Friday, May 12, 2017 | Vol. 36, No. 19
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Indo American erican News
www.indoamerican-news.com Published weekly from Houston, TX
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YLDP Graduation 2017 P4 & 5
Happy
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YLDP Board of Directors 2017 with Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray and his wife Dr. Amit Goldberg Ray at the Graduation 2017 Event at India House on Saturday, April 29.
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May 12, 2017
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2017
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Simmering Laughter and a Promising Singer Save Indian Mothers BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
SUGAR LAND: It may be one
of the most casual of galas in the desi stratosphere of fundraisers that mark almost every month – except for the summer holidays – of the calender. That may also explain the hub-bub of camaraderie and commotion that reverberated in the reception area during the social hour before the Save A Mother Glitz & Glam Gala started. It was like a homecoming of sorts, since the Houston Chapter of the Save A Mother charity had their gala last year. And by the way, all Houston Chapter Board members but the treasurer (Nat Krishnamurthy) are women, as it has been since it started. There was a pent up outpouring of support for the nine-year-old charity which operates in India helping to educate and empower village women on maternal healthcare and to reduce infant mortality where they live. In the last three years, the new programs that have been started focus on population stabilization and TB control. The structure is simple, with a project manager, accountant and field officers, all dealing with field facilitators. Save a Mother founder Dr. Shiban Ganju was on hand, as usual, at the Gala to describe his vision. Ganju is a graduate of AIIMS, Delhi and has specialized in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology for years, with a practice in Homewood, Illinois a southern suburb of Chicago. Ganju’s younger brother Tej and sister, Veena Kaul live in Houston. Kaul started the local chapter in 2009 and has been the president since. Ganju noted that SAM was now one of the better NGOs in India serving 3 million people in Uttar Pradesh and has just started a program in Telangana state. The work is endless, as he noted that “we can start 1 village a day but we will still need 1640 years to reach them all!” He noted with much satisfaction that through SAM’s efforts infant mortality rates are down by 90 per cent; contraceptive acceptance is up 10 per cent, and institutional deliveries are up 90 per cent in the areas served by the NGO. “It only takes 25 cents per capita per year to reduce infant mortality,” stated Ganju. He added that SAM had $310,000 in the bank to continue ongoing programs,
The Board of the Save A Mother Houston Chapter, with the founder Dr. Shiban Ganju, seated at left with Nat Krishnamurthy, the Treasurer.
Shreya Kaul, a 20-year-old with a 70,000 fan following on social networks sang several popular songs in English and Hindi
Standup comedian Rajiv Satyal from Los Angeles had the audience in titters all evening long
had zero administrative costs and was expanding into Varanasi slums which have a population of 150,000. At the end of the evening, after a call for donations, the gala netted $70,000. In the last few years, delightful entertainment has been the hallmark of the SAM galas and this year emcee Preity Bhagia, looking iridescent in a sparkling sequined gown, introduced Shreya Kaul, a 20-year-old who has taken a sabbatical from college to give her singing career a chance to take off and has a 70,000 fan following on social networks. She sang Beyonce’s number “Halo” and soon had the audience clapping
funny and had everyone in titters throughout the evening. He used himself as a foil – like comparing his bald head with that of Ganju and the receding hairlines of oth-
to the beat. Later in the evening, she sang another few numbers, a couple of them in Hindi. The other entertainer was the standup comedian Rajiv Satyal, who has visited Houston for other events twice before. The slightly built, bald, 41-year-old comedian hails from Hamilton, Ohio of a Punjabi family and noted that he was married in Austin where his wife Harsha Mistry is a Gujarati, though the couple now lives and works in Los Angeles. Satyal soon had the audience in stitches and his brand of humor on the immigrant experience and how they are navigating the current political climate in America. He was
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May 12, 2017
Youth Leadership Development Program of Houston (YLDP)
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anupam Ray, Consul General of India, Houston.
Graduation Event 2017 Saturday, April 29 (9:00am – 1:00pm) India House, Houston Photos: Sarvesh Bhavaraju
Team - Politics
Team - Philanthropy
Rachana Kataram, Danalila Pasumarti, Rahul Prabhu, Aishwarya Kotha, Divya Aloori, Nikhil Narravula
Priya Wood, Rohit Kamat, Santosh Akunuri, Anjali Kamat, Tejaswi Udipi, Srindihi Murali
Team - Business
Team - Art/Culture
Ram Panda, Arya Bhakare, Subhuksha Srinivasan, Layaa Amirthalingam, Megana Sundar, Sathwik Iyer
Team - Technology
Arushi Guddanti, Kavya Chandran, Nandini Komaana, Meghana Potturu, Amitesh Yeleswarapu, Arya Muralidharan, Aanchal Vohra, Amar Moturu
Vignesh Vasan, Poojitha Cheeti, Priyal Dahiya, Deep Parikh, Sachi Khemka, Shivam Shah
Team - Science
Varsha Vasu, Vikram Wood, Akhila Mamandur, Jayaharini Maheswaran, Megana Jupudy, Chakra Jonnalagadda
See article on page 5
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2017
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YLDP: Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow!
YLDP graduating class of 2017 with Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray and his wife Dr. Amit Goldberg Ray.
BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA
HOUSTON:
“Lead from the back, and let others believe they are in front.” This truly inspiring quote from Nelson Mandela refers to the young leaders who want to break out of the herd mentality and create environments that are conducive to higher grades. On Saturday, April 29, India House was filled with such growing leaders, who have been capitalizing on personal strengths and are careerready. The Graduation event organized by the Youth Leadership Development Program of Houston (YLDP) is something that is really looked forward to, each year. Formed in 2008 by a group of Houstonians of Indian origin, YLDP aims at addressing the leadership gap in our community, locally and nationally. With its core focus being in the areas of Business
/ Entrepreneurship, Government / Politics, Social / Culture / Art and Charity / Philanthropy, YLDP has flourished over the years and have recently added the Science / Technology theme. The student enrollment has been increasing too, from 24 to 59 as on date. The much-awaited event began from 9 am and went up to 1 pm. Srimathi Kumar, Vice PresidentGraduation & the Event Chair welcomed everyone. This was followed by an introduction to YLDP by Poonam Taneja, YLDP President & Event Co-chair, along with Nat Murthy, Chairman. They shared some insights to the program and acknowledged the hard work of all those who have been a part of its success. Poonam mentioned, “This has been a unique year in the history of YLPD since its inception in 2008. This year we had several new speakers like
Bob Patel, CEO of LyondellBasell and Chase Untermeyer, former US Ambassador to Qatar. This year we had more girls enrolled in the program than boys and the percent of students graduating from the program has been the highest among previous years.” We could notice the pep and spark in the hall, as it was about time for the student - moderated sessions. This year there were a total of six teams, covering a wide range of interesting and unique topics, which were as follows:Team Politics, led by Rachana Kataram, spoke about how the leaders of the Democratic Party could restore power and positivity to the party, and work with its Republican constituents to set forth a governmental platform that considers the interests of Democrats around the country. Quite an interesting topic, this brought
up discussions both from affirmative and negative aspects from the entire team members Danalila Pasumarti, Rahul Prabhu, Aishwarya Kotha, Divya Aloori and Nikhil Narravula. Team Philanthrophy, led by Priya Wood, presented the leadership traits that Bill and Melinda (of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), and Warren Buffet have demonstrated, and that others can follow and learn from to make an impact to mankind and the world. The other team members who were a part of this compelling discussion were Rohit Kamat, Santosh Akunuri, Anjali Kamat, Tejaswi Udipi and Srindihi Murali. Team Business, presented an interesting topic that covered the strategic thought process of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has made the patents of his unique and innovative products like elec-
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tric cars, open for any company in the world to use. Ram Panda was the lead on this topic and he was supported by Arya Bhakare, Subhuksha Srinivasan, Layaa Amirthalingam, Megana Sundar and Sathwik Iyer. Team Art/Culture, had their topic revolve around the criticism and question on The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which was accused of pandering to minority viewers. Vignesh Vasan led this topic along with support from Poojitha Cheeti, Priyal Dahiya, Deep Parikh, Sachi Khemka and Shivam Shah. Team Technology, led by Arushi Guddanti, discussed on the pros & ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
For photo collage, see page 4
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YLDP: Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow! ARTICLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
cons of the transition of energy companies to clean or renewable energy, initiated by the CEO of Shell, Ben Van Beurden. The other team members included Kavya Chandran, Nandini Komaana, Meghana Potturu, Amitesh Yeleswarapu, Arya Muralidharan, Aanchal Vohra and Amar Moturu. Team Science, led by Varsha Vasu, spoke about the processes and policies that could be put in place to safeguard public interest and benefits. Her other team members were Vikram Wood, Akhila Mamandur, Jayaharini Maheswaran, Megana Jupudy and Chakra Jonnalagadda. The young leaders seemed excited and full of enthusiasm as they spoke about their learning throughout the year. And their selfconfidence seemed to flow in as their natural personal trait. The audience too seemed eager and delighted to hear these young kids speak. The group discussions of these sharp and smart kids seemed like so much fun, apart from being enlightening. After all, the YLDP class of 2017, was a bunch of youngsters who would turn into the future Indo American leaders. Three teams presented their topics first, which lasted for fifteen minutes each, followed by a short snack break, which was later resumed by the presentation of the next three teams. After this wonderful round, Poonam Taneja welcomed the chief guest and the keynote speaker of the afternoon, Dr. Anupam Ray, Consul General of India, Houston. It was Dr. Ray’s second year at the event. He shared a very enlightening speech on leadership, which was followed by a very interactive and informative Q&A session with the graduating students. Dr. Ray said, “There is nothing I accord greater importance to than to interacting with youth. We are what you are. We will become what you want to become”. In his speech he focused on three Indian leaders, Guru Gobind Singh, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Citing examples of all three and their struggles and attaining success and becoming true leaders, he said, “Leadership is suffering. Leadership is walking alone. Leadership is about feeling your way in the dark.
Leadership is about inspiring others. It is about preparing for adversity. And about retaining your humanity, about retaining your belief in your cause inspite of that. If you are able to find in your darkest moments the humanity of Guru Gobind Singh, the ability of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to see a distant future, and the integrity of Sardar Patel, then you are a leader”. His motivational speech was followed by group pictures and distribution of certificates and awards. YLDP Board of Directors 2017 include, Nat Murthy- Chairman, Poonam Taneja- President, Sarvesh Bhavaraju -Vice President- Selections, Srimathi Kumar- Vice President-Graduation, Jayasree Bondu-Director, Sharda Prasad- Treasurer, Minal Varadharajan- Secretary, Rama Rao- Web Director, Kush Tandon - Service Project Director, and Anu Kulkarni- Director. The event was attended by Sushma Bhan and Nimmi vale, past YLDP board members. Live sound was provided by Darshak Thacker from Krishna Sounds Production. The event later wrapped up to a flavorsome and scrumptious lunch from Panera Bread. YLDP has been doing a fabulous task by nurturing these young kids and mentoring them to the right direction. We hope to see these young leaders succeed in their corporate environment. More about YLDP: YLDP of Houston is an independent 501 © (3) nonprofit organization, nurturing future Indo-American leaders. YLDP’s mission with their non-profit organization is to help the enrolled students of Junior and Senior High School classes from all over Greater Houston Area. The organization is led and served by a voluntary Board of Directors. The year-long curriculum consists of Class Room Speaker Sessions, Service Project and Graduation as the final event concluding with recognition of students.
See photo Collage on page 4
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May 12, 2017 7 COMMUNITY Nirmanz Food Boutique Grand Opening – April 30 BY A CORRESPONDENT
SUGAR
LAND: My favorite chaat at Nirmanz Food Boutique was a mouthwatering Chaat Basket…small flaky dough basket containing a delectable combination of yogurt, chick peas, sev, onions, cilantro corn, tomatoes, all colors of chutneys and housemade secret chaat masala….Mmmmmm.” said Sunny Kothari as he and his family enjoyed one of every chaat variety on the Special Grand Opening Buy One Get One Free Menu: Chole Bature, Bhel Puri, Vada Pav, Aloo Tikki Chole, Pav Bhaji, Samosa Chaat, Dabeli, Sev Puri, and Ragada Pettis. With all the amazing food and drinks, DJ music, dance performance injections, and of course Sunil T’s comedic relief, guests found it hard to leave Nirmanz Food Boutique. “Even the decor demanded attention, with artistic reflections of Bollywood’s greatest cinematic hits set on tall rectangular canvas in earthy neutrals shades of orange, green & brown. With its Ambassador, rickshaw and bicycle parts, and clear kegs of exotic pani puri waters, this is EXACTLY what I would describe as Food Boutique!” said Aparna Chokshi.
Chef Nirman Shah celebrated the Dhoom-Dhamaka Grand Opening of their latest Indian cuisine adventure Nirmanz Food Boutique near the intersection of Hwy 6 & Kensington Drive in Sugar Land. Masala Radio rocked the Grand Opening Celebrations Sunday April 30, 2011 from 12-4 PM with Balloons, DJ music, Nitya Hari dance performances, glamorous greeters, and Sunil T with his Dhamaal Masala Crew! The bright orange Masala Radio Hummer marked the location, a quiet cul de sac set against an office park lake Amazingly cool weather and promises of free pani puri drove the crowds in several hours before the official 12PM start tine. Even slightly long lines at cash register didn’t bother guests are they were constantly amused by Sunil T’s Bollywood entertainment and interactive dance demos by Nithya Hari’s Bollywood Dancing Starz and the latest Bollywood Hits by DJ Nish. Nirmanz Food Boutique is now open for dining everyday 11AM – 3PM and 5PM- 9:30 PM; closed Tuesdays. For catering call 832532-0699 or visit www.facebook. com/nirmanz food boutique. Photos: Jesus Krague
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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COMMUNITY
May 12, 2017
Saadhana Sur Sang by CICMH: Where ‘Sur’ Reigned Supreme BY SASI RAGHAVAN
HOUSTON: Saadhana Sur Sang, a concert
series organized by Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston (CICMH), featured a magical evening of melody and strings, on May 6, at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple. It was woven around a unique concept, never heard of before, brainchild of the founder and President of CICMH, the Mewati Maestro Pandit Suman Ghosh. There were no announcements through spoken words to
stand between the musicians and the audience, only “Sur” spoke, duly supported by truly creative visuals projected on the screen. Where words are left off, music begins; proving once again that the language of music by itself is a complete form of the most intense communication. The program started with the auspicious ringing of a bell, so apt for a venue where Devi Maa presents herself in 8 different forms. Disciples of Pandit Suman Ghosh
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presented an invocational Shlok, Govinda Damodar Ashtakam, composed by the living legend and Pandit Ghosh’s Guru, the one and only Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj-Ji. Following this spiritual treat woven around the intricacies of Raag Nat Bhairav, by the Singers from the celebrated Gurukul, Saadhana Pariwar, was a melodious, scintillating Sitar Recital by one of the most promising youngsters, Shakir Khan, son and worthy follower of the legendary Sitarist Ustad Shahid Parvez. Shakir Khan presented Raag Charukeshi, ably supported on the tabla by Hindole Majumdar, elaborating on the uplifting yet serene melody of the raag beautifully, and instilling peace and calm in the hearts of the listeners. He concluded his segment with a priceless traditional composition on raag Pilu, leaving the audience in a celestial trance. The final segment of the program was a vocal duet by Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra, sons of Pandit Rajan Mishra-Ji of the legendary singing-duo Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra. The youngsters presented a variety of Raags, interestingly all with the suffix ‘Shree’, beginning with the difficult and intense raag Shree – a connoisseur’s delight. Just as the calm sea gathers momentum in the wind, the brothers elevated the mood of the audience with great skill,
improvisation and harmony, their voices complementing each other. They were ably accompanied by Hindole Majumdar on the tabla and Anirban Chakrabarty on the Harmonium. Their fascinating rendering of the rare Raag Malashree, followed by a detailed portrayal of evergreen Raag Puriya Dhanashri, ended with a beautiful bhajan composed by their father, kept the audience spellbound. The artists were full of praise for the discerning and appreciative audience, especially the young disciples of the Saadhana Pariwar Gurukul who sat on the floor, right in front of the stage for the entire duration, with rapt attention, appreciating every nuance of even the most difficult raags. The theme of this edition Sur Sang was ‘Illustrious sons of Legendary Fathers’. As Pandit Ghosh said in his vote of thanks at the end, the evening left one and all elated that these musicians were true torch-bearers of the musical tradition established by their Legendary fathers. Saadhana Sur Sang 2017 was truly a magnificent meeting point of music, musicians and music lovers in the Greater Houston Area, as was ensured by the dedicated Core Team of music-worshippers at the CICMH, who set a newer standard of all-round precision, with attention to every minute detail, in staging the concert.
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COMMUNITY BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON: Even though atten-
dance was much lower than previous years at the Offshore Technology Conference, there were signs of a resurgence in confidence among the delegates who attended the four day event last week from May 1 through May 4 at the NRG Park and Stadium. That was encouraging news to two small businesses which have their eyes set on growing as the oil bust starts recovering. Both of them had booths this year at the OTC. The first is Dartex Industries, started by the veteran oil and gas professional T.J. Sinha who has worked with several other notable firms in town. This is his first foray into business on his own and he feels optimistic. Dartex Industries has a plant in Delhi to manufacture high pressure gaskets, flanges, needle valves and flowline equipment. Sinha has worked worldwide in the oil industry for the past 45 years and has established offices in Faridabad (southeast of Delhi), Houston and Esbjerg, on the western coast of Denmark. The Dartex Industries booth was located among the cluster of other Danish booths. The other firm was American Personnel Services, whose booth featured giant-sized color pictures of the founder’s two dogs Rocky
May 12, 2017
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Two Local Firms with Booths at this Year’s OTC
Ramesh Anand (left), President of American Personnel Services with visitors to his booth: Gitesh Desai (second from left) and his brother Pradeep Anand (third from right) and their friends and colleagues.
and Max. “That really got people to stop and talk to us,” grinned APS founder and President Ramesh Anand. “It was better than having a bunch of nuts and bolts or equipment lying there.” Anand estimates that close to 500 people visit his booth and that he was able to develop significant ties to partner up with other companies too. Anand has been in the recruitment and search business for over 30 years, having started in
it in 1984 in his hometown Mumbai. He started APS in 1994 after he moved to the Houston area. It is APS’ second year at the OTC and Anand promises to be back next year too. Picture on Right: T J Sinha (left), President of Dartex Industries Inc, Texas at his booth with Deputy Indian Consul General Surendra Adhana at the OTC.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
10 May 12, 2017 BY SUBHASHREE HARIHARAN
HOUSTON.
In the “Cintan Dainandini,” Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda gives a beautiful example of the power of chanting – “The child may be in any part of the house; it need not know where the mother is; but the moment the child cries ‘ma ma’, the mother appears and gathers the child to her bosom.” In the same way by repeatedly chanting the Bhagavad-Gita with a pure and innocent heart, like that of a child, the Guru’s grace and Sri Bhagavan Krishna’s blessings will be constantly present. In honor of Pujya Gurudev’s 101st birthday (May 8), Chinmaya Mission Houston held its annual Gita competition on May 6th where over 115 children offered the best of themselves to the great Master who lived and spread the message of Gita every day of his glorious life. To watch young children chant verses from Chapter 14 – The Yoga of Gunas –and adolescent minds present their analysis of the chapter was both mesmerizing and transcendental. While reciting the Gita creates a positive vibration within the body and the environment around, it also teaches control and voice modulation which improves pronunciation as well as vocal musical skills. The regular chanting of the Gita also helps children with concentration, discipline, time management, respon-
COMMUNITY
Young Voices Chant the Ancient Bhagavad Gita
The winners of 2017 Gita Chanting competition with Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty . Photos: Jayesh Mistry and Nilesh Shah
sibility, public speaking finesse, comprehension and deliberation. Just as sending our children to start school at kindergarten, similarly learning the Bhagavad-Gita at a very young age has numerous benefits, some of which can be seen immediately and some in the future. When the winners of the Gita Chanting event were celebrated the next day, Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty emphasized that Gita was for everyone and it was best learned when young to be applied in a lifetime. He appreciated the enthusiastic spirit of all children who participated. The winners of the Gita Competition are: Group 1 (KG-2 grade):1st place: Vashi Banavalikar (KG) and Ahana Rao (1st Grade), 2nd place: Samarth Srivatsan (1st Garde), 3rd Place – Anshula Thandra (KG) Group 2 (Grades 3-5):1st place:
Slokathon Trophy winners, from left: Nithya Kodarapu, Nitheesh Chander Kodarapu, Pranav Sriram and Chinmayee Madhava with Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty.
Aditi Chaubal (5th Grade), 2nd place: Chinmayee Madhava (5th Grade), 3rd place: Sanvi Sudar-
shan (3rd grade) and Veda Suresh (5th Grade) Group 3 (Grades 6-8):1st place:
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Ayush Manoj (7th Grade), 2nd place: Karthik Chitta (7th Grade), 3rd place: Megna Prabhakaran (6th Grade) Group 4 (Grades 9-12): 1st place: Bhavya Kathireddipalli (10th Grade), 2nd place: Saaketh Rao (11th Grade), 3rd place: Aarushi Das (9th Grade) Along with those who won recognition for Gita chanting, there were also a select group of four Bala Vihar children who were specially awarded their trophies for the Slokathon – a marathon effort to learn and chant over two hundred verses from various important stotras. The Slokathon is a cornerstone program of Chinmaya Bala Vihar at Houston which encourages children to learn at their own pace and master the art of devotional chanting in Sanskrit. Slokathon Trophy winners: Nitheesh Chander Kodarapu, Nithya Kodarapu, Chinmayee Madhava, Pranav Sriram. Every year, the celebration of Pujya Gurudev’s birthday reinforces the learning and living of Gita – marked by the children’s voices against a silent and strong supportive teamwork of Chinmaya volunteers’ dedicated actions. 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
COMMUNITY
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May 12, 2017
OCC Lays the Foundation Stone for Sri Jagannath Dham AN ORISSA CULTURE CENTER PUBLICATION
Pradeep Sulhan, P.C.
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HOUSTON:
Orissa Culture Center (OCC) celebrated Akshya Trutiya on April 29, along with many religious and cultural organizations from Houston to mark the beginning of the preparation towards Shree Jagannath Ratha Jatra (Yearly Chariot Festival of Houston). This year’s celebration was special as OCC also laid the foundation stone for the creation of “Shree Jagannath Dham” on a 10 acre land at 3101 Fuqua Street, Houston, Texas 77047. Dr. Anupam Ray Consulate General of India, Houston, accompanied with his wife Dr. Amit Goldberg were the chief guests for the occasion. Among the other dignitaries were Abeezer Tyebji, Swpnil Agarwal, Dr. Arun and Vinni Verma, Dr. Swaminathan and Yamini Iyer, Cherian Cherian and James Wade a US Military veteran and African American activist. The Rituals of Akshya Trutiya including the “Shilanyasa Puja” was conducted by Pundit Bibhudutta Mishra, Pundit KV Doraiswamy Bhatter and Pundit Atchuta Mahankali. The president of OCC, Dr. Debananda Pati coordinated the ceremony. The evening cultural program
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included classical dance presentation by students of Kalangan School of Oddissi dance and Abhinaya School of Performing Arts. Besides, a spectacular Kathak dance was presented by Ragini Das. The evening cultural program included an instrumental ensemble of Gayatri Chanting by children and Bhajan recital by Yudhisthira Nayak of Orissa Dance Academy. We l c o m i n g the audience, Dr. Anupam Ray applauded the efforts by OCC in establishing a religious and cultural organization to propagate traditional cultural values of our subcontinent among the people of Houston and neighboring cities. He also urged participating organizations and all people CONTINUED ON PAGE
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COMMUNITY
Greater Houston Community Celebrates Tagore Week 2017 with Pomp and Grandeur
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HOUSTON: The greater Hous-
ton community celebrated Tagore Week 2017, as proclaimed by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, with much pomp and grandeur. The week-long festivity, spearheaded by the Tagore Society of Houston and a number of local collaborating organizations such as ICC, Mahatma Gandhi Library, CRY, IMS, Bangladesh Association and Bangladesh Society, spoke a lot about the diversity of thoughts and confluence of global minds that Tagore represents. What started with a scintillating talk by New York Times bestselling author and avid Tagorean Eric Weiner on April 29 at India House, concluded with an immaculate dance by Padmashri Aruna Mohanty and a dazzling duet by Padmabhushan Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt and Pandit Subhen Chatterjee on the evening of May 7 in the Durgabari auditorium. The community gathered for a reverential garlanding event at Tagore Grove at Ray Miller Park on the breezy morning of May 7, where Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt and Pandit Subhen Chatterjee paid their homage to Gurudev along with the leaders of Indian and Bangladeshi diaspora. Dignitaries attending the event included Swapan Dhairyawan, Atul Kothari, Shah Haleem, Zulfi Khaled Khan, Amir Khusroo, Sujit Sengupta, Mousumi Banerjee. The cultural enthusiasts broke into a couple of spontaneous chorus songs to celebrate Tagore’s life and philosophy, signifying the transformation from ignorance to all-knowing. “The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end,” -- Tagore , Gitanjali.
The evening of May 7 featured a colorful burst of creativity ranging from TSH Youth Orchestra presenting John Denver and Tagore in a musical collage under the guidance of Anindita Roy; Kathak and Odissi dancers presenting nuances of Tagore’s creation, The Padavali of Bhanu Singha (Tagore’s nickname) under the choreography of dance Gurus Supradita Datta and Soumee Chowdhury ; and a grand choral by 51 singers from India and Bangladesh, representing each states of the US, under the training of Kamalpriya Roy and Rupa Ghosh. The next phase of the evening turned into a soul stirring experience with Padmashri Aruna Mohanty’s immaculate performance from Tagore’s “Sundari Radhe” to Jaydev’s “Geet Govindam” and a mesmerizing finale, “Journey of a Soul”. Mohanty was introduced ceremoniously by
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Guru Rathna Kumar and Guru Supradipta. The grand finale was by none other than Padmabhushan Pandit Vishwamhan Bhatt, accompanied by Pandit Subhen Chatterjee. The audience swooned in emotions as mellifluous Maru Bihag filled up the auditorium. The evening was concluded by the triveni of Vande Mataram, Vaishnava Janato, and Raghupati Raghav, which conveyed the message of Humanistic Universalism that was inspired by Tagore. The evening was a depiction of a common man’s journey from darkness to light as a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his 156th birth anniversary. The overseas artists were felicitated with a plaque engraved with Tagore’s famous quote, “where the mind is without fear...” It was a befitting celebration of Tagore Week 2017 in Houston.
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2017
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Performers from the Ekal Vidalaya’s Villages Showcase Ekal’s Indian Successes
The EVF Houston Chapter Board and volunteers with Indian Consul General Anupam Ray and his wife Dr. Amit Goldberg Ray at the ceremonial lamp lighting.
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON:
The audience was spellbound to their seats and didn’t stir for three hours except to clap to the beat of the songs they knew, some swayed and others blew whistles of enjoyment. There were no intermissions, no lack of tempo as the program unfolded like a well-oiled machine, save for a technical glitch just before the folk dance segment started. The musical program followed later at the University Center by a buffet style dinner catered by Bhojan Restaurant – started on time at 3:30pm on Sunday, May 7 at the University of Houston’s Cullen Auditorium and ended close to schedule at 6:15pm and most people didn’t realize how those hours flew away. Despite the early morning bus ride from Dallas where they performed the night before, the artists didn’t show any sign of fatigue, but took to the stage with vigor and the practiced steps borne from performances over 34 shows presented in as many cities in the US. After a few days of rest, their next Texas stop is Friday, May 12 in The Woodlands and Saturday, May 13 in Austin. After that, there are 22 more shows to go with May 14 in New Orleans then up the East Coast to Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and ending on June 23 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The multi-city bus tour started in the US on February 24. Billed as Ekal Sur, Ekal Taal (One Tune, One Beat), an Indian tribal musical concert, the concept was am ambitious undertaking of Ekal Vidalaya Foundaion – USA and its co-founder Ramesh Shah. EVF USA began over 19 years ago and is still headquartered in Houston. For his efforts in helping to develop education among underserved tribal areas in India, the Indian government conferred on Shah the Parvasi Bahrati Samman (Overseas Indian Award) this past January. Shah embarked on the tour to accompany the performing troupe for 5 months to help in EVF 2017 fundraising efforts. He took on the ambitious challenge of promoting these young performers from nine tribal villages where EV operates who had practiced for 18 months in a unique blend of their talents and took the tour on himself to over 54 cities. The tour is partially sponsored by the Government of India. When Shah came onstage to talk about his experience in helping the tribals, he became emotionally choked up as the audience went wild with applause and then read out the list of donors and their contributions. Walking onstage, troupe manager N.P. Amoli noted that it was a courageous and
remarkable decision, but the results from all the performances have borne out of Shah’s belief in the tour. According to Houston Chapter President Pankaj Desai, a 10 year volunteer with EVF, the Houston performances brought in $550,000 to the foundation. Part of the success of this multi-city tour comes from the stage management of Ramesh Shah’s younger daughter, Roopal, who ably emceed the program with her punctual and straight-forward style. After a brief musical interlude to let the audience settle in, she opened up the program with brief introductions and bringing on onstage the key Houston Chapter individuals and the Indian Consul General Anupam Ray and his wife Amit to do ceremonial lamp lighting, while two performers sang an invocation in Hindi. Roopal noted some amazing statistics: the performers had 408 hours so far on stage; driven 15,200 miles and performed to 17,136 people “plus the 950 of you here today,” she added. Noting it would be a long show broken into four segments; she led the audience through three yoga stretching exercises and introduced Pankaj Desai. “It would be hard to imagine 30 years ago that we would be holding this fundraiser for Indian villages in Cowboy Country,” quipped Pankaj. “We are doing our part to help India progress.” Consul General Ray lauded Ramesh Shah’s journey across the US and compared the effort to support education to the work of Guru Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century AD theologian and philosopher who traveled across the Indian subcontinent to establish four schools of learning. “The philosophical basis is the same,” Ray said, “because the greatest gift and sacred duty is to educate. India will be a great nation since we value knowledge.” Amoli introduced each performer and their village background, as they came onstage while a short slide show of their village and family played on the screen backdrop. The nine artists were Tilak Chandra Damai, Dileshwar Yadav, Radhesyam Yadav, Sandip Yadav, Johan Singh Markam, Gitmala Boraik, Sampa Shill, Neena Pandey and Sumitra Kakodia who all sang, danced and acted out scenes in brilliant and colorful costumes. The program began with a Patriotic Songs segment with Jahan Jahan Daal Daal Chidiya Karte Hai Basera, Yeh Bharat Desh Hai Mera, Mere Desh Ki Dharti, Bharat ka Rehne Walan Hoon and “Bharat Ki Baat Sunata Hoon, among others while patriotic images of India and its leaders played on CONTINUED ON PAGE
Ekal Vidalaya Foundation USA founder Ramesh Shah
Ekal Vidalaya Foundation USA Houston Chapter President Pankaj Desai
The program emcee, Roopal Shah
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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Photos: Paresh Shah
14 May 12, 2017
COMMUNITY
Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Thirukalyanam Grand Finale to Chithirai Thiruvizha Mahotsavam BY KAMALA RAGHAVAN
PEARLAND: The festival of Meenakshi
Chithirai Thiruvizha is one of the most important annual festivals held at the famous Meenakshi Temple at Madurai, and the same traditions are followed by Sree Meenakshi Temple. The festival has many highlights including the coronation of Sri Meenakshi (Pattabhishekam) and her handing over the scepter to the Chairman, the daily homams and evening processions, cultural events, and the grand finale of the Thirukalyanam of Lord Sundareswarar with Goddess Meenakshi, and the Ratham festival. The Mahotsavam began with dhwaja-arohanam (flag hoisting) on April 28 and concluded on May 7 with dhwaja avarohanam. The festival is believed to shower all of God’s creations with health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. More than 1600 devotees filled the hall and enjoyed the divine wedding ceremony. A beautifully decorated podium was set up inside the main temple by the silpis, where the utsavamurthys of Meenakshi and Sundareswaran resided throughout the festival to indicate the gruhasta ashrama (married life) of Lord Shiva with his consort Parvathi, and their son Ganesh and Karthikeya. Sri Meenakshi personifies the female energy (Shakti) as illustrated by the coronation in the beginning of the Utsavam. The daily homams were performed at an outside tent (Yaga Sala) in accordance with the basic guidelines established by the Shastras. Since the temple has been designed according to the principle of Vaastu Shastra, these daily rituals are performed to request the
deva paarshadas (attendants of the deities) to safeguard the temple premises and the devotees. The divine wedding celebration started with a seervarisai procession from Ganesh temple accompanied by Nadaswaram. Malai Matruthal (garland exchange), pidi sutruthal and oonjal seva was done with pomp and splendor by the priests with many of the ladies participating in the pidi sutral and mangala Aarthi at the entrance to the Kalyana Mandapam. The silpis outdid themselves in constructing the wedding mandapam on the stage and the priests followed the traditional steps for a beautiful celestial wedding of Sri Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, Devotees were involved in performing rakshabandanam and kanyadhanam. The event was broadcast on MTS radio show 3 times during the ceremony to give an opportunity to all devotees to partake in the blessings of the deities. MTS
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board representatives attempted to provide explanations in English during the event for the benefit of the young devotees and nonIndian attendees. The chanting of the mantras from all 4 vedas reinforced the bhakti vibrations in the hall, and the recital by the priest was absolutely mesmerizing. After the wedding, utsava murthis procession with Ratham and all the vahanas was a beautiful sight to watch. The Nadhaswaram music brought the Madurai Temple atmosphere to all the devotees in Pearland, Texas. The sunny, cool weather was perfect for the outside activities, and made the whole event immensely enjoyable. The attendees enjoyed the grand banana leaf sit down lunch with the traditional wedding menu
prepared by the temple staff and served by more than 150 volunteers. The post lunch cultural program was a visual treat for the devotees, and the performances by graduating seniors was a wonderful conclusion to a grand celebration. MTS Chairman S. Narayanan thanked all the staff and volunteers. Kudos to the Mahotsavam coordinator C. Vijayarajan and RAC Sheila Sriram, Food Committee Rani Chilukuri, Sit down Lunch Committee Kumar Bashyam, the cultural committee Mala Gopal, Audio & Video committee Sundar Arun, Electronic Committee Nachal Sethuraman, Rathotsavam Committee Tupil Narasiman, Secretary GN Prasad and Treasurer Sasi Pillai for job well done.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
MOTHER’S DAY WISHES FROM OUR READERS
May 12, 2017
15
How Can I Express My love for Mom, this Mother’s Day? Let Me Count the Ways... Mother’s Day is a celebration the world, most commonly in the throughout the world over thou- ever, in some countries, Mother’s months of March or May. sands of years, such as the Greek Day has become synonymous honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of
In the United States, celebration of Mother’s Day began in the early 20th century. It is not related to the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred
Mom, you are the bright sunshine and fountain of love in my life. Hugs and Kisses from Shania.
cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood). How-
with these older traditions. -wikipedia.com
To Sanjay: Sanju baby, You’ve been a blessing from the start. I love you with all my heart! - Mommy Yamini
Mommy Sudha “To the Queen of this home, the Queen of my daddy’s heart and the Queen of my life – I love you Mom. Happy Mothers day” - Keshav Dear Mom (Kailash Thakkar) Life has never been perfect. It probably never will. But I will never ever lose hope, because I know I always have you to stand by me even if the whole world falls apart. I love you Maa. - Mansi
Dear Tanishka & Shikhar, You both are precious in every way, the SUNSHINE in my day, the JOY in my SOUL, and the LOVE of my life. God has been really kind to give me lovely children like you. You make me proud every single day!!! Love you to the moon and beyond!!! Hugs -Mommy Pallavi
Dear Pushya, If God had let me choose a son, there is no doubt you’d be the one. It seems it was just yesterday I watched you take your first steps. Today I see you grow and achieve. Thanks for making me a proud mom! -Mommy Bhumi
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COMMUNITY/DIASPORA
Trump Picks Indian-American Neil Chaterjee for Key Federal Energy Agency
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Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Neil Chatterjee to a key administration position in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency charged with overseeing America’s power grid and deciding on multibilliondollar energy projects. The While House said President Trump intends to nominate Neil Chatterjee, 40, of Kentucky as a Member of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the term expiring June 30, 2021. Chatterjee, who is energy policy advisor to US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has played an integral role in the passage of major energy, highway and farm legislation, the White House said. Prior to serving McConnell, he worked as a principal in Government Relations for National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and as an aide to House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce of Ohio. He began his career in Washington, DC, with the House Committee on Ways and Means.
A Lexington, Kentucky native, he is a graduate of St Lawrence University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Chatterjee needs to be confirmed by the Senate before he can be sworn in as member of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Last week, US lawmakers had expressed concern over vacancy in this important federal regulatory commission. “I’d like to see some names now. It’s very frustrating that we are here at May 3 and there hasn’t been a quorum at FERC for months now,” said Senate Energy Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski. “We can’t do much of anything in the energy space until there is a functioning quorum at the FERC. First, we need to get names so that we can actually act as a committee. Believe me, I am urging anybody who will listen that they need to get moving on it,” she said. -timesofindia.com
OCC Lays the Foundation Stone CONTINUED FROM PAGE
11
of Houston to provide support in building the “Jagannath Dham.” People from across different faiths and religious beliefs attended the program. Among the participating organizations were “Brhma Kumaris”, ISKON, Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha, Namadwara, Sri Minakshi Temple, Houston Durgabari Society and Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir. The members participated with the chanting of Holy names by singing Kirtans and Bhajans. OCC is proud of the support of so many diverse organizations in Houston. OCC is a charitable nonprofit organization with an aim to propagate the core philosophy of universal brotherhood and religious tolerance. At the center of this philosophy lies the “Jagannath Dham” located in the state of Orissa on the east coast of Bay of Bengal. For thousands of years,
people of all religious faiths have visited the shrine at Puri to discover the oneness that binds all humanity. The yearly chariot festival that attracts millions from India and around the world to Puri is a testimony to the power this core philosophy. While we start our preparation for “Shree Jagannath Ratha Yatra of Houston, 2017”, we invite all individuals and organizations to join us during the day long celebration of the yearly chariot festival of Houston. Plans are underway to show case traditional dance, music, food and arts. This year’s celebration will be held on June 25, 2017. For details, please visit http:// orissaculturecenter.org/index. html. You may connect on https:// www.facebook.com/HoustonRathYatra
Performers from the Ekal Vidalaya’s Villages Showcase Ekal’s Indian Successes CONTINUED FROM PAGE
13
the screen. This was followed by the Bollywood Segment which featured the performers dressed in costumes to mimic the lyrics while dancing to popular Oldie songs Hawa mein Udta Jaaye Mera Lal Dupatta, Morini Baaga Mein Bole, Hoto Mein Aisi Baat and others, with the songs’ video clips on the backdrop. The next segment featured Indian folk songs in which the artists dressed in costumes to highlight
the cultural diversity of the nine Indian states of Assam, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Punjab. They danced to the popular folk music of the region while the video clips of the same dance were shown on the backdrop screen. The last segment featured a short re-enactment of the popular Ramayana, going through various stages of Lord Rama’s life, which brought the threehour long program to an end.
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713-789-6397 INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2017
JVB Preksha Meditation Center’s 17th Annual Family Camp Centered on “Path of Prosperity”
Dhaga, Mayank Jain, Nitesh Jain & Ajay Khater played the perfect host of these activities. Camp pictures were captured by JVB team member, Jigar Dedhia. Food arrangements, which were handled by Anjuji Bengani, Mukta Jain and Chetana Baradia, were also highly talked about. Nikhil Jain moderated a feedback session & JVB board member, Pramod Bengani gave thanks to Samanijis, all attendees & volunteers for making this a memorable and successful event for one and all. Samaniji brought the event to a successful close by reciting mangal path, with everybody taking the resolve to come back next year.
alistic world. An interesting Jain Cricket game quiz and a cultural evening with an interesting theme “My dream your dream” was organized for youth and adult attendees. Sachin Jain, Sudhir
BY: SEEMA JAIN
HOUSTON: JVB Preksha Medita-
tion Center, Houston conducted its 17th Annual 3-day and 2-night Family Retreat Camp in calm & scenic surroundings of Radha Madhav Dham, Austin TX from April 14 through April 16 under spiritual guidance of Samani Bhavit Pragnaji, Samani Ratna Pragyaji (from Orlando center), Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji (from Houston center). 125+ campers from all over Austin, San Antonio, Virginia, Orlando, Tulsa and the Greater Houston area came along to nurture their soul through powerful discourses, yoga, and meditation and relaxation techniques. All the camp attendees were welcomed by JVB Board member, Alok Jain and JVB president, Seema Jain. Cultural team coordinator, Mukta Jain moderated the Introduction session of the camp attendees. The early mornings on Saturday and Sunday started with reciting of Bhaktambar stotra & Meditation session conducted by Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and an hour long special form of Yoga called Iyengar Yoga was conducted by Upma Chauhan. Samani Bhavit Pragnaji led a powerful lecture series on “Power of knowledge and Power of forgiveness” where she explained how attitude helps to thrive & destroy the relationships and how true knowledge and learning to forgive people can create happiness and bliss in one’s life. In both the lectures, she deliv-
ered tips that can be utilized to transform one’s attitude via different meditation techniques. Samani Kanchan Pragyaji delivered commanding lectures on “Purposeful Life through Prosperity” and “Be light to fly” She drew focus of attendees towards the spiritual prosperity which is the real asset of the soul. The retreat had concurrent kids programs for ages 2-18yrs. which were divided into three age groups. Some of the highlights of the children activities were interactive discourses for
17
JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Meditation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082. For more information, please visit www.JVBHouston.org. You can reach Samanijis at 281.596.9642 or call Seema Jain @ 281.575.0575.
the elementary kids & youth group by Samaniji Ratna pragyaji and Samani Pranav Paragyaji on “Get the magnet Right, Be Genius, start your day in Right way, are you Choreographer of your life & How to enrich brain power”. Both the Samanijis encouraged kids to develop positive attitude in their lives. The role of Meditation in your life by Alok Jain, “Spiritual vs. Material Prosperity” by Pramod Bengani were targeted especially for youth to help them create a balance with the spiritual side of this materi-
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18 May 12, 2017 Tensions Across Pak-Iran A week after Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited
Pakistan and appeared to have helped re-establish diplomatic and security cooperation between the two countries over border management, the top Iranian military commander has threatened to launch cross-border attacks inside Pakistan against so-called militant safe havens. Maj-Gen Mohammad Baqeri’s extraordinary comments have elicited a sharp reaction from Islamabad and yesterday’s summoning to the Foreign Office of Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost may be the start of a fresh series of accusations and recriminations between the two countries. It is not yet clear if the proposals agreed upon during Mr Zarif’s visit have been implemented — both sides had agreed to ramp up border cooperation while Pakistan has pledged to send more troops to the boundary to help fight cross-border smuggling, crime and militancy. What is clear is that MajGen Baqeri’s comments are utterly unacceptable. The general was elevated to the highest military post in Iran last June, replacing a general who had held the post for 27 years, and is believed to have been picked by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for his hard-line background at a time when the Iranian armed forces appear to have a growing say in national security policy. It is, therefore, not possible to dismiss his comments as that of a military commander lashing out after his forces suffered casualties in a border attack. For Pakistan, the path forward must emphasise two aspects of the bilateral relationship. First, Pakistan has an inherent interest in a stable and peaceful relationship with Iran and a violence-free border. Over the years, both sides have built up a number of complaints, mostly as a result of the border between the two countries being a vast, poorly governed space with local populations often at odds with their respective states and other countries having an obvious interest in interfering on both sides of the frontier. However, despite the occasional incident, the Pak-Iran relationship has never been as troubled as Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan and India or the Line of Control in Kashmir. Second, Pakistan and Iran need to have sustained diplomatic engagement to address the range of issues that could be causing friction. From the Kulbhushan Jadhav incident to Pakistan’s participation in the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance to helping stabilise an increasingly precarious Afghan state, there is much that needs to be addressed by both sides. Moreover, long-term projects, such as the Pak-Iran pipeline or electricity transfers, offer the opportunity to bring economic stability to a tense security relationship. Surely, whatever the path chosen, it must lead to stable, productive ties. - Dawn
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY A Mantra for the Yogi
BY ASHOK GULATI, SMRITI VERMA
Yogi Adityanath has been in the
news ever since he took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. His actions — closing illegal abattoirs, setting up anti-Romeo squads, farm-loan waivers, government purchases of wheat and potatoes and notices to sugar mills for clearing farmer dues — have kept Adityanath in the limelight. Several of these steps highlight the UP CM’s concern for farmers, who have been getting a raw deal for years. Should he intend to be in for the long haul, Adityanath would be better off taking a leaf from what we call the “Shiv mantra”. The mantra derives its name from Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is in his third term as CM of Madhya Pradesh. Chouhan was, like Adityanath, a five-time member of parliament before becoming CM in 2005. In this article, we describe the policies, which have made Chouhan a hit with the voters, as “Shiv mantra”. Chouhan concentrated on agriculture, which employs the largest share of MP’s workforce (54.6 percent in 2015-16 as per the Labor Bureau). MP’s agri-gross state domestic product (agri-GSDP) grew at 9.7% pa — the highest ever achieved by any state — between 2005-06 and 2014-15. AllIndia agri-GDP growth during this period was 3.5% and UP’s growth in this respect was even lower at 3.2% MP’s agri-performance, therefore, has been more than three times better than that of UP’s. Chouhan’s mantra is worth learning for Adityanath, more so when UP is more generously endowed than MP with nature’s gifts — fertile Gangetic soil and relatively abundant water supplies. MP’s wheat production increased from 6 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2005-06 to 17.1 MMT in 2014-15 — a 185% leap — and soybean production increased from 4.5 MMT to 6.4 MMT over the same period. Horticultural production increased spectacularly, indicating agricultural diversi-
UP CM Yogi Aditanath
fication. Between 2009-10 and 2015-16, horticultural production increased from 6.4 MMT to 22.5 MMT — fruit production having increased from 2.9 MMT to 6.3 MMT and vegetables from 3.1 MMT to 14.8 MMT. Area under horticulture more than doubled from 6 lakh ha to 14.1 lakh ha. Such rapid strides in agricultural production earned MP the Krishi Karman award more than once. How did this come about? The Shiv mantra began with paani. Chouhan targeted an increase in the area under irrigation. MP completed several unfinished irrigation projects on priority. Between 2009 and 2014, over 1,400 minor irrigation projects were completed in MP, increasing the state’s irrigated area by 4.8 lakh ha. But efficient utilisation of groundwater irrigation required provision of uninterrupted power supply. Bijli (electricity) was, therefore, Chouhan’s next target. Uninterrupted power supply to fields was ensured during the wheat season. Agriculture’s share in total electricity sold rose to 36% in MP in 2014-15 from 32% 2007-08 — as against 18% in UP. The irrigated area in MP, thus, increased from 30% of the cropped area in 200506 to 41.2% of such area in 201415. The MP government also incentivised wheat production by giving a 10% bonus above the Centre’s minimum support price (MSP) from 2007-08 to 2014-15. This encouraged extensive wheat cultivation. Wheat production in MP rose enormously — its share in all-India production shot from
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8.6% in 2005-06 to a whopping 20 % in 2014-15 making the state, the second largest wheat producer in the country after UP. It surpassed Punjab. The procurement system (sarkari khareed) was strengthened considerably. A digital app called e-Uparjan was developed to systematically manage procurement operations and payments. Farmers were sent SMS alerts about the procurement dates and procurement centres. Wheat procurement in MP sky-rocketed, increasing the state’s share in the all-India pool to over 25% in 2014-15. Roads were built to enable farmers to tap markets that were far and wide. Total road density in MP, between 2005-06 and 2014-15, increased from 535 km/1,000 sq km to 937 km/ 1,000 sq. km. This bijli-paani-khareed-sadak formula did wonders for MP’s agriculture. Agriculture’s share in the GSDP increased from 28 % to 37 per%. Rural poverty fell from 53.6 per cent in 2004-05 to 35.7% in 2011-12. A high percentage (78.8% in 2013-14) of land in UP is irrigated but erratic power supply, especially in Eastern UP, hampers efficient utilisation of groundwater. UP’s road density (1,724 km/1,000 sq km) and proportion of surfaced roads (86%) is also higher than MP’s. But inadequate procurement systems have set the state back. The right incentives — beginning with wheat and paddy cultivation — including setting up a strong procurement system and ensuring timely payment of MSPs could result in UP farmers getting 10-25% higher prices for their produce. Solar-powered cold storages for potatoes could prevent price-crashes and also save energy costs. If CM Yogi can go big in replicating this Shiv mantra in UP, he can look forward to following in Chouhan’s footsteps and winning two more terms in the state. Passion, focus and perseverance are the key. -- Indian Express Gulati is Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture and Verma a Consultant at ICRIER.
May 12, 2017
Job Posting:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, NEWS & DIGITAL
KTRK-TV, Houston’s leading news organization, is looking for an Executive Producer with a proven track record in broadcast and digital. This person must be a strong team-leader, effective communicator, with a ‘can do’ attitude. Consistently able to solve problems, turn visions into reality, meet deadlines, and work well under pressure, especially in breaking news situations. Must have exceptional news judgement. Will be required to do some hands-on producing, writing, and publishing for all digital platforms. Needs to be passionate about the news. Quick at identifying, promoting and executing great content. Must be organized, efficient, capable of juggling multiple projects and staffers. Candidates should have at least 5 years producing experience in a major market, and some managerial experience. Will be supervising and motivating a diverse group of broadcast and digital employees, as well as mentoring and coaching less experienced staff. Must be willing to work overnights, early mornings, weekends and/or holidays. To be considered all interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers. com, reference job # 451364BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. No Telephone Calls Please KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
Job Posting:
PART TIME BROADCAST TECHNICIAN
The KTRK-TV Production Department is looking for a part time Broadcast Technician who is a self-starter and works well with others. Duties will include but not limited to building graphics with Adobe Photoshop, robotic camera operator, audio assistant, and floor manager for live and recorded programming. This position might also be used for various production-related duties as assigned by the Production Manager. Prior broadcast experience in a live Control Room environment is a plus. Qualified candidates must be able and willing to work flexible hours, early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays. Weekly work hours will vary. Applicants must be able to lift up to 25 pounds and stand on your feet for long periods of time. A strong work ethic and positive attitude is required as is the ability to handle multiple tasks To be considered interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers. com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Please reference Job Requisition # 449102BR No Telephone Calls Please
Job Posting:
19
NEWS PRODUCER
We are looking for an aggressive, passionate, cool-under-pressure News Producer who knows what it takes to put together a fast-paced, creative, highly-showcased newscast. KTRK-TV, the ABC Owned Television station in Houston, TX wants a vocal and confident producer who knows how to dig for informative, interesting content, knows how to meet the needs of the ‘new’ news audience, and knows when it’s time to abandon everything for breaking news, weather, or traffic. You must have excellent news judgement and the ability to come up with and pitch unique story ideas every day. You will be required to command the control room and manage an ever-evolving rundown during live newscasts. Candidates must also have complete understanding of how to promote and utilize digital content, including live streaming. Knowledge of ENPS and desktop editing a plus. Will need to show examples of newscasts, and submit tease and headline writing samples. Candidates must have at least three years line-producing experience in a medium or major market. To be considered all interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers. com, reference job # 452875BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. No Telephone Calls Please KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
Job Posting:
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 HYPERLINK “http:// www.disneycareers.com” www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Reference Job ID: 451084BR on all materials submitted. No Telephone Calls Please
KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
Job Posting:
KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
WEB PRODUCER
Are you a digital content guru? Are you obsessed with major news and top trending stories of the day? Do you have a knack for producing creative digital content that generates high engagement? KTRK TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, Texas is looking for a fulltime digital producer to be part of the team leading the charge to take our digital efforts to the next level. Ideal candidate must have: Gift for recognizing and creating impactful, innovative and distinctive digital content Extensive newsroom digital background (supervisory skills a plus) Unerring news judgement Ability to shoot and edit video Knack for writing powerful and accurate copy and headlines Ability to manage multiple projects at one time Proven social media expertise in both content creation and strategic optimization Working knowledge of digital publishing tools and analytics Ability to excel in fast-paced news station environment and willing to work under deadlines Strong leadership, organizational and communication skills Flexibility with work schedule depending on station needs and projects We are a 24/7 news operation, so digital producers must be willing to work any day or shift, as needed. To be considered, candidates must apply on-line at HYPERLINK “http://www. disneycareers.com/” www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Please Reference Job ID: 451365BR 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, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
20 May 12, 2017
COMMUNITY
Sewa International Raises Million Dollar, Spreads its Reach Across the World
“Energized and inspired, Sewa volunteers, leaders gathered in Houston for the 11th Nation Annual Conference”
HOUSTON: Speaking at the just
concluded annual meeting, Sewa International President, Dr. Sree Sreenath said that the charitable organization raised nearly $ 2 million, and disbursed $ 1.86 million in the year ending December 2016 on a variety of outreach programs and projects to
provide support to those in dire need, like in Colombia after floods and landslides, and on local community outreach in cities like Houston, Atlanta, and Cleveland. “Yes, we are doing good work not because we are just compassionate and concerned citizens, but because in such work
we also have the selfish interest of making ourselves better human beings,” he said. “We will have our first dedicated building in Nepal, at the end of May, to house and take care of the nearly 350 children who were orphaned after the disastrous earthquakes in 2015,” he announced to cheering volunteers. Dr. Sreenath said that Sewa volunteers had logged more than 140,000 hours last year working on such projects as “Sponsor a Child”, disaster relief and rehabilitation after the
disastrous floods and landslides in Colombia, emergency support services to needy families in cities across the United States, and in encouraging young people to join in serving those in need. The Houston chapter of Sewa International set the benchmark by logging in more than 40 percent of the volunteer hours. Nearly 80 participants from 18 of the more than 40 chapters across the United States attended the two-day national convention. Leaders from the more active chapters shared their
insights on raising funds, training volunteers, and acknowledging the generosity of donors with leaders from the newer and smaller chapters who were eager to expand their reach and excited in serving their communities. Contact: Kavita Tewary Sewa International PO Box 820867 Houston, TX 77282-0867 Phone: 708-872-7392 Email: info@sewausa.org
How to Make Learning Fun for Children During the Summer
Summer learning loss, also known
as the summer slide, can be detrimental to academic growth for children. After working hard all school year, a few months off from classes can reverse months of learning. While the loss of learning varies from grade level, family income, and subject matter, math and reading skills are often the first skills to decline. With a little bit of preparation, parents can incorporate learning opportunities that are actually fun into the summer so that children can continue to excel in school year after year without worrying about relearning forgotten concepts. Various enrichment programs such as the math and English programs at Best in Class Education Center, apply foundational concepts to real-world situations all year round. Best in Class is always thinking of ways for students and parents to find new learning opportunities. Here are six things to add to your summer to do list that will keep kids learning all year round: Get Active Healthy bodies lead to healthy minds, and with extra time for outdoor activities and playtime in the summer, getting your kids active every single day will keep their minds active for learning. Turn off the TV and have your student
play outside and make up their own games to explore the environment around them. Children learn through their senses, and being outdoors is a great way to expose all their senses to new things. Travel Writing Planning a trip for the summer? Add activities into your travel preparations! Have your student write postcards about the places you visit or write journal entries during your trip about each day’s activities and highlights. Keeping their handwriting and grammar skills active during the summer will ease the transition back to school in the fall. Summer Reading Practice makes perfect when it comes to reading and a student’s level of reading. Make summer reading fun by letting your student pick which books or topics they want to read about. Set a goal of a certain number of pages or chapters to read each day or week so they can stay on track. Set a time for reading whether it’s at night before bed or during the day for some downtime after activities. Road Trip Taking a road trip during the summer to visit family or friends? Make it educational along the way! Research historical sites to stop at, museums to visit, or other fun attractions where your student can get excited about
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
learning. For a long drive, audiobooks can also be a great option for capturing students’ attention. You can even play word-based games during the ride by pointing out different things you see that start with different letters. Cooking With Kids Cooking any time of the year is a fun way to engage your students into learning, but you might have more time and different seasonal recipes to try out once school is out. Have your student help with measurements, reading the recipe, and following directions for a fun learning activity. Find an Academic Summer Camp Summer camps don’t have to be solely focused on fun and games! By doing your research, you can find and select a summer camp with an academic focus so that learning doesn’t stop while children are out of school and enjoying camp. By including a variety of activities such as arts & crafts, theater, math, science, health and nutrition, and games, kids won’t miss out on a fun summer camp experience while they continue to learn. To help your student exceed his or her academics goals, a local resource, Best in Class Education Center, offers a variety of customized, supplemental enrichment courses and tutoring options to ensure your students are equipped with the tools they need this school year. Learn more about the Best in Class Summer Camp programs available here: https://www. bestinclasseducation.com/programs/summercamp
HEALTH/LIFESTYLE Feeling stressed? Here’s how to take control
of the moment and relax, whether you’re at work, at home, or at school. Get outside for a short break Being outside in nature reduces our stress and boosts our overall health—even if it’s just for a few minutes. Schedule a walking meeting with your coworkers, take a quick walk around the block, or head to the park after dinner. Do one small task According to experts, doing any small niggling task can make us feel more productive and reduce our stress. So back up your computer, make that dentist appointment, or clean the bathroom. You’ll feel better just having something to check off your to-do list. Have a laugh Maybe watching cat videos online isn’t so bad after all! Having a light-hearted attitude contributes to overall well-being, and taking a few minutes to laugh is a welcome break from stressing out over work projects or studying for exams. Other ideas? Watch a comedy movie with your family, check out an improv comedy show, or take a laughter yoga class. Plan something fun This one’s a no-brainer: if your schedule is
May 12, 2017
7 Surprising Stress Busters
all work, as far as the eye can see, you’ll be more likely to be stressed and anxious. If you have
something to look forward to, however, you might go through the day with more of a spring
21
in your step. It doesn’t matter whether it’s something big (like a yoga retreat or tickets to that amazing sports game) or small (like a pedicure at the end of a week, or a lunch date with a friend), as long as you have something fun on the horizon. Pet the dog (or cat…) There’s a reason that dogs are used to brighten moods in hospitals and nursing homes—they really do lower our stress levels. So spend some time every day with your favourite animal companion! They’ll appreciate it, too. Clean up Look around you—is it nearly impossible to see the tabletop under all the papers? Your environment can definitely contribute to your stress, and clearing the clutter around you might help. Feeling more ambitious? Learn about the minimalist movement and how to de-clutter your house from top to bottom. Use aromatherapy Natural essential oils have long been known to boost mood and reduce stress. Some people love lavender and find that it can even help them sleep, while other people swear by the bright and cheery scent of citrus. -alive.com
11 Laws for Living Better
BY TONY HORTON
Make this the year you finally crush all your
life goals Law 1: Do your best and forget the rest. My mantra! Approach everything you do with all you’ve got 100 percent of the time—or 79.3 percent of the time if that’s all you have some days. And don’t worry about what others say to you while you’re on the pilgrimage. Live these laws and big things will happen. Law 2: Find your purpose. Knowing why you want to do something is just as important as knowing what you want to do. I’m not just talking about short-term goals (though those are important too). I’m talking about your raison d’être—your reason for being. If you have an overarching purpose, it’s easier to figure out the best way to do something, from hitting the gym more to trying for a promotion at work. Law 3: Have a plan. Once your purpose is sorted, create a roadmap: a set of goals and objectives that will lead you in a specific direction. Keep your plan flexible to allow for life’s challenges, but have a solid idea of what you want to accomplish and how you’re going to do it. Law 4: Change things up. This is the first of what I call my big three laws for living better. Adding variety to all aspects of your life is the best way to feed your curiosity and creativity. It’ll keep you interested and make life a hell of a lot more fun.
Law 5: Stay consistent. Here’s the second of my big three. While it’s important to try new things, make sure those things aren’t excuses that keep you from sticking to your plan. Stay focused on where you want to be. Being consistent and dependable is important for your progress. Law 6: Crank up the intensity. Let’s finish off the big three with a bang! Pardon my mixed maxim, but if something is worth doing, it’s got to be done with a certain amount of vim, vigor and oomph. Only then can you progress to the next level. Law 7: Love it or leave it. Most of us are stuck doing things we don’t love. We have to be responsible and take care of business, of course. But if something—say, a job or relationship—isn’t getting you closer to the life you want, it’s time to reevaluate. Eliminate the dreary and unnecessary elements in your life. Focus on the inspiring stuff that will, eventually, lead to a life filled with passion and adventure. Law 8: Get real. Make the most of life, but be mindful of the external realities you can’t change. By realizing and embracing those realities instead of denying them, you’ll be better able to take advantage of opportunities. This will also help you create a more effective plan. Law 9: Find balance. If you’re pushing too hard on one thing, back off, take a breather and spend more time focusing on other aspects of your life that might be in need of a little attention. This is especially true when you’re executing these 11 laws. The laws work in harmony when you devote equal time to each one—and that will pay off in big dividends. Law 10: Stay flexible. Life can turn on a dime. Prepare for it. Adapt to life’s surprises, struggles and conflicts and
you’ll get past those challenges more easily. Be the mighty oak that bends in a storm instead of the rigid brick building that topples in an earthquake. Law 11: Recharge, recover and relax. I’m giving you a lot to think about with these laws, so don’t forget to take a break once in a
while. Only with downtime can you rebuild your body, mind and spirit—and come back even stronger! Use these 11 laws to become the physical, mental and emotional hero I know you want to be. They’ll help you explore and conquer the w orld. -Alive.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
22 May 12, 2017
PUZZLES / RECIPES
SUDOKU
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes
Place a Number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine. Send us the correct answer before May 17, 2017. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com or mail to 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036. Send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published (for first three entrees only & 1 submission per month).
Gajar da Halwa (Red Carrot Halwa)
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y popular demand from many readers, below is a reprint of Mama’s Gajjar da Halva recipe. It is a dessert that used to be made on special occasions but in the past decade has become so popular that it is a staple at many Indian restaurants. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions. For Punjabis, carrots are one of the few vegetables that can be cooked in many ways: as a pickle, pulped as a juice, as a spicy dish with peas or methi (fenugreek) or sweet as a pudding or halwa. And it is as the halwa that carrots are served the most, now not just in the North but all over India. The gajar da halwa (also called gajrela) can be found in any halwai (confectioner’s) shop, in a deep, wide platter, covered with chandi varak (thin silver foil). Along with gulab jamun, ras gullas and ras malai, gajar da halwa has to be the most popular sweet dish among Indians. It is mainly eaten during the festivals of Diwali, Holi, Eid-ul-Fitr and Raksha Bandan. Nowadays, this dish that is made of grated carrots, nuts, milk, cream, sugar and ghee or clarified butter, is popular worldwide. The traditional way to make the halwa is to use a large quantity of milk and let in boil till it is evaporated and becomes a tick cream. But, with the use of canned evaporated or thick cream, this has cut down the cooking time a lot. Of course, as we all know, carrots are good for you. They contain almost no starch but have 7 per cent free sugars and get their bright orange color from beta-carotene which is partly metabolized into Vitamin A which is essential for good vision. In North India, carrots can be found in many colors and shapes, mostly black, red, orange and white, each of which have
their own taste and cooking methods. The gajar da halwa is usually made with red or orange ones. Ingredients: • • • • • •
1 kilo gajar (carrots) - red or orange 1 cup doodh (whole milk) – use 1 per cent for less calories 2 cups milk powder (or 1 small can of cream or evaporated milk) 1 cup tael (vegetable or sunflower oil) – you can also use ghee (clarified butter) 2 cups chinni (sugar) 1/2 cup badam (almonds)
Directions: 1. Peel the carrots, rinse in cold water and then grate them. 2. Place in a large kadai (wok), add the milk, stir, cover with a lid and let it simmer over low heat for 30 minutes till the carrots are cooked. 3. Add the oil and stir till most of the liquid has been evaporated and some
oil starts to show along the edges. 4. Add the sugar and stir continuously, making sure that the carrots do not start to stick and burn. 5. For a thicker khoya (cream) taste, add some milk powder. Stir well to mix and let the carrots cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Some prefer to use evaporated or condensed milk instead of milk powder. In this case, add less sugar. Turn off the heat and let the halwa sit covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 6. While the carrots are cooking, place the almonds in a small saucepan full of water and bring to a boil for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Let the almonds sit for 10 minutes then drain the water, rinse in cold water then peel the almonds and then slice them. (If you prefer, you can add packaged blanched almonds, but boiling them also will help to make them softer and tastier.)Add the sliced almonds to the carrots and stir. 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.
MAMA’S TI P OF THE W EEK MAKE CURRIES TA ST IER AND ENTICIN G WITH RED TOMATOES
So many times, I ha ve noticed that the curry made for a pa or daal just lacks the rticular vegetable appearance that ma kes it enticing, and is half the appeal to as we know, that the person eating it. If the food doesn’t it will be left untou look good, often ched! One of the main ing redients for a good curry – especially aloo wadiyaan (pota for dishes like toes and dumplings ) or kale chole (blac lal rajma (red kidne k chickpeas) or y beans) is the reddis h brown tinge to the made in. To add tha curry they are t color, and to make them more flavorfu use a red tomato wh l, remember to ile making the curry or if that is not avail red tomato paste. able, use a bit of
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May 12, 2017
ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS
Baahubali 2 crosses the 1000 crore mark!
Zeenat Aman Nominates Priyanka Chopra for her Biopic
A film that’ll be remembered for decades to come. Baahubali: The
Conclusion has created history as it’s become the first Indian film to have crossed the 1000 crore mark in merely 9 days. The mother of all magnum opuses helmed by maestro S S Rajamouli, starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty is a blockbuster all the way with it’s Hindi version leaving behind the likes of Dangal and many others. The Hindi version of the film banked Rs 20 crore on Friday and Rs 245 crore in its first week. -filmfare.com
Leggings are no Longer the Comfiest Pair of Clothing!
Sachin Tendulkar Movie Anthem Out; AR Rahman Says it was a Challenge
her debut web series Love Life and Screw Ups about which actresses she would want to play her, Zeenat named Priyanka Chopra as being ideal for the role. “I want Priyanka Chopra to do my biopic. I think she is very good and lovely. Priyanka would be the ideal actress to play my part.” She revealed she has been approached for a biopic but isn’t sure whether she’s ready for it or not. -filmfare.com
Priyanka Chopra reprised Zeenat
Aman’s role in the Don remake and looks like Zeenat agreed with director Farhan Akhtar’s choice. Asked by the press at the premiere of
A
Could track pants be the new leggings?
Now trending: track pants. This sporty outfit is a winner cause it can be dressed up or dressed down. Pair it with anything - your comfiest tee, dressy blouse or kitten heels... and you’ll emerge a winner. -filmfare.com
R Rehman said that he hopes the song, ‘Hind Mere Jind’ from the upcoming film ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ would recreate the energy and mood that permeated the stadium when Sachin Tendulkar played cricket. Rehman and Tendulkar were interacting with the media during the launch of the second song from the film. “It was a challenge to compose music that would recreate the energy and mood that permeated the stadium when Sachin Tendulkar played cricket!” said the Academy award winner,
“I hope that this musical ode to fans of Sachin matches up to Sachin’s magical performances on the field. Creating the soundtrack for the film has been a memorable experience.” Sachin, on his part, said that he was always inspired when he heard the chant in the stadium. “The chants were my supporters’ way of showing their love,” said Tendulkar, “I have been inspired by their chant and it has helped me face difficult situations on the field knowing that I have the country with me. I admire the way that Rahman has created an inspirational anthem around this chant.” -indianexpress.com
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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
24 May 12, 2017 IPL 2017: Tewatia, Mohit Keep Kings XI Alive for Playoffs
SPORTS
Series at Stake as Misbah, Younis in Final Test Match
R
BY VARUN SHETTY
NEW DELHI: (ESPN Cricinfo):
Kings XI Punjab 167 for 6 (Maxwell 44, Saha 38, Woakes 2-20) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 6 (Lynn 84, Tewatia 2-18, Mohit 2-24) by 14 runs A sensational display of end-overs bowling from Mohit Sharma and strangulation by legspin from Rahul Tewatia, playing his first game this season, helped apply the choke on Kolkata Knight Riders. By securing one of three wins they needed, Kings XI lived to fight another day. In what was an engaging last five overs off which Knight Riders needed just 50, Mohit brought out all his slower variations - the knuckleball, back-of-the-hand slower deliveries and offcutters - and delivered them with precision to deny Chris Lynn, who wiped out half of Knight Riders’ 168-run target off just 52 balls, and Manish Pandey. The pair’s dismissal off successive deliveries off the 18th over helped close out a tight game, with the Sharmas - Mohit and Sandeep - defending 29 off the 12 deliveries to ensure three playoff spots were still up for grabs. Kings XI made four changes, two of those being forced. One of them Hashim Amla - had just smashed a 60-ball 104, his second century of the season, in the previous game. Even so, the rest of the batsmen stuttered as they finished with just 189 when they should’ve posted 210. Now, without Amla, who along with David Miller was unavailable because of national duty, Kings XI needed a robust beginning from the openers. Manan Vohra, who had earlier in the tournament shunted up and down the order to accommodate both Shaun Marsh and Martin Guptill, sparkled briefly, but his dismissal brought about a restrained approach. The first six overs fetched just 41 for the loss of the openers. Knight Riders had begun well. On a surface where the ball was deviating just about enough to keep the medium-pacers interested, Chris Woakes and Colin de Grandhomme bowled six overs in tandem, conceding just 22 off the first four immediately after the Powerplay. Kings XI limped to 63 for 3 in the first
Mohit Sharma was named Player of the Match, Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2017, Mohali, May 9, 2017.
half. They went 17 deliveries without a boundary after Shaun Marsh’s dismissal in the ninth over, before Maxwell cut loose - hitting de Grandhomme for two successive sixes off legitimate deliveries to trigger a surge. Maxwell’s picking of lengths was impressive as he played the pull effectively against the pacers. Wriddhiman Saha, on 10 off 17 at one stage, pinched crucial boundaries to move to a run-a-ball 26. At 115 for 3 with five to play, Kings XI needed big back five overs. But they were denied. Kuldeep Yadav, returning in place of Piyush Chawla, was rewarded for his willingness to flight the ball as he had Maxwell caught at wide long-off in an attempt to hit him for a third successive six. In his next over, he had Saha stumped after being biffed across the line one ball earlier. A cameo from Tewatia lifted them to 167, not underwhelming but not match-winning either. Two quiet men, who don’t believe in intimidating opponents with words, let their blades talk. Sunil Narine’s no-frills approach fetched him four fours in a 10-ball 18. Lynn, playing in only his second game after returning from a shoulder injury that
kept him out for three weeks, didn’t show signs of “not being a 100 percent” as he revealed during a flash interview. Time and again, he was tested against the short ball, only for the deep midwicket and wide longon boundaries to be peppered with regularity. The best shot of his knock - a flatbatted swat off Matt Henry which he fetched from outside off - showed how brutally effective he can be even if not at full tilt. Yet, this wasn’t as brutal a knock as the one against Royal Challengers Bangalore. By bringing up a half-century off just 29 deliveries, Lynn ensured Gautam Gambhir’s struggle against spin - he scratched around 17 deliveries for 8 before mistiming a slog to deep midwicket - didn’t deeply disturb the asking rate. One ball after sending back Gambhir, Rahul Tewatia, playing his first game this season, saw off Robin Uthappa, but to not give any credit to Axar Patel would be doing injustice to his efforts. Running around from straight deep midwicket, he covered quick ground before putting in a dive to catch the dipping slog sweep inches from the ground near deep square leg. Now, the choke was on. Axar fol-
lowed it up by conceding just three in his next over. The spinners - Tewatia along with Axar and Swapnil Singh at that stage had combined figures of 2 for 30 off six overs. Knight Riders needed 86 off 54 balls. By leaving two overs of Mohit in the last five, Maxwell gambled. Considering the form Lynn was in, it was a tough proposition. But the pressure applied by the spinners left Knight Riders with a steep task against a bowler, who justified the INR 6.5 crore investment, at a crunch moment when the game was on the line and Kings XI’s chances of staying alive was hanging by a thread. That he bowled just three overs may have been a decision Kings XI could have rued, but on the night, it was his experience that prevailed.
OSEAU: Conventional wisdom, and much of the second Test, suggested that Pakistan would have wrapped up the series by this stage, and the mood around Misbah-ulHaq and Younis Khan’s retirements would have reached peak crescendo. However, Pakistan crumbled in a tame surrender in Bridgetown on the fifth day, and West Indies levelled the series. As such, it is a different narrative that grips Dominica: can Pakistan finally win a Test series in the Caribbean? West Indies are basking in the glow of one of their sweetest wins in the recent past, coming back repeatedly to overpower, and ultimately blow away, a team many expected to be too strong for them. Shannon Gabriel ripped through Pakistan on the final day. Several West Indies batsmen also made contributions under pressure, and they have now won two of their last three Tests against Pakistan. However, no one knows which West Indies side will turn up at Windsor Park. Pakistan will be well aware of that if they’ve finally recovered from the sucker-punch of what happened on the final day at the Kensington Oval. Mickey Arthur’s side, however, largely dominated the second Test, and were just a cracked pitch and frayed nerves away from taking an unassailable lead. With Younis Khan and Misbah-ulHaq walking out for a Test for the last time in their careers, that subplot is likely to be seared across the history of this Test for decades. With the spotlight on their contributions, class, and legacy, and the opposition possibly preparing guards of honor when they come out to bat, players with a flair for showmanship might find themselves distracted. Misbah and Younis aren’t such players, but all eyes will be on them nonetheless.
Shami, Sharms Return for India’s Champions Squad
M
UMBAI: Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma have made their way to India’s Champions Trophy squad after injury-forced breaks from ODI cricket. In the absence of the injured KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan was chosen as Rohit’s opening partner, with Ajinkya Rahane expected to fill in in case of loss of form or fitness.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
The end of an era: Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan will sign out from Tests at the end of the series.
May 12, 2017
Housing Scheme Worth $1.3 Trillion to be the Next Growth Driver back. NEW DELHI: In a country where “The housing sector is at a tipping
slums sit cheek-by-jowl next to palatial luxury — including what’s been reported as the world’s most expensive private home — India’s unhoused may soon become a more potent economic growth driver. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive to bring homes to the country’s 1.3 billion people, rising incomes and the best affordability in two decades will unleash a $1.3 trillion wave of investment in housing over the next seven years, according to CLSA India Pvt. The firm expects 60 million new homes to be built between 2018 and 2024, creating about 2 million jobs annually and giving a tailwind of as much as 75 basis points to India’s gross domestic product. The volume of social and affordable housing will rise almost 70% to 10.5 million annually by 2024, exceeding the 33 % increase in the premium market.
point and will be the economy’s next big growth driver,” Mumbai-based analyst Mahesh Nandurkar and his colleagues wrote in a note last week. “The catalyst is the government’s big push for an ambitious housing program.” Modi has been on a mission to expand affordable housing in Asia’s third-largest economy. In February, the government granted affordablehousing builders “infrastructure status,” making them eligible for state incentives, subsidies, tax benefits and institutional funding. In June 2015, it announced a “Housing for All” program which aims to construct 20 million homes across the country and in December it announced rebates and interest waivers for home loans under the program. That’s not all that’s expected to fan demand. In the past five years, mortgage rates have dropped about
275 basis points to about 8.5%. Prices have remained stable while per-capita incomes have posted a compound annual growth rate of about 10 percent, according to the CLSA note. While India’s real estate industry extended a slump after Modi’s sudden decision to ban 86 percent of the nation’s cash in November, affordable housing was growing the fastest before demonetization and the whole market has shown signs of snapping
Home sales, which slumped in the wake of the cash ban, have since shown signs of a recovery, according to PropTiger.com, an Indian real estate advisory firm. Sales across nine cities rose 19% in the March quarter, rebounding from a 20% slump in the previous three months, the data showed. The report predates the latest reform to regulate India’s notoriously unreliable property developers. Under laws that came into force May 1 construction companies will have to use at least 70% of sale proceeds to complete residential projects, rather than funnel money to other jobs. Developers will also no longer be allowed to start pre-selling apartments before all building approvals are obtained. Those who don’t comply could face as many as three years in j ail. - Indian Express
UN: Indian Economy to Grow 7.5% Next on Higher Infra Spending of good and services tax (GST), MUMBAI: The IMF last month growth at 7.2% in the fiscal 2017-18 projected India’s growth at 7.2% in the fiscal 2017-18 and at 7.7 % for the next fiscal, while Asian Development Bank sees growth jumping to 7.4% in 2017-18 and 7.6% in the next. The Indian economy will grow 7.5% next year by virtue of consumption revival and higher infrastructure spending, says a report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). For 2017, India’s economic growth is projected stable at 7.1% before catapulting to 7.5% going into the next year, the regional development arm of the the United Nations said. This forecast is “underpinned by higher private and public consumption and increased infrastructure spending,” the report said. The International Monetary Fund last month projected India’s
and at 7.7 % for the next financial year. While, the Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank sees growth jumping to 7.4% in 2017-18 and 7.6% in the next. Even at this rate, India will continue to clock a better growth than China, which is expected to grow at around 6.5% in 2017. “Meanwhile, inflation is projected to reach 5.35.5% in 2017 and 2018,” the ESCAP said. A heightened financial sector risk emanates from concentration of huge pile of soar assets sitting on the books of public sector banks, it added. These banks’ gross nonperforming assets as percentage of gross advances hit almost 12 per cent in 2016. “This points to the need for bank recapitalisation.” On the demonetization drive taken by government during NovemberDecember last calender, the UN
report said the impact would be transient on the economy. However, a slower-than-expected recovery would particularly diminish the outlook for cash-intensive sectors and supply chains for agricultural products. In the medium-term, India will also benefit from recent reforms measures aimed at declogging supply side bottlenecks, it added. Implementation
amendment of a bankruptcy law and opening up of pharmaceuticals, defence and civil aviation sectors will help India, the report said. On the trends in the Asia-Pacific region, the UN ESCAP has found growth in the region moderating in recent years compared to its historical trend and a rebound in 2010. “The region’s export-oriented economic growth strategy is under pressure amid prolonged weakness in external demand and global trade,” the report said. “China is both a transmitter and a source of the current economic slowdown, given its role as a hub in global value chains and it rebalanced towards consumption and services,” it said. Although, the region’s growth is commendable despite a modest recent past, given a struggling global economy, it added. - Indian Express
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
25
Oracle to Set Up Data Center in India for Cloud Services
Oracle CEO Safra Catz
NEW DELHI: US tech giant Ora-
cle on Wednesday said it will set up a data centre in India to expand its cloud services here over 6-9 months. The announcement came at a time when Oracle CEO Safra Catz is on a three-day visit to India. “Over the coming months, Oracle will be reviewing proposals from government and business partners to provide customers with the capability to build and move workloads to an Indiabased cloud,” Oracle said. This will enable Oracle to deliver secure services to customers with “significant price advantage”, it added. However, no investment details were divulged by the $37 billion firm. “With this expansion, we will be able to further support customer choice adding to capabilities already available through deployments of ‘Oracle Cloud at Customer’, as well as other Oracle Cloud data centre regions in Asia Pacific,” Oracle president (product development) Thomas Kurian said. Oracle had, last year, announced a $400 million investment and expansion plan in Bengaluru, in one of its largest real estate ramp-ups ever. Underlining the potential of the Indian market potential, Catz had praised the country’s leadership saying they are focused on leapfrogging into future. My last visit to India changed my life, changed my views,” Catz said at an Oracle customer and partner event in Delhi. The Indian market, she said, is potentially the largest in the world, and the opportunity here told me we had to do even more in India.
26 May 12, 2017 Narendra Modi Wants to Make Northeast ‘Gateway to Southeast Asia’ NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: The
Addressing Bharat Sevashram Sangha, in Shillong through video conferencing, Narendra Modi lamented that ‘only Gangtok had found a place among the first 50 clean cities’.
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government aims to make Northeast India a gateway to Southeast Asia and was making huge investments for the overall development of the region, but lack of cleanliness could hamper this dream, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. “If such a beautiful gateway is unclean, diseased, illiterate or disbalanced, then it will fail to cross the gateway of the country’s development. There is no reason why, with all our resources, we should remain backward or poor,” the Prime Minister said. Addressing the centenary celebrations of the prominent voluntary organisation, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, in Shillong through video conferencing, he lamented that “only Gangtok had found a place among the first 50 clean cities”, out of the 12 cities from the Northeast surveyed as part of the recent nationwide cleanliness survey. While four Northeastern cities found a place between 100 and 200 clean cities, seven were positioned between 200 and 300, with Shillong being the 276th, he said while stressing that ‘Swachhata’ or cleanliness was a major challenge for everyone in the region.
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“We have to make the Northeast a gateway for Southeast Asia,” Modi said, adding if this gateway is dirty, then the dream would not be fulfilled and asked the people and organisations like the Sangha to join hands with the state governments and their agencies in the cleanliness campaign. Observing that there has been no balanced development in the entire Northeast so many years after Independence, Modi said his government, “with all its resources”, had planned to bring about balanced development of the states here. He said the major thrust was to improve connectivity and develop the entire region for tourism purposes. “All these initiatives will help to make the Northeast the gateway of Southeast Asia,” he said. While an investment of Rs40,000 crore is being made to improve the road infrastructure in the entire Northeast, 19 big railway projects have also been started in the region, he said. “We are also improving the electricity situation in the Northeast and trying to bring even more tourists to the region,” Modi said. Announcing that the Northeast would soon be connected with UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik)
scheme, he said small airports were also being developed in the region, while the extension of the runway at Shillong airport has been approved. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a network of volunteers across the globe engaged in helping people in distress. The Sangha’s social welfare activities include disaster relief, spreading education, providing healthcare facilities, vocational training and upliftment of the tribals. Lauding the role of the Sangha in playing a critical role during natural calamities, the Prime Minister said a myth was sought to be created that spirituality and service cannot go together. “The Bharat Sevashram Sangha has been able to dispel this myth, through its work,” he said, saying that societal development through ‘Bhakti’, ‘Shakti’ and ‘Jan Shakti’ was achieved by Swami Pranavananda, the Sangha’s founder. He said Sangha, with more than 100 branches and over 500 units, had rendered services during various calamities, starting from the Bengal famine in 1923 and Noakhali riots in 1946 to Bhogal gas leakage in 1980, the Tsunami in 2004 and 2013 Uttarakhand tragedy. -livemint.com
AAP Crisis Deepens as Arvind Kejriwal Faces Corruption Allegations
EW DELHI: Amid a growing internal rift and a string of electoral losses, the crisis within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) deepened on Sunday after sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of accepting a bribe of Rs2 crore in cash at his official residence from Delhi’s health minister Satyendra Jain. This is the first time that a corruption allegation of accepting illegal money has been made directly against Kejriwal. The allegations gain significance given that Delhi’s incumbent party was born out of an anti-corruption agitation and won a historic mandate in 2015 by promising a clean and transparent government. “I kept quiet all this while because all of us had complete faith on Arvind Kejriwal. Day before yesterday, I saw Jain giving Rs2 crore in cash to Kejriwal. When I asked him, Kejriwal said few things happen in politics. After having seen Jain hand over such a big amount to him, I had to come out. I have handed over the details to Lt Governor Anil Baijal,” Mishra told reporters outside Delhi’s Raj Ghat. His media interaction was preceded by a meeting with Baijal where he claimed to have handed over details of his allegations. Mishra said he was ready to assist all investigations
Kapil Mishra at Rajghat in New Delhi on Sunday. Mishra follows several senior leaders who have quit the Aam Aadmi Party, including Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and Vinod Kumar Binny, most of whom cited a lack of inner party democracy.
into the issue. He added that it was only human to make a mistake but Kejriwal should disclose the truth and people of Delhi have the right to know about it. Making another potentially damaging accusation, Mishra claimed that Jain had told him that he had settled land deals worth Rs50 crore for Kejriwal’s relatives. This is not the first time that a senior leader had either exited the party or was expelled after making allegations against the top leadership including Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and Vinod Kumar Binny—most of
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
whom cited a lack of inner party democracy. Just two years through its term, AAP seems to be imploding from within as senior leaders including Mishra and Kumar Vishwas have revolted in the last one week. The party momentarily averted a crisis last week as it reached a compromise with Kumar Vishwas by appointing him as party’s Rajasthan convener and suspending Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan who had accused Vishwas of crafting a coup against the party. -livemint.com
May 12, 2017
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