Indo-American News: December 27, 2024

Friday, December 27, 2024 | Vol. 43, No. 52

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December 27, 2024

Indo American News

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Published weekly from Houston, TX

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The Play “Tik Tik Tik” Thrills at Udavam Karangal Fundraiser P2

From left, Mahesh Shah, Alpa Shah (co-director); Partha Krishnaswamy; Director Rajan Radhakrishnan and Vidya Radhakrishnan with Dr. Padmini Ranganathan, President of Udavum Karangal USA. -- PAGE 2

Krishnan: Trump’s AI Adviser

Gayatri Parivar in Katy

“Girls will be Girls”: Coming of Age

Trump has named Sriram Krishnan as Senior Policy Gayatri Pariwar stands as a beacon of spiritual enlightenment. A bold, empathetic, and visually sumptuous drama from Adviser for Artificial Intelligence -- PAGE 6 imparting the wisdom of the Gayatri Mantra -- PAGE 7 Director Suchi Talati. -- PAGE 10

WEDDINGS, SPECIAL EVENTS, TENTED EVENTS, OUTDOOR COURTYARD

3 3 3 0 F M 1 4 6 3 | K a t y, T X 7 7 4 9 4 | 8 3 2 . 8 5 5 . 5 5 2 0 | p a l m r o y a l v i l l a . c o m Indo-American News • Friday, december 27, 2024 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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CHARITY

The Play “Tik Tik Tik” Thrills at Udavam Karangal Fundraiser

By Jawahar Malhotra

Pearland: As with the play performed last year, this year’s production also immediately caught the eye with the sets on stage. Except, there were none, just a series of cleverly taken images of different locales, digitally reproduced and projected on a huge scale to give the impression of depth and immersion for the actors. To this, a time clock and locale name were superimposed, blurring the gap between a stage production and a movie screen.

Into this high-tech setting came and went the nine characters of the play “Tik, Tik, Tik” produced and directed by Houston’s own imaginatively creative mind with a flair for theatrics, Rajan Radhakrishnan. Never mind that his day-job is to make people and events happy at Indian Summer restaurant and Dawat Catering, Rajan, as he is universally known, is truly a performer at heart. The English-language play was which was staged at the Meenakshi Temple Society on Sunday, December 8 was in support of the Indian charity Udavum Karangal.

In this storyline, integrally woven

by Houston’s Chandarmouli, you are drawn into the web of deceit and ambition. An internationally popular musician (Salil Badekar) is targeted by an international terrorist organization because of his remarks about religious faith. He travels to Bombay and finds a blind woman (Alpa Shah) who is a gifted singer, for his world tour. The musician chooses the blind woman as the disciple for his guru’s son (Vishy Raman), who is jealous that his late father promoted the musician to become a famous singer, ignoring his own son’s ambitions.

Meanwhile, a plot is hatched by zealots (Govindan Somaskandan as the head and Shivi Pawa as the accomplice) to plant a bomb in the piano the musician will be using at his concert in a venue whose owner (Mahesh Shah) is concerned about.

By chance, the blind woman has overheard the plan and tries to alert law enforcement officers (Sundy Srinivasan and Gayatri Rao) of the sinister plot as they use ethe voice of a video influencer (Lakshminarayan Subramanian) to confuse the lead terrorist.

How the blind woman changes the diabolical mind of a terrorist and convinces him to adopt a normal life as a human being is the central theme on which the play “Tik, Tik, Tik” was created. Alpa Shah, who was also the Co-Director, steals the show with her passionate appeal to reconsider and shows her versatility s an actress.

Dr Padmini Ranganathan, the President of the Houston chapter of the Udavam Karangal (Helping Hands) explained how the organization has been serving the underprivileged for 40 years in Chennai, India with the help of the Houston community. “We have hosted annual events for over two decades

Dr Padmini Ranganathan, the President of the Houston chapter of the Udavam Karangal (Helping Hands) explained how the organization has been serving the underprivileged for 40 years in Chennai, India with the help of the Houston community.

Gayatri Rao, Alpa Shah, Vishy Raman and Salil Bhadekar

Salil Bhadekar and Vishy Raman

At the after-play dinner, the cast of “Tik, Tik, Tik”, which was staged at the auditorium of the Meenakshi Temple Society on Sunday, December 8 in support of the Indian charity Udavum Karangal.

Indo-American News • Friday, december 27, 2024 • www.indoamerican-news

to support several projects in education, healthcare and women’s empowerment”, she explained to the full auditorium. “The Jeevan Community College and Million Midday Meal program are among the projects which have benefited from contributions from the Houston community.”

Ranganathan also told the audience that, on December 5, the Government of Tamil Nadu had awarded S. Vidyakar, who founded Udavam Karangal in 1983, the Best Social Worker award towards the service of the differentially abled children and the destitute mentally ill patients. In 41 years he has helped 5600 patients through the Jeevan School for Special Children and activity room at Thiruverkadu. Projects sponsored by the Houston Chapter include college education for children of daily wage workers and needy items for handicapped called Project Paraspara.

The actors in the play are wellknown locals who have busy personal and professional lives but are thespians with a love to perform: Govindan Somaskanthan ; Sunderama “Sundy” Srinivasam; Mahesh Shah; Lakshminarayan Subramanian; Salil Bhadekar; Gayathri Rao; Vishy Raman; Shivi Pawa and Alpa Shah.

To that, add the talents of Padmini Ranganathan as the Creative Head, Story: Chandramouli; Director: Rajan Radhakrishnan; Co-Director: Alpa Shah; Producer: Padmini Ranganathan; Music: Balaji Varadharajan; Video Jack: Ram Mahadevan; Lighting: Partha Krishnaswamy; Visual effects & Production design: Vishy Raman; Sets and Properties: Nalini Kannan.

This show marks the 22nd year that Indian Summer (previously Madras Pavilion) and specifically Rajan had produced a show in support of the Udavum Karangal of USA, which in turn sends the proceeds to the Udavum Karanga in Chennai, India. This year’s show was able to collect over $100,000 for the charity.

December 27, 2024

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December 27, 2024

TECHNOLOGY

Sriram Krishnan, Elon Musk Aide, Who Will be Trump’s AI adviser Washington DC: Presidentelect Donald Trump has named Indian American Sriram Krishnan as Senior Policy Adviser for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Krishnan will be working with venture capitalist David Sacks, whom Trump has described as the incoming “White House AI & Crypto Czar”. Trump also announced a few other appointments, which Sacks said was an “extraordinary team” of “amazing talent”.

Both Krishnan and his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, were born in Chennai, where they were raised in “typical middle-class Indian upbringings,” according to a profile of the couple published in The New York Times in July 2021.

The couple were then hosting a show called ‘The Good Time Show’ on Clubhouse, a social audio app that was launched and became very popular during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The article quoted Ramamurthy as saying the couple met in college in 2003, when they were studying software engineering.

They had met virtually earlier in a Yahoo! chatroom set up for a coding project.

They eloped in 2010, and moved to Palo Alto from Seattle the following year, according to The

NYT article. In 2021, the in Hawthorne, Calicouple, both 37 years old fornia, The NYT arat the time, lived in San ticle from 2021 said.

Francisco’s Noe Valley Besides Musk, the neighbourhood with their couple had got Mark daughter, who was then Zuckerberg and the 2. late fashion designer Krishnan held manageVirgil Abloh too on rial positions at Yahoo!, their show.

Facebook, and Snap, beMore recently, sides X, then called Twitboth Musk and Rater. maswamy appeared In 2021, Krishnan on the couple’s podjoined the Menlo Park, cast as well. On an California-based venture episode of the show capital firm Andreesen put on air after the Horowitz, also known as election result and a16z, as a general partner. announcement of Andreesen Horowitz was DOGE, Krishnan a major investor in Cluband Ramamurthy house. gushed about the Krishnan’s wife, Rabright future of tech mamurthy, has worked in particular under in Netflix and Facebook, the incoming Trump and introduced the startadministration. Raups True and Co. and mamurthy spoke of Lumoid, according to the “new blood, new couple’s NYT profile. energy, and new mo“We really have been Sriram Krishnan and Aarthi Ramamurthy, the husband- mentum”, and said it fanboys forever,” Krish- and-wife hosts of ”The Good Time Show,” in their home was “hard not to get nan told The NYT. “What in San Francisco. Credit: Kelsey McClellan for The New caught up in this exuelse can we say? We just York Times berance”. love tech.”

In person, Mr. people who have “made” it to the Krishnan’s X profile now de- inside”.

Krishnan, who stands at 6-foot-6, scribes him as “ex” a16z. The couMusk had appeared on Krish- and Ms. Ramamurthy, who is ple have a podcast and YouTube nan and Ramamurthy’s show on 5-foot-3, have a charmingly misshow called The Aarthi and Sriram Clubhouse in February 2021. The matched visual appearance. But Show, which they describe as be- couple had met him earlier during they share the same age (both are ing “long form conversations with a visit to the SpaceX headquarters 37) and a friendly bedside manner

Indo-American News • Friday, december 27, 2024 • www.indoamerican-news

that allows them to make even the cagiest of chief executives feel at home.

On a crisp April afternoon in San Francisco, the couple settled into a picnic table outside La Boulangerie, a French cafe near their house in the city’s Noe Valley neighborhood. “We’ve always been obsessed with the stories that make the people,” said Mr. Krishnan, who wore a hooded sweatshirt with the diamond logo for Jemi, a free website builder. (Both are angel investors in the start-up, naturally.)

Ms. Ramamurthy, who wore an ankle-length camel coat from Comptoir des Cotonniers, nodded in agreement. “We get so many DMs and replies from people starting out their careers in India, or some other country where it’s really important to see somebody like me or Sriram,” she said. “You know, you look like me and you have an accent.”

Clubhouse now enjoys a market valuation of $4 billion, but its metrics fluctuate wildly. At its peak in February, it had about 10 million global downloads. The couple have always been technology’s true believers. Mr. Krishnan recounted that “big weekend activities” often entailed walking around Apple Park or taking jogs by the Tudor-style home once belonging to Steve Jobs. -- IE, NYT

RELIGION

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Gayatri Parivar in Katy: A Beacon of Spiritual Enlightenment Katy: A perfect new year starts for The Gayatri Pariwar in Katy, Texas, USA with recently celebrated Diwali Annakut Mahotsav, Diwali gatherings with blissful performances by Children of BalSanskar Shala, Tulsi Vivah and Gita Jayanti on consecutive Sundays in November and December. The Gayatri Pariwar (Gayatri Consciousness Center) is affiliated to Shantikunj ,Haridwar,India founded by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharyaji. The organization is gearing up to welcome hundreds of enthusiastic individuals to celebrate the all upcoming Hindu festivals throughout the year.

Gayatri Pariwar stands as a beacon of spiritual enlightenment.

With a focus on imparting the wisdom of the Gayatri Mantra and promoting the teaching of Hinduism, this vibrant organization plays a pivotal role in nurturing the spiritual growth of its members.

The Gayatri Pariwar ,Katy offers regular Bal Sanskar classes for children aged 5 to 15 which serve as a platform to introduce children to Yoga ,Hindu Scriptures ,including the Bhagavad Gita, Vedas ,and other religious texts. Through interactive sessions, children learn about yoga, Hindi,Gujarati, vedic methodologies, and the significance of Hindu religious festivals.

This holistic approach ensures that young minds gain a comprehensive understanding of their cultural roots while imbibing essential

life lessons. Swadhyay, meaning self-study, is a fundamental practice within the Gayatri Pariwar Katy. Community members gather every Sunday from 4.30 to 6.30 pm to engage in Swadhyay sessions as well as cultural celebrations ending with MahaPrasad.

From cultural programs and religious disclosures to social gatherings and charitable endeavors, the Gayatri Pariwar Katy continuously strives to create a vibrant and inclusive community where everyone feels valued and connected with the divine blessings of Dr. Chinmay Pandya who visited last August and will visit every year to motivate community members to serve the best to the community.

The organization believes that a united and engaged community has the power to uplift individuals, foster personal growth,and make a difference in the world.

Gayatri Pariwar in Katy is expanding rapidly and does all karmakand, weddings, pujas ,rituals in Hindi, Gujarati and English.

For more information ,visit Gayatri Conscious Centre, Katy and enlighten your internal soul with the unique chant “HUM BADLENGE YUG BADALEG – HUM SUDHRENGE YUG SUDHREGA”.

For more information about Gayatri Parivar in Katy and upcoming events, visit our website https://www.awgphouston.org

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December 27, 2024

Bhajans & Bhents performed by SHEEL THAKRAL

Bakshi, Dinesh & Sangeeta Indo-American News • Friday, december 27, 2024 • www.indoamerican-news

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US-INDIA

‘Indian Diaspora is Cornerstone of US-India Relations’: Richard Verma

New York: The Indian diaspora in the United States has grown exponentially, surpassing five million in 2023, a sharp rise from 1.9 million in 2000. This vibrant community forms a cornerstone of the deepening US-India relationship, contributing significantly to bilateral trade, cultural exchange, and innovation.

These figures were revealed at an event held at the US State Department, where Deputy Secretary of State Richard R. Verma emphasized the pivotal role played by the Indian-American diaspora. Verma noted that 130 Indian-Americans were appointed to senior positions within the Biden-Harris Administration.

Their influence extends to entrepreneurship, with 20 percent of American unicorn startups having Indian migrants as founders or cofounders.

The partnership between the US and India thrives in academia, with nearly 300 exchange programs linking top Indian colleges to 205 US universities, sparking innovation and collaboration.

Verma, a former US Ambassador to India, also highlighted the robust partnership between the US and India across trade, defense, education, and cultural sectors. A two-way trade was recorded between the two nations from $20 billion in 2000 to $195 billion in 2023.

“Two-way trade in 2024 is expected to cross $200 billion,” Verma noted.

Defense trade also witnessed a meteoric rise, going from US$0 in

2000 to US$24 billion this year.

“India is the top military partner of the US [2024],” Verma mentioned, adding joint exercises like Malabar (naval), Yudh Abhyas (Army), Cope India (Air force), Vajra Prahar (counter-terrorism), Tiger Triumph (amphibious).

Along with that, Indian students in the US grew from 54,664 in 2000 to 331,600 in 2023.

Consular developments further underscore the strengthening ties, with over 1 million visas issued by the US Mission in India in 2023.

Both nations are expanding diplomatic footprints, with new consulates planned in Boston, Los Angeles, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad.

Verma took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the cooperation between the two nations. He also thanked Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Kwatra for being present at this event.

Over 50,000 Indians became US citizens in the Fiscal Year 2024, making India the second largest contributor to naturalizations.

The statistics were released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a lawful permanent resident after meeting the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

India’s representation in the naturalization statistics reflects its strong diaspora presence in the US. Over 50,000 Indians joined the ranks of U.S. citizens this year owing to the “unifying principles that bind Americans,” as USCIS emphasized. Among the top five countries contributing to U.S. naturalizations, Mexico led with 13.1 percent, followed by India (6.1 percent), the Philippines (5.0

percent), the Dominican Republic (4.9 percent), and Vietnam (4.1 percent).

The median time spent as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) before naturalizing varied by country. Applicants from India, known for their skilled workforce, often achieve permanent residency through employment-based preference categories, making them a key demographic in US naturalization trends.

Several U.S. states and cities emerged as hubs for naturalizations in FY 2024. California, Texas, and New York topped the list of states, while cities like Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles hosted large naturalization ceremonies.

These areas also have significant Indian American populations, further highlighting the community’s role in shaping America’s immigrant narrative.

Women constituted 55 percent of all naturalized citizens in FY 2024, and over 37 percent of new citizens were between the ages of 30 and 44. The median age of naturalized citizens was 42, with 17 percent under 30.

Naturalization requires applicants to fulfill stringent requirements, including residency, English proficiency, and civics knowledge. USCIS highlighted the commitment shown by immigrants in passing these tests, with a cumulative pass rate of 94.4 percent in FY 2024. “Deciding to become a U.S. citizen is an important milestone in an immigrant’s life,” USCIS noted, adding that new citizens “enjoy the rights and privileges fundamental to U.S. citizenship.”

Recognizing economic challenges faced by some applicants, USCIS granted fee waivers to 14.3 percent of naturalized citizens this year. Older adults, including many Indian seniors seeking family reunification, benefitted significantly from this provision.

Overall, the USCIS accepted 818,500 new citizens from worldover during FY 2024. While this represents a 7 percent decrease compared to the previous year, it remains 12 percent higher than the pre-pandemic annual average of 730,100.

Indian student population in the US grew from 54,664 in 2000 to 331,600 in 2023.

Indo-American News • Friday, december 27, 2024 • www.indoamerican-news

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ENTERTAINMENT

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.

‘Girls will be Girls”: Coming of Age Drama

By Archika Khurana Story: Set in a strict boarding school nestled in the serene Himalayas, the movie follows Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), a teenager who discovers the complexities of desire and love. Her journey toward self-discovery is complicated by her mother, Anila (Kani Kasruti), whose own adolescence was stifled and never fully lived. The tension between Mira’s blossoming sexuality and Anila’s unresolved past creates a simmering conflict that shapes both their lives, as the former navigates the challenges of love and rebellion while the latter grapples with her unfulfilled dreams of youth.

Review: Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls is an impressive debut that burrows into the psyche of its ambitious and high-achieving protagonist. At 16, Mira wants to excel at everything—even sex— and she’s ready to put in the work.

The film, set in a 1990s Indian prep school in the Himalayas, unfolds with charged silences and subtle connections while exploring the gender-based tensions that exist within a world of academic privilege. Talati’s confident direction and sensitive handling of her young cast result in a coming-ofage story that feels both visceral and deeply relatable.

The budding romance between Mira and Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), her 17-year-old classmate, is accurately messy and sweet. Their connection begins with furtive, butterfly-inducing moments—huddled under a blanket in the cold—but it doesn’t remain a secret for long.

The school’s watchful, patriarchal gaze is adept at rooting out rule-breaking, particularly when it threatens the status quo. Mira is the first girl in school to be named prefect, a position that earns her both authority and resentment, particularly from the boys who lurk under stairways, snapping upskirt photos.

When Mira’s mother, Anila, discovers the relationship, the story takes a surprising and unsettling turn. Anila, shaped by the same culture that seeks to control her

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daughter, becomes an unpredictable force. Her actions blur the lines between discipline, jealousy, and a desire to reclaim her own lost youth. This tense, psychological dynamic pushes the boundaries of both the coming-of-age genre and the “cool mom” trope, creating moments of outrageous tension that sometimes threaten

to overwhelm the film’s grounded tone.

Despite taking some narrative risks that don’t entirely pay off, Girls Will Be Girls remains a bold, empathetic, and visually sumptuous drama. Shuchi Talati’s confident storytelling and keen directorial eye mark her as a filmmaker to watch. -- ToI

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