Indo-American News December 17, 2021

Friday, December 17, 2021 | Vol. 40, No. 51

Indo American News

December 17, 2021

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Published weekly from Houston, TX

www.indoamerican-news.com

Special Reports Community Briefs Local Politics South Asians in the News

2470 Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77077 • 713.789.NEWS (6397) • indoamericannews@yahoo.com

ICC Elects New Trustees, Directors

India Culture Center (ICC) Executive Board (seated) and the Board of Directors.

India’s Miss Universe

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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

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COMMUNITY

December 17, 2021

India Culture Center Elects New Directors and Trustees in Elections

By Jawahar Malhotra

Houston: In a fresh new approach to end-of-the-year board meeting, India Culture Center President Jasmeeta Singh went through a Powerpoint presentation to outline the achievements of the organization over the past 12 months, followed by the treasurer’s report.

Singh reported that with 50 new life and general members and collections from iFair and iFest, 2021 revenues were over $66,000 and net income was over $35,000, the highest in a decade. iFair was a Zoom event that raised about $12,000 while iFest, celebrating Indian Independence Day, was an in-person held at the Stafford Civic Centre and raised a record $50,000.

Apropos to the importance of the event, the meeting was held in a small section of the large hall at India House and featured a sump- The ICC Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees, along with other members tuous lunch catered by Ashiana Restaurant for the nearly 80 members who attended, another record turnout, at least in the past decade.

The centerpiece of the meeting was the election of new Directors for the 7 vacancies and Trustees for the 3 vacancies. The Election Committee with myself as the Chair, Bangar Reddy and Hasu Patel called KTRK-TV the Disney Owned station in Houston, TX is seeking a collaborative, ethical out the names of those nominated. These 6 Direcand empathetic multi-skilled journalist who loves to dig and enterprise lead stories. tors elected to two-year terms are returning directors Santosh Verma; Falguni Gandhi; Dr. K.D. Upadhyaya; Uma Mantravadi; and new directors Juli Mathew We want a self-starter and storyteller who can work effectively with a wide range of and Dr. Phaneendra Kondapi. The two Trustees are personnel to create compelling high impact content on all platforms. Candidates must Praful Gandhi (returning for another term) and Charhave a passion for uncovering and reporting the facts, and with integrity above all else. lie Patel. Filling out the seventh director seat was Sangeeta Dargan who self-nominated herself from The multi-skilled journalist must be a dynamic communicator and strong leader with the floor and was seconded and accepted.

Job Posting

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

MULTI-SKILLED JOURNALIST

the ability to authentically engage and connect with a diverse audience. The person will have the ability to move the audience between linear and digital platforms.

The multi-skilled journalist will participate in the editorial decision – making process as it relates to story assignments, sourcing subjects featured in story assignments, sourcing subjects featured in stories and developing community relationships to expand the diversity of voices in our storytelling.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record and generate impactful content by uncovering stories through investigation and research. We want a team player who can turn visually creative, memorable stories that provide context and perspective.

Kashi: On Monday (December 13) afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor connecting the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi to the ghats of the Ganga.

The corridor, said to be the PM’s dream project, has been built over an area of 5,000 hectares, and seeks to not only decongest but to also transform the temple complex.

The Rs-800-crore project was launched by the PM in his parliamentary constituency in March 2019, with the aim of restoring the “lost glory” of the spiritual centre.

Officials say it had long been Modi’s vision to create better conditions for pilgrims and devotees, who had to endure the infamously congested streets and surroundings of the temple.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple lacked direct access to the Ganga, and a 20-foot-wide corridor was envisaged to connect Lalita Ghat on the holy river to Mandir Chowk on the temple premises.

“Shiva bhakts can take a dip in the river every morning and worship the Lord in the temple, which will now have direct visibility from the ghat,” an official of the Ministry of Culture said.

Responsibilities : • Ability to shoot visual content, report, write, edit and produce stories on dead line for multiple platforms, such as linear, digital and social platforms.

• Offer creative and innovative ideas for elevated storytelling • Superior on-camera presentation • Excellent writing skills, possess solid news judgement and ethical decisionmaking skills • Demonstrate a strong commitment to the community, which includes represent ing the station and participating at various community events • Inspires with humility and inclusive behaviors Preferred Qualifications: • Minimum of 3 years of experience in a medium sized market • Proficient with AP style • Must be flexible with working hours (late nights, overnights. Weekends and holidays) and adaptable to change.

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Indo-American News • Friday, december 17, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

3 Luxury Fashion House Chanel Appoints Leena Nair as CEO

DIASPORA

London: The luxury fashion house Chanel has chosen Leena Nair, an industry outsider from India and longtime executive at Unilever, to be its new CEO. The news made a huge splash on Wednesday in India, Nair’s birthplace, where she received scores of congratulations and compliments to her announcement, one calling her a “serial glass-ceiling breaker”.

The appointment is full of “historic firsts”, said Abhay Gupta, CEO and founder of consultancy group Luxury Connect in India.

“I am elated. This is the first time an Indian is heading a global luxury brand, that too an Indian woman, and it’s the first time a fashion industry outsider has been picked,” he said.

People of Indian origin are at the helm of a number of global tech, finance and other companies, but the same cannot be said for luxury brands. Gupta, who also runs a school for luxury management, said his students would be “inspired” by the news.

“It’s very encouraging and motivating, especially since we haven’t seen this before. Coming from a

December 17, 2021

In her social media posts, Nair has described Indiaborn former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi as a friend and mentor. Nair herself recently was awarded the Great British Businesswoman Role Model of the Year award.

But she is not the first woman to be CEO of Chanel. Earlier, Francoise

non-luxury background, I expect she’ll bring fresh perspective — it’s a sign that things are changing,” he said.

While Nair, 52, is not a part of the Paris fashion scene, Chanel has a wide range of products in addition to its fashion designs.

Nair is succeeding billionaire co-owner and chairman of privately held Chanel, Alain Wertheimer, as CEO. A grandson of Chanel co-founder Pierre Wertheimer, he remains as global executive chairman of the fashion house.

In an emailed press announcement, Chanel said Nair’s hiring “will further ensure long-term

success as a private company”.

She will start her new role at the end of January and be based in London, the company said.

British consumer goods giant Unilever describes Nair as its first woman, first Asian and youngestever chief human resources officer. She joined Unilever in 1992 in India and advanced up the ranks, spending time at the company’s factories early on.

Nair is due to step into her new role in January. Her appointment is seen back home as a sign of the rising stature of Indian business leaders, especially women.

Montenay and American Maureen Chiquet held that role. And of course, the co-founder of Maison de Chanel was a woman, the late Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

Nair is married to financial entrepreneur Kumar Nair and has two sons.

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IN MEMORIAM

Kanwal P. Sulhan

(Jan. 21, 1928 - Dec 10, 1984)

In loving memory of Kanwal Sulhan who, on this day, left us for his heavenly abode.

You were a great human being, a loving husband, dedicated father and grandfather and an inspiration to all of us.

As long as we live, we will always cherish the good memories and the time spent together.

In Remembrance by Sheel Sulhan (wife); Pradeep Sulhan (son) & Grandchildren Sid, Sandeep, Rahul & Amit

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December 17, 2021

Miss Universe is Harnaaz Sandhu of India

Tel Aviv: There’s new royalty in the Miss Universe world! On Sunday, Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was officially named Miss Universe 2021.

Sandhu, 21, beat out 79 other contestants from various countries and territories — including runnerup Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira and second runner-up Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane — to claim the prestigious title.

A strong advocate for women’s empowerment, Sandhu is actor who draws inspiration from Priyanka Chopra. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, dancing, cooking, horse riding and playing chess.

In a speech on stage during the pageant, Sandhu urged young people to “know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourself to others. “I believed in myself, and that’s why I’m standing here today,” she added, to loud applause from the audience.

Sandhu said she was feeling “overwhelmed because it’s been 21 years since India got the Miss Universe crown and it’s happening right now.”

Before Harnaaz, only two Indians have won the Miss Universe crown - actors Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.

Harnaaz is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Public Administration.

The competition was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey, who at one point in the night asked Sandhu, “I hear you do some pretty good animal impersonations, let’s hear your best one.”

Harvey was later criticized online for singling her out with what many have suggested was an inappropriate question.

“Oh my god, Steve, I was not

expecting to do this on the world stage. I have to do this, I have no other option. Brace yourselves, everyone,” she said looking surprised, before demonstrating a few meows.

At a later Q&A session, when Sandhu had reached the top 5, she took the opportunity to spread a message on climate change. “This is the time to take action and talk less,” she said. “Prevent and protect is better than repent and re-

pair.”

After her win was announced, she celebrated with other contestants on stage, shouting to a camera, “Chak de Phatte India,” a Punjabi exclamation similar in meaning to “Let’s do this, India!”

Prior to the winning moment, the 70th annual Miss Universe competition featured a swimsuit and evening gown segment, as well as an interview portion for each of the contestants.

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December 17, 2021

Indian Consular Services to VFS Global Houston: In continuation of our Public Notice dated 3 November, 2020 https:// cgihouston.gov.in/listview/MTk3 regarding the appointment of VFS Global as the new Outsourcing Service Provider for Visa, OCI, Renunciation, Passport, Global Entry Programme (GEP) and Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) services for the Consulate General of India, Houston, it is informed that with effect from 13 December, 2021 VFS Global will start accepting visa applications.

A service fee of US$ 15.90 (inclusive of all taxes) per application will be charged, in addition to applicable Government of India fees for these services.

2. Applicants are advised not to send any applications by post to VFS Global before completing an online application. Applicants residing within the CONSULAR JURISDICTION of the Consulate General of India, Houston may contact VFS Global as per details given below: Suite 550, 1001 Texas Avenue Houston TX 77002 Website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/ en/ind Helpline: +1-800-320-9693 3. Pursuant to this: Consulate will stop accepting direct visa applications w.e.f. 13 December, 2021 and the applicant will need to submit the visa application to VFS, details of which are available at https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ ind In view of ongoing Covid pandemic, while majority of visas have been restored, it has been decided that only a Single Entry Tourist Visa will be granted with validity for 120 days and a maximum stay permitted of 30 days within this 120 day period. In ad-

dition, Entry Visas are also being issued to US passport holders of Indian origin, subject to eligibility. The details of currently permitted categories are available at PERMITTED CATEGORIES FOR TRAVEL TO INDIA 4. Details of visa fees are available at Revised Visa fees for USA nationals In addition, the applicant will be required to pay US$ 3.00 on account of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), apart from the VFS service charge and for any value-added services, like courier, etc.

5. Emergency Visa Service: VFS will accept in-person applications, with prior appointment, on working days as well as on weekends/holidays, from US passport holders of Indian origin and their family members required to visit India due to a genuine family emergency, such as critical illness or death of a family member. Documentary evidence will need to be provided and the applicant will be charged an emergency service fee. Applicant within the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India, Houston may contact VFS as per details given below: From Monday – Friday: Between 9 AM to 4 PM Email: VFS_VisaHOU@vfsglobal.com Weekends and Holidays Only: Between 9AM to 4PM

Indo-American News • Friday, december 17, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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SPORTS

December 17, 2021

TCC Taped Ball Fall 2021 Tournament: WOMCC Win vs CFCC

Runners up: CFCC

Winners: WOMCC

After a hard-fought tournament, WOMCC finally lived their dream of winning TCC, which is the toughest taped ball tournament in the Houston area. This was their first ever title. They pipped CFCC by three wickets in a thrilling game that was worthy of a final! On a bright, sunny morning, 20th Nov 2021, WOMCC won the toss and elected to field first. Their bowlers were on song throughout the tournament and that was the best way to go ahead for the team. The opening batsmen were removed very quickly by the fast-bowling duo of Chand and Afsar. Sasidhar nicked one off Afsar and Abhished nicked one off Chand with Navin catching both the batsmen out.

The score read 11/2 in the third over. Akshay and the ever-reliable Yesu started the rebuild nudging around the strong WOMCC bowling around for doubles and singles.

The duo put together 32 runs in 6

overs. Pranav, the dibbly dobbly medium pace bowler came into the attached and removed Yesu (17) with his first ball! After this breakthrough, Rajkiran and Akshay (24) continued to defy an aggressive WOMCC attack. CFCC managed to reach 51/3 at the end of the first half of the innings.

In the second half, Akshay was bowled off a peach of a delivery

by Asfar and Rajkiran and Dikshith followed soon after being removed by Archit in a gap of two balls. After 14 overs, CFCC were in a bit of a spot of bother at 73/6, looking for some desperate runs to at least reach the par score of 120 which was a defendable total on the ground. This much needed impetus was provided to the team

by Manjunath (23) and Yashwanth (24). The duo scored at a brisk rate and added almost 50 runs in 6 overs. Trying to score a quick double, Manjunath was run out cour-

tesy a rocket throw by Chand from the deep. After that partnership ended, Pranav bowled a beautiful last over giving away just 5 runs which limited the CFCC team to a respectable total of 125/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Chasing 126, Navin and Naushad started cautiously overcoming a lethal spell by Yesu in which he conceded only one run in his first two overs. This included a maiden over to WOMCC’s in form batsman Navin Negi. After a solid start of 35 runs in 6 overs, Naushad (18) was run out by Yashwanth trying to steal a single. After this, Manjunath came into the attack and picked Rushang, Archit and Zeeshan quickly to leave WOMCC in a spot of bother at 67/4 in the 11th over. WOMCC were in further trouble after Yesu removed the captain Neelesh and Abhishek removed Asfar. Standing through all this fall was Navin Negi. He

kept one end steady and continued batting steadily. Pratap and Navin put a stand of 31 runs and got WOMCC well within the sight of the victory. After Pratap fell, Navin unbeaten on 60 with 7 fours and a six finished the game off in style to hand WOMCC their first ever TCC trophy!

The game was followed by a well-managed presentation ceremony organized by Jagdish Biradar. Neelesh Musale, the captain of WOMCC was handed over the winner’s trophy and the runners up trophy was handed over to captain of CFCC Prabhakar Thota. Navin Negi from WOMCC was the MVP of the final and the MVP for the tournament.

Tournament awards were also handed over. For Divn I, George from ECC was the best batsman with 262 runs, Prabaharan from Big 12 was best bowler with 12 wickets, Shiva from HCCC was

the best wicket keeper with 29 dismissals, Sandeep from Miura Bulls was the best allrounder with 130 runs and 11 wickets.

Special awards were given to Shiva from HCCC for a century and Gopi from Masters for Hat trick. For Divn II, Saad from Champions CC II was the best batsman with 343 runs, Manohar from Martians was the best bowler with 15 wickets, Ram from Spartans with 23 dismissals was the best wicket keeper, Roshaka from All Stars CC was the best allrounder with 210 runs and 10 wickets.

Special awards were given to Saad from Champions CC II for a century and Sadesh of All Stars CC for a Hat trick. Online scorecard is at: https://cricclubs.com/3T/fullScorecard. do?matchId=908&clubId=8675 and YouTube video is at: h t t p s : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=kSiDOSlnGvs

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HEALING

December 17, 2021

Tenaz Sunawala Puts “Self” Back in Self-Empowerment

Houstoni Tenaz Sunavala’s debut book “The Path to Self-Empowerment- My Meditations with Grandma” was launched on October 31 at the Sugar Creek Country Club in Sugar Land, TX The event featured brief speeches by the author and her close collaborators, delicious finger foods, followed by short demonstration of meditation and book-signing sessions. Approximately 100 guests attended.

The book describes her life-journey of self-discovery from childhood to the present, and transition from mental anguish to a state of peace and contentment. It is a slim volume at 130 pages of text, but packed with brutal honesty about her personal struggles. She classifies the four key steps to achieve Self-Empowerment through meditation as: Acceptance, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Self-Love Although the book is targeted mainly for women, the insights described are relevant to anyone – male, female, or otherwise - who has experienced emotional trauma in their past and continues to suffer from its ill-effects. Some important takeaways that I personally got from attending this event and reading the book are: The secret to your happiness lies within you, in your cultural Mind-set, not in external material possessions or perception of your “success” by others.

Meditation is an effective tech-

nique to connect your mind with your soul, and reveals answers for your life going forward.

Unfortunately, it has been and continues to be largely neglected in modern Western culture. One chapter describes the concept of 7 “chakras”, centered at different physical locations in one’s body, which can be a useful aid.

F o rg i v e n e s s is a critical step in achieving inner peace. Merely mouthing the words “Sorry” means nothing unless the perpetrator is motivated by recognition of the wrongs done, acceptance of responsibility and genuine remorse for his/her actions, and a personal commitment to change.

Every person needs to have a purpose in life that extends beyond immediate selfish pleasure and ego-gratification - it could be community welfare, socio-economic justice, rescuing abused animals, preventing environmental pollution/degradation, creating a lasting legacy by sharing useful knowledge in the form of books, etc. In Tenaz’s case, her purpose now is promoting “Healing through Sto-

ry-Telling”.

Tenaz grew up in Silver Spring, MD, with her parents, brother, and grandparents. S h e comes from a privileged socio-economic background by the commonly accepted standards of a social system that values individual materialistic “success” above community well-being. She started out pursuing the American dream – good K-12 schools, college education,

marriage, two children of her own, beautiful house, nice cars, foreign travel, career success in the corporate world, a large friends circle, parties, and so on, but soon realized that these things were not leading to happiness. Instead, she felt a lot of stress and emotional turmoil, which led her to seek a different path towards emotional well-being through Self-Empowerment. This is her story.

In her new avatar, Tenaz has become an entrepreneur, leading meditation groups with over 300 members spread out over 3 continents – North America, Europe, and Asia. She calls her group ‘Breath of Life’. Her passions are to guide, empower, heal and restore spirituality to her clients for a fuller, richer, contented, and more purposeful life.

She is an active member of the

United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), and was a presenter at the United Nations NGO CSW65 conference in 2017 on Sustainable Development Goals for good health, well-being, and gender equality. She has also been a featured speaker at local events sponsored by Houston Women Entrepreneurs, DAYA- Houston, and various corporate entities on the subject of the Path to Self Empowerment.

To join her one of a kind Meditation groups, invite her as a speaker to your events. She conducts frequent free virtual workshops. Her book is available on Kindle and paperback through Amazon or her website.

Get in touch: W: https://tenazsunavala.com/ I: @tenazsunavala F:https://www.facebook.com/ TenazS

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December 17, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, december 17, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

SUDOKU/MOVIE REVIEW 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.

Send us the correct answer before December 23. 2021 Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

Solution Next Week

Last Week’s Solution

Last Week’s Winners

Sanchali Basu, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Ramana Vadrevu, Kumud Athavale, Taranjit Singh, Ramesh Shah

December 17, 2021

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‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’: Breaks Stereotypes

By Hiren Motwani Critic’s Rating: 4.0/5 STORY: Manvinder Munjal aka Manu (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a fitness enthusiast who owns a gym, and a bodybuilder who competes year on year to win the local championship. While he’s focused all his energies on sweating it out and building his dole-shole for that (with little luck), his gym business sees far and few footfalls. Until walks in, the headturner, Maanvi Brar (Vaani Kapoor), the gym’s newly appointed Jhoomba (read: Zumba), instructor. Soon enough, sparks fly and the two are drawn into a passionate relationship. But there is more to Maanvi than the gorgeous woman that she is. And that forms the crux of the story.

REVIEW: Love stories are love stories after all. Mostly, boymeets-girl, some romance, mushgush, conflict, makeup or breakup, and end of the story. Well here, boy does meet girl, too, but she has a past (not the cliché affair, marriage, child out of wedlock or criminal history), that becomes hard for Manu, with all his machismo, to bear. Without giving away much (Story Idea credited to Simran Sahni), let’s say that Maanvi has courageously battled all odds, and ‘transformed’ into a new person, someone she has always pined to be. While she feels liberated and is proud of her new identity, and one that’s true to her real self, will society and her family embrace her choice and accept her for what they call, ‘not normal’ in their very normal world.

Director, Abhishek Kapoor, doesn’t beat around the bush and gets to the point directly and quickly. After introducing Manu, his friends and his family, he lets us into Maanvi’s world, slowly and subtly revealing her past.

While preparing us for Maanvi’s revelations, he’s also readying us for Manu’s initial disbelief, shock and horror at discovering more about the girl he’s so intensely in love with. And when the moment arrives, he handles it finely, without too much dramatisation or theatrics – in performance or dialogues.

While Abhishek maintains lighthearted humour in most situations, he handles the hard-hitting reality of the subject with sensitivity and maturity. He lays it all out – people’s crude and outrageous reaction on learning the truth about the subject, our general lack of knowledge and information on a matter that needs to be addressed, and the way our society is sharply divided on the concept of being ‘inclusive’, and

giving every individual the

liberty to be who they are and what they want to be. Abhishek does it with tact and weaves in humorous punches – soft and gentle, nothing too heavy-weight. Credit also goes to Supratik Sen and Tushar Paranjape for their honest and relatable screenplay and dialogues, which is evident in several scenes. Be it the Munjal family pushing Manu’s to get married, his widower father

(Girish Dhamija) waiting to marry his Muslim girlfriend, Maanvi’s father (Kanwaljit Singh) being supportive of her choices even though her mother strongly disapproves, or Manu’s over-the-top sisters meddling in all of Manu’s matters—there is never a dull moment, almost all scenes as tight as Manu’s six-pack and bulging biceps. -- Times of India

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December 17, 2021

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