E newspaper 07142017

Friday, July 14, 2017 • Vol. 36, No. 28

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July 14, 2017

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Friday, July 14, 2017 | Vol. 36, No. 28

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July 14, 2017

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July 14, 2017 3 COMMUNITY Grand 10th Anniversary Celebration of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Atlanta, Georgia

ATLANTA: His Holiness Ma-

hant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, joined devotees and well-wishers in celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, GA on July 1, 2017. The Mandir was inaugurated by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 2007 and has helped enrich the local community through the development of family and youth programs, community outreach, and spiritual assemblies. A true labor of love, the Mandir offers weekly services and year-round programs organized by volunteers and Swamis within the BAPS community.

As a central place of Hindu worship, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir opened to the community on August 26, 2007 and was made possible by the spiritual support, guidance, and inspiration of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Today, Mahant Swami Maharaj carries forward this work and legacy as the current spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Through his leadership and guidance, Mahant Swami Maharaj invites people of all faiths and cultural backgrounds to visit and explore the mandir, its architecture, and its Hindu teachings.

Heer Patel from Memphis, Ten-

nessee was relatively new to the BAPS community during the inaugural ceremonies in 2007 and recalled the event with great enthusiasm, “[Pramukh Swami] was truly someone special that was able to attract thousands of people from different backgrounds and bring them together for one purpose. I was not never really interested in spirituality, but after the memorable interactions with Pramukh Swami Maharaj when he inaugurated the temple in 2007, I became more and more connected with the temple.” Patel was a volunteer at the 10 year celebrations.

“It has been such an amazing experience to have just as amazing interactions with Mahant Swami Maharaj as we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the mandir”.

Since Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s visit, participation within the local community and beyond has grown, and hundreds of individuals regularly attend celebrations of Hindu festivals throughout the year.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta is the first of its kind in the region, and community volunteers welcomed the ten-year anniversary celebrations in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj with the same zeal and excitement they experienced back in 2007.

The anniversary celebrations were primarily created and led by

the youth of BAPS who have been preparing for the arrival of Mahant Swami Maharaj for several months. Yash Soni from Parkland, FL says, “By participating in various performances during the 10th anniversary celebration, I have felt a deep connection with my guru and developed a greater understanding of samp (unity) and teamwork. These are two values that he has stressed to youths of my age.”

Over the past ten years, the mandir has welcomed people from all walks of life, leaving a lasting impression in their lives. Community members join in weekly events to practice spirituality and personal development while fostering a sense of unity and teamwork. Music, language, and spiritual enrichment classes actively instill Hindu values and culture in future generations of young people who will grow to lead in their communities.

Regular programs and events at the mandir provide an opportunity for community members to explore and practice Hindu traditions and faith. The mandir is also the site of various charitable initiatives that include health fairs, blood drives, and community walkathons for people of all ages – merging the spirit of service with volunteerism.

The BAPS Mandir in Atlanta unites families in spirituality, set-

ting the tone for the anniversary events. Highlights from the program included video footage of the inaugural ceremonies and colorful cultural dances. Guests relived the past ten years of the mandir’s history, the development of youth activities, and the installation of the sacred image of Nilkanth Varni.

Devotees shared stories of reaching milestones in their spirituality, growing closer to one another, and practicing peaceful living – all inspired and guided by the role of mandir in their lives.

The event was attended by several community and government officials who recalled fond moments with Pramukh Swami Maharaj and shared heartfelt reflections on their first meeting with Mahant Swami Maharaj during his current travels. The mayor of Lilburn, Mayor Johnny Crist, presented Mahant Swami Maharaj with a key to the city while saying, “Most cities in the state of Georgia want to be a place where you live, work, and play. But may I offer another alternative, or add to it, and that is we need to be a city where that is a place to live, to work, to play, and to pray.” Mayor Crist also brought a proclamation designating July 1,

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

2017 as Mahant Swami Maharaj Day in the city of Lilburn. In addition to Lilburn there are a total of six cities recognizing July 1, 2017 as Mahant Swami Maharaj Day including Matthews, NC; Boynton Beach, FL; Montgomery, AL; Knox County, TN; and Anderson, SC. Georgia’s Secretary of State, Mr. Brian Kemp, conferred an Honorary Citizenship of Georgia to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj.

The honorable Mr. Nagesh Singh, the Consul General of India, was also in attendance and conveyed a hearty welcome on behalf of the Government of India.

The celebrations concluded with blessings from Mahant Swami Maharaj who encouraged all to uphold unity, maintain faith, and further develop one’s spirituality in strengthening the mandir as a community place of worship.

Follow #BAPSATL10 and #MahantSwami on social media for more details regarding anniversary celebrations and His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj’s North America visit.

More details at http://www.baps. org/News/2017/BAPS-Atlanta10th-anniversary-11686.aspx

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July 14, 2017

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

5

Luxury Shopping Event by Archana Yenna HOUSTON:

Archana Yenna

Archana Yenna, Founder of Indiaspopup.com (Dallas based), hosted Houston’s biggest and hottest private luxury shopping event on Saturday, July 8 at India House. The event was a more than successful affair targeting South Asians and exhibited some magnificent luxury designer collections from India’s most celebrated designers in a high style forum, giving Houstonians a snippet of what’s to come.

Reviving native Indian textiles by giving it a modern spin, Archana presented a fine mix of designers, from the established to the emerging that showcased best of exquisite craftsmanship, beautifully crafted silhouettes straight off the runway and quirky handbags, ensuring shoppers find the best pieces, no matter the occasion.

“We are always excited to host our loyal shoppers at our popup event where they can waltz through our handpicked styles. Those who missed the event can always find our collections online at www.indiaspopup.com and keep up with us on social media for all the latest collections” says Archana.

India’s 71st Independence Day on August 20

HOUSTON: This year, during

celebration of India’s 71st Independence Day on August 20th at the Stafford Center, India Culture Center will be recognizing children of INDO-AMERICAN heritage for their Elocution skills.

This provides unique opportunity and platform for children to showoff their oratory skills to a large Indo-American audience. Please encourage your children to participate and win awards.

Prizes will be awarded to the BEST Speaker and runner up in

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

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6

COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

TiE Houston, HCC Host Presentations on Starting a Food Business

From left: Purav Patel - Bagel Dots, Masroor Fatany - The Halal Guys, Ana Rojas Bastidas - TiE Houston Executive Director, Gary Yan - Alings Hakka, and Ravi Brahmbatt - TiE Houston Board Member/ HCC Faculty.

HOUSTON: TiE Houston, in partnership

with Houston Community College, was proud to host a presentation on “How to Launch a Successful Food Business”. Three local Houston entrepreneurs were invited to share their insights and advice with the audience of over 40 participants.

Masroor Fatany (The Halal Guys), Gary Yan (Aling’s Hakka), and Purav Patel (Bagel Dots) shared the many roads they took to build their food business. Ravi Brahmbatt, TiE Houston Board Member and HCC Director of Student Innovation and Entrepre-

neurship, who shared his own experience as a deli business owner, moderated the panel.

The diverse panel was able to speak about franchising, building a brand, and inventing their own niche market. The audience was a mixed group of students from HCC and UH, along with local Houstonians looking into starting their own venture.

Questions from the audience ranged from advice on how to find the right distributor to how deal with marketing though social media. All of the panelists agreed that although they each took different paths, it was their

DIVORCE

passion and dedication to quality that has led to their success.

Purav reminded everyone that although their product now sits on the shelf of H-EB, they once made their Bagel Dots in their own kitchen and delivered it all by themselves.

Maroor shared stories of the six attempts he made to start The Halal Guys franchise in Houston before getting a yes at seven.

Finally, Gary shares the importance of learning lessons, even in the most unlikely places, like when he worked at McDonald’s,

that have shaped his work ethic long before becoming a successful restaurant owner that he still draws upon.

One participant said “The food industry is so mysterious but something I am very interested in getting involved with that it was worth the drive all the way from The Woodlands to come and learn more.”

TiE is a global organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. TiE Houston is an active chapter hosting a variety of events throughout the year covering a variety of topics that impact the entrepreneurial community. TiE Houston and HCC are working on an MOU to support and further collaboration and more events focused on a wide variety of industries and programs.

For more information and for upcoming events, please visit www.houston.tie.org.

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COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

7

Southwestern National Bank Presents 2017 Scholarship Awards

SNB presented its 12th annual $1,000 scholarship awards to each of four students: Kim Dang, Robert Luo, Alexis Palomarez and Becky Xu.

HOUSTON: Southwestern Na-

tional Bank (SNB) presented its 12th annual scholarship awards on July 6, to assist in facilitating the education of deserving high school graduates in our community.

SNB CEO Gary Owens congratulated the scholars and wished them all a bright and successful future. Bank officials hope that the scholarships will help young talented students to achieve their educational goals. SNB received more than 30 applications for the five $1,000 scholarships that are

awarded each year. The Directors, Officers and Employees of SNB wish the scholarship recipients the best as they continue in their educational endeavors.

Scholarship Recipients were Kim Dang, Alief Early College High School; Robert Luo, Highland Park High School; Alexis Palomarez : Ridge Point High School; Becky Xu : Dulles High School; and Kashaf Fatima : Alief Taylor High School. (Member FDIC).

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

8

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July 14, 2017

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Last Week Word Search Winners 1) Aftab Mohammad 2) Lulu Rang 3) Ivanka Tripathi INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

9

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Honored with Mission: Lifeline Achievement Award

SUGAR LAND:Houston Meth-

odist Sugar Land Hospital has received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Receiving Quality Achievement award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call and continuing through hospital treatment.

“Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through nationally respected clinical guidelines,” said B. Keith El-

Kelly Ward, Emergency Department Director; B. Keith Ellis, M.D., Medical Director of the Chest Pain Center; Scott Rivenes, M.D., Medical Director of the Emergency Department; Vicky Fox, Operating Room Medical Director

lis, M.D., Medical Director of the Chest Pain Center at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”

In addition to receiving the Mission: Lifeline Silver Receiving award, Houston Methodist Sugar

Land has also been recognized as a recipient of Mission: Lifeline’s Silver-Plus award, which recognizes that the hospital has reached an achievement score of 75 percent or greater for treating STEMI transfer patients from other facilities within 120 minutes.

“We commend Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital for this

achievement award, which reflects a significant institutional commitment to the highest quality of care for their heart attack patients,” said James G. Jollis, M.D., Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group. “Achieving this award means the hospital has met specific reporting and achievement measures for the treatment

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

of their patients who suffer heart attacks, and we applaud them for their commitment to quality and timely care.”

Houston Methodist Sugar Land earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients by providing emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed. Eligible hospitals must adhere to these measures at a set level for 12 consecutive months to receive this award.

For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist. org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 to find a doctor in your area. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

About Mission: Lifeline The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org.

10 July 14, 2017

COMMUNITY/OBITUARY

The 2017 MoneyGram Cricket Bee Bay Area Winners Announced

From left: Stephen Davies, Quizmaster, Keshava Nuggehalli (First Runner Up), Adil Khwaja (Regional Champion), Nithin Valentine (Second Runner Up) Rahul Walia, Founder of MoneyGram Cricket Bee

METUCHEN,

NJ: Over 130 people registered for the Bay Area regional of the MoneyGram Cricket Bee held at Chabot College on July 9.

The top two winners of the first regional, answered trivia questions on Cricket to solidify their position at the finals.

Nithin Valentine of Santa Clara, CA was declared second runner up, Keshava Nuggehalli of Cupertino, CA was first runner up and the Regional champion was Adil Khwaja of Santa Clara, CA. The competition allows cricket fans to compete for prizes while sharing their knowledge of the game in an effort to win a cash prize of $10,000.

Open to those 18 and older, the contest began with regional rounds in San Francisco, will

continue its tour to Dallas, Chicago, New Jersey and will conclude in Toronto, each testing participants’ general cricket knowledge.

The regional contest will have two components, a written test and an oral test. In the written qualifier, contestants will be asked 35 questions. They must get at least 25 correct in order to advance to the oral round. In the oral round, the contest will be held on a miss and out basis; simply if a contestant misses the right answer, they are eliminated.

Unlike quiz shows, the Cricket Bee will be conducted so that contestants are actually competing with themselves and the question posed to them as opposed to their peers. Cricket enthusiasts can still participate at the remaining centers in Dallas, Chicago, New Jersey, and Toronto. Contestants can reg-

ister to compete in the game of their choice at www.cricketbee. com. A sample set of questions and sources will be provided for the participants.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the 2017 Cricket Bee and as always we enjoy being a part of an initiative that our customers are passionate about,” says Ivy Wisco, MoneyGram’s global marketing strategy leader. “Cricket is a sport that brings friends and loved ones around the world closer together, much like MoneyGram’s services. It’s always exciting to be a part of activities that support our South Asian communities.”

Kawan Foods serves as the powered by sponsor for the innovative event and has been deeply involved with the South Asian community through various initiatives and hopes to connect with the entire Cricketing community here in the US and Canada.

“We want to congratulate the winners of the regional contest and wish them continued success in their endeavor to win $10,000,” said Tim Tan, MD Kawan Foods. “There was a lot of excitement and immense talent at the regional which goes to show how passionate people are about the game. Participants had an opportunity to network and interact with other cricket players and enthusiasts from various

cities and I am very happy to have our first set of finalists.” said Rahul Walia, Founder of the Cricket Bee TV Asia serves as the exclusive broadcaster for the event and has been a strong proponent of promoting Cricket in the country.

“We are so proud to be a part of the MoneyGram Cricket Bee, it’s definitely a great platform for

cricket enthusiasts across the country and we are excited to see them at the finals.” said HR Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia and an avid cricketer himself.

The finals are slated for August 12th and are open for the public to watch. You can reserve seats by calling 848-248-4199.

Dr Kirit Pandya (1938-2017)

With regrets, I inform you that my brother Dr Kirit Pandya (“ Dr K “ Urologist) passed away, peacefully at his home on Friday June 23, 2017. As per his wishes, a private family cremation was done on July 1, 2017.

Dr ‘K’ s’ ‘Celebration of life’ event is scheduled on July 22,

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

2017, 2:00 pm at Bell Tower located at 901 West 34th street, Houston, Texas 77018. Tel: 713 686 2355 In lieu of flowers, family requests donation, to charity of your choice. You may send donation to Dr. Kirit Pandya’s favorite Public charitable trust, established since 1985; though which he pursued his charitable activities in India.

Address: Dr. K.I. Pandya Charitable Trust, C/o Dr. Pulin K. Pandya M.D. 17415 Widmore place Spring TX. 77379 - Dr Pulin K. Pandya M.D. (Urologist)

COMMUNITY

11

July 14, 2017

Vibha’s Sargam: A Fun Filled Fundraiser for Underprivileged Children

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awareness and resources to support child development initiatives in India and the US. Since its inception, Vibha has supported over 250 projects in India and US and impacting lives of over 300,000 children. Currently Vibha supports 30 projects in India and 7 in the US.

HOUSTON: Vibha in associa-

tion with GlobalDesis organized a fun filled musical night, Sargam 2017, on July 8 at India House to support projects that benefit underprivileged children in India and US. The event was sponsored

by JSW Steel Inc, BRC International & Rushmore Enterprises.

The event featured some of the best H-Town singers who mesmerized the audience with a mix of old melodies and latest hits.

It was an open-mic event where about 25 singers kept the near full capacity audience for the evening quite entertained with evergreen numbers like ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo’, ‘Teri Deewani’, ‘Aye mere pyare watan’, ‘Kabira’, ‘chanda mereya’ and many more. Singers were accompanied by live band with Joel Adimathra on the piano, and Soumyadeep and Raj on the

guitar. Event’s emcee, RJ Riva Thanki lit up the evening with her aura & humor & kept the crowd fully captivated throughout the show.

Through the event Vibha raised over $4,500, which can help support full-year education for over 250 underprivileged children. The event also helped raise awareness about Vibha’s vision and efforts to improve the lives of less-privileged children. Established in 1991, Vibha (www.vibha.org) is an US based non-profit, non-religious, non-political volunteer-driven organization that seeks to restore the promise of a future to underprivileged children by providing them access to education, healthcare, shelter and nourishment. With a vision to provide every underprivileged child an opportunity for a brighter future, Vibha volunteers raise

Helping Vibha in this noble cause was GlobalDesis (https:// globaldesismusic.com), a Houston based group promoting Indian music in US. GlobalDesis was formed back in 2013 by Sankalp Srivastava and Neha Saini with a goal of connecting with talented artists in Houston and work with them.

Today the group features singers from SaReGaMa, CloseUp Antakshari, NABC Idol and regional movies.

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14 July 14, 2017

COMMUNITY

Indian Police Officer Describes Battling and Rehabilitating Terrorists

BY MANU SHAH

HOUSTON: Additional Director General

IPS officer Dr. Ramesh (center with award) poses with Consul General Anupam Ray and dignitaries from India Culture Center and Indo-American Chamber of Commercew of Greater Houston.

of Police, Dr. Ramesh spent a good portion of his career cracking down on militants, leading anti-terrorist attacks, flushing out infiltrators and most importantly, instituting rehabilitation programs that helped the Indian government “get to the youth before the terrorists got to them.”

At an event cohosted by the Indian Consulate and IACCGH, Dr. Ramesh opened up about his postings in hard-core, volatile places like Kashmir and West Bengal and encounters with terrorists and militants in a career that has spanned almost 30 years.

Expressing his admiration and esteem for Dr. Ramesh, Consul General Dr. Anupam Ray noted that “India has survived terrorism and emerged stronger for it and this is because of selfless and bold officers like Dr. Ramesh.”

A native of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and Dr. Ramesh is a 1988 batch West Bengal cadre IPS officer. While in the police force, he chalked up an MBA from IIM Kolkata, two PhDs and is presently working on his third doctorate. He almost lost his life in a counter insurgency encounter when a bomb exploded inches away from him, but despite the heavy bleeding, he continued to lead. Dr. Ramesh was awarded the Parakaram Award for his grit and bravery and such is his iron will and endurance that he can run nonstop for 25 km.

Inspired by his freedom fighter grandfather and a mother who fostered a spirit of public service, Dr. Ramesh joined the IPS and in his own way, says, he converted it to “Indian People Service.” Presently, he heads the investigative wing of the Human Rights Commission in W. Bengal or as he describes it, “helping the common man stand up to the might of the Government.”

Having interrogated terrorists, Dr. Ramesh pinned extreme poverty as the cause that drove the youth to terrorism, especially in areas like Multan. He also studied their psychology and realized that the majority of them are victims of depression and lack a sense of self-worth. Such individuals were targeted by terrorist recruiters and there was no going back for them as their families were threatened with dire consequences.

The only way out for a terrorist, according to Dr. Ramesh, was “death” – either by security forces or in a jihadi attack.

One particular experience that stuck with Dr. Ramesh was of an 11-year-old Kashmiri boy who was paid to throw a hand grenade into a CRPF camp. The boy was tracked down and sent to a juvenile home, but Dr. Ramesh sidestepped the judgement and sent him to a neighboring school “so he wouldn’t become a terrorist.” In a happy ending, the boy is today a police recruiter.

During his postings, Dr. Ramesh also stepped up efforts to combat terrorist activities with several rehabilitative steps such as recruitment programs by the Police Department, a “Patrolling without Petrol for Peace Walk” and job creation programs.

Dr. Ramesh, who considers freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad as “the greatest of all patriots”, is no less one himself.

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15 “PM Theresa May Does Not Listen”, Says Lord Bilimoria

COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT

L

ONDON: In a speech lasting 15 minutes, Lord Karan Bilimoria said that only as late as 22 February, 2016, Britain was flying high as the fastest growing economy in the Western world, and was the envy of Europe. That fateful day David Cameron announced the Referendum and four months later on 23 June, they had the 52:48 Referendum result.

“Our world has changed since then. Look at the turmoil we are in a year later. Far from flying high and being the envy of Europe, we have now become the laughing stock of Europe,” he said. “A year ago, the Brexiteers had claimed that Europe was doing so badly and we are doing so well. Today, however, Europe is growing faster than Britain, the pound has weakened and the inflation is six times higher than the 0.5% that it was a year ago. Today, inflation is 3% and wage growth is 1.7%. Over the whole of the past year, Brexit overshadowed everything else in the Parliament and took up so much of our time,” Bilimoria rued.

He blamed the Prime Minister for sidelining the Parliament in order to implement the Article 50. It was only after big defeats suffered

In a debate in the House of Lords on the Queen’s speech, Lord Karan Bilimoria, one of the youngest peers, affirmed that it would be much better for Britain to continue to stay on in the European Union.

by the government in the House of Lords that she had had to call the elections Queen’s speech. He also criticized May for taking many Uturns - unlike former PM Margaret Thatcher - time and again, whether it was on national insurance for the self-employed, or calling a snap election after saying there would be no election until 2020, or on social care measures in the manifesto.

He reminded May about the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to London last November at which the latter had emphasized that the movement of people was as important as trade deals. “We talk about trade deals but there can be no trade deal without looking at the movement of people as well,” he said, asking May to look at the realities of a country like India with 1.25 billion people.

“How many bilateral trade deals does India have with the rest of the world?” he asked. “India has nine trade deals but not even one with a western country.”

Bilimoria said that these trade deals were meant to support the UK in making a smooth exit from the European Union and to ensure that the UK businesses were able to benefit from trade with the rest of the world as also to cement the UK’s leading role as a great global trading nation. “We are already one of the most open economies in the world and our trade makes up to 65% of our GDP. We are already the third highest recipient of foreign direct investment in the world, and the highest recipient of foreign direct investment in the European Union. To leave the European Union would mean to give up 50% of our trade – 45% of our exports and 55% of our imports.”

Lord Bilimoria believes that

the public opinion is changing swiftly on Brexit. One of the latest surveys predicts that 69% of the British public opposed the Prime Minister’s hard-Brexit approach and 53% backed a second Referendum. The noble peer Lord Kerr – the person who wrote Article 50 – has said time and again that Britain can turn back at any time simply by saying, “we do not want

to do this. Unilaterally, we withdraw”.

Bilimoria concluded that the opinion of the British people at that time will probably be: “Why not just stay with what we’ve got, which is the best of both the worlds? It would be much better for us to end up staying in the EU.”

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16 July 14, 2017

TRAVEL

The Quiet, Unassuming Resting Place of the Last Mughal Emperor

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

YANGON, MYANMAR: As a

schoolboy in Teheran, Iran, I learnt of the recent history of India – just as countless other schoolkids still do all over India - which was dominated for 350 years by the Muslim Turco-Mongol dynasty and the machinations of the British East India Company till 1947.

After his victory at the First Battle of Panipat over the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, the first ruler Babur (who has first established himself in Kabul) started the empire that extended through his 18 successors - the most prominent being Hamayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb - and ended with Bahadur Shah II in 1857. And along with the whims of the Emperor and the fortunes of the Empire, the capital moved from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore and to Shahjanabad (or Old Delhi).

And in the years of spending long summer holidays at my nana and naniji’s (maternal grandparents) home in Daryagunj (literally meaning the banks of the river Jamuna which still flows closeby), Old Delhi, my cousins and I would go for long strolls to the Lal Qila (Red Fort), Jama Masjid (Worldreflecting Mosque), Chandni Chowk (Moonlit Plaza) and Sadar Bazar (wholesale market), the battlements of Purani Dilli (Old

The entrance to the mausoleum

The mausoleum to the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar is located not far from the Schwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon.

Delhi) and walk through the five remaining gates – Kashmiri Gate, Lahori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Turkman Gate and Delhi Gate (which was the closest to our home), all monuments built by the architect emperor Shah Jahan, most famous for building the Taj Mahal.

And of course, there were other monuments built by the Mughals to see all across the area which is now known as New Delhi: the Qutab Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Safdarjung’s Tomb, Purana Qila, Zafar Mahal, Hazrat Nizamuddin Darga and Mughal Gardens (which is actually a British addi-

Bahadur Shah Zafar on his death bed

His most famous poem Lagta nahin hai dil mera is displayed in a frame

The emperor’s grave was relocated in 1991

tion to the President’s Residence) and we visited them too.

As would be expected after these centuries, Indian culture has assimilated the influences of the Muslim rule as well as the almost parallel and longer effect of the British (who first established their capital in Kolkata in 1858) who ultimately were forced out in 1947 after partitioning the unified country which had once included Afghanistan (during the Mughal period); Burma; Ceylon (now Sri Lanka); Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim and The Maldives Islands.

When he acceded the much weakened throne in 1937, the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah

A painting and brief history of the emperor is displayed in the front courtyard

II, more commonly known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, had authority only over the city of Shahjahanabad. He supported the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which was put down by the British East India Company. The tombs are displayed above in a hall with pictures It had him tried of the emperor for treason, imprisoned and exiled to Rangoon a room above, next to an empty (now Yangon) and took over the tomb representing the emperor. country under the Government of Bahadur Shah Zafar was also India Act of 1858. Broken hearted known as a Sufi poet and wrote and desolate in exile, Bahadur the hauntingly lovely and melShah Zafar died four years later in ancholy ghazal “Lagta nahin hai Rangoon in 1862 at the age of 87. dil mera” which is displayed in a With all this history swarming frame on one side of the abovein my brain, it was a fascinating ground burial area, along with a pilgrimage for me to finally visit few pictures of Zafar, including the exile home and resting place of the last one on his death bed. In the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur the poem, he laments his fate and Shah Zafar whose mausoleum is concludes “how ill-fated is it for about 1 km from the Schwedagon Zafar, that for his burial, he was pagoda in Rangoon. not granted even two yards in his After he died, he was buried in beloved home country.” The song the back of his compound, but 40 was immortalized in song by the years later, by 1903, the location popular playback singer Mohamof his grave was forgotten. The med Rafi in the 1960 movie Lal British were forced to place a slab Qila. It was a particular favorite of there and it was only in 1991 that my father’s who had an excellent his grave was once again located voice as a former All India Radio and a mausoleum constructed in singer (prior to joining the nascent 1994. His grave was uncovered Indian Foreign Service) and he about 12 feet deep and there it re- would often sing it or listen to it mains entombed and can be seen on His Master’s Voice records on from a walk area above. The bod- the old gramophone. ies of his wife Zinat Mahal and And so, the Mughal Dynasty granddaughter are entombed in died quietly in Rangoon.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

July 14, 2017

17

Silicon Valley Indian Raj Shah Heads Up Defense Innovation Unit

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

M

OUNTAIN VIEW, CA: The latest row between the US and North Korea has only amplified the lack of real time imagery to monitor the missile activity in the North and the response time if a launch was being prepared. Apparently, only one-third of North Korea is covered by spy satellites at any given time and since the missile launchers can be mobile, the traditional satellites are not mobile enough to adjust their scanning areas fast to match changing conflict monitoring conditions.

Worried about such scenarios, the Pentagon is working on ways to improve its early-warning satellite ability, but these are all years away from completion and will cost multibillion dollars. Realizing this and other dilemmas, in May 2016 Ash Carter, then the Secretary of Defense under the Obama administration took over the direction of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx, which was formed in August 2015.

Carter is a physicist and former Harvard University professor of Science and International Affairs and as Defense Secretary focused DIUx on accelerating commercial technologies to the U.S. military. It is staffed by 50 civilians and both active duty and reserve military personnel and

Raj Shah, the Managing Partner at Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx, in Mountainview, California

is headquartered in Silicon Valley (Mountain View, CA), with offices in Boston, Austin, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The organization invests As Managing Partner, Carter brought in Raj Shah a Wharton MBA graduate who flew F16s in Iraq as an Air National Guard reservist and with Vishaal Hariprasad cofounded Morta Security, which was later acquired

by Palo Alto Networks, where he was the senior director of strategy. Other leaders include Isaac Taylor, Chris Kirchhoff and Hariprasad, an Iraq War vet who was awarded the Bronze Star and an Air Force cyberwarfare officer.

Shah has been a special assistant in

the Office of the Secretary of Defense and began his business career as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and an affiliate at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Shah has already invested in commercial innovation to solve national defense problems by facilitating pilot contracts between companies and DoD entities. After a successful pilot, any interested DoD entity can sole source purchase the solution. The focus areas of the DIUx are artificial intelligence, autonomy, human systems, information technology and space.

At DIUx, the innovative skills of Silicon Valley come into play. Shah made an investment to help Capella Space, a Silicon Valley start-up with its plans to send into orbit its first radar satellite by year’s end. Capella’s Iranian-born founder, Payam Banazadeh, hopes to have a fleet of 36 radar satellites that can continuously monitor targets. DIUx hopes that these small, lightweight civilian satellites will be able to monitor the air space over enemy territory at a fraction of the cost and delivery time of a regular spy satellite. Some inexpensive civilian satellites could even be the same as the ones which count cars in Target parking lots and monitor crops.

Among DIUx’s many portfolio

companies are Tanium, Improbable, Saildrone, Shield AI, Qadium, Bromium, Quid, Sonitus Technologies, Halo Neuroscience, Orbital Insight, Yubico, Polyverse, and Lastwall. DIUx portfolio companies are backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Social Capital, Lux Capital, InQ-Tel, Founders Fund and New En-

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

terprise Associates.

Raj Shah of DIUx should not to be confused with his namesake who was as named in January 2017 by the thenincoming Trump Administration as a Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communications for Research in the White House Communications Director’s office.

18 July 14, 2017

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

z

Body Politic: “Aaa Gale Lag Jaa”

GST to Unshackle the Economy

BY CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

M

T

he midnight session in Parliament which marked India’s transition to Goods and Services Tax (GST) was reminiscent of a similar occasion on the eve of India’s Independence.

While the two instances are not comparable, ushering in GST is a landmark achievement. It took a combined effort

by India’s political parties to set aside narrow interests in the pursuit of greater common good to bring about this reform.

However, switching over to GST should not be seen as an end in itself. Instead it should be seen as the beginning of a process of reform to truly unshackle the Indian economy.

GST, as originally envisaged, was meant to accomplish two things. Multiple indirect taxes were to be compressed into a single tax, which would bring about simplicity in a messy system. Simultaneously, fiscal barriers between states were to be dismantled to stitch together a common market. Long lines of trucks waiting at checkposts to cross state boundaries, a symbol of a fragmented economic architecture which encouraged corruption, were to be eliminated. According to some estimates, this would have added up to 1.5% to annual GDP growth.

In practice, what has emerged is a diluted version of the original idea as a successful conclusion to a tortuous negotiation needed compromises. Therefore, the GST Council which will now oversee the new tax architecture must focus initially on stabilising the system and then improving on the current design to take it closer to the ideal. A simple and straightforward GST would lead to doing business getting easier, triggering increased economic activity and job creation while reducing corruption and tax evasion.

GST is a landmark step as it has the potential to catalyse changes in many other areas. One of the benefits is expected to be a favourable environment for Indian manufacturing and ‘Make in India’, taking the country on the path to industrialisation. But this path requires other reforms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should build on the government’s impressive work on forging a consensus to actualize GST. Industrialisation, for instance, is a pre-condition to absorb surplus from the struggling rural economy. It is the only way India’s farm crisis can really be resolved. If this is to come about we need more instances of political consensus to reform factors of production such as land and labor. Bringing about these changes therefore should be the Modi government’s priority now.

-- Times of India

ore attention is being paid to body language in international politics than at any other time, thanks to ceaseless TV coverage of meetings between world leaders. Whether it is President Trump’s glad-handling and back-slapping, or his wife’s wrist-wrenching and daughter’s airkissing, the media is in the grip of a feeding frenzy, adducing for its audience meaning behind every extended grasp and missed handshake.

The US president’s reputation as a germophobe had little to do with his forsaking a handshake with German ChancellorAngela Merkel when they first met at the White House – a contretemps he has since redressed.

Nor did his machismo faze French Premier Emmanuel Macron from extending a bone-crushing grip that had Trump’s metacarpals carping.

Macron and Canada’s Justin Trudeau were themselves photographed jogging in shorts in what was clearly a masculine display of Francophone cameraderie. Clearly, a lot of messages are being essayed on world

stage through body language.

Our own Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a hugging spree, embracing a vigorous global outreach with awkward clinches that some observers say present a “huggly spectacle”. It is very different from the time Fidel Castro bear-hugged a shy Indira Gandhi – at the NonAligned Movement Summit in New Delhi in 1983. Today’s hugs are all about alignment of interests even if the body and soul are not exactly in consonance.

A full court press witnessed Modi’s clumsy clinch with Trump in the White House Rose Garden, an appropriate venue given that ties be-

tween the two countries remain in bloom – notwithstanding pinpricks on the trade and travel front. More hugs followed when Modi met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a clinch so forceful that one wiseacre thought he saw net and yahoo come apart. With hugs to – and from – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russia’s Putin, Afghanistan’s Ashraf Ghani among others under his arm, Modi now has legitimate claims to be our first “hug gale lag ja” prime minister who could earn a new moniker for our country – Huggistan.

But as we have seen with one of the early huggees – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – no amount of clasping and clinching can advance a relationship where there is no meeting of minds. Notably, no hugs were in evidence when Modi met China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg. When countries prefer muscle over nuzzle, no hugs will be forthcoming till the parties concerned can get weighty matters off their chest.

-- Times of India

Golgappewala Found Using Clean Water, License Snatched

BY VIKRAM BHALLAL

N

EW DELHI: License of a roadside golgappa vendor from the city was today taken away after he was found guilty of using clean water to serve customers.

Acting on a tip-off, Delhi Police caught the golgappewala clean handed in a compromising position with gloves in hand and nails fully trimmed. Police swung into action and took him into custody briefly.

“We took out a list of people who consumed golgappas from his stall in the last 2 months and were shocked to find not a single one of them fell ill,” revealed the Delhi Police Commissioner.

“Furthermore on raiding his premises, we recovered clean plates, a total of 5 tanks of Mineral Water, 10 buckets of hand sanitizer and many other objectionable hygiene equipments,” Commissioner went on to reveal.

“We cannot arrest him since he hasn’t broken any law but we found

him guilty on accounts of breaching the traditional practices of panipuri vendors,” he added. “We have now alerted FDI to intervene and take necessary actions.”

One of the many customers who had a harrowing experience at his stall too narrated his ordeal, “I wanted to claim my pending medical reimbursements as I hadn’t fallen sick this

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financial year. I went to his thela in the hope that after consuming one plate of golgappa I will surely have food poisoning thereby helping me to get admitted in a hospital. But I was shocked by his hygienic conduct. He looked more hygienic that the hands they show after dettol wash in ads.”

Meanwhile to ensure it is just a one off incident, FDI has decided to conduct cookery classes for golgappawalas.

“One of the most important ingredients of a yummy golgappa is filthy water. A nice filthy water can be made by a number of ways like mixing human sweat with dust and pollutants from the road. One can further garnish it by using remnants from the nose. It is imperative that budding golgappawalas are made aware of this,” said an FDI official.

-- Times of India

THE STORY OF GANDHI T

19

July 14, 2017

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi - Part 7

he story thus far… Gandhi realizes that he could be more effective at supporting the cause of the Indians in South Africa if he returned to India. Once in Calcutta, he drew attention to the plight of the South African Indians to the Indian government and media, where there was widespread support. But he was soon recalled to South Africa as the Lord Chamberlain was visiting South Africa.

In 1906, an ordinance introduced by the Transvaal government required all Indian men, women, and children, to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing their name and thumb impressions. It was demeaning and humiliating to Indians, who refused to submit to the terms of the ordinance.

They resolved to fight it. Gandhi saw the need for passive resistance or satyagraha. He explained to the people his concept of satyagraha. First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence. The authorities would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use violence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance, Gandhi told them.

“Merely disobeying the government’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.”

The Government ignored all Indian protests against the ordinance and it came fully into force. The Indians decided to disobey the provisions of the ‘Black Act.’ Hundreds of Indians were arrested, tried, and jailed. They all pleaded guilty and went to jail without putting up any defense. Gandhi too was imprisoned. Then one day he was taken out of prison and sent to Pretoria to see General Jan Smuts.

“This movement you have started,” Smuts said, “must stop at once. It is not in me to dislike Indians, but they must obey the law”.

“I would rather die than submit to this law,” Gandhi replied. “It is meant to humiliate the Indians.”

After some argument, however, they reached a compromise. Gandhi promised to end the satyagraha if the act was repealed and the prisoners released. Smuts agreed to do this provided the Indians would register of their own accord. On this agreement, they parted.

Back in Johannesburg, Gandhi called a meeting of the Indians.

“We must now register voluntarily to show that we do not intend to bring a single Indian to the Transvaal by fraud,” he said. “If we show our goodwill by prompt registration, General Smuts will see to it that the “Black Act” is repealed,” added Gandhi.

Many Indians agreed with Gandhi, but a man named Mir Alam disagreed, saying it was Gandhi who

had earlier preached that only criminals get finger-printed. He wanted to know why Gandhi had changed his mind.

Early the next morning Gandhi, with his fellow satyagrahis, set out for the registration office. But on the way Mir Alam attacked him with a heavy stick. Gandhi fell down unconscious. Mir Alam and his associates went on beating him until he was rescued. When Gandhi recovered consciousness, he found himself on a couch in the house of an Englishman whom he hardly knew.

Struggling to sit up, Gandhi requested that Mir Alam not be judged too harshly for not understanding Gandhi’s stance about the registration. Then he insisted that a clerk from the registration office should come to take his thumb impression and make out his certificate. In this way Gandhi was duly registered.

Many Indians followed Gandhi by registering voluntarily.

But General Smuts, reneged on the deal and did not repeal the “Black Act.” The Indians, disappointed at the Government’s attitude, demanded a return of their applications for voluntary registration. The Transvaal government did not budge.

Gandhi, who had by then recovered from his injuries, gave the government a very firm ultimatum: If the Black Act is not repealed before a fixed date, the certificates collected by the Indians will be burnt. When the Government ignored this threat, Gandhi started another satyagraha movement. A big bonfire was lit and more than two thousand certificates were burnt. Many Indians openly crossed the border into the Transvaal, where their presence was illegal.

Gandhi and many of his compatriots were imprisoned several times in the course of the agitation. When Gandhi came out of jail for the third time, the Indians held a meeting and decided to send a deputation to England to acquaint the British Government with the real situation in South Africa.

Gandhi and Seth Haji Habib were asked to go to London and present

the grievances of the Indians. Accordingly they went, but accomplished nothing as the British government favored the British domiciled in South Africa. They returned with grim determination to fight to the bitter end. Gandhi then made a big decision. He gave up his practice as a lawyer. He felt it was a conflict of interest earning his living by law while defying it. Hermann Kallenbach, a white farmer, was so impressed with the peaceful way of life at Phoenix that he offered Gandhi his own big farm near Johannesburg to start another colony. He suggested that all those who had lost their jobs and homes by their participation in the satyagraha could settle there. The new colony was established in 1910 and named “Tolstoy Farm” after the Russian writer whom Gandhi much admired.

Here people who were different in nationality, religion, and color lived together like one family. They worked hard and shared the fruits of their labor. Gandhi spent much of his time at Tolstoy Farm. He was engaged in teaching the children and in other constructive activities.

Gandhi’s efforts to persuade General Smuts to change the attitude of the Government towards the Indians had failed. Meanwhile, the struggle continued against the Black Act and the poll-tax. And now hundreds of Indian women, including Kasturbai, joined the movement.

Meanwhile a recent court decision in South Africa holding that the law did not recognize Indian marriages, drew much unhappiness amongst the Indian women who could not stand this attack on family ties. They openly broke the law and were imprisoned in large numbers. In the coalmines at Newcastle, in Natal, Indian workers went on strike protesting against the repression. News of the arrests, the deportation of passive resisters, and the untold sufferings of Indian families angered the people of India. A large amount of money was collected for the relief of the victims.

Many satyagrahis were beaten and flogged, and some lost their lives.

Gandhi, who felt intensely the humiliation his people suffered, took a triple vow of self-suffering. He decided to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the poll-tax and other injustices were abolished. But Gandhi found the Government relentless.

There was no solution in sight. He knew he had to take further drastic measures for any chance of change benefitting the Indians and people of color in South Africa.

— To be continued next week

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PUZZLES / RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Atte di Pinni (Sweet Wheat Flour Balls)

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years ago, this has been the most popular recipe of Mama’s, getting over 400 views each week. Below is a reprint of Mama’s Atta di Pinni recipe, which is simple but tasty and a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of hot tea or coffee on any day.

It is reprinted with some additional information and directions.

Pinnis are a uniquely traditional Punjabi sweet dish that are sometimes mistakenly called laddus by non-Punjabis. The main difference is that laddus are usually made of fried dough and are then formed into balls, whereas pinnis are made with flour (or crushed moong dal) that is browned in a kadai or wok. There are other differences too: pinnis are not drenched in syrup and most also contain mewa (dry fruits), ajwain or a bitter til which a uniquely Punjabi taste.And their taste is completely different from the traditional laddus.

Pinnis are usually made and served in the cold winter months in the Punjab as they give lots of warmth and energy. Because of the way they are prepared, they can be kept in a tightly closed container for weeks and even months and not go bad.

There many styles of pinnis, and the ones of Amritsar are considered exceptional, in fact many people ask visiting relatives to pick up cases of pinnis from the city.

Do not use chasani (sugar syrup) because the granulated sugar you get here is very fine. If you make pinnis with sugar syrup, they do not keep for very long. Pinnis made with dry sugar do not go bad even for a very long time and do not need to be refrigerated. In the old days, before refrigerators, we used to keep the pinnis in pipas (tall tin cans) without any problems.

Pinnis aren’t hard to make, and the preparations leading upto making the round balls are not time consuming

as many ingredients are available in most Indian households. Our family used to make them at home for our large extended family when we had our ancestral lands and home in Lyallpur (which became part of Pakistan after the Partition). My grandmothers and mother brought the recipes with them and would make pinnis every winter in Delhi.

Ingredients: • 1 kg atta (wheat flour) • 500 gm chinni (white granulated sugar) • 500 gm ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil • 250 gm khoya (congealed sweet cream) • Mewa (to taste): badam (almonds), piste (pistachios), kishmish (raisins) Directions: 1. Heat the ghee or oiive oil in a kadai or wok over low heat.

2. Throw in the flour and brown it for

about 20 minutes, stirring often as you don’t want to have the flour get too brown as it may give a burnt smell.

3. After the flour is slightly brown, thrown in whatever dry fruit you desire and mix well.

4. For added flavor, use khoya in the pinnis. If you like, throw in the khoya, but first brown it over low heat too.

5. Turn off the heat and throw in the sugar and mix well.

6. After the mixture has cooled down and can be touched, take a small amount of the mixture and form into a 1.5 inch ball in the cup of your hand.

Grease your hand with a little oil if the pinnis start to stick.

7. Place the balls on a tray or plate to cool down and congeal further. Eat when the balls are cool. Some people actually like to eat these warm as they say the pinnis taste better.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the oldfashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur (since renamed Faisalabad), India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her late-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable Punjabi recipes.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

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EK USE GUR (JAGG ERY) AFTER THE SW FOR MAKING TEA EETS ARE MAD E As a youn

g girl growing up in Lyallpur in the how important it w 1930’s, I lea as to especially food. With use everything wisely and not to w rnt just aste things, no phones to call ah pop up at your hous ea e, so the family kitch d, you never knew who may en was always read type of prepared fo y with some od.

And, often in the co ld er m on ths, and es was cut and the m olasses were reduce pecially after the sugarcane d by cooking in hu would make swee ge vats, we ts w which were coated ith the gur (jaggery) and then use the utensils inside with a swee t sweetened chai (te a) for everyone. Th layer, to boil water and make is way, all the gur w up after preparing as easily used sweets.

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July 14, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/ ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/

MOM :

STOP or Mom will SHOOT

The bliss of a biology teacher’s

family life in Delhi is shattered when her daughter, Arya (Sajal Ali) is physically assaulted

by Jagan (Abhimanyu Singh) and gang. Does Devki Sabarwal (Sridevi) wait for the law to take its course? Or does Devki become Maa Durga and hunt down the perpetrators of the crime?

Mom reminds you for the umpteenth time that we’re in Nirbhaya country. Like other films on the same subject, debutant Ravi Udyawar’s emotional thriller tells you that India, or should that be New Delhi specifically, isn’t safe enough for women, especially young girls. And its relevance makes it an important watch.

Aryan and his wife are saddled

with the responsibility of uninvited guests, who have a dozen desi quirks and no sense of boundaries.Guest Iin London goes against everything the movie industry has been trying to accomplish in the recent past.

Instead, it gives us men talking down to women, nonchalant racism, forced gay humour and a buttload of fart jokes. So much so that Paresh Rawal’s character recites a minutes-long “ghazal” about farts.

The movie covers toilet humour extensively from poop and pee jokes,

21

There’s a lot packed in here. To begin with, the film dwells on the dynamics of a teenager’s standoffish relationship with her stepmom.

This entire track is beautifully handled. Then again, it is post the teenager’s abduction and assault when the film reveals its true facet.

To say anything more on the ac-

tual plot is to risk spoiling its surprises.

Instead, it would suffice to say that when the avenging mother is joined by an inconsequential-looking private detective, DK (Nawazuddin), the screen ride becomes edgier and more exciting. There’s also a toughas-nails cop, Francis (Akshaye), who stays close on the heels of the vigilantes, adding gusto to proceedings. At times, there is that sense of deja vu that you experience because most parents-looking-for-amissing-teen movies follow certain set devices. But this one still manages to stay ahead with some interesting twists and turns. However, it is in the graph and the strength of Sridevi’s character wherein the vic-

tory of this script lies. In her 300th landmark movie (coincidentally produced by her husband Boney Kapoor) Sri demonstrates why she is the high-priestess of desi cinema.

Here she turns in a captivating performance; happiness, helplessness, vendetta and victory, she walks you through the entire gamut of emotions with panache. Supporting her ably is her onscreen husband Anand (Adnan), who plays the polished gent with flair. Nawazuddin, with his quirks and one-liners, turns in a class act and Akshaye Khanna, who is in terrific form here, forces you to ponder why he takes such long matinee breaks.

Dew fresh Sajal Ali, who seems to have grown up watching Kareena Kapoor films, seems like

Guest Iin London right up to kidney stones.

The first Ajay Devgn-Konkona Sensharma movie, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? hit a home run owing to its charming, unassuming execution. It turned the atithi devo bhava sentiment on its head and became an outlet for our collective rogue-guests rage.

However, the paper-thin plot was already used to its fullest in that movie.

A sequel wasn’t needed. This time, Paresh Rawal returns as the unwanted guest, in London, with a wife (Tanvi

Azmi) by his side. Their unwilling hosts are Aryan (Kartik Aaryan) and his wife (Kriti Kharbanda), who have their own sham-marriage side track

which gets lost halfway through the runtime. Quickly, the movie slips into Atithi mould but with witless gags that are so unwatchable, they

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

a clone of the senior actor. A R Rahman’s background score adds the required chills without distracting and Anay Goswamy’s camera lingers as lovingly on the actors’faces as it does on the snowcapped peaks.

-timesofindia.com

Happy Birthday

Katrina Kaif

July 16, 1983

Priyanka Chopra July 18, 1982

seem to make time stop. Every line, every scene gives you an impression that it was written by an ill-informed man-child who primarily believes in three things: farting is funny, women belong in the kitchen and all Pakistanis are thieves. 90 per cent of the jokes from the movie can be classified under one of those three categories. The funniest thing about this comedy is just how angry it can make you. Guest iin London, like its titular protagonist, is a burden no one should have to bear.

-timesofindia.com

22 July 14, 2017 Spinners, Lanning Power Aussie Women into Semi-final

BY SHASHANK KISHORE

B

RISTOL: (ESPN Cricinfo): Australia 227 for 2 (Lanning 76*, Perry 60*, Mooney 45) beat India 226 for 7 (Raut 106, Raj 69, Perry 2-37, Schutt 2-52) by eight wicket s, Where Australia’s spinners wrested control - they combined to take 4 for 129 off 29 overs - partly due to India’s diffidence with the bat, India’s slower bowlers leaked a combined 183 in 34 overs. India’s slow scoring was largely due to the inability of Raj to hit the ball off the square; she consumed 82 deliveries and limped past the 34 she needed to eclipse Charlotte Edwards’ record.

Jess Jonassen and Kristen Beams used angles and flight to cut off scoring options for Raut and Raj. Their protection of the leg-side boundary kept teasing the batsmen to work against the turn, making it difficult to maneuver the ball over the off side.

Once the record was out of the way, Raj seemed a little more relaxed. The first sign of intent came three balls later as she waltzed down the pitch to hit a straight six to also become the first batsman in Women’s ODIs to cross 6000 runs. By then, Punam

was in her 50s. From time-to-time, she resorted to sweeping against the turn and bringing out the delicate paddles to keep the runs ticking. Off the pacers, she was particularly punishing towards Megan Schutt, who she shovelled and lap-swept to pick off boundaries.

Yet, at no stage did the pair give Australia any shivers. When Raj mistimed a lofted hit back to Beams in the 41st over, India had barely managed to cross the four-runs per over mark.

Over the next six overs, Harmanpreet Kaur brought out the odd big hit to make a 22-ball 23, but Raut’s wicket in the 47th led to a total breakdown. India lost four wickets for 16, with Deepti Sharma, their secondhighest run-getter of the tournament, not coming out to bat until the final over.

Early in the chase, India kept things tight, conceding just 34 off the first 10. The situation was ripe for their spinners to mount a challenge. But Bisht’s first over that went for three boundaries led to opening of the floodgates.

Poonam Yadav looped the ball up, but by not landing it right on a surface where the turn was slow, gave the

batsmen enough time to rock back and pull.

Lanning showed intent right from the time she walked out, lofting Yadav over her head for six off the fourth ball she faced. To compensate, the spinners resorted to bowling short and kept getting put away square of the wicket through cuts and sweeps.

India didn’t help matters by fielding as poorly as they did, runs regularly conceded by letting the ball through their legs at the boundary.

All of this meant, the chase went cold at the halfway mark. For large parts of the last 15 overs, it seemed as if an extended net session was on, the sense of helplessness in India’s ranks all too evident as what should’ve been a challenging chase turned into a cakewalk.

England rode on Natalie Sciver’s 129 and Alex Hartley’s 3/44 to beat New Zealand by 75 runs and enter ICC Women’s World Cup semis.

NZ Captain Bates later admitted that New Zealand could have tried shuffling their bowling around differently, in a bid to stop Sciver and Beaumont.

Shashank Kishore is a senior subeditor at ESPNcricinfo

Mithali Raj Becomes Leading ODI Scorer

B

RISTOL: India captain Mithali Raj has become the leading run-scorer in women’s one-day international cricket.

Raj reached 6,028 runs by scoring 69 in India’s World Cup groupgame defeat by Australia at Bristol on Wednesday. The 34-year-old passed former England captain Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 5,992.

Raj had mixed feelings after the match. “I think that since I’ve had a long career, [the milestone] is part of it. It’s very important for me to get runs for my country from my bat. I can say I’m happy even though I’m not happy in terms of the result or the way I scored them today. Even for New Zealand, probably, it will be a do-or-die match.

Shastri, Zaheer, Dravid Drafted in India’s New Coaching Team

M

UMBAI: (ESPN Cricinfo): Ravi Shastri, the former India allrounder and team director, has been appointed head coach of the national side until the 2019 World Cup. Zaheer Khan has been named bowling consultant for the same tenure, while Rahul Dravid will be India’s batting consultant for overseas Test series.

The confirmation came late on Tuesday night after the CoA impressed upon the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendullkar and VVS Laxman, the urgent need to end the uncertainty over the next India coach.

The vacancy arose because Anil Kumble resigned after the Champions Trophy in June, stating that his partnership with India captain Virat Kohli had become “untenable”. India went to the West Indies to play a limited-overs series without a head coach.

Will new head coach Ravi Shastri (right) work well with Captain Kohli?

Shastri was one of five candidates the CAC interviewed for the role, along with Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Lalchand Rajput. He had not applied when the BCCI invited applications for the first time, but did so after Kumble was no longer in the fray.

Shastri had applied for the role in 2016 as well, and was disappointed to lose out to Kumble, because India had done well during his tenure as director. He had been appointed team director in August 2014 and under him, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events the 2015

World Cup and the 2016 World T20 - and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until February 2016. During that time, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in a T20I series. While he worked alongside Duncan Fletcher in the early part of his tenure, Shastri had sole responsibility of the team after the 2015 World Cup. Zaheer, a former India fast bowler, has no formal coaching experience but he has been part of the Delhi Daredevils thinktank in recent IPL seasons. He was offered the role of bowling consultant last year by the BCCI, but both parties could not come to an agreement over remuneration.

Dravid recently gave up his position as the Daredevils mentor, after accepting a two-year contract to coach the India A and Under-19 teams.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

SPORTS

Indian Doubles Players Struggle at Wimbledon

L

ONDON: Indian tennis players struggled at Wimbledon 2017 on Monday as Sania Mirza, partnering Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, lost to her former partner Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan 2-6,4-6 in the third round of women’s doubles.

The Indo-Belgian 13th seeds never settled down in the match as they were outclassed by third seeded Swiss-Chinese Taipei pair Hingis and Chan in a match that lasted just over an hour.

After holding serve in the first two games, Mirza and Flipkens failed to hold serve and were thrashed 2-6.

Hingis and Chan regularly nailed aces on their first serves while Mirza and Flipkens had a low first-serve percentage.

The story was similar in the second set as the 3rd seeds maintained the pressure and won the set 6-4 to enter the quarterfinals.

Mirza had won the Wimbledon women’s doubles title in 2015 with Hingis. This was one of three Grand Slams and 14 titles the pair had won together before splitting last year.

Sania had last won a doubles title in 2016 but has struggled since.

Later in the day, Indo-Japanese pair of Purav Raja and Eri Hozumi lost to Canadian-Slovenian 11th seeds Daniel Nestor and Andreja Klepac 2-6, 5-7 in the second round of mixed doubles . Raja and Hozumi had advanced to the second round after beating James Cerretani and Renata Voracova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Rohan Bopanna and partner Gabriela Dabrowski defeated Fabrice Martin and Raluca Olaru 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the second round of mixed doubles.

The Indo-Canadian pair, who won the French Open 2017, faced Croatians Nikola Mektic and Ana Konjuh in the third round.

Sania Mirza was beaten by her former doubles partner, Martina Hingis.

July 14, 2017

Domestic Air Traffic Crosses 10-million in Single Month for First Time N D : The domestic passen- yields to some extent in Q1 FY2018 EW

ELHI

ger traffic crossed 10-million mark in a single month for the first time in the history of Indian aviation during May. This was achieved due to peak season demand when the passenger load factor (PLF) touched a new high of 88.9%, the highest in the last seven years.

“With planned expansion by existing airlines and scale up by new airlines, the capacity addition in the industry is likely to remain healthy in the current year, despite the industry capacity growth (measured in available seat kilometers - ASKMs) being moderate at 14.9% in May,” ratings agency ICRA said.

The domestic passenger traffic growth for May, at 17.6%, remained lower than 20% for the fourth successive month, impacted by lower capacity addition in the industry.

“The moderation in supply growth is likely to have benefited airline

(2017-18). Further, sequentially stagnant aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices are expected to provide support to profitability of the airlines during the quarter,” the agency said.

Intense competition and expected capacity addition growth are likely to keep pressure on airfares, it said.

“Moderation in supply growth, peak season demand and sequentially stable ATF prices augment well for the financial performance of airlines in Q1 FY2018,” said Anand Kulkarni, associate head, ICRA. “Indication of softening of fuel prices in Q2 FY2018 is also a positive for the industry. However, supply is likely to remain high going forward, considering the large order backlog of Indian airlines and the same might impact yields,” he said.

“Maintaining price discipline in an intensely competitive environment would be essential for improving

ment, becoming unsustainable for new players,” Kulkarni said.

On international routes, the fleet expansion by incumbents during FY2017 has also resulted in addition of sizeable capacity. Indigo has deployed capacity on international routes over the last two months, which is reflected in increasing its market share. -- Times of India

I-T Department to Charge Govt Official Under New Benami Law M -Theinvestigationwing said, were allegedly acquired by UMBAI

of the Income Tax (I-T) department in Mumbai is planning to charge a senior Maharashtra government official under a recently amended law for allegedly owning several benami properties, including two under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), sources told The Indian Express.

This is the first time that tax authorities are taking recourse to laws under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, to charge a serving government official and seize properties.

The I-T department has alleged that Vikas Rasal, CEO, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Iron and Steel Market Committee, acquired at least nine properties in Maharashtra, including two SRA properties in Bandra, using “closely related fronts” at a nominal price by “coercing certain slum dwellers”.

The two SRA properties, sources

Rasal in 2013.

Sources said that the tax agency has found that Rasal, a provincial service officer with the state government, allegedly parked unaccounted money with jewellers and bullion traders at Vile Parle in Mumbai.

“The tax authority is also probing city-based bullion traders connected to Rasal. There is suspicion that a significant portion of this black money came from bribes. The agency has got hold of persons with whom Rasal parked his black money,” said sources.

On July 7, the tax department intercepted Rasal and seized over Rs 50 lakh from him at the Mumbai airport, while he was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai allegedly with undisclosed cash, said sources.

The seizure was followed by raids at his office and residence in Mumbai, they said.

According to sources, the tax de-

Indians Triple Gold Imports Ahead of Having to Pay GST

M

the financial risk profile of airlines,” ICRA said.

The agency has been highlighting the weak performance of regional airlines due to intense competition, which is reflected in the suspension of operations of Air Carnival, the third regional airline to shut down in the recent past. “This is an indication of an intensely competitive environ-

The corporate battle between Cyrus Mistry and the Tatas continues.

The I-T department has alleged that Rasal amassed real estate in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Undale in Maharashtra using black money.

partment has recovered at least Rs 65 lakh in cash, jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh and documents allegedly linked to several benami properties from the residence of Rasal.

The I-T department has alleged

that Rasal amassed real estate in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Undale in Maharashtra using black money. Rasal was due for promotion to IAS cadre, said another source. -- Indian Express

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

23

UMBAI: India’s gold imports in June more than tripled from a year ago as retail demand jumped ahead of the start of a new sales tax that prompted jewellers and bullion dealers to replenish stocks, provisional data from consultancy GFMS showed.

June gold imports climbed to an estimated 75 tonnes from 22.7 tonnes a year ago, GFMS said. For the first half of the year, imports rose to 514 tonnes, up 161 per cent from a year ago.

The rush of buying by retail consumers in the world’s second-biggest consumer of the precious metal will likely lead to lower July imports, GFMS said. That would put pressure on global gold prices that are already trading near their lowest level since mid-March.

“Demand was higher than normal in June as some consumers advanced buying to avoid paying higher tax,” Sudheesh Nambiath, a senior analyst with GFMS, a division of Thomson Reuters, said on Tuesday.

As part of a new nationwide sales tax regime that kicked in on July 1, the goods and services tax on gold jumped to 3 per cent from 1.2 per cent previously.

Gold premiums in India jumped to $10 an ounce in the last week of June, the highest level in 7-1/2 months.

“Imports would be significantly less in July compared to June. Right now demand is very weak due to monsoon,” said Shekhar Bhandari, executive vice-president of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

In July, gold demand usually remains weak in India due to fewer weddings and as farmers are busy sowing crops. -- Times of India

24 July 14, 2017

First Ever

24 Hour

Telugu Radio in Houston

Online at www.radiohungama.net & Every Sunday 12 PM to 3 PM CST On

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July 14, 2017

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Wrap-3

July 14, 2017

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