Issuu

Friday, April 10 2015 | Vol. 34, No. 15

Indo American erican News

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April 10, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

3 “Sold Out” Daya Gala 2015 Raises $175,000 for Families in Crisis

COMMUNITY

HOUSTON: It is gratifying to see an organization, dedicated to eradicating our society’s greatest afflictions, gain in strength and community support. Daya has been helping South Asian victims of domestic and sexual violence since 1996. Its annual fund raising galas have continued to grow in popularity. The Daya 2015 gala, held Friday, March 27, was sold out 10 days prior to the event. Set up as a luncheon at the Junior League, the gala drew more than 400 donors and well wishers from the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community, enjoying a live flamenco performance by Cuadro La Tempestad and Spanish influenced cuisine, while witnessing the significant role Daya has played in changing the lives of hundreds of survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the community. Special guests at the gala included Indian Consul General Honorable P. Harish and his wife Nandita, who serves on Daya’s advisory board. Emmy Awardwinning journalist Rachel McNeill from KPRC Channel 2 served as the emcee for the event. President Jyoti Kulkarni welcomed the gathering with a passionate plea for community support. “Daya’s programs are funded through a variety of sources such as grants and contributions from the community,” Jyoti explained. “You may ask why not finance these activities through only grants. The fact is that your support is vital to our organization as all the foundations specifically look for community support before approving their grants.” Jyoti also emphasized that Daya is a local charity. “Daya helps families in the Houston area. By helping Daya’s cause, you are helping to create a better local community.” India’s Consul General in Hous-

April 10, 2015

Daya board members and staff (from left) Shazma Matin, Sesh Bala, Fatima Mohiuddin, Devika Ramachandani, Vatsala Bhaskaran, Saima Toppa, Abhilasha Raj, Vyoma Majmudar-Banker, Nusrat Ameen, Annu Rao Naik, Charu Verma, Anita Manoharan, Sheela Rao, Viji Raman, Shaila Patel, Jyoti Kulkarni, Chitra Divakurni, Lakshmy Parameswaran. Not pictured: Dinesh Pejawar, Indrani Goradia, Nandita Harish, Raji Aiyer, Stuti Patel Trehan.

Daya President Jyoti Kulkarni made a passionate plea for community support as a means of garnering more grants.

Board member and novelist Chitra Divakaruni explained Daya’s current activities and future plans.

Indian Consul General P. Harish praised Daya’s programs and vowed his office’s continued support.

ton, Hon. P. Harish, praised Daya’s activities over the two decades and pledged the CG’s office support in achieving the fine balance in helping the victims and supporting families within the legal frameworks of the U.S. and India. Award winning author, poet and activist Chitra Benerjee Divakurni who is a member of Daya’s advisory board presented an overview of Daya, highlighting the culturesensitive services and programs that the agency offers to the clients and the community-at-large. A typical South Asian woman who seeks Daya’s help is around age 35, educated and married to a professional. Daya offers its clients individual and family counseling,

long term case management, legal clinic and advocacy, housing assistance, translation services, skills building classes and limited financial assistance. In 2014, Daya received over 6,000 calls on its help-line, translating into 337 clients served, a majority of them residing in Harris and Fort Bend counties. Geographically, 40% of Daya’s clients are of Indian origin, 18% from Pakistan, 6% from Bangladesh and the rest coming from other countries in and near South Asia. The highlight of each year’s gala aretestimonialsfromDaya’sclients “Daya has played a major role in my health and establishing a career…because of Daya and my

family I am standing here in front of you all, happy and healthy,” a powerful statement made by Asha (not her real name), a Daya client and survivor of domestic violence who bravely shared her story of spousal and in-law abuse. Asha’s courageous and empowering journey was an inspiration to the capacity crowd in attendance and a testimonial to Daya’s mission to end domestic and sexual violence against South Asian women. According to recent studies, 38% of South Asian women have experienced domestic violence in the past year, with 27% experiencing physical abuse and 33%, sexual abuse. In addition, in-law abuse and immigration abuse are prevalent and

unique to the South Asian community, and occurs not only in a joint family situation but also in cases where in-laws monitor the actions of their daughters-in-law via Skype from a continent away. Immigration abuse is the withholding of green card, work permit or passport by the abusive spouse or in-laws. The bulk of Daya’s work is managed by four full time staff members and aided by an active board of directors and a dedicated advisory board and a volunteer core. In 2014, Daya received a federal grant from the Department of Justice - Office of Violence against Women. The Houston Endowment, George Foundation, Simmons Foundation and Indo-American Charity Foundation also provide grant monies to Daya. The OVW grant supports Daya’s direct services and outreach programs, as well as sexual assault tracking and intervention. Daya works with various agencies throughout the Houston metroplex, including Houston Area Women’s Center, Houston Police Department, and sheriff’s departments and county attorney offices at Montgomery County, and Fort Bend County. Due in large part to the hard work of gala co-chairs Annu Naik and Fatima Mohiuddin and the generosity of Houston donors, the event exceeded its goal by raising $175,000. Nineteen years after founding Daya, Lakshmy Parameswaran summed up her emotions at the gala, “I was very moved to see the Junior League filled with people because it was an indication of the new height that Daya has reached. I was reminded of the initial struggles in getting our community to support us in this cause of domestic violence. Today’s crowd proved that the community has our back and it felt good.” For additional information, visit dayahouston.org.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

April 10, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

Rhythm India Relives Bollywood

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN STAFFORD: The Old Stafford Civic Centre was bustling with beats and rhythm on Saturday, April 4, when the entire troupe of ‘Rhythm India’ gathered together to showcase their talent on their Annual day programme. More than 275 performers were actively involved in putting together this grand show of dance choreography and theatre play on this glittering evening. Ideated, conceptualized and directed by the very talented Arzan Gonda, the Founder & Artistic Director of Rhythm India. ’Just Dance 2015’ was the celebra-

Photos: Navin Mediwala & Msanphoto.com

Arzan Gonda

tory culmination of the year long lessons taken by the students at the Rhythm India Dance Company in Houston. Rhythm India was started by Arzan Gonda in 2005 with a mission to create awareness and spread the South Asian culture and heritage through the means of dance and theatre in Houston. She aims at formalizing the teaching of Bollywood dance, thus developing a structure to the entire dance sequences. This year’s Annual day, thus was focused on showcasing the influences of folk and classical dances from various regions of India, from north, east, west and south and how they were skillfully amalgamated in the Bollywood dance sequences. There were two shows of ninety minutes each that were conceptualized and directed keeping the ‘Folk theme’ in mind. The idea was to showcase the Folk dances of various parts of India and

demonstrate their influence in the evolution of Bollywood dances over the decades. The shows that were scheduled at 4.00 pm and 8.00 pm each had a gigantic crew of 275 performers bedazzling the audience with their synchronous performances and their splendid costumes that were specially created and shipped from India. The Old Stafford Civic Centre was jam-packed with the audience that comprised of the performers families, friends and supporters of this magnificent show. Since the essence of the choreography was Folk dance, Arzan had very skilfully weaved the theme of the dances so that there was a seamless interpretation of the performances without any glitches. The eastern folk dance, typically done with Bamboo sticks, was performed on the famous Bollywood number ‘O Re Kanchi’ from the famous movie ‘Asoka’. The dancers enthralled the audience with their high adrenaline performance. The iconic movie Navrang’s famous folk dance ‘Aa re Jaa re Natkhat’ wherein the dancer

dresses as a half male and half female was one of the the inspirations to a performance on the latest song “ Tharki Chokra” from the critically acclaimed movie PK of Amir Khan. It had a snippet of the puppet dance in the beginning, then the Navrang dancers and then the chorus brought on other Rajasthani performers too. This was one of the main highlights of the show, as it showcased varied dance styles within that one song. The effects of lights, stage and the colourful costumes were an added attraction to keep the audience engrossed in the 90 minute show that went on without a break. Besides the mesmerizing dances, there was an entertaining film which connected the performances together. It was created, scripted and directed by Ajay Sarpeshkar of Lazy Picture. The main cast of the film included the very talented Prateek Karkal, Sara Kumar, Raheel Rajabali, Vidhi Sundar Nayak, Ruzbeh Gonda, Asif Sayani, Yaksha Bhatt and Sneha Dama. The grand finale of the show

was brought in by the senior dancers and the entire cast and crew of the show on the high octane song ‘Dhating Naach’. It received a standing ovation from the spellbound audience. At the end of the rapturous performances, Arzan Gonda , thanked the entire cast and crew of Rythm India including the choreographers, dancers and their families to help her put together such a brilliant show year after year. “As a teacher, it is rewarding to see how all our dancers have grown over the years and for some over the last few months. Rhythm India would like to thank all our dancers, their parents and families for your cooperation, understanding and commitment”, said Arzan. Being a people centric leader of Rhythm India, she went on to appreciate Rashna Oak, the backbone of the show and added, “I would like to thank our entire Rhythm India staff and team, instructors, choreographers and administrative staff members who have worked tirelessly to help us grow each year. I thank our youth intermediate 2,

youth advance and senior company dancers, who have worked so hard throughout the year, helping out with rehearsals and choreography. Their commitment and dedication constantly inspires me to do my best”. She made an announcement of starting their vey own new Bollywood Dance Studio in June at the border of Sugar Land and Stafford, adding one more feather to her existent cap that claims of centres in Houston, Katy, Plano and Sugar Land. ‘Just Dance 2015’ received rave reviews on its conceptualizing and choreography, some terming it as ‘ the Best performance’ so far in the history of Rhythm India’s shows. While the dancers and their families went back home with beaming smiles on their achievement of superb synchrony in the show, Arzan sat there reminiscing the pleasant memories that Rhythm India has been consistently creating in Houston.

Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036., tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Indo American News,7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

For photo collage, see pages 14-15

April 10, 2015

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April 10, 2015

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COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

Sri Ram Navami Celebrations: Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Math & Shri Sita Ram Foundation

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HOUSTON: Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha celebrated Sri Ram Navami, the auspicious Appearance of Lord Sri Ramachandra, with several events over two weekends. Lord Sri Rama appeared in Treta-Yuga to annihilate the demoniac and establish the eternal principles of religion, social and political morality and family ethics. He demonstrated these by His own example and instructed others to follow and practice the same. The celebrations started at the temple with Mangal Aarti at 5:30 am on March 28th, the day of Sri Ram Navami. This was followed by kirtan, bhajans and glorifications of Lord Rama’s pastimes. The devotees had decorated the entire temple as well as the temple grounds with colorful decorations, balloons, and lights. Their Lordships (Sri Radha Govindaji, Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman) were offered a beautiful new dress that was sponsored by Dr. Arun Verma and Vinni Verma. Everyone was mesmerized by the divine, transcendental beauty of the Lord. Abhishek of the Lord’s ‘vijay-vigraha’ Deities was performed at 12 noon, the time when the Lord appeared in this world. After the Bhoga Aarti, the devotees broke their fast by honoring Ekadashi prasadam. Lord Rama’s pastimes are described vividly by Tulasidas in Sri Ramacharit Manas. This scripture is like an ocean with valuable jewels of Lords’ pastimes and instructions. A seminar, called ‘Sri Ramacharit Manthan’ (or, churning the ocean of Sri Rama’s transcendental pastimes) was organized at the temple from 2 PM onwards to present these jewels. The seminar was conducted by Dr. Om Gupta. Over a dozen presentations were made on different qualities of Lord Rama,

such as, Lord Ram as a Warrior (Mr. Puvvada), as a friend (Dr. Sen Pathak), as a Husband (Vishnu Das), as a King (Narayan Dave), as a Guru (Vimla Dasi), etc. Each presentation was followed by a question answer session. The speakers and the attendees felt spiritually nourished and enlivened by the indepth, focused study and presentation of Lord Rama’s qualities. It was decided to conduct another seminar at the Temple next year also and encourage greater participation from young adults. Another major celebration was held the next day (March 29) in the evening from 5 – 7:30 PM in which bhajans and hari katha were focused on glorifying Lord’s pastimes as explained by the Gaudiya Matha’s founder, Srila BV Narayan Maharaja. The following weekend started with ‘Akhand Ramayan Paath’ (non-stop 24 hour reading from Sri Ramacharit Manas) and Ram Navami celebrations sponsored by Shri Sita Ram Foundation. The reading was initiated at 10 AM on Saturday, April 4th with elaborate pooja conducted by Hanuman Swami , invoking the Lord’s mercy to make the sankalpam (vow to non-stop read Ramacharit Manas) of the devotees successful. It was also Hanuman Jayanti, so prayers were offered to Sri Hanuman, who is the greatest devotee of the Lord in ‘dasyabhava’ (mood of servitorship). For the next 24 hours, till 10:30 AM on Sunday, over two hundred devotees took turns to read Sri Ramacharit Manas. The readings were accompanied by melodious playing of kartals, mridangas and chants of ‘Jai Sri Rama’. After the conclusion of the reading, aarti was performed of Sri Ramacharit Manas. This was followed by a beautiful Kathak dance performance by the students of Harihar Dance School of Rachna Vysas. It was now time for the Lord’s Abhishek. Ram-janma stuti was sung while the Lord was bathed with milk, honey, ghee, yogurt, water; overseen by Seshu ji and the temple priest Puneet Prabhu. The Deity of ‘Baby Rama’ was then dressed in new clothes and seated on a swing. Devotees sang traditional ‘badhai geet’ while everyone took turn to swing the Lord. The program was concluded with Aarti and an elaborate feast prepared by the Temple devotees. The two weekends of chanting, hearing and remembering of Lord Rama’s pastimes made everyone extremely blissful and spiritually surcharged. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha temple is located at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd, Houston, TX 77084. Every Sunday bhajans and kirtan start 5 PM; Vedic lecture (English) at 6 PM; aarati at 7 PM followed by delicious healthy prasadam. Gurukula for children in grades K-12 is at 5:45 PM. Hindi classes (levels 1 and 2) are at 5 PM. For more information, please visit our website: www. sggm.org or call (832) 464-4686.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha in Houston BY VANSHIKA VIPIN HOUSTON: Anupam Kher makes his return to stage after three long years. The veteran actor Anupam Kher has returned to stage with a play named “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha”. Along with Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta too has made her come back to stage after long time in the Rakesh Bedi directed “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha”. The name of the play “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” speaks volumes about itself. The story is beautifully written and narrated which will make you fall in love with it. The two senior actors and the story of the play are attracting people to watch the shows in numbers. It is all the result of hard efforts put in by the team, said Anupam Kher in an interview. The rehearsals for the play went on for 40 days to perfect all the aspects of the play and bring the right emotion needed. The play is rightly appreciated by many seniors and experts from the industry and has been loved by both Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher fans. Along with both the leads even the

From Left: Rakesh Bedi, Nina Gupta, Rajendra Singh and Anupam Kher

director and actor Rakesh Bedi has received loads of praises for coming up with such a brilliant

and touching script for the play. Several shows of the play took place in the recent past across In-

dia and people of all culture and religion truly liked and praised the play. Most of the Bollywood

actors and other celebrities showed their liking and support for the good

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

CONTINUED ON PAGE

COMMUNITY

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha in Houston CONTINUED FROM PAGE

work Rakesh Bedi and Anupam Kher have put together in the paly. Be it print media, online coverage, electronic coverage, social media or any other medium “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” successfully happened to hit all channels of media and gather a lot of appreciation and liking. Looking at the success of the play, Rajender Singh, the President and owner of Star Promotion Inc., a popular event management company in Houston, has now planned to bring

the event to Houston and make it a success here. Rajender Singh is known for organizing several glamorous events happening in the Houston area. His recent event was the SLAM tour concert with Shah Rukh Khan in Houston in September 2014. So people in Houston get ready to witness the best of Anupam Kher’s performance as “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” is now coming to your city on August 7. After many successful shows of “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” many popular artists and actors like Satish Kaushik, Divya Dutta, Ashok Pan-

dit, Esha Gupta, Simi Garewal and many more tweeted their wishes and praises for the play. Popular Tweets: Simi Garewal - Saw a lovely play Mera Yeh Matlab nahi Tha. Excellent Story.. acting.. direction.. dialogues. A Must see! @AnupamPkher Divya Dutta - Mera yeh matlab nahi tha!! Siperb direction by rakesh bedi! And par excellent performances by @AnupamPkher neenagupta n team! Don’t mis tis one

Job Position: Business Development Manager, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Important: Only those who have either been working & living in Saudi Arabia or have worked in Saudi Arabia and have an interest to re-locate will be considered. RJ Engineering Systems, Inc., (RJES) specializes in offering engineered packages, custom fabrication involving special alloys, bulk piping components including valves & fittings and variety of other industrial products. We have an immediate opening for a Business Development Manager for our operation in Dammam, Saudi Arabia - to support our growing business needs. The successful candidate will have the following profile: Responsibilities: ❋ Market domain: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Kuwait. ❋ Required to work with major end users and operators, their organization structures, Projects groups and the ones responsible for Assets - Operation and Maintenance. ❋ Required to work with local EPC companies of the region and the outside EPC companies conducting business in the region. ❋ Help expand existing customer base and develop new potential customers. ❋ Must understand how to conduct direct business with National Oil Companies, their procedures and legalities. ❋ Should be able to establish close networking with decision makers and key operators. ❋ Collect market intelligence on current and ongoing projects, future and upcoming projects and competition. ❋ Inquiry generation. ❋ Work on End user approvals, the process and procedures. ❋ Technical meetings with customers. ❋ Commercial meetings and negotiations with customers. Skill Set: ❋ Preferably a degree in Mechanical or Process Engineering with minimum 10 years experience encompassing packaged equipment design, engineering materials and fabri cation of process equipment supporting Oil and Gas Industry. ❋ Understanding of design principles and practices in process & mechanical engineering with basic knowledge of electrical and controls engineering. ❋ Excellent communications skills. ❋ Public relations and ability to connect with people.

Candidates meeting these requirements may please respond to: HR Department, RJ Engineering Systems, Inc. 13805 West Road, Suite 350, Houston, TX - 77041, USA, Tel: +1-281-897-0350, E-mail:careers@rjesusa.com, Web: www.rjesusa.com INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

12 April 10, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

IIT Graduate in US in Vegetative State Since Last 4 Months

BY SEEMA HAKHU KACHRU HOUSTON: An Indian-American engineering student, critically injured in a road accident in the US state of Texas, has been lying at a rehabilitation centre here in a vegetative state for four months, and his family has set up an online fundraiser to help cover costs of his long-term care. Akshay Jain, 22, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury on November 30 when his car collided with a pick-up truck when he and his four friends were returning home after their Thanks Giving break in New Orleans. His four friends were soon released from the hospital after being treated for their injuries. But ever since the tragic accident, Akshay has undergone a series of surgeries and therapies, and he still remains in a vegetative state, reliant on feeding and tracheotomy tubes, his family told PTI. “It is hard to see a young high-achiever in this condition as the accident has crashed all his dreams,” said his brother- in-law Gagan Parakh. Akshay may have lasting problems with his movement, learning, or speaking, his family fear. At the rehabilitation where he was moved recently after a series of surgeries at Memorial Hermann Hospital, doctors are working out on various therapies - physical, speech, language, occupational and counselling. Treatment is focused both on brain as well as body. However, the fight against unconsciousness is still on. “It is a long-term treatment and as a family we are taking it one day at a time. In the

last one month we have moved back and forth between TIRR (rehabilitation centre) to Memorial Hermann three times,” said Akshay’s mother, who has been at his side since the accident. After his treatment at the rehabilitation centre is completed, Akshay will be moved to a nursing home where only 15-20 days of coverage is available and then family plans to take him back to India if he remains unable to go back to school and finish his studies. With Akshay’s medical insurance expiring in August, the family has set up an online fundraiser at YouCaring.Com to help cover costs of long-term care. Akshay’s family is very thankful to doctors, nurses and the Indian-American community for their assistance and help. Consul General of India, Houston, Parvataneni Harish visits Akshay at the rehab every week to make sure everything is being taken care of and that his mother, who speaks only Hindi, does not faces any linguistic issues. Akshay graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar in 2014. He moved to US to pursue a Phd in chemical engineering soon after his graduation. His innovative engineering designs has been recognised with the Director’s Silver Medal and the Award for Outstanding Research. “We have been told by University that if required, they can explore possibility to extend his visa and insurance for one more year after Aug’15 2015, but this is something not confirmed,” Parakh said.

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April 10, 2015

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16 April 10, 2015

COMMUNITY Club 65 – A Day Trip to Laporte/Keemah

BY JASEEM PASHA MD HOUSTON: Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” Who doesn’t love a good picnic on a nice warm sunny day with yummy snacks, a good book, and a bottle of lemonade? But a picnic is more than eating a meal; it is a pleasurable sate of mind. Saturday, March 29, was the day for the Houstonian Seniors of Club 65 to venture out on a day trip. This time it was a picnic at Laporte/Keemah. All the members eagerly got together at the Bayland community Center in Houston at 9 AM. The bus was ready and waiting. It was promptly filled up and we were off on our way for a day of fun and frolic with the help of all the volunteers pitching in for a smooth take off. The picnic location was the beautiful Sylvan Park in La Porte. It was easy to embrace the sunshine and the sea front with the green grass adjacent to lovely sandy beach. The seniors strolled on the beach, enjoying the warmth of the sun and refresh in the breeze. The games kept some members on their toes. Some enjoyed playing Beanbag toss and standing ‘Musical chairs’, but many had a whale of a time playing Antakshari. Some seniors just basked in the morning sun or explored the surrounding area. Latafath Hussain, President IMAGH, Rahat Kalle, Vice President Club 65 and all the volunteers—who helped did a wonderful job to make this picnic a success. The members of SAYA –the youth organization were invited as guests. The main idea was to connect the younger generation with the seniors to build bridges and create a way to have the seniors impart their life experiences and knowledge to keep the youth informed of their culture and traditions. Also, the SAYA members could help Club 65 members by ‘adopting’ a senior. This would entail helping the senior in various ways - especially those who cannot drive or are restricted in some way. Kaka, very thoughtfully and kindly, dedicated a song to Parveen Sayed (volunteer), who was back after a long break to get through her Dentistry school. Everybody appreciated her as a valued volunteer for helping with the games and singing Antakshari on the bus. Asghar Bhai did a fantastic job with the food. The snacks and sandwiches were made with such care by his wife Yasmin. Everyone loved it. Then came the sumptuous hamburgers that were grilled by Mustafa Gomberwala and others. Zayd Husain, Latafath’s son and SAYA member personally baked several different cakes by himself. The members had a great time enjoying all this wonderful food. Club 65 is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of IMAGH (Indian Muslims of Greater Houston). To find out more about Club 65 or to become a member, please visit, www.imagh.org or call Paru Mcguire at 440-390-1763.

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COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

Organizing Chaos

BY SIDDHARTH GORANTLA HOUSTON: The cold air was not a problem as the sixth session of YLDP was soon to begin on the last day of February. We waited patiently as our informed tour guide told us a little bit about where we were, the Houston Transtar building where traffic is meticulously observed daily and a large office space held for precautionary measures in the event of disaster. As we made our way to the 2nd floor, we were in awe of the sheer size of the control room below us. Similar to that of NASA, this control room was filled with double-screens as well as large screens of traffic mounted on the wall ahead for everyone to see. This

level of technology is important in maintaining the headache-inducing trafﬁc of the 4th largest city in the country. Next, we made our way to the emergency control room, something this building and city very much needed during Hurricane Ike. Impressed with the adjustable desks and jealous incredibly comfortable chairs, we absorbed the environment as the Honorable Judge Ed Emmett took the podium. He quickly dissipated the misnomer that he is a judge who practices the law; he is not a judge in the conventional sense. Don’t worry, I was surprised as well. After throwing us off with the fact he’s visited India more times than

any of us, Judge Emmett focused his speech on how to be good leader and compatible with those that you work with. This takes high signiﬁcance in a world that thrives off of connections and efﬁcient work. A task or project cannot be successfully done if everyone isn’t on board with what’s happening. Judge Emmett also emphasized not being caught up in the moment of leadership and hone in on valuing everyone you work with; the role of a leader is to guide a group not dictate one. One key point that I will always carry with me is the necessity to remain composed in times of chaos, and by managing and organizing wild situations, my team can always come out victorious.

Hanuman Jayanti at Siddhivinayak Temple

First Ever

HOUSTON: The newly opened Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of

Houston celebrated Hanuman Jayanti with maha pooja and mahayagna fol-

lowed by maha aarti and maha prasaad on Saturday, April 04. The temple is located at 5645 Hillcroft Avenue, Suite 701, Houston, Tx 77036. The temple is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm and everyday aarti is performed at 7:30 pm. The Gauri Siddhivinayak temple is a non-proﬁt 501(C) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. For further information or to participate in pooja, sponsorship or volunteering call Pradip Pandya at 832-466-9868.

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18 April 10, 2015

Maverick Monsoon

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Safe Roads, Not Death Traps BY PIYUSH TIWARI

Even as unseasonal rains across much of north and northwest India wreak havoc, another dark cloud looms on the horizon: the prediction of a less-than-normal monsoon. The monsoon — on which the country’s economy is hugely dependent — remains a tantalising mystery to us. And it is a mystery made all the more mysterious in that the more we think we know about it, the less we actually do know. In times gone by, monsoon predictions were a matter of guesswork. Village elders would keep a weather eye open for signs — cloud formations, the colour of sunsets, the behaviour of cows and other animals — which heralded a good, bad or indifferent monsoon. Today, when supercomputers spread over several continents track weather patterns months in advance to foretell the fate of the monsoon, the exercise smacks more of guesswork than ever before. Meteorological phenomena associated with the monsoon have become household names, like movie stars or IPL cricketers. Even those who think that an isobar is an app that bars unwanted calls on your iPhone, have heard of the badass El Nino and his cool female counterpart La Nina, both of which are created by fluctuations in surface water temperature in the Southern Pacific which affect wind currents. An active El Nino means a poor monsoon, while La Nina promises a good monsoon. The Nino-Nina duo apart, scientists have identified something called the ‘Southern Oscillation’, which is not a Gangnam style form of dancing invented in South Korea, but another monsoon determinant, involving differences in atmospheric pressure over the Pacific and Indian Ocean. There has been a great proliferation of knowledge about the monsoon. And with it has been an equal proliferation of predictions about it. The Australian Met guys are saying it’s going to be a bad monsoon. The Indian Met guys are saying it’s going to be good. The Americans, sensibly, are keeping mum. In the end, they’ll all flip a coin to decide what it’ll be. Despite El Nino and La Nina — or because of them — monsoon prediction remains an El No-no. Jug Suraiya in Times of India

Last year, a Union Cabinet minister was killed in a road accident. That day, like every other day, 380 common people were also killed in road accidents across India. The country was soon promised sweeping legislative changes to make our roads safer but none of that has yet seen the light of the day. In the past decade, over 12 lakh people have been killed in road accidents in India and over 60 lakh have been left seriously injured or permanently disabled. The economic loss as a result of these accidents is estimated to be 3% of India’s GDP. This epidemic, however, can be brought under control through decisive and reformative measures. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the principal law governing road safety in the country, has failed to address the systemic challenges that make our roads the most unsafe in the world. The need of the hour is a strong and comprehensive legislative framework that focuses on the ﬁve pillars — road safety management; safer roads; safer vehicles; safer roadusers; and better post-crash responses — to address the fundamental gaps in road safety. A new Bill, the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015 drafted by the ministry of road transport and highways seeks to create this framework. It addresses various inadequacies of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It introduces safeguards to protect all class of road-users including nonmotorised and vulnerable road-users such as pedestrians, children and cyclists. Given that currently the modal share of non-motorised transport in cities and urban areas range from 40%-50%, while accounting for over 60% of all deaths, such a focus could be a potential game changer in saving lives. Notably, this Bill provides an internationally accepted deﬁnition for ‘road crash death’ as one where a person dies within 30 days due to injuries sustained in a road accident. The Bill also proposes a detailed accident investigation proforma to bring uniformity in police investiga-

tion across India. The Bill focuses on improving driver behaviour in a multi-pronged manner. It proposes reforms in the corrupt licensing and training regime. It hopes to reduce the number of unqualified but licensed drivers on our roads. It seeks to achieve this by recalibrating traffic offences and including new violations such as ‘dangerous lane changing’, ‘causing death of a child’, ‘driving against authorised flow of traffic’ etc; and tailor-making penalties, including fixing adult accountability when children use the road, community-service sanctions and penalty points attached to the licence that leads to a licence suspension upon accumulating 12 points in a year. Recognising the importance of enforcement and the challenges faced by an over-burdened police, the Bill proposes the creation of a dedicated National Highway Police Force. It will be responsible for enforcing traffic rules, investigating road accidents, and providing immediate medical attention to the injured across all national highways. There are some concerns though that have emerged in the latest draft of the Bill. Penalties for several lifethreatening offences such as overspeeding have been drastically reduced to up to Rs 2,000. In the previous drafts, violations by HMVs were treated differently from LMVs given the much higher damage a violating HMV could cause. But in the latest draft, penalties for HMVs have been brought down to the same level as LMVs. This is seemingly to appease the transport lobbies in the country. Penalties for several other offences have been brought down to as low as Rs 500. Penalties for car companies violating regulations have been re-

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duced by 90%. No signiﬁcant penalty has been proposed for road contractors or engineers whose negligence or faulty construction of a road leads to deaths. Another area of concern is the cap of Rs 15 lakh maximum liability on insurance companies for death or injury. This limits the amount of compensation to be paid by thirdparty insurance companies for the minimum premium amount, putting the onus of seeking wider coverage for compensation to the victim, on the accused driver. A fundamental facet that will determine the success of this legislative instrument is the approach taken by the government in reforming corrupt systems, creating deterrents for irresponsible behaviour, and enforcing safety standards for engineering of roads and vehicles. In order to stimulate India’s economic growth and human development, coordinated efforts must be focused on addressing the governance, efﬁciency, safety and enforcement issues plaguing the road transport system. A stronger legislative mechanism that comprehensively regulates and reforms the regime is long overdue. Despite these shortcomings, the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015 is a step in the right direction and must not be opposed in its entirety. It spearheads necessary advancements in the sector towards a safe-system approach, where design-thinking and accountability take precedence over arbitrary, uncoordinated steps to address the issue. What is required now is serious political commitment to tackle the consistent threat of death and serious injury due to road accidents in India. The deliberations have gone on for far too long. Since the Modi government came to power, close to 1 lakh people have already been killed in road accidents. It is now time for road safety to become the rule, rather than the exception. Parliament should address this need and swiftly act to introduce a strong road safety law in the interest of the nation. Piyush Tewari is founder and CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation

COMMUNITY

April 10, 2015

TCC Taped Ball Tournament Winter 2014 – SLCC Winners, Charges Gladiators Runners Up

Winners SLCC with Chief Guest Sushil Nadkarni.

Runners up CG with Chief Guest Sushil Nadkarni

Former USA Captain Sushil Nadkarni fecilitated

HOUSTON: It was a Final for the ages (03/14/15). A game which went back and forth down to the wire. Tournament featured 26 teams, most ever in a single tournament hosted by the TCC taped ball league. The game was delayed due to a wet ground and fog. SLCC won the toss and elected to field. Opening bowlers Kanchane and Thusitha restricted CG openers to only 11 runs in the 4 mandatory power play. CG struggled to accumulate runs in the first 10 overs, scoring just 29. Siddharth (25*) and Sandeep (18) put up a partnership with a flurry of two’s to get CG to a competitive total of 93/8 in 20 overs. Top bowlers for SLCC were Thusitha, Bernard and Nalith with each of them picking 2 wickets, with less than 5 runs per over. SLCC had a poor start to their innings losing 6 wickets for just 25 runs in 7 overs with excellent bowling

from Sundeep and Vinit backed up by great fielding. The momentum was all in favor of CG at this time. Thilan (21), former captain of SLCC and Bernard (33*) put together a match winning partnership of 57 runs. CG were not ready to abandon ship, taking Thilan’s wicket in the 17 over and Kanchane’s in the 18 th. That was not going to deny SLCC their first championship win in their 5th attempt. Bernard and Thusitha finished the chase in the 19th over to secure SLCC the championship by two wickets. Top bowlers for CG were Sundeep with 3 wickets and Vinit with 2 wickets. The game had high quality umpiring from Strikers and MCC. Complete match details is available at: http://www.sportstatz.com/ ss/web.asp?club=779&mode=100& match=27102 The game was followed by a wellorganized prize distribution ceremony arranged by TCC and attended by number of friends and family members who had come to support the teams. Everyone was honored with the presence of a former USA Captain Sushil Nadkarni with an illustrious career for the USA team as the chief Guest. The other members were President Nanda Kumar, Vice President Krishna Shikaram, and HCL Ground Manager, Herman. Jagadish Biradar, organizer of TCC Taped Ball tournament coordinated the presentation ceremony. Sushil Nadkarni was presented with a plaque by Nanda Kumar for his contribution to cricket in Houston. In his address

to the gathering, Sushil who recently retired from active cricket mentioned that having played the game honestly is what counts the most after the playing days are over. Gihan Fernando, the captain of SLCC was presented with the championship trophy and Dinesh Kasliwal, the captain of CG was presented with the runners up trophy. The players of the winners and runners up received individual trophies. Man of the match for the ﬁnals was Bernard from SLCC for a tremendous allaround performance. Sai Shyam Durbha from Big 12 won the Best Batsman trophy with 204 runs. Rajesh Pant from Cougars won the Best Bowler trophy with 16 wickets and Rajiv Madhavan from Big 12 won the best All-Rounder trophy with 126 runs and 12 wickets. Trophies were also given to the man of the match for Semi Finals, Quarter Finals and Pre QF. Bernard from SLCC and Mathew from CG were the recipients of MVP for Semi Finals. Wickrama from SLCC, Vinit from CG, Ashwin from Cougars and Sai Shyam from Big 12 were the recipients of the MVP for Quarter Finals. Jeeva from Spartans, Sai Shyam from Big 12, Senthil from Rattlers and Mayuresh from Thunderbolts were the recipients of MVPs for Pre QFs. Special prizes were given to Pervinder Gulati from Grady for a century, Subodh from CG, Ankit from Grady, Subbu from Cougars and Praveen from HJCC for a Hattrick.

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20 April 10, 2015

FESTIVAL

Vaisakhi

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Vibrant Festival of Vaisakhi is considered to be an extremely important festival in India for number of reasons. Apart from being important for the farmers as a harvest festival, the festival is of prime importance in Sikhism as a foundation day of Khalsa Panth. Besides, auspicious Vaisakhi day is of importance for astrological reasons too !! The festival of Vaisakhi falls on April 13 every year and April 14 once in every 36 years. Change in date is because of the fact that date of Vaisakhi is reckoned according to the solar calendar. Astrologically, the date of Baisakhi is signiﬁcant as marks sun’s entry into Mesh Rashi. For this very reason, many people also know Vaisakhi as Mesha Sankranti. The auspicious date of Vaisakhi is celebrated all over India under different names and rituals. It is celebrated as ‘Rongali Bihu’ in Assam, ‘Naba Barsha’ in Bengal, ‘Puthandu’ in Tamil Nadu, ‘Pooram Vishu’ in Kerala and ‘Vaishakha’ in the state of Bihar. For the agriculturally rich state of Punjab and Haryana, Vaisakhi marks the time for harvest of Rabi (winter) crops and is therefore extremely significant for the farmers. Vaisakhi Festival is also celebrated as a Thanksgiving Day festival in these states. After waking up early and dressing themselves in new clothes, farmers visit temples and gurdwaras to express gratitude to God for the good harvest and seek blessing for ensuing agriculture season. Farmers also celebrate Vaisakhi by performing energetic bhangra and gidda dance and participating in Vaisakhi Fairs.

Vaisakhi is of major importance for the people following Sikh faith. As it was on a Vaisakhi Day, in the year 1699 that the Tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh founded Khalsa Panth or the Order of Pure Ones and gave a unique identity to Sikhs. On the same day the guru administered amrit (nectar) to his ﬁrst batch of five disciples making

them Singhs, a martial community. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high and low and established

that all human beings were equal. Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi by participating in special prayer meetings organized at gurdwaras. They also carry out joyful Vaisakhi processions to mark the day. The day of Vaisakhi is of signiﬁcance for the Hindus as it was on this day in 1875 that Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj - a reformed sect of Hindus who are

devoted to the Vedas for spiritual guidance and have discarded idol worship. Besides, Vaisakhi day is of relevance for the Buddhists as Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment and Nirvana on this auspicious day. Sikhs celebrate this very important day of their religion with joy and devotion. They take an early bath, wear new clothes and visit the neighborhood gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to participate in the special prayer meet marked for the day. After a special ardas of kirtans (religious songs) and discourses kada prasad (sweetened semolina) is distributed amongst all present. Later, people sit in rows to relish the langar or community lunch prepared and served by kar sevaks or volunteers. Major celebrations of Vaisakhi are organized at Golden Temple, Amritsar where the Khalsa Panth was founded on a Vaisakhi Day in 1699. Most Sikhs strive to visit Golden Temple on the occasion. Another high point of Vaisakhi celebrations by Sikhs is the Vaisakhi procession or nagar kirtan carried though the city under the leadership of Panj Piaras or the Five Beloved Ones. Men, women and children alike participate in the Vaiskhi processions with enthusiasm. Mock duels, bands playing religious tunes and performance of bhangra and gidda dance make Vaisakhi processions quite colourful and enchanting. Later in the evening, people exchange greetings with friends and relatives usually with a box of sweets or other traditional gifts. -www.baisakhifestival.com

Festival Recipe: Choley Bhature

Ingredients:

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2 cups All purpose ﬂour (Maida) 1 pouch Yeast 1 cup Yogurt 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 small can Garbanzo beans 1/2 tsp Ginger paste 1/2 tsp Garlic powder 1 tsp Cumin seeds 2 tbsp Oil 2 tbsp Cilantro 6-7 Mint leaves 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp Chilly Powder 2-3 Bay Leaves 2-3 Cloves 1/2 tsp Garam Masala 1 Medium-sized ﬁnely chopped onion

1 Big tomato 1 1/2 cup Water Salt to taste Method Bhature Take yeast and soak in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes. Take all other ingredients and mix well. To this add the yeast and make a soft dough like for chappatis. If need be add a little water and keep aside for 4-5 hours, the longer kept, the better it is. Roll like puri, but this needs to be kept thicker than poori. Fry like poori till both sides are golden brown. Choley: Take 2 tablespoons of oil in a pressure cooker and heat it.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Add garlic powder and make it dark brown. Then add cumin seeds fry till they start spluttering. Now add bay leaves and cloves. Add diced onions. Fry then till they are light brown. Now add the rest of ingredients including water except the cilantro and mint leaves. Close the pressure cooker and wait for 3 whistles to come or cook for 5-7 minutes. Also garnish with thinly sliced long pieces of onion and a piece of lemon split up into 4 pieces. -festivals.iloveindia.com

April 10, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

22 April 10, 2015

COMMUNITY

Grand Opening of Unique South Indian Krishna Temple Sri Guruvayurappan Temple, Houston BY BIJU PILLAI HOUSTON: Sri Guruvayurappan temple in Houston (SGT) is a unique Krishna temple in the Western hemisphere. The present Balalaya Sanctum has been attracting thousands of devotees over the past few years. The main temple construction is nearing completion and the Prathishta and Maha Kumbhabhishekam are scheduled during a nine-day grand opening ceremony from April 18 to 26. Busy preparations are underway for the auspicious celebrations at the temple premises at 11620 Ormandy St, Houston, TX 77035. Following the Consecration of deities and Kumbhabhishekam on April 23, and as per traditions, the temple will propitiously re-open before sunrise, to all devotees on Sunday, April 26. Houstonians are blessed to have in their city a unique Krishna temple, modeled after the ancient, legendary Kerala Temple of Guruvayur that will strictly adhere to the Tantric Pooja Vidhi and other traditional rituals similar to Guruvayur. In addition to consecration of Sri Guruvayurappan (Lord Krishna) as the main deity, the temple will also have Lord Ayyappa, Lord Ganapathi and Devi deities. The Vigrahas are handcrafted by renowned shilpies from Kerala, who are artisans specialized in temple

work following a legacy of generations. They will also be creating and carving out the intricately stunning structural work of the Sreekovils, the

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Sanctum Sanctorum. Sri Guruvayurappan temple, Houston would have facilities to organize Hindu weddings, celebrations, cer-

emonies and festivals. The temple would offer a tranquil environment for devotees to pursue their spiritual advancement along with religious classes for children and youth. There are plans to arrange numerous educational programs, meetings and classes in order to provide a better insight into the Hindu religion and culture for the beneﬁt of our youth, the upcoming generation. The concept would be to instill an understanding of our profound faith in them, thus incorporating the value system into their everyday life. In Kerala temples, chenda melam is a requirement as well as a prominent attraction for many rituals and other auspicious festivals. Chenda (big drum) along with other accompanying drum and wind instruments blend their mesmeric crescendo that are believed to generate and conserve po-

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tential energy within the Vigrahas as well as bestow an ecstatic devotional ambiance for the devotees. The installation of the deities (Prathishta) is between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm on Thursday, April 23. The sacred process will be conducted over a week of ritually intensive ceremonies. Following the Prathishta, Utsavam (festival) will be celebrated from April 27 to May 2 with several sacraments and cultural programs. The festival will conclude on May 2, with special pooja, rituals, chenda melam, cultural programs including Carnatic music recitals and traditional dance programs by professional arts schools in Greater Houston. For more information about the temple opening and programs, please call 713-729-8994 or visit www.guruvayurappanhouston.org.

April 10, 2015

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24 April 10, 2015

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Job Posting:

Programming Intern

KTRK-TV, the ABC Owned station located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a paid PROGRAMMING/PRODUCTION INTERNSHIP for the summer semester. Internships are available to currently enrolled college students in their junior or senior year pursuing careers in the television/media field and must receive college credit for the internship. The internship program is designed to provide students with an on-site educational experience that complements their academic studies. Interns will have an opportunity to participate in the daily work and operations of a major market, television station. As an intern you will help with the production of the daily newscasts and you will learn how to be a floor manager for live and recorded programming, audio assistant, camera operator and build graphics using Adobe Photoshop. Interns will also work with the directors in our automated control room. This position will be used for various production-related duties as assigned by the Production Manager. Applicants must be able to work flexible hours, including early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays. A strong work ethic and positive attitude with the ability to handle multiple tasks is desired. All interested applicants must apply online at www.disneycareers.com to be considered. Job Req #259419BR. Please upload a cover letter, your resume outlining other internships, degrees earned, work experience, related clubs and organizations, current major course of study, expected graduation date and extra-curricular activities. Interns must supply written verification of eligibility to receive academic credit for the internship at the start of the internship. No Telephone Calls

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April 10, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

Movie Review: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy

Salman Khan Tops the List of Most Searched Celebrity

BY SRIJANA MITRA DAS Review: Straight up, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is possibly India’s best-looking sleuth flick till now. Based on Saradindu Bandhopadhyay’s vintage stories, DBB! is set in 1942 Calcutta where clever Byomkesh (Sushant) is asked by Ajit Banerjee (Anand) to help find his father, Bhuvan babu, mysteriously missing for months. At Bhuvan’s lodgings, Byomkesh is befriended by doctor Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi) and Kanai Dao (Meiyang Chang) who sells opium - in a Calcutta that’s all about intoxicants, smugglers and smoke. Byomkesh finds a trail to Gajanand Sikdar’s chemical factory where sensuous film starAngoori (Swastika) intrigues him, imperious Satyawati (Divya) annoys him and rebellious Sukumar (Shivam) puzzles him - discovering blackmail, drugs, bodies and bombs, can Byomkesh solve not one but two dangerous plots? Byomkesh Bakshy is an iconic Bengali character brought to life by Sushant Singh Rajput with great elan - Sushant pulls off a role full of wry liveliness (a Sardarji cabbie nervously noting, ‘Ye babu ka nut dheela hai,’), fitting the character,

BY DIMPAL BAJWA from ﬂowery dhoti folds to furrowedforehead frowns, beautifully. He’s matched by dramatic Neeraj Kabi and calm Anand Tiwari who, after a Chinese gang leaves a courtyard strewn with corpses, tells caretaker Putiram (shakily precise Pradipto Kumar Chakrabarty), ‘Khoon rehne de...bas chai bana de.’ Alongside, the look is remarkable - noir cinematography unfurls a Calcutta of jostling shadows and splendid squalour, trams like ﬁligree running across the city, costume balls, dentists’ halls where murders are committed with violent slash. Dibakar Banerjee adds cheeky global touches too (Byomkesh’s painting resembles Edvard Munch’s Scream), tracking shots evoking Fellini’s mov-

ing camera, action punching between Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. But the ﬁlm stretches, scenes between Byomkesh and a slow-talking, slow-smoking, slow-pouting Angoori losing pace. Superﬂuous characters (wailing wife, dumbstruck ex) make growing tension pop away like the bubbles on Angoori’s bath foam. A chilling climax masterfully ties up the tale - but 30 minutes less would’ve given this detective a much tighter grip. Still, DBB! is a fun watch, presenting another mysterious case - how Sushant looks good, despite a unibrow? Go solve. -Timesof India

NEW DELHI: Who isn’t aware of ‘Dabangg’ actor Salman Khan‘s popularity? He is not just number 1 actor and has a huge fan following but has also proved to be at numero uno spot when it comes to counting numbers. A recent survey by Times of India launced in September 2014 has proved that Salman stands on the top position among all his contemporaries like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan. Being the No.1 star in the in-

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Last week’s edition can be found online. Issue dated June 27,2014. inyour Small Continuing, freeSpecializing radicals are made in body as byproducts of natural processes, called Business Commercial Loans oxidative processes. In the same way that car exhaust is created when you run an engine to power the car, free radicals are formed by the oxidative processes to power your body. Although these processes are very efﬁcient, free radical formation is inevitable in small amounts—even the most efﬁcient engine will produce exhaust. There are many healthy roles for free radicals, though. For instance, nitric oxide is a free radical that is used by cells to communicate with other cells. In fact it is necessary for proper nervous system function and blood pressure control. Of course, this type of process is very tightly controlled. But nitric oxide is not what has made free radi-

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dustry, Salman Khan who became a household name with ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ has grown leaps and bounds. Having seen various ups and downs in his career, the actor has never been poignant about anything. Known for introducing new faces in the industry, which also happen to be the doppelgangersof his ex-girlfriends, the actor has established careers of many. Salman, who has maximum hits to his credit including ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Wanted’, ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Dabangg’, ‘Ready’ and many more now has added another feather to his cap. -Indianexpress

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ONGC Eyes Mexican Oil and Gas Blocks NEW DELHI: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is among three dozen global energy majors vying for oil and gas blocks in Mexico’s maiden licensing round. ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas arm of the state explorer, was among the international ﬁrms which signed up to pre-qualify for Mexico’s inaugural Round-1 bid offering at the end of deadline on March 31, industry sources said. The company is pitched against the US majors ExxonMobile and Chevron, Anglo-Dutch ﬁrm Shell as well as national oil companies and Mexican players for 14 shallow water exploration blocks in the country’s southern region. Other majors in fray include Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex, Norway’s Statoil, Colom-

bia’s EcoPetrol, Brazil’s Petrobras and PTTEP of Thailand. Mexico is opening up its oil sector to private players for the ﬁrst time after more than 75 years of monopoly by state company Petroleos Mexicanos or Pemex. Sources said the blocks on offer may hold prospective resources and are estimated at 3.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Other global players which have bid include Australia’s BHP Billiton, BG Group, BP and Premier Oil of the UK, Italy’s Eni, Portugal’s Galp, Spain’s Cepsa, Russia’s Lukoil, Denmark’s Maersk, Japan’s Inpex and Total of France. Jogmec, Japex and Mitsubishi of Japan, privately held independent Casa Exploration and Mexican player Petrobal as well as Canada’s Nexen

and Paciﬁc Rubiales are also in fray. American independents, including Cobalt, Hess, Marathon, Murphy, and Noble -- already active in their home sector of the Gulf of Mexico

-- have also put in pre-qualiﬁcation bids. According to the bid criteria, companies will have an initial exploration period of four years, with the possibil-

ity of a two-year extension. They also have to drill at least one well after winning the block. While Mexico is offering shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico in Round-1, more costly production in shale rock formations will be offered later. Mexico is expecting USD 50 billion investment through opening up its exploration sector to private and foreign players by 2018. OVL has interests in 33 oil and gas assets in 16 countries and contributes to 14.5 per cent and 8 per cent of oil and natural gas production of India, respectively. In terms of reserves and production, it is the second largest petroleum company of India, next only to its parent ONGC. -Times of India

Untimely Rains Damage 30% Mango Crops in Uttar Pradesh LUCKNOW: Vagaries of nature have hit hard the mango growers of Uttar Pradesh where almost 30 per cent of the crop has been damaged by bouts of unseasonal rains, gusty winds and hailstorms, raising fears of poor availability and high cost of the king of fruits. “Almost 30 per cent ﬂowering of mango has been destroyed because of the fury of nature in the form of untimely rains, hailstorm and thundershowers in different parts of the state,” president of All-India Mango Growers’Association Insram Ali told

PTI. “This is not enough as the unpredictability of nature continues,” he said after a visit to Dehradun on Saturday to meet mango growers and assess losses. The mango growers of Saharanpur have estimated that the losses amount to about 70 per cent,” Ali said. “The mango growers’ woes are worse than that of other farmers as they are not entitled to the compensation granted by the government. “We are raising a strong voice that they too be considered as farmers so

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that they can get various facilities,” he said. Mango orchards in the state cover an area of about three lakh hectares and the annual output is 38 to 40 lakh

tonnes, he said, adding that this fact can indicate the number of people involved in mango business. “Though the government has announced compensation and relief

for farmers whose crop has been destroyed in the rains and hailstorm, those involved in the horticulture business are not covered,” said Ali, who is also director in the National Horticulture Board. “There is a strong demand among the mango growers for entitlement to government help and beneﬁts and I am writing a letter to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in this regard,” he said. -Times of India

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28 April 10, 2015 IPL Hopes to Cure World Cup Hangover for Indian Fans

The IPL might start on a muted note but the volume is only going to get louder by the day.

BY NAGRAJ GOLLUPUDI KOLKOTA (ESPN Cricinfo): The city is under the spell of Kalboishaskhi jhor (thunder showers). But within 24 hours from now this grey, besieged city will erupt in joyful technicolor as the eighth season of IPL starts at Eden Gardens with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders playing Mumbai Indians. Seventy-thousand fans are likely to fill the majestic ground not just to watch the cricket, but also to sing and dance at a party to be hosted by Knight Riders owner and in-house DJ Shah Rukh Khan. But in contrast to the past, the hype this time has been restrained, eclipsed by the build-up for the elections for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which take place next week. One factor that will draw crowds in is cricket is now close to the fans. The World Cup was played far away in Australia and New Zealand. A lot of those match-winners are now in the IPL. It would

be a great opportunity to watch the heroes in person. But it is the stories and feats that will build the excitement. Will there be an almost famous story that Sanjay Bangar’s Kings XI Punjab scripted by finishing runners-up last season? Riveting moments like Corey Anderson smashing Rajasthan Royals’ fast bowlers to capture an insurmountable asking rate which forced the usually stoic Rahul Dravid to throw his cap in disgust as Mumbai Indians made the playoffs. The new season has its own attractions: Ricky Ponting enters the coaching arena for the first time as the head coach of Mumbai Indians. Would his team be the noholds-barred outfits he led wearing the baggy green? Can Virat Kohli, back after a dominant season in the Test series in Australia in his first stint as India’s captain, finally inspire Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first IPL title? How many and what kind of records can Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Brendon McCullum break in

a tournament that favours batting? Theatre is a huge part of IPL’s fabric. One of the most controversial moments of IPL history was witnessed when a verbal tussle between Royal Challengers’ Mitchell Starc and Mumbai’s Kieron Pollard virtually came close to physical blows. Starc threw the ball at Pollard who responded by flinging the bat in the direction of his opponent. Even at the World Cup, sledging was one of the biggest talking points and the IPL is bound to witness more. As reported last week players want to sort the issue among themselves as far as possible without being suffocated by the match officials. But would the new BCCI administration allow such leniency? Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI president, even when he was the interim BCCI chief two years back when the corruption scandal broke, has always favoured austerity. In his second stint as the BCCI head, Dalmiya wants to get the focus back on cricket.

His administration reportedly did not want to spend too much on hiring very expensive A-list entertainers for the opening ceremony and instead set a restricted budget for the occasion. Probably Dalmiya understands the real entertainment remains in the tournament. It is a place where both cricket and Bollywood come together. Even the skeptic taxi driver is getting curious. He wants to know the big buys of this year’s auction. Who bought and dropped whom? How many matches are Kolkata playing at home in April? Despite the weariness, the cart puller, the taxiwallah, the man on the street knows the IPL is here. The skies are clear. They know their team is the defending champion. Soon the addas and kattas and local trains will be raging with debates about matches from around the country. The IPL might start on a muted note but the volume is only going to get louder by the day. Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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SPORTS With Hingis, Sania Seeks No. 1 Rank

MIAMI: It was around midnight, Sania Mirza had just returned to her hotel room after her celebratory dinner. The Indian, playing alongside Swiss Martina Hingis, won her second successive top-tier title, coming through 7-5, 6-1 against the Russian combine of Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova in Miami. The duo hit the city right after the final late on Sunday, Sania in her trademark black tracks and grey sweatshirt and Hingis in shorts. The Hyderabadi, who is touching distance from the world No. 1 ranking in doubles, just 145 points off the joint No. 1s Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinici, added this week’s Family Circle Cup to her schedule, with the number No. 1 ranking in mind. The winning side will gain 470 points, with each player adding 235 points to her kitty in the WTA Premier, green clay event. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about No. 1, obviously the calculations have been done, we’re playing Charleston this week with the hope that I can be No. 1,” Sania said, adding that the No. 3-ranked pairing could also become the world No. 1 team, just 115 points adrift of the top-ranked Vesnina and Makarova. “Martina and I need to win a couple of rounds to take over as the No. 1 team. The No. 1 ranking has been a dream of mine, growing up. At the same time, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, get tight as I get closer. Hopefully I’ll be able to get No. 1 in the weeks to come.”

Hingis & Mirza: “When we decided to partner, if you had told us that we’d make a couple of semis in our ﬁrst two tournaments, we’d have taken it, but we have two titles now.”

April 10, 2015

‘Air Quality of Mumbai, Delhi to be Very Poor During Next Few Days’ NEW DELHI: A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils an air quality index (AQI) for 10 cities including Delhi, a forecast has predicted air quality in the capital will sharply deteriorate next week because of a dust storm due to hit the city and Mumbai on Monday. Air quality of the two cities will be “very poor” in the next few days, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday, due to the dust storm which originated in the Gulf region last week. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), a body under the ministry of earth science: “This is mainly due to the remnants of a major dust storm which was experienced in

the Gulf region early last week has now crossed the Arabian Sea.” “The storm has elevated the levels

Chinese Troops Make Incursion Bids in Ladakh LEH/NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops recently had two faceoffs along the line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh, in the same area where People’s Liberation Army had pitched camps in April 2013 leading to a three-week long stalemate. According to officials in the know of developments, the Chinese troops came to Burtse and Depsang areas in north of Ladakh, first on March 20 and then on March 28, apparently as part of attempts to reach Old Patrol Point, the last established base of Indian security forces. The PLA troops made attempts to push the Indian troops back but these were thwarted, they said. Vigilant Indian troops displayed the banners in Chinese asking the PLA to return to their side, the officials said. Ever since this incident, the Indian troops have been carrying out regular patrols to higher points along the LAC to keep check on movement of the PLA. India and China share over 4,000 km of LAC. China claims approximately 90,000 sq km of territory in Arunachal Pradesh besides 38,000 sq km in Jammu and Kashmir sector. The area where the Chinese troops

came had seen 21 days standoff between PLA and Indian Army in April 2013 which took place ahead of the then Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India. It was sorted out after hectic round of negotiations following which the Chinese troops withdrew. China has been in denial mode over repeated incursions by the PLA. During the 2013 incident, then then spokesperson for the ministry of national defence Colonel Geng Yansheng had said that such issues happen because the boundary line has not been demarcated and both sides have different interpretation on the line of actual control. China has been eyeing this area as it gives advantage to India to overlook the Karakoram highway linking territory illegally occupied by China with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Besides, India has an Advanced Ground Landing (AGL) facility in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) which was activated in August 2013 and Indian Air Force had managed to land a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft at the air strip located at 16614 feet above sea level. -Times of India

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of PM (Particulate Matter) 10 and PM 2.5 in Mumbai signiﬁcantly today (April 5) as per the data obtained by

new SAFAR station at Colaba area. Although the direction of storm is towards Mumbai, Nasik and part of North Maharashtra, its remnants are likely to elevate level of PM 2.5 particles from moderate to poor/ very poor category by Tuesday and Wednesday,” according to the SAFAR forecast. “An increase of 30-40% is likely in the level of PM 2.5 particles where as PM10 particles may go up by 20-30% being heavier and settle down faster,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. PM 2.5 is considered to be very dangerous as it affects lungs and enters the blood stream. The nor-

mal level of PM 2.5 should be 60. The dust storm that originated in the Gulf region on April 1 crossed the Arabian Sea on Sunday. This has disturbed the air quality in Delhi, which was categorised as “good” by SAFAR last week. “Air quality in Delhi is again going to become poor to very poor on Tuesday/Wednesday and PM 2.5 is likely to touch a value of 130-150 microgram/m3 as per the prediction made by the SAFAR model. “The dust storm has disturbed the wind patterns. And some parcels rich in pollution are likely to drift towards northern parts of India including Delhi. But Mumbai will be the most affected,” Beig added. -HindustanTimes

Sri Lanka Alleges ‘Billions’ Lost in Corruption at National Carrier COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new government has ordered a criminal investigation into alleged corruption at the state-run national airline that it says involved “billions of dollars”. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said an inquiry, led by an anti-corruption lawyer, had found “shocking details of corruption running into billions of dollars” at Sri Lankan Airlines, as well as “irregularities” in its $2.3 billion 2013 deal to buy 10 Airbus aircraft. The statement, issued on Saturday, contained no allegations of wrongdoing by Airbus. Airbus said it had no comment on the Sri Lanka government statement.According to the statement, the inquiry recommended investigations into the national carrier’s “entire refleeting process”. The statement also said that former airline chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe, who it identified as a brother-in-law of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, “should be prosecuted”. Efforts to contact Wickremasinghe for comment were unsuccessful.

Wickremasinghe resigned as the airline’s chairman shortly after Rajapaksa, who had been Sri Lankan president for 10 years, was defeated in a January election by Maithripala Sirisena. The statement also said staff at the airline had knowingly ignored conﬂicts of interest with companies and individuals it hired, and that the inquiry found cases of the manipulation of contracts. It also alleged that Rajapaksa changed the management of the lossmaking airline, which is 51 percent government-owned, to ensure the purchase of the Airbus planes despite the availability of cheaper alternatives. Rohan Weliwita, Rajapaksa’s media coordinator, said on Sunday the former president had no comment yet

on the government statement. The corruption allegations are the latest in a series levelled at Rajapaksa by President Sirisena, who has ordered an investigation into all financial deals sealed by his predecessor. Rajapaksa and former government officials have rejected the allegations and said they are ready to face any investigation. Sri Lankan Airlines has a fleet of 21 aircraft including six Airbus A340 jets, seven A330s and eight A320 planes. Under the deal with Airbus, the airline bought six A330s and four A350s, the European plane manufacturer said in a statement in 2013. Sri Lankan Airlines received the first of the A330s in October. -HindustanTimes

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