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Friday, November 30, 2018 • Vol. 37, No. 47

Indo American News

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SNC Float in Thanksgiving Parade

Mayor Turner Visits

India

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Sage Productions Newly Crowned Queens

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November 30, 2018

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November 30, 2018 3 COMMUNITY The Crown Jewel Sheds Light on Leadership

BY SRIDEVI HARIHARAN

HOUSTON:

The illustrious Indian dancer and Rice University professor Dr. Rathna Kumar, renowned for being the “Jewel in the Crown of Houston Arts”, recounted her astonishing journey of 43+ years from Chennai to Houston at India House on Saturday, November 17. She described herself as an “accidental” leader, being the first person to start an Indian dance school in Houston in the mid-70s. Her speech left the high school students of the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) of Houston spellbound with a sense of awe!

In her eloquent speech, Dr. Kumar articulated her beginnings in Chennai as an ordinary Indian middle-class girl finding the courage to choose the then stigma-attached dancing career that she loved. She described her journey from having a successful career as an English professor and dancer in Chennai, to immigrating after marriage to the “culturally-arid” Houston in 1975, and unexpectedly taking on the enormous responsibility of founding the first Indian dance school in Texas, the Anjali Center of Performing Arts. By 2011, she became the first Indian American to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition for practic-

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

ing artists, for her lifelong contribution to dancing.

The greatest lessons that we gathered from her speech were her perseverance, integrity, and dedication to dancing that are invaluable when passing down one’s Vidya (knowledge), to posterity. She expounded that one learns by teaching others and in the process becomes a leader.

Dr. Kumar is a trailblazer who planted the seed to establish an Indian dance community from scratch.

We learned that amid adversities, we should have a positive attitude and see an opportunity in every challenge. I think many of us can’t help but put ourselves in Dr. Kumar’s shoes and ponder whether we should follow society’s demands or forge our own paths, especially when presented with difficult choices. Right now I am forging my own path as the founder of a Language and Culture club designed to help students learn languages not offered in my own high school.

Taking initiative is often risky but can present unforeseen opportunities. It is this possibility that creates successful leaders.

4 November 30, 2018 COMMUNITY SNC Participates at Thanksgiving Downtown Parade

BY GURSHARAN SINGH

HOUSTON:Thanksgiving Parade

is always a big draw for the thousands of people from across the Metroplex who line the route several rows deep, many in their comfortable folding chairs arriving an hour or two beforehand to get a good viewing site.

Who, after all, doesn’t enjoy a good old fashioned American parade with marching bands, floats, pageantry and the colorful aspects of the city?

Over the past two decades, as Houston’s diversity has grown, many groups representing their cultures and traditions have taken part to highlight the variety inherent in the area and this year brought out many such floats and marchers. There were groups representing the Chinese, Filipino, American-Indian (for the first time), Sister Cities project and the Sikh Americans from the Sikh National Center for the third time.

TheSikhNationalCenterGurdwara participated once again in this year’s annual HEB’s Thanksgiving Day parade in downtown Houston. About 150 Sikh children, women, and men dressed in colorful Punjabi clothes, carrying theAmerican,Texas and Sikh Religious flags walked alongside the specially decorated Sikh float. SNC Gurdwara Management Committee President Sampuran Singh, proudly stood on the float, tirelessly waiving the U.S. flag. “I am so glad that

finally Sikhs are part of this large mosaic and our participation is very good for the entire community and it will strengthen our roots,” he said.

Volunteers walking alongside passed out brochures of the SNC and pens bearing its website address.

The float bore messages from the Sikh community and was designed and organized by Gursharan Singh who is the Director of the Miri-Piri Sikh Gatka Dal, a local Sikh martial arts group which has also participated in such public events across the country. Gursharan and his team of 20 young Sikhs demonstrated various martial arts maneuvers – called Gatka

in Punjabi - along the parade route and handed out a flyer describing the Gatka and the main Sikh principles behind this art.

Although participation in the parade entails an expense of several thousand dollars, it provided visibility for Houston area Sikhs before an estimated audience of 450,000 along the route and via TV coverage. Dr. Hardam Singh Azad, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SNC, explained that “the Board is committed to bringing the Sikhs into the mainstream as proud and loyal U.S. Citizens.”

“This was a great chance to

show that Sikhs are part of the mainstream America and that we are equally joyous in the Thanksgiving celebrations,” said Gursharan Singh.

“This provided an opportunity for our youngsters to feel pride of being Sikh Americans.” He was tirelessly assisted by Sahibjeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Harjit Singh Galhotra, Gurmeet Singh Saini, Harsharndeep Kaur, Harleen Kaur, Jagatbir Singh and Sampuran Singh to organize the event.

The 20-acre SNC site at 7500 N. Sam Houston Parkway West (across Sam Houston Race Park) has been the focus of most of the

Sikh community’s efforts for the past 16 years as a master-planned center that would house a Gurdwara as well as a boarding school, auditorium, museum, library, pavilion and residence for priests. Purchase of the site and the phased construction of the main temple building has been funded by countless donation drives.

Now the end seems to be in sight as Gurdwara elders envision holding a huge celebration of Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary in 2019 in the new worship sanctuary. Other buildings will be built in the future.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Photos: Jaswant Singh & Jawahar Malhotra

COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

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Miss India USA Texas 2018, An Evening of Glamour & Gratitude!

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OUSTON: On Sunday, November 11, at the Ayva Center in Houston; Texas crowned new Indo-American Ambassadors as Miss/Teen/Mrs. India USA Texas. The newly crowned queens received a yearlong agreement with a nationally recognized leading talent management agency, internship opportunities and a chance to represent the Cowboy Capital of the World, Texas at Miss India USA. The evening was studded with glamour and the set up was absolutely marvelous. Thirty applicants were vetted through an application and personal interview process and the top five finalists from each category competed to win the titles and the crowns.

Sage Productions has been successfully hosting this event for the past four years and as DJ Sage (Sajawal Dass) stated in his speech, “This year our team wanted to invite everyone who has supported us over the years and thank them for their continuous support to all of our efforts in building a stronger and more empowered community.”

To this, Abiya Olivia Malhotra added “We are grateful for all the support and are humbled by how much the community believes in our platform. We are forever indebted to our parents, siblings and friends for becoming our voices of reason and encouraging us to become better

Photos: Karthik Datta

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each day.” Raman Jain and Adil Dass agreed and thanked all the supporters as well. The team of Sage Productions thanked their long term sponsors and supporters and kept the event intimate and by invitation only.

Some honorable mentions for their long term supporters were:

Moid Khan, Tariq Khan, Irfaan Moosa, Amir Ali Dodhiya, Najam Sheikh, Zeeshan Nimri, Gaurav Hariyani, Mr. and Mrs. Saeed Sheikh, Mr. and Mrs. Tahir Javed, Rajendar Singh, Mr. and Mrs. Umang Mehta, Mr. and Mrs. Rajesh Desai, Mr. and Mrs. Vipin Kumar, Vanshika Vipin, Subaika Faraz, Navroz Prasala, Gitesh Desai, Achlesh Amar, Dharm Bali, Pattrick Bocco, Lipika Sharma, Curve Hospitality, Hooked on Henna, Studio S, Threadz USA, Parinaz A Boutique, Rehan Siddiqi, Noor of Noor Ladds, Texans Energy, Discount Power, Sunil & Sandhya Thakkar, Mr. and Mrs. Inder Singh Randhawa, Riya Madhyani, Priyanka Sharma, Madhulika, Guddi Shah, Wajeeha Rashid, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin D’Costa, Marium Lakhany, Manal Lakhay, Falak Lakhany and everyone from the community who has been supportive of our efforts from the time that we conceptualized the event.

The program started with Dr. Shama Rasheed being introduced as the Emcee for the show.

She is a leading psychiatrist and has been pivotal in assisting Sage Productions in transforming the format of the pageant this year. After a rigorous train-

ing process, the top five finalists met with the panel of judges for a 20 minute personal interview.

Each finalist had to answer a series of questions and each finalist was graded on the accuracy, validity and confidence of her responses. Thereafter, the contestants competed in Ethnic Wear, Talent and Evening Gown Wear rounds. The judges were mesmerized by how every lady on that stage walked with poise and charisma. The honorary panel of judges included: Aneil Singh Kainth (DJ Intense) CEO of Intense Music from Canada, Juuhi Ahuja CEO of Wisemen Corporation, Katie Jones Executive Director of American Lung Association in Texas, Sammi Khaleeq PR Leader in Houston for Celebrities, Sangeeta Dua CEO of TV Houston and Apsara Salons, Eva Elias CEO of Revalushion Talent Management Agency and Sandeep Sulhan (DJ Dholi Deep) Artist and RJ with Radio

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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November 30, 2018

BY PRIYA MANOJ

COMMUNITY

“Raagamayi” - Mohiniattam in Love

AUSTIN, TX: On Sunday, No-

vember 11, the much awaited dance performance “Raagamayi” by world-renowned Mohiniyattam expert Kalashree Dr. Sunanda Nair and her disciples took place in Austin, Texas. The auspicious occasion began by seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha with a composition of Swathi Thirunal.

The performers, Aathira Vijayakumar and Mamta Vasantkumar evoked an atmosphere of devotion in the concert room.

In the next item, “Mukhachalam”, the raga and tala patterns were coordinated with the graceful dance movements of the performers Arathi Remesh, Divya Shanker, Sarita Warrier and Suja Pillai. They reminded the audience of the swaying palm trees in the Kerala backwaters that is typical of this nritta piece. This was followed by a “padam” based on “Omanathinkal” a famous lullaby written by Kerala poet Shri Irayiman Thampi. The performer, Gayathri Prashant, excellently portrayed an adoring mother who considers the beauty of her child as unmatched. The artist asking the audience to hush up their applause for fear of waking up her child ended the item on a humorous note. “Ashtanayika” depicting the eight different emotions that a heroine could feel for her hero was safe in the hands of beauti-

ful and talented mohinis who did Mukhachalam.

If the disciples led the first half of the evening, the eminent guru, Dr. Sunanda Nair herself took over the second half. In her first item “Oru Makal”, the audience witnessed the disheartenment felt by a mother whose daughter eloped with her lover of choice. No mother could watch this dance piece without getting the corner of her eyes wet. The story of Goddess Amba’s life was elegantly depicted in the next item. The dancer captivated the audience even with a subtle movement of the shoulders; one can say for sure that there is dance in every breath of hers. In the last item rendered, she portrayed how Kubja was freed from her slavery to the evil king Kamsa by Krishna and her attaining salvation.

The talented musicians enhanced the performance on stage.

A preview of the documentary film on Dr. Sunanda Nair “Laasyam, The World of Sunanda Nair” was also shown at the event. As a whole, the love and devotion in the word “Raagamayi” was made meaningful by the fine performance of Dr. Suananda Nair and her disciples.

Priya Manoj is a trained bharatanatyam and mohiniyattam dancer as well as overall dance enthusiast who enjoys writing in her spare time.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 30, 2018

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November 30, 2018

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COMMUNITY H

November 30, 2018

Houston Native Hits the Bollywood Waves!

OUSTON: Sandeep Sulhan (34), also known as DJ Dholi Deep releases his first original single, “Peg Peg Peg”, under the “Zee Music Company” banner. Peg features pumping EDM music and is a promising party anthem to make all the dance floors rock, and features bollywood hitmaker “Manj Musik” (formerly RDB) as the lead vocalist, and a rap by one of India’s top Hip Hop artist “Emiway”. The music video compliments the energy of the song, with high class venues, glamorous models, and phenomal graphics. The song has been composed and produced by Dholi Deep & Manj Musik.

Dholi Deep shared, “I have done many stage shows with Manj/RDB, and many other Bollywood and mainstream artists as a DJ and dhol player, but my ultimate goal and dream is to produce original songs in my favorite genre of music, Bollywood, and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my music production career”.

The song has been out for only 3 weeks and has already

crossed over 4 million views on Zee Music Company’s YouTube page. The song is also available on all digital music platforms (Saavan, Gaana, iTunes, Apple Music, Hungama). Stay up to date with DJ Dholi Deep on his social media for further music and event updates.

To watch the video visit, https:// www.youtube.com/

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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November 30, 2018

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

Houston Trade Mission to India Opened Doors to More Local Economic & Cultural Expansion

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Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner along with Council Members Jerry Davis and Jack Christie, Hasu Patel, Sanjay Ramabhadran and other community leaders visited Akshardam Temple in Delhi.

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Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner and members of the Trade Mission delegation met with Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu.

HOUSTON: From natural gas demand to tourism, tech innovation, real estate development and more, the Greater Houston Partnership trade mission to India led

by Mayor Sylvester Turner found soaring opportunities for the city’s economic and cultural expansion.

Houston is now a trend-setter for nurturing this relationship as the result of our trade mission,” Mayor Turner said. “I have no doubt that our business and diplomatic meetings in India will lead

to more jobs, wealth, and cultural enrichment in Houston as well as in the emerging sectors of what will soon be the world’s most populous nation.”

Establishing non-stop commercial airline service between Houston and India was among the main focuses of the Nov. 9-17 trip to New Delhi and Mumbai by about 30 business and government officials. The delegation included Houston Vice Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Davis and Council

Member Jack Christie, representatives from the Johnson Space Center and Houston’s Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and government and business officials from the city of Houston.

“I’d be very happy if this moves forward very fast,” India Minister of Tourism K.J. Alphons said of the quest for direct flights in a meeting with the mayor and other delegation members. He promised to work CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

ASGH Volunteers Serve Interfaith Ministries’ Meals on Wheels Thanksgiving Day Service!

The hours were spent in great fun as everyone talked and interacted with everyone else; there was music playing in the background with popular radio stations providing live coverage as people handed out meals to the drivers. One of the greatest parts of such an event was that everyone was there for one main reason: to help spread the goodwill of everyone’s hearts in these holiday hours.

It would have not been possible to accomplish this without the help of each and every individual volunteer there.

As the hours came to close, all the AYM youth found themselves working together to clean and pack up the entire lot and return it back to its original place. After gathering for the annual group photo, they were let off with a thought: “Volunteering is only as successful and cheerful as every person wants it to be.” With this in mind, we happily believe that the AYM group will be back next year to help once again for this great cause.

ASGH can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/ AryaSamajOfGreaterHouston or http://aryasamajhouston.org

BY SIDDHANT ARORA

HOUSTON:

A chilly, yet cheerful, morning was set on Thanksgiving day, November 22, as more than 90 of ASGH’s AYM (Arya Yuva Mandal) students, alumni, and parents rose bright and early at 6:00 AM and made their way to the First Presbyterian Church of Greater Houston and 50 miles away to the Wayne Johnson Center, La Marque, near Galveston, to help spread the true spirits of Thanksgiving among the 4200 seniors of the greater Houston area.

Each and every year, these members of ASGH volunteer without fail at Interfaith Ministries’ Meals on Wheel service, which consists of several steps: setting up the tents to distribute food to volunteers, packaging and combining cold and hot meals and distributing them to drivers, and delivering the food out to the seniors. This year, AYM helped with just the first two, a little different from what they have done in past years.

Instead of delivering the hot & cold meals to each senior home, the AYM youth and parents proved a formidable force in setting up the area and making sure everything ran flawlessly.

Service began with a Buddhist

monk reciting a prayer to hundreds of volunteers. Volunteers tackled managing the parking flow as more and more deliverers arrived and others helped pass out routes and hot and cold meals alike to each of the drivers as they made their pass through the tents. Throughout the entire four hours, there remained not a single idle hand nor a face without a smile as everyone focused to allow for such a large and successful event to take place. 4400 meals were distributed out in the 2 locations by volunteer drivers that delivered to the needy Seniors to bring them extra holiday cheer along with traditional Thanksgiving meals!

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Candidates must be willing to work overnights and weekends. College degree preferred. Preference will be given to those with previous television news experience and those with a strong desire to pursue a career as a television newscast producer. Being a journalist is not just a job, it is a way of life. Only serious candidates should apply.

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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 through government channels to help clear the way for airlines to obtain permission to establish such flights. “Direct flights would encourage more business activity and tourism to and from India and Houston,” Mayor Turner said after the trade mission. “It would be a win-win-win for airlines and people at both ends of the routes.”

Houston is the fourth busiest gateway for trade between the U.S. and India. India is Houston’s 10th largest trading partner among nations, with $4.3 billion in trade a year, growing by 36 percent from 2017 to this year. Global energy business already triggers extensive air travel between Houston and India, which buys $1 billion worth of liquid natural gas from foreign sources every year as its booming population of 1.2 billion people creates a growing demand for energy. Mayor Turner emphasized that Houston has the right mix of know-how and corporate infrastructure to provide more LNG to India. Indian companies such as Oil India Ltd., Gail Global USA, ONGC Videsh Ltd. and Reliance operate their U.S. headquarters in Houston. Along with Indian information technology companies such as Tech Mahindra and Tata Consulting Services, they employ tens of thousands of people in the Houston area.

Mayor Turner visited executives of Reliance, one of the three largest companies in India, at their headquarters in Mumbai.

Reliance buys oil in Houston to feed its refinery in India, which is larger than any in Texas, and recruited construction experts in Houston to expand an Indian hospital that the company funds as part of its social responsibility programs.

“As in many nations around the globe, conducting business in India takes more than offering the best products and services at the lowest prices. It also involves building trust through long-term business relationships,” the mayor added. “That’s why meeting with business and government contacts face to face is one of the many valuable aspects of such a trade mission.”

“The Greater Houston Partnership was pleased to bring this business delegation to New Delhi and Mumbai,” said Susan Davenport, the organization’s chief economic development officer. “From the moment we were on the ground, the connections between the Houston business community and our Indian counterparts were strong, and I am confident new business opportunities and partnerships will result from the visit.”

The mayor and delegation members also met in Mumbai with India Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. In New Delhi, Mayor Turner met with executives of BP, the international energy company whose U.S. headquarters are in Houston, and with India government ministers such as Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri. Singh Puri oversees a massive national program to build housing for low-income residents. In talks with Mayor Turner about private engineering and construction firms in Houston that may want to pursue contracts for the housing program, the minister said, “I would be very happy to help you pursue this business.”

Delegation member Gabriella Rowe, chief executive of Station Houston, a startup accelerator aiming to transform Houston into a world-leading hub for technology innovation and entrepreneurship, met with India counterparts at the National Association of Software and Services Companies, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce

November 30, 2018

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Houston Trade Mission to India

and Industry, and the Internet and Mobile Association of India to forge innovation alliances.

The Houston delegation also included the CEO of Space Center Houston, William Harris. With India set to launch a manned space rocket in 2022, Space Center Houston stands to attract more tourists from India. Thousands of Indian tourists already visit the uniquely diverse city of Houston each year, spending an average of about $8,000 per person, and many come to visit relatives, who have had an indelible impact

on the city’s kaleidoscope of cultures. The Houston area contains 82,000 people born in India and an additional 200,000 people of Indian heritage.

Mayor Turner also visited sites in New Delhi with connections to future cultural amenities in Houston for residents and visitors alike. The mayor examined the Aga Khan Development Network’s restoration and expansion of buildings and grounds at Hamayun’s Tomb, a 16th century attraction that inspired the design of the Taj Mahal

in Agra, India. The Aga Khan Foundation, led by the spiritual leader of Islam’s Ismaili movement worldwide, has announced plans to build a cultural center in central Houston.

The mayor also visited the serene Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, named for “the father of India.” Indo-Americans in Houston have purchased land in far southwest Houston to build a corresponding Gandhi museum.

Partial funding for the trade mission came from the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

SNC Inaugural Annual Nagar Keertan Parade Spreads Sikhism’s Message

BY DR. HARDAM SINGH AZAD

H

OUSTON: Sikhs all over the world celebrate annually and enthusiastically the birth of their 1st Guru, Nanak Dev, who took birth in 1459 AD at Nankana (which is now is West Punjab, Pakistan) and later founded the Sikh Religion.

With about 25 million Sikhs worldwide, Sikhism is the 5th largest independent religion in 2018. An estimated 20 million Sikhs reside in India and the remaining 5 Million are scattered all over the rest of the world. There are around 1.5 million Sikhs in NorthAmerica about evenly divided between Canada and the U.S.A. As a percentage of the overall population, Sikhs are a tiny minority in the U.S. but, due to their physical looks, they are highly visible. Very few Americans know who Sikhs really are and are often mistaken for the Taliban who also wear turbans!

This necessitates Sikhs to introduce and reintroduce Sikh identity to the U.S. masses.

Nagar Keertan - a Sikh religious parade - is a small but significant effort in this identity building process at the local community level. Nagar Keertans are held in the US during Guru Nanak Dev’s Birthday celebrations by many Sikh Communities wherever sizeable

Sikh populations have developed.

The Sikh National Center has the largest concentration of about 15,000 Sikh’s in Houston, has achieved the critical mass to hold the Nagar Keertans on a regular and periodic basis. The SNC held its 1st Annual Guru Nanak’s Birthday celebration Nagar Keertan last Sunday, November 25. Several hundred Sikhs — young and old — enthusiastically participated and had fun doing it.

The Punj Pyares — 5 Beloved Sikhs — led this parade on foot with the Guru Granth Sahib on the float right behind. Raagis (singers of Sikh scriptures in raags — melodies) sang Shabads —Sikh Religious Hymns — before the Sikh Holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib while sitting on

the main and lead float. Chanting Universal God’s Name collectively in open air while traveling the local roads to the nearby Best Western Hotel has its own charm! Other passerby’s heard and saw Sikhs on the road and read our signs explaining Sikhism with interest and delight.

Participants boldly predicted a major growth in the future years by including the 18 or so other Gurdwara congregations in Texas and make this a more memorable and grand event in Houston. A member of the Board of Directors of SNC, Aman Singh Sidhu, volunteered to lead a specially created Nagar Keertan Committee among many major Gurdwaras in Texas to grow and sustain this effort.

Another SNC Board Member,

Photos: Harjit Galhotra & Jaswant Singh

Bhupinder Singh, and his wife, Surinder Kaur, who own the Best Western, hosted a special refreshment stand for the entire parade. This

surprise gift to the congregation created much enthusiasm which is bound to last until the next bigger and better Nagar Keertan.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 30, 2018

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COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

Miss India USA Texas 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 05

Dabang.

The hors d’oeuvres were sponsored by Capt. Rajkumar and Mrs. Meenakshi Malhotra of Captain Raj Maritime Consultants and the catering restaurant was Mezban from Houston.

Sohail and Ashar made sure that the food was delivered in a timely manner and that every guest had an opportunity to taste the delicious dishes.

Special performances by Shayan (aspiring singer and composer), Abiya Olivia and Juliet George (Teen India USA Texas) kept the audience engaged and entertained. The finalists looked ravishing in their overall looks and Wajeeha Rashid with her team transformed the finalists into divas.

The top five finalists for Miss India USA Texas 2018 were: 1.

Jaime Mathew 2.

Natasha Gambhir

3.

4.

5.

Caitlyn Reshma Sarah Sutar Mamta Dua

The top five finalists for Mrs India USA Texas 2018 were: 1.

Shruthi Bekal 2.

Shilpa Thakar 3.

Nisha Sundaragopal 4.

Nikita Kadakia 5.

Mona (Chandeep) Sharma This year Sage Productions also recognized some youth leaders who have shown an avid interest in community engagement and have the drive and passion to advocate for human rights through direct intervention and policy advocacy: 1.

Hinna Akhter Kudrat was crowned Global Miss Diamond 2018 2.

Deepika Verma Agarwal was crowned Global Mrs. Diamond 2018 3.

Uzair Hasan was crowned Global Mr. Diamond 2018

4.

Juliet George was crowned Teen India Texas 2018 Winners for Miss India USA Texas 2018 were: 1.

Natasha Gambhir was crowned Miss India USA Texas 2018 2.

Sarah Sutar was crowned first runner up 3.

Caitlyn Reshma was crowned second runner up Winners for Mrs India USA Texas 2018 were: 1.

Shilpa Thakar was crowned Mrs India USA Texas 2018 2.

Nikita Kadakia was crowned first runner up 3.

Shruthi Bekal was crowned second runner up Media Partners: Radio Dabang, Indo-American News, NTV, Aag TV, TV Houston, HUM FM, Pakistan Times.

Karthik Datta was the official photographer for the show.

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COMMUNITY

November 30, 2018

17

Kali Puja Celebrated with Piety & Devotion at Vedanta Society

BY SANCHALI BASU

HOUSTON: Vedanta Society of

Greater Houston (VSGH) takes pride in celebrating Kali Puja every year with immense piety, dedication and sincerity. This year was no exception.

Swami Nirakarananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis presided over the event this year. He performed the Puja with the assistance of our resident Swami Atmarupananda, the evening of November 6.

The puja commenced with the auspicious blowing of the shankh (conch shell) creating a divine atmosphere.

Ma Kali’s image was decorated in festive splendor and the shrine carrying the images of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother Sarada and Swami Vivekananda was beautifully lit, with clay diyas (lamps), reflecting the spirit of Deepavali. While the entire northern part of India worships goddess Lakshmi on Deepavali, symbolizing the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance”, the east of India celebrates Kali Puja, to seek the help of the goddess in destroying evil, both external and internal and get her blessings for general happiness, health, wealth, and peace.

According to legend, long ago after the gods lost in a battle with the demons, Goddess Kali was born as Kaala Bhaya Naashini from the forehead of Goddess Durga. Said to be a personification of Nari Shakti (female power), Kali was born to save heaven and earth from the growing cruelty of the demons.

The melodious devotional songs sung by Rupa Ghosh in accompaniment to the puja, made the environment reverberate with divinity. The puja ended with the beautiful arati performed by the Swami with the chandelier lamp. Pushpanjali, the offering of flowers by devotees, was led

by Swami Atmarupananda. Swami Nirakarananda, being a good singer himself, then got on the harmonium and sang songs dedicated to Mother Kali.

Prasad was served to the attendees and all enjoyed the evening’s proceedings. Although it was a weekday evening, the turnout was good. The crisp, cool weather played a role in

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18

November 30, 2018 Questions from the Sentinel

John Allen Chau, a 27-year-old US national, was reported to have been killed by members of the protected Sentinelese tribe on the North Sentinel Island in the Andaman and Nicobar group. Efforts to recover his body, without endangering the health of this small pre-Neolithic tribe (estimated to be under 200 members), whose origins go back to more than 50,000 years, have been put on hold.

The North Sentinel Island is a totally out-of-bounds area and is regulated by the Indian restricted area permit (RAP).

The Sentinelese have shunned contact with modernity for centuries and any human contact is likely to introduce health hazards that their immune system cannot handle. Hence, strict protection protocols have been put in place to ensure that the island’s pristine nature is not disturbed.

The fact that a foreign tourist was able to breach the security and surveillance protocols with the assistance of local residents comes as a rude reality check on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

A brief review of the Indian security experience over the last two decades would suggest that prior to 26/11 — when the nation was taken by “surprise” — the other major setback was in Kargil in 1999, when the “surprise” factor was all too evident. In both cases, the intelligence failure was glaring and while there have been detailed recommendations seeking an objective review and re-wiring of the existing agencies, this has not happened.

An objective review of the events leading up to 26/11 would point to the enormity of the institutional ineptitude, best symbolised by the David Headley case. Headley had made multiple visits to Mumbai prior to 26/11 and was able to evade scrutiny.

It is understood that in the current A&N breach, the US tourist had visited the islands at least four times since 2015 and had slipped through various filters, including the one that regulates the entry of foreign nationals to RAP zones.

While more detailed investigations will identify the lapses in North Sentinel Island, the need for a rigorous review of the intelligence grid by a blue ribbon panel cannot be overemphasised. Much the same exhortation was made after the Kargil war and repeated after the carnage of November 2008. But the pursuit of this objective has been cosmetic.

India’s lead intel agencies include the R&AW, the IB and the CBI. Control over these agencies is opaque and exercised by the PMO/NSA and the Home Ministry. Post 26/11, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh changed the home minister and the National Security Advisor. Yet the much needed cleaning of the stables did not take place under UPA II, beleaguered as it was by allegations of corruption. The Narendra ModiAjitDoval combine could have embarked upon a reform of the Indian intelligence apparatus Hence, the iceberg that the Allen Chau case symbolises will remain unnoticed and the muddy post 26/11 status quo, wherein intelligence remains a handmaiden of political compulsions, will prevail — alas. -- Indian Express

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Netflix with Kattabomman

BY G. SAMPATH Those of you who grew up during the Doordarshan era would know that there are privacy issues involved in watching English films. You can’t really watch them with family members, especially if they happen to be members of your own family. Which was why DD used to play these films late at night, on Fridays, if I remember right.

Just to be clear, by ‘English’ films I don’t mean only English films. The term also includes French, Hungarian, German, Albanian, Bulgarian and Romanian films, and films from every other country where people do all kinds of Kamasutra-type things that cannot be disclosed in public. But these days, not only have Indian films become more like ‘English’ films in such matters, ‘English’ films are also available round the clock. Now you need privacy to watch any film in any language, for who knows when something will suddenly happen on screen.

All this means that I am not a very social person when it comes to entertainment. I prefer to be entertained on my own private screen exclusive to myself — not a cinema screen, not a TV screen, not even a laptop screen. Only the cell phone will do.

Apart from privacy, another reason why I prefer my phone is that Indians don’t know the basic etiquette of communal entertainment. Lest I am misunderstood, by ‘communal entertainment’, I don’t mean genocide. Just the passive consumption of audio-visual content in the company of others.

Even my immediate family members have no clue how to conduct themselves in front of a screen, especially when something is playing on it. My father won’t let a single villain carry out his on-screen villainy in peace. He has to make a comment comparing him to a politician who must not be named, provoking an instant and acrimonious defence of this politician (and by default, the on-screen villain) from my mother.

It was during one such spat that I understood why Netflix had English subtitles even for English films: how else could you follow the dialogue when audience members are debating demonetisation at the top of their

“I understood why Netflix had English subtitles even for English films: how else could you follow the dialogue when audience members are debating demonetisation at the top of their lungs?”

lungs?

Now that I have the Netflix app on my mobile, I avoid such scenarios by simply picking up my cell phone and plugging in the headphone. Unfortunately, this defensive manoeuvre, while effective against most immature adults, doesn’t work with adults of smaller size and recent vintage.

Yes, I am talking about Kattabomman. He will soon be 2.5 years old.

But put him in front of a screen, and he is no better than the average Indian in a Delhi multiplex, though with one difference: he doesn’t take calls from property dealers in the middle of a film.

Last Sunday, for instance, I was watching the greatest zombie series of all time, The Walking Dead, when Kattabomman turned up from nowhere and managed to insert himself, like some kind of a toddlerised Aadhaar, between my face and my phone. Just like with Aadhaar, he started giving me tasks. Thankfully, he did not ask me to link my mobile to a dinosaur, which he would have had he been a true avatar of UIDAI. But he did want me to show him the yellow dinosaur. I told him there were no longer any dinosaurs in my phone. “Where they go?” he wanted to know.

“You see this uncle?” I said. “He killed and ate all the dinosaurs.” This proved to be a strategic blunder. My mini-Doklam. I had calculated that if I convinced him that there was no hope in hell of him getting to watch a parade of yellow dancing dinosaurs, he would lose interest in my phone

and go trouble someone else, maybe his mother.

But he seemed to find it intriguing that an ugly, middle-aged American could kill and eat dinosaurs. Instead of going and finishing his first work of non-fiction, tentatively titled, ‘Why I am a Liberal in the Morning, Hindu in the Afternoon, and Vendakkai Naxal in the Evening’, he settled down in my lap. After ten seconds, he said, “Papa, why is uncle cutting off aunty’s head?”

“Because the aunty is a zombie.

Now be quiet.”

He watched quietly for 15 seconds.

Then started again.

“Papa, can I see yellow colour car?”

“You can’t see it now, uncle has sold it to the hippopotamus.”

“I want to see hipomatapus!”

“Be quiet or I’m calling Mum.” Silence for 20 seconds.

And then: “Papa, why is uncle taking off his shirt?”

“Because he’s feeling hot.”

“Papa, uncle is taking off his diaper... Papa, why is aunty taking off her shirt?”

At this point, I had no option but to abandon The Walking Dead. There was serious danger of me ending up as one myself. I’m now convinced about one thing: it’s only fair that the common man also receive his daily dose of entertainment with some real privacy. Say, in a sealed envelope or something.

G. Sampath is Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 30, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS

Mowgli The Legend of the Jungle Hindi Trailer : Jackie Shroff is Deadly as Shere Khan Streaming gi-

ant Netflix has released the Hindi trailer for much-awaited Rudyard Kipling adaptation Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle. The upcoming film will feature actors like Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Abhishek Bachchan who will voice The Jungle Book characters Baloo, Nisha, Kaa, Shere Khan and Bagheera, respectively.

Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle, an Andy Serkis directorial, is a darker take on Kipling’s classic novel as

opposed to the Disney’s The Jungle Book that released in 2016. Produced

by Warner Bros and Serkis’ The Imaginarium, the movie was supposed to be distributed by Warner Bros, but the studio sold the worldwide distribution rights to Netflix.

Netflix rechristened the movie from Mowgli to Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle.

The Jungle Book is about an Indian child who grows up among wolves in the jungles of central India. Named Mowgli, he befriends a black pan-

ther named Bagheera, a sloth bear called Baloo and others. Andy Serkis, the motion-capture actor extraordinaire, is expected to bring some of his CG magic to the film.

Mowgli’s synopsis reads, “Acclaimed actor and director Andy Serkis reinvents Rudyard Kipling’s beloved masterpiece, in which a boy torn between two worlds accepts his destiny and becomes a legend. Mowgli has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now he must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs.”

Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle premieres December 7 in Hindi. ~IndianExpress.com

Bhaiaji Superhit: One of the Worst Films of 2018 Bhaiaji Superhit movie cast: Sunny

Deol, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Ameesha Patel, Shreyas Talpade, Pankaj Tripathi, Jaideep Ahlawat Bhaiaji Superhit movie director: Neerraj Pathak Last week’s Mohalla Assi presented Sunny Deol as a ‘vidwaan’ (learned man). This week, Deol is back in Banaras as a ‘shaitaan’ (bad man). But because this is Bollywood and Deol is a hero, it is made clear that Dubeyji is nothing but a goodhearted don.

Bhaiaji Superhit is allegedly the story of a don who wants to be a film hero. To that end, a film director (Warsi) and a writer (Talpade), and a series of random scenes, are pressed into service for two and a half excruciating hours, to serve up one of the worst films of 2018.

One Deol is not enough. He gets to do a double role. The first one thunders and shouts, and makes puppy

eyes at his wife (Zinta, who shows up on screen after a while, doing no favours to herself). The second squeaks and shakes his waist. Neither is worth looking at.

Warsi’s considerable talents are wasted. Why is this actor not being given any roles? Talpade plays a Bengali called Tarun Porno Ghosh, with an accent on the second name.

Ahlawat, who had an impressive turn in Raazi, is made to sit around in Deol worship. And as if all this was not bad enough, Ms Patel shows up to shimmy and shake, and then look around to see what’s happening next.

As do we.

On paper, this is not a bad bunch to be spending a couple of hours with.

On screen, the whole thing is beyond terrible. Bollywood used to have the knack of making serviceable masala, with a bit of those sturdy tropes: action, comedy, romance. ~IndianExpress.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

19

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Irrfan Khan Nov 30, 1967

Boman Irani Dec 2, 1959

Jimmy Shergill Dec 3, 1971

Konkona Sen Sharma Dec 3, 1979

Jaaved Jaffrey Dec 4, 1963

20

SPORTS

November 30, 2018

Australia Fall Short as Kohli, Krunal Level T20 Series

Mary Kom: Six-time World Champion, Tormentor at 35

BY ANDREW MCGLASHAN

SOFIA, BULGARIA: USA coach Billy Walsh calls Mary Kom a heartbreaker. Not for surpassing her former ward Katie Taylor’s haul of five World Championship gold medals — “She deserves her sixth title, coming back at 35 and beating all opposition” — but because of how Mary torments her opponents.

“She breaks your heart. She never gives your peace, never lets you rest,” Walsh said on the sidelines of the Women’s World Championships.

“Her aggression is the mainstay of her game. And she has a never-saydie attitude a boxer should have. She fights till the last bell, and one can only respect that.”

But Walsh, who has led Ireland’s Taylor and USA’s Clarissa Shields to Olympic glory, believes it is her exploits outside the ring which make Mary a boxer’s boxer.

“She has been legendary. She was there at the beginning of the female boxing movement, flying the flag for the sport,” said Walsh. “Especially in India, where women boxers weren’t accepted maybe at that level.”

With Mary racking world titles (she had four gold and a silver by 2008), amateur boxing’s governing body AIBA dubbed her ‘Magnificent Mary’and successfully used her as the face of the movement to get female boxing included at the Olympics.

But the boxer literally had to punch above her weight, moving up from 46 to 48 to 51kg to win the historic bronze in London.

Back in her natural weight category of 48kg for her latest run, Mary has won a fifth Asian Championships title, her first Commonwealth Games gold and the record sixth Worlds gold on Saturday with a sound technique complemented by the experience of 18 years.

Part brute, part ballerina, Mary has been a wholesome entertainer in the ring.

SYDNEY (ESPN Crickinfo): India 4 for 168 (Kohli 61*, Dhawan 41) beat Australia 6 for 164 (Short 33, Krunal 4 for 36) by six wickets In front of a record SCG T20I crowd of 37,339 dominated by blue shirts, India levelled the T20I series on the back of a fine performance by their spinners followed by another chasing masterclass from Virat Kohli.

A first-wicket stand of 67 in 5.3 overs broke the back of the pursuit before Kohli’s unbeaten 61 off 41 balls ensured a couple of India wobbles did not prove terminal.

Australia had started promisingly after Aaron Finch decided to bat, but once again the home side struggled against the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep Yadav who conceded just 19 runs in his four overs. While survival was the main task against Kuldeep, Australia tried to attack Krunal Pandya which presented him with the best figures by a spinner in T20Is in the country.

Australia briefly found a response with the ball after the rollicking opening stand ignited by Shikhar Dhawan, as first Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa then Glenn Maxwell and AJ Tye struck in quick succession, but there was no getting past Kohli who made his first significant contribution of a summer he is sure to have a central role in defining.

It wasn’t always convincing, but Finch and D’Arcy Short gave Australia a solid - if not spectacular - base with an opening stand of 68. They were aided by some below-par India fielding, including Rohit Sharma’s drop of Finch at long-on when he had 22, but the pair also found the middle more frequently than they have of late. Things changed when India’s spinners were handed the ball. It was the wonderfully skillful Kuldeep who provided the breakthrough having Finch caught at short fine leg and he thought he had Glenn Maxwell lbw three balls later but there was enough turn to beat leg stump. However, Krunal, bowling flatter than Kuldeep, had no problems claiming a brace of lbws in consecutive deliveries: Short and Ben McDermott both out sweeping as Australia showed a reluctance to hit straight.

The Kuldeep-Krunal double act

Virat Kohli celebrates after hitting the winning runs, Australia v India, 3rd T20I, Sydney, November 25, 2018.

Kuldeep continued to befuddle Australia, despite their attempts to counter him with a reshuffled batting order, completing his third spell of the series at or under a run a ball and Krunal was able to feed off the pressure applied. The batsmen knew they had to attack at his end and he bagged himself 4 for 36. His series had turned around significantly since being taken to the cleaners in the opening game by Maxwell.

Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli celebrate Ben McDermott’s wicket Getty Images Now Krunal claimed Maxwell in consecutive innings after Kuldeep went for just seven runs off the 10 balls he bowled to him. Trying to break free, Maxwell couldn’t clear long-on where, this time, Rohit held on. Then Alex Carey, who had shown some classy touches to revive the innings, picked out deep midwicket.

Kuldeep and Krunal: 8-0-55-5.

The innings did not quite fall away as it threatened to as a combination of edges, hefty blows and desperate running from Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile scrambled 33 off the last 16 balls of the innings. But to highlight the fact that Australia had to battle to set a decent target, their total of 164 was the highest in T20Is without a six.

For the first three overs of the chase, Dhawan and Rohit bided their time as Starc, playing his first T20I for more than two years, pushed the speed gun upwards of 145kph. Against the last ball of Starc’s second over, Dhawan nailed a thunderous off drive and it was the prelude of what was to come.

Both batsmen deposited Coulter-Nile into the stands and Stoinis’ first over was brutalised to the tune of 22 runs as the openers feasted on medium pace.

India were already 62 for 0 with one over of Powerplay to go.

Finch had little choice to return to Starc and the moved worked when he pinned Dhawan lbw with a rapid delivery which the DRS showed had struck pad first in line with leg stump. When Zampa, who bowled superbly in Brisbane, started with a wicket maiden that included a brilliant skidder to beat Rohit, there was a glimmer for Australia. That sense returned when KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both played careless shots when all Kohli needed was support, but back-to-back boundaries by Kohli off Tye - the second a magnificent lofted six over long-off - pushed the game back India’s way and this time Australia didn’t have a response. The first series of three is shared. Now for the main course.

Harman Defends India’s Plans on a Tricky Pitch NORTH SOUND, WI: After enjoying an unbeaten run in the group stage of the Women’s World T20 in Guyana, India’s batsmen collapsed spectacularly against England in their semifinal in North Sound and exited the tournament. An attacking approach - amplified by captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s blistering hundred in the tournament opener - had served India well in Guyana, but it worked against them at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which offered more turn to the spinners.

Harmanpreet, Veda Krishnamurthy and Anuja Patil all fell while looking to hit aerially, as India crashed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out. Harmanpreet defended India’s plan to attack England’s bowlers.

“I’ll say if you see throughout the tournament our approach was attack, so that is the reason,” she said. “We wanted to attack. I think sometimes it works your way and sometimes it doesn’t work. So I think that was our plan, to attack. And I know the wicket was a bit different here.”

Another major talking point in India’s defeat was their strategy of benching a fit-again Mithali Raj, the top scorer for India in T20Is and scorer of back-to-back fifties in this tournament. Raj wasn’t picked for the semi-final. Harmanpreet said that the side wanted to stick to the XI that defeated Australia.

“We were going with a winning combination,” she said. “We did really well against Australia. And that is the reason we went with the same combination.”

Mary Kom won a record sixth gold medal at the women’s world boxing championship.

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November 30, 2018

Govt to Infuse Rs. 42,000 Crore in PSU Banks by March 2019 NEW DELHI: The government will infuse Rs. 42,000 crore in the stateowned banks by March-end and the next tranche would be released as early as next month, a senior finance ministry official said Monday.

The government earlier this year pumped Rs.11,336 crore in five PSBs — PNB, Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank — to improve their financial health.

“We will infuse the next tranche of recapitalisation by mid-December.

Close to Rs. 42,000 crore remain to be infused as capital in public sector banks in the current financial year,” the official said.

He said that large PSBs such as State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank (PNB) may not need more capital infusion in the current financial year ending March 2019.

State-owned banks will need less capital to meet their capital adequacy norms, as the Reserve Bank of India

last week decided to defer the deadline for them to meet the global norms or Basel-III requirement by a year till March 2020.

The RBI Board last week, while deciding to retain the capital adequacy requirement for banks at 9 per cent, agreed to extend the transition period for implementing the last tranche of 0.625 per cent under the capital conservation buffer (CCB) by one

year — up to March 31, 2020.

Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service had last week said the decision of the RBI board to extend the timeline for banks to implement Basel III guidelines is ‘credit negative’ for PSBs. The government announced the Rs. 2.11-lakh crore capital infusion programme in October last year. According to the plan, the PSBs were

to get Rs. 1.35 lakh crore through recapitalisation bonds, and the balance Rs. 58,000 crore through the raising of capital from the market.

Out of the Rs.1.35 lakh crore, the government has already infused about Rs. 82,000 crore through the bonds.

Meanwhile, the government has empowered heads of public sector banks to directly request the authorities for issuance of look-out circular against wilful defaulters and prevent them from fleeing from the country.

The recommendations were a part of the committee headed by financial services secretary Rajiv Kumar.

The government has been citing improved performance of some banks to seek relaxation in lending restrictions. Initially, the RBI was reluctant to even consider such a proposal, but the bank has decided that this matter may be examined by the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS).

-- The Hindu

Private Equity Firm Actis to Set Up Data Centres in India NEW DELHI: Private equity firm Actis LLP is in talks with global information technology companies and retailers to set up data centres in India, said a senior company executive. Actis is building the world’s largest non-governmental data centre outside Beijing and is eyeing a similar opportunity in India after implementation of RBI norms on data localization.

“The opportunity for real estate in Asia is fantastic. And if you look at here in India, as I said, both in the residential space and the office space with you know the top partners as the Tatas, Shapoorjis and Mahindras, what you can think about (is) data centres,” said Torbjorn Caesar, Actis senior partner.

Data localization refers to storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of a country where the data is generated. Free flow of digital data, especially which can impact

Actis is in talks with all global IT firms to set up data centres in India, says CEO Torbjorn Caesar.

government operations, is restricted by some governments. Many try to protect and promote security across borders and, thus, encourage data localization.

Caesar, who chairs Actis’ executive committee, said data generated in India needs to be stored locally to comply with government rules, which means all cloud-based services will need a local data centre.

The data centre business will be

handled by Standard Chartered Bank’s Principal Finance Real Estate business in Asia that Actis acquired recently and which has invested in China, India and South Korea.

“It will be under the real estate arm,” Caesar said in an interview to Mint last month.

RBI has asked payment firms to submit fortnightly updates on the progress made on storing data locally. A 6 April RBI circular said:

“All system providers shall ensure that the entire data relating to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India. This data should include the full end-toend transaction details/information collected/carried/processed as part of the message/payment instruction.” It added that for the overseas leg of a transaction, the data may be stored in the foreign country. Global digital payment firms such as Visa, American Express, Facebook, PayPal, Mastercard and Google are likely to be impacted by the Indian regulations.

Caesar said Actis is in talks with all big global IT firms but added that “we don’t want to mention some names as we are still in negotiations.”

Actis, which invests solely in emerging markets, has committed $2.1 billion for India and has been operating in energy, financial services and real estate space. Of this,

21

Govt to Offer Air India Arm in Last Ditch Effort NEW DELHI: The government plans to complete the sale of Air India ground handling subsidiary AIATSL

by March 2019, an official said.

Air India is reeling under a huge debt burden of over Rs 50,000 crore and the government is planning to sell its non-core subsidiaries of the national carrier.

“We are looking to conclude strategic sale of Air India Air Transport Services Limited (AIATSL) in current fiscal. We will soon invite bids from merchant bankers for managing the sale process,” the official told PTI. The sale proceeds would add up to the government’s disinvestment kitty. The government has so far has raised over Rs 15,200 crore from CPSE stake sale in current fiscal as against the budgeted target of Rs 80,000 crore.

The government is launching a follow on public offer of CPSE Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) on November 27, targeting to raise up to Rs 14,000 crore.

As part of its plans to take forward the strategic sale of non-core assets of CPSEs, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has already identified assets of loss making Air India which are to be hived off.

As per latest data, in 2016-17, two subsidiaries of Air India - AIATSL and Air India Express Ltd - posted profits.

While AIATSL earned Rs 61.66 crore profit in financial year 2016-17, another subsidiary AI Express earned profit of Rs 297 crore.

Some of the other subsidiaries of Air India include Air India Charters Ltd, IAL Airport Services Ltd, Airline Allied Services Ltd, Air India Engineering Services Ltd and Hotel Corporation of India Ltd.

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PUZZLES / RECIPES Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Besan da Halwa

(GRAM FLOUR PUDDING) Besan da halwa (gram flour pudding) is as Punjabi as you can get as this is one of the favorite sweets eaten during the cold winter months and especially during the festivals.

The aroma of chickpea flour roasting in ghee fills the whole house and this is an important indication that the chef knows what he or she are doing: if the besan is left undercooked, it will give a raw, gritty taste.

Besan (roasted gram flour or garbanzo flour or chickpea flour) is a flour that is commonly used all over India to make pakoras or fried fritters, a common Indian comfort food. Besan is also used to make kadhi, boondi (besan fried drops), laddus (sweet balls), besan ki barfi (sweetened flat cake) or poode (salty pancakes). After wheat, besan is the second most often used flour in Indian cuisine, though it is used only in a few dishes which are made sweet.

Besan is high in carbohydrates and somewhat high in protein and has no gluten, which makes it not suitable for those trying to lose weight (especially when it is fried). Besan is rich in folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorous as well as thiamin and vitamin B6. Besides these attributes, besan also makes an excellent scrub and mask for skin care and can also help in fighting seasonal allergies during the cold months.

Both besan and sooji (semolina) need a lot more water than atta (wheat flour) when being prepared as the grains soak it up. This is why, if you prefer a thinner halwa, just increase the water by one cup.

Ingredients: • 1 cup besan (coarse gram flour) • 1 cup peessi hui chinni (powdered sugar) • 1 cup tael (vegetable oil) or ghee (clarified butter) • 3 cup pani (water) • ½ tsp illachi (cardamom) powder • Mewah (dried fruit) to taste: 1 cup badam (almond) and piste (pistachios) pieces or blanched split almonds Directions: 1. To make the chasni (syrup), bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour in the sugar and illachi powder, stirring till they are completely dissolved. Keep the mixture to the side for later use.

2. Pour the oil or ghee in a wok or

kadai and warm for a few minutes over low heat.

3. Pour the besan in and stir continuously for about 10 minutes over medium heat so that it does not start to burn.

4. Add the almonds and pistachios, mix well and continue to stir over low heat to roast the mixture and it is turns slightly brown.

5. Slowly pour in the syrup into the besan, stirring continuously as you don’t want to have the besan to get too brown as it may give a burnt smell. Don’t brown over high heat as the besan.

6. When the oil or ghee starts to percolate up along the edges and to the

top then turn the heat off.

7. When the halwa cools down it will thicken. If you want it thinner, add 4 cups of water instead of 3.

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 TO CALM YOUR N E R V E S, TRY SOME HOT SU A N F (F E NNEL) CHAI Dried saunf (fennel seeds) ar

e often used as a dige freshener after a m sti dishes when mixedeal but are also often used in cookingve and mouth in Indian sw th e do ugh of some puddin many benefits rang gs. Fennel seeds haeet in g fro m re ve lie ving to asthma and di etes. They contain congestion and stomach gas antioxidants espeab po werful phytonutrie cially anethole. nts and In addition, fennel se eds have a ca ing drink instead of tea effect when taken as or coffee which colm a hot stimulate your body nt ai n lots of caffe Simply boil some fe and, as a diuretic, can make your ine which can kidneys work. few minutes before nnel seeds in water, then let the mix drinking it. No need tu to add sugar or mreilksit for a .

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