Indo-American News: July 7, 2023

group photo. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit

Indo-American Organizations Host Farewell Events for CG Aseem Mahajan

Houston: Consul Generals serve for three-year terms and go back to work at the Ministry of External Affairs or to an Indian embassy in another part of the world. Houston is fortunate to have had numerous CGs who have made a favorable impression on the local Indo-American community and the mainstream community at large. Foremost among these is the current CG Aseem Mahajan, who is returning to the MEA in New Delhi for another office assignment. Mahajan’s gentle demeanor but action oriented work ethic will be sorely missed.

The new Consul Gemeral in the Houston consulate will be C. Manjunath, whois serving as a joint secretary in the Ministry since July 2021. Manjunath has previously worked as Counselleor at the High Commision of India in Colombo and First Secretary to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has an engineering degree from the College of Engineering in Guindry, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. After graduation, he worked as a production engineer at TVS Motors.

Several Indo-American organizations, including India House and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce held farewell receptions to express their appreciation for CG Mahajan.

In turn, Mahajan spoke glowingly of the growth in India-US trade and cultural exchanges, including the 75th Independence Day Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. Mahajan also effectively guided consular functions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Group photo at athe IACCGH farewell reception hosted by the IACCGH.

India House trustees and directors gathered for a group photo at the farewell dinner.

Southwest Management District Presents Liberty Fest 2023 at PlazAmericas

Houston: Liberty Fest is a patriotic celebration of our Nation’s founding. The event is hosted by the Southwest Management District in close co-operation with several generous sponsors. This year, Charmaine LeBlanc was the Liberty Fest Chair with support from Josh Hawes, Executive Director, and Annie Trinh Director of Services.

Executives of the Southwest Management District include Kenneth Li, Chair, Harry Shani, Secretary and Frank Donnelly, Assistant Secretary, David Peters, Business & Economic Development Chair, Peter Acquaro, Public Safety Chair, Stephen Le, Jr., Environmental & Urban Design Chair, and Fred Bhandara, Member, Fred Bhandara, Member, Raj Adnani, Member, and Blu Baillio, Member. The program this year included Mariachi Perla Tapitia. The roots of the Mariachi go back hundreds of years. It was the music of country people; music that celebrated the joys, the struggles, and the triumphs of the Mexican people.

Texas Brass Ensemble, Inc. was next to perform. Texas’ BEST and Brightest Brass Ensemble! Texas Brass Ensemble is brilliantly led by Trumpet Maestro Darryl Bayer. Darryl hand selects his musicians for perfection and professionalism.

Live performances also included Diana Torres Band and She Wolf paid a tribute to Shakira. The evening concluded with Fireworks synchronized to a high-energy soundtrack, fireworks rocket into the Southwest Houston sky. A spectacular show, with a truly breathtaking finale.

Memorial Service for Pearland Mayor

Pearland: Numerous Indo-Americans joined the Pearland community in celebrating the life and times of Mayor Emeritus Tom Reid.

Reid passed away on June 24, 2023, surrounded by family and friends. The funeral service was held Saturday, July 1 at the First Church in Pearland.

Born in Houston in 1923, Reid grew up in a small town in central Texas. After serving the US Navy during World War II, Reid graduated from the University of Texas with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1951. He moved to Pearland, then a sleepy community of 2,500, when he began service with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1965. His 32year career with NASA served as the impetus for him to build Pearland into what the city has become today.

Pearland has the thirdlargest population for cities in the region after Houston and Pasadena.

Mayor Reid’s 44 years dedicated to the City of Pearland enabled him to foster the growth of the small town. “Mayor Reid’s initiatives helped Pearland grow from a small township of about 2,500 to a city with a population of more than 129,000 today,”

said Shesh Bala, a community leader with the Meenakshi Temple Society in Pearland. “He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Meenakshi Temple. He attended most of MTS events and remained in the audience for an hour or more.”

During his 44-year career as the mayor of Pearland, Reid achieved notable developments, including expanding Pearland west to its curent border along Almeda Road/FM 521; expanding public safety services to include an exemplary police department, the conversion of an all-volunteer fire department to a full-time, employed fire department, developing city departments as population grew, cultivating city’s parks and trail systems, and bringing large residential developments, and small and large businesses to promote economic growth.

Pearland developed because of Reid’s vision, said current Mayor Kevin Cole. “He was a gentleman’s gentleman,” said Cole. “He was so likable, so personable and cared about people deeply. You could disagree with him and it remained professional. Quite frankly, it’s what politics needs to go back to in our country. It’s a tremendous loss for our city.”

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Mayor Emeritus Tom Reid: Sept. 30, 1925-June 24, 2023.

In Pearland, the library at 3522 Liberty Drive and the post office at 3519 E Walnut Street are named after Reid.

Mayor Tom Reid with Meenakshi Temple Society chairman Tupil Narasiman in 2012.

Ekal Sur Sangam: Uniting Music and Philanthropy for an Equitable India

Houston: Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation USA’s (EVF-USA)

Houston chapter proudly presented the highly anticipated Fund Raiser event, Ekal Sur Sangam, on June 30th. This captivating musical extravaganza brought together music lovers, philanthropists, and community members in support of EVF-USA’s noble mission of empowering rural and tribal villages in India. The event showcased highly talented singers, musicians and inspiring stories of Ekal village children, leaving a lasting impact on all attendees.

Under the theme of “Uniting Music and Philanthropy for an Equitable India,” Ekal Sur Sangam Houston 2023 was an exceptional evening filled with enchanting melodies, vibrant performances, and a sense of collective purpose. The event aimed to raise funds and awareness for Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation’s initiatives in India, focusing on child education, women empowerment, digital literacy, health education, skills development and nutritional farming.

The venue, Stafford Center, was filled with an enthusiastic audience that comprised Ekal donors, well-wishers, and patrons. Attendees were treated to a sumptuous full-course Indian fast-food delicacies catered by Bhojan, el-

evating the overall ambiance of the evening.

The musical rendering featured renowned singers from India, Vishwanath Batunge and Nayana Sarma. They mesmerized the audience with their captivating voices and soulful renditions.

The highly interactive presentation captivated the hearts of everyone present. The lead male singer Vishwanath walked to the audience, drawing them to sing and move with him. The spirited Emcee, Sahitya Vinjamuri from St.Louis, brought a lot of energy on and off the stage with spontaneous dancing, and the electrified audience obliged by joining her.

The singing duo was brilliantly supported by the talented live musicians creating an unforgettable musical experience.

During the evening, short clips showcasing Ekal’s impactful activities in India were shared. They effectively illustrated the trans-

formational work accomplished in the areas of education, women’s empowerment, and skills development. A short video presenting Ekal initiated and inspired transformations in a Kashmir village was well received and appreciated by the audience. Ekal volunteers, including chapter president Rajeev Aluru and Southwest Regional President Yogi Patel, shared inspiring messages and stories, emphasizing the importance of holistic village development and the three pillars of Ekal’s mission: primary education, health delivery, and skills development.

Distinguished guests, including Ken Matthews (Mayor of Stafford), Ramesh Shah (CEOEkal Abhiyan), Surendran Pattel (Judge, 240th district court), Janet Heppard (Judge, 387th district court-family law), graced the event with their presence. Their donation during the event inspired others to raise their donations, endorsing the significance of Ekal’s work in the community.

Ekal Houston chapter extends heartfelt gratitude to the event’s chief guest, distinguished guests, volunteers, youth participants,

and past and present chapter leadership for their invaluable contributions in organizing this remarkable event.

As Ekal Sur Sangam Houston 2023 came to a close, attendees were reminded of the power of their donations and the profound impact they can have on the lives of thousands of children and

communities in need. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation continues its unwavering commitment to providing education, empowerment, and sustainable development to underprivileged areas, fostering a brighter future for all.

To support Ekal’s mission and make a meaningful contribution, please visit http://www.ekal.org/

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Bottom (Left to Right): Naren Chavda, Ramesh Shah, Nirav Shah, Abhay Kakumani, Rajeev Aluru, Yogi Patel, Rashmi Shah, Chetan Shah, Top (Left to RIght): Subhash Gupta, Suryakanth Parekh, Rekha Parekh, Jyoti Vyas, Sahitya Vinjamuri, Uma Dama, Nayana Sarma, Vishwanath Bhatunge, Prakash Shah, Neeraj Aluru, Pooja Shah, Dipu Kakumani, Darshana Patel, Suman Patibanda, Sheetal Sasital. Photo: Jay Ram

‘Satyaprem ki Katha’: An Overcooked Plot

By sHuBHra GuPta

The latest family drama starring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani is an attempt to be radical while keeping it under wraps, hoping viewers will swallow the ‘brave’ stuff if it’s wrapped tightly enough in an ultra-bright red-and-yellow palette, Gujju bhais and bens doing dandiya, referencing endless iterations of ‘kem chos’ and ‘maaja maas’. Result: Satyaprem Ki Katha, in trying to please everyone by its mod-trad vibe, ends up being neither here nor there, while blasting our eardrums in the process because whoever heard of keeping the background music volume low?

Satyaprem aka Sattu (Kartik Aaryan) is a good-natured jobless LLB-fail fellow who falls hard for the pretty Katha (Kiara Advani) as they go round and round in circles on the dance floor during the Navratris. Turns out that Katha is not that into our hero, who keeps talking up the part that supporting heroes play while bumblingly trying to be supportive of the girl of his dreams, but the plot with one too many strands which want to beat patriarchy and sound the gong for independent women, won’t let them be apart.

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 July 11, 2023. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

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In their quest for togetherness, Sattu and Katha come up against what could have been interesting roadblocks in the path to true love. In the process, we are presented with wives not sharing beds with husbands (gasp) and being quite blasé about it; we are also confronted with the idea that a wife may not ever enjoy conjugal bliss with her husband (double gasp), and for the latter to be fine with it. Yes, really.

But before you can start really savouring these highly unusual strokes amongst these folks — Gajraj Rao as Sattu’s father, Supriya Pathak Shah as the ‘working’ mother, Shikha Talsania as the snippy sister — the film doubles back on itself, and starts giving us loud lectures on the problems with letting someone go to ‘firstand-second-base’ and then saying no, date rapes, and post-traumatic grief. Somewhere under this overwrought and overcooked plot is a real film about two people dealing with troubled pasts and trying to create an acceptable present, and both Kartik and Kiara go at it with all they’ve got, but their attempts get buried under everything else that the film throws at us.

The treatment, which keeps teetering on the brink of melodrama, instantly dates it. After dishing out gyaan on

how Katha needs to become the owner of her destiny, Sattu emerges as the hero who saves the heroine. More fools us for expecting anything else. The comedy addon, by Rajpal Yadav, is dull and borderline distasteful. The closeups are held on too long. And the explanatory dialogues keep wanting you to pat them on their heads for being so progressive. When a woman says no, she means no. Yes, absolutely, and it’s good that Bollywood is acknowledging it,

but maybe the film needs to be less loud? How about some subtle notes, which may be far more effective? And no, the lilting notes of ‘Pasoori’, which comes late in the film, don’t help.

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Rating: 2 stars -- Indian Express

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