Friday, March 03, 2017 • Vol. 36, No. 09
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Maha Shivratri Celebrated with Devotion and Fervor in Houston on Friday, February 24 Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya
The Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston
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The Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston
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HOUSTON: Siva means aus-
piciousness. On February 24th 2017, as Houston celebrated Mahasivaratri, a day that is most auspicious to Siva, thousands of devotees of the Houston Indian American community had one venue on their minds and calendar – Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya. In that iconic linga-shaped temple located within the premises of Chinmaya Mission Houston (CMH), a perfect trifecta of festivities, devotion, and spirituality uplifted every devotee. The special day and sacred night was marked by incessant Vaidika chants led by the temple priest Sri Ganesh Sathyanarayanaji as an almost unending stream of devotees filed through the temple. As the evening progressed, the crowds grew stronger in numbers. The festivities began around 9 am when the Utsava Murti was worshiped with Ksirabhiseka. The Mahanyasa Purvaka Rudrabhiseka, performed to the Vaidika chants of Sri Rudram, highlighted the glories of Lord Siva. True to the declaration that Sri Rudram bestows happiness on both chanter and listener, everyone was moved to a state of bliss in that divine atmosphere. Even the basement of the temple got transformed into a mini Kailas, thanks to the wonderful artistic seva of CMH volunteers. Devotees of all ages – infants to the aged – waited sincerely in a long winding line to perform their personal Ksirabhiseka to the Lord’s idol placed there. This intimate experience made bhakti flow from the hearts of all, like the Ganges that flowed from the mini Kailas. Invoking more auspiciousness, the evening’s Laghunyasa purvaka Ekadasa Rudrabhiseka made all hearts reverberate to the continuous chants of Vaidika hymns. The Sivalinga-shaped temple glowed with beauty, both from
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A Blissful Sivaratri at Saumyakasi Sivalaya
Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty performing the Ksirabhiseka to the Utsava Linga. All the devotees had an opportunity to offer abhisekam to the Utsava Linga.
The priest, Sri Ganesh, Sri Radhuram and Sri Harish performed the abhisekam in complete harmony with his chanting of the Rudram. Photos: Rajesh Thatte
the bright illumination as well as mesmerizing aura. Devotees were able to watch the Rudrabhiseka on a couple of giant screens and listen to the chants of Sri Rudram as they made their way inside the temple. The final hour before midnight saw a silent meditation elevating the bhaktas present to another realm. The silence experienced was so surreal that it can only be experienced by participation, not described. Through all the blessings of that night, one could feel the silent presence of Pujya Gurudeva, Swami Chinmayananda and witness some key teachings from his commentaries come alive. With the leadership, love, vision, and caring of Acaryas Sri Gaurang Uncle and Smt. Darshana Aunty and their relentless service to the Hindu community for decades, the Bhakti of the devotees was perhaps outmatched only by selfless service - the nishkama seva bhava of the CMH volunteers. CMH once again lived up to the teachings of Pujya Gurudeva by blending all the elements of essential Sanatana Dharma – Bhakti,
With that spiritually significant Homa, the space in Chinmaya Smrti was made fragrant with collective prayers for spiritual purity. As the festivities of a most memorable CMH annual worship comes to a close, there is one thing that those who did not participate can do besides waiting. Make a visit to Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya and also get to know more about CMH activities and how they are
Maha Mrtyunjaya Homam offered by a multitude of devotees for the health and spiritual prosperity of the world at large.
Karma, Jnana and Dhyana Yogas. The celebrations continued on Sunday 26th with two sessions of hundreds of families performing the Mahamrtyunjaya Homa. Families participated in chanting the Maha-mrtyunjaya mantra along with their children. Chanting of the “Om Tryambakam …” mantra confers not only longevity but also cleanses our vasanas and burns our sins.
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continuing the vision of Swami Chinmayananda by demystifying Sanatana Dharma and making it more practical in our daily lives. For more information on Chinmaya Mission Houston, Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya and its activities visit www.chinmayahouston.org, www.saumyakasi.org or call temple 281 568 1690 or Jay Deshmukh 832 541 0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233
JITENDRA R SHAH, CPA
7322 Southwest Fwy, Ste 715, Houston, TX 77074 Email: jshahcpa@sbcglobal.net Voice: 713-840-1222 Fax: 713-988-7778 Call for a 30 minutes free consultation. No set up charges.
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The Great Night of Shiva at Hillcroft
BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA
HOUSTON: Maha Shivratri is
a popular Hindu festival that is celebrated every year in reverence of the Lord Shiva. It is a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for protecting us from annihilation. Religious penances are carried out to gain boons through the practice of meditation and chants of “Om Namah Shivay” and Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra is also performed to seek divine blessings of the Lord. Many worshippers participate in jaagran or the night vigil organized in various Shiva temples across the world. Devotees believe that sincere observance of the Maha Shivratri pooja and all night worship of Lord Shiva will absolve them of all their past sins and liberate them from the cycle of birth and death, which is moksha and salvation. My experience: I have been an ardent devotee of Shiva ever since childhood. One of my earliest memories of Maha Shivratri is the incentive I used to get in the form of thandai (a popular and very refreshing spicy cold drink made with milk), and cutlets made with sabudana (sago) and potato, after the day long fasting. The incentive gradually transformed into an understanding of the reason why this day is celebrated and that in turn imbibed in me a sense of thankfulness for everything that has been blessed upon us. Celebrations of Maha Shivratri begin with the break of the dawn and continue all through the night. And Houston is no different when it comes to celebrating such cultural festivals. On Friday, February 24, The Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston and The Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston located at the Hillcroft area were amongst the several temples that celebrated the festival with much religious fervor. I got an opportunity to visit both these temples and be a part of a festival notable for its introspective focus and social harmony.
Pandit Pradip Pandya
Ghee Kamal (butter carved as lotus)
Abhishek to the Shivling
Drama performed by Kalakriti Performing Arts
Maha Aarti
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Visit to The Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston: I first visited the Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston, located at 6640 Harwin Drive. The temple priests Virat Mehta, Hardik Raval, Prakashbhai AdCONTINUED ON PAGE
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Visit to The Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston: My second visit was to The Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston, located at 5645 Hillcroft Avenue, Suite 701. This temple is close to my heart and I usually visit it every Monday,
but Maha Shivratri just made it more special. I entered the temple and the chanting of the sacred mantra of Shiva had barely set me in the mood when I was welcomed with a big smile and
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The Great Night of Shiva at Hillcroft CONTINUED FROM PAGE
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Visit to The Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston havaryu and Pralay Pandya were seen welcoming several of Lord Shiva’s devotees. Joy was writ large on their faces as devotees started coming in the temple in huge numbers to seek His blessings. The serene ambience and the chanting of Maha Mrutyunjaya Jaap cascading down in waves made it a mesmerizing experience. Devotees were allowed near the Garbhgruh to perform Abhishek (offering of milk). After the day long chanting of Maha Mrutyunjaya Jaap the Maha Aarti was performed at 7:00 pm, followed by the Four-Prahar which started at 8:30 pm, with full energy, passion and thoughts filled only with the glory of his Lord, and ended the next morning at 6:00 am. A unique offering apart from the daturas, fruits and milk was the Ghee Kamal (butter carved as lotus) atop the
shivling. This beautiful creation was one of its firsts in the USA. After the Shiv darshan, all devotees relished the thandai and prasad, which was made by the volunteers at the temple. The eventful day was made livelier with an enchanting dance drama performed by the local non-profit Kalakriti Performing Arts (www. kalakritiusa.org). In a 30-minute episode they depicted the marriage of Lord Shiva to Parvati, in an engaging and spellbinding way. The vibrant and colorful costumes were complimented by the astounding choreography by Art Director Kusum Sharma. A conversation with the priest the next day revealed that a startling number of 5000 devotees came for darshan of the Lord. The priest wished to thank the devotees for their support. For further details visit their website at www.shivshaktimandir.org
Visit to The Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston
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a Namaskar by the temple priest Pradip Pandya. To his recital of mantras, I got an opportunity to perform Abhishek to the Shivling, which was bought in from India and installed right before this Maha Shivratri day. Though there are many versions of why this day is celebrated, it is always great to hear it from a priest. Pandyaji was kind enough to explain to me his version of the significance of this day. The Maha Pooja and Maha Aarti were divided into two sets; the first set started at 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm, while the second set started at 7:00 pm and 8.30 pm. Here too, all the devotees relished the refreshing thandai and prasad. Maha Mrutyunjaya Jaap was recited the entire day. It was fascinating to see devotees being welcomed in huge numbers. These devotees got with them offerings for abhishek and prasad. According to Shiva Purana, there is a special significance of the six essential pooja items used in the Shiva worship. Bathing of Shivaling with wa-
ter, milk and honey and wood apple or bel leaves added to it, represents purification of the soul. The vermilion paste applied on the linga after the ritual bath represents virtue. Offering of fruits symbolizes longevity and gratification of desires. Burning of incense sticks yields wealth. The lighting of the lamp symbolizes attainment of knowledge. Offering of betel leaves marks satisfaction with worldly pleasures. In a conversation with Pandyaji, he mentioned that this year the number of devotees increased. He thanked Lord Shiva for his blessings that got devotees flock to this temple in large numbers. The Gauri Siddhivinayak Mandir of Houston is a Non-Profit 501(C) organization, and all donations are tax deductible. For further details call Pradip Pandya at 832-466-9868 or visit www. SiddhivinayakHouston.com or email at siddhivinayakhouston@gmail.com On this darkest night of the year, there was enough spiritual talk en route, after we left from this temple. Thanks to these temple visits, I realized that spirituality can come alive in a car journey too!
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March 03, 2017 9 COMMUNITY Krishnamurthy to Head Sankara Nethralaya OM Trust BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON: With the start of
the new year, local community activist and philanthropist Leela Krishnamurthy has been selected to head the Sankara Nethralaya Ophthalmic Mission Trust, a national non-profit in the US, which was established in 1988 to support the highly regarded charitable, not-for-profit Sankara Nethralaya, Ophthalmic Hospital, in Chennai, India. The SN OM Trust is composed of 18 trustees in six states – Texas, California, Georgia, Maryland, New York and Illinois - who support the eye care activities of the SN hospital by raising awareness and funds by organizing various events every year. The SN OM Trust has successfully helped raise substantial funds for the hospital to allow it to provide free world class ophthalmic eye care to thousands of under-privileged, indigent people in India. The Sankara Nethralaya (meaning “The Temple of the Eye”) Hospital was formed in 1976 by Dr. Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath, with a group of philanthropists. Today it has become one of the best managed charitable
Sankara Nethralaya Ophthalmic Mission Trustees Leela Krishnamurthy, the 2017 President; Dr. Kris S. “Ashok” Vasan; Jawahar Malhotra are all from Houston as is former Trustee Sam Sockalingam Kannappan.
organizations in India with 100 ophthalmologists and 1,000 employees serving 1,200 patients a day and performing 100 surgeries a day. SN has 60% paying patients and 40% non-paying. SN now offers services at five locations in Chennai and at Mukundapur in Kolkata; Hebbal in Bengaluru; Rameshwaram and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and plans to expand in more states and possibly other countries. SN has fellowships in Vitreo Retina, Glaucoma, Cornea etc. BS Optometry,
MSMLT and Ophthalmic Nursing courses are run here in collaboration with BITS Pilani. Three years ago it has started a project of Mobile Eye Surgical Unit consisting of four buses which go to the villages and has performed 3,200 surgeries totally free, with free of cost medicines and glasses. Krishnamurthy and her husband Nat have been fixtures of the charitable organizations in the Bayou City for many years and have endeared themselves to many groups. Leela has been a life-long patron
of the arts, literacy and social programs. She is the past president of the Indo American Charity Foundation, Bharathi Kalai Manram and treasurer of India Culture Center. Currently she is on the board of Habitat for Humanity Houston and Advisory Board of UNICEF. She is also active with the Houston Food Bank, Sri Meenakshi Temple and Club 24 Plus. Recently she participated in the fund raising at the booth for Shankara Nethralaya OM Trust during the Tamil Nadu
Foundation Conference May 2012 in Houston. In addition to Krishnamurthy, Houston is home to two other Trustees. An ongoing Trustee is Dr. Kris S. “Ashok” Vasan who is also the Managing Director of the Sankara Nethralaya Hospital and spends part of the year in Chennai and the other part in Houston where his family lives. The other new Trustee is this reporter, the Publisher of Indo American News, who was just appointed this year. Another Houstonian, Sam Sockalingam Kannappan, has been a Trustee for a few years but decided not to continue this year. Krishnamurthy plans to help organize several events this year to raise funds for projects in India. In addition, she, Vasan and Malhotra have been working with local institutions to raise the awareness of the SN Hospital’s profile in ophthalmic and vision care. “We are delighted to know that there are many graduates and doctoral candidates in the US who have been former employees and current associates of the SN,” Krishnamurthy explained, “with several pursuing degrees at the Optometry College at the University of Houston.”
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COMMUNITY Maha Sivarathri Celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple
BY MUTHUKUMAR & SRIRAM
PEARLAND:
Maha Sivarathri is celebrated on 13th night (waning moon) and 14th day of the month Phalguna (Magha). Sri Meenakshi Temple gave their devotees a very unique and rare opportunity to make a holy pilgrimage to five important Siva Kshetras (Panch Bhootha Sthalams), all under one roof, to experience the divine bliss of Lord Siva on the auspicious Maha Sivarathri on Friday, February 24. A steady stream of around 2,000 devotees attended the event from 6:30 pm to 6:30 am on the 25. The authentic chanting of Rudram and bhajans by the priests and devotees made the event a thrilling experience for all. The temple silpis (artisans), priests, staff and volunteers worked hard to create a spectacular display of the Five Pancha Bhootha Sthalams, which are sacred Siva temples
in South India dedicated to the Five Earth Elements, namely Prithvi (earth), Appu (water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (air or wind) and Akash (space). This year’s event was even more special since pradosham also fell on the same day. The main event consisting of homam followed by 108-sanku abhishekam and gold bilva archana was from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. And a special cultural program was organized for this event. The temple was open all night for the stream of hundreds of devotees who stayed up for the chaturkala pujas at midnight, 1:30 am, 3 am and 4:30 am. MTS was awash in divine splendor – Sarvam Siva Mayam. The successful event was coordinated by M.K. Sriram, Pandurengan, Muthukumar, and Dr. Padmini Nathan.
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COMMUNITY YLDP: Leadership the Muscle
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March 03, 2017
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BY ARSHIA BATRA
HOUSTON: On February 4, a
group of young aspiring leaders filled a conference room in India House and were asked: Is Governing Possible? In a matter of 45 minutes, we had the opportunity to hear one whole semester worth of government, from former Mayor Annise Parker herself. As the former 61st mayor of Houston and one of the only two women to hold the city’s highest elected office, she has been responsible for the management of the city of Houston and law enforcement. After spending several years in service to the city of Houston, Parker asked us a fundamental question: Is Governing Possible? It is an impractical job with many faults, yet no city or country or even family unit can function without it. However, after so many years of utilizing this essential system,
why has it not been perfected? 1.Decision Making is Hard: Choosing an ideal leader with qualities such as empathy, connection, and communication, and expecting them to be able to effectively make larger decisions is not an easy task. There will always be people who are unhappy with the decisions of a leader. These officials are elected to solve problems that may be unrealistic or unsolvable, but how do you balance the cost between the winners and losers of the decision? 2.Leadership is a Muscle: Mayor Parker described leadership as a muscle that must be exercised so that it can get stronger. Stepping out of your comfort zone and being able to claim your space is a skill that only comes with conditioning and training. Mayor Parker spoke of the challenges she faced as an introvert and the tactics she used such as merchant walks, Teletown Hall webchats, and handwritten
notes to reach out to her audience and make her presence known. “Once you know your audience, how do you reach them?” 3.Sharpen Your Axe: Having your own tool-box of education, personal skills, and experience is key to being successful in government. Candidates are often just blank canvases to the public, but the dash of color you add to your own canvas can truly make a difference. How do you use a loss or experience to move forward? After listing reasons claiming that government may seem impossible, former Mayor Annise Parker left with a message: we must decide where we have to eat lunch after all, despite the complications. And this is why government worksbecause it has to and there is no other way.
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About Pancha Bootha Sthalams: The Pancha Bootha Sthalas (‘pancha’ - meaning 5, ‘bootha’ meaning elements (Water, Earth, Fire, Wind and Space) and ‘sthala’ meaning location). The creation of Universe is with these 5 elements, and the temples highlighted below are dedicated to Lord Siva to signify these five elements. Three of the five templesChidambaram, Kanchipuram and Sri Kalahasti are all situated on a straight line exactly at 79 degree 41 minutes East longitude - truly an engineering, astrological and geographical wonder. Jambukeswarar Temple at Tiruvanaikkaval near Thiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu: This ancient temple celebrates Siva as Jambukeswara, an embodiment of the element “WATER” and is often referred as Appustalam. It is believed that devotees worshipping here are blessed for this birth and the next birth. Ekambareswarar Temple at
Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu: Kanchipuram a temple town is considered to be the foremost among the seven prime pilgrimage centers in India. Siva is the presiding deity here, worshipped as Prithvi Lingam, symbolizing the “EARTH”. No separate shrine for Parvathi exists here. Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu: Tiruvannamalai is the Thejo (Fire) sthalam where Lord Siva (Annamalayar or Arunachaleswarar) manifests himself as a column of “FIRE” in the Annamalai hills to bring light to the world and eliminate the darkness (“ego”). SivaPuranam identifies Tiruvannamalai is one of the four sacred places for obtaining salvation. Sri Kalahasthiswarar Temple at Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh Srikalahasthi is known as Kailash of South and the temple here dedicated to Siva (Kalahasthiswara). The Three-eyed Siva, manifested in the form of Vayu Linga. It teaches us the truth that the eternal bliss can be achieved only through
implicit faith, humble submission and absolute devotion to the Almighty. Thillai Natarajar Temple at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu: The word Chidambaram refers to the sky of consciousness. Over time, Maha Sivaratri has served as a confluence of artists for annual dance festivals at major temples and it is called Natyanjali, or “worship through dance”.
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COMMUNITY
March 03, 2017
Arya Samaj for Houston Food Bank
HOUSTON: Arya Samaj Great-
er Houston organizes its annual Food Drive for the Houston Food Bank. Its members enjoy food every Sunday together after the weekly Satsang, called Rishi Langar’s Preeti Bhoj. But this time of the year is slightly different for them when they spare a thought to the recurring pain of the hungry people in the society. The Sixth Principle of Arya Samaj envisions a world without suffering - Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah - may all be happy, including humans and animals. Hunger is the greatest enemy that gives rise to all sorts of evils. The unfortunate people without adequate food suffer hunger. Sleep could make one forget the pain of hunger but a hungry man is unable to sleep, too. It is Almighty Om Paramaatma’s challenge to all noble souls in the world. We know that water and air are more necessary substances for survival than food is. It is God’s benevolent design that air and water are available to everybody without any major effort, and it is the food that triggers a common human being into the action mode. One could lay the responsibility on the hungry man that he is lazy and responsible for his own plight. But the society is greatly interconnected. The society as a whole must make it happen that everybody is gainfully employed and can earn
with dignity to bring food into his home. There are instances when a
person is willing to work but is unable to find work. Of course, there are difficult cases when a person is simply unable to work due to old age, handicaps, infirmity, etc. Putting all factors together, Arya Samaj believes in doing a small bit to lessen the suffering in the society we live in. Arya Samaj Houston takes pride that their members responded generously for the cause in the year 2017, surpassing the previous contributions. Besides a number of boxes of canned food, cash donation of $4000 was made, encompassing a multi-volunteer drive of 6-8 weeks - a small step toward a hunger-free world. Let there be a world where food is available to everybody just as one can count the availability of water!
FIS Scores Partnership with SAADA
HOUSTON:
Philadelphia,PA based South Asian American Digital Archives (SAADA), a non-profit 501(c3) organization has sought partnership with Houston based Foundation for India Studies (FIS) to create a more inclusive voice to South Asian Americans at the national level by documenting, preserving, and sharing stories that represent Indian immigrants’ unique and diverse experiences. SAADA’s existing partnerships with Asian Indian Heritage Project, Cleveland; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, India Association of Minnesota and Minnesota Historical Society have already brought in 3000 unique depositories all of which were digitized in accordance with the U.S. Library of Congress technical preservation standards and are made freely accessible to the public through SAADA’s website:http://www. saadigitala rchive.org.
“Our aim is to digitally preserve, and provide free access to the history of the South Asian American community. We would welcome a partnership with the Foundation for India Studies and Houston Public Library to bring a greater national awareness to your oral history interviews by including hyperlinks to these interviews from our archives.” said Mr. Samip Mallick, Executive Director of SAADA. F I S Founder,Chairman,Krishna Vavilala, acknowledged that this latest partnership with SAADA will further enhance institutional interest in the FIS projects. Last year, Baylor University’s Institute of Oral History,Waco had entered into similar partnership to consult on preservation of the rich tapestry of Indian Immigrant stories. The Houston Public Library, a working partner of FIS will provide SAADA with hyperlinks
of the Indo-American Oral History interviews which are presently preserved in the digital archives of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center,an archival branch of the Houston Public Library. For more information,visit “www.FoundationforIndiastudies .org”.or call 713-795-5169.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
13
14 March 03, 2017 COMMUNITY Diversity of Beauty Queens at Creole Heritage Festival
Beauty queens representing all the ethnic groups in Houston walked in a parade at the fourth annual Houston Creole Heritage Festival this past Saturday, February 25. The parade of beautiful ladies was organized by Sangeeta Dua (second from right), of TV Houston and host of the Diversity Talk Show.
The beauty queens onstage with Sangeeta Dua (center) at the festival.
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON:
The Bayou City was home to the fourth annual Houston Creole Heritage Festival this past Saturday, February 25 which featured a Mardi Gras Parade held downtown at Discovery Green. The lively and colorful all day event was presented by the Houston Shop Ministries to celebrate the food, music and heritage of the Creole and Cajun culture as well as the diversity in the Metroplex. A key component of the festival was the parade of beauty queens from Houston representing all the cultures and ethnic groups from across the city. “The parade was a repeat of the same concept presented at the Texas International Lunar Festival held on February 4 in Chinatown on Bellaire,” said the parade organizer Sangeeta Dua who also presented that event, “but included many more participants in brilliant and colorful outfits”. Dua is the founder of TV Houston and host of the Diversity Talk Show and also the owner of Apsara Salon in the Galleria area. She organized the beauty queens parade choosing women to represent the Asian, Latino, African American and Anglo communities, set to the music and ambiance of the Creole theme of the festival. The fun filled all-day event started with the parade at 9 am and ended with a rock concert till 11 pm, with an estimated 35,000 attendance throughout the day. Food, marching bands, a parade of Corvettes, martial art, dancers, musicians, singers and live band participated in the festival.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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16 March 03, 2017
COMMUNITY Abuwala Seeks Support for Yale Medical Outreach in Peru BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
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CITY: Nafeesa Abuwala, is a pre-med sophomore at Berkley College in Yale University majoring in Cognitive Science and in the Global Health Studies program, hoping to graduate in 2019. She is originally from Missouri City where here parents live and her dad Ammar has a travel agency, Reliable Travel & Tours. Growing up in the community has fostered a desire for service in Nafeesa and from her freshman year living at Dwight Hall, she has been involved in the Service program and is on the Executive Committee. She also volunteers for Students for Autism Awareness, Volunteers Around the World, and Student Partnerships for Global Health and is also a research assistant in the Canine Cognition Center. Abuwala, a premed and public health student, volunteers with Volunteers Around the World, a non-profit organization whose mission to conduct an annual medical outreach program in which 25 students are selected to travel to a country to assist with health care to rural, underdeveloped areas. Last
year, she was selected to travel for two weeks in Peru, which allowed her to see the disparity between the developing and the developed world. This year, she will return to Cusco, Peru as a member of the executive board and will share her experience from last year with other aspiring pre-medical and global health students. She and the other volunteers will receive several weeks of training in healthcare and the Spanish, a language she already has a learnt for seven years.
She hopes to make a positive impact on a small part of the world and gain insight on the factors that lead to healthcare inequality there. To participate in the VAW program, Abuwala requires funding for the training and medical supplies as well as for logistical expenses of the volunteers, including travel and living costs. Volunteers must raise a minimum of $2650 to cover their expenses and collectively cover the medical resources required for a successful medical outreach, including diagnostic equipment like sphygmomanometers, stethoscopes, needles, pharmaceutical medications, and other basic medical supplies like gloves, lab coats, and sanitary wipes. Abuwala is seeking donations to participate in the program. If you wish to donate as a sponsor, go to: www.empowered.org/YaleMedical-Outreach-trip-to-PeruMarch-2017/Nafeesa-Abuwala-1/donate. To learn more about the organization, visit: www.volunteersaroundtheworld.org/ or www. empowered.org/VAW-at-YaleMedical-Outreach
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
March 03, 2017
Golden Moon Festival: Gaura Purnima 2017
H
OUSTON: Gaura Purnima is a festival that celebrates the divine appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Navadwipa, India. Gaura Purnima means “Golden Full Moon”. The name signifies that Lord Chaitanya took birth at time of full moon and He blesses everyone with the moonlike rays of His teachings. Lord Chaitanya is non-different than Lord Krishna appearing as His own devotees. He spread the congregation chanting of Holy Name and
taught that one can gain enlightenment by simply chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. “Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset, in February 1486. The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of “Haribol.”
Hisfather,JagannathaMisra, and His mother, Saci-devi, a model good woman, both descended from ‘brahmana’ stock originally residing in Sylhet. His mother’s father, Pandita Nilambara Cakravarti, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time; and he, therefore, gave him the name Visvambhara. The ladies of the neighborhood styled him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him Nimai on account of the ‘nimba’ tree near which He was born. Beautiful as the Lord was, everyone heartily loved to see Him every day.” - Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur Devotees across the world celebrate Gaura Purnima by fasting till dusk, chanting the Holy Name of Lord Krishna, performing abhishek of Lord Chaitanya and offering a variety of foodstuff to the Lord. Our festival at ISKCON of Houston will immerse you in beautiful kirtan, abhishek of Gaura Nitai and of course wonderful feast after you chant and dance to build your appetite and love for Lord Chaitanya. Program starts at 5 pm and will include a special class to glorify Mahaprabhu. Come join us! 1320 West 34th St., Houston, TX 77018
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E-mail your resume to Hazel: hdsouza@grwpc.com WRITERS ... TAKE NOTICE Writers are requested to limit their words to 500. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Tuesday of each week. For more information: Call 713-789- 6397 or email us at: indoamericannews@yahoo.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
18 March 03, 2017 T
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Junagadh’s Historical Connections
Inaction Breeds Hate Crimes
he election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the US has emboldened the far-Right in the country. There has been an increase in the number of hate crimes against minorities, immigrants, Muslims, etc. The latest in the list is the killing of an Indian at a bar in Kansas. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants and minorities are reeling under the fear that their lives are under constant threat from some gunwielding psychopaths. Since Trump launched his election campaign last year, the anti-Muslim hate groups in US increased by 197% in number, according to a study by US-based Southern Poverty law Centre. The increase was from 34 to 101. Meanwhile, its report on hate groups in the US revealed that there are at least 100 white nationalist groups, 99 neoNazi groups, 52 anti-LGBT groups and 43 neo confederate groups. There are also 100 general hate groups, 21 Christian identity radical groups, 193 black separatist groups, 78 racist skinheads and 130 white supremacist Ku Klux Klan groups. All have registered steady growth in the last three years. Some citizens in the US prejudiced against a certain sections in the society are turning into the very terrorists that they claim to denounce. How can these individuals be saving the US from terrorists by stopping immigration and putting travel bans when US nationals are turning into terrorists and shooting people on the street. In 2017, there have been at least 55 mass shootings in the US, according to Gunviolencearchive.com. There have been 9,043 cases of gun violence. Last year, during the election campaign year, there were 385 incidents of mass shootings. The numbers in 2015 and 2014 were 333 and 274. FBI statistics suggests from 2014-15 the hate crimes against Muslims went up by 67 per cent. In the first 10 days after Trump’s election, the number of hate crimes was at least 867, according to SPLC. The number of hate crimes the next day of Trump’s election crossed 200. So, hate groups are multiplying faster than ever, gun sales are steadily up, President Trump is imposing policy after policy against minorities being vocally against minorities, Muslims, immigrants, LGBT community etc. Meanwhile, Indian politicians have been suggesting flabbergasting measures like sporting a tilak or bindi by Hindus to prevent being attacked and even urging Muslims and Christians to adopt the same to save themselves. The issue is staring at the face of the American government and the society, which comprises at least 3 million Indian Americans and hundreds of thousands of Indians working or studying in the country who are often subjected to racial attacks. The question is whether the Trump administration will take action or stay in denial and let American society turn into one filled with homegrown terrorists. -Indian Express
Dear Editor
Mr. Pramod Kulkarni has given some interesting information regarding Junagadh in his article, “Medieval Junagadh and cultural Vadodara” published in the March 17 issue. I enjoyed reading the article. I would like to add following interesting things about Junagadh. Jungadh was a princely state in Saurashtra—or Kathiavar-—part of Gujarat. It was one of the few princely states ruled by Muslim Nawabs. In 1947, when India became independent and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel dissolved all the princely states into one India state, Nawab of Junagadh-—Mohabat Khanji—and especially his minister or wazir, wanted to join Pakistan and did not want to join India. Sardar Patel sent an army of his followers from Bombay by train to take possession of state of Junagadh. Result was that Nawab and his minister fled to Pakistan. His minister was Shah Nawaz Bhutto, father of Mr. Zulfikar ali Bhutto and grandfather of Benazir Bhutto. Close to the state of Junagadh was a princely state of Gondal, where parents of Muhammad Ali Jinnah were living, and sometime around 1875, they migrated to Karachi where Muhammad Ali was born. The father was Jinnahbhai Poonja and mother was Mithibai. They were both Ismaili Muslims or Khojas. Their mother tongue was Gujarati. Muhammad Ali adopted the last name as Jinnah, and thus, the whole name became Mr. Muhammad Ali jinnah. Mr. Jinnah only knew Gujarati and English languages. He did
Emperor Ashoka’s 14 edicts at Girnar mountains are inscribed in Brahmi script.
not know Urdu. Thus, this family from the princely state of gondal, which was about less than a hundred miles from Porbandar, where another Gujarati was born: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. These two leaders in a way determined the destiny of India and Pakistan. Another interesting point regarding Junagadh is that on the top of the nearby Girnar mountains, there are very ancient Jain temples built during 1050-1100 AD. There is also a large stone on which Emperor Ashoka (273 to 236 BC) – has inscribed 14 edicts or commandments, which describe how a human being should behave in the daily life. These 14 commandments probably cover large religious textbooks giving lengthy advice in one single page. This monument now is protected by a covered building. The writing is in the Brahmi
script from which current scripts of India, Sri Lanka, Java, Tibet and Burma derive. The Prakrit dialect, associated with the Brahmi script, has the same relation to Sanskrit as Italian language has to Latin. In the 9th year of his rule, in 261 BC, Ashoka won a great victory over neighboring kingdom of Kalinga— modern area of Orissa and east coast of Telegana. Emperor Ashoka was very much distressed at the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and 150,000 prisoners. As a result, he converted to Buddhism and decided that from now on military conquest—digvijaya—will be replaced by ethical conquest—dharma vijayaa—according to Buddhist law. And, that is why many of these 14 commandments are part of the Buddhist religious preachings. -K. T. Shah, MD Houston, Texas
How Guru-Chela Roles Turned Upside Down
W
hen my smart phone went on the blink my niece, who is much less than half my age, had it working again in a trice. I’d just been given my first lesson in reverse mentoring. There was a time, not so long ago, when knowledge was associated with age. Conventional wisdom had it that the older you were, the more knowledgeable you were. This was based on the reasoning that the older you were, the more experi-
ence you’d had, and therefore the more knowledge you’d acquired. By the same token, the younger you were, the less your experience, and so the less your knowledge. The digital age—of smart phones, and computers, and the Internet—changed all that. This is where reverse mentoring comes in. The younger you are, the more clued up you’re likely to be with the newest gadget, or app, or what-
ever, that some geek, somewhere, has come up with. And as such, it’s up to you, as a younger person, to teach older people how to deal with technological change, thus turning upside down the traditional relationship of elder guru-younger chela. And there could well come a day when a toddler in Huggies will teach me how to put on my adult diapers. -Jug Suraiya in Times of India
Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS & PRODUCTION MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA GRAPHIC DESIGN: BHUMI PARMAR OFFICE ASSISTANT: MANSI THAKKAR CORRESPONDENTS
CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR INDIA: ASEEM KULKARNI ®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 4 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: 713-789-6397 email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www.indoamerican-news.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
TRAVEL
March 03, 2017
19
SIGHTSEEING IN INDIA OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Pune’s Medieval and Maodern Attractions BY PRAMOD KULKARNI
O
N THE ROAD: This is the fourth episode describing my wife Jyoti and I’s visit to India during Dec.-Jan. 2016. After a nine-day trip in Gujarat, we spent four days in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, visiting family and friends, and taking in some of the sightseeing attractions Rather than describe our visits in chronological order, it makes more sense to describe them in historical order. Maharashtra could be defined as a “great” state as well as the state of the Maratha people. Marathas, and in particular, Mavalas, who lived in the Western mountain valleys, are known as hardy farmers and warriors. It was Shivaji (1627-1680), who organized the Mavalas into a tough army that took on the mighty Mughals and the Adil Shahi kingdom, to carve out a kingdom of their own. We were able to visit one of their fortresses, Sinhgad, south of Pune. We managed to climb up to the halfway point at Pune Gate (see photo). After Shivaji, the Maratha kingdom was split by his descendants into two halves, with their capitals in Kolhapur and Satara. The prime ministers (peshwas) of Chatrapati Shahu of Satara turned out to be a series of dynamic leaders, who became de facto rulers of the kingdom. The second in the line of Peshwas was Bajirao I, who never lost a battle and expanded the Maratha kingdom far north and south. Subsequent Peshwas controlled Delhi and reached as far north as Attock, near the border of Afghanistan. The first blow to Maratha power was their loss at Panipat to Ahmed Shah Abdali. Bajirao I is the hero of the recent Bollywood movie, Bajirao Mastani. In Shaniwar Wada, the palace that Bajirao I built, there was a separate gate made just for Mastani’s goings and comings. British shelling in 1818 destroyed much of the seven-story palace. A fire in 1828 destroyed the palace buildings to its foundations. There are remnants of an impressive lotus-shaped fountain: Hazari Karanje (fountain of a thousand jets). It was designed as a 16-petal lotus; each petal had 16 jets with an 80foot arch. We also toured the Aga Khan Palace, which is linked with India’s freedom movement. It served as a prison for Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba, his secretary Mahadev Desai and Sarojini Naidu. A modern museum we saw in Pune was devoted to Maharshi Karve, a reformer at the turn of the 19th century, who encouraged remarriage for widows and education for women of all ages. The museum, an architecural marvel designed by Narendra Dengle, makes use of natural ventilation and skylights The next episode of this travelogue will cover some of the out-of-theordinary sightseeing attractions in Hyderabad.
Sahyadri mountains on the Western edge of Maharashtra are dotted with fortresses built about two thousand years ago. Sinhgad (above) is 19 miles south of Pune at an elevation of 4,300 ft. Pune gate (right) is about halfway up.
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20 March 03, 2017
COMMUNITY
Three Things Every Future Doctor Should Consider Before Selecting a Medical School Each year, more and more aspir- paring the student for the US hospital
ing doctors are applying to medical school in the US. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, in 2015 alone, there were a record 52,536 applicants to US medical schools, with only 39% being accepted. Applications rose steadily from 39,108 in 2006-07, a 25.6% increase, whereas the availability of seats has been slow to follow with just 16% growth since 2006-2007. With increasing competition and scarcity of available seats in traditional medical schools, many potential doctors are considering alternatives for their medical education. The Caribbean has been the home of “off-shore” medical schools since 1978. Medical aspirants who don’t get accepted into US medical schools, due to the unavailability limited number of seats, turn to the Caribbean to fulfill their dreams. The attraction of the Caribbean, with pristine beaches, and a paradise like setting of the island location, offers further advantages over say, eastern European or Asian countries: First, the proximity to the US means you’re never more than a 4 hour flight away from the US. Second, almost all the medical schools in the Caribbean conduct their clinical curriculum, (about 50% of the program), in US teaching hospitals. This gives Caribbean medical students US clinical experience from as early as year 2 of medical school. This early exposure is critical in pre-
system before they graduate, and makes them preferred candidates for residency; requiring minimal training compared to a graduate from Asia or elsewhere. Many students are even absorbed directly into the residency program at the hospital where they did their clinical rotations as a medical student. Today, there are over 25 accredited medical schools in the Caribbean, and almost an equal number of unaccredited ones actively recruiting and graduating medical students. Fortunately, the regulation of these schools has become increasingly stringent in the last decade, forcing them to conform to certain minimum standards if they are to remain accredited, which works heavily in the medical student’s favor. So what should aspiring doctors consider when selecting a medical school in the Caribbean? Here are three items that every candidate should keep in mind. Accreditations Accreditations affirm that a school meets certain criteria to provide a consistent medical education, and that the educational program is up to date, and is continuously being evaluated by the accrediting body in that region. In the Caribbean, every island country falls under the purview of a specific accrediting body such as the CAAM-HP or the NVAO. All of these organizations publish lists of
schools under their synonym on their websites, along with the level of accreditation they are currently at. Statuses are constantly being reviewed and upgraded depending on the age of the school, and the outcome of the last evaluation indicating that they are achieving the prescribed standards. Prospective students should consult these website when making their decisions. Tuition Theaveragecostofamedicaldegree in the US is a staggering $278,000, an investment that can stifle even the heartiest medical dreams. Caribbean medical schools offer comparable educational opportunities at a fraction of the cost, some as low Gulf Pacific Rice Co., is looking for a highly motivated inas $60,000. Low tuition costs bendividual for OUTSIDE SALES / NEW BUSINESS DEVELefit the student in OPMEMT for our Specialty feed & Pet food markets. We two ways: they need a self-starter who can help us expand our business naare able to graduate from meditionally with our conventional and organic rice ingredients. cal school with a lower student loan debt. This The position requirements are as follows: enables them to
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focus on areas of medicine that truly interest them, rather than being guided by the highest paid specialty that would make it easier to pay off their astronomical student loans. Depending on the financial standing of the student, some can even afford to pay the tuition without a loan, with some schools offering flexible payment options over time. Examinations The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), is a standardized, examination, designed for selecting potential MD candidates. While only the highest MCAT scores are accepted in US medical schools, many Caribbean schools do not emphasize or even waive this requirement in favor of other screening tools, such as interviews, extra-curricular activities, volunteer experience and undergraduate GPA. This is helpful to candidates who are approaching medical school from a pathway different than the standard premed pathway, such as mid-career changers, and older students. The United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE), is a series of three “Steps” designed to assess a current medical student’s
fitness to be granted a license to practice medicine. It is important that a student pass these examinations with a minimal number of attempts to stand a fair chance at being accepted into a residency. Prospective students should always ask for the rate of students clearing the exam in each school. While 70% is average for international medical graduates in general, some schools have impressively high passing rates due to their stringent academic requirements. This indicates that the school’s program is adequately preparing the student for these examinations giving them the tools to successfully complete their degree. You can do it! Becoming a doctor is never easy, and that is why choosing the right school is imperative. Ask the right questions and involve your family and friends in the decision making process. If you’re passionate about pursuing a medical degree, we hope it helps you make right decisions! -Shirsha Guha Chief Operating Officer Saint James School of Medicine
News Photographer/Live Truck Operator
KTRK-TV, the ABC O&O located in Houston, TX, has an opening for a Temporary News Photographer/Live Truck Operator. Candidates should have a minimum three years experience in all facets of television news photography including lighting, audio and editing, and show exceptional knowledge and creativity in these areas. Applicants should have a good eye for news photography, be able to work in the field unsupervised or with various reporters and be able to work in deadline situations. The ideal candidate will have experience or be able to operate a microwave live truck and must be able to lift and carry 30 lbs. of equipment. All interested applicants must apply on-line at www. disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Reference Job ID: 428912BR on all materials submitted. No Telephone Calls Please KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
LIFESTYLE BY NIKKI BAYLEY
A New Year brings the opportunity to say yes
to trying something new! Take inspiration from these stories of hobbies that turned into adventures in health, happiness, and life-changing decisions. When the calendar swings from December to January, there’s a certain inevitability in deciding that, once again this year, everything will be different! We’ll learn swing dance, or perfect our Spanish, or finally move to Hawaii like we’ve been planning forever. And while we might not have to pull up stakes to become happier humans, it does seem that taking up a hobby is beneficial for our health. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine showed hat people who took part in leisure activities, no matter if it was cross-stitching or trail running, became 34 percent less stressed and 18 percent less sad while they did so, and the calming effect lasted for hours. For me, diving into a new interest came not at the turn of the year but in the height of summer when I tried a Yin yoga class, a gloriously gentle form of practice that mostly revolves around long, slow, prop-supported stretches and deep breathing. After years of unshakeable knowledge that being a Lululemon-wearing yogi definitely wasn’t for me, I’ve become hooked on this meditative form of yoga, which found me at a point in my life when being calm and counting breaths was just what I needed. This summer also had me drooling in envy over friends’ beautiful photos of preserves on Facebook, so I decided to give it a go and I loved it! I wished I’d done it years ago, but like so many things we miss out on in life, it looked a little too hard and a little too easy to mess up, so I gave up before I’d even begun.
March 03, 2017
Try Something New! Forget Failure and Embrace Change
Fear of failure? I asked Farzana Jaffer Jeraj, motivational speaker and author of I Cheat at Meditation (icheatatmeditation.com, 2016) for her advice on fighting fear of failure: “I believe that failure can be beautiful. Excitement and anxiety create the same response in our bodies, but we perceive one as negative and one as positive. If you believe in a journey of growth and learning, there is no failure, just figuring it out as you go along.” Could just be learning There’s something wonderfully liberating
about the thought that failure could just be learning. If you open yourself to that, the world shifts a little and becomes a little lighter. Letittia King agrees: she recently packed up her life and moved from Calgary to Ontario to attend the Wine Business Management graduate program at Niagara College. “Working in Calgary is where I found a true passion for wine. My hospitality job was amazing; however, I wasn’t challenged.” After taking on the role of teacher’s assistant for the Wine Spirit Education Trust Program, King applied to grad school. “I was accepted six weeks out
21
from the start date. I knew it would be a huge life adjustment, but I knew it was the best decision for me.” And although the sommelier side of the wine industry was her initial attraction, as she gained more knowledge, she discovered a whole new field of interest: “I truly found love in what goes into the artwork in my glass, the production, philosophy, expression … I could go on and on! “This was the side I wanted to pursue. I’m still fighting off the homesickness, adjusting to being a student and being broke, but I already had a ‘dream come true’ experience: spending a day harvesting with one of my favourite producers,” says King. It doesn’t have to change your life But not all change has to be profound, and every hobby doesn’t have to change your life. William Currie from Vancouver took up fermenting recently. “I originally became interested from making a sourdough starter. I got into making my own bread, but it wasn’t till I started researching online that I fully understood how it was made. “The live microbes really interested me, and I grew my own starter, which then turned into sauerkraut. My next step is kimchi; I’m learning with some great videos of Korean grannies on YouTube!” I know from the quiet joy I feel in looking at my own jars of preserves how rewarding this process can be. Currie agrees: “I guess I realized there was a whole process of pre-industrial preservation that I wasn’t aware of, that people had been doing for centuries. “Stepping away from super-processed and industrially processed foods feels good—and of course, it’s very delicious! I guess it’s like having a pet on your counter—an extremely low-maintenance one!” -alive.com
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DIASPORA
Avoid Indian Languages in Public Places: Indians in US Share Do’s and Don’ts
HYDERABAD: “Don’t talk to
each other in Hindi or any other Indian language when you are at a public place in the US. It might land you in deep trouble.” This is one of the suggestions doing rounds among Indians in the US in their social media groups. That sums up the fear psychosis among Indians, especially Telugus who are in large numbers in the US, after a Hyderabad-origin techie, Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed and his friend Alok Reddy Madasanni was injured in a shooting at a Kansas City bar on Wednesday. Stating that life is precious than anything else, Vikram Jangam, general secretary of the Telagnana American Telugu Association (TATA), has suggested a few dos and don’ts for community members and people of South Asian descent. The tips he mentioned include: • Do not get into argument with others at public places • Should someone be provoking you, avoid confronting and please leave the place immediately. • As much as we love talking in our mother tongue, it can often be misconstrued. Please see if you can communicate in English in public places. • Isolated places can often be targets. Please avoid going or staying
Sunayana Dumala, left, talks about her late husband, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, during a news conference at Garmin Headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.
single. • In emergency situations, please do not hesitate to call 911. Officers can come and help in such situations. “Please be aware of your surroundings and say something if you see anything suspicious,” Vikram said. Echoing the view, A Venkat Reddy, a Telugu techie who returned to India after spending more than a decade in the US couple of years ago and is still a regular US visitor, said it was always better to avoid confrontation with unknown Americans on streets.
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“The best way is to leave the place without any argument,” he said. Surprisingly, Telugu NRIs residing in California, Washington DC and New York are not very much worried of hate-crime incidents, such as that of Kansas shooting. “These are the areas where there is a large number of Indians. And Americans are also very friendly with us. So far, we have not faced such bad experiences here. There could be one or two such isolated incidents,” Sharath Devulapalli, a software engineer from Bay Area, told HT.
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TRUMPONOMICS
March 03, 2017
23
Indian Tech Graduates Fear America may Shut them Out “There are opportunities over there... but we would not like to sacrifice our own wellbeing for that.” - Divyanshu Saxena, 18
BY RISHI IYENGAR RAVI AGRAWAL
AND
BANGALORE: Ayush Suvalka
has a lot going for him. He’s about to graduate from one of the best engineering colleges in India and has already secured a job with the Bangalore branch of JPMorgan (JPM). The 21-year-old computer science student isn’t planning to spend his career in India’s version of Silicon Valley. He hopes the big American investment bank will move him to its U.S. headquarters after a few years. “It’s always been America because the companies, all the big companies, are there,” Suvalka said. “The life there is... really amazing.” President Trump and his desire to put “America First” could throw a wrench in those plans. The Trump administration is looking to make changes to a host of visa programs, including restricting the H-1B visa that allows thousands of Indian techies to work in the U.S. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said last month that this may be done “through executive order and through working with Congress.” That could spell the end of the American Dream for Suvalka and many of his peers. “Probably America is now out of the picture,” he said. Some students may also think twice after last week’s murder of an Indian tech worker in Kansas. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who worked for Garmin, was gunned down by a man who reportedly screamed “Get out of my country” before opening fire. “There are opportunities over there, there are much better facilities,” said 18-year-old Divyanshu Saxena, a computer science student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi. “But we would not like to sacrifice our own well-being for that.”
U.S. efforts to restrict foreign workers through legislation are already in progress -- multiple bills seeking curbs on the H-1B program have been introduced by Republican and Democrat lawmakers this year. Dr. Savita Rani, head of career counseling at the Ramaiah Institute of Technology where Suvalka studies, says jobs at outsourcing companies are in high demand because of the potential to move to the U.S. But the possibility of America’s doors slamming shut is already sowing confusion among students. “They were shattered and they did not know what to do,” Rani said. “At this juncture, America has got a cold and India is sneezing.” Indians studying engineering in the U.S. may be a step closer to working there, but they’re worried too. “There was a lot of panic among people here,” said Kishan Rao, a computer science student at the University of Florida. “I’m feeling a little apprehensive, because everything is up in the air until there’s a decision.” Rao, 24, is two months away from graduating with a Master’s degree. He eventually wants to return to India, but is hoping for a few years of work experience in Silicon Valley first. “Right now I’m looking for jobs, but this thing has made it more complicated,” he said. “Every company that I apply to relies on the H-1B program, so if there are changes that are going to be made then it obviously puts the future of Indians here into question.” Visa uncertainty alone is hurting Rao worries that even without a change in policy, the uncertainty may be enough to deter companies from hiring international students. All he can do, he says, is “just keep applying for jobs and hope [the visa crackdown] doesn’t go through.” India’s tech sector, which sends
“Probably America is now out of the picture.” - Ayush Suvalka, 21
“I’m feeling a little apprehensive, because everything is up in the air until there’s a decision.” thousands of workers to the U.S., is similarly worried. Stocks of big outsourcing companies such as Infosys (INFY), Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro (WIT) slumped last month as reports of visa curbs gathered momentum. A delegation of Indian tech executives will meet Trump administration officials in Washington, D.C. on Monday. In Bangalore, meanwhile, Suvalka
is already sketching out a Plan B. “I’m thinking of Canada or New Zealand,” he said, mentioning two countries whose immigration websites saw a huge surge in traffic as Trump closed in on his election win last November. “Canada is a bit cheaper than America and it has amazing job opportunities,” the young engineer added. “You can get a visa easily.” Safety concerns?
The Kansas attack left another Garmin worker, Alok Madasani, injured. Madasani and Kuchibhotla were both in the U.S. on work visas. Other students at IIT Delhi told CNNMoney they were moved by the fatal shooting, but for some the U.S. remains their destination of choice. “I would still like to go and work there,” said Sannat Mengi, a freshman. “It’s a matter of prestige.” -cnn.com
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24 March 03, 2017
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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes
Choliya da Snack (Green Chickpea Snack) Directions:
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Most young people in the US are
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familiar with safayd chole (white garbanzos or chickpeas) since they are served often at restaurants and private parties. Usually they are eaten with white rice or some form of roti (Indian flat bread). Boiled chickpeas are even served in many mainstream American restaurants as an item to be mixed in when creating your own salad. And of course, they are the main ingredient when making Mediterranean style hummus (ground chickpeas in oil and lemon with tahini or ground sesame seeds). Fewer young people are aware of kale channe (black chickpeas) which are also appreciated by desis from the Old Country for their taste. They are small, hard and covered with a reddish brown skin and when compared to the white variety, much more flavorful, a better source of protein and easier to digest. But relatively fewer young people know about the hara choliya (green young chickpeas) , also known as Punjabi choliya which first generation immigrants probably remember fondly. Choliya is available only during the winter season in north India when the sabzi walas (vegetable vendors) sell the long stalks of the plant. You simply have to shell them out and cook them as you want. Choliya are the green, not yet mature chickpea, still in its pod and fresh, easy to chew and slightly earthy and nutty in taste. If you happen to be near a farm, you could pick it yourself and eat it like peas from a pod. Since they are so popular in north India, choliya are now easily available in the frozen food section of Indian grocery stores. In fact, many people will shell them and freeze the choliya on their own. They are rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamin A and C, iron and are a good source of dietary fiber, just like regular chickpeas
are, and do not contain any fat. And there are several ways to cook choliya. Of course, the way to enjoy their uniquely fresh taste is as a light snack, much like a young bean sprouts salad, with a few other ingredients, to compliment and savor the taste of the choliya. You can even add other green vegetables that you want. It easy to make and healthy too!
1. Wash the choliya well, then pour into a pot of water 2. Bring to a boil for at least 10 minutes under medium low heat. 3. Pour through a sieve and place the boiled choliya in a mixing bowl. 4. Boil the aloo till tender and drain the water. When cool, peel and chop into small pieces and throw into the bowl of choliya. 5. Finely chop the onions, chillies, dhania, and adrak. 6. Throw them into the bowl with the choliya and mix gently. 7. Add the salt, pepper, amchoor, garam masala, ajwain and squeeze in some lemon juice. Mix well. 8. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving cold as an appetizer or a salad.
Ingredients: • • • • • •
•
2 cups choliya (young green chickpeas) 5 cups of pani (water) 2 small aloo (potatoes) – red or white, do not use Russet 2 tbsp nimbu pani (lemon juice) 1 small piyaaz (onion) Spices (to taste): namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), garam masala, amchoor (dried mango powder), ajwain (carom seeds) Garnishes (to taste): hari mirchen (long green chillies), dhania (coriander), adrak (ginger)
Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the oldfashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur (since renamed Faisalabad), India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her late-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable recipes.
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For those who love to eat salads, it is im portant to keep all the and crunchy. This is ingredients fresh especially true of let tuce – whether the co Romaine, green or mmonly available red tip or butter – or any other leafy gree which can easily ge ns like kale or spina t limp and wilted if ch kept directly in the fridge for too long. The best way to sto re these greens is in the clear plastic bag buying them in the that you use when grocery stores. Simp ly tie the top off lig them in the fridge, htly in a knot and pu not necessarily in the t crisper section. The will stay fresh and lettuce and greens crisp for as long as 10 days.
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25 Rangoon: Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor’s Ambitious Film is Deeply Flawed March 03, 2017
ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT: ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:
It may be one of the most awaited
films in recent times but Rangoon is a royal misfire. Within minutes of the movie’s beginning, you realise the promise of a heart-wrenching period drama was a farce -- a set-up to promote a selfindulgent film that doesn’t know what it wants to be. The director Vishal Bhardwaj has desperately tried to play to the gallery, and has miserably failed. The film’s plot, set in the 1930s, is thin. Producer and former action star Rusi Billimoria (Saif Ali Khan) is the friend, patron and lover of Miss Julia (Kangana Ranaut) -- an orphan he bought for Rs 1000. Julia, inspired from the iconic Fearless Nadia, is a top action star when the Second World War begins. She is exuberant, slightly cynical and keeps repeating, ‘bloody hell’ – only that her character is grating enough for the audience to say it back to her. Julia seems to be taking a cue from the top Western heroines of the 1940s, but her feminism isn’t liberating and appears to be solely driven to prove the adage that beautiful women are
dumb. She accidentally gets trapped in the beautiful jungles of Arunachal Pradesh with cocky Jamadar Nawab Malik (Shahid Kapoor), the third vertex of the love triangle. He has been a war prisoner and serves in the Queen’s army. There’s little more to Malik than his deliberately hardened
forms into a song like ‘Aao na’ from Haider. But it also wants to play with symbols like the ‘pink buffalo’ in Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola. Some scenes ever appear to take a leaf out of Mad Max: Fury Road. This confusion crawls on to the ac-
expressions and rippling muscles. Until this point, Rangoon appears to be reaching a point where it could be called a ‘love story in the backdrop of war.’ But it turns out to be a tug-of-war, between the Bhardwaj who made Maqbool and Omkara and the Bhardwaj who made Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola and Haider. Two stage coordinators comment on everyone from Hitler to Churchill like Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah did in Maqbool. In another instance, the sound of a train engine trans-
tors’ faces, especially Saif Ali Khan, whose seriousness is only pierced by stunts that belong to Sajid Khan films. Probably he was hoping for another Omkara, but all he has got is more intense Rustom. Everything boils down to Kangana Ranaut’s Julia and her antics. She is undoubtedly a rock solid performer, because if there is one actor who shines despite odd writing, it’s her. She is terrific as a theatrics-loving stuntwoman. The poor script never lets Julia reach her pinnacle but she steals the show even with small
scenes – her sitting on Saif’s thigh on a slight signal and then defying him seconds later, her monologue on being a kept – but the meandering story loses too much steam too quickly. The wild swing of story plays the spoilsport. The chief architect of this mess is General David Hardings (British actor Richard McCabe). Never shy of trying his hands at Urdu poetry, Hardings is an old-school villain, the kind who loves to laugh fanatically before killing their victims. Harding’s character stretches on both sides and restricts the love story from blooming, let alone intensifying. The movie is picturesque. Colours come out of the screen and soothe our minds. Lighting and choreography are pitch-perfect. Every beat is
Ankit Tiwari March 06, 1986
nuanced, every frame caresses the bleeding hearts that keep waiting for the fire to ignite. Being a period film is another challenge for Rangoon as special effects lack authentication in war scenes. The elaborate costume planning comes to rescue though. It’s an ambitious film where Bhardwaj wants to merge two worlds: One inspired from Shakespearean tragedies and other motivated by the valiant lovers of the Indian cinema. In the end, neither comes alive on screen – on top of it a messy climax that topples whatever hard work was done building a world of romance. At 167 minutes, Rangoon isn’t only long but painful. And this isn’t the pain of love. And it doesn’t end in pleasure. -hindustantimes.com
Shraddha Kapoor March 03, 1987
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Anupam Kher March 07,1956
26 March 03, 2017
1st Test: How Good was Australia’s Pune Victory? BY DANIEL BRETTIG
P
UNE: (ESPN Cricinfo): “How good was that”, or simply “how good”, is a phrase used in Australia in a moment of excitement, often in sport but also elsewhere in life Though taking the form of a question, it commonly goes unanswered except with knowing grins, laughs and whoops. Chances are it was said more than a few times in Australia’s dressing room on Saturday night. But as the pitch dust settles from the visitors’ 333-run victory over India in Pune, it is worth making an exception and seeking to answer that euphoric question. As far as single Test match results are concerned, this has to rank with the very best performances put on by Australia in India, and indeed anywhere around the world. A few things must factor into justifications of that claim. There was the degree of difficulty provided by the conditions first of all, so sharply spinning and foreign to every member of Steven Smith’s team. Australian teams have overcome fiendishly spinning surfaces before, most recently to foil Sri Lanka at Galle in 2011. One of the more storied instances of doing so was at Durban in 1950, when Neil Harvey crafted a brilliant 151 to foil Hugh Tayfield and seal the series after the South African offspinner had rolled the Australians for 75 in their first innings. Smith’s Australians were never in as deep a hole as that, but at the same time the 1950 South Africans were nowhere near the team India are today. Next there is the quality of the opposition: an Indian side previously unbeaten for 19 matches at home, having won the past six series in a row. In 1995, Australia’s wins in Barbados and Jamaica secured the first series defeat inflicted upon West Indies at home or away since 1980. Two years later and another whiteknuckle fourth-innings chase in South Africa, this time orchestrated by Mark Waugh on a tricked-up Port Elizabeth pitch, made Australia the first team to beat South Africa at home since their readmission to international cricket in 1992. Similarly in 2014, a win over the South Africans in Cape Town ended a fiveyear unbeaten sequence for the team
Steve O’Keefe bowled Virat Kohli with a straighter delivery, India v Australia, 1st Test, Pune, 3rd day, February 25, 2017
then led by Graeme Smith. Pune sits comfortably in this company. Most tantalizing and unknown about Saturday’s Test win, however, is how much impact it will have on the series and the fortunes of the Australian side beyond India - perhaps the most enduring test of any one given performance. As scene-setters go, Pune felt similarly seismic to Headingley in 1989, when Allan Border’s improving but unheralded team hammered England to set up a 4-0 series domination and 16 years’ unbroken ownership of the Ashes urn. Australia had last pulled off the feat of regaining the Ashes in England in 1934. The aforementioned victory in Barbados in 1995 did much the same for the emergence of Mark Taylor’s XI as the world’s best side. For his part, the coach Darren Lehmann has mentioned how Steve O’Keefe’s rapid destruction of India’s batting recalled Mitchell Johnson against England in 2013, another series where a shattering opening victory played a large part in defining the series. Michael Clarke’s fleet-footed hundred on Test debut in Bangalore in 2004 became the platform for Australia’s most re-
cent series win in India. A few examples exist of Australia being unable to follow-up a rousing early display in a series, thereby lessening the overall impact of the performance. In December 1981 the combination of Kim Hughes and Dennis Lillee pulled together a victory over Clive Lloyd’s West Indians at the MCG, but the Caribbean side then responded with a brutal effort at Adelaide Oval to keep their unbeaten streak intact as it was just getting started. Eleven years later, Shane Warne’s breakout performance also took place in Melbourne to put Border’s men 1-0 up after two Tests. They seemed capable of winning the series, until Curtly Ambrose crashed through with a pair of indomitable matches in Adelaide and Perth. West Indies squeaked the first of these matches by a solitary run; the second ransacked by an innings well inside three days on a spicy WACA surface. In India in 2001 a 16th consecutive Test victory for Steve Waugh’s team in Mumbai was followed by VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and tumult at Eden Gardens. And of course a thumping win over England at
Lord’s in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes series turned out only to be the opening act of a drama that Michael Vaughan’s hosts have dined out on ever since. So in pondering what lies ahead, Smith, O’Keefe and others in the squad will be hopeful that Pune 2017 comes to be recalled alongside Headingley 1989, Barbados 1995 and Bangalore 2004. As such it would be remembered far more fondly, and often, than Melbourne 1981 or 1992, Mumbai 2001 or Lord’s 2005. How good was that, then? We’ll know exactly how good at series’ end. Asked if he or his team had asked for this pitch at a ground with a reputation for flat hard surfaces, Kohli said: “I don’t know. I didn’t speak to anyone.” About the pitch itself Kohli said: “I don’t think it was any different from the turners that we played on in the past. We just didn’t play good cricket. We know exactly what happened, the mistakes that we made. External perceptions don’t matter to us, they have never mattered to us. Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo.
SPORTS
All England Super Series Next for Sindhu, Nehwal
N
EW DELHI: Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu doesn’t want to attach any special significance to the upcoming All England Championship and said she would be treating the prestigious premier event like any other Super Series tournament. “I consider the All England as like any normal super series tournament. People may think as if it’s a big tournament by its name,” Sindhu told PTI in an exclusive interview “But as a player, I would be playing the same players who I play in other Super Series matches tournaments, so it is the same for me,” said the 21-year-old from Hyderabad who trains at Pullela Gopichand’s badminton academy at Gachibowli. The marquee $600,000 tournament is scheduled to be held from March 7 to 12 in Birmingham. Her mentor and chief coach Gopichand and legendary Prakash Padukone are the only two Indians who have won the All England Championship ever with Saina Nehwal coming tantalisingly close to claiming the title in 2015 before losing to Olympic champion Carolina Marin. However, Sindhu has in the past broken many records when she became the first Indian women’s shuttler to win a bronze at the 2013 World Championship and repeating the feat at the next edition at Denmark. The Indian also had broken new grounds when she became the first Indian shuttler to win a silver at the Rio Olympic Games, losing to Marin in the finals. “I am preparing well and every match is equally important in the tournament,” she said.
India’s Bandmintor duo will next see action at the All England Super Series championship.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
March 03, 2017
N
What Explains 7% GDP Growth Despite Demonetization?
EW DELHI (Live Mint): GDP estimates for third quarter of FY 201617 have surprised many people. Despite headwinds to growth from demonetization, GDP growth has been pegged at 7% in quarter ending December 2016, while overall growth for FY 2016-17 has been estimated at 7.1% This is in stark contrast to various estimates, including the International Monetary Fund’s which had expected economic growth to fall to 6% in the second half of the current fiscal year. The numbers are likely to trigger a debate among economists and commentators whether they have captured the full impact of demonetisation. Two sets of statistics can be cited to show that the government might have strategically mitigated the
adverse impact of demonetisation through its timing and fiscal policy. Speaking in Parliament on the demonetization issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the government waited for the festive season to get over before announcing demonetisation in November. This seems to be a strategic decision. Latest GDP numbers show that the year-on-year growth in private consumption expenditure (PFCE) is at an all-time high since September 2012. This would have seemed natural given a normal monsoon after two successive drought years and the festival season effect. Did tailwinds from these two factors more than take care of demonetisation-triggered headwinds? GDP statistics show that PFCE’s share in GDP was at its third highest level since June 2011 in December 2016. -LiveMint
Boycott of Pepsi, Coke in TN: Rise of Indian Nationalism? C
HENNAI: Thousands of commercial outlets across Tamil Nadu launched a boycott of PepsiCo and Coca Cola products on Wednesday morning in a move to encourage local cola manufacturers. The decision may cause the two soft drink giants to incur as much as Rs 1,400 crore in losses. The Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu (TNVSP), the state’s largest trade body comprising 6,000 business enterprises and 1.5 million members, told HT that the boycott would be implemented at all retail outlets affiliated to it. Though the bigger supermarkets and restaurants – about 5,000 in number – sought more time, TNVSP representatives said they have scheduled a meeting to discuss the issue later in the evening. “Their initial response is encouraging. They only want some time to work out the boycott plan. I am hopeful that they will also commit to
a date by evening,” said AM Vikrama Raja, president of the traders’ body. “I am happy that shopkeepers are resisting very tempting offers – three to five crates free for every ten crates of foreign colas bought – from marketing agents of the soft drink giants. Almost 70% of our members have not ordered fresh stocks.” Many shops already display ‘No Pepsi, No Coke’ posters prominently. The boycott decision was first mooted during the massive protests that rocked the state last month, forcing politicians to legalise the popular bull-taming sport of Jallikattu. However, several shop owners in various parts of Chennai are yet to extend their support to the boycott. Srinivasan R, a shopkeeper in Mylapore, said he reserves the right to stock what he wants in his outlet. S Kumaran – who runs a popular
Reliance Sees Growth in Defence Manufacturing
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Strategic timing of demonetisation and fiscal stimulus seems to have helped in retaining growth despite demonetization.
Thousands of shops across Tamil Nadu began a boycott of Pepsi and Coke in a move to boost local manufacturers.
grocery store at Adyar in South Chennai – had his doubts about the boycott, but eventually decided to go with the flow. “I think it is for the customer to decide (which product to buy), but I will not order any fresh Pepsi and Coke stocks,” he said. The boycott call received a mixed response in other cities too, though TNVSP secretary K Mohan insisted that “at least 75% of shopkeepers across the state have stopped selling Coke and Pepsi – and the others are expected to follow suit”.
Explaining the rationale behind the boycott, Mohan told Hindustan Times: “The decision was taken to wean the youth away from MNC soft drinks, which are killing domestic companies. Besides this, these foreign firms are also using up scarce water resources at a time of unprecedented drought.” Indian soft drink brands are both cheaper and healthier, he said, adding that the boycott may even encourage the youth to have “nutritious” fruit and vegetable juices. -The Hindu
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UMBAI: Defence will emerge as the largest business for the Reliance Group, said Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Group in a presentation to analysts as Reliance Defence gears to tap defence opportunities worth 1 lakh crore annually in the Indian defence market. “There is a huge opportunity for private sector in the defence business as currently India imports 70% of its defence requirement in value terms and accounts for 14% of the global defence imports in 2016,” said Anil Ambani addressing a gathering of 80 analysts in Mumbai on Monday. Reliance Defence has submitted bids for Rs. 30,000 crore of defence orders comprising landing platform dock and anti submarine warfare and shallow water craft. Reliance Defence is planning to bid for the building of two indigenous aircraft carriers worth Rs. 90,000 crore and 12 submarines worth Rs. 1.2 lakh crore. The company is also planning to submit bids worth another Rs. 30,000 for building next-generation missile vessels and a next-generation corvette this year. “Reliance Group’s entry into the defence sector is driven by the new policy of Make in India and Skill India which makes available the large opportunity for the group. Contrary to general perception, defence is a low-capital business with high turnover,” said Mr. Ambani adding that our vision is to be the leading manufacturer and supplier of ‘State of Art’ - advanced weapon platforms, equipments, systems and hardware to meet the domestic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces and to mark our presence across the world. -Times of India
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28 March 03, 2017
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White House Faces Heat Over Lack of Quick Response to Kansas Shooting
ASINGTON: As Srinivas Kuchibhotla’s family tries to deal with the young aviation engineer’s cold-blooded murder by a hatedriven shooter, questions are being raised about the lack of attention it has received from the White House, especially in comparison to similar circumstances in the past. Questions are also being raised about why the shooting has not been a bigger news story, given the charged atmosphere of surging social tensions fuelled in part by the Donald Trump administration’s stalled attempts to curtail visits by foreigners from parts of the world it deems a security risk to the United States. Adam Purinton, the shooter, had mistaken Kuchibhotla and Alok Ma-
dasani, a colleague from Garmin, a GPS technology major, for people from the Muslim-majority Middle East, telling them to “get out of my country” before opening fire on them and another patron at a suburban bar in Olathe, Kansas, on Wednesday. There was no comment or reaction from the White House until Friday, when the shooting was raised at the daily briefing, and only to dismiss suggestions, as had been made by many, that the president’s rhetoric may have been responsible for it. “Any loss of life is tragic,” said press secretary Sean Spicer, “but I’m not going to get into, like, that kind of -to suggest that there’s any correlation (to the president’ rhetoric) I think is a bit absurd.”
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If it seemed more like a clarification than a condemnation, it was. “Once upon a time, presidents like ObamaorBushwould’ve spoken out against this hate crime today,” Jon Favreau, President Barack Obama’s speechwriter for most of his first term, tweeted, adding, “Trump yelled about the media and FBI.” Trump was indeed immersed then in a fierce fight with that part of the news media he doesn’t like and with the FBI. “Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin,” Obama had said in a statement after the killing of six people at a gurudwara in Wisconsin in 2013. “As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family.” But the White House has generally been seen as silent on the Kansas shooting.“The President could say ‘Don’t shoot innocent brown people. It’s wrong’,” Kumail Nanjiani, a Pakistani-American comic who plays a techie in HBO TV series Silicon Valley, tweeted. “And he would save lives. But he won’t. & that doesn’t surprise us.” And Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations, a think tank, suggested the president tends to take a motivated position on such issues. “Of course President
Garmin engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla (right) with his wife Sunayana Dumala. The Indian techie died after being shot in an apparent hate attack at a Olathe, Kansas bar.
Trump has no comment. He only comments when the perpetrators are Muslim,” Boot tweeted on Saturday. US media has also come under some scrutiny for being less nimble on the story as well, will allegations ranging from racially motivated to just plain dismay. “This is an act of domestic terror by a former military officer,” Pawan Dhingra of Tufts University told Hindustan Times, adding, “It should be much more covered. The shootings and killing would be getting much more attention if the shooter was a self-described Muslim or if it happened in midtown Manhattan. The lack of coverage suggests the normalization of such terror and
distrust of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Americans.” Peter Daou, who described himself as an adviser to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, wrote on Twitter, “If the news media really wanted to be fair, they would give this as much attention as they do attacks with white victims.” And Jonathan M Katz, a freelance journalist, said in a post he was “confused about why this isn’t a bigger story in America right now, and why Ian Grillot hasn’t become a household name.” Grillot, was shot when he tried to stop Purinton. And he is a hero in India, and possibly a household name. -hindustantimes.com
Mayawati Promises to Carve Out Purvanchal as A New Union State Ahead of Phase 5 of UP Polls GORAKHPUR: Bahu-
jan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday reiterated that if her party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, it will not rest till it divides the state into four smaller states, including Purvanchal as proposed in her previous tenure. She was addressing an election meeting at Champa Devi Park in Gorakhpur, scheduled to go to poll in the sixth phase on March 4. Towards the end of her previous tenure in 2011, the UP assembly had passed a resolution for division of Uttar Pradesh into four states. “Your under-developed district can’t be developed till the creation of a separate state. Efforts in this direction will be stepped up if the BSP comes to power. This election, you need to punish the Congress, the BJP and the SP, which have been opposing creation of Purvanchal,” she said. She attacked the Bharatiya Janata
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati at an election rally in Deoria district on Saturday.
Party (BJP) over demonetisation and atrocities on Dalits. In a veiled reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, “People have made their mind to send their adopted son back to Gujarat and to bless their very own daughter (Mayawati) again.” Cautioning Dalits, her core constituency, she reiterated that the BJP
was following the RSS agenda and was planning to scrap reservation in jobs and educational institutions. The task will become easier if the BJPwins the UP election, she said. She also said Muslims were feeling insecure. “Since communal and radical forces have gained strength in the country, Muslims are being targeted on issues like love jihad, cow and nationalism. The way Muslims are being associated with terrorism is a matter of grave concern,” she said. Mayawati said her party was against the BJP’s stand on triple talaq. Wooing Muslim voters, she said that her government will review the cases in which innocent people of the community were jailed and will pave the way for their release. She claimed the BJP, its leaders and big corporate groups were allowed to park their black money safely about 10 months before demonetisation was announced by the Prime Minister. -hindustantimes.com
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March 03, 2017 Wrap-3
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March 03, 2017
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