NRI Pulse June 2016 Print Issue

NRI PULSE 1

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper June 2016

Tel: 404-235-4998

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June 2016

NRI PULSE 1

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper June 2016

Tel: 404-235-4998

www.NRIPulse.com

Jonesboro Doctor Indicted On Felony Murder Charges Atlanta, GA: Dr. Narendra Nagareddy, a Jonesboro,GA psychiatrist linked to the deaths of 36 patients has been indicted on three counts of felony murder and 57 charges of unauthorized distribution of controlled substances, according to local media reports.

Thirty-three other alleged victims named in the affidavit were not presented to this grand jury because they didn’t die in Clayton County.

Dr Nagareddy and his family are well known in the Indian-American community circles of south Atlanta. His wife is a family practitioner.

Dr Nagareddy was arrested in January this year week following a raid by nearly 40 federal and local agents after 36 of his patients allegedly died, with at least 12 allegedly killed by overdose on prescription medication.

“He’s a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths,” Clayton County

Police Chief Mike Register had told Channel 2 News during the time of the arrest. “People come

to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they’re met with deadly consequences.” If the allegations are true, he is Dr. Death, no doubt about it.”

Dr. Nagareddy is accused of violating Georgia’s Controlled Substance Act. He has been practicing for more than 15 years and has had no

ethical complaints filed against him, reports People.com.

According to documents filed in court, it has already been established that 36 patients died while they were being treated by Nagareddy. Many patients of the psychiatrist also confessed that they obtained prescriptions of certain substances from him without having a real medical need.

He was charged with prescribing pain medication, which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient.

Ram Gangaraju, whose autistic son was being treated by Dr Nagareddy, has good words for the psychiatrist.

“We follow the dosage that Dr Nagareddy prescribes. He is very particular that we take the meds on time, and makes sure that we follow it (the regimen) with care,” Gangaraju said.

Dr Nagareddy is being held without bond. A court date has been set for July 7.

No Justice For Sureshbhai Patel- AL Drops Case Atlanta, GA: Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange recently announced the state has filed a motion in Limestone County District Court to dismiss a misdemeanor assault charge against Eric Parker, the former Madison police officer involved in the Sureshbhai Patel assault case.

“After a careful review of the witness testimony included in 2,000 pages of federal trial transcripts and a re-evaluation of the evidence, we are seeking to dismiss State charges against Mr. Parker,” said Attorney General Strange through a press release.

“Without a doubt this is an unfortunate case and we agree with U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala that ‘The result in this case is by no means satisfying. Hindsight brings clarity to a calamity…’.

“Nevertheless, the State has been monitoring the federal court proceedings since last September which resulted in two federal mistrials of Mr. Parker and his acquittal by a federal judge.

While the State charge has a lesser kind of culpability than that of the federal charge, the evidence is the same and the State’s burden remains proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“After a review of the federal trial testimony, it does not appear that there would be sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, we have a duty to move

to dismiss the charge,” Strange said.

Earlier this year, to the shock of the Indian American community, Federal Judge Madeline Sanjay

Hughes Haikala threw out the case against Eric Parker, who faced up to 10 years in prison for using excessive force against 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, leaving him partially paralyzed.

A team of three federal prosecutors had twice tried Parker last year for the takedown of Patel on the morning of February 6, 2015. Both trials ended with a deadlocked jury.

Sureshbhai Patel had arrived from India to the suburb of Madison in Huntsville, Alabama, to allow his daughter-in-law to go back to work by promising to care for his grandson.

On February 6 morning, Patel was taking a stroll through the neighborhood when police received a call mentioning a suspicious man. Eric Sloan Parker, the officer on duty, assaulted Patel, leaving him partially paralyzed with two injured vertebrae.

Despite the fact that Patel insisted that he knew no English, Parker attacked him and has since been fired from the job. Parker, 26, has also been charged with questionable methods against minorities, the use of unreasonable force, as well as for subjecting Patel to an unreasonable search and seizure.

The case drew international interest prompting Governor Robert Bentley to issue a letter apologizing to Patel and to India.

Pandya

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Nihar Janga And Jairam Hathwar Win National Spelling Bee

Washington, May 28 (IANS) Two Indianorigin students won the the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee, third straight year of double winners.

Nihar Janga, 11, of Austin, Texas, and Jairam Hathwar, 13, of Corning, New York, were declared co-champions at the National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, CNN reported.

“It was just insane, I don’t even know how to put it in words,” Jairam said.

“I’m just speechless. I can’t say anything.

I’m only in fifth grade,” Nihar said.

Nihar correctly spelled the word “gesellschaft”, which refers to a type of social relationship and Jairam correctly spelled the word “Feldenkrais”, a trademark that refers to a system of aided body movements.

Jairam’s brother Sriram won the 2014 spelling championship.

Twice, it looked as if Jairam would be eliminated, after he misspelled “drahthaar”, a breed of dog, and “mischsprache”, a language. But Nihar missed his follow-up words, which put Jairam back in contention, USA Today reported.

The spellers took home $40,000 in cash and other prizes.

Ten contestants made it to the finals and competed for the title of national champion before a live television audience.

The bee began Tuesday with 284 (boys: 143 and girls: 141) contestants but was pared to 45 Wednesday evening, after a written test and two rounds of onstage spelling.

By Thursday afternoon, the field had been further narrowed to the 10 finalists, who came from California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York and Texas.

For the first time, competitors included a firstgrader – 6-year-old Akash Vukoti of San Angelo, Texas.

Last year’s winners were Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas, and Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri.

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Atlanta Indian Idol Has New Winners For 2016 P.O Box 191124 Atlanta GA 31119 Tel: 404-235-4998 Email: nripulse@gmail.com www.NRIPulse.com Publisher NRIPulse Media Inc.

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BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Photos by John Gladson Atlanta, GA: Jyotsna Rao and Souryadeep Bhattacharyya, both from Atlanta GA, gave very good reasons for their mothers to be proud this Mother’s Day. The two winners walked away with the coveted Atlanta Indian Idol title of 2016 presented annually

by India American Cultural Association (IACA) at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center on May 8th2016. Consul General Nagesh Singh, Consul D.V. Singh and Consul R. Srinivasan presided as chief guests of the night.

Priyal Shah, granddaughter of the famous yesteryears

(GA) was 1st Runner-up and S Anupama Krishnan (GA) 2nd Runner-up in the Senior Category.

The winners performed at the Semi Finals and then a Final round to win their trophies.

Navin Gurnaney (GA) and Reet Tiwary won the Director’s Choice in Senior Category and Junior categories. An Online Poll, based on number of likes

Editor Veena Rao editor@nripulse.com

Reports/Features Jyothsna Hegde Supriya D.G.

Columnists/Writers Ravi R. Ponangi Mahadev Desai Rani Sharma P.S. Lakshmi Rao

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music composer Kalyan Ji of Kalyan-Anand fame was also present at the event.

“All through the fourth edition, IACA has been instrumental in finding the best singing talent throughout metro Atlanta and even out of state. The platform these singers get is invaluable for their careers and IACA is proud to have been a proverbial stepping stone in their success,” said Rina Gupta, President of IACA. The 2016 Idol featured singers from Georgia, Arizona, and Virginia. The championship round was the culmination of various auditions held earlier this year. Fifteen from Senior and Five from Junior categories were picked from over 70 auditioning contestants for the final event. There was never a dull moment at the four-hour program including dynamic dance performances from various dance institutes across Atlanta. An extremely capable panel of judges including Dr. Kakali Bandyopadhyay, Sujatha Rayburn, Sri Sangodkar, Amitava Sen, and Dr. Lakshmi Rao provided feedback and evaluated contestants based on various aspects of their performance such as tonal quality and accuracy, rhythm, diction, overall mastery of style etc. Neeta Shenvi served as statistician. The show was emceed by the energetic duo Archith Seshadri, broadcast journalist for CNN International and Anu Romesh, a previous Idol winner.

The Onsite SMS Polling provided by Text By Choice, along the lines of American Idol and Indian Idol added to the excitement. The audience was allowed to vote for their favorite singers by texting the letters/numbers assigned to their names. The night belonged to Navin Gurnaney and Jyotsna Rao in Senior and Junior Categories as they walked away being SMS Poll winners of the evening.

“These were the best of the best. Their performances were simply superb. I would pay to watch them any day. I do not doubt that the judges had the hottest seats in town!” said Program Director Raktim Sen. Souryadeep Bhattacharyya’s heartfelt rendition of Mitwa from the Movie Kabhie Alvida Na Kehana and Jyothsna Rao’s sweet rendering of Malang Malang from the movie Dhoom 3 put them at the top their categories. Reet Tiwary (GA) was 1st Runnerup and Madhuvani Kamarajugadda (GA) landed 2nd Runner-up in Junior Category. Navin Gurnaney

on YouTube conducted earlier to crown the choice of the people, the Audience Appreciation Award went to Madhumitha Vijay ( 610 Likes) and Abhignya Panatula (267 Likes) in Senior and Junior categories.

“It’s a good event managed by quality folks.” Commented Kaushal Tripathi BOD, IACA The night began with rendition of National Anthem of USA by Anu Romesh, Atlanta Idol Junior 2013- Winner, IACA Miss Georgia 2014, followed

by National Anthem of India by Kuheli Mitra, 2nd Runner up 2013. Dance performances Call from our Roots byAtlantaNrityaAcademy, directed by

Sudakshina Mukherjee, Bollywood Medley from Prem Dance Studio, directed by Prem Rehman with a Musical Performance by Asawari Joshi, Atlanta Indian Idol 2015- Winner, accompanied by Raktim Sen (Keyboards) and Nitin Gadgil (Tabla) added to the Bollywood flavor of the night.

“During the last 4 years we have seen a gradual increase in the quality of singers and we hope that one day, our idols will shine among the best in the Bollywood,” stated Chand Akkineni, founder and coordinator of the event.

Akkineni recognized the sponsors SoftPath System, Duggal Insurance, Patel Brothers, Swad, GAME WORLD and patrons of the event The Young Leaders Academy, Pyramid Consulting, Gallega Systems, SDK Insurance, Dr. Paddy Sharma, Nik Mainthia, Global Mall, and H2kInfosys.

TextByChoice was recognized as the Technology Partner.

Video and Photography for the event was provided John Gladson.

Roses were handed out to all mothers on occasion of Mother’s Day, courtesy of the team at Punjabi Society. Audiences enjoyed snacks from Haldirams sold at the counter.

Organizing Committee included Rina Gupta, Chand Akkineni, Raktim Sen, Rekha Bharathi, Kaushal Tripathi, Chaitanya Bhatt, Geeta Talukdar, Rajan Vedak, Sanjay Prakash, Ravi Singh, Manohar Singh, Neeta Shenvi, Sreedevi Dadithota, and Jyothsna Hegde.

Consulate To Celebrate International Day Of Yoga On June 26 Atlanta, GA: The 2nd International Day of Yoga will be celebrated in Georgia by the Consulate General of India with the support of around 50 Indian associations/Yoga institutions and the City of Sandy Springs, on Sunday, June 26, 2016 (as June 21 is a working day) at Hammond Park, Sandy Springs, GA-30328.

On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution introduced by India, and co-sponsored by 177 out of the 193 Member States of the UN, to celebrate 21st June as the ‘International Day of Yoga’. The resolution had the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UN GeneralAssembly resolution of this nature, reflecting the universal appeal of Yoga.

The Government of India has since decided to celebrate annually, the International Day of Yoga, throughout the World. The 1st International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Atlanta, Georgia on June 21,2015, with great enthusi-

asm and popular participation.

The Consulate will also be celebrating the International Day of Yoga in the other seven states/ territories in Southeast United States, under the jurisdiction of the Consulate, with the support and active cooperation of local Indian associations/Yoga institutions during the period June 18-26, 2016.

November 2014

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Meghna Joshi Crowned Mrs. India International 2016 Atlanta, GA: Meghna Ballabh Joshi of Charlotte, USA was crowned Mrs. India International 2016 in the well-contested pageant finals at the Holiday Inn Roswell on April 29. Maira Khan of Batavia, IL was crowned Mrs. Pakistan International 2016. Both winners will participate in the Mrs. International Pageant 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida in July 2016.

In the Mrs India International segment,

Priyanka Nehrotra, of Dubai, UAE was declared 1st runner up and Deepti Sharma of Cumming, Georgia finished as 2nd runner up.

The pageant was graced by the presence of Consul General Nagesh Singh and Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapuri.

The finals were held after two days of scoring rounds of interview, fitness wear, ethnic wear and evening gown, judged by a competent panel of judges.

Padmini Kolhapuri, pageant director and 2008 title winner Adrita Khanna and Rajiv Joshi (Mrs. Meghna Joshi’s husband) crowned the new Mrs. India International 2016 at the end of an entertaining evening where the top 14 finalists competed for the coveted crown.

Kalpesh Patel along with Adrita Khanna, crowned the following city crown winners, selected during the pageant year 2016: Meghna Joshi – Mrs.India Charlotte International 2016 Pooja Dagar – Mrs.India Smyrna International 2016 Sarita Patnaik – Mrs.India Bhubaneswar International 2016 Rati Lavania – Mrs.India Milton International 2016 Amarjeet Bedi – Mrs.India New Delhi International 2016 Veronica Vaishali Shah – Mrs. India Duluth International 2016 Hiresh Mehta along with Adrita Khanna, Director of the Mrs. India International 2016 crowned the following Mrs. India International 2016 segment winners.

Deepti Sharma – Mrs. India Ramp walk International 2016 Amarjeet Bedi – Mrs India Pretty Face Interna-

tional 2016 Sugam Chhabra – Mrs. India Personality Internatonal 2016 Prachee Khandade – Mrs. India Elegance International 2016 Rati Lavania – Mrs. India Inner Beauty Internatonal 2016 Deepti Chaudhary – Mrs. India Pretty Eyes International 2016

Priyanka Mehrotra – Mrs. India Congeniality International 2016 Pooja Dagar – Mrs. India Photogenic International 2016

Anima Das – Mrs. India International Pretty hair International 2016.

Chhavi Gupta – Mrs. India Pretty Smile International 2016 Sonia Heldestad – Mrs. India Pretty Figure International 2016 The guests enjoyed music by Romee Khan, Babar Akbar and Geeta Khanna, wonderful music and sound system by DJ Durgam, and dance performances by Jhankar Kalavishlar Dance Group, Savita Bajaj and Amrita Gupta.

Jyoti Mahajan and Stanley Doucette were the emcees for the evening.

The women of Mrs. India and Pakistan International are married women between the ages of 21 and 56, and originate from India and Pakistan, even though they can be residing anywhere in the world.

Adrita Khanna, was appointed Director Mrs. India International by Mary Richardson, who is the executive director of the Mrs. International Pageant which enters the 26th year of competition.

Mrs. India and Mrs. Pakistan International

promotes the family values of respect, compassion, honesty and tolerance. Adrita Khanna wants to provide a global platform for showcasing the achievements of international married Indian women and has a dream of building a home in the USA for the less fortunate children, said a press release issued by the pageant.

Khanna also thanked those involved in putting together the pageant including Savita Bajaj, the Atlanta coordinator, Nida Pawar Shariff who handled public relations, and countless volunteers and friends.

She thanked the pageant’s main sponsors Kalpesh Patel of Raja Foods, Swad and Patel Brothers, Sharifuddin, President Global GSA Services Inc and Mirchi Restaurant Group Dubai, Shyam Garg- Pink Face American Beauty Soap, Pushpindar Oberoi of GOA Indian Fusion, Forever Gems.

Photography was by Atin’s Photography, videography by Kiran Mudigonda, makeup and hair was sponsored by Maha Karim. The fashion show was sponsored by Rashmi’s Boutique (wardrobe) and Surbhis’s Collection (jewelry).

Universal VAT Services Wins President’s “E” Award Atlanta, GA: Universal VAT Services (UVS), a global provider of foreign tax reclaim services for corporations, academic institutions and art galleries based in Atlanta, GA, has been awarded the President’s “E” Award by the Obama Administration, through the Department of Commerce.

The award is one of prestige and is awarded to a select few small and medium size businesses annually, that make significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports. Since 1961, when President Kennedy created the recognition, t h e P r e s i d e n t ’s ” E ” Award—E is the symbol for excellence—is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports.

“The ‘E’ Awards Committee was very impressed with Universal VAT Services’ customization of sales channels for different export markets”, said Penny Pritzker, United States Secretary of Commerce.

“Universal VAT Service’s achievements have undoubt-

edly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs”.

Companies that were presented with the “E”

Award for Exports were acknowledged and granted a certificate of commemoration, at a ceremony in Washington, DC on Monday, May 16, 2016. UVS is proud to know its success is being recognized and rewarded by their government. UVS’s impressive roster of happy clients, many of which are

among the world’s leading brands, benefit from its savvy cost savings business model, which only enhances the tax reclaim services they offer to multinational entities which are doing business internationally. While its headquarters are in Atlanta, GA, UVS is a global company, boasting a talented team of top tier tax professionals in affiliate offices around the globe. Istanbul, Turkey; Mumbai, India; Bogota, Columbia; Seoul, S. Korea; and Toronto, Canada, are all cities where UVS affiliate offices are located.

“UVS is humbled and grateful for this recognition from the U.S. Department of Commerce for our innovative, global VAT recovery services, and the award is a testament to our outstanding global UVS team,” said Raj Shah, President of Universal VAT Services. “Our team works tirelessly in all of our offices around the world to serve our global customers.”

“UVS is honoured to join the ranks of acclaimed select few who have been given this award in years past, and to continue positively impacting the U.S. economy through it’s global business activities,” said Sam Shah, CEO of UVS. “This President’s “E” for excellence awards highlights to our clients how and why UVS is outstanding in the tax reclaim industry, through the reclaim services we offer our prestigious clients, and the recognition we receive from the nation’s highest office.”

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Pandit Nayan Ghosh And Son Bring Splendor Of Indian Ragas To Atlanta Atlanta, GA: Music lovers in Atlanta recently witnessed a live sitar concert by Pandit Nayan Ghosh, acclaimed in India and around the world as one of today’s foremost musicians. On Saturday, May 14th, the Speakers Auditorium at Georgia State University Student Center was filled with applause from the audience as they enjoyed Splendor of the Indian Ragas, a unique concert featuring some of the beautiful ragas from the Hindustani style of Indian classical music which are traditionally played during the afternoon and early evening periods.

Presented by Eshana Enterprise, the concert featured Pandit Nayan Ghosh on the sitar, and his gifted 15-year-old son, Ishaan Ghosh on the tabla Eshana Enterprise, through its avenue of organizing and hosting art and cultural events, aims to share topics of educational interest with its audience. This topic of interest could be: promoting a social cause, an organization or an individual, or presenting a snippet of knowledge from our rich Indian cultural heritage. At this concert, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India was the topic of interest. With Pandit Ghosh being present that evening, it seemed only natural to give due recognition to this wonderful wealth of musical knowledge.

Started in 1961 by the late Padma Bhushan Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, father of Pandit Ghosh, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India is the first of its kind spanning 50 long years of research and compilation. First published worldwide as a three volume series in 2011, under the Oxford University Press, it depicts 2,000 years of history of Indian music. Entries include details of the various genres of music (from classical to film-

L to R: Mustafa Ajmeri, Ishaan Ghosh, Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Satish Shah, Consul Srinivasan, Prabir Mehta and Arati Reddy. Photos by Bytegraph.com. originated), explanations of technical terms, descriptions of instruments, biographies of vocalists, musicologists, saints, poets, gurus, composers and instrumentalists as well as the different dance styles.

The concert commenced with encouraging remarks by Consul Rangachari Srinivasan and special guest Subash K. Razdan, winner of 2013 “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award” of India.

Pandit Ghosh’s first perClosing remarks by Subash Razdan (center). formance of the evening was “Raag Vachaspati”- a beautiful afternoon raag, recently borrowed and incorpo- “Raag Desh” as well as “Jhaptaal”, a 10-beat patrated from the Carnatic music system. tern performed on the tabla by Ishaan Ghosh. The The second half of the performance featured audience was blown away by both Pandit Ghosh’s

rendition of the ragas and Ishaan’s dexterity on the tabla, prompting them to applaud spontaneously throughout. To the surprise of everyone present, Pandit Ghosh ended the evening by singing a “Baul” folk song.

Hailing from an illustrious family of legendary musicians like his own father, the tabla legend of the 20th century, Padma Bhushan Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, and elder uncle, the pioneer flautist Pannalal Ghosh, also known as the ‘Father of North Indian Flute’, Pandit Ghosh is held in the highest esteem in the classical music world today, for being the only maestro of two diverse instruments – the sitar and the tabla. He received his training in both these fields, in addition to vocal music, from his great father. Today, he is considered an important reference source to an entire generation of young musicians and aspirants.

In addition to receiving several awards, Pandit Ghosh was recently conferred with the highest national award by the President of India, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, presented by the Sangeet Natak Academy, the cultural wing of the Government of India.

Ishaan Ghosh, a natural tabla player and a child prodigy, is considered a shining example and torch-bearer of classical Indian music. He started accompanying his father at sitar concerts at international music festivals from a very young age. He has also been invited by renowned musicians and institutions in India and abroad for both his solo and accompaniment performances.

The evening came to a conclusion with a very informative Q & A session between Pandit Ghosh and the audience.

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Yakshagana: Unique Art Form Takes Center Stage In America

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Atlanta, GA, May 19, 2016: Havyaka Association, Atlanta (HAA) and Nrupathunga Kannada Koota (NKK) treated Kannada audiences to an ancient and unique dance form, Yakshagana, presented by Shri Idagunji Mahaganapathi Yakshagana Mandali Keremane (R) on April 22, 2016 at the IACA Auditorium. Timothy Jetty, Vice Consul (PS to CG) from the Consulate General of India presided as the chief guest of the event.

The Yakshagana prasanga “Seethapaharana” depicting the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana from the Ramayana was performed by Guru Keremane Shivanand Hegde and his team of 10 members.

“The keremane group performing Seethaparahana was true professionalism and complete nostalgia. Seeing our Uttara and Dakshina Kannada culture in the US was astonishing,” commented Rita Havanur, a NKK member.

Havyaka Association of America is a non-profit organization registered in 1982. Havyaka Association of Atlanta is part of the GA chapter. “Through this association, we promote charity events and cultural arts that enhance havyaka heritage. Yakshgana is one such cultural folk drama that combines different genres of music with dance, dialogue, colorful costume and makeup,” said Dr. Annapoorna (Anu) Subrahmanya Bhat, president

of the Atlanta chapter. “The performance was superb, choreography was excellent. Our chief guest, Vice Consul Jetty who is non-kannadiga and our non-kannadiga friends also enjoyed the program, because of excellent facial and body expressions of actors.”

All sponsors of the event were recognized by

In an exclusive interview, the team lead, Shri Keremane Shivanand Hegde spoke to NRI Pulse about the prestigious troupe and its origins, while giving an insight into the mystical dance form, Yakshagana. Here are the excerpts:

HAA. Pradeep Vittalmurthy, chairman of NKK and his team thanked all the artists, members of NKK, Drs. Anu and Subra Bhat, sponsors, IACA, Anand Bhai from Meher Impex and Chopaati for their support.

Tell us about your team – the origins and plans for the future?

We are a 15-member group of artists. My grandfather was born in 1908 and established the Mandali in 1934.

Lots of things have changed over 80 years- social, technical, financial, generational- but the Mandali was successful in molding itself to changing times, keeping the tradition and the visions of my grandfather intact. My

Fundraiser Held For Amma Karunamayi At Global Mall Atlanta, GA: Amma Sri Karunamayi is on a tour of North America and her Atlanta devotees had several opportunities to meet and spend time in her presence. On Sunday, May 15th2016, a promotional and fundraising event was held at the Global Mall in Norcross to support Sri Lalita Sahasranama Maha Maha Yajnam held between May 2029th at the SRIM Center, Amma’s first U.S. Ashram which is located in the heart of Georgia.

Shiv Aggarwal, Owner and CEO of Global Mall welcomed the audience at the Impact Center in Global Mall. Sujaya Dixit, Vidya Patel, and Rajaratnam Pillai joined him on stage for the traditional lighting of the lamp. Radhika Nataraj emceed the event.

Some of Atlanta’s finest talent took center stage during the evening. Usha Balakrishnan’s rendering of Carnatic Music dedicated to Lord Ganapathi and Saraswati along with bhajans, accompanied by Narayan Subramaniam on the mridangam was delightful. Vocal music was followed by melodious instrumental by Priya Chandrashekharan on the veena, accompanied

by Narayan Subramaniam on the mridangam.

Various dance performances followed after the music. Bikhipta Panda performed an Odyssey dance with colorful costumes and fine precision.

Samta Savla, from Nritya Natya Kala Bharati bedazzled the audience with her gracious depiction

of Radha. Asha of ‘Priestess of the dance’ fame also mesmerized the audience with her Dance of Durga – Mahishasura Mardini, in which she delicately balanced lighted lamps and sword.

RJ Bhai spoke about Amma Karunamayi’s initiatives to help those in need. “She gives hope and opportunity” he said. Amma Karunamayi’s international charities include providing education, free health care, providing clean water to villages in need, building free homes and fostering sustainable communities, and social aid providing essential relief at the time of crisis.

The purpose of the The Maha Maha Yajnam or “Great, Great Offering” when translated, is to celebrate the completion of two million recitations of the Sri Lalita Sahasranama, a feat said to haven taken over 60 years. The 10day fire ceremony is in praise of the Divine Mother that has the power to transform the world and human consciousness.

The creation is like a great tree created by Divine Mother’s resolve. The intention is to sustain that tree and bathe its roots in the vibrations created by the homas, symbolic of mother earth supporting life and living beings, the desire for war to be eradicated and women around the world be respected and honored are other reasons for the Yajnam, performed under the guidance of Amma Sri Karunamayi.

The evening at the Global Mall ended with dinner from Ashiana.

Amma was at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta for 2 days, on May 13 for individual blessings/ Saraswati Diksha and a one day meditation retreat on May 14th. Those interested to learn more about Amma Sri Karunamayi may visit http://www.karunamayi.org/

- by Jyothsna Hedge

uncle Dr Keremane Mahabala Hegde and Shri Gajanana Hegde were excellent artists and along with my father and grandfather, were the early pillars and gurus for the unique Keremane style (gharana) that is followed by most of the artistes of the art form today.

During my grandfather’s time, there was no formal training centres for artists. One had to tour with the troupe and a master to become an artist. In 1986, my father started a training centre in our village. Earlier, yakshagana was performed through the night. My father Keremane Shambhu Hegde brought time-limited shows to the stage wherein the production became more concentrated in terms of its content owing to the changing generation and lifestyles. By the time I was in charge, directed performances were coming into the picture (But even till this day extempore speech, creativity on stage in dance, expressions and the way a story moves forward have been an inseparable part of yakshagana).

The mandali took the informal discussions that used to happen among artistes in a private space to the public space by organizing discussion forums at various occasions. Today, a play becomes successful for its narration through team effort, dance choreography and direction. Now, along with strengthening the roots of yakshagana, the Mandali is looking at it through the perspective of Indian theatre traditions and training students accordingly. The Mandali has more 7000 performances to its credit and is a pioneer in propagating and preserving the art form.

Please describe Yakshagaana and its significance as an art form.

Yakshagana is a traditional dance drama of coastal Karnataka which has about 500 years of history.

A yakshagana performance typically begins in the twilight hours and depicts stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata through extempore dialogue, dance and abhinaya. A typical yakshagana performance consists of background music played by a group of musicians (known as the himmela) and a dance and dialog group (known as the mummela), who together enact poetic epics onstage. It is somewhat like kathakali of Kerala. The performance troupe is called mela or mandali, which is a traditional repertory and travels from village to village. Yakshagana is performed in paddy fields throughout the night. Presently it is staged even in indoor auditoriums with certain modifications. Our mandali has a training centre at our village Gunavante and also conducts lots of activities. For further details, visit our website www.yakshaganakeremane.com.

How do you feel about the Atlanta visit?

This is our troupe’s second visit to Atlanta. We performed in Atlanta back in 2006 when we were invited to participate at the AKKA festival in Baltimore with my father. Our first Atlanta performance was at a temple when we won the immense appreciation of a large crowd.Atlanta has a lot of Kannadigas, so we are always eager to perform here. We are thankful to NKK and Dr Subramanya Bhat and Smt Annaporna Bhat and other supporters. Atlanta is one of the best places we’ve performed in.

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Dr Indrakrishnan & Sudhir Aggarwal In Most Influential Asian-Americans List Atlanta, GA: Dr Indran Indrakrishnan and Sudhir Aggarwal are among the 25 people named

by Georgia Asian Times in its annual list of Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia. The annual list documents the changing of power and the continual shifting of influence of Asian Americans in Georgia communities.

Individuals named have made an impact in business, government, politics, social work, education, judiciary, and areas that influence every aspect of a Georgian’s daily life.

Dr Indrakrishnan is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine and has his private practice in Lawrenceville, GA. He is the immediate past president of GAPIGeorgia Association of Physicians of Indian heritage.

He is a past president and currently in the board of directors of Georgia Gastroenterological and Endoscopic Society. He has served and has been serving on numerous committees of American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology and the Medical Association of Georgia. Dr. Indrakrishnan has won many distinguished awards from national and international scientific organizations.

Dr Indrakrishnan has a passion for educating the public on colorectal cancers. Governor Nathan Deal signed proclamations declaring March month as the colorectal cancer awareness month in Georgia for the

last 3 years – the last one being March 2016 - at Dr Indrakrishnan’s request. He helps the Atlanta VA Hospital and its deserved veterans by performing cancer screening colonoscopies on Saturday mornings.

Dr Indrakrishnan is in the board of directors of Meals by Grace, a nonprofit organization by Grace Chapel church in Cumming, Forsyth County which provides food for poor hungry children and their families identified by school counselors and dept. of community health of Georgia. In addition, he is in the advisory board of Third eye danc-

ers, a Georgia based not for profit organization which communicates social issues affecting children, through dance and prompting action while raising funds for the same through cultural events.

He is in the leadership council of American India Foundation, a NPO helping rural communities with educational & job opportunities.

He is in the board of trustees of Hindu temple of Atlanta, GA. In January 2016, he was honored with the globally reputed “Bharat Gaurav Award” and a Certificate of Excellence by the India International Friendship Society (IIFS).

Sudhir Agarwal is one of the three leaders (permanent positions) of Indian Professionals Network (IPN) that meets on a monthly basis. He represents the Indian community on the Board of Asian/Pacific-American Council of Georgia. He is a key leader of Rajasthani Association of Georgia (RAJA) that organizes events in Rajasthani language for people from that NW state in India.

He also played a crucial role in organizing the International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2015, under the request of the Consul General of India. More importantly, he is a team player that works tirelessly and readily contributes to the benefit of the community. His enthusiasm, smile and positive spirit is commendable.

Sudhir Agarwal completed his bachelors in Com-

I am Sita- Natya Dhaara Brings Unique Presentation To City Atlanta, GA: ‘I am Sita’ – a unique presentation about Lord Rama’s wife Sita and four other female characters from the epic Ramayana was brought to Atlanta recently by Uma Palam Pulendran, founder of NatyaDhaara. A Justus Repertory production, the performance was held at Mountain View High Theater in Lawrenceville.

A blend of dance, music, poetry and the spoken word,Aham Sita framed five crucial moments in the life of this epic woman. As Sita tells her story, we also hear voices of other women from the Ramayana- Urmila, Ahalya and Mandodari, counterpointing Sita’s saga.

Sita, a powerful metaphor in Indian culture, is revered as the perfect wife, steadfastly faithful to her husband Rama, the prince of Ayodhya. But when her husband Rama doubts her virtue, while accepting his twin sons Lav and Khush, Sita cries out, “My heart never left you when Ravana abducted me. Now tell me, is Sita the body or is Sita the mind?”

The next part of the narrative was about Sita’s sister Urmila (the wife of Rama’s brother Lakshmana), who was left behind in the palace for 14 years when Lakshmana followed his brother Lord Rama to exile. Urmila’s story of abandonment comes off as one of the best moments of the presentation.

Another avatar –Ahalya who is cursed to become a rock in the forest, was presented in Tulsidasa’s soft and melodious Avadhi expressions.

She was depicted as waiting to be brushed by Lord Rama’s foot in order to turn back into human form.

In the next narration about Ravana’s sister Shurpanakha, she asks, “Why am I always described as ‘Shurpanakha’, an ugly princess of Lanka, whereas my actual name is Meenakshi?

Why did the so-called Aryans prefer pale and skinny girls as their wives? And why does Sita still keep haunting me in spite of what my brother Ravana did to her?”

The last avatar, Mandodari, wife of Ravana (the King of Lanka who kidnaps Lord Rama’s wife Sita) is constantly questioning her husband: Why did you vanquish the wife of others? She repeatedly asks Ravana to return Sita back to Lord Rama.

As the narrator is presenting each of these female characters, Sita subtly unfolds her feelings and declares that she will not be humiliated once again, when Lord

Rama asks her to prove her fidelity in an open court by passing through the ‘Agni-Pariksha’.

Playwright and theatre director Gowri Ramnarayan reprises her multi-form, multi-disciplinary multilingual formula with original music, new and old verses and a fresh script that locates Sita in decisive scenes from the Ramayana. She looks to the classics and contemporary poets to discover what makes the magic of Sita work; why does she continue to capture the collective imagination of a civilization?

Vidhya Subramanian, Bharatnatyam artiste and choreographer, essays Sita, with color and grace. Abhinaya from the Bharatanatyam lexis and English dialogues combine in the visualization of Sita as a proud woman capable of holding her own in the face of adversity. The dance portions provide energy and sensual elements necessary for the idiom while the dialogues emphasize the resolute spirit of the princess of Mithila.

puter Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Varanasi, India and MBA in Finance and Strategy from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow, India. He is currently working as Principal Business Consultant with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and providing strategy solutions to Fortune 100 companies like Walmart, Fedex, GM, Disney, CVS Caremark. He also serves on various advisory board of start up companies in US and India

Student Achieves Top ACT Score

Atlanta, GA: Angad Joshi, a junior at Parkview High School earned the highest possible ACT Composite score of 36. Nationally, on average, less than one-tenth of 1% of students who take the ACT earn the top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2015, only 1,598 of more than 1.92 million students earned an ACT Composite score of 36.

A letter from the ACT chief executive officer recognizing this exceptional achievement stated, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. While test scores are just one of multiple criteria that most colleges consider when making admission decisions, your exceptional ACT Composite score should prove helpful as you pursue your education and career goals.”

Angad was also the highest scorer in the state for Academic Decathlon in 2016 and was finalist and attendee at the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) in 2015. He wants to be an astrophysicist or an aeronautical engineer. He is looking forward to taking his Decathlon team to the nationals, the stress of college applications and the release of the newest Harry Potter installment.

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June 2016

Sanatan Mandir Holds Mandal Puja At New Temple In Smyrna

BY MAHADEV DESAI Atlanta, GA: Sanatan Mandir in Smyrna, GA organized a spiritually suffused Mandal Puja at the almost ready new Sanatan Mandir on the auspicious days of Vaishakh Shukla-Dwitiya and Tritiya (Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8).

Mother’s Day was also celebrated on Sunday.

The construction of the new Sanatan Mandir is progressing well and hopefully will be inaugurated within a few months.

After Bhoomi Puja and Shilanyas, Mandal Puja is the third phase of the ceremonies. The final phase will be the pran pratishta ceremony. All who attended the Mandal Puja were full of admiration for the ten attractive marble murtis (deities) from Jaipur, India. The marble used for the Murtis is from the Makrana mines and of Chausariya grade –ideal for lasting long and retaining its luster. During the Pranpratishta ceremony each deity, Lakshminarayanji, Shri Ramji, Laxmanji, Sitaji, Hanumanji; Ganeshji, Hanumanji, (Das Swaroop) Shrinathji and Shri Venkateshvar Swamiji will be imparted pran (life force). The Mandal Puja initiates this process by placing the murtis in grains.

On Saturday evening, the grand Ishta Devata Kalash shobha yatra commenced from the current temple to the new Sanatan Mandir. Ladies clad in fetching saris and carrying “kalashes” earthen pots marched in front. Children cheerfully waving saffron colored Sanatan Mandir pennants marched in front. They were followed by a decorated van carrying deities.

Amita Dave, President of Sanatan Mandir lighted the ceremonial lamp (diya) and the Mandir priest Acharya Pramod Padhiji invoked Lord Ganesh. During both days, the elaborate rituals of archanas and pujas, and chanting of Vedic shlokas and mantras were meticulously done by the

Mandir priests Acharya Pramod Padhiji and Prafulbhai Desai, while the devotees joined the priests in reverentially chanting mantras and shlokas. The chants magnified the uplifting spiritual vibrations. Acharya Padhiji also led the four Vishesh Yajmaans in doing puja of their respective deities; Hetal Fergus Gordon- Ganeshji, Sameer and Himani Shah – SriNathji, Bina and Bharat Desai-Hanumanji and Anil and Suja Katarya – RadhaKrishna.

In between, Praful Desai informed the audience about the program and Mandal Puja Coordinator Prakash Desai noted the progress and status of the Mandir’s construction. The Shikhar along with the Kalash is scheduled to arrive in next few weeks. A model of the beautiful columns adorning the outside of the Mandir was on display. The columns are a replica of the columns in Jaipur. Dr. Prakash Desai announced that 15 sponsors have already agreed to pay $5000 each for the columns and 15 more columns are still available for sponsoring. Sponsorships are also available for other murtis. Each murti can also have multiple sponsors. Each murti sponsor is eligible to become a trustee and participate in the Pran pratishtha.

Surinder Bahl and Kusum Bahl; Vir and Lucy Nanda and Dr. Kirit and Rashmi Shah have become the new

Trustees. Bhaskar and Purvi Bhavsar have already sponsored Shiv Parivar murtis.

Dr. Prakash Desai also singled out Dr. Ashok Desai a renowned cardiologist for going extra mile in cleaning the trash from the parking lot and also Praful Desai for making two trips to India for selecting the sculptors to make the new murtis and approving the same.

Gunvantbhai Naik, Praful Desai, Priya Bagdi, SreeVidhya and Lata sang uplifting Lord Ganesh and Lord Krishna bhajans and also Hanuman Chalisa, while Bhavesh Patel accompanied on the tabla.

Devotees also joined in singalong.

The attendees were invited to participate in Annadhivaas ceremony, when the devotees took grains and worshipped the deities by placing the grains at their feet. Later, Acharya Padhiji performed mantrapushpanjali.

Kids of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh run Balagokulam in the Sanatan Mandir at Smyrna, performed a skit and dance program- the central message of which was to coexist and to respect nature and natural resources of the world for a greener earth. The younger kids aged 6 and under performed a foot tapping dance depicting Krishna and his cowherds having fun dancing together to the popular Hindi bhajan ‘Choti choti gaiya, chote chote gwaal’.

Sreevidhya’s students sang Ganesha sharanam Bhajan,recited shlokas from Bhagavad Gita; and rendered a song on Lord Krisha in Tamil (Chinna chinna padam vaithu).Charvi and Sudikshana, who are students of K AAcademy in Marietta performed a scintillating Kauthvam in dance on Lord Muruga.

Noted musician Kalyanji’s (of Kalyanji-Anandji fame) daughter-in-law Urmila Mota sang two popular bhajans ‘mein toh bawari Shrinathji’ and Raghupati

Raghav’ in her mellifluous voice while his grand-daughter Priyal Shah provided the music.

On Sunday, the Mandal Puja was graced by Consul D.V.Singh. The Vishesha Yajmaans and other devotees were led by Acharya Padhiji in archana. Later, Padhiji did Sarva Devata Mandir Puja, Goddess Laxmi archana and Chatur Veda Seva. Gayatri Mantras for each deities were also recited.

Hetal Gordon and Suja Katarya representing the younger generation gave inspiring speeches emphasizing the need for the new temple and the importance of giving back to the community.

Prakash Desai recognized Girish Modi for his photography and video services, and Anil Patel for capably handling the sound system.

Some items for the mahaprasad were generously donated by Haldiram and RajBhog while volunteers led

by Kartik Patel prepared the delicious sabjis, daals, rice and puris in the current temple’s kitchen.

The Sanatan Mandir Trustees and Executive Committee members haverequested the community to support the Mandir through donations in cash or kind, or by volunteering. For more information, please visit the website; www.sanatanmandiratlanta.org.

Dhoop Chaoon Hindi Theater Group Showcases Local Talent At Program

BY NIDHI PIPAL Atlanta, GA: On April 30, Dhoop Chaoon, a unique Hindi theater grooup, presented another successful show with 60 members. The show was opened by Gillian Wilson. The MCs of the show were Vikas Rattan Goyal and Kamlesh Chugh.

The show consisted of three major presentations, including a comedy play, a Bollywood dance ensemble, and a group of several short skits.

The show started with the hilarious comedy play, Gaj Foot Inch. The story is a flashback of a married couple, how their marriage was arranged by their parents, their meetings in the park, and how they got along on the same page. Along with the tickling story by K.P Saxena, the actors’ performance was very much appreciated. The acting talents included Naveen Tyagi, Vijay Tandon, Rita Kapahi, Satish Dharmarajan, Shilpa Gautam, Shiwali Daryapurkar and Syed Hafeez.

The show continued with Hum Kal Aaj aur Kal. This was a series of Bollywood dances. The theme was to show how our clothes, songs, etc. have changed over time; but our society still stays where it was years ago. Dance director, Rahim Hussain, did a good job in the choreography of six dances, each from a different era. The dancers were Neetu Sharma, Gopendra Sharma, Varsha Gupta, Aadersh Gupta, Syed Hafeez, Shree Vora, Rozina Gillani, Rahim Hussain, Tarana Malik, Vikas Jain

and Nidhi Pipal.

After this came the presentation of a group of experiences narrated by a bench, in the form of different colors of the rainbow: This included several skits. It narrates how different kinds of people

how a poor kid gets mistaken by the people, who usually think that poor kids are all thieves. The actors were: Anuj Jain, Paresh Jain, and Ahmad Batti. The next color in the rainbow was Sadak Kiske Baap Ki? (Who owns the road?): This was a

came and sat on it and how its journey has been.

One by one, it takes audience to different scenarios with different places and people. The first one was thoughts of Kuch Anutarit Prashna (Some unanswerable questions). Founder/director Sandhya Saxena Bhagat spoke her mind about questions of life that do not have answers.

Following this was Sikke Ka Doosra Pehlu (The other side of the coin): The story shows

mime act which was about how a family keeps their house clean but not its surroundings and how they were taught a lesson. Artists included: Shree Vora, Rozina Gillani, Tehseen Khan, Neetu Sharma, Varsha Gupta, and Nidhi Pipal. Then came the thoughts expressed by Main Sasikala Bajirao Godbole (I, Sasikala Bajirao Godbole) : The story of an aspiring but unsuccessful actress, whose life was changed with a visit from the soul of her departed mom. The artists were

RenuThapiyal and Veena Katdare. Then came ChorChor Mausere Bhai, a story of two thieves who are good friends, but how their friendship was broken because of a mere shorts. The actors were Anuj Jain and Paresh Jain. Last, but not the least was, Ye Aurtein Bhi Kya Bala Hain?: This short play was a satirical take on superficial relationships. Actors included Meenakshi Mehta, Shalini Kumar, Veena Katdare, Shree Vora, Manjeet Bedi, Gurupdesh Bedi.

Lights and Sound were taken care of by Gandharv Bhagat and Anil Bhagat. Backstage team included Ekta Narula Sethi, Santosh Shally, Talat Alvi, Bimal Pathak. Food co-ordination was done

by Sanjeev Aggarwal, with help of Advait Anand Pawandeep Singh, Deepti Agarwal, Rachita Mahadevan, Shankar Mahadevan. Ayan Agarwal and Kartikay Bhagat. Front desk was handled by Suparna Pathak, Seema Saxena, Meenaksh Iyer.

The organizers thanked Sandeep Savla for the sound system and Edward Gibson for his help.

Videograpy was done by Puneet Bhatnagar, Still Photography handled by Hiral Hussian.

The show was graced by the presence of Consul D.V. Singh, Consul Srinivasan Rangachari and his wife Anagha Srinivasan, and Subash and Raj Razdan.

The program was an exemplary success because of the generous donations from Kartikay Bhagat, Shamim Dalwai, Dr Naazeen Dalwai, Patel Brothers, Jeetan Singh and the 27th Group.

June 2016

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Georgia Physicians Converge In Atlanta For Annual Convention

BY MAHADEV DESAI Photos by ByteGraph Atlanta, GA: The Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (GAPI) held its 28th annual convention and banquet at the Crowne Plaza, Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia, on Saturday, April 30, 2016. The gala event was attended by over 400 guests including physicians from all over Georgia and graced by the presence of Consuls R. Srinivasan and D.V.Singh. Invited guests included Thomas Pearson MD, PhD, Ram Subramanian MD, Stephen Pastan MD from Emory Transplant Center, John Harvey MD and Don Palmisano from MAG and special guest, Dr. Aravind Pillai, chair, AAPI BOT. Just prior to the social hour at 5.00 p.m. there was a board meeting and followed by the medical education seminar consisting of CME and Non-CME segments and moderated by Dr. Jyotirmay Sharma and Hemant Yagnick. Among the topics presented were Obesity in Georgia by Ankit Patel MD, Genetic Diseases by Suma Shankar MD, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases by Jahnavi Srinivasan MD, Fabry’s Disease by Dawn Laney MS CGC, Novel Therapies for Artificial liver support by Ram Subramanian MD- all from Emory. Updates were also presented on pain management by Sanjeev Kapuria MD, infectious diseases by Tarak Patel MD and endobronchial procedures by Varsha Kulkarni MD- all from Augusta.

The banquet was emceed with great flair, humor and infectious cheer by CNN International journalist Archith Seshadri and Ohio-born , popular stand-up comedian Rajiv Satyal. GAPI President Sudha Tata welcomed all and the program began with a mellifluous invocation prayer to Lord Ganesha by Amoolya Vayalapalli ,who also rendered the Indian National Anthem. The US National Anthem was sung by Ankita Vayalapalli.

Sudha Tata who has been with GAPI for the past ten years thanked her executive team for their support and invited Dr.Vijay Maurya, Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu and Dr. Syamala Erramili on stage. She said, as a transplant nephrologist at Emory, she

was keen to promote awareness of organ donation and transplantation in the Indian community. April being National Organ Donor Month, she wanted it to be the theme of the GAPI meeting.

“Being involved in Outreach activities at

He appealed to the audience to volunteer at least once in a year. “I would like to see more Gapi members involved with these charitable and educational activities over the coming years,” he said.

Dr. Aravind Pillai, Chair, AAPI Board of

GAPI Executive Committee, new BOT and new Board of Directors.

GAPI clinic volunteers.

Emory, I wanted to take the collaboration between Emory and community physicians to the next level by active engagement in GAPI,” she said.

Dr.Sreeni Gangasani is currently Regional Director of AAPI South and got elected as member of Board of Trustees of AAPI from July 2016 for three years. He is in charge of the GAPI Free clinic at the Global Mall, Norcross which is now open twice a month, on 1st and 3rd Saturdays, between 1-4 pm. He recognized volunteers Dr. Sujatha Reddy, Dr. Jay Sampath, Dr.Vijay and Darshana Vyas, Vidya Kanagaraj and Aravind Krishnan for their dedicated and caring services.

Trustees lauded the impressive and energetic role of GAPI President Sudha Tata and the Executive Team. He requested the audience to attend the upcoming 2016 AAPI convention in Marriott Marquis, Times Square, New York from June 30 to July 4. AAPI Secretary Dr. Naresh Parikh requested the attendees to become AAPI members and also to attend the AAPI convention.

Dr. Thomas Pearson MD, PhD Executive Director of Emory Transplant Center gave a broad picture and update on organ transplants. He said, though the number of people waiting for transplants has increased, the number of transplants

Dekalb Medical Hillandale Celebrates Mother’s Day Atlanta, GA: Dekalb Medical Hillandale celebrated Mother’s Day on May 6 as part of Nurses Week.

Awomen’s medical seminar organized and moderated by internist and geriatrician, Dr. Kalai C. Parthiban, medical director, The Heart Wellness Center, DMC, was received with appreciation by the attendees.

Health issues and preventive measures from infancy to adulthood were addressed.

An interactive session and panel discussion helped women understand health situations specific to women. Maternal, fetal health, tobacco and alcohol usage in women, vaccinations during pregnancy, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease were some of the topics discussed.

ED Quality Director, Dr. Varnada K. Norwood talked about heart disease in women. Anti bullying advocate, Ms. Sonya E. Dannenberg and Miss Georgia preteen 2016, Gabriella Norwood addressed the

audience, wishing happy mothers’ day and gave out flowers. CEO, American Prestige Care, Mrs. Rita Roy Dannenberg attended the event and congratulated the mothers. Mrs. Shunda L. Harper, Dir. EM, representing Mrs. Kimberly Bentley, VP. DMCH, honored the seminar participants with a plaque appreciating their efforts. The event ended with refreshments being served.

Dr Kalai was joined by her daughter Vanathi K.P. in celebrating Mother’s Day. Vanathi, also known as Ms V, is the youngest community member to be featured in Indians of Atlanta. At the event, Vanathi spoke about the power of education and peace in the world, and wished all mothers a very happy mother’s day.

has not. He briefly suggested ways to tackle this problem.

After his riveting talk, two transplant recipients Mustafa Ajmeri and Navdeep Singh Mann recounted their heartwarming personal stories of their transplants at Emory Transplant Center, Atlanta. Navdeep Singh’s wife Tejinder Kaur spoke about her experience as a kidney organ donor for her husband. Both cheerfully said that the transplants were like being blessed with a second life. Dr. Sudha Tata commented later, “I felt the highlight of the evening was the presentation by two of our transplant recipients and the kidney donor. The message about the quality of life with organ transplant is very important. I always tell my patients that our organ donors give gifts which are truly priceless.”

Dr. Manoj Shah introduced President, Medical Association of Georgia, Dr. John Harvey. Dr. Harvey said he had spent the day with over 50 other MAG volunteers of the MAG Medical Reserve Corps at the first training drill to assemble the surge hospital facility”.

Dr. Vikas Kapil who is the Chief Medical Officer of Global Health Initiative at CDC made a powerpoint presentation about the various activities and collaborations the academic and teaching centers can have at regional, national and international levels.

Santanu Das MD, Chair of GAPI Election Committee proposed nominations for the President- Dr.Vijaya Maurya, President-ElectDr. Raghu Lollabhattu, Secretary –Dr. Syamala Erramili and Treasurer- Dr.Hemant Yagnick .

With a show of hands, the attendees unanimously approved the new Executive Committee members.

Dr.Sreeni Gangasani announced the names of new board of trustees including new chairman of Board of Trustees Dr. Dilip Patel and Dr. Abhishek Gaur, Dr. Piyush Patel, Dr.G.V.Raghu, Dr.Asha Parikh and Dr. Manmohan Gupta. As chair of the by-laws committee, Dr.Dilip Patel got the changes in the By-Laws ratified by the General body.

Former president of GAPI, and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr.P.B. Rao said that GAPI helps deserving students with merit and need based scholarships. The annual scholarship of $1,000 and a Citation of Excellence for their accomplishments was given to four students:Anurag Sharma, KoyalAnsingkar, Harish Alappan and Silki Modi. Humanitarian Awards were given to Vijay Vemulapalli and Manojbala (Manju) Tiwari.

Vemulapalli, in his acceptance speech, gave a brief overview Vibha, a non-profit for which has been volunteering since the mid-1990s.

Manju Tiwari is the curriculum coordinator and teacher, Balvihar Hindi School in Atlanta. She is also the President of Yuva Bharati Sansthan.

Atlanta’s premier Nritya Natya Kala Bharati’s students in colorful costumes, with mini-lanterns in their hands and synchronized handclaps, enthralled the audience with a semi-classical sufi style performance choreographed by Samta Savla, on the song Bhardo Jholi.

A dazzling fashion show choreographed by Madhavi Korrapati was a visual treat for the audience.

Children smartly dressed in black suits and ties followed the ladies and finally it was the turn of men.

They teamed up with ladies and struck romantic poses to the amusement of the cheering audience.

The grand elegant décor, stunning lighting effects, music and sound system, photo and videography were provided by ByteGraph Creations.

........City News ........

Geet-Rung’s Annual Recital ‘Tatkaar’ Showcases Intricacies Of Kathak

BY MAHADEV DESAI & RACHNA GUPTA Atlanta, GA: Geet-Rung School of Dance and Music, Atlanta’s premier dance and music academy, presented its spectacular dance show ‘Tatkaar’ on May 15th at Infinite Energy Theater, earlier known as Gwinnett Performing Arts Center.

The word ‘Tatkaar’ denotes the rhythmic footwork used in Kathak which is the major sublime classical dance form of northern India. In Kathak, all compositions are performed in such a way that the final step and beat lands on the ‘sam’, meaning even, equal or first beat of the time-cycle.

In its most early forms, Kathak was a devotional expression dedicated to the Hindu Gods and was ritually performed in the temples. When it incorporated folk elements, the depiction of Radha, Krishna and gopis gained popularity. It is said that when Krishna did his divine dance on the hood of the serpent Kaliya, various sounds emanated from Krishna’s feet like Ta, Thai, Tat, etc. which formed the building blocks of Kathak.

In course of time, Kathak moved into the courts of the Hindu maharajas and Muslim nawabs as well as evolved into the Jaipur, Lucknow and Banaras gharanas or schools, unique in style to those areas. Kathak is a wonderful blend of Hindu and Muslim culture, which also shows in the elegant attire: lehnga-choli for Jaipur gharana and churidar-angrakha for Lucknow gharana.

Divya Srivastava, founder and director of Geet-Rung, brilliantly put together the technical aspects of Kathak in the first half of the program which was then followed by folk, fusion and Bollywood choreographies. Divya opened the evening with the invocation to Goddess Saraswati which was then followed by riveting Kathak performances from the group of students starting from the beginners to advance up to Visharad Pratham Kathak. The technical pieces included ‘Thaat’, ‘Aamad’, ‘Paran judi aamad’, ‘Chakradhar Paran’,

Photos by Yogesh Goswami

‘Chakardhar Tode’, ‘Kavitta’ ‘Tihai’ etc.

Aqsa Farooqui and Sunny Sachdeva very ably emceed the show. The background narration brought the history of Kathak to life and stunning

backdrops by Pankaj Bhargava further enhanced it.

“To actually see the technicalities of Kathak being performed by our kids was wonderful,” said

Carnatic Vidyalaya Celebrates Annual Day

Atlanta, GA: Carnatic Vidyalaya, a South Indian classical music school for kids based inAlpharetta,Georgia, celebrated its annual day program on Sunday, May 15 at Skyland Business Center, Cumming. Students participated in group as well as solo events.

The event included popular compositions of Shri Thyagaraja, Annamacharya, Oothukadu Venkata Subbier, Muthuswami Dikshitar , Purandharadasar and Tulsidas in various languages including Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit, and Awadhi.

The senior students of the school performed varnams and also paid homage to MS Amma on account of her 100th birth anniversary this year by rendering krithis (songs) popularized by her including Sriman Narayana, Kurai Ondrum Illai and Hanuman Chalisa (which is immediately synonymous with MS Amma). The other students and younger participants, some of them as young as four, went on to perform slokams and geethams. It was wonderful to see all the kids perform with re-

markable group co-ordination along with a perfect sense of rhythm (Talam) and tune(Ragam) in alignment with the scale(Shruthi) .

As a token of appreciation and encouragement, each student was awarded a trophy by their guru Viji Murali, who is the founder as well as the teacher of the music school.

Carnatic Vidyalaya strives to train and inculcate the knowledge of South Indian classical music among the Indian community in the Atlanta area.

parent Pranoti Savadi. “To get the basic knowledge of this ancient dance form through synchronized audio, visuals and performances in such a short time is totally incredible,” said another parent.

Students of all ages, some as young as four, after depicting the technical aspects and history of Kathak, successfully captured the exuberance of the Indian culture through kaleidoscopic Bollywood dances.

This year the second half of the program paid tribute to the Bollywood singers through their very popular numbers such as Chittiyan kalaiyan, Tod tadaiyya, Prem ratan dhan payo, Pinga, Itti si hansi, Ramta jogi, Malang malang, Kamli, dhadhak dhadhak, bole chudiyan, chamma chamma and more. ‘Mohe rang do’ song with the Kathak bols recitation by Pt. Birju Maharaj, set the stage ablaze with Divya and her senior students with their graceful moves filled with ‘shringar ras’.

The finale was the outstanding performance on the medley of songs by Himesh Reshammiya.

According to one parent “As we watched each performance we were struck with the choreography of every dance and rhythm….. and according to Lauren Lewis, another parent “Recital was very well organized, wonderful and delightful as usual. It’s not only an event of entertainment but also an event of learning. It is evident that there is a lot of hard work put in by students and Ms. Divya to make this event such a big success.

The fact that each year, Geet-Rung gives back to St Jude Cancer Research is very commendable”.

According to Divya, with each year’s recital the student’s potential and caliber is pushed to the next level as she challenges them to perfect more complex choreographies and achieve the set goal by the time of the stage performance.

And this was very well proved by her students. Students Dristi Dave, Njeri Lewis, Rachna Sahasrabudhe and Reva Sahu who showed mastery over the goals set for their class and Kathak exams received special recognition of the ‘Student of the year’ and medals.

‘Tatkaar’ like the previous annual recitals was a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to help advance cure and prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. At St. Jude no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.

The top five fundraisers for St. Jude were the very young Aanvy Patel, Aditi Sood, Ariya Upadhyaya, Aarna Ravikanth and Aafreen Anjum who were given special recognition as ‘Little Angels’ who brought light in the dark life of children battling cancer.

A wonderful production, well executed by Divya and her skilled students along with the production team of school manager Shweta Dubey, backstage managers Anar Sharma and Nidhi Taank and stage/lights coordinator Hemali Vyas. ‘Tatkaar’ left the audience cheering, and applauding to the very end.

........City News ........

June 2016

NRI PULSE 13

Georgia Indian Nurses Association Celebrates Nurses Week

BY MAHADEV DESAI Atlanta, GA: Georgia Indian Nurses Association (GINA) celebrated Nurses’ Week at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Lilburn on Friday April 29, 2016. The well attended event was full of joy and camaraderie. The program started with a small prayer led by Fr. Mathew Elayadathamadam, and his blessing and greetings for all nurses. Shirley Parayil and Deepthy Varghese emceed the program with great energy and enthusiasm and kept the crowd engaged and entertained.

Lighting of the “Nilavilakku”- traditional lamp used commonly in Kerala, was done by Fr. Mathew, chief guest Carolyn Holder, GINA president Lilly Anickat ex-GINA president, Mary Jose and the executive committee members of GINA. GINA general body members sang the Indian National anthem followed by US national anthem sung by Jasmine Anickat. Lilly Anickat welcomed honored guests, nurses and their family, and sponsors of the event. She encouraged nurses to take full advantage of the association’s programs such as networking, professional and leadership development, CPR training, education for CE credits,

volunteering opportunities, etc. She also invited nurses and nursing students to the 5th biannual education conference of NAINA-National Association of Indian Nurses of America in Chicago on

October 21 and 22nd.

The founder and former president of GINA, Mary Jose, introduced the chief guest Carolyn Holder MN, APRN-BC, CCRN, CCNS, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Critical Care/ Pulmonary at Emory university hospital. Holder did a presentation on the theme of this year’s Nurses week “Culture of Safety -It starts with you”. She pointed out that a culture of safety fosters transparency, accountability and brings better results.

She emphasized the importance of team work and

cates to those who had made professional advancements and achievements. Vidya Kanagaraj won the “GINA Nurse of the Year” award for her excellent contributions to GINA, community, her patients and their families, and nursing profession. Allen Shpigel from Shpigel Financial Group, Prakash Joseph from GAMA, Vandana Thakkar from Softpath systems and Sheela Pothumana from Clinical Laboratory Services made felicitation speeches and recognized nurses for their service and support in the community.

Lisa Pius and Jasmine Anickat sang beautiful songs dedicating it to all nurses. Suja Moonjeli surprised everyone by her amazing solo dance performance. Sneha Cletus and group performed an enthralling dance which elicited a cheerful applause from the audience.

The attendees also much enjoyed Meena Joseph’s Hindi song. Jecy Mathew, the secretary of GINA, gave the vote of thanks for the support and generosity of those who had participated in the celebration and to the performers.

The GINA nurse’s day celebration was concluded with NAINA’s 5th Biennial National Kanagaraj (center). Conference registration kick off and a delicious dinner.

effective communication for patient safety. It was very informative talk, interesting not only to nurses but also to their families and guests who were part of the audience.

The emcees, invited nurses one-by-one to the stage, through the “RedCarpet” by holding candle lights. And Fr. Mathew and Holder acknowledged each nurse for their services by giving roses as a token of appreciation. GINA’s award committee recognized nurses by presenting certifi-

GINA Nurse of the year Vidya

Ruby Beauty Center Opens At 7th Location In Suwanee

Photos by Hakim’s Studio Atlanta, GA: Ruby Beauty Center opened its 7th center on May 11 in Suwanee, Georgia with a special ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Jimmy Burnette.

“We want businesses to succeed because it brings more jobs into the community,” Mayor Burnette said, after he had formally opened the center.

Indeed, Ruby Beauty Center is a great Atlanta success story. Owner Rubina Rupani (or Ruby as she is called) has been in the beauty enhancement business for over three decades. Growing up in Pakistan, she followed in the footsteps of her elder sister, the famed Shah Mehndiwali, and decided very

early in life that beauty was her business.

Moving to Atlanta in the early 90s from California, where she worked for the popular Ziba Beauty Salon (that boasts of doing Madonna’s henna), Ruby saw huge potential in the beauty business. Atlanta had a small South Asian population, but no South Asian beauty salon. She set up the first Ruby Beauty Center in Decatur, Georgia in 1995 that lent wings to her passion.

What makes Ruby successful? “Lots of support from family, and also my young professionals. Experience, customer trust, great service and competitive prices also count,” she said.

Staying successful in the beauty business means having to stay abreast of new techniques.

“We research new techniques, and then train our professionals before we adopt them,” she said.

Ruby’s husband Murad Rupani manages the salons. He develops new markets, and takes care of the nitty gritty of running the business.

“We bring in our employees as partners,” he told this reporter. “As we grow, we want to see our employees also grow.”

Priya Patel, who has worked with Ruby for several years, is the partner at the Suwanee center.

The six other centers are in Decatur, Global Mall in Norcross, Marietta, Cumming, Dunwoody and Duluth.

The mood was celebratory at the center through the day with free eyebrows for customers, door prizes, raffles at every hour and refreshments.

Ruby and Murad’s older son Umer introduced Mayor Burnette, and partners Rubina and Priya to the small crowd that had gathered to witness the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

14 NRI PULSE

Indian Companies To Pay $4000 More For H-1B Visa Fee

Washington: (IANS) Indian companies, according to Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, will have to pay additional fees of $4,000 for certain H-1B and $4,500 for L-1 petitioners, details published recently by USCIS said.

The law, signed by US President Barack Obama in December 2015, increased fees for certain H-1B and L-1 petitioners, USCIS said in a statement published on its website.

The fees is applicable on the companies employing 50 or more employees in the US, with more than 50 percent of those employees in H-1B or L (including L-1A and L-1B) non-immigrant status.

It is in addition to the base processing fee, Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee, American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 fee (when required) and the premium processing fee, if applicable.

USCIS may begin rejecting petitions received on or after February 11 this year that do not complete Section 1 of the H-1B and H-1B1 Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement and the L Classification Supplement.

The H-1B visa allows US employers to recruit foreign professionals in specialty occupations.

L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both the US and abroad.

......... NRI News ........

June 2016

US Returns Ancient Artifacts, Modi Expresses Thanks Washington: (IANS) From a bronze Ganesh to a Jain figure of Bahubali, the US has returned more than 200 pieces of rare cultural artifacts to India during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi expressed his gratitude for the return of the ancient artifacts during a ceremony here.

“We are very grateful for government of the US and the President for returning a part of our culture. This heritage inspires us for the future,” he said.

“Usually it’s the present that brings nations together, but sometimes it’s the heritage that brings two nations closer. Over the past two years, various countries have endeavored to return India’s stolen cultural heritage,” said Modi who arrived in the US on Monday on the fourth leg of his fivenation tour.

“My gratitude to the US government for the sensitivity shown to India’s heritage. This will evoke great respect among the people of India,” he said, according to External Affairs Ministry spokes-

person Vikas Swarup’s tweets.

“There treasures are to be enjoyed by the entire world. Technology can help us catch those indulging in illicit trafficking,” he added.

Earlier, Swarup posted along with pictures of the artifacts: “From a bronze Ganesh to a Jain figure of Bahubali, here are pics of some of the returned cultural artifacts.”

During her address at ceremony of Repatriation of Cultural Property, US Attorney General

Loretta E. Lynch said: “Today (Monday) we begin the process of returning more than 200 stolen cultural objects back to India.”

Earlier, Modi paid tribute to the US space scientists who lost their lives during their research in space at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial and also laid a wreath at Arlington Cemetery (Washington DC), the tomb of US soldiers killed during conflicts.

During his visit to Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial, Modi met NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and the family of Kalpana Chawla, Indo-American astronaut, and invited them to visit India.

He later had an interaction with thinktanks in Washington.

“Probing the minds of those who shape foreign policy. PM @narendramodi at an interaction with thinktanks in Washington,” Swarup tweeted.

This is the Prime Minister’s fourth visit to the US in the last two years.

Indian Students Win Six Awards At Intel Competition New York: (IANS) Indian students have won six awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the US where New Delhi’s Shreyas Kapur was declared the grand winner of the “Google Thinking Big Award.”

Organized by Intel Corporation and the Society for Science and the Public in Arizona this month, the Indian team comprising 16 students won a total of $9,500 in three grand awards and three special awards in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, biomedical engineering and mathematics, Intel declared in a statement on Tuesday.

Kapur from Modern School at Barakhamba Road won the award for the “project that addresses a large and seemingly-impossible problem, by finding an elegant solution with broad impact”.

His project titled “Cellphone-based Optometry using Hybrid Images” also won him third position in both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Biomedical

Engineering award.

Arvind Krishna Ranganathan from Ecole Mondiale World School in Mumbai won the second place for his project titled “Deterministic Approach to the Position, Trajectory, and Colli-

sion Prediction of Particles within Bounded TwoDimensional Environments”.

Suhani Sachin Jain and Divya Kranthi of Centre Point School in Nagpur won the third award in plant sciences for developing an “Innovative Strategy using Endophytes for Effective Biocontrol of Insect Pests in Cotton”.

Vasudev Malyan of Maharaja Agarsain Public School in Delhi won fourth spot in translational medical science for the development of a “Novel Paper Sensor as a Diagnostic Test for Multiple Sclerosis”.

The 16 Indian students were selected to attend ISEF as finalists of the Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) 2016 that featured more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 419 affiliate fairs in 77 countries.

The Intel Foundation also awarded $1,000 grant to each winner’s school and to the affiliated fair they represented.

Divisive Rhetoric Prompting Shift In Political Support Among Asian Americans Atlanta, GA: A survey released in May 2016

by Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data demonstrates that exclusionary rhetoric alters significantly the way Asian Americans will vote and how they view candidates. The 2016 Spring Asian American Voter Survey, which was conducted by AAPI Data, polled 1,200 Asian American registered voters.

The report titled “Inclusion, Not Exclusion” demonstrates that divisive rhetoric, particularly anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment, caused more than 40 percent of Asian American voters to state that they would not vote for a candidate who expressed those views.

“The survey shows that Asian Americans are paying close attention to political discourse, and will not vote for a candidate expressing exclusionary rhetoric that only serves to separate communities. Anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim language will not win over Asian American voters,” said Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.

“Candidates on both sides of the aisle need to pay attention to our community,” she added, “but our survey continues to show that the majority of Asian American voters have not been contacted by political parties in the past year.”

“Voter outreach and education by nonpartisan organizations remains critical and 2016 is poised to be the largest mobilization effort we have seen for the AAPI community,” said Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote. “The survey shows key problem spots where Asian American registered voters feel that the political system is not responsive to their needs. Greater investments are needed from the campaigns and

parties.”

The survey also indicates that a significant number of Asian American voters have shifted toward identifying as Democrat over the last four years, although a large proportion of the community continues to identify as Independent.

“The Republican National Committee’s Growth and Opportunity Project signaled an interest in outreach to Asian American communities and may have partly succeeded in 2014,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor at University of California Riverside and director of AAPI Data.

“But, harsh rhetoric by several candidates in 2015 and 2016 seems to have eroded those again and,

indeed, might have made the situation even worse.”

The areas of concern of Asian American voters reflect the concerns held by all voters on national issues, including economic security, immigration, gun control, and the threat of terrorist attacks. On issues of importance to Asian American voters, which include jobs and the economy, education, health care, and the environment, Democrats are viewed as doing a better job. It is important to note that on the issue of the threat of terrorism, 27% of Asian American voters view Republicans as doing a slightly better job.

Other notes of importance in the survey include: *Donald Trump has the highest net unfavorable view among Asian American voters. (19% favorable61% unfavorable, compared to 41% favorable-56% unfavorable among the general population) *Hillary Clinton has the highest net favorable view among Asian American voters. (62% favorable-26% unfavorable) *Asian American voters are progressive on most issues, including the Affordable Care Act, gun control, environmental protection, and increasing government spending to make higher education affordable.

June 2016

14 Indians Charged With Visa Fraud Through “Green Card” Marriages New York: (IANS) Fourteen people of Indian descent are among 19 charged with involvement in visa fraud through fake “green card” marriages or by falsely making claims of being crime victims, according to officials.

Federal prosecutor Gregory K. Davis said recently that the accused from eight states, “who sought to undermine the integrity of our nation’s immigration system,” have been charged in the federal court in Jackson, Mississippi.

The charges resulted from joint investigations by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The defendants allegedly circumvented the laws and submitted fraudulent documents that are critical to obtaining immigration status,” said Davis, the federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The prosecutor’s office said that a lawyer, Simpson Lloyd Goodman, submitted fake documents for some of the Indians charged with him to get “U-Visas,” which are issued to crime victims who help investigations or prosecutions.

Some of the false documents were crime reports allegedly prepared by Jackson police officer Ivory Lee Harris, who has also been charged.

Of the 11 charged in the fake crime victim visa case, nine had Indian names and could include those with US citizenship.

Eleven people were charged with offences relating to sham “green card” marriages with US citizens. Of them, seven had Indian names.

“These marriages were not entered into because of mutual love and affection between the parties, but solely to create a legal status that would provide a basis for immigration status for the alien partner and usually for some economic benefit to the United States citizen,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Lawyer Goodman, Sachin Girishkumar Patel, 33, of Mississippi, and Tarunkumar Purushottambhai Patel, 49, of Missouri, face charges involving phony marriages as well as fake crime victim visa applications.

Five Indians and three others face charges relating only to sham marriages.

......... NRI News ........

NRI PULSE 15

25 Indian Students Asked To Leave US University Washington: (IANS) At least 25 Indian students in their first semester of computer sciences program at Western Kentucky University have been asked to return to India or find placement in other schools because they did not meet the admission standards of the varsity, The New York Times said as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a US visit.

Some 60 Indian students were enrolled for the program in January and the university was said to have used international recruiters to enrol them.

James Gary, the chairman of Western Kentucky’s computer science program, told the Times that “almost 40” of the students did not meet the requirements of their admissions, even though they were offered remedial help by the university.

This means that 35 students may be allowed to continue while 25 “must leave”, the newspaper said.

Gary said permitting the students to continue in the program would “be throwing good money after bad” because they were unable to write computer programs, a necessary part of the curriculum and a skill that US schools teach to undergraduates.

“If they come out of here without the ability to write programs, that’s embarrassing to my department,” Gary said, explaining why the univer-

sity could not permit them to continue.

The students had been admitted after a recruitment campaign in India where advertisements were run offering “spot admission” to the university, as well as tuition discounts.

The university Senate has now endorsed a resolution expressing concern about the recruitment campaign which was part of the university’s efforts to lift enrolment and revenue in the face of deep state budget cuts, the newspaper said.

The university, in a statement, said it had altered its international recruitment efforts in India. The school will also send members of the

computer science faculty to India to meet with students before offers of admission are made in the future.

The chairman of the Indian Student Association at Western Kentucky University, Aditya Sharma, has expressed concern about the students who have been asked to leave.

“I definitely feel badly for these students,” said Sharma, a graduate student in public health administration.

“They’ve come so far. They’ve invested money into it.”

But he admitted that some of the students had adopted what he called a “casual” approach to their studies.

“They could not meet their G.P.A. (grade point average), so the university had to take this decision.”

This is not the first time that Indian students in the US have faced problems.

In April, over 300 Indian students were forced to leave their respective schools in the US. The students were provided admissions as part of a fake university sting operation conducted by law enforcement agencies to expose a visa scam which allowed more than 1,000 foreigners to maintain student and work visas.

At least 10 Indian-Americans were among 21 people arrested as part of the sting operation in which a fake university was created by US authorities.

Colleagues, Former Teacher Express Shock Over UCLA Indian-American Shooter Kolkata: (IANS) Colleagues and a former school teacher of Indian-American Mainak Sarkar have expressed shock and sadness over news of the researcher fatally shooting his wife and a University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) professor before turning the gun on himself.

Sarkar, 38, fatally shot engineering professor William Klug, 39, in his office at the UCLA on Wednesday. Klug had refused to give him a passing grade.

Before killing Klug, he killed his wife Ashley Hasti, who was found dead in Brooklyn Park, in Minnesota.

He passed his ICSE exam from St. Michael’s School in Durgapur town of West Bengal’s Burdwan district, before clearing Class 11 and 12 from another shcool.

Lily Chowdhury, biology teacher at St. Michael’s, described the news of the shootout as “very shocking”.

“He was a very brilliant student, meritorious student, I should say. He was one of the toppers of the class. He was the pride of our school,” said Chowdhury.

She remembers Sarkar as “very well behaved”.

“I knew him till his ICSE. He was reserved, not the very outgoing type. I should not say that he was an introvert. But yes, he was not the type

who would go around and make friends very quickly,” she said.

Some Indian researchers in the US said they

were “discomfited” that Sarkar, who was an IIT Kharagpur graduate, could commit such a heinous crime.

Researcher Sohini Ray who was in “lockdown” for around two hours along with her lab mates in a UCLA building said taking someone’s life was not justifiable.

“It’s a very sad affair. We do not know what transpired internally but taking someone’s life is not justifiable and whether the person had tried to solve the problem through another method before taking the drastic step is not clear. Not just as a

Bengali but as an Indian, I feel sad,” Ray told a local TV channel.

According to Sriparna Gangopadhyay, a scientist at the University of California, the report sent shock waves through the academic community.

“It was shocking to learn that something of that sort had happened in an educational institution. I felt a bit discomfited to learn he was an Indian,” Gangopadhyay said.

Sarkar had written the names of Klug and his wife in a note, titled “Kill List”, that police found while searching his residence.

The third person Sarkar intended to kill was another professor at UCLA. However, the faculty member was off-campus on Wednesday.

Police said that “a dispute over intellectual property” was tied to the UCLA shooting, which put the campus on lockdown for hours.

Sarkar felt that Klug had released information “that harmed him”.

In a blog post uploaded on March 10 under his name, Sarkar wrote that the professor “stole all my code and gave it another student”. Sarkar branded him a “sick man”.

Before enrolling at UCLA, Sarkar earned a Master’s degree at Stanford University.

In the US, he also had a stint as a research assistant at the University of Texas and worked as a software developer.

......... Books ........

......... Movie Review........

Shashi Kapoor: The Story Of India’s First International Star

Waiting: Naseer, Kalki Add Heft To This Homage To Humanism

16 NRI PULSE

Title: Shashi Kapoor - The Householder, The Star; Author: Aseem Chhabra; Publisher: Rupa Publications India; Pages: 216 further rekindled by the fact that people had

BY VIKAS DATTA His elder brothers left one defining cinematic image - Raj the simple, honest ‘tramp’ in the Charlie Chaplin tradition, Shammi the jiving, rebellious ‘playboy’ but Shashi Kapoor surpassed them in sheer variety. Debuting as a

Hindu fanatic, he was most famous as a lover-boy with a toothy grin and languid drawl but also as a reasonable foil to a smoldering angry man where he once spoke the four most famous words in Bollywood’s history.

Balbir Raj ‘Shashi’ Kapoor not only straddled commercial and ‘art’ cinema, but also became India’s first international star. Here he was not only cast in predictable roles - a decadent nawab, a prince-turned-ascetic, a devious local notable - but also in more nuanced ones - a lower middle-class teacher, a flamboyant film star, a narrator to Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s life and a poet in the twilight of life and reputation.

But he had even more contributions to the film industry.

In time when Bollywood is a no longer only an Indian phenomenon, but engaging with Hollywood on its own terms and becoming a vibrant part of global cinema, his is a story that needs to be told. And his first biography comes from a film journalist and commentator whose first spat with his wife - the day after they got hitched - was quelled by a sight of Shashi Kapoor in a New Delhi hotel in 1985.

Author Aseem Chhabra, who is also a film festival programmer in New York, reveals an earlier bond with the actor. During a holiday in Srinagar in 1964, when he was not even 10, his shikara on the majestic Dal Lake was turned away, since a film shoot (Shashi-Nanda’s “Jab Jab Phool Khile”) was in progress and confesses to being “overwhelmed by crushing disappointment” to have not seen the stars.

Chhabra’s desire to tell Shashi’s story was

forgotten him - his teenaged nephews and nieces only learning about him and placing him by virtue of his relationship to Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor. But fortunately, as he notes, soon after he started working on this in early 2015, Shashi was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award which “reinstated him in public memory”.

But who is the real Shashi Kapoor, asks Chhabra. There is a wide gamut to choose from: a member of an already famous film clan, “India’s first international star - long before the Priyanka Chopras and Irrfan Khans..”, “by all counts, the most handsome Hindi film actor of that period”, “the producer, who backed some of the best independent movies in India in the 1970s and 1980s”, “the theatre enthusiast”, “the family man.. who did all he could to support his household, even if it meant acting in a few rather terrible (but well-paying) movies” and not only a “star” but an “eminently likeable star”. And in this work, he seeks to introduce readers to all these.

Though by no means a comprehensive biography, but through some telling insights and anecdotes from family members (children Sanjna and Kunal, nephew Rishi and his wife Neetu), co-stars like Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, and Simi Garewal, colleagues like Shyam Benegal, James Ivory, Hanif Kureishi, Aparna Sen and others and through some of his landmark films, it gives an unrivalled picture of the man and the actor. Sadly, Shashi himself could not be interviewed due to his bad health.

You will know why he was called Shashi, his difficult romance with Jennifer Kendall, how Satyajit Ray helped him, how his long association with (Ismail) Merchant-Ivory began, which iconic Hindi movie he was offered - and then refused, who else was considered for his role in “Deewar” - where the four words alluded to above - made him legend, and the experience of producing classics like “Junoon”, “36 Chowringhee Lane”, and “Kalyug”.

Then there is also why director Shakti Samanta sent him away from the sets of “Kashmir Ki Kali”, how he once emulated Shammi on the Venice waterways and why Saif Ali Khan (then aged two) bit an actor.

For those who already know about Shashi, this will be an illuminating read. For those who don’t, it will be necessary.

June 2016

Film: “Waiting”; Director: Anu Menon; Cast: Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin; Rating: **** positivity that the film exudes has to do with the

BY SUBHASH K. JHA There are hospitals, and there are hospitals — to take care of the ill. But there are no schools to teach us how to cope with the ill.

“Waiting” is about two people whose respective spouses are seriously ill and in a coma. Shiv (Naseeruddin Shah) and Tara (Kalki Koechlin) are just...waiting... Waiting for a miracle, perhaps?

Of the two, Tara is the younger, hence angry, confused and bitter. Shiv, who doesn’t know her from Adam (or Eve) takes charge of her, sort-ofholds-her-hand and guides her through the various stages that the bereaved must go through before they attain a state of calm acceptance.

There is this elegantly-staged scene in Tara’s hotel room where Shiv explains to her how she

must make her bewildered way through the many emotions that destiny has suddenly thrust on her by putting her husband in a state of mortal uncertainty. Here, and everywhere else, we can see and hear in Naseer’s voice the full force of his experience in the art of bereavement.

The beauty of watching “Waiting” is that no one needs to fake it. Not the actors and not us the audience. We’ve all gone through the process of dealing with loss, or worse still, impending loss when someone dying in the other room is so close to your heartbeat, you wish you could lend some of your breath to the dying beloved.

It is this sense of lived-in experience that makes Anu Menon’s post-debut mellow-drama so denuded of drama it smells like life.

Nothing that Ms. Menon did in her first film, the picaresque rom-com “London, Paris, New York”, prepared us for the emotional journey she undertakes in “Waiting”. If wisdom is what we gather from travel, then Ms. Menon seems far more widely-travelled in “Waiting” than she did in her debut film.

Though confined largely to a hospital, “Waiting” never overpowers you with the smell of antiseptic, nor stifles you with gloom. There is a bright light piercing the dark mood of mortality that envelopes the film.

Though outwardly the grim tale is swathed in somberness, miraculously Ms. Menon bathes the two main characters’ irredeemably depressing predicament in a dip of sunshine. A lot of the

two principal performances.

Kalki, with her rebellious mood swings and

This is a gentle and moving heartbreaking story of two strangers bonded by bereavement, one wise and retrained and reluctant to use the ‘F’ word even when life gets tough, the other volatile and temperamental and so proud of her Twitter sociability that she didn’t get time to realize life is not about how many followers you have, but how minutely you read the writing on the wall. defiant attitude to destiny, makes the traumatized young wife’s role so vivid and vibrant, you just want to hug her and calm her down. Provided she doesn’t sock you in the crotch for stepping the line.

And what better antidote to hysteria than Naseeruddin Shah? Sagacious and so gracious in his suffering he brings to his role of the bereaved husband the kind of intrinsic tranquility that only the wisest possess.

There are also some very interesting peripheral characters and performances.

Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Kalki’s best friend who is caring and concerned but has her own life to live. Rajat Kapoor as a pragmatic, sometimes-ruthless doctor is excellent, though you do wonder if there are more doctors in the vast hospital.

And Rajeev Ravindranathan as a kind, gentle and godfearing office colleague of Kalki’s comatose husband is so spot-on that you wonder if the man knows he is acting.

There are many points of polemical discussion that this big-little film raises on the trauma of grief, morality and medical ethics. To its credit, the film doesn’t allow the narrative to be weighed down by existential issues. By and large, the two actors are given room to let their bonding over a bout of bereavement grow organically.

Apart from a few strenuous episodes (Tara’s sudden outburst on seeing messages on her comatose husband’s phone from a colleague who turns out to be a male buddy, is jarring). “Waiting” swims through the tides of its traumatic design with candor and grace.

This is a gentle and moving heartbreaking story of two strangers bonded by bereavement, one wise and retrained and reluctant to use the ‘F’ word even when life gets tough, the other volatile and temperamental and so proud of her Twitter sociability that she didn’t get time to realize life is not about how many followers you have, but how minutely you read the writing on the wall.

Not since Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox” have I seen an indie film addressing itself to the ageless issue of human desolation and individual grief with such warmth, dignity, grace, honesty and humor.

June 2016

Exercise Can Reduce Chemotherapy-Induced Numbness

Exercise could offer a simple and inexpensive way to reduce weakness, numbness and pain in hands and feet due to chemotherapy, new research has found.The study, involving more than 300 cancer patients, directly compared the neuropathic symptoms in nonexercisers to the pain among patients who took part in a specialized six-week walking routine with gentle, resistance-band training at home.

The exercisers reported significantly fewer symptoms of neuropathy - which includes shooting or burning pain, tingling, numbness, and sensitivity to cold - and the effects of exercise seemed to be most beneficial for older patients, said lead author Ian Kleckner, from University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute in the US. Not all chemotherapy drugs cause neuropathy, but 60 per cent of people with breast cancer and other solid tumors who receive taxanes, vinca alkaloids, and platinum-based chemotherapies will likely suffer this type of side effect, Kleckner said.

Neuropathy is more commonly associated with diabetes or nerve damage.

........ Health Pulse ........

NRI PULSE 17

Binge Eating May Also Trigger Depression New Delhi: (IANS) Next time you munch on that mouth-watering pizza with extra cheese or enjoy a king-size burger with French fries and soft drink, remember that too much of junk food can not only add extra kilos around your belly but may lead you to depression, warn experts.

Binge eating episodes lead to obesity which, in turn, causes depression owing to weight stigma, poor self-esteem and reduced mobility.

On the other side, depression may also lead to obesity as such people tend to engage in “emotional binge eating” to deal with the pain of rejection, have poor sleep patterns and turn into couch potatoes.

“Some people especially suffering with atypical depression tend to eat more, sometimes in binge pattern. Owing to increased eating, there is weight gain which leads to further exacerbation of depressive symptoms, explains Ashish Kumar Mittal, MD psychiatry from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

“In such people, eating relieves stress for brief duration by providing distraction from disturbing thoughts,” he says.

A typical depression is a subtype of major depression that involves increased appetite or weight gain, sleepiness or excessive sleep, marked fatigue or weakness, mood swings and a feeling of rejection.

“The most common cause of depression is neurotransmitter (a substance in the body that carries a signal from one nerve cell to another) imbalance in the brain, especially involving serotonin and norepinephrine,” Mittal told IANS. Increased appetite or weight gain, sleepless-

ness or excessive sleep, fatigue or weakness and anxiety are general symptoms of depression.

People suffering from depression generally eat in binge pattern to comfort themselves but it may be comforting only for a while as it becomes a vicious cycle of eating more to feel better — then

feeling worse.

“Psychologically or biologically, it is believed that eating leads to a release of certain chemicals which lead to satisfaction or relaxation. We do have patients who binge eat because of depression,” adds Dr Manish Jain, senior consultant (psychiatrist) from BLK super speciality hospital in the capital.

Apart from depression and stress, other causes of binge eating are lack of confidence, loneliness, family history (related to genes) and hormonal deficiency. Binge-eating disorder is also defined as uncontrollable, excessive eating, followed by feelings of shame and guilt.

People with eating disorders develop habits that can cause a great deal of harm. They may diet,

exercise or eat excessively which can have lifethreatening or even fatal consequences, including atypical depression.

Experts feel that women suffer a great deal more than men on this front owing to biological and psychological factors. A typical depression is seen two to three times more commonly in women than in men.

“Women suffer twice as compared to men from depression because of multiple factors like hormonal, social position or economic position,” says Jain.

“The most affected age group is 40s but I would like to add that depression is a disease which can occur at any age,” Jain warns.

According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 350 million people affected by it.

“People suffering from depression should avoid isolation, substance abuse and unsupervised medicine use. Patients should seek treatment for medical issues, if present,” advises Mittal.

Patient should communicate his suffering to his close family members so that they can help him or her in need.

“It is always better to seek professional help in cases of depression to prevent self harm, social and occupational complication. Treatment of depression is done by proper medication and psychotherapy,” Dr Mittal adds.

Binge eating can be controlled by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, getting engaged in creative work, avoiding junk food, alcohol and smoking and eating balance diet in intervals, the experts advise.

Secret To Successful Ageing: Keep Diet High On Fiber Sydney: (IANS) Eating the right amount of fiber from breads, cereals, and fruits can help us avoid disease and disability into old age — a benchmark of successful ageing, says a study led by an

Indian-origin researcher.

Using data compiled from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a population-based study that examined a cohort of more than 1,600 adults aged 50 years and older for long-term sensory loss risk factors and systemic diseases, the researchers explored the relationship between carbohydrate nutrition and healthy aging.

They found that out of all the factors they examined — which included a person’s total carbohydrate intake, total fiber intake, glycemic index, glycemic load, and sugar intake — it was the fiber that made the biggest difference to what the

researchers termed “successful aging.”

Successful ageing was defined as including an absence of disability, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, respiratory symptoms, and chronic diseases including cancer, coronary artery disease, and stroke.

“Out of all the variables that we looked at, fiber intake — which is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest — had the strongest influence,” said lead author Bamini Gopinath, Associate Professor at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Australia.

The findings were published in the journal The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

“Essentially, we found that those who had the highest intake of fiber or total fiber actually had an almost 80 percent greater likelihood of living a long and healthy life over a 10-year followup. That is, they were less likely to suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dementia, depression, and functional disability,” she explained.

18 NRI PULSE

Riteish, Genelia Again Blessed With Son

File photo of Riteish and Genelia with Riaan.

Mumbai: (IANS) Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh and his wife Genelia D’Souza have welcomed their youngest son and the “Banjo” announced the news on Twitter.

Riteish shared an image of his elder son Riaan and captioned it: “Hey guys, my Aai and Baba just gifted me a little brother. Now all my toys are his...- Love Riaan.”

Riteish, who started dating Genelia on the sets of their Bollywood debut movie, “Tujhe Meri Kasam”, in 2003, married her on February 3, 2012.

The couple welcomed Riaan in 2014.

Bollywood celebrities started wishing the couple as soon as Riteish made the announcement

........Bollywood Pulse ........

Trust Is Key To Successful Marriage: Sunny Leone New Delhi: (IANS) At a time when several tinsel town celebrities have called time on their relationships, actress Sunny Leone, who is happily married to Daniel Weber since January 2009, says the key to a happy and successful marriage is “compromise”.

This year a string of B-Town celebrities, including Farhan Akhthar-Adhuna Bhabani and Arbaaz Khan-Malaika Arora, chose to lead a separate life.

Asked about her secret to a successful marriage, Sunny told IANS over phone: “It is trust and compromise. I believe in the saying ‘happy wife happy life’. But it’s more about compromising, unconditional love, communicating with each other and trust”.

The “Ek Paheli Leela” star stressed that compromise is important to maintain a good, long-running marriage.

“Compromise is the biggest thing as you are bound not to agree on everything and that is how it works... To be able to compromise is very, very important,” added Sunny, whose real name is Karenjit Kaur Vohra.

Sunny, who made her Bollywood debut with the erotic thriller “Jism 2” in 2012, had once said that she feels like an outsider in the industry.

Asked if she still feels the same after making her mark in Hindi cinema, Sunny said: “I have definitely met some really nice people in the industry and I am happy for that.”

The “Ragini MMS 2” actress has also been roped in for a song for superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Raees”, which is directed by Rahul

Dholakia.

The song, which is picturised on Sunny and Shah Rukh, is reportedly a new take on the 1980

chartbuster “Laila O laila” from the film “Qurbaani”. The original track featured Feroz Khan and Zeenat Amaan.

Sunny says it was a dream come true for her to work with the “Chennai Express” star.

“It was absolutely amazing and a dream come

Seen Great Highs, Lows And Still Soldiered On: Hrithik New Delhi: (IANS) His struggle to overcome stammering during grown up years, broken marriage with childhood sweetheart Sussanne Khan and his ongoing legal battle with actress Kangana Ranaut has not changed Hrithik Roshan’s positive outlook towards life. As he looks back, actor Hrithik Roshan sees himself as an evolved person, who inspite of experiencing highs and lows in his life, has still “soldiered on”.

“I constantly believe in evolving as a human being, an actor and a performer. As I look back, I see myself as an evolved person who has seen great highs and lows and still soldiered on,” Hrithik told IANS in an email interview.

The actor is currently in news for his legal spat with Kangana. The two, who were apparently dating in the past, slapped a legal notice against each other for tarnishing their respective images in the public.

Issues began when Kangana hinted at Hrithik being her “ex” when she said in an interview that she fails to understand “why exes do silly things to get your attention”. The topic in discussion was Hrithik’s hand in getting Kangana replaced in the project by Sonam Kapoor in “Aashiqui 3”.

In an indirect dig to that, Hrithik had later tweeted: “There are more chances of me having had an affair with the Pope and any of the (I’m sure wonderful) women the media has been naming. Thanks but no thanks.”

This set the stage for their legal war.

June 2016

On being asked how his good or bad times have influenced him as an actor or as a human being, he chose to let it go unanswered, but said that while everybody wants to change something about their lives, they com-

promise with situation and time.

“I believe if you are not rediscovering yourself and pushing boundaries, then you are not alive. Everybody wants to change something about their life, but they are either too afraid, too lazy, or too comfortable with the way things are,” he said.

The actor is currently the brand ambassador of the watch brand Rado and recently launched the Swiss watchmaker’s chocolate brown high-tech ceramic collection.

Hrithik says that his ability to reinvent himself “in new roles resonates with the brand’s image to con-

stantly innovate, making it a perfect fit”.

But at a time when some senior actors are facing criticism for choosing wrong brand endorsements, Hrithik says that he only works with those brands that inspire him.

“There is a high focus placed upon the importance of choosing a reliable, trustworthy celebrity to endorse or sponsor a company’s product, while still balancing the celebrity’s power to influence their consumers. And for me, I work with people and brands that inspire me. Our values and message need to be the same,” he told IANS. With time being such an important part in everybody’s life, the father of two feels that he always tries to be committed to deadlines.

“Quite often we hear of our busy schedules and insane shoot hours. Despite this, it’s important to manage to be punctual and stay true to one’s profession. I try to be very sincere and committed to my films and deadlines,” he said.

Last seen on screen in 2014 released action film “Bang Bang!”, the actor is currently shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s directorial “Mohenjo Daro”.

Also starring debutante Pooja Hegde and veteran actor Kabir Bedi, the movie is set in the ancient city of Mohenjo Daro in the era of the Indus Valley civilization. “I am travelling back into time and it’s been a great journey and a great experience. The other movie (‘Kaabil’ directed by Sanjay Gupta and produced by Rakesh Roshan) is a love story-cumrevenge drama and it’s shaping well,” said Hrithik.

true. I am way beyond excited and happy about working with him,” she said.

“I loved working with him and feel very lucky,” Sunny added.

Would she like to star along with SRK in a film?

“Of course, yes!” Sunny said.

The Canadian actress’ four-year-long journey in Bollywood has been a mixed bag.

Sunny says that the failure of a film affects her.

“Of course (failure of a film affects me).

When you work in a film, you put your heart and soul into it and if it doesn’t do well... it, of course, affects me,” she said.

Sunny will be seen hosting the youth-based reality TV show “MTV Splitsvilla Season 9”, which will air on June 11.

She says the ninth season of the TV show, which features her along with Rannvijay Singha, has some “interesting and different” situations.

Sunny, who was seen in the fifth season of “Bigg Boss”, says reality shows like “MTV Splitsvilla” show the “reality of life”.

The show has previously seen a lot of verbal spats between contestants.

The 35-year-old actress says that “people do get upset and sometimes don’t know how to control their emotions”.

Asked if such incidents make television viewing disturbing, she said: “We watch different television shows because we find them interesting... We find other persons’ lives interesting, which is why reality television is so big in the industry... Rannvijay and I don’t condone physical violence in the show...

We try to control (it)”.

NYT Report Triggers Troll Attack

A report by The New York Times which mentions Indian icon Lata Mangeshkar as a “socalled playback singer”, has garnered the ire of Twitter users, who perhaps misconstrued the meaning of “so-called”.

The newspaper’s report is on Indian comedian Tanmay Bhat’s controversial Snapchat video, in which he has used the app’s face-swap feature to liberally ridicule Lata and Sachin Tendulkar. After the video went viral on the social media and other channels, it triggered widespread outrage.

A description of the video in The New York Times report reads: “In the expletive-laced video, which was created on Snapchat, Mr. Bhat uses that app’s faceswap feature to impersonate Sachin Tendulkar, a hugely popular cricketer who retired in 2013, and Lata Mangeshkar, a so-called playback singer for Bollywood films whose career dates to the 1940s. Playback singers record vocals for song-and-dance numbers, to which actors and actresses lip sync.”

Despite the explanation, the “so-called playback singer” phrase didn’t go down too well with some people, who took to Twitter to slam the newspaper.

The article’s co-writer Suhasini Raj clarified quoting the dictionary: “‘So-called: used to introduce a new word or phrase that is not yet known by many people’.”

NY-based Indian writer Aseem Chhabra explained to the trollers: “Amazing some folks are upset @nytimes.

Idea of ‘playback singer’ is unique to India. Hence the ‘so-called’ expression about @mangeshkarlata!”

......... Indians of Atlanta ........

June 2016

NRI PULSE 19

#IndiansofAtlanta- A Social Media Driven, Online Archive of Local Indian-American Stories Please visit www.facebook.com/IndiansofAtlanta or our web page www.nripulse.com/indians-of-atlanta/ to read more such stories.

We Were Able To Help An Unfortunate Woman: Ramesh And Vijaya Bakshi “One summer day in 1994, when I was the President of Kannada Koota, I was shocked to hear from a friend that there was an Indian woman sleeping next to a dumpster in a strip shopping center.

The next day, my wife Vijayalakshmi and I went to the strip mall and spoke to a store owner who confirmed that he had seen an Indian lady sleeping next to the dumpster and he was concerned for her safety. A few minutes later, luckily, we saw her walking towards the dumpster. I rushed to talk to her, but she would not talk to me.

Seeing her uneasiness, Vijayalakshmi started a conversation with her.

The lady told us her story. She was a physician from India, but had not completed her medical requirements to practice in the US. She had two small children.

Her husband had divorced her and taken custody of their children and their house. She had no place to go and no family or friends she could turn to, so she ended up sleeping on the streets. She had gone to a women’s shelter, where most of her belongings were stolen, so she returned to the streets again. She had pawned some of her jewelry to survive. Both, my wife and I were in a state of shock and disbelief that this could be happening here to a member of our own community. We promised to get back to her in a couple of days.

As soon as we returned home, we started calling people.One of our friends offered to put her up in his motel until we could find a solution. Vijayalakshmi coordinated with her friends to cook food and take it to her on a daily basis. In the meantime, our friends raised enough funds to buy her a one way ticket to India so she could go live with her parents.

Years passed. Then one day in 1998, around 2 am, I received a call from a police precinct in

Atlanta informing me that a lady wished to speak to me. To our surprise, it was the same lady whom we had helped a few years back. She had returned to Atlanta after her parents had passed away and she wanted to be close to her children. Through the help of some friends, I was able to place her in a motel for a few days.

Unfortunately, our community did not have any resources to help a person who was in this type of need. I had heard of Raksha, the Georgia based nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence. To my great relief, they were willing to help. Raksha found a shelter for the lady to stay in and arranged for a social worker to assist her in getting back on her feet.

A few years later Vijayalakshmi met the lady in a grocery store. She looked healthy and seemed to have her confidence back and was able to support herself. Thanks to the efforts of Raksha and our friends, we were able to help one unfortunate lady stand on her feet and gain independence.

This experience that made me commit to raising funds for Raksha. I started the “Ek Shaam Raksha Ke Naam” annual fund raising event for the non-profit. I chaired or co-chaired the event for 10 years and raised over $250K for Raksha to help victims of domestic violence. During this time, Raksha was kind enough to honor Vijayalakshmi and me by starting “The Ramesh and Vijaya Bakshi Community Change Award”.” – Ramesh Bakshi Ramesh Bakshi came to this country in 1965 in the pursuit of higher studies. He did his Masters in Industrial Engineering, then went on to get an MBA. In 1968, he went back to India to marry his childhood sweetheart, Vijayalakshmi Sarvepalli. The couple moved to Atlanta in 1977 with their two young children.

If Other Women Could Compete In A Body Building Competition In Their 40s, So Could I: Aarti Patel “During my second pregnancy, I gained a lot of weight and was having trouble losing it. I didn’t have much knowledge about exercise and

fitness and started researching. I came across a weight loss program that involved weight training and cardiovascular exercises along with eating several small nutritious meals a day. I followed the intense program working out at home – 3 days of weight training and 3 days of cardio with good nutrition. I also learned to modify my favorite Indian foods and prepare healthy dishes.

In 3 to 4 months, I saw my physical transformation take place. I dropped several dress sizes and in the process developed an appreciation of

the true benefits of weight training along with eating healthy. I was hooked!

After that, exercise and fitness became a daily part of my life and I hired a trainer to help me further achieve my fitness goals. At that time I also went to see a body building and figure fitness competition and decided that I wanted to compete. My thinking was that if other women can compete in their 40s, so can I! Training for the competition was very challenging and included six days of weight training with my personal trainer along with many cardio sessions a week. My diet was extremely strict for four months prior to the competition. I had to eat at set times and 6 meals a day which included lots of protein and vegetables and with limited carbohydrates. There were no cheat meals! Even though I placed third in the competition I was very proud of my accomplishment- from being an overweight mother of two to being fit and competing at the age of 40!”- Aarti Patel Aarti Patel is the owner of Aarti Fitness, a personal training studio in Chamblee, GA. She is certified by the American Council on Exercise as a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Health Coach. At the age of 40, she became the first Indian woman to compete in a national body building and figure fitness competition. She is also the Fitness Columnist for Khabar Magazine.

Animals Have The Same Birthrights We Claim For Ourselves: Sarita Raturi “My life revolves around animal rights. There are many who help humans, but very few who understand animals and their needs. I have always been a compassionate person and jumped into action whenever anyone needed help, but growing up in Bombay (Mumbai) there wasn’t much exposure to animals. It was only after I adopted Kiwi, my first dog from our local shelter, that I realized how vulnerable and innocent animals are. I became an animal lover, then an animal activist and a vegan.

Humans and other animals have many similarities, despite our differences in appearance, forms of communication and ways of living. As feeling beings, we are united by our desires to seek pleasure and enjoyment, and to avoid pain and suffering. Animals have the same birthrights we claim for ourselves—the right to

live our lives free of subjugation and institutionalized violence, where the random and special joys of being alive can be experienced.

Within a year of adopting Kiwi, I started going to local protests and soon found myself involved in organizing and leading them.

Seven years ago, I saw a TV program on dairy cows on ABC. The atrocities on cows and calves were beyond imagination and I turned vegan overnight.

Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is, whether its victim is human or animal, we cannot expect things to be much better in this world. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity.

It is tough to do what I do but the rights of others to live free of oppression and violence from humans is more important to me than my own comfort zone. I will keep fighting for those who can’t and will make sure I get to see some positive changes in the lives of non-human animals in my lifetime.” – Sarita Raturi Sarita Raturi is an animal rights activist.

She is on the board of Georgia Animal Rights & Protection (GARP) and In Defense of Animals (IDA, India). Both are 501C non-profit charities. IDA, India is a part of IDA,USA and their mission is to protect the rights, welfare and habitats of animals. Sarita is also a business woman, wife and mother.

........Features ........

Original Thinkers Add Interest To Life- If You Survive Them

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My wife bought seedless grapes. I refused as he could to the finishing line, pushing the bike. The to eat them on moral grounds, but she didn’t other did the same. Race officials said it was “like the even care that they were the last surviving mem- Flintstones”, and they ended up with a winner, a bers of that particular grape family line. (Women good laugh, and a new record: slowest motorbike race in history. are the tough-minded sex.) perhaps the That disagreement ended THE FUNNY SIDE most But startling example of with her telling our dinner original thinking is the guests: “My husband is policy to pay salaries to career an original thinker.” criminals if they agree to commit In general, original thinkers no crimes. This is not a joke. It was add interest to life, especially when first tried in the US town of Richoffbeat ideas are adopted by instimond, California, and crime tutions. In some districts of India, dropped so fast that the scheme is police who catch men urinating in this year starting in Washington public spaces leap into action, placDC, with up to 50 criminals on ing garlands of flowers around the the payroll. miscreants’ necks. The sheer ranIf this spreads around the domness of the action, I’m told, world, “career criminal” could stops them re-offending. soon become a proper respected Equally creative was the official reaction when Delhi motorists with car number profession, like being a doctor, lawyer, couch plates ending in odd numbers were caught driving on potato, street hustler, demagogue et al.

I must admit I was tempted by this, until days reserved for those ending in even numbers. Offenders were handed a rose. (Memo to self: visit India my boss pointed out that career criminals are next Valentine’s Day and borrow 12 cars.) One Delhi probably required to do a modicum of work from man with a number plate ending in zero was caught time to time, unlike columnists, who simply on an odd number driving day - and claimed that zero share inane, pointless ramblings. Good point.

On the plus side, original thinkers have bright was neither odd nor even. He was wrong (it’s even) ideas. For example, someone should invent a smoke but anti-traffic ladies still offered him a rose.

When I asked around for examples of original detector which switches itself off when daddy and thinking, a colleague mentioned a recent two-man mo- the kids are cooking in the kitchen. We like our food torcycle race in Australia. The first guy’s motorcycle black on the outside and raw on the inside. wouldn’t start and the second man’s bike stalled. The It’s better than eating innocent grapes that logical thing would have been to abandon the race, but have been brutally neutered. one guy had the bright idea of simply walking as fast - Nury Vittachi

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NRI PULSE 21

A Yogi’s Actions Are Neither White Nor Black: Author Karan Bajaj

BY VEENA RAO The Yoga of Max’s Discontent is New York based author Karan Bajaj’s third novel, and his first international release. Published in the US by Penguin Random House, the novel is about a young American’s spiritual journey to India in search of answers to questions about suffering and mortality. It is also a gripping adventure story that takes the reader from the night markets of Mumbai to icy caves in the Himalayas to a hidden ashram in South India.

“I think all fiction is emotionally autobiographical and Max’s deepest questions about suffering and its meaning are my questions,” says Bajaj, who took a year off from his corporate job in NYC to travel by road from Europe to India, learn yoga, meditate and write.

Bajaj’s earlier novels, Johnny Gone Down and Keep off the Grass, were both No. 1 bestsellers in India and have been optioned into major films.

Excerpts from an interview: Max, the protagonist of your novel, is quite different from Karan Bajaj, the author. He is Greek-American, was raised in the projects, and is a first time visitor to India. What connected you to him? Did you, at any point of his journey, have trouble relating to him or his problems?

I think all fiction is emotionally autobiographical and Max’s deepest questions about suffering and its meaning are my questions. His physical quest that takes him from hidden yoga ashrams to caves high in the Himalayas was also my own quest for a year as I went from Europe to India by road and learnt yoga and meditation in a forest ashram in India. Max’s background is different from mine because I wanted a character who had a very direct, personal exposure to suffering which makes him ask questions about why the world is so fundamentally unjust. In India where I grew up, you can’t help but ask these questions because of the abject poverty all around you, beggars, orphaned children, entire families sleeping on the roads for years, and such. Here in the US, you’re very shielded from it unless you’re unfortunate enough to be in the thick of it like Max was in the housing projects.

You took a year-long sabbatical to write, learn yoga and discover yourself. How much of Max’s spiritual quest was your own journey?

I’d say that the beginning of the quest was very similar. I didn’t take a sabbatical to write or take a break from work as much as I was possessed by this very fervent desire to experience satori, a glimpse of enlightenment, a moment of complete dissolution of my sense of self. Like Max, I also wanted my journey to be as hard and uncomfortable as possible because I wanted to shed off all layers of identity and preferences. In sleeping in train stations in Europe and taking cold showers for months in the Himalayas, I was trying to free myself from the burden of all likes, dislikes, all preferences altogether. Somewhere in the mid-point of my journey though, my quest softened. In the six months I spent in a Himalayan ashram learning yoga and meditation, I started to realize that the quest for enlightenment isn’t my dharma in this lifetime. I was just not in my element renouncing the world. Max’s journey is different in that way because he gets deeper and deeper into the quest though even he learns things about himself that surprise him.

Unlike Max, you decided to come back to your corporate career in New York. How have you evolved as a yogi after the sabbatical?

I’ve made a little progress. There is a slight delay in my actionreaction cycle, a moment of pause in which the intensity of the reaction decreases. If something is upsetting me at work, for example, a spontaneous noting happens within me—”I’m getting upset”. In that noting, I’m not as upset anymore. This pause, this slight delay, throughout the day, day after day, allows for a lot of space and silence in life. I’d been trying hard to be a yogi in work or my writing for many years which for me means just being a medium for my work to express itself without thought of self. Now the “trying” has softened, the selflessness has become just a tad more spontaneous.

Towards the end of his spiritual journey, Max walks over water, glides down icy mountains, sees people in his mind. It would have taken tremendous grounding in yogic scriptures (or research) to make all this seem scientific, believable.

The whole idea of the novel came to me while reading Vibhuti Pada, the 3rd section of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Unlike the rest of The Yoga Sutras, which is incredibly profound philosophically yet a

“I think all fiction is emotionally autobiographical and Max’s deepest questions about suffering and its meaning are my questions,” says Bajaj, who took a year off from his corporate job in NYC to travel by road from Europe to India, learn yoga, meditate and write. little hard to access, Vibhuti Pada is a page-turner with its descriptions of yogic superpowers. For years, I’d been reading terse, thick books on spirituality and mysticism. I wanted to write a spiritual quest that had the manic pace of a thriller. After reading Vibhuti Pada, I had a frame to attempt it.

While The Yoga of Max’s Discontent is about one man’s journey of inner transformation, it is also a highly entertaining adventure story. Was it a challenge to write a story that is at once educational as well as interesting to the international reader?

Indeed, I think this was the greatest challenge for the book. In the US, there’s a big divide between literary fiction and commercial fiction. I wanted to break the boundary completely and write a book that was unflinching in raising the deepest questions of what it means to be a human yet keeps you up all night because you can’t stop turning the pages. That’s why I made sure that all of Max’s internal questions were reflected in an external quest that takes him from surreal night markets to hidden ashrams to caves high in the Himalayas. His revelations had to come as much from physical experience as mental contemplation, which is hard to pull off, especially in the last section of the book when he’s all alone meditating in a cave.

Max finds a great guru in Ramakrishna who sets him on the path of yoga. How important is it for a striving yogi to have the right guru?

For me, the whole idea of a Guru is to have a person you can fully surrender to. Your ego, your sense of self, your petty likes, dislikes, and judgment, dissolves complete in love and reverence for this person, giving you a glimpse of what infinite love could look like. So yes, a Guru is important, but you can’t rush it. You have to reach a point in yoursadhana, your practice, when you’re ready for that surrender. Until then, I feel you should train yourself so you don’t become dependent on others to show you the way—and fortunately, we have access to a wealth of ancient resources whether it’s the Bhagavad Gita or the Upanishads or the Dhammapada, for the same. If you depend on people too early, you won’t build the viveka, the discrimination, required to separate the wheat from the chaff and there is a lot of chaff in the Guru world.

Throughout Max’s spiritual quest in India, he is lucky to meet

people who point him in the direction of transcendence. However, modern day India is no different from modern day America, where materialism rules. (Even well-known Indian spiritual gurus are forever making trips to America to raise funds for their causes or to increase their follower base here.)

How does a striving yogi balance materialism with yogic principles?

I think the Yoga Sutras says it best when it says that the yogi’s actions are neither white nor black, they are colorless. A yogi isn’t trying to do good or bad in the world, he’s just acting spontaneously from a place of deep silence and purity. So I think the best way for a striving yogi to act in accordance with his dharma, his natural tendency, and keep purifying his actions there. If your natural thrust is to be in business or law, you shouldn’t quit to become a yoga teacher. You should act with as much selflessness and purity as you can in your field. That’s yoga. I think too many times in the West people wear the monk’s robes before they’re ready to become monks.

As they say, in yoga, life’s journey is like the flight of an eagle.

First, you flap your wings high, as high as you can flap them, growing with experiences in the world. Then, you gracefully bring the wings down, go within and complete your journey. If you’re still in the growth stage and experiencing more in the world, there’s no shame in it. You shouldn’t wear the monk’s robes too early.

While yoga and meditation are getting more popular in the West, there are pockets of America that are offended by these concepts. An elementary school in an Atlanta suburb was forced to alter its yoga program recently after complaints from some parents who felt it was promoting far-eastern religious beliefs. How would you respond to such criticism?

Yoga, as defined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the original text of yoga, is chitta vritti nirodah, the silencing of the restless thought waves of the mind. The integrated set of practices from the Hatha Yoga, the physical practice, to meditation as a mental practice is meant to accomplish that goal. Anything beyond that is not essential to studying the practice and as a parent of two kids myself, channeling the restless energy of a mind into a space of productive silence seems very desirable indeed, no matter your religious beliefs!

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22 NRI PULSE

Four Bean Salad

BYP.S. LAKSHMI RAO

This salad is a very refreshing dish for summer time pot lucks, lunches and picnics. I have been making this salad for several years. You can keep it in a refrig-

Mix first seven ingredients in a large covered dish.

Mix vinegar, sugar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a jar with lid and shake well.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables, mix it with a wooden spoon and keep the salad in the refrigerator over night. Stir with wooden spoon once in a while.

June 2016

Hydrate With Easy-to-make Smoothies Smoothie for digestion

Note: Serve with a slotted spoon Makes 8 to 10 servings.

erator for a week.

1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans (drained) 1 can (14.5 ounces)waxed beans(drained) 1 can ( 15 ounces)cut green beans(drained 1 can (14 ounces) chick peas (drained)(optional) 1/2 green bell pepper sliced 1/2 red bell pepper sliced 1 small red onion cut in to thin circles and half circles

This jade-green smoothie has anti-inflammatory, stomach-soothing foods such as ginger. It also includes pro-biotic rich yogurt.

Ingredients 1 cup cubed honeydew melon 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed 1/2 cup kale 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably organic 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated 1 teaspoon lemon juice Dash of ground cloves

For dressing or marinade 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil 1 table spoon salt or to taste 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Well blended, this alkalizing smoothie improves your digestion and boosts nutrient absorption.

Ginger settles the stomach, while the flax seeds provide omega-3s and fiber.

........ InVogue .......

The Cape Jacket Effect suits and saris. The cape sari is not quite popular yet, but will be soon.

The cape effect can also be used with lehengas.

These capes are detachable, so when the trend is outdated, the outfit can still be worn. Cape lehngas

BY RANI SHARMA Raneez Fine Boutique From Hollywood to Bollywood, cape jackets are the new summer sensation. They are comfortable yet stylish, making them a must have wardrobe piece this season.

The cape effect looks chic on western formals (with embroidered work)- a great fusion look. But then, don’t limit capes to one kind of outfit. They can be paired with almost anything. A simple cape paired with flared skirts can transform your look.

Cape skirts look elegant and royal- a different take on veils.

Indian designers, not to be left behind, have created some beautiful ensembles of capes with

look great in pastel shades.

Capes need not be of floor-length.

Short capes can look very classy.

Footwear -matching classy pencil heels.

Purse- clutches embellished with swarovski.

Makeup- eye shadow that matches your outfit with dark lipstick.

Hairstyle- high up-do.

Jewelry -only earrings in long style.

Smoothie to increase metabolism While it does help to boost your metabolism, it also has Vitamins A and C and zinc so it helps to boost your immune system as well.

Ingredients ½ cup cantaloupe - cubed ½ cup mango - cubed ¼ cup pumpkin seeds -finely chopped ½ cup pineapple - cubed Enough water to thin . Just blend all of the ingredients together and enjoy.