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First Anniversary Celebration of Arts of India Gallery

By Pramod Kulkarni HOUSTON: With wafts of sitar music in the air and delectable Indian finger food, select guests from the Indo-American community joined Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) staff and trustees in celebrated the first anniversary of the permanent Arts of India Gallery Special guests at the anniversary celebrations included gallery patrons Nidhika and Pershant Mehta and University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator and Dr. Suresh Khator.

Upon receiving congratulations from the guests, Nidhika Mehta said, “It is a congratulatory event for all of us. We have only one life to live and it is our pleasure to make a contribution to bring the arts of India to Houston.”

MFAH Director Peter Marzio told the gathering that the Arts of India Gallery was the most popular exhibit at the museum. “We don’t have a counter for people visiting each of the exhibits, we know that between 400,000 to 500,000 visitors have seen the India Gallery, easily the most popular in the museum.”

Marzio was particularly pleased

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that more than 80,000 local elementary school children seen the Indian exhibit. “The children ask questions and assume poses like the dancing Nataraja. They really do get the connection between art created thousands of years ago and their modern media filled environment.” Marzio said the popularity of the India Gallery has helped bring in new additions to the permanent exhibit. He specifically mentioned the contributions of the Kourous family and Steve Hamilton.

What’s next for the gallery? Pershant Mehta said, perhaps in jest, “We’ll now do something exotic.

Perhaps an exhibit on the Kama Sutra, which is also part of the Indian heritage.” Another idea he floated was an exhibit that established the connection of non-violence between India’s Mahatma Gandhi and America’s Martin Luther King.

Recalling his Art History class in college, Pershant Mehta said, “Our text book was dedicated to Western arts and there was only one page devoted to the Asian arts.

Contributing to the Arts of India CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Principle patrons of the permanent Arts of Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston (MFAH), Pershant and Nidhika Mehta rejoice at the first year anniveraary celebrations with MFAH Director Peter Marzio. Photo by Pramod Kulkarni

India Reopens Bhopal Case, Convicts Carbide Executives BHOPAL: The Indian government has moved to re-open its investigation into the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

A lethal plume of gas escaped from a storage tank at the US-run Union Carbide pesticide factory in the early hours of December 3, 1984, instantly killing thousands of people in the world’s worst industrial catastrophe.

India’s home minister, P Chidambaram, will head a group of ministers panel to investigate the tragedy.

The government says it will look at all issues relating to the Bhopal leak.

The 10-member panel has been asked to make recommendations relating to the relief and rehabilitation of victims.

Earlier this week seven Indian employees of American chemical firm Union Carbide were sentenced to two years imprisonment each.

The company’s American chairman at the time, Warren Anderson, fled India soon after the accident and has since avoided extradition.

Earlier in the week, an Indian court has convicted eight people and sentenced seven to two years in jail for the 1984 Bhopal gas leak that poisoned tens of thousands of people.

A lethal plume of gas escaped from a storage tank at the US-run Union Carbide pesticide factory in the early hours of December 3, 1984, killing thousands instantly in the world’s worst industrial catastrophe.

Among those found guilty of criminal negligence was the former chairman of the Indian unit of the Union Carbide company, Keshub Mahindra. The guilty also include the managing director, the production manager and the plant supervisor. One of the eight convicted has already died.

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IAA’s Lamhe: Golden Voices Delight Houston’s Discerning Bollywood and Classical Audience

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India Gallery Anniversary Continued from Page 1

Gallery was one way to correct the imbalance, Mehta told the gathering. MFAH Trustee and member of the Asian Arts subcommittee, Prabha Bala that the MFAH had $1.5 million as the funding goal for the Arts of India Gallery, and was just $150,000 away from reaching the target. Bala has been involved with the MFAH since 2000 and

has been instrumental in helping develop the Arts of Inda Gallery.

The cocktail reception at the MFAH was catered by Kiran’s Restaurant and Chef Kiran was personally on hand to supervise the serving of delightful hors d’oeuvres and deserts to accompany the serving of wine and champagne. The sitar performance was by local artiste Aaron Ray Hermes.

Suresh Wadkar (left) and Kavita Krishnamurthy performed a series of golden hits during one of their sets. Sanchita Bhattacharya excelled in her rendition of “Pyar hona hi tha”.

By Jyoti Kulkarni HOUSTON: A delightful musical evening, Lamhe, was hosted by the Indo-American Association last Sunday, June 6 at Jones Hall in downtown Houston. The live concert brought back nostalgic moments ... lamhe ... of an golden era of Bollywood music.

The performers were Bollywood veteran playback singers Kavita Krishnamurty and Suresh Wadkar. To younger audiences, the two classically trained singers are recognizable as frequent judges on India’s musical contest reality shows. The veterans were joined by youngsters Sanchita Bhattacharya, the winner of the Saregamapa ‘Lil Champs’ contest, and Aavez Darbar of Fame Gurukul. The singers were accompanied by the popular Saregamapa musicians, including Girish Vishwa on the dholak and percussion.

More than 900 Bollywood fans,

who remembered the glory days of Suresh Wadkar and Kavita Krishnamurthy, attended the concert.

After several audio adjustments to lower the accompaniment sound level and minimize the vocalists’ echo, the concert got going when Suresh sang his first hit song, “Main hu prem rogi.” Wadkar’s rendition of “Surmai shyam” from the movie Lekin was superb. Wadkar and Aavez’s created positive enrgy when they sang the popular number “Chappa chappa charakha chale” from the movie Machis.

Kavita Krishnamurthy’s opening invocation from the movie Bhairavi was an apt begining with a mix of fun songs like “Hawa Hawai” and topped it with “Pyar Hua Chhupke se” from the movie 1942 Love Story.

It was also nice to see and hear the duet rendition of some of the evergreen songs such as “Sawan ka Mahina” from the movie Mi-

lan and “Jo wada kiya” from the movie Taj Mahal. Kavita, who received the Padmashri award, concluded her set with a zestful rendition of “Dola re dola” from the movie Devdas.

“Bollywood music can be enjoyed without being loud or flashy,” said Hari Dayal, Executive Director of the Indo-American Association (IAA) in his closing remarks, “Other statements we want to make is that Bollywood music is not disjointed or separate from classical music as these artistes have just demonstrated. Bollywood music needs to be presented in concert symphony halls and not high school stadiums.”

IAA’s next event is classical vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrobarty, a master performer of thumris, on Saturday, July 10 at the Wortham Center.

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Indo American News • Friday, JUNE 11 , 2010 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

MFAH Director Peter Marzio said Houston school children loved emulating the pose of the dancing Nataraja as a way of learning about India’s artistic tradition.

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Anamika spells ‘stromuhr’ for Scripps National Spelling Bee 2010 Win

WASHINGTON: Shantanu Srivatsa and Anamika Veeramani sat nervously, side by side on stage.

Once again, an Indian-American was going to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It was just a matter of what word and what time on Friday.

Shantanu, 13, an eighth-grader from West Fargo, N.D., stepped to the microphone first and couldn’t spell “ochidore.”

Anamika, showing the cool demeanor she kept throughout kept her hands behind her back and rattled off the correct letters for the medical term ‘stromuhr’. She didn’t crack a smile until the trophy was presented.

“It was too surreal,” she said.

“It was an amazing experience. I usually have a poker face, so that’s what that was.”

The 14-year-old girl from North Royalton, Ohio, won the 83rd Bee, claiming the trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes, some of which she says she intends to spend.

She also became the third consecutive Indian-American Bee champion.

Indian-Americans comprise less

than 1 percent of the U.S. population according to 2000 census data, but they have an impressive bee winning streak — taking the trophy in eight of the past 12 years.

“All of the past champions inspire me, they all have something different and they’re all amazing people,” Anamika said after the prime-time finals on Friday.

She survived the round by spelling ‘juvia’, a Brazil nut and then had to sit through a tense 3 1/2minute commercial before spelling the championship word.

“It was just really nerve-racking,” Anamika said. “The commercial breaks didn’t really help.”

The finals were preceded by an unpopular move that had some spellers and parents claiming the bee was unfair and had kowtowed too much to television.

Concerned that there wouldn’t be enough spellers left to fill the two-hour slot on ABC, organizers stopped the semifinals in the middle of a round Friday afternoon and declared that the 10 spellers onstage would advance to the prime-time broadcast, including six who didn’t have to spell a word in the interrupted round. Essentially, the alphabetical order of

Anamika Veeramani (L) of New Royalton, Ohio, holds the trophy with E.W. Scripps Company CEO Richard Boehne after winning the 2010 National Spelling Bee in Washington, June 4, 2010.

Indo American News • Friday, JUNE 11 , 2010 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

the U.S. states helped determine which spellers got to move on the marquee event.

It’s one of the pitfalls of the growing popularity of the Bee, which has to yield to the constraints of its television partners.

There were 19 spellers left at the start of the round, which was too many for prime-time. But when the round turned out to be brutal, nine of the first 13 misspelled and ABC was on the verge of having too few.

“I don’t feel bad at all for giving these children the opportunity,” Bee director Paige Kimble said. “Do I wish we could give it to 19? Yes, certainly, but that’s not practical in a two-hour broadcast window. We know it’s unpopular and we don’t like to do it, but sometimes you can get into a position where that’s exactly what you have to do.”

The Indian-American winning streak began with Nupur Lala, a 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan, who became famous for her 1999 win after the 2002 release of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Spellbound.”

By then, George Abraham continued on page

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Anamika Veeramani: National Spelling Bee Champion

Anamika Veeramani, a 14-year-old Ohio girl, won the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee Friday, June 4. “Stromuhr” is the word she won on continued from page

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Thampy had won in 2000. Pratyush Buddiga took the title two years later. The streak continued through the decade: Sai Gunturi won in 2003, Anurag Kashyap in 2005, Sameer Mishra in 2008 and Kavya Shivashankar in 2009.

Kavya, now 14, returned this year to watch her sister Vanya, 8, compete in her first national bee.

She was eliminated before the televised semifinals. After Kavya congratulated Anamika onstage, she said winning the Bee has less to do with nationality and more to do with a passion for words.

“I can’t really speak for other people, but, for me, it was just enjoying spelling,” Kavya said.

Kavya’s father, Mirle Shivashankar, was hesitant to draw any firm conclusions, but pointed out the chain of events can lead to one speller inspiring the next.

“Kavya’s role model was Nupur Lala,” Mirle Shivashankar said.

“And now there are a lot of girls who look up to Kavya.”

Anamika’s father, Alagaiya Veeramani, a civil engineer, said he had no clue why Indian-Americans seem to do so well at the competition. He guessed it has something to do with a hard-work ethic.

“This has been her dream for a very, very long time. It’s been a family dream, too,” said Veeramani, explaining that his daughter studied as many as 16 hours on some days. “I think it has to do with an emphasis on education.”

Anamika has yet to start high school, but already envisions attending Harvard University and

Indo American News • Friday, JUNE 11 , 2010 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. She also wants to spend more time golfing, dancing and writing.All of which, she’ll now have time to do. Spelling, at least competitively, is over for this eighth grader. Students are not eligible once they win the national competition.

“I’ve been doing spelling for such a long time. After eighth grade, there are no more spelling opportunities. It’s kind of sad,” she said.

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Aadith Moorthy Wins National Geographic Bee

By Lisa Tsering Florida public WASHINGTON: Indian school. It should American students enjoyed be noted that a resounding success at the Mouli and Bhan2010 National Geographic darkar are also Bee, held in Washington, the products of D.C., May 26. public schools.

Aadith Moorthy, 13, an The National eighth-grader at Palm Harbor Geographic Bee Middle School in Palm Harwas founded in bor, Fla., took the top honors 1989 in response as well as a $25,000 college to the perceived scholarship, lifetime memlack of geographbership in the National Geoic knowledge graphic Society and a trip to among young the Galápagos Islands. people in the Third place and a $10,000 U.S. This year college scholarship went to Aadith Moorthy, 13, is an eighth-grader at Palm Harbor a total of nearly Idaho’s Karthik Mouli, a 12- Middle School. five million fifthyear-old sixth-grader at Hillto eighth-grade side Junior High School in Boise; spot even more when he asked students vied for spots in the nawhile Pranav Bhandarkar, 13, of him to sing a Carnatic tune, the tional championships during bees Malcom Bridge Middle School Associated Press reported. held in all 50 U.S. states, WashAfter stating the correct answer ington, D.C., the U.S. Atlantic and in Bogart, Georgia, was a finalist, to the final question about Haiti, Pacific territories, and Department winning a $500 cash prize.

The second place prize went Moorthy pumped his fist in excite- of Defense Dependents Schools. to 13-year-old Oliver Lucier of ment. “I feel great,” he told the AP. Homeschooled students are also “The mission is accomplished.”

Wakefield, R.I. eligible.

Moorthy prepared for the Bee The three Indian American boys Highlights of the Bee are posted made it to the highest levels of the by collecting 20 facts a day over at www.nationalgeographic.com/ contest, which drew nearly five the past four months, and work- geobee. million contestants, said a press ing with a coach. He said he was After his win, Moorthy told Nainspired to learn about geography tional Geographic News that he’d release.

The winning question was: The following a family trip to Alaska. felt confident all along. “I wanted “I was eight or nine when we to win — that was my goal,” he largest city in northern Haiti was renamed following Haiti’s inde- traveled to Alaska and I saw a said, adding, “I thought the quespendence from France. What is the glacier cave,” he told the St. Pe- tions would be harder.”-IW present-day name of this city? An- tersburg Times. “This huge chunk swer: Cap-Haïtien. Fifty-four state of ice broke off and came crashand regional winners took part in ing down into the water. … It enthe preliminary rounds of the Bee, lightened me and I felt the need to held May 25 and sponsored by learn.”

Bhandarkar, who just completed Google.

Moorthy, sometimes grinning 8th grade, captained his school’s and nodding his head in recogni- Academic Bowl for the past two tion, aced questions including the years; his hobbies include running, poetry, tennis, cooking and following: • The Øresund Bridge, opened collecting coins, stamps and modin 2000, connects Copenhagen, el airplanes, according to the NaDenmark with what Swedish city? tional Geographic Web site.

Mouli represented Idaho at the (Malmo) • Tswana is a Bantu language 2009 National Geographic Bee, spoken by the largest ethnic group and said he likes to take apart in what landlocked country? (Bo- computer hardware discs to see how electronic components work. tswana) • The production of yerba maté, He hopes to use geography in the a tea made from an evergreen future to track bird migrations and plant, is important to the economy eclipses, according to the Web of Misiones. This providence is site.

Among Moorthy’s fans is his located in which country that borhistory teacher, Michelle Anderders Paraguay? (Argentina) In case Moorthy wasn’t nervous son, who said the young whiz kid enough during the competition, had also won top honors in math host Alex Trebek put him on the at Palm Harbor Middle School, a

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

Surrender Certificate Fees Revised After NRIs Protest HOUSTON: As per latest advisory issued by India’s Counsel General in Houston, Hon. Sanjiv Arora, only those who acquire US citizenship starting June 1, 2010 will be required to pay a fee of $175 and acquire the surrender certificate within three months. The Advisory further states “Indian Citizenship Act does not allow dual citizenship; to consider an OCI card as dual citizenship is incorrect.”

Those who acquired foreign citizenship on or before 31 May 2010 but have not got their Indian passports cancelled, may send their Indian passports for cancellation along with 2 copies of the Renunciation Form and a ‘miscellaneous services’ fee of US$ 20 only. Passport will be returned to the applicant after cancellation, along with the Surrender Certificate.

In future, those Indian citizens

who acquire foreign citizenship on or after 01 June, 2010 will be required to send their Indian passports for cancellation along with 2 copies of the Renunciation Form and a fee of US$ 175.

Passport will be returned to the applicant after cancellation, along with the Surrender Certificate.

For an Indian passport which expired on or after 01 January, 2005 but was not surrendered for up to 3 years of obtaining US Naturalization and was used for travel, a penalty of US $ 250 is to be paid for each travel, with maximum penalty of US $ 1250.

The cancelled Indian passports and Surrender Certificates should be kept in safe custody as these may be required to avail of consular services from Indian Missions/ Posts.

Those applicants for PIO/OCI cards who have not surrendered their Indian citizenship are required to do so.

Necessary advisory in this regard for visa applicants may be seen on the website of TRAVISA; www.indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com

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13-Year-Old Calls on Youth Everywhere to Take Action on Child Poverty TORONTO, ONTARIO: 13 year old Bilaal Rajan, a UNICEF Youth Ambassador, best-selling author, fundraiser and social activist, has completed his 2010 campaign of living life barefoot to help raise awareness of child poverty in the developing world.

June 1st was International Children’s Day, and to celebrate the occasion, Rajan participated in an annual event he launched last year called the Barefoot Challenge.

“I’ve visited countries in Africa and met with hundreds of children who walk miles every day barefoot to fetch water, work on their farm lands, or go to school,” says Rajan. “It made me think of what

life would be like to live without something we take for granted.”

Since 2001, Rajan has been instrumental in raising millions of dollars for various causes. Five years ago, he was chosen as an official Youth Ambassador for UNICEF Canada. Two years ago, he wrote a best-selling book, Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever, which discusses how youth can become active in their communities and make a difference.

In 2009, thousands of people from all over the world kicked off their shoes and participated in the Barefoot Challenge. The same happened this year in 2010.

“There was an incredible amount of support from students throughout the world,” says Rajan. “I received an email today from a teacher all the way from Brunei Darussalam, whose entire class went barefoot for the day.”

In February this year, Rajan also promised to have his head shaved on behalf of the school that raised the most funds for the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. His own school, Lakefield College School, took that goal to heart and accomplished it. The head shaving took place on June 1st at the school.

“Besides going without shoes, I’m going without hair as well,” Rajan began fundraising when he was four years old, selling clemRajan jokes. entines door-to-door in his neighborhood to raise C$350 in funds “I received some strange looks for the victims of the earthquakes in the Gujarat province of India on people’s face,” says Rajan. in 2001 “But when people asked why I didn’t have shoes, I reminded them that millions of children throughout the world didn’t either.”

Mumbai Native Vijay Balse Wins on ‘Jeopardy!’

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By Lisa Tsering Vijay Balse tried out for “Jeopardy!” six times over 16 years before earning a spot on the hit game show. All that perseverance has paid off. Balse won this year’s prestigious Tournament of Champion onMay 21, taking home a cool quarter million dollars in cash winnings.

“Winning a ‘Tournament of Champions’ game is definitely much more gratifying than winning a regular game,” Balse said in a statement. “Any ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant would agree that getting the opportunity to match your playing skills against the best of ‘Jeopardy!’ is very rewarding in its own right.”

The soft-spoken Mumbai native just kept shooting out one correct

answer after another, and placed some bold wagers whenever he’d get a Daily Double clue during the tournament.

Balse came to the United States on a scholarship to earn his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1985. While at the university, he was active on a trivia team there.

When asked about plans for his winnings, Balse told, “My wife [Jayshree] and I plan to use some of the winnings for travel and perhaps a second automobile. However, we hope to use the bulk towards a down payment for a new home.”

Balse offered advice for “Jeopardy!” players in an interview he gave to the Daily Record newspaper. “Sometimes the categories go against you, maybe you’re feeling a little under the weather. Maybe the buzzer is not your friend,” he said.

Although show producers advise contestants to press the buzzer multiple times, Balse took a different tack, waiting for the right moment and pressing once. “Focus on that one instant of time and then press the button,” he said.-IW

Sikh Center Blood Drive for Shaheed Sikhs

HOUSTON: The Sikh Center Gurudwara on Prairie Rd, organizes a blood drive every year in the first Sunday in June. This drive is in the memory of those Sikhs who were killed in the June 1984 attack on Golden Temple in Amritsar.

A prayer and kirtan is also held in the memory of Shaheed Sikhs and the blood drive is named after them. The blood drive was conducted by the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and was organized by Inder Singh Gumer. The Gurudwara also organizes a blood drive each year in the month of December in the memory of those Sikhs who died in Delhi, Kanpur and other cities in India in the aftermath of the November 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In the photos above: Granthis performed inside the Gurudwara; Bhai Amar Singh donating blood ; The blood mobile stationed outside the Sikh National Center.

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An American in Gandhi’s India

This is an inspiring book about the remarkable life of an American, who went to India more than 100 years ago and transformed the lives of the poor in Simla hills among whom he setlted and where he continues to be a legend even today. At the national level too Stokes’ contribution to India was historic because he was actively involved in the freedom struggle and was the only American, who went to jail for India’s cause.

A scion of a distinguished family of Philadelphia, Stokes, went to India in 1904 at the age of 21 to work at a leper’s home in Subatu in the Himalayan foothills.

During the following years, he not only worked among lepers but also in the devastated Kangra earthquake of 1905, in smallpox camps and in plaguestricken villages often putting his life in danger and causing great distress to his family in America.

Struck by the poverty and simplicity of the people of the hills, he finally decided to settle in their midst.

He bought land in the area and married a local girl and spent the rest of his life fighting against social injustices and working for the economic uplift of the local people.

His first major battle was against the practice of impressed labor, which forced poor villagers to work free or for a pittance for traveling British officials and for the petty kings of the Hill States.

The practice demeaned the villagers and affected their livelihood as they were often required to give begar, or forced labor, during the crucial sowing or harvesting seasons. Stokes vowed to free the people from this inequality. In an unprecedented move he organized the poor, downtrodden people to resist forced labor, to refuse it completely but peacefully. This Satyagraha against begar drew the attention of Gandhi, who praised Stokes and urged the people to

continue with their struggle under Stokes’ leadership. The practice was finally abolished in the hills through his efforts in 1921.

The 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in which an unarmed gathering of people were fired upon and hundreds were killed and which was followed by the inhuman treatment of Punjab drew Stokes into the freedom struggle. He joined the nationalists working closely with Mahatma Gandhi, Moti Lal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, and C.R. Das, all of whom became his friends. He par-

ticipated actively in the first noncooperation movement and was a member of the Punjab Provincial Committee and the decision-making All India Congress Committee as well.

When Gandhi launched the Swadeshi movement Stokes gave him his unstinted support. This book gives a vivid account of the time when Gandhi decided to have the biggest ever bonfire of foreign clothing at the Sohani maidan in Parel, Bombay, to commemorate Lokmanya Tilak’s first death anniversary. Foreigners were advised to stay away but Stokes not only decided to be present at the occasion but he also threw his own western clothes in the bonfire that

was lit by no other than Gandhi himself. He always wore Khadi thereafter and also took to spinning every day.

Stokes was arrested in 1921 and charged with sedition. Like other national leaders, he refused to defend himself or give a deposit for good behavior and was sentenced by the British to six-months imprisonment. He also refused the privileged status of a European prisoner and insisted that he be treated in the same way as other fellow nationalists, a stance greatly appreciated by the Indian press!

He was the only American, who went to jail for his role in India’s freedom struggle and led Gandhi to remark, “As long as we have an Andrews, a Stokes, a Pearson in our midst, so long it will be ungentlemanly on our part to wish every Englishman out of India.”

Stokes’ most lasting legacy to India, however, are the American delicious apples he introduced in the Simla Hills. Often called the Johnny Appleseed of India, Stokes brought the delicious apples to India all the way from America, distributed free saplings to poor local farmers and helped them grow and nurture them thereby transforming the entire economy of the Western Himalayas. Even today Himachal with its flourishing horticulture based economy, acknowledges Stokes’ contribution to its remarkable progress.

This is an interesting book that draws a vivid picture of Stokes and the times in which he lived and at the same time gives an overview of a crucial part of the Independence movement. It is a book that certainly enhances our pride in our Indian heritage.

The author of the book, Asha Sharma, is a granddaughter of Satyanand Stokes. She is a graduate of Punjab University, Chandigarh and Columbia School of Journalism, New York. The book has a personal foreword by the Dalai Lama, who lives in the same hills where Stokes once lived.

The book was first published in India by Penguin Books under the title, An American in Khadi: The Definitive Biography of Satyanand Stokes.

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Indian-American Candidate Nikki Haley Attacked with Racial Slur During SC Race

NEW YORK: Nikki Haley, the Indian-American woman running for South Carolina’s governor seat, was attacked with racial slur by a state lawmaker who called her a “raghead”.

Republican state Senator Jake Knotts also attacked President Barack Obama in comments on an internet political show called Pub Politics.

Haley, who was born a Sikh and describes herself as a Methodist, became target of racial slur typically used against Arabs or other ethnic groups that wear turbans or headdresses.

“We already got one raghead in the White House,” Knotts said. “We don’t need another in the governor’s mansion,” he was quoted as saying by The State, a South Carolina newspaper.

Knotts reportedly also talked at length about Haley’s parents’ religion and her family.

Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson said Knotts was an embarrassment to the state, and that South Carolina voters would make it clear on Tuesday they are better than this. Knotts now insists that his comments were made in zest and also agreed to apologize.

“My ‘raghead’ comments about Obama and Haley were intended in jest,” he said.

“Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from

Nikki Haley was attacked with racial slur by a state lawmaker who called her a “raghead”

a pub. It’s like local political version of ‘Saturday Night Live’”, he said in a statement.

“Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur,” the Republican politician added. The show’s host, Wesley Donehue, told the newspaper: “I, along with everyone else at the table, was shocked.”

Republican Haley currently serves in the South Carolina House of Representatives where she represents Lexington County, and is the first Indian-American to hold office in that state.

Haley’s religion was also raised as an issue during her first South

Carolina House run in 2004, when anonymous fliers claimed that she was a Hindu, which is incorrect.

The daughter of a Sikh Punjabi immigrants faced more trouble this week, as a political lobbyist claimed that he had a tryst with the Republican candidate, who is already facing allegations of an extra-marital affair. The 38-yearold mother of two, whose husband is a US Army reserves officer, has been hit by allegations that she had a “physical” relationship with commentator Will Folks.

Haley has refused to make her texts and emails public in order to clear up the controversy. Haley maintains she has been faithful to her husband for 13 years and her campaign rejected the latest allegations as “a false and outrageous desperate attack from a losing candidate’s paid campaign consultant in the final week of the race”.

If elected, Haley would be only the second governor of Indian origin in the US after Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal. She currently has the backing of political Republican heavy weights like Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney.

A strong pro family, pro life, pro Second Amendment, pro development, conservative reformer...your next governor Nikki Haley,” Palin said in her endorsement.

The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms in the US.-TOI

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A Few Things You May Not Know About Nikki Haley

By Philip Rucker (population 3,733).

The past few days on the camHer husband, Bill, is an Army paign trail, South Carolina guber- civilian employee who is in the natorial candidate Nikki Haley National Guard. Haley made him liked to joke that she went from start going by his middle name, “Nikki Who?” to a near-perma- Michael. “He didn’t look like a nent spot on the front pages of the Bill,” she told a campaign adviser.

Palmetto State’s newspapers.

She adapted her name, too. NimIf the 38-year-old state repre- rata Randhawa Haley “wouldn’t sentative becomes the Republican fit on a yard sign,” she told the nominee in a June 22 runoff, she Charlotte Observer, so she became would also instantly become one Nikki Haley when she first ran for of the national party’s most prom- office in 2004. ising rising stars. She’s smart and Although Haley was raised a serious about policy, a charismatic Sikh, she married a Methodist and campaigner who dresses stylishly is raising her two children, Rena and can deliver barbed attacks and Nalin, as Methodists. She bewith a smile. came the first descendant of the Here are a few things you may Sikh religion elected to any state not know about Haley: legislature in the United States.WP She’s an accountant who started k e e p ing the books at 13 for the clothing boutique owned by her parents, Sikhs who left India and landed in tiny Bam- In South Carolina, state Rep. Nikki Haley ran far ahead berg, S.C. of her three male rivals for the Republican gubernatorial nomination with 49 percent of the vote. But she fell just short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a June 22 runoff.

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s o c ie t y

“The Fastest Indian in the World” Excels: 11th Spot at Texas Motor Speedway DALLAS (June 5, 2010): After a

solid showing in Charlotte on May 21st, Narain Karthikeyan brought the momentum with him to the Lone Star State. Karthikeyan had his best finish of the season when he ended the race in 11th place in the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday.

Following a strong performance during Thursday’s practice sessions, the No. 60 SafeAuto/ Starbeast Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado hit the track later that afternoon for qualifying. Karthikeyan was the second truck to take the track for qualifying, which put him at a distinct disadvantage as the hot Texas sun made the track considerably slower for the early qualifiers. Karthikeyan still managed to qualify in the 19th spot for the race with just six tenths of a second behind the pole sitter.

“We did a good job today considering it is basically our second race in a 1.5 mile oval. It is my best finish so far, but more than that, I gained much more confidence driving the truck and racing with the fast group of cars. I struggled a little bit with the restarts because I couldn’t get up to speed as fast as I wanted, but after a few green flag laps I could get in a rhythm and was faster than a handful of trucks in front of me,” said Karthikeyan.

Karthikeyan kept the 19th position for the first segment of the race, despite losing communica-

there was a caution flag which caused him to go a lap down. Karthikeyan continually ran fast times through the final laps, making his way up to the twelfth spot. In Lap 164, the No. 33 and No. 81 trucks got tangled down the backstretch and Karthikeyan eluded disaster as he narrowly missed the No. 81 truck when it slid down the track. In the final three laps of the race, Karthikeyan piloted the No. 60 truck into eleventh place, logging is best ever NASCAR finish.

“We are being very careful and really pulling the reins on Narain ... I know it sounds a bit Narain’s journey from Formula 3 to For- conservative, but that apmula One was the inevitable outcome of proach will give us better his sheer determination to live a lifelong results in the long run,” dream.

Starbeast Motorsports tion with his team because of a ra- CEO, Miguel Abaroa said after dio malfunction that was repaired the race. “I liked what I saw in the after the first pit stop. During the race tonight; we are building the next stint in the race, he was faster foundation of a great future in NAthan the trucks in front and steadily SCAR for him.”Karthikeyan will made his way through the field up race in six more NASCAR truck to the 16th position. With the race races this season. His next race running caution-free for an ex- will be at O’Reilly Raceway Park tended period of time, the crew of in Indianapolis, Indiana on July the No. 60 truck decided to make 23, 2010. All of his races will be a green flag pit stop. Unluckily, as shown in India on NEO Sports and soon as Karthikeyan got out of pits in the USA on Speed Channel.

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Michael Azad Joins George R. Willy, P.C.

Michael H. Azad HOUSTON: George R. Willy, P.C is pleased to announce that Michael H. Azad has joined our firm, and will serve as Of Counsel in our Houston office.

Michael H. Azad, B.B.A., M.B.A., J.D., L.L.M. (Tax) has many years of experience as an estate and tax attorney, Adjunct Professor of Tax and Business Law at San Jacinto College, and is a former estate tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has an extensive professional background in the areas of medical risk management, asset protection planning, foreign business and estate planning.

Mr. Azad is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association. He is certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of Texas.

He is also rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell which is the highest rating awarded to attorneys in the United States.

Advertise where it matters 713-789-NEWS

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

BUSINESS

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Reliance Communications OKs Plan to Sell 26% Stake

By Heather Timmons NEW DELHI: Reliance Communications, one of the largest mobile-phone providers in India, with 106 million subscribers, plans to sell a 26 percent stake to raise cash to cover costs that include $1.8 billion for licenses for high-speed data services.

Reliance’s board voted on Sunday to approve the sale and said in a statement that it would also look at “other appropriate combination or consolidation opportunities.” At the market close on Friday, Reliance had a market capitalization of 347.9 billion rupees ($7.5 billion).

According to an executive briefed on the discussions, AT&T is in preliminary talks with Reliance.

Reliance is also in discussions with Etisalat, an operator in Abu Dhabi with businesses in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and operations in India, and with investors in the MTN Group, the South African phone company, according to the executive, who was not authorized to speak publicly because the discussions were preliminary.

An AT&T spokesman said the company would not comment on rumors or speculation.

AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone in the United States, is looking outside the United States for new customers but has also been paring some international operations. In 2005, AT&T sold a large stake in Idea Cellular, now one of India’s largest mobile companies, to its partners in

that venture.

This April, AT&T said it would sell a stake in the Indian information technology company Tech Mahindra for an undisclosed amount, and in June AT&T said it would sell

tition between 12 to 13 phone companies, depending on the region.

Stiff competition has driven prices down to less than a penny a minute for local calls, and many analysts predict the country’s telecommunications operators will be forced to merge.

“AT&T has been dealt an unsatisfying set of cards. Its wired business is in unrelenting decline, and there’s not much growth left to be had in U.S. wireless anymore,” said Craig Moffett, a telecommunications analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company.

“Emerging markets offer the tantalizing prospect of growth. Unfortunately, India is a hyper-competitive market where profits have been exceedingly hard to come by.”

Foreign investors attracted to India have not reaped rewards. After paying $11 billion for a stake in an Indian telecommunications company three years ago, Vodafone of Brit-

ain wrote down the investment this year by more than 25 percent. Vodafone is still involved in a multibillion-dollar dispute with Indian tax authorities over the deal.

For Reliance, an investor like AT&T would provide valuable cash as it prepares to invest in new high-speed data technology and expands a new GSM network that is different from its original CDMA system.

Last month, the company bid $1.8 billion for airwaves designated for high-speed, 3G wireless services.

In its most recently concluded quarter, Reliance Communications profits fell 16 percent, even as the company’s subscriber base increased 9 percent.

Reliance has thousands of business customers as well as the mobile operations, controls 60,000 telecom towers and runs undersea cables that transmit data and calls around the world.-NYT

off some of its Japanese business for $101 million.

Still, AT&T’s chief, Randall L. Stephenson, has made several trips to India to look for opportunities. The company considered bidding in the recently concluded wireless spectrum auction in India, but decided against it.

AT&T appears to be drawn by India’s growing base of cellphone users — the 601 million mobile subscribers are the most outside China. New customers signed up at a rate of 17 million a month in April as operators pushed into rural areas and cut rates.

In spite of that heady growth, profits are under pressure because of intense compe-

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SOCIETY

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

Sahni Featured in HBJ

By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Longtime resident of the Bayou City and an architect who has staked his reputation on the many buildings he has designed around town, Randhir Sahni, has been featured in the latest June 4 issue of the Houston Business Journal.

Randhir Sahni, President of Llewelyn-Davies Sahni.

In the two-page article, freelance writer Tanya Rutledge describes how Sahni has accumulated this portfolio of work over the 30 years that his company, Llewelyn-Davies Sahni has been in business in Space City. These include landmarks like the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, Ben Taub Hospital, Houston Community College, the Harris County Crminal Justice Center, the Buffalo Bayou Trails, the Houston Theater District and the Uptown District.

One of LDS’ most recognizable

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works are the eight lit “spikes” wrapped with the flags of the G8 nations from the Economic Summit held in Houston in 1990. They are displayed on a grassy knoll at the Intercontinental Airport, where they were relocated from the Brown Convention Center.

After receiving a Masters in Urban Planning and Design from Rice University, Sahni started his career at the CRSS Architects and later joined the Houston office of Llewelyn-Davies Associates, eventually becoming the managing director. In 1980, after the New York office closed and the headquarters moved to Houston, Sahni took up 55% ownership and incorporated in Texas as LlewelynDavies Sahni, which now has offices in the Design Center on Woodway and a staff of 15.

Sahni says that the key to the success of LDS is diversity of projects and the ability to relate one project to another. At its peak, the firm has had 25 employees, so the ability to provide good service to a diverse mix of clients lies in “our ability to wear different hats when the occasion calls for it,” chuckled Sahni.

One of the hats is investment advisory services, an outgrowth of a passion for stock market analysis which Sahni had dabbled with for many years and has formalized after obtaining the necessary licenses. He now offers these services through the Resource Horizons Group to clients who value his expertise with his small staff on the other end of his Woodway office.

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

Thank You, Nikki Haley One of the fears Indo-Americans have is that we remain cloistered in ourselves. Apart from work-day socializing, we remain comfortable within our own desi friends and acquaintances.

In a city like Houston, it is quite possible to remain within our ethnic environs. But South Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor, Nikki Haley, has changed all that. Haley has a Sikh background, but the mudslinging in the primary campaign has even led to her being accused of extra-marital trysts, which she has vehemently denied. To be accused of infidelity ... what could be more mainstream American?

Haley has overcome the allegations and ethnic insults to be the leading candidate in the run-off. We wish her the best of luck and hope that she emerges as the South Carolina governor in the Fall elections.

Pramod Kulkarni

We Have Nothing to Lose When an enterprising American wants a patent on the Paschimottanasana, we in India say by all means go and grab that copyright. And while you are at it, why not create royalties on the P.V. Narasimha Rao pout, the Shah Rukh Khan stutter and the Kapil Dev mumble. Not to forget the dance of the eyebrows in Kathakali. We Indians have been generous to a fault. We do not exert our material rights on such trifles as Pakistan or the Kohinoor.

But the materialistic West just won’t listen. They’ve taken our neem, haldi and tulsi. Now they want to dispossess us of the Kama Sutra as well. Now 1.2 billion people will tell any casual observer that no one understands Vatsyayana the way Indians do, despite what the Durex surveys would have us believe. If a certain gent in California takes it upon himself to be the originator of secrets to keep the king’s harem in gainful employment, he will forever carry the burden of reversing the West’s declining fertility rate.

Take everything, we say, but leave us to decide on creating just one patent: on the zero. Pattanjali’s asanas are passé, as is Panini’s grammar, Dhanvantari’s medicine and Shankara’s advaita. But give us back Brahmagupta’s zilch. It would give an altogether new twist to the game, wouldn’t it? Think of the hordes of Occidental millionaires dreaming of becoming billionaires. For every zero that warms their hearts, there would be several adding up in an Indian coffer. Forsooth, ex nihilo was conceptualised first in the land of the naked fakir. India has given the world the mantra of a long life and the yoga to make it a fulfilling one. We want nothing of it, but kindly return to us our nothing.

Hindustan Times

e d ito r i a l

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Maharajah Airline’s Halycon Days

By Karan Thapar Have you noticed how the mind can create a parallel reality?An individual or an organisation may be in crisis but news of the denouement can bring memories of happier times flooding back. Or, as you pour over reports of disaster, you can also recollect forgotten golden days.

That’s how I reacted to Air India’s misfortunes. In the 1970s, when I was in my teens, it was one of the world’s best airlines. On the competitive London-New York route it was the leader, way ahead of Trans World Airlines, Pan American World Airways and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) — its competitors. But who would accept that now?

The truth is that Air India’s halcyon days seem like a fairytale — bewitching, beguiling but hardly believable.

For that reason alone I want to share my memories. Before we bury Air India — as I fear we may — let’s rejoice in the wonder that was.

My first journeys on Air India were as a free passenger. Kiran, my sister, was working at the Bond Street office in London and Daddy had been bullied into appointing her my guardian while I was at Stowe. This meant I qualified for Kiran’s tickets and spent my vacations travelling the world. The rest of the school would re-assemble talking of Brighton or Liverpool. I’d return boasting of New

Before we bury Air India — as I fear we may — let’s rejoice in the wonder that was.

York.

The flight I’ll never forget was Christmas 1973. Kiran and I headed for India. In those days Air India was like a bus. The plane would halt in Paris, Frankfurt and Beirut before reaching Delhi. As free passengers we only flew if there were no other paying ones. So each stop was purgatory — would some one else take our place?

The first danger was Heathrow itself. Often the flight would be full.

Kiran also feared Paris and Frankfurt. There can always be new farepaying passengers here, she warned.

But once we crossed Europe it was commonly thought the danger had passed.

How wrong that assumption was.

As we touched down in Beirut the pilot announced “Will free passengers disembark with their hand luggage?”

“That’s us,” Kiran declared.

I got off clutching a silver-plated candelabra bought for my parents.

Kiran had a carton of cigarettes. We’d

no clothes, no toiletries and little money. But what did we discover?

There were 27 others in the same position. All Air India staff. Each on holiday.

This took Air India equally by surprise but the management responded with warmth. “Normally we wouldn’t be responsible,” the station manager said, “but seeing how many there are, we’ll arrange the hotel where the crew stay. You’ll get a 50 per cent discount.”

It was The Phoenicia, at the time the best in Beirut. Today, it doesn’t exist but its legend lives on. It had a glassbottom pool that doubled as the roof of the bar. It’s elegance made Paris feel provincial. The Phoenicia was home till the next Air India flight. I’d sleep in my undies, after washing my shirt for the next day. We lived off coffee and sandwiches. But promenading on Al-Hamra, alongside the rich and beautiful, banished all thought of deprivation. We stayed up late, wandered all over and made friends who spoilt us. Unplanned it may have been but it was carefree and fun.

Six months later Beirut was engulfed in civil war and The Phoenicia destroyed. For two decades no one visited. Each time I spun stories of my enchanted holiday people would ask “How did it happen?” “Air India,” I’d respond, knowing they’d want to hear more. HT

Movie Kites: Who Moved My Hindi?

By Poonam Saxena I believe exhibitors in many parts of the country were puzzled and angry when the prints of Kites landed in their cinema halls. ‘But this is not a Hindi movie!’ they fumed. When I saw Kites, I too was quite bemused in the beginning: why wasn’t anyone speaking in Hindi? After a while, I was resigned: Okay, I thought, no one is going to speak in Hindi in this movie; I’d better live with it. But by the end of the film, I was irritated: what the….? What were Rakesh Roshan/ Hrithik Roshan/Anurag Basu think-

ing when they made this film? Who were they making it for?

According to a film trade magazine I read, the whole idea of Kites was to present Hrithik as an English-speaking star to the international world. It also shows a pathetic desperation to win fans/applause in the west. Why? I think – sadly — a lot of filmmakers in Mumbai are beginning to get very defensive about the Bollywood style of filmmaking. They all want to make ‘world cinema’ / ‘Hollywoodstyle cinema’ etc. Nothing wrong with that except that (a) why this

inferiority complex? (b) isn’t it like forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t come naturally to you only because you want to appeal to a different kind of palate? The sad truth is that if you do that, the film you make will almost never never work.

Why can’t our filmmakers just be true to themselves and try and make riveting, watchable films, without thinking of Hollywood, crossover films, Western audiences etc.? Because the fact is that not only was Kites not in Hindi, it was also a very boring film. HT

IndoAmerican News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Business Manager: Jawahar Malhotra Marketing Manager: Krishna Giri Community Reporter: Kalyani Giri Administrative Manager: Vanshika Vipin Community Editor: Manasi Gokhale Marketing & Food Reporter: Jacob David News Reporter: Rati Ramadas Production Manager: Hussain Mandviwala correspondents Chicago: Nand Kapoor Ottawa: Avinash Gavai ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com

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society

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

Houston Welcomes Lord Jagannath HOUSTON: Houstonians have been celebrating the Rath Yatra (the chariot festival) for the past two years in the spirit of community and feeling of universal brotherhood. The grand chariot festival symbolizes the appearance of Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the universe with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra amidst the millions of his beloved devotees through grand processions around the world. This festival also celebrates Lord Jagannath’s annual visit to his aun’t home.

Houston tries to celebrate this auspicious day at the same time as it is observed in Puri, India.

The Orissa Culture Center (OCC) in collaboration with the Govindaji Gaudiya Matha has been spearheading the effort seeking participation of various temples and organizations

for a grand celebration to be held in India House on July 24, 2010. Active support, sponsorship and participation from people and organizations in the greater Houston area, other cities and adjacent counties will go a long way towards making this year’s chariot festival a grand success.

The Chariot festival is preceded by an auspicious bathing ceremony of the Lords known as the Devasnan Purnima. This year Devasnan Purnima will be celebrated in the Hindu Worship Society Temple (2223 Wirtcrest Lane) on 27th June, Sunday starting at 10:30am.

The 2009 Rath Yatra was organized by the Odia Community of Houston and Shri Radha Krishna Temple, and was well attended by people from different communities from Greater Houston and nearby

cities. Devotees braved the Houston heat to be part of an event aimed at bringing communities together with a feeling of brotherhood in a festive spirit. The dignitaries, Houston Mayor Bill White and N.K. Ghai, Consul, Consulate General of India participated in the Chariot procession. So much so, Mayor Bill White proclaimed the day as Houston Rath Yatra Day! The members of 2010 Rath Yatra Organizing Committee cordially invite all organizations and people to participate in this annual event on July 24, 2010 that attracts people from all over greater Houston and surrounding cities with a spirit of Unity in Diversity.

For more information on how to sponsor the event, call 832-2252376

IAMA Charitable Foundation Raises $154,000 for Free Healthcare Clinic by Indian Doctors

By Nand Kapoor Ian Chicago Correspondent CHICAGO:The Indian community, in a heartening gesture contributed more than $154,000 for the free healthcare clinic run by the Indian American Medical Association of Illinois (IAMA) Charitable Foundation.

These healthcare clinics will provide free medical care to the needy without considering race, religion, gender or ethnicity. During the event awards were also conferred on a few people selected for their outstanding and dedicated work towads advancing the vision and accomplishments of the organization.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception in the presence of Jesse White, Secretary of State who ha sbeen very closely associated with the Indian Community. The reception was also presided by Laura Thrall, President and CEO, United Way of Chicago Chapter, Michael D Maves, MD, MBA, Executive VP and CEO and Jayal Amin, Esq. Director of Planned Giving, IAMACF. Other eminent personalities at the event were Dr. Brij & Prema Malani, Dr. Vidyasagar, Dr. Ashish Sen, Mafatbhai Patel, Naren Patel, Ravi Baichwal,. Ashok Kumar Attri along with several other renowned politicians, physicians, prominent businessmen, community leaders and other mem-

From Left: Dr Brij Malani, Dr M Hanumadass, Dr Usha Nimmagadda (Chairperson - IAMACF ) Dr Rambha Radhakrishnan, Dr Manish Brahmbhatt, Dr Sanjay Amin, Kishore Chugh.

bers of the Indian community. In all, there were more than 500 people who attended the event.

The atmosphere also resounded with patriotism when Dr Anita John, President elect IAMA and Dr. Samir Shah, Chairman of Entertainment Committee, IAMA sang the American and Indian national anthems respectively followed by the presidential address of Dr. Ashok Fulambarker who outlined the future plan to take IAMA to the next level.

He said, “Efforts are on to increase general membership growth including attracting young future doctors and residents for the purpose.”After this Dr. Usha Nimmagadda, chairperson of the charitable foundation, addressed everyone and emphasized that despite the passage of new health care reform bill, growing numbers of seniors would continue to require free

health care provided by clinics like the IAMA. Ravi Baichwal, Anchor of Channel 7 and Dr. Anita John were also praised for their jobs as Masters of the Ceremony.

In the end Laura Thrall congratulated and praised the members of the organization for their achievements and hard work followed by the people receiving awards for their outstanding service to advance the vision and accomplishments of the organization.

The evening was brought to an end by the vote of thanks mentioning everyone responsible for the events and above all the donors. People present had a memorable evening while enjoying delicious Indian cuisine and live music performances. The guests left the venue promising to return and applauding the work done

by IAMA.

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The Story of Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi goes to England to study Law much more comfortable.

Yet a glance in the mirror made him feel proud of himself.Hethought he looked very impressive.

M o h an das was shy. He rarely left his cabin. He even ate by himself. He was not sure of all those unknown foods served on the ship. He thought they might contain meat and did not wish to Gandhi as a law student in London break his vow to After passing his high school examination, Mohandas joined the Sa- his mother never to eat meat. So he maldas College at Bhavnagar. He lived mainly on the snacks and sweets did not find the classes inter- esting he had brought from home.

On landing at Southampton he and returned home after the first ten looked around and saw that all the days.

A big surprise awaited him at home. people were in dark clothes, wear- ing His eldest brother and a family friend bowler hats and carrying over- coats suggested that Mohandas should go flung over their arms. Mohandas was to England to study and become a bar- embarrassed to find that he was the rister. Mohandas was thrilled. Here only one wearing white flannels.

In London, he stayed at first at the was a chance to see the world.

Victoria Hotel. Dr. P. J. Mehta, a But his mother did not like the idea.

She did not want her young- est son friend of the Gandhi family, was Gandhi as a law student in Lonto stay away from her. There was also don the problem of money and she feared the first to meet him. Mohandas that Mohandas would lose his caste if he crossed the ocean (an age-old was impressed with Dr. Mehta’s silk taboo against overseas travel among top hat. Out of curiosity, he passed his hand over it and dis- turbed the pile the high caste Hindus).

The family friend assured her that of the silk. Dr. Mehta then gave him there would be no such diffi- culty his first les- son in European manners. and everything would be all right. “Do not touch other people’s things,” But his mother was still op- posed he said. “Do not ask questions as we do in India when we meet some- one to the idea.

“I know many reasons why it is for the first time. Do not talk loudly. dangerous for a Hindu to leave In- Never address people as “sir” while dia,” she explained to him. “You will speaking to them, as we do in India. have to eat meat. They drink alcohol Only servants and subordinates adthere and you will be tempted to dress their mas- ters in that way.”

Young Gandhi found everything drink it. Then you might fall into bad around him strange. He was homecompany and there are many other sick.

He almost starved un- til he temptations which may spoil you.”

“No, mother,” said Mohandas. “I discovered a vegetarian res- taurant. am no longer a child. I can look after Struggling to learn west- ern manmyself.” He pleaded with her to allow ners and customs, he rented a suite him to go, and he took a vow not to of rooms. He bought well-tailored eat meat, not to drink, and not to touch clothes and a top hat. He spent a lot of time before the mirror, parting his a woman.

Putlibai at last gave in and al- lowed straight hair and fixing his tie. He took him to go to England. Mohandas was lessons in dancing, but soon gave it sorrowful when he left Rajkot for up as he had no sense of rhythm. He Bombay, be- cause he had to leave tried his hand at playing the violin, but behind his mother, his wife, and son failed. He took lessons in French and Harilal, who was only a few months elocution, but went to sleep.

His attempt to be an English- man old.

On September 4, 1888, Mohandas lasted about three months. Then he left Bombay to set sail for England. gave up the idea. He converted himDressed in western style, he stood on self into a serious student. “I have the deck as the ship slowly steamed changed my way of life,” he told a friend. “All this foolishness is at an out of the harbor.

Mohandas never forgot his first end. I am liv- ing in one room and morning on board. He felt most un- cooking my own food. Hereafter I comfortable in his black suit, a white shall de- vote all my time to study.”

His meals were simple. He avoided shirt, a stiff collar and a necktie. The expenditure on transport and went stiff collar pinched him. It was quite on foot everywhere in London. He a job to knot his tie properly. The tight, short coat also made him ill at started to keep an account of every ease. He thought that Indian attire was penny he spent. Mohandas joined INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

the London Vegetarian Society and soon found himself in its executive council. He wrote articles for the magazine Vegetarian.

The bar examination did not require much study and Gandhi had ample time to spare. Oxford or Cambridge was out of the question because it meant a long course and much expense.

He therefore decided to appear for the London matriculation ex- amination. It meant hard work, but he liked hard work. He passed in French, English, and chemistry but failed in Latin. He tried again, and this time passed in Latin too.

Meanwhile, he progressed in his study of law and in November 1888 was admitted to the Inner Temple.

It was the tradition of the Inns of Court for the students to dine together at least six times each year. The first time Gandhi dined with his fellow students, he was nervous. He was sure the boys would rib him for refusing meat and alcohol. When wine was offered, he said, “No, thank you.”

The boy sitting next to him said, “I say, Gandhi, don’t you want your share? As a law student in London you pay for it, you know!”

When Gandhi replied that he never touched wine, the boy shouted to his friends, ‘By Jove, fellows, we are in luck to have this chap sitting with us.

That gives us an extra half bottle.”

“You can have my share of roast, too,” Gandhi told them, look- ing quite content with his bread, boiled potatoes and cabbage. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his strange habits did not make him unpopular.

The next time he went for the dinner, he had a pile of law books with him.

He was taking the books to his room to study. “Gandhi,” said a student, “you are not really going through this stuff, are you?”

He snatched up one of the fat volumes. “Look, you chaps,” he cried, “he is actually reading Ro- man law in Latin!” The students laughed. One of them said, “Let me tell you, Gandhi, I passed the last examination in Roman law by spending two weeks on a printed summary. Why do you slave at it like this?”

Gandhi explained to his lighthearted friends that he worked so hard for sheer interest in the sub- ject, and that he wanted to acquire knowledge for its own sake.

After a short trip to France, he prepared for the final law exami- nation.

The results were soon de- clared. He had passed with high marks. On June 10, 1891, Gandhi was called to the bar.

He was ad- mitted as a barrister and the next day was formally enrolled in the High Court. The following day, June 12, he sailed for India.

Gandhi’s three-year stay in England was eventful. Those were days of great intellectual activity, and there was tolerance for every school of thought. The country as a whole was a living university. As Gandhi sailed for home on the S.S. Assam, he felt that, next to India, he would rather live in England than any other place in the world.

To be continued Next Week

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

society

Dr. Pandey Receives Prestigious Award for Research on Neurobiology of Suicides CHICAGO: Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey recently received the 2010 Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at the Lifesavers Dinner on May 13, 2010. The program was held at the Lincoln Center in New York City and was hosted

by Md. Dorothy Hamil, an Olympic figure skating champion. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the largest foundation involved in several aspects of suicide prevention. Dr. Pandey was cited for his continuous research in the neurobiology of suicide.

Suicide is a major public health concern, and almost 33,000 individuals die by suicide in the United States. In teenage population, suicide is the second leading cause of death. Whereas there is some From Left: Dr. Ghanshyam N. Pandey, Mr. Anthony C. Hooper, senior understanding of the psychosocial vice president commercial operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Vicrisk factors associated with suicide, toria Arango. the neurobiological abnormalities could potentially be used for early He has also shown that those chemiassociated with suicide are unclear.

For the last several years Dr. Pan- identification of suicidal patients. His cals which regulate the immune funcdey has studied the role of biochemi- subsequent studies focused on exam- tion are abnormally expressed in the cal factors associated with suicide in ining the physiological consequences brain of suicide victims.

Dr. Pandey was honored by the postmortem brain samples obtained of this abnormality and have shown from suicide victims and normal con- that this abnormality is also associ- American Foundation for Suicide trols. In an initial study, he showed ated with several important genes, Prevention for his significant research that one of the receptor subtypes of a including growth factors required for in the understanding of pathophysiolneurotransmitter serotonin is highly maintaining the structural integrity of ogy of suicide which has significant impact in the prevention and treatexpressed in the postmortem brain the brain.

Stress and depression are important ment of suicide. of suicide victims compared with Dr. Pandey is currently Profesnormal controls. He also reported that risk factors for suicide. Dr. Pandey this particular receptor is also higher has also been investigating the role sor in the Department of Psychiatry in blood cells of suicidal patients of stress hormones and immune fac- and Director of the Program in the compared with non-suicidal patients tors in suicide. He has shown that the Molecular Neurobiology of Mood and normal controls. These stud- mechanism by which levels of stress Disorders and Suicide, College of ies not only indicated a biochemi- hormones are regulated is compro- Medicine, University of Illinois at cal abnormality in suicide, but this mised in the brain of suicide victims. Chicago.

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

RESTAURANT FOR SALE Selling Restaurant located in the heart of Hillcroft, seating capacity for 90 people

For more information Call 832-367-1831

US Increases Visa Application Fee from June 4 WASHINGTON: United States has increased the fee of issuing non-immigrant visas in all categories with effect from June 4 so as to meet its increasing processing cost.

“The department is increasing fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the rising cost of processing non-immigrant visas,” the US State Department said in a statement.

For a number of reasons, including new security enhancements, the USD 131 fee set on January 1, 2008 no longer covers the current, actual cost of processing non-immigrant visas, it added.

Under the new schedule of fees, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange visitor (F, M and J) visas, will pay a fee of USD 140, the State Department said.

Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of USD 150.

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These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees; L visa for intra-company transferees; O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability; P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers; Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors and R visa for religious occupations.

The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be USD 350.

The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty- investors will be USD 390, the State Department said.

“The new, tiered fee structure was created to cover the higher unit costs for processing certain categories of non-immigrant visas that are more complicated and require more in-depth consideration than most other categories of non-immigrant visas,” the statement said.

The US State Department is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010• ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

health

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Doctor’s Advice: Stay Cool this Summer

By Nik Nikam, M.D. Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 3442 deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat, between 1999-2003 seasons. Pre-existing conditions such as heart disease or lung problems can compound the adverse effects of exposure to heat.

Most of these deaths and injuries could be avoided A Case in Point: It is 2 p.m, on a hot summer afternoon. Imagine, Shan, a 20-year-old boy playing baseball in the field all afternoon with smoldering heat and a temperature of 104 degrees. He collapses on the ground almost unconscious. He is rushed to a local emergency room at a nearby hospital. He is weak, barely able to talk. He complains of intense thirst while drenched in his own sweat and stuffed with his baseball gear.

He is severely dehydrated; his eyes sunken, pulse weak, and blood pressure barely palpable. His electrolytes are grossly abnormal. Doctors and nurses rush to the scene, insert a large intravenous catheter; and pump 1 to 2 liters of balanced electrolyte fluid in minutes. Shan rubs his eyes while gazing at the ceiling and wondering what went wrong. It was a close call.

He was experiencing heat exhaustion and was on the way to developing a more serious problem--heat stroke.

People involved in heavy physical exertion, while being exposed to extreme heat combined with humidity, tend to sweat a lot. The skin may feel warm, moist, and flushed. Other heat related symptoms include thirst, dehydration, rapid and weak pulse, low blood pressure, nausea, headache, and concentrated urine.

When you are exposed to extremes of heat, the skin temperature rises rapidly. The body tries to bring down the temperature by increasing the skin circulation to dissipate the heat.

In the process, the body loses vital fluids and minerals. However, when you are working in an extremely hot and humid climate, the body cannot dissipate the heat effectively, and as a result, the core body temperature rises. There are three stages of heat related responses namely the heat cramps, the heat exhaustion, and the heat stroke.

Heat Cramps: You may develop muscle cramps which are the mildest form of heat related symptom. At this stage you may have sweating, fatigue, thirst, and muscle cramps.

Sweating causes loss of sodium,

potassium, and other elements that cause muscle cramps. This can easily be reversed by moving to a cooler area, taking rest, and drinking Gatorade or other type of drinks that have a combination of water and electrolytes that are essential to prevent muscle cramps.

Heat Exhaustion: This is a more advanced response to excessive heat.

The person might be over dressed which prevents dissipation of heat. Alcohol may impair your Dr Nik Nikam M.D. body’s ability to regulate threatening condition associated with temperature. This may be the case on very hot days, where body temperature in excess of 104 beach goers may be engaged in drink- degrees. It is brought on by extreme ing alcohol. Alcohol also acts as a heat or very strenuous activities. It diuretic which leads to dehydration. needs immediate attention to preAs you get more dehydrated, the cir- vent brain damage, organ damage, culation to the skin is diminished, thus or even death. There is cessation of reducing your ability to dissipate the sweating. When the temperature is heat. This vicious cycle could lead to high, the skin may feel hot and dry.

However, if the heat stroke is related heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.

Children younger than 4 years and to strenuous exercise, their skin may adults over the age of 65 are more be warm and moist. Respirations prone for development of heat stroke. may be rapid and shallow. The pulse In young children their body respons- may be feeble and rapid. Neurologies are not well developed. In adults cal symptoms may include seizures, certain medications, such as Beta loss of consciousness, hallucinations, blockers may interfere with body’s mental confusion, or coma. Early adrenaline response to heat stress. muscle cramps may be later replaced Diuretics may cause dehydration by muscle rigidity.

The immediate danger of heat and reduce the circulating volume.

Obesity may also interfere with your stroke is shock. Shock results when the intravascular volume decreases ability to handle heat.

Heat Exhaustion Treatment: Move to a cooler place, away from the heat.

Avoid any activities that produce MUMBAI: Hospitals in Mummore heat in your body. bai are being warned to be on a Remove heavy and tight clothes. watchful lookout for swine flu Use a fan to cool off your skin so symptoms after three people died that it can radiate more heat from in the city due to the H1N1 virus. the body.

A 27-year old pregnant woman, Cool your body with a wet towel or a 25-year old Bhandup resident take a cold shower. and a one year old child from Avoid alcohol.

Mulund died in space of just two Drink water or preferably Gatorade weeks due to the disease giving rise or any sports drinks that have balto fears of a second wave of swine anced electrolyte solutions. flu infection in the city.

Elevate your legs above the heart However Brihanmumbai Mulevel to return more blood to the main nicipal Corporation (BMC) adcirculation to improve the blood presditional commissioner, Manisha sure and increase cardiac output to Mhaiskar played down the fears dissipate the heat. saying that it was premature to Cooling blankets are generally used believe that swine flu was once in the hospitals to bring down the again on the rise. body temperature.

“The H1N1 virus is in the enHeat Stroke: Heat stroke is a life

due to excessive sweating or fluid loss. There is also swelling of the organs such as the brain that can lead to permanent damage.

Diagnosis: Blood tests may show abnormalities of sodium and potassium levels.

The urine may be dark and concentrated. The elevation of muscle enzymes may reveal severe muscle damage such as rabdomyolysis.

Heat Stroke Treatment: This is a medical emergency.

The immediate goal here is to bring down the body temperature as quickly as possible. One such technique is immersing the body in a cold-water tank. However, this would interfere with other urgent medical treatments that need to be addressed such as hydrations etc. Sprinkling mist on the skin while running a fan might help to bring down the temperature. A more modern approach is to use cooling blankets which can lower the temperature to desired levels quickly and easily without any mess. It does not interfere with other treatment modalities. Excess muscle shivering (shivering releases the heat that is evaporated by the skin), may be counteracted by muscle relaxants.

Prevention: Beware of the heat related symptoms and how to recognize them.

Wear loose and well-ventilated clothes.

Avoid extremes of heat.

Use sun tan lotion all over the body to prevent sunburn.

Ifyourairconditionerbreaks(which generally happens) on the hottest day, try to spend time in a mall or a library during the day time and use a fan in the evening and night hours.

Drink plenty of fluids.

If you are dehydrated, you may want to hold your water pills and consult with your physician.

Note that your car’s inside temperature could reach 160 degrees during hot and humid days. Never leave your children in the car, even if it is for a few minutes as it can prove to be dangerous.

When you get in your car that has been baking for hours in hot weather, don’t drive your car immediately off the lot. Roll your windows down, turn your cooler on, and let the hot air move out of the car. Let the air conditioner run for a few minutes before you get on the road.

Take extra precaution, if you move from a cooler climate to a hotter climate, as it may take several weeks for your body to get acclimatized to the new weather changes. This is especially true for older individuals who may move from Maine to Miami.

Disclosure: The information provided here is for educational purpose only. Please consult with your physician for any medical advice.Visit www.sugarlandheartcenter.com for more information or call281-2657567 or email nikam@windstream. net

Mumbai Hospitals Asked to be on Alert for Swine Flu

vironment. Swine flu cases had reduced drastically but we never had a long period without any cases.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

There is no need to panic”, the head of BMC’s epidemiology cell, Dr Daksha Shah said.

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

SOCIETY

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

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Prasad Thotakura Will Serve on Author Fights to Publish Sonia Gandhi Book World Affairs Council of Dallas B B S this year -- also suggests that Gandhi als of the Gandhi family. These ideals y

Prasad Thotakura with Former US Presidential Candidate Ross Perot

DALLAS: The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth has selected Prasad Thotakura, a well known Indian American community leader, as one of the Board of Directors. Prasad is the first person of Telugu origin to serve in this coveted position in the sixty years history of World Affairs Council’s existence.

Prasad will serve three years on the Board along with other sixty top most corporate Presidents, CEOs and Leaders representing companies like American Airlines, Alcatel-Lucent, Raytheon, AT&T, NEC, Hunt Oil, TI, 7-Eleven, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, DFW International Airport besides several Law Firms, Banks and Universities. Patrick Murray, (former CEO of Halliburton Dresser, inc.) will serve as Chairman, and Jim Falk as CEO of the World Affairs Council.

The mission of the World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections through its multifaceted programs. The Council works to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare North Texans to thrive in our complex world.

“These new board officers and members are a truly exceptional group,” said Jim Falk, President and CEO of the Council. “They each bring a set of complimentary gifts to the board—ones that will support our growth and advance our goal of connecting North Texas with the world.”

“I’m truly honored and humbled for being invited by the World Affairs

Council to serve on this prestigious Board. It is a great opportunity for me to work with other fellow Board of Directors and learn from their experiences. It gives me an immense pleasure to represent the Indian American community. I thank the whole community for their unwavering long standing support to my community activities” said Prasad Thotakura.

Prasad currently serving as an Advisory Board of Director on the “Dallas Conventions & Visitors Bureau”, Advisory Board of Director on “Dallas Kids Read”, Executive Vice-President of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), Texas State Coordinator of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) and Chairman of the Steering Committee of “Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Dallas” project.

World Affairs Council, founded in 1951, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization offers the public and its more than 3,000 members opportunities to learn firsthand from world leaders, policymakers, ambassadors, journalists and world affairs experts.

It presents over 100 programs annually to enlighten and entertain North Texas. In addition to impacting more than 100,000 students each year through its International Education Initiative, the Council coordinates visits to North Texas of delegations and leaders from around the globe through the administration of its International Visitor Program and the City of Dallas Office of Protocol.

For more information visit www. dfwworld.org.

en

heppard

NEW DELHI : The author of a "fictionalised biography" of Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born power broker of Indian politics, has vowed to fight attempts to stop it being published.

Javier Moro said allies of Gandhi were "taking lines out of context and manipulating the text" as part of a campaign by India's elite to have the book banned and protect her from scrutiny.

Gandhi is the widow of assassinated former prime minster Rajiv Gandhi and -- as president of the ruling Congress party -- is widely thought to be preparing the way for her son Rahul, 39, to become the country's next leader.

"India is a democratic country which respects freedom of speech," Moro told the Press Trust of India news agency in comments released on Sunday. "I don't need permission to publish the book."

"The Red Sari: When Life is the Price of Power" has already been published in Italy and Spain, and touches on the sensitive subject of Sonia Gandhi's foreign birth and upbringing, and the fact that she had to learn Hindi.

She met Rajiv at Cambridge in Britain in the mid-1960s when they were students, and she was living with his family in New Delhi when Rajiv's mother, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, was murdered in 1984.

The book -- due out in India later

thought of leaving India with her two children after Rajiv was killed by a suicide bomber in 1991.

In the London-based Guardian

newspaper, Moro described his biography as "not strictly accurate, but it's researched and realistic". He said he took a "literary" approach after her close family and friends declined to cooperate.

Congress party lawyers have described the book as full of "untruths, half truths, falsehoods and defamatory statements" and served Moro, from Spain, with a legal notice.

"My book is a book on the glory of the Gandhi family. It defends the ide-

Hindus: “Please Recall Kali Mints!”

Upset Hindus have asked for the immediate withdrawal of ‘Kali Mints’ sold by a Washington-based firm, calling it inappropriate.

A Hindu leader, Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada Today, said inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devout.

Zed, who is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that the goddess Kali is revered highly in Hinduism and is meant to be worshipped in temples and not used for selling mints.

Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion in the world with about a billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly, Zed said.

Symbols of any faith, large or small, should not be mishandled, he said.

Meanwhile, Bhavna Shinde of the Forum for Hindu Awakening has termed such usage of Kali as "upsetting and denigrating".

She urged the company that after recalling Kali Mints, it should not make such products which trivialise sacred symbols of faith. - Agencies INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010• ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

I myself defend," Moro told PTI, accusing lawyers of "terrorising" his Indian publishers with threats.

Supporters of Sonia Gandhi, who led Congress to victory in 2004 elections but handed the prime minister's job to current incumbent Manmohan Singh, on Saturday burnt copies of the book downloaded from the Internet.

"The book should not be published in India," the protesters in Mumbai said in a statement. "The script and depiction of the happenings in the life of Ms Gandhi [are] distorted, vague and defamatory."

The Mail Today newspaper on Sunday printed extracts from the book under the front page headline: "The Sonia story Cong(ress) doesn't want you to read."

The Gandhi dynasty, which is unrelated to spiritual leader and independence hero Mahatma Ghandi, has dominated Indian politics since Indira Gandhi's father Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first prime minister in 1947 after partition.

Sonia Gandhi, 63, rarely appears in public but holds great sway within the Congress party and is credited with its welfare and anti-poverty policies as India undergoes rapid economic development.

Her equally shy son, Rahul, took a key part in Congress's successful election campaign last year and is thought likely to succeed the elderly Singh. - AFP

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

SOCIETY

A Smash Hit Wedding Exhibition STAFFORD: CLEAR Presents Impression- The Wedding Exhibition by Indigo Events was a massive success. The exhibition took place on June 5 -6, 2010 at Stafford Centre.

All aspects of the the show were flawlessly coordinated and well attended. Every aspect from the Vendor setup to the Fashion Show, was a treat to watch. Attended by over 2000 guests, Impression managed to exhibit as well as educate the crowd by showcasing the latest fashion and jewellery from the vendors at the show. Both days were an Left: Neha Rajani with the winner of the fabulous dress by Nazia’s Couture. Top: Guests shopping at different booths during the two day event.

event for the whole family with great food, great music, and drawings for spectacular prizes from jewellery to dresses.

Indigo Events is an event management company specializing in events ranging from Weddings to Corporate Events. Organized by Neha Rajani

of Indigo Events, Impression was the grandest exhibiton Houston has seen.

Indigo Events will bring the best events to showcase business in the coming months. For more updates on the events, call 832-794-1444 or visit www.time2indigo.com.

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Anumola Subba Rao Receives Highest Honor for Immigrants LONG ISLAND, New York: Rao S Anumolu, President & CEO of ASR International Corporation, based in Long Island (New York), is the recipient of the 2010 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The Medal was presented to Anumolu on May 8, at a ceremony held at Ellis Island in the presence of several dignitaries, community leaders and Anumnolu’s family, Rajeswari Rao, Praveen and Naveen Anumolu.

The Medal recognizes recipients for outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation and the world. It is the highest civilian award in the US for immigrants - for their contributions in the development of this country Anumolu has the unique distinction of being the only Asian Indian to have the dual honor of being cited by the US Congress and also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Both the United States House of

Rao Anumolu with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Rao Anumolu with US Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy

One World Invites Kingfisher Airlines on Board Kingfisher Airlines today became a member elect of oneworld® after completing a formal membership agreement with the alliance – moving India’s leading airline a landmark step towards flying as part of the world’s premier airline alliance.

The contract was signed by the Kingfisher Airlines’ Chairman and Chief Executive Vijay Mallya and his counterparts from all 12 of oneworld existing partners and members elect.

It follows a memorandum of understanding reached between Kingfisher Airlines and oneworld, announced in late February, setting out a framework for membership discussions.

A key condition for oneworld inviting Kingfisher Airlines to join has already been met – with India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation

granting approval for the carrier to become part of the alliance, just weeks after the airline filed its request for

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authority to proceed, enabling Kingfisher Airlines and oneworld to move fast forward to complete the formal membership agreement today.

A team of experts from British Airways – which is serving as Kingfisher Airlines’ oneworld sponsor, mentoring and supporting it through its joining program – and from the central oneworld team has just returned from visiting their Kingfisher Airlines counterparts in Mumbai and Delhi to set its joining program in motion. The first element has already been successfully accomplished with Kingfisher Airlines passing oneworld’s safety audit with flying colors.

The next step in building links between oneworld and Kingfisher Airlines takes place next month, with the opening of the new international passenger terminal at New Delhi, when all the alliance’s six carriers serving the Indian capital will share Kingfisher Airlines’ new premium passenger lounge there.

Representatives and Senate have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medals of Honor and the recipients are read into the Congressional Record.

Ellis Island Medal of Honor recognizes American citizens of diverse ethnic origins whose influence and achievements inspire and touch the lives of people everywhere. The honorees are remarkable citizens who exemplify outstanding qualities and achievements in their professional and personal lives while contributing to preserve the richness of their heritage. They are honored because they create a better world for all of us by the work they have done and continue to do.

This is the second time thatAnumolu has been nationally recognized for his contributions. He has the unique distinction and the rare privilege of being the only Indian to be cited by the US Congress, in 2003, for his contributions and those of ASR International Corporation towards homeland security in USA. The cost-effective technology and systems deployed by ASR to protect the nation’s airports, waterways, railroads and highways were specifically mentioned in the US Congress citation. Expressing her ‘deep appreciation for and recognition of his tireless efforts in support of our nation’s defense’, New York

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy told the US Congress that as President and CEO of ASR International Corporation, Rao Anumolu has assisted the Department of Defense ‘- in its fight to protect our homeland since the attack on our country - on September 11.’

Born in Andhra Pradesh, Anumolu came to US in 1969 and obtained a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering and also an MBA degree from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. He is the recipient of several awards and honors which recognize his business acumen, professional achievements, contributions to the community and his support of philanthropic activities in USA and India.

He is a role model and a source of inspiration for the Indian community in USA. He has also been honored by several organizations and professional societies.

He is blessed with two sons Praveen Anumolu who is a graduate of Cornell University with Masters in Engineering and Naveen Anumolu, a graduate in Engineering and MS in Management from Stony Brook University. Praveen is the Director of Engineering and Naveen is the Director of Global Marketing at ASR. His wife Rajeswari’s total support in all his endeavors is the primary reason for Anumolu’s success.

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

BOOK REVIEW

Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

Book Review on Nivrutti Pravrutti: Live a Life of Fun After Retirement

“Nivrutti ni Pravrutti” is a book for Baby Boomers and for those who are already scared of retiring. The book is a summary of real life anecdotes of Harikrishna Majmudar and Vijay Shah who have worked closely with retired professionals for more than 35 years. This is a practical guide for all activities that one can do during their retirement. The book is also the first of it’s kind in Gujarati.

About the Authors Harikrishna Majmudar (popularly known as Dada) is a legend in the field of services to Senior Citizens and has helped thousands of people with their welfare benefits. He shared his valuable thoughts with Vijay Shah who has been professionally helping seniors since 1977.

He is a well known columnist and author of many books in Gujarati. The combination of these two authors makes

Members of the Gujarati Community are calling this book a must-read for all those on the cusp of retirement. A good surprise gift also for Father’s Day. The book is available through www.authorhousecom and is priced at $25

Harikrishna Majumdar, popularly known as Dada speaks about Nivruttini Pravrutti.

He is one of the authors of the book. Vijay Shah (not in the picture) is the other .

this book an excellent read for baby boomers to handle retirement psychologically, socially and to enjoy this phase to the fullest.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010• ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, June 11 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 11 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM