NRI Pulse October 2019 Print Issue

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NRI Pulse

October 2019

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper October 2019

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October 2019

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October 2019

Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper October 2019 Indian Techie Among 24 Arrested In Forsyth County Child Sex Sting

Atlanta, GA: A 35-year-old Indian IT professional, Mahesh Kumar Saroj of Alpharetta, was among 24 people arrested in Forsyth County recently with charges of child sex trafficking and child porn.

Operation Just Cause”, an undercover investigation coordinated by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office High Technology Crime Unit, was a four-day proactive effort centered in Forsyth County beginning Thursday, September 5, 2019.

The goal of “Operation Just Cause” was to arrest persons who communicate with children on-line and then travel to meet them for the purpose of having sex. Additionally, the operation targeted those that are willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor.

On-line child predators visit chat rooms and websites on the internet, find children, begin conversations with them, introduce sexual content and arrange a meeting with the children for the purpose of having sex, said a press release issued by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office.

The 24 arrested ranging in age from 19 to 65, traveled from areas around North Georgia, and other states, with the intent to meet a child for sex.

During the multi-day operation, investigators had numerous exchanges with subjects on various social media or internet platforms. Many of those were exchanges in which the subject initiated contact with whom they believed to be a minor and directed the conversation towards sex.

In some of those cases, the subject introduced obscene or lewd content, often exposing the minor (undercover) to pornography or requesting the child take nude or pornographic images for them.

Although some websites promote themselves as being for “adults-only” it is not uncommon for law enforcement to work cases in which children access these sites, establish profiles claiming to be older, and then find themselves vulnerable to victimization, harassment, blackmail, or assault.

Several subjects were identified as communicating simultaneously with multiple investigators posing as minors.

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Atlanta Man Among 35 Charged In Medicare Scam

Atlanta, GA: The Indian-American CEO of Atlanta based LabSolutions was among 35 charged across four states for their alleged participation in what authorities claim is one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever.

The 35 defendants are associated with dozens of telemedicine companies and cancer genetic testing laboratories (CGx). According to the charges, these defendants fraudulently billed Medicare more than $2.1 billion for these CGx tests. Among those charged are 10 medical professionals, including nine doctors, said a press release issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ) recently.

Minal Patel, 40, CEO of Atlanta based Lab Solutions, was charged for his role in an alleged scheme to solicit medically unnecessary CGx tests from Medicare beneficiaries through telemarketing and “health fairs.” The tests were then approved by telemedicine doctors who allegedly did not engage in treatment of the beneficiaries, and often did not even speak with the beneficiaries for whom they ordered tests.

Patel then allegedly paid the telemarketers illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for the doctor’s orders and medically unnecessary tests.

LabSolutions billed Medicare for more than $494 million. In addition, the government seized approximately $30 million in bank accounts from Patel, as well as luxury vehicles, including a Ferrari and a Range Rover.

The case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys Tim Loper and James Hayes.

The Department of Justice, Criminal Division, together with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHSOIG) and FBI spearheaded the investigation and prosecution that resulted in charges against CEOs,

CFOs and others.

The coordinated federal investigation targeted an alleged scheme involving the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes by CGx laboratories in exchange for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries by medical professionals working with fraudulent telemedicine companies for expensive cancer genetic tests that were medically unnecessary.

Often, the test results were not provided to the beneficiaries or were worthless to their actual doctors.

Some of the defendants allegedly controlled a tele-

marketing network that lured hundreds of thousands of elderly and/or disabled patients into a criminal scheme that affected victims nationwide. The defendants allegedly paid doctors to prescribe CGx testing, either without any patient interaction or with only a brief telephonic conversation with patients they had never met or seen.

“These defendants allegedly duped Medicare beneficiaries into signing up for unnecessary genetic tests, costing Medicare billions of dollars,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the Department will continue to protect the public fisc and prosecute those who steal our taxpayer dollars.”

The enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Louisiana, and Middle District of Louisiana.

Brazen Hindu Temple Of Atlanta Thieves Arrested

Atlanta, GA: Three Romanian nationals were arrested for stealing gold jewelry worth at least $5000 off the deities at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Riverdale (HTA) earlier this year.

Valer Iazmin Varga, Robert-Auras Adam, and Ana-Loredana Adam were arraigned on federal charges of conspiracy to transport, in interstate commerce, stolen goods with a value of at least $5,000 and transporting, in interstate commerce, gold jewelry with a value of at least $5,000, which the defendants stole from the HTA, said a DoJ release.

Co-defendant Stela Patricia Varga was arrested on September 11, 2019 in Slidell, Louisiana on a federal arrest warrant related to the same charges.

“These defendants posed as tourists and allegedly stole gold and money from places of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “They exploited their victims’ custom of

receiving visitors with open arms in their temples and religious centers, and also allegedly involved their minor children in their theft scheme.”

“It is deeply troubling and hard to fathom that criminals would exploit the tenets of one’s faith by taking advantage of their kindness,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Even though these suspects are alleged to have travelled from state to state to commit these crimes, they were not able to elude arrest, thanks to our partnerships

with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in six different states.”

The charges, and other information presented in court: The defendants traveled to Hindu and Buddhist places of worship in at least six states, including Georgia, for the purpose of stealing gold jewelry or cash.

Visiting the temples during operating hours, the defendants allegedly posed as tourists and asked representatives of the temples questions regarding the customs and practices associated with the temples. As one or more of the defendants questioned temple staff members, other defendants stole gold jewelry and cash from the temples, sometimes taking gold jewelry directly from statues within the sanctuaries in the form of various deities.

The defendants were captured on camera within the sanctuaries and in some cases, in the act of stealing jewelry.

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Email: NRIPulse@gmail.com www.NRIPulse.com Publisher NRI Pulse Media Inc. Editor-in-Chief Veena Rao editor@nripulse.com Community News Editor Jyothsna Hegde Video News Anchor Namita D. Sudan Reports/Features Mahadev Desai Supriya D.G. Columnists Dr. Jagdish Sheth Rani Sharma P.S. Lakshmi Rao Dr. Panchajanya Paul Kristen Moon Marketing Manager Raju Kotak 404-786-5392 raju@nripulse.com Advertising 404-664-2805 ads@nripulse.com ________________________ NRI Pulse Newspaper is a free monthly news and features publication of NRI Pulse Media Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, duplicated, reprinted or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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October 2019

Global Mela Kicks Off Festive Season; Over 21,000 Attend

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Global Mall in order to bring the South Asian community together under one roof in a unique community center. It is my passion, my vision and my goal to make everyone aware of our rich Indian culture and heritage through such carnivals. I am happy that the attendance at the Mela is increasing each year and we are able to make Global Mela the cornerstone for future events!” said Global Mall owner, social activist

booths in the Global Bazaar this year. Attendees lined up for Ladlee’s Annual Sale 2 hours prior to Atlanta, GA: Well over 21,000 people flocked the doors opening and the crowds rushed in to snag to the 18th Annual Global Mela hosted by the Globthe best deals. The Global Bazaar, set up inside al Mall in Norcross on September 21st and 22nd, Ashiana’s Banquet Hall featured clothing and jew2019. The mall brimmed with vigor and energy as elry vendors from all around the U.S. A booth venkids jumped for joy on the inflatable rides set up outdor, Mamata Sharma with Palaasha Fashion from side the mall with free treats including free popcorn, North Carolina gushed “[Global Mela] was absocotton candy, balloon art and face painting provided lutely amazing and we got an excellent response from the buyers. This was my first time participating in this event and I’m so happy and glad that I did it!”

The mela opened with a lamp lighting ceremony performed by Pandit Gyan Prakash Upadhyay and Pandit Ved Joshi with dignitaries Craig Newton, Mayor of Norcross and Consul Davender Singh, CGI, Atlanta, who were joined by Teen India GA 2019 Suhani Bhandari and Mrs. India GA 2019 2nd Runner Up Shalu Malhotra.

Shiv Aggarwal and Mrs. Anushi Aggarwal welcomed guests and thanked the community for supporting the vision of Global Mall. Shiv Aggarwal extended Photos by Vinod Devlia, Photography by Vinod. a warm note of thanks to tenants, the vendors and the raffle-prize donors, the media, TV Asia, India Tribune, Wownow.com, Atlanta Dunia, Desi-Express, Pardes Magazine, Rashtra Darpan, Khabar, NRI Pulse, Desh Videsh, and Saathee, Vinod Devlia of Photography

by Vinod, Global Mall staff and volunteers. He also thanked the Norcross Police Department for effectively manning the parking lot and handling large crowds and his family for their support.

With free raffle prizes handed out every hour, over 150 attendees went home with raffle prizes sponsored by Global Mall, its tenants & vendors, including two very lucky winners who won 55” LED Smart TVs sponsored

by Legacy Jewels and the Global Mall family. The magic shows enthralled over 150 kids both days with a free kids’ raffle run after the shows!

DJ Bobby and Kiran Sethi of XtraHotDJs kept the crowd grooving, while foot-tapping performances by Global Mall’s two elite dance academy’s – NNKB and Prem’s Dance Academy, in addition to local Atlanta schools and performers entertained the masses, featuring Sangeeta’s Bollywood Zumba, Damali Bacchus, and Avni & Aditi.

Suhagan and Radhika Collection showcased their newest jewelry and clothing lines in the fashions shows held Saturday and Sunday.

This year’s new addition, a Dhol competition was won by Manraj Singh with Suvir Singh coming in second, and all participants taking home cash prizes.

The grand Mela ended on a high note with an exciting announcement

by Global Mall, even as adults enjoyed the food and and philanthropist Shiv Aggarwal. from Global Mall that attendees can enjoy the exshopping grooving to Bollywood beats all through Fondly having garnered the term “Black Friday pansion at Global Mall with its second food court, the weekend. for South Asian Shopping” amongst its patrons, the new retailers, a wellness studio, free dance and “Global Mela is our way of thanking the comsignature event featured the largest annual sales of yoga classes and during Global Mela weekend, the munity for supporting Global Mall Global Mall’s 17 clothing and jewelry retailers, in ad- Global Bazaar will be doubled in size with even and our Indian cultural center. I established dition to the 53 weekend vendors who had set up their more vendors & shopping!

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October 2019

Thousands Attend Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations At HTA, Riverdale

BY MAHADEV DESAI

Atlanta, GA: The Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale, Georgia, (HTA) celebrated a spectacular and joyous annual Ganesh Utsav celebration from September 2nd to September 7th, 2019 which attracted thousands of devotees and visitors from all over Atlanta and South East. The celebrations were graced on the last day by the presence of Indian Consul General Dr. Swati Kulkarni.

Dr. Kulkarni addressed the huge gathering under the canopy, where she lauded the temple for organizing the Ganesha festival and bringing the community together for the celebrations.

The HTA has been hosting spectacular and well attended Ganesh Utsavs for the past seven years. The Ganesh Utsav team led by Ravi Chander decided on an eco-friendly setting for this year.

The décor was planned with rainforest theme. A majestic eco-friendly and imposing clay idol of Ganapathi specially made in Hyderabad was installed in the specially built canopy in the forecourt of the Shiva temple. A wooden stage backdrop constructed by a team of volunteers, under the canopy was an ideal setting for the dazzling idol of Lord Ganesh, resplendent with rich adornments, artistic décor, and fresh flower garlands. Adjacent to Lord Ganesha mandap, Anand Bukkaraysamudram and Hanu Krothapalli along with volunteers designed a captivating, artistic display depicting Lord Shiva, greenery, animals, and gentle waterfalls for continous abhisheka of Lord Shiva.

The Make your Clay Ganesha has been a signature event of the HTA. The eco-friendly clay Ganesha making workshop started with a prayer

by Hindu Temple's priests Sri Srinivas Sharma ji, Sri Pavankumar ji and all priests, who chanted Vedic Ganesha shlokas. Radhika ji & Nanda ji with over 50 volunteers assisted kids and adults all day to make Ganesha sculptures made of clay, guided the parents, grandparents visiting from India to make the idols. Festive music was provided by nadaswaram and drums. Children were taught how to do Ganesh Puja and homam. Later, they took their clay-Ganeshas home Children had also lot of fun with face-painting and mehndi and cotton candy. This merits em-

Photos by Sri Photos. ulation by other Temples as it helps young generation to learn the rituals, and spiritual significance of homams, and imbibe rich Indian culture.

The kitchen manned by Committee Chair Dr. Tulasi Vanapalli and volunteers was ready as always with mouthwatering prasad serving thousands of devotees. HTA provided laddu and vada for naivedyam, and parents brought Ganesha’s favorite food, modakam. The grand pooja concluded with Mangala Aarathi and blessings to the children.

The HTA President, Sheela and Executive Committee thanked and congratulated all the participants.

On Saturday, a spectacular Visarjan mela provided non-stop entertainment from 10-00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. The audience were treated to classical; contemporary, folk and fusion, dances, dance-dramas and devotional songs in Hindi and Carnatic. The riveting Cultural program coordinated and organized by Vaisheshi Jalajam and Jyothi Chintalapudi, HTA Cultural Chair.

The event was emceed by energetic, enthusiastic and ever popular emcees Vikas Goyal, Janardhan Pannela and Anshu Sharma.

The enthralling entertainment included Kuchipudi dances by talented students of Atlanta Dance and music Academy's Gurus Jyothi Chintalapudi; Sridevi Dadithota; Sridevi Ranjith; Pushyami Lanka Gottipati,Varsha Krupananda;Latha

Sriram; Neelima Gaddamanugu, Aparna Turaga, among others. Gayathri Subramaniam’s students regaled the devotees with their Hanuman Chalisa rendition. Diya Ghosh performed a scintillating dance. Leera Rawal, a student of renowned Birju Maharaj did a stunning Kathak dance. And a graceful Odissi dance in fetching costumes by students of Bhikipta Panda added extra flavor to the entertainment. Akhil of Sree Dutta Raga Dance Academy wowed the audience with his electric moves. Well trained students of Kala Vasudevan, a trained Carnatic classical and light music singing also impressed with their singing. Rendition of Carnatic and Hindi classicals on violin and piano added to the variety of the cultural segment. Atlanta‘s Dance and Song Gurus Viji Murali; Swathi Kari and Deepa Sriram were also applauded for their singing prowess. The audience was treated to a pulsating authentic ancient drum-beat from Tamil Nadu by Mazhangu Parai team which had come all the way from Ohio to perform at the Festival. And as in previous year, street dancing with sword dance, teen maar, dand pradarshan and dancing to drums and dhols added vibrancy to the festival just before the visarajan ceremony added to the festive fervor. Kids also enjoyed matkabreaking or Handi competition. Sri Pavankumar ji performed many poojas and bhajans.

About 300 kids participated in the Arts Competition held in the Shiva Temple. Prizes were awarded to the winners of the competition, which was in three segments: Coloring, drawing and Canvas. Rangoli competition also created a buzz. The rangolis were attractive to watch. Three winners were awarded prizes.

This year, the judge for the exciting Laddu auction was Dr. Kulkarni. Laddu auctions raised over $10,000 from generous donors, for the Temple .

Finally it was time to bid farewell to muchloved Lord Ganesh. Enthusiastic young devotees in kurtas and saffron headbands, carrying saffron flags came out of the canopy, dancing and shouting “Ganapati Bappa Morya” to the pulsating beat of dhols as Lord Ganeshji’s idol was placed in a truck, and slowly carried in a procession. A helicopter showered Ganesh ji with flower petals! Magical fireworks added extra sparkle! Two girls performed a befitting scintillating devotional dance amidst thunderous applause. Ganesh Visarjan ceremony was performed in a rubber pool on the Temple plot with joyous shouts and wishes for his quick return the following year.

The HTA President Sheela Lingam effusively thanked Ganesh Program coordinator Ravi Chander and his team for a very successful event. She also thanked the temple staff, priests, managers, cooks, security, volunteers, EC members and others.

Kids Help Kids Raises $2000 To Benefit Sewa International

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: Over 130 runners gathered at East Cobb Park in Marietta for the 7th annual Kids Help Kids 3K race on September 29, 2019.

Over 33 kid volunteers worked together to raise over $2000 for Sewa International. Various activities including delicious breakfast, raffles, and games, face painting, henna along with artistic jewelry and aromatic candles made by kids throughout their fall break featured in the event, along with the race.

“Seven years back my sister Veda Balaji started Kids Help Kids in order to help the kids around the world suffering from natural disasters and social problems. Today we intend to continue that,” said Amit Balaji in his welcome speech. He was joined by Vishruth Madhusudhan in urging everyone to reach their goal of $3000. He and Aadya Katta registered the contestants.

Tejas Veedhulur managed the race efficiently with the help of many volunteers as he explained the rules of the race to the runners. The

race kicked off with a warmup by Yoga instructor Vani Malapati. Veedhulur announced winners Rohan Shirur (first), Keertana Satya (second) and Sirhan Diwakar (third).

The raffle draw winners Sumedh Thallam and Sirhan Diwakar smiled wide as Sarayu Ramachandra made announcements.

Keertana Satya and Sheona Diwakar elaborated the work of Sewa international in helping victims of natural disaster and providing relief efforts around the world.

Sanjana Sridhar thanked everyone and urged people to donate for the good cause.

Advaith Shivram, Aadi Katta, Rithu Hegde,

and many volunteers sold donuts donated by Krispy Kreme and Duck Donuts, baked goods, lemonade and freshly made Indian delicacies with coffee and tea.

With a goal of $3000, the kids are still looking for donations up to $1000. You can contact kidshelpkidsusa@gmail.com to reach out the volunteers.

“Kids help kids is continuing to thrive as a group filled with dedication and selfless actions; you all furthered this legacy through this successful event. Thank you all for your contributions to this non-profit: big or small it truly means a lot,” said Veda Balaji, who initiated the concept of Kids help Kids in 2013 to raise funds for a cause. Currently a firstyear student in the Honors College at Georgia State University and a Class of 2023 Presidential Scholar, Veda was a visiting volunteer this year.

The organization has raised and contributed $15,000 in donations to various causes through the years.

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October 2019

DrishTi: Dance Drama Raises $200,000 For Sankara Nethralaya

Photo by Venkat Kuttua.

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Atlanta, GA: An artistic fundraiser for Sankara Nethralaya (SN) USA’s Atlanta Chapter, aptly titled DrishTi, presented by students of Kalaivani Dance Academy (KDA) under the guidance of Guru Padmaja Kelam and Siddarth Kelam raised $200,000 for the foundation at the Infinite Energy Center on September 8, 2019. The drive was focused on supporting the ‘Adopt- a- Village’ and ‘Mobile Eye Surgical Unit’ (MESU) programs of the organization.

Emcee Jayakiran Pagadal was in his element as he welcomed attendees in multiple Indian languages. Introductory roll ups shed light on various programs of SN, including partnering with Google to detect diabetic retinopathy in a matter of minutes, using the search giant’s AI Algorithm.

“I dedicate this victory of supporting 3000 indigent patients to Atlanta Chapter founder Dr. Seshu Sarma,” said President Bala Reddy Indurti.

In their address, Atlanta Trustee Srini Reddy Vangimalla, President Indurti and Vice President Moorthy Rekapalli stressed upon the significant contribution of Sankara Nethralaya in remote villages in India through the fundraising efforts across the board.

“Having vision is one thing. Being blind and having vision is a whole different concept,” quot-

ed Siddarth about the idea of DrisTi. The story of Hansini was his creation, with co-choreography and Nattuvanga by his mom, Padmaja.

DrishTi, meaning vision, unearths the vision of the world through the eyes of protagonist Hansini who loses her eyesight in a mishap. Arrogant and insensitive to other’s feelings while she had eyesight, Hansini struggles with her loss initially.

She eventually comes to the realization that it is her Antar Drishti that invokes eternal bliss, and what she visually saw was a very speck of what human heart can hold and comprehend.

“This is a collaboration two years in the making between KDA and Sankara Nethralaya and also between 3 cities with lyricist Dr Uma Eyyuni in Nashville, composer Asha Ramesh in San Jose, and Siddharth and me in Atlanta,” said Padmaja, adding she was honored to have the opportunity after her conversation Dr. Seshu Sharma.

Padmaja and Siddarth’s expertise and experience as creative directors and dance exponents came alive as 22 Students of KDA portrayed Hansini’s transformative journey with tender loving care, in a refined confluence of classical and contemporary with the story in a modern setting and presentation rooted in classical Bharatanatyam.

Siddarth’s vivacious choreography, lighting and visuals were elevated by live music with Asha Ramesh on vocal, Santosh Chandru on mridangam, Vikash Achutharamiah Ryali playing morsing & rhythm pads, Sai Kishore on the flute and Pranav Swaroop playing the violin.

SN’s MESU program provides a stable, self-sufficient mobile platform that guarantees a controlled and sterile environment for performing cataract surgery in rural locations with no basic amenities. With a reverse osmosis plant for sterile water, an air handling unit for sterile air, hydraulic jacks for the vehicle to maintain stability and a generator set, the MESU is completely equipped and safe to ensure there are no infections. The surgeries are performed free of cost, and the patients can return home a few hours after the procedure.

Atlanta donors for MESU included couples Moorthy Rekapalli & Madhavi and Anil Jagralmudi & Mahalakshmi.

Donors for Adopt-A-Village program included Mulri Reddy & Bindu, Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy & Sridevi, Suresh Vemulamada & Dr. Madhavi Rayapudi, Srinivas Surapaneni & Priya, Srini Reddy Vangimalla & Deepa, Prasad Mallu & Niveditha, Ravi Reddy Maraka & Praveena, and Balakrishna Nuli.

SN team recognized Dr. BK Mohan & Rajyalaxmi, Pramod Sajja & Pratima, TR Reddy & Niranjini, Dr. G.S. Visvesvara, and Veena Bhat for their support since inception of Atlanta chapter.

“Thank you, Atlanta community and all volunteers, for making this as a memorable event in the history of the Trust,” said Mr. S V Acharya, President Emeritus and founder of Sankara Nethralaya OM Trust, who was unable to attend the event, conveying his message over phone. Hailing Atlanta chapter one of the most active chapters in US, he thanked all Atlanta trust members and KDA. The fundraising team led by Bala Reddy Indurti included Moorthy Rekapalli, Srini Reddy Vangimalla, Rajasekhar Reddy Aila, Meher Lanka, JayaKiran Pagadala, Padmaja Kelam, Upendra Reddy Rachupally, Ramesh Chaparala, Rajeev Menon, Suresh Vemulamada & Neelima Gaddamanugu. Indurti thanked all donors, volunteers, Atlanta team members Krishnadas Pisharodi, Srikrupa Easwaran, Phani Dokka, Uma Narayan, Raghava Tadavarthi, Kamal Satuluru, Namrata Satuluru, Rajesh Tadikamalla, Ramesh Valluri, Venkat Chundi, Ravi Kandimalla, Subba Rao Maddali, Ram Mallappa, Swadesh Katoch, Viju Chiluveru, Niranjan Prodduturi & ByteGraph and local organizations TAMA, GATA, GATeS, GAMA, GATS, IFA, Maitri & Atlanta Telugu Samskriti.

Young Women Hackers Tackle Complex Issues At Microsoft Office

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: The Microsoft office in Alpharetta buzzed with activity as 110 female participants and youth organizers came together for Women In Code: MetroHacks W, Atlanta, MetroHacks’s third 12 hour hackathon on September 21, 2019. The free 12-hour event brought together female high school students, aged 13-18, who learnt about new technology in various workshops, collaborated and created projects with each other, and competed for prizes.

Hackers were offered technical workshops ranging from website building to cloud computing earlier in the day as potential tools to use while designing solutions. The task at hand was to build a solution specific to one of three topics, Environmental, Health, or Social. With their prior knowledge and the skills acquired in the workshop(s), students chose to form teams or compete individually.

Enthusiastic hackers chose to tackle complex issues including poverty, carbon emission,

and food allergen recognition. Following over 6 hours of hacking, each team had 3 minutes to present their solution to a panel of judges; prizes were awarded to the top 3 teams for each topic, in addition to a grand prize winner.

A prototype for a mobile app which provides the ability for a user to identify food allergens without reading a label, was the winning presentation. The app required the user to input all of

his/her food allergies in a profile and when the user needed to check a food label for potential allergens they would simply take a picture of the label using the app. Based upon the user profile and the ingredient label photo, the app would trigger and alert to warn of allergens or indicate the food was allergen free.

“Though the winning solution was exceptional, each participant displayed an interest in

explaining an issue and used creativity and technology to design a solution,” commented parent of an organizer.

The Judging panel included Joey Brakefield - Senior Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft, Sharmila Bristol, Director, Customer Success, Microsoft, Saurabh Parikh, Vice President of Innovation at CONA, Umar Raja, Data Scientist, CONA, Kelly Linz -- Data Scientist, CONA, Jennifer Priestly, Associate Dean, KSU “I’m impressed at the level of engagement and passion demonstrated by the hackers at the event. When the event concluded, I left the event feeling optimistic about the future of data science and analytics and inspired to continue to find innovative solutions within CONA”, said Linz.

MetroHacks-ATL Directors included highschool students Krushna Malapati, Vishruth Madhu, Tejas Veedhulur, Hansika Nanduri, Amit Balaji and Adhrija Anbu.

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October 2019

IACA Ms India Georgia Pageant Crowns New Winners

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: The premises of Duluth High school glimmered in glitz and glamor as twenty-nine contestants of IACA Teen, Miss and Mrs. India Georgia Pageant sashayed through the night on September 01, 2019. Stars smiled upon Suhani Bhandari in the Teen category, Suporna Chaudhuri in the Miss category, and Naddia Strickland in the Mrs Category as they took home the coveted crowns.

Themed “Be Bright, Be Bold, Be Beautiful,” the team led by Kiran Agnihotri, Sonjukta Halder, Lakshmi Rao, and Shally Venkatesh groomed and mentored the contestants, nurturing them to be their best, on the inside and out. Choreography for the shimmering ladies was provided by Prem Rahman, Mr. India Global 2015, of Prem’s Dance Studio.

Dr. Suvrat Bhargave, author of A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a PsyThe winners with the pagent coordinators. chiatrist’s Couch anchored the event with flair and confidence.

“Everlasting beauty is a crown of grace, a smile to someone who needs it most, and a word of kindness. I was blessed to gain sisters from this experience. That’s worth more than all the jewels in all the worldʼs crowns. Although, I have to say, it is amazing to wear a crown,” said Naddia Stricklan, winner of Mrs. India Georgia. “This beauty pageant sets itself apart by working hard to recognize the ladies for their individual qualities and innermost accomplishments,” she added.

Energetic and vivacious dance performance by students of Prem’s Dance Studio, and another piece by contestants of 2018 contest along with a special performance by Rahul Nana added more color to an already vibrant night.

Months of training came together as con- Special performance, Naach talent round, Indian tor in Chief, Veena Rao along with Parvathi Chiktestants presented their personalities in style in formal wear round, and the Q&A rounds. yala, Venkatesh Rao, Archith Seshadri, Indrani various arenas including an Evening gown round, The judging panel included NRI Pulse Edi- Chakrabarty, Keerti Gupta, Pallavi Shirke, Sapna

Tangri, Sudipto Neil Banerjee, Atin Majumdar, Vishal Singh, Bini Desai, Vindali Vartak, Anand Mehta, Vandana Aggarwal, Manisha Sharma, and Shermyn Malani.

“With this pageant, I met myself where I left me, the silly me. I learned success and failure are both a part of life and both are not permanent. Success is not a good teacher but failure makes me humble,” said Oindrila Dutta, quoting Shahrukh Khan.

All praise for their mentors, some of the best advices contestants said they received included, “The goal is to continue the conversations even after the pageant,”, “Always keep the positive experiences and thoughts forever and ever,” , “I truly believe that inner beauty always wins in the end. I meant it every time when I said you are all winners.”

“To me, this pageant was a chance to see the beauty that emerges when women empower one another rather than tear each other down. Although I have gained a title and awards from this experience, I far more cherish the bonds of sisterly love and ongoing support that has overflown from all your hearts! You all make me happy to be me, and I hope I make you happy to be you!” said Suporna Chaudhuri” when asked to respond with one to two sentences about how their experience in the beauty pageant affected them in a positive manner.

Runners up: Lasya Sarraff (1st) Krisi Patel (2nd) - Teen Nilam Kaushik(1st), Sri Harini (2nd) – Miss Dr. Ashlee Quosigk(1st), Shalu Malhotra (2nd) - Mrs. Some of the other awards: Congeniality Award - Tanya Khurana (Teen) , Sri Harini (Miss) , Dr Ashlee Quosigk (Mrs).

Popular choice award - Lasya Sarraff

Paramount Software Donates $30,000 At Employee Giving Event

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: Christmas came early for six charities working with children, as Paramount Software Solutions donated $30,000 at PARAMOUNT GIVES, an inaugural employee giving appreciation event held at their office in Alpharetta on September 29, 2019. Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger and Fulton County Commissioner, Bob Ellis were the guests of honor. The event organized by Social Measures, LLC, was an effort to bring employees to connect with organizations and witness the impact of their efforts towards supporting not- for- profit organizations.

“Our mission is to positively impact children's education and health to ensure they are tomorrow's successful leaders," said Pramod Sajja, President, Paramount Software Solutions. As part of that mission Paramount employees donated towards local and international non- profits, which was matched 100% by Paramount. At the event, donations raised were handed to six charities, local and international, that work for betterment of children.

In line with the theme, kids took to the stage during the check ceremony to introduce charity organizations Vibha, Sewa international, Access life America, Pure hearts of Georgia, International Community School and Brown Toy Box, that received donations of $5000 each. The event also featured a unique Robotics exhibit by kids of employees of Paramount. Yash Sajja, who was cele-

brating his birthday, said he was happy to share his special day for the cause.

“One of the best things that we can do, is have strong communities. And it is great to see Paramount and its employees coming together to build one,” said Raffensperger, applauding the efforts of Paramount. He highlighted other concerns facing society and kids in particular, including drugs, alcohol and mental health issues. He talked about counseling first time drug offenders in jail, so they are well prepared when they walk

out. Citing his son’s medical condition, Hodgins’s lymphoma, Raffensperger said he related on a personal level to kids suffering from diseases.

“The Indian-American community in particular has a lot of great organizations that try and help kids, especially with physical and mental health challenges and we are all really a part of that fabric,” noted Commissioner Ellis.

Representatives of all charities reiterated one common theme, which happened to be Sajja’s benevolent contributions to the charities with little or

no persuasion. Neha Negandhi, who coordinated the event added that Sajja had been doing this for many years until she recommended a formal event for it.

Negandhi founded a corporate social responsibility consulting company that works with small and mid-size companies to define their CSR mission, create community engagement strategies and then do social ROI metrics.

In an exclusive with NRI Pulse, Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger talked about his office’s choice of Dominion Voting systems as the company that will produce 30,000 voting machines.

“The old system, the direct-recording electronic machines cast each vote on a memory card. And the new ballot-marking devices print out a paper ballot with a summary of the voter’s selection plus a QR code that is then scanned and stored.

The QR code is used to count results on Election Day and the human-readable text summary is used for audits or recounts and the scanner takes a picture of the ballot that could also be used to verify results,” he elaborated. “This is a large step towards modernizing the state’s 17-year-old system and making elections more secure.”

“With the upcoming elections in 2020, cyber security, firewalls and protection of confidential voter databases,” Raffensperger said was one of his priorities in the next four years. Streamlining regulations, licensing reform he added were some of his other priorities.

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October 2019

Dream Mile 2019 Raises Over $330,000 For Underprivileged Children

BY PUNAM SINGH & VAISHNAVI PATTABIRAMAN

Atlanta, GA: Building on the success of the past 20 years, Dream Mile, Vibha’s flagship fundraising event broke all previous records on September 22, 2019 celebrating their 21st anniversary. Dream Mile, the most successful fundraising event for Vibha Atlanta is growing bigger and immensely popular as evident by the continuous stream of vehicles that began to pull into the parking lots before sunrise and enthusiastic crowds exhilarated to participate in this event at The Collection of Forsyth, Cumming, GA. Vibha, a non-profit and volunteer-driven organization, is a social venture catalyst that brings together people who want to make a positive difference in the lives of underprivileged children including supporting local charities such as: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Power My Learning and Children Restoration Network.

The 21st Dream Mile brought outstanding success in fundraising along with an epic number of walk/run registrations. In addition to the fitness events: 1k and 5k walks, 5k and 10k runs, Dream Mile raised the bar by adding a Half Marathon to the mix this year. In Spring 2019, the core volunteer group of 50+ members started their dedicated efforts towards publicity, registrations, sponsorship and fund raising activities for the event. These relentless efforts resulted in a record-breaking registration number of 3,500 walk/ run participants surpassing the previous record of 3,000 walk/run participants and raised over $330,000 through fundraising, pledge drives, reg-

istrations and sponsorships beating their previous record of $300,000.

Prabir Das and Shiva Nimmagadda, the dedicated Dream Mile 2019 lead volunteers, were elated to see the success of the event. When asked about the reasons behind the massive success of the event, Prabir said, “having strong relationships within the teams is the most critical aspect of making the Dream Mile successful”.

Shiva’s strong purpose to join Vibha a few years ago was, “what motivated me to volunteer for

Vibha was my background of hailing from a small village where I have seen children missing school because their family could not afford it”. Together, the leads give enormous credit to the untiring efforts of 400+ volunteers inclusive of 200 youth volunteers for making Dream Mile 2019 a huge success. At the event and in appreciation of the exemplary work done, Rajesh Vuchatu was awarded ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award for his outstanding leadership and ‘Special Recognition Awards’ were given to Punam Singh and Ramesh

Movva for stepping up to needs of the hour at various Vibha’s events.

Vibha Atlanta is enormously proud of breaking all previous records in registrations, sponsorships, individual volunteer fund raising efforts and gives a huge shout out to all the volunteers for yet another year of flawless and exciting event execution. Vibha Atlanta is extremely grateful to all the 40 event sponsors for their undying support and generosity. Here is a big thank you to our Diamond, Platinum and Gold level sponsors for Dream Mile 2019: Paramount Software Solutions; Pyramid Consulting Inc; Datum Software; 27th Investments; Manhattan Associates; Global Payments; Patel Brothers This repeat success of the Dream Mile shows the true essence of “Team Work makes the Dream Work” including, community support and tenacity of every volunteer who truly believes that through every mile, we will make a remarkable difference in the lives of underprivileged kids and provide each child the power of education. Go Vibha! Please visit www.vibha.org and join us to support a worthy cause.

Bo Shambo: Mellifluous Jugalbandi Raises Funds For AIM For Seva

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: Bho Shambo, a grand musical production by AIM (All India Movement) for Seva held at KSU Bailey Performance Center on September 22, 2019 raised $175 K for the cause, with 100K donation from a single Atlanta donor, who chose to remain anonymous. The production, featuring Carnatic and Hindustani Jugalbandi by exponents of their fields Rakesh Chaurasia, Shashank Subramanyam, Jayateerth Mevundi, Satyajit Talwalkar, Patri Satish Kumar, Narendra Nayak offered an immersive and transportive experience to the audience with divine musical vibrations that reverberated through the walls.

The opening welcome by Nithya Narasimhan was followed by a performance by Srivalli Sridhar and kids. Nithya Swamy and Shobha Swamy appealed to the audience to donate for the cause.

“We are so happy that the Atlanta chapter of AIM for Seva has raised donation to support 120 children. Our goal is to be able to support 200 kids. We are also trying to help adults with disabilities, with the AIM for Seva Krupa Care. We have raised $35,000 towards that and our goal is to reach $60,000,” said Eashwar Money, Atlanta coordinator for AIM for Seva.

The composition of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Founder-Chairman of AIM for Seva, Bho Shambo, a thematic presentation of Lord Shiva, came alive as exponents in their fields played their instruments to their harmonious best,

with Jayateerth Mevundi’s cultured and rich vocals conjuring the serene picture of Lord Shiva.

The Jugalbandi was a confluence of Carnatic and Hindustani disciplines. A sense of divinity prevailed as Subramanyam and Chaurasia’s mellifluous, nuanced rhythms on the flute played off each other. The conversation between the performers, as they termed the Jugalbandi in their interview, was an inspirational release of their artistry, with seamless, effortless flow between their individual styles. The conversation between Mridangam and Tabla players, Satyajit Talwalkar and Patri Satish Kumar began with slow rhythmic

beats, picking up tempo gradually as the concert progressed, peaking to a compelling conclusion.

Mevundi’s refined, soulful rendition accompanied

by Narendra Nayak’s harmonium and percussions was fitting tribute to the composer and the cause.

Swami Bodhananda Saraswati, also present at the event, urged everyone to donate generously.

On the sidelines of the tour, team of Bho Shambo, which is on 13-city US tour, spoke to NRI Pulse about the origins of the idea, what Jugalbandi means to them and all things musical.

“Percussions lend themselves to the theme of Shiva. About 4 years ago, AIM for Seva ap-

proached me and we wanted to present Swaiji’s composition. It was my idea to include a vocalist to render the piece towards the end of the program,” said Subramanyam.

This fantastic combination of artists has come together for the very first time and this has been possible only because of AIM for Seva,” said Chaurasia.

“Jugalbandi means two artists playing together. Lot of people think Jugalbandi is having two people on stage and have them go to war. It is the art of portraying Indian classical music in different styles, at their best. It is the understanding between the artists that comes before the music,” elaborated Chaurasia. Subramanyam and Chaurasia further explained, “Indian classical music has two parts, the north and south Indian parts. The percussion also has 2 styles, Tabla and the Mridangam. So, it is a coming together of two styles of music and two styles of percussions. We put together Carnatic music, Hindustani music and find the commonalities. It is a Conversation we have. For the audience it is listening to two styles.

But for the artist, it is like conversation we build on stage. It is not about which is better or the best.

It is about what we can portray best in each of the styles. We also pick the idea off of each other. It is a healthy conversation, not a competition.”

Are all Juagalbandi performances the same, throughout the tour? Not exactly! It is different each time, but the essential framework and direction of Indian classical music always remains the same, said the experts.

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Human Conscience Is Higher Than Any Indoctrination: Dr. Rajat Mitra

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA: “In talking to terrorists and the refugees and hearing their stories about how an entire civilization and way of life came to an end, I decided I wanted to write about it. It was not possible to put it all down in a clinical report, so I used a fictional setting. But the stories, the situations, and the characters, the protagonist and the antagonist are all very real, someone I talked to,” said Dr. Rajat Mitra in his interview with NRI Pulse.

Dr. Mitra, a New Delhi based author and psychologist was in Atlanta for a briefing at the USHA (United States Hindu Alliance) office of his debut novel, “The Infidel Next Door”. The novel is an exploration of the trials, tribulations and eventual triumph of the Hindu civilization in Kashmir. The Infidel also dwells deep into the psyche of the people in the valley, such Hindu-Muslim co-existence and the grim picture of hatred and brutality, seeking answers to conflicts passed on through generations.

An Ashoka Fellow, Dr. Mitra holds a masters and PhD in psychology and was recognized by the United Nations for his work for gender justice. He has studied at the Centre for Refugee Trauma, a course by Harvard University. He is involved in de-radicalization programs for Muslim youth arrested by law enforcement agencies on suspicion of terrorism. Dr. Mitra has worked

with trauma victims from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia and Burma.

“Two particular incidents, rather statements during my line of work, one by a refugee and another by a terrorist inspired me to write this book,” said Dr. Mitra. Recounting his days at the refugee camp, Dr. Mitra said he was talking to

Archna Didi’s Chakra Meditation & Stress Relief Workshops In Atlanta

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

focus on these Chakra points and open them to attract the cosmic energy within the body. Each Atlanta, GA: “Meditation is simply the dischakra is connected to different organs and also covery of a word called ME,” said Mediation human behavior. It is essential to open these Guru, Archna Didi during her two-day Chakra Chakras, but it is equally important to balance Meditation Relaxation and Stress Relief workthem and that requires a Sathguru. A Sathguru is shops held at the Global Mall on September 14, someone that has expeand 15, 2019. rienced bliss, she added.

“I hope the com“It is important to munity benefits from meditate to discover the Archana Didi’s meditaME, or yourself”, said tion techniques, as much Didi, adding that modas I have. It has really ern-day stress is attributchanged me for the beted to the fact that we try ter,” said Shiv Aggarwal, to fight stress on the outowner of Global Mall, side while the reasons lie who hosted the event. within us. Meditation is The workshop was anone of the best ways to chored by Rachana deal with the battles on Gupta, and started with the inside said Didi, and the traditional lighting the battles on the outof the lamp, performed side will automatically

by Pandit Gyan Prakash Photo by Sri Photos. be balanced. The crowd Upadhyay and lit by emulated Didi as she Shiv Aggarwal and Archna Didi. demonstrated ways to concentrate, relax and open “Chakras are vast pools of energy in our bodies up the seven Chakras. which govern our psychological qualities. There are Didi’s spiritual journey began early on, when seven main chakras, Muladhara (root), Svadhisthashe was four years old, when she started meditatna (sacral), Manipura (solar plexus), Anahata ing on her own. She eventually met her Sathguru (heart) chakra, Visuddhi (throat), Ajna (third eye), who advised her to share her Ananda (bliss) with and the Sahasrara (crown) in the body, of which everyone. Didi has been traveling the world, orfour are in our upper body, which govern mental ganizing workshops since then. She founded the properties, and three in the lower body, which govCelebrating Life Foundation aims at spreading ern our instinctual properties,” elaborated Didi. happiness, peace and sense of wellbeing among Chakra Meditation, Didi said is a way to the masses.

one of the last groups that got away.

“The refugee said he called his camp Aurangzeb’s Dream, and it was later that I discovered the story behind it.” Story goes that someone mentioned to Aurangzeb that if he can convert the Kashmiri Pandits to Islam, the whole of India will convert, and he decided to enforce it upon all Kashmiri Hindus.

Prominent Kashmiri leader Pundit Kripa Ram sought the support of ninth guru- Guru Teg Bahadur, who decided to sacrifice himself.

He went to Aurangzeb. When the Guru refused to convert despite being threatened Aurangzeb decided to kill him in the cruelest of ways but failed to convert him. “His martyrdom saved Hinduism in Kashmir that day,” said Dr. Mitra, adding it was only after he learnt the story that he understood that since the refugee belonged to a group that was the last Hindu family, Aurangzeb’s dream of all Muslim Kashmir had come true.

“During my work in Kashmiri prisons with the terrorists, there was this man, deeply ideological and driven, who said: “I will throw so many stones at Kashmir that the sky of Kashmir will become black”, and that is when I thought about the

consequences of having a temple and mosque side by side, like it is, in many places in India, and what would happen if the protagonist and the antagonist lived side by side, what questions would arise, how they perceive religion from their point of view,” elaborated Dr. Mitra. “They eventually find that they can overcome it by their own questioning.”

“The struggle between the protagonist and antagonist in the book also reflects the central conflict between Hinduism and Islam. And my book tries to explore the possibility of co-existence between the two characters rooted in religion, Aditya, a Hindu priest and Anwar, a stone thrower.

“It is a myth that Hindus have not resisted, they have fought for 1000 years to preserve Hinduism. I say, there are two Hinduisms, one of the Gitas, the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other from 11th century which fought the invaders using resilience, courage and every inner strength that the Hindu religion gives you. There is a certain inherent strength in Hinduism which helps you to gain control of your body, face and counter torture, the way saints detached from the pain when they were tortured though meditation.

That is why Hinduism has survived against Islam, while others like Iran and Saudi Arabia failed,” noted Dr. Mitra.

“Ultimately human conscience is higher than any indoctrination, is the message I want to convey through my book,” concluded Dr. Mitra.

Indian-Americans Attend Tulsi Gabbard’s Town Hall Meeting

Atlanta, GA: A group of Indian-Americans were at the Town Hall meeting with US Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) at Atlanta Music Project on August 30.

In her address, Gabbard reminded the appreciative audience about the values of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. She said her campaign was about moving forward as there is so much at stake in America. “It is a movement by the people, for the people, and of the people,” she said.

Gabbard, a military combat veteran, said, “The cost of war is not only paid by military personnel and family, but everyone is paying the price when the tax dollars are being used for wars and not for healthcare, education and economy.”

She vowed to bring back the troops from Afghanistan where $4 billion per month is being spent on military.

Her address was followed by an animated Q&A. Dante Rameau CEO of Atlanta Music Project, earlier welcomed and introduced Gabbard.

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Kidnapped Indian-American Tech Millionaire Found Dead

Washington: (IANS) Indian-origin tech millionaire Tushar Atre who was abducted from his home in California’s Santa Cruz earlier this week has been found dead inside his BMW car.

Atre, 50 — owner of digital marketing company AtreNet Inc which caters to Silicon Valley corporate businesses — was kidnapped from his house around 3 a.m. “during a crime” on Tuesday, the Santa Cruz county sheriff’s office said, adding that he was last seen getting into his white BMW. Sheriff’s deputies said they responded to Atre’s home in the 3000 block of Pleasure Point Rd. after receiving a 911 call from someone inside the residence that day who reported a home invasion and kidnapping.

Deputies located the car on Tuesday afternoon in the Santa Cruz Mountains and found a body in the same location.

“We have some unfortunate news, we have found the car associated with this case along with a deceased person,” the office said in a Facebook statement.

On Wednesday afternoon, the office confirmed the body found was identified as Atre.

“We have reason to believe the motive was robbery,” the statement added.

The police were looking for two people in relation to the case, KTVU station reported.

Youngster Attempts To Fly To NY As 81-Yr-Old

A 32-year-old man was arrested at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here for trying to catch a flight to New York while disguised as an 81-year-old.

“A man named Jayesh Patel reached Terminal-3 of IGI airport on a wheelchair posing as an elderly man. He even tricked the initial security check and got his immigration cleared,” CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General Hemendra Singh told IANS. He couldn’t escape the final security check despite all his efforts.

“CISF was suspicious about him as his voice didn’t match his age. Despite grey hair, his skin seemed to be quite young as there were hardly any wrinkles on his face,” the CISF spokesperson said.

Patel hails from Ahmedabad and had assumed the name of Amrik Singh with a fake passport.

“We are looking into all aspects of his life,” said Sgt. Brian Cleveland, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office. “All doors are open.”

According to Cleveland, Atre was inside his home with several other people when multiple suspects broke into his house and abducted him in his girlfriend’s white BMW. Someone in the house called authorities to report the abduction.

In addition to owning a marketing company for high tech business, Atre was also in the cannabis business, KION-TV reported. He was the owner of Interstitial Systems — a licensed cannabis manufacturer that operates out of a location on Fern street.

“A year or so ago, he started a marijuana or cannabis manufacturing company,” said Atre’s friend, Robert Blumberg.

Grant Palmer, CEO of CannaCruz — a well-established dispensary — said: “He’s definitely new to the industry. Basically, unfamiliar with the etiquette about how to do business. Unfamiliar with how, you know there are some are some, illegal black market elements in the cannabis industry and if you don’t pay them, bad stuff happens.”

Atre also had a website design company where some say he may have made enemies as a result of business dealings.

October 2019

Houston’s First Sikh Deputy Shot Dead During Traffic Stop Houston: (IANS) Sandeep Dhaliwal, the in his car, having a conversation with no sign of first Sikh Deputy in Houston’s Harris County confrontation.

Sheriff’s Department, was shot dead multiple A few seconds after Dhaliwal returned to times in the head from behind during a mid-day his squad car, the suspect ran up and shot him in the head multiple times, Lee said.

Dhaliwal was airlifted to the hospital, where he died.

Solis was charged late Friday with capital murder in the case, The Houston Chronicle reported.

A woman who was outside gardening heard the shot and saw Solis run to a getaway car.

Lee said the suspect then went to a store nearby. After a brief search, authorities detained Solis, who has a criminal record that includes convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated kidnapping and driving traffic stop, authorities said. while intoxicated.

Dhaliwal, 42, was the county’s first Sikh Dhaliwal, a father of three young children, Deputy when he joined the force 10 years ago, began his career in law enforcement out of a and became a national figure after convincing desire to serve after then-Sheriff Adrian Garcia the Department to allow him to wear religious reached out to strengthen the department’s relaattire and grow a beard while on patrol, reports tionship with the Sikh community after deputies The Houston Chronicle newspaper. botched a domestic violence call at a Sikh fam“He wore the turban, he represented his ily’s home. community with integrity, respect and pride and He was also very active at his Gurudwara, he was respected by all,” Harris County Sheriff and his house of worship held a special ceremoEd Gonzalez said at a press conference on Fri- ny after he became a Deputy. day night.

“He was very, very, very important,” com“It’s the worst day, the worst nightmare for munity member Sampuran Singh said. “He was any police executive,” he added. always willing to do what the community needAccording to Harris County Sheriff’s Of- ed him to do.” fice Maj. Mike Lee, Dhaliwal pulled over a veHouston Mayor Sylvester Turner in a tweet hicle around 12.45 p.m. on Friday in the 14800 said that Dhaliwal “represented the diversity block of Willancy Court in the Cypress area. and inclusiveness of our community and everyLee said the dashcam video showed that thing that is good”, while Texas Governor Greg Dhaliwal and the suspect, Robert Solis, 47, still Abbott called the Deputy’s death a “tragic loss”.

Indian Connection In Biggest Drug Cartel Bust

New Delhi: (IANS) In one of the biggest drug rackets unearthed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of US, the Indian connection has led to a former aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and a pharmaceutical company allegedly operating from India, where drugs like mandrax and ephedrine were being manufactured. The overarching investigation also involves husbands of two former Bollywood actresses, charged with international drug trafficking originating from Kenya.

The investigation report filed by DEA in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York on July 25, 2019, mentions the name of D-company aide Vicky Goswami, husband of Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni and Ali Punjani, ex-husband of another Bollywood star Kim Sharma.

Incidentally, Ali Punjani, escaped from Kenya to Mumbai where he was last spotted in Bandra’s Asian Heart Institute in the last week of August. The Mombasa (Kenya) police confirmed to IANS on phone that Punjani was wanted in a drug case. The Mombasa police is now approaching Interpol to detain Punjani in India.

The report of the DEA reveals that Vicky Goswami, a druglord working for the D-company in South Africa, later shifted his base to Kenya from where he smuggled huge quantities of man-

drax, cocaine, hashish, heroine and ephedrine. He initially worked for the Ibrahim Akasha syndicate in Mombasa and later partnered with Ali Punjani, alleged drug kingpin and husband of Kim Sharma.

The report also mentions that Dawood aide Goswami, husband of Mamta Kulkarni, was sentenced by a Dubai court on charges of drug peddling. In 2013, after being released from jail, Goswami shifted base to Kenya where he came in contact with Ali Punjani. The report says Goswami also approached one Indian, Dr Bipin Panchal.

In Mombasa a meeting was held between Dr Panchal and Goswami wherein Dr Panchal assured that he will arrange supply of ephedrine from a

pharmaceutical company in India. The consignment would then be taken to Uganda where it would be turned into methamphetamine.

DEA sleuths revealed that when the Indian company, reportedly manufacturing ephedrine, was checked, it was shut down. The name of the company is not being mentioned in this report as IANS could not verify the names of its proprietors.

The report says that undercover agents of DEA launched a sting operation and recorded a drug deal with Goswami and Ibrahim Akasha.

With evidence in hand, DEA got Goswami and members of the Akasha syndicate arrested in Mombasa who were later extradited to the US. Later Goswami turned an approver and spilled the beans on the kingpin of Akasha syndicate.

Goswami also revealed names of South African peddlers, many of them having close ties with Dawood Ibrahim gang. Meanwhile, Kenyan police is making efforts to approach Mumbai police through Interpol, to arrest Ali Punjani who was last reportedly undergoing surgery in a Mumbai hospital. A source in the Mumbai police said that as of now, Ali Punjani is not wanted in any case in Mumbai, therefore no legal action can be taken against him.

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Haunting Story Of A Woman’s Resilience In A Patriarchal World

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE Wild Boar in the Cane Field A novel by Anniqua Rana Publisher: She Writes Press/Sept 2019

ing parts of the plot, Tara’s sweet bond with Maria as a motherly figure sometimes, but mostly a friend, is woven delightfully into the script.

The author’s strength lies in plunging the reader into Tara’s little universe with detailed and elaborate descriptions of the little things that Immersive and intense, Wild Boar in the surround, summon, seduce and sometimes even Cane Field, a novel by Anniqua Rana, explores seclude her. Rana’s Tara is no shrinking violet. Dethe resilience of a woman’s spirit in the face of spite the obvious desolation and limitations that enadversity. gulf her, Tara is a woman who makes her own imA baby girl opens her eyes on a train, aban- pulsive choices, be it making a chameli garland for doned, with only flies for company. They fill herself, or rejecting a groom she does not deem fit her nostrils and eyes but her tiny fist manages to to marry her. Her impetuous choices, as they most clenche to one of them as if it were a BOOK REVIEW often do, land Tara in trouble. But Tara rattle her mother had left for her. Bibi would rather make that choice, as bad Saffiya and Amman Bhaggan, as it may been, often consoling on their way to Punjab find the herself that it was best for her, little one and decide to raise her rather than accepting the norm. as their own. Both women, burThe in-depth analysis of dened by their own circumstancthe working of Tara’s inner es can only impart to the girl what mind carves out a clear picture they, as women, have painfully of the choices she makes. Rana learnt over the years – to accept has a firm grip on her characters oppression in all its ugly forms and situations, threading each and to find a man to support her, in a tightly knit tale, be it the or as Bhaggan says, “without a simple scenario of peeling garman, your life is pointless.” lic that brings comfort to Tara So then, is Tara destined or the complex relation of love, to the same fate as the women hate and friendship her adopted around her? Or will she rise mothers share, one as the masabove her trials and tribulations? ter and the other as her maid.

Rana is brilliant in connecting events. Even something as simple as a doll’s wedding episode in Tara’s childhood, later finds in place during her own wedding – “Unfortunately, Saffiya’s plans for my wedding did not match my fantasy. And no one thought of including me in any of the wedding plans. It was like me organizing my dolls’ wedding.”

Blending nature and people in the most organic of ways, Rana crafts her chronicle with finesse, presenting layered emotions and metaphors. The closing chapters in particular, with the flies bearing witness to the life and times of many of the characters, offering vivid descriptions of the happenings around them from their perspecTara’s journey has several co-passengers, tive, “We, the flies, knew better,” is a fresh and but Bhaggan’s three sons, Sultan, Taaj and Maalik welcome treatment to the lugubrious canvas.

The author, Dr. Anniqua Rana, is a Professor have their own distinctive influence on her. Tara eventually lands up sharing unique relationships of ESL at the College of San Mateo and a longwith each of the brothers. One of the most endear- time resident of Redwood City, California.

October 2019

'The Family Man’ On Amazon: An Unputdownable Series

The Family Man(Amazon Prime Video); Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Sharib Hashmi, Priyamani; Direction: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK; Rating: * * * and 1/2 (three and a half stars)

BY SUBHASH K. JHA The idea of a dull white-collar office-goer moonlighting as an undercover agent is not new. Arnold Schwarzenegger did it in James Cameron's "True Lies" 25 years ago. Now it is Manoj Bajpai's turn in a 10-part series that is as irresistible as streetside gol gappas. I couldn't stop binging until it was all done.

The directorial duo of Raj and DK has a

reputation of doing the unexpected, whether is India's first zombie film ("Go Goa Gone") or the gamechanging comic chudail film "Stree", which the duo wrote to super-success. In "The Family Man" they are on firmer ground. The material is strong and constantly interesting.

Issues such as mob-lynching and anti-beef attacks or covert operations overreacting to terror threats, are raised organically in the plot as Srikant (Bajpai) grapples with home and terror (and sometimes terror at home) issues to the best of his abilities.

To be honest, Srikant's best is plainly inept. He lies to his pretty and smart (much more than he for sure) wife Suchitra (Priyamani) and yet somehow manages to get some respect from his two clever children ("If dad works so hard in his office, shouldn't we be rich by now?" asks the little boy) more for his ability to wriggle out

of sticky situations than any parental virtuosity.

It's refreshing to meet a screen hero many sizes smaller than the larger-than-life heroes we've been watching all this year. Bajpai specialises in playing a cornered Everyman with a dark secret (even in Aligarh he played that).

It's even more refreshing for the hero's friend played by the very talented Sharib Hashmi, to get some of the best lines.

Indeed the spoken lines are not just pithy and pungent they represent the colloquial cosmopolitanism and the cultural conundrum of Mumbai in striking yet subtle shades. There are some brilliant chase sequences on the streets of Mumbai shot with a keen eye for the crowds that disperse magically when trouble hits the roads.

Some of the non-pivotal characters such as the Kashmiri radical Qarim (played by a Kashmiri new actor Abrar Qazi) or the Malayali terrorist Moosa (Neeraj Madhav) wounded in ways that cannot be reified, are so memorable they tend to overshadow the main characters.

What I found unconvincing was the protagonist Srikant's wife Suchitra's friendship with her colleague (Sharad Kelkar). She exchanges what-ya-doing-miss-ya messages with her secret friend while her children sleep next to her, meets him on the sly, hides him from her husband. But when the husband follows her to a rendezvous he's made to look like a worm.

Because, hold your breath, she hasn't slept with him.

Adultery is not just about the bed. It is also in the head. Luckily for us "A Family Man" has a wealth of well-written, deftly shot episodes that manage to merge the themes of working-class conflicts and terrorism seamlessly. If you like binge-watching, this one is for you. Like many of the characters in it, "The Family Man" leaves us viewers with no choice.

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NRI Pulse

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

October 2019

Stop Treating Sex As Hrithik: My Benchmark Will Be Higher Anushka In Fortune Mumbai: (IANS) Actor Hrithik Roshan says some time to record blockbuster profits, but the Taboo, Says Kangana the back-to-back India's List Of Most success of "Super 30" and "War" film's opening has been up to expectations. Openencourages him to set his benchmark higher. ing as a solo release across around 4,000 screens Powerful Women "I would like to say, thank you very much. in the festive holiday weekend, "War" recorded

Kangana Ranaut feels instead of treating sex as a taboo topic, parents should encourage their wards to have responsible sex. Disclosing that her parents were shocked when they discovered she had an active sex life, Kangana said, while it was important to have sex, one should not be obsessed with the idea of sex.

"Sex is an important aspect of everyone's life. When you want sex, just have it. Don't be obsessed. There was a time when you were told to marry someone, and your emotions were directed towards that person. In history, because of invasions, people's ideas are still there, that our scriptures don't allow sex. Parents should be happy with children having sex. Children should have responsible sex. My parents were shocked when they find out I was sexually active. Parents should encourage children to have sex," said Kangana.

The actress was recently seen in the film "Judgementall Hai Kya", which also featured Rajkummar Rao, Jimmy Shergill and Amyra Dastur.

I think I am fortunate that I have done films that the highest first-day collection for any Bollywood have empowered me. I felt so much love and film ever, raking in Rs 53.35 crore.

The film two massively popular heroes, Hrithik and Tiger.

Talking about two-hero films, Hrithik said: "I think to pull off two-hero films, you really need two people who have real and honest admiration and love for each other.

If not, the director is dead! As far as Tiger Shroff goes, I genuinely feel so much love and so much admiration for the person and the actor he is. I don't think the film would have been possible without these."

Hrithik revealed he had no expectations from the film when he started shooting. "When I started working on this film, I had no expectations. I had no expectation, but I had anticipation, fear and aspiration, that I need to be my best passion for both the films. After this, I feel every in the next shot. Not just me, everyone needs to encouraged. From now, I will set my benchmark be their best in the next shot. So I don't think I even higher," said Hrithik, at a press conference had thought about expectations or the box-office to celebrate the success of "War" in Mumbai on collection when we were making the film. It was Friday. Accompanying the actor were co-stars Ti- just about doing our next shot best. Once the film ger Shorff and Vaani Kapoor, and the film's direc- was completed, that is when hope started to build tor Siddharth Anand. up. That hope paid off more than expected, into "War" is an expensive film and will take success and celebration," said Hrithik.

Actress Anushka Sharma has been named in the Fortune India's top 50 list of Most Powerful Women of 2019.

The actress, who ventured into Bollywood in 2008 with the film "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", is the youngest woman on the list and ranks at 39.

Fortune India wrote about the actress: "Sharma is not only the face of her clothing line Nush and several other brands such as Nivea, Elle 18, Myntra and Lavie, but also a producer. Clean Slate Films, which Sharma set up when she was 25, has produced three small-budget Hindi filmsNH10, 'Phillauri', and 'Pari'.

"They made around Rs 40 crore each at the box office. Moving beyond Bollywood, Clean Slate Films has tied up with Netflix to produce a feature film titled 'Bulbul' and a web-series called 'Mai'. It is also developing and producing a web-series for Amazon Prime Video.

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NRI Pulse

..... What’s Cooking? .....

October 2019

Festive Sweets With Almonds

Celebrity chef Manish Mehrotra shares some almond-based nutritious festive recipes.

Almond & Makhana Kheer Serves: 2 - 3 people Ingredients Full cream milk 2 cups Sugar 4 tbsp Saffron strands a pinch Green cardamom powder 1/2 tsp Almond slivers 1/2 cup Makhana (fox nuts) 1 cup Ghee 2 tbsp Method: Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, roast makhanas and almond slivers till they are golden.

Heat milk and saffron strands in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring the milk, so that it does not stick to the bottom.

Add sugar to the milk and mix well.

Add the whole makhana to the milk. Add the almond slivers to the mixture.

Keep cooking the mixture till the makhanas soften and milk thickens a bit.

Serve the kheer hot or chilled. Top it with roasted almond slivers and chopped roasted makhana.

Almond & Coconut Burfi Ingredients Freshly grated coconut 1/2 cup Blanched almonds 1 cup

Sugar (fine/ breakfast) 1 cup Desi ghee 1/3 cup Method: In a non-stick pan add ghee, coconut and almond mixture on low medium heat. Stir to mix well and keep on stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pan or getting burnt, until it begins to leave the sides of the pan, lumping up as one mass. Add sugar and fold it well.

Apply ghee onto a baking sheet and keep aside.

Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for a few more minutes until the residue sticking to the sides of the pan starts to look opaque and dry, which means the consistency is nearing almost right for solidifying.

Remove onto the greased plate / sheet. Mix the dough with greased hands, pat it flat into a neat square with a greased rolling-pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Smooth out the surface if needed.

When cooled partially, cut into equal squares with a knife. Once completely cooled (about an hour or so), separate out the burfis with a flat spatula and store in an airtight container

Almond Strawberry Cream Serves: 3-4 Ingredients Almonds 1/2 cup Strawberry (Fresh) 12-14 pcs Whipping Cream 1 cup

Holy Basil leaves (Tulsi) 1 tsp Sugar (powdered) 3 tbsp Method: Toast the almond flakes in the oven at 180 degree C for 4 minutes.

Cut the strawberries into 1 cm dices.

Whip the cream along with sugar.

Do not over whip it or the butter will separate.

Mix the almond flakes and strawberries into the cream along with hand torn holy basil.

Garnish with almonds and sliced strawberries.

..... InVogue .....

Top Trending Diwali Outfits For Women In 2019

BY RANI SHARMA Is your wardrobe ready for the upcoming Diwali festivities? Kurtis, kurtas, shalwar suits and saris are a common sight during the season.

It’s time to think out of the box. It’s time to think Indian combination and fusion wear.

Fusion outfits with dhoti shalwar —These are so in and are official for multi-day wear or a wedding night wear. There are various kinds of

dhoti styles and celebs are much into these styles.

Attempt your dhoti with coats or peplum short tops to short Anarkali dresses.

Indo western outfits with sarees—This is additionally a fascinating style articulation.

Celebs like Sonal Kapoor are the genuine motivators of this pattern. Take a stab at the vibes of dhoti saree, a gasp style saree, a saree with shirt or kurti and numerous different ways with belts

and jackets.

Indo western draped and stitched outfits—Western outfits are simply sewed to flawlessness for an Indian fusion look. Attempt these for this festival season or gathering.

Western outfits with palazzo pants— They are exceptionally cool whether they are flared or tight or hacked up palazzo pants. The three-piece look is immaculate, aside from Anarkali dress matched with

flared palazzo or a shirt kurti with palazzo.

Jewelry: Pair hanging tussle earrings and big chunky kada (bangle).

Shoes: Pointed heel sandals or shoes Hair: Open hair with curls on one side Purse: Clutch or small sling purse

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

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NRI Pulse

October 2019