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Friday, December 19 2014 | Vol. 33, No. 51

Indo American erican News

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Kids Massacred! Few Pictures provided by their families show some of the students of the Army Public School who were killed on Tuesday in their school in Peshawar, Pakistan. Photo: AP.

Members of the Pakistani Taliban group attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 141 people. 132 of the victims were children and nine were staff. The Taliban group, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban, said it attacked the Army Public School because the Pakistani government is “targeting their families and females.” They wanted to avenge army-led initiatives against them in the areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. The seven gunmen scaled the school’s compound before going from class to class and firing indiscriminately at the students and teachers inside. The Pakistani army declared that the school was secured after over a nine-hour exchange, when all the militants had finally been killed. According to security forces,

Hearts and Help for Yezidi Plight

some of the attackers had been killed by commandos and others had blown themselves up.Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif has vowed to continue the military offensive against the Taliban in the region bordering Afghanistan until “the terrorism was rooted from the land.” And the government has declared three days of national mourning. Countries such as India, the U.K. and the U.S. have expressed their condolences and ongoing support to Pakistan. Narendra Modi released a statement saying that “it is a senseless act of unspeakable brutality that has claimed lives of the most innocent of human beings – young children in their school.” Many of the school’s students are comprised of the children of military personnel and civilian families. Its students range in age from around 10 to 18.

Puzzles/Recipe

From left: Ravi Raghavan, Mehul Kamdar, Gita Bhatia, Haider Elias, Venkat Subramanian, Achalesh Amar, Naveen Kashaki, Murad Ismael, Rasheed Murad, Arun Kankani, Vijay Pallod at India House on December 14.

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December 19, 2014

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

JVB Gyanshala’s 1st Annual Magazine Inaugurated by Mayor Annise Parker BY SEEMA JAIN

HOUSTON: “Religion beyond dogmas, Spirituality without religion, and including the call for a Universal religion of Compassion” are a true testament to his Spiritual strength.- Acharya Tulsi JVB Preksha Meditation Center under the auspicious presence and inspiration of Samani Sanmati Pragyaji & Samani Jayant Pragyaji (Disciples of Acharya Shri Mahashraman), proudly hosted honorable Houston Mayor, Annise Parker on Sunday, December 14, for the inauguration of its first Annual Gyanshala Children Magazine “Connect: Basics and Beyond” and “Tulsi Commemoration Volumes” on the occasion of H. H. Acharya Shri Tulsi Birth Centenary global celebrations. About 150 community members came by and large to celebrate this milestone with the Hon. Mayor. The Mayor was greeted by enthusiastic Gyanshala kids along with Board and EC members upon arrival. In her speech, she congratulated everyone on the Centennial Birth of Acharya Tulsi, and expressed her desire to know more about JVB Community and acknowledge the work of our young Gyanshala Students who are our future leaders and was quite amazed by their articles based on the principles of Anuvrat (truth), non-violence, non-possession, and non-stealing, and wished them a bright future ahead. The members of JVB youth council presented the prestigious Volumes to the Mayor for inauguration. To honor this occasion, the Mayor made a proclamation stating the Birth Date of Acharya Tulsi, October 20 as “Acharya Tulsi Day”, so worthy of the cause as he is known worldwide as one of the greatest Acharya’s of Jain Tradition. and a man of splendor personality,

Humanitarian Saint and a great visionary. He opened hundreds of schools, started different vocational courses, numerous colleges, and a University as well. Jain Vishwa Bharati is one of them. Reverend Samani Sanmati Pragyaji admired Mayor Parker’s distinguished career, explained how Acharya Tulsi’s teachings are showing the path of peace to the world and praised active committee members for their untiring efforts and support. The Emcee of the event, Pramod Jain acknowl-

edged all the prominent guests from different Indian communities and media who joined us in our occasion. Swatantra Jain, the Chairman of JVB center delivered a Welcome Speech. All the Gyanshala kids paid their tribute by saying the Gyanshala pledge collectively. A special memento was presented to Mayor to earmark her short stay. The program ended with a thank you speech delivered by JVB’s President, Nikhil Jain who extended his warmest regards to everyone present at the

event. Special thanks to Hasuji Patel & Ila Patel for their exceptional effort to invite the Mayor and making this a gala event. At JVB’s Gyanshala, We value our intellectual capital, and nurture it through a perfect blend, of the traditional as well as contemporary ways and means, for the comprehensive development, of the kids personality. JVB Gyanshala Magazine truly captures the thoughts & creativity of its young students. The JVB Preksha Meditation

Photos : Navin Mediwala

Center envisions a blissful and peaceful society through Yoga, Preksha Meditation and Education of Non-violence. It conducts weekly Mediation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions and runs special events and programs like iChoose and Meditation Camps. Its open to all and every session or event is free of charge to its attendees. For further information visit www.jvbhouston.org or call 281.596.9642.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

December 19, 2014

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

Donations Flow as Awareness Spreads of the Genocide of Yezidis

Haider Elias: President of Yazda

Gita Bhatia

Murad Ismael:Treasurer

Vijay Pallod

Photos: Bijay Dixit

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: The disclaimer at the beginning of the video clip warned that the images were graphic and disturbing and this steeled people for what was to come. But images played on the screen and the audio description was so powerful that, only minutes into the video, it shook many in the audience to tears and disbelief that the situation had deteriorated so much for so long. Ravi Raghavan, the emcee for the event warned the audience of about 150 people about the video and afterwards, with the help of slides, explained the background and the history of the Yezidi people who are being persecuted and systematically disseminated by the ISIS militants in their ancestral home in Iraq (see IAN dated Nov. 21, 2014). Once numbering 23 million, the Yezidis have been reduced due to 22 separate genocides over the centuries to about 1 million worldwide, with the majority in Iraq and others scattered across Syria, Germany, Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Sweden. They follow a religion that is linked to Zoroastrianism and ancient Mesopotamian religions. This past August, ISIS had trapped thousands of Yezidis on Mount Sinjar and the siege was only broken after international outrage provoked a response from Iraqi and American forces. But many thousands have been killed and 5,000 to 6,000 women and girls have been taken hostage and sold as slaves for as little as $20, and many more raped and forcibly married off or given to ISIS fighters. SEWA International organized the event

Ravi Raghavan Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

last Sunday evening, December 14 at India House to bring attention and awareness to the plight of the Yezidi community and raise money for relief efforts back in Iraq. SEWA volunteers Vijay Pallod, Ravi Raghavan, Achalesh Amar and Venkat Subramanian have worked tirelessly to organize the event and bring out 40 members of the Yezidi community to the meeting. “They have no concept of organizing as an organization,” Pallod, an untiring activist said. “We have helped them in this, even getting a logo and website started just a few hours before this event.” Other members of the Hindu community have banded together to help, as they perceive the persecution of a peace loving religious minority. Gita Bhatia with the In-

Group picture of Yezidis with Hindu volunteers.

ternational Association for Human Values, a branch of the Art of Living Foundation explained how its leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was in Erbril recently and 110 tons of relief material were airdropped on Mount Sinjar (see IAN dated Dec. 5, 2014). Representatives from others religions also attended and spoke briefly: Elliot Gershenson, President and CEO of Interfaith Ministries of Houston representing the Jewish faith; Kaemerz Dotiwalla representing Zoroastrians; Nadia Tajalli for the Ba’hai Birth; Vinay Sharda of the Hindu American Foundation and Achalesh Amar and Venkat Subramanian of SEWA International.

From the newly formed Yazda organization, its President Haider Elias and Treasurer, Murad Ismael spoke about their personal ordeal and loss. Elias explained how his younger brother was killed with a bullet to the head and how a chilling phonecall picked up by an ISIS militant made him fear for the safety of his father. Nabeen Kashali, who came from Austin, explained how 50 members of her family were trapped on Mount Sinjar, and walked many days to get to safety. As the event ended, over $25,000 was raised for relief efforts for the Yezidis. For more information, visit: www.sewausa.org; www.yazda.org or www.IAHV.org

Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036., tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Indo American News,7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

Schiller Institute Introduces Houston to the“BRICS”

Photos: Richard Johnson

HOUSTON: The Schiller Institute of Texas held an event on December 11, at the Houston Chinese Community Center: “The USA Must Join the BRICS.” The BRICS countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and have formed a coalition for global development. Opening the meeting, former U.S. Senate candidate Kesha Rogers, stated that this event was one of many around the nation organizing Americans to reject the current war policy, and join with the BRICS nations to achieve the Common Aims of Mankind, creating what India’s Prime Minister Modi has called “a mass movement for development.” Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute founder, addressed the event via video statement. “If Americans knew how close we were to World War III [over the Ukraine crisis] people would be out in the streets…. What the mass media in the United States have blocked out, is that since... the summit of the BRICS countries in Fortaleza, Brazil, a completely new economic system is developing.” Zepp-LaRouche listed some of the remarkable projects now underway in BRICS and associated nations: China helping to build a second Panama Canal through Nicaragua, and a transcontinental railroad from Brazil to Peru, agreements in the areas of space and nuclear energy, and the establishment of new financial institutions devoted to funding them. “Since the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into office, there has been a complete explosion of optimism in India.” He will build 100 new cities, and create one million new jobs per month. “We have to get the United States to... join with the new paradigm, because that is the only war avoidance strategy which will work.” Harley Schlanger, vice chair of the Schiller Institute, spoke next, on the “two arcs of history” which shape the present period: one being the downfall of the Trans-Atlantic region, following the JFK assassination and Nixon’s ending Bretton Woods; and the second being the new potential of the BRICS movement. He was followed by Khaled Rady, the Consul General of Egypt, who gave a clear and impassioned report on the Suez Canal project. After outlining the project, he ended with a moving appeal: that before the Landbridge can be realized, we need a “heart-bridge,” to connect people from around the world to be one humanity. Natalie Lovegren, from the LaRouche PAC scientific research team, concluded the meeting with a report on China’s lunar program, demonstrating how China’s intention to mine helium-3 on the Moon for nuclear fusion energy would transform the world economy. http://newparadigm.schillerinstitute.com/ (713)541-2907

For advertising contact: Vanshika Vipin at 713.789.6397 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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December 19, 2014

Jetlagged, but He Couldn’t Pass Up a Chance to Run the New Delhi Marathon ready at the Le Meridien hotel on Jan Path, where he was invited for an exclusive VIP lunch. Surprised, but elated by the news, Suneja went to the hotel “where I was treated like royalty’” he said. He feasted on a lunch of

Dr. Randeep Suneja in his running outﬁt prior to the Air New Delhi Tel half Marathon on November 23. He says he always packs a running outﬁt whenever he travels.

pasta, derigeur for carb loading before a marathon, with only another 100 guests, among who were the veteran Bollywood actor and current Member of Parliament, Vinod

A hydration station along the marathon route, with the actress Bipasha Basu, Vinod Khanna and others manning it

She told Suneja she would call her brother right away and a few minutes later Suneja heard from him in New Delhi. “He said it would be really difficult, next to impossible as 32,500 people had already registered and security was tight following the Boston Marathon tragedy, but he would try to see if I could be registered,” recalled Suneja. Thirty minutes later, he got the call that his registration had been processed and that his credentials would be

Randeep Suneja (right) and his brother Pradeep (center) with veteran ﬁlm actor and MP Vinod Khanna.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA KATY: Though he had arrived at his brother’s house just a few hours earlier and was jet lagged, Randeep Suneja’s eyes popped when he picked up the Hindustan Times Saturday morning over tea with his family. “The Airtel New Delhi Half Marathon was scheduled to run the next day and my mind immediately started to wonder if I could participate,” Suneja said after he returned from his two week overseas trip, of which a week was in Delhi.

Suneja, a well-known respected cardiologist with a large practice in Katy, immediately picked up the phone to check but was disappointed with the response. “They told me that the registration was closed on October 31,” he was disappointed to learn, but his mind was racing for an answer. He knew a close professional colleague in Houston who had talked about having “a brother pretty high up in Air Tel, so I decided to give her a call in Houston” where it was 11pm of the night before.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

CONTINUED ON PAGE

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10 December 19, 2014

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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December 19, 2014

Club 65 Celebrates Christmas Early

BY DR. JASEEM PASHA HOUSTON: The Houstonian Seniors’ Club 65 hosted the third annual Christmas Party on December 6 at Bayland Community Center, at 6400 Bissonnet Street in Houston. It was indeed a fun filled afternoon. The members and the guests arrived on time. Many came in festive apparel, few even wore Santa’s red hat. The hall was packed. There was an air of exuberance, smiles and hugs. The tables looked colorful with Christmas figurines. The entire hall sprang into life as soon as Paru McGuire, the President of Club 65, took the microphone in her hand. They welcomed her with a big round of applause. Paru shared the highlights of the awaited program with the audience. Majid Soudagar sang a very old ghazal, full of impassioned poetry. Taiyeb Shipchandler, an esteemed member of the Club, “Kaka”, as he is called out of love and respect, sang a very beautiful old song. Mulik Sayeedi sang an old classic Indian heart-rending song, and as usual, shared few jokes that made everyone laugh. Uma Mantravadi, Attorney at Law, and Houston’s foremost sensational singer paired up with Nadeem Ashrafi, who is a singer

and keyboard player. Nadeem has served desi music industry for more than three decades. He is well known for his Ghazals and versatile singing orchestration in many languages and has performed all over North America. Both Uma and Nadeem engaged the audience with old and new songs. The selection of melodious songs was sensational, ranging from romantic ecstasy and rapture to fast dancing melodies. They sang duets that were tender, touching, nostalgic and powerful, punctuated with frequent rounds of applause. Uma sang the famous Shah-e-Madina. Nothing prompts people to remember the past like music. Many

from audience came to the floor and danced – and danced, as if there was no end to it, reminding us of an old Irish quote: “Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening.” Music does wash away from the soul the dust of everyday life. The event ran between 11 AM to 3:30 PM. The grand finale was the spiritual qawwali song “O Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo Bala Jhule lalan - - -Dama Dam Mast Qalandar” Everyone had a good time, socializing, singing and dancing, and relishing the delicious food. There was gift exchanges. Noor Jahan called out the names of the guests who chose from the colorful packaged gifts, which created a lot of excitement. It was a very successful event. Club 65 is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of IMAGH (Indian Muslims of Greater Houston). To find out more about Club 65 or to become a member, visit, www.imagh.org or call Paru Mcguire at 440-390-1763.

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12 December 19, 2014

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

Kalaangan Students Display Dedication at Alok Utsav

BY SANCHALI BASU

SUGAR LAND: This year Alok Utsav, the annual festival of Odissi dance presented by Kalaangan at the Sugar Land auditorium on Nov 22 was even better organized and conducted than years prior. Parents, students and well wishers alike carried out all their responsibilities to a tee to make the evening run like a well oiled machine. What had started out 5 years ago in a small way by Guru Supradipta Dutta for Alok Utsav to showcase the talent of her students, from Kalaangan and HDBS Kala Bhavan has taken wings since, and had 50 plus dancers this year. Of special note this year was the fact that a student from Kalaangan, Simantini Behura had participated in the prestigious International Odissi Dance Festival in Bhubaneshwar. Even though she was the youngest dancer at the Festival, she was acclaimed to be one of the best by critics. The other feather in their cap was the joint collaboration with Kanniks Kannikeswaran, “The Magical Music Man from Madras,” in their production Chitram, this year. Performances by Kalaangan students were specially recog-

in India. Although a tad drizzly, things started to warm up with participants signing in and guests partaking in savory snacks in the main foyer. Chief guest, Sugar Land councilman Harish Jajoo was ushered in and the program started with a brief welcoming speech by artistic director, Supradipta Datta. Shyama Mishra, the emcee for the evening was introduced and the program started with the invocatory piece Jaya Jagannath in praise of the presiding deity of Orissa. The dances then exponentially increased in the level of difficulty and expertise and students ranging from the ages of five to over fifty gradually took the stage to dance to Namo Ganesha, Mangalacharan, Aradhana and Nritya Bilas. Some students were invited to speak about their experiences while learning the dance form and one senior college going student also mentioned how dancing Odissi provides her a stress-relieving outlet from her didactic studies. The dancers in Dasavatar, personified the grace and valor of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Saraswati Bandana was an ode to the goddess of learning. Two Abhinaya pieces followed, the first describing the cosmic dance of Lord Krishna, and the second, Ardhanariswara depicting the contrasting yet complimentary attributes of the masculine (Shiva) and the feminine (Shakti) energies. The evening ended with Mokshya Mangalam as is customary in a Odissi recital, where the dancers attempt to reunite the soul with the absolute. Mrs. Datta in her vote of thanks thanked everyone involved

Photos: Jit Biswas and Rabi De

nized for their grace, elegance and masterful technique. It has also taken a step to give back to the dance community by introducing the Kalaangan Nritya Pratibha Award (institute with a conscience) which provides a scholarship for a deserving upcoming dancer

in making the evening possible. .. Kalaangan has definitely made strides in the Houston community in its pursuit of promoting and bearing the torch of Odissi under the able guidance and leadership of Supradipta Datta.

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14 December 19, 2014

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December 19, 2014

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16 December 19, 2014

COMMUNITY Jetlagged, but He Couldn’t Pass Up a Chance to Run the New Delhi Marathon CONTINUED FROM PAGE

Khanna and many other celebrities like actress Vispasha Basu and actor Rahul Bose. “I asked Khanna for a picture with him and much to my surprise, he agreed,” said Suneja, whose brother Pradeep, a retired ENT surgeon, could not believe his younger brother’s connections had brought him in touch with celebrities and pomp. The next morning, Suneja showed up at 5:45am on a chilly Sunday morning, November 23, at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in the Jangpura district. A few hundred people were doing a 20-minute warm up session and then the run started by 7am. The 13.1 mile (21.09km) route ran from the stadium all the way past India Gate, Vijay Chowk, Jan Path to the Jantar Mantar and back and thousands of people lined the streets to cheer the marathoners on. There were plenty of hydration stations handing out juices and water and peeled oranges with salt, unique to this marathon, portapotties and plenty of security. A passionate marathoner who has run in the Houston Marathon this January and will again next month, Suneja was surprised by the organization and efficiency of the Delhi race. “It was completely professionally planned out by Procera International, a worldwide marathon organizer and Air Tel, the cellular multi-national has sponsored it for the past nine years,” he said of the largest sporting event of its kind in India. What surprised him most was the prize money, which totaled $210,000, with 40 prizes awarded, 20 for men and 20 for women. The men’s race was won by Guye Adola of Ethiopia in 59.06 minutes and the women’s race by Florence Kiplagat, another Ethiopian in 1hr 10.04 minutes. As busy as Suneja is with his medical practice, it is a wonder that he has had the time to train so passionately for a marathon. He finished the Delhi Half Marathon in 2 hrs 50 minutes, though he has finished the Houston Half Marathon in 2 hours 33 minutes. Still, he was elated by the rare opportunity to run in his hometown, all thanks to a Houston connection, and has come back with a deeper respect for the dedication of the younger Indian professionals towards healthy living.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

Namadwaar’s 5th Annual Srimad Bhagavata Mahotsava

MANVEL: Global Organization for Divinity and Namadwaar will conduct its annual grand celebration of bhakti and Bhagavata Dharma, from December 21 to 27 this year through a 7-day “Madhura Utsav” (sweet celebration). The Utsav will be ﬁlled with celebration of Bhagavan through song, dance and listening to His stories through a 7-day “Sri Krishna Leela” discourse series by Sri Ramanujamji, disciple of His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. Daily daytime events will be held at Namadwaar Prayer House located at 3642 Bailey Ave, Manvel TX 77578, while the evening Bhagavatam discourse will be held at Sri Meenakshi Temple Kalyana Mandapam in Pearland and is co-sponsored by Meenakshi Temple Society. Daily events through the day (at Namadwaar) include chanting Thiruppavai (6 am), complete Srimad Bhagavata Moola Parayana of 18000 slokas in 7 days (7am-2pm), Procession of Sri Krishna-Sri Radha in different vahanas (9:30 am), Ashtapadi kirtan-Sampradaya bhajans with Sri Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam (1-4pm) and Divya Nama sankirtanam (9:30 pm). There will also be special events on certain days at Namadwaar, such as Radha Kalyanam (Dec 27, 9 am), Govinda Pattabhishekham and Anna Koototsav (Dec 25, 9 am) and Nandotsavam (Dec 24, 1:30pm). The evening program (Dec 21-27) will begin from 5:30 pm at Meenakshi Temple with the “Madhura Natyam” segment where various Houston dance schools will offer

Children dancing around Sri Krishna.

their talent to Lord Krishna through performances. On Dec 25, children of Gopa Kuteeram from around the USA will present “Srimad Bhagavatam - A Musical Play”. This cultural segment will be followed daily at 6 pm by the highlight event – Sri Krishna Leela (discourse in English on the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam) by Sri Ramanujamji. Sri Ramanujam ji, who has visited the Houston area several times before, is an excellent speaker who has absorbed the intricate essence of our scriptures directly from his Master. His insightful discourses throw beautiful, meaningful, practical light on the subtle aspects of bhakti and our Sanatana Dharma. His discourses on Srimad Bhagavatam are brilliant and instill in us love for Bhagavan, love for the path of bhakti and love for this great Purana itself. Add to this the fact that this year’s discourses will focus in detail on Sri Krishna’s ever-new,

refreshing and deeply significant leelas, and the whole event becomes doubly sweet. Everyone is welcome to participate in this unique celebration. All events are free and open to the public. Mahaprasad will be served. Prasadam and ﬂower sponsors are welcomed for this auspicious event. If you ﬁnd this divine cause worthy of your generosity, please call 281402-6585. Global Organization for Divinity (G.O.D.) and Namadwaar Prayer House aim to promote peace, harmony and universal love amid cultural diversity. They are involved in several spiritual, cultural and social activities in the Houston area. For further information about the event or about G.O.D. or Namadwaar, call 281-402-6585, email houston.god@godivinity.org or visit www.godivinity.org.

Founders’ Day Celebration at Sri Meenkashi Temple

PEARLAND: Sri MeenkashiTemple celebrated Founders’ day as a formal dinner event on Saturday, December 13. The evening was dedicated by the current Board to honor all those who have worked hard in the Board and advisory council since 1979. This year was special because of a special skit and musical program called “Melodies and Memories”. The temple chairman Dr. P. Vaduganathan who wrote the skit , had acted as a Swamy Vaduganantha and narrated the 35 year story of Sri Meenakshi temple to a few villagers in India as to how this ﬁrst Shakthi temple in USA serves as a model to many temples. As the story evolved Mala Gopal, the cultural coordinator had choreographed songs and dances to portray each stage of the temple. As part of the program several steering committee members,

Dr. KR. Thiyagarajan, Dr. Venugopal Menon, Dr. Bala Ayer, Dr. A.P. Raghuthaman, Padma Anantha for her husband Anantha and Dr. S.G. Appan for his late father Subramanian were brought on stage along with several past chairmen, Board and council members and honored. The evening ended with a delicious dinner. The

founders were very pleased that the current leadership did not forget the sacriﬁces made by so many over the years and complemented the efforts of the current Board especially the chairman P. Vaduganathan, Secretary Srikanth and Treasurer Padma Golla for arranging this nice evening.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18 December 19, 2014 Terrorism without Conscience

Just days after Malala Yousufzai — the child they targeted earlier for daring to attend school — received the Nobel Peace Prize, the Pakistani Taliban pitilessly gunned down more than 100 children at the Army Public School in Peshawar on Tuesday. It is difficult to imagine the conversations and the cold-hearted planning that the terrorists were involved in when aiming to storm a school of 1,100 children — from pre-schoolers to high school teenagers. Pakistan has seen scores of high-profile terrorist incidents over the last decade but this distressing attack, which will plunge the country into newer depths of grief, is likely to have more far-reaching consequences. The attack orchestrated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in reaction to the Pakistan army’s counterinsurgency operations in North Waziristan is bound to sharpen the debate within the Pakistani establishment about ways to tackle the insurgency. It will put Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a tight spot as he has traditionally preferred a more political approach to the TTP, unlike the army, which has pressed for military operations, causing a further consolidation of power in Rawalpindi’s favour. It will also further isolate figures like Imran Khan, who have long been apologists for the Taliban. The attack is truly a national tragedy as Mr Sharif put it. India as a whole ought to empathise with its neighbour and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly condemned the act of “unspeakable brutality” and offered his condolences. The Indian public has many disagreements with Pakistan but it sincerely and unequivocally shares the pain of its bereaved in moments like this. It will however hope, as it has all these years, that the Pakistani leadership draws the right lessons from such tragedies. The Pakistani army must not view this attack as merely a setback in the long war against insurgency but recognise this as the inevitable outcome of tolerating and supporting extremism. Rawalpindi has launched a ground offensive against TTP militants but it still sees groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba as assets to use against India and sees militant violence in Kashmir as a tool to score political points against New Delhi. Tackling insurgencies in a badly governed multi-ethnic society like Pakistan is admittedly an arduous, complicated task. Islamabad and Rawalpindi can, nonetheless, do more to distance themselves from the worldview that inspired the dastardly attack in Peshawar. Hindustan Times

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY The Clamor, The Silence

BY PAMELA PHILIPOSE Voluminous tomes of inquiry that seek to address variegated national crises usually end up as expensive paperweights. This is because the very intent behind instituting committees of inquiry is essentially performative, not prescriptive. They are expected to bury the truth, not uncover it. Meanwhile, history continues to play out in concentric cycles of tragedy and farce — riots recur, social tensions rise, criminal acts and sexualized violence breakout like unstoppable forces of nature. There is a curious circularity to the outcry caused by the recent sexual attack on a Delhi woman who happened to hail a public taxi on a GPS system. In a miniature way, it mimicked the outrage the country witnessed exactly two years ago. The gangrape on a bus that took place in the capital on December 16, 2012, and the public outrage that followed demanded desperate measures and, in time honored fashion, an inquiry committee was set up. That’s how far things went according to script. The three-member Justice J.S. Verma Committee, mandated to examine existing laws dealing with sexual violence and propose amendments, did something unexpected: it re-ordered its remit. Consequently, its 631-page report, emerging in a record 29 days, became the first serious attempt by the government of India to address in a holistic fashion a blight that had become part of the national DNA: gender violence. With all its inadequacies, and there were many, this was a new-age document shaped by an unprecedented level of offline and online engagement with stakeholders —While some of its recommendations did help shape the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act passed in 2013, the report was received by the ruling elite with eloquent silence, even as the army brass flew into high dudgeon over sunlight being trained on unconscionable acts of sexual assault perpetrated during military operations. In time, it became clearer that the panel’s most radical suggestions had been put on ice. Today, there are not many in government or Parliament who refer to the report or show themselves as

being cognisant of its recommendations, which, incidentally, included procedures to keep sexual predators out of legislative chambers. Structured silences and gaps in planning and policymaking only deepened it. The lack of women’s representation in legislative bodies, the low value accorded to women’s labour, the indifference to infrastructure that impacts women’s safety directly, like safe public transportation in cities or sanitation facilities in rural India, are instances of such absences. The Uber case would not have surfaced if the committee’s recommendation that drivers of public transport vehicles be security vetted had been heeded. The shame-honor paradigm that marked the response to such incidents needed to be dismantled, the committee observed, and the stigma inherent in them directed not at the assaulted woman but at larger society. The framework it posited — based on an understanding that such acts were assaults on a person’s right to free movement, bodily integrity and sexual autonomy — was dynamic and applied not just to rape but acts like stalking, acid attacks, stripping and even voyeurism, increasingly common in the age of new communication technologies. Remarkable, too, was the committee’s clear-eyed appreciation of the need for reform in the so-called touchy areas. The resistance to categorising marital rape as a crime was traced to a notion of marriage that regarded wives as their husbands’ possessions, which erased the idea of consent that was central to any relationship of equality. Other hallowed

responses of the state also met with similar scrutiny, including sexual violence perpetrated by the military — the committee had no hesitation in recommending that such crimes come under the purview of ordinary criminal law. It also decried the state’s failure to acknowledge the equal sexual rights of people with different sexual orientations. The committee deliberated at length on the intimate link between sexual violence and socialisation. There was the recognition that practices normalised over the centuries had resulted in one gender being invested with disproportionate power and a naturalised sense of entitlement. It observed: “We live in a ‘cult of masculinity’… Touching, harassment and forced intercourse are all seen as normal to masculinity.” This led it to suggest that, among other measures, child-sensitive sex education must be urgently instituted in school curricula so that children are equipped with the requisite understanding and confidence to transit into adulthood. The fifth important conceptual breakthrough was the enlightened manner in which the committee envisaged the justice delivery system. Firmly rejecting cries from the street for the castration and hanging of rapists, it suggested that for extreme crimes, a life term could be interpreted as imprisonment for the entire life of the accused. IOne of three jurists on the committee, Justice Leila Seth, in her new book, Talking of Justice, poignantly recalled that Justice Verma, who died three months after the report was submitted, began the committee’s first meeting on December 26, 2012, by reading from a small handwritten note. One of its lines went: the truly “humiliating aspect of the crime against a woman is that her status in the hierarchal structure of society also (obstructs) the way of securing justice for her”. The report could help in removing those obstructions but it will first have to be dusted down from the shelves of national amnesia. IE The writer is senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Delhi, researching media issues express@expressindia.com

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COMMUNITY

December 19, 2014

Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce Heralds Women Entrepreneurs

Nasreen Khosravian

Tenaz Sunavala

Sonia Rash

BY HOMI DAVIER

do well. But, the benefits of having your own business are a flexible schedule, more time with your family, select the type of case you want,” she added. “There is no one to micro-manage you, so you must be careful, disciplined and self-motivated to get the work done.” For Tenaz Sunavala, the transition was from being a home maker and raising two college kids to founding Pegasus Visas International Consulting. What started as a home grown business is now a full service travel visa company offering visas for individuals and corporations. “I faced many setbacks and challenges but my motivation, faith and a positive attitude allowed me to keep the momentum going,” she recalled. “If you are determined to succeed, it is not that difficult for women to enter Mainstream USA’s business world and carve out a niche.” Pegasus works with clients globally and Sunavala believes that “our clients love our top quality

customer service.” “My desire for owning and running a suc-

SUGAR LAND: The World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce Houston showcased “Women in Business” and three entrepreneurs within the Zoroastrian community - Sonia Rash, Tenaz Sunavala and Nasreen Khosravian - to learn how they became successful at a seminar on Wednesday, November 12 at the Madras Pavilion. Sonia Rash, an attorney, said she wanted to spend more time with her family, so she gave up her corporate job, safety in salary and benefits to being her own boss by starting the Behrana Law firm. “Some of the challenges or frustrations made the start difficult,” she said. “What do I practice? Where do I start? How do I succeed? Will I be able to produce income for myself? No one will be feeding me, not my clients or work if I do not

cessful business was in me for a long time. I knew I could not work for someone else all my life,” said Nasreen Khosravian, the founder and principal of Kids R Kids Schools in Sugar Land “When the time is right you just want to push forward and venture out on your own.” Her choice was to go with a franchise was because she would get a lot of hand holding initially and always have a continuous support in marketing and other materials that are so important to take off in a business. Along with her husband she opened their ﬁrst school in 1999. “I could not have done it without my husband’s support,” she said. “He had his steady job to put the roof over our heads so I took this opportunity to branch out and start off the business.” Khosravian chose childcare because her kids were still very young and were her ﬁrst priority and she needed to be there for her family over the weekend. Khosravian and her husband own two schools and are building a third.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

20 December 19, 2014

COMMUNITY

Hindus of Greater Houston at the Institute of Spirituality Annual Event

From left: Venugopal Menon, Devi Menon, V. K. Dorai, Dev Mahajan, Alpa Shah, Sushma Mahajan, Kanchan Kabad, Kumari Susrala, Zishan Samiuddin, Vijay Pallod, Rajam Appan, S. G. Appan.

BY DR. VENUGOPAL MENON

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HOUSTON: Hindus of Greater Houston sponsored a table at the annual fund-raising luncheon of the Institute of Spirituality and Health event, thus supporting an essential element of the role of the mind playing in health and illness. The Institute for Spirituality and Health (ISH), the 60–year-old organization at the Medical Center has been doing a splendid service, promoting the part of spirituality in Health and illness. Their mission is ‘to further knowledge of the role spirituality plays in Health and healing, and to educate and equip healthcare professionals to incorporate spirituality in patient care, so their patients may receive the many health beneﬁts’. Theirannualfund-raisingluncheon,

‘A Gathering of Friends’ was an elegant function conducted at the River Oaks Country Club on Thursday, November 20. The three hundred guests assembled over a delicious meal were delighted to learn about the functioning of the ISH and to listen to some remarkable speeches. The presence of U. S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and her astronaut husband Mark E. Kelly as the chief guests marked the most appropriate highlight of the event. If the profoundly poignant speech, delivered with hilarity by Captain Kelly was heartening, the limited yet courageous words from Congresswoman Gabby moved the audience to tears of delight. It was a story of courage, patience and hard work, challenged with an attitude of ‘deny the acceptance of failure’, that turned

a tragic and devastating situation into one of success and celebration. When Gabby and Mark profusely acknowledged the enormous help they received from the staff of TIRR, the audience sat spellbound being grateful to the advanced expertise of medical science. And if there was one outstanding reality that exceeded even the science and technology, it was the power of the mind and the exalted spiritual dimension that is part and parcel of healing. As Gifford explained her rigorously disciplined routine of Yoga and Meditation in helping her tremendous progress, ‘the table of ten’ sponsored by the Hindus of Greater Houston, felt immensely proud and honored of their time-honored ancient Indic wisdom being credited to such knowledge.

Senate Approves Obama Pick for Surgeon General

Surgeon General Nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy

BY MATTHEW DALY LAURAN NEERGAARD

AND

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved President Barack Obama’s nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as U.S. surgeon general, despite opposition from Republicans and some Democrats over his support for gun control and past statements that gun violence is a public health issue. Murthy, 37, a physician at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School, won conﬁrmation on a 51-43 vote. He’s a co-founder of Doctors for America, a group that has pushed for affordable health care and supports Obama’s health care law. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said

most of Murthy’s career has been spent as an activist focused on gun control and other political issues, rather than on treating patients. “Americans don’t want a surgeon general who might use this position of trust to promote his own personal campaign against the Second Amendment of the Constitution,” Barrasso said. Supporters said Murthy is wellqualified and noted his promise not to use the position as a bully pulpit for gun control. The nation has been without a Senate-confirmed surgeon general since July 2013. The surgeon general does not set policy but is an advocate for the people’s health. Murthy’s confirmation “makes us better positioned to save lives around the world and protect the American people here at home,” Obama said in a statement. Murthy “will also help us build on the progress we’ve made combatting Ebola, both in our country and at its source” in West Africa. Murthy’s confirmation represented a rare defeat for the National Rifle Association, which told senators that a vote for Murthy would be scored against them when they rate lawmakers’ votes during election campaigns.

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said Murthy has been “pilloried and excoriated” by the NRA and its supporters for his backing of stricter gun laws, including an assault weapons ban, and statements that gun violence is a public health issue. Murthy has made clear he is not “aspiring to be the leading doctor in America to engage in a political debate, but rather to engage in public health debates about obesity and tobacco and things that make a dramatic difference to the lives of so many people who live in this country,” Durbin said. Murthy expressed support for gun control in a letter to Congress after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting. His nomination was endorsed by more than 100 health organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a staunch supporter of gun rights, did not mention guns in a statement opposing Murthy but said he does not believe it’s appropriate for America’s

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

CONTINUED ON PAGE

TRAVEL

December 19, 2014

Local CruiseOne Travel Agency Launches Revolutionary Video Library

HOUSTON: Local CruiseOne travel agency CRUISE GUZS has added a video library of travel vlogs, blogs that are primarily video content, on its website to assist consumers in their vacation decision-making process. With 26 travel videos already created and 35 expected to be completed by year-end, these vlogs provide consumers a ﬁrst-person look at what it’s like to stay at a resort or travel on a cruise by showcasing unique destinations, various cruise ships and different experiences available on land and at sea, as well as additional background information and insider tips. “Yet another Opportunity to Sea, geared towards making you experience and visualize your next dream cruise vacation, before you book” said Ketki Shah and Hamid Lakhani, CruiseOne franchise owner and vacation specialist. Google studies show that online travel video usage is increasing approximately 55 percent, and that these videos are inﬂuential in the early stages of the travel planning process including when consumers are thinking about taking a trip and when choosing a destination. According to the same study, 90 percent of travelers take action after viewing an online travel video. The CruiseOne videos drive emotion and create a connection with the viewer by being fun and

engaging. As part of World Travel Holdings, one of the nation’s top travel retail networks, CruiseOne offers consumers the lowest possible pricing on cruise and land vacations through its relationships with every major cruise line and many tour operators. The vlogs can be found on Hlakhani CruiseOnewebsite,www.cruiseguzs. com , under the dropdown menus for Cruise Lines, Explore More, Cruise Destinations, The Experience, and Resorts & Tours. For more information or to book a dream vacation with Ketki Shah and Hamid Lakhani, call 281 724 8260. About CruiseOne Celebrating 22 years in business, the home-based travel franchise CruiseOne is ranked in the top one percent of all franchises worldwide and is a member of the International Franchise Association. As part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise agency and awardwinning leisure travel company, CruiseOne franchisees are able to offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations with its 100 percent “Best Price and Satisfaction Guarantee.” CruiseOne has received partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines including Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. For

Library will have 35 travel videos by end of the year with additional ones being added throughout 2015 more information on CruiseOne, visit www.CruiseOne.com.

a technology company, TrialNetworks, that helps drug developers collaborate on clinical trials. At a Senate hearing in February, Murthy said he wouldn’t use the position to push gun control. He said his priorities include ﬁghting obesity and helping communities promote healthier living. The son of immigrants from India, Murthy told senators he was inspired to become a doctor while helping out on weekends at his father’s family medicine clinic in Miami.the fray. “Hope Senate votes yes today on Dr Vivek Murthy. Excellent choice for US surgeon general”, tweeted talking head David Gergen as people

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top doctor to participate in political activism. While he does not question Murthy’s medical qualiﬁcations, Manchin said he wonders whether the public will believe that Murthy “can separate his political beliefs from his public health views.” Manchin was one of three Democrats to oppose Murthy, along with Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk was the lone Republican to support Murthy. Before founding Doctors for America, Murthy created a nonproﬁt that focused on HIV/AIDS education in India and the U.S. And he co-founded

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expressed support for Murthy under the handle #TopDocNow Partly as a result, the exiting senators, and at least one or two moderate Republicans, are ready to vote for Murthy’s conﬁrmation (or at least abstain). The current 100-member Senate composition is 53 Democrats +2 pro-Democrat Independents +45 Republicans. After conceding nine seats in the November mid-term elections, the new senate starting January 3 will have 54 Republicans +44 Democrats +2 Independents, making it virtually impossible for Murthy to be conﬁrmed next year. -Houston Chronicle

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d in

22 December 19, 2014

PUZZLES/ RECIPE

SUDOKU

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes Mutter Paneer di Turri (Peas & Indian Cheese Curry)

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.

There is probably not a single Indian restaurant in the US, and probably in the world, which does not make sag paneer (also called palak paneer), since it is mild enough for the kids, yet still has just the right spices for a truly Indian flavor. But the use of paneer has grown immensely as its popularity has grown. In India, as people have become richer, they don’t mind paying the premium for paneer dishes. It is not uncommon to go to even a Punjabi dhabba and • 1 small piece of adrak (ginger) longer in the saucepan. find three or four paneer dishes on 5. Throw in the paneer and stir peeled and finely chopped the menu. • 3 tablespoons of vegetable or to coat well and let it cook for 2 Paneer (fresh milk soft cheese) minutes. olive oil is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting 6. Add the water and bring it to a • Spices (to taste): namak (salt), farmer cheese made by curdling hot mirch (red pepper), haldi (tur- boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off, milk with lemon juice or vinegar to meric), fresh dhania (corian- cover the saucepan and let it sit for separate the whey. Many people buy five minutes. der), garam masala the ready made paneer, even in India, 7. Before serving, garnish the dish although it is quite simple but time Directions: with garam masala and the shredded consuming to make. Paneer adds a 1. Place a tablespoon of oil in a fry- fresh dhania. special zest to even simple dishes, and ing pan and warm it up on medium many restaurants make it with added heat. Shakuntla Malcream to thicken the gravy. 2. Place the cubes of paneer in hotra is a skilled Some ingredients make for an inter- the frying pan and brown both sides cook of Punjabi esting combination with paneer, like slightly. Take off the heat and place dishes made in mutter (peas) paneer; karahi paneer, on a plate to cool down. the old-fashioned khumban (mushroom) paneer and the 3. Prepare the masala in a medium style that she favorite paneer tikka masala. But, of saucepan. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil learnt as a young all these, khumban and mutter are over medium heat, then add the onwoman in her anthe two most common curries made ions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. cestral home in in Indian homes, because these are Stir well to make sure it doesn’t stick simple and fast to make, especially if to the bottom. When the mixture is Lyallpur, India before it became part guests suddenly show up at the door! slightly brown, add the salt, pepper of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her All you need is to keep the peas and and haldi and stir well. paneer (already cut into squares) 4. Throw in the peas and stir well cooking for its simplicity and taste handy in the freezer! to coat and cook for a few minutes. If that comes with each mouthful. Even The secret behind a good dish is to frozen, then let the peas thaw out first in her mid-eighties, she continues to make sure that the paneer does not before using and cook for 5 minutes. cook daily and agreed to share some break when placed in the curry. For If fresh, then let the peas cook a little of her delectable Punjabi recipes. L�� W��’� this reason, it is important to take SUDOKU S�� the extra step of gently stir-frying MAMA’S TIP OF THE WEEK the paneer, although in India, most eating establishments will deep fry TO KEEP RAITA SWEET, NOT SOUR, DON’T the paneer, to get a crispy exterior THROW IN THE SALT skin. Its quite common to have raita (thinned out yogurt with garIngredients: nishes) with many Indian dishes and often, there is quite a lot left • 200 gm mutter (green peas) over as it is supposed to be a complement to rice or some savory frozen or fresh hot paranthas. Many times though, many people discover that • 250gmpaneer(Indiancheese) the raita has turned sour within a day or two and cannot be eaten. L�� W��’� SUDOKU W�� cut into square cubes • 2 medium tamater (tomato) ) 1) Shilpa Trivedi ExploreExplore Thecomfort reason for the raita turning sour is due to putting salt ones the are best, the soft world inchopped world comfort in with... with... into it when it is first being served. It is better to leave the • 1 small pyaaz (onion) peeled comfort with... 2)) )Prerak Purohit salt out and let people sprinkle the salt over the portions they and fi nely chopped ) ! "#$%&'$%(&) *)+ #,&#$-.'/#(&)0#()'$$)1'2#() take rather than to salt the entire raita. This way, the remain• ½ teaspoon of lasan (garlic) ) 3) Santosh Kumar ing raita can stay sweet in the refrigerator for a longer time. powder (if desired) ) ) )

Send us the correct answer before December 23, 2014. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com or mail to 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036. Send us your picture and we will publish it if you are a winner (for ﬁrst three entrees only & 1 submission per month).

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ENTERTAINMENT

December 19, 2014

Movie Review: Bhopal, A Prayer for Rain

BY SARIT RAY It’s 30 years since that disastrous night of December 3, 1984, that doomed Bhopal. Thousands died due to the MIC (methyl isocyanate) leak in one of the worst industrial disasters of all time. Bhopal still suffers, as children continue to be born with abnormalities. Ravi Kumar’s film, though nearly five years in the making, comes at a poignant time. Subjects like these come with responsibility – mainly, maintaining veracity, and ensuring that a grave human tragedy isn’t trivialised or commodified in the name of cinema. The director (who’s mostly worked with short films prior to this) shows a lot of maturity here. He cuts from cold boardrooms and calculative CEOs to ground zero – where alien-looking chimneys sit squat in the middle of a filthy slum, where an ominous siren blares, as if warning of imminent disaster. The slum exists because the factory does. It creates jobs, sans discrimination of caste or class. In that, it is a leveller – a fact that’s easy to overlook in the larger scheme of the tragedy. Kumar does well not to. His protagonist is Dilip (Rajpal Yadav) – forced due to a broken rickshaw, poverty and the pressure of arranging for his young sister’s wedding to take up work at Union Carbide, after his neighbour dies in an accident. He is one of several untrained hands, one of several stopgap measures implemented in the

documentary ever could. Watch A Prayer for Rain for the subject, if nothing else. And because in this extreme disaster, you will see reﬂected stories of negligence, cut-

ting corners and exploitation that, 30 years later, still continue to be relevant. -Hindustan Times

Shah Rukh Envies Kajol’s Working Style

name of profit, and which eventually backfire. Yet, the film focuses on story-telling at the expense of fleshing out characters. In that lies its weakness. A fine bunch of actors – perhaps too many of them – are all cast as flat characters. Motwani (Kal Penn), the local journalist out to slam Union Carbide, is just the doomsayer in flamboyant shirts; American journalist Eva Gascon (Mischa Barton) is almost tangential to the plot. Others – a couple of politicians, a safety officer who rages and rants and does little else, a doctor at the local hospital – are brought in, presumably in an effort to show all sides of the story, but are more like characters in a poorly cast play, with more entrances and exits than actual time on stage. There seems to be a half-hearted attempt to show a hard-working, humane side to Union Carbide chief

Warren Anderson (Martin Sheen), but he too gets little screen time. The most convincing performance comes from Yadav – impressive as the poor man only partially aware of what’s going on around him. Penn – his efforted Hindi accent notwithstanding – too brings a rare bit of lightness to an otherwise grim subject. All the build-up – the slow segments of political hand-greasing and expository dialogue – eventually leads to that fateful night. And here, again, Kumar’s mature handling of disaster is evident. He doesn’t sensationalise. Then again, he doesn’t need to. He’s transforming to film the horror that really took place – of which we only remember stories and horrific photographs. He also walks the fine line between documentary and fiction – something that’s cinematically entertaining enough to coax more people to theatres than a

BY SHALVI MANGAOKAR NEW DELHI: While the world has raved about the magical chemistry between actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, the former praises her working style and ability to choose the films she wants to do. “I think perhaps one of the biggest gifts that an actor can have is that he or she can do a film when they feel like doing it, like Kajol does,” he says adding, “I think God has been kind to her — a marriage, two babies now, and having done some really wonderful films…(she has) been re-

believes in it. “It’s not that I think there’s a dearth of people wanting to cast Kajol or that Kajol is inaccessible. I think it’s just that whenever she will feel like it, she will. One thing with Kajol is that you can be rest assured that apart from the director, she too completely believes in the film. There are films scripts which she and I have both heard, but not done for some reasons,” says the actor, who has worked with her in the cult film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). -HIndustan Times

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sponsible for some of the nicest ﬁlms that I have done. But to still be in a position where you know you will do it if you feel like it is a great place to be in.” While her fans wait for them to share screen space again, SRK says that Kajol will only take up a ﬁlm if she

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

24 December 19, 2014

Rapists Getting Bolder: Dec 16 Braveheart’s Parents

BY DARPAN SINGH NEW DELHI (HT): For the last two years, parents of the December 16 gang-rape victim have been trying to come to terms with their daughter’s death, or rather, murder. The barbaric incident shocked the country, led to widespread protests and resulted in stricter punishment for sex crimes, at least, on paper. But, according to parents of the 23-year-old physiotherapist, rapists are far less afraid of consequences today. One major reason, they say, is that their daughter’s rapists, who were sentenced to death, are yet to be hanged. “The case is in the Supreme Court. There has not been a single hearing in months. Nobody tells us

anything,” says the victim’s father. The rape of a 26-year-old woman by the driver of a cab booked through Uber has reminded them of what their

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daughter went through. “Fresh laws are no deterrent. This (Uber) taxi driver referred to how our daughter’s rapists brutalised her with

an iron rod. He even threatened the passenger that he too had an iron rod handy if she resisted or complained later,” says the distraught mother. According to her, rapists today are emboldened “as they know nothing actually happens”. She feels punishing the December 16 rapists will prevent Uber-like cases. Regretting that nothing has changed on ground, she says, “Autorickshaws still refuse to ferry people to certain places saying they would not get passengers while returning. They refuse to travel to Dwarka. This is what forced my daughter into unsafe travel.” Her husband agrees. “My daughter was killed on a bus. People said

the vehicle was unsafe. Cabs are supposed to be the safest. But look what’s happening. How do women commute? Government spends so much money. Why can’t women security be a focus area in the years to come?” he asks. One of the December 16 rape accused, Ram Singh, died in Tihar in March 2013. In August of the same year, the lone juvenile convict in the case was sent to a reform facility. A month later, a lower court found the remaining four accused guilty of rape and murder, and sentenced them to death. In March 2014, the Delhi high court upheld the death penalty, following which the convicts moved the Supreme Court.

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India’s First Indigenous Nuclear Submarine Gears Up for Maiden Sea Trials BY RAJAT PANDIT NEW DELHI: India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant is now finally all set to make its maiden foray into the wide-open sea. The 6,000-tonne vessel, with an 83MW pressurized light-water reactor at its core for propulsion, is slated to begin its sea trials off Visakhapatnam within the next few days. INS Arihant, or the “annihilator of enemies’’, and its two under-construction follow-on vessels are the critical missing link in the country’s long-standing pursuit to have an operational nuclear weapons triad — the capability to fire nuclear warhead from land, air and sea. While the Agni ballistic missiles and fighter-bombers constitute the first two legs, the triad’s missing underwater leg has for long troubled the country’s strategic establishment.

Nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles (SSBNs), after all, are considered the triad’s most difﬁcult-to-detect and effective leg. There is also growing concern over China stepping up its submarine activity in the Indian Ocean. The much-awaited milestone on the INS Arihant front comes just a fortnight after Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan said it would “very soon” head for sea trials. “The submarine’s miniaturized reactor, which went critical in August 2013, has now attained 100% power. The power had to be slowly stepped up, just 5-10% at a time, with systematic pressure and other checks on all pipelines and machinery being conducted every time,” said a source. Fingers are now being kept crossed that there are no major hiccups during

The INS Arihant

INS Arihant’s sea-acceptance trials (SATS), which can take around 18 months, after the long-drawn harbour-acceptance trials (HATs) at the ship-building centre at Vizag. The submarine will ﬁrst undertake several surface sorties before it dives for a full range of underwater sorties. The SATs will also include test-ﬁring of its K-15 ballistic missiles (750km

range), which has so far been tested only from submersible pontoons around a dozen times. The K-15 SLBM — INS Arihant can carry 12 of them in its four silos — is short-range compared to the well over 5,000km SLBMs brandished by the US, Russia and China. But an over 2,000km range K-4 missile, tested for the ﬁrst time in March this year, is also

in the works. The next SSBN, S-3 or INSAridhaman, is also now ready for “launch” into water, while the third called S-4 is at an advanced fabrication stage in the building blocks. Simultaneously, the proposed project to build six SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines without ballistic missiles) at Vizag is also being ﬁnalized, as earlier reported by TOI. The Navy currently operates one SSN in the shape of INS Chakra, obtained on a 10-year lease for Russia for around $1 billion, while negotiations are underway to acquire another such boat. While these submarines have short-range cruise missiles, they are not armed with nuclear missiles because of international treaties like the Missile Technology Control Regime. -Indiatimes.com

Reliance Games Looks to Sell 26% Stake to International Gaming Firms BY POOJA SARKAR & P.R. SANJAI MUMBAI: Reliance Games, the mobile gaming division of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani-owned Reliance Entertainment Group, is looking to sell at least a 26% stake to international gaming companies to raise capital and expand its offerings, according to two people directly familiar with the development. The company is looking to raise $15-20 million to fund its game engines, acquire more content, premium intellectual property (IP) and for user acquisition, according to a deal pitch sheet reviewed by Mint. A spokesperson for Reliance Games declined to comment on the development. Reliance Games is looking at selling a 26% stake to a strategic investor,

according to one of the two people cited above. The person declined to be identiﬁed. “The company has started preliminary talks for selling a minority stake to a strategic investor. It is looking at international gaming companies that can take the company to China, South Korea, Japan, the US and other international markets,” he

said. He added that the company may look at raising funds from venture capital or private equity (PE) firms if they have significant expertise in the area of gaming. “The company is strictly looking at strategic investors rather than financial investors,” he added. Mumbai-based Reliance Games was founded in 2006. The company’s games can be accessed through 80 networks in 40 countries, according to the company’s website. Reliance Games has been looking at expanding its studio’s game development capacity through organic growth and acquisitions. Its portfolio presently includes more than 600 games for over 2,000 devices across various operating systems including the iOS, Android, Windows, Java and Symbian. Some of its currently

popular games include After Earth, the mobile game, Real Steel, Total Recall and F1 2011. Forty-two percent of the revenue for Reliance Games comes from Canada and the US, followed by Europe, which accounts for 21% of its business. On 18 November, Reuters reported that Reliance Games plans to begin acquiring North American and European mobile gaming studios starting early 2015. The company plans to also focus on the Indian market as it is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally, according to the deal sheet. “India is playing a signiﬁcant role in terms of developing gaming softwares, and the gaming industry is a growing sub-sector in the software industry,” said Raja Lahiri, a partner at Grant Thornton India Llp.

According to data available from Grant Thornton, transactions worth $168 million were recorded between January and November in the gaming space across two merger and acquisition deals. In terms of private equity deals, gaming firms raised $29.7 million during this period across five deals. In June, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital invested $15 million as Series A funding in domestic mobile multi-player gaming company Octro. “Gaming as a segment does not have deep outreach in the country, but there is significant amount of traction towards games because in times to come it will be a key segment,” said Sanjeev Krishan, partner and leader, PE and transaction services, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. -Livemint.com

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26 December 19, 2014 1st Test: Spinner Lyon Scripts Incredible Australian Win BY GEORGE BINOY less plight was exacerbated ADELAIDE: Australia 7 by the loss of Clarke to a for 517 dec (Smith 162*, hamstring injury that forced Warner 145, Clarke 128) him off the field for the rest and 5 for 290 dec (Warner of the day, and perhaps the 102) beat India 444 (Kohli rest of the series. Brad Had115, Lyon 5-134) and 315 din took over the leadership. (Kohli 141, Vijay 99, Lyon So while the day had begun 7-152) by 48 runs with an Australian win the A gladiatorial battle bemost likely result, followed tween bat and ball took by a draw, and then an Inplace on the final day at dian victory, the final sesAdelaide Oval, where a sion started with that order Test that had begun in sorreversed. row a week after the death Lyon was put under presof Phillip Hughes was sure immediately after tea. given a dazzling finish that His first four overs cost 25 highlighted the greatness of runs as Vijay punctuated this game. India’s champithe steady drip-drip of ones on was Virat Kohli, a debuand twos with a chargetant captain with his sight and-smash over the longfixed on a formidable taron boundary and an artistic get while all but one of his flick from outside off stump team-mates failed to show into the gap at deep midsimilar steel. For Australia, wicket. The second shot it was the spindly Nathan took Vijay to 99, and Lyon, Lyon, suffering unsympadespite so many decisions thetic umpiring to singlegoing against him, had the handedly drag his team grace to applaud the skill back into the contest, makexhibited. In the next over, ing up for the bluntness of Nathan Lyon puts his all into an appeal, Australia from Ryan Harris, Kohli his faster colleagues. The v India, 1st Test, Adelaide, 5th day, December 13, pushed towards mid-off and Test was decided when 2014 © Getty Images sprinted the single to bring Kohli pulled Lyon and was standards slipped drastically on up his second hundred of caught at deep midwicket, leaving the fifth, but perhaps unwittingly the Test, from 135 balls. His celeAustralia with 60 to defend and facilitated such an extraordi- brations were not angry this time. three wickets to take. They won nary contest. Ian Gould adjudged By the time Lyon had Vijay by 48 runs. Shikhar Dhawan caught behind on strike again, the batsman had Having dismissed only two bats- for 9, though the Mitchell Johnson played six nervous balls on 99. men while conceding 205 runs in bouncer had deflected off the bats- Lyon bowled an offbreak - the sort the first two sessions, and left with man’s shoulder. Marais Erasmus he had been delivering all day for only 158 to protect in at least 37 was Lyon’s bane, failing to give scant reward - that pitched in the overs after tea, Australia claimed Vijay lbw when he did not offer rough outside off and spat sharpthe last eight Indian wickets for a shot on 24 and 64, and Kohli on ly back at the right-hander. Vijay 73. Lyon took six of them to fin- 85. Erasmus then deemed Ajinkya went deep into his crease, right in ish the Test with career-best match Rahane caught at short leg, though front of his stumps, and missed the figures of 12 for 286, preventing Lyon’s offbreak had bounced off flick. Erasmus was finally conIndia from stealing a match they the top of the front pad. The sight vinced and an lbw appeal was uphad been behind in for four days. of Lyon imploring theatrically, of- held for the first time in the match. Kohli graciously acknowledged as ten on his knees, was a recurring India’s second-wicket partnership much after the game, but had left one. was broken on 185 scored at 3.71 nothing in reserve while trying to How did it come to such a finish? to the over; they were 122 from pull off what would have been the Clarke had declared before play victory and had seven wickets in seventh highest successful chase began, setting India a target of 364 hand. Five balls later, Rahane was in Test cricket. He become the sec- and giving his bowlers 98 overs sawn off. There was no increment ond batsman - after Greg Chappell to take ten wickets. Johnson and in the total. - to make two hundreds in a Test Lyon reduced India to 2 for 57, but Kohli now faced an entirely difon captaincy debut. the visitors recovered to 105 with- ferent reality, one driven home by The cricket, however, was af- out further damage at lunch. Kohli Rohit Sharma’s struggles to cope fected by poor umpiring. While and Vijay then batted through the with the conditions. It firmed his there were some sharp decisions entire second session and scored aggression. Kohli caressed Harmade over the first four days, the 100 runs, and Australia’s wicket- ris through extra cover, whipped

Lyon through mid-on, and steered and pulled Johnson for consecutive boundaries, bringing India within less than 100 runs of victory. He also passed his previous best Test score of 119. Lyon would not be cowed. He delivered a craftily flighted offbreak that dipped as Rohit lunged outside off stump to defend. It spun sharply, smacked the glove and lobbed towards the alert David Warner at leg slip. India still needed 85; Australia were a wicket away from the tail. Having watched Kohli slap Lyon against the turn to the cover boundary, Wriddhiman Saha also attacked the offspinner, following a six over long-off with a sweep to the square-leg boundary. Lyon was undeterred and continued to toss it up, and a ball later Saha was beaten on the charge and bowled. The game had now decisively swung in Australia’s favour. Only Kohli remained. He had swept Lyon authoritatively all day - not conventional sweeps but hard, flat-batted ones - and he did so again to keep India’s hope flickering. Lyon’s next ball was short - it was one of his worse deliveries - and Kohli went back to pull. The aim was to reduce the 60 runs required by four or six, but he dragged the shot towards Mitchell Marsh at deep midwicket. Marsh ran in, sank to his knees, and smiled in relief after taking the catch. Kohli stood for an age in his crease, crestfallen over his bat, as the Australians rejoiced at the match-winning wicket. They knew surviving 16.2 overs was a task beyond India’s tail. Kohli walked off to a rousing ovation. Not long after, the Adelaide Oval crowd rose again after India’s last wicket had fallen to applaud Lyon and his team-mates as they left the field. The Test had been given a memorable finish, but Kohli’s feat on the fifth day had disguised the mismatch it had been over the first four. India’s bowlers had managed to take only 12 wickets. Lyon had matched that on his own. George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

SPORTS

Another Pak Win

DUBAI: Pakistan 364 for 7 (Shehzad 113, Afridi 55, Henry 3-63) beat New Zealand 217 (Williamson 46, Afridi 3-37, Sohail 3-45) by 147 runs The personality of Pakistan’s batting line-up is a gripping study and the chapter that was added in Sharjah could well be a blueprint of how to build an ODI innings. The primary ingredient was a firm century from Ahmed Shehzad and it was supplemented by a strokefilled fifty from stand-in captain Shahid Afridi as Pakistan rocketed to 364 for 7 - their third-highest total in 50-over cricket and the highest in Sharjah in 218 matches. New Zealand slipped and slid and finally succumbed for 217, beaten with almost 12 overs left. Pakistan’s batsmen were intent on warding off those loose shots that frustrate them and their fans so badly. There was a determined effort to collect singles, which hindered the bowlers’ chances of building pressure. Each of the first three partnerships added more than 50 runs to the score with Shehzad being the common denominator. But whatever Pakistan do, there just has to be a see-sawing of fortunes. Birthday boy Matt Henry took out Shehzad for 113 and Asad Shafiq the very next ball with the score on 210 in the 38th over, but Pakistan managed to circumvent those setbacks thanks to an enterprising partnership between Afridi and Haris Sohail. They added 89 runs in 46 balls and on that steam Pakistan made 125 runs in the last 10 overs.

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