Indo-American News: May 29, 2020

Friday, May 29, 2020 | Vol. 39, No. 22

Indo American News

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May 29, 2020

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IMAGH Iftaar Meal Donation at The Alliance P3

CG Mahajan posed with IMAGH’s Board members, The Alliance executives and volunteers during Iftaar food distribution.

Meenakshi Temple Open for Worship

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2 May 29, 2020 COMMUNITY Sewa Releases $10,000 in First Tranche of Amphan Disaster Relief Houston: Sewa International announced the first tranche of $10,000 toward rescue and relief operations as Super Cyclone Amphan devastated two states in India: Odisha and West Bengal.

Amphan, which began forming on May 16 and dissipated today, May 21, has caused widespread damage to infrastructure in the coastal states of Odisha and West Bengal as it moved inland with 105 mph winds, heavy sea surge, and massive rain. Boats, agricultural crops, and houses have been destroyed, electricity poles and trees uprooted, and vast stretches of agricultural land, villages, and towns have become inundated.

Amphan was, according to NASA estimates, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the SaffirSimpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Causing widespread damage over the Eastern parts of India and Bangladesh Amphan is the strongest cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since 2007 and the first super cyclonic storm to occur in the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. It has claimed 72 lives in India as of today. Adding to the challenges facing rescue and relief efforts is the current pandemic

where these affected areas are developing into Covid hotspots.

“Sewa International with on the ground partners/volunteers is committed to providing all support to the affected people in this hour of need,” said Swadesh Katoch, VP of Disaster Recovery, Sewa International. “We have partnered with relief organizations in India over the past two decades, and our people are already in the area working on rescue and relief operations.

There is an urgent need of tarpaulins, packed food, utensils, seasonal clothing, first-aid kits, toiletries, flashlights, water bottles, mosquito mats/nets, backpacks, etc., and we will do our best to supply them in the coming days. I urge people to donate generously to Sewa so that we can provide the necessary support in this time of need,” Mr. Katoch urged.

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Local Classical Arts Concert Planned for Amphan Relief

GEOR

Y ILL

Houston: Renowned classical musicians and dancers from the Greater Houston area have joined hands to promote a Classical Music and Dance Fundraiser Concert When: Friday May 29 2020, 8:30 PM US CST (7:00 AM IST), Where: To be premiered on YouTube. Stay tuned for the link here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=owYIfZJd9hY All proceeds go directly to Amphan Cyclone Relief Services, Belur Math, Ramakrishna Mission, Belur. Please make your donations here: https:// ROGER PIPER PAULINE APPELBAUM JUDGE JIMMIE BENTON THOMAS P. FISCHER THOMAS R. HUTSON donations.belurmath.org/appeal-amphan-cycloneFORMER DISTRICT FORMER USCIS FORMER IMMIGRATION FORMER DISTRICT FORMER CONSUL ASSOCIATE REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF JUDGE DIRECTOR OF GENERAL COUNSEL relief-services-98376.

IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission have initiated relief services to meet the pressing R. W GE ANDHRA MIRCHI HUM FM MASALA RADIO RADIO MIRCHI need of the afflicted, especially the poor and needy.

107.5 FM - HD-3 106.1 FM 1050 AM 98.7 FM We have started relief work through many of our TUESDAYS THURSDAYS EVERY 2ND SUNDAY TUESDAYS centres by providing temporary shelter, distributing 4:00 - 4:20 PM 4:00 - 4:30 PM 3:10 - 3:40 PM 1:00- 1:30 PM cooked food and dry ration in the affected areas as CENTRAL TIME and where necessary.

LIVE While steps are also being taken to extend the reFormer District Director of Immigration Thomas Investment VISAS lief activities further, we are under the constraint of Fischer and Roger Piper and Former Consul General scanty resources. We request our devotees, donors Thomas Hutson serve as Special advisors to the �rm Employment Based VISAS FREE and well-wishers to come forward and kindly help Former Immigration Judge Jimmie Benton is us generously in this noble endeavour.

CONSULTATIONS �Of Counsel� to the �rm Family Based VISAS Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio GuFormer USCIS Regional Counsel for Texas Pauline THURSDAYS Applebaum is �Of Counsel� to the �rm terres has expressed sadness over the loss of lives  SUGAR LAND, TX Naturalization and destruction in India and Bangladesh by Cyclone Member of American Immigration Lawyer Association MONDAYS (AILA) since 1989 Amphan and commended the governments, first reDeportation  ATLANTA, GA Providing representation for Canadian Immigration sponders and communities for their “pre-emptive” through our a�liate in Canada work to help people and ensure their safety.

Boarder Assistance Over 1� Languages spo�en by the �rm�s sta� “The Secretary-General is saddened by the loss of Asylum lives and destruction as a result of Cyclone Amphan in India and Bangladesh. He extends his deep conTHURSDAY MONDAY FREE CONSULTATION Litigation dolences to those who have lost their loved ones and wishes those injured and affected by the disaster a SHIVANTI T. WILLY Canadian Immigration speedy recovery,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Du(404)937-6868 ATLANTA MANAGER (281)265-2522 | (888)529-5990 jarric said in a statement Sunday. swilly@grwpc.com immigration@grwpc.com Guterres commended the governments, first responders and communities for their “pre-emptive work to make people safe ahead of the storm and to Willy, Nanayakkara and Associates remains in full operation during this global health event. Attorneys, legal assistants meet their immediate needs afterwards”, saying the and support staff will be available via phone and / or video conferencing between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM CST. Thursday free consultations can also be scheduled by phone and video. Please contact us at (281)265-2522 or visit our website at www.grwpc.

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Indo-American News • Friday, may 29, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

May 29, 2020

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In COVID Era, IMAGH’s Socially Distanced Iftaar is One for the Ages

By Jawahar Malhotra

Houston: Most groups and organizations, which rely on participation by their members or the audience, have been hard hit by the novel Corona virus. About the same time, the multi-video conferencing platform Zoom suddenly burst into the forefront as a means to stay connected and it has been gaining members by leaps and bounds, so much so that other tech firms like Google and Microsoft have launched their own platforms.

But staying visually and audibly connected is one thing. Combining that with a food distribution and other entertainment is quite another. That’s exactly what the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH) figured out when they launched the customary public iftaar meal before the conclusion of the days of fasting of Ramadan. They have an equally ambitious Zoom Eid Milan planned for May 30.

They met for days before on Zoom and planned the event to spread the word far and wide, and then, with the help of Chief Development Officer Manisha Gandhi of The Alliance (a United Way Agency), held a distribution of boxed iftaar meals made by from Nirvana restaurant and caterer Mohmmed Mujeeb, at a drive-by in the parking lot of the agency’s building at 6440 Hillcroft in the heart of the Gulfton District.

“This is the densest district in the state,” said Alliance CEO Dan Stoecker, “with a very diverse mix of races and nationali-

The Alliance CEO Dan Stoecker with Chief Development Officer Manisha Gandhi.

The Eid bags were laid out to hand out for the kids.

Indian Consul General Aseem Mahajan hands out a boxed meal to a woman who walked in.

Volunteers with the boxed lunches from Nirvana restaurant and caterer Mohammed Mujeeb.

ties, including many refugees who start out here first.” As the people streamed in through the scorching hot afternoon of Wednesday, May 18, the 600 boxes of meals and eiddi presents for the kids went by within less than an hour. “For those who had registered for the iftaar but could not make it,” explained IMAGH President Munir Ibrahim, “we have arranged for a couple of vans to drop these off.”

All the volunteers were masked and wore gloves, and masks were even handed out to those in cars.

Towards the tailend of the event, Indian Consul General Aseem Mahajan arrived, rushing from one event to another, and gave out a few boxes to people who walkedup. He spent time with the IMAGH Board and volunteers, impressed by this, a one-of-a-kind iftaar that has surely made Houston’s history

books.

Mahajan chatted with the IMAGH Board members in The Alliance lobby after the event ended.

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4 May 29, 2020 Meenakshi Temple Open for Worship

By M. K. Sriram Pearland: As the State of Texas and the City of Houston have slowly started to re-open after the Covid-19 lockdown, it is indeed a welcome relief for the community to see the premier religious institution Sri Meenakshi Temple leading the way in re-opening with an abundance of pre-cautionary measures in place. The Texas Governor had issued the directive that houses of worship can open at a 25% capacity from May 1st. The MTS Board had already set up four different task forces that were putting together detailed plans for a safe re-opening. Procurement of masks, gloves, other PPE, cleaning supplies as well as equipment such as digital non-contact thermometers were already well underway.

Detailed procedures were developed based on many hours of discussions among the Temple Board members. A safety orientation was conducted for the benefit of the priests, staff and volunteers.

Safety posters with clear instructions were posted at strategic locations throughout the temple. The floors at the Main Temple, Corner Mandapams and Ganesh temple have been clearly marked to help the devotees practice safe distancing. The Board members did a dry run to make sure that all the safety measures are in place. The decision was made to officially reopen the temple, at a 25% capacity limit from May 14th.

Since then, the devotees have started slowly and steadily streaming in. The West side gopuram to the Main temple is the only gate for both entrance and exit. Here, as well as at the entrance to the Ganesh temple, a volunteer or staff member checks their temperature, makes sure visitors are wearing their masks, directs them to the hand wash station to wash their hands with soap and dry them before they can proceed into the various sannidhis. The volunteer keeps a running count of the number of devotees inside the temple quadrangle, so that the 25% limit is not exceeded. Other volunteers or staff members keep a watch inside and around the premises to make sure that proper safe distancing is being practiced and that there are

enough safety supplies.

The priests had been doing a remarkable job during the lockdown with daily homams and pujas that were livestreamed and watched by hundreds of people worldwide.

Many believe that these pujas and the chanting of the divine Vedic mantras have protected our community from any major calamity. Also, the silpis and the staff have also put in a lot of effort to keep things going during the lockdown. For their own safety and for the safety of others, the priests have been instructed to keep a safe distance from the devotees.

No vibhuthi, Kumkum or theertham are offered by the priests directly to the devotees.

On Sunday May 17th, there were two major pujas, Hanuman Jayanthi and Sri Raja Mathangi Homam that took place simultaneously per the regular schedule. The temple was able to manage this flawlessly to the full satisfaction of the devotees who participated.

The next step in the process was to re-open the Temple Kitchen for the benefit of the devotees. This was done a week later, on May 22nd, with

COMMUNITY

a limited selection of items. Great care and strict hygiene measures are in place in the kitchen. The food items are packed in ready to go boxes and there is no dine in facility at this time. The devotees, especially those coming from afar are very happy that the Temple Kitchen facility is open now.

It is the expectation that within a few weeks, there will be more relaxation of rules by the State of Texas. At that time, the MTS Board will reevaluate the situation and implement further re-opening measures. The bottom line is that the Sri Meenakshi Temple is open and safe to visit. The devotees in general have been very appreciative of all the efforts the temple Board, staff and volunteers are taking to make their worship a very safe and fulfilling experience.

Indo-American News • Friday, may 29, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

May 29, 2020

India House Provides Meals at Hospitals

Houston India House continues to appreciate the hard work and dedication of Houston’s frontline medical workers at various hospitals across the city. On Friday, May 22, 2020 India House provided lunch and dinner to healthcare professionals and staff at Baylor’s St. Luke’s Hospital at Medical Center, Houston. The food distribution was sponsored by India House Board member Mrs. Saroj Rungta, and catered and delivered by Aling’s Chinese Bistro.

India House also provided lunch to the healthcare workers at Stafford Dialysis Center on Friday May 22, 2020, which was spon-

Houston Food Bank and Amazon to Deliver Contactless Food for Seniors Houston: With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, never have so many residents in the Houston area needed food assistance than right now—especially vulnerable seniors in the community. The Houston Food Bank announced today it has teamed up with Amazon to donate delivery services of shelf-stable groceries to senior residents disproportionately impacted

by COVID-19. Amazon will leverage its transportation network of Amazon Flex drivers to make contactless, doorstep deliveries.

In the first two days of pilot deliveries in Houston, Amazon has already delivered more than 3,000 pounds of food serving more than 2,000 meals to vulnerable senior citizens. Amazon’s collaboration with Houston Food Bank is part of its commitment to deliver more than six million meals across the U.S. to underserved and vulnerable populations.

“For so many of our senior citizens, the pandemic is especially troubling as they have health concerns, limited mobility and need assistance for such regular tasks as grocery shopping,” said Brian Greene, president and CEO of Houston Food Bank. “Because this population needs help, we wanted to add direct food deliver-

sored and catered by Aling’s Chinese Bistro.

India House is grateful to our healthcare workers like doctors, nurses, and support staff, of various hospitals, who have been tirelessly working and providing selfless service for the benefit of the community.

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5

ies for them, and we are so thankful to Amazon for stepping up to make this happen for our beloved senior citizens.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in new challenges creating an increased demand for food assistance from existing Houston Food Bank clients to those who have never sought food assistance before. In addition to the donation of delivery services to senior residents, Amazon has provided a $50,000 COVID-19 response grant to help support operational needs and food supplies.

“Communities around the world are facing the COVID-19 pandemic together, and in Houston we’re proud to be doing our part to support our local community,” said Bri Tye, General Manager at Amazon’s Fulfillment Center in Katy, Texas. “The donation of $50,000 to the Houston Food Bank, and Amazon’s Flex deliveries will go directly to helping feed seniors and families who need it most.”

For more information on Houston Food Bank, its COVID-19 resources and to request assistance, please call the hotline at: 832-3699390 or visit houstonfoodbank. org/covid19/

Seattle’s Indian American Council Sets Up 1 MM Meal Food Lifeline

Seattle: Food Lifeline announced that the Indian American Council (IAC) has surpassed its goal of helping create 1,000,000 meals for the 300 food banks, shelters, and meal programs served by Food Lifeline.

Dozens of local business, tech and community leaders packed the Hunger Solution Center committing to fund over 350,000

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meals to solve hunger during the kick-off celebration for the Indian American Council (IAC) for Food Lifeline.

A humanitarian program of the Indian American Council (IAC), HungerMitao is a grassroots movement towards food banks’ focus of closing the hunger gap across the United States.

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COMMUNITY

May 29, 2020

Hindus of Greater Houston Combine Resources for Food Drives, PPE

By Manu Shah

Houston: Since the early days of the pandemic, Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) have been routing their combined resources into multiple food drives, distribution of PPE’s and actively fundraising to help Houstonians impacted by the financial fallout. About $100,000 has been raised by HGH to date for Sewa International and other organizations for their relief efforts.

In a meeting organized on May 23 and moderated by Secretary of Meenakshi Temple Parthasarthy Krishnaswamy, HGH Board of Trustees, Advisors and other community leaders once again got together virtually to share updates and the way forward.

Every HGH meeting begins with an uplifting message by a spiritual leader. On this occasion, BAPS Swami Bhaktivardhanji highlighted the selfless work and leadership shown by Pramukh Swami Maharaj who became the revered head of BAPS at the young age of 28. During his lifetime, Pramukh Swami Maharaj worked selflessly for the spiritual nourishment of people and supervised the construction of 1100 temples worldwide.

HGH Chairman Dev Mahajan apprised the gathering about the commendable work done by the Hindu Worship Society, Arya Samaj and VPSS with respect to food drives and the blood donation camp. VPSS was going to “targeted communities” to distribute food

instead of requiring them to come to the temple. Sanjay Jain from the Arya Samaj and Rajinder Soni from the Hindu Worship Society filled in more details about the events.

On May 31th, a blood donation drive will be held at the Arya Samaj School building from 9:00 am to 1.30 pm in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Blood Center. Sanjay Jain, who is spearheading this drive, appealed to all Indo Americans to register and donate blood. COVID testing is not required. However, donors should not have traveled to India in the last one year. Those who come in between 9-10:30 am will receive a free pack of 5 cloth masks. Groceries will be distributed between 12-1:00 pm Patanjali Yogpeeth President Shekhar Agrawal stated that preparations for Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev’s visit to Houston for the International Day of Yoga on June 21 has been shelved. A virtual two hour program has been planned instead to mark the day and will be live streamed from India House.

Swami Ramdev will join the session from India and yoga enthusiasts can follow Swami Ramdev’s yoga routine from their homes.

Member of the Hindu Heritage

Youth Camp Committee Bharat Pallod regretfully reported that for the first time in 35 years, HGH may not be hosting its annual camp for children. He further clarified “we are still working towards making a final decision on HHYC 2020. A traditional 5 day, 125 person camp is likely not possible and we are working towards a creative solution.”

Sewa International, which swung into action as soon as the first tremors of COVID-19 were felt, has been making a strong and positive impact in Houston. President Gitesh Desai, who joined the meeting in the midst of two food drives organized by the Gujarati Samaj of Houston and VPSS providing food for a combined number of 550 families, shared additional information about the relief efforts. He also added that the much sought after internships with Sewa will be available in a week’s time.

Kantibhai Patel and HGH President Thara Narasimhan from Voice

of Sanatan Hinduism are offering free airtime for food and blood drive announcements. Tune into their program on Masala Radio from 12-2 pm every Sunday.

Houston’s top cardiologist Dr. Randeep Suneja offered a much needed dose of optimism on the medical strides for COVID-19 treatments. As cities are emerging from lockdown, he warned everyone to continue social distancing measures and avoid unnecessary exposure especially the vulnerable elderly population. Statistical analysis expect the number of hospitalizations to drop by the end of June. Doctors are learning to better manage the disease with hydroxychloroquine and blood thinners. These medications are being administered to patients and are found to be effective in the first 72 hours.

The world’s most brilliant minds are collaborating on a vaccine at a speed that “has never before been seen in the history of mankind.”

Seven to ten projects show great promise and there should be a vaccine by September/October. India, he mentioned, is playing a key role and will supply millions of doses of the vaccine to countries around

the world including the US. India is at the forefront of yet another successful endeavor. Durga Bari’s Past President Parthasarathi Chatterjee highlighted the creation of the National Digital Library that is being put together by the IIT’s and will be the biggest data base of information on COVID-19 from testing to research. A virtual online concert featuring singers like Kailash Kher, Shreya Ghoshal and Usha Uthap is also being organized to raise funds for the recent cyclone that has devastated Kolkata.

A few temples have cautiously opened their doors to devotees such as the Meenakshi Temple, VPSS and the Hindu Worship Society. Parathasarathy Krishnaswamy from MTS drew attention to some of the best practices that have been implemented to minimize the risk of infections. Only one entrance/ exit is open, temperature screenings will be conducted, offerings of only milk/flowers are permitted and masks are mandatory. The temple is fumigated every 2 days while door knobs are sanitized every hour. The kitchen is open for takeout only. Functions are permitted at 25% capacity.

Community leader Vijay Pallod reiterated an urgent appeal to Indo Americans in Houston to register for the blood drive and donate blood. He also encouraged the youth to come forward and work with HGH towards the relief efforts.

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Indo-American News • Friday, may 29, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

SOUTH ASIA

May 29, 2020

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Locust Swarms Headed to Delhi from Jaipur Pak Using Spy Pigeon Across J&K New Delhi: A swarm of desert locusts that infested Jaipur on Monday morning could be headed towards the capital, if wind speed is favourable.

Delhi has been kept on alert as such swarms are currently active in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which is the most affected state.

Normally, desert locusts are seen in western Rajasthan and Gujarat from June to November, but they were first spotted by the Union agriculture ministry’s Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) in April.

What’s more concerning is that usually they are either solitary or in small groups, meaning the current swarming is unusual.

Entomologists said despite being an urban setting, the impact on Delhi could be severe as 22% of its area is under green cover, which can provide foraging material for the locusts. LWO deputy director K L Gurjar on Monday said, “The locusts may move towards Delhi in the next few days if wind speed and direction are favourable. As of today, the wind speed moved them north.”

IMD has been asked to monitor the meteorological conditions to help the agricultural ministry forecast where the locusts may be headed next. Kuldeep Srivastava,

scientist at IMD and head of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre in Delhi, said, “Wind direction is favourable at the moment, largely remaining northwesterly.” Mohammad Faisal, an entomologist at Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said the capital could suffer greatly, even if it had very little agricultural area. “The swarm, after surviving winter in the desert, moved out due to lack of food. Jaipur has plenty of green spaces, including parks, thus providing foraging material for them,” he added.

“Delhi’s green areas can be impacted severely. A very small, one square kilometre locust swarm can eat the same amount of food in a day as about 35,000 people,” said

Faisal, adding that in the past they have been known to affect water supply and railway lines. After their attack, railway tracks become slippery and need to be cleaned.

They have been known to clog wells too. Faisal said, “A single locust can lay up to 500 eggs. We need to tackle not just the swarm, but their breeding grounds too.”

Sohail Madan from Bombay Natural History Society said the swarm might not only impact gardens and greenery, but other insects who depended on the same plants for survival. Aswarm can be made up of 150 million locusts per square kilometre carried on the wind up to 150 km in a day, experts said

Srinagar: Villagers along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Sunday captured a pigeon suspected to be carrying a coded message, police said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua, Shalinder Kumar Mishra said the pigeon was flying over Manyari village in Hiranagar sector along the IB and had flown in from the Pakistan side.

The villagers have handed it

over to the police who are working to decipher the “coded message’’, written on a ring attached to one of its legs, Mishra told the media. One of the wings of the pigeon was marked red, sources said adding that the ring was also red in colour.

Such activities along the border fence have to be viewed seriously in view of past experiences, Mishra said to reporters.

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IMMIGRATION

May 29, 2020

100K Indian Women Could Lose Work Permit Due to H4 Rule Change

By Tulsi Kamath

Houston: More than 100,000 Indian women in the United States, many living in the Greater Houston area, stand to lose the ability to work if President Donald Trump’s administration moves forward with a plan to do away with their work authorization. The rule change, currently being considered by the Department of Homeland Security, would strip work authorization for some people living in the U.S. on an H-4 visa.

While no subject polarizes voters quite like immigration, the fate of South Asian workers, who make up a large part of the Greater Houston area popular, has largely escaped notice. At stake is the ability of thousands of women, born in India but now legal Texas residents, to work as doctors and teachers, executives and engineers.

“Many of these workers are very well-educated women who are independent, who are smart, can contribute in so many different ways to our society and our communities, who will be stagnating otherwise,” said Niyati Shah, head of litigation with advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

One former Houston resident says just the threat of losing her work authorization made it difficult for her to find an employer willing to hire her.

“Even when the interviews went

well, because of this (uncertainty), I was not getting through to the last rounds (of interviews),” said Kalyani Phadke. When an arranged marriage brought Phadke to Houston at 23, she worked on achieving her dreams -- first to get her Master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and then to get a job with a good tech company. If the rule change indeed goes through, everything she worked for will come to a screeching halt for at least several years.

Immigration was one of the key talking points during the 2016 election and this year promises to be no different. With the coronavirus pandemic upending most aspects of normal life, immigration once again became spotlighted when President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late April, temporarily suspending some immigration to safeguard American jobs. Politico reports that the order was not well-received by Conservatives but if it remains in place through Fall, Trump could make immigration a centerpiece of his 2020 campaign as he did four years ago.

What is the H-4 visa? When highly-skilled people come to the United States for work, it is often on a visa called H-1B. Under this visa status, they are considered temporary, non-immigrant workers. Their visa is valid for up to three years and if they want to continue working in the United States, they have to apply for extensions.

Among the challenges they face, H-1B visa holders have to get an employer who is willing to sponsor their visa and face a lottery system that only grants a set number of visas each year. If the worker’s spouse and children move here as well, they are granted a dependent visa called H-4 which is more restrictive. On this visa, spouses and children can study but not work.

Between 1997 and 2017, the U.S. government issued more than 1.7 million H-4 visas with more than a million were issued to people from India.

The rules are so tight, that even if a person on an H-4 visa chose to volunteer their time and skills to a company for no pay, they would not be allowed to if they could get paid for the work. This rule has caused so much confusion that one immigration law firm wrote an explanation for women trying to legally stay occupied.

Losing the ability to work has been a deterrent for highly-skilled immigrant families from moving or staying in the United States.

Many choose to move to other countries where the rules are not as tight.

“Married couples, for the most part, like to be together. Maybe not all day long, but they like to be together,” quipped Democratic Congresswoman Anna Eschoo of California. “It doesn’t make any sense to say one spouse can come in, the other spouse can accompany the spouse but only one of them

can work.”

After years of advocacy by women’s rights groups, the Obama administration introduced an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) in 2015, opening up employment for some people on the H-4 visa. However, it is not available to everyone in that visa category.

Only H-4 visa holders whose spouses have applied for and have been accepted to become permanent residents of the U.S. can apply for work authorization.

This means the H-1B visa holder’s employer has to fill out an I-140 petition asking the U.S government to allow that employee to be able to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis. If the I-140 application is accepted, the immigrant is one step closer to getting a Green Card and their spouse can apply for authorization to start working.

The U.S. government issues about a million Green Cards each year and a small fraction is allocated for people applying for an

employment-based Green Card.

There is also a 7% cap on Green Cards issued per country. Once the cap is reached, the rest of the applications get pushed to the next year, creating a backlog for applications from specific countries.

The backlogs for processing employment-based Green Cards for Indian and Chinese people are currently between five to ten years and by some estimates as high as 50 years.

Employment authorization documents were introduced for H-4 visa holders so they would be able to work while they wait in line, often for several years, to get a Green Card. “(Five to 8 years is) a significant period of time to be living in limbo, to not advance your career,” Shah said. After it was introduced in 2015, the number of EAD applications has seen a gradual uptick each year as more people learn about the program and become eligible to apply. Most of these applicants are Indian women. Read the full article on Click2Houston.

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EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Pakistan in Afghanistan The recent violence in Afghanistan has highlighted its multi-pronged conflict. The IS or Islamic State may hate Shias just as the Taliban does, but they hate each other too. Pakistan may hate the Pakistani Taliban that the Afghan Taliban doesn’t hate but it can hardly get the “friendly” Haqqani Group to be an arbiter in the Afghanistan negotiations. Its own suppression of Pashtuns will not endear it to anyone in the Pashtun south in Afghanistan. India, recently rejected as a party to talk to by the Afghan Taliban, is all over the place with its investment in projects that the Afghans can’t ignore.

What is happening in Afghanistan is going to affect Pakistan and since Pakistan is no longer clear whom it can support, the coming post-US withdrawal days will mean trouble for it. Because the Americans leaned on it for getting the Taliban to talk peace, Pakistan appears to outsiders as a strong influence in Afghanistan. But one should sit back and ask: Who is being backed by Pakistan in Afghanistan in these days of utter chaos?

There were days when the Afghan Taliban was in North Waziristan with al Qaeda. The latter could be led by Pakistanis like the erstwhile champion of Kashmir jihad, Ilyas Kashmiri, who then blew up the naval base in Karachi because the Pakistani naval chief was not releasing several navy men more loyal to al Qaeda than to Pakistan. (Mehran naval base was destroyed and all the terrorists involved in the action were naval employees.)

There was a time when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan favoured the Pakistani Taliban against the US, declaring himself against the “American war” in Afghanistan. In time, he was disembarrassed when the Pakistani Taliban attacked an army public school and killed over a hundred children there. Pakistani and Afghan Taliban were then ousted from North Waziristan and forced to take refuge in Afghanistan, and there is no proof that they have been spurned by the Afghan Taliban to retain Pakistan’s friendship.

The IS in Afghanistan is killing Shias there and in Pakistan, and it doesn’t get along with the Taliban. This doesn’t mean that the IS is free of all kinds of “warriors”, including Pakistanis who have links back home through such Shia-killing outfits as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. ISIL and al Qaeda are both in Afghanistan and are at cross-purposes while fighting the American Satan. Both contain terrorists from other nationalities like Sinkiang Uighurs and Indian Muslims, which gets both China and India worried about what Pakistan will do next.

The US counted on Pakistan to “deliver” the Taliban — especially the powerful Haqqani Group that has influence with the Taliban movement — but Pakistan is not certain whether in a crunch even the Haqqanis will stand by it. The vulnerability comes from madrasas in Pakistan spawning jihadi militias and owing loyalty to the Taliban-al Qaeda combine.

Pakistan has to work to break this nexus made strong by the penetrability of the 2,430-km Durand Line. While threatened by the Taliban, Pakistan also makes a “deal” over their availability in “peace talks” with the US. In Afghanistan, no one believes in this “arrangement”.

Sectarianism in Pakistan has complicated its relations with Iran. The other factor is Iran’s outreach to India with the construction of the Chabahar Port on the Iranian coast next to Pakistan. The highway that goes up from Chabahar to Afghanistan worries Pakistan and is one of the reasons it is fencing its borders. Pakistan has been attacked through the Iran-Pakistan border by groups who have targeted both Pakistan’s strategic port of Gwadar in Balochistan and Karachi in the south through agents said to be on the take from India. Last week, a group of policemen acting as alleged Indian agents were arrested in Karachi.

Indian influence in the Gulf, Iran and Afghanistan is palpable and there is a promise of extending it to the friendly Central Asian states through Chabahar and potentially through Pakistan. In normal times, the moment would have been ripe for an Indo-Pak “normalisation” and opening up of trade routes to ward off the economic uncertainties of a changing global order. -- Khaled Ahmed in Indian Express

May 29, 2020

9

The Tale of Two Pandemics: 1897 & 2020

By Samir Karandikar Part II: In Part I of the article, I had written about the differences between 1897 plague pandemic in India and the unfolding 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. While the 1897 plague killed a million people in India and devastated large areas for several years, we are shocked to see the statistics of sick and dead people in the developed nations.

Even though in sheer numbers, the population of China and India are significantly more than other nations in the world today, why are the infected proportions so different? Some people may say it is just because of testing and recording of data but even then, there must be some reason for this stark difference.

If you look at the comparison of COVID-19 related deaths in a nation per 100,000 population, the nations with the worst statistics (more than 10) are Belgium, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and France. These are clearly European nations that had large empires in 1896, but have now lost their empires. The wealth and power of these nations came from their empires in 1900s and even though these nations are wealthy without the empire, something else has made these nations very vulnerable. In contrast, China, India, Indonesia and Nigeria have less than 1 death per 100,000 people.

Ethiopia has recorded 0 deaths.

All these nations are developing and have large populations.

My speculation is that the European nations rely on tourists and business travelers from China to boost their economy. And the tourists and business travelers have carried the deadly virus at jet speed. The developing nations also had a much smaller portion of their citizens traveling overseas.

India had its citizens working in other parts of the world and after the signs of pandemic were confirmed, India allowed her citizens to return. India helped its citizens in returning back. However once returning to India, they had to go through a quarantine period and this effort may have controlled the

Hundreds of passengers arrived in Australia in January from the Chinese city of Wuhan before the quarantine was in place.

spread of the virus.

Japan makes an interesting exception. It was an economic giant and a significant empire builder in 1896 but it has managed to remain low in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Japan also has a large population of senior citizens who is more vulnerable. Even then Japan has comparatively lower number of cases and deaths.

What could be the cause? From my travel to Japan over the last decade, I could remember several travelers wearing masks. Their experience of fighting other flue virus outbreaks must have taught the Japanese use mask and disinfectants. The wide use of mask may have prevented the spread of this virus. South Korea, Singapore and other SE Asian countries have also battled the flue pandemics in the past and may have learned from that experience.

There are video clips from India that describe the methods used by the police to enforce the lockdown and use of masks. In a widely circulated video, we see morning walkers who disobeyed the curfew orders being forced to perform group exercises on the streets by the police. There are many in India who would support these police actions

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(provided it does not affect them personally). On the other hand, just imagine a Sherriff’s Deputy or a Houston Police Constable doling out these types of punishments to people not wearing masks at the entrance of your neighborhood grocery store. It will not be tolerated. The Western societies want to enjoy their freedoms and it would be unthinkable to have this type of enforcement. Most local governments have timidly issued advisories and guidelines rather than enforceable orders. This goes to show the weak political will to force people to protect themselves and others.

Even though more sophisticated health and research infrastructure is available to Western societies, we have not started our fight well. It may be that we did not go through the tough experience of SARS and MERS flue pandemics.

It could be that the idea of freedom in the Western societies is such that enforcement of policies that benefit the vulnerable members is not enforceable. It may also be a case where the self-governed India has got their public policies right.

The author is a Houston-based engineering executive and a playwright.

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ENTERTAINMENT

May 29, 2020

“Betaal”: A Few Flourishes, But a Sloppy Mess Ram Gopal Varma Bankrolls

Thriller Around Coronavirus

By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Vineet Kumar Singh, Aahana Kumra, Suchitra Pillai, Jitendra Joshi, Syna Anand, Jatin Goswami,Manjiri Pupala, Ankur Vikal, Richard Dillane Directors: Patrick Graham, Nikhil Mahajan Rating: 1.5 stars Channel: Netflix Within minutes of the opening of Betaal, we are given a village nestled deep in the jungles where reside folk who harbour an ancient secret, which has something to do with a hidden ‘gufaa’ (cave) in the mountains, and an evil power stuck in limbo—that sticky space between the living and the dead inhabited by schlocky horror movies.

And within those minutes, we know that we are in for a re-tread of stuff that’s stuffed into these kinds of tales, picked up from well-loved ‘vikram-vetaal’ tales, gothic stories about supernatural beings, and zombie flicks churned out by B-grade Hollywood and Cgrade Bollywood. Thing is, will the cobbled together combo stand up? Will it have the pizzazz to be lurid? The crunch-munch of cracking bones is a staple: will Betaal crank it up? Will it, in short, have the courage to be as pulpy and as silly as its material? A ‘lakshmanrekha of haldi-namak-bhabhooti’ (yes, this happens) which keeps blood-sucking critters at bay requires a sly nudge-wink of a tale: do we see any of this at play?

Nope, not really. There are a few flourishes we note, and a few scenes which are adequately scary.

But Betaal keeps sliding as it goes about assembling its pieces – an armed contingent which goes by

the name of CIPD, led by an-ontake commandant Tyagi (Pillai), her second-in-command Sirohi (Singh), his close comrades Ahluwalia (Kumra) and Akbar (Goswami), a greedy corporator Mudhalvan (Joshi), who is accompanied by his wife and young daughter Saanvi (Anand), a dusky attractive tribal woman Punia (Pupala), an ambitious ‘angrez’ who was alive 160 years back Col Lynedoch (Dillane), and his posse of killer redcoats.

The names of the characters are not generic. Attention has been paid, and we get a whole bunch of actors working really hard to rise above the plot, which leaks and creaks as much as the undead swarming over the landscape, sometimes carrying old pistols, sometimes not (where do the arms go?). But they snarl quite well, and some of the jump scares are quite effective, so we bump along, enjoying the skills of Vineet Kumar Singh (such a good actor) the most. Stands to reason, because he’s the hero (a character helpfully tells him he is one : weren’t the scriptwriters warned that if you have tell us a hero is a hero, there’s your game lost, right there?).

Only a couple of others are also fleshed out. Joshi is realistically sleazy. The little girl who remains mildly annoying right through, does her job. The rest remain uneven, both details-and-arc wise.

Aahana Kumra is short-changed: her scarred cheek demands a backstory we are denied. She and Saanvi are given a sequence about female power, but what should have been a solid angle, is allowed to peter off. The tribal woman wears an industrial-sized necklace around her neck, and makes eyes

at a soldier: the actor is effective, but who writes this stuff? And Ankur Vikal, last seen in a brief part in Pataal Lok, wanders about till he comes to squelchy stop.

You can see the buzzing of a whole beehive of ideas: corporates who want to gobble natural resources, the state which dubs resistant tribals as naxals, the armed forces which are complicit and compromised but are the only ones with some honour intact. The most enjoyable thread is a revisionist one: a soldier fires away at the advancing Brit zombies, screaming: that is for Jallianwala Bagh, and that’s for Bhagat Singh. Atta guy. And, my favourite line of the show, ‘this is what you call a hard Brexit’. Making up for the historical wrongs wrought upon innocent masses by rejoicing at the state of a sinking Britain? Good idea, such sloppy execution.

If only Betaal had gone down harder on this path, where the invaders are shown what’s what with a clear-eyed who’s who. And a chuckle or two. But it doesn’t quite know which tone to settle for—an old-fashioned morality tale, or a contemporary slug-fest (a shouty TV anchor invites a panelist to go to Pakistan)– and drowns itself in sentiment (the hero has a dark past).

In a recent film (the brilliant Newton) also set in the jungles, swarming with alleged Naxals and cynical armed forces, a character casually terms the undead, ‘jombies’, with an utterly straight face. Betaal’s ‘jombies’ jingle and jangle in the jungle, and give us a scare or two as they go about biting into flesh and squirting blood, but, net net, don’t really cut it. Pun fully intended. -- Indian Express

By Anvita Singh The trailer of Ram Gopal Varma and CM Creations’ production venture Coronavirus is out. Touted as the first film made on the deadly virus, the movie has been shot entirely during the lockdown. It has been helmed by Agasthya Manju of Lakshmi’s NTR fame.

In the trailer spanning over four minutes, we see a family struggling to embrace the possibility that a family member might be COVID-19 positive. The manner in which the trailer has been cut gives it the feel of a thriller.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has previously worked with RGV in films such as Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and Sarkaar, took to Twitter to share the trailer. The actor tweeted, “The irrepressible Ram Gopal Varma, ‘Ramu’ to many .. ‘Sarkaaar’ to me .. makes an entire film about a family in Lockdown, shot during Lockdown ..Titled : CORONAVIRUS .. perhaps the first film to be made on the virus ..This be the TRAILER ..”

RGV thanked Senior Bachchan for tweeting the trailer and stated that he could not let a virus lock him down completely.

Ram Gopal Varma is currently awaiting the release of Enter the Girl Dragon. His last release was the political comedy Amma Rajyam Lo Kadapa Biddalu.

Verma shot the film during the lockdown while following all the necessary precautions and guidelines.

All the film and television shootings were suspended from midMarch to avoid the spread of the virus.

Varma took to Twitter to un-

Indo-American News • Friday, may 29, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

veil the trailer of the film, which he said is based on the pandemic.

The film is directed by Agasthya Manju with Varma attached as a producer.

Taking dig at celebrities videos in quarantine, Varma said, “When the rest of film people were sweeping floors, cooking food, washing utensils, drying clothes, etc, I made a film.”

“We shot the coronavirus film in the lockdown period while strictly following guidelines,” he said.

The film’s trailer shows a woman coughing profusely in her room, making her family worried that she might have contracted the coronavirus.

“Coronavirus is not a horror film. It is about the horrors which are inside all of us including our great political leaders and bureaucrats who actually know only as much as us which is just nothing,” Varma said.

Earlier, Varma was blasted for his distasteful tweet about contracting coronavirus as an April Fool’s Day prank He apologised for his flippant action. “Anyway I am just trying to make light of a grim situation but the joke is on me and if I [did] offend anyone I sincerely apologise to them.” tweeted Varma after he realised that his joke had misfired.

The ‘Rangeela’ director came under fire for tweeting the fake news that he was tested positive for coronavirus on April 1. An hour later of proclaiming the diagnosis, he claimed that his doctor was playing a prank on him on April Fool’s Day. His brand of ribald humour didn’t go down well with his social media fans who called him out for his insensitivity to victims of the pandemic.

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Send us the correct answer before June 3, 2020.

Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published

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May 29, 2020

11

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

It is that time of year when Fall colors and festivals – Diwali, Hanukah, Thanksgiving, Christmas - fill up all our days. There are parties big and small everywhere and lots of little things to snack on and this dish is a perfect fit and so easy to make. Below is a reprint of Mama’s Coconut de Pede recipe, which is a perfect little finger dessert for Diwali. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions.

Coconut de Pede

(CONDENSED MILK COCONUT DISKS)

There is no shortage of sweet confections in India as they are made of various types of base ingredients.

Very few are actually made of flour dough and many use milk, either condensed, coagulated, reduced or separated for its whey and cheese.

Most of these “sweetmeats” (as Indian are fond of calling them) are very rich in sugar calories and deep frying and adding nuts make them even more fattening. All the same, they are extremely delicious and hard to pass up.

Some sweets – like laddus (balls made of various ingredients), burfi (reduced milk squares), boondi (sweet fried gram flour drops) and pede (dough disks), apart from being eaten as a dessert, are often used as offerings to the deities in temples and then distributed to others as prasad (blessed food). But not all sweets are used in temples as offerings. They are often sold at the stalls and shops that line the way to the temple.

Pede is a sweet that is made with khoya (reduced milk), sugar and traditional flavorings like illachi (cardamom), piste (pistachio) and kesar (saffron) and can come in creamy white to a caramel color. Pede originated in the holy city of Mathura (associated with Lord Krishna) and these – along with petha (caramelized white pumpkin or winter melon) – is what the city is also famous for all over the country.

The traditional way halwais (confectioners) make pede is to first boil whole milk on a stove till it has evaporated down to a thick paste.

They then make small disks of them.

It’s a time consuming process that requires patience, a lot of supervision to stir the milk so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom and burn, and the ability to stand over a hot stove for long hours.

But there is a much simpler way too. This recipe allows the average home cook to cut back the work and still make tasty pede that can match the store made ones. It is quick and easy to make - in about 30 minutes – and those who eat it will never know the difference Ingredients: • 1 cup non-fat milk powder • 1 cup bariq narrial powder (fine coconut powder) • 7 oz (200 gm) condensed milk

• Condiments to taste: crushed piste (pistachioes); illachi (cardamom) powder Directions: 1. Pour all the non-fat milk powder and coconut powder in a bowl and mix together.

2. Pour in the condensed milk and mix thoroughly.

3. Coat your hands with some vegetable oil so that the ball will not stick. Now knead the mixture till it forms into a ball.

4. Coat a clean dinner plate with a thin film of vegetable oil so that the pedde will not stick.

5. Take a small amount of dough and roll between your palms of till it forms into a small ball.

6. Place the ball on a serving plate and then press down with your palm to form a half-inch thick disk, about 1.25 inches in diameter.

7. Continue to make more disks with the remaining mixture.

8. To the top of each disk, place some crushed piste. Then sprinkle the entire plate lightly with the illachi powder.

9. Cover with some wrapping paper and place the plate in the fridge for an hour.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947.

People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her early-nineties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

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K TO ADD SOME C OLOR TO BURFI AND PEDE, USE SOME TURMERIC

Most people thin with that gives of k of haldi (turmeric) as just anothe haldi is an effectivf a deep yellow color. Some may r spice to cook proven facts. But me antiseptic and skin lightener, boeven know that is fairly difficult to ost people do realize that haldi stath scientifically in get out if left unto uched for awhile. s on clothing But what many often used as a copeople may not understand is th sweets like burfi loring agent to make different foat haldi is also want a slightly crand pede. If no other color is avai ods, especially eamy color, just ad la the dough and it wi d a little haldi whble, or if you ll ile kneadi gi ve a nice, pleasing colo taste to the sweets. r without adding anng y

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12

EID 2020 SPECIAL

May 29, 2020

Salman Khan Spreads Message of Brotherhood in Eid Song “Bhai Bhai”

Actor Salman Khan recording the song “Bhai Bhai” at his farm station in Panvel, Maharashtra (left). The truck that Salman had designed for his next movie shoot is being used to deliver ration kits on the occasion of Eid and also in response to the hardship caused by the Corona pandemic in Mumbai.

Mumbai: Salman Khan has been releasing his movies on the festival of Eid for years now. But, this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, he couldn’t follow the tradition. However, the actor made sure his fans don’t miss the chance of watching him on the special day.

The Bollywood superstar late Monday released a music video titled “Bhai Bhai”. Along with the video, Khan wrote, “Maine aap subb ke liye kuch banaya hai, dekh ke batana kaisa laga… Aap subb ko eid mubarakh … #BhaiBhai (I have made something for all of you. Let me know how do you like it)”.

In the music video, Salman Khan is seen spreading the message of unity and brotherhood. He

conveys the message of love towards each other and each other’s religion. The actor says instead of fighting with each other, fight against unemployment and for education.

Composed by music composer duo Sajid and Wajid and penned

by Danish Sabri along with Khan, the song seems to be shot at his Panvel farmhouse where he has been residing with his friends and family.

Wishing his fans on Eid, the Dabangg actor shared, “First of all, Eid Mubarak to everyone. May all of us be blessed with the strength to deal with the pandemic this year.”

He added, “Since we couldn’t release our film on this Eid, I have worked on a very special song for

all my wonderful fans. It is called “Bhai Bhai” as it celebrates the spirit of brotherhood and unity.

Eid is the best day to release this as it is also the festival that brings people close to each other. I hope people enjoy the song as much as I did while making it for them.”

This is the third song that Bollywood’s bhaijaan has released amid the lockdown. Earlier he treated his fans to “Pyar Karona” and “Tere Bina”, both crooned by him.

In a related development, Salman Khan has been distributing ration kits for people affected by coronavirus-induced lockdown for over a month now. In the last few days, the actor through his initiative Being Haangryy has also distributed 5000 Eid kits.

Hossain Sha, the rider of a Being Haangryy ration truck, told indianexpress.com, “Salman Bhai has instructed us to distribute ration for everyone who needs it in the city. We have been doing that in the slum pockets of Mumbai.

Last three days, we have been also distributing Eid kits which consist of milk, ghee, vermicelli and dry fruits. These are the things families would require to make sheer kurma to celebrate Eid today. We were distributing the same till late last night, and today also we went to Bandra Kurla area which we couldn’t cover earlier. This is our small way of spreading some smiles in these difficult times.”

In the last few weeks, the Being Haangryy truck has been spotted in various parts of Mumbai.

The Being Haangryy food truck was designed for Salman Khan’s upcoming film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. However, the actor and his production house decided to utilise the truck to feed the poor amid the pandemic.

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May 29, 2020

EID 2020 SPECIAL

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EID 2020 SPECIAL

May 29, 2020

Pediatric & General Dentistry Sleep Dentistry for Kids First Dental Home Inside First Colony Mall Sugar Land 832-225-3220 www.firstdentalhome.com

Dental Clinics of Texas Northwest Houston 832-427-1901 www.dentalclinicsoftexas. com

Eid Mubarak

Dr. Yunus Langha Dr. Glen Banks Dr. Hareeti Gill Dr. Saalini Velamakanni Dr. Gagan Kahlon & Team Indo-American News • Friday, may 29, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com