Friday, October 05, 2018 | Vol. 37, No. 39
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Indo American erican News
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Sewa’s Annual Gala HELP 2018!
Melodious Tunes @
Navaratri
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From left: Guest of honor Mahindra USA CEO Mani Iyer, Sewa coordinator Nikhil Jain, Delores Jones Alief ISD, Kavita Tewary Executive Director, Deepika Agarwal, Keynote speaker Swapnil Agarwal, Gala Chair Anita Ravat, Gitesh Desai Chapter President and Achalesh Amar Chapter Coordinator at the HELP 2018, Sewa International Annual Gala on Sunday, September 30 at Stafford Convention Center.
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CRY Walk! P6
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Launch of Mahatma Gandhi
Sesquicentennial
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Mahatma Gandhi’s Sesquicentennial Celebrations Begin with Event at Asia Society BY PRAMOD KULKARNI
HOUSTON:
Mahatma Gandhi is the apostle of satyagraha, the struggle against injustice through nonviolence. Gandhi’s Satyagraha helped achieve human rights for Indian migrant laborers in South Africa in the early 1900s and India’s independence from British rule in 1947. Others have adapted satyagraha for their own struggles for freedom such as the Black civil rights movement during the 1960s. Celebrations of Gandhi’s sesquecentenial (150th birth anniversary) are taking place throughout the world from October 2018 to October 2019. In Houston, the sesquecentenial celebrations actually began last Sunday, September 30 afternoon with a special event at Asia Society Texas Center. The event included the screening of two documentaries related to Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolence, followed by an insighful panel discussion. Mahatma Gandhi Library (MGL) is at the forefront of a year-long sesquicentennial celebration of Gandhi’s birth on October 2, 1869. A series of celebratory events includes a speech contest, book reading, photo exhibit, and a 5K walk and 1000 Lights for Peace candlelighting ceremony on October 14, 2018 and concluding with another 5K walk and 1000 Lights for Peace ceremony in October 2019. The activities are outlined in a new website: www.gandhi150.us. Asia Society’s Saleena Jafry, Director of Business & Policy, who helped in creating the event, welcomed the audience, which had
The Asia Society event, “Celebrating Gandhi’s Legacy of Nonviolence”, featured two documentaries produced by Steve York, which focused on two of the greatest victories of nonviolent protests: Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi salt march and the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville.
A panel discussion following the documentary screenings featured Houston civic leader Anthony W. Hall, Jr. (left), award-winnings filmmaker Steve York, MGL Trustee Atul Kothari with TSU Professor Dr. Carla Brailey serving as the moderator.
Mahatma Gandhi Library (MGL) has acquired an three-acre property in southwest Houston to construct an Eternal Gandhi Museum.
completely filled the Brown auditorium. In his introductory remarks, India’s Counsel General in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, thanked MGL Trustees, Atul Kothari and Dev Mahajan and others, for their tireless efforts in propagating Gandhi’s
message in Houston and recalled Albert Einstein’s quote about Gandhi: “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a man as this one, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this Earth.” MGL Trustee Ajit Paralkar then outlined the series of events that
will take place during the sesquecentenial celebrations. Steve York’s documentaries, “A Force More Powerful”, focused on Gandhi’s legacy by showing archival footage of Gandhi’s 250-mile walk to make salt at the coastal town of Dandi in protest against British tax on the local production of salt. The physical injuries suffered by Gandhi’s followers, as a result of police lathi charges, gained global attention to the injustices of Britishcolonial rule. The second documentary showed footage of the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville during 1959 of Black students, organized by Rev. Ralph Lawson. He was influenced by Gandhi during his three-year stay in India. The panel discussion, which followed the documentary screenings, was moderated by TSU Sociology Professor Dr. Carla Brailey, a subject matter expert on social justice. “Gandhi remains, in my mind, an eternal influence on Indians anywhere in the world,” Mr. Kothari said. “He showed the
way to settle conflicts like no one has done in human history.” “I took to heart Gandhi’s message to pursue the search for truth nonvilently,” Kothari explained further. Prior to focusing on nonviolence, Steve York had produced films on military strategies such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day. “It stuck me that nonviolence strategy is very similar to military strategies. Subsequently, I undertook to document six struggles where nonviolence prevailed, two of which you saw today.” Civic leader Anthony Hall recalled his days of nonviolent protests during the civil rights movement and and drew a parallel to football player Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee during the national anthem to protest against police violence against Black citizens. In conclusion, MGL Trustee Manish Wani provided the audience with background information on the Eternal Gandhi multimedia museum to be be built in southwest Houston (near the intersection of Riceville School Road & Sam Houston Tollway). The reception following the panel discussion featured hot tea, coffee and Indian snacks organized by Mahesh Shah of Dawat Catering For additional information, visit Mahatma Gandhi Library’s sites: gandhilibrary.org and www. gandhi150.us. Information on the Eternal Gandhi Museum is located at http://eternalgandhi.us/
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Sewa International’s Gala 2018 for Human Upliftment!
BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA
STAFFORD:
HELP 2018, an Annual Gala was organized by Sewa International on Sunday, September 30 at Stafford Convention Center. Sewa International is a nonprofit service organization that focuses on selfless upliftment of those in distress through their various development programs focusing on family services, child, tribal and refugee welfare, women empowerment, health and education; besides disaster relief and rehabilitation. Sewa believes in humanity above all and serves people irrespective of race, color, religion, gender or nationality, simultaneously respecting the cultural backgrounds of people they serve. Having considerable experience in the disaster management cycle, Sewa has served in 23 disasters within and outside the US. Sewa has been compassionate towards the sufferings of people and in this arena; they have been doing some stupendous work for mankind, which is commendable. As soon as a disaster strikes, Sewa stays in the vanguard to manage rescue operations and the relief and rehabilitation works. Destruction of property and lives as a result of Hurricane Harvey’s sweep across Southern Texas in August 2017 is a classic example, wherein they came to the aid of virtually 700 people and have been benevolent in rebuilding the lives of thousands of affected families by restoring their houses and providing case management to affected families since Hurricane Harvey struck Texas. Sewa raised $2.3 Million for Harvey recovery, including a
Chief guest, Indian Consul General, Dr. Anupam Ray (left), Keynote speaker Swapnil Agarwal, and The Guest of honor Mani Iyer, President & CEO Mahindra USA.
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Odissi dancers from Kala Angan group performing Ganesh Vandana.
$500,000 grant from American Red Cross, and $397,590 grant by the Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF). As a means of support and appreciation for the humanitarian cause that Sewa is dedicated to, many leading or-
Achalesh Amar the recipient of the Seva Sadhak Award, with his wife Smita and daughters Ananya and Aagrima.
ganizations and individuals have organized fundraising events for Sewa. For its astounding work, Sewa International was honored with the prestigious award, Global Seven (G7) given by the Houston International Trade Development Council (HITDC) in the category of “Outstanding Nonprofit Organization”, earlier this year. The gala was a grand and a well organized one with an assortment of culture, recognition, fun and entertainment. The event opened with registration followed by social hour. Kavita Tewary, Executive Director Houston Chapter gracefully set about welcoming the attendees as she handed over to the host, Abiya Malhotra who beautifully managed the show and kept the audiences engaged at all times. A tiny little surprise followed as some volunteer kids lit the lamp as a mark of illumination. It was absolutely adorable and ap-
Photos: Dr. Nik Nikam & Navin Mediwala
pealing to the eyes. Symbolizing the tradition of seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha at the start of any auspicious event, Ganesh Vandana was gracefully performed by the Odissi dancers from Kala Angan by Supradipta Datta. The performance was absolutely splendid and received applause. Ganesh Vandana was followed by a welcome speech from Gitesh Desai, President of Sewa Houston Chapter, who expressed his gratitude towards organizations and volunteers for their tremendous support towards Sewa in the past year. He spoke about the most effected community, Rosharon in Brazoria County, which suffered major damage due to the disastrous Hurricane Harvey. He also appreciated the efforts of Achalesh
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October 05, 2018
We Walk, Children Progress! CRY Walk 2018 in Houston
COMMUNITY
Photos: Dr. Nik Nikam & Randhir Rahi
SUGAR LAND: CRY, Child Rights and
You America Inc. (CRY America), a 501c3 non profit that works towards ensuring children their basic rights to live, learn, grow and play organizes it’s 13th CRY Walk for Child Rights across 16 cities. The annual walk brings together people from varied walks of life, who feel passionately for children’s cause. The event provides people a platform to help children secure a better future and reinforces the belief that “change is possible.” Walkers and runners alike in Houston participated in 5k walks and runs, along with a 1k kids dash on September 29, at the Lost Creek Park in Sugar Land. The Walk Lead, Dina Patel, along with volunteers held a successful Walk despite setbacks with overnight and early morning rain showers. Approximately 125 enthusiastic walkers and families showed up at 9:00 in the morning, committed and excited about participating in the event. The day began with registration and mouth-watering refreshments. It included fun activities for both adults and children such as a Bollywood warm up, music, games, dance performances, raffle prizes, and special guest speakers. The event was a space for families to have an outing and ensure opportunities for underprivileged children. With the combined efforts of the group, the Houston team raised $4,878 for CRY with more donations pouring in even after the event. A big thank you to our event sponsors, Star TV, TV Asia, Air India, Shani International, the Gujarati Samaj of Houston, Wise Men, Vantive Inc, Indo-American News, Radio Dabang 99.5 FM, Meena Datt Radio, Sage Productions, Bollywood Shake, Deep Foods, Aling’s Chinese Cuisine, Bhojan, Madras Pavilion, Nirmanz Food Boutique, and Great W’kana Cafe. CRY America appreciates the generous support of all our event sponsors, media partners and donors in making this event a success. A special shout out also goes out to our dedicated volunteers, fundraisers and team leaders who have relentlessly worked to organize this event. Speaking about the event, Shefali Sunderlal, President, CRY America said, “Only when children are given the right opportunities, can they realize their full potential and dreams. Raising awareness and funds through the CRY Walk is a step forward in ensuring that children get a chance to be educated, healthy and happy.” CRY America has thus far ensured that CONTINUED ON PAGE 08
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October 05, 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
COMMUNITY
CRY Walk 2018 in Houston
695,077 children living across 3,676 villages and slums have access to education, healthcare and are protected from violations through support to 73 Projects in India and the USA. About CRY America: CRY, Child Rights and You America Inc. (CRY America) is a 501c3 non-profit that is driven by its vision of a just world in which all children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams. With the support of over 25,153 donors and 2,000 volunteers, CRY America has impacted the lives of 695,077 children living across 3,676 villages and slums through support to 73 Projects in India and USA. For further information about CRY America or CRY Walk 2018, visit www.america.cry. org, email support@cryamerica.org or call 617-981-2826. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Sewa International’s Gala
Amar, Coordinator of Sewa Houston who has been pioneering the disaster recovery operations in Rosharon for close to a year. Later during the evening, a clipping on how the efforts were carried on at Rosharon was shown and Achalesh Amar was honored with a special award, Seva Sadhak Award for his noble and selfless community service. Awareness was created about Sewa’s accomplishments in 2017 – 2018 and also about various Sewa’s projects. Audiences were requested to have their support flowing in. Achalesh Amar called upon the chief guest for the evening, Indian Consul General, Dr. Anupam Ray. Dr. Ray expressed his appreciation towards the applaudible efforts carried on by Sewa and acknowledged that Sewa is an organization that truly means what being Indian is about, helping everyone around and giving back to the community. It was time to confer upon individual awards for service to community. Awards were presented by Gitesh Desai - President of Sewa Houston Chapter, Saroj Gupta - Past President of Sewa Houston Chapter, and Ramesh Shah – Ekal Vidyalaya Board Member. Awardees included John Bhopo, Sachin Chitlangia, Amiralli Dodhiya, Sangeeta Dua, Siddheswar Gubba, Ravi Shanker Mallapuram, Haren Mathuria, Sunil & Rita Mehta, Umang Mehta, Ashok Nigam, Harish Rangwani, Richard Rodriguez, Hemang Thakkar, Madhulika Tewary, Shravanthi Thirunagari, Navin Mediwala and Subhash Sriram. As the audiences put their hands together for the commendable service by the awardees, Ruchika Dias’ Bollywood Shake shook the stage with their stunning dance performances, last one being the traditional song Ghoomar. The show was outstanding and was followed by a video about Aspire Tutorials, one of the community service programs conducted by Sewa for underprivileged kids. Aspire Tutorials is one amongst the many other programs, informative workshops and events like Stop Diabetes Movement yoga camps, Youth internship program. Indeed, it was a very enriching and exhilarating gala. It was time for the Keynote speaker of the evening, Swapnil Agarwal to come up
to the stage. Swapnil Agarwal, Entrepreneur of the Year, Gulf Coast Region was welcomed by Vasudev Singh, Past Vice President. Swapnil Agarwal gave insights on what it took him to be professionally successful and also shared the significance of giving back to the society. He also placed emphasis on Karma and Dharma and how he attained success in his company on the same principles. The Guest of honor Mani Iyer, President & CEO Mahindra USA humbly stated, “Mahindra is pleased to support the work Sewa is doing”. He also requested the audiences to support an organization like Sewa who go above and beyond for the community around them. What followed was a ravishing dance performance by the group Dance of Asian America. The audiences were seen enjoying the performances in the midst of the event. There was a special award ceremony, awards were presented to various organizations for their extensive support to Sewa. Sewa received immense support from organizations like American Red Cross, Bharathi Kalai Manram, Builders without borders of Texas, Good360, Hanmi Bank, Houston International Trade Development Council Inc., Sathya Sai International Organization, Star Pipe Products, Unique Industries, VT Seva, YMCA, United Way of Brazoria County. The gala helped raised a whopping $250,000. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Nikhil Jain, Chapter Coordinator. He also thanked gala chair Anita Ravat and cochair Jagruti Sarkar. The well-coordinated lights and sounds were provided by Darshak Thacker from Krishna Sounds. The attendees enjoyed the scrumptious dinner catered by Hiren Mathuria from Bhojan. Photography was by Dr. Nik Nikam and Navin Mediwala. The gala was the largest gathering of Sewa donors, supporters and allies in the United States. Local and national leaders from across the entire gamut of business, government, non-profit organizations, and policymakers, came together to be a part of the grand gala. Proceeds collected towards the event will be utilized for various Sewa’s projects. For further details contact Kavita Tewary at educationhouston@sewausa.org, call 713-303-4253 or visit www.sewausa.org
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IAF Kicks Off Navaratri Celebrations! STAFFORD: Once again, Indo
American Forum of Fort Bend (IAF) kicked off upcoming Navaratri 2018 celebration with flair and a fantastic show. What a colorful evening it was on Saturday, September 29 at Stafford Center, a classic Navaratri celebration that one cannot resist to participate in the fun of dancing. More than 1,000 enthused attendees were engrossed in the spellbound entertainment of Navaratri Celebration at the pleasant venue of Stafford Centre. Renowned Gujarati singer group from Mumbai, Bhanubhai Vora & Trupti Chhaya dazzled the participants with the melodious musical tunes of the modern and traditional folk melodies. A fabulous state of the art audio system of Krishna Sounds was orchestrated by Darshak Thacker. The combination of superb singers, musicians, and audio system enthralled and mesmerized the participants to keep going beyond the mid-night. There were numerous prizes for the Best Dressed, Best Dancer, and many other categories for the varied age group to make the event truly a family fun affair. The event was also sponsored by Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Dearborn & Creggs, Better Health Services and many esteemed Trustees of Indo American Forum of Fort Bend. The Trav-
enue Group of Ketki Shah gifted very attractive travel Package to some of the winners. Also, Harish and Himadri Katharani of Imagimake provided special prizes and gifts. Umang and Daxina Mehta of Deep Foods provided Prasad and underwrote printing needs. Certainly, there were many booths of vendors of jewelry; insurance companies, mortgage bankers and many others supported the event. Naren Patel and Shefali Jhaveri of IAF thanked all the sponsors and supporters for providing financial support. This allows the Indo American Forum of Fort Bend to plow the net proceeds from such event in to many worthy charitable causes. The Indo American Forum of Fort Bend (IAF) focuses its efforts on supporting the underprivileged,
underserved and needy in Fort Bend County, by supporting charities in the area providing assistance through education, shelter, food, healthcare and familial and substance abuse. Attendees hailed the IAF Navaratri Celebration as a premier event that truly reflects the spirit of Navaratri and a fun time of fellowship. Needless to mention, everyone had one expression...Wow, what an evening! The Board of Trustees of Indo American Forum of Fort Bend extends Season’s Greetings and Best Wishes for the upcoming Hindu festivals of Navaratri, Dashera, Diwali and many other culture enriching affairs. Photos: Dr. Nik Nikam
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COMMUNITY
October 05, 2018
AAPI Fundraiser for Asian Democratic Candidates for Elections BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON: Standing on the
circular landing and looking down on the high-ceilinged foyer, the flock of candidates represented a cross-section of diversity that State Representative Gene Wu said had not before been seen in Texas politics in either of the two mainstream parties. “We have nearly 30 candidates of Asian descent running in the upcoming November elections,” Wu said, “representing the diversity within Harris and surrounding counties.” Wu himself is seeking reelection in Texas District 137 where he was first elected in 2012. He and Hebert Vo from District 149 (also seeking re-election) are the only two elected officials of Asian descent – both born overseas, Wu in China and Vo in Vietnam - from Harris County currently in the Texas House. But there are many other hopefuls who want to increase that number, like Alex Karjeker a first-time candidate seeking election to Texas House District 129 which he believes is flippable by a very tiny margin. He is of Filipino-Indian descent and is running against incumbent Republican Dennis Paul and Libertarian Joseph Majsterski for the South Houston district that covers Pearland, Friendswood, Clear Lake all the way to Kemah.
Clockwise from top left: The Democratic candidates for various political and judicial offices in Harris County and Kathy Cheng, candidate for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 with State Representative Gene Wu at the fundraiser on September 26; Texas House District 129 Candidate Alex Karjeker with his wife Bijal Mehta; the candidates mixed with guests and supporters at the home of Dr. Kamila & Nomi Husain in Piney Point.
Karjeker is of Marathi heritage and was born and raised in Houston, He studied mathematics and economics at the University of Texas and earned master’s degrees in public policy and economics from Georgetown University in 2012 and was married to Bijal Mehta last year in October. The candidates came together
for a fundraiser organized by the Asian American & Pacific Islanders Committee and held at the magnificent home of Dr. Kamila and Nomi Husain in Piney Point on Wednesday, September 26. “We have now held 20 fundraisers here this election season,” said Nomi Husain, who is a fervent supporter of political
causes. The event was co-organized by Rufi Natarajan, the Democratic Precinct 70 Chair. The 60 or so supporters who attended the event also heard from Texas Congressional District 22 candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni who has caught the imagination of many Asian and minority voters in a race
for the seat currently held by nine-year incumbent Republican Pete Olson. It is also considered a very tight race and flippable as well. Among others at the event was Rabeea Collier, a Pakistani-American and native Houstonian who went to Kingwood High School, the University of Texas at Austin and received her Law degree from Texas Southern University. She is married to Robert Collier, an attorney, and they have two sons. Rabeea Collier is seeking to become the Judge of the 113th Civil District Court of Harris County and is running against Republican Michael Landrum who was appointed to the position in May 2013 by Governor Rick Perry. Asked why the Democratic Party’s television ads weren’t as forceful and combative to counter hard-hitting ads runs by Republicans, Gene Wu replied that the idea was to differentiate the Democratic candidates and project a positive, compromising side rather than take a vicious tone especially for people the voters didn’t know well enough. Also in attendance was one of two Asian-American candidates for the Texas Supreme Court, Kathy Cheng who is running for Place 6. The other candidate, incumbent judge of the Harris County 127th Civil Court Ravi Sandill who is running for Place 4 was on the campaign trial and unable to attend.
Sri Venkateswara Kalyanam at Sri Meenakshi Temple
PEARLAND: Sri Meenakshi Temple cel-
ebrated Sri Venkateswara Kalyanam with grandeur and devotion on September 23rd. The auspicious month of Purattasi is of great importance, as it is believed that Lord Venkateswara appeared on the earth in this month. The purpose of such festivals is believed to shower all of God’s creations with health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. The event started early morning with the Suprabatham and various other chantings for the divine awakening of Lord Venkateswara at the Main Temple. Devotees then carry seer bakshanams (offerings) in a procession from the Ganesh Temple to the Kalyana Mandapam to the accompaniment of the chanting of Vedic mantras.
The Kalyanam function included all the traditional rituals such as pidi sutral, raksha bandanam, kanya dhanam, homam and mangalya dharanam. One of the highlights of the event is the most auspicious Nava Kalasa Abhishekam for the Utsava Murthies of Lord Venkateswara, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi with the chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama. The Utsava Murthis were taken in a procession around the Temple in the silver chariot to the Main Temple for “oonjal seva” and final Aarthi. The Divine wedding concluded with a sumptuous feast, organized by Food committee and served by volunteers. Secretary Ram Reddy thanked the priests, staff, coordinators, devotees, sponsors and volunteers.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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October 05, 2018
India House Launches Free Food Distribution to Needy Families
India House staff and volunteers pose in front of nearly empty grocery cartons.
Volunteers unloading groceries from the Houston Food Bank refrigerated truck.
Rani Juneja (center), Vijay Dhingra and other volunteers helped organize the groceries into individual piles.
Families lined up at the side entrance of India House to load groceries.
HOUSTON: India House mis-
sion is to unite cultures, build bridges, and serve the community. On Tuesday, September 25, India House achieved a major milestone on its mission to serve the community by launching food distribution to needy families in collaboration with the Houston Food Bank. During its inaugural food distribution, India House parceled out groceries to more than 100
families. “As needy families in the nearby neighborhoods learn about this service, we expect to increase food distribution to about 400 families every month,” explained Col. Vipin Kumar (Retired), Executive Director of India House. Rani & Harinder Juneja sponsored the September 25th food distribution session. Mrs. Juneja was at India House bright and early at 8:00 am to help with the
food distribution. Joining her were more than 25 volunteers, few of whom were participants of the Free Yoga classes, which are held thrice a week at India House. Col. Kumar and India House staff members Pallavi Surana, Bhumi Parmar and Khin Chao had planned in advance to set up a token system to help streamline the distribution process. Volunteers provided one token per needy family and documented their status as per Houston Food Bank rules. A Houston Food Bank truck arrived in the morning at 7:45 am with large boxes of cereal, vegetables such as potatoes, cabbages, limes, tomato sauce cans, and fruits such as watermelons. India House staff set up an assembly line to bring in the food and organize assorted items into plastic bags for each family. In orderly fashion, the families came by the side entrance to India House and were helped by volunteers to load the groceries in their cars. Several families did not have cars and either walked back to their neighborhood home or waited for Metro transportation for a ride home. Many of the volunteers were gratified by their charity service and are looking forward to the next monthly food distribution session on October 16th and 30th from 8 am to 1 pm. Many of the needy families expressed their gratitude to India House, Houston Food Bank and the volunteers. India House Houston is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization located in Houston, Texas. Our mission is to united cultures, create bridges and serve the community by bringing resources, education, services and Indian culture to Houstonians.
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October 05, 2018 Vedanta Society of Greater Houston (VSGH) Durga Puja 2018 BY SANCHALI BASU
HOUSTON: It is that time of the year
again - Durga Puja time! As is the norm every year, VSGH will take pride in hosting the first Durga Puja of the season in Houston. VSGH has gone through several changes over the past year. Revered Swami Atmarupananda, an authority on the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, besides authoring several books on Vedanta and meditation, has taken over as the spiritual head of VSGH since last December. He will be assisting Swami Kripamayanada from Toronto, in conducting the puja. The puja will commence early in the morning with the Nabapatrika and the idol of Mother Durga being carried to the nicely decorated pandal outdoors to the beat of the Dhak and the blowing of the shankh, creat-
ing a divine atmosphere. The puja will continue to the accompaniment of melodious devotional songs by the VSGH choir and end with a beautiful arati, and pushpanjali, the offering of flowers, by devotees. Looking at the weather forecast, one can expect a bright beautiful sunny day, not too warm, to the delight of the devotees. The puja will be followed by fruit & lunch prasad distribution to all attendees. This is one puja that all Houstonians look forward
COMMUNITY
to every year, because of the sincere piety and devotion with which the puja is carried out. It imbibes a spiritual atmosphere in which all devotees bask. A book stall is also set up at the back of the Puja pandal for attendees to check books out and purchase. Some dignitaries are expected to attend the event. A record crowd is being expected this year. A warm invitation is being extended to all to attend with family and friends. Admission and parking is free, but donations are welcome. For further information about the event, please visit: www.houstonvedanta.org or contact Ashok Dasgupta at 979-421-0957, Swapna Chaudhuri at 281-584-0488, or leave a message at the Vedanta Society 281-988-7211.
Sankara Eye Foundation Dandia Cancelled in Houston
H
OUSTON: Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) has cancelled the scheduled Dandiya event on October 6 at the NRG Center by Preetysha & Sameer due to unavoidable circumstances. Full refunds will be released to the same credit card number used to make the ticket purchase. This dandia event was planned as a fundraiser for Sankara’s new hospitals in Mumbai, Jaipur, Indore, and Hyderabad. SEF apologizes for any inconvenience caused. Please continue to support the noble cause of eradicating curable blindness in India. If you wish to volunteer for the SEF Houston Chapter, please email at sef-houston@giftofvision.org As a non-profit, Sankara Eye Foundation volunteers have been working tirelessly for two decades to eradicate curable blindness in Over 1.6 million free eye surgeries have already been performed, making SEF the largest free eye care provider in the world. The Charity Navigator has consistently given the organization four-star rating for financial accountability and transparency. Please visit https://www.giftofvision.org/ for details.
Bharat Chimanlal Sanghavi
B
harat Chimanlal Sanghavi, 74, passed away on September 26, 2018 in Mumbai, India. Bharat and his wife Panna, moved to Houston in 1975. Bharat graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from MS University of Baroda in 1966 and with a Master’s Degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1968. He was involved in a variety of community/ professional organizations including the India Culture Center (Past President), Gujarati Samaj of Houston, Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj Haveli, and Houston Association of Realtors. Recently, Bharat and Panna were fortunate enough to spend a significant amount of time with their family in India, creating many wonderful memories. Bharat is survived by his wife Panna; children and spouses Nehal and Reetu and Deval and Neera; and grandchildren Ayush, Laxman, Akbar, and Anamika. The family wishes to extend their sincere thanks to the Houston community for their love and support. INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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October 05, 2018
Four Organizations Honored at World Hindu Congress 2018
Anuttama Das of ISKCON receiving the award from Dr. Mohan Bhagwat
Swami Swaroopananda of Chinmaya Mission with Dr. Mohan Bhagwat
Ishwar Prasad Patwari of Geeta Press, Gorakhpur with Dr. Mohan Bhagwat
Alak Parmar of BAPS Swaminarayan with Dr. Mohan Bhagwat
BY MANU SHAH
HOUSTON: The World Hindu
Call 713-789-6397 to Advertise
Congress held from Sept. 7-9, 2018 in Chicago reaffirmed Swami’s Vivekananda’s message of universal love, peace, acceptance and service to humanity. In this context, it recognized and honored the substantial contributions of four organizations whose selfless volunteers have dedicated their lives in spreading these teachings of Hindu Dharma and preserving its unparalleled culture around the world. The four organizations that were honored were ISKCON, BAPS Swaminarayan, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur and Chinmaya
Mission. ISKCON ISKCON was honored for its work in spreading the philosophy of the Bhagvad Geeta to the remotest corners of the world and sparking an interest in Hindu traditions. Its translations of this sacred text into 70 languages has resulted in diverse ethnicities embracing its message and timeless teachings and incorporating it in everyday life. Today ISKCON has a strong presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australia and runs over 850 temples, community centers, schools, restaurants (including feeding the needy) and charitable institutions across the world to
serve humanity. International Director of Communications Anuttama Das attributed ISKCON’s success to the profound knowledge with which “we all have been blessed.” He also stated that had Srila Prabhupada, Founder of ISKCON, been with us today, he would have been proud of these substantial achievements but would remind us that Hindu culture is not about achievements in this temporal world but about seeking the eternal world and eternal values. It is about teaching the world that we are all spiritual beings, that real peace and success lies in understanding our divinity and our relationship to the Supreme Divine. BAPS Swaminarayan It’s easy to be awed by the architecturally magnificent BAPS Swaminarayan mandirs around the world with their intricate marble carvings and sprawling spotless surroundings. These visually appealing temples served to stimulate curiosity and interest in Hindu architecture and through it Hindu Dharma among people of different cultural and religious backgrounds. They also serve as seats for learning Hindu values and provide an environment for people of all ages to connect with their Hindu identity. The award was accepted by Alak Parmar, a BAPS volunteer. Parmar drew attention to the countless selfless volunteers who are passionate about serving others because they believe in Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s motto - in the joy of others lies our own, in the progress of others lies our own and in the good of others lies our own. BAPS Swaminarayan focuses on families and nurturing the younger generation. Parmar highlighted the contributions of thousands of mothers who are helping “raise peace loving Hindus.” BAPS believes in ahimsa (non-violence), and most importantly encourages peace and harmony. Not a day goes by, she stated, when Mahant Swami Maharaj doesn’t talk about unity and harmony – “harmony in the family, harmony in our community and harmony across the world.” Geeta Press, Gorakhpur The credit for making India’s rich literature accessible and affordable and in turn sustain India’s ancient civilization and historical identity goes to Geeta Press, Gorakhpur. Thanking WHC for this “extreme honor”, Ishwar Prasad Patwari, a trustee of Geeta Press, Gorakhpur accepted the award and revealed that till March 2018, 664 million copies of “character building” books like the Gita, Ramcharitamanas, Ramayan Mahabharat and other sacred Hindu texts have been published in most major Indian languages. The main object, he stated, is to
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With Election Day Approaching, Register to Vote by October 9
BY DR. NIDHI TREHAN
SUGAR LAND: Folks, it’s time
yet again to participate in the great democratic process in America midterm elections are upon us November 6th! And while there are a number of things to be proud of as Texans, unfortunately, our record on voting is certainly not one of them. It’s sad, but true, we actually stand at 49 out of 50 states, near the bottom in terms of voter participation. According to the Washington Post, during election cycles where Congressional seats are up for grabs, Texans tied at the bottom in voter turnout with Washington DC, a federal district that has no members of Congress! This is based on an analysis of voter turnout for the 2006, 2010 and 2014
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 spread spirituality for God realization which is the aim of human life. The founder Jay Dayal Goyandka used to say that “when every child will utter the Gita when taking birth…then we have achieved our goal to some extent.” Ishwar Patwari encouraged the gathering to spare a few minutes daily to read “soul elevating” literature. Operating on a purely non-profit basis, the organization which was established in 1923, has published 72 million copies of Bhagvad Geeta and over 70 million copies
midterm elections. In the last midterm election in 2014, only 28% of Texas voters went to the polls. Let’s be clear y’all - Your Vote counts! Especially with respect to this upcoming midterm in November, there are many myths about the voting process...so let me just tackle a few: The number 1 myth confronting us today is “My Vote Doesn’t Count” because everything is pre-
sumably based on the Electoral College system. Wrong! Only Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections are decided on the basis of the Electoral College system. In fact, all other offices - your US Senator, your House Representative, the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land, Agriculture and Railroad Commissioners all the way down the ballot to
your local county clerk - all these positions are decided by a simple majority of votes, in other words on the “one citizen = one vote” principle. So, for example, in the special election for the US Senate in December 2017 in Alabama, Democrat Doug Jones narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by only 1.5% of votes or less than 21,000 votes Here are some important upcoming dates and tips to becoming an informed voter Two helpful websites are: Check if you are registered to vote: https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas. gov/MVP/mvp.do and Where do I vote?: https://www.votetexas. gov/voting/where.html * Voter Registration Ends October 9, so gather all your friends and relatives and act fast. It’s easy
World Hindu Congress 2018 of Shri Ramcharitmanas to date. Chinmaya Mission Chinmaya Mission’s most significant contribution has been the spread of the knowledge and understanding of Gita amongst the multitudes through the methodology of Gyan Yagna. The Mission has conducted more than 75,000 Geeta Gyan Yagnas globally over the last several decades and through this has successfully brought the knowledge of Hindu shastras to the public. Spiritual head of Chinmaya Mis-
sion – Swami Swaroopananda, while accepting the award, stated that the mission of Chinmaya was to lead people to knowledge, devotion, service, cooperation and take the glory of our spiritual knowledge, traditions and culture to people around the world in every stage, role and development of their life. He also emphasized the importance of making the world recognize the true glory of Hindu religion and culture. Chinmaya Mission is known for its expertise in disseminating the
wisdom of Hindu dharma through stories. The Mission has produced prolific books, magazines, pamphlets, and other media content and made this material universally available. This has helped the global Hindu, particularly youth, to understand the enduring Hindu values and truths in the contemporary context. The organization runs numerous schools, colleges, and other institutions to provide contemporary quality education anchored in Dharma.
to register - go to www.votetexas. gov to download voter registration forms online, print and mail to the registrar. *Early Voting begins on October 22 and is conveniently located at many polling stations near your home, typically in local schools or community organizations, including some temples and churches. *Senior Citizens and those with disabilities or those who will be abroad in November can vote by mail - you can register very easily and don’t need to go to the polling site yourself. Go to www.sos. state.tx.us *Get information on the local candidates and the local races - be informed of who is running for your School Board, Your County Treasurer, Judges, and your Texas State legislator (Texas has two bodies in Austin - the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate), amongst other posts. Check out this website for the general ballot https://apps.texastribune.org/features Finally, grab two friends who normally don’t vote in the midterms, make sure they register by October 9th and take them to vote with you! Nidhi Trehan is a Political Sociologist and Visiting Scholar at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin and an Ambassador for the “Beto for Senate” campaign in Texas
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October 05, 2018 A Moral Journey
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Satyagraha Then, Swachhagraha Now BY PARAMESWARAN IYER
The removal of adultery from the statute books is another decisive step towards a modern constitutional morality. Following the SC intervention, adultery is now a civil matter between individuals. But a criminal residue remains — Section 306 of the IPC will be invoked if a suicide results from adultery. Equality before the law does not only signify equal access to the law, but also equal exposure to the law. This is one of the principles followed by the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which has struck down as unconstitutional Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code that had criminalised adultery for 158 years. Section 198(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure is also struck down. In both cases, the court has found that the woman was robbed of agency and reduced to a chattel. Law which allows only men to have agency and the right to be aggrieved is unacceptable at a time when sexual relations are understood to be between equals. Section 497 dates from the patriarchal era and criminalised men who knowingly had relations with the wife of another man, “without the consent or connivance of that man”. The woman was not punishable as an abettor, while her husband was automatically the wronged party. Section 198(2) clarified that only the woman’s husband can be the aggrieved party or, in his absence, “someone who had care of the woman”. One gender was granted ownership of the other, which was deemed to be too innocent to look after itself. At the time when these laws came into force, the same logic was used to justify the colonial project — “natives” could not possibly develop modernity except as wards of European power. Just as colonialism is morally repugnant by contemporary ethical standards, the law of adultery is insupportable. Following the SC intervention, adultery is now a civil matter between individuals. But a criminal residue remains — Section 306 of the IPC will be invoked if a suicide results from adultery. This will hopefully be corrected in the future, now that the court has strongly repudiated the criminality of adultery. This reform is part of a process of change in constitutional morality, which has acquired an inexorable momentum. The striking down of Section 377, which had decriminalised gay sex, may be the most celebrated legal reform, but the trail goes back to 2015, when the Supreme Court found a long-term live-in relationship to be indistinguishable from marriage, even for inheritance. In recent times, the triple talaq ruling and the right to privacy have maintained the trend. It would not be unreasonable now to look forward to the criminalisation of marital rape, which is the next milestone on a road being rapidly travelled. -- Indian Express
No one person has had a bigger influence on the shaping of India than Mahatma Gandhi. He was at once a man of action and a visionary. He worked and strove tirelessly for an India that would be a beacon of peace and harmony in an unstable, often violent world. He worked and strove tirelessly for an India where the dignity and well-being of the weakest would be the highest priority of the strongest. He worked and strove tirelessly for a united India, where people from all walks of life would work towards the common goal of serving the nation and building it. Beyond the nation, he embodied the collective conscience of the world. This week, as we celebrate the commencement of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary year, it is an opportunity to reflect on those Gandhian actions and ideals and evaluate the progress we have made towards creating the India of his dreams. So, if a time machine could fast forward Gandhi to the India of 2018, what would he see? Today, we are on the cusp of transitioning from an emerging economic power to being regarded as a global economic superpower. We have also made massive strides on a variety of social indices. The percentage of people below the poverty line has been steadily reducing, infant mortality is at an all-time low, literacy rates are rising, the sex ratio is improving and life-expectancy is increasing. Gandhi would surely be happy on these counts. But what would undoubtedly please him more than anything else, I dare to conjecture, is the fact that the people of India have collectively rallied around a subject that was extremely close to his heart — sanitation and cleanliness. Gandhi had famously equated the importance of sanitation to political independence. Today, India is fighting and winning the war against insanitary practices like open defecation using the same principles and methods of mass mobilisation that were used during the war of political independence under Gandhi’s leadership. It was Satyagraha then, it is Swachhagraha now, but the spirit bringing about change by the people at the centre of the change process,
is the same. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unprecedented reference to toilets in his 2014 Red Fort address, and the audacious commitment to eliminate open defecation in the country in a short span of five years, would have warmed Gandhi’s heart. The latter had openly spoken about the ills of open defection on multiple occasions. “The cause of many of our diseases is,” he said in Navjivan weekly in May 1925, “our bad habit of disposing of excreta anywhere and everywhere. I therefore believe in the absolute necessity of a clean place for answering the call of nature.” The wave of swachhata is sweeping across the country at an accelerated pace. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, everyone has become a sanitation champion. There are stories of extraordinary leadership emerging from every nook and corner of the country. People are changing their own age old habits and are inspiring others around them to do the same. The swachhata bug has caught on to all sectors, from schools to hospitals to tourist places and everything in between. For Gandhi, this energy and fervour would be reminiscent of the Independence movement days. More importantly, the fact that the nation is symbolically bound in the fabric of swachhata, with everyone offering their service for nation building, would be most satisfying for the Mahatma. The SBM has already achieved a lot more than what we had achieved in all the post-Independence years till 2014. Sanitation coverage in India has increased from less than 40 per cent in 2014 to over 94 per cent today. Over 50 crore people have adopted safe sanitation and given
up open defecation. In over three quarters of all our villages today, no one defecates in the open. Nearly 5 lakh swachhagrahis and innumerable unnamed sanitation crusaders are the foot soldiers of this mass movement. Most communities are now united in their resolve to never let open defecation back into their lives. And this movement of freedom from open defecation is leading to improvements in health and financial indicators for rural households. The World Health Organisation has estimated that India will save over 3 lakh lives by 2019 on account of the SBM. UNICEF has estimated that each rural household in an open defecation free village saves Rs 50,000 per year. India held the infamous record of having the highest number of stunted children in the world, this number is expected to steadily decline as the longer term benefits of safe sanitation kick in. If Gandhi visited India today, he would undoubtedly be happy with what India has managed to achieve on the sanitation front in the last four years. He would be proud of the example we have set for other countries who are grappling with the problem of rampant open defecation. In an effort to share our story with the world, and hopefully inspire them to prioritise sanitation like we have, India is hosting the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the SBM, and the launch of the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi. This is our small way of paying tribute to the great soul who dreamt of a country and world dedicated to good sanitation. -- Indian Express The writer is Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
LIFE OF MAHATMA GANDHI
October 05, 2018
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The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi - Part 17
Wheels of Independence are Set in Motion
T
he story thus far….The war in Europe was having an impact in India. The Congress Working Committee found itself unable to accept in its entirety Gandhi’s attitude to the war. In particular, they would not accept his view that the defense of India should not depend on the armed forces. Congress leaders met on several occasions in Gandhi’s room at Sevagram and talked of their desire to start some action. Finally a proposal was put forward that all provincial governments should join with the British authorities in the defense of India, but the British rejected the offer. In September 1940, a meeting of the All-India Congress Committee was held in Bombay. There, as a protest against England’s utter indifference to India’s hopes, it was decided to launch individual civil disobedience against the authorities. It was also decided to hold meetings to protest against British imperialism. At that time such meetings were forbidden. Vinoba Bhave was the first to inaugurate individual satyagraha. He was arrested and so were hundreds of others who followed him. Nehru also was arrested. Within a few months over 30,000 Congressmen were put in jail. Only Gandhi was not imprisoned. He devoted his time to spreading the gospel of truth and nonviolence. In December 1941 the government released all the satyagrahis. Then, in 1942, as the Japanese swept across the Pacific and went through Malaya and Burma, the British began to think of a settlement with India. Japan, it was feared, might even invade India. Even Gandhi began to feel that his pacifism might stand in the way of India’s future. So he made the proposal of a provisional government so that all the resources of India could be added to the government’s side in the struggle against the aggressors. But this proposal was ignored. InMarch1942Churchillannounced that the war cabinet had agreed on a plan for India and that Sir Stafford Cripps had agreed to go to India to find out whether the Indian leaders would accept the plan, and whether they would devote all their thought and energy to the defense of India against Japan. Cripps arrived in Delhi on March 22. He met Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other important leaders. Cripps promised greater freedom than what had been offered before. He also offered complete freedom after the war, if India wanted it. The leaders would perhaps have accepted this offer if it had come a year earlier, but now it was rejected. The Congress leaders did not want any compromise based on promises. The British did not trust the people of India sufficiently to give them any real power, and so the Indian leaders felt that they could not trust the British to hand over power after the war. In August 1942 the All-India Congress Committee met in Bombay, and was presided over by Maulana Azad.
Again the demand to set up a provisional government was made. “We can no longer hold back our people from exercising their will,” Gandhi said. “Nor can we go on eternally submitting to the imperialist policies. The time has come for the English to go. Civil servants, army officers, government officers all of them should quit India.” The “Quit India” resolution was drawn up and passed by the meeting for presentation to the government. Nehru moved the resolution and Sardar Patel seconded it. The resolution also announced the starting of a mass struggle on the widest possible scale. Winding up the meeting, Gandhi said, “I have pledged to the Congress, and the Congress has pledged herself that she will do or die.” The government did not wait for the mass movement to begin. Overnight Gandhi was arrested, as were many other leaders in various parts of India. Gandhi was interned in the Aga Khan’s palace in Poona. Mahadev Desai, Kasturba, Sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn were also taken there. But with the leaders in jail, India did not remain idle. ‘Do or die’ was taken up by the people. There were mass movements everywhere. And there was a great outburst of violence throughout the country. People started destroying government buildings and whatever else they considered to be symbols of British imperialism. Shortly after his detention in the Aga Khan’s palace Gandhi suffered a grievous bereavement. Mahadev Desai, his faithful and able secretary, died of a heart attack. “Mahadev has lived up to the ‘do or die’ mantra,” Gandhi said. “This sacrifice will only hasten the day of India’s deliverance.” All over India there were strikes and disorder. Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy, blamed Gandhi for all the turmoil. Gandhi had invited violence, he claimed. In a long series of letters to Lord Linlithgow, Gandhi tried to persuade him to retract this charge against him. Failing in this, Gandhi decided to undertake a fast as “an appeal to the Highest Tribunal” against the unjust charges. Gandhi fasted for 21 days in February, 1943. It was a great ordeal, but he survived the fast. Kasturbai nursed him back to health, but her own health
was failing. She suffered two heart attacks. Gandhi tried his best to save her, but Kasturbai grew worse. One day she died quietly in Gandhi’s arms. A few weeks later Gandhi was taken seriously ill with malaria. The Indian people demanded his immediate release and the authorities, believing that he was nearing death, released him. Gandhi was slowly restored to health. The demand for Indian independence had now acquired worldwide interest. Apart from India’s own attitude, America and other countries started pressing Britain to grant freedom to India. “IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA” But Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not yield to any of these approaches. India had always been the jewel in the British crown, to crucial to the Britain’s prosperity. Churchill was the last man to think from 2.30pm to 3.30pm of giving up India. Two months after Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the Labour Party came into power in hjoshi7@hotmail.com Britain and Clement Attlee became the Prime Minister. www.shobajoshi.com After the defeat of Japan in August that year, the British government announced that they expected to grant self-rule to India as soon as her interOWNER, PROMOTER AND HOST OF nal problems could be solved. This was indeed a victory for India and Geetanjali Radio AM 1320 a victory for the principle of nonSat & Sun 2-6 PM violence. Britain agreed to a planned For your business ads withdrawal from India in friendship and with no bitterness. Cell: 832-878-4338 All through his life Gandhi had Tel: 713-545-4749 worked for unity between Hindus shobajoshi999@gmail.com and Muslims, without much success. There was a large section of nationalist Muslim in the Congress but leaders of the Muslim League were drifting further and further away. Gandhi was not the man to give up hope, however, and he pursued his efforts to bring about a settlement. On the other hand, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, was hostile to the idea of unity. — To be continued next week For more information and registration visit
Stay tuned every Sunday,
HIREN JOSHI
832-646-2116
SHOBA JOSHI
Mahatma Gandhi Library, Inc. CITY-WIDE CONTESTS
Essay Poster Coloring iTribute Speech The contest are open to all children in the greater Houston Area. The winners of these contests will be recognized at the 1000 Lights for Peace, a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, on Sunday, October 14, 2017.
www.gandhilibrary.org
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October 05, 2018
HCC Launches New Online College with 32 Fully Online Degrees HCC 3rd largest in the U.S. for online enrollments
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scissors just wouldn’t do for the new Houston Community College Online College. Instead, attendees held tablets and swiped their fingers across the screen for the ribbon cutting marking the launch of 32 fully online degrees and certificates. By the fall of 2019, the college will have a total of 71 fully online degrees and certificates. “This is a defining moment in the history of HCC,” said Chancellor Cesar Maldonado. “The students who have registered for online courses this fall are the first to have the option of completing a fully online pathway to a certificate or associate degree at HCC.” “HCC has offered remote learning options since the time they were referred to as distance learning, but the addition of a seventh college within the organization entirely dedicated to meeting the needs of online learners takes HCC’s commitment to a whole different level,” said Margaret Ford Fisher, president of HCC’s online college. “We are providing students the option of completing their coursework anywhere, anytime.” With more than 21,000 students taking one or more online classes, HCC is the third largest community college in the U.S. for online enrollments. There are more than 60 areas of study and more than 5,000 individual courses available online. “It is our goal at HCC to remove roadblocks that might get in the way of obtaining an associate degree or workforce certificate,” HCC Board Chair Carolyn Evans-Shabazz said. “The online college does just that for potential students who, for a variety of reasons, cannot conveniently take traditional classes.” “The online college expands educational opportunities for stay-at-home
moms and dads, students committed to caring for elderly loved ones at home and those already in the workforce who need additional education to move up in their careers or change their careers altogether,” said Norma Perez, HCC vice chancellor, instructional services, and chief academic officer. According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group, HCC retention rates for first-time freshmen students were 9 to 10 percentage points higher when they took at least one fully online or mixed modality course. BCG also reported that HCC students who take a combination of digital and face-to-face courses complete their degrees at a higher rate than those who take all of their classes face to face. HCC’s Online College provides
counselors, advisors and tutors for its online students. All HCC online classes are taught by credentialed faculty. More information is available at www.hccs.edu/online About HCC: Houston Community College (HCC) is composed of 15 Centers of Excellence and numerous satellite centers that serve the diverse communities in the Greater Houston area by preparing individuals to live and work in an increasingly international and technological society. HCC is one of the country’s largest singly-accredited, open-admission, community colleges offering associate degrees, certificates, workforce training, and lifelong learning opportunities. To learn more, visit www.hccs. edu
Daya Stands With Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
H
OUSTON: On September 27, like many across the country, we watched as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford bravely testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about her sexual assault. Her opening words captured what so many sexual assault victims feel each day when telling their story – “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified.” Dr. Ford described her trauma with eloquence and expertise. She spoke of her lasting memories, PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks – all common results of the trauma of sexual assault. Equally as importantly, Dr. Ford eloquently addressed the lingering question posed by so many over the past week –why don’t victims report their assaults? She recalled her fear and her shame. She tried to minimize her assault, hoping that she could “move on and just pretend that it had never happened.” Like so many survivors, Dr. Ford had to weigh the risks every day, living with the fear that she would be “personally annihilated.” Despite her fears, she came forward. Immediately after her testi-
mony many major news stations took comments from callers. One caller questioned why she was still in her wet bathing suit. Another suggested that, “boys will be boys.” Yet among the tired and predictable responses born from America’s rape culture, we started to see signs of solidarity, validation, and support. Hashtags of belief flooded our newsfeeds. Dr. Ford was called a hero and a patriot. By telling her truth, Dr. Ford created hope. As an agency that supports survivors of sexual violence, we at Daya stand with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. We believe her as we believe all survivors. Survivors of sexual violence face systemic and societal barriers when seeking support and reporting their assaults. As a community, we
have the chance to break these barriers. We urge you all to hold abusers accountable, address our society’s rape culture with your children, and, above all else, believe survivors. In the coming days, Dr. Ford’s brave testimony will continue to dominate conversations on the news, at our workplaces, and across our dinner tables. These conversations are difficult. We encourage you all to take care of yourselves and each other. If you or someone you love is triggered by these events, seek support from agencies such as Daya or RAINN. By believing survivors and spreading compassion we can create a world where young girls and women no longer need to be afraid to tell their truth and reclaim their safety. Today we thank Dr. Ford for giving us the opportunity to change the conversation about sexual violence in our country. Fordetailscontact:RachnaKhare, Executive Director (713) 842-7222 / rachna@dayahouston.org
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COMMUNITY
October 05, 2018
South Asians Khan, Chopra Battle Technology Monopolies BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON: It’s a tale of a modern
day Goliath pitted against the likes of a David who is churning up evidence using old-fashioned research in out-of-vogue books sequestered in musty library shelves. In one single scholarly article, an unknown law student has taken on the monopolistic practices of technology behemoth Amazon and challenged the way that other mighty titans of internet commerce behave, contending that it is equivalent to the way the railroads operated a hundred years ago. It is the central idea in the article “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” written in 2017 by young associate scholar Lina Khan at Yale Law School’s Open Markets Program which examines how current laws fail to address the power and depth of reach of the modern digital retail economy. Her work has been published in many journals across the nation, including a front page article in the business section of the New York Times in September. Lina Khan was born in London to Pakistani parents who immigrated to the United States when she was 11. She is now 29, newly married to a Texas doctor and was supposed to move this summer to Los Angeles, to a clerkship with Stephen Reinhardt, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge who suddenly died in March.
Instead, Khan has started a fellowship at Columbia University this fall. Last year, Khan pored over old anti-trust volumes from past congressional hearings on the shelves of Southern Methodist University’s library refining her ideas on the monopoly powers of the biggest and most prevalent company of our times, Amazon, which dominates the online and now even brick-andmortars retail commerce, employs 500,000 people worldwide and has a formidable internet cloud presence. People are drawn to it for the extent
of its products and the speed of delivery and few even think that they need to be protected from it, just as they did with Microsoft until the Justice Department took in on in the mid 90’s. The same could be said about the monopolistic tendencies of Facebook, Google, Twitter or Apple and many other internet titans and slowly regulators in the US, Europe, China and India are coming around to the idea that these companies wield too much power in the economic and even political landscape and Khan’s
93-page paper has given that a needed impetus. Her central argument is that Amazon, just like the railroads, is a delivery system that exerts too much control on many parts of the economy while collecting so much data on customers that it can influence their behavior and so can’t be trusted to create the future we will inhabit. Her paper has been a runaway bestseller and has made Khan a minor celebrity. And she has caught the attention of Rohit Chopra, a new Democratic commissioner at the Federal Trade
Commission who brought her in as a temporary adviser for the hearings this fall at Georgetown University Law Center on what rules are needed to enforce a changing economy and the concentration of power. Chopra is happy to have her onboard and applauds her zeal and scholarship that is rare among law students. Rohit Chopra is an American consumer advocate who was previously Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and was appointed in 2017 to fill the open Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission, taking office on May 2, 2018. Chopra received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Before entering government, he worked at McKinsey & Company, the global management consultancy. After the 2008 financial crisis and the passage of the DoddFrank Act, Chopra worked on the implementation team to launch the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. After the launch, Chopra served as the agency’s “student loan pointman.” Chopra is a vocal critic of the mounting levels of student loan debt in the United States. In 2017, Chopra released a report showing that over 1 million Americans defaulted on a student loan in 2016.
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FESTIVAL
October 05, 2018
Happy Navratri and Durga Puja
NAVRATRI (nine nights) is
one of the greatest Hindu festivals. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil. Navratri takes place at the beginning of October around harvest time and, as the name implies, this festival is celebrated for nine days. Navratri is also known as Durga Puja in West Bengal. During this period Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped as three different manifestations of Shakti, or cosmic energy. Durga, the Mother Goddess The festival is dedicated to Durga, the mother goddess who also represents power. Durga annihilated the demon Mahisha-
sura after a relentless battle lasting nine days and nights. Navaratri is a festival in which God is adored as Mother. It is said that Shiva gave permission to Durga to see her mother for nine days in the year and this festival also remembers this visit. Families make an attempt to return home on these days, and leave on the tenth. Hinduism is the only religion in the world which has emphasised to such an extent the motherhood of God. Celebrations To celebrate a good harvest and to propitiate the nine planets, women also plant nine different kinds of food grain seeds in small
containers during these nine days and then offer the young saplings to the goddess. During Navaratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. Aperiod of introspection and purification, Navaratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures. In Gujarat, Navaratri is celebrated by communities getting together for dances (Garba and Dandiya) and nightly feasts. Painted earthern pots with water or a lamp inside symbolise the power of the goddess. The most colourful and elaborate celebrations take part in
Bengal, where huge idols of the goddess are worshipped. Feasts of great variety and delicacy are offered to guests and family during the nine days. For women, Navaratri is a time for shopping for new clothes and new pots. It is an auspicious time to buy gold or jewellery and the gold markets are open late each night. Women dress elaborately each day for the puja or rituals and nightly dances. Dasera (Dussera) The tenth day of the festival is called Dasera, and marks the triumph of good over evil, and also the motherhood of God. Durga Puja is particularly im-
portant for Hindus in Bengal. After having worshipped her for nine days, her image is taken to the streets in a procession and there is much celebration and dancing. To mark Durga leaving her mother after the nine day visit, her image is cast into water. In northern parts of India, Hindus also celebrate Rama’s victory over Ravana during this time. This festival is called Dussera. The ten days represent the ten heads of Ravana, and each day is used by Hindus to get rid of bad characteristics, such as lust and jealousy. The tenth day is known as the Day of Victory. -www.bbc.co.uk
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October 05, 2018
SUDOKU Place a Number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
Send us the correct answer before October 09, 2018. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com or mail to 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036. Send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published (for first three entrees only & 1 submission per month).
Solution Next Week
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L��� W���’� SUDOKU W������ 1) Kumud Athavale 2) Umesh Poojary 3) Usha Shah
PUZZLES / RECIPES Mama’s Punjabi Recipes
Hari Mirch De Pakore
(FRIED GREEN CHILLI FRITTERS) What could be more tempting for the typical Indian palate than fried food and hot, hot chilli pakoras? One thing is for sure, so many Indians love hot, spicy food that there are contests even for the hottest chilllies in the country. Chillies come in many colors – green, purple, yellow, orange - depending on the variety. When dried almost all will turn to red, and have more concentrated sugars and lose their fresh, grassy scent, especially the green ones. Chillies originated in the West Indies and quickly spread elsewhere. There are about 300 known species of chillies, and they all contain the active ingredient capsaicin which affects the respiratory system, blood pressure and heart. Capsaicin causes the heat that stimulates the palate and increases blood circulation which makes the body sweat, which in turn has a cooling effect. This is why chillies are so dominant in tropical areas. The flavor and heat levels (indicating the concentration of capsaicin) of different types of chillies is addictive as endorphins are released to deal with the heat. Some chillies produce rapid, sharp sensations at the back of the throat while others ignite a lingering, low-intensity burning on the tongue and middle palate. Generally, the smaller the chilli or thinner the skin, the more intense it will probably be. The seeds and membranes contain the most capsaicin, a peppery compound produced by ripening chillies to ward off insects that attack the fruit and bush. Capsaicins can spread very easily through casual contact and can burn sensitive skin areas and damage your eyes, so gloves should be worn when cutting chillies. Drinking water will only intensify the burning sensation in your mouth; instead, breathe through your nose and take some salt, milk, yoghurt, cucumber or mint leaves. Chickpea flour is also called besan and come from dry roasted garbanzos (or chickpeas) which is then ground. Besan is high in carbohydrates, but contains no gluten and has a higher protein content than other flours. To most people, pakoras (or pakore) are an inexpensive fried snack that combines the flavor of a vegetable, fish or chicken with a spicy batter and is eaten with some chutney, and served mostly as an appetizer. In many Indian cities, it is
eaten as a snack, often from a hawker stand on the street corner or from the neighborhood halwai (pastry cook), coming hot, straight from the boiling cauldron, Ingredients: • 1.5 cups besan (chickpea flour) • 1 1/2 cups pani (water), enough to make running paste • 1 dozen hari mirchi (green chillies) • 1 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder • ½ tsp namak (salt) • ½ tsp lal mirch (red pepper) • 1 tsp amchoor (mango powder) • Spices to taste: namak (salt), lal mirch (red pepper) Directions: 1. Wash the chillies and then towel dry them. You can leave the stems on. 2. Combine the spice ingredients in a small bowl. 3. Cut a sit lengthwise in each chilli and stuff a small amount of the spices in them and set aside. 4. Mix in namak and mirch into 1.5 cups of besan and water till it becomes a soft, running paste. 5. Heat the oil in a karahi (wok). Throw in a small dab of batter to make sure the oil is very hot. Take a chilli, dip it into the batter to coat it
then release it into the hot oil. Keep doing this till the surface of the oil is covered with battered pieces. 6. When one side is slightly brown, turn it over using a sieved spatula and turn over a few times to make sure both sides are cooked. Be careful that they do not become dark brown. Take them out and place on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. 7. Mirchi pakoras are best when served hot with some tomato ketchup or mint chutney. 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 (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her early-nineties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.
MAMA’S TIP O F THE
WEEK DON’T MAKE PAK O R A S IN VERY HOT OIL For mos
t Indians who were brought up in the O the favorite activiti ld Country es on a damp, cool rainy Monsoon da , one of a cup of tea (some y is to have prefer masala chai ) wi hot pakoras and sa mosas. What starts th straight off the cauldron ou a full-fledged, stom ach filling and satis t as a snack soon turns into fying meal over som conversation with e delightful friends But when making th and family. e pakoras, be sure oil in the kadai (or wok). If you slide in to moderate the heat of the the battered vegeta hot oil, then the pa bles in very kora lose their appeal. Fo s will immediately turn dark brown and will r best results, make sure by testing with a few drops of batter befo the oil is moderately hot re.
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ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS
October 05, 2018
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Sui Dhaaga The Anushka and Varun starrer is nice, safe and staid Sui Dhaaga delivers exactly what
it promises: a tale stitched together with ‘sui-dhaaga’, dipped in desi ‘silaai’ and ‘kadhaai’. Small-town town couple wins big, pushing aside wily, wicked, unscrupulous townies and greedy rivals: the film’s single-point agenda is drenched in both sweetness and earnestness. The only trouble with the film is its total predictability: you know what’s coming miles before the characters do. That Mauji (Dhawan) and Mamta (Sharma) will become partners in their own enterprise which involves sewing machines and design wizardry and indomitable will, is something we know right when the film opens. The constantly complaining elderly father (Yadav) retiring from a no-account job, the always delivering homilies homely mother, the elder brother with a shrewish wife, will first put up resistance to the younger son and daughter-in-law’s plan to better their collective future, and after several easy conflicts, will become cheerleaders for Team Sui Dhaaga. This we also know. What I was expecting was a little more surprise, and yes, a little more fun, given Sharat Katariya’s utterly captivating previous outing Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which had so
bunch of other parts. Sui Dhaaga is well made. It’s nice and safe and staid. There are several moments that warm the heart, and you cheer when sui-dhaaga win over needle-and-thread. But you always knew they were going to, didn’t you?
many unexpected touches that were pure pleasure. Could it be that there was more leeway possible with the practically new leads of Dum, and the big stars in Sui Dhaaga made it a more careful film? Or was it because the idea flowed from a ‘sarkari , sanskari’ programme? t’s not as if Dhawan hasn’t tried his best to become Mauji. With each appearance, his level of commitment is clearly on the upside, and he is a very likeable actor, striving to win us over, if he does miss a couple of beats here and there. Sharma is excellent, from the arranging of the ‘pallu’ on the head just so, to some of her fulsome exchanges with Dhawan: the kindling of feeling between the two – something people who live in cramped quarters in joint families will immediately cotton on to – is one of the highlights of the film. But there’s altogether too much of the let’s-berate-the-feckless-and-foolish-Maujiand-Mamta-ki-jodi among the family: that’s the flat, repetitive part of the film. As has become almost the norm these days, the solid supporting cast deserves a film of their own. Yadav, the veteran, is of course the stand-out. So are the actors who play the dumpy mother, and the USA-returned designer who steals from ‘desi’ talent in the art of self-promotion. And a
Sui Dhaaga movie cast: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav, Namit Das Sui Dhaaga movie director: Sharat Katariya ~IndianExpress.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Rekha October 10, 1954
Village Rockstars A beautifully told coming-of-age-
story
Rima Das’ Village Rockstars is
so marvelously life-like that you feel you are right there alongside 10-year-old Dhunu and her pals, as they go about their lives in a remote outpost of rural Assam. You are submerged, along with the young leads, in muddy water, clearly a favourite activity; you are looking up at that same sky as they are; you jump in the puddles they do. And you feel, every growing pain and twinge that Dhunu does. As a coming-of-age-story alone, Village Rockstars is a beauty. As a one-woman-enterprise, the film is a marvel. Das has single-handedly created this film: written, filmed,
directed, produced and edited it. As Dhunu strains towards her goal – the acquisition of a guitar so she can start her own band – you can sense the strong parallel with Das’ own strivings to make her film. It is, in a sense, the director’s own story. And how beautifully told it is, with not a shred of artifice. There is solid craft at work, but at no point calls attention to itself. The film flows, and we flow along with it, as Dhunu the tomboy who hangs out with boys is suddenly made aware of being Dhunu the woman, as she attains puberty. And yet, in a strongly feminist stroke, Dhunu’s mother (movingly played by Basanti) supports her daughter’s move to be her own true self. Poverty, when displayed in movies,
can be tricky. You can see just how difficult the circumstances are for Dhunu and her mother, and for the rest of the village. Floods, which are frequent, can destroy crops, and that can bring everything below subsistence levels. Chaygaon, where the film is set, is Rima Das’ village, and she knows the rhythms of it from the inside, and portrays the challenges with sensitivity. Being born poor and being happy are not at odds with each other, and that pleasure can be had
from the simplest things. Movies can make a moralistic meal of these messages. Rima keeps her film blessedly free of these things. You see Dhunu strumming her guitar, and jumping up to the sky, and you are filled with joy, up to the brim. Vi l l a g e Rockstars received the Best Film at the National Awards this year, and is India’s official entry to the Oscars. It has a limited release this week: seek it, watch it. ~IndianExpress.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Amitabh Bachan October 11, 1942
Ronit Roy Oct 11, 1965
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SPORTS
October 05, 2018
Asia Cup: Heroic Jadhav Wins Title in Last-ball Thriller BY ALAGAPPAN MUTHU DUBAI (ESPN Crickinfo): India 223 for 7 (Rohit 48, Rubel 2-26) beat Bangladesh 222 (Liton 121, Kuldeep 3-45, Jadhav 2-41) by three wickets. From 120 for 0, they fell to 222 all out, wondering what if for part of the night and what the hell for the rest of it. Bangladesh were winning the Asia Cup... until Kedar Jadhav snatched it away from them... with his part-time offspin. what... the... hell... The pain must cut all the more deeper because they were exceptional with the ball, taking a game that had no business going down the wire all the way to the very last ball. Now there is no magic to defending low totals. It’s all about discipline. Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys understood that and simply began targeting the stumps. It was a brilliant move and with the field up - six, sometimes, seven men were saving singles all through the middle overs - the Indian dressing room started to panic. It all reached a crescendo around the 37th over. MS Dhoni was gone. Rohit Sharma was gone. Shikhar Dhawan was long gone. Jadhav was at the crease, but he was having a lot of trouble with his right hamstring, unable to hit the ball, or get off strike. The team management had a decision to make - keep the last specialist batsman out there even though he was struggling or bring him back and expose the tail. After initially asking Jadhav to stay calm and bat on, Rohit ended up calling him back. The equation read 56 runs to get off 72 balls. Ravindra Jadeja knows these situations all too well - and not always for the fondest reasons. However, in this Asia Cup, he has shown that he does have the skill to handle such high-pressure situations, carefully taking India to within 11 runs of the title. But Bangladesh dug deep again and Rubel Hossain found the lefthander’s edge. The 28-year old fast bowler was the heartbeat to an unbelievable comeback. His ten-over spell included 46 dots and two crucial wickets. There was one last twist in the tale, and at the centre of it was, again, Jadhav. He walked back to the crease in the 48th over and with unreal calm got the rest of the runs in singles. Speaking to the broadcasters after his 23 off
bate rages on and for some reason KL Rahul just doesn’t feature in it. Bangladesh’s middle order fared quite poorly as well, contributing four of the eight single-digit scores in the innings, and that really was where the game was lost.
Yadav’s Four-wicket Haul Takes India to Win vs. SL
An injured Kedar Jadhav limps between wickets as Ravindra Jadeja runs by.
27 balls, he suspected he might have a grade 1 or 2 hamstring tear, but did so with a big smile on his face. He had won the cup for India. Everything else took a back seat. Including Liton Das. He had made his maiden ODI century, a splendid innings not only for the quality of his strokeplay but also the calculation behind it. He attacked Jasprit Bumrah, stepping out against the fast bowler; not many batsmen try that, no one did in this tournament anyway. He kept sweeping Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja. Spinners hate that shot because it turns a flighted ball outside off stump into boundaryscoring opportunity. He got to his fifty in 33 deliveries and then converted it to a hundred by the 29th over. Everything was going to plan - and a funky one at that considering Bangladesh had promoted Mehidy Hasan to open the batting for the first time in any form of cricket - first-class, List A or T20s - and came away with their best partnership for the first wicket in 27 ODIs. It is usually at this point that India turn to Jadhav. Hopeless situations are the welcome mat for him. Doing nothing more than bowling straight, he gave India the control they were so desperately searching - and as a bonus took a couple of wickets as well. Mehidy was caught at cover
point, trying to force the pace and the mistake consumed Mushfiqur Rahim as well. For a clearer picture of Jadhav’s impact: Bangladesh were 116 for 0 in 20 overs. He came on. Bangladesh slumped to 62 for 5 in the next 20 overs. On a slow pitch, his non-turning, barely bouncing offbreaks are really hard to get away. Having clawed their way back, India began asserting themselves in the final stages of the innings. It didn’t matter that a centurion was still in the middle. They simply kept him off strike by turning the screws at the other end. Soumya Sarkar felt it the greatest. For the first five overs that he was in the middle, Liton could face only nine balls. Kuldeep eventually got rid of the danger man with a beautiful googly and India’s spinners seemed to have set the course for another straightforward victory. Turns out, such things are becoming rarer each time they play Bangladesh. It could all have been a lot easier if India’s middle order had a more solid look to it. But Ambati Rayudu was caught behind for 2, closing the face against a Mashrafe delivery that held its line. Dinesh Karthik was lbw to a full toss after putting on a half-century partnership for the fourth wicket. Even MS Dhoni fell to Mustafizur at a time when his presence at the crease seemed beyond vital. The No. 4 de-
COLOMBO: India women 168 for 8 (Bhatia 46, Rodrigues 36, Patil 36, Prabodhani 2-18) beat Sri Lanka women 155 (Kaushalya 45, Mendis 32, Poonam 4-26) by 13 runs Legspinner Poonam Yadav’s fourwicket haul guided India women to a 13-run victory over Sri Lanka women in the first T20I at FTZ Sports Complex in Katunayake. After being asked to bat, India put up 168 for 8, courtesy a 35-ball 46 by Taniya Bhatia and 36 each by Jemimah Rodrigues and Anuja Patil. In response, Sri Lanka were 70 for 2 at the end of seven overs, with Chamari Atapattu batting on 27 off 21. However, Poonam dismissed Rebeca Vandort and Atapattu in the next over to jolt the chase. Eshani Lokusuriyage fought with a 31-ball 45, but there was not much support from the other end as the hosts were bowled out for 155 in 19.3 overs. Openers Atapattu and Yasoda Mendis gave Sri Lanka a breezy start of 39 in three overs before Mendis fell to the medium-pace ofArundhati Reddy for a 12-ball 32, studded with five fours and two sixes. Atapattu and Vandort took the side past 50 in the sixth over before Poonam’s double-strike derailed the chase.
JOB AVAILABLE
Indian Archer Verma Wins Bronze in World Cup Final
NEW DELHI: India’s star compound archer Abhishek Verma put up a dazzling display to down Kim Jongho of Korea and bag a bronze medal in the season-ending World Cup Final here Saturday. Verma partnered with Jyothi Surekha Vennam to clinch a silver in the exhibition compound mixed team event. Drawn against hosts Turkey in the final, the Indian pair of Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost 152-159. The final day of the season-ending meet will see Indian ace recurve archer Deepika Kumari, a four-time World Cup Final silver medallist making a seventh appearance. The Korean, who is the most consistent compound archer to have qualified with the highest average arrow (9.82), led by a point till the third end against Verma in the bonze playoff. But the Indian archer displayed a super consistent show, shooting 149 out of a possible 150, to edge out the Korean by two points in the fiercely-contested match. The only blip was a 9 he shot in his second arrow but thereafter he shot all perfect 10sf or a total of 14 from 15 arrows. “It’s about calming down your nerves and focus on your shooting. Forget about the victories or the medals and focus on the arrow,” Verma said. Verma had won a silver in his maiden World Cup Final appearance in Mexico City in 2015. Verma said the arrival of his son Shaurya, who was born in February this year, has proved to be a lucky charm for him. “It’s good year for me. Every single tournament I’ve a medal this year. My little boy is lucky for me, he was born this year,” Verma Games said. Asked whether he is unhappy about losing out on a maiden gold medal, the 29-year-old Delhi archer said: “There are eight archers in the fray but only one archer can win a gold. But it’s still a medal and I’m happy for it.”
Abhishek Verma wins Bronze.
Positions available: 1) Full- time or part-time cashier / counter (must be able to speak English and understand Hindi) 2) Full-time kitchen help. 3) Full-time sales girl for Sari store (must be able to speak English and understand Hindi) Anyone interested in this opportunity, please contact Ramesh Lulla at 713-819-1820 after 2 pm or Aakash Lulla at 832-715-8328 after 2 pm INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
October 05, 2018
Telecom Policy to Draw $100 bn Funds, Create 4 mn Jobs NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet has approved the new telecom policy that aims to attract $100 billion in investments into India by 2022 and create 4 million jobs. “Emerging technologies like 5G and Internet of Things warrant the need for a new consumer-centric and application-centric policy,” telecom minister Manoj Sinha told reporters after the cabinet meeting. “We want telecom to become not just a revenue generating sector but also a socioeconomic growth sector.” India’s telecom industry desperately needs to attract capital, especially from outside, to funnel investments into new technologies such as 5G and expand networks, as a bruising price war triggered by the entry of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd in September 2016 has left rival telecom operators bloodied. “The industry today is facing one of its toughest phases and low-cost financing is the need of the hour for
most service providers who are languishing in debt and unprecedented losses,” said Harsh Walia, associate partner, Khaitan and Co. “This (new policy) will not only aid proliferation of telecom services, but also facilitate low-cost financing.” The policy will accord telecom
infrastructure the status of “critical and essential infrastructure”, which would smoothen operations at the state and municipality level and also recognize optic fibre cables as a “public utility”. The department of telecommunications (DoT) had on 1 May floated the draft for public consultation, outlining goals the government wants to achieve by 2022, including providing broadband coverage for all, creating four million additional jobs in the digital communications sector, apart from enhancing the contribution of the sector to 8% of India’s gross domestic product from less than 6% in 2017. The hit on revenue streams because of the tariff war in the sector has forced operators to either shut shop or get acquired by larger telcos, leaving just three private operators— Vodafone Idea Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Reliance Jio—to compete for market share.
“We hope that the DoT will closely monitor the timely implementation of this policy, so that the industry can recuperate from the deepening financial stress,” said Rajan Mathews, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India. “Thus, the most important and urgent requirement is to restore the financial health of the sector for which the policy document envisages the reduction in levies and ease of doing business.” In order to attract investments and increase India’s contribution to global value chains, the government will review levies and fees payable by telcos, including licence fee, and universal service obligation fund levy, the draft states, apart from looking at rationalizing spectrum usage charges. Currently, telecom service providers pay 3-6% and 8% of their adjusted gross revenue as spectrum usage charges and licence fee, respectively. -- Live Mint
The Top Five Trends in India’s Digital Payment Landscape MUMBAI: Rahul is finishing dinner with his friends at a suburban Mumbai restaurant. He calls for the bill, takes out his smartphone and uses his Quick Response Code (QR)-code enabled United Payments Interface (UPI) app to pay the bill. He clicks a picture of the bill and sends it to his friends on WhatsApp, who all transfer their share directly from their bank account to Rahul’s bank account using the payment button on WhatsApp. They call for cabs on their smartphones, all of which have been prepaid using their mobile wallets. On his way home, Rahul recharges his (direct to home) DTH connection, pays his electricity bill, orders groceries and makes the payment directly from his bank account using his UPI app. More than 10 payment transactions done, and no cash exchanged. This is not crystal ball gazing, but each of these transactions are possible
today—right here in India. Digital shift Increase in adoption of digital instruments has been aided by the increase in merchant outlets, as well as proliferation of UPI that provides a simple and convenient way to transfer money across bank accounts. The number of merchants accepting card payments has more than doubled in the last two years to cross 3 million,
and the number of UPI transactions almost touched 250 million in June 2018. UPI While the technology underlying UPI, which enables instant payments from one bank account to another, is path-breaking, there is friction in creation of the virtual payment address (VPA)—the alias which is used to transfer money on UPI. However, third party providers who have built payment apps on top of UPI using open APIs (application program interface) have made this process convenient, almost invisible. QR code Deployment of QR code technology for digital payments at merchant outlets eliminates the use of expensive EDC (electronic data capture) machines or (near field communication) NFC (near-field communication) devices, and improves the economics of merchant acquiring. We believe that riding on this, more
than 10 million merchants will accept non-cash payments in the next couple of years. Zero transaction fees The Reserve bank of India has capped the merchant discount rate for debit card transactions at 0.4% (for small merchants). Most fintech firms are offering payments services for free. Cybersecurity It is imperative for digital payments players to embrace new technologies like biometric authentication, AI, ML and pattern matching for real-time fraud prevention for digital payment transactions. The last few years have seen entry of hundreds of new players in the payments space. A lot of these provide niche solutions. However, consumers demand ubiquity, and look for instruments that work across use cases, both online and offline. - LiveMint
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Alcohol Consumption 2X in 11 Years: WHO NEW DELHI: The per capita alcohol consumption in India increased two folds between 2005 and 2016, according to the Global status report on alcohol and health 2018 released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday. Indians consumed 2.4 litres of alcohol in 2005, which increased to 4.3 litres in 2010 and scaled up to 5.7 litres in 2016, the report said. According to the report, the highest increase in alcohol consumption is expected in South-East Asia, with an increase of 2.2 litres in India alone, from 2005 to 2016. More than 3 million people died as a result of harmful use of alcohol in 2016, the report said. More than three quarters of those reported dead were men. Overall, the harmful use of alcohol causes more than 5% of the global disease burden. The report highlighted that 51.1 men per 100,000 population and 27.1 women per 100,000 population suffered from liver cirrhosis. Cancers associated with alcohol abuse resulted in 181 men per 100,000 population and 126.4 women per 100,000 population. Of all deaths due to alcohol, 28% were from injuries, such as those from traffic crashes, self-harm and interpersonal violence; 21% due to digestive disorders; 19% due to cardiovascular diseases, and the remaining due to infectious diseases, cancers, mental disorders and other health conditions. “Far too many people, their families and communities suffer the consequences of the harmful use of alcohol through violence, injuries, mental health problems and diseases such as cancer and stroke,” according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general, WHO.
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