which are steeped in devotion while extolling the great Vedic philosophy at the same time. Andal’s penance undertaken this month, with the culmination of marriage to Lord Narayana as Sri Ranganatha is celebrated as Goda Kalyanam. After a brief prayer to Lord Ganesha in the new Ganesh temple, the traditional Seervarisai (offerings for the marriage) started with Andal’s Thiruppavai recitation and Nadaswaram music accompaniment in the background. All the devotees then gathered at the main temple and were enthralled to witness the holy occasion of Andal Kalyanam and to receive the celestial blessings. Prasadam prepared by volunteers, was distributed following the wedding. The Thiruppavai saying “Koodarai vellum Seer Govinda” translated as “Even for those who do not actively make the effort to seek the divine, Lord Govinda will seek out, to bless and protect them and win them over with his majesty, grace, compassion and love”, aptly describes the mood that the devotees felt on these twin celebratory occasions at Sri Meenakshi Temple. For further information visit www.emeenakshi.org.

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18 January 17, 2014 Trimurti of Promise

Three individuals will set the agenda for the general elections In Indian mythology, the Trimurti referred to the three gods of Hinduism; Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer, and Shiva the Destroyer. Here’s a thought. The triad and their titles, in many ways, have a connect to the three leaders who will set the agenda for the Lok Sabha elections next summer. Narendra Modi, recently charged by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with being a destroyer, Arvind Kejriwal, who has created a potentially gamechanging political force out of nothing, and Rahul Gandhi, who, of late, has started to establish a more substantial, sustainable image by taking a clearer stand on issues that matter to the voting public, and not just sections of it. The fact that the triumvirate who will dominate the coming polls are so different from the choices we have had in all previous elections, makes it not just a tantalising prospec but also a huge leap in terms of its potential for positive change. Kejriwal stormed Delhi’s citadels with just one key weapon: corruption. Gandhi may not yet be the official candidate but he will set the agenda for the Congress. Till recently, that agenda was largely indeterminate and ad hoc, leaving the public wondering whether he lacked a coherent vision. In the last month, he has grasped the political nettle and made it clear that his main focus will be anti-corruption, taking a leaf from Kejriwal’s book. Modi has also railed against corruption, albeit in an anti-Congress context, in all his electionrelated speeches so far. All three key players on an anti-corruption platform cannot be a bad thing for our democracy. There is also the age factor and thought process. Kejriwal is 45, Gandhi is 43, so both belong to a different generation than the current leadership in the two main parties. Modi may be 63, but he thinks out of the box and makes use of a young man’s tools, social media. Plus, he has repeatedly stressed the importance of India’s youth and the democratic dividend they offer. Kejriwal is an IIT graduate and his engineering background has given him a logical, clearsighted thought process. He may be the most unconventional leader we have, but his aim is to change politics from within, and that alone, has set him up in the eyes of many as the future hope for the country. He remains, of course, the most unpredictable of the three. It is still not clear how his party will make the leap to the national stage and retain its core electoral attraction, leanliness in politics, a rejection of traditional political culture and decentralisation of decision-making and authority. The battle is not yet joined, Modi and Gandhi come with heavy baggage, and much could change between now and the elections. But based on early evidence, the political Trimurti lording over Election 2014 will be in a position to make a positive impact on an increasingly discredited Indian polity and an economy under emergency care. Dilip Bobb in Indian Express

EDITORIAL

My Vote is Not for AAP BY TAVLEEN SINGH The bubble of euphoria that is making a disturbingly large number of Indians see the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in soft focus needs to be pierced before it is too late. And, as someone who has been wary of Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare and friends from day one, I consider it my duty to perform this task. It will make me less popular than I already am with Leftists, secularists, Stalinists, Leninists et al, but I did not become a political columnist to win a popularity contest. So the venom they spew worries me not one bit. The truth is I worry much more when they agree with something I say, and it is partly because of their unstinting support for AAP that I feel the need to start ringing alarm bells. No matter how good AAP looks at the moment, no matter how humble Kejriwal’s demeanour and how sweet the song he sang at his inaugural, we need to be very, very careful. Incidentally, the song that he said was the AAP anthem is from an old Hindi film called Paigham, and it was disingenuous of him not to mention this. I thought it had been written by AAP’s resident poet and was quite astonished when a friend pulled it up on YouTube and I spotted Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in starring roles. But, a small deception compared to the bigger deception that AAP is trying to pull off politically and economically, with the unstinting support of Leftist hacks and a caboodle of semi-retired ‘professionals’ who have leapt on the AAP bandwagon. These include bankers, businessmen, dancers and IT whiz kids, most of whom appear not to have noticed that the economic policies AAP stands for are the opposite of those they made their money from. So let’s talk about AAP’s economic vision. It is usually best expressed by Prashant Bhushan, who unfailingly makes it clear that he despises the private sector for ‘looting’ resources that in his view belong to the people of India. He forgets that this is exactly what Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira

“It will not be long before even the most gullible new voters see through the deceptions of AAP.” Gandhi believed, so they banned the private sector from most areas of enterprise and poured people’s money into the public sector. It was when public sector companies failed to make profits (except for corrupt officials) that the private sector was allowed in, but only in a small way. No matter what the losses of ‘Coalgate’ and 2G, they are minuscule compared with the losses caused by coal that burns in underground fields and the natural gas that is wasted daily because public sector companies do not have the technology to exploit it. AAP’s ideologues know that corrupt officia ls have ruined India. That is why there was the movement led by the mighty Anna Hazare for a strong Lokpal. But what is puzzling is AAP’s solution. This in one simple sentence is: we know officials can be corrupt, so we must give more power to honest officials to catch the corrupt ones. Where are these honest officials going to come from and how long will they stay honest? And, if private investment is so evil, where is the money going to come from to give the ‘aam aadmi’ free electricity, water, schools and healthcare? AAP’s political vision is so frightening that if implemented (may the gods have mercy!), it could turn India into a Stalinist police state. Citizen Kejriwal has asked every citizen of Delhi to start conducting private ‘sting’ opera-

tions on officials who ask them for a bribe or indulge in other forms of corruption. What happens then? Will there be a guillotine in Vijay Chowk to which these officials will be led or will they be tried by an already clogged justice system? And, when every citizen becomes a policeman, what happens to the rule of law? As for AAP’s more gimmicky political ideas, these have already started to die their own death. All that drama about using public transport for the inaugural at Ramlila Maidan was just drama. Because the very next day Kejriwal gave his ministers Innova cars. And, all that talk about living humbly was just talk because the chief minister is now looking for a ‘smaller’ house, but smaller than two five-bedroom houses is not exactly small. As for the new ministers, will they be living in the filthy alleys and squalid bazaars in which the ‘aam aadmi’ lives in Delhi, or will they find ‘small’ houses in more salubrious areas? It will not be long before even the most gullible new voters see through the deceptions of AAP, but it is important that the deceptions become apparent before the 2014 general elections. Recent polls indicate that Kejriwal is being seen as a more credible prime minister than Rahul Gandhi. Can you hear the sound of those alarm bells? Indian Express

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PUZZLES / RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Ghiye ke Kofte (Bottle Gourd Or Squash Dumpling Curry) The word “kofta”, meaning a dumpling ball, is actually derived from the Persian word “kuftan” which means “to beat or grind”. And as Northern India was conquered several times by the Mongols and Persians, the word for their dish of meatballs or kofte became commonly used over time. Now, the word “kofte” is not used only for meat dishes but also the vegetable balls made with besan (chickpea flour) that are then simmered in a curry. Though there are several types of vegetarian kofte, the ones that are the most tasty are the ones made with ghiya or bottle gourd squash. Ghiya is also known as lauki or dudhi and the vegetable is plentiful and quite affordable. The trick is to buy the right one: the skin should not be too white in color and also should not have a soft middle part. Choose one that is firm and the thumbnail should easily penetrate the skin. It should not be too heavy (the same applies to eggplant) as this means it has lots of seeds. Ghiya is a member of the calabash family of gourds, has a light green skin and white flesh and can be huge and round or slim and long or bottle shaped. Though it has a bland taste, if cooked with the right spices and with some ginger and chopped onions, it can be delicious with roti. Ghiye ki sabzi or sauted bottle gourd is not a dish usually found in restaurants overseas; so many young people are not exposed to it and cannot appreciate it. But ghiya is one of the fastest vegetables to cook, and the ghiya kofta – also hard to find in many restaurants – combines the taste of fried pakoras with the moistness of a flavorful curry. It is a nice diversion from dals and other curried vegetable dishes. The one problem is that others always sneak by and eat the kofte as they come out of the pan, so be sure to make extras! Ingredients: • 1 medium giya (bottle gourd or squash) • 1 cup besan (chickpea flour) • 1 medium pyaaz (onion) • Spices to taste: namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), dhania (coriander) powder,

and deep fry till they are golden brown. Let the pakoras sit on paper towels to drain the oil.

garam masala, freshly cut dhania (coriander leaves) to sprinkle at end Ingredients for curry masala: • 1. large pyaaz (onion) peeled and chopped • 4 cloves of lasan (garlic) peeled and chopped • 1 medium adrak (ginger) peeled and chopped • 1 medium tamater (tomato) chopped or 1 teaspoon tomato paste • 2 cups pani (water) Directions: 1. Peel the squash and then grate intomediumpieces.Collectthegratings and also the water that is shed. 2. Mix the besan into the grated ghiya and water. Add ½ tsp of salt, pepper and dhania and set aside. 3. In a kadai or wok add some vegetable oil and heat on high. Make one inch balls out of the batter and drop into the hot oil

5. Add the ghia pakoras, stir then turn the heat off and let them soak into the curry for 10 minutes till they start to swell up. Sprinkle the dish with garam masala and freshly chopped coriander leaves. These are best when served with hot wheat rotis.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her mid-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable Punjabi recipes.

Mrs. Malhotra would like to give free knitting classes to those who are interested. She has been an avid knitter all her life and has won praises for many of her sweaters, scarfs and other items. If enough people are interested in Knitting Classes, Mrs Malhotra will arrange for a weekly class to be taught at India House on a weekend.

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ENTERTAINMENT Movie Review: Dedh Ishqiya

BY MEENA IYER Story: A team of con men fall for a Begum and her female conﬁdante. Does their love fructify? Review: Dedh Ishqiya is a sequel to the zany 2010 black comedy Ishqiya. Like its prequel, the idiom and the setting are rural. The spoken

language is Hindi with a peppering of heavy-duty Urdu. Thank God for the English subtitles in circuits except the Hindi belt! What’s also nice is the contemporary thought woven in (with references to Iphone-5 and hamburgers in New York). So, the desi-yuppies can connect.

The plot, with many interesting twists, is about the irrepressible team of crooks, Khallu and Babban (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi respectively). When these two arrive in Mehmudabad, Naseer finds himself magnetically drawn to the local heiress, Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit Nene). And Arshad falls head over heels in love with the Begum’s aide, Muniya (Huma Qureshi). The uncle-nephew team chase their love interests and build castles in the air about sex, life and wealth. The women, Begum Para and Muniya, also have a back-story. Para is the widow of a debauched Nawab who gambled away his wealth on men and wine. Her crazy suitor, Jaan Mohammad (Vijay Raaz) wants to bail her out. In their attempt to live happily ever after, Begum and Muniya devise their own Thelma and Louise (the 1991 Hollywood flick) kind of plan. Not willing to give up, Khallu and Baban try hard to fit in. Vishal Bharadwaj’s dialogue keeps you in splits. The free usage of words like sex and chu**yapaa tickle the funny bone. Naseer is back in super-form after straying in outings like Jackpot. Ditto Arshad. Madhuri looks gorgeous but the dhak-dhak girl (now woman) falls short on the oomph meter, as compared to Vidya Balan in Ishqiya. Huma Qureshi is interesting. -Times of India

January 17, 2014

Movie Review: Yaariyan BY MADHUREETA MUKHERJEE Story: Hormonal groans and firstkiss misses. Pyjama parties and lessons in puberty. Big dreams, desires and ambition - all the stuff that youth is made of - packed in a college drama. Review: ‘Grease’ was the word. Helping hormone-rushed youngsters slide into puberty and outta tightfitting pants. ‘Yaariyan’ could have been the word. About friends, firstkisses and hot flushes. Peppered with candy-crushes and teenage desires furthest from reality. So we have Bettys and Veronicas crushing on extrasmiley Archies, all the while shaking their ‘toohs’ and ‘tees’ (beep, beep!) at beach parties. Of course, with thoda ambition, kuch-kuch competition, and mostly out-of-classroom lessons. Presenting the leads of ‘Gen-Y’. Lakshya (Himansh) the college casanova who spends all his time trying to get his first kiss with some sexy miss. Neil (Dev), the biker boy (minus hot babes), Pardi (Shreyas), the Jughead in the batch, but not hotdog enough for the gals. The plain-Jane, all-brain, Saloni (Rakul) who knows more about gigabytes than love-bytes. And the oomphy Jiya (Nicole), prowling all over this campus ‘rompus’ whipping every boy’s fantasy. Their chilled-out lives go into top gear when the principal (Grover) chooses them as the ‘Dream Team’to compete

with the Aussie students (at sports & music), to save the pride and honour of their college. Suddenly their life is faced with new challenges, newer angles and love-triangles. To add more chapters, there are dramatic maas, horny teachers and their ‘busty’ subjects. Divya’s debut film ‘Yaariyan’, a comparatively small-budget film coming from a big banner, is mounted on a large canvas with impressive production value. The star-cast is all-new and enthusiastic; and most of all the music boasts of chartbusting numbers. Himansh’s attempt is sincere, but Mr. Emoticon needs to flash his big-toothy smiley a little less. Rakul is very likeable and promising, Dev is subtle, Shreyas is good but often OTT, and Nicole fits the ‘brief’ (pun intended!). Now the lows. The story has twists and turns, but no surprises. It packs in too much variety of thought bubbles (parties, patriotism, racial discrimination) in this boarding school drama. There are emotions, but the scenes or characters don’t go deeper than the gloss, flipping quicker than their touch screen smart phones. The runtime is a tad long and songs (wellshot) one too many. ‘Yaariyan’is nothing to gush about, but the teenies can watch this one for a lark...and some yo-yo beats! -Times of India

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22 January 17, 2014

INDIA

In this Month-Long Diplomatic Spat

Devyani Loses Her Family, Indian Government its Face and Americans their Moral Fiber BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT The Indian diplomatic bravado visà-vis the United States ﬁnally ended in a whimper last week with the New York-based diplomat Devyani Khobragade quietly taking a ﬂight home leaving behind for good her entire family comprising her husband and two daughters. Unless there is a 180 degree turnabout in the current stance of the US department of state on the felony charges against Devyani, she will never ever again be able to visit the US; she is now a persona non grata, literally meaning ‘an unwelcome person’, in the United States of America. Again unless her husband and the daughters decide to permanently relocate to India, it will mean the end of family life for her. She will now never be able to reunite with her well regarded American husband and the two daughters on the US territory. If that be so, it will certainly be a heart-wrenching separation for the 39-year old Indian diplomat. Who won and who lost in this

Devyani Khobragade

diplomatic game of one-upmanship? The Indian government had put all of its prestige on getting Devyani out scot free. India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid had vowed that he would not return to Parliament if he was unable to get Devyani “out of this

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mess”. Another senior Indian minister Kamal Nath too had declared that the “US government will have to apologize and admit its mistake for the arrest”. But the US government did nothing of the sort; neither did it apologize nor did it admit its mistake for the arrest. On the contrary, it dithered until Wednesday on approving the UN accreditation to the Indian diplomat that would give her immunity from arrest and prosecution. The Manhattan prosecutor Preet Bharara’s ofﬁce duly released on Thursday afternoon a formal indictment charging Devyani with fraudulently obtaining a visa for Sangeeta Richard but did not arraign her because of the diplomatic immunity that she had received a day before. However, her indictment for felony will forever remain in force and the sword of Damocles will remain hanging on her head. She will be treated as a ‘felon’all of her life unless the American president grants her a pardon. Was it a victory for India that Devyani was eventually allowed to leave the US without going through the travails and humiliation of a trial? If it is so, then it must be a pyrrhic one. She will remain a felon in the eyes of the US Law all of her life; she will also never be given a US visa. And worse, she has lost her family, husband and the two daughters on whom she dotes. That India has expelled in retaliation an American diplomat

or withdrawn certain facilities and privileges that were being provided to the American diplomats is no consolation. And despite all of its bravado and bluster, the Indian government has certainly lost face in these month-long diplomatic skirmishes. Even if it was felony under the American law, Devyani’s ‘offence’ was just a routine thing to do in India. Many of us do that quite regularly. We pay less salary and get employees to sign receipts for higher amount; such a practice is rampant in private schools and smaller businesses. Similarly, government officials tasked with disbursing doles or old age pensions or wages under the employment guarantee schemes etc all squeeze their ‘pound of flesh’. Submission of false affidavits is an industry here but no one has ever been tried in India for perjury. Maids, nannies and cooks constitute the essential part of a diplomat’s baggage and they are invariably paid salaries much lower than those applicable in some of those advanced countries. No wonder the entire South Block and the Indian fraternity of diplomats have risen in unison in support of one of their colleagues who made the cardinal mistake of ‘getting caught’. Now there is a demand that the government of India must ‘compensate’ the diplomats to enable them to take these servants abroad as part of their baggage. And it won’t be a surprise if the government succumbs to such a pressure by men and women from the Indian Foreign Service, now united in a common cause. The Americans too are facing flak for their duplicity and double standards. Khobragade’s act is clearly an offence in American’s eyes. Thus it was very legitimate for the Manhattan prosecutor to arrest and prosecute her without showing any mercy, diplomat or no diplomat. But if an American diplomat is caught for a serious crime in another country, the US government will move heaven and hell and anything in between to get him freed. A case in point is that of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor in Pakistan who was arrested for shooting and killing two Pakistani citizens. The US government claimed that Davis carried a diplomatic passport and thus enjoyed diplomatic immunity. Everyone in

an embassy carries a diplomatic passport but not everyone enjoys diplomatic immunity. Subsequently, Pakistan’s Foreign office found that Davis’ name was included on the list of diplomats serving in Pakistan after he had committed the murders. In any case, diplomatic immunity does not extend to murders under the Vienna Convention. Using fair means or foul, the Americans eventually got their ‘man’ freed. In the American dictionary, what is sauce for the goose is not necessarily sauce for the gander. The Americans even do not believe in any kind of diplomatic reciprocity. The diplomatic facilities and privileges extended to them in many countries are far above and apart from what are given to others. “Almost every US diplomatic facility abroad is surrounded by barriers often erected on public property that violate municipal ordinances. American diplomats are allowed to board flights and exit airports through different exists than other passengers. These facilities protect US government representatives in an era of terrorist threats,” says Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States. Even though the Americans may believe in practicing egalitarianism at home, but their approach to foreign countries is two-faced. While they do not give any extra consideration or concession or show any leniency to foreign diplomats, they expect the world not only for their diplomats but also for their non-diplomatic employees. If anyAmerican government employee ever faces arrest or prosecution in a foreign country, he instantly receives overwhelming support from its embassy that will put all sorts of pressures on the home country. Thus the Americans too have not come out unscathed from this month-long diplomatic spat. Their diplomatic duplicity stands exposed and their much flaunted moral fiber severely tarnished.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Raj Kanwar is a Dehra Dun-based author and freelance journalist.

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January 17, 2014

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STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Facebook Buys Little Eye Labsin: First India Acquisition

BY APARNA GHOSH & ANIRBAN SEN BANGALORE: Social media firm FacebookInc.boughtitsfirstcompany in India, Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs that uses analysis and monitoring tools to help improve mobile apps, providing a much-needed fillip for India’s fledgling start-up ecosystem. Facebook did not disclose the deal size but technology news website Techcrunch pegs the sale at $10-15 million. Mint couldn’t independently confirm this. The Indian start-up ecosystem has struggled to catch the attention of top global technology firms, and is overshadowed by other start-ups ecosystems such as those in Israel and Chile. TheIndianstart-upindustryhasseen only a few large deals, a recent one being Naspers Ltd’s purchase of Bangalore-based bus ticketing website redBus.in last year for $135 million. Little Eye Labs was founded in May 2012 by four Bangalorebased programmers— Giridhar Murthy, Kumar Rangarajan, who is the chief executive, Satyam Kandula and Lakshman Kakkirala.

“With this acquisition, Little Eye Labs will join forces with Facebook to take its mobile development to the next level. This is Facebook’s ﬁrst acquisition of an Indian company, and we are happy to become part of such an incredible team,” Little Eye said in a blogpost on its website onWednesday. After the deal is completed, the Little Eye Labs team of seven people, including the four founders, will move to the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Little Eye will continue to build tools that help identify and ﬁx performance problems in mobile apps, as a part of Facebook’s new offerings in the mobile arena. “This has been a fun and exciting journey. We’re eager to be working alongside the incredible team at Facebook. And together, we’ll continue on our mission of building awesome analysis tools to aide in the development of brilliant apps,” Rangarajan said in a statement. Little Eye Labs is backed by investments from seed investors Venture East Fund and GSF Superangels, which have invested a combined $200,000-300,000 in the company.

The “acquisition is a transformative deal for not only the Indian startup ecosystem but also for the whole of the emerging world,” said Rajesh Sawhney, founder of GSF Accelerator. “This validates GSF’s core tenet that Indian product start-ups are now ready for a global play.” Several experts and investors said Facebook’s purchase of Little Eye Labs would open up more such deals in the fledgling Indian start-up ecosystem. “This is fantastic news for the Indian start-up ecosystem,” said Sasha Mirchandani, founder and managing director at KAE Capital, an investment firm. “Exits such as these have happened very rarely for Indian start-ups, so hopefully this will open the floodgates for more such deals.” “The cycle has to keep going. Entrepreneurs come with ideas, investors fund companies, some get going, some make it, while a few get acquired by a Google or a Facebook,” said Rutvik Doshi, an e-commerce investor with Inventus Capital Partners. “Google, FaceBook, Yahoo have been acquiring one or two companies a week for a while, but no acquisition had been made in India. This move will open up doors for India. Now companies in the Silicon Valley will say, ‘Hey. We want to acquire, let’s look at India, there are opportunities there’.” added Doshi. -Livemint.com

India Tops Emerging Markets as Investment Destination BY PRASUN SONWALKAR LONDON: India has emerged as the FTSE 100’s developing market destination of choice from the past decade,attracting$31billion(Rs1.9lakh crore) of investment across 145 deals. This is the highest among BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Overall, India was the fourth most targeted nation of Britain’s FTSE 100 share index, according to new research released on Monday by law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) statistics, from the past decade, analysed by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, offer a comprehensive picture of Britain’s leading companies’ investment trends. British companies spent $645 billion (Rs 39.68 lakh crore) across 3,967 deals globally, with more than three quarters (81%) of the investment targeting just 10 countries. The UK and US accounted for the lion’s share — more than half (51%), according to the research. Commenting on India being the FTSE 100’s top investment destination among emerging markets, Pratap Amin, chairperson of the firm’s India Group, said, “India has been more open to international investment in a range of sectors over the past decade, particularly those

that are capital-intensive and have needed international expertise.” He added, “British companies have been keen to capitalise on the opportunity and make the most of established historical, cultural and diplomatic ties. There have also been some significant strategic collaborations in key sectors which have contributed to an increasing flow of investment.” Amin said while Indian deal activity was undergoing a temporary slowdown, partly due to uncertainty over coming elections, India remained an important international destination for M&A. Examples of FTSE 100 deal activity in India include BP’s strategic collaboration with Reliance Industries, a Mumbai-based conglomerate, for $7.2 billion (more than Rs. 44,000 croreatpresentexchangerate)in2011. Edward Braham, global head of corporate at Freshfields, said, “By comparison, growth in China has been largely organic over the past decade and many international companies have gained a foothold in the region by pursuing joint venture models rather than outright acquisitions. International buyers have also faced restrictions when acquiring larger high-quality assets, which are typically state-owned.” -Hindustantimes

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24 January 17, 2014

SPORTS

Clinical Sri Lanka Defeats Pakistan by Nine Wickets for 1-0 Lead BY GEPORGE BINNY DUBAI (ESPN Cricinfo): Sri Lanka 388 (Mahela 129, Silva 95, Junaid 3-102) and 137 for 1 (Karunaratne 62*, Silva 58) beat Pakistan 165 (Manzoor 73, Pradeep 3-62, Herath 3-26) and 359 (Misbah 97, Younis 77, Sarfraz 74, Lakmal 4-78) by nine wickets It had rained for most of the night in Dubai and the floodlights were switched on to brighten a gloomy morning, but there were no alarms for Sri Lanka once play began on time on the fifth day. They won this Test of attrition by bowling clinically to polish off the Pakistan tail, and then their openers guarded against any slip-ups in a chase of 137 by playing watchfully and taking liberties only after the contest had been killed. The weather was Sri Lanka’s only concern, as clouds gathered and dispersed through the day, but there was not a drop of rain and the winning runs were scored in sunshine. The nine-wicket victory vindicated Angelo Mathews’ unprecedented decision at the toss - he was the only captain to want to bowl first in six Tests at this venue. It also added weight to the argument for batting second in Dubai: teams that did so have won four out of six matches. The pitch had been at its best for the bowlers on day one, when Sri Lanka’s attack used the considerable seam movement and bounce on offer to dismiss Pakistan for 165 and lay the groundwork for success. Over the next few days, the surface flattened out and got slower, and taking wickets called for hard toil. d had Sarfraz Ahmed replicated his resistance of the fourth evening, the chase could have got tricky. Suranga Lakmal ensured they were not frustrated, taking the remaining wickets to achieve career-best figures and dismiss Pakistan for 359. Sarfraz, who had scored his maiden Test fifty, could add only four to his overnight score of 70. Lakmal bowled him with a delivery that reverse-swung sharply from far outside off stump to find the gap between bat and pad. Saeed Ajmal and Rahat Ali added 20 runs for the ninth wicket, but Lakmal

soon got a delivery to seam away from Rahat and the batsman’s poke outside off resulted in an outside edge. Prasanna Jayawardene claimed his ninth dismissal of the match - equalling Amal Silva’s Sri Lankan record. The end came early in the second hour of the day, when Lakmal swung a yorker on to Ajmal’s boot and on to the stumps. Ajmal hobbled off in pain and did not take the field at the start of Sri Lanka’s chase. By the time Ajmal came on to bowl in the 12th over of the chase, Sri Lanka’s openers had added 23 runs. Pakistan opened with the offspinner Mohammad Hafeez and Junaid Khan, and they began the defence with three consecutive maidens. Dimuth Karunaratne then cut and drove Hafeez for two boundaries in three balls, and drove Rahat fluently down the ground. Between those shots, he and Kaushal Silva blocked solidly. There were few alarms for the openers in the short period before lunch but Sri Lanka’s run rate was just above two an over and, as clouds gathered, rain was their foremost problem. The second and final - session of the day, however, began under clearing skies. A few deliveries from Junaid Khan kept low but the slowness of the surface allowed the batsmen to play with without problems. Silva charged and hit Ajmal to long-on and pulled Junaid to deep midwicket to bring up the 50-partnership in 20.2 overs. Pakistan could have broken it minutes later but Asad Shafiq put Silva down at cover, off Ajmal. Silva scored his second fifty of the Test and Karunaratne brought up the third of his career, and their 124-run partnership was the first century stand between Sri Lanka’s openers since June 2011. Their raw openers had completed what their raw seamers had started on day one. It was Sri Lanka’s first away win since December 2011 and their first away win against Pakistan since October 2004. George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Dimuth Karunaratne plays the ball towards ﬁne leg, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Dubai, 5th day, January 12, 2014.

Das, Shetty Win National Table Tennis Titles

PATNA: “Old order changeth.” It happened on Sunday as Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das were crowned senior national table tennis champions for the first time at Patliputra Sports Complex. Mumbai lad Sanil Shetty did not give PSPB’s Harmeet Desai much leeway beating him 11-9, 11-7, 1012, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7 to win men’s singles title. Desai could not show the form that made him the winner against Achanta Sharath Kamal in the semifinal. Shetty, taking advantage of the overly defensive approach of his opponent, reeled off two consecutive games 11-9, 11-7 to take the upper hand in the final. Desai tried to stage a comeback twice (in the third and fifth game) but failed as Shetty clinched the

title. Desai was left ruing missed opportunities as an ecstatic Shetty fell on his back after securing the coveted trophy. It meant double whammy for Shetty because he had won the mixed doubles title in the morning pairing up with Neha Agarwal. They defeated Arjun Ghosh and Mousumi Pal of West Bengal 1311, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10. While Shetty had a dream day, it was dream come true for Ankita Das, the women’s singles champion. She had to settle for a semifinal spot on two previous attempts at national supremacy. This time the Olympian went one better to take on an inspired Krittwika Sinha Roy of Airport Authority of India in the final. But she did not want to miss out on the big prize this time.

Pandey, Binny In, but Yuvraj Singh Left Out

MUMBAI (ESPN Crifinfo): Ishwar Pandey, the Madhya Pradesh fast bowler, has received a maiden call-up to the India Test squad, which will play in New Zealand in February. Pandey also features in the ODI squad, along with Karnataka allrounder Stuart Binny and Jharkhand quick Varun Aaron. Yuvraj Singh has been left out for the ODIs, while Pragyan Ojha misses out from the Test squad. Pandey was the leading wickettaker in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, with 48 wickets at 21.06, and he has remained effective in the current Ranji season as well. He has 30 wickets at 24.76 in eight games this season, including innings figures of 8 for 84 against Railways in Indore. Pandey bowls in the mid-130s but, tall by Indian standards, uses his height to get good bounce even from a good length. Stuart Binny, a medium-pacer and middle-order batsman capable of getting quick runs when needed, has had a decent Ranji season for Karnataka with bat and ball. He had, earlier this year, earned a callup to the India A squad that toured South Africa but this is Binny’s maiden call-up to the senior squad. His selection is likely to have been prompted by the need for a pacebowling allrounder to add balance TESTS MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishwar Pandey In: Ishwar Pandey Out: Pragyan Ojha ODIs MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron In: Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron Out: Yuvraj Singh, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

January 17, 2014

Congress in Revamp Mode, Brings in Young Faces Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls, including Rahul Gandhi

Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

BY LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI: Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday inducted two young leaders as the state unit chiefs of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, fortifying a youthful team ahead of this week’s Congress meet that is expected to name him the party’s prime ministerial candidate for the general election. Also on Monday, Gandhi took part in a youth march, part of a grassrootlevel reachout programme of the youth wing of the party’s Kerala unit. Experts said the two developments pointed to a Congress bid to reach out to the youth in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections due by May. Sachin Pilot and Arun Yadav were appointed party chiefs in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh—states where the Congress suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recently held assembly elections. The appointment of 36-year-old Pilot, corporate affairs minister in the Union government, and 39-year-old Yadav, who has been a Congress secretary,followsGandhi’sinsistencethat youthsbegivenlargerrolesintheparty. The appointments assume sig-

nificance because the party is expected to announce Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate at an All India Congress Committee meet on Friday in New Delhi. However, leaders familiar with the development said no final decision on the matter has been taken yet. Pilot, the son of late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, who joined politics under the influence of Rahul Gandhi’s father and late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, is a member of the team that Gandhi is leading in order to revamp the party from the grassroot level. Although the leadership is not expecting Pilot to “do any magic” before the Lok Sabha election, the young leader would be focusing on strengthening the organisation at the ground level and revitalize the cadre. The party was given a drubbing in the Rajasthan election, its tally reduced from 96 to a mere 21 in the 200-member assembly. And at least three party leaders, who did not want to be named, admitted that the party’s performance in Rajasthan in the parliamentary polls is set to be poor. The state accounts for 25 Lok Sabha seats. “It will be challenging. But I will be doing my best,” Pi-

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lot told Mint about his new job. Yadav, son of Subash Yadav, a veteran Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh, will take charge of the party in a state where the Congress has not been able to return to power since being voted out in 2003. “Yadav has the uphill task of taking along the numerous factions in the state units, which are led by veterans. He is young and has a clean image,” said a Congress leader on condition of anonymity. “The party leadership is of the view that he has a big task, a serious challenge, but not a ‘mission impossible’.” Both Yadav and Pilot belong to Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. The Congress earlier appointed 46-year-old Arvinder Singh as the chief of its Delhi unit and 47-year-old Bhupesh Baghel as president of the Chhattisgarh unit—two other states where it lost. While it failed to topple a decadeold BJP government in Chhattisgarh, it came an embarrassing third in Delhi behind the BJP and the newly emerged Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). N. Bhaskara Rao, a New Delhibased political analyst, said the new appointments showed that the party is “openinguptothedemographicshift”. “The Rahul squad is being unleashed now for the new command,” said Rao, who has been observing the Congress party for the last four decades. But, he added, the changes may not yield immediate results. “Rahul is looking beyond this election. He will put out solid people who can carry him through.” Gandhi attended the Kerala youth march soon after an interaction with the youth in Karnataka, where he reiterated the need for the party to encourageparticipationbyyoungsupporters. These developments are seen as the Congress vice-president’s attempts to regain the support-base the party enjoyed among the youth, as well as to energize the youth wing of the party. The Congress returned to power in 2009 with an impres-

AAP to Gobble Up Cong Votes in Delhi

sive tally—it won 206 of 543 Lok Sabha seats, the highest tally any single party had won since 1985. However, a series of corruption charges against its leaders, failure to containinﬂationandmanagetheeconomy and inability to create jobs have dented its image among the youth. Gandhi asked the party’s steering committee that met on 10 January to allocate 40% of the Lok Sabha seats to candidates below 40 years of age. Meanwhile, the Union cabinet has cleared a national youth policy aimed at empowering the youth to participate in the priority areas of education, skill development and entrepreneurship, besides politics and governance. Indians aged between 1529 years make up 27.5% of the population. Almost half of India’s voters are 18-35 years old. Last week, Gandhi interacted with a group of 200 youths from various parts of the country to seek their feedback on the issues they want highlighted in the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. -Livemint.com

NEW DELHI (HT): Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to adversely impact the prospects of the Congress more than any other political party in 21 constituencies in the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai-Navi Mumbai regions, as predicted by a snap poll conducted by ABP News-Nielsen. The BJP’s tally is predicted to go up signiﬁcantly from 2 in 2009 to 10 seats this time. Narendra Modi scores over Kejriwal as the most preferred PM candidate, with overall votes of 48%. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi stands third in the race with an overall 16% votes. According to the snap poll, in Mumbai and Thane, the Congress-NCP combinewillget3seatsin2014general elections, down from 8 seats in 2009. ThesurveypredictsthattheAAPwill win six seats in Delhi, while the Congress is unlikely to open its account. The BJP is predicted to get 2 seats in NCR, while the AAP is predicted to win the Ghaziabad seat. The ﬁeldwork for the ABP NewsNielsen Snap poll was done in the 21 Parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai region.

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