Indo-American News: December 9, 2022

Football Mania Knows No Bounds in India’s Southern State of Kerala

By SuhaSini Raj

PullavoR, KeRala: Like a phoenix, the 30-foot-tall foam-board cutout of the soccer star Lionel Messi ris es from a river running through lush green hills in the southern Indian state of Kerala, a towering symbol of a World Cup mania that knows no boundaries.

The man behind the tribute, Nousheer Nellikode, 35, is a die-hard fan of Argentina’s national team, which Messi captains. One of his brothers has similarly strong feelings about Brazil, another leading contender to win the Cup. Both teams are now in the quarterfinal round in Qatar.

The family’s divided loyalties mirror a heated split throughout this soccer-loving stretch of India known as Malabar, where local people adopted the sport from the British more than a century ago, in part as a way to take revenge on their colonizers on the field of play.

India, an otherwise cricket-mad country, has a long history of soccer futility, having never qualified for the World Cup. So people in Kerala have found outlets abroad for their fierce devotion to the sport, first in Bra zil with the rise of Pelé in the 1950s, and then in Argen tina with the arrival of Diego Maradona in the 1980s.

Now, with soccer’s biggest event in full swing, flags of Argentina and Brazil flutter in the air, strung across shops and roundabouts on narrow roads in coastal towns and villages. Selfie stations set up by Brazil fans feature cutouts of Neymar, the team’s top star. Sports shops hawk Messi’s blue and white No. 10 jersey, avail able in all sizes.

Graffiti tributes to both teams adorn walls of homes set against coconut trees. Locals get sucked into fervent discussions about matches and place bets on their fa vorite team at roadside tea shops. In one village, an en larged replica of a soccer ball floats on a serene lake.

For Nellikode, his display of allegiance forced him to keep a secret for six months, even from his wife, given the particularly resonant place he had in mind for it.

During World Cups, large cutouts of star players can be found along roads and in other places around Kerala. “But inside the river next to the football field from my childhood? That is special to this village setting,” Nel likode said. -- New York Times

Austin Police Shoot Dead Homeowner on His Porch

auStin: Family members and friends of a man shot to death by an Austin police officer are pushing for an swers.

His family said he was a gentle giant, and they don’t know why he was shot dead on his own front porch.

Family and friends said Rajan Moonesinghe was hard working, a church goer, would help anyone in need, and his death is devastating.

“It was just too young and too soon for him to go,” Moonesinghe’s friend Tatiana Shoja said.

On Nov. 15, just a little after midnight, Austin police responded to a call about a man pointing a rifle down the street on South 3rd near Oltorf in South Austin.

“The caller stated that the subject was now firing his weapon and appeared to be firing it into a residence,” Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said.

According to the caller, Moonesinghe seemed to be scared of something inside his home. APD said when officers arrived, he was standing on his porch firing a rifle into his own home.

“Shots can be heard on the video that is coming from the officer’s cameras as they are exiting their vehicles,” Chief Chacon said.

APD said officers told Moonesinghe to drop the gun and when he didn’t, an officer shot him. Moonesinghe was taken to the hospital where he later died.

The officer who fired the gun has been placed on ad ministrative leave and has been with the department for two years and nine months. Administrative and crimi nal investigations are being conducted. The police body camera footage has not been released yet.

Moonesinghe’s family describes him as, “The most caring, thoughtful, silly, loving, hardworking, and deep ly admired person they’ve ever know.” -- FOX7 Austin

Financial Education – Planning for Kids’ Education Funding: Part 2

By aSh MalhotRa & Salil Patil

Following up on our initial ar ticle on Education Funding for Kids, let’s take a deeper dive into EFC or Expected Family Contri bution. How does EFC work and what is the impact on your child getting financial help from the col lege they are applying to [Scholar ships or Need-Based Aid]

Take a look at the adjacent graphic.

Availability of Financial Aid is determined by two primary fac tors – COA or Cost of Attendance and EFC or Expected Family Contribution. As mentioned in our previous article, COA is what the College Charges for the various aspects of education.

EFC is the most important deter mining factor in how much NeedBased Financial Aid a student receives. As the graphic shows, there are two sections that are con sidered – Parents and Kids, each with two subsections: Income and Assets.

Breaking things down further: 6-47% of Parent’s Income have an impact (varies by college)

3-12% of Parent’s Assets have an impact (varies by college)

50% of the Kid’s Income prior to entering college is considered and has a significant impact.

20% of the Kid’s Assets have an impact.

The first two subsections (Par ent’s Income & Parent’s Assets) will be considered no matter what. Given that the Parent’s Income section cannot be modified (unless there is a loss of employment), a prudent way to reduce exposure in the Parent’s Assets is to move some of the Assets from the cate gory of “Included” to “Excluded” (see graphic below). Keep in mind that there is a lookback period of 2 years on the Parent’s Income & Assets before a child is admitted to college, so any movement of

assets MUST be done before this lookback period.

Excluded Assets, by definition, MUST be excluded while consid ering a child’s financial aid pack age by the college. How to reposi tion your assets requires time and a proper method – which is where we come in with our Consulting services.

Now, what about the kid’s In come and Assets?

Many kids like to do part time jobs for experience or additional pocket money and there is noth

ing wrong with that generally – ex cept when it comes to applying for Need-Based Aid. Colleges want their money and will expect the kid to fork over 50% (above a cer tain threshold) of their pre-college income towards the EFC. Our ad vice, if there is no critical need for your child to earn the extra money, dissuade them from doing so. In stead advise them to do as much Volunteering as possible in their school years. This builds a solid resume and has a greater impact towards admissions.

Lastly, your kid’s assets. In our zeal to provide a financial cushion for our kids, Parents and Grand parents (and other relatives) will provide financial or other as sets to kids.

This falls under the UGMA/UTMA framework of In cluded Assets and becomes detrimental to a kid’s financial aid prospects since 20% of these assets are considered part of the EFC. One strategy is to transfer these assets to the kids after they are out of college and in the workforce.

Hopefully, this dis cussion gets your mind working to wards a better solution to finance your kid’s education. If you have some time before your child goes to college, get with us and we can plan out some specific strategies for you to reduce the impact of EFC.

To conclude, my team and I are here to educate you on topics pertaining to personal finance, show you how to avail of some of these financial vehicles, and help you position yourselves with these vehicles. We are FE FAF - Families Educating Fami lies About Financial success. Let our fantastic team of Financial Mentors expand your vision! Send in your questions or comments to me at amfinins@gmail.com or text me at 832.723.9555.

Let’s talk and discuss your fi nancial goals and fill in the gaps in your financial education and planning.

A long-time resident of Houston, Ash is also a proud UofH Alumni with a background in Computer Science. This expertise developed into an IT Security & Managed Services Business which he has successfully run for the last 13 years. Ash is a constant learner and teacher, expanding his busi ness expertise into Real Estate and lately into the remarkable area of Financial Education. This – Edu cating families about Finance and the correct vehicles for growth, protection, and Tax Benefit strate gies – is his absolute passion.

Salil Patil is

Engi neer

MS & MBA

He currently works in Oil & Gas as a Senior Instrumentation Man ager. Given his technical skills and phenomenal number crunching abilities, he dove headfirst into the area of Financial Education when the opportunity presented itself and has now made it his Plan B in life. He is the passionate team lead of the FEFAF group.

an Electrical

by profession getting his

from Lamar University.

Krishna Vavilala Honored with 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

houSton: On December 4, 2022, United States President Joe Biden honored Krishna Vavilala, with he Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award AmeriCorps honored Krishna Vavilala on December 4,2022 with the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for being a Change Maker and Global Humanitarian. AmeriCorps, is an agency of the United States gov ernment that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of volunteer work programs in many sectors.. The event has ap plauded the lifetime service and achievements of the Indian-Amer ican Mr. Krishna Vavilala, who is a Houstonian for the past four decades, calling him a “Change Maker and Global Humanitar ian”.

AmeriCorps certifier, Dr. Sonia R. White has presented the offi cial Presidential Award to Vavilala which contained a framed proc lamation from the White House, signed by President Biden. The Awards ceremony was held at the Za Za hotel located in the museum district on December 4th,2022 to a packed audience.

In the year 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Par ticipation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Awards pro gram to honor outstanding citizens giving their time to volunteer and help their communities. This pro gram is administered by Ameri

Corps.

The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards are present ed annually to honor those in our nation who exhibit outstanding character,work ethic, and dedica tion to their communities. The Presidential Lifetime Achieve ment Awards has rapidly become recognized as an immense honor and highly anticipated annual event in America.

Krishna Vavilala,is a retired Elec trical Engineer, originally from the

state of Andhra Pradesh,India and now a naturalized American citi zen settled in Houston, Texas with his wife of 61 years, Prabhat Lak shmi and their two married daugh ters Monica and Amanda and four grandchildren.

Vavilala, 86, has been a com munity worker having served the Houston community in vari ous 501(c3) non-profit organiza tions. As a 9-year old boy,Vavilala experienced the aura of Mahat ma Gandhi in person when the

Mahatma visited his hometown, Rajahmundry. It was Vavilala’s suggestion that resulted in instal lation of a Gandhi statue in Hous ton’s Hermann park. He said, it will serve as a constant reminder of Peace and Non-violence to all Texans. Vavilala raised the funds required for the project and also served as the Project Chairman.

A strong believer in promoting peace and racial harmony, Vavilala participated in several MLK Jr. Grande Parades, himself dressed and walked as Mahatma Gandhi with the sole purpose of bringing the Indian community closer to the Black community, based on the principles of non-violence, which both Gandhi ji and MLK Jr. had followed.

Mr. Vavilala is the founder and Chairman of the Foundation for

India studies (FIS), a 16-year old non-profit 501(c3) organization. Its signature project called “the In do-American Oral History Project’’ won the 2019 Mary Fay Barnes Award for Excellence awarded by the Texas Oral History Associa tion (TOHA) located in Baylor University, Waco, Texas.

In 2006, Mr. Vavilala was instru mental in establishing the India studies program in University of Houston, He was also responsible for initiating the India Studies pro gram at Texas Southern University in May 2022.

Krishna Vavilala also served as a President of the American So ciety of Indian Engineers, Telugu Cultural Association, Hous ton and Telugu Literary and Cul tural Association, York.

Krishna Vavilala with wife Prabhat Lakshmi at the awards function.

Former Trump Lawyer Dhillon to Run for RNC Chair

new yoRK: Former Donald Trump campaign lawyer Harmeet Dhillon has officially announced she is run ning for RNC chair against current party leader Ronna McDaniel in a bid to “radically reshape” GOP leadership following a disappoint ing midterms.

Ms Dhillon announced the deci sion on Fox News’ ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’, saying Republicans “are tired of losing”.

“I am going to run for RNC chair. And the reason is that, to play off of a famous catchphrase, Republicans are tired of losing, and I think that we really need to radically reshape our leadership in order to win,” she told Fox News host Tucker Carl son.

With the California lawyer throwing her hat in the ring, the contest for RNC head will be a three-cornered one. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell had previously announced he would be running on former Trump confidant Ste phen Bannon’s podcast. Waiting in the wings is NY Congressman

Lee Zeldin who has indicated he is considering a run too.

Dhillon served as a legal adviser in Trump’s campaign in 2020. When her boss lost to Joe Biden, and he was making unsubstanti ated voter fraud claims, she called on the Supreme Court to intervene and asked Trump-nominated Jus tice Amy Comey Barrett to do her bit. She has been vocal in her right-wing opinions which she

airs regularly on Fox News. She has been noticed in California for her conspiratorial theories on the brutal attack on the aged husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Dhillon is a longtime conser vative activist, having served as chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association and as a for mer chair of the San Francisco Re publican Party.

Body of Former UH Student Amir Ali Found in Lake

auStin: A search-and-rescue team Wednesday found the body of a 22-year-old Houston man who went missing late last week while camping, officials said.

The Blue Diver Search and Re covery Team located the body of Aamir Ali around 2 p.m. in Can yon Lake near Potters Creek park, according to the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.

Ali was pronounced dead by Jus tice of the Peace Judge Saunders, according to the sheriff’s office.

The discovery came after Texas Game Wardens conducted a wa ter search, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Indo American News

FoundeR: dR. K.l. Sindwani

PuBliSheR: jawahaR MalhotRa

editoR: PRaMod KulKaRni

CoRReSPondent: SanChali BaSu

Law enforcement had been planning to finish its water search by the end of Wednesday, said Aamir’s brother, Qasim Ali.

Aamir Ali, a former University of Houston student, told friends he was going on a walk at 9 p.m. Friday while they were all on a camping trip together and he had been missing since, his brother said. His clothes and cellphone were found near a lake soon after he went missing.

Law enforcement along with Aamir Ali’s family had been searching for him since. -- The Houston Chronicle

indoRe: January 9 commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Af rica to India in 1915. To mark this day, the tradition of celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) started in 2003.

Since 2015, under a revised format, PBD Convention has been organised once every two years. Pravasi Bharatiya Di vas Conventions have been organised till date. 16th PBD was conducted in a virtual setting with the theme “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat” in 2021 during the pandemic.

The 17th PBD Convention will be held from 8 – 10 January 2023 in Indore, Mad hya Pradesh. The theme of the 17th PBD is “Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India’s Progress in Amrit Kaal”.

DAY 01 08 JANUARY 2023, SUN DAY

Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Plenary Session I: Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technolo gies

Lunch hosted by Hon’ble Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Programme by State of Madhya Pradesh

Cultural Programme

Dinner hosted by Hon’ble Chief Minis ter of Madhya Pradesh

DAY 02 09 JANUARY 2023, MON

DAY

Inauguration of 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023

PBD Inaugural Session

Lunch hosted by Hon’ble Prime Min ister of India

Plenary Session II: Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Health care Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047

Plenary Session III: Leveraging the soft power of India - Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity

Cultural Programme

Dinner hosted by Hon’ble Minister for External Affairs

DAY 03 10 JANUARY 2023, TUES DAY

Plenary Session IV: Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce - Role of Indian Diaspora

Plenary Session V: Harnessing the po tential of women diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building

Lunch hosted by Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh

Valedictory Session and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards Ceremony

17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conven tion concludes Dinner hosted by President, ICCR

‘An Action Hero’: A Mostly Fun Caper

By ShuBhRa GuPta

An Action Hero is pretty much what its title says it is: it is about an action hero, and his unexpected adventures, during which he learns the difference between reel life and real life.

The film is stuffed with meta jokes, in-house gags, and a run ning jibe against the shouty TV shows which have declared Bolly wood a national enemy, including a string of rebuttals to the hashtag #BoycottBollywood that’s been the bane of the Hindi film industry. This is what makes it more than a message-in-a-bottle, a favourite Bollywood trope. The best part: many of those jokes land, and An Action Hero becomes a rarity, a caper which is mostly fun.

Our hero Manav Khuranna (Ay ushmann Khurrana) is all set to do an action sequence while shooting a film in Haryana. An incident in volving a brash Jat youth ends with a fatal accident, and Manav on the run: from the innards of North In dia, he makes a dash for London, and finds himself in all kinds of trouble.

The pace is fast enough for us not to ask if Manav roams around with his passport in his pocket. Hot on his heels is Jat strongman neta Bhoora (Jaideep Ahlawat), who has reasons to wish him very ill indeed, brandishing a gun and taking aim. Once again, every thing moves fast enough for us not ask just how exactly did Bhoora manage to transport himself and a weapon through to the UK (also, how did he get a visa?). It’s that kind of film where you are not meant to question logic-defying situations: you are meant to sit back, and enjoy the ride.

That’s pretty much what we end up doing. First off, the choice of Khurrana, who has assiduously cultivated the guy-next-door per sona, to play a muscle-bound hero is meant to make you smile. We do. And Khurrana is self-aware enough to see it. Ahlawat wears his dourness-laced-with-a-bit-ofdark-humour well, and matches Khurrana blow for blow. And then there are the hectoring TV anchors who bay for Manav’s blood, call ing him all kinds of names (this is where the film starts imitating

real life, picking up the invectives heaped upon Bollywood in the past couple of years: one scream ing anchor, yells, ‘drrrrugs, give me drrrrugs’, and the line between fact and fiction blurs instantly).

The famous TV anchor-soundalikes have clearly now become a Bollywood sub-genre, and equally clearly, the writers of this film have given themselves leeway to send the whole tribe up relentlessly, getting their own back on the trolls and naysayers. It’s mostly cleverly inserted into the action, and mostly fun, until it starts becoming a little too on the nose. But until that hap pens, we laugh out loud.

Till the time the film is scooting about in the English countryside, and in London town, with Manav and Bhoora playing cat and mouse, it stays fun. A segment featuring a dreaded don called Masood Abra ham Katkar threatens to stretch things a bit, but is mercifully cut short. It’s when the film begins to take itself seriously that it halts the

proceedings: take, for example, a lecture that Bhoora delivers, in the middle of a hand-to-hand fight, about heroes, and how they are nothing without the paying pub lic. All well and good, but scat, we want the action heroes to only do what they do best: kick and chop their way through a throng of bad dies. Those little moments when nothing much is going on slows down the proceedings, and pre vents this one from being a total humdinger. That also goes for a song-and-dance sequence featur ing the very svelte Malaika, who shares a terrific raised brow mo ment with our hero.

Watch out for a walk-on part by Akshay Kumar, who leaves more impact in those few minutes than he has in his recent movies.

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat

An Action Hero movie director: Anirudh Iyer

An Action Hero movie rating: 2.5 stars

‘Qala’: Toxic Mother-Daughter Story

Solution Next Week

It looks like I’ve seen the most gorgeously-shot film of the year: each frame of Anvita Dutt’s soph omore feature ‘Qala’ is like an impressionist painting. The back ground is perfect, whether it is the snowy mountains of Himachal, or the warm, jewelled tones of a Calcutta night, with a boat gliding down the Hooghly bridge. The eye takes in the meticulousness with which the whole is constructed, and then comes to the characters in the foreground. And that may just be the thing that defines, and impacts our viewing of the film, which is about a beautiful young singer trying to find her voice, set in the late 30s, early 40s pre-Inde pendence India.

Qala Manjushree (Tripti Dimri) grows up in a large Gothic man sion in a tiny Himachal hamlet, trying to please her mother Urmila (Swastika Mukherjee). That is the defining characteristic of her life, even as she takes her first tenta tive steps into background singing for films, going on to become as popular as the leading ladies she sings for. But whatever she does, whether winning a coveted award, or holding court in front of a group of fawning reporters, or signing autographs, she cannot shake off the feeling of inadequacy which has plagued her, her whole life. Does Qala have any ‘kala’, or is everything a figment of her fevered imagination? -- Subhra Gupta

Recent Winners

Kumud Athavale, Ramana Vadrevu, Krishna R. Vud dagiri, Sanchali Basu, Yudhveer Singh Bagga, Taranjit Singh