Indo-American News: January 15, 2021

Friday, January 15, 2021 | Vol. 40, No. 03

Indo American News

January 15, 2021

$1

1

Published weekly from Houston, TX

Special Reports Community Briefs Local Politics South Asians in the News

www.indoamerican-news.com

7457 Harwin Dr, Suite 212, Houston, TX 77036 • 713.789.NEWS (6397) • indoamericannews@yahoo.com

Bharatiya Pravasis Gather Virtually Shock of Capitol Attack

P3

Gadde Suspends Trump

P4

Heroics in a Test Draw

P7

Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

P2

Madhavan in ‘Maara’

P8

2

DIASPORA

January 15, 2021

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Recognizes Leaders of the Indian Diaspora

Mr. Srujal Parikh of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) received the Pravasi Associated with the {BD is Bharat ko Janiye Quiz to strengthen the engagement with young Bharatiya Samman award from Consul General Randhir Jaiswal in New York. overseas Indians. Shown here are participants in the virtual quiz.

New Delhi: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots.

The 16th PBD Convention was held virtually on 9 January, 2021 in New Delhi. The theme of 16th PBD Convention 2021 is “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Ahmedabad on Jan. 9, 2015.

PBD Convention has three segments, starting with the Inaugural Session, when the PBD Convention was inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and included a keynote address by the Hon’ble Chief Guest, H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Republic of Suriname. The winners of the online Bharat ko Janiye Quiz were also be announced.

The Inaugural session was followed by the two virtual Plenary sessions where discussions between eminent diaspora experts will be held on themes– (i) Role of Diaspora in Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and (ii) Facing Post Covid Challenges - Scenario in Health, Economy, Social and International Relations.

The finale was the Valedictory Session where the Hon’ble Rash-

trapatiji delivered his Valedictory address to mark the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

The names of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees were also announced during the Session (see list of all the winner in the box on the right). Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are conferred to select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and honor their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad.

Also associated with the {BD is Bharat ko Janiye Quiz was launched in 2015-16 in order to strengthen the engagement with young overseas Indians and encourage them to know more about their country of origin. The first edition of the online “Bharat ko Janiye” Quiz was organized for young overseas Indians and foreigners of 18-35 years of age in 2015-16 This was followed by the second edition of Bharat ko Janiye Quiz in 2018-19. This year, the third edition of Bharat ko Janiye Quiz 2020-21 was held virtually from 30 September to 28 December 2020. Fifteen winners of the Bharat ko Janiye Quiz were during the PBD convention and will be invited for an India Tour (Bharat ko Janiye Darshan) after Covid.

During his speech, PM Modi urged the PBD delegates to con-

tribue to Aatmanirbhar Bharat or Self Reliant India, announced on 12th May, 2020 with the aim of making the country independent against the tough competition in the global supply chain and empowering the citizens to become self- reliant in all senses, particularly the poor, who have been adversely affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

The five pillars of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ are stated as economy, infrastructure, technology-driven systems, vibrant demography and demand.

In some ways, Aatmanirbhar is the reinforcemesnt of Make in India. The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is not about being “selfcontained”, or “isolating away from the world” or being “protectionist”.

On the contrary, the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan aims to enhance the importance and role of India in the global economy through pursuing policies that are efficient, competitive and resilient and being self-sustaining and selfgenerating. For more information on Aatmanirbhar Bharat please visit : https://aatmanirbharbharat. mygov.in/ Here in Houston, Consul General interacted with leading members of the Indo-American community on the occasion of PBD. Among the items discussed included ideas to deepen the India-US trade and cultural partnership.

Winners of the 16th PBD Samman NGO Cultural Diversity for Peaceful Future, Armenia, Promoting Indian Culture Dr. Rajani Chandra D’Mello, Azerbaijan, Medicine Mr. Baburajan Vava Kalluparambil Gopalan, Bahrain, Community Service Mrs. Jamal Ahmad, Botswana, Business Mr. Janakiraman Ravikumar, Cameroon, Closer ties with India H.E. Mr. Eugene Rhuggenaath, Curacao (The Netherlands), Public Service Mr. Debashish Chaudhuri, Czech Republic, Art and Culture Mr. Mohammed Husein Hasanali Sardharwala, Ethiopia, Business Sai Prema Foundation, Fiji Community Service Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani, Germany, Education Mr. Lal Lokumal Chellaram, Hong Kong, Community Service Dr. (Prof.) Muralidhar Miryala, Japan, Science & Technology Mr. Rajib Shaw, Japan, Education Mr. Salil Panigrahi, Maldives, Tourism Dr. Ravi Prakash Singh, Mexico, Science & Technology Hon. Ms. Priyanca Radhakrishnan, New Zealand, Public Service Indian Cultural Association (ICA), Nigeria, Community Service Dr. Mohan Thomas Lazarus Pakalomattom, Qatar, Medicine Mr. Jean Regis Ramsamy, Reunion (France), Media & Community Service Mr. Siddeek Ahmed, Saudi Arabia, Business Dr. Anil Kumar Chotalal Mithani, Sudan, Medicine H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Suriname, Public Service Dr. Shachi Gurumayun, Switzerland, Bio-tech Agronomy Mr. Vashdev Tikamdas Purswani, Thailand, Business Mr. Resham Singh Sandhu, UK, Public Service Mr. Arvind Phukan, USA, Environment Technology Ms. Nilu Gupta, USA, Promoting Indian Culture Federation of Indian Associations NY, NJ & CT, USA Community Service Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, USA, Medicine Dr. Mukesh Aghi, USA, Business

Together we can reach your career goals.

o Life Insurance o Long-­‐Term Care Insurance o Variable+ and FiUed AnnuiVes o Disability Insurance* o Health Insurance* For More InformaVon Contact Me

Competitive compensation, benefits and mutual support. To apply, contact: Lalit Jallan, CLTC, LUTCF Sales Manager 713-545-9269 LalitJallan@financialguide.com www.advisors.massmutual.com/lalit-jallan

Services:

Divyendu Singh, Ph.D. Financial Services Professional# and Licensed Agent CA Insurance License # 0M30399

New York Life Insurance Company 3200 Southwest Freeway, Suite 1900 Houston TX 77027 Insurance Representative of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 011110001, and its affiliated US Insurance companies. Local firms are sales offices of MassMutual, and are not subsidiaries of MassMutual or its affiliated companies. Insurance products issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111, and its affiliated US insurance companies. Securities and investment advisory services offered through MML Investors Services, LLC, Member SIPC® and a MassMutual subsidiary. Supervisory Office: 3 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1800, Houston, TX 77046. 713-402-3800. Financial Services Representatives are independent contractors and are not employees of MassMutual, its subsidiaries, or of General Agents with whom they contract. CRN202106-232418

Cell: 812-­‐272-­‐2911 Office: 712-­‐499-­‐7638 dsingh06NO.newyorQlife.com

www.dsinghnyl.com

• Life Insurance • College funding • YeVrement Planning • Estate Planning • Planning for Business owners

#Registered Representative offering securities through NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), A Licensed Insurance Agency and a New York Life Company. *Product available through one or more carriers not affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company, dependent on carrier authorization and product availability in your state or locality.

+Securities products and services offered through NYLIFE Securities LLC

Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

SMRU 1759568

COMMUNITY

January 15, 2021

3

Indian American Leaders Express Shock at Attack on US Capitol

By Ajay Ghosh

Washington DC: The Indian American community has expressed shock and is dismayed at the events that unfurled on Wednesday, January 6th on Capitol Hill. Supporters of President Donald Trump breached one of the most iconic American buildings, US Capitol, engulfing the nation’s capital in chaos after Trump urged the mob of rioters and domestic terrorists to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that would confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

The rioters first breached exterior security barriers, and video footage showed protesters gathering and some clashing with police near the Capitol building. Soon, after breaching through barricades and security checkpoints, the protesters were inside the building -- forcing lawmakers to go into lockdown.

The chaos on Capitol Hill, in which a police officer and four others died, has been widely condemned by both Democrats and Republicans. “Our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we have seen in modern times,” President-elect Joe Biden said. He described it as “an assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself.”

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, was right when

he finally stood up to Trump and warned the Senate that legislative moves to overrule voters by excluding some states in the Electoral College count “would damage our republic forever.”

Dr. Sampat Shivangi, president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education and a delegate for Trump, and a veteran leader of AAPI, called the events as “shameful, shocking and unprecedented in the history of once upon a beacon of democracy on the planet. Even though I am a strong Republican and longtime serving US Republican Party delegate for the last four Republican Party conventions, I would not support a bit in any fashion. Now with all that carnage, President Trump has promised for smooth transfer of power on January 20th and with that in mind it is time for healing and I feel President elect Biden and VP elect Ms. Harris should be magnanimous to accept that offer and initiate the first few steps in that process that will bring sanity and respect that US has lost in the world community,” Dr. Shivangi

added.

Dr. Navin C. Shah, Founder and former President of AAPI, said, “The unlawful entry and banalization of the Capitol Hill, the temple of the US democracy is totally unacceptable. These culprits be immediately caught and brought to justice. The authorities of the Capitol Hill complex should take urgent actions to inhibit such a mob violence.” Dr. Shah calls for “cool minds of leaders and law makers prevail to have a peaceful transfer of power and address the serious issues, like Corvid 19, unemployment and poor economy, challenging millions of our citizens. For over 200 years the US has survived with the rule of law and constitution and it will go

on successfully for many centuries to come.”

Dr. Hetal Gor, a Board Certified OB GYN in the state of New Jersey described the events as “Unconstitutional, Unbelievable, Unimaginable, and Unpatriotic.” Pointing that in the midst of pandemic, a rally was called on the day of electoral vote certification “with the sole purpose of stopping the count,” dr. Gor said, “Years of brainwashing, spreading misinformation, without any evidence calling election rigged when most judges have confirmed no irregularities, instigating the crowd to march to Capitol was home grown terrorism.

Months back telling white supremacy groups to stand by, putting pressure on Vice President Pence to act unlawfully & unconstitutionally: all this for a selfish man’s injured pride. One man has caused so much damage to this country, bringing it shame, despair, dividing people, abusing power, disgracing the office. He is not only fit to be a president but an American .He should be impeached, the least we can do. In spite of all the obstacles , democracy prevailed,”

Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

added Dr. Gor. Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, condemned the behavior of the rioters as “deplorable that the President of the United States of America who lost the election incited his supporters to use violence and riots inside the Capital Building, the cradle of democratic institution, so as to keep his power and continue as the President. President Trump should have gracefully accepted the election results and hand over the power in a smooth transition.”

Khanderao Kand, Director of Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) USA, Founder of Global Technology Professionals Association (GITPRO), said, “I am shocked and saddened to see the unruly and violent protest in Washington DC. This is one of the worst un-democratic moment in the history of the world’s longest democracy.”

Mr. Anil Bansal, President of FIA (NY, NJ & CT) said, “As a non-white American, what I saw on my 65th birthday was no gift.

Watching the dramatic visuals of thousands of Trump supporters, storming the US Capitol, my first reaction was to compare the stark difference between how the Black Lives Matter activists were treated versus the trump supporters. For the first time, I understood the word, “White Privilege.”

4

January 15, 2021

Twitter’s Gadde Suspends Trump’s Account

By Bharti Jain

San Jose: A 45-yearold immigrant from India and Twitter’s top lawyer, Vijaya Gadde, spearheaded the decision to permanently suspend US President Donald Trump’s Twitter accounts.

On Friday, the tech giant blocked Trump’s Twitter handles for the first time, finally escalating its crackdown on the president’s social media posts that they believe encouraged and supported rioters at the US Capitol.

Gadde, the company’s head of Legal, Policy and Trust and Safety issues, took to Twitter and said “The account of @realDonaldTrump has been permanently suspended from Twitter due to the risk of further violence. We’ve also published our policy enforcement analysis--you can read more about our decision here.”

Born in India, Gadde moved to the US as a child and grew up in Texas, where her father worked as a chemical engineer on oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gadde family then moved to the east coast, where Vijaya completed her high school in New Jersey.

A graduate of Cornell University and New York University Law School, Gadde spent almost a decade at a Bay Area-based law firm working with tech startups before she joined the social-media company in 2011.

As a corporate lawyer, Gadde operates in the background herself

mounding policies, but her influence has helped shape Twitter for most of the past decade. And with Twitter’s role in global politics having increased, so has Gadde’s visibility.

As reported in Fortune, Vijaya was in the Oval Office when Twit-

ter co-founder and chief executive officer Jack Dorsey met with US President Donald Trump last year and even joined Dorsey when he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2018.

When Dorsey posted a photo with the Dalai Lama from the India trip, Gadde stood between the two men, holding the Dalai Lama’s hand.

Gadde has garnered a lot of attention and has been profiled by some of the leading US publications. The Politico described Vijaya as “the most powerful social media executive you’ve never heard of” Instyle magazine listed her in The Badass 50 2020: Meet the women who are changing the world.

Apart from her stint at Twitter, Gadde is also a co-founder of Angels, an investment collective that backs start-ups and helps ensure that women receive equal compensation at successful companies.

-- Times of India

LEGAL NOTICEE

Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Wine and Beer Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit by OM Hospitality dba Four Points Sheraton Houston Energy Corridor, to be located at 18861 Katy Freeway, Houston, Harris County, Texas.

Officers of said corporation are Omprakash Ahuja, President, and Juuhi Ahuja, Vice President.

COMMUNITY

Pradeep Sulhan, P.C.

Certified Public Accountant 14340 Torrey Chase Blvd. | Suite 110 | Houston, Texas 77014

281-583-2993 | 281-580-8700

office@pspccpa.com| pradeep@pspccpa.com

Call Sid or Pradeep Over 25 years of experience For Advertising in Indo-American News call

Jawahar Malhotra @

713-789-6397

Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

January 15, 2021

5

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Has Elevated the Blindian Community

Washington DC: Sharda Sekaran was raised by a single Black mom. She went to mostly Black schools as a child, in mostly Black neighborhoods. Looking at her, she says, some people assume she’s Black.

But her name — Sharda — always gave her away.

All her life, Sekaran has searched for other “Blindians” — people with one Black and one Indian parent. The closest she came was the couple in “Mississippi Masala,” she says, a 1991 movie about a Black man and an Indian woman who fall in love.

In 2010, she says, she heard about a woman running for attorney general in California. She looked Black. But her name gave her away.

Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will make history in a lot of different ways when she is inaugurated on Jan. 20. The daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, she will be the first Black vice president and the first Indian American vice president, as well as the first woman to hold elected office in the White House. Her racial identities are often discussed separately, heralded as a win for two different groups. But Harris also exists at a unique cultural intersection: Both Black and Indian, she will elevate a community that has struggled for acceptance in a country where few people share

their background.

“It’s a validation of the identity I’ve had to fight for,” said Sekaran, who grew up in Michigan and New York and now lives in Denmark.

When people asked about her name in school, she would lie: It was easier to say her parents were “hippies” with an interest in Sanskrit, she said, than explain that her father is Indian. “Now I can be unapologetic about having a unified identity — not walking away from the complexities it presents, but holding them close.”

The term “Blindian” was popularized by the Blindian Project, an Instagram account created in 2017 as a community for Black and South Asian couples and families.

While many in the group are from India, people from other South Asian countries also identify with the term, said Jonah Batambuze, who founded the Blindian Project.

Black and South Asian couples face challenges different from those experienced by other mixedrace partners in the United States, often confronting anti-Black rac-

ism from family and the broader South Asian community, said Nitasha Sharma, a professor of Asian American studies and African American studies at Northwestern University, who is in a Blindian relationship herself. For many Indian parents who immigrate to the United States, a Black boyfriend is a “worst-nightmare” scenario, says Sharma. Unaccustomed to the American racism they experience, Sharma says, Indian immigrants may try to distinguish themselves from Black Americans as a way to re-create privilege they had back home.

Anjali Ferguson of Richmond, Va., dated her husband, who is Black, for six years before her parents agreed to meet him. They claimed their objections had nothing to do with race, she said, saying they couldn’t be racist because they were also people of color. Fer-

guson feels sure they would have responded differently if she had brought home a White man, she said: “Throughout my relationship, there has been continued racial biases and remarks. It’s a really deep-rooted anti-Blackness.”

While Harris has said little about her parents’ relationship, it’s hard to imagine they didn’t experience this kind of adversity, said Sharma, especially in the 1960s.

Harris clearly sees herself as a Black woman, Sharma said. While she often talks about her mother, she describes herself as part of the Black community in speeches and public statements, shaped by her time at Howard University, a historically Black college, and the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha, an all-Black sorority. “[My mother] raised us to be proud, strong Black women and she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage,” Harris said during her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Many Americans didn’t realize that Harris is Indian until she was selected as the Democratic

vice-presidential nominee, said Sharma, when more media outlets began to cover her Indian roots.

Sharma isn’t surprised that Harris “moves and identifies as a Black woman.” In the United States, she says, the “one-drop rule” persists.

The concept originated during slavery: If you have “one drop” of Black heritage, you’re considered Black. When Harris highlights her Black identity, Sharma says, she’s not denying that she’s Indian. “She just operates in a nation where, if you are Black, you are Black only.”

For most of her childhood, Sekaran did what she could to assimilate into the Black community, shrugging off Indian Americans who would question her about her heritage. Her father left when she was a baby, she said, largely because his family didn’t accept her Black mother and their daughter.

“It was just easier to operate within a Black American identity,” she said. If she tried to assimilate into the Indian community, she said, she worried she’d face more rejection.

That changed in college, she said, when she was asked to join an Asian mentoring group. As she got to know more Indian Americans, she said, she gave herself permission to investigate this part of her heritage, treating it like a “mystery to uncover.” -- Washington Post

IS nOw HIRIng In BaYTOwn Chemical Engineers: Req. BS Chemical Engineering w/3 years specialty chemical mfg. exp.

Food Chemist: Food Chemist: Req. BS Chemistry, Biology, or another related field w/3yrs exp. in flavor ingredient, as well as product development in Food Science Batch Batch Process Process Req. 3 years. Chemical batch process exp.

Operators: Process Tech Cert not required.

IT Desktop Support IT Desktop Support Junior knowledge of Microsoft Active DIR, Technician: Cisco IOS. exp. troubleshooting enterprise networks. Exposure to video conference suites.

Buyer: Buyer: Req. 5 yrs. purchasing exp. computer aptitude, negotiating skills, QB exp. a plus Email resume to: apply@chemicalsinc.com Great pay and benefits. EOE/AAP Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

6

BUSINESS

January 15, 2021

H-1B: Higher Wage Rules to Apply in a Phased Manner Washington DC: The Trump administration is leaving no stones unturned to fulfil its ‘protectionist’ agenda before the President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.

Late on Tuesday night – India time, the US department of labour (DOL) announced introduction of final wages rules, which hiked the prevailing wages for those working in US on H-1B visas or holding employmentbased green cards.

The new rule, which will be published in the federal register on January 14, is the second attempt by the Trump administration to hike the wages for foreign workers – such as those under the H-1B or PERM (aka green card) labour certification program.

The first attempt to do so via a hastily introduced interim final rule, which came into effect on October 8, last year, was scuttled by three district courts in lawsuits filed by plaintiffs from the technology sector, education sector and non-profits. The courts had held that the procedure of seeking public comments and reviewing the same, as required under the Administrative Procedure Act, was not followed. The court orders led to DOL rescinding the interim final rule.

A statement by DOL states, “On October 8, 2020, the department published an interim final rule, and invited public comment. After an extensive review of the comments received, the department has determined that the existing wage methodology undermines the wages and

job opportunities of US workers, and that it is in tension with the governing statute.� “The US DOL is taking these steps to strengthen wage protections, address abuses in visa programs, and protect American workers from being undercut by cheaper foreign labor,� said Eugene Scalia, secretary of labour. “These changes help ensure that these important foreign worker programs function as Congress intended, while securing American workers’ opportunities for stable, good-paying jobs. In response to the comments we received, the department has adjusted the wages levels used in the interim final rule to better reflect market wages and included provisions to smooth the transition to the new wage levels� added Scalia.

While President-elect Joe Biden, had expressed the intent to expand the number of H-1B visas (currently limited to an annual quota of 85,000) he had indicated that exploitation of foreign workers will be curbed by ensuring that employers cannot hire below market rate. It remains to be seen how the new administration will respond to this new rule.

How it will work: DOL uses ‘occupational employment statistics’ (OES) data from the bureau of labour statistics (BLS) to determine prevailing wages in a wide array of occupations. The prevailing wage rate is defined as the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the geographic area

of intended employment. The OES prevailing wage is subdivided into four tiers or wage levels, representing the range of skills from entry level to experienced.

Under the new rule, OES prevailing wage minimums will increase for foreign workers at all four levels of skill and experience, but the increase is not as steep as contained in the now-defunct interim final rules.

To illustrate, the entry-level wages for H-1B and PERM cases will increase to the 35th percentile of wages for the occupation and geographic location, from the 17th percentile. This is just above the current wage minimum for skill level 2. Under the interim final rules, the hike was more significant, with the entry-level wages slotted at the 45th percentile, just under what was the minimum salary for skill level 3.

Though the rule is set to take effect within 60 days of publication in the federal register, its impact will not be immediate. New York based, Cyrus Mehta, founder of an immigration law firm told TOI, “The new rule acknowledges that an abrupt transition to the new wage levels could be disruptive to the economy and detrimental to US employers, so the DOL will gradually introduce the new wages over a period of a year and a half, with the first increase set to take place on July 1, 2021.� “In addition, for H-1B workers who were the beneficiaries of approved I-140 applications (for green cards) as of October 8, 2021

and are caught in the backlogs, the phase-in period for the increased wages is extended over a three and a half year period,� added Mehta.

DOL took steps to address concerns raised in the lawsuits by responding to public comments received post October 8, providing notice in advance of the slated effective date and expanding its economic impact analysis. Yet challenges in the court are not ruled out, by immigration attorneys. “I doubt the new rule will stand, because at its core DOL is still using the OES wage survey in ways that it was not designed to be used. The result is still that, if this rule is implemented, it potentially leaves H-1B employees being paid higher wages than their American counterparts,� Kripa Upadhyay, managing attorney at Orbit Law told TOI. According to Mehta, “Despite the phase in, the increased wages will be artificial and will not be consistent with market wages, and the new rule is a continuation of the nonsensical wage rule that was previously blocked by the courts. I expect this rule to be challenged too as there is no basis in the Immigration Act to calculate prevailing wages to such high levels as the DOL has done. Prevailing wages must reflect the market wages that are ordinarily paid to US workers in the same occupation.�

However, incoming Biden administration upports the concept of increasing prevailing wages.�

-- Times of India

KNOW PREDICT PREVENT

 � �  � �

Â?

Offi c e of Di s t r i c t At tor n e y h a r r i s c o un t y, T X

Kim Ogg

H a r r i s Co u n t y D A . C O M Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

Patel Joins Dallas Fed

Dallas: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has appointed Bob Patel to its Houston Branch board of directors for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023.

Patel is CEO of Houston-based LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies with over 19,500 employees globally. He joined LyondellBasell in 2010 and became CEO in 2015.

For more than 20 years, Patel held positions of increasing responsibility at Chevron Corporation and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. He has held senior executive roles in The Netherlands, Singapore and the United States.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from The Ohio State University and a master of business administration degree from Temple University.

Commenting on Bob Patel’s appointment: “IACCGH is proud that our Advisor Bob Patel will be serving on this august body :: Jagdip Ahluwalia, Founding Secretary IACCGH�

SPORTS

January 15, 2021

Bruised and Abused, Indians Make Their Own Luck at the SCG

By Sidharth Monga

Sydney (ESPN Crickinfo): Ishant Sharma (whole series). Mohammed Shami (three Tests). Virat Kohli (three Tests). Umesh Yadav (two Tests). Ravindra Jadeja (most likely, one-and-a-half Tests). Hanuma Vihari (most likely, one Test). Rishabh Pant (at least half a Test). Rohit Sharma (two Tests).

KL Rahul (not close to the playing XI but out of the series). R Ashwin has tweaked his back too. Cheteshwar Pujara is playing with a hand injury sustained in the nets. This is the known list of injuries suffered by the Indian team on the tour to Australia.

Everybody is sick of the biobubbles and Covid-19 restrictions.

They have been away from home for close to five months. A man has missed his father’s funeral, another the birth of his child. A third made it to the birth of his child only because he got injured. They are asking you not to leave your floor in your hotel. You perhaps know the bigger picture. You perhaps know you are the fortunate ones to still have a lucrative job. Yet it can get to you after this long.

Pant is a young punk. Plays his shots. His India batting coach wants him to walk the rope between “carefree” and “careless”, suggesting he thinks he can be careless.

They all talk about the shots he plays to get out all the time. Wher-

ever he goes. Whichever format he plays.

He has been out of the team for the whole year almost.

He dropped two catches on day one.

Still keeps chirping.

Pant’s back foot slips away when he plays full balls.

Experts say it will get him in trouble with short balls and straight balls. In the first innings one got him in the elbow.

He was not wearing an arm guard. He couldn’t get feeling in his arm. Couldn’t hold the bat proper- R Ashwin embraces Hanuma Vihari after the match ended in a draw, Australia vs India, 3rd ly. Got compression Test, Sydney, 5th day. tape on. Dropped the low batsmen in an innings he fac- Allan Border - and Twitter, and painkiller pill as he tried to pop it. Cue Twitter jokes es a third of the bowling and top that racist bloke in the front row - think. Pujara blocks. Pant hits on drops. Got up again, batted for scores.

The two come together in the out after getting set. These are two ten balls more. Went for scans. second over of the morning ses- expert Test batsmen telling the There was no fracture.

The other is a senior pro. Phleg- sion. The Indian team manage- world they know what works for matic. Everyone other than him ment has decided to split Pujara them and that they will bat the way seems to know how he should bat. and Vihari, who can both get stuck. they believe is the best. Neither is Everyone believes they are right There is a whole day to bat. There thinking of a win or a draw.

Pujara brings up his fifty in 170 and he is wrong. At any given are 305 runs to get. You can’t start point of time in his career, he has to think of anything as target. The balls, four fewer than in the first not been scoring runs since, well, only thing left to do is bat and give innings, which was his slowest fifty in Tests. Pant races away from the last time he scored runs. And it your best shot.

And they just bat. All the noise is 5 off 34 to 50 off 64. This is how even those runs are not scored at the right tempo. He is credited for kept out. At the wicket, it doesn’t they play. This is how they should the dismissals of three of his fel- matter what Ricky Ponting and play. Their approach will be deter-

mined by what they feel is the best for themselves and the team at that time.

It is not like Pant has decided he is going for the win, and that that is the only brave and courageous thing to do. He has been dropped twice, on both occasions playing a defensive shot. He knows playing attacking cricket is his best bet. He has hit a six with the field up. Then with the field back. Then gone between the deep fielders. He knows any of these can get him out caught thus giving way to the noise about the shot-selection, but he has the conviction to keep doing what is best for him.

By the lunch break, Pant has attacked ten balls and defended 27.

He has been in control of nine of the attacking responses, scoring 51 runs off those ten balls. He is not in control of three of the 27 defensive responses, two of them being edges dropped by Tim Paine. Not all pitches will allow this kind of cricket to come off, but in knowing which ones will, will be the key to the longevity of Pant’s career.

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc are the best attack in the world. They are strong, fit, skilful, accurate and experienced. They possibly lack a Neil Wagner-like enforcer on dying pitches, but Australian pitches don’t usually die down in the way this one has.

is now HirinG In BAy CITy Chemical Chemical Engineers: Engineers: Req. BS Chemical Engineering w/3 years specialty chemical mfg. experience Process Req. 3 yrs. Chemical batch process exp.

BatchBatch Process Operators: Operators: Process Tech Certification not required.

AnalyticalChemist: Chemist: Req. BS Chemistry, w/3 years basic Analytical knowledge, exp w/ analytical equip. (GC, GC/ MS, HPLC, FTIR, AA) Bench Top Chemist: Req. BS Chemistry w/3 years exp. bench formulations & analytical techniques w/3 yrs. specialty chemical mfg. exp.

Email resume to: baycityapply@chemicalsinc.com Great pay and benefits. EOE/AAP Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

7

8

ENTERTAINMENT “Maara”: Madhavan-starrer is Enjoyable ‘Tandav’: Thriller January 15, 2021

By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Madhavan, Shraddha Srinath, Sshivada, Moulee Director: Dhilip Kumar Rating: Three stars Maara is many genres rolled into one. Fable, romance, crime-and-redemption, wrapped up in a whimsical coming of age tale. For much of the time, nothing much happens, and yet you keep looking, because just like Paaru, the girl on a quest, you want to clap your eyes on the elusive Maara, the film’s titular rolledinto-one character — adventurer, seeker, and finder.

Pretty Paaru (Srinath), trained as a conservationist, turns her back on a likely fellow who has fallen for her. There’s a restlessness within her, which calls her to a picturesque town full of large wall paintings, picaresque characters, and a house laden with dusty artefacts. There are stories within this story, and our Paaru is drawn slowly but surely deeper into the centre, where lies an unfinished puzzle, featuring a couple of lost souls, and the answer.

Maara is a remake of Charlie, the 2016 Malayalam film starring

Dulquer and Parvathy, which I haven’t seen, so I can’t say how faithful it is to the original. But to pull off a film like this, with its unexpected beats and rhythms, which keeps taking us down paths which round up on themselves in their own sweet time, is not easy.

Debutant director Dhilip Kumar falters only in those stretches which are much too underlined, or which start giving us life lessons.

Whimsy requires confidence and conviction, and in the parts where it slides into obviousness, the film makes you impatient, wishing it was shorter than its two-and-a-

half hour run time.

On the whole, though, Maara is enjoyable, its colours, textures, quirks to be relished. What do you call a thief who stalks a woman for two years not because she is beautiful, but because she has a heavy gold chain around her neck? That’s right, there’s your quirky ‘chor’.

Apart from these occasional amusing touches, there’s craft on display. A girl named Meenakshi is mentioned, and we get motifs of boats and water, and secrets nestling within an old locket shaped like a fish: hard to find mainstream movies with such a deliberate use

design, and a leading lady whose job it is to excavate the past, and preserve the present.

Madhavan is appropriately loose-limbed and dishy, as he ambles through the film, spreading grizzled, warm charm. But even as you smile back at him, you wonder why we still need a man to be an all-round saviour.

Why couldn’t it be Paaru to lead from the front? But I suppose you can break convention only up to a point: for a film like this to be a crowd catcher, you do need a big male star as the lodestar. -- Indian Express

Tandav has been billed as “India’s answer to House of Cards” by the Amazon Prime Video. Tandav will premiere on Friday, January 15 on Amazon Prime worldwide.

All nine episodes will drop at once, which means fans can watch the series in one go.

Sacred Games star Saif Ali Khan stars as Samar. Speaking about his character, Khan said: “The entertainment industry in India is going through a renaissance and stories like Tandav are at the forefront of this change.

“As an actor, for me, a good piece of dramatic writing and a compelling creation featuring grey characters is always exciting.”

Dimple Kapadia takes on the role of Anuradha in Tandav. Kapadia said: “Anuradha is the kind of character that I have never played before. “With multiple layers and so many characters, I hope this series intrigues and engages the audience.” Actor and comedian Sunil Grover stars as Gurpal.

SONY KOHLI YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT 832-766-6662

Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

FINE ARTS

January 15, 2021

Cultural Arts Spring Festival Kick Off with Devotional Fervor: Vishaka Hari Houston: Vishaka Hari needs no introduction. She narrates stories from the Hindu Puranas (Katha) in many languages (including English), making them come alive with musical compositions (Keerthana) of famous singing saints of India. Her narrative style is simple which she uses skillfully to make esoteric ideas come within everyone’s reach. The musical and expressive elements she brings in context creates the devotional mood instinctively. Her genius in ancient scriptural texts, classical music and dance is truly a tribute to her gurus, Sri Krishna Premi, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and Srimathi Sudharani Raghupathy respectively, all of them being exemplary teachers.

Vishaka is progressive in many ways, yet traditional. This quote from The Hindu says it all: What strikes you is the nine yards drape over a frail figure; what surprises you is the impeccable English; you get closer to take a peek into her background and find Vishaka Hari is a Chartered Accountant, an “A” grade Carnatic musician, was a Bharatanatyam danseuse before she married into Sri Krishna Premi’s traditional household.

All her life’s experiences, including her grade school education at a catholic school, Rosary Matriculation, has made Vishaka into this amazing story teller that she is today; It is no wonder that Vishaka has won several prestigious awards. Vishaka is also the founder of “VIJAYASHRI SCHOOL OF HARIKATHA” – A School to promote the art of Harikatha and a platform to promote Indian culture and

dharma.

Classical Arts Society of Houston will kick off its spring festival with Vishaka Hari’s musical story telling (in ENGLISH) titled “The bliss of Gita, the joy of Sangita”. Vishaka Hari expertly juxtaposes the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, focusing on Chapter 12, with the inspired compositions of the pan-Indian saint composers of the 18th century, the saints of the Maratha Bhakti movement and that of the devotees portrayed in the Bhagavata Puranas. This highly musical Harikatha narration and all explanations by Vishaka are in English. The musical selections are multilingual – Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Marathi. Set to be premiered on Jan 17, 2021, Classical Arts Society extends a warm welcome to all audiences for this Bhakthi inspired free event marking an auspicious start for the new year, coinciding with the auspicious occurrence of Makara Sankranti (the transit of sun into Capricorn from cancer) and the harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Please visit and like our Facebook page (Classical Arts Society of Houston) to stay tuned.

Your donations to our organization will help us continue to bring quality programs in the future.

Spring festival events that are in our pipeline are as follows: Saturday, February 7, 10 am CST – Tyagaraja Aradhana Saturday, March 6 – Lecture by Chennai’s famous historian Mr. V. Sriram on “Tyagaraja’s Thiruvaiyaru” Wednesday, April 14 – a Tamil Musical concert to celebrate Tamil New Year’s day

Seasons Greetings !!

We Bring News in Print , Radio & Web Indo American News

indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News Radio 98.7 FM Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

9

10

OPINION

January 15, 2021

A Room of Her Own

U.S. Courts Protected the National Integrity

By A. Varshney

One of the many ways in which Indian cities and towns tell women that they are unwanted in public spaces is by the absence of a woman’s toilet. In metropolises like Mumbai and Delhi, the number of toilets for men consistently outnumber those for women by a large margin; women’s toilets in large toilet blocks remain locked, especially in the evenings (because what are women doing outside the home after dark, anyway?). If they are unlocked, they are filthy — and sometimes even unsafe — spaces that women venture into at the risk of ill-health and violence.

The denial of a woman’s body and its natural bodily urges, then, is not only a matter of cultural practices of shame, but it is written into the design of a city itself. A new “period room” in a Mumbai slum, the first of its kind in a public toilet, therefore, suggests a refreshing reimagination of the public space.

The Thane Municipal Corporation’s move is an attempt to inculcate menstrual hygiene, one that it wants to replicate in 120 community toilets. Muse Foundation, an NGO, not tied, assisted and aided the efforts on the part of Thane Municipal Corporation.

Muse Foundation, an NGO, not tied, assisted and aided the efforts on the part of Thane Municipal Corporation.

Nishant Bangera, the founder of Muse Foundation, asserts that urinals never existed for women in public places in Thane, lowering the pride and dignity of the city’s women. In a 2019 survey carried by Muse Foundation in 15 slums of Thane, more than 67% of women do not have access to toilets at home.

The “period room” includes a urinal, a jet spray, a toilet roll-holder, soap, running water, hooks to hang clothes and a dustbin to dispose of menstrual waste — rare amenities in public toilets. For the women of the Lokmanya Nagar slum, in which few families have the luxury of a private toilet, the structure offers precious space and privacy.

A “period room” that does not try to hide its function as a space for menstruating women might also, hopefully, cut through the punishing taboo around periods. More importantly, it becomes a small step to stake claim on the city — on behalf of its women. -- Indian Express

That coups take place in developing countries has been an article of faith of political scholarship since the 1960s. What happened in Washington on January 6 was a striking refutation of this conventional wisdom.

It was not a classic coup because the military was not involved.

But it was an executive coup, in that President Donald Trump incited a mob of supporters — many thousand strong, with a substantial proportion belonging to vigilante groups — to “show the kind of pride and boldness” that would force the two Houses of Congress to overturn the election, which he lost on November 3.

Mike Pence, Trump’s vicepresident, refused to overturn the election, infuriating his boss. A huge majority of Republican senators also expressed unwillingness to comply. In the end, the coup failed and Biden was ratified. And as these lines are being written, Trump seems to have recognised — publicly — that the violence has hurt him.

Why do scholars believe that developing countries have coups, but richer democracies do not? Two arguments are often advanced. First, in poorer countries the institutions of oversight, being much weaker, crumble under the onslaughts of mighty politicians. Second, politics in developing countries can have an all-or-nothing quality. The government has such control over the economy and society that once out of power, losses can be huge and imprisonment may not be too far. That generates a political tendency to stay in power at all costs.

Trump’s motivations remain open to speculation. Of the two main hypotheses, one is ideological, another personal. His commitment to a political order that restores white supremacy has been repeatedly noted. A second hypothesis is that once out of power, Trump fears prosecution for crimes. In addition to the potentially criminal charges

of tax fraud, there are questions about corruption, abuse of power, and violation of campaign finance laws. Ironically, inciting a mob to pressure the legislature, aimed at solving an immediate problem, might now lead to the most serious charge of all: Abetting an insurrection.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chuck Schumer, who will soon take over the leadership of a Democratic-majority Senate, have already called for the invocation of the 25th Constitutional Amendment. If supported by a majority of the cabinet, the amendment allows the vice president to unseat the president.

In case the amendment is not invoked, say Pelosi and Schumer, they would like to impeach Trump, even if less than two weeks remain in his term. That will, in all likelihood, disqualify him from running again in the 2024 elections. This is important because a self-pardon might well save Trump from criminal prosecution, at least for federal crimes, though many legal scholars have serious doubts about the constitutionality of self-pardon.

A coup like this would be inconceivable in a parliamentary democracy. Presidential democracies are more vulnerable to coups because the executive and the legislature are independently elected and, if run by different parties, they can be arch rivals at the polity’s heart. In parliamentary systems, the two are intertwined and a parliamentary majority is the prime minister’s source of power, making deadly executive-parlia-

Indo American News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Publisher: Jawahar Malhotra Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Correspondent: Sanchali Basu ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. Deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 212, Houston, Texas 77036.Tel:713-789-6397, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www. indoamerican-news.com

Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

ment clashes unlikely.

Prime ministers don’t send mobs, vigilantes or armies to attack parliaments; brazen presidents do.

In the end, of course, the coup failed. So how might one understand the failure? The proximate reason is simply that with no military support coming, the mob failed to occupy the Capitol building for more than a few hours.

But the deeper question is: Why did most Republican politicians in the US Congress, while initially quiet, not support Trump in the end? Here, the role of two institutions is noteworthy.

First, given the state-centric nature of US presidential elections, the behavior of state officials in swing states is critical. Two of the five swing states — Arizona and Georgia — have Republican governments. Yet their officials did not bow to the wishes of Trump. A leaked tape of Trump’s phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State, revealed that to flip the state won by Biden, Trump asked the secretary to “find 11,780 votes”. Despite being a Republican, Secretary Brad Raffensperger declined. Legal propriety defeated partisanship.

But the most important role has been played by America’s courts.

Trump’s campaign filed more than 60 legal challenges — from the state courts to federal courts, all the way up to the US Supreme Court. Trump lost all cases but one. The victory was very small, but the defeats were huge. Many of the judges in federal courts were appointed by Trump, who often boasted that if necessary, his judicial appointees would win him the day. But instead of displaying personal loyalty, they applied the law, tossing out the evidence of election fraud as legally flimsy.

When the history of this period is written, America’s courts might be singled out as the institution that protected the nation’s election integrity. If independent and unafraid, courts can clip the wings of marauding politicians.-- Indian Express

SUDOKU/RECREATION SUDOKU/CUISINE 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 January 20, 2021 Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

Solution Next Week

January 15, 2021

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes In the cold and often rainy or snowy winter months, when you are in need of some warm comfort food, this dish is a perfect fit and is so easy to make. Below is a reprint of Mama’s Besan de Poode recipe, which is perfect with chutney and hot tea. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions.

Besan ka Pooda

(CHICKPEA FLOUR PANCAKES) Besan (chickpea or garbanzo) flour is used throughout India to make many dishes and is commonly used for batter to make pakoras or fritters in. Besan is a most versatile flour that is also used in making boondi, laddu, papad, dhokla and many of the popular spicy snacks that are sold in stores. In the Punjab, the two most popular dishes using Besan are kaddi and besan di sabzi or gutte and of course there are several sweets dishes made with besan.

Besan is also used to make this quick bread which resembles a flour pancake, except it is usually salty and spicy, though, when made thick and smaller in diameter, it is usually sweet and uses different types of aromatic herbs like saunf (fennel). You spread the batter in a circle over hot oil on a black tava (flatplate) and the sizzling sound and aroma immediately makes your mouth water in anticipation!

Last Week’s Solution

Besan is high in carbohydrates and somewhat high in protein but has no gluten, which makes it not suitable for those trying to lose weight (especially when it is fried). Besan is rich in folate, iron, magnesium (47%), phosphorus (45%) and potassium (18%) as well as thiamin and vitamin B6.

Besides these attributes, besan also makes an excellent scrub and mask for skin care and can also help in fighting seasonal allergies during the cold months. In home remedies, besan poode are given to people to help reduce their sugar levels.

The spicy besan pooda is a comfort food often eaten with pickles and is most satisfying eaten during the rainy Monsoon season, along with some hot tea. Poode are also called “chilla” by people from Uttar Pradesh. You can even make sweet poode using wheat flour, but that is an entirely different recipe.

Last Week’s Winners Ramana Vadrevu

11

Ingredients: • 1 cup besan (chickpea flour) – makes four 6-inch round poode • ½ cup dahin (plain yogurt) • 1 medium pyaaz (onion) – peeled and chopped • ½ cup pani (water) • 1 teaspoon of vegetable or olive oil for each pooda

• Spices (to taste): namak (salt), mirch (red pepper). If desired, add ajwain (bishop’s weed, caraway, carom seeds, or thymol seeds) for a slightly bitter taste.

Directions: 1. Chop the onions and set aside.

2. Mix the chickpea flour, yogurt and water together; then add the onions and spices and beat the mixture till it becomes a paste: it should not be too thin else the pooda will not cook and will remain wet inside.

3. For each pooda, heat the oil on a high flame on a tava (hotplate) or in a frying pan. Pour a small amount of mixture and spread it to make a 6-inch circle. When tiny holes start to form on the surface, check to see in the bottom side is cooked. If so, use a spatula and flip the pooda over.

4. Cook the other side till the pooda is not moist, but do not let it cook too long or become brown.

5. Place the pooda on a plate and serve with mint chutney or ketchup.

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

WEEK DRINK HOT MILK M IX E D WITH HALDI AS AN ANTI-INFLAM M A T O R Y FOR ACHES The main spice th at gives Indian fo orin

g is haldi (turmer its distinct yellow ic) although toood colfood to taste burn much of it can ca t an d use the in edible. For centur also been used in ies, as a first aid for rural India for its ayurvedic healturmeric has ing qualities m in or sc rapes, burns, infe bites. ctions and insect In the winter cough or some otmonths when you are more prone ing some haldi caher soreness or mild internal infe to getting a some getting used n do quick wonders, though th ction, drinkmilk and drink it doto. Simply warm 1 teaspoon of hae taste takes infection or inflam wn before sleeping for 4 days to ldi in warm a week. The mation will go do feel better in the m wn immediately an orning. d you’ll

For Advertising in Indo-American News call:

713-789-6397 Indo-American News • Friday January 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

12

January 15, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, january 15, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com