Friday, August 01 2014 | Vol. 33, No. 31
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Indo American erican News
www.indoamerican-news.com Published weekly from Houston, TX
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Grandparents Delight IACF Brings Fun to Three Generations
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The IACF Board members at the Desi Grandparents Day at India House. From left, Dr. Mahendra Jain, Kamala Raghvan, Dr. Ajay Jain, Alpa Shah and Ramesh Cheriviralal.
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August 01, 2014
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY BY VANSHIKA VIPIN
SUGAR LAND: After bringing Bollywood’s biggest star, Farhan Akhtar to Houston for a good cause resulting in the biggest desi rock concert that Houston has ever seen, it is obvious that Magic Bus Houston’s next event is awaited eagerly. The Magic Bus board met on Tuesday, July 22 at Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land. Members of the media were invited to the event to get involved in an interactive discussion with the board members about the upcoming Gala. The Gala is scheduled on October 11, reception at 6.30 PM and proceedings begin by 7.00 PM at J. W. Marriot, 5150 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77056, on the second floor. The board meeting got under way when Amit Bhandari, President of Magic Bus Houston, welcomed everyone and spoke about the upcoming Gala. He spoke first about the organization itself. Magic Bus (magicbus.org) is a nonprofit organization based in Mumbai with over 8000 volunteers and operations in fourteen states in India that impact over 250,000 children. The organization’s goals are simple – to change the course of children’s lives, one game at a time. Specifically, Magic Bus uses a unique, activity-based methodology to teach children about education, gender equality, health, and social issues by engaging them in games that reinforce positivity. Girls who participate in the Magic Bus program are much more likely to finish school and go on to higher education or get a job. Magic Bus USA’s Leadership Team is only a part of the global Magic Bus team, a distinguished collection of philanthropists, entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, and celebrities who share one common characteristic – a strong belief in the power of the Magic Bus approach. Amit also outlined some of the features of the gala including the announcement of Ram Shriram, venture capitalistic and Google board member as the keynote speaker for the Gala. Shriram, the first Google investor is a board member of both the US chapter and the International chapter of Magic Bus. He is a very generous supporter and for him to agree to deliver the keynote address is very encouraging for the Houston chapter. Kevin Negandhi will be the master of ceremonies at the Houston Gala. Kevin is ESPN
August 01, 2014
Board Gets Magic Bus on the Road Again
Magic Bus Board Members: From left: Brij Kathuria, Jugal Malani, Dr. Sunita Moonat, Amit Bhandari, Swatantra Jain, and Mona Parikh (missing board members: Gopal Savjani and Dr. H.D. Patel) Photo: Vanshika Vipin
sports anchor who hails from Houston and has an avid following in the younger generations of South Asians. Amit mentioned that the entire Houston board was very thankful to Kevin for agreeing to emcee the gala since Kevins’s involvements with sports matches Magic Bus’s vision as a supporter of sports and using sports as a medium for mentoring and getting out of poverty. Nearly 400 people are expected to join the gala. Amit Bhandari along with the entire Magic Bus Houston board is requesting support from the entire community with a goal to hosting a successful event and raise as much money as possible to support the noble cause. In conclusion, Amit Bhandari asked the board members to introduce themselves and their activities. Brief board member introductions: Amit Bhandari, president of Magic Bus USA, moved to Houston about 7 years ago. He is a chemical engineer who turned into a businessman dealing in commodity trading about seven years ago. He became a member of Magic Bus USA and Magic Bus International board in 2013. Arpita Bhandari ably supports her husband in the Magic Bus endeavor. Arpita expressed that though they are attached to different charities, Magic bus touched her in a different way. She informed the media that Magic Bus is a 10 yearlong program for a child, starting from the age of 8 or 9. It not only teaches hygiene, gen-
der equality, education, but also incorporates all the things in real life scenario. And this is what she loved about it and mentioned that all her 3 children have attended Magic Bus camps. Their oldest daughter Aanya Bhandari was present and happily shared her experience about Magic Bus slums that she visited in Mumbai. Dr. H.D. Patel, has lived in the USA for over 25 years and has been involved in various levels with the Indian Doctor’s Association, has been part of many charities and is happy to be a part of Magic Bus. Mona Parikh, an attorney by profession is also involved in some of the leading organizations in Houston where she has served as the president. She talked about the lack of sports infrastructure in India and how Magic Bus is now addressing this problem Brij Kathuria, has been residing in Houston for over 30 years. Brij was executive at HP/Compaq for many years and currently very active in Indo-American non-profit organizations. He is the backbone of the planning and execution of the upcoming gala. Dr. Sunita Moonat, is a practicing gynecologist who is also a past president of the Indian Doctor’s Association, and spearheaded the development of this association’s Charity Clinic that has been serving thousands of people without health insurance in Houston for the past 10 years. She said that knowing Amit, she was confident
about the money being utilized in the right way in Magic Bus so it was the main reason for her to join and support it. Swatantra Jain, partner at the trading company, Vinmar International has also been a part of Pratham as a past president and is on their national board. He is also the CFO of Pratham USA. Actively involved with JVB Preksha meditation center, he is happy to be a part of all these non-profits as they support people. Jugal Malani, CEO at Unique Industrial Product Company has been involved with various nonprofit organizations in the Houston Area. He is the current President of India House, Houston. Amit and Arpita introduced him to magic bus, and he believes it is a very good cause and therefore, is supporting the organization. Gopal V. Savjani, (who was unable to attend the meeting) is an entrepreneur and the former owner of Diagnostic Systems Labs and is currently involved in medical
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research. He is a well-respected philanthropist and contributes to scholarship funds. After the board members were introduced, Amit informed the audience about additional Magic Bus activities in India and worldwide, including exciting news that actor Amir Khan will be doing a Magic Bus special on his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate . Another encouraging note is that the Department of State in US is supporting the Global circle of giving, within which a young professional from US will mentor a young girl in India. The idea is to pick a child at the age of 8 or 9 and mentor them till they are 18 and the US government will set aside money for each mentoring session. And when the girl reaches 18 and goes to college, this money will be released to pay for college in India. This program will also include involving professionals from Microsoft. Celebrities like actress and fashion designer Georgina Chapman, has committed $250,000 to Magic Bus. Magic Bus is also supported by Bollywood movie stars like Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor, Dino Morea, John Abraham, Frieda Pinto. They have a Bollywood soccer team that plays friendly matches to raise money. Other Magic Bus supports include web retailer Amazon.com with 0.5% of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases being donated to Magic Bus USA. Nike has been supporting training programs for Magic Bus’ field delivery and staff across India since 2010. The board meeting ended with a question- answer session followed by a Guajarati style vegetarian dinner. Come support this great cause in their upcoming Gala on October 11, 6.30 PM at J. W. Marriot. For further information about Magic Bus visit www.magicbususa.org or like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ MagicBusUSA
C Little Champs ICSinging Contest UP
Is now open for children in the age group 5 to 13 years. There is no restriction of language and the audition for this is Free. The Selected champs would be presented to perform on the ICC Stage and Awarded during the IFEST on August 16th at the Stafford Center. The auditions are slated for August 10th 2014,, at India House, in the afternoon from 12 - 3 PM, and the last date to register is August 4th. For more information about this,
please call Ajit Patel @ 713-557-2536 or visit: www.icchouston.org
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August 01, 2014
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COMMUNITY BY MALAY VYAS SUGAR LAND: The word Wok evokes more than just the image of a cooking vessel, suddenly there is aroma, sizzle, heat and taste at the same time. Add the word Masala and now there’s an immediate hunger pang for something spicy, wholesome and mouth-watering. And yet when you walk through the doors of Masala Wok, you realize that this is no ordinary Indian restaurant. Far from it, Masala Wok is ‘Casual, Asian, Indian’. There are absolutely no buffets here, haven’t been at any in the last 11 years since the first Masala Wok restaurant opened in Richardson, Texas in 2003. Houstonians didn’t have to wait too long, a year later Masala Wok on Westheimer and
Briarpark bringing the unique flavor of ‘Indo-Chinese’ food to the bustling space city. But its not just “Indo-Chinese” as the correspondents of IAN discovered last weekend. Opened less than a year ago, the Masala Wok
August 01, 2014
Wok the Talk
restaurant in Sugar Land, the menu now offers a wider variety of Asian cuisine to serve the discerning palate. The smartly dressed staff at the ordering desk is very knowledgeable and more then
willing to recommend entrées based on your taste. The ambiance at the Sugar Land store is elegant and
Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036., tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.
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Masala Wok - Sugar Land
casual at the same time. There are family style booths for a comfortable sit down meal as well as bar stools and elevated tables for the young at heart. The interior walls really bring out the fusion as the murals depict skylines of various Indian cities as well as Asian architecture. There’s even a small
lounge with sofas arranged for a more relaxed feel. Masala Wok even offers Free Wifi and has a robust rewards program for repeat customers who get $10 off on every $100 spent at any Masala Wok locations. The rewards program works off your phone number so there are no cards to carry. The original idea of “Masala Wok” was to offer quality south-
asian food at a quick pace. This in itself was a radical ‘out-ofthe-box’ strategy in a land where Indian food is automatically linked to large buffet spread of curries and naans. The
menu at Masala Wok was built around noodles and fried rice. The current menu has evolved to offering Indian and Asian Entrees on two separate pages. To an avid foodie like this author, it was a novelty to order Chicken Tikka Masala from page 1 to Kung Pao chicken on page 2. The expanse of the menu defined the vision – casual, Asian, Indian. The success is in the science behind the recipes. Every recipe is broken down to the ingredients and
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their exact measurements. This brings consistency of taste across different locations. The management at Masala Wok revamps their menu every year – the popular dishes are enhanced while newer innovations are added. The chicken tikka masala rules the menu across the board at every location, the reason? Its been fine tuned a number of times. For 2014, new entrees include the Mughlai sauce, the green curry, the Mongolian dish and pepper noodles. Each of these new dishes have been welcomed by the regular clients at various Masala Wok locations. The recipes are backed by an efficient operations and logistics plan that ensures freshness of the ingredients and availability of raw materials at all lo-
cations. T h e menu even has a Kids’ section – another first for an “Indian” restaurant but then Masala Wok is not your typical “Indian” restaurant – the continually evolving menu has entrées that measure upto perfection. Such perfection doesn’t depend on media or press advertisements but rather let the Wok do the talk… and talked it has to its clients through the language of food. The Masala Wok now talks at two locations in Houston and one more coming up shortly in Katy, Texas.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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August 01, 2014
COMMUNITY
Shakuntla Malhotra Recalls Her 86 Years for the FIS Oral History Project
Library’s servers for anyone to view on line. It has been a labor of love for Vavilala, a retired 78 year-old electrical engineer who gave up work completely two years ago to devote his Golden Years to this project and other community work. He has raised some money for the project from a fundraiser and other sources, and has, by the dint of his persuasive skills, been able to get studio and editing time from Houston Community College and even set up a tiny studio in some donated office space by Northwest mall. It was through this same tenacity that Vavilala had secured a recording slot at the HCC Cash Road campus for my mother’s interview. And, as I have done for a few other people in the project, I had the honor and somewhat nervous task of interviewing my own mother without resortShakuntla Malhotra cutting her 86th birthday cake at a celebration at Nirvana Restaurant this past Sunday, July 27 and in a group picture with ing to calling her “mama” her grandson Stefan (right) and his friend Alexandra, and her son Jawahar (left). Photos: Bijay Dixit and referring to my father as “your husband” because this interview would be seen BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA quality many who know her admire. Still, it may But if anything at all, Shakuntla by many people, it is hoped, HOUSTON: Perhaps it was the hardiness have been a little daunting for my 85 year-old Malhotra enjoys the company of oth- worldwide and years into the future too. of her rural upbringing that taught her to be mother to sit in front of a television camera and ers and makes friends quickly, even if Mama’s story is typical of her generation focused and not give into her fears or it is do a live interview, all in one take, in a language this time it was with becoming com- who was from West Punjab and had to flee the wisdom of her years from which she – English - that is her third (her mother tongue is fortable with a TV camera! She was for their lives when the Partition of India haphas learnt the calmness that she exudes, a Punjabi, then comes Hindi) and speaking softly. taking part in the ongoing Indo Ameri- pened in August 1947. She related how her can Oral History Project that is being father’s father had land in the Jhung area, managed and propelled forward by near the Jhelum River; how she was born in the Foundation for India Studies since Lahore and then grew up in Lyallpur (since its inception nearly three years ago. renamed Faisalabad after a visit by King As the visionary and founder of the Faisal of Saudi Arabia); how she got married project, Krishna Vavilala explained, at 19 and had to run for her life on one of the the idea is to digitally capture some of last trains out of the newly created Pakistan; the faces and moments from our desi how her extended family of 36 members lived community for posterity. in a two room flat; how my father joined the Towards this end, 28 Indo Americans Government of India, first in the Ministry of from the Bayou City have so far been Broadcasting and later in the Ministry of Forinterviewed and the recordings digi- eign Affairs. tized and saved to the Houston Public CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Shakuntla Malhotra sat for an interview for the FIS Oral History project in June at the HCC Southwest Campus on Cash Road. Interviewing her was her son, Jawahar Malhotra, who has also conducted several interviews of other notable Indians for the project. INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
August 01, 2014
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COMMUNITY
August 01, 2014
HMM Hosts Ras Barase
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HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) hosted “Ras Barase...” concert on 20th July at 4:00 PM at Durga Bari Auditorium in Houston. “Ras Barase...” is a theme based two hours scripted show, written by a famous writer/music composer - Pravin Joshi from Pune. The show has a variety of famous and catchy Hindi-Marathi songs which flows through the stream of “Navarasa”. This event is organized by HMM Member Shreyas and Manasi Bedekar along with other notable HMM Members and Artists. Shreyas Bedekar is a resident of Houston who was selected as a finalist for the SARE-GA-MA-PA contest at 2013 BMM Convention. In 1999, Shreyas also performed in Zee TV - SA RE GA MA in India. Ras Barase event was definitely a house full and a super hit show! People danced, whistled and stayed focused for 2.5 hrs. Attendees commented that they did not even realize when the event ended. At one point, it just felt that India’s great freedom fighters were in the room when the artists effectively sang a famous patriotic song. Some people shouted slogans of Inquilab Zindabad when the song ended. Thanks to all enthusiastic audience for attending this event. The anchoring, stage effects, songs all just came together very well. HMM thanked all the following artists including, Shreyas Bedekar (Program Organization, Singer, Chorus, and Harmonium), Omkar Deshpande (Singer and Chorus), Amit Bhagwat (Singer and Tabla), Jayendra
Prabhukhot (Tabla and Dholak), Ambrish Prabhukhot (Piano, Sound effects and Harmonium), Mohan Ketkar (Side Rhythms), Amol Ganpate (Guitar and Chorus), Akshay Deshpande (Nivedan), Manasi Joshi (Program Organization, Nivedan). HMM specially thanked Omkar Deshpande who took the time to perform for HMM from New Jersey. Omkar Deshpande, one of the singers in “Ras Barase...” concert, is a well rounded vocalist. He was a finalist of Indian Idol season 1 and was a favorite among the judges. The past Mayor of Dombivali, Mumbai Shree. Patwari, HMM Member Sindhutai Hardikar, and HMM President Megha Ozarker congratulated the artists for their efforts and hard work. All artists were presented with a beautiful hand-made “Man Patra” prepared by Vaibhavi Kotnis. HMM front desk operations team, Aditya Raje, Koushik Gumaste, Kumud Deshpande and Gajanan Borikar along with Megha Ozarker and Yogesh Dalvi were able to check in the 300 attendees very quickly. Isha Amte and Savita Kale along with several volunteers including Anil and Smita Gokahle, Ankoor Sonawane were able to serve delicious food items from Vishala Restaurant. Devina Kirloskar single handedly took care of the stage lighting while Suyash Gadkari, Chaitrali Alegaonkar, and Ravi Ozarker took care of the audio visuals. Rajesh Thatte and Rohan Patil took extremely nice photographs of this event. Some of these photographs can be seen on HMM website http://www.hmmhouston. org/
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COMMUNITY
BY SHALU KESWANI HOUSTON: Guru Poornima celebrations were performed with much gala and fanfare at the Jalaram Saibaba Temple located in Little India on Hillcroft. Guru Poornima is the full moon (Poornima) day in the auspicious period of Ashadha (July-August). This year it fell on July 10 and 11 and was celebrated joyously by devotees who performed pooja and made offerings to Sai Baba of Shirdi. Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was a spiritual master who is regarded as a saint, fakir, avatar (reincarnation of God) or Sadguru according to their individual beliefs. Sai Baba stressed the importance of surrender to the guidance of the true Sadguru, or the True Master, who having gone through the path to consciousness himself, led the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training. He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and Guru. He made no distinction based on religion or caste, and his teachings combined
elements of Hinduism and Islam. Shirdi Sai Baba has devotees, in India and all around the world, who come from different backgrounds, financial status, caste, religion, and so on. One of the most significant and purposeful teachings Sai Baba stressed is, “sabka malik ek,” which means that everyone has only one God. This saying is epitomized in all his devotees’ feelings and thoughts. At the Hillcroft Jalaram Panchamrita Saibaba Temple, volunteers and devotees got together and participated in Sai Baba’s Abhishekham. His Holiness’s Abhishekham was performed using Panchamrita (milk, ghee, yoghurt, honey and sugar) to which tulsi leaves were also added. The, also called Charnamrit, it is used for offering to gods as well as to bathe them. Abhishekham was performed using coconut water, sugarcane juice, rose water and Ganga Jal (holy water from river Ganges) and Udi (Vibhuti or sacred ash).
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Devotees Celebrate Guru Poornima at Jalarama Saibaba Temple Baba used to distribute Udi to devotees for treatment of all ills and worries. After Abhishekham, Sai Baba was dressed in new clothes and Pagri (a spiracle type of head dress from India). Sandhya (dhoop or evening) Aarti was performed and Prasadam was given to devotees as dinner. Palkhi Seva of Sai Baba was also performed for the first time at the Hillcroft temple. All the devotees heartily took blessings of Baba. The evening ended with Shej (night) Arti performed for Sai Baba. The event was managed and organized by volunteers with overwhelming support of devotees who sponsored with heart and soul and helped make this event, a moment to remember and cher-
ish. Jalaram Sai Baba Temple is located at 5645 Hillcroft Ave, Suite 104-105, Houston, TX 77036. The temple is open every day from 10am to 7pm. Thursday evening (Dhoop/sandhya) arti is at 8pm and night (Shej) arti is at
10pm. Dinner is served as Prasadam at 8:30pm. Volunteers are always welcome by contributing their time towards the service of Baba, as well as community programs like bone marrow drives, yoga and meditation classes in the temple
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
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Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston Inc. 6640 Harwin Dr, Houston, TX 77036
A Hearty Invitation to all Hindu Devotees to celebrate
Shraavan Maas — July 27 to August 25
Let us Celebrate Shraavan Maas
The First Jyotir Lingam, a Replica of Bhagvan Somnath & Maa Shri Umiyaji, in Houston. Please Come with your family and Friends and pray at Our New Temple.
||Om Namah Shivay|| BY VANSHIKA VIPIN
• Mahapuja Every Monday at 5:00 PM. Arati 7:00 pm. • List your name for Pooja with the Priest. Abhishek will continue for the whole day. • For Mahapooja, a donation of $201.00 is appreciated, Abhishek during daytime a donation of $21.00 is appreciated. • Please bring Milk for Abhishek & Prasad is welcome. • Shravan Maas starts from Sunday, July, 27, 2014 and ends on Somvati Amavasya, Monday,August 25,.2014. • Full Prasad will be served after Arati Donate generously for the New Temple. No donation is big or small for the Temple.
On all Mondays of Shravan Maas that is July 28, August 4, 11, 18 & 25 there will be different Shringar Darshan of Mahadevji. Yajman or Donation is welcome for Shringar Darshan & Mahaprasad Daily Pooja is open for everyone.
Devotees willing to sit in Havan & Pooja may give their names to our Priest Shri Hardik Raval Tel: 361-243-6539 or 713-278-9099
Sanatan Shiv Shakthi Mandir is located at 6640 Harwin Dr. Note: We do not have any other Temple at 5645 Hillcroft Ste: 701
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
August 01, 2014
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Yoga at India House for Peace of Mind and Weight Reduction
Attendees participating during the Yoga session at India House on Tuesday, July 22. Photo: Vanshika Vipin
BY VANSHIKA VIPIN HOUSTON: India House hosted a lecture on Peace of Mind, Diet and Yoga for Weight Reduction on Tuesday, July 22 at their O.P. Jindal Center, located at 8888 West Bellfort, Houston, TX
Swami Roop Chandraji Maharaj
77031 at 6.00 PM. India House General Manager, Vipin Kumar welcomed more than a hundred attendees. Vipin also introduced Swamiji Poojya Acharya Shri Roop Chandraji Maharaj who is the lifetime president of the Manav Mandir Mission Trust, New Delhi. This trust also has branches in major cities of India. Acharya Shri Roop Chandraji Maharaj is an academician, a philosopher, a writer and a poet. This is in addition to the fact that he is also a renowned scholar of Jain studies. He has rendered extraordinary service to humanity and human development armed with a visionary zeal and total commitment. He has travelled within India as well as internationally to promote global peace, non-violence, universal brotherhood and spiritual values. Manav Mandir Trust is a place where Acharya ji has adopted more than 45-orphaned children. The Trust raises these children as its own providing accommodation, food, schools, extra-curricular activities, colleges – everything a child needs until he/she
is ready to be independent. Acharyaji has also successfully practiced many methods of deep meditation. In the practice of mantra yoga, he has undergone the rare and profound experience of Samadhi. Through this experience, he has devised easy ways and means of giving sol-
Arun Tiwari
Dr. Sohan Veer Singh
ace and relief to the turbulent and tension ridden person of today. His Biography “Hans Akela” in a novel format was released by Pratibha Patil, the former president of India. In addition, he has written two dozens of books on religion, philosophy and poetry. On this tour of USA, Acharyaji is accompanied by two associates –Arun Tiwari, a Yoga Expert and Dr. Sohan Veer Singh, an Ayurveda and Reiki expert. Swamiji started the Yoga session with the Om Mantra. He mentioned that he has been visiting Houston since 1991, and visited Jain center
and Gujarati Samaj in his previous trips. This was his first time at India House. He focused on the question “ How do we get peace?” In spite of living in this country and having all the comforts we do not have peace of mind. We are attached to materialist things and that creates discomfort and takes us away from our natural self. He gave an apt example: A small boy goes to the mela (fair) and while holding his father’s hand, enjoys all the things in the mela. However, if he leaves his fathers hand, he will be lost so cannot enjoy the mela and then does not have peace of mind. In other words, both the mela and the father’s hand are important for his enjoyment and peace of mind. Likewise, there is no peace of mind in real world because people are only with materialist things and have lost their spiritual side. Acharyaji was happy to notice that people in America are now making their kids aware of our language and our heritage, especially the spiritual heritage, which is very important for peace of mind. He explained the basic difference between the philosophy of Dharam (religion) and Vigyaan (Science). As per dharam, the father is ish-
For advertising Call: Vanshika Vipin
713.789.NEWS (6397)
CONTINUED ON PAGE
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COMMUNITY
Radhika & Lakshmi – The Rhythmic Duo BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: Two sisters – the older Radhika Achari beautiful, poised and collected and the younger Lakshmi Achari fiery, energetic, and charismatic performed their joint Odissi Rangapravesh at the Jewish Community Center the evening of June 28, 2014. It is interesting to note that although the sisters performed their Rangapravesh together in the same dance style, they did it under the tutelage of two different gurus, Lakshmi under Guru Smt. Supradipta Datta, and Radhika under Guru Smt. Aparupa Chatterjee. Lakshmi and Radhika started learning dance at the early ages of 5 and 6 respectively. Their first introduction to Indian classical dance was under the men-
torship of Bharatnatyam dancer, Guru Smt Rathna Kumar. Radhika, who had begun learning from Supradipta had took a hiatus when she went off to attend Texas A&M University to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology. It was there that she was able to find in Aparupa, a mentor who rekindled her old passion for Odissi. Lakshmi, on the other hand, was not particularly interested in Odissi when she initially started accompanying her sister for the classes. It was only when her sister moved away, that she came to her own and began to blossom as an Odissi dancer while simultaneously working on her high school graduation. After the traditional Lord Jagannath puja, emcee Ratna Sinha, the girls’ aunt, charmingly and eloquently took us through the evening proceedings in her inimitable style. The recital started with Mangalacharan, invoking the blessings of mother earth, the gods, the gurus and the audience. This was followed by Aravi Pallavi, a beautiful tapestry of lyrical movements and typical sculpturesque poses performed by Radhika. Next, Lakshmi beautifully performed a pure abhinaya piece, “Patha Chhadi De” depicting the playful interaction between young Lord Krishna and Radha.
The next dance, “Ardhanarishwara” describing the contrasting yet complementary attributes of the masculine (Shiva) and the feminine (Shakti) energies of the universe and was wonderfully executed by Radhika performing the Shiva bhaava and Lakshmi performing the Shakti bhaava. It was very heartwarming to hear teachers, relatives, friends, siblings, gurus, and parents talk about the special places the two sisters hold in their hearts and share interesting anecdotes about both. The second half of the program began with another Pallavi based on the raga Hansadhwani, performed by Lakshmi, who exhibited her mastery in speedy and intricate footwork. This was followed by “Lalita Lavanga Lata”, from Jaydev’s Geeta Govinda and Radhika performed the longing of Radha for Krishna and brought this dance to perfection. In the next performance, “Sri Rama Chandra Kripalu Bhajamana”, the rhythmic duo displayed many modern, innovative dance moves while highlighting the different facets of Lord Rama’s life. The final dance, the “Mokshya Mangalam”, brought the evening to an end, an evening which epitomized and rewarded the immense hard work by the talented young Odissi students and their Gurus. Special mention and thanks to Bhojan for the scrumptious meal, Piyal Sen Gupta for the colorful brochure, Shraddha Shah for the beautiful invitations, and Amitava Sarkar for photographing the event. Photographer: Amitava Sarkar Lakshmi
Radhika
Yoga at India House for Peace of Mind and Weight Reduction CONTINUED FROM PAGE
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war (god), and as per vigyaan the father is bandar (apes). He emphasized that we need to take care of our heritage both in the US and in India. He quoted “ Kashti hamari doobi, ye gam tha, lekin is baat ka bhi gam tha, jaha doobi, waha paani kam tha”. Adding that seva (service) connects us with the entire world. He ended with a quote by Rabindranath Tagore “sun was about to set, so he called everyone and asked who will take my responsibility? Only a diya (lamp) came forward and said I will take responsibility of only how much I can” Therefore, if you cannot do lots, still do some of it and help from your side. It makes a lot of difference. After Acharyaji’s lecture, Arun Tiwari took the stage and demonstrated various
yoga postures on a chair and on the floor. He invited an eager audience to follow him in the yoga asanas. He advised the audience on sitting postures with a straight back. He performed the Gyan Mudra, which increases the capacity of lungs by improving the ability to inhale more air there by helping in brain nerve exercise. Tiwari also demonstrated a technique of getting rid of fatigue with postures that can easily be followed and performed even at a work desk. He showed the right ways of sitting on the floor and getting up. Yoga techniques for weight reduction were also demonstrated and were the key feature of the evening. Dr. Sohan Veer then took over with a very informative lecture on diet especially in the domain of Indian cuisine. In conclusion, Dr. Virendra Mathur, Trustee, India House, delivered the vote of thanks by acknowledging the contri-
bution of Swamiji and his team as well as the audience. True to the healthy nature of the camp, India House served bananas and water as prasad to the camp attendees. For further information and for upcoming events at India House contact Vipin Kumar at vipin@indiahousein.org or 713929-1900. See ad on page 15
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Three Generations Have Fun Together at IACF’s Desi Grandparents Day BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Under the gaze of a doting grandparent, with their steadying hand on the shoulder and a word of encouragement whispered in the ear, young kids and their parents came as three generations together to have some fun and get some expert medical advice at the first Desi Grandparents Day held this past Saturday, July 26 at India House. This first ever event was organized by the Indo American Charity Foundation under their Senior Care and Healthcare initiatives. “Interest for the event was high from the beginning,” said IACF President Ramesh Cherivirala
Kids played at the Moonwalk and then paired up with their Grandparents to do a Spoon and Lemon Race outdoors.
Mahesh Shah helped serve the breakfast that his restaurant Madras Pavilion had sponsored for Desi Grandparents Day
who had championed the effort by joining hands with the India Senior Citizens Association to hold the event at the same day and time as the ISCA’s monthly meeting. It allowed the seniors to add an entertaining and educational dimension to their regular event. ISCA’s President Arvind Patel and coordinator Ravi Arora helped pull the event together and spread the word for the seniors. The DGPD event ended with the ISCA regular meeting from noon till 2pm followed by lunch sponsored by Dr. Arun Banker and family. According to Cherivirala, almost
300 people attended the morninglong event from 9 to noon that featured an outdoors Spoon and Lemon race in which both the elderly and grandkids participated and a couple of air mattress Moon Walks, while the musical chairs was held inside. Both generations excitedly tried to win the competitions, encouraging each other along with peals of laughter. The S&L race was won by Harshi Desai and Raju Kadakia with Aaska and Sushila Mistry in second place. The musical Chairs were won by Bhavya and Ranjana Arora, with Vihaan Patel and Anil Amin coming in second. The morning started with a filling breakfast of upma, idlis, muf-
Dr. Mahendra Jain(left) organized a health fair and diagnostic counselling with representatives from Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Randall’s and his own practice. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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Three Generations Have Fun Together at IACF’s Desi Grandparents Day
Kids with their grandparents waited between stops of the Musical Chairs contest. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
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fins, coffee, juice and bananas sponsored by Madras Pavilion restaurant of Sugar Land and arranged by IACF Director Alpa Shah. Other activities included face painting and paintings made by the youngsters for their grandparents in one of the rooms in India House and organized by IACF Director Neeta Balsaver. Several items were raffled off and all the elderly got free pillboxes as door prizes. Apart from the fun and games, the young people were able to show their concern for the welfare
of their elderly by taking them to one of six medical diagnostic booths arranged inside the main hall, which offered screenings and advise on several topics, all of which was arranged by IACF Director Dr. Mahendra Jain who brought together other professionals to provide their expertise. Jain’s Houston Methodist Primary Care group partnered with Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital to provide blood pressure screening, general consultation and fielded questions from the elderly. They also provided give-
Shakuntla Malhotra Recalls Her 86 Years for the FIS Oral History Project CONTINUED FROM PAGE
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Haltingly and pausing for the right words, mama declared that no Punjabi would beg for help after the Partition, that she and the other women of the family would sew their own clothes, knit their own sweaters, and welcomed all who needed a place to stay. “When my husband became a diplomat, his first posting was to London,” mama recalled, “and the whole family came to the railway station to give our family a resounding farewell.” From there, there were postings to Karachi, Pakistan (“my mother was afraid for us to go there,” she remembered), then Teheran, Iran; Bern, Switzerland and finally Bucharest, Romania where they had to live through a
devastating earthquake. After retiring to New Delhi, the Malhotras lived quietly in their own 3-story house until my father passed away in 2003. In 2004, mama moved to Houston to stay with me, her younger son. It has been quite a remarkable journey for mama, from the farmlands and prosaic rural settings of a small town in West Punjab to becoming a world traveler and then finally living her Golden Years in America, learning to cope with a new culture and lifestyle and getting comfortable with fluency in another language at her age. But she has taken it in stride, just as she had to cope with the massive upheavals that shaped her youth. And in doing so, through her own discipline and interest in peo-
aways. including a tote bag with a water bottle and bandaids to each of the attendees. “The Hospital was so impressed by the response that they have already signed on to participate next year,” said Jain afterwards. “We will also have a more local physicians attending with us next year.” In addition, there was osteoporosis screening and general pharmacy questions provided by Randall’s/Safeway under the assistance of their regional pharmacy manager Heta Shah. Dietician Mita Patel assisted the attendees in making smart food choices for various medical conditions and dietary restrictions. IACF President-elect Dr. Kamala Raghavan asked everyone to participate in the upcoming Gala event on Saturday, September 20 and the Ace of Hearts for Charity event on Saturday, August 2 at the Aloft Hotel in the Galleria area where IACF will distribute over $25,000 in scholarships to needy Indo American and mainstream children through the auspices of the Fort Bend County School District. ple, other activities and to keep her mind alert and occupied, she took on the challenge of writing Punjabi recipes, from her vast recollection of the many dishes that she has a mastery in cooking and for which she has always been praised. Her recipes have been printed in this newspaper – Indo American News – every week for the past 20 months and many people have become her fans. And, apart from that, she is accomplished at crochet, embroidery and knitting, in fact she would love to teach people if they are interested. To top it off, mama celebrated her 86th birthday with a small lunch party at Nirvana Restaurant, this past Sunday, July 27. About 40 people who have come to know her really well serenaded her with a lively Birthday Song as she cut her cake, surrounded by them and her son and grandson, Stefan.
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18 August 01, 2014 U.S.-India: Getting Past Bumps John Kerry, the US’secretary of state, arrives in India for the fifth India-US strategic dialogue to be held in New Delhi tomorrow. India-US ties have, in recent years, been marked by lofty rhetoric, high ambition, intensive engagement and underwhelming outcomes. US President Barack Obama described the India-relationship as one of the “defining partnerships” of the 21st century. Both sides share perspectives on issues like China and Afghanistan and consult on a range of subjects including strategic cooperation, counterterrorism, science and technology, health, education, energy and climate change. Bilateral trade is worth $100 billion and there are hopes of attaining $500 billion.Around 100,000 Indian students study in the US; India is a major weapons importer while investments by Indian companies create jobs in America. And yet there is a discernible sense of dissatisfaction about bilateral ties. This has to do with the bumps that have emerged recently, which Mr Kerry and the Indian political leadership need to get past. The Edward Snowden revelations about the US’ snooping activities, which included spying on the BJP, are an irritant. Atmospherics were marred over the case against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade and the confrontational approach that New Delhi took late last year. Mr Kerry will want to discern Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outlook towards Washington, as he’s an Indian leader more personally acquainted with China than the US. Washington will also want to gauge the appetite for reform in New Delhi, which they see as key for unlocking American investment in India. Mr Kerry pointed to this in a speech on Monday: “If India’s government delivers on its plans to support greater space for private initiative, if it creates greater openness for capital flows, if it limits subsidies that stifle competition, if it provides strong intellectual property rights, believe me, even more American companies will come to India.” For now though, Mr Kerry and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj have to contend with bilateral differences on several key issues. American companies continue to complain about India’s nuclear liability law. Both sides differ on climate change and India’s stance on the trade facilitation agreement at the WTO, which New Delhi refuses to endorse unless its food security policies are protected. Washington has also put India on a watchlist of countries that don’t do enough to protect US intellectual property. These issues can only be resolved through close political attention and assiduous bureaucratic deal-making. The Kerry visit is a good opportunity for both to discern if the other side is game for the torturous road ahead. Hindustan Times
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Branding the Babu
BY SHAILAJA CHANDRA Narendra Modi’s style of functioning as prime minister has evoked mixed responses. There is praise for and euphoria over several announcements—downsizing the council of ministers, setting targets for infrastructure development, rationalizing departmental responsibilities and demanding that ministers find bilateral solutions to departmental entanglements, for instance. But there is also unease over some developments. The first is the fear of excessive centralism, which stems from the belief that centralization kills democratic decision-making. What is seldom understood is that all governments operate through the bureaucracy, which is an amalgam of individuals who constantly require policy-level direction, leadership and evaluation of outcomes. At one time, ministers and secretaries provided that direction. But as disproportionate influence began to be exercised by powerful political associates, accountability became increasingly diffused. Many departments faced major obstacles due to an absence of leadership. With the growing complexity of government, a clear message from the top was needed to remove logjams but, over the last few years, the top political executive simply did not intervene. The bureaucracy was often led by secretaries who always had one eye on post-retirement sinecures or a better posting. Either way, ministers were never held answerable for taking a one-sided view, even when this was publicised through leaks and interviews. Secretaries were generally loath to spoil their copy-books, and discouraged enthusiasm and originality lest it rock the boat. The result was inertia. Perhaps for the very first time in decades, Prime Minister Modi’s interaction with the bureaucracy and the instructions he has given have signalled the need for transformation. No longer would proximity to the minister and other power centres provide insurance for the future. Status-quoist secretaries can no longer sit on the fence looking busy. They will have to display and encourage initiative because their own future
No longer would proximity to the minister provide insurance for the future. Status-quoist secretaries can no longer sit on the fence looking busy. They will have to display and encourage initiative will henceforth be decided by entirely new yardsticks. By pinning down the secretaries, Modi has extracted a commitment on the main concerns they have highlighted themselves. Of even greater significance is the fact that reaching political consensus is once again the minister’s responsibility—the alibis of groups of ministers and empowered committees having been ripped apart. While the over-centralism concern can be met thus, not all reforms are easy to explain. For instance, what prompted the government to disallow any officer who had worked with a Central minister at any point over the last 10 years to join the personal staff of a new NDA minister? Since the 10-year period coincides with the UPA’s tenure, the purport of the order has left no doubt in most minds. Although it only dittoed an old department of personnel and training order about the duration of postings with ministers, its reiteration, covering the precise period of UPA rule, has unwittingly made the loyalties of officers who worked directly for the previous regime suspect. The erstwhile personal staff have come to be seen as “Congressis” or “UPA-wallahs”. Concomitantly, the order has automatically converted the new incumbents in the ministerial offices into “BJP” or “NDA-wallahs”. This strikes at the root of the civil service rules, which draw their strength from the Constitution and eschew any politicisation of the service, espousing the need for a politically neutral bureaucracy. So instead of restoring and fortifying that much-needed objective, the 10-year embargo has created an artificial division within the civil service by branding some officers with a particular political dispensation. Related to this is the question of
equity: can a bureaucrat who has had a relatively short stint in the personal office of a minister, often after having been hand-picked from within the ministry to assist the minister, be equated with a bureaucrat who has tracked a minister from one ministry to another, advancing in influence with each new reshuffle? Everyone inside the bureaucracy knows who was up to what and the modus operandi employed. Painting both kinds of officers with one brush has been unfair to some. Just as the PM has constrained the ministers’ choice of personal staff, he must also disallow them from handpicking secretaries or even joint secretaries and additional secretaries — something that had become a regular phenomenon ever since coalition dharma ruined the bureaucracy. The centralisation of establishment systems would achieve what umpteen commissions and committees have been urging for decades but never succeeded in achieving. Simply put, political interference in the management of the senior bureaucracy still needs to be eliminated. How far the cabinet secretary is able to withstand individual pressure from ministers remains to be seen. Equally, how the PM exercises a check on civil servants who manipulate postings remains a question. A word of caution is also needed, lest miracles are expected from the Modi dispensation. Only a fifth of the IAS and other services actually function in the ministries of the Central government. State government programmes and services are aligned to policies announced by chief ministers and draw nourishment from state budgets. When CMs demand honesty and hard work, the civil service responds. But when CMs are surrounded by influence-peddlers, officers look to benefit from proximity to such elements. The PM’s style has drawn much enthusiasm from the Central government’s bureaucracy. But now the real test lies in being able to distinguish the achievers from the drones, and giving the former the freedom to deliver. Indian Express The writer is a former secretary to the government of India and former chief secretary, Delhi
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August 01, 2014
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Dhananjay Kaul Mesmerizes Houston
BY SWAPAN DHAIRYAWAN SUGAR LAND: An evening with an outstanding star Dhananjay Kaul was organized by India Culture Center Houston (ICC) in association and support from Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) and International Hindi Association Houston (IHA) on Sunday, July 27. Dhananjay was born in Kashmir (Land of Shaivite saints and Sufi followers). His voice is cast in devotional mould and trained in Patiala Shyam Chaurasi mould. His singing is full throated and bold, with beautiful tapestry of Swaras and Shrutis (Musical Notes and sub notes). His voice has requisite bass and Jhawari (a kind of rattle in the throat) to execute different Tana patterns. His dazzling vocalism marks him as an artist of unique flair. Apart from Khayal (Raga) singing, he also specializes in semi classical forms of Hindustani vocal music such as Thumri, Dadra, Kafi, Ghazal, Sufiana Kalam and Bhajans. Dhananjay received his training in Hindustani Classical Music in Guru Shishya Parampara from his father Pandit Shanti Chaitanya Kaul. He also received training from Acharya Nirmala Arun, who is a renowned exponent of Patiala Gharana. He has received formal training in Tabla from Ustad Hashmet Ali Khan of Ajrada Gharana. He has received numerous local and foreign Awards. This was his first trip to the United States. KOA were very enthusiastic about Dhananjay, and had made all the arrangements to bring him to the Bayou City. ICC as a coordinating link with the Greater Houston community at large, was approached and within a matter of one week; all logistics were made to hold this special event. In spite of the rigorous planning of their Signature Event 68th Independence Day celebrations, a few of the core Directors and Trustees came towards the goal of bringing an outstanding talent from India to the audience in Houston. It turned out to be a sold out event. The program was held at Madras Pavilion, Sugar Land starting with a sumptuous dinner. The program started at 8pm with the introduction of the Artist by ICC Trustee Sangeeta Pasrija. She also introduced the local tabla supporter Raja Banga for assisting at this event at a very short notice. Thereafter she invited KOA President Surinder Kaul, ICC President Charlie Patel and IHA President Swapan Dhairyawan to recognize and felicitate the artist. Each of them updated the organization activity and the synergy in which they came together to present the evening show. Sam Merchant was invited to present the Congressional Proclamation from the office of Congressman Al Green to Dhananjay Kaul. The musical program started with a thumri, followed by ghazals and sufiyana music. The audience enjoyed watching and hearing the artist perform. The company given by Raja Banga was phenomenal and none would believe that both the performers had
From left: Sangeeta Pasrija, Swapan Dhairyawan, Raja Banga, Charlie Patel, Dhananjay Kaul and Surinder Kaul. Photo: Arun Pasrija
met for the first time in life. The sound system was provided by the perfectionist Darshak Thacker of Krishna Sounds. As the evening progressed, the Artist fine tuned with the audience and took requests from them. The original and evergreen “Damadam Mast Kalandar” was a big time hit and the audience were on their feet. Even though it was a Sunday night, none of the 90+ audience wanted to leave. The musical program which was initially slated for just 90 minutes ran for more than 150 minutes with each and every individual mesmerized and enjoying the voice of Dhananjay Kaul. The program ended with a vote of thanks by ICC Director Nisha Mirani. For further information visit www.icchouston.org
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KYCC SuperKings Champions of Summer-2014, TCC Colts Cricket League-Houston HOUSTON: Triggers Cricket Club (TCC), Houston based non-profit organization, took initiative aimed at giving young children an opportunity to formally learn and play Cricket in a fun-loving environment of camaraderie, respect and sportsmanship. To introduce and develop interest for Cricket amongst children of greater Houston area, TCC organized an inaugural TCC Colts Cricket League (TCCL) summer tournament 2014 for children ages 8-12 years from May to July (2014). Over Seventy children joined five participating teams namely Cubs, Wild Cats, KYC Super Kings, KYC Knight Riders and NT Texans. Dedicated Team Coaches scheduled training sessions to teach Cricket fundamentals and scrimmage games to prepare for league games. Games were played at Matzke Park, Canyon Gate Park and Paul Rushing Park. All five teams played the league games with Great Spirit and competition. Super Kings, Texans, Cubs and Wild Cats reached the playoffs based on their performances. On July 12, Playoff games Super Kings versus Wild Cats at Paul Rushing Park and Cubs versus Texans at Matzke Park. Super Kings and Texans won their respective games and reached into the Championship finals. The Grand Finale to crown the Triggers Colts Summer Champions 2014 season started with a spectacular celebrations and a huge family picnic at Matzke Park on July 19. TCC invited family and friends of all youngsters to watch the grand finale, while having fun at the family picnic. Championship and Plate finals were witnessed by very enthusiastic and supportive crowd of over 200. Parents, Grandparents and siblings came in big number to support their children and team with banners, horns, whistles and drums. Raffle draws were conducted before
Winners Super Kings
the Championship game and during drink breaks, with many exciting prizes to give away. Plate final to determine 3rd Place in the league was played between Wild Cats and Cubs, prior to the Championship final. Cubs scored 46 runs in 10 overs and Wildcats defeated Cubs by 6 wickets in 9.2 overs. Championship final was played between the two best teams of the tournament, Super Kings and Texans, Texans won the toss and put the Super Kings into bat. At the end of 10 overs Super Kings had a defendable score of 38 runs on the board. Texans chased scored consistently to get closer to the Championship needing only 9 runs to win in last over. Super Kings crossed the line with good final over and won by 4 runs. Presentation party included Chief Guest Brian Hodgden and his wife, Guest of Honor Sakhi Muhammed, TCC President Nanda Kumar, TCC VP Krishna Sikharam, TCC Secretary Nataraj Rao and TCCL Program Director Surya Saladi. TCC Secretary welcomed Hodgden and Muhammed for their encouragement and presence. Surya Saladi presented a plaque as token of appreciation to Chief Guest Hodgden.
Coaches from all five teams were recognized for their efforts to build such team spirit amongst these young cricketers. Man of the match trophies for each league games, Play-off games and Championship Final were awarded. Top performers of various categories Rohit (League MVP)Arya (Finals MVP), Prateer (Best Batsman), Arir (Best Bowler) and Numair (Best Fielder) were recognized with award trophies. KYC Super Kings won the TCC Colts Cricket League 2014 Championship Trophy and the League Champions Trophy. As the TCCL inaugural tournament comes to an end, planning for next step has already commenced. TCCL is planning to expand to 8 teams playing in 4 grounds throughout greater Houston area from 2015. An effort like this requires support and TCC thanks Wells Fargo and KPIT for their generous support for the inaugural TCCL tournament and would like to invite others to come forward to support this children’s cricket in Houston. For further information like them on facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/TCCcolts
Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple Invites all for Sraavana Masam Celebrations
HOUSTON: Sraavana Masam, the fifth month as per the Vedic calendar is considered one of the most important and auspicious months for the Vedics. This auspicious month of Sraavana Masam starts July 27, (Sunday) and ends August 25, 2014 (Monday). This is the most awaited month for people to perform auspicious functions such as griha pravesams or house-warming ceremonies and also pray for the well-being of one’s family. As Sraavana Nakshatra is believed to be the birth star of Lord Vishnu, this month is considered highly auspicious. Goddess Sri Mahalakshmiwho is the consort of Lord Vishnu is worshipped on all four Fridays of this divine month. With the blessings of His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji along with our new team of priests, Sri Ashtalakshmi
Temple welcomes one and all to the Sraavana Masam grand celebrations. Please feel free to forward and extend an invitation to friends and family to participate in this month’s celebrations. Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple is an affiliate of JET USA and conducts
service activities (VT Seva) and Vedic classes for children and adults (Prajna) alike. Please see the ad on page 17. For further information log on to www.ashtalakshmi.org for complete details of this month’s festivities and for updates on Temple events.
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HEALTH
August 01, 2014
The Healthy Dose – Sugar and Diabetes Part 2
BY PARTH DWIVEDI Recapping last week’s installment, insulin helps your body absorb glucose from the bloodstream. When glucose absorption fails to occur as a result of decreased insulin activity it is called Diabetes Mellitus. As a result the osmolarity of the blood shifts, with common side effects being fatigue, dehydration and weight loss. Another, less obvious manifestation of Diabetes Mellitus is increasingly acidic blood. When glucose cannot make it to different parts of your body to be burned as fuel, your body switches to fats as a fuel source. While fats contain more energy, using them results in the production of ketone bodies. These ketone bodies make the blood more acidic, which can worsen fatigue and ruin the entire body’s state of balance. What is at the root of all these symptoms, though? The main causes of Diabetes are broadly grouped into two categories.
CDC Type 1 Diabetes is marked by insulin deficiency. As mentioned last week special cells in the pancreas produce insulin and when these cells are absent then so is insulin. This type of disorder exists from birth and diabetic children are usually type 1. Treatment can be tedious but is very effective. Insulin from external sources must be taken daily, often through a syringe. This form of management can successfully be continued for more than 75 years, allowing patients to lead functional and productive lives. Type 2 Diabetes is more common and insulin production is less of an issue. Patients with this diagnosis are less sensitive to insulin. In other words the same amount of insulin would do less if given to a type 2 patient than it would if given to a type 1 patient. In order to see how this can happen we need to understand that your organs respond to disruptions by ad-
justing themselves. You can think of this as your body acting out the story of the boy who cried wolf. Insulin is how your body tells certain organs that a fresh load of glucose has come in and your organs respond by absorbing it. Overeating and poor diet result in a flood of insulin through your bloodstream, your body’s way of screaming at your organs. Over time they will adjust and respond less as type 2 diabetes slowly sets in. Avoiding or reversing all of this happens through exercise and diet— walking counts! Preliminary studies have even indicated that long-term yoga practice might be effective at doing this as well. Join us next week when we discuss the recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa, and visit our website to read previous installments in this column!
Parth Dwivedi has a B.A. in Neuroscience and an M.S. in Biomedical Sciences. He likes reading non-fiction and still watches I Love Lucy.
UT Health’s Dr. Bhavani Iyer Awarded Low Vision Grant HOUSTON :Bhavani Iyer, O.D., a low vision specialist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, has been awarded a grant to help Harris County residents whose vision problems cannot be corrected with eyeglasses, medication or surgery. Even with corrective lenses, many people with low vision can see 20/60 at best. However, there are a variety of low vision devices, such as telescopes, magnifiers and electronic readers to help offset their vision loss. Iyerisusingthethree-year,$164,645 SightFirst grant from the Lions Club International Foundation to provide outreach programs as well as education and training for the thousands in and around Harris County with low vision. This is the first such grant to be awarded in Texas and the third largest in the country. The project has received an additional $20,000 in funding from local sources. The program is called the “Harris County Low Vision Project.” “There are things people with low vision can do to make the most of their vision,” Iyer said. “Through the project, we’re reaching out to people who may be suffering in silence by addressing some of the barriers.” Educational programs and support services will be offered at two low vision centers in Houston – the Center for Visual Rehabilitation at The Robert Cizik Eye Clinic in the Texas Medical Center and Harris Health
System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. Iyer plans to establish low vision device loaner libraries at both locations. These would benefit people who need to be trained on the devices or who may want to check them out before buying them. Examples of low vision aids include miniature telescopes that are attached to eyeglasses or held by hand as well as filters that screen out blue light and glare. Magnification devices for reading can be attached to eyeglasses and stands or held by hand. For those with severe levels of impairment, strong electronic readers are available. In 2010, approximately 3 million people were classified as having low vision, reports the National Eye Institute. That number is expected to rise to about 9 million by 2050. About UTHealth The University of Texas Health Sci-
ence Center at Houston (UTHealth) was established in 1972 as Houston’s health university. The most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, UTHealth is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more health care professionals than any health-related institution in the State of Texas and features the nation’s sixth-largest medical school and the highest ranked nursing graduate school in Texas. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. For more information, visitwww.uth.edu.
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4th Annual Gita Camp Held at Houston Hare Krishna Temple BY VRAJESVARI DEVI DASI HOUSTON: In this day and age, our lives are busy, and we are all running around with the urgency to fulfill various needs. If we have any more time left in between, we are bombarded with electronic stimulation in different ways. The sad part of this life style is that our children follow what they see around, and become attached to those habits. Our children need to be engaged in our ever blissful spiritual culture and values. The only way, they can experience this bliss, is by engaging in pure spiritual connection with the process of Bhakti Yoga. Engaging their intelligence, mind, and senses in the devotional service to the Lord. This was the essence of the just concluded successful Children’s 4th Annual Gita Camp, held at Houston Hare Krishna Temple from July 7 13. There were over 60 enthusiastic children ages from 4 to 14 years old from all across the greater Houston area in attendance. The camp combined activities with traditional Vedic learning and included a field trip and a grand presentation during the regular Sunday feast celebration to put the values they learned into practice. There were over a dozen adult volunteers on hand to help with the various activities, lessons and cooking. The camp was conducted on the temple grounds new gorgeous temple building that opened this past May as well as its fellowship hall. Each day the children led a morning
Guru Puja Arati as well as Noon Arati Kirtan accompanied by Mridanga (Drum) and Kartals (Cymbals). There were daily Japa Meditation on beads. Part of the Vedic learning is to learn slokas and devotional songs. Great emphasis was placed on the students truly grasping the meaning of the slokas and application of this timeless knowledge from BhagavadGita in their daily lives. The week’s teaching centered on Chapter 9 of the Bhagavad Gita - The Most Confidential Knowledge. The children learned on how to engage their minds always thinking of Krishna and become His
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devotees and how to worship Him, as Lord Krishna instructs Arjuna in conclusion that “Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me”. Sumptuous vegetarian lunches were served along with healthy snacks. In the afternoon, children had art class, yoga class, spiritual story reading, and also music lessons on mridanga and harmonium. On Saturday, there was an ecstatic Harinam Sankirtan (congregational chanting along with musical instruments) parade by the children at the SugarLand Town Square. They made
quite an impression on the onlookers with their colorful camp T-shirts and overflowing enthusiasm to sing and distribute books and flyers to the public. This year it was nice to see so many of the children who attended the previous Gita camps brought their friends and neighbors to share the fun and learning experience they had during previous years. Seva Priya Devi Dasi and Ananda Lila Devi Dasi working along with Hare Krishna Dham Sunday School teachers and parents organized the camp, led the classes and kept the children focused with their good humor and energy. As a befitting grand finale of the weeklong camp, all the children led the arati kirtan for the main Sunday worship at the temple and made an inspiring presentation of the topics they learned for the divine pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Nila Madhava and the whole congregation. They were also presented with recognition awards and gifts and were very happy to take home the art master pieces they created during the camp. The students enjoyed the Gita Camp and are looking forward to starting Sunday School as well as the new private day school - Goswami Academy with their close camp friends in early September.
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INDIA
August 01, 2014
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One in Every 3 Apple Engineers is Indian
BY SHILPA PHADNIS & SUJIT JOHN
BANGALORE (TOI): India has become a major ingredient in Apple’s secret sauce, and the scale may surprise many. It is estimated that a third of the $171-billion company’s engineering staff is Indian, and that a large and increasing proportion of its enterprise software, service and support work is done by Indian IT vendors. Apple filed 1,750 H-1B applications during the 10-year period 2001 to 2010, but the number increased sharply to 2,800 during 2011-13. US-based HfS Research that compiled the data says the majority of the H-1Bs would be Indians, indicating that the iPhone and iPad maker’s dependence on Indian engineers has risen significantly in recent years. “About one-third of Apple’s engineering headcount consists of Indians who are either on H-1B or on Green Card,” said Pareekh Jain, principal analyst at HfS Research. HfS arrives at that conclusion looking at figures Apple disclosed in 2012, when it said it had 47,000 people working directly for it in the US, of which 7,700 were customer support operators, and 27,350 worked retail in Apple Stores, leaving about 12,000 as engineers, designers, marketers and other white-collar tech product workers. HfS Research also finds that Apple works with at least five India-based IT vendors — including four large firms and one small firm — and the scope of the work they do has been rising. “Apple’s outsourcing strategy can be described in three words as ‘outsourcing for growth’. The scope of outsourcing work has been enlarged in the last two or three years. From 2013, Apple has dedicated IT outsourcing vendor managers based out of Bangalore who are acting as the bridge between Apple’s IT managers and India based IT vendors,”
said Jain. HfS Research declined to name the IT vendors. TCS, Infosys and Wipro are known to do work for Apple. Apple is seen to be among Infosys’ top 10 clients. Two years ago, Infosys rented a 1.4-lakh sqft office space near its headquarters in Electronics City to house employees who would work exclusively for Apple. The building had a capacity to initially house 1,400 people. Apple engages with Indian IT players for application development & maintenance, business intelligence & data-warehousing, data analytics applications, enterprise application integration and ERP implementation. Indian vendors also provide software support for development and maintenance of Apple retail stores, specific work for iTunes, iCloud, internal ap-
plications of release management, job search portals, and porting of web applications to iOS mobile. “The other aspect of Apple’s outsourcing strategy is multi-sourcing, with each IT vendor having some strong focus in areas like channels, CRM, supply chain, marketing and finance, and some overlap,” Jain said. Apple did not respond to a mail TOI sent on Friday seeking confirmation of the data. That was perhaps to be expected from a company regarded as among the most secretive in the world. In 2006, Apple had leased space T:6” in Bangalore to establish a technical
support centre with 3,000 people. But within months the company abandoned the plan following an outcry from customers casting doubts on India’s ability to service and support Apple’s high-quality products. But in the following years, Apple was clearly convinced it could not do without India and found other ways to use the country’s talent. More recently, incremental work coming from Apple has increased substantially as the volumes and complexity of Apple’s supply chain has increased. Apple, whose market valuation is now stands at $585 billion, sold 35.2 million iPhones in the June quarter, a growth of 12.7% compared to the same period last year. Apple said demand from BRIC economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China - spurred iPhone sales. “Its data warehousing applications have petabytes of data. Its product lines, volumes and need for analytics have increased. Also, Apple has acquired more than 30 firms in the last three years whose systems and applications need migration and integration to Apple’s applications. All this is translating into additional work for IT vendors,” Jain said. What do Indian IT firms do * Porting of web applications into iOS compatible mobile apps * Master Data Management for Apple’s supply chain data * Development and maintenance of Apple’s internal communication product Chatterbox * Development and maintenance of Apple’s identity management services, Apple online Store, Point Of Sale retail application * Human Resources Management System, SAP Business Objects and SAP LO (Logistics) * Apple filed 1,750 H-1B applications during the ten year period 2001 to 2010, but the number increased sharply to 2,800 during 2011-13.
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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes
Dhuli Moong Di Dal (Skinless Split Moong Lentils) Dhuli moong dal is one dal that many people really like because it can be easily made but just as many people dislike it because it is made too carelessly and dissolves into a soup. It is one of the favored dals of religious places and when there are large groups of people to feed, like in schools. It is not an inexpensive dal but since it cooks so easily it is the most commonly cooked dal all over India. Since it is also very easily digestible, this dal is often served to ill people or those with an upset stomach. Sometimes, the water it is cooked in is drunk like a thin soup by sick people to give them nourishment. Where it has to have a thicker quality to be flavorful, this dal cooks in almost ten minutes in a pot and when allowed to simmer for a little while comes out as whole grains. Unfortunately, people often overcook it and the end result is sadly a soup, like a kaddi, which can only be eaten with rice or a spoon. In some parts of India, this is the way it is eaten, but not so in the Punjab Dhuli moong dal is also deep fried to become crispy and then mixed with salt and pepper and even other fried dals and savories to be eaten as a snack. It then has a soft crunchiness to it which people love and it is offered at many gatherings, just like chips and peanuts. Try this dish with ½ cup of dhuli moong dal and ½ cup of massoor dal for a unique taste. One of the simplest and tastiest ways to eat cooked dhuli moong dal is the rustic way: with some roti, a simpler vegetable dish and some raw, unsalted, unspiced onions. That is the real food of the rural Punjabis and Northern Indians. Ingredients: • 1 cup dhuli moong dal (skinless split moong lentils) • 2 cups pani (water) • 2 tbspn olive oil • 1 medium adrak (ginger) – peeled and chopped, or use powdered ginger • 1 tspn jeera (cumin) • 1 tspn garam masala • 5 stalktops fresh dhania (coriander) – pinch off the leaves and cut into pieces • Spices: lal mirch (red pepper); namak (salt); haldi (turmeric) – to your taste
Directions: 1. Place the dhuli moong dal in a bowl and wash it thoroughly in cold water, then rinse it out. 2. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Pour in the dhuli moong dal into the pot, cover, and add the haldi, ginger and salt and let it come to a second boil for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to medium. 3. If the water boils off before the dal becomes tender, then add some more warm water and let it continue to boil for another 2 minutes till the dal is tender but not soft. Never add cold water to the dal. 4. Keep a frequent eye on the dal to make sure it does not become soupy. Turn the heat off and let the dal sit. 5. Heat the oil in a small karai or wok and add the jeera and lal mirch and brown it a little. When
6. Sprinkle the top of the dal with garam masala and the cut coriander leaves above. Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India 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 mid-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable Punjabi recipes.
MAMA’S TIP OF THE WEEK CUT GREEN LEAVY VEGETABLES WITH SHARP SCISSORS Some favorite vegetables like spinach, collard greens and methi or even mint or coriander stalks require a lot of work to clean and then cut before preparing. In India, one simply asks the sabziwala (vegetable seller) to cut them for you and then he will run it through a very sharp spiraling blade and bring you the cut vegetables. This is not the same as putting them leaves in a blender or food processor which will give you watery choppings. There is an easy way to get the same results at home. Just use sharp scissors and cut the leaves as you would a piece of cloth. This is a really time saving method to chop stalks and leaves without squeezing the water out of them.
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roasted and the smell of the cumin starts to come through, take off the heat and drop the masala into the pot of cooked dal and stir to mix well.
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ENTERTAINMENT
August 01, 2014
Movie Review: KICK
BY ANUPAMA CHOPRA The first thing you should know about Kick is that it is an outrageously silly film. It lurches from a thwarted love story to infantile comedy to slick action to shamelessly manipulative melodrama without any attempt at coherence or consistency. Kick is the official remake of a 2009 Telugu blockbuster also called Kick, but debutant director Sajid Nadiadwala bungs in Hollywood-inspired action, snatches of Dhoom 3 and even a smattering of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Salman Khan plays Devi Lal Singh, an
adrenalin junkie who has quit 32 jobs in search of a kick (incidentally, every character in this film says Kick at least a dozen times, just in case you forgot which film you were watching). He falls in love with a psychiatrist named Shaina, played by Jacqueline Fernandez. With great affection, he calls her Dr Psycho. Meanwhile she gets to say lines like: “Social psychology ke hisab se aadmi ki pehchaan uske kaam se hoti hai.” Jacqueline is like a pretty wax doll and even the film doesn’t take Shaina seriously.Anyway,Shainacan’tputup
with Devi’s hunger for excitement, so they break up. And he somehow evolves into Devil, a Robin Hoodtype masked robber who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Enter super cop Himanshu Tyagi, played by Randeep Hooda, who becomes both Shaina’s fiancée and Devil’s nemesis. Cops in Hindi movies are usually bumbling idiots but Himanshu is a whole new level of incompetent. Are you following this story? It doesn’t matter. Because a Salman Khan film isn’t about the plot. It’s about Salman, who once again plays his signature persona — a charming, playful, slightly crooked superman with a heart of gold. What’s fun is that Salman is in on the joke. He’s aware that he’s on the screen not to deliver a performance but to give us a good time. But even if you’re willing to ignore the logic-free story and buy heavily into the cult of Bhai, Kick is bumpy, and far too convoluted to deliver the joyride of a Dabangg. What does work are the thrilling action sequences; Rajat Aroraa’s crackling dialogue; and, above all, Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the wicked Shiv Gajra. -Hindustan Times
‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ Review For a movie loaded with dialogue about cooking from the heart and not being afraid of spices, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a surprisingly bland slumgullion of food porn and emotional manipulation, filtered through the middlebrow sensibilities of director Lasse Hallström and the treacly homilies of Oprah Winfrey It delivers the kind of sentimental sledgehammering I found myself willing to forgive — the presence of Helen Mirren goes a long way in that regard — but once the story goes off on a pointless tangent, the whole soufflé collapses. Adapted by Steven Knight (“Locke”) from the novel by Richard C. Morais, “Journey” follows budding chef Hassan (Manish Dayal, “90210”) and his family from Mumbai, where their restaurant is burned down by political dissidents, to a cozy small town in France, which Papa (Om Puri) decides is the perfect place to get back into the food service industry. There’s an issue with the location that he chooses, however: it’s directly across the street from the swanky, Michelin-starred restaurant run by uptight widow Madame Mallory (Mirren), who looks down her nose at these interlopers with their loud music (by A.R. Rahman, natch) and their turmeric. Papa and Madame start out by going to war — buying out each other’s ingredients at the local markets, and complaining about
each other to the well-fed town mayor (Michel Blanc) — but when local resentment against the South Asian newcomers takes a racist tone, the restaurateurs find common ground. Good thing, since Hassan, gifted at both cooking and tasting, has become smitten with Madame’s sous chef Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon, “Yves Saint Laurent”), although their romance grows strained when it becomes clear that Madame wants to bring Hassan into her kitchen and under her wing. Despite the movie’s heavy-handed storytelling, I found myself caring about the relationships, and even a little moved when the combative Madame Mallory makes a peace offering to her beleaguered neighbors. But then Hassan becomes a culinary superstar, the third act is devoted to the country mouse’s seduction by the big city and the balance of “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” already at risk, goes completely kablooey. It’s an emotional jukebox, where Hallström presses a button to elicit joy, tears, sympathy, whatever, and as such, it will no doubt play well for undemanding viewers who just want to see delicious vindaloos, wild mushrooms growing on a French riverbank and the melting of Helen Mirren‘s frozen heart. It feels like a premium for PBS subscribers, with occasional whiffs of multicultural notions that never obscure a by-thenumbers, feel-good story.
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Amway India CEO William Pinckney Released on Bail
William S.Pinckney was arrested on 26 May from Amway India’s headquarters at Gurgaon and later was produced before a court in district Kurnool, which sent him to judicial custody after rejecting his bail plea. Photo: Hindustan Times.
New Delhi: Direct-selling company Amway India on Monday said its managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) William S. Pinckney has been released on bail, two months after his arrest by Andhra Pradesh police in connection with criminal cases registered against the firm in the state. A spokesperson of Amway said Pinckney has been granted bail in all the cases in Andhra Pradesh. Commenting on the development in a joint statement, Amway chairman Steve Van Andel and president Doug DeVos said: “The release of Amway India CEO Bill Pinckney is a great relief.” They, however, added they were “profoundly dismayed that this unnecessary detention occurred at all, and are even more troubled that it lasted so long”. Amway regional president, Europe, South Africa & India Samir Behl said: “His arrest and long detention was unnecessary and unreasonable. We will vigorously defend
Market Extends Record-breaking Run, Sensex Zooms 2%; IT Shines
MUMBAI : The market continued its north-bound journey for the second straight week, propelling both the key indices, Sensex and Nifty, to new peaks on buying in IT, tech, FMCG and pharma counters on un-
interrupted foreign fund inflows and some robust Q1 earnings. Profit-booking on the last trading day of the week ahead of the expiry of derivatives contracts on July 31 and persisting fears about a spike in oil price due to tension in West Asia and Ukraine weighed on the sentiment as both the indices retreated from their new closing highs. The market closed in the green on four out of the five trading sessions. Improving macroeconomic indicators, monsoon progress and positive cues from global bourses supported the buoyancy in domestic indices, brokers said. IT shares were in the limelight and at the forefront of the rally on good earnings from tech giants Infosys and TCS, whose numbers exceeded
investor expectations, they said. Positive economic data in the US, the biggest outsourcing market for the Indian IT firms, too, aided the upsurge in these stocks. The S&P BSE Sensex resumed higher and rallied further to a new intra-day peak of 26,300.17 before losing some ground on the last day to settle at 26,126.75, up 485.19 points, or 1.89%, over the last weekend close. Last week, the 30-share index had zoomed 617.21 points, or 2.47%. Similarly, the broad-based 50-issue CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange logged its intra-trade historic high of 7,840.95 before finishing the week at 7,790.45, posting a rise of 126.55 points, or 1.65%. -Hindustan Times
ourselves at trial.” Pinckney was arrested on 26 May from Amway India’s headquarters at Gurgaon and later was produced before a court in district Kurnool, which sent him to judicial custody after rejecting his bail plea. He was subsequently arrested in other criminal cases registered against him in the state on allegations of financial irregularities by Amway, a charge contested by the company. “Our focus is squarely on efforts to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Our commitment to Amway Business Owners who sell our products in India is unwavering,” Andel and DeVos said. The direct selling firm has reiterated its commitment for the Indian market and to ‘hundreds of thousands´ of Amway Business Owners and employees. The company said it would work with the newly elected government for a clear direct selling legislation. Direct sellers in India have been
asking for a separate legislation as there is conflict with the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act (PCMCS). “Our resolve to work with the newly elected Union Government in New Delhi on clear direct selling legislation is stronger than ever... Amway can partner to find legislative solutions in India that clearly distinguish legitimate direct selling businesses from frauds, protecting Indian citizens from unethical operators,” said Andel and DeVos. This was Pinckney’s second arrest in India. In 2013, Pinckney was arrested by Kerala Police along with two company directors on charges of alleged financial irregularities under PCMCS. Globally, Amway has operations in countries such as the US, the UK, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. It has invested more than $100 million in a manufacturing facility in the country. PTI -Livemint.com
Muslim Hoteliers Boycott US Products to Protest Against Israeli Strikes in Gaza MUMBAI (HT): Muslims in Mumbai are protesting Israel’s military operation in Gaza and look who’s feeling the heat — Foreign food and drink companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kraft. Hotels in Muslim-dominated Bhendi Bazaar area, for instance, such as the Shalimar Hotel, have put up a list of brands that won’t be served. Other eateries in the area, too, have stopped selling soft drinks of Coke and Pepsi. Hotel owners who met at Shalimar Hotel earlier this month were unanimous that the boycott was an effective weapon against the Israeli strike. “We are feeling helpless that innocent people are dying. They will relent only when you attack their economic interests,” a hotelier said. Interestingly, none of the brands that face boycott are from Israel. For
instance, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are American brands. But the view is that the US is not doing enough to end the conflict and hence American brands are not being used. Coca-Cola said it doesn’t favour any individual country or religious cause and wants to see peace in West Asia and elsewhere. “The Coca-Cola Company has a practice of operating as a local business in every market it serves.. Given the local nature of the Coca-Cola business, we believe that these type of actions primarily hurt the local economy, businesses and citizens,” a spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Mondelez International did not offer comments. Pepsi and Nestle didn’t reply to emails seeking comments. Analysts say the companies won’t be affected as long as the boycott is not widespread.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
28 August 01, 2014 SPORTS Anderson and Broad Pin India Back in 3rd Test
India 323 for 8 (Rahane 54, Dhoni 50*, Anderson 3-52, Broad 3-65) trail England 569 for 7 dec. (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) by 246 runs BY GEORGE BINOY SOUTHAMPTON (ESPN Cricinfo): For almost two whole days India’s bowlers had laboured on a surface that appeared docile. On the third, James Anderson showed them how it’s done. He ran in with verve, hitting the pitch hard, swinging and seaming deliveries in both directions at pace, and whistling short balls past noses. And he did it right through the day - Anderson’s first bouncer was as mean as his last. England kept dismissing batsmen after they were set and, frustratingly for India, before they could make their starts count. Seven of India’s top eight batsmen made it past 20. Five fell before 40 and Ajinkya Rahane threw it away on 54. There were six partnerships of more than 30, two over 50, but a highest of 74. While India’s batsmen were consistently tested, the fact that most of them got in proved the conditions were far from unplayable. They will kick themselves for giving parttime offspinner Moeen Ali two wickets, and fervently hope MS Dhoni, unbeaten on 50, can bat deep into the fourth morning with the tail to try and prevent their 1-0 series lead from crumbling in Southampton. That England were two wickets away from a defining first-innings lead was down to Anderson and Broad. Their speed made a world of difference, because the conditions overhead and underfoot remained largely the same. Anderson beat Cheteshwar Pujara first ball with his stock outswinger, and also knifed in inswingers with a startling degree of movement. There was serious heat on his bouncers too. One angled in sharply to the right-hander, reared up and seamed away, forcing M Vijay off his toes into a desperate fend. Chris Woakes was airtight at the other end, with figures of 7-510-0 in the first session. Despite India being subjected to a stern examination, England were wicketless early on and the bats-
Stuart Broad picked up his third wicket late in the day, England v India, 3rd Investec Test, Ageas Bowl.
men were scoring briskly. Broad brought results with a short ball against Pujara, who swayed out of the line but did not drop his wrists, underestimating the amount of jag into him. The ball grazed his gloves and gave Jos Buttler his first Test dismissal. Chris Jordan offered India respite. There were five wides and two sumptuous drives - Virat Kohli past cover and Vijay through
mid-off - in his first over. At his best, Jordan was economical, and he posed little threat. It remained that way. Broad then struck the blow that won the morning decisively for England. He had Vijay beaten by an outswinger, and the batsman was indecisive when the next ball landed on a similar line and length. Vijay began to play and then tried to pull his bat away. Too late.
Broad’s delivery held its line and hit the stumps off the inside edge of Vijay’s withdrawing bat. India’s situation could have worsened before lunch when Rahane, on 8, gloved Moeen’s offbreak down the leg side to Buttler, but the umpire did not see it. It was a different game after the break when Anderson and Broad weren’t bowling. Rahane drove Moeen through covers, Kohli did the same to Woakes, who was not as economical as he had been earlier. While he treated Anderson with caution, Kohli slashed at Jordan’s wide offering, edging it over the cordon. Rahane did not score off Anderson’s first 18 balls to him. Anderson’s reward came late, but his prize was Kohli, who was half-forward as he half-pushed at an outswinger and edged to slip. He had left so many similar deliveries previously. India were 136 for 4 and Rohit Sharma started shakily, defending tentatively and seasoning the inside edge of his bat. One leading edge off Jordan, as Rohit tried to flick, nearly went to slip. Rahane, on the other hand, punched Jordan for successive fours, and pulled Woakes to the midwicket boundary. The partnership was going well - it had grown to 74 - when Rohit decided to repeat his successful loft over mid-off against Moeen. This time he holed out to Broad and fell over his bat in disappointment. India had made 106 runs in the session, but Rohit falling with minutes to tea was a body blow. The Indians saw worse early in the final session. With scoring opportunities scarce against the better bowlers, Rahane rightly tried to pull a long-hop from Moeen to the boundary. He top edged it, though, and watched it horror as midwicket settled under the catch. England’s part-timer had thoroughly outbowled India’s specialist spinner Ravindra Jadeja, the next man in. He and Dhoni put on a feisty half-century partnership against
the second new ball. Jadeja drove Broad for four and was dropped a few balls later, a tough chance to Joe Root at gully. He charged both Anderson and Broad and clubbed them down the ground, and was also beaten several times. Dhoni drove, played and missed, glanced and survived. Jadeja did not, struck plumb in front by a sharp inswinger from the relentless Anderson. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s most consistent batsman this series, was scoreless for 16 balls, but when he began to get going he put Broad away three times in an over to the point boundary. Broad, however, had the final say, and with Bhuvneshwar caught at slip off the inside edge and pad, England had emphatically won their ninth consecutive session in this Test. George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo.
SA Hang On for Draw COLOMBO: Sri Lanka 421 (Jayawardene 165, Dickwella 72, Mathews 63) and 229 for 8 dec (Sangakkara 72, Mathews 63*, Morkel 4-45) drew with South Africa 282 (Amla 139, Perera 5-69, Herath 4-71) and 159 for 8 (Herath 5-40, Perera 3-60). fter a riveting, un-Youtubeable day of cricket, South Africa are back at the top of the Test rankings. The settings were dramatic - leaden skies for most of the day, four or more men poised round the bat, the indefatigable spinners rifling through their overs and some of the most flamboyant batsmen in the middle. The batsmen deadbatted everything to hang on for the draw that they were aiming for since midway through the second day. A few-minutes-long clip can’t capture the technique, temperament and concentration needed to survive against a misbehaving ball on a raging turner or the feeling that every delivery could transform the game. Edges, appeals and getting beaten are unavoidable even for the best batsmen, but those can’t be allowed to shake your focus.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
August 01, 2014
29
Kerry to Hagel, US Sets the Stage for Modi Meeting with Obama
WASHINGTON (HT):US secretary of state John Kerry visits India this week as Washington tries to revitalise ties it sees as a counterbalance to China’s rising power, but rapid progress is unlikely, despite the reformist reputation of country’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit by Kerry, and a trip by US defense secretary Chuck Hagel next month, follow the resounding election win of Modi in May and are meant to create a good climate for his planned visit to Washington in September. Analysts say it is only once Modi meets US President Barack Obama that the United States may have a more realistic hope for progress on big defense projects, on removing obstacles to US firms’ participation in India’s nuclear power industry, and for firmer statements of shared interests in Asia. “India will play a much greater role inAsia under the Modi administration, but it will do so for
its own reasons and under its own terms,” said Ashley Tellis of Washington’s Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. Four years ago, Obama declared the US-India relationship would be “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century” and last week the State Department called it one of “enormous strategic importance.” But while the two countries are in many ways natural allies, as big democracies with shared concerns about Islamist militancy and the rise of China, the relationship falls far short of Obama’s rhetorical billing. Disputes over protectionism and intellectual property rights have soured the business climate and India has remained cautious about committing to US strategic designs, given concerns that US power, eroded by domestic budget battles, may be waning.The relationship took a dive last year after an Indian diplomat was arrested
in New York on charges of mistreating her domestic help, an episode that provoked outrage and resentment in New Delhi. Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party swept to an overwhelming victory after years of shaky coalitions, has yet to make clear how closely he plans to work with Washington.The potential for tension was always high. He was banned from visiting the United States after Hindu mobs killed more than 1,000 people, most of the Muslims, while he was chief minister of his home state of Gujarat. The Obama administration sought to turn a new page by quickly inviting Modi to Washington after his election, and was pleased by his quick positive response. Kerry will be heading the US team at the annual Strategic Dialogue with India on Thursday, and will be accompanied by US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker. The BJP has a strong streak opposed to Western dominance of world affairs and this meshes with the rise of the BRICS block of five powerful emerging nations, which includes China, that see themselves as a counterbalance to US hegemony. One of Modi’s first moves on the world stage since taking office was to sign up to a BRICS development bank intended to wrest control over global finanacial institutions away from the United States and Europe. On Friday India threatened to block a worldwide reform of customs rules agreed last December, prompting a US warning that its
demands on food stockpiling could kill global trade reform. The deadline for agreeing the trade facilitation deal falls during Kerry’s time in New Delhi and a failure to overcome India’s objections by next week could overshadow his visit. The Indian stance has fueled doubts about the extent of Modi’s commitment to pushing through economic reforms seen as necessary to spur growth and attract investment. US officials say Modi’s first budget contained some positive signs. But ownership limits in the defense sector were not relaxed enough to allow US firms the controlling stakes they seek in joint ventures, which will make them reluctant to share technology India craves. Nisha Biswal, US assistant secretary of state for SouthAsia, spoke this month of the US desire for Indian growth and its greater involvement in Southeast and East Asia, where China’s territorial claims have caused increasing alarm. India, which for decades had close military links with the Soviet Union while leading the world non-aligned movement, is cautious about being too closely associated with US strategic policy, not least because of its economic links with China. “They will resist packaging their initiatives as a favor done to the United States, or as part of grand American strategy,” said Tellis, of the Carnegie think tank. “They may end up doing pretty much what the United States wants, but they will do so their own way.”
Cabinet Secretary Tells Ministries to Implement Key Budget Decisions Before August 10 NEW DELHI (TOI): The Narendra Modi government’s first budget may not have made as big a splash as had been expected but the administration plans to move at breakneck speed to ensure that its proposals are actually implemented over the next few weeks and that the prime minister is able to celebrate this in his August 15 Independence Day address. Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth has directed all ministries and departments to get cracking to ensure key decisions are rolled out before August 10, in time for the speech. It will be Modi’s first significant speech to the country after being sworn in on May 26, and the government is keen to show a long list of achievements. The Prime Minister’s Office is directly monitoring implementation of budget announcements apart from pushing forward decisions on other policy issues. “The idea is to get things rolling quickly,” said a senior government official aware of the development. “Most budget announcements are being given finishing touches to ensure implementation starts before August 10.”
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Finance minister Arun Jaitley presented the budget on July 10. Implementation of announcements in the budget usually only picks up as the next one nears and the Finance ministry’s budget division takes stock, leading to a scramble by the government to show progress. However, the directive this time is clear — nothing should hold up files and implementation once a decision is taken. A beginning has been made in the form of the Cabinet clearing the proposal to raise the foreign investment limit in the insurance sector with defence and railways expected to follow suit. “There is a sense of urgency,” said a finance ministry official who is working on some of the budget announcements and is confident of thrashing out the details in time. The disinvestment department is firming up an asset-sale calendar even as it has announced stake sales in ONGC and NHPC. The government has budgeted Rs 58,000
crore from disinvestment and given the likely chance of revenues falling below what’s been budgeted this will be crucial to achieving the fiscal deficit target of 4.1% of GDP. The government has promised to set up an Expenditure Management Commission to suggest measures to reform government spending. The finance ministry is expected to announce the commission soon. A mechanism to deal with cases related to retrospective tax and a high-level committee to interact with industry on a regular basis are expected to be set up next month. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has already circulated the proposal on foreign direct investment (FDI) in railways and issued detailed notes on decisions already announced such as the higher limit for defence and changes in rules for the real estate sector.
The government has been defending the budget saying it was the best that it could do given the fiscal constraints and slump in growth. Faster decision-making can significantly enhance the impact of the budget but the biggest challenge ministries and departments will face is activating various new schemes that have been announced. Some of these are new ideas and it will be difficult to show progress in such a short time. “In the past, governments have not been able to complete the budgeted capex,” said DK Pant, chief economist, India Ratings. “If action on new announcements and schemes is initiated quickly, it would be a welcome change.” The budget has already been cleared by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha is expected to take up the finance bill this week. Presidential assent is expected soon after the budget process ends in less than a month of its presentation. Jaitley has made it clear that the budget is aimed at reviving bruised business sentiment and getting the economy back on the revival path.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
30 August 01, 2014 SPORTS CWG 2014: Indian Mat-adors Rumble to Top
Tuesday had been Sushil’s day through and through. India’s only two-time individual Olympic medallist hardly broke a sweat as he packed off Jayden Lawrence with a commanding 11-0 scoreline.
BY CHINMAY BRAHME GLASGOW: A huge roar went up in the packed wrestling hall at the SECC complex when the ring announcer hollered out Sushil Kumar’s name before his semi-final clash. As the 31-year-old took his first step into an arena with a generous number of Indian flags waving around, the wrestler seemed stunned just for a moment. The next few seconds perhaps gave out the reason for Sushil’s surprise. Seated to his right, a burly old man, a bright red Fedora perched on his head, had just bounced to his feet clapping his huge hands together. The spontaneity of Sushil’s mentor and father-in-law Satpal’s applause caused water to spurt out of the bottle in his hand, showering his protege’s twins in wife Savi’s arms with stray droplets. As Sushil’s twins bawled, the wrestler, till then a picture of focus, craned his neck, firing off a
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quick smile to his wife, who busied herself with quieting down her little ones. Eight minutes later, having dispatched Nigerian, Melvin Bibo off in an engaging contest, Sushil bounded up the bleachers, picking up one of his boys as the rest of his family patted his back. Tuesday had been Sushil’s day through and through. India’s only two-time individual Olympic medallist hardly broke a sweat as he packed off Jayden Lawrence with a commanding 11-0 scoreline. Next up was Kushan Sundrange. The Sri Lankan barely forced Sushil to exert himself any further, as the latter produced another dominating performance, winning the bout 10-0. In both bouts, Sushil won four technical points, not giving his opponents any ground, as he rolled into the semi-final. The wrestler, participating in the 74kg category for the first time, seemed to take to his new weight grouping
like a duck to water. Back in June, he announced his entry into the new category with a silver at Sassari in Italy, dispelling any doubts about his chances against heavier opponents. And in the final, Sushil was in a zone. The gold medal clash against Pakistan’s Qamar Abbas took just 1.47 minutes. Sushil won 6-0, pinning down the Pakistani wrestler emphatically to take a very commanding victory. It was almost a walk in the park, the 31-year-old Sushil coming out all guns blazing immediately going on to attack the Pakistani’s legs, bringing him down in the first ten seconds of the match to earn a four point lead. While Sushil’s victory was full of attacking vigor, his younger compatriot Amit Kumar Dahiya was just as impressive in his counter-attacking moves. Dahiya dispatched Ebikweminomo Welson of Nigeria 6-2, letting the taller Nigerian attack him before
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surprising him with swift raids, which seemed to give the Nigerian little time to think. The moment of the match perhaps came in the final minute of the first round. Welson hoisted the smaller Amit on to his shoulders, ready to fling him to the ground. In a move so deft and fluid, Amit managed to wriggle himself off the Nigerian’s shoulder, landing perfectly on his legs. The presence of wrestlers with Olympic medals and World Championship medals was the deciding factor in India’s brilliant performance, according to Sushil. In a span of 30 giddy minutes, India had bagged three gold medals, Sushil, Amit and the 19-yearold Vinesh who took gold in the women’s 48 kg. “We had prepared really well before coming here and also the practice sessions before the bouts gave us a lot of confidence. The standard of Indian wrestling has gradually increased over the years and today you could see our dominance by the kind of victories the wrestlers have re-
corded,” said Sushil immediately after his final bout. Amit Kumar though said that it was the World Championship silver that he won in Budapest was something that was definitely more memorable to him. “I didn’t expect this competition to be so easy. I only had to stretch in my last bout. Before that it was frankly quite straightforward,” he said. The 20-year-old defeated the reigning Commonwealth champion in the 55 kg class, Pakistan’s Azhar Hussein, a victory which Amit said gave him a lot of satisfaction. “Before the bout, everyone had told me, jaake badla leke aana. The victory and the margin itself gave me a lot of happiness,” he said. Kumar beat Hussain 10-0, avenging Anil Kumar’s loss in the 2010 Games. In the men’s category, Rajeev Tomar was the only Indian wrestler to miss out on a gold medal on Tuesday. Tomar lost to Korey Jarvis of Canada in the finals of the 125 kg category, settling for silver. IE
Mixed Results: Shooters
Shooter Harpreet Singh survived two rounds of nerve-wrecking shoot-off and brushed aside a penalty point docked on him to claim silver in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event of the Commonswealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday. 33-year-old Harpreet from Haryana saved India from disaster by bagging the silver after Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar failed to qualify for the final round after finishing seventh in the qualification round. Harpreet, who topped the qualification round, hit 21 times on the target in the six-shooter final
which had eight rounds of five shots each. David J Chapman of Australia won the gold with 23 hits on target while Metodi Igorov of Canada bagged the bronze after a shootoff. The Karnal shooter jumped to the lead in the third round after hitting four targets out of five and kept the lead intact till the end of the fifth round before disaster struck in the next round. Harpreet, who was leading by two hits, could get two hits but he was docked a penalty of one hit on account of ‘out of time’ ruled by the judge.
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