NRI Pulse September 2016 Print Issue

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Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper September 2016

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Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper September 2016 Purvi Patel Walks Free After Court Overturns Feticide Conviction

Atlanta, GA: Purvi Patel, the Indian-American woman whose feticide conviction was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals in July, walked out of prison recently, a day after a judge resentenced her to less time than she had already served and ordered her immediate release.

Purvi Patel, 35, was with relatives when she left the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis about 10 a.m., said Indiana Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison.

Her attorney, Lawrence Marshall, said Patel is very joyful that this day has come, but that she now needs privacy so that she can focus on rebuilding her life.

“For right now, she needs to recover from what is obviously a traumatic several years,” said Marshall, a Stanford University law professor.

Purvi Patel was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015, two years after her self-induced abortion at her family’s home. The appeals court ruled that the state Legislature didn’t intend for the feticide law “to be used to prosecute women for their own abortions.”

Patel comes from a family of Indian immigrants who settled in Granger, Indiana, a suburb of South Bend. In July 2013, she showed up at the emergency room of St. Joseph Regional Medical Centre in the town of Mishawaka, bleeding heavily.

Doctors quickly realized she’d lost a pregnancy and she confessed that she’d left the fetus in a dumpster outside Moe’s Southwest Grill in Granger, a restaurant Patel’s parents owned.

Patel’s defense had argued then that Patel, who’d gotten no prenatal care, had had a sudden miscarriage and that the fetus was not born alive. Patel’s defense argued the fetus was no more than 22-24 weeks old, and thus not viable even in a medical setting. Prosecutors argued Patel’s pregnancy was up to 30 weeks along and the baby had been born alive.

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Pramukh Swamiji Cremated; World Leaders Pay Tributes Ahmedabad: (IANS) The mortal remains of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, head of the Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), were consigned to the flames at the Sarangpur Mandir campus recently in the presence of a galaxy of political leaders and thousands of followers.

BJP President Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Kathakar Morari Bapu, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh, businessman Anil Ambani, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, state BJP President Jitubhai Vaghani, and state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, among others, were to the first to reach the Sarangpur Mandir in the morning.

They were followed by Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch L.K. Advani.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned emotional as he paid tributes to Swamiji. Watched by thousands, Modi said that while people may have lost a guru, he had lost a father.

Jaitley said the deeds of Pramukh Swamiji would set an example in the history of this time.

Meanwhile, Former Secretary of State Hillary

Clinton and Former U.S. President Bill Clinton conveyed their sincerest condolences on the passing of Swamiji. Secretary Clinton wrote, “Pramukh Swami’s deep sense of devotion led him to spend

his life revitalizing communities in need…His example helped his followers find more harmony – both with others and within themselves. And we hope that humanity will build upon his legacy for generations to come.”

In her statement, Secretary Clinton specifically highlighted the core reason that millions around

Sureshbhai Patel Refiles Suit Against Cop Who Assaulted Him Atlanta, GA: The attorney for Sureshbhai Patel, the Indian grandfather who was assaulted by Madison ex-cop Eric Parker last February filed an amended complaint in federal court last week, removing the lawsuit’s original negligence claim against the City of Madison.

The new amended complaint still accuses Parker of violating Alabama state law for illegal search and assault, false arrest and false imprisonment, and assault and battery and excessive force. But it removes the liability claim against the city for negligence.

Patel’s complaint alleges Parker’s conduct “was either negligent, wanton, malicious, willful, or in bad faith.”

The complaint also accuses Parker of violating Patel’s constitutional rights against illegal seizure, unlawful search, and excessive force.

The revised complaint also adds two new claims against the City of Madison under federal law for failing to train its police officers, and employing department policies, such as police stops and weapons pat downs, that resulted in a violation of Patel’s constitutional rights,

according to NBC News.

Readers will recall that in May, the State of Alabama dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge against Parker.

Earlier this year, to the shock of the Indian American community, Federal Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala threw out the case against Eric Parker, who faced up to 10 years in prison for using excessive force against 57year-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.

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.

the world had called Pramukh Swami Maharaj their spiritual guru: “Pramukh Swami didn’t just teach virtues – he lived them every day.”

Secretary Clinton fondly recalled that President Bill Clinton was “fortunate enough to visit with his Holiness, both here in the United States and at the Akshardham Mandir in Gujarat.” President Clinton first met Pramukh Swami Maharaj on October 4, 2000, beginning a unique friendship with the late Guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. At this first meeting where President Clinton learned about BAPS’ humanitarian, spiritual, cultural, educational, environmental, and medical activities, the highlight remained a touching moment of spiritual connection when Pramukh Swami Maharaj presented a sanctified rosary to President Clinton and showed him how to chant the rosary in a traditional Hindu manner.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her condolences to the British Hindu community over the death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

“Pramukh Swami Maharaj inspired millions with his powerful motto: In the good of others lies our own.

This legacy of selfless service will continue to benefit humanity for a long time to come,” May said.

US Postal Service Honors Diwali With Forever Stamp Atlanta, GA: The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate Diwali with a Forever stamp. The Wednesday, Oct 5, firstday-of-issue dedication ceremony will take place at the Indian Consulate in New York City.

The stamp design is a photograph featuring a traditional diya oil lamp beautifully lit, sitting on a sparkling gold background.

Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, CT, photographed the diya. Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA, designed the stamp and William J. Gicker of Washington, DC, served as the project’s art director.

The Diwali stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp. This Forever stamp will also be equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce price.

The Postal Service receives approximately 40,000 suggestions for stamp ideas annually from the public.

Stamp subjects are reviewed by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. Of that, approximately 25 topic suggestions for commemorative stamps are selected by the Committee for the Postmater General’s approval.

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Preity Zinta A Star Attraction At 20th Festival of India Photos by John Gladson 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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Atlanta, GA: Free admission and the presence of Bollywood star Preity Zinta attracted thousands to the 20th Festival of India (FOI) at Infinite Energy Center in Duluth on August 6. FOI is hosted every year by Atlanta’s India American Cultural Association (IACA) to celebrate India’s Independence Day. Another highlight of the event was the historic flag walk. Over 500 people carried a stadium size flag around the venue followed overhead by drone cameras that captured the event.

The festival, as always, included cultural activities throughout the day. There was also a yoga workshop, chess competition, art competition, a health fair and other activities. Crowds could be seen thronging the vendor booths and the food court. Children enjoyed the petting zoo. A massive rangoli by Vijaya Mohan (who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the largest rangoli pattern) adorned one side of the hall and beckoned visitors to stop by and admire the creation.

Guests included Georgia politicians, former Ms India USA Pranathy Gangaraju and other beauty pageant winners, and members of the Consulate Festival of India was first hosted in 1997 when IACA and 35 Indian community organizations came together to commemorate the 50th anniversary of India’s Independence. Since then, it has become the largest South Asian cultural event in Atlanta.

Over the years many dignitaries have attended the event- former Georgia Governors Roy Barnes and Sunny Purdue, current Governor Nathan Deal, US Senators, Congressmen, Dr Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare, Subramanian Swamy among others.

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IFA Freedom Mela Attracts Thousands To Gwinnett Braves Stadium Atlanta, GA: Indian Friends of Atlanta (IFA) organized a spectacular Freedom Mela 2016 at the Gwinnett Braves Stadium on August 6, to celebrate India’s Independence Day. Thousands thronged to the venue to enjoy the celebrations.

The sidewalks leading to the venue were lined with Indian and U.S. flags. The stadium amphitheater was adorned with large portraits of brave Indian freedom fighters, leaders and historic landmark events of the freedom struggle.

Past the concourse was the 1000 feet long Indian tricolor draping the seats from end to end.

The decorated Freedom Mela stage, the centerpiece of the spacious stadium sitting on the 2nd base provided a grand spectacle to the audience.

More than 70 vendors offered ethnic wear, jewelry, mehndi designs, education and business services, and delectable Indian food.

Composed and bubbly emcees Monty, Rhea and Shrivani kept the audience informed and engaged throughout, presenting over 40 non-stop dazzling cultural performances featuring over 700 participants for over five hours by participants from diverse associations and professional dance academies and entertainment groups.

Special treats were provided by AATMA Preforming Arts from New York, Mickey Singh, and an

Archith Seshadri Debuts On Zee Media’s Global News Channel Atlanta, GA: Zee TV’s Subhash Chandra used August 15, India’s 70th Independence Day to launch Zee Media’s global English news channel World is One News (WION) on TV screens.

Atlanta’s Archith Seshadri is part of the WION team as a news anchor/reporter. Prior to this, Archith was at CNN International in Atlanta, GA. WION launched as a free to air satellite service in 37 countries and is available in India on Dish TV. The editor-in-chief is the Emmy-Nominated producer Rohit Gandhi. The new venture aims to tell global news with an unbiased approach.

“For decades, media has been pushing the agenda of a country or a group of countries,” Gandhi said in a post on the WION website.

“Primarily Western news outlets have occupied that space and they push their viewpoint. They try and come as close possible to an “unbiased” approach. But they are far removed from reality as they are unable to decipher the intricacies involved. The stories were myopic and many times their selection was biased. The only stories that made to the forefront were about poverty, manual scavenging or the monkeys. I knew that I couldn’t work in a myopic news environment; I had to tell the

stories that were nuanced and looked at all sides of a society or societies.”

Zee Media has set up bureaus or hired journalists in the major regions including Europe, west Asia and the US. The channel says it will also have a strong focus on participatory journalism from viewers. “We encourage people to submit their stories, photos, opinions, comments and videos,” says its website.

Seshadri, who was featured in Indians of Atlanta, a blog and Facebook community maintained

by NRI Pulse, had this story to share about his foray into broadcast journalism: “I spent six years consulting for Accenture.

But I realized I didn’t want a cushy, traditional desk job that simply just paid well. My transition to broadcast journalism was gradual – I started attending professional journalism conferences, and networked with people in the industry while holding down my job. While in college, I wrote for the campus paper (The Technique), freelanced for Khabar Magazine and interned at CNN. My first TV news experience was in Macon, GA at 13wmaz where I was a reporter/producer. I would travel down there and work weekends, and stay in the newsroom to get experience — this is where I learned how to shoot, write, edit, report and produce. I spent nearly the next 4 years as an anchor/reporter in Augusta, Gaat WJBF (ABC). I launched the station’s weekend morning newscast, traveled to South Carolina to train with marines and field anchored from the Masters. After nearly 4 years there, I moved to the Fox affiliate in Charlotte, NC where I traveled to Washington DC to cover National Police Week and to Atlanta and filed extensive reports on the Ebola outbreak.”

illusion show by Mystique. And the cherry on the cake was the magical fireworks with evergreen Indian patri-

otic songs including Vande Mataram.

Guests of honor Charlotte Nash and Consul General of India in Atlanta Nagesh Singh hoisted the US and India flags respectively. All joined in singing the U.S. and Indian National anthems with patriotic fervor and lustily shouting Lal Bahadur Shastriji’s slogan, Jai Jawan!

Jai Kisan! This was followed by an enthralling performance by over 100 participants.

A highlight of the event was the colorful parade by various States of India to the accompaniment of live music from musicians led by Manisharma (famed Tollywood music director).

More than 600 people participated in the parade including Gujaratis, Maharashtriyans, Telanganites, Andhraites, Keralites, Tamilians, Rajasthanis, Sindhis, Punjabis, Oriyans and various non-profit groups. It exemplified the rich and diverse culture, the uniqueness,

the spirit and the unity of Indian States. This year, there was the extra flavor of floats for the parade. The decorated floats showcased the unique cultural heritage of different States.

Kids had plenty of fun to choose from: Camel rides, pony rides, exciting bungee jumps, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, stilt walking, face painting and more. This year, there was also the special attraction of helicopter rides. IFA instituted a program to felicitate dance and music teachers of Atlanta. As part of this program, it felicitated a few of the prominent dance and music teachers of Atlanta.

Jogy K Jose of Divinity Audio Visuals provided great visuals and audio. Vakiti Creations covered the event through his team of photographers.

Kathyayini Kosaraju Pinnika beautifully decorated the stage.

Bytegraph provided the LED behind the stage. IFA thanked TATA for its help throughout and also for helping out in registration and parade. IFA founding members Sunil Savili, Anil Bodireddy, Shyam Mallavarapu, Sreekanth Uppala, Sairam Pamulapati, Kiran Gogineni and Srinivas Peddi and the IFA executive team Lakshmi Thesam, Abay Radha, Shweta Dhawan, Jamaludheen Masthankhan, Sridevi Ranjit, Sanjeev Akula, Arun Darpally and Ravi Balasubramanian acknowledged all the participating associations, over 200 volunteers, vendors, Gwinnett County, City of Johns Creek, Patel brothers, Suvidha, YuPP TV, Georgia Power, EIS technologies, Orpine, H2K, RapidIT, Dream Realty, Lennar, Pyramid IT, GVR Realty, Cherians, Madhu Tata, Karun Asireddy, Virtue Group, Softpath and other sponsors for supporting Freedom Mela 2016. Special thanks was accorded to King Koduru of Peppers Restaurant for providing food for over 200 volunteers.

IFA team said that it wishes to recognize the performers and their parents and the tireless efforts of over 200 volunteers. The team is extremely grateful to Gwinnett Braves Management, Rick Fultz and Ryan Stoltenberg, Lisa Anders of Explore Gwinnett, Shiv’s Institute of Dance and ‘Making your Life’ for providing all the colorful flyers.

“We are overwhelmed by the support and participation from the community and want to thank each and every one that participated in the Second Freedom Mela and contributed to its grand success,” the IFA team said through a press release.

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Consulate Celebrates India’s 70th Independence Day With Patriotic Fervor

BY MAHADEV DESAI Photos by ByteGraph Atlanta, GA, August 17: India’s 70th Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervor and national pride at the Consulate General of India in Atlanta. The celebration on the sunny Monday morning, Aug 15, 2016 was attended by over 200 community members including Consu-

late General Nagesh Singh, consulate officials, staff and families; leaders and representatives from Indian American organizations of Georgia, corporations and community members.

Everyone clapped with joy and pride as the tricolor was unfurled by Consul General Singh and the flower petals gently floated on the consulate lawn. The gathering, enthusiastically joined in singing India’s national anthem ‘Jana Mana Gana’ Nagesh Singh said he was heartened to see an impressive turnout despite it being a busy working day. “It shows your love and affection for the motherland and for that I am very grateful to you all.”

As is customary, he read the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the nation on the eve of India’s 70thIndependence Day. Here are a few excerpts from the address: “I respectfully bow to the heroes of our independence

struggle-known and unknown-who fought, suffered and sacrificed their lives to win freedom for us. Mahatma Gandhi’s luminous leadership finally made the British Quit India in 1947.

In the just concluded session of Parliament, the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill for the introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax) is reason enough to celebrate our democratic maturity.

The safety and security we provide to our women and children determines the well-being of the state and society. Polarizing debates only deepen the fault lines in public discourse.

One unique feature that has held India together is our respect for each other’s cultures,

values and beliefs. In the networked environment of today, a caring society can only be developed by harmonizing religion with modern science.

Backed by strong political will, we have to create a future which will economically empower six hundred million youth, build a digital India, a start –up India, and a skilled India. As we build an India of hundreds of smart cities, towns and villages, we must ensure that they are humane, hitech and happy places leading to the creation of a technology-driven but compassionate society.

We as a nation must nurture creativity, science and technology. Here, our schools and institutions of higher learning have a special responsibility.

A normal monsoon this year gives us reason to cheer…Inflation has remained below 6% and agricultural output has been stable,…a testimony to our nation’s resilience, and to how far we have progressed since independence.

We have reinvigorated our historic bonds of friendship with traditional partners of Africa and Asia Pacific.

For all the challenges that we see in front of ourselves I have a great belief in our innate and inherent capacity as an ancient history whose soul and jijivisha-the will to live and excel can never be suppressed.

India through its unique civilizational contribution has repeatedly conveyed the message of peace and harmony to the trouble-torn world.

On this occasion, I convey my special greetings and gratitude to the members of our armed forces, paramilitary and internal security forces, who are at the fore front of guarding and preserving the Unity, Integrity and security of our motherland.”

In his impassioned short address, Consul General Singh assured the gathering that India has come a long way since its Independence in 1947.

“The biggest thing that has happened in our country is that we are cognizant of our challenges-poverty, illiteracy, poor health, social issues like the caste system etc,” he said “And once you recognize these problems half the battle is already won. Despite the problems we face-1.2 billion people in a democratic framework are moving ahead on all fronts. In my view it is the greatest experiment in world history. Let’s all work together and not be critical of each other. Dialogue is the way forward. Rather than using virtual space, share your thoughts and ideas about India by interacting personally with us.”

The gathering was invited to watch an informative documentary on a resurgent independent India.

American India Foundation & WAC Host Dr Rajeev Tayal In Atlanta Atlanta, GA: On August 18, 2016 the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and the American India Foundation (AIF) hosted Dr. Rajeev Tayal, Executive Director of the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) for a breakfast presentation at the City Club of Buckhead in Atlanta. Set against the backdrop of the ever-increasing science and technology co-operation between India and the United States, Dr. Tayal delved into a range of issues including the start-up climate in India, the innovation landscape and how IUSSTF is striving to be an enabler of new ideas.

In a Q&A format with Ambassador Charles Shapiro, World Affairs Council President, Dr. Tayal discussed how targeted investments can have a societal impact in India, the United States and beyond.

Dr. Tayal highlighted the success of the Forum saying, “We have been able to connect about 25,000 scientists on both sides. This bridging has been one of our biggest successes. Half a dozen products have just reached the market.” He added,” “We are good value for money. We take care of educational and research activities, support bilateral workshops. Both parties (US & India) deliberate on scientific issues. We support virtual centers which provide unique opportunities for people to work and collaborate together.”

India’s Consul-General Nagesh Singh who

was present on the occasion said, “There are nearly 50 tracks of dialogue happening across the two countries. There is a greater acceptance of the importance of knowledge-sharing on both sides as we

see scientists working at key research institutions. We are pleased to host Dr. Tayal in Atlanta and put the spotlight on the niche areas that IUSSTF is working on to strengthen the science and technology part-

L to R: Amitabh Sharma, Consul General Nagesh Singh, Dr Rajeev Tayal and Amb. Charles Shapiro.

nership between the two countries.”

IUSSTF is a nodal agency established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the United States, is an autonomous, not for profit society in India, co-funded and co-governed by both the governments. Dr. Tayal pointed out that, “Although there are several other bi-lateral arrangements similar to this, the India-US engagement has been the most vibrant. We support the last-mile coverage of the R&D value chain.” He quoted examples of medical devices to address several health issues like diabetes, and a low-cost knee joint that is a collaborative effort between Stanford University and a hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. IUSSTF does not patent these innovations nor control the intellectual property and leaves it to the innovators.

Chair of the AIF Atlanta Chapter Dr. Amitabh Sharma welcomed the gathering highlighting the role of AIF in nurturing an environment of collaboration and shared learning especially in the context of addressing the larger social issues of access to education, public health and skilling young people.

Other key people in attendance included Tarun Mohindra, Counsellor, Science and Technology, Embassy of India, Georgia Tech Professor Suman Das, Arun Rai from Georgia State University and Shailesh Patel from the Chugh Firm.

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Get Inspired SEWA Program Enriches Bhutanese Students In Atlanta Atlanta, GA: The Get Inspired SEWA Program was held over the course of six weeks with almost ten weeks of planning from acquiring interns who reached out to the local Bhutanese students. With the help of 15 interns and a team of long time SEWA volunteers, the Get Inspired Program this summer was more than just a success with four classes in three different locations. “We continued our efforts from previous years by providing academic enrichment and/or remediation to the elementary and middle school students,� said a SEWA press release. However, this year the SEWA team devised a new plan for high school students to not only tackle the increase in dropouts among the community but also better equip these students for success. The high school curriculum focuses on SAT preparation facilitated by interns and basic computer programming (JavaScript, HTML, and CSS) taught by a local software professional, Vivek Srivastav.

Students were also encouraged to become leaders in their community through excellence in education, social skills, and culture. The SEWA team also recognized the importance of sustaining culture in this community considering the circumstances they came from.

Students were provided opportunities to learn and bond through field trips, a cultural one to the local Swami Narayan temple and a more friendly one to the Coke factory. These field trips were made possible by volunteers who drove and

interns who coordinated the event. Throughout the program, students improved at every subject and became more connected to each other, their culture and their goals. Most importantly, the students were inspired to become better versions of themselves.

Four classes were held over the course of six weeks.

The three classes comprising of elementary and middle school students were held at Nepali mandir in the morning and at Clarkston Station and English Oaks in the afternoon.

Both classes met on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

The Nepali mandir class was led by Aryan Gupta, Arjun Gupta, Naman Luthra, and Susma Timsina. The Clarkston Station class was led by Kali Luthra, Sumaer Sahney, and Ayush Chokshi. The English Oaks class was led by Anushka Shivaram and Prachi Khambhati.

The high school class met twice a week on Saturday and Sunday from 12pm - 3pm. They spend 90 minutes on SAT preparation led by students and the other 90 minutes on HTML, CSS and JavaScript taught

by Vivek Srivastav. The high school class was led by

Prachi Khambhati, Kali Luthra, and Shardul Deshmukh.

The elementary students and the middle school students were taught subjects such as math, English, culture, science and games. The morning class had a curriculum that was focused more on advancement while the evening classes was focused more on remediation. The morning class had an hour of math, an hour of English, half an hour on culture and another half an hour spread out throughout the class in games that bring them

together as a community. They work on subjects ahead of their grade level, meanwhile the afternoon classes are taught subjects that they previously learned but did not master. They receive help on more previously taught concepts. These students spend about 40 minutes on math, English, and culture and another 10 minutes on games.

The students were taught by the interns, given homework and practice in every subject. The culture was taught mostly through powerpoints and interactive games such as Jeopardy. The high school students had worksheets every week on math, reading, and writing; the interns went over the answers after the students did them for homework. Each day, the interns planned a different topic to teach and worksheets accordingly. The computer classes followed the special curriculum crafted by Vivek Srivastav.

Fundraising was mostly carried out by the interns going door to door asking their families and relatives to donate to the program while making every donor aware of the condition of the Bhutanese community and their past. A total of $535 was raised from the donations. Students and interns contributed approximately $120 voluntarily to the field trip.

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Sikh Community Of Atlanta Hosts Conference On Minority Challenges Atlanta, GA: Sikh Community of Greater Atlanta area organized a Roundtable conference on challenges faced by minorities/others and avenues available to mitigate those challenges, by exercising our Civil Rights and Lib-

erties, granted by US constitution.

Officers from US Department of Homeland Security, Local and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, Officials from US Department of Justice, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission participated in this conference. Each official shared various initiatives of the US government to be availed by the citizens to alleviate discrimination and injustice.

Nadia Batcha, Senior Policy Advisor, DoJ welcomed the participants and moderated the conference. Nadia has been playing a pivotal role in connecting with the communities in Atlanta area and spreading the efforts of CRCL, DHS, to secure the nation while preserving individual liberty, fairness, and equality under the law by shaping the

Department’s activities that protect civil rights and liberties.

Shaloo Kaur shared the Sikh beliefs and values and also raised various concerns and issues faced by Sikhs and other communities. Some of the issues are: a) Screening at Airports for Turbaned and Hijab wearing individuals b) Bullying in Schools c) Misidentification e) Hate crimes f) Lone Wolf Attacks Jasjit Singh, Senior Policy Advisor, US Deptt of Justice, shared the role of Community Relations Services of DoJ, with the objective to connect communities with State and Local government and Law Enforcement, and in preventing violence and hate crimes. He shared he areas where bias is happening, impacts on affected communities and resources available for community members to report and mitigate such incidences.

Aileen Bell Hughes, Assistant US Attorney, DoJ, shared the initiatives taken by the department after a serious offence of beating/bullying to a Sikh kid was brought to their notice. DoJ worked with the DeKalb School board to introduce education and training in schools.

Darrell Graham, Dy Director, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shared the laws and procedures to report employment discrimination.

September 2016

Sri Raghavendra Swamy Aradhana Mahotsava Held In Cumming Atlanta, GA: Devotees of Sri Raghavendra Swamy had a grand celebration of his 345th ‘Aradhana Mahotsava’ at Sri Mahalakshmi temple, located at Cumming, GA. This program was organized by “Ananthadi Rayara Matha (RAMA), Atlanta GA, on August 20 and 21.

More than 500 devotees participated from Atlanta, Tampa, Tennessee, Charlotte and Greenville.

Sri Raghavendra Swamy was a renowned saint, philosopher and proponent of Dwaitha philosophy.

He was man of miracles. He is one of the most famous Gurus in South India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra and parts of Old Bombay state). He is also known as Rayaru. Sri Raghavendra Swamiji’s Brindavana is situated at

Mantralayam, Andhra Pradesh. India.

The event started with Nairamalya, Abhisekha, Panchamrutha Abhisekha, Rayara stotra, Vishnu Sahasranama. Dashavatara Stuti was chanted during Naivedya and Mahamangalarati.

Thirtha prasadam was distributed. Young and old alike sang praising / songs of Sri Guru. The delicious Prasadam was served as lunch to all the devotees.

On behalf of RAMA, P r a d e e p Vittalamurthy, one of the trustees, thanked all the devotees for coming to take the blessings of Rayaru. He explained with a slide show presentation , the plans of establishing and constructing Rayara Matha in Atlanta. He said that RAMA welcomes all kinds of donations and volunteers.

He requested all Raghavendra Swamy devotees to come in large numbers and support the activities.

He also stated that devotees can help when they shop online at www. Smile.amazon.com. Further details can be obtained by visiting the website atlantarayaramath.org.

Sagarika Manoj Kumar Captivates Audience At Arangetram

BY KALAI ARASAN Atlanta, GA: On the pleasant summer evening of August 21st, the audience at the Infinite Theater in Atlanta got to witness the magnificent Arangetram (solo dance debut) of Sagarika Manoj Kumar, daughter of Manoj and Lakshmi Thesam.

Sagarika began learning the ancient and revered dance form of Bharatanatyam, from Smt. Subathra Sudarshan, Founder-Director of Bharathakala Natya Academy, at the young age of seven.

As is well known, a student of Bharathanatyam has to undergo many years of formal learning as well as several months of intense training to prepare for the big day of Arangetram. It was apparent to everyone in attendance that Sagarika, only 15 years old, had put in her hard work to give an exciting and energetic performance. Looking stunning and graceful on stage, she danced her way into the hearts and minds of her enraptured audience as they watched her enthralling performance. The whole package, Sagarika’s dance performance, the hand-picked artistes of the orchestra and the musical content carefully chosen to fit into themes to extract the most out of the dancer, were all complementing each other to give a memorable treat to the senses for all!

Sagarika’s captivating performance was truly spectacular in both expression and movement. She

carried the dance items with style, energy, grace, and precision skill required of this classical dance discipline. The audience was mesmerized with her facial expressions, consisting of a range of emotions and, her crisp and expressive body movements that involved a combination of animated hand gestures and vibrant footwork.

There was never a dull moment in her dance as one could see how well she connected with the audience through her fascinating way of storytelling and dramatization.

Sagarika displayed her mastery of Bharathanatyam through nine traditional arangetram pieces. She commenced her recital with homage to Lord Ganesha, called Gana Natha, a devotional offering to Lord Ganesha. In the next piece, the Jathiswaram, it was evident she had worked hard on trying to perfect the nrittha. She maintained flawless rhythm, and a good grip over thalam

throughout the piece.

The centrepiece of a margham, Varnam is the traditional test of a performer’s mastery of the dramatic elements through coordination of facial expressions, hand gestures and intricate footwork.

Sagarika executed this forty-five minutes long varnam on Mandodari (wife of Ravana), with grace and depth of feeling, moving the audience to experience rasa (aesthetic flavor), bhava (emotion), and abhinayam (expression).

Sagarika became the personification of the characters she portrayed as she totally took charge of the item with fluent rendition of nrittha. The varnam displayed not only exquisite dancing skills but also maturity and discipline of an accomplished dancer. As the Varnam progressed, Sagarika took control over the audience and tied them with emotion. It was an excellent choreography, Vacheeka Abinayam added more value to the moral of the story. It brought so

much emotion in the auditorium; everyone was left with tears in their eyes. This varnam will stay in everyone’s heart forever, which the long standing ovation at its conclusion proved.

After intermission, Sagarika danced to Devargalai Kaathidave, sung in praise of Goddess Parvathi describing her manifestations as three forms of energy (Icha, Kriya & Gnana Sakthi), and portraying the wedding of Goddess Meenakshi. The next piece, Shivashtakam depicted the manifestation of Lord Shiva in his glorious cosmic dance. The next item was a beautifully choreographed rendering of Kurai onrum illai, a touching devotional song written by Rajagopalachari. With the next item Kavadi Sindhu, Sagarika swept everyone’s hearts with her bhavam. As she depicted the story of Valli Thirumanam, she exuded confidence and élan in this item. The last item was the Thillana, in ragam Brindhavani. It is a traditional finale to anArangetram, marked by intricate footwork in rhythmic patterns of movement. Sagarika brilliantly handled the flawless foot work, quite notable with the same energy das she had started the program. TheArangetram concluded with her performance of Rama Mangalam.

Overall, it has to be said that Sagarika’s Arangetram was well organized and very nicely executed. It was a performance that touched hearts.

The community and the art of Bharathanatyam are lucky to have budding stars like Sagarika who can carry the torch of tradition into the future.

November 2014

Continued from Pg 1.....

NRI PULSE 9

........Perspective ........

US Presidential Election 2016 And The Voter Dilemma

BY MOHAN NAIR The Presidential primaries and the conventions are over. Unlike in the past, this year two major political parties, especially the Republican Party failed to present a clear choice. The nominees of both parties do not have the leadership that the country is looking for at this critical juncture. The voters are left in a dilemma and compelled to choose between the best out of the worst.

Let us analyze some of their distinct personalities, why Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton are the worst Presidential nominees, American voters were presented with in the recent past.

Donald Trump: The Republican Party voters were presented with 17 Presidential hopefuls.

The voters chose Donald Trump rejecting the other 16 seasoned professional politicians. Donald Trump secured this victory despite a series of efforts by the party establishment to block him.

Trump did not offer a manifesto except picking up some sensitive topics like religion based ban on immigration and the often repeated illegal immigrant issue. Trump did not have a solid economic agenda and a credible foreign policy. His speeches weren’t polished, nor were they close to diplomatic norms. Trump has been ridiculed by the neighboring countries, the national and international press, political pundits all over the world and some of the stalwarts within his own party establishment. Trump continued his rhetoric unmindful of all the ridicule and scoff. The press and TV had a good harvest of titillating news material every day.

The Republican Party did all in its power to block Trump from becoming the nominee of the party. The party engaged the media, fielded a host of seniors, leaders of faith and others to dissuade the voters from choosing Trump.

The voters knew that Trump cannot deliver what he is promising, be it the ban on religion based immigration, deportation of illegal immigrants or building a replica of the Berlin type wall across the border with Mexico. Despite all these, the primary voters continued to rally behind Donald Trump. They credited him for speaking without political correctness. Donald Trump finally secured the Republican nomination against all the odds.

The GOP worry was genuine and continues to be so. It is the worry of all ordinary Americans.

Americans do not see Donald Trump as a credible and reliable person to be entrusted with the world’s most powerful political position, the Presidency of the United States of America. Some even doubt Trump’s understanding of the American Constitution and his ability to make the right decisions when confronted with critical national and international issues.

The Republican Party, however, failed to introspect on and take responsibility for why and how the party brought itself into this pathetic situation. The party failed to accept that the voters preferred Donald Trump over the rest of the 16 Republican hopeful as Trump was the only person in that lot who was not a practicing professional politician, the lot they think betrayed their trust over the years.

Why do people choose someone who has no record of public service, never been part of the administration, never served in the military nor

was a law maker? The answer is simple. The American people are fed up with the politicking and logjam in Washington; the partisan politics in the Congress and between the Congress and the White House; the repeated threat of a Government shutdown. People are fed up with gun violence targeting innocent school children and law abiding ordinary citizens and the Congress and President doing nothing to stop it; the increasing

choose the right candidate in 2008.

It will be suicidal for the Democratic Party to accept either position. Instead, the party is painstakingly explaining that Hillary will be a continuation of Obama’s eight years in power. The voters are aware that both the above are true. Neither did Obama deliver on what he promised nor does the Democratic party have anything new to offer.

Hillary’s refurbished image is not able to enthuse

“The two major political parties have failed to present a clear choice.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are far below the stature of an American President that the people of USA would like to see in their leader. The voters are left in a dilemma and compelled to choose the best of the worst...”

divide on race and religion and the crimes associated with it. The American people are fed up with young boys and girls crowding prisons when they should be in schools; with the excesses by law enforcing agencies and the retaliation thereof. The American people are fed up wasting its tax-payer money fighting insensible wars abroad, destruction of humanity and then spending their money for the reconstruction of the devastation caused by the war in which they see no improvement to their life. The American people are not willing to accept that America follow the world; instead they want it to lead from the front. The American middle class is concerned about the lowering wages.

The voter sees all politicians as insensitive, unmindful and incapable of addressing their concerns and live up to their hope and aspirations.

They see the politicians as a bunch of self-serving individuals, no matter which party they belong to.

Hilary Clinton: Hilary Clinton comes with her own baggage. The Democratic Party voters had already rejected Hillary’s ideas in 2008. Then, Obama had a much more progressive agenda and enthused a large number of young and independent voters. Hillary Clinton continues to offer the same ideas. This means two things for the voters: 1. The Democratic Party has nothing better or new to offer than the second choice which they had eight years ago. 2. Obama failed to deliver on what he promised and Democratic party did not

the voters. This was clearly evident from the support that her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders received. Hillary is unlikely to draw large number independent and young voters towards her despite the effort by Bernie Sanders to project a united Democratic Party.

Moreover, it is a conversation in every American household that Hillary is very low on the trust factor, which was one of the major reasons she was rejected in 2008. On top of all this, the e-mail controversy and the Clinton foundation is definitely going to be used against her by the Republicans. People do feel that the verdict on this would have been different if it was not the Clintons.

With all the negatives, there are two major factors helping Hillary Clinton: 1. The history that she may create as the first woman President.

2. The extreme unpredictability of her opponent Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton is not one of the most respected among American Women. A significant section of American women, especially the conservatives, consider Hillary as an opportunistic, power hungry, self-serving politician. Hillary, they think can compromise on any values when she finds it disadvantageous for her personal agenda.

With all this, Hillary may get a few additional

women votes more because some voters may not want to lose an opportunity to finally have a women President.

Voters like creating history. America made history in 2008 by electing a black President. But is creating history alone enough for a country as important as America? Will a woman President make any significant changes in the life of women?

There is no record of a woman President or Prime Minister having improved the condition of women in the countries where they have had the opportunity to lead for decades- India, Sri Lanka, Great Britain to name a few. Still, it is an emotional issue with some women and will work in Hillary’s favor.

However, the single biggest factor favoring Hillary as of today is her opponent. Trump is doing more damage to himself than to his opponent and this is indirectly benefiting Hillary Clinton. The GOP is further aiding in this mess by working against their own chosen Presidential candidate.

When comes to the interest of America, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are far below the stature of the American President that the people of USA would like to see in their leader.

The establishment Republicans ultimately will have no option but to support Trump. The alternative of supporting or voting for Hillary will be suicidal for the Republicans as this may even lead to a loss of majority in the House and the Senate. Many Republicans seeking reelection are fearing that the continued standoff between the party and the Presidential nominee will be counterproductive.

Republicans therefore have no option but support Donald Trump in the end. This realization is likely to close the gap in polls between Trump and Hillary over the months to come.

Is Trump the answer? Will Trump be different from the professional self-serving politicians? The voters are still unclear of that answer.

What the voters know and decided is that they want to punish the professional politicians for the years of breach of trust.

A vote in the primary therefore was a punitive vote, neither in favor of Trump nor a vote for change. The voters clearly know that Trump is incapable of leading the change they want. Trump is strengthening the voters’ point of view with all his ill-advised choices and sound bites. Trumps family members are further providing fodder to that belief with their over enthusiastic interference. The entire convention was a family drama with no policy statement nor any statesman like speech. The subsequent Trump events also added fuel to the fire.

Though, a large number of people will still vote for Donald Trump, a good number of them are still evaluating the risk of a Trump Presidency. It appears to be advantage Hillary Clinton at this time. The dilemma of the voter continues.

Atlanta based Mohan Nair is a keen political observer and closely follows US and Indian politics. More blogs at http://sabrimala.blogspot.com, Twitter: mohanMNair

September 2016

........City Pulse ........

NRI PULSE 13

Senior Essays: Growing Up Indian In America This month, we present two more notable senior essays from our contest on the topic, “Growing up Indian in America”. Check this space for more essays in our future issues.

I am privileged to be able to share my My ethnicity is essential to culture with others Every year, families throughout my neigh- exposure to American culture, as well as many borhood gather together for the celebration of other cultures. I am part of an Indian family, but who I am lights, Deepavali. The sky shimmers with vivid colors: blue, gold, red, green; you name it. Although it’s a Hindu celebration, many others from our neighborhood join in the festivities, marveling at the bright night sky.

While others are partaking in our Hindu festivities, I stand in awe at how interested people are in taking part in our culture.

Looking back, I realize that not only has life in America created an opportunity for me to embrace my culture as an Indian, but it also has given me an opportunity to share my culture with others and learn from theirs. I have learned that it really is quite easy to keep a cohesive culture and to remain motivated, no matter how far away from India I am. From participating in a weekly Balavihar to making service trips to India, I’ve taken advantage of the variety of opportunities available to me in America.

As an Indian-American, I have learned that it is always possible to find cultural values regardless of where I am.

Every Sunday, my family and I spend a couple of hours at our Balavihar with like-minded people. For the first half an hour we chant prayers and then we have classes to become more familiar with the Hindu culture. In addition, it entails a variety of programs, which allow us as the next generation of Indians in America to understand and carry on cultural traditions such as Diwali, Garba, and Holi celebrations. Chinmaya Mission Balavihar has offered me such an amazing opportunity to reconnect with India and meet people who wish to do the same.

Not only have I had the opportunity to take part in cultural celebrations in the United States, I have also had the wonderful opportunity to partake in a service visit to a rural community in Tamil Nadu, India. Through this service visit I had a chance not only to teach and help develop rural areas, but also to get in touch with my roots more intimately.

I had a chance to spend three weeks comparing my life in America with my temporary life in India. The reason this opportunity was available to me was because I grew up without giving up my Indian values in America.

Growing up Indian in America also had an impact on my school and many of my friends.

Many high schools and middle schools now have garba nights, and students show up in Indian attire, Indian or not, to enjoy the celebrations. International nights are filled with Indian performances, classical and Bollywood, one after the other. My friends ask to join me at Balavihar out of sheer curiosity about Hindu culture.

It’s amazing how much of a melting pot our society has become and how easy it has become to grow up Indian in America.

Similarly, by living in America, I have gained

our family still puts up the Christmas tree every year. We light the same fireworks for Deepavali as we do on the 4th of July.

Because of this amalgamation of cultures, I’ve gained knowledge of a variety of cultural traditions such as Bar Mitzvahs, quinceañeras, and even Chinese New Year. My life in America therefore has given me the ability to learn about the many different backgrounds present in the world around me.

At the same time, however, being Indian in America has placed tremendous pressure on me and many of my Indian friends as well. Being Indian automatically sets you at a higher academic standard, which inevitably creates tougher competition, the need for higher test scores, and a more outstanding resume than the average.

Though there is increasing pressure, however, it serves as a form of motivation, which in my case has always encouraged me to aim for excellence.

Overall, my experience of growing up in America has motivated me to enhance my knowledge and learn to appreciate my culture as well the culture of others. I have learned that although I live thousands of miles away from my homeland, I can still easily stay in touch with my Indian culture.

Living in America has motivated me to do my best every day and to give my all to everything I do and it has opened my eyes to how privileged I am to be motivated and to be able to openly celebrate my culture and share it with others.

-Sadhana Durbha Age: 16 School:Lambert High School

Growing up as an Indian-American has beenin one encapsulating word- a journey; a wild adventure complete with its own set of trials and tribulations that I would not trade for the world.

My ethnicity is essential to who I am today, but accepting my cultural identity and all of the rich history and vibrant traditions that come with it is a personal victory that I had to fight societal stigmas and, more importantly, myself for.

I was born in Bengaluru, Karnataka and moved to the United States at a very young age. I grew up completely content with myself and never understood nor acknowledged hyphenated labels such as “Indian-American”. As all children of preschool and pre-kindergarten age, I did not “see” color; thus, I did not understand differences in race, religion, or ethnicity. I did not feel any different from my unhyphenated American friends, therefore I was not any different in my mind. I assumed that all my friends ate dosas and idlis at home and that they all practiced Hinduism like me. I remember attending an after-school Bible study session at my preschool as my parents were running late one afternoon and being really confused. All my schoolmates seemed to know the story, but I was completely lost. I simply brushed it aside as a story my parents just forgot to tell me. It was not until I started Kindergarten that I began to realize my cultural identity was different from that of my friends.

Being a vegetarian was a foreign concept at my first elementary school. To avoid the awkward exchange with the lunch ladies in which I explained my predicament, I brought my lunch to school everyday. Unlike the carefully wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of my friends, my lunch generally consisted of rice and other

File photo. Courtesy Deeksha School of Performing Arts and Venkat Kuttua Photography.

Indian dietary staples. Because my meals looked different and smelled of pungent Indian spices, my lunch was often the object of my classmates’ curiosity and ridicule. As one of maybe five Asian students and one of only two Indian students at my school, my main priority was fitting in with the other children. My exotic lunches did not help my case. After several days of bringing home full lunch boxes, my mother sat me down and explained to me that my differences made me unique. My mother revealed to me the cultural significance of my meals and the rich history behind the flavorful dishes. She taught me to be proud of my Indian heritage and to always stay connected with my traditions. Unfortunately it took nearly an entire year of eating soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the cafeteria before I finally learned my lesson and began appreciating my mother’s cooking.

Soon, we moved to a community with a larger Indian presence, and I began to feel more accepted.

As I entered adolescence, I still struggled with trying to keep my cultural identity separate from my identity. I vividly remember being embarrassed to speak in my mother tongue with my family in public settings or in front of my friends, because I was afraid they would judge me. Around the same time, my family and I started to become more actively involved in our cultural association – Nrupathunga Kannada Koota (NKK). My involvement helped me to begin sealing the breach and to start accepting my Indian-American label.

My family and I also went to India for the summer between 7th and 8th grade. Reconnecting with my extended family and visiting historical sites gave me the vital exposure to my beautiful roots that I needed to finally embrace my cultural identity as a significant part my identity as a whole.

As I transitioned into high school, I began making a conscious effort to incorporate my heritage and beliefs into my daily life. I began classical training in the expressive South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam at Kalaivani Dance Academy and Bollywood at Kruti Dance Academy. I also started taking a more serious interest in mastering my proficiency in the Kannada language and in reading and writing Kannada to ensure my mother tongue never dies out. I continued to learn about my ancestors and my past thanks to constant encouragement from my mother. My traditions have helped shape me into the person I am today. Being bilingual has taught me to appreciate other languages and has allowed me to communicate freely with all types of people.

Learning Indian dance has given me an outlet to express myself and escape the struggles of everyday life. Unraveling the stories of India’s past helps pave my future. I am equal parts American and Indian, and I proudly embrace both cultures.

-Nisha Kashyap Age: 18 School: Georgia Institute of Technology

14 NRI PULSE

US Reaffirms Support For India’s NSG Membership

New Delhi: (IANS) The US recently reaffirmed its support to India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by redoubling efforts for an early entry.

A joint statement issued following the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here said that “in a further effort to strengthen global non-proliferation and export controls, both sides committed to redouble their efforts towards India’s early entry” into the NSG. India’s bid for membership in the NSG plenary in Seoul in June this year was blocked by China on the ground that for a country to be part of the 48-member bloc it should be a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Tuesday’s talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.

“The United States urged participating governments to support India’s candidacy in their common interest. The United States also re-affirmed its support for India’s early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement,” Wednesday’s joint statement also said.

The Australia Group is an informal group of countries to help member countries to identify those exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons.

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, commonly known as the Wassenaar Arrangement, is a multilateral export control regime with 41 participating states.

According to a separate section of the joint statement, in support of India’s quest for clean energy, both sides “noted the progress made in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and applauded continued engagement between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. toward finalizing the contractual arrangements by June 2017 to build six AP 1000 reactors that will provide clean, reliable energy to millions of people in India”.

“They also looked forward to the immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design and the early conclusion of a competitive financing package based on the joint work by India and the US Export-Import Bank,” it said.

The US also extended support for the International Solar Alliance launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Conference of Parties (CoP)-21 climate summit in Paris in November last year.

“The United States affirmed its support for pursuing its membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), recognizing the critical role it can play in the development and deployment of solar power,” the statement said.

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

Woman Wearing Headscarf Stabbed To Death In New York New York: (IANS) A 60-year-old Bangladeshi woman was stabbed to death about a block and a half away from her home in Queens, New York, in a suspected hate crime, media reports said.

Nazma Khanam, a retired teacher from Bangladesh, was wearing a headscarf at the time of the killing, reported The Independent.

The murder comes more than two weeks after a Bangladesh-origin imam of a Queens mosque and his assistant were killed when a lone gunman attacked them from close range, five miles from where Khanam was killed.

Khanam was stabbed in the chest as she was walking home with her husband from the store they owned in Queens.

“I had to break the news to my uncle that my aunt expired. He’s screaming and crying, ‘My wife just came to this country to just get

killed! We had a better life in Bangladesh!’,” her transit cop nephew Humayun Kabir, 35, said Thursday, New York Daily News reported.

Another nephew, Mohamamd Rahman said the perpetrator didn’t take anything off her and they “feel this is a hate crime”.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) on Thursday called on police to investigate a possible bias motive in the stabbing, reports ABC7-Eyewitness News.

“Because of the recent killings of Muslims in Queens, and because of the growing number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide resulting from the increasing Islamophobia in American society, we urge the NYPD to investigate a possible bias motive for this murder,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher in a statement.

Members of the Queens mosque had denounced the August 14 killing of the imam as a hate crime.

September 2016

Navtej Sarna May Be Next Ambassador To The US Seven months into his term as India’s High Commissioner to UK, Navtej Sarna is being asked to move to Washington as the country’s next ambassador, as the US prepares for a presidential transition, well-informed sources said.

Sarna’s name was discussed and cleared at the highest level, these sources told IANS. He will take over from Arun Kumar Singh who retires by month-end. Both Sarna and Singh are former Indian ambassadors to Israel, underlying the importance of a posting in Tel Aviv which is one of Washington’s closest allies.

Sarna has had a previous posting in Washington when he was Minister for Press, Information and Culture between 1998 and 2002.

It is clear Modi wanted someone in Washington he was confident would be able to steer the multi-faceted India-US relations into a new phase with a new administration.

Sarna was among the longest-serving spokespersons of the ministry between 2002 and 2008.

He has also had postings in Moscow, Warsaw, Tehran, Geneva and Thimphu.

Sarna is also a prolific author of many fiction and non-fiction books, with the most recent being ‘Second Thoughts: On Books, Authors and the Writerly Life’ that was released last year.

Ami Bera’s Father Sentenced Over Election Fraud New York: (IANS) A US federal judge sentenced Babulal Bob Bera, the 83-year-old father of the only Indian American Congressman, Amerish Ami Bera, to a year and a day in prison for fraudulently funding his son’s election campaigns.

Babulal Bera had earlier admitted before federal Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, that he had illegally contributed $268,726 to

the election campaigns in 2009 and 2011 through fraud.

Before he was sentenced, Babulal Bera asked the court to consider an option for him to stay with his 82-year-old wife, CBS Sacramento reported.

“I know I cannot survive without her and she will not survive without me,” he told the judge.

“The defendant’s efforts were calculated. This

is more than just a naive person who doesn’t know how elections work,” Nunley said as he imposed the sentence on Babulal Bera, a retired chemical engineer, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The judge set aside the recommendation of a probation officer not to give Babulal Bera a prison sentence because of his age and health but only fine him $30,200, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Probation officials suggest punishments after studying the background of the convicted persons and their circumstances.

Federal prosecutors demanded some prison time for him citing “the serious nature of the crime”.

The judge also fined him $100,000 and ordered three years of restrictions after his release.

Usually the actual time served is reduced for good behaviour in prison and the Sacramento Bee said he “will likely serve 10 months”.

The maximum amount anyone could contribute to a candidate was $2,400 in 2009 and $2,500 in 2011. To overcome these limits on his personal contributions to his son’s election campaign, Babulal Bera had 90 people send in the $268,726 in small contributions in their own names and then reimbursed them for the amounts they gave.

Federal prosecutors have not identified those who participated in the scheme or prosecuted anyone.

Babulal Bera’s admission of guilt or guilty plea – avoided a lengthy trial while his son faces a tough battle to retain his seat in the House of Representatives. He will start his prison sentence ten days after the November 8 elections.

The prosecutors has cleared Ami Bera of involvement in is father’s funding fraud. He had earlier said that he would have stopped his father from carrying out the scheme had he heard about it.

“My father’s accepted what he did was wrong, he’s taken responsibility, and I love him more than words can express,” Ami Bera said after his father’s sentencing according to CBS Sacramento.

“I’m absolutely devastated and heartbroken for how today’s decision will impact our entire family.”

Democrat Ami Bera, a 51-year-old doctor who converted to the Universalist Unitarian Church, was re-elected in 2014 with a slender margin of just 1,455 votes from a constituency that covers parts of California’s state capital, Sacramento.

In this year’s selection he faces a tough battle against the influential local Republican Sheriff Scott Jones, who is turning the Babulal Bera’s conviction into an election issue, the Sacramento Bee reported.

“Jones, who has repeatedly suggested his rival knew about the illegal fundraising from the beginning and let his father take the fall, this week proposed a set of campaign finance changes to ‘root corruption out of politics and expose conflicts,’” the daily said.

September 2016

India Got 72 Per Cent H1B Visas This Year, Says US Official

Hyderabad: (IANS) The US issued more than a million visas this year in India which also accounts for 72 percent of all H1B visas issued worldwide, said a top US official on Friday.

While vast majority of travelers to the US are traveling on tourist and short term business visas, India is also the largest beneficiary of H1B visas.

“Beyond tourism and short term business travelers, the US welcome travel by skilled Indian workers. India is the largest beneficiary by far of H1B visas vis-A-vis skilled workers visas.

“So far just in this year, Indian workers received 72 percent of all the H1B visas the US issued worldwide. Similarly Indian workers received 30 percent of all L visas also long term business travel visas that we have issued worldwide,” said Michele Bond, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

She said while there is no limit for issuing tourist visas, it was for the US Congress to take a decision on increasing HIB and L1 visas for India.

“I can’t predict whether that is likely to happen. It’s pretty obvious that there is more demand for those visas. We will see what decision is taken about whether and when that cap might be increased,” she told reporters here.

The US issues 138,000 H1B visas per year worldwide and on an average Indians get 70 percent of these visas. This year Indians have already received about 72 percent.

The highest ranking US official on consular issues said they understand Indian companies’ concern about higher fee for H1B and L1 visas. She, however, clarified that the fee hike is not targeted at India.

“That hike was result of legislation that was passed. The level of interest in visas has not changed because of this. We hope to continue to see very strong interest in applying for business visas and working in US,” she added.

Stating that the commercial, economic and social ties between the two countries had strengthened, Bond pointed out that the number of business and tourist visas issues in India had gone up by 81 percent in five years.

Last year, the US mission in India issued 60,000 student visas. The US consulate general in Hyderabad issued the largest number of student visas in India, more than any of the consulates and the embassy.

Bond noted that the number of Indian students in the US increased to more than 132,000 last year. Indian students comprise second largest international student population in the US. She said the work on the new consulate building in Hyderabad will begin next year and it is scheduled to be completed in 2020. The new facility will have 52 interview windows against 16 at its existing location.

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

NRI PULSE 15

Step-Mom Accused Of Killing Girl Arrested New York: (IANS) The killing of a nineyear-old Indian girl from Punjab by her stepmother took a sordid turn when authorities arrested her ex-husband and accused him of helping her hide.

Raymond Narayan was accused of helping his ex-wife Shamdai Arjun Pardas leave her home after allegedly strangling her stepdaughter on Friday and trying to hide her in his house, Ron Brown, the top public prosecutor for the New York city district of Queens, said in a statement recently.

Meanwhile, Pardas was produced in Queens Criminal Court on Sunday and formally charged before Judge Gerald Beibovitz with murdering Ashdeep Kaur, who had come from India to the US about three months ago to join her father.

“This is a horrifying case of a child, a defenceless nine-year-old, who was left in the care of her stepmother who allegedly strangled her to death,” Brown said. “Her actions, if true, are beyond comprehension and must be severely punished.”

Judah Maltz, Pardas’ lawyer, asked the judge to place her in protective custody in jail, the New York Daily News reported.

This will keep her away from other prisoners as New York jails are notorious for brutal attacks by fellow inmates on those accused of heinous crimes, especially those involving children.

When authorities produced her in the court, she wore a white jump suit made of a tough plastic material, Tyvek.

Maltz said the 55-year-old Pardas denied killing the child and claimed there was no proof that she did it.

Michael Curtis, the assistant prosecutor, made chilling new revelations in the court. He said that on Tuesday Pardas had told Kaur’s father,

Sukhjinder Singh, 35, that she would kill the child, the News reported.

She had “repeatedly and on numerous occasions threatened to kill the victim”, Curtis said.

“On Friday, she made good on this threat.”

Curtis told the court that circumstantial evidence that Pardas killed the child is “overwhelming”, according to the News.

Brown gave the following account: Narayan, who is 65 years old, was seen by a witness leaving Singh’s house in Richmond Hill around 5.30 p.m. on Friday with Pardas and two of her two grandchildren.

When detectives went to Narayan’s house in South Ozone Park he kept them at bay for over an hour refusing to come out or letting them in, be-

fore relenting and coming out.

Narayan and Pardas were then arrested.

He is charged with “obstructing governmental administration” and faces a year prison if convicted. Pardas faces 25 years to life in prison.

Pardas told a witness as they were leaving that Kaur was in the bathroom and waiting for her father to pick her up.

The witness called the child’s father and said that the light had been on in the bathroom since 11.30 a.m. Singh asked the witness to break open the door and the child was found dead in the bath tub.

This is the second recent incident involving stepmothers of Indian origin in New York city.

Last month 35-year-old Sheetal Ranot was convicted of slashing her 12-year-old stepdaughter with a broken metal broom handle and cutting her left wrist to the bone, Brown said.

Sheetal Ranot and her husband, Rajesh, of Ozone Park were also accused of torturing Maya Ranot for two years, Brown said.

They locked her up in a room without food or water long periods of time and when she was found by authorities she weighed only about 26 kg.

Sheetal Ranot faces up to 25 years in prison.

Rajesh is waiting for his trial. They were both arrested in 2014, but the first case came up for trial only last month.

Richmond Hill has a sizable population of people of Indian descent, while South Asians have a significant presence in the Ozone Park neighborhoods.

Parental Child Abduction: Indian Case-Load 2nd Largest New Delhi: (IANS) The number of cases of inter-country parental child abduction related to Indians in the US is the second highest next only to Mexico, a senior US government official said here.

“We are handling more than 1,000 cases of inter-country parental child abduction,” Michele Bond, US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, said during a media interaction here.

“At this time, our case-load with India is the second largest that we have after Mexico,” she said.

Inter-country parental child abduction is the situation that arises when one parent takes a child to a foreign country and keeps him or her there with the hope that the parent will be able to establish custody of that child and prevent the other parent from having access or being able to share custody.

Bond said that Mexico was the US’s immediate neighbor and hence it was easy to take a child across the border while it was not so easy to travel to India.

“There are approximately 80 (Indian) family cases involved and more than 90 children,” she said.

Stating that children were vulnerable and were unable to protect themselves, she said: “We recognise that India shares those concerns and this has been highlighted in the joint statement that was released during Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s visit to the United States in June.”

In the joint statement issued after Modi’s meeting with US President Barack Obama, one of the points stated that “the leaders intend to renew efforts to intensify dialogue to address issues affecting the citizens of both countries that arise due to differences in the approaches of legal systems, including issues relating to cross-country marriage, divorce and child custody”.

Bond stated that the US was among the 94 countries that were members of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or Hague Abduction Convention for short.

The Convention facilitates the prompt return of abducted children to their country of habitual residence and helps deter international pa-

rental child abduction.

“We hope that India will make the decision to accede also to that Convention,” Bond said.

She said that under the Convention, the court in the child’s country of habitual residence would take the decisions about custody and visitation rights among other issues.

“We applaud the Indian government for recently publishing for comment implementing legislation for the Hague Abduction Convention,” the US official said.

“We encourage India to continue progress to its accession because we genuinely believe that this is a significant issue for this country.”

She said that this problem was likely to grow as there was an increasing number of Indians living outside the country.

“We also have a handful of cases of children who have been abducted from India to the United States,” Bond said.

“We are working to help those parents to go to court and request the return of their children to India.”

Bond came to India to attend the annual bilateral consular dialogue that was held during which issues like facilitating tourism and business and other travel between the two countries, visa assessing, protection of US citizens in India, transparent international adoption, and preventing international parental child abduction cases were discussed.

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

16 NRI PULSE

Akira: Ace Performances, Strong Story Film: “Akira”, Director: A.R. Murugadoss, Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Sadh, Nandu Madhav, Mukesh Hariawala; Rating: *** ing one sufficiently abhor his unethical ways. He

BY TROY RIBEIRO A crime based action drama, “Akira”, meaning “graceful strength” in Sanskrit, is the story of a strong girl who fights against all odds to prove her innocence.

A simple story, narrated from the Investigating Officer, Rabiya Sultan’s point of view, the narrative starts off in Jodhpur.

After witnessing a brutal acid attack on one of the girls in her vicinity, young Akira is inducted into martial arts, in order to defend her-

self by her progressive father who is mute.

Soon, in self-defense, she injures a boy and lands up spending 3 years in a remand home.

Years later, when she comes to Mumbai, she gets sucked into a case which four corrupt police personnel headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Govind Rane, Senior Inspector Manik Pawar, Inspector Rajeshwar and Constable Baburao, are hell bent upon hushing up.

How Akira gets out of their clutches forms the crux of the tale.

On the performance front, Sonakshi Sinha in the titular role does offer a fine act. With swift and vigorous movements she gets into the skin of Akira but there is that something that keeps her away from a cent percent performance.

Anurag Kashyap as the debauched Assistant Commissioner of Police Govind Rane is impressive and does justice to his character, mak-

is aptly supported by Lokesh Vijay Gupte as Inspector Rajeshwar and Nandu Madhav as constable Baburao.

Konkona Sen Sharma as the honest investigating officer offers nothing much by way of histrionics. But her character, Rabiya Sultan, is interestingly crafted. Her gait and demeanour are matter-of-factly dealt with, as she is shown investigating the case in an advanced stage of pregnancy.

In miniscule roles, Atul Kulkarni, who is naturally charming, makes his presence felt as Akira’s father, while Amit Sadh as Sid is wasted.

Mishiekka Arora essaying the role of young Akira is cute and charming.

Based on an original story by Santha Kumar, the screenplay written by Director A.R. Murugadoss is p r a i s e w o r t h y.

Based on an original story by Santha Kumar, the screenplay written by Director A.R. Murugadoss is praiseworthy. The plot is skillfully and intricately woven with well-etched characters and the right amount of action and drama.

The plot is skilfully and intricately woven with well-etched characters and the right amount of action and drama.

The director has astutely dealt with the subject with no major deviation. With minimal sound design and constrained camera movement, the film offers a realistic feel.

The background score and the production design add to the viewing experience. But the languid pace of the telling is what holds it back from being a crisp and engrossing thriller.

Overall, “Akira” is a well made film worth a watch for its story.

......... Tech Pulse ........ September 2016

Why We Need A Digital Heir After Death

As most of us spend a considerable amount of time on various digital platforms — Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, WhatsApp and the like — a pertinent question now arises: What happens to our digital possessions once we die?

All those unforgettable personal photos, family videos and friendly posts acquired over a period of time will either be deleted or kept “frozen” unless we have a digital heir who can preserve those precious moments and gift those to future generations in an external hard disk or pen drive.

While several social media platforms, including search engine Google, allow us to safeguard digital memories in some form or the other, there is no such thing as transferring such assets to someone when it comes to cyber law, including in India.

According to legal experts, when someone dies leaving behind his email and social media accounts, these become movable property and any heir of the deceased can seek the right to access them.

“The said heirs can ask the digital/social media companies to get access after giving the necessary proof. Invariably, the service provider may not be inclined to give such access without any requisite order from the court of competent jurisdiction. This could mean getting a succession certificate from a court of competent jurisdiction which could be a time-consuming process,” explained Pavan Duggal, one of the nation’s top cyber law experts.

According to Duggal, also a Supreme Court advocate, Indian cyber law has not even touched upon — let alone dwelt on the nuances of — the issue of one’s post-death digital life.

“Complicating the entire matter is that the Indian cyber law is not applicable to wills or testaments. This has created huge confusion. The ground reality is that people have stopped waiting for the law to change. Instead, they have come up with their own digital wills which provide various methodologies for devolving their digital assets and information to their heirs after their death,” Duggal told IANS. Digital data comes within the ambit of movable property and hence the appropriate succession certificate needs to be applied for in the Indian context.

“It is pertinent to note that India does not have a dedicated law on digital inheritance which is, indeed, unfortunate, given the rapid adoption of and reliance on digital data by young Indians,” Duggal lamented.

The social media giants, however, have formulated their own solutions to the problem.

Facebook will “memorialise” your account and allow you to choose a “legacy contact”. No one can log into a “memorialised” account.

The “legacy contact” can “manage” your ac-

count by adding a pinned post (like a funeral announcement), respond to new friend requests and change the profile picture and cover photo — but nothing beyond that.

Google, which owns Gmail, YouTube and Picasa web albums, has an “Inactive Account Manager” feature which allows a user to nominate who has access to his or her information. If people don’t log on after a while, their accounts can be deleted or shared with a designated person.

According to Twitter, “In the event of the death of a Twitter user, we can work with a person authorised to act on behalf of the estate or with a verified immediate family member of the deceased to have an account deactivated.” The micro-blogging site, however, added: “We are unable to provide account access to anyone regardless of his or her relationship to the deceased.”

From the security point of view, one has to safeguard digital impressions in case of death so that they are not used for anti-social purposes.

“Digital signatures/impressions generally have a validity/expiry date which require a yearly renewal and they are also equipped with a unique combination of passkey so even if someone has the digital signatures they must know the access key to use that,” noted Lucknow-based social media analyst Anoop Mishra.

According to statistician Hachem Sadikki from the University of Massachusetts, Facebook will become the world’s biggest virtual graveyard by the end of this century as there will be more profiles of dead people than of living users. “Facebook, which currently has 1.71 billion users worldwide, will turn into the world’s biggest virtual graveyard by 2098,” Sadikki claimed.

In such a scenario, preparing a digital will where you appoint a legal heir to take over your digital life is the need of the hour.

The law, however, is silent on this not just in India but abroad too. Several US states have been debating the question of whether families can access someone else’s digital assets after they die.

“The law has to instrinsically recognise that digital data and information, as also aspects pertaining to digital life, are integral components of our life and the law must provide for seamless inheritance of digital data,” stressed Duggal.

This becomes all the more significant as we have become huge data generators, data publishers and data broadcasters in our lifetimes.

“All eyes are on the governments, including in India; they must come up with requisite legal frameworks to provide for seamless and efficient digital inheritance for the people,” Duggal asserted.

September 2016

Ratan Tata, Vijay Kelkar And Nandan Nilekani Establish Avanti Finance Mumbai/ Kolkata: (IANS) With a focus on delivering credit to under-served and un-served segments in India, Ratan Tata, Vijay Kelkar and Nandan Nilekani have come together to establish a technology-enabled financial inclusion vehicle, Avanti Finance, a statement said.

Speaking on the occasion, Tata Trusts Chairman Tata said: “It will be a platform to impact the poor through credit at individual and community levels to create a lasting improvement in their livelihoods and standard of living, ushering prosperity.”

The aim is to leverage on the social sector presence of Tata Trusts and other like-minded partners and the rapidly evolving India Stack (Jan Dhan-AadharMobile), UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and payments bank ecosystem, the statement said.

Appreciating the initiative, the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Chairman Kelkar stated access to credit at an affordable cost is still a challenge.

Expressing himself humbled by the initiative, Infosys co-founder Nilekani said the technology is an important differentiator and allows us to make a difference in many ways than one.

The entity will apply for registration to the Reserve Bank of India in the coming days and it is expected to establish operations before the end of the current fiscal.

........ Biz Pulse ........

NRI PULSE 17

Indian Government Approves Permanent Residency Status For Foreign Investors New Delhi: (IANS) In an attempt to encourage foreign investments in India, the central government recently approved a scheme to grant permanent residency status (PRS) to foreign investors for 10 years subject to conditions specified in the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy.

The Union Cabinet approved the scheme at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

According to a government statement, suitable provisions will be incorporated in the visa manual to provide for the grant of PRS to foreign investors.

The PRS will be granted for a period of 10 years with multiple entry. This can be renewed for 10 more years if the PRS holder has not come

to adverse notice.

The scheme will be applicable only to foreign investors fulfilling the prescribed eligibility conditions, his/her spouse and dependents.

In order to avail this scheme, the foreign investor will have to invest a minimum of Rs 10 crore to be brought within 18 months or Rs 25 crore to be brought within 36 months.

Further, the foreign investment should result in generating employment to at least 20 resident Indians every financial year.

The PRS will serve as a multiple entry visa without any stay stipulation and PRS holders will be exempted from the registration requirements.

The PRS holders will be allowed to purchase one residential property for dwelling purpose.

The spouse/dependents of the PRS holder will be allowed to take up employment in private sector (in relaxation to salary stipulations for Employment Visa) and undertake studies in India.

LeEco Launches $7 Bn Smartphone Unit In India New Delhi: (IANS) Joining the bandwagon to begin manufacturing in India, global internet technology conglomerate LeEco launched a stateof-the-art $7 billion smartphone manufacturing unit in Greater Noida.

Spread over 200,000 square feet area and having a capacity to produce nearly 60,000 phones per month initially, the unit already employs over 200 professionals. LeEco is also investing $2 million for the automation process at the facility.

“As the market size for electronics is expected to grow to $400 billion by 2020, it is im-

perative to promote indigenous manufacturing.

LeEco is a name of global reputation and it is heartening to see it align with ‘Make in India’ after entering India just eight months earlier,” said Information Technology (IT) and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The Minister, who inaugurated the unit at a function in the capital, said the government hails LeEco’s efforts to train local talent and build a centre of research and development excellence in the country.

LeEco plans to ramp up the production to approximately 200,000 “superphones” per month

by the end of this year.

The company has collaborated with leading electronics manufacturer Compal Electronics to set up the facility.

LeEco also announced that it has crossed the one million sales volume for smartphones in India.

LeEco entered the Indian market in January this year. The company has so far launched five superphones, its LeEco membership of content and internet services, its e-commerce platform LeMall and most recently its SuperTVs — the Super3 Series.

Yale, Tata Group Form Research Alliance Washington: (IANS) Ivy League Yale University and India’s Tata Group have launched a far-ranging research collaboration that builds on their shared strengths in discovery, technology, and innovation.

The alliance will be led at New Haven (Connecticut)-based Yale by Nicholas Christakis, codirector of the Yale Institute for Network Science (YINS) and the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Social and Natural Science.

The Tata Group has committed to fund the alliance over five years. The project will foster an intellectual exchange between the university and three Tata companies: Tata Sons, Tata Consultancy Services, and Tata Chemicals, according to a media release.

The initial aim of the alliance is to expand research and its application in fields ranging from network science to data science to healthcare.

During each year of the agreement, Yale will also host visiting Tata scholars, who will actively participate in the research projects.

“With this agreement, Tata has again demonstrated its steadfast commitment to making a difference in the world,” said Yale President Peter Salovey.

“By harnessing the intellectual capabilities of each institution, the alliance promises to yield novel solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges.”

“Innovation is a critical part of the Tata Group strategy,” said Gopichand Katragadda, Group chief technology officer at Tata Sons.

“At Yale, we look forward to the outcomes from the collaboration in network sciences, consumer behavior analytics, and other research opportunities.”

“The Tata Group will enable specific applications for needs including employee change management, customer acquisition, strategies, and digital health,” he said.

The Yale-Tata Alliance will leverage the expertise of Yale faculty and their Tata colleagues to investigate issues of global relevance.

To leverage the full range of innovative ideas at Yale, a six-member joint steering committee will support key initiatives and solicit proposals from faculty across the university, awarding research funds to promising investigations.

Katragadda and Christakis will co-chair the steering committee.

Working at the intersection of the social and natural sciences, Christakis explores how social and biological factors conspire to shape human life, the release said.

Most recently, his lab has been investigating the fundamental properties of human social networks through the use of large-scale online and offline experiments, with a parallel focus on the genetic and biological origins and implications of human social interactions.

18 NRI PULSE

There’s No Racism In Film Industry: Nawazuddin

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has made a place for himself in Bollywood, says the film industry is one place where there is no “racism”.

“I think there is no racism in this film industry.

They are only in need of talent though it takes time but, if you are talented you will get your due. I am thankful to be part of this industry,” Nawazuddin said in an interview. The actor is now considered as one of the most saleable in showbiz but he says that he doesn’t waste time thinking about all these things.

“I don’t waste my time thinking about all these things (whether he is saleable or not). My job is to work hard and be honest with my character and that’s in my control. I can only try to give my best performance,” said Nawazuddin, who has been appreciated for his roles in films like “Black Friday”, “Gangs of Wasseypur”, “Kahaani”, “Raman Raghav 2.0” and many more.

Shahid Kapoor, Mira Blessed With Daughter

Mumbai: (IANS) Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput recently welcomed their first child, a daughter, with utmost joy. Shahid took to Twitter to share the news with his fans.

“She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness.Thank you for all your wishes,” Shahid tweeted. The 35-year-old, son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, married Delhi-based Mira, 22, last year.

Congratulatory messages came the couple’s way from Bollywood celebrities soon after Shahid announced the arrival of his bundle of joy.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh tweeted: “Congratulations @shahidkapoor and Mira on birth of an angel. Welcome to the club my friend. Love and blessings to the little one.”

His wife Genelia shared: “Congratulations Shahid Kapoor and Mira. It’s the world’s best feeling and I’m sure you already know how it is.. Lotsa love to the little one.”Filmmaker Karan Johar also wrote: “Huge congratulations to @shahidkapoor and Mira….nothing more precious than a baby girl….lots of love.”

Shahid and Mira had met at a ‘satsang’ as both their families are followers of the religious group Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a philosophical organization based on the spiritual teachings of all religions.

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

September 2016

I Live Every Day Like It’s My Last: Ranveer Singh Mumbai: (IANS) Energy, exuberance, effervescence and enthusiasm. Bollywood star Ranveer Singh has emerged synonymous with these adjectives, and he says it’s the “Take it easy” policy that helps him to live each day as if it’s his last.

“I have an immense love for life, I have a great zeal for life, I have a great lust for life, you could say, and therefore I live every day like it’s my last and I do everything like it’s either the first time I’m doing it or the last time I’m doing it. So, I really go after it with everything I’ve got,” Ranveer told IANS in an exclusive interaction as the ambassador of toothpaste brand Colgate MaxFresh.

“I try and live in the moment as much as possible, and I think essentially that might very well be the secret of my energy - high energy,” he said, flashing his pearly whites and looking cool in a pair of funky shades.

Often, due to this perception about Ranveer and his ability to take over a stage whenever he performs live or makes an appearance for a TV show, one would think he is a better performer than an actor — even though one knows how he has showcased his versatility across films as varied as a “Band Baaja Baaraat”, “Lootera”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela”, “Gunday”, “Dil Dhadakne Do” and “Bajirao Mastani”.

What does he say about that?

“There are different kinds of performances — you do different characters, you’re a part of different stories, each filmmaker has a certain energy that the character requires, you know, it’s different. Even acting is a kind of performance, so even in life when you’re interacting with people, you could say that you’re playing a character.

“When you’re interacting with your mother,

you’re playing the son, when you’re interacting with your sister, you’re playing the brother, so performance is there at every level in life. There are just different modes, different energies,” explained the 31-year-old, who is an entertainer at heart.

His next big screen outing is “Befikre”. And the title reflects his own personality in a way.

“Life in the fast lane can be very stressful, of

Pregnancy Should Not Be Looked Upon As A Disease: Kareena

Mumbai: (IANS) Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is expecting her first child with actor Saif Ali Khan in December, says pregnancy should not be looked upon as a disease wherein women can or cannot do certain things.

“The most important thing is that pregnancy should not be looked upon as some sort of disease of any kind. It’s the most beautiful phenomenon that can happen to a woman... I would continue to do as normal things as everybody else

because that’s what it is.

“It’s most natural phenomenon and there is nothing wrong with it. In fact it’s a joy,” Kareena told IANS when she was asked how it felt to walk on the runway as a showstopper for Sabyasachi Mukherjee at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 with a baby bump.

Usually it is seen in Bollywood that when an actress gets pregnant, it leads to a cut in her roles. Is Bollywood being supportive of her new phase?

“But why should they not be,” questioned Kareena, and added: “I don’t look at it like any change. I know of course everyone prefers 16year-olds dancing around in mini skirts, but there is a certain amount of stature that is required for certain roles. And that will always be there.”

At the LFW finale, Kareena was glowing in a bespoke and beautiful elegant lehenga created

by Sabyasachi.

Asked if pregnancy has affected her personal style, she said: “Luckily, I have always been an actor who has gone for things that have suited my personality. I have never really tried to follow any particular trend.

“It has always been more casual chic or whenever I am out for the evening, I prefer to wear something that I am comfortable in, something which is a lot more elegant and regal because I believe my fans expect that from me.”

LFW, a five-day fashion extravaganza, ended here on a high note with Sabyasachi showcasing an elegant line.

course, show business can be very stressful, but I’ve learnt that as a manipulator of one’s moods, as an actor, as a performer, on a daily basis, you’re manipulating your moods. So as a general rule of thumb, I try and keep things light.

I like to smile a lot, laugh a lot, joke a lot.

“I like to have a convivial, sort of jovial atmosphere in my life, whenever I’m working. I think that’s very important. It’s good for health also,” said the actor, who not just gets a kick in the morning when he brushes his teeth, but also with a hot cup of coffee.

Also, since fitness is an indispensable aspect of an actor’s life, he ensures he works out.

“I try and workout. It gives you a rush of endorphins and that keeps you feeling good for the rest of the day... A good mood sort of flows from there,” he said and added that even music sets a jolly mood for him.

“I listen to certain kinds of music that keeps me happy. For instance, today (when the interview was conducted) I started with ‘Urvashi Urvashi... Take it easy policy’. I’m sure you know that song, everybody knows that song,” he said, breaking into two lines from the peppy A.R. Rahman number which was famously picturised on Prabhudheva in the film “Hum Se Hai Muqabala”.

“I believe in the philosophy, in this deep philosophy of this most famous song, ‘Take it easy policy’. Take it easy is the best policy,” he said.

“Rumors On Deepika’s Remuneration Are Baseless”

Mumbai: (IANS) Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s spokesperson says reports stating that actress Deepika Padukone has been paid around Rs 11 crore for her next film “Padmavati” are completely false. According to the reports, Deepika is the highest paid actress in Bollywood and after bagging a Hollywood project and delivering back-to-back hit films in Bollywood, she has hiked her fee.

“The reports surrounding the star cast remuneration for ‘Padmavati’ are completely false. The rumors are baseless and are being blown out of proportion,” the spokesperson of Bhansali told IANS. To be directed by Bhansali, “Padmavati” also stars Ranveer Singh. Deepika and Bhansali have come together for the third time after the success of “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela” and “Bajirao Mastani”.

September 2016

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

NRI PULSE 19

Bodies On Shoulders Reminders Of Health Crisis In India New Delhi: (IndiaSpend/IANS) In Odisha, a man slung his wife’s body over his shoulder and carried it 10 km after being denied an ambulance on August 24, 2016.

In Kanpur, a man’s sick son died on his shoulder after being denied admission to a hospital on August 29, 2016.

Such cases become visible when they get social media and television attention, but millions cannot access India’s overburdened hospitals and inadequate medical facilities, a crisis illustrated by the fact that India is short of nearly 500,000 doctors, based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) norm of 1:1,000 population, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of government data.

With more than 740,000 active doctors at the end of 2014 — a claimed doctor-patient population ratio of 1:1,674, worse than Vietnam, Algeria and Pakistan — the doctor shortage was one of the health-management failures cited by the report of a parliamentary committee on health and family welfare, which presented its findings on March 8, 2016.

Illegal capitation fees in private medical colleges, a health-services inequality between urban and rural India and a disconnect between the public-health and medical-education systems were among the issues the committee investigated while probing the Medical Council of India, the 82-year-old organization responsible for medical-education standards.

Up to 55 per cent of India’s 55,000 doctors graduate every year from private colleges, many of which charge illegal donations, or “capitation fees”; in Tamil Nadu, it now costs a medical student from such a col-

lege Rs 2 crore to get a MBBS degree, the Times Of India reported on August 26, 2016.

The imbalances begin with access to medical education. States with nearly half the population have only a fifth of MBBS seats.

“Six states, which represent 31 per cent of India’s population, have 58 per cent MBBS seats; on the other hand, eight states, which comprise 46 per cent of India’s population, have only 21 per cent MBBS seats,” said an unnamed expert who

deposed before the parliamentary committee.

These medical-education imbalances reflect larger public-healthcare issues. In general, poverty is correlated with the lack of healthcare. For instance, among states with the highest proportion of undernourished children, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have the worst infrastructure for institutional deliveries.

India’s poorer states have health indicators that are worse than many nations poorer than them,

and India’s healthcare spending is the lowest among BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations, as are its health indicators.

Every year, 55,000 doctors complete their MBBS and 25,000 post-graduation nationwide, said another unnamed expert. At this rate of growth, he told the committee, India should have a doctor (allopathic) for every 1,250 people for a population of 1.3 billion by 2020, and one for every 1,075 by 2022 (population: 1.36 billion).

“However, the committee has been informed that doctors cannot be produced overnight, and if we add 100 medical colleges every year for the next five years, only by the year 2029 will the country have adequate number of doctors,” the second expert said.

The shortage of doctors, the report said, is despite the increase in medical colleges, from 23 in 1947 to 398 at the end of 2014. India, the report noted, has more medical colleges than any country, and 49,930 admissions were available in 2014.

“An expert who appeared before the committee submitted that India was very very short of doctors and to meet this shortfall, India needs to have not four hundred, but one thousand medical colleges,” the report said. The central government has approved 22 medical colleges with 1,765 seats in the last two years, according to an e-book published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The NITI Aayog, the government’s thinktank, has prepared the draft National Education Commission Bill, 2016, to reassess India’s healthcare and medical-education infrastructure.

While 11 new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been added with 1,100 seats, the government has proposed an additional 4,700 MBBS seats.

As many as 5,540 MBBS seats and 1,004 PG seats have been added in the last two academic sessions, the e-book said.

Medical-education shortages manifest themselves in under-staffed public-health services nationwide: There is an 83 per cent shortage of specialist medical professionals in community health centres (CHCs), as IndiaSpend reported in September 2015.

Public-health centres across India’s rural areas — 25,308 in 29 states and seven union territories — are short of more than 3,000 doctors, the scarcity rising 200 per cent (or tripling) over 10 years, IndiaSpend reported in February 2016.

“Given the fact that the Indian Medical Register is not a live database and contains names of doctors who may have passed away or retired from active practice, by now, as well as those with a permanent address outside India and that there is no mechanism in place for filtering out such cases, the Committee is highly sceptical of the ministry’s claim of having one doctor per 1,674 population,” the parliamentary report said. “In view of the above, the Committee feels that the total universe of doctors in India is much smaller than the official figure, and we may have one doctor per 2,000 population, if not more.”

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

BAPS Charities: SEPT 11-25 Health Fair Blood Work (9/11&18, 8-11am, 9/25, 9-11am), Health Fair (9/25, 9am-noon).

When: Sundays, September 11 & 18 & 25, 2016 Times: Blood Work (9/11&18, 8-11am, 9/25, 911am), Health Fair (9/25, 9am-noon).

Cost: $15.

Where: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 460 Rockbridge Rd NW, Lilburn 30047.

Register: bapscharities.org/hf2016atlanta Contact: patelkalpesh@bellsouth.net Aga Khan Foundation: SEPT 18 Walk/Run Volunteer Registration: tinyurl.com/ akfvolunteer Volunteer Registration is first come, first serve.

Contact volunteer.akfatlanta@gmail.com or atlantawalk@akfusa.org Runners Registration: Discount Code: AKF16 Valid until September 11, 2016 for $10 off any run. Online Registration will close Sunday, September 11, 2016 at Midnight!

When: Sunday, September 18, 2016 Time: 7:30am register, 8am warm up, 8:30am begin Where: Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave W NW, Atlanta, GA 30313 Contact: support.akfusa.org/atlantawalkrun 20th Anniversary SEPT 11 Banquet of Senior Citizens Program When: Sunday, September 11, 2016 Time: 5pm Where: Ashiana Banquet Hall, Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, GA 30071 RSVP: rrazd01@yahoo.com Contact: Raj Razdan 678-910-0321

Consulate General SEPT 14 of India - Atlanta & Dhoop Chaoon present First Hindi Diwas When: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 6:30pm Where: Consulate General of India, 5549 Glenridge Drive NE, Atlanta 30342 Contact: Sandhya Bhagat, kakhaga@hotmail.com, 770-680-1770 Paracha Entertainment SEPT 16 presents: Sonu Nigam & Atif Aslam LIVE together in Atlanta When: Friday, September 16 Time: 8:30pm Where: Infinite Energy Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth, Georgia 30097 Contact: 888-377-8484, info@TicketHungama.com Vibha: Dream Mile SEPT 17 Paramount Software Vibha Dream Mile Atlanta 5k/10k Run/Walk And Kids Activities Peachtree Qualifier Race, USATF Certified Course When: Saturday, September 17, 2016 Time: 6:30am on-site registration, run time 7:45am Where: The Collection at Forsyth, 410 Peachtree Pkwy, Cumming, GA 30041 Contact: atlanta@dreammile.org Aga Khan Foundation SEPT 18 Walk/Run - Atlanta Presents Sunidhi Chauhan Live in Concert Free Concert - Open To Public When: Sunday, September 18 Time: 11am Where: Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave W Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30313 Free pass at: http://support.akfusa.org/ AtlantaConcert Contact: Sonny, 404-915-6658, 470-400-7469, AtlantaWalk@AKFUSA.org Chai Latte Productions SEPT 18 presents the next ADAA- Appreciating Desi Artists in Atlanta “Aisa Bhi Hota Hai”-a light-hearted dramatic love story, written and directed by Aqsa Zareen Farooqui.

When: Sunday, September 18 Time: 6 PM - 9 PM Where: Sitar Cuisine, 8465 Holcomb Bridge Rd, Alpharetta, Georgia 30022 Cost: $12 Contact: Aqsa at (404) 312-4950

SuDoku Challenge Rules: 1.The 3 x 3 sub grids are called regions 2.Numbers already filled in the grid are called givens 3.The goal of the player is to fill the blank grids of · Every row · Every column and · Every 3 x 3 box · With the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 However: All rows and columns and regions (3 x 3) should contain numbers 1 to 9 without being repeated.

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In Defense of Animals SEPT 11 5K Run/Walk When: Sunday, September 11, 2016 Time: 7am register, 8am run Where: St. Marlo Country Club (Swim/ Tennis area), 7765 St. Marlo Country Club Parkway, Duluth 30097.

Contact: 678-469-2406, IDAsarita@ymail.com

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My daughters were not really listening to me so his name to Darkness and sleeps in a coffin evI told them that Justin Bieber had just been outed as ery night. “Everyone has their beliefs and I don’t an alien from the Helix Nebula here to kidnap Taylor believe I should be persecuted for following mine,” Darkness told the Lancashire Telegraph.

Swift. Instant full attention.

Being British, Darkness is a bit too wellMy wife disapproves of my methods, but the fact is there’s no proof he isn’t. And no one thinks bred to bite his neighbours, so he orders packs of human blood substitute from medical supplithat guy’s normal, right? ers. Forgive my cyniThe extreme weirdbut that’s not reness of folks these days THE FUNNY SIDE cism, ally the same, is it? If the was brought home to me Dracula legend had been by a news report I just about a guy sitting waitread that a woman named ing for an Amazon deTina Gorjanc is using DNA livery, the whole vamfrom her hero, late fashion pire scene would never designer Alexander have taken off.

McQueen, to grow his One of my colskin which she plans to leagues has just told me turn into a jacket. Imagine that she once interviewed her wearing it to a posh restaurant. Maitre’ d: “May I hang up your a self-proclaimed vampire who said that blood tastes jacket, madam?” Gorjanc: “Yes, but leave the metallic. “When vampires need a snack, they suck cloakroom door open. Alex doesn’t like the dark.” coins,” she said. The reporter also said the vampire I wondered why she would make a McQueen- “was a pain in the neck, and interviewing her really skin garment instead of growing a whole new sucked”. And now you know why journalists have McQueen? (I also wondered whether I could get some bruises on their shins. Their addiction to corny puns Taylor Swift to send me her DNA? “Hi, Taylz, in- makes them eminently kickable.

The really weird thing is that a financial stead of a signed photo, could you scrape the inside of your cheek on to this medical spatula and return it to reporter friend told me that science may supme? Thanks!”) I posted my first question on one of port the vampire theory. A US company named those websites that provide answers and some guy Ambrosia (which means “food of the gods”) eventually wrote that scientists were not actively wants to inject young people’s blood into older working on cloning human beings “except in China”. folk. They were inspired by a group of scienThis makes no sense. Do they not have enough people tists who injected young mouse blood into older mice and got “signs of a return to youthfulness”. in China?

The high level of weirdness in modern life I assume this means the older mice instantly was reinforced by a reader who sent a recent became addicted to sending impenetrable emojinews report about a UK man who “identifies as laden messages to each other on smartphones. a vampire”. The 25-year-old has legally changed - Nury Vittachi

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FREELANCE MARKETING

Vampires Got It Right, Say Scientists

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........ What’s Cooking? ........

22 NRI PULSE

Onam Payasam (Kheer) BYP.S. LAKSHMI RAO

1 cup chana dal 1 1/2 cup water 1/ 4 cup ghee (clarified butter) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup fresh shredded

coconut 3 cups water to make fresh coconut milk 1/ 4 cup saggu biyyam (sabu dana, chauvarry, or tapioka) Wash chana dal a couple of times and cook with 11/ 2 cups of water in pressure cooker inverter for three whistles and turn the heat off. Take dal out of the cooker after the pressure is gone, and let it cool.

Preparing fresh coconut milk: blend coconut with one cup of water. Strain and save this first batch of coconut milk separately. Repeat this two more times using same coconut and rest of the water until you have another two cups of coconut milk.

Cook saggu biyyam in ¾ cup of water until they are translucent and keep it separate.

Garnish 1/ 2 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter 1 tablespoon cashew pieces 1 tablespoon sweet golden raisins 1 tablespoon small coconut pieces 1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds (elaichi) Fry cashews, raisins, and coconut pieces in 1/2 tablespoon of ghee, and set aside.

Transfer cooked dal to a nonstick frying pan and fry it with ghee on low heat for six minutes, mixing continuously. Add brown sugar and second and third batches of coconut milk. Cook two minutes longer, mixing often. Add the first batch of coconut milk, cooked saggu biyyam and fried cashews, raisins, coconut pieces, and cardamom powder. Cook for two minutes on low heat stirring. If the payasam is too thick, add a little water.

Note: Don’t use any regular milk because it might curdle or break.

Our friends Leela and Dr. Sudersanan who were originally from Kerala used to invite us for lunch every year for Onam festival and make this special payasam (kheer). Onam comes in the month of August or September. My thanks to Leela for letting me share this wonderful dish with our readers.

September 2016

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Delish Recipe For Dal Pakwan Ingredients: Dal 1 cup split chana dal, soaked Salt to taste ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ½ teaspoon red chili powder ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder ¾ teaspoon dried mango powder 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 4-5 green chilies, slit 8-10 curry leaves 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

masala powder and the remaining chili powder.

Stir and pour over the cooked gram, mix well and take the pan off the heat. Keep it covered.

To make the pakwan, sift together the maida and atta in a large bowl. Add the suji, cumin seeds, crushed peppercorns, oil and salt. Add four tablespoons water and knead into a medium-soft dough.

Divide the dough into eight portions and roll each portion out into a disc of four-inch diameter.

Prick lightly with a fork.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Slide the pakwans, one by one, and deep-fry on medium heat till crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and cool.

Garnish the dal with the coriander leaves and serve with the pakwan.

Pakwan 1 cup maida 2 tablespoons atta 1 tablespoon suji ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds 10-12 black peppercorns, crushed 2 tablespoons cooking oil Salt to taste Oil for deep-frying

In ourAugust issue, the recipe for Bachchali Koora Pulusu had typos in the list of ingredients. We regret the error. Please visit the ‘What’s Cooking?’ segment of our website www.NRIPulse.com for the correct recipe.

Method: Drain the chana dal and pressure cook along with salt and turmeric powder, half the chili powder, half the garam masala powder, dried mango powder and three and a half cups of water till the pressure is released thrice (three whistles). Open the lid when the pressure is completely reduced.

Heat one tablespoon cooking oil in a small non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds.

When they begin to change color, add the chilies, curry leaves, remaining garam

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

Banarasi Saris Get A New Shine It is believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gifted First Lady Michelle Obama 100 banarsi silk saris on her India visit.

Banarasis are made of finely woven silk that are decorated with intricate designs, which make them relatively heavy.

Their special characteristics are mughal inspired designs such as floral motifs, kaiga and bel (a string of upright leaves). Other features include gold work, compact weaving figures with small details, metallic visual effects, and jal and mina

BY RANI SHARMA Raneez Fine Boutique For some time now, banarasi saris have caught the fancy of Indian designers. A banarasi sari is made in Varanasi (also called Benaras or Banaras) a city on the banks of the river Ganga.

The saris are among the finest in India, and are known for their beautiful colors, gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and embroidery.

work.

Banarasi saris are mostly worn by Indian women on important occasions such as weddings and are expected to be complemented by the woman’s best jewelry.

Varieties: The saris are categorized according to the design process they undergo. There are several varieties of banarasis: jangla, tanchoi, vaskat, cutwork, tissue and butidar.

The latest style is to pair banarasis with a rich embroidered gold blouse.

For more info on new style trends, please call me at 404-633-4966 or visit Raneez Fine Boutique in Decatur.

September 2016

NRI PULSE 23