NRI Pulse January 2020 issue

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Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper January 2020

Indians Under 20 Must Renew OCI Cards After Each Passport Renewal New York: (IANS) The Indian government is advising Indians under 20 years of age who hold Overseas Citizen of India or OCI cards to get them re-issued each time they get their passport re-issued.

For OCI card holders above 50 years, the card needs to be re-issued only once after passport renewal, according to details in a press release issued by the Indian Consulate in New York.

OCI card holders between the age of 21 and 50 years don’t need to get the cards re-issued each time after passport renewal.

The Indian government is allowing “temporary relaxation” till June 30 this year for selected cases where any OCI card holder less than 20 years old travels with a copy of the new passport, the OCI card and the old passport which is linked to the OCI card.

For OCI card holders over 50 years old too, the same relaxation applies until June 30, the statement said.

The OCI card works as a multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to India, and exempts card holders from the need to register with local police authorities even for long India stays and can be used as identity proof for application of PAN card and driving license and for opening a bank account if the OCI card holder is residing in India.

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Five Indian Families File Lawsuit To Save Children From ‘Aging Out’ During Green Card Wait

BY VEENA RAO

Atlanta, GA: Twelve plaintiffs from five Indian families have filed a lawsuit in federal court, seeking equal treatment in the way a child’s age is calculated with respect to derivative immigrant status under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). “Aging out” affects primarily the children of H-1B visa holders who spend years on immigration waiting lists due to the per-country limit.

“Children who’ve been waiting to immigrate with their parents and living in the United States legally for many years are losing their eligibility for a green card, and even their place in line in the queue, due to the national origin limits on green card quotas. This has resulted in children being forced to leave the country (called self-deportation) or pursue increasingly difficult individual paths to remain in the country,” lead attorney Brent Renison of the Oregon based Parrilli Renison LLC told Forbes in a recent interview.

“Most of these children have finished all their K-12 and college education in the United States and are American in all meaningful aspects. It is unfair to punish these children and their families for their national origin.”

Currently, some children have no hope of ever immigrating together with their parents because of the decades long wait for an immigrant visa, and because CSPA only fixes a child’s age as under 21 years of age when the priority date becomes current.

Due to per country limits in the law, some

children will not ever remain under 21 years of age because priority dates take longer than 21 years to become current. Unfortunately, USCIS does not allow children to keep their place in line either, even if the parents file for the children after becoming lawful permanent residents. They have to step all the way back in line and start over. This narrow view has been upheld by the Supreme Court, even though the agency could have taken the broader view and also had that interpretation upheld.

What is more, USCIS has adopted a narrow view of which of the two charts may be used for the CSPA calculation, choosing to use the less advantageous “final action date” chart instead of the “dates for filing chart” for purposes of calculating a child’s age under CSPA. All this narrow interpretation works a serious inequity upon children who are born in certain countries affected by the backlog. We believe this unfair treatment is a denial of equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.

“We will ask the courts to allow children from all countries, regardless of nationality, to use the “other countries” worldwide visa bulletin dates for purposes of calculating age under CSPA. This would be “equal treatment” under law, and would result in most children remaining eligible to immigrate together with their parents, even those born in India, as opposed to the present situation in which almost all Indian born children will not ever become eligible,” Renison’s website elaborates.

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NZ Volcano Eruption: Atlanta Mother Passes Away From Injuries

Atlanta, GA: Mayuari Singh, an Atlanta based mother of three small children, passed away after suffering extensive burns in the devastating December 9 eruption of the White Island/ Whakaari volcano in New Zealand.

Police said Singh died on December 22 at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.

Her husband Pratap Singh Chauhan, who is president of the Atlanta chapter of Sewa International, is recovering from his injuries, but is reportedly stable. The Singh family was on a cruise in Australia and New Zealand when the tragedy occurred.

A funeral and prayer meet held for Singh on December 30 was well attended by members of the Indian-American community.

The couple is well-known in Atlanta for their charitable endeavors.

There were 47 people on or near the island at 2.11 p.m. on December 9 when Whakaari/White Island erupted, spewing gas and ash into the air.

The police later confirmed the deaths of the 17 persons, with two more officially still listed as missing.

A total of 25 people were still recovering in hospitals around New Zealand and Australia.

Thirteen patients were transferred to Australia. One of those patients has since died.

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January 2020

Growing India-Israel Relationship Honored At Consulate’s Hanukkah Celebrations

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles. As we light the Hanukkah candles in commemoration of the miracles that occurred in the land of Jerusalem about 2300 years ago, it is fitting to think of the miracle of our relations, of our two ancient cultures discovering their commonalities and having the wisdom to turn our differences into an advantage of cooperation and enrich each side by merging our experiences for the benefit of both our people,” stated Hon. Anat Sultan-Dandon, Consul General, Israel at the 5th annual Hanukkah celebrations hosted by the office of the Consulate General of India, Atlanta on December 15, 2019.

State representative Mike Wilensky, Consul General Takeuchi of Japan, Consul General Shane Stephens of Ireland, Nissim Ruben of Atlanta Jewish Community (AJC) Washington D.C. and Dov Wilker of AJC, Atlanta also joined the festivities.

Chag Hanukkah Sameach, said Consul Asim Kumar wishing attendees on the occasion.

Extending a warm welcome to guests and attendees, CG Dr. Swati Kulkarni cited the hearty exchange of wishes between PM Modi who wished in Hebrew, only to be reciprocated by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Hindi.

“This is the spirit of Hanukkah, to spread warmth and glow to everyone,” she said.

India celebrates its diversity in Diwali, Christmas and Hanukkah, all of which have the light in common with a uniqueness that fosters communal and social bonding, peace and prosperity, added Dr. Kulkarni.

“Lessons of Hanukkah is that a small group can make a big difference. When resources are limited, faith matters as the Jewish people have shown to the world.”

Thanking Dr. Kulkarni for the warm hospitality, CG Sultan-Dandon highlighted the evolvement of the relations between India and Israel over the past 27 years. “It is difficult to believe today that up until the establishment of the relations, Indian national passport carried a stamp that said it was valid across all nations of the world except Israel,” noted CG Sultan-Dandon, adding that in stark contrast, currently, five direct flights in full capacity carry Indian and Israeli passengers across the two nations. “The establishment of direct flights is not only significant for the bilateral relations between the two countries but also Israel’s normalization with the Arab countries, as these flights pass over Saudi Arabia, and several gulf states, a flight pass which until fairly recently would’ve been impossible,” she remarked.

Charting the growth of relations between India and Israel, CG Sultan-Dandon said early relations were based mainly on defense, but reciprocal visits at senior levels, including the President of India’s visit in 2016, PM Modi’s visit in 2017 and reciprocal visit of PM Netanyahu have laid the foundations for signing of the many agreements in many fields including agriculture and water, in the field of space, Jewish and Indian communities within the countries in many locations across north America and Europe.

“One of the most important ways we can fight anti-Semitism is by showcasing the diversity of Jew-

Photos by Suresh Volam, Sri Photos. ish community and no other Jewish community does it better than the Indian Jewish community,” said Wilker, adding that being a diaspora is one of the things that unites both communities.

“Israel is in our hearts and India is in our blood,” stated Reuben. Apprising the crowd of Gandhiji’s deep Jewish connections, he cited Mahatma’s relation with Dr. Herman Kallenbach, a South African Jew who donated his “Tolstoy farm” to him that housed the satyagrahis, and Dr. Abraham Solomon Erulkar, an Indian Jew from Mumbai, who relocated with him from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in 1915 after Gandhiji’s return from South Africa. “It was because of these Jewish connections that “Gandhiji would always mention that I am a Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist, Parsee and a Jew.” “We have to fight for the narrative of the true

story of India in the media,” said Reuben, highlighting the tolerance of all its religions

by Indian people, the Jewish community and synagogues in particular, that have never been attacked int the 70 years of the history of the creation of the state of Israel and India, despite being located in Muslim majority neighborhoods and in the thick of violence in the mid-east.

Reuben commended PM Modi’s efforts is restoring relations between the two nations.

“There is a law which states that you cannot get an OCI card if you have served in a foreign military in Israel,” said Reuben, adding that PM Modi it altered to help second and third generations connect with their Indian heritage.

India-Israel cultural connect is much ancient than their recent official diplomatic relations. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. The traditional account is that traders of Judea arrived at Cranganore, an ancient port near Cochin in 562 BC, and that more Jews came as exiles from Israel in the year 70 AD, after the destruction of the Second Temple. The distinct Jewish community in Cochin was called Anjuvannam.

The still-functioning synagogue in Mattancherry, The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations.

It is estimated that India's Jewish population peaked at around 20,000 in the mid-1940s and began to rapidly decline due to their emigration to Israel after its creation in 1948.

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January 2020

Candlelight Vigil Draws Attention To Gender-Based Violence

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah,” (Where women are honored, divinity blossoms there. Where women are dishonored, all actions, no matter how noble, remain unfruitful), says a famous shloka from Manusmriti, which has served as a foundational work on Hindu law and jurisprudence in ancient India for at least 1500 years.

And yet, rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. Much reminiscent of the infamous Nirbhaya rape case that shocked the nation’s capital and reverberated throughout the country seven years ago, on November 27, 2019, another woman, Disha (name changed per parent’s request), a veterinary doctor from the Indian state of Telangana, was brutally gang-raped and murdered. They burned her body. It all happened while traveling home alone on a scooter, after Disha got off at a toll plaza. A group of four men deflated the tires of her scooter and then, pretending to help her fix it, took her away to a secluded spot, raping and eventually killing her.

The police recovered her body the following morning and nabbed four culprits on November 29, 2019.

The arrested four were killed in a police encounter on December 6, 2019.

ATA and the Atlanta Telugu community held a candlelight vigil in memory of Disha and other victims of sexual crimes, on December 1, 2019 at Biryani Pot in Johns Creek. A Facebook group was also created to provide global citizens a platform to insure timely and appropriate punishment to the guilty and help victim’s family. The group also intends to work towards 911 kind of service in India and stand up for justice to all the rape victims.

The simple ceremony involved observing silence, lighting of candles and attendees sharing their thoughts. Expressing grief and anger in equal measure, most attendees took to stage to

convey their message. The crime had hit close to home for some, including Dr. Sreeni Gangasani who said the victim had lived close his hometown. While some opined that the culprits be hanged, others including Aparna Bhattacharya from Raksha said it was important to address the root cause.

“Rape is not about sex. It is about power and control,” quoted Bhattacharya. Citing the 16 Days

of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign observed between 25 November and 10 December, Bhattacharya reinforced the fact that the issue was universal and needed to be addressed by bringing about changes within the mindset of society and an effort to change the culture. “How do you change the culture?” she asked. “You can start with simple things at home, by not forcing your children to hug someone that they don’t want to. Teach boys about consent and girls that it is ok to say no.”

Violence against women transcends borders and cultures. On 25 November 1960, sisters Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, three political activists who actively opposed the cruelty and systematic violence of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, were clubbed to death and dumped at the bottom of a cliff by Trujillo’s secret police. In commemoration of their deaths, 25 November was declared International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Latin America in 1980 and formally

recognized by the United Nations in 1999. The 16 days of activism begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends with International Human Rights Day on 10 December, highlighting the fact that violence against women is a fundamental violation of human rights. The activism is run by over 6000 organizations across 187 countries. The theme this year, incidentally is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”

Rooted in a complex set of patriarchal beliefs, power, and control, the heinous act of rape continues to create a social environment in which sexual violence is pervasive and normalized. We become part of that culture through our actions and inactions, attitudes that prevail unquestioned, impunity for perpetrators and stigma towards survivors. While names, times and contexts may differ, women and girls have universally experienced rape and sexual abuse since decades.

The death sentence handed down to the Nirbhaya rapists did not deter Disha’s killers. Even as perpetrators of the Disha’s crime were killed in a police encounter, four other rapes were reported in the same week and a day after the encounter, a rape survivor was set ablaze by five people, including two accused of raping her. These gruesome crimes are fueled by indifference toward the rights of women and the consequences of violating them.

No, it is not about reforming the rapist or if he is even deserving of it. But rather, the acknowledgement of a fundamental flaw in understanding women’s rights and rectifying the existing mindset.

As we mourn the Asifas, Nirbhayas and Dishas of the world, we can perhaps begin with our own attitude change at home, and hope that society follows suit, to provide safer environment for women to thrive with respect and dignity. It should not take the rape and death of another woman to remind us of humanity that has been lost, respect that has vanished and a society that undermines its women.

TAMA Awards Scholarships To Merit Students In AP & Telangana

Atlanta, GA: Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta awarded scholarships to district toppers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who graduated from government and zilla parishad schools in March 2019.

The event was held on November 10th, 2019 at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad, India.

The auditorium was filled with scholarship awardees and their parents, teachers, and school principals.

Program attendees were served with breakfast, followed by an introduction of TAMA by scholarship coordinator, Seetha Vallurupalli.

Each awardee got the opportunity to speak for one minute about education and its importance in life.

MLC Pathuri Sudhakar Reddy, prominent doctor Papolu Rama Devi, Rotary Club Of Hyderabad Midtown Ex-President Sridhar Reddy were the guests at the program. Sudhakar Reddy and Dr. Ramadevi recognized and appreciated recipients for their focused hard work and achieving the topper rank in the district.

Ex-Rotary president Sridhar Reddy said his club was proud to be part of the TAMA scholarship event.

In addition to scholarship checks and cer-

tificates, students who spoke about education received extra cash for their enthusiasm to express their feelings about education and its use in life.

TAMA has been awarding scholarships to deserving students since 2005, except for the years 2010 and 2011.

This event was possible only because of the generosity of donors who wanted to give back to community, said Vallurupalli.

Bandaru, Viju Chiluveru, Ramesh Chaparala were the other donors for the 2019 scholarship event.

Prasad Papolu, philanthropist and founding member of Rotary Club of Hyderabad MIdtown has been helping with his paid staff to ensure that the project is executed smoothly The platinum donor for this project was Pramod Sajja, President and CEO of Paramount in India. MLC Seetharamakirsna helped in obSoftware Solutions. Krishna Mohan Pinnamane- taining the list of meritorious students in Andhra ni, Sairam Surapaneni, Ravi Kandimalla, Mehar Pradesh. MLC Sudhakar Reddy helped in obtainLanka, Usha Mandava , Aruna Kailasa, Padma ing the Telangana merit list.

Vallurupalli thanked Viju Chiluveru for his Nadella, Vadrevu Subbarao, Mahesh Pawar, Raju Mandapati, Venky Gadde, Kamal Satuluru, sairam help in making certificates every year. She also Karumanchi, Sriniva Uppu, Rupendra Vemu- thanked TAMA president Venky Gadde for his lapalli, Bilhan Alapati, Bharat Arvineni, Suresh help and cooperation.

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Consulate, GIACC & Tours Limited Host Talk On Tourism To India

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: Even as Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson continues its run as the world’s busiest airport, Delta Airlines picked New York over its hub Atlanta, to revive its nonstop flight to India on December 22 this year. Direct flight services notwithstanding, the “Let’s Talk Tourism” event organized by the Consulate General of India in Atlanta, Tours Ltd. and the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) on December 6 at the Sandy Springs City Hall shed light on the various travel opportunities between India and the U.S., including Georgia.

The event had Rusty Paul, Mayor of Sandy Springs, Brian Beall, Deputy Director, US Department of Commerce, Amanda Peacock, Tourism Division of Georgia, Robert Long, VP Economic Development, Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, André D. Fields, Political Director - Fair Fight Action and Amber Woolfolk, Business Strategist ,Fair Fight Action, representatives from Stacy Abrams office and Mr. Miheer Anand Nunkoo, Co - Founder of the Mauritius Indo Chamber of Commerce, in attendance.

“This year we have focused on tourism,” said Anita E.J. Ninan, President, GIACC, as she elaborated on the mission of the chamber. The GIACC protects, develops, encourages, promotes and fosters trade, business, financial or professional interests and commercial relations between India and the United States, including specifically Georgia.

“Let me take you on a journey of Incredible India!” began Consul General Dr. Swati Kulkarni who delivered the keynote address highlighting

Photo by Photography by Vinod. the various tourist options including the luxurious Palace on Wheels, wellness and medical tourism, adventure and wildlife tourism, religious and heritage tourism. Initiatives by the Indian government to boost tourism, Dr. Kulkarni elaborated, included extending of e-visa facilities to over 165 countries, enabling issuance of e-medical, business, tourist, conference and medical attendant visas at several Indian ports of entry, and an update of Incredible India campaign with the launch of a new mobile app.

The event presented booths from popular tourist destinations including Hershey’s Chocolate World, Corning Museum of Glass, The Countryside of Philadelphia, Brandywine Valley and Velley Forge, GA Tourism and Delta Airlines.

The day-long event also featured a fashion show of Indian costumes from different Indian states choreographed by Hetal Mehta. One lucky winner took home two roundtrip tickets to Mumbai from Delta, which helped sponsor the event and Atlanta’s favorite photographer, Vinod Devlia won a four-day Disney trip.

“Well educated Indian workers have been vital to the county’s growing technology workforce,” noted Long, adding that Forsyth County will see its South Asian population grow from about 10 percent to a quarter of its residents in the next few decades. He also talked about the Atlanta Cricket Fields development, a matter of great interest to the Indian-American community.

“India is now on par with Japan in terms of

visitor spending in the U.S., with some 1.4 million Indian visitors pumping $15 billion into the U.S. economy in 2018 on sightseeing, dining out, shopping, national parks, art galleries and more,” stated Beall, adding that there is tremendous potential where India’s opportunity to expand spending was concerned.

Prabha “Pabs” Raghava, CEO, Atlanta-based Tours Limited, in her address, said her company is planning to launch fixed tours to India, given the growing interest. She also spoke about the upcoming growth in future between India and the US. A record 1.4 million Indian tourists visited the United States in 2018, becoming one of the top groups of international visitors to America, according to a top US tourism official. After South Korea, India is the second-best performing market in terms of growth rate of spending by foreign tourists. With an expected six percent growth of Indian visitation on an average over the next five years, the future for tourism between the countries certainly seems optimistic.

Ananthaadi Rayara Matha Hosts Daasara Aaradhane Celebrations

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “The uniqueness of Dasa Sahitya (literature) is its universal and timeless life lessons rendered in rhythm by its proponents over the ages,” stated Raichur Sheshagiri Das, Founder, Trustee and Director of Haridas Seva International Trust Bangalore and Secretary for Shruti Sahitya Mela, Raichur, in his interview with NRI Pulse. Sheshagiri Das was in Atlanta at the Daasara Aaradhane celebrations organized by Ananthaadi Rayara Matha (RAMA), Atlanta on December 15, 2019 at the Yugal Kunj premises.

Aradhana is held every year on the anniversary of the demise of Purandara Dasa, saint and composer, considered the Pitamaha of Carnatic music. It is observed in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and primarily in Hampi, where Purandara Dasa lived and attained Samadhi (salvation). The walls of the hall reverberated to the classical compositions of Dasa Sahitya (literature) rendered by over 120 talented participants throughout the day culminating to a celestial finale, Daasa Namana, by Sheshagiri Das accompanied on the tabla by Anjeneya Sastry.

“Our 2019 activities began with Purandara Daasara Aaradhane and concluded with Daasara Aaradhane and Daasa Namana. On behalf of RAMA we would like to thank all the participants, teachers, parents, audience and volunteers for making the events divine and memorable,” said Pradeep Vittalamurthy.

Dasa Sahitya is the literature of the Bhakti movement. Haridasas spread the didactic teach-

ings in a musical form to reach the hearts of the common man So, why celebrate the literature today?

Citing compositions of Dasa Sahitya “Manava janma doddadu and DuggaNi embodu Durjana sangha”, which talk about the greatness of humanity and the need to respect it, and the ill effects of chasing only after money, Sheshagiri Das stressed upon the timeless nature and underlying principles of the literature which offers life lessons relevant to present day and a better way of life with a mind free of impurities.

Hailing from the culture-rich genealogy of Sri Askihal Govinda Dasaru, known as a saint of Raichur, Das started learning Hindustani classical music early on, at age 7, earning his Vidwat. “Dasa sahitya is a gift and family tradition bestowed upon our family music is something I have learnt. I have combined the two to propagate the literature.”

Das has recorded over 500 songs for Kanna-

da, Telugu devotional albums and released over than 100 Albums.

“Dasa Sahitya houses enormous source of knowledge. But its strength lies in the fact that it draws everyone from a child to an adult through its enticing music. The listener is initially drawn to its beguiling music and will gradually dig deeper into the philosophy.”

Having performed extensively across the world, Das says he has observed a growing interest in Dasa Sahitya among the diaspora. “I have noticed a significant increase in interest among people living outside India. And within the country it is heartening to see youth partake enthusiastically in this literature, just as the older generations did, when I started 20 years ago.” Das was on a nonstop 70-day USA trip, setting up workshops and performing across 16 cities, including Atlanta.

“In India we say Kumbhakonam is the city of temples. I was very happy to learn that Atlan-

ta has earned the title in the U.S.,” said Das. He commended the diaspora for maintaining the culture and encouraging places of worship, adding that despite the commercial aspect, temples can flourish as long as devotees participate actively.

“Dasa Sahitya has survived through its devotees passing it on their next generations for 500 years when there was no way to record the works, even through times when other cultures overpowered them. It is my earnest desire to be able to get the youth born and raised in the U.S. get more involved and interested in this literature, so they can pass it on to future generations,” said Das, also commending RAMA in its efforts to keep the culture alive through events such as these.

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Indian-Americans Hold Rally Outside CNN In Support Of CAA Atlanta, GA: Indian-American groups congregated outside the CNN headquarters in Atlanta on January 4 to express their support for the amended Citizenship Act. “Even though it was a cold windy afternoon, more than a 100 representatives from different Indian American organizations gathered in front of CNN headquarters to express their solidarity and support to the Indian government in taking a bold step towards helping the persecuted minorities from the neighboring countries,” said Rajeev Menon, one of the organizers of the rally.

Participants in the rally carried placards that read, "Spread facts, not myths", "Bhumi Putra Modi cares for Bharat Bhumi", "CAA provides citizenship 2 persecuted minorities" etc.

Meanwhile, an anti-CAA protest is planned in Decatur, GA on January 19th by South Asian groups.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on January 5, launched its India-wide door-to-door awareness campaign in a bid to gather support for the amended Citizenship Act (CAA), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur met people from different walks of life to clear the air on the issue.

The 10-day campaign is expected to reach out to three crore families and the BJP leaders

rumors and misinformation spread by the opposition and others.

He said that some opposition parties are trying to mislead people and that the CAA will not impact any Indian citizen. "Our party has decided that we will launch a doorto-door campaign to inform people about the CAA," he said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Chaudhary Kaiful Vara in Gorakhpur and gave him booklet explaining the various aspects of the amended citizenship law. He said that the will tell the people "how the Congress and othDefence Minister Rajnath Singh, while cam- opposition was spreading canards on the citizener Opposition parties are spreading lies about the paigning in Lucknow, met retired Justice Khem- ship issue and there was no reason for anyone to CAA and inciting rebellion and anarchy in the karan at his residence to inform him about the CAA. be apprehensive on this issue. The youth, in parcountry for their politics of appeasement".

Rajnath Singh urged people not to believe in ticular, should not be misled by the opposition.

I Try To Compress Our Globe Into A Single Fictional Space: Kiran Bhat

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page,” quotes St. Augustine. By that definition of travel, Atlanta native, and polyglot author Kiran Bhat has reached three fourths of the book! Yes. Kiran Bhat has visited132 out of the 195 countries in the world, been based out of 18 places in the world, and knows 12 languages. He has authored six books so far, including ‘WE, of the Forsaken World’, which was launched in India and in Atlanta on January 3, 2019. The event was hosted by his parents Dr. Anu Bhat and Dr. Subra Bhat, with Chris Hines from Clayton state and Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin presiding over the proceedings.

NRI Pulse’s Jyothsna Hegde moderated the launch. Bhat is currently on a tour, promoting his book and shared his experiences with NRI Pulse in an exclusive interview.

“I see myself as part of a generation of biculturals (Westerners brought up in non-Western cultural contexts) who connect first and foremost to the globe as their space of cultural formation, and I would like to further architect this identity, way of thinking, and cultural perception through my forays into writing border-less and post-national fictions,” says Bhat, who was born and raised in a suburb of Georgia, but has not lived here since 2008.

The lives and times of Bhat’s sixteen captivating characters in WE, of.. are interwoven within four settings of the “Tribe of the Silt,” a tiny remnant locked in primitive ways who foresee the world’s end, a “Global Village” a newly arisen town where natives deal with the contrast between the alluring world within their cellphones and the poverty and limitations of their locale, “The Lake of Sacred Salt” a scene of devastating

tragedy when a once sacred body of water is contaminated by industrial waste, and “Black City”, a place that draws stark contrasts between the sleek modernity of the commercial district and the neglected slums.

Some inspired, some imagined, Bhat’s characters range from all walks of life, be it a rainforest shaman who is visited by horrific visions of the world’s destruction, a famous female writer who lives miserably in a mansion, tormented by her memories, or the milkmaid who is tormented by the cruelty of the more respectable girls’ gossip. The milkmaid, Bhat mentioned, was actually inspired by a milkman back in Mysore, India, who shows up every early morning to hand deliver milk.

Mystically converging his tales of global village, Bhat takes the reader on a magical journey

across the globe, allowing the reader to picture a real place, be it New York, or the Amazon and people you come across in real life, be it a flamboyant young girl, or a witty vendor.

Bhat chose to present WE, of.. in a story cycle rather than the traditional novel, which is a format where collection on stories operating with their own narrative structure mesh together to form a greater whole.

The links maybe through narrative, event, time, location, character, or theme. The connections can be linear or abstract. So why did Bhat pick this format over the more popular one?

“In my writings, I try to compress our globe into a single narrative fictional space. This is a tricky narrative to posit, because actually the world isn’t one narrative. There are over seven billion people on this planet, and thousands

of cultures, and all of it took so much time to form, that one individual could never truly recreate the complexity of such diversity into one space. But I want to try,” says Bhat.

Envisioning a zoomed out google map, Bhat says it is equivalent to scrolling place to place, gathering narratives along the way with various structures to show how. Despite the narratives not being related narratively, Bhat says they share a relation, because they exist on the same plane of time as everything else happening, and not happening. “That is what I wanted to represent in my fiction, and so a story cycle allows me to tell multiple stories that replicate the myriad of stories around us but create that vastness of a novel.”

A conversation with a tall, brunette woman, on bus trip between bus between Dubrovnik and Zagreb, Bhat says was the inspiration for WE, of…The woman had said that Croatia is one of the poorest countries in the world. “Something about that sentence inspired my imagination. After we reached the bus station, I had to sit on one of the metal benches for a few hours, and write.”

The title spares room for the readers’ imagination, according to Bhat. “What does it mean to be a ‘we’ or a multitude of the part of the world that the rest ignores? What does it mean to be ‘forsaken?’ Is it something that is chosen by that part of the world, or something to be resisted?

These are the sorts of questions the title asks; a good state of mind to be in, as one opens the first pages of the book.”

Are you ready to flip through Bhat’s intense, intriguing and inventive narrative? Go grab your copy soon from a bookstore near you or meet the talented author during his tour. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon. You may check https://kiranbhatweldgeist.com for details.

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NRI Pulse

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

January 2020

Ekal Se Taal Mila ke Jhoom: Atlanta Artistes Perform For A Cause

BY SAMIKSHA GAHERWAR & NEETU SINGH CHAUHAN

Atlanta, GA: In a diligent effort to gift wings to children in rural and tribal communities in India, the Atlanta Ekal Vidyalaya chapter set out on the formidable endeavor to organize “Ekal Se Taal Mila ke Jhoom” on December 15, 2019, a fundraising event with the ambitious overarching objective to orchestrate an entertainment program with some of the best artists from all over Atlanta in one auditorium. The notion was conceptualized seven months in advance of the event, and meticulous and coordinated preparation began swiftly to ensure that it ran smoothly and effectually.

Delineated “a very successful mission” by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a non-profit entity that has been operating since 1986 in neglected rural areas to eradicate illiteracy. Its innovative and revolutionizing single teacher schools have metamorphosed thousands of communities, empowering them through the provision of free basic education, healthcare, and vocational training.

With support from 42 United States and various international chapters, Ekal is impacting the lives of over 2.7 million boys and girls, through over 100,000 schools operating productively from Kashmir to Kerala. The Atlanta volunteers were dedicated to increasing those numbers, and they begin to collect donations, sell tickets, arrange for performances, and choreograph what was destined to be a scintillating, sensational show.

The event began at 6:30 pm after a succulent dinner at Mountain View High School with a warm welcome from the GA Event Coordinator, Neetu Singh Chauhan, who emceed the show, candidly expounding upon her personal connection to the cause. This was followed by Regional VP Ajay Upadhyay’s expressive rendition of “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai” as he urged the audience to begin donating. The well-attended event was graced by the esteemed dignitary Consul Davender Singh who lit the lamp, representing goodwill, knowledge, and the spread of divine grace.

Alongside him were Chapter President Shiv Aggarwal, Ajay Upadhyay, Pandit Gyan Prakash Upadhyay chanting the mantras, and the event’s youngest participants, including Anoushka, Prachi, Esha, and Pragya, a 7th grader who donated

Consul Davender Singh, along with the Atlanta Chapter president Shiv Aggarwal, VP Ajay Upadhyaya, Event Coordinator Neetu Singh Chauhan, Pt.Upadhayay and young artists and volunteers. Photos by Photography by Vinod. $700 that she collected on her birthday. artist hailing from the Jaipur Gharana style. Both perThe captivating show commenced with the formances showcased talented dancers, riveting mufoot-tapping number “Rhythm Speaks” by Ka- sic, and a promising, upbeat start to the show. laxya Dance Academy. Founder and Director The ensuing performance was choreographed by GeetRung School of Dance and Music Founder and Director Divya Srivastava, who has always extended her undying support to Ekal. She, once again, put in her diligent efforts to entertain and enthrall the audience L to R: Singers Lakshmi Rao, Purnima Mathur, Saras Jain, by showcasing the and Pankaj Bhargava. graceful and delicate dimensions of KathMital Patel, who aims to have a multicultural ap- ak in an enchanting performance of “Deewani proach in preserving the dynamic and rich traditions Mastani”. As a captivating conclusion to the initial of Indian classical dance, choreographed the enthrall- dance segment, Nritya Natya Kala Bharti Dance ing traditional dance with a touch of modern rhythm. (NNKB) Founder and Director Kumud Savla, an Next was Chandra Dance Academy’s “Rajwaddi”, a internationally recognized artist honored by the mesmerizing Rajasthani Kathak piece choreographed Government of India, had her students perform

by Founder and Director Brittny Chandra, a prolific two pieces- a compelling performance to “Ghar performer as an internationally recognized Kathak More Pardesiya”, amalgamating the pizzazz of

Bollywood dance with the grace of Kathak, and an invigorating medley of unforgettable Bollywood Jazz classics. These four dance schools were received with wholehearted applause for their spectacular performances.

This was followed by the introduction of four of Atlanta’s greatest vocalists, as they stunned the audience with their extraordinary solo performances. Purnima Mathur, an accomplished singer for All India Radio and a prior part of the music talent show SaReGaMaPa and Zee Antakshari, awed with her collection of classic medleys, including “Radha Na Bole Na Bole”, “Zara Si Aahat”, and “Bole Re Papihara”. Saras Jain, a gifted Indian classical vocalist, and Atlanta Indian Idol finalist, astounded the audience with his soulful vocals and dexterous techniques in his breathtaking interpretation of “Chunar”. Lakshmi Rao, a talented performer that has been known as the “Asha Bhosle of Atlanta” for many decades, gave an ebullient rendition of “Yeh Ishq Hai”.

Finally, Pankaj Bhargava, known as the “Kishore Kumar of Atlanta”, had audience members engaged and dancing along to his foot-tapping Amitabh-Kishore Medley.

After an enlightening presentation on Ekal by Preeti Tanwar and a heartfelt vote of thanks by President Shiv Aggrawal, the dancing continued, with Kalaxya presenting “Garba Masti” with a modern twist of infinite love to Radha Krishna and “Lavni Mix”, synthesizing traditional rhythms with funfilled Bollywood beats. Chandra Dance Academy then exhibited their classical roots in the entrancing “Conversation between 323”. Geet Rung showcased a variety of the latest Bollywood hits with the exciting, student-choreographed “Punjabi Medley”.

The show concluded with the four extraordinary vocalists uniting to perform a medley of “Aankhon Mein Kya”, “Chup Gaya Nazare”, “Dheere Dheere Chal”, “Aa Dekhein Zara”, and many more that culminated with thunderous applause.

The show was an indubitable success, raising 100 schools at the event in addition to monetary donations, including a $1000 contribution from Suvidha Indo-Pak Groceries and a $20,000 pledge from 27th Investments Group. Prior to the date, 64 additional schools were donated for the event from August 24th. The volunteers and attendees were proud of all the wings gifted, looking forward to accomplishing even more through Ekal Vidyalaya.

Atlanta’s Millionaire Ex-WWE Champion Training Aspiring Superstars In India

A millionaire former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as “The Great Khali”, who is married to US-born Harminder Kaur and settled in Atlanta , returned to India after retirement in November 2014.

He is now busy in training aspiring WWE superstars in the Punjab city of Jalandhar where he worked an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) in Punjab Police and later faced suspension for remaining “absent” from duty without the sanctioned leave.

“My academy in Jalandhar has around 200 students and it is getting good response from across the country. The pro-wrestling has a bright future in India. Also it helps youth shun drugs,” Khali told IANS recently.

He is keen to set up similar academies in his home state, Himachal Pradesh, and Hary-

ana under his Jalandhar-based company, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE).

Last year, Khali registered a land for setting up a wrestling academy in Samanabahu village in Karnal district.

Khali said he is not taking funding from the government for setting up an academy. The funds will be raised by him.

The professional wrestler has organised fights in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh by raising money from his resources. In 2018, the Khali’s company invested in a big way by bringing sever-

al foreign wrestlers to Himachal Pradesh.

Khali’s journey from his ancestral village to the international wrestling arena has been long and hard.

Born in a poor family on August 27, 1972, Khali, who is one of the seven siblings in the family, he even had to work as a roadside labourer to earn livelihood. He later went to Shimla to become a security guard.

He later came in contact with Punjab’s former police chief M.S. Bhullar, who arranged a job for him in Punjab Police in 1993.

He was posted with the 7th battalion of the Punjab Armed Police based in Jalandhar, 150 km from Chandigarh. After learning wrestling tricks in the police, he went to the US for specialised training. Rana became a professional wrestler in October 2000.

His profile on the WWE website says: “Everyone looked up to The Great Khali — whether you wanted to or not. “That’s because the 7-foot1, 347-pound skyscraper of a man towered over all of the WWE Universe. Khali stood out from every crowd not only for his overwhelming size, but also for being the first to blaze a trail to WWE from his native India.”

Rana, who has beaten the likes of internationally known WWE names like ‘The Undertaker’, Kane, Big Show, John Cena and Shawn Michaels and others, says his fight is against drugs and for this, he wants to set up more pro-wrestling academies in this region with his own resources.

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NRI Pulse

California Sues Indian American Billionaire Over Beach Access

San Francisco: (IANS) Reviving a bittle legal battle, the state of California has sued billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla over denying access to the public to a beach next to his property in San Mateo County.

According to a report in CNBC, Khosla whose net worth is $2 billion (Forbes' listing) bought land surrounding Martins Beach in 2008 for $32 million.

Since then, he has been fighting lawsuits from local activist groups on letting the public use the beach as Khosla has locked the entry for the public.

Beaches in California are public land under the California Coastal Act. Khosla has been fighting this battle for 12 years now to "keep private a stretch of beach in front of an 89-acre property that the billionaire venture capitalist purchased in 2008", says TechCrunch.

The state of California said in the lawsuit on Monday that he has "improperly and illegally" restricted entry to the beach.

The suit added that without court orders, Khosla will "continue to deny, impair and obstruct" the public's right to use Martins Beach.

"The claims asserted in today's lawsuit have been extensively litigated and repeatedly rejected by the courts in a prior lawsuit," Dori Yob Kilmer, a lawyer for Khosla, said in a statement.

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

Trump Claims Soleimani Was Responsible For Delhi Terror Plots New Delh i / Wa s h i n g t o n : (IANS) US President Donald Trump's claim that the slain Iranian military commander and intelligence chief Major General Qassem Soleimani was responsible for terror plots in New Delhi has cornered India that shares a delicate relationship with Iran.

The US killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Soleimani and other top military leaders in an airstrike in Baghdad.

Though President Trump did not give any specifics on Friday about the IRGC terror plots in Delhi, many in official circles here believe that he was alluding to the 2012 bombing of the car of the wife of the Israeli defence attache in New Delhi.

Israel had blamed Iran for the attack, which was seen as retaliation for the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan by the Mossad in a similarly executed attack.

An Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, who was arrested and later released on bail, was accused of having carried out the reconnaissance for the Quds Force, Iran's external intelligence agency headed by Soleimani.

While the US is India's most important ally and Israel remains a strategic partner on many core issues, Iran enjoys significance given its geographical location, religious demographics and its overall sympathetic view of India.

New Delhi hopes that the Chabahar Port in Iran, which it is helping develop to access oil and gas resources in Iran and Central Asian countries, will offset the competition that Beijing poses with its Gwadar Port built in Pakistan's Balochistan

province.

Iran, affected badly by the US sanctions over its refusal to pursue nuclear programme, seeks to recover its economy with the help of accessing Asian markets using the Chabahar Port.

S i m i l a r l y, the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC), the sea, rail and road route to move freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, is another major dream project aimed to benefit both India and Iran economically.

Around five million Indians live in the Iran which holds huge religious and cultural influence over the Shia population (16 to 25 million) in India.

"The attack by the US on IRGC commander can destablize the entire Middle East and it will hurt India's relations with Iran. It is not good for us because we will need to evacuate our citizens. Oil prices will go up and remittances will go down. We stand to lose a lot," a senior Indian diplomat who didn't want to be quoted told IANS. Even as the US has exempted New Delhi from the conditions of the sanctions it has imposed on Iran, Tehran's oil supplies to India has shrunk while American oil imports have risen significantly. India is also relying on imports from Iraq.

As the situation escalates in the Middle East, both the US and Iran are likely to pressurize their respective allies to abandon transactional approach to international relations.

"India may have to pick a side this time. But not standing by Iran will cause it more harm than good," an official in the Indian embassy at Tehran said.

Indian-Americans Stage Anti-CAA Protests

Washington: (IANS) For the third time in nine days, Indian-Americans protested against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act outside the Embassy of India here, alleging that the new law was an "affront to India’s secular Constitution".

The protest on December 30, in front of the iconic Mahatma Gandhi statue across the Embassy, was organized by a group of Indian-Americans from the area, reports The American Bazaar.

The roughly 150 people that protested in Washington included many students and young professionals.

"I'm an Indian citizen and I grew up in India - I've always been proud of the fact that India is a democracy and a secular country." said Niki Naik, who is currently working in Washington.

"Hearing about what's going on back home, I felt a sense of helplessness and not being able to do much and not being there."

"Were trying to raise awareness among peo-

ple our age, trying to use social media to its best use and make people aware of the actions that were taking," said Malvika Shankar. "I think the best way to show people we care is to come and just be active and be present in the moment."

Kaleem Kawaja, President of the Association of Indian Muslims of North America, said he

was encouraged by the reactions from the local Indian-American community, The American Bazaar reported.

Kawaja, who was one of the organizers of a similar protest at the same location on December 22, which attracted more than 500 people, said: "People are not talking about religion, they are not talking about religious differences.

"They want to preserve India's constitution."

Also on Sunday, a group of Indian-Americans protested against the controversial Act in Times Square, New York. The CAA, which was enacted on December 12, provides citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Violent protests have erupted all across India against the controversial Act.

January 2020

Indian-Origin Teen Survives Fall From US Peak

Ottawa: (IANS) An Indian-origin teenager from Canada survived a 150-metre fall from the top of Mount Hood in the US state of Oregon, it was reported.

The incident took place when Gurbaz Singh, 16, was climbing the peak with his friends on Monday. He lost his footing on ice and fell from a section known as ‘The Pearly Gates’, which leads to the summit, shattering his femur.

Singh fell while at an elevation of 3,200 metres, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It took rescuers over four hours to reach him and bring him down the mountain.

“The Pearly Gates is a narrow chute – almost like climbing up a chimney,” said Sgt. Marcus Mendoza, a PRO with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Mendoza said Singh narrowly missed hitting a woman who was climbing behind him.

Gurbaz’s father Rishamdeep Singh the media that his son was expected to make a full recovery and would return to back climbing when his leg has healed. The teenager from Surrey, British Columbia, was attempting his 98th summit when he fell.

Sikh Uber Driver Abused, Strangulated

A Sikh Uber driver in the US was racially abused and strangulated by a passenger, a media report said.

The incident took place in the coastal city of Bellingham, Washington on December 5 when the Sikh driver picked Grifin Levi Sayers. The same day, the Bellingham Police received a 911 call from the driver that he had been attacked by his passenger, The police thenb arrested and booked 22-year-old Sayers on suspicion of second-degree assault and a failure-to-appear warrant for fourth-degree assault. According to police records, he was released on $13,000 bail the next day.

The driver told the police that Sayers took the cab to make some purchases and then returned to the pick-up location. It was at this point that the passenger became abusive and grabbed the driver by his throat and squeezed it violently.

He also made racial comments about the driver's ethnicity. The driver somehow managed to get out of the cab and made a 911 call. When the police arrived, they were able to locate Sayers nearby and arrested him.

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NRI Pulse

January 2020

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NRI Pulse

.....Tech Pulse .....

January 2020

5 Tech Trends That Will Explode In Your Life This Decade The average time -frame of tech disruption in our lives has significantly diminished and things are changing at a rapid scale around us. In a span of few years, gadgets like MP3 players, compact digital cameras, scanners, CDs, fax machines and several others have disappeared.

On the other hand, new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), content streaming, automation, robotics and 5G are not only here to stay but are growing in leaps and bounds to make our lives better.

Let us go through 5 tech trends that will explode in the decade that has just begun.

1. Quantum computing Imagine a chip that can perform target computation in 200 seconds, which would otherwise take the world's fastest supercomputer 10,000 years.

A quantum computer can solve complex problems that would otherwise take billions of years for today's computers to solve. This has massive implications for research in health care, energy, environmental systems, smart materials and more.

The team at Google AI has achieved sort of "quantum supremacy" with developing such chip -- a new 54-qubit processor named "Sycamore" that is comprised of fast, high-fidelity quantum logic gates in order to perform the benchmark testing.

Not just Google but several tech giants like Microsoft, IBM and Intel have joined the race to build a scalable quantum computer. IBM recently

unveiled its quantum computer with 53 qubits.

The current bits in computers store information as either 1 or 0, thus limiting the potential to make sense when faced with gigantic volumes of data. If all goes well, Microsoft is also confident about having one such scalable super machine within the next five years.

to name a few.

3. 5G-connected homes With 75 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices expected to be in place by 2025, the world is at the cusp of experiencing a technology that will change the way live today.

Being able to download a full-length HD 2. Self-driving 'elecmovie in seconds and tric' cars share your wow-moThe global revements with friends nues from "connected" -- that's just the begincars -- the precursor to ning. Commercial 5G fully-autonomous or networks are starting self-driving cars -- are to go live across the growing at an annual world. rate of 27.5 per cent and 5G Services have are expected to touch already begun in the $21 billion by 2020.

US, South Korea and Tesla helped create that some European counmarket and remains an industry leader. The Elon tries, including Switzerland, Finland and the UK. Musk-run company surprised Wall Street by reg- CSPs in Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, istering a profitable third quarter last year with a Spain, Sweden, Qatar and the United Arab Emirtotal revenue of $6.3 billion riding on sales of its ates have announced plans to accelerate 5G netModel S, Model X and Model 3 electric cars. work building through 2020.

Tesla expected to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles in 2019, representing 45-65 4. Voice as a new interface per cent growth.

Voice is slowly becoming the new huOther automobile companies who will join man-compute interface and the Indian masses -Tesla in the next decade are Audi e-Tron Sport- be it a 3-year-old toddler or a 95-year-old grandpa back; BMW iX3; Ford Mustang Mach-E; Mer- -- are finally going to leverage voice to interact cedes EQC 400 4Matic; Porsche's Taycan 4S; with the devices and digitally control their lives.

Volvo XC40 Recharge and Byton M-Byte SUV, Alexa, Google Home, Siri and others are

changing the way we speak with devices and the next decade will see digital assistants becoming all-pervasive.

Soon, you will be talking to your refrigerator, electric bulbs, washing machine, microwave, coffee machine and what not.

According to Adam Berns, Director of Business Development, Alexa Voice Service (AVS) at Amazon, India is now ready for voice as a core experience.

"Voice today is powering several devices -PCs, wearables, smartphones, car accessories and smart home devices -- helping people streamline their lives. I firmly believe voice is the next interface with computing and Amazon with its Alexa offerings is here to change the world," Berns told IANS in a recent interview.

5. Internet TV 24/7 An over-the-top (OTT) viewer in India is spending approximately 70 minutes a day on video streaming platforms, with a consumption frequency of 12.5 times a week, according to a recent Eros Now-KPMG report.

There are currently more than 32 online content and video streaming platforms in the country and the market is expected to hit $5 billion by 2023, according to the global management-consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Within no time, you will see Indians throwing set-top boxes into dustbins as data becomes further cheap and Internet TV takes over our drawing rooms completely.

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NRI Pulse

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

Dignity For All, Say Economists Abhijit And Esther Dressed in ethnic Indian wear and precipitating an almost rock-fan reaction from those in attendance, Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo recently stressed on the need to ascertain that every system in the world ensures dignity for every individual as a core belief.

"We just can't treat the economically backward as failures, that would be a very Victorian approach," said Banerjee during the launch of the duo's book "Good Economics for Hard Times", published by Juggernaut, in Delhi.

Staying away from jargons, and talking about their work to an audience that mostly comprised youngsters from different walks of life and not just economics, the duo, which donated their Nobel Prize money to the Weiss Fund administered by Harvard for research in development economics, ensured that the session punctuated with humor stayed relaxed and interactive.

During "The Juggernaut Dialogue" moderated by mediaperson Prannoy Roy, Esther Duflo pointed out that it was wrong to assume that giving handouts to the poor made them lazy.

Banerjee said that their research had shown that the same made them enthusiastic. "We have tested this theory across countries. Also, why do we always tend to blame these individuals when there are sharks all around?

"If the poor are given assets, for example cows and goats, and basic training to start a business, over a period of time they inculcate a confidence to stand on their feet and make ends meet.

This was first tried in Bangladesh and seven other countries later," Banerjee said.

Talking about the economic slowdown in India, Banerjee said that it was important that there were no more cuts in corporate taxes.

"It needs to be understood that the corporate sector is not short of cash. Just that it is not invest-

ing. What you need to do is get the demand side going. Get the money in the hands of the people, and they will spend. This government has ensured that almost everybody has a bank account; therefore the infrastructure is in place. Several measures can be taken to arrest the downward slide of the economy," Banerjee said.

At a time when farm loan waivers have become an almost everyday news, Banerjee stressed on the need to have a well-oiled machinery that can provide relief to the distressed.

"I don't think waivers are very efficient. If a drought destroys crops, only those farmers who had taken a loan would get a waiver, for others, there is absolutely nothing. They won't get any kind of relief," he said.

The duo along with Sendhil Mullainathan co-founded J-Pal (the Abdul Latin Jameel Poverty Action Lab), which has offices in every continent.

It conducts studies in 80 countries, with the largest set-up being in India boasting of 200 staff members.

"When we were studying the impact of wom-

January 2020

Sundar Pichai Gets $242mn Stocks In New Role

en as head of panchayats, a field officer said that they were merely puppets. However, our research proved that they may be shy and not talk much, but had done some remarkable work in creating infrastructure," said Duflo.

Banerjee elaborated on what he calls 'nudges' and how they can be instrumental in achieving goals.

"One may think that a small reward/reminder is inconsequential, but it can go a long way. While studying the penetration of immunisation in Udaipur, we came across a very low number. But when people were assured of a kilogram of dal if they came forth for regular dosage, the percentage went up several times," Banerjee said.

Talking about the gap between research and action, Duflo insisted that actionable part of research is at the heart of what J-Pal does.

"Yes, sometimes there are clashes with policymakers, but then one has to be patient. In fact, we have noticed that they too are showing more interest. Whenever a policymaker wants to implement something, we can help with staffing to ensure that he has the right people to oversee things on the ground," Duflo said.

When asked about the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Banerjee said, "It can be a frightening governance problem. I would be petrified if I was living in a border area. What is disturbing is the enormous power some people will have in their hands. Such decisions should not be made with a swift bill."

San Francisco: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will take home $240 million stock package ($90 million of it tied to Alphabet's performance) on top of a $2 million annual salary in 2020.

Alphabet said in a Securities Exchange Commission filing on Friday that Pichai will also start receiving a substantial raise from January 1 to $2 million a year, reports the Mercury News.

The compensation package is being given in recognition of Pichai's "expanded role as CEO of Alphabet and Google".

Pichai received $90 million in stock awards that will vest by the end of 2022 "depending on Alphabet's shareholder returns compared to the S&P 100", the filing said.

"Pichai also received two other stock grants, of $120 million and $30 million, neither tied to performance but subject to his continued employment," the report said, citing the filing.

Signalling the end of an era, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin decided to relinquish their current positions in the parent company Alphabet earlier this month, making India-born Pichai the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.

Page and Brin will continue their involvement as co-founders, shareholders and members of Alphabet''s Board of Directors.

Pichai joined Google in 2004 and helped lead the development of Google Toolbar and then Google Chrome, which grew to become the world's most popular internet browser.

for both Amazon and Flipkart.

"The discount-driven approach which Reliance has mastered reflects in whatever vertical they put their money into. They will likely enter the ecommerce space with the high-potential grocery segment near Diwali next year or may be later. Timeline is still a concern but they are coming big," said Meena.

Reliance Retail's entry into the online retail sector is the biggest challenge for Amazon and Walmart-Flipkart as the Mukesh Ambani-led behemoth is well positioned to create massive disruption in the market.

Reliance Retail operates 10,415 stores in more than 6,600 cities and towns, with 500 million annual footfalls - giving the company the kind of scale required to swiftly launch India-based operations.

Reliance Retail has already launched its food and grocery app for beta testing among its employees.

According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), propelled by rising smartphone

penetration, the launch of 4G networks and increasing consumer wealth, the Indian e-commerce market is expected to grow to $200 billion by 2026.

The ongoing digital transformation in the country is expected to increase India's total Internet user base to 829 million by 2021.

Another big worry for Amazon and Flipkart is the new ecommerce policy that is still in the consultation stage. India has questioned Amazon's "predatory prices" and "deep discount sales".

"In the year ahead, it remains to be seen what shape the new ecommerce policy based on the recommendations of various industry stakeholders takes shape," said Prabhu Ram, Head, Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR. "The beneficiaries of the new e-commerce policy would potentially be small and bespoke e-commerce players, who could benefit from the level-playing field that the policy aims to provide," Ram told IANS. The grocery segment is a big growth area in 2020. "We have seen players like Grofers (backed

by SoftBank, Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital) making inroads into the segment. Social commerce will be another big growth area in 2010. Facebook has also made investment in Meesho, a platform that enables Indian entrepreneurs to establish online businesses via social channels," said Meena.

Tough 2020 Awaits Amazon, Flipkart As Reliance Firms Up Plans

New Delhi: (IANS) With more and more Indians taking the online route to fulfill their shopping needs, e-tailers like Amazon and Flipkart are witnessing high demands, including from farflung and remote areas, but overall slowdown and negative sentiments - coupled with the new ecommerce policy and the likely entry of Reliance into the ecommerce space soon -- may spoil the 2020 party for the market leaders, say industry experts.

The later part of 2019 was not all that bad for Amazon and Flipkart as festive sales brought in record revenue for both the companies.

Online retailers in India recorded $3 billion (Rs 19,000 crore) worth Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) sales between September 29 and October 4, according to Bengaluru-based market research firm RedSeer Consulting. Flipkart and Amazon's combined sales held 90 per cent of the market share.

A report by Forrester Research also predicted e-retailer sales to hit nearly $4.8 billion during the overall festive season.

Walmart-owned Flipkart claims it has over 60 per cent market share in the Indian ecommerce market while Amazon is believed to have about 30 per cent market share.

Despite facing regulatory hurdles in early 2019, Cloudtail India, which is the single-largest seller on Amazon India, reported revenue growth

of 25 per cent for March 2019 quarter.

Cloudtail is owned by Prione Business Services, a joint venture between Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's Catamaran Ventures and Jeff Bezos' Amazon.

Catamaran, which owns 76 per cent in Cloudtail India, is now being headed by ex-Infosys CFO Ranganath Mavinakere, Murthy's alltime favourite.

According to Satish Meena, Senior Forecast Analyst with Forrester, 2019's initial months were severely impacted by the new regulation fears.

"There has been an overall slowdown amid negative sentiments in the ecommerce sector. The sales did pick up in the festive season but overall, it has not been a great year and you will see cut in the 2019 growth forecast percentage for the Indian ecommerce industry," Meena told IANS. "Profitability is still a concern for the big players. There have been investment in certain new categories but nothing much has changed this year," he added.

Reliance's likely entry into the space by Diwali next year will bring in massive competition

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NRI Pulse

..... Books .....

January 2020

A Psychiatrist’s Practical Guide To Living Life Purposefully Book: A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist's Couch Author: Dr. Suvrat Bhargave

BY NAVAMI NAIK* “How come?” “What now?” “Why me?”

If you have ever asked yourself such questions, then Dr. Suvrat Bhargave’s book, A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist's Couch, should definitely be on top of your reading list. Raised in Atlanta, Dr Bhargave is an educator, speaker, and board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Through stories about his patients’ struggles and by sharing a closely-guarded secret that deeply impacted his own life, Dr. Bhargave assures us that we are not alone. We have all felt overwhelmed, we have all felt victimized by outside forces that aren’t within our control, we have all second-guessed our relationships and we have all doubted our worth. The good news, he says, is that each of our problems also brings with it the opportunity to solve not just the current problem, but to decipher the most worthwhile questions of life itself. However, for any change to occur, you have to experience a “moment of Insight,” a pivotal shift in perception, a moment of realization in your mind, that a certain way of thinking, feeling, or behaving is no longer working for you.

Written in an easy-to-understand conversational style, each chapter of this book offers practical strategies to not only understand and persevere through challenging dilemmas, but to dig deeper, to value who we are at our core and to live our lives in a more meaningful way. A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist's Couch is available on Amazon and Audible.

What prompted you to write this book?

As a psychiatrist, people come to see me when they are going through the most difficult of times.

I have the privilege of sitting down with them and sharing their truths. Of witnessing their wisdom as they work through the problems challenging them. I felt that the learning, the wisdom, that occur as a result of these deep, raw and vulnerable discussions are universal life lessons that we can all learn from and had to be passed on.

However, when I was half-way through the book, I had doubts and almost did not complete it. Co-incidentally, one of my children was going through a life crisis at that time and as I talked to him, I realized that what I was saying was everything that I had written in the book. I took that as a sign from God to keep writing. In fact, when I gave my children the manuscript to read, I wrote on it, “If you ever wondered what papa thought, this is what I know. If I ever learn more, I will write another book”.

An interesting feature of your book is that you include chapters that say “Your Insight. Can you explain your idea behind this?

We are all more open to receiving and exchanging information when we relate to one another and are not being preached to. My aim was to make the book relatable, to have a conversation with

five gifts every day.

Have you had any additional “insight” post publication that you would like you to share?

The additional insight I have gained really comes more in the form of an affirmation, which has been highlighted even more since the book came out. It is important to speak your truth, to be vulnerable, and people are going to hold you when you are being vulnerable. I knew that even before the book came out beThrough stories about his patients’ struggles and cause I spoke my truth to the by sharing a closely-guarded secret that deeply im- person closest to me, my wife Kali, and found value in it. But pacted his own life, Dr. Suvrat Bhargave assures us since the book has been published, I have had even more that we are not alone... reason to talk about it and I the reader. Knowing that I wasn’t sitting down realize that I am no longer held back like I used with every reader, it was important for me that the to be before. I am not saying that everyone should book be as interactive as possible. write a book about their truth or do an interview but if the experiences in your life cause you to On the pages titled, “Your Insights” I realfeel shame and hold you back then bringing your ly wanted my readers to take the time to reflect truth into the light is necessary to move forward. on their personal thoughts and insights based on what they had read in the previous chapters.

Yes, you have shared a very difficult personal I feel so very proud when people come back to experience in this book stating that you “fully me after reading the book and tell me that they expected the ramifications”. Can you share the have done that and it has helped them. One of my response with us? readers said he felt that the book was like a manIt was a cathartic experience to write about it in the ual for living life. This was very meaningful to book, but it was tough. I was slowly unwrapping me because this book is not only meant for those the layers of a secret that had been packed away struggling with mental health issues. This book for a long time and it wasn’t easy. Having my exis about everyday struggles and how to live life periences written down meant having discussions purposefully. with my family that I had never thought to have.

When we are dreading something, we always think An important tool given in your book is idenabout the worst-case scenario. I expected that the tifying our gifts. Can you tell us more about revelations in the book would have ramifications to this? do with my family, my career and my community.

For most of my patients, who they understand Every time I thought about having the conthemselves to be depends on what they are doing versation with my family and friends, it was alor what is happening in their lives at any given ways a catastrophic event in my head. The reacmoment. Their identities are tied to the world tions of my friends and family were all different around them. Thankfully, who we are isn’t as flufrom what I had expected, except that there was id as all that. hurt and I knew that there would be. I knew there One of my own greatest Moments of Insight also involved this notion of “Who am I?” I understood that each one of us is equipped with certain innate qualities or “gifts” and it isn’t that my gifts are better or worse than anyone else’s. I have my Booker-prize winning author Argifts and you have yours. These gifts are the core avind Adiga''s next book ''Amnesty'' of who you are, and who you are is constant. will be released on February 20. PubTaking the time to get to know your gifts is lished by PAN Macmillan, it is a story not as easy as it sounds. It is important to come up of Danny Dhananjaya Rajaratnam, an with the list without any input from others. The illegal immigrant in Sydney, denied whole point of the endeavor is to find out about refugee status after he has fled from yourself, not to find out what others think of you. his native Sri Lanka.

Once you can answer “Who am I?” you won’t Working as a cleaner, living out need others to define you. My moment of Insight of a grocery storeroom, for three years could finally allow ME to know ME without the he''s been trying to create a new idenburden of perceived opinions. tity for himself. And now, with his beThe cool thing is that once you know what loved vegan girlfriend, Sonja, his hidden accent your gifts are, you can live your life in a purposeand highlights in his hair, he is as close as he has ful way, because the opportunity to use your gifts ever come to living a normal Australian life. But is everywhere. I was so aware of what I wasn’t then one morning, Danny learns a female client of doing well that I was missing all the opportunity his has been murdered. When Danny recognizes to use my gifts. Now, I find myself using all my

would be no way to walk around it because you have to walk through hurt and I knew that the reason there would be hurt is because they love me so much. Honestly, it was hard to see my loved ones so angry, sad and fearful but as I say in my book, there is the opportunity to grow the relationships further when you have these conversations. The reactions of my friends and family have been overwhelmingly positive and incredibly loving and we are actually finding ourselves getting closer as a result. Which is ironic, because my fear would have led me to believe that everything would fall apart.

When I think about community I think about my closest friends who have now become my family but I also mean the community in general.

I had to remind myself that part of the reason for writing about my experience was so that we could have these discussions in the open and that anyone else who had gone through the same trauma would see that they are not alone. We, as a community are uncomfortable talking about it and so we are actually perpetuating the consequences of it. However, although the book was released in March this year, the big discussion that I was hoping for within my community has not yet happened. I feel that people are being protective about my feelings and I would like to reassure everyone that I am fine and that I wrote about this because I do want us to talk about it.

Any special message for our readers as they make their resolutions for the new year?

On New Year’s Eve we often make resolutions about being healthier physically, which means eating better and exercising more. Let us also make a promise to ourselves going forward to become more emotionally strong. For some, that will mean addressing whatever is holding them back, for example not feeling good enough or not being able to let go of something. For others, it may mean incorporating practices and routines to flex our emotional muscles, for example things like gratitude journals, mindfulness strategies or meditative practices, or acts of kindness. My hope is that each of us can be mentally as well as physically stronger in 2020.

*Navami Naik is an Atlanta-based public health and communications professional.

Aravind Adiga''s ‘Amnesty’ Set To Release a jacket left at the murder scene, he believes it belongs to another of his clients - a doctor with whom he knows the woman was having an affair.

Suddenly Danny is confronted with a choice: come forward with his knowledge about the crime and risk being deported, or say nothing, and let justice go undone. Over the course of a single day, evaluating the weight of his past, his dreams for the future, and the unpredictable, often absurd reality of living invisibly and undocumented, he must wrestle with his conscience and decide if a person without rights still has responsibilities.

Adiga’s first novel, The White Tiger, won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2008.

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..... Entertainment .....

January 2020

Netflix’s ‘Ghost Stories’: Sinister. Diabolic. Macabre. Wicked

BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY

Sinister. Diabolic. Macabre. Wicked. Those are the respective moods Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar broadly bank upon, to thrill with their latest collaborative attempt. "Ghost Stories" is guaranteed to send a chill down your spine that should make the ongoing searing winter a tad more discomforting, and if you are a true-blue horror buff you won't complain.

Horror is a restrictive genre. Traditionally, it is associated with whipping up loud, quickfix tricks that guarantee instant scares, which is why script, performances and originality often take a backseat. It is a reason A-list artistes and filmmakers normally desist from participating in the genre.

"Ghost Stories" marks an exciting departure from that rule in Bollywood, what with four of the industry's most highly-regarded contemporary directors coming together to spin four scary tales that bear no connection with each other. Since this bunch has struck winners with "Bombay Talkies" and "Lust Stories" before this, the expectations were always high.

Zoya Akhtar's story, opening the anthology, is a clean winner. A nurse, Sameera (Janhvi Kapoor) arrives to attend an ailing old lady (Surekha Sikri), in a near desolate house. The old lady's son, we were told, was supposed to be around, looking after the mother for the duration in between the change of nurses, but he is nowhere around. The old woman behaves as if he is asleep in the next room.

Zoya's film is outstanding for the way it uses silences to set up a quiet, sinister impact. There is not a single loud movement of the camera, or disturbing sound effect to distract, as the overall suspense grows on you. A lot of the eerie effect is because of Surekha Sikri's perfect portrayal.

She sets the tone of Zoya's story, which is clinical in the way it fulfills its intention of working as a ghost story in a little over half an hour.

Quietude is the modus operandi of Anurag Kashyap's film too, which is next up. Shot to create a near-black and white impact, the film follows a pregnant young woman (Sobhita Dhulipala) and her little nephew. Allowing minimum dialogues to its protagonists, Kashyap's languid storytelling simmers with uneasy restlessness, which boils over in a diabolic finale. The end of the highly psychological thriller renders a hammer blow to viewers, consuming in its wake Kashyap's story and protagonist, as the filmmaker ties up the ends of his dark, unsettling account of miscarriage, psychosis and trauma.

Technically, Kashyap's segment isn't much of a ghost story, although it leaves a horrifying impact.

Things get macabre in the third story, by Dibakar Banerjee. It's surely not for the weak at heart. The story takes off using the classic zombietown template to craft a suspense drama that is at the same time an allegory brimming with comment on class divide and avarice. The film, starring Sukant Goel with a couple of exceptionally talented child artistes, progressively gets gory, and if you can stomach what's on the plate (pun

"Ghost Stories" (Netflix movie); Cast: Surekha Sikri, Janhvi Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sukant Goel, Mrunal Thakur, Avinash Tiwary; Direction: Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar; Rating * * * & 1/2 (three and half stars)

absolutely intended), you are in for a hell of a tale.

It is amusing how Karan Johar starts off the final segment with the one motif that has often defined his brand of cinema -- a sprawling house with a seemingly content upper crust family. The young scion of the house (Avinash Tiwary) is being matchfixed with a bright, beautiful young woman of today (Mrunal Thakur).

A crisply-written chitchat session between the two youngsters is brilliantly enacted and executed, and you are wondering what the classic K.Jo formula could possibly have to do in a horror tale. That's where the delectable twist ensues. The

mother informs they will only go through with the wedding if granny says yes, because nothing in the household takes place without granny's consent.

The catch is, granny isn't around.

Johar reveals a wicked sense of timing in the way he unfolds the drama. Clearly, he is relishing his stint with horror, you realise as the minutes tick. Johar's is the most mainstream of the four stories and that perhaps made it a perfect closure.

At over 140 minutes, "Ghost Stories" neatly packs its tales to keep you hooked all through.

The anthology serves its purpose of leaving its audience feeling amused, and also uneasy.

It may not be terrifying all through, but the film sets up horror entertainment of a very different flavour than what Bollywood normally serves up.

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NRI Pulse

..... Features .....

Fast Intermittently To Get Slim This New Year

As you enter New Year on a sad note that scarcity called metabolic switching. despite gymming and avoiding sugary food for Such a switch occurs when cells use up their most part of 2019, the fat around your belly re- stores of rapidly accessible, sugar-based fuel, and fused to go away, it is bell for a New Year resolu- begin converting fat into energy in a slower mettion: Make intermittent fasting part of your health abolic process. regime.

"Evidence is also mounting that intermittent Intermittent fasting diets fall generally into fasting can modify risk factors associated with two categories: daily time-restricted feeding, obesity and diabetes," said Mattson. which narrows eating times to 6-8 hours per day, Two studies at the University Hospital of and so-called 5:2 intermittent fasting, in which South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust of 100 people limit themselves to one moderate-sized overweight women showed that those on the 5:2 meal two days each week. intermittent fasting diet lost the same amount of According to Johns Hopweight as women who restricted calHEALTH kins Medicine neuroscientist Mark ories, but did better on measures of insulin sensitivity and reduced belly fat than those in the calorie-reduction group.

More recently, Mattson said, preliminary studies suggest that intermittent fasting could benefit brain health too.

"We are at a transition point where we could soon consider adding information about intermittent fasting to medical school curricula alongside standard advice about healthy diets and exercise," he said.

Mattson acknowledged that researchers Mattson, studies have shown that this improves do "not fully understand the specific mechanisms blood sugar regulation, increases resistance to of metabolic switching and that "some people are stress and suppresses inflammation. unable or unwilling to adhere" to the fasting reg"Intermittent fasting could be part of a imens. healthy lifestyle," said Mattson who has studied With guidance and some patience, most peothe health impact of intermittent fasting for 25 ple can incorporate them into their lives. years, and adopted it himself about 20 years ago.

It takes some time for the body to adjust In the article published in The New England to intermittent fasting, and to get beyond iniJournal of Medicine, Mattson said that four stud- tial hunger pangs and irritability that accomies in both animals and people found intermittent pany it. fasting also decreased blood pressure, blood lipid "Patients should be advised that feeling hunlevels and resting heart rates. gry and irritable is common initially and usually Alternating between times of fasting and passes after two weeks to a month as the body eating supports cellular health, probably by trig- and brain become accustomed to the new habit," gering an age-old adaptation to periods of food Mattson noted.

January 2020

Four Things Students Should Do If They Are Deferred From Their Dream University

BY LINDSEY CONGER*

send a letter of continued interest. This letter College admissions early decisions are should be about one page in length. It is imstarting to come out, and some students might portant you send the letter immediately. The purpose of this letter is to demonstrate how you get an unexpected answer back: a deferral.

A deferral is similar to the limbo of college are now a stronger candidate for the university admissions—you aren’t quite into the universi- than when you first applied, helping to sway the admissions officers’ decision in your favor. ty, but you aren’t rejected yet either. When How To Write The Deferthe university defers ral Letter you, it means that the The letter must display school sees potential your continued interest in in your application, attending the school. In the but the admissions offirst paragraph, convey why ficers want to evaluate the school remains your top your application again choice. Don’t lie; only write during the regular dea deferral letter if you are cision cycle. committed to attending.

If you do get deNext, describe your ferred, here are four most recent accomplishments.

COLLEGE PREP steps you should take.

Update the admissions officers on 1. Decide if the university is still your things that have occurred since you applied. top option. Is the university still your “dream You want to make your candidate profile stronschool?” Or have things changed since you ger, and showcase why you would be a great have sent in your application? If another school asset to the university.

Here are some examples of things to inmight be a better fit for you, this deferment has clude: opened up your options for you, and a chance * High test scores on standardized tests for you to reconsider your college list.

2. Update your resume and LinkedIn. (ACT, SAT) * High grades in challenging courses Think about your recent accomplishments, up* Accomplishments in extracurricular acdated test scores, or accolades you might have achieved throughout the last couple of months. tivities like music, sports, DECA, HOSA, SciOur students send in not only a resume, but also ence Olympiad, National Honors Society, etc. * Shadowing or volunteer hours their LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile * Independent projects, such as research serves as a portfolio to add any research papers, pictures from service projects, or videos of you performing an extracurricular activity.

3. Ask for another letter of recommendation. Ask a supervisor at an internship, coach, teacher, or manager at a job to write you a letter of recommendation. This recommendation should add something new to your application.

Make sure you are asking someone who you have a close relationship with and can speak about the positive aspects of your personality.

4. Write a deferral letter. If you are still committed to attending the school, you should

End the letter by restating why this particular university is the right fit for you. Don’t repeat things you’ve already mentioned in your supplemental essays or personal statement; be specific and personal.

Once you have finished writing your deferral letter, email it to the admissions office. Do not delay sending it!

Lindsey Conger is a college counselor for Moon Prep.

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NRI Pulse

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

Deepika Doesn't See 'Chhapaak' As Risky Film

When Deepika Padukone unveiled her look in "Chhapaak", based on the life of an acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, people saw the beautiful actress' decision to do the film as "gutsy", "brave" and "life altering". Deepika, who has also turned a producer with the Meghna Gulzar directorial, says she didn't think about her appearance in it and how people would react to her "different look".

Apart from her talent, the audience and her fans have been in awe of her beautiful face. Asked if she saw "Chhapaak" in which she plays an acid attack survivor, as a risky film as she looks different, Deepika told IANS: "No, it is not something that ever crossed my mind... my appearance, the way I am going to look. In fact, that's exactly what we want to challenge through this film. That we all have very set ideas, notions of what beauty is and we really want to challenge that and broaden that perspective.

"I never really thought about what people are going to think or say because I was going to look different from the way people have seen me on screen before," she said.

The project is certainly very close to her heart and it didn't take her long to say "yes" to it.

"Meghna came to me with the script and I was instantly drawn to Meghna's honesty, to Laxmi's story and her journey. I felt like it was very very powerful and I felt like as an actor, I definitely wanted to be a part of the film. Even as a per-

son, I felt like there's a really strong narrative in Laxmi's life, and I wanted the world to see that," she said.

It was back in 2005 when Laxmi, then just 16, was attacked by a 32-year-old man who threw

acid on her because she had turned down his proposal. She didn't let the incident pull her down.

Laxmi went on to work as director of a non-profit Chhanv Foundation and also associated with campaign Stop Acid Attacks.

Deepika was left so impressed by Laxmi's story, among other things, that she decided to be attached to the film as a producer too.

"We finished the narration and I said yes to the film. I said, 'wait a second, should we produce this film as well?' Meghna was open to the idea.

She and I came on board as producers and then we went around to studios and had Fox (Fox Star Studios) join us," she said.

The film's narrative leans on Laxmi but Deepika says it's not a biopic.

"It also throws light on acid violence in our country," she said.

The film's team has women calling the shots. What was it like working on a film set full of powerful women?

"Gender has never figured in my scheme of things. I am not doing 'Chhapaak' because it is by a female director. I am doing it because I really have faith in Meghna," she said.

"Chhapaak" will release on January 10.

January 2020

Gerard Butler Welcomes New Decade In Rishikesh With Yoga

Hollywood star Gerard Butler started the new decade with an Indian adventure. The "P.S. I Love You" star ringed in the new year soaking in the vibrancy of Indian culture in Rishikesh.

Butler took to Instagram to share a photograph of himself doing the Suryanamaskar at the Himalayan hills of Rishikesh. The image gives the impression that the actor is holding the sun in his hands.

"Let your light shine in to the new decade.

Sending you all love. Happy New Year from the Himalayas," he wrote along with the image.

Last month, Butler also joined Buddhist worshippers for a festive service by Buddhist monk the Dalai Lama in Karnataka. In one image, the actor is donning a tilak on his forehead as he posed for pictures with devotees and pilgrims.

Talking Points From The World Of Bollywood In 2020

With a new year on the calendar, it's time to go trendspotting. Here's a quick look at all that should grab the eyeballs from the world of entertainment in 2020.

SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERSTARS These days, you don't necessarily need a film release to be popular. Ask Priyanka and Nick, Deepika and Ranveer, or Alia and Ranbir. In a nation obsessed with filmstars, the simple act of posting a picture on Instagram can guarantee much more mileage than the months of labour that shooting for a film entails. Sunny Leone, Shraddha Kapoor, and Sonam Kapoor continue to be darlings of the nation simply by intelligent utilisation of the power of social media, as do Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.

THE HEROINE-ORIENTED FLICK Deepika Padukone in "Chhapak", Alia Bhatt in "Gangubai Kathiawadi", Kangana Ranaut in "Panga" and "Thalaivi", Kriti Sanon in "Mimi" and Kiara Advani in "Indoo Ki Jawaani" are but only a few heroine-centric films that will continue the wave of projects that present strong and authentic women to actresses and also celebrate the spirit of womanhood.

CELEBRITY WEDDINGS Will Varun Dhawan tie the knot with girlfriend Natasha Dalal? Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt actually get married this year? And -- the question that never goes out of fashion -- will Salman Khan finally, finally tie the knot? If 2018 saw the weddings of Priyanka-Nick, Ranveer-Deepika and Sonam Kapoor-Anand Ahuja, then 2019 has been the year when rumours of romances sustained the gossip vine. Malaika Arora and Ar-

jun Kapoor made their relationship public, while Singh"), the volume of the small, content-driven Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar's love grew film has increased gradually over the years. In stronger. Will 2020 see some power shaadis? a multiplex-centric market, content is king, and modestly-mounted films such as "Article 15", BHATTS' UNION "Bala" and "Uri" prove that fact. Small, conMahesh Bhatt will direct both daughters, Alia and tent-driven fare will continue to dominate most Pooja, together in "Sadak 2" his return to direc- Fridays in 2020, too. tion for the first time two decades, since "Zakhm" NEWCOMERS Ex-Miss World Manushi Chillar makes her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in the mega-budget period drama "Prithviraj", while Shalini Pandey is Ranveer Singh's heroine in "Jayeshbhai Jordaar".

National Award-winner Keerthi Suresh will be seen opposite Ajay Devgn in the sports drama "Maidaan". Krystle D'souza, who has made her mark on TV, makes her debut in 1999. "Sadak 2" opens in July, 2020. in the Amitabh Bachchan-Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Chehre". There are Bollywood's industry kids, COMEBACK OF IRRFAN KHAN too, lined up for debut. Sunil Shetty's son Ahan After fighting neuroendocrine tumour, Irrfan Shetty ("Tadap"), Chunky Pandey' son Ahan Khan is back in action. He will be on the big Pandey (project yet to be declared), Pooja Bedi's screen after almost three years in "Angrezi Medi- daughter Alaia F. ("Jawaani Jaaneman"), and Kaum", which is scheduled to release in March. Di- trina Kaif's sister Isabelle Kaif ("Kwatha") will be rected by Homi Adajania and co-starring Kareena seen on the Hindi screen for the first time this year.

Kapoor, the movie is a sequel to the multiplex hit, "Hindi Medium".

3D BACK IN BOLLYWOOD This year, there are two films lined up, which SMALL FILMS will have 3D prints -- "Street Dancer 3D" and Although most of Bollywood's biggest grossers "Tanhaji". Although Bollywood has been trying at the box-office are still out-and-out commer- time and again to come up with great 3D entercial biggies (think "War", "Dabangg 3" or "Kabir tainment, budgetary constraints normally bar the

creation of perfect entertainers in the expensive format. With evolving technology on their side, can 'Street Dancer" and "Tanhaji" break the jinx?

REMIXES AND RECREATIONS Sadly, these will dominate the music scene, no matter what. We all know how obsessed Bollywood is now with remixes these days. The year of 2020 also seems to give the audience the same dose of recreations. Actor Saif Ali Khan is all set to give his fans some '90s nostalgia as he will be recreating his hit song "Ole ole" from movie "Yeh Dillagi". The revamped version, which has been composed by Tanishk Bagchi and sung by Yash Narvekar, will feature in Saif and Tabu-starrer upcoming film "Jawaani Jaaneman".

NON-FILM INDIAN MUSIC Spearhedead by Punjabi pop stars, non-film music has become more robust than ever. If B Praak, Dhwani Bhanushali, Darshan Rawal, and The Doorbeens went from strength to strength, they will be back next year with many more new songs in the non-film genre, which has opened up again with the advent of growing streaming facilities.

Even top Bollywood playback stars such as Arijit Singh and Neha Kakkar cannot resist getting into non-film mood once in a while.

NETFLIX PUMPS IN BIG BUCKS INTO INDIAN CONTENT India will be on the radar of American streaming service Netflix, with plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore on producing exclusive content in India in the immediate future. Star power is going to be one of the most important driving forces for the platform. Bollywood biggies such as Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma are associated with the platform to create content.

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NRI Pulse

Rava Vada

..... What’s Cooking? ..... pan and heat on medium high. Make lime size balls and flatten them on a small square of alumi- Thokkudu/ Bandar num paper into two inch diameter discs. Make a hole with your index finger and slowly drop the Laddu

vada into the hot oil and fry them both sides until 1 cup coarse rava light brown. or soji If the vadas come out dense add little more 1/2 cup yogurt water to batter and mix well.

1/4 cup chopped P.S. LAKSHMI RAO Onions Note: Don't let the batter sit for too long without 1 inch chopped ginger frying, after adding the baking soda, because va3 green chilies chopped das will absorb too much oil.

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves The vadas taste very good with any chutney.

1 stem curry leaves torn into pieces These vadas are easy to make, because no soaking 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds dal and blending.

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste 1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper(optional) 1 tablespoon fresh small coconut pieces (optional) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups oil for frying vada Mix all the above ingredients except baking soda and oil. Set the batter aside for fifteen minutes. Add baking soda to the soji batter and mix well. Add a little water if the batter is too thick.

Pour oil into a frying

January 2020

3 Cups chana flour (besan) 1 1/8 Cups water 3 Cups vegetable oil I Teaspoon of cardamom(elaichi) powder Janthika (chakili or murukulu) maker with large star disk.

Mix besan and water to make soft batter.

Heat oil in a frying pan.

Using a large star hole disk fill janthika maker or chakli maker with besan batter and press it into hot oil. Fry the janthikas until crisp making sure they do not turn dark brown. The first one might turn out brown but rest of them will come out crisp with little adjustment of heat.

2 1/2 Cups water 1 Table spoon home made ghee (unsalted clarified butter)

In a large thick bottom pan mix sugar and water. Put the pan on the stove on medium high heat and keep stirring until syrup starts to boil.

After 7 or 8 minutes test the syrup consistency Let all the janthikas get cold and break them by putting a drop of syrup on to a small plate and into small pieces.Blend them into fine powder in feeling it between two fingers. It should form a batches. If the powder is not soft and fine in the string. At this point remove the pan from heat and first try, blend it again until the powder is fine. save one cup of syrup into a separate pan.

Add 1 Teaspoon of fresh ground elaichi ( Mix janthika powder, sugar syrup and ghee. cardamom ) to the powder.

Stir continuously until the batter starts to become The janthika powder should measure 4 cups. thick and managiable to make one inch diameter ( 1 cup is 8 Oz.) balls. If the mixture is too dry to make balls, add little more sugar syrup you saved earlier. Rub litSugar syrup tle ghee on hands to make the balls. Makes 95 to 5 Cups sugar 100 laddus.

..... InVogue .....

Dupatta Saree: Tradition With A Pallu Twist different kinds of attires. Whether you wear a lehenga or even slim pants, you can turn it into a dupatta saree with a few tucks and pins.

Probably one of the most popular styles of a dupatta saree, the traditional pallu gives an elegant and hassle free look. Use the lehenga dupatta and pleat it across a shoulder, just like a saree.

You can use a second, lighter and different shade of dupatta to cover your head.

The dupatta saree is perfect for the wedding ceremony. It is traditional, but ups your style quotient, besides being comfortable.

BY RANI SHARMA A dupatta saree is a modern-day trend that has been made popular by brides.

It is no longer unusual for brides to look for a twist to tradition, be it with the bridal lehenga, jewelry, make up, hairstyle or other accessories.

While everyone wants a touch of tradition, it is now normal for brides to seek a little experimentation to make a personal statement. The best way to do that is to blend tradition with something novel.

A dupatta saree is an attire where one uses a dupatta and drapes it like a pallu.

The dupatta, just like the pallu, can be draped in different styles and, interestingly, with

Hair & Makeup: A messy bun with soft curls and tresses would be just ideal for this kind of look Makeup: Choose nude for your makeup, and go with deep dark lips.

Jewelry: Extra-large seven layered necklace would do the right justice to your look.

For more info, contact Rani Sharma of Raneez Fine Boutique at 404-386-2062.

19

NRI Pulse

January 2020

20

NRI Pulse

January 2020