Indo-American News: April 21, 2023

A Piece of the Punjabi Countryside Right on the West Belt

By Jawahar Malhotra

houston: It was the Vaisakhi Khed Mela, after all!

All the food vendor booths were just too tempting and took you back to a time long ago in a Mother country so far away! Gol Gappey! Chole Bathure! Fruit Chaat! Pakore! And what brought it all together was the Ganne da Rus (sugarcane juice) straight from the press mounted on the bed of a truck where three men squeezed the long stalks till they were dry and then tossed them in a stack!!

And you thought: when was the last I ate all this all at once? Followed by: damn the diet for one day!!

After all, the Mela brought together not only about 3,000 people on a beautiful, blue sky day with mild temps, it also offered a gastronomical festival from a dozen booths serving food cooked on the spot! Jalebis! Dosas! Dahi bhalle! Pizza! Cotton Candy and ice cream!!

The night before it had rained, so the big maidan in the middle of the ground was soaked so a large blue tarp covered it and the races were held off to one side! The volleyball competition between a few teams played out on the other side.

This was the 8th annual Khed Mela held by the Sikh National Center on their vast 20-acre property on the West Beltway across from the Sam Houston Racetrack and was much better organized than in years past. The roped off lawn and the vendor booths and seats to eat hugged the perimeter and brought everyone together. What would have helped would have been long tables so you didn’t have to balance the Styrofoam plates while eating.

The completely free event was open to the public, as in previous years, and there was plenty of paved parking in the two lots that frame each side of the main gurdwara building, which is a few months away from being completed. The mela was sponsored by the generosity of Dr. Hardam S. Azad, Harjit S. Galhotra, Jitinderpal Singh, Gurbir S. Boparai, Jagmohan S. Koonar, Baljeet S. Purewal, Gurmeet

S. Saini, Shamsher Singh, Gurcharan S. Dhaliwal, Tirath S. Khera, Amrik S. Banwait, Jarnail Singh, Dhian Singh, Avtar Singh, Bakshish S. Josan, Satbir

K. Cheema, Sukhpal S. Dhaliwal, Gurlal Singh, Amrit Singh, Ruben Bains, Divjyot Singh, Rinku Sandhu and Preetinder Singh.

RELIGION

Houston JVB Preksha Meditation Center Conducts Family Retreat

By KulDeep lunia

Denton: Under the spiritual guidance and presence of Samani Jin Pragyaji and Samani Kshanti Pragyaji, JVB Preksha Meditation Center, Houston conducted its 21st Annual 3-day Family Retreat Camp at Radha Madhav Dham in Austin, TX from April 7-9 2023. More than 125 participants came along to enjoy the calm and scenic surroundings while nurturing their souls through powerful discourses, yoga, meditation, and relaxation techniques.

The camp commenced on Friday with Pramod Bengani, Director of JVB Houston delivering the welcome note. Mukta Jain hosted the “Ice-breaking” session where all the attendees and their families introduced themselves. After the introduction, Samani Jin Pragyaji started the program with the topic “The Greatest Secret on Earth”. Parallel session for youth from ages 12 to 20 yrs. was conducted by Samini Kshanti Pragyaji on the topic “Acceptance of Coexistence Leads to Greatness” and sessions for Kids from 8 to 11 yrs old was conducted by Suman Bhutoria on the topic “Gratitude: A way towards Greatness”. Session for small kids from 3 to 7 yrs was conducted by Garima Jain on the topic “Gratitude Tree”.

First time participants, Manish & Nidhi Gundecha said “Big shout out to all JVB volunteers for planning, coordination and execution of a memorable camp. Although

this was the first time for me and my wife, we felt as if we have been coming here for ages. Kudos to all JVB family and attendees for driving inclusiveness. We not only bring back great memories from the camp but lifelong associations. Thank you for including us.”Saturday and Sunday morning sessions started with powerful “Bhaktambar” by Samani Jin Pragyaji followed by Meditation and Yoga Session. After that Samaniji also briefly explained the importance of Meditation and how it can help us in our daily lives. The session indeed recharged and filled everyone with positive energy. A parallel session was conducted for kids as well. The Yoga session was led by Upma Chauhan.

Samani Jin Pragyaji and Samani Kshanti Pragyaji led 7 more interactive and learning sessions throughout the camp which in-

cluded lectures, presentations and practical experiments on different meaningful topics of “Unveil Your Greatness”. Samaniji discussed the GIFTS we have within ourselves. She also explained how we can change our life through SUPREME FORGIVENESS, MODESTY, SIMPLICITY and CONTENTMENT.

Further, she explained that we can achieve this by UNMASKING OUR VILLAIN, UNCOVER THE HERO MISSION, UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL and BE FIRM. The participants of the camp had already started implementing this in their daily life.

The retreat had concurrent kids programs, where they focused learning on various funfilled topics such as “Greatness: Easy or Difficult”, “GO be great”, ”Explore Greatness”, “Excellence: An Essential element for Great-

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tertaining fun presentations. Nitesh Jain and Shashank Jain played the perfect host for the evening.

All participants applauded the great assemblages of programs, activities, and the way arrangements were handled professionally by the JVB team. Food arrangements were handled by Anju Bengani, Sarika Gandhi, Mukta Jain, Anusha Jain, Seema Jain and Jigisha Doshi along with the help of other volunteers.

ness” and other creative and playing activities conducted by Samini Kshanti Pragyaji along with volunteer teachers.

The youth sessions were conducted by Samani Kshanti Pragyaji on the topics “Don’t impose Greatness, build it”, “Meditation: A way to awaken inner Greatness” and “Greatness: Easy or Difficult”. Pramod Bengani conducted on the topic “Freedom from Reaction”, “Why, What and How to apply Jainism” by Alok Jain and “Traits of Great Personality: Growth Mindset” by Harshad Parakh.

Everyone participated in the cultural eve on Saturday, where they expressed and shared their learning. 12 different teams were formed to prepare a 3 to 4 min skit on pre-assigned topics given to each team by Samaniji. Creativity peaked in each of the team skits, and the audience enjoyed the en-

The Annual camp concluded with a half-an-hour interaction with new families. JVB Treasurer Suman Bhutoria moderated the feedback session with the families. She also expressed gratitude to Samanijis, all attendees and volunteers for making this a memorable and successful event for one and all. JVB Vice President Sachin Jain and Secretary Kuldeep Lunia managed the camp operations and execution. Pramod Bengani gave vote of thanks and asked for forgiveness from everyone on behalf of JVB. Samaniji brought the event to a successful close by reciting Mangal Paath, with everyone taking the good learnings from the camp and to coming back again yet another year

JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Meditation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082. For more information and current & upcoming programs please visit www.jvbhouston. org or call 281.596.9642

Tim Cook Opens Apple’s

First-ever Store in India

Caste Bias Case vs. Cisco Rejected

santa Clara: The California Civil Rights Department dismissed its case alleging caste discrimination against two Indian-origin Cisco engineers, while keeping alive its litigation against the Silicon Valley tech giant.

The two Cisco supervisors, Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella, were accused of harassing a Dalit employee. The suit fuelled a movement for equality and was named in an ordinance passed by Seattle city council in February against discrimination.

That case was dismissed by an order of the Santa Clara Superior County court last week.

engineers fuelled a movement against caste discrimination led by groups such as Dalit-led advocacy group Equality Labs.

This lawsuit has also been named in groundbreaking actions including the first-in-the-nation ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council in February to include caste in its anti-discrimination laws. Last month, California Senator Aisha Wahab proposed a bill, which if it passes, could make the state the first in the US to outlaw caste-based bias.

MuMbai: The long wait of Apple fans in India ended today, with the company opening its first-ever store in the country. Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the doors to the company’s very first brick-andmortar store in the country, located in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Cook was seen personally extending warm greetings to customers while employees cheered and applauded during the inauguration of the Apple BKC outlet.

Among the crowd, one person was seen carrying the vintage Mac SE, which he said he bought in 1984, and he got it autographed from Cook. Another waited the past night to get his 10-year-old original iPod signed by the Apple CEO.

“The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible! We

are so excited to open Apple BKC — our first store in India,” said Apple CEO in a tweet.

“Apple BKC is a reflection of Mumbai’s vibrant culture and brings together the best of Apple in a beautiful, welcoming space for connection and community,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.

Inside the Apple BKC are a handcrafted timber ceiling of 450,000 individual timber elements assembled in Delhi, two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan, and a 14-metre-long stainless steel staircase. The store, one of the most energy-efficient Apple Store locations globally, operates on 100 percent renewable energy, with a dedicated solar array and no reliance on fossil fuels.

Visitors can explore the latest

Apple products, including iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, as well as accessories like AirTag, displayed on surrounding tables and avenues. Customers can avail of the tradein program, place orders online, and pick up products at their preferred time. There will also be Today at Apple “Mumbai Rising” sessions starting today throughout this summer at Apple BKC. Apple BKC employs over 100 members who speak over 20 languages. In a statement, Cook highlighted Apple’s continued expansion in India, noting that the launch of their brick-and-mortar store coincides with their 25th year of operations in the country. It is widely anticipated that Cook will appear at the second store opening in Delhi on Thursday, April 20. -- ToI

The department sent a statement on Monday saying the case against Cisco “remains ongoing”. “We’ll continue to litigate the matter,” it said, adding that it remains committed to “securing relief and ensuring company wide, corrective action”.

A Cisco spokesperson declined to comment. California’s suit against Cisco, filed in July 2020, alleges the Dalit engineer got less pay and fewer opportunities and that the defendants retaliated against him when he opposed “unlawful practices, contrary to the traditional order between Dalit and higher castes”. The engineer worked on a team at Cisco with Indians who all immigrated to US as adults, and all of whom were of high caste, the lawsuit stated.

The suit against Cisco and its

The Civil Rights Department dismissing its case against the two engineers is a vindication for activists who have held the position that “the state has no right to attribute wrongdoing to Hindu and Indian Americans simply because of their religion or ethnicity,” said Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation. “Two Indian Americans endured a nearly three year nightmare of unending investigations, a brutal online witch hunt and a presumption of guilt,” she said.

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, founder and executive director of Equality Labs, said last week’s action “does not change anything” including the fact that the Cisco case “has given so many Dalits the courage to come forward with their stories about caste discrimination.” A mediation conference between Cisco and the Civil Rights Department has been set for May 2.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds Onboards Alia Bhatt as Brand Ambassador

Alia Bhatt is the latest addi-

• tion to the roster of Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ ambassadors, which includes actors such as Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan & Karthi.

Alia Bhatt will be show-

• cased on the flagship bridal campaign – Brides of India 2023.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the 6th largest jewellery retailer globally with 312 showrooms across 10 countries, has signed Indian actress Alia Bhatt as their new brand ambassador.

After making her debut in 2012, Alia Bhatt has quickly transformed into one of the most sought-after actresses in India, with a score of blockbusters movies under the

belt. She has garnered praise for her versatility as an actress, her humble persona and stunning looks, representative of a new era of super talented actors hailing from India. She is also set to make her Hollywood debut in the movie, Heart of Stone, which is slated to be released soon.

The announcements come in the wake of the 30th anniversary of Malabar group, which began their operations in 1993. With an extensive retail network in India, UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA, the signing of Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador will bring a new global outlook to the brand as they set their eyes on new markets such as the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Bangladesh,

Turkey and New Zealand, as well as strengthen their presence in existing markets.

“I am delighted to be the face of a global brand such as Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Having witnessed first-hand their acceptance amongst Indians and Indian subcontinental audience, the immense success they have reaped abroad should be a source of great pride for us and I am humbled to be a part of the Malabar family. As Malabar Gold & Diamonds gears up to execute their ambitious expansion plan, I earnestly look forward to working closely with them to further their reach amongst jewellery lovers world-over”, commented Alia Bhatt.

“We are very excited to welcome Alia Bhatt into the Malabar Family.

Over the years, our brand ambassadors have played an instrumental role in elevating our brand’s status in the eyes of our customers and we are looking forward to taking Malabar Gold & Diamonds to new heights with Alia Bhatt as the face of the brand. Our goal is to be crowned as the World’s largest jewellery retailer by crafting, promoting and selling jewellery that is an intersection of Indian art, culture, tradition, heritage and Alia Bhatt, both as an actor and as a person, perfectly represents what we are striving to achieve. Her impressive career in the highly competitive film industry resonates with our brand’s journey and ambition as a brand. As Malabar Gold & Diamonds celebrates its 30th anniversary, we

are reaffirming our commitment to providing our loyal customers with the best jewellery shopping experience”, commented Malabar Group Chairman, M.P. Ahammed. Malabar Gold & Diamonds is globally renowned for providing an exceptional jewelry shopping experience with convenience and customer-friendly policies, known as the ‘Malabar Promise.’ This promise assures customers of unmatched quality, transparency, and service assurance. With more than 12 exclusive brands in gold, diamond, and precious gems, Malabar Gold & Diamonds presents the latest designs curated from 20 countries, catering to the diverse tastes and preferences of their vast, multicultural customer base.

Alia Bhatt featuring exclusive Malabar Gold & Diamonds jewellery.

Alia Bhatt with Asher O, Managing Director of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

Hindu Student Council Summer Camp Rice, UH Collaborating with India

saylorsBurg, pa: For over three decades, HSC camp has provided a perfect blend of fun, learning and life long friendships where students and youth get an opportunity to spend the whole weekend in a beautiful and relaxing environment. They also become part of a community that supports each other while sharing their own experiences about their culture and heritage.

We hope you can join us at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam on June 2-4, 2023! Please register using the link below. The camp is recommended for students and youth between the ages of 15 and 35. Registration fees include room and boarding, along with all the activities. Space is limited, so register soon!

HSC camp is for students with any level of interest in Hindu Culture or education in Hindu Culture – in fact, the more varied of a group we have, the better our discussions are! If Hinduism is any part of your spiritual life at all, HSC Camp is the place to do it. It is an opportunity for you to socialize, learn, and synthesize with Hindu youth from all over the US.

If anyone has questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to members of the HSC Leadership team at info@hindustudentscouncil.org! Whether you have been to camp before or are a first-timer, we are looking forward to welcoming you to our inclusive community :)

houston: Rice University and the University of Houston are among a growing list of U.S. higher education institutions forging stronger partnerships with India as that country continues to chart relentless economic growth, signaling that it has seemingly replaced China as America’s preferred academic and research partner.

The collaborations will allow both India and the U.S. to gain academic and economic ground on superpower China if they combine forces, several college administrators and foreign policy analysts said.

“Right now, both sides are very keen,” said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice University’s vice president for research. “They’re all trying to align together because of common threats ... One thing to shore them up is to have good academic interactions.”

University partnerships with India have built steam over the past few decades and are hitting hit new strides under President Joe Biden, who this year launched an effort to boost industry collaborations under the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology. At the same time, the American Association of Universities announced a task force to expand education partnerships with the country.

UH and Rice already have multiple programs, helped by being in a city with a large Indian population: UH offers an India Studies minor,

and Rice opened a joint venture in 2020 with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur to research global energy demand. And the school just formalized a fellowship program that supports Kanpur students in coming to Rice to aid in ongoing research, said Rice Global Vice President Caroline Levander.

The University of Houston also signed two agreements with the Indian government this semester. In February, the university established an energy-focused data center in partnership with India’s Directorate General Hydrocarbon, part of the country’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. And in March, UH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations announced a visiting scholar from India with expertise in Tamil studies would start this fall in the India Studies program.

Officials at UH have long said they see India as an important focus in their global efforts. And Rice administrators are in active discussions about India, including to build off their partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, solidify more research partnerships with Indian universities through The Chatterjee GroupCREST in Kolkata, explore new dual-university degree programs and possibly create a Rice campus abroad.

The

-- Samantha Ketterer in

Houston Chronicle

Hindu Worship Society Introduces Councils for Children, Youth

By nisha Bhatia

houston: Hindu Worship Society Temple, Houston’s oldest Hindu Temple is doing some great things! If you haven’t been recently, you have been missing out on quite a bit. In 2022, Hindu Worship Society inaugurated the Shiv Temple and Nav Grah. The beautiful addition to the temple is in dedication to Mr. Rajinder Soni, long-time devotee and Temple trustee.

While we are only in April of 2023, the Temple has already hosted Lohri Celebration, Shiv Ratri, Mata Chowki and a Ram Charit Manas Paath. We have many more exciting events coming up this year and more things to look forward to.

Most recently, Hindu Worship Society brought back the HWS Youth Council and added a HWS Children’s Council. The HWS Children’s Council will focus on teaching children ages 5 – 12 about Hinduism, Indian Culture and get them involved in temple activities. Volunteer Teachers will meet with the kids every other Sunday and provide a variety of activities and share cultural knowledge. The HWS Youth Council for teenagers and young adults will focus on helping our younger generation grow with topics such as how to do your taxes, getting volunteer hours, how to apply to college and for scholarships and so much more.

The HWS Youth Council took on their first big activity by volunteering at the Houston Food Bank. The 25 volunteers, ages 6 and up, helped pack about 10,000 meals (12,000 lbs of food) in about 3 hours! The meals packaged will

go out to senior citizens around Houston under a government sponsored initiative. The best part, everyone had a great time and bonded wonderfully with each other while doing so much good for our community!

HWS would like to recognize and thank temple devotees Rohit Khera, Jaspal Narang and Ashima Patel for organizing this event and leading the effort with the next generation!

If you would like to join the HWS Children’s Council or the HWS Youth Council, please drop an email to Ashima Patel at hws. temple@gmail.com.

To know what is going on at Hindu Worship Society, join the Temple Facebook page @hwstemple, or join the Temple WhatsApp Group by taking a WhatsApp picture of the QR Code to the right.

‘Gumraah’: Aditya Roy Kapoor is a Drag

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.

correct answer before April 18, 2023. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

Solution Next Week

By shuBhra gupta

Why are Hindi films choosing to remake such recent films, especially when the original could just as easily be available on a streaming platform?

In the new ‘Gumraah’, the brutal murder of a young man is a puzzle for the cops assigned to the case. Inspector Shivani (Mrunal Thakur) is the kind of brisk no-nonsense policewoman who barks orders at her underlings, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly, even if it is her senior (Ronit Roy). Who can the killer be? Is it the clean-cut Arjun or the lowlife Ronnie, both played by Aditya Roy Kapur in a double role.

Other questions arise. Why would the perpetrator wear a blinding yellow raincoat, a colour that can be seen a mile afar? How does he escape without said item of clothing not being splashed in blood? Why do policewomen in Bollywood flicks sport the kind of ponytail which can only be created with such finesse by a hair-dresser? Why is ‘Chaddhi’ such a popu-

lar name for the hero’s BFF?

Actually, you know what, chuck it. Figuring those answers isn’t worth my time. Nor was the film.

Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Mrunal Thakur, Ronit Roy, Deepak Kalra, Vedika Pinto

Director: Vardhan Ketkar

Rating: 1.5 stars

Rating: 1.5 stars -- Indian Express

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The chief question that comes to mind while watching ‘Gumraah’, a remake of the Tamil-language ‘Thadam’ (2019), is this: why are Hindi films choosing to remake such recent films, especially when the original could just as easily be available on a streaming platform?

It’s almost like there are no original ideas left in Bollywood, given that last week’s ‘Bholaa’ was also a remake of the 2019 ‘Kaithi’, also in Tamil.

haven’t seen the original, so I can’t compare the two, but ‘Gumraah’ is nothing but a drag.

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Nothing either of the suspects do — Arjun who romances his perky colleague (Vedika Pinto), nor Ronnie who hangs out with his pal (Deepak Kalra) — evoke the slightest bit of interest. The key conflict arises from the fact that both men are dead ringers for each other, so which of the two was it who raised the sharp object and stabbed his victim multiple times?

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