E newspaper 06012018

Friday, June 01, 2018 • Vol. 37, No. 21

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Graduation at River Oaks Outstanding S SO

The 2018 graduates of the SOS program with founder Biki Mohindra and SOS President & CEO Qusai Mahesri in the center.

P14&15

Nonprofit P12 Organization Sewa President Gitesh Desai (right) receiving the award for the most outstanding nonprofit of the year.

DAV Montessori

Annual & Graduation Day! P5

Being A

LEADER!

Chief Guest, Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray at the YLDP Graduation Event on Saturday, May 19 at India House.

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June 01, 2018

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY SUGAR LAND: One majestic,

Rajasthani-style home, in Sugar Land, TX was buzzing with excitement on May 11, as about 100 guests came together to show their support for Pratham, one of the largest NGOs dedicated to ending child illiteracy in India. Himadri and Harish Katharani hosted a VIP reception at their home the evening before the 2018 Pratham Houston Gala, where guests had the chance to meet the Gala Guest of Honor, Bollywood actress and Pratham Ambassador, Waheeda Rehman.

The event was hosted outdoors, with guests mingling among a beautiful fountain, an elegantly adorned stage, and exotically crafted architecture. Stationed throughout the party were delectable fresh snacks seemingly straight from the streets of India catered by Narin Sehgal of Bombay Brasserie. A talented flute player serenaded guests with Bollywood hits, with the band playing songs from Guide as a tribute to Waheeda Rehman; As the iconic actress disclosed during her on-stage interview with the event’s emcee, Pratham Houston Executive Board Member, Meena Datt, Guide is her favorite film from her acting career.

When asked about hosting the

June 01, 2018

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An Evening Among the Stars of Pratham USA

event, Himadri and Harish Kathrani stated that they were “humbled and honored to host the Pratham VIP reception in honor of Waheeda Rehman and Pratham dignitaries, Madhav Chavan, Rukmini Banerji, and Farida Lambay.” They then thanked Pratham for the “opportunity to meet and greet Pratham VIP donors.”

Pratham Houston President, Asha Dhume thanked all the donors and requested Waheeda Rehman to present a few plaques of recognition. Plaque recipients included Pratham CEO, Rukmini Banerji; Gala Chairs, Swatantra and Bimla Jain; Gala Co-Chairs, Aarvind and Mai Melligeri, and Dhiren and Anila Shethia; Gala Honorary Chairs, Dhamo and Rema Dhamotharan, Himadri and Harish Katharani (VIP Reception Hosts), Leena and Ash Shah (Past Pratham Houston President), Rasool Shaik and Shama Tanveer Shaik, and Somesh and Jyothi Singh; and last, but definitely not least, the much appreciated Leader of the Pratham Houston Volunteers, Darel D’Souza. Plaque recipients that were unable to attend

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Pratham Houston board members with Waheeda Rehman, Pratham Ambassador and Dr. Madhav Chavan, Co Founder Pratham.

the event or missed the award portion included Gala Benefactors, Seema and Shawn Karande and Shital and Bhavesh Patel, along with Gala Co-Chairs, Charlie and Angela Yalamanchili.

The evening closed with a family feel, with Pratham’s own CoFounder, Madhav Chavan, taking the stage to sing various tunes for the crowd. He was later followed by none other than the host herself, Himadri Katharani, singing a classical number for her guests.

It is fair to say that Pratham USA is a home away from home for many of the guests attending this event. While Pratham has already reached over 50 million children in India during its 23-year history, Pratham USA aims to fund this mission even further. With the help of its supporters, Pratham strives to make “Every Child in School and Learning Well” a reality.

Himadri and Harish Katharani (VIP Reception Hosts) with Waheeda Rehman, Pratham Ambassador.

Photos: Bijay Dixit

Pratham USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a consistent four-star rating from Charity Navigator that seeks to raise awareness and mobilize financial resources for Pratham’s

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

work in India. For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.prathamusa.org.

By Peace Cowen, Development Associate at Pratham USA

4

COMMUNITY

June 01, 2018

Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital Announce New Chief Executive Officer

HOUSTON:

Memorial Hermann Health System has named Malisha Patel, FACHE, as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hermann Southwest and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospitals, effective Aug. 1.

“As Vice President of Operations, Malisha has contributed significantly to the success and growth of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land and Memorial Hermann Southwest. She has proven to be engaged with staff and physicians, and possesses a deep understanding of the needs of each campus,” said Chuck Stokes, President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System. “Malisha’s passion for the communities we serve makes her a strong advocate for the needs of patients across the region.”

In her current role, Patel has operational and business development oversight for both clinical and non-clinical departments, ranging from perioperative services to engineering. She has successfully led strategic planning and key operational improvements, and has advanced the Campus on its Level II trauma verification journey.

“I am honored and humbled by this appointment, and so grateful for the opportunity to serve and

lead exceptional teams of dedicated, inspiring healthcare professionals who choose to work every day caring for our patients in the Southwest Harris and Fort Bend communities,” said Patel.

Patel joined Memorial Hermann in 2007 and has previously served as Vice President of Operations for both Memorial Hermann Sugar Land and Memorial Hermann Southwest.

She is replacing current CEO Greg Haralson, who has been appointed to become the new CEO at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

“It has been an honor to lead our efforts to provide safe, highquality care for our patients in the Southwest Houston and Fort Bend communities, and I am thankful to the talented employees and affiliated physicians at the Memorial Hermann Southwest and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land campuses for allowing me the opportunity to work alongside them,” said Haralson.

“As I transition to a new role within our system, I have every confidence that Malisha will continue to act as a champion of excellence of our clinical and nonclinical departments. With her experience managing operations at both campuses, I have no doubt

Malisha Patel

her guidance will ensure that we continue to deliver on our pledge to advance the health of the populations we serve.”

Patel has been a driving force behind the successes at each campus, including overseeing a $93 million expansion project at the Sugar Land campus that added 60 beds, an additional medical plaza and expanded services. In addition, she was the executive champion for Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s adoption and integration of a framework for operational excellence, which resulted in the hospital earning recognition as a 2016 Malcolm Baldrige Award recipient, the highest award for per-

formance excellence given in the country. The hospital was the first in the Houston area to earn this award. In addition, the Sugar Land campus became the first Houstonarea hospital to be awarded the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (TAPE) from the Quality Texas Foundation. The TAPE award recognizes an organization as one of the best in Texas based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework.

Prior to joining Memorial Hermann, Malisha held positions with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas as well as with Tenet Healthcare. She has been

recognized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston as its 2016 “Young Professional of the Year,” The National Women’s Council of the National Diversity Council as one of the Top 15 Business Women in Houston, and she earned an honorable mention for the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. She currently serves as the Chair of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

Patel earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Healthcare Administration from Trinity University.

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COMMUNITY

June 01, 2018

5

DAV Montessori School: Annual Day Celebrations

HOUSTON:

Sunday, May 20 was the 18th Annual Day of the DAV Montessori & Elementary School (DAVMS), the flagship of Arya Samaj Houston. Dev Mahajan and Shekhar Agrawal are legitimately proud of planting the seed of the school, unique in North America. This was the second batch of 5th graders to graduate. The morning started with the multi-Kunda Havan, surrounded by the children of the school. It was a sight to admire the children reciting all the mantras harmoniously with the Acharyaji and meticulously following the associated steps. Acharyaji delivered the customary sermon for the children to carry the core of the Vedic message that the DAVMS prides as “Academic Excellence with Spiritual Growth”.

Once the little children took to the stage, it was non-stop lively entertainment of delight, starting with the Welcome dance. Audience were thrilled to see small steps moving to the tune of the background music. It was planned and orchestrated in a fantastic manner that it functioned back to back, almost no time required for change over that kills a lot of time in such events. The sequence of dances was interspersed by short speeches. Stuti and Eshaan spoke with confidence and displayed their holistic development that became an integral part of their personality as they graduate from the school after a number of years. This was duly attested by the alumni of the preceding year who shared their experience how their formative years at the DAVMS helped them navigate life in the larger ocean of public schools, one of them appearing via a video link.

The school announced a new venture of its Alumni Association that had its first meeting over the lunch. A list of the very first attendees was displayed; the first

attendees by now have graduated from leading universities and have secured jobs at well-known corporations such as IBM or joined graduate schools such as Princeton. There is no doubt that the AA will emerge a vibrant forum for their networking.

The Annual Report was made interesting by its director Arti Khanna, appended with a DVD presentation, voice lent by a school kid. Among highlights, the newly introduced bus service has helped a number of parents being relieved from transportation challenges during the rush hour.

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Surendra Adhana, the Deputy Consul General of India, along with his wife and son joined the event as the Chief Guest. His remarks encouraged the parents to benefit from DAVMS that generates the ideal mix of the Vedic values of Arya Samaj with the American ones. He fondly recalled his association with Arya Samaj, a pioneering movement founded by Maharshi Dayanand in 1875.

The school’s all-round activities include Havan training, Vedic recitation, Indian history and customs, Yoga, Hindi conversation, Indian music, dance, etc.

The school leaves no opportunity to inculcate positive human values, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Diwali, Indian Republic Day. The children hone their public-speaking skills. Their confidence and lack of stage-fear was visible to everyone in the dances well-choreographed by the school teachers. Qualified teachers of DAVMS cater to the needs of pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school, besides afterschool care, maintaining an optimum student-to-teacher ratio for each child to receive individualized personal attention. Needless to say, there is zero bullying and zero-bad language usage among students. Voluntary participation from the parents adds further value to the educational quality.

The second phase of drama and dance was quite mind blowing, to say the least. A mime skit very imaginatively conveyed the pitfalls of indiscreet (mis-)use of the cell phone. It cautioned to use cell

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phones judiciously and did so in a very humorous manner, drawing peel of laughter. Soon to be followed was a Bhangra dance. It was unbelievable to see little boys maintain the high beat and high octane required by the folk song, and they certainly delivered up to the mark. The girls were not to be left behind as they performed a Rajasthani folk dance. The program was to end with the Vedic stamp as it had started. The entire ensemble appeared on the stage to sing the Aarti, and as usual, there was a new feather in the DAVMS’s cap in the form of a poetic rendition of the Veda-Mantra Om Annapate … that is customarily recited before partaking the meal. Indeed, the event was capped by an equally delightful food served by the food committee of Arya Samaj.

For further information about DAVMS, please visit website: http://davmschool.com/

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June 01, 2018

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COMMUNITY

BY NEIL RAGUTHU

HOUSTON: During the Youth

Leadership Development Program, I began the journey to become a future leader and learned during the multiple session what it means to be a leader. It takes the ability to promote teamwork, to face failure, and sacrifice for the betterment of others.

Being a leader isn’t about improving the skills of an individual, but it is rather working to make the team as a whole, work better together. This can be seen when Bhavesh Patel had been tasked with the restructuring of LyondellBasell. He had seen that the best way to benefit the company as a whole was to rework the whole structure of the European Sector.

Even though he had faced potential risk and opposition from numerous people, he knew that this would be the best solution for success of the team as a whole. This shows that being a leader is about working to improve the team, for better success for all.

Facing failure is a common part of life, but leaders are able to rise above the problems they face and continue to succeed. YLDP had taught us this when they invited Dr. Latha Ramchand to give us a presentation about the “Power of Failure”. She spoke of her own failure when she admitted to leaving the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, but later returning

June 01, 2018

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YLDP: On the Path of Leadership

YLDP graduating class of 2018 and YLDP Board of Directors with Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray at the Graduation 2018 ceremony at India House on Saturday, May 19.

to continue her studies. She said returning to her studies had been a pivotal point in her life because it showed her failure doesn’t define, what defined her was that she got back up more stronger and better.

Accepting ones own failures is difficult, but having failed doesn’t make us failures, it only encourages us to try harder and strive for higher levels of success.

To truly be a leader in the world, it takes the will to sacrifice for the betterment of others. Dr. Anupam Ray, Consul General of India in Houston, embodies this belief through his work. At the YLDP Graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 19 at India House, he talked about what he believed a

leader needs, such as facing adversity and ones character being traits of a leader, but what really stood out was his own story of sacrifice for others. He is a Neurosurgeon by training, but instead of making thousands in surgeries he rather worked for the people by being a

Consul General. He sacrificed a rich comfortable life because he believed that he could help more people if he was Consul General. His story shows that leadership isn’t about having control or money, but rather working to ensure others can have better lives as

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

well.

These are only few of the lessons that we have learned during the year from various speakers.

They truly define the skills of a leader and how we can develop and implement effective strategies for success as future leaders.

10 June 01, 2018

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

June 01, 2018

South Asians Continue to Make Strides in the West

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BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

HOUSTON:

Of late, curtailing immigration has been an annoying refrain circulating among conservative groups and in political circles. The concern over American jobs has led to reduction in H1B visas for Indians with particular focus on software and IT work and spouses of H1B visa holders are now being denied the opportunity to work.

This flies in the face of the latest US Census Bureau report that suggests that the fertility rate among Americans is actually declining to 1.7% - below replacement value – and that increases in the population are only expected through immigrants. This is a persistent trend in some European countries like Germany and Japan, which has led to many schools and other institutions having to be boarded up due to lack of need.

Against this backdrop, it is important to note the contributions of notable immigrants South Asians in the spheres of influence they operate in. Here are some recent examples.

Leo Eric Varadkar, 39, in June 2017 became the youngest and first Irish Prime Minister of Indian heritage. During the 2015 samesex marriage referendum, he became the first openly gay Irish government Minister. Varadkar was born in Dublin and studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin and spent several years as a non-consultant hospital doctor before qualifying as a general practitioner in 2010.

Shantanu Narayan

Staya Nadella

Varadkar is the only son of Ashok and Miriam (née Howell) Varadkar. His Hindu father was born in Mumbai and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, to work as a doctor and his Catholic mother worked as a nurse in Slough. The two married in the UK in 1971, then lived in Leicester, where their eldest child, Sophie, was born. The family moved to India, before settling in Dublin in 1973, where their second child, Sonia, and third child Leo were born. Varadkar’s parents agreed to raise their son, in the Catholic faith.

Amjad “John” Panjwani, 56 was born in Bangladesh and currently lives in San Antonio, where he runs Choke Canyon Hill Inc is a privately held company which operates Choke Canyon Bar-B-Q which is depicted by an alligator in a hat inside a round circle with a “See ya later alligator” moniker.

The logo has been the source of a legal lawsuit brought on by the much larger competitor Buc-Ee’s which contended copyright infringement and a jury sided with Buc-Ee’s last week. Panjwani started his business in 2005 with a single Exxon gas station and convenience store and grew it into multiple stores.

Highest Paid CEOs South Asians certainly know how to be successful in businesses, large and small, but many have made it into the upper echelons of corporate America and it is exemplified by the Equilar ratings of 200 CEOs with the top 2017 earnings. In the top 100 were five Indians.

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi, 63, CEO of Pepsico, earned $25,891,211 in total compensation. Nooyi was born to a Tamilspeaking Brahmin family in Madras (Chennai) and received bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Madras Christian College of

the University of Madras in 1974 and a MBA from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976. Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and textile firm Mettur Beardsell. She earned a master’s degree in Public and Private Management from Yale School of Management.

Shantanu Narayen, 55, CEO of Adobe Systems since 2007 earned $21,934,033 in total compensation He grew up in Telugu speaking family in Hyderabad, the second son of a mother who taught American literature and a father who ran a plastics company. He went to Hyderabad Public School and earned a BSc in electronics and communication engineering from University College of Engineering, Osmania University, an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

He started his career at Apple, then moved to Silicon Graphics, then co-founded Pictra before joining Adobe in 1998 as a senior viceCONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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12 June 01, 2018 HOUSTON: The Houston Chap-

ter of Sewa International received the prestigious Global Seven (G7) Award given by the Houston International Trade Development Council (HITDC) in the category of “Outstanding Nonprofit Organization”. The award was given at HITDC’s Fifth Annual Gala at the Ballroom at Bayou Place in downtown Houston on Friday, May 25.

Gitesh Desai (Sewa’s Houston Chapter President) received the Congratulatory Recognition Note from the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, commending Sewa International’s exemplary work in 2017, including during the initial days as Hurricane Harvey struck, and for the unstinting work in the relief and rehabilitation phases.

HITDC’s President and CEO, Val Thompson, said: “The purpose of the award is to honor Houston area international businesses who make Houston City a unique player on the world stage. The ‘Outstanding Nonprofit’ award is intended for a special Houston area-based nonprofit that supports meaningful causes, directly solving economic challenges impacting the international community (i.e., families, children, women or other special causes). We are most honored by you accepting our 2018 ‘Outstanding Nonprofit’ award which we believe your life and work profoundly exemplify.”

The keynote speaker at the event was Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. At the ceremony a total of seven awards were given: Out-

COMMUNITY

Awards and Recognitions Galore for Sewa International

G7 Awardees for the year: Gitesh Desai, Sewa International’s Houston Chapter President, pictured third from right, with the award for “Outstanding Nonprofit”, at the Bayou Place, Houston.

Another certificate received

by Sewa International was the Certificate of Congressional Recognition signed by Pete Olson, Representing the 22nd District of Texas

standing Nonprofit, Outstanding Inventor, Outstanding Global Impact, Outstanding Advocate, Excellence in Importing, Excellence in Exporting, and Excellence in International Business Service.

“It is a great honor to receive this award and the certificates of recognition on behalf of all my wonderful, hardworking, dedicated team of volunteers. We believe in selfless service, and the welfare of everyone in the world. This is both a humbling and a celebratory day

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Representing the 18th District of Texas, also recognized Sewa International with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for its good work

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 president of worldwide product research.

Satya Nadella, 51, CEO of Microsoft since 2014 earned $20,014,152 in total compensation. Nadella worked at Sun Microsystems prior to joining Microsoft in 1992. Nadella was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, (now in the state of Telangana).

His father, Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandher, worked for the Indian Administrative Service of the Government of India. Nadella attended the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet and received a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in 1988. Nadella came to the US to study computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, receiving his MSc degree in 1990.

for us. We did not make the journey here alone. Numerous people and organizations have supported us along the way. This award is a recognition of the selfless service provided by more than 1250 volunteers, and the over 40 Indian community organizations that collaborated with Sewa International, large and small donors, supporters and well-wishers in Houston and throughout the country, for their confidence and trust in Sewa International. We could not have served without them,” said Gitesh Desai.

Sewa International was recognized with a certificate by the Office of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for its work in disaster relief and rehabilitation, and for the sustained involvement with Rosharon’s Little Cambodian community.

For further information, please contact: Kavita Tewary at educationhouston@sewausa.org or 713-303-4253 or Prakash Saunshi at funds@sewausa.org or 847-909-1681

South Asians Continue to Make Strides in the West Later, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Ajaypal “Ajay” Banga, 58, CEO of Mastercard since 2010, earned $18,684,468 in total compensation. He was born in Khadki, Pune. His father is a retired decorated lieutenant-general of the Indian Army Harbhajan Singh Banga. He is the younger brother of another well-known CEO M. S. Banga. Banga was schooled across India, in Secunderabad, Jalandhar, Delhi, Hyderabad and in Shimla.

Banga graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the Padma Shri in 2016.

Bhavesh V. “Bob” Patel, CEO

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

of LyondellBasell Industries since 2015, earned $17,568,640 in total compensation. Patel previously served as executive vice president, Olefins and Polyolefins – Europe, Asia and International. He joined LyondellBasell in March 2010 and as executive vice president successfully led the restructuring of the company’s O&P – Americas and O&P – Europe, Asia and International segments. Previously, Patel held several positions at Chevron Corporation and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for more than 20 years. He has held leadership positions based in the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States. He earned a BSc in chemical engineering from Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University.

June 01, 2018

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14 June 01, 2018

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

HOUSTON: The grand hall of

the River Oaks Country Club, at the summit of River Oaks Boulevard epitomizes the journey of many of those from the Bayou City who have worked hard to reach the zenith of their own careers and what better place to show the value in sharing these secrets of success?

For the past four years, this has been the place to showcase how the sharing of these secrets and the molding of perspectives can forge a better understanding of the intricacies of life. Thanks to Share Our Secrets Chairman Vivek Mehta, for the fourth year, the River Oaks venue has been available through the generous sponsorship of his firm, Texas Capital Bank along with Andrew Dean of Insgroup and this year, Ulli Krell and Nathan Perry of The Cincinnati Insurance Companies.

SOS marked its tenth year at the from when it was conceived by serial idea generator Biki Mohindra as a vehicle to mentor and enlighten youthful minds through exposure to the ideas and concepts that other successful people and groups have encountered and grappled with before. “SOS is a connection between generations”, said Mohindra, explaining how the two courses work, spread over meetings held at The Houstonian Athletic Club on two Saturdays a

COMMUNITY

A Decade of Mentoring People Reveals One Secret: Share!

From left, Dr. Hiru Mathur, Preeti Bhagiya, Chair SOS BIO, Dr. Vijay Bhagiya and Mani Subramanian, SOS Chair, Community Outreach, Davina Bhojwani gave testimonials of the impact of SOS spoke about SOS’ outreach programs and Biki Mohindra, SOS founder, expressed his gratitude for the success of SOS over the past decade.

me think about bending the rules and finding my own path.”

Preeti is the Chair of SOS’ offshoot new venture to be launched shortly called BIO, which is geared towards the The 2018 graduates of the SOS program with Biki Mohindra and SOS President upwardly mobile Indian women. “SOS’ & CEO Qusai Mahesri founding principles month from August to April. Be- of the hall and received their ac- are LOL or “Life of Learning” to tween 10 to 15 people usually go colades. Preeti Bhagiya emceed grow ourselves,” she said. Mathur through each class which also fea- the event with testimonials from said she backed out of all events ture prominent guest speakers. others like her husband Dr. Vijay after meeting Mohindra “and With a crowd of guests and for- Bhagiya, Dr. Hiru Mathur and Da- worked on a strategy to expose mer graduates looking on, SOS vina Bhojwani. “I was coasting our kids to society.” Bhojwani, an held a graduation ceremony on as things were going well,” said entrepreneur with two kids introWednesday, May 16 for the 2018 Vijay, “but then I met Biki and he duced a video of each new graduclass as they marched to the front turned things topsy-turvy making ate relating what they learnt in the

course. Mani Subramanian, SOS’ Chair for Community Outreach described the programs that the group has held like the sold-out seminar on surviving spouses and the 4-part financial planning workshops to educate and assist the elderly in grappling with tough life choices.

The self-effacing Mohindra who prefers to stay out of the limelight, was delighted at the growth of the group, noting in his short remarks that “this is a family and every family has parents. You all are the guiding lights for future graduates.” He pointed out that one of the guests had suggested that SOS start a class for those over 60 year of age and that they would take a serious look at doing so.

SOS Community and Outreach Events

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

June 01, 2018

SOS 10th Anniversary at River Oaks Country Club

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

15

16 June 01, 2018 Summer STEM Synergy A Family-oriented Free Event to Stimulate Young Minds for a STEM Future

HOUSTON: A family-oriented

and free Summer STEM Synergy conference will be held for young kids and their families on Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the HCC Missouri City campus located at 1600 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, TX 77489.

The conference is designed to inspire young minds with STEM activities and increase the participation of community members to pursue STEM career pathways offered at HCC. Families will learn techniques to advance their child’s STEM thinking – critical thinking, problem-solving, and inquiry skills. Both children ages 4-10 years and the adults will actively engage in a variety of fun, handson activities with real-life application at math, science, literacy, technology stations.

To focus on the crucial need to close the STEM workforce gap, which continues to grow faster than ever, HCC Trustee Neeta Sane in collaboration with Parent Engagement for Active Child Enrichment (PEACE), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization and community partners has initiated a Summer STEM Synergy conference to be held at HCC Missouri City campus. At the conference, families will get a Nurture Kit, which includes books and other educational materials for kids to use during the summer.

To get more information about the Summer STEM Synergy conference, please contact Neeta Sane at 832-279-8601. For year-round activities for young kids, please visit www.peacenurtureskids.org

COMMUNITY Attacks on Indian Scientists: The Case of Inder Verma

For several years, there has

been an increasing trend to attack successful Indian scientists or other successful Indian immigrants in various professions to destroy their reputation and credentials under false rumours, innuendo, and slander. The Indian community is generally very successful, more successful than the average American. The Indians are more hard working, more ambitious and often better educated than the local people.

This success draws attention, sometimes even jealousy and resentment.

The latest case in point is that of Dr. Inder Mohan Verma, a highly respected 70-year old scientist who had been a senior research staff member of the prestigious Salk Institute in San Diego, California, for the last forty years. Dr. Verma is no ordinary scientist. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of numerous awards and prizes from many academies. Furthermore, he is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the highly prestigious publication of the Academy.

Dr. Verma’s scientific achievements are of the highest order.

He is one of the world’s leading

authorities on gene therapy and cancer. Verma developed innovations in two tools—viral vectors and gene editing—to study pathways that underlie cancer, metabolism and other diseases. Verma was the first scientist to genetically engineer HIV-based tools to insert new genes into cells. These cells can then be returned to the body, where they produce proteins whose absence causes disease.

This retroviral vector technique is now a tool routinely used in molecular biology labs and clinical trials. Verma’s research is revealing how the aberrant expression of normal cellular genes can causes tumors. In particular, he is finding out how inflammation in the body alters cellular pathways, resulting in cancers and other diseases.

Following some vague accusa-

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

tions from some colleagues, Dr. Verma has been suspended and is likely to be terminated. The credentials of those who accused him, sometimes even going back to thirty years, are highly flimsy.

Some other staff members even praised him for his kindness in their relations. For one female colleague who was pregnant he raised her salary and helped her husband to find a job. This case is not alone. There are several other instances where a successful Indian scientist is discredited in some way, although professionally he may be highly successful. Reasons are easy to find; professional jealousy, an attempt to extract some money, or simply racist motives.

Whatever the reasons may be, successful Indian scientists or doctors or those in other professions should take extra care to avoid false accusations.

Dr. Krishna Dronamraju, Foundation For Genetic Research

COMMUNITY

June 01, 2018

17

Acclaimed Vocalists, Brothers Sajan, Rajan Misra Complete Each Other’s Verses

Pandits Rajan (left) and Sajan Misra performed at the Glade Cultural Center in The Woodlands on Friday, May 25, accompanied by local artistes Shantilal Shah on the tabla and Sumit Mishra on the harmonium.

Torvi, ghazal singer Jaswinder Singh “Bunty” and Ustad RazaAli Khan, the grandson of Ustad

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

T

Concert organizer Rashmi Gupta (second from left) with the artistes and sponsor Vijay Goradia (to the right of Pt. Sajan Misra) after the concert.

HE WOODLANDS: As they were getting settled in on the dais, fine tuning the placement of musicians and how they would interface with the audience, the more animated of the two classical vocalist brothers gave a short glimpse of what brought them to this Metroplex by the Gulf of Mexico from their home in Varansai, India.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Saloni Gandhi who arranged this worldwide tour of fifty cities,” said the bespectacled Pandit Rajan Misra, at 67, five years older than his brother Pandit Sajan Misra, both Padma Bhushan awardees.

He was referring to the ambitious Bhairav se Bhairavi Tak (Morning till Evening Ragas) tour that they had started earlier this year that includes concerts in Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Kolkota, Delhi, Bengalure, Beijing, Vientiane, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York, Washington DC, New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Sicily, Lyon,, Paris, Budapest, Berne, Gruyere, Zurich, Lausanne, Madrid, Vienna, Berlin, Australia and New Zealand.

The Misras received their initial musical training from their grandfather’s brother, Bade Ram Das Mishra; their father Hanuman Prasad Mishra and their uncle, sarangi virtuoso, Gopal Prasad Mishra. They started performing the Banaras style of singing in their teens and moved to Ramesh Nagar in New Delhi, in 1977, where they continue to live. The Misras have performed all over India and gave their first concert abroad in Sri Lanka in 1978 and in many countries across the world since then.

They had already performed at the Ashta Lakshmi Temple and the Chinmaya Mission in Houston on May 5 and were now performing this past Friday, May 25 at the Glade Cultural Center in The Woodlands. “We have to thank Rashmi Gupta for bringing this concert and venue together,” went on Pandit Rajan, “for advancing Indian classical music here like her mother the late Aruna Gupta, who was also a great singer, did in New Delhi.”

Aruna Gupta was a well-known classical music promoter and noted artist in her own right who would often pulled together concerts in Delhi for many of the renowned and up and coming Indian artistes. Raised in such a rarefied atmosphere, Rashmi Gupta (who lives in The Woodlands) also acquired her mother’s appreciation for good Indian classical music.

Her mother was a Nritya and Sangeet Visharad (master’s degree in classical dance and singing) but could not perform herself as she was married into a conservative Varanasi business family yet managed to imbibe the passion in her family.

In turn, Rashmi has for the past four years turned her home into a salon to showcase visiting Indian artistes like vocalist Pandit Vinayak INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

18 June 01, 2018

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

Padmavat Syndrome

River Sutra for Cauvery Dispute

BY SURESH MENON

More than 80 per cent of Indian riv-

L

et’s call it the Padmavat syndrome: if a militant enough group of protesters can be mobilized to try to ban a film, a factory, a hospital, what have you, then India’s political leadership will speedily set aside its professed desire to improve ease of doing business, and sacrifice it at the altar of ‘popular sentiment’.

This week, Tamil Nadu government has summarily ordered a permanent closure of Sterlite Copper’s plant in Tuticorin, disregarding far-reaching economic consequences. And up north, Delhi government has proposed sweeping regulations that assume private hospitals are carpetbaggers who prey on patients’ vulnerabilities, disregarding how these regulations may foreclose several avenues of healthcare.

Even as questions are being raised about whether due process has been followed for sealing the Tuticorin plant permanently, chief minister EK Palaniswami says this has been done “in deference to the sentiments of the people”.

But his is a highly selective and misleading representation of public sentiments.

The plant gives direct or indirect employment to around 50,000 people and accounts for around 40% share in India’s annual copper production. Palaniswami government has suggested no measures to redress these job losses or the economic losses that will run to other businesses both upstream and downstream.

As for the Kejriwal government, its draft policy changes include that all doctors should preferably prescribe from the national list of essential medicines, which has only 376 medicines. If that sounds restrictive listen to this: when a patient dies within six hours of admission 50% of hospital charges should be waived.

Wouldn’t this incentivise hospitals to either not admit patients who are in a critical condition or give them less treatment than needed? In their quest to woo ‘popular sentiment’ governments evidently don’t think through the consequences of their decisions, reducing their solutions to non-solutions at birth itself.

Finally, such politically motivated policy turns heighten risk perceptions for investors, shortening the supply line of both industry and hospitals.

-Times of India

ers are inter-state rivers. According to the Central Water Commission, there are 125 inter-state water agreements in India. Many of these agreements are more than 100 years old and had been executed without seriously considering socio-economic, political and geographical factors. These treaties have now become permanent sources of problems for many states. Continuous redrawing of state boundaries during the British regime and after Independence have kept the disputes alive.

For effective settlement of these disputes, equitable sharing of benefits is more important than equitable distribution of water. The principle of downstream benefit-sharing is crucial for the successful implementation of these treaties. Further, water-sharing principles will have be based on the size of the river basin, population growth, historical claims, efforts taken by the state governments for water conservation, rainfall and changes in cropping patterns, scientific use of water, priority for agriculture, allocation for industry and power generation, flood control and domestic uses. These issues should be given due importance in negotiations. Therefore, it may be necessary to have independent or mutually agreed third parties revisit disputed treaties; bi/multilateral negotiations hold the key.

The water distribution agreement proposed by the World Bank in 1960 continues to be the basis of the Indus Water Treaty. The permanent Indus Commission regularly exchanges information and ensures cooperation between India and Pakistan on the use of river waters amicably. The US-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission has been successfully implemented since 1884 with the changing course of the rivers, the Rio Grande and Colorado. This treaty has been amended more than seven times since its inception, based on the changes in irrigation uses, river boundaries, flood control, population growth, urbanisation, etc. The sharing of water during surplus and drought years is based on a five-year cycle of water flow data.

For effective settlement of these disputes, equitable sharing of benefits is more important than equitable distribution of water.

The 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Treaty on Water Sharing is based on lean season water availability. In 1972, the Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC) was established for flood forecasting, control, warning and managing the Ganga during the dry season at Farakka. An interim agreement was signed for water sharing in 1977. The lean season was defined for 150 days from January 1 to May 31.

A Joint Committee of Experts (JCE) headed by the irrigation secretaries of the two countries was constituted in 1985. Both sides agreed to reduce their water demand in the lean season.

In 1996, another treaty was signed by considering the average water flow for 40 years (1949-88). The assured minimum water quota sharing between the two countries was fixed on alternate three 10-day cycles during the lean season, including a critical lean period from March 1 and May 10. The joint committee decides the daily flow and in case of disputes, it will be referred to the JRC and further to the governments. The water sharing arrangements is reviewed at five-year intervals or earlier on

Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS & PRODUCTION MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA OFFICE MANAGER: MANSI THAKKAR GRAPHICS: PIYAL SEN GUPTA CORRESPONDENTS

INDIA: ASEEM KULKARNI ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036.

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request from either side. Both up and downstream irrigation activities have been restricted. Based on the bilateral negotiations in 1977, 1982, 1985 and the recent one, the two countries reached an effective mechanism for water sharing. Now JRC and JCE settle water disputes between the two countries.

The Indo-Bangladesh treaty can be the model for the resolution of the Cauvery dispute. The bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is about sharing water during the lean/scarce period. This dispute is alive for more than 200 years. It started between Mysore and Madras in 1807, which led to an agreement in 1892 and 1924.

Though this agreement allowed for changes after 50 years, the linguistic re-organisation of states in 1956 triggered new problems.

There is an immediate need to constitute a permanent dispute settlement body like the JRC, JCE of Indo-Bangladesh treaty, the Indus Commission, the US-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission etc. for the Cauvery dispute. The Cauvery Management Board proposed by the Supreme Court may act like these bodies. The states can even renegotiate the existing treaty, involving mutually agreed third parties like World Bank to arrive at a permanent settlement. -- Indian Express The writer is an IAS officer and Mason Fellow

COMMUNITY

June 01, 2018

19

2018 Southwestern National Bank Scholarship Award

HOUSTON: Southwestern Na-

tional Bank (SNB) proudly sponsored its 13th annual scholarship awards to assist in facilitating the education of deserving high school graduates in our community. We hope that this scholarship will help young talented students achieve their educational goals. SNB received more than 30 applications for the five (5) $1,000 scholarships that are awarded each year. The Directors, Officers and Employees of SNB wish

the scholarship recipients the best as they continue in their educational endeavors. (Member FDIC) Scholarship Recipients: • Tseng Kelly : Morton Ranch High School • Charlie Zong: Westchester Acad-

emy for International Studies • Laura Li : Cinco Ranch High School • Bowen Mei : Stephen F. Austin High School • Michelle Wen: Stepton High School

Acclaimed Vocalists, Brothers Sajan, Rajan Misra Complete Each Other’s Verses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. For Rashmi, a successful real estate agent, it has become a passion to carry on her mother’s mission of promoting Hindustani Classical music in the northern part of Harris County.

Rather than the usualAuburn Lakes Clubhouse, this concert was held at the newly built 6,000 sf Glade Cultural Center off Woodland Parkway which recently opened on April 20.

Between the statues and paintings that the gallery offers, including a current exposition of paintings by wellknown Houstonian-Indian painter Gopal Seyn (who was on hand at the concert), Glade Arts Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Stavinoha warmly welcomed the around 200 guests as Glade co-founder and President of Art Promotion and Sales Dragos Tapu looked on.

Accompanied by well-known local artistes Pandit Shantilal Shah on the tabla and Sumit Misra on the harmonium, Pt. Rajan opened up with the first notes to the bhajan Shri Krishan Chander Kripalu, letting the lyrics flow out in long tones that rose and descended, which he mimicked with his left hand and outstretched arm as

Local painter Gopal Seyn’s paintings are on display at the Glade Center.

his right hand strummed the santoor at his lap. Pt. Sajan followed suite periodically, adding his higher pitched voice and drawn out notes. After a short pause they continued on with three other pieces of their repertoire for another hour.

The concert was a community effort, with support from Raj Vishwakarma for his sound system and

sponsorship of Vijay Goradia and Mai and Arvind Melligeri and Jagan Allam of the Hindu temple of The Woodlands. Additionally, Gupta recognized Anil Adoni for photography; Krishna Chulani, Kokie Patel, Subha Kumar, Radha Adoni, Tripti Bhatnagar, Surbhi Sharma, Dimple Arora and Priyanka Dodani for volunteering their efforts.

“IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA”

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20 June 01, 2018

Job Posting:

P/T Multi Media Graphic Artist

ABC-13/KTRK-TV, the ABC/Disney owned station in Houston, TX, has a part-time position for an experienced Graphic Artist.

The ideal candidate will have a degree in graphic design, web, marketing or related field; demonstrable expertise in graphic design, and 2-3 years professional experience using Adobe Creative Suite, to create content and graphics for broadcast TV, interactive or multimedia projects, and social media. Experience producing broadcast graphics and 3-D experience is a plus.

We offer a collaborative and creative work environment. To be considered for the position you must apply online at www. disneycareers.com, ref job #559241BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume, link to online portfolio, 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 MULTIMEDIA CONTENT CONTRIBUTOR

Are you a news junkie who scans the morning headlines before getting out bed each morning? Are you tied to your twitter feed throughout the day? Can’t go to bed before watching the 10pm news?

KTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a part-time content contributor for both broadcast and digital.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking to advance their career as a multi-media journalist. In this position, you will work on the assignment desk and contribute to digital platforms, among other duties.

Must be willing to work overnights, weekends, and holidays. The ideal candidate can multi-task in a fast-paced environment and has experience gathering information and writing news stories - along with a good understanding of social media trends and apps. College degree and some experience in a working newsroom is preferred.

To be considered all interested candidates must apply online at www. disneycareers.com, Ref job # 559242BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. In addition, please mail writing samples to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005 and include the job reference number. No Telephone Calls Please.

KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

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Call: 713-789-6397 INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

PLANNING Planning a Baby?

T

June 01, 2018

What you thought you knew, but don’t!

he story about making babies all seemed so simple when we were young, whether you learned the story about the stork or the cabbage patch— or you were lucky and heard a truerto-life version. In reality, there’s so much more to know about the remarkable journey to conception.

Deciding to have a baby is an exciting moment in life’s journey. Like heading out on an adventurous trip, preparation can help smooth the way.

This article will mark out some guideposts to follow. Not planning a baby anytime soon? You may still want to read on; there are more than 180,000 unplanned pregnancies per year in Canada.

Check on your health A basic health checkup is a good place to start your journey toward childbirth. Your family doctor can review your vaccine status with you, check your iron levels, update your Pap test, and run a sexually transmitted infection panel.

In addition to these fairly standard checks, there are some emerging ones to consider as well.

Body mass index (BMI) Both high and low BMI numbers are associated with negative outcomes for pregnancy, delivery, and infant health. Lower risks are associated with normal weight: BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2.

Vitamin D Adequate vitamin D levels may play a role in improving the chance of fertilization. Should you become pregnant, having a healthy vitamin D status may protect against miscarriage, gestational diabetes, and the need for Caesarean delivery. A simple blood test can tell you if your levels are adequate.

Cholesterol Blood lipids are used to assess risk for heart disease, but they can tell us something about pregnancy outcomes too. Having levels of HDL (good) cholesterol less than or equal to 1.29 mmol/L is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia (a potentially serious complication of pregnancy characterized by higherthan-normal blood pressure).

Diet What you eat is essential for your health and for a healthy pregnancy.

Research has found that a higher intake of vegetables and whole grains helps lower the risk of pregnancy loss, as does high folate consumption and minimal alcohol intake prior to conception.

Supplement before pregnancy Before conception, the egg and sperm cells mature. This process takes about 100 days, so it’s best to start prenatal supplements at least three months before you start trying to conceive. Check with your health care practitioner for advice about which supplements best suit your individual needs.

Multivitamins Beginning multivitamin supple-

mentation increases the odds of becoming pregnant and reduces your risk of pregnancy loss. Your multi should include iron, calcium, folic acid, and potassium iodide.

Fish oil Fish oil supplementation helps reduce the risk of preterm delivery and increases infant weight, height, and head circumference.

Help sperm meet egg Once you’re ready to start trying to conceive, it helps to understand more about fertility and timing.

After ovulation, the egg cell lasts about 24 hours. Sperm can live in the vagina for around five days. If you combine those long-lasting sperm and the lifespan of the egg, you get what is called the biological fertile window of about six days.

There are many different ways to identify when to time sex to occur within the six-day window: monitoring cervical mucus, tracking temperature, and using ovulation predictor kits, for example. The definitive guidebook on the subject is Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility (William Morrow, 2015).

You can, of course, choose not to track any fertility signs. Assuming there is no reason to question potential fertility, if you have sex every one to two days, you’ll definitely improve your likelihood of conceiving.

How long until baby?

Once birth control is discontinued, the number of menstrual cycles it will take to conceive is highly variable.

Most couples will become pregnant in the first three menstrual cycles. Yet even if you have not conceived one year after discontinuing birth control, your odds of conceiving within the next year, without any assessment or treatment, are high.

After stopping the birth control pill, there may be a lower rate of conception for the first three cycles.

Delaying pregnancy Celebrity pregnancies late in life paint a rosy picture of delaying the decision to have kids. Let’s explore the facts.

In population studies, the age at last birth for people not using assisted reproduction technologies is consistently eight to 10 years before menopause. The average age of menopause in Canada is 51.

Pregnancy through in vitro fertilization (IVF) Pregnancies later in life are often achieved with IVF using a younger woman’s egg cells. Success of IVF with donated eggs is higher under age 40, but few births occur even with donated eggs in women older than 45 years.

These figures are averages, so you could have a very different experience. Although it would be wonderful if there were a test that could tell you how much time you have left for baby-making, there are no tests that can predict your likelihood of conceiving without reproductive technology.

Age and fertility One of the theories explaining why age can determine fertility is that oxidative stress affects the quality of egg cells. Supplementing with different antioxidants may help offset the damage. In mice, n-acetyl-L-cysteine, coenzyme Q10, and melatonin have been found to improve egg cell quality and ovarian function. In humans, taking melatonin and inositol improves the number of good quality embryos in IVF. Whether pregnancy is a planned destination or a surprise detour, a little bit of knowledge helps you know which way to turn.

When to seek help If you’re 35 years old or younger, seek help if you haven’t conceived after 12 months of unprotected sex.

If you’re older than 35, you should seek help if you haven’t conceived after six months of unprotected sex.

Seek help sooner if you have infrequent menstrual periods; have very long or irregular cycles; have (or suspect you have) endometriosis; or have (or suspect you have) a disease affecting the uterus, Fallopian tubes, or abdominal cavity.

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PUZZLES / RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Pudine da Parantha (Mint Parantha)

One of the greatest joys of cook-

ing is to be able to experiment with different ingredients and techniques to make a dish that is delightful and enjoyable. This is the concept at the heart of fusion cooking of any sort, whether it be one of the four great cuisines of the world, Chinese, Indian, Italian or French. Experimentation is what led to the American style of pizza and the French style of croissants (which originated in Austria) or even Swedish meatballs.

And you can extend this to the art of making paranthas (crispy stuffed flatbreads), whose ingredients are only limited by your imagination and the way to cook them. You can make Punjabi paranthas with just about any kind of stuffing, as long as they are vegetarian, each with a different type of masala (spice mixture), preparation and method to roll out the flour pancake and cook it on the tava (flatplate). The taste of each parantha depends on all these things and finally how it is cooked. So there are paranthas made of aloo (potato), phul gobi (cauliflower), gajjar (carrot), piyaaz (onions), methi (fenugreek), karela (bitter gourd), channa daal, paneer (Indian farmer’s cheese), sliced cheddar cheese, cheeni (sugar) and gur (jaggery), all of which require better preparation and careful cooking. In general, if a vegetable sheds too much water, or the daal is too watery, then it is very difficult to make them into a decent parantha.

These days there are many varieties of ready-made paranthas available in the frozen foods section of grocery stores made by many well-known brands which have seen the huge market potential. Though these are wonderful conveniences, with a few exceptions (the more expensive cauliflower or mixed vegetable ones), the frozen variety use the stuffing – like ajwain (carom seed) or methi (fenugreek) – so sparingly that you may only get a slight hint of the taste, if at all! An ingredient that is seldom used in Punjabi paranthas (but available in the frozen variety) is pudina (mint), which is most often used to make the popular mint chutney (spicy dipping sauce), a condiment for dipping savory appetizers like pakoras

(fried vegetable fritters), samosas (fried stuffed dumplings), tikkas (pan roasted potato patties) and other spicy snacks.

As the mint plants were growing fast and plentiful in my garden, I harvested their huge leaves and put them aside thinking to make chutney with them. After I had washed, dried and cut them, I left them in the fridge for a day but when I took them out, I realized there was also some left over atta (dough) and suddenly thought I would make some pudina paranthas instead, which I have never tried before. The results were marvelous as my son Jawahar devoured the paranthas which came off the tava fluffed up and crispy with an oil coating! The difference from the frozen ones, he said, was that there was plenty of stuffing so that he could taste the minty flavor, as he ate them with plain yogurt.

Ingredients: • 500gm kanak (gehon) ka atta (wheat flour) • 2 cups pudina (fresh mint leaves) – makes 8 paranthas • 1 1/2 cups pani (water) • Some tael (sunflower oil or vegetable oil) for coating the paranthas while cooking • Spices to taste: namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), ajawain (carom seeds), powdered anaar dana (pomegranate seed) or amchoor (green mango powder) Directions: 1. Carefully cut off the leaves, then wash them and spread them on a towel to let them dry 2. With a sharp knife, cut the leaves into shreds and set aside in a bowl.

3. Pour the atta into a bowl, then slowly pour only enough of the water in while kneading the dough till it becomes a nice, round, tender firm ball.

Dab the surface of the dough ball with a little water to keep it moist, cover the

bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

4. Pinch off a portion of the dough and make into a 2 inch round ball.

Pour a little dry flour on the counter and roll the ball in it to coat it. Make the dough into small paade (balls).

Now use a velna (rolling pin) to roll the ball into a nice round, flat 8 to 10 inch pancake, about 1/8 inch thick.

5. Now place a tablespoon of the shredded mint in the center and sprinkle the salt, red pepper, ajwain, and anar dana or amchoor to taste.

6. Grab the edges to pinch off the dough into a ball. Carefully roll the ball into a flat pancake so that the pudina does not pierce the flour.

7. Put a small dab of oil on a hot tava (hotplate or skillet) and place the flattened dough on. When it turns color a little, turn the pancake over.

Put another dab of oil on the tava and then turn it over again till it is fully cooked. When the paranthas have some dark brown spots on them, it means they are cooked.

8. Try these with a dollop of butter on the top of the warm parantha or with plain yogurt or achaar for best taste.

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, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her late-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

WEEK

TO CONTROL ITS SPREAD, GROW M INT IN POTS Mint is much adored even in ornamentat herb that is used in many cuisines, in ion for fruit trays an salads and d all types of mint sh are three characterist there are many varieties. But ics: they like filtere but not soggy soil d light, moist and their roots can grow fast and spre uncontrolled in a fl ad fast. If left ower bed, it is not un com a bush and complete ly take over the area mon for mint to grown into .

For better control of to use, try planting the mint, and also to regulate the amou the nt of water the spread of its ro mint in a large wide-mouthed pot. Th ots and also make is will stop it grow tall faster. often for better grow Also prune it th.

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23

June 01, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS

Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran In 1995, Ashwath Raina (John

the way our scientific community and armed forces beat the American intelligence and surveillance systems to successfully test three nuclear bombs in the desert of Pokhran, Rajasthan. It is not an authentic recreation of history, but ‘Parmanu’ is a fairly entertaining look at a story that evokes the right sense of patriotism and national pride without being jingoistic.

The story here is a bit far-fetched, what with John Abraham’s motley crew of scientists and army personnel, executing the entire nuclear program within a few days. But the taut execution, editing and screenplay help keep the suspension of disbelief to a bare minimum. The way India’s nuclear team outwits the American and Pakistani agents is an entertaining experience.

Abraham) an IAS officer, suggests that India conduct its own set of nuclear tests to stay ahead in the nuclear race with China and Pakistan. After the initial test fails under pressure from America, Raina gets a second chance in 1998 under the new reign of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

‘Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran’ is exactly what the title suggests. It’s a part fiction, part fact build up to the Pokhran II tests in 1998, after which India was recognised as a nuclear power on the global stage. While it is inspired by this real-life event, it’s story doesn’t follow India’s nuclear program to the T. It takes a few, cinematic liberties, in

Along the way, Anuja Sathe, playing John’s wife and Boman Irani, playing the Secretary to the Indian PM, bring in the right amount of drama and a small dose of comedy.

With ticking clocks, racing surveillance satellites and an escalating sense of tension, ‘Parmanu’ does manage to engage the viewer. The use of CGI is good too, especially during sequences of outer space and the final nuclear explosions.

The movie also does well to use real-life footage of then heads of state from India, Pakistan and US to create a political atmosphere.

The first half of director Abhishek Sharma’s film takes a little too much time to set up. With a little more attention to detail, especially with the track of the American intelligence, ‘Parmanu’ would have

been a much better watch. Thankfully it doesn’t resort to Pakistan bashing even as an ISI agent resorts to some villainy. John Abraham leads the film from the word go and is literally the captain of the mission and the movie. Diana Penty is good too, along with all the supporting actors who form the team of Indian scientists and soldiers.

What ‘Parmanu’ lacks in detail and authenticity, it makes up with emotions and a sense of national pride. The narrative isn’t explosive but it does have the dramatic moments to keep the viewer engaged.

Thrills, suspense, drama, a little

‘Race 3’ Had Bollywood’s Largest Shooting Unit

bit of humour, as well as a solid comment on India’s soldiers – this movie, largely has all the tricks to please even a discerning audience.

-timesofindia.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

R. Madhavan June 01, 1970

Sonakshi Sinha June 02, 1987

Apart from having an impressive

ensemble cast, ‘Race 3’ has been generating a lot of interest for its songs and slick action sequences.

Ever since the trailer of the Salman Khan flick released, fans have been eager to find out more details. Apart from the fact that the film is a part of a big franchise, with Salman performing a majority of the stunts on his

Amrita Rao

own, what many people are unaware about is that fact that it had the biggest shooting unit on the sets.

Director Remo D’Souza hopes to take the ‘Race’ franchise to another level, which is why he is sparing no expense when it comes to making the film on a grand scale to ensure that fans enjoy every minute of it.

Interestingly, while shooting the all-

important climax sequence, the makers had the largest unit that has ever been used in the Hindi film industry.

The entire cast was present for the filming of the action schedule in Abu Dhabi and there were three separate units on one set with the cast shooting the sequences at three different set-up units at the same time.

The makers claim that the suspense

in this film is better than ever before and action sequences have been shot in Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Mumbai.

The film will release on June 15 and stars Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Freddy Daruwala.

-timesofindia.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

June 07, 1981

Ekta Kapoor June 07, 1975

24 June 01, 2018 IPL 2018: Watson the Hero as CSK Claims Third Crown SIDHARTH MONGA

M

UMBAI: (ESPN Cricinfo); Chennai Super Kings 181 for 2 in 18.3 overs (Watson 117*) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 178 for 6 (Williamson 47) by eight wickets.

Finally, the IPL trophy has come back to its spiritual home, Chennai.

The city’s franchise did run into rough waters but it still boasts the best IPL crowds and the most consistent team, which won its third title with a chase that was as much perfection as it was a tribute to their captain MS Dhoni’s philosophies.

Ridiculed as dad’s army for picking players a little long in the tooth, Super Kings won the final on a century from the 36-year-old Shane Watson, all but hobbling through for most of his run runs after having taken 11 balls to get off the mark. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan, champion bowlers both, went for 17 and 24 in their allotment of four overs each, but that brought no panic to Super Kings’ ranks. It was crucial that these two were not given a wicket; a maiden rather than a wicket. Ruthlessly, meanwhile, Watson targeted the young bowlers from Punjab, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma, who went for 95 in their seven overs.

If the chase was perfection, Super Kings were asked to dig into their defensive reserves when they bowled first. Sunrisers batted a little like Super Kings: take it slow at the start, keep wickets in hand, put pressure on the bowlers and go big at the death.

Lungi Ngidi and Shardul Thakur, though, bowled well to restrict them to just 52 runs in the last five overs.

It was the fourth time CSK had beaten Sunrisers in four meetings this season, an emphatic record against the team that had finished top of the league stage.

Super Kings began with a beamer followed by a free hit, but they soon pulled things back. This was a stretch of play where both sides were waiting to see who blinks first. After having lost wickets early in the first qualifier against the same opposition, Sunrisers didn’t try anything adventurous against Deepak Chahar and Ngidi, scoring 42 for 1 in the Powerplay.

Having gone at about a run a ball inside the Powerplay, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson had to

The victorious CSK team, Chennai Super Kings v Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2018, final, Mumbai, May 27, 2018.

become more urgent at some point.

Williamson began doing that with Dwayne Bravo, introduced early again because he has not been at his best at the death. For Dhawan the opportunity presented itself when Ravindra Jadeja came on to bowl, turning the ball back into him. As expected he went down for the big slog sweep, but he missed and the ball hit the thigh pad to deviate onto his stumps. Sunrisers 64 for 2 in the ninth.

On the big final day, though, Sunrisers’ middle order kept bringing the runs. Shakib Al Hasan did to Jadeja what Dhawan wanted to do: take four, six and four in his first two overs. Williamson kept tapping Bravo for boundaries. Then again, Dhoni’s golden touch worked. Karn Sharma, IPL champion for the last two years with Sunrisers and Mumbai Indians, brought in just for this match, had Williamson stumped off a wide ball.

But, again, yet another batsman hit the ground running. Yusuf Pathan hit two boundaries in the first seven balls he faced, and the innings was back on track. Deepak Hooda fell cheaply but, at 144 for 5, Sunrisers would have backed themselves for a reprise of the destruction they executed at the end of their innings in the 2016 final.

The carnage began with 16 coming off the 18th over, bowled by Bravo, who signed off with the second-worst economy rate at death this season.

The only man worse than him was Thakur, who would bowl the 20th.

Ngidi and Thakur, though, bowled two excellent overs with six deliveries not scored off. Only 18 came off

those two overs, and Super Kings had the momentum going into the chase.

CSK played out Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan, while targeting the other bowlers ESPNcricinfo Ltd In the last match between these two sides, Bhuvneshwar tortured Watson before taking him out for a fiveball duck. Yet again, Watson took first strike. This time Bhuvneshwar missed the shoulder of his bat twice by inches in a maiden over. If Watson was under pressure, he didn’t show it. He would play out four more dots before coolly off-driving a four off Sandeep.

The pressure, though, resulted in Faf du Plessis’ wicket. Williamson went against his usual practice of bowling Bhuvneshwar for two overs at the top, one at the death and keeping one for the middle when he needs a wicket. Watson and Suresh Raina showed great awareness of what was happening. If they could play this third over out, they would have to contend with only Rashid in the middle overs. Play out they did, reaching 20 for 1 in five overs.

In the sixth over of the chase, the carnage that sealed the win began.

Watson got absolutely stuck into Sandeep and Kaul. Sandeep’s third over went for 15. Kaul made one mistake in his first over, and Watson was all over him. His over went for 16. At 51 for 1 in seven, the asking rate was back under 10.

Williamson would have ideally wanted to bowl Rashid to two righthand batsmen, Dhoni preferably one of them, given his struggles against this bowler, but Super Kings just

didn’t take any risk against him. The next four overs brought: 5, 16, 8, 15.

It is easy to tell which of these were bowled by Rashid.

Watson had brought up his fifty by then, but he wasn’t done hurting Sandeep yet. This is a time when Williamson usually goes back to Bhuvneshwar but on this night he couldn’t. Watson launched three sixes and two fours in the 13th over to practically end the chase there. Only about a run a ball was required now, which Watson and Ambati Rayudu managed without a bother.

Indian Women Lose to S. Korea 0-1 in Hockey

DONGHAE CITY, KOREA: De-

fending Champions Indian Women’s Hockey Team lost to hosts South Korea 0-1 in the Final match of the 5th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy played here at the Sunrise Stadium on Sunday. The match saw South Korea keep a resolute defence and score the only goal of the match in the 24th minute when Youngsil Lee found the back of the net.

India’s defence was tested in the early stages of the match as South Korea started the game well, winning possession in the midfield and putting pressure on the Indian defence. However, India defended their lines well as they tried to attack the hosts on the counter in what was a well-matched first quarter for both the teams. South Korea had the better chances in the first period but the teams ended the first quarter goal-less as neither team managed to find an opening.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

SPORTS

England’s Collapse, Pak’s 9-wicket Rout

L

ORD’S (ESPN Cricinfo): Pakistan 363 (Babar 68*) and 66 for 1 (Haris 39*, Imam 18*) beat England 184 (Cook 70) and 242 (Root 68, Buttler 66, Bess 57, Abbas 4-41, Amir 4-37) by nine wickets.

In the end, a good night’s sleep was all that Pakistan’s rampant cricketers needed. After enduring a few jitters in the course of England’s mini-revival on the third evening, normal service was resumed in emphatic fashion on the fourth morning at Lord’s.

With Mohammad Abbas and Amir to the fore, Pakistan scalped England’s supine lower order with four wickets for six runs in the space of 18 balls, before Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail made light of the early loss of Azhar Ali to stroll across the finish line in an unbroken second-wicket stand of 54.

Pakistan’s nine-wicket win was their second Test victory at Lord’s in consecutive visits, following a famous win under Misbah-ul-Haq in 2016, but it was arguably even more remarkable given the callow nature of a line-up that lacks any of the great batting stars of their recent history, and a bowling attack which pales in experience compared to that of their opponents.

If there were any nerves in Pakistan’s dressing room before the start of play, they were emphatically quashed by Abbas’s second delivery of the morning.

With the new ball around the corner, he thudded the old one into the front pad of Jos Buttler, a man who had done so well to take that dismissal out of the equation during his counterattacking fifty on the third evening.

Haris Sohail and Imam-ul-Haq celebrate Pakistan’s victory.

June 01, 2018

25

Mittal to Invest $1B in RBI Unearths Rs 47K Crore of Bad Loans at Top State-Run Banks Family’s Hotel Chain large delinquent firms undergoing the NEW DELHI: Bad loans at India’s process, “our estimates continue to LONDON: The family of billionfive biggest state-run banks have come at about Rs 47,000 crore more than the lenders had assessed.

Audits by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the year ended March 31, 2017, revealed the discrepancies, triggering large losses as the banks increased provisions. On adding IDBI Bank, which doesn’t feature among the biggest but got the largest chunk of a public bailout, the figure rises to about more than Rs 56,000 crore.

Hidden bad debt is a blow to the sector given that half of the country’s 22 state-run banks are already under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) strict Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) programme that restricts lending and expansion. Asset quality may worsen as tighter regulations kick in this year and stress rises in the crucial power sector. A few of the banks undergoing PCA may find it hard to survive, the RBI’s former deputy governor S S

Mundra said. That increases reliance on loan recoveries from India’s new bankruptcy process, which reported its first big success this month but is running behind schedule amid multiple legal and logistical challenges.

Shares of Bank of India, which became the latest to report the divergence, slumped 4.4 per cent as of 1 pm on Tuesday. Loss tripled to Rs 3,970 crore for the quarter ended

March 31, 2018, from Rs 1,050 crore a year earlier, the lender told the stock exchange late on Monday.

Bank of India now needs a “favorable outcome” -- loan recoveries of about 50 per cent -- from the bankruptcy process, Ravikant Bhat, an analyst at Emkay Global Financial Services, wrote in a note to clients.

With conflicting reports on likely outcomes for the so-called ‘dirty dozen’

factor in higher haircuts,” he sai Despite the bad loans, over 10 lakh bankers in government and private sectors will go on a two-day strike from Wednesday to protest against the meagre two per cent wage hike proposed by the Indian Banks’ Association.

The strike, being spearheaded by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), is likely to impact operations at several bank branches and ATMs. The bank employees decided to go ahead with the strike after a final round of negotiations with the bank association failed to resolve the deadlock on Monday.

Those whose accounts are with ICICI, HDFC, Axis, YES Bank and IndusInd will not be impacted by the strike as they have no trade unions and hence won’t participate in the two-day strike.

-Times of India

India Turns Hotspot for Global Smart Mobility Providers

C

HENNAI: India’s quest for smart mobility has made the country a hot spot for international companies to offer their latest technologies such as pod taxis, hyperloop, electric vehicles, cable cars and ropeways.

One such firm, skyTran, is a Nasa technology partner and is developing a pod car system—a driverless vehicle that runs along a pre-determined route.

The company has shown interest in building a 1km pilot track in India at its own cost to showcase its technology. According to skyTran, its product can be used as a mass rapid transit system, transporting people at 120km per hour for intercity commuting and at 200-250km per hour for intra-city travel.

Virgin Hyperloop One, formerly Hyperloop One, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, also plans to set up its low pressure or vacuum tubes, which could help

move freight and people through magnetically levitated pod-like vehicles, at a speed of 1,000-1,200km per hour.

The credit for the interest shown by overseas tech majors goes to minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, who had decided to experiment with new and faster technologies for transportation from the time he assumed office in 2014.

Since then, several key initiatives, such as a new mode of transportation

from Gurugram to Manesar, ethanolbased fuels for buses, the idea to convert India’s four-wheeler fleet to electric, were lined up.

Gadkari’s definition of smart mobility is “fast and green”. “I want to change the mobility experience in India. We are looking for different solutions and I am open to new ideas and experiments, provided they are environment-friendly and cheap so that masses can use it.”

Gadkari says his parliamentary

constituency, Nagpur city, is a test case where he had tried to showcase several new smart mobility initiatives, including electric taxis and ethanol-based public buses.

While new technologies are lining up to align themselves to smart mobility, old tech like cable cars,ropeways are also back in the limelight A government official, who did not want to be identified, said smart mobility is still evolving in India.

“It is a gamut of things and includes smart transportation solutions from taxis to buses, etc... It is also about how you access the services—through mobiles applications or websites.

“For vehicle owners, it could also be about how you travel on road, how you pay toll electronically, or get SMS alerts on the time taken to reach your destination, and even book a parking space before you reach there.”

-Live Mint

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

aire Sunil Mittal, who controls India’s biggest mobile-phone operator, is looking to pump more than $1 billion into a hotel chain founded by his son-in-law in London, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The money, which would come from a unit of Mittal’s Bharti Group that handles the founding family’s wealth, would fund acquisitions by Sharan Pasricha’s Ennismore, a developer that owns the Gleneagles resort and Hoxton hotel chain, which is expanding in the US and Europe, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private.

The injection would help Pasricha acquire and convert properties in trendy urban areas in US and European cities into hotels aimed at appealing to younger travelers. Hoxton, known for its casual atmosphere and affordable rates, operates two hotels in the London neighborhoods of Shoreditch and Holborn and one each in Amsterdam and Paris. The brand has 667 rooms across these three cities.

Ennismore said in an email it’s partners with Bharti Global, which makes investments for the Mittal family, and declined to comment further. A Bharti Global representative declined to comment.

Pasricha, who’s married to Mittal’s daughter Eiesha, ran a media startup, then a leather-goods factory and private equity before getting into the hotel business.

Pasricha acquired the first Hoxton in Shoreditch, an east London neighborhood known for street art.

The second in Holborn in 2014 was followed by Amsterdam in 2015 and Paris in 2017.

Mittal is planning to pump $1 billion in son-in-law’s hotel chain.

26 June 01, 2018

WORD SEARCH

H.D. Kumaraswamy Wins Karnataka Trust Vote After BJP Walks Out BENGALURU: Karnataka chief speaker unanimously before the trust chief minister without the numbers minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday pledged to “bring a new political environment” as he proved a slim majority for the alliance between the Congress and his Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), bringing to close a prolonged drama over government formation in the coveted southern state.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by B.S. Yeddyurappa, walked out before Kumaraswamy proved his majority in the 224-seat house with the support of 77 members of the Congress, 36 of the JD(S), one member of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and two independents, taking the total to 116 (Kumaraswamy had won from two seats) and crossing the 112 simple majority mark.

K.R. Ramesh Kumar of the Congress, who was elected assembly

vote, was not required to cast his vote.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition emerged after voters returned a fractured verdict in the 12 May assembly polls in Karnataka—an election played up for its significance ahead of the 2019 general election.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, but the Congress with 78 seats and the JD(S) with 38 (along with its pre-poll ally BSP) formed a post-poll alliance.

In remarks to the assembly, Kumaraswamy said his government will continue all the programmes of the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and will waive farmers’ loans, adding, “We won’t take loans to fulfil programmes from the manifesto”.

“A new political environment will

Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy. Photo:Mint

grow from the soil of Karnataka,” Kumaraswamy said before the trust vote.

Yeddyurappa, having resigned as

needed to prove the BJP’s majority, launched a bitter attack on Kumaraswamy. Almost choking with emotion, he likened Kumaraswamy to Duryodhana, the antagonist in the epic Mahabharata.

Yeddyurappa warned the new government of a state-wide bandh if it did not waive all farmer loans by Friday evening. The JD(S) had promised to waive Rs53,000 crore of farm loans in its election manifesto.

Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in on Wednesday was showcased as a possible prelude to opposition strategy for the 2019 general election, with the top leaders from all parties opposing the BJP attending it.

-livemint.com

Narendra Modi Inaugurates Two Expressways

PM Narendra Modi with union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and UP governor Ram Naik inaugurates the 135 km long Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Na-

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rendra Modi on Sunday said that infrastructure was a key priority sector and his government spent over Rs3 trillion on national highways alone, besides allocating Rs5 trillion for the Bharatmala project, aimed at improving road connectivity across the country.

Modi was addressing a rally at Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat after inaugurating two important highways—the first phase of the 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

The PM said that infrastructure was a priority because it did not discriminate against people on the basis of class, caste or gender, and strengthens his commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas.

He said all the four modes of transport – highways, railways, airways and inland waterways – are making rapid progress. “Highway construction has reached 27 km per day as against the 12 km per day recorded during the Congress regime.” Modi added a day will come when products manufactured in Uttar Pradesh will

be directly transported to sea ports through inland waterways.

Regarding sugarcane dues in Uttar Pradesh which has become a political issue in the upcoming Kairana bypoll, the PM said his government is sensitive to the famers’ plight and has taken adequate steps to provide proper prices for their crop. He also lauded the efforts of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, stating that criminals in the state are now surrendering and pledging not to indulge in illegal activities.

The Eastern Peripheral Expressway was built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore to decongest Delhi’s traffic, while the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will reduce the commuting between the two cities from four hours to 45 minutes, once completed.

The two projects aimed at reducing travel time and decongest Delhi have several new features, including solar power, auto-challans for over-speeding, tolling for distance travelled and weigh-in-motion equipment to stop entry of over-loaded vehicles, water harvesting and fountains.

-livemint.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Imran Khan Eyes Victory as Pakistan Announces Elections on July 25

I

Imran Khan

SLAMABAD: Pakistani cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan’s party vowed Sunday to oust the country’s “corrupt” rulers, as the nucleararmed state announced it will hold general elections on July 25.

The poll will bring to a head political tensions that have been building since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court on corruption charges and later barred from politics for life.

Khan is hoping to achieve a yearslong dream of leading the country as its prime minister, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the main challenger to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which was headed by Sharif until his ban. PTI leaders have said they are confident they will be able to defeat the PML-N. “The Pakistani nation... can see the dawn of a new Pakistan, which will not be ruled by the corrupt,” the party said in a statement posted Sunday on Twitter along with a graphic that read “Mafia’s Game Over”.

“Stop us if you can,” it said in another tweet. The bullish comments came after Pakistan’s president Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday approved July 25 as the date for the elections, which offer the prospect of what would be only the second-ever democratic transfer of power in the South Asian country. The current government, led

by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days. Despite Sharif’s ouster, the ruling party says it has invested in improving Pakistan’s rickety infrastructure and attracted billions of dollars in Chinese investment. It has also denied allegations of graft against its leadership by opponents like Khan.

PTI has vowed to fight corruption, presenting itself as a polar opposite of what it calls status-quo politicians.

Since he was ousted, Sharif and the PML-N have become increasingly vocal in their confrontation with the country’s powerful military establishment and the courts, claiming there is a conspiracy afoot to reduce the party’s power.

Political analyst Hasan Askari said PTI was heading into the election with momentum on its side, but stopped short of predicting a win at the polls that would allow the party to form a government.

-TOI

June 01, 2018

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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June 01, 2018

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