Saathee Feb 09 Clt digital

February 2009

Backwaters, Kerala

In this issue:

Indian-American Soldier in Afghanistan

Kiran: Crisis Services

Asin

February 2009

Saathee

saathee.com

Hello Readers The response from web-surfers to the new saathee.com has been overwhelmingly positive. Have you checked it out yet? Visit www.saathee.com and let us know what you think via the comments section. The re-designed site offers a comprehesive listing of businesses and community organizations in the area plus searches, digital edition of Saathee, videos, archives and much more. We hope the website is useful to you.

During these hard economic times, support from our loved ones is priceless. So don’t forget the one you love on Valentine’s Day! Also check out articles in this issue that will help you weather the economic storm. See pages 38, 54, 56, 62, and 72.

Meet Sidharth Handa, an Indian-American who recently served in Afghanistan for the United States Army. See pg. 14 for the interview.

Our Community News section starting on page 80 offers a complete guide to local and regional organizations and their activities. Keep up with all upcoming holidays and festivals with our list on pg. 104.

Your suggestions and comments are always welcome.

Your saathees: Samir, Divakar, Raj, Nate, & Himanshu

In this issue:

February 2009

Saathee

Quote: “Enslave the liberty of but one human being and the liberties of the world are put in peril.”

- William Lloyd Garrison

February 2009 – Issue # 130 Editor:Samir Shukla (saatheemag@hotmail.com) Publisher: Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com) Community News Editor: Rajesh Ganatra Ad Design / Layout: Nate “Namdev” Andrews Consultant: Himanshu Desai Contributors for this issue: Pradip Bulsara, Kirit Shukla, Rajesh Ganatra, Manisha Dass, Chandan Sen, Amit Arya, Pankaj Jain, Dr. Maha Gingrich, Narendra Dixit, Aishwarya Ramaswamy, Gail Z. Martin, Anjana Agarwal, Judith L. Bergman, Dr. V. P. Vaidik, Ananya Mallavarapu, Olga Han, Jalendu Vaidya, and Dr. Meena Chelury.

All contents © 2009 Shukla Entertainment, Inc. Opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily of the publisher or editor. Contact us prior to sending in articles or photographs for submissions.

Saathee is published monthly. Deadlines for advertisement, submissions and events information is 15th of the previous month.

Mission: Our goal is to be a valuable source of information for the Carolinas’ South Asian community and to be a vital advertising tool for businesses.

Saathee Magazine

P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 Phone: (704) 527-7570 Fax: (704) 527-7590 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com

www.saathee.com Cover: The backwaters of Kerala

The kettuvallams (Kerala houseboats) in the backwaters are one of the prominent tourist attractions in Kerala.

More than 400 kettuvallams ply the backwaters, 120 of them in Alappuzha.

Photo: istockphoto

February 2009

Backwaters, Kerala

Mumbai Attacks Not Economic Disaster . . . . .pg. 08 Kiran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 10 Smoke Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14 An Indian-American Soldier in Afghanistan . .pg. 16 Saathee Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Film and Music Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22 Sangeet, Music of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 24 Evergreen Film Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 26 Bollywood Snippets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28 Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32 Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 34 Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Better Banswara, Mediocre Mumbai . . . . . . .pg. 38 Dentist Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40 Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42 The Chai Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 Astride three continents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 48 Healthwise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50 Flavor Feast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 52 Stock Tickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54 Marketing turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56 Personal Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58 Immgration Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 Job Interview Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64 Cricket Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 66 One Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70 Isha Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72 Job Search in a Tough Economy . . . . . . . . . .pg. 74 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 80 Community News & Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 82 Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 104 Who Want’s to be a Scholar . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 106 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 106 AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 108 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 110 Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 110 Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 112

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

In this issue:

Indian-American Soldier in Afghanistan

Kiran: Crisis Services

Asin

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26/11 Mumbai Attacks

Not an Economic Disaster An opportunity, not economic disaster

By Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar Has the terrorist attack on Mumbai wrecked India's economy and led to a flight of foreign institutional investors (FIIs), as was feared after 26/11? Not at all.

Foreign portfolio investors have adopted Nathan Rothschild's maxim that the best time to buy shares is when blood runs in the streets.

On November 28, in the middle of the Mumbai gunfight, they bought $159 million net of Indian stocks and bonds (their purchases of bonds greatly exceeded sales of equities). And, in December, they bought a net $433.5 million of equities and $155.4 million of bonds, making a total dollar inflow of $589 million. So, FIIs are treating the Mumbai attack as a buying opportunity, not a tragedy that dents global business confidence. They remember that the 9/11 attack was horrific, but that this very horror made it an excellent time to buy equities. They are following the same principle in India.

This is especially striking since in earlier months, from the start of 2008 to 26/11, FIIs had pulled a massive $13.5 billion out of Indian markets, sending the Sensex crashing from a peak of 21,000 to 9,027 on November 26, just before the terror attack. Pessimists feared that the Mumbai attack would lead to further outflows. Surprise, surprise, dollars flowed in instead.

Markets were closed next day, but re-opened on November 28. Most people feared disaster on that day, but after a bad start the Sensex actually gained 66 points, ending up at 9093. By the end of December it climbed further to 9,647, and then crossed 10,000 a few days later.

If indeed the attack aimed to hit stock markets and foreign confidence in India, it failed dismally.

The attack had a short-term impact on tourism and hotels. But long-term flows of foreign direct and portfolio investment are unlikely to be affected. The long-term India story remains unchanged-terrorism is part of that story, and investors understand the risks.

India has been subject to Islamic terrorist attacks for two decades, and major Indian cities witnessed a series of bomb blasts in 2008. The Mumbai attack was notable for providing reality TV for 60 hours rather than for high casualties - 250 were killed in the Bombay serial blasts of 1993 and 174 on July 7, 2006. Indeed, 3,500 people die falling off Mumbai trains every year. Every death is a tragedy, but 26/11 was not exceptionally tragic in numbers.

Maoists have been waging insurrection in many states, and Maoist incidents have been reported from 157 of February 2009

India's 600 districts. Many of these are in central India, which is rich in mineral ores. This has hobbled some mining and steel projects. Such risks are, however, already factored into the calculus of investors. Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd had already assessed India as the riskiest of 14 Asian countries. The risk would have been seen as higher only if investors thought that India and Pakistan would go to war. That, however, is not going to happen.

The US has pressured Pakistan to crack down on militants, though not nearly as hard as India would like.

After the UN strictures, the Pakistani establishment will rein in the wildest groups, not out of love for India but simply to avoid further diplomatic embarrassment. That is positive news for India's economy.

This does not mean, of course, that 26/11 has had no adverse impact at all on the Indian economy. Tourists galore have cancelled bookings and hotel occupancy is down. However, tourism is not among the top Indian industries. The global recession was already taking its toll before the Mumbai attack, and tourist cancellations will worsen the situation. But foreign exchange earnings from tourism, at around $10 billion per year, are barely one percent of India's GDP. They are less than a quarter of the $42 billion of remittances to India by overseas Indians.

While tourist hotspots will suffer, the Indian economy as a whole will shrug this aside. Indian economists are far more worried about the impact of the global recession than of the Mumbai attack. As the saying goes, when you are fighting the alligators in a swamp, you do not worry about the mosquitoes.

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February 2009

Saathee 9

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By Manisha Dass With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, lovers all over the world have begun shopping for their significant others. The air smells sweet, the birds are singing a little more loudly, and love seems to be all around.

But relationships are not always a walk in the park and they are not always a bed of roses. Imagine being in a relationship where a declaration of love simply isn’t enough. Imagine being in a relationship where domestic violence is a part of your every day life. If you think that you or nobody you know could be affected by this, think again. One in five South Asian women is affected by some form of domestic violence every year in the state of North Carolina. A local organization, KIRAN, is hoping to be the catalyst that lowers this statistic, or at the very least, raise awareness in the South Asian community.

Two medical students attending UNC originally formed KIRAN in 1998. Similar to what KIRAN aims to do today, the two students hoped to raise awareness about domestic violence amongst South Asians in North Carolina. The two students soon afterwards joined efforts with a local attorney, Vandana Shah, a current board member of the newly formed KIRAN, and three other volunteers. Together, they formed KIRAN, a non-profit aiming to be a crisis service organization for South Asians in North Carolina affected by domestic violence.

The organization unfortunately did not take off the way the six volunteers intended. Being solely run by volunteers, funding quickly became an issue, and the organization went on hiatus until about four months ago. KIRAN was given a GCC grant in June of 2008, and in August of 2008 a program director was hired to revive the organization.

Rovina Nimbalkar, an MSW graduate from the NC State School of Social Work, joined KIRAN in August of 2008 and since then she has made great efforts to ensure that KIRAN remains as active as possible to serve those South Asians who are victims of domestic violence. Her approach was to start from scratch, and begin from the beginning with building up KIRAN once again.

Nimbalkar is making efforts to join hands with other organizations in the community and her collaboration efforts are helping to increase awareness.

Organizations such as Interact, the Durham Crisis Center, and Family Violence & Rape Crisis Service of Chatham County, now refer South Asian clients to KIRAN. All the organizations share a similar goal: to raise awareness and support the victims in whatever way they can, without providing legal advice while maintaining strict confidentiality.

In Nimbalkar’s experience, a lot of women do not February 2009

know what domestic violence is. “Domestic violence can be emotional, economical, verbal, mental, and physical,” she clarified. With the support of KIRAN staff, Nimbalkar wants victims to be aware of what domestic violence is and realize that there is help and support for them. Nimbalkar also clarified the common myth that most people believe: domestic violence only occurs in low-income, or non-educated families.

“Domestic violence is prevalent in all societies, no matter what your level of education or how much money you make,” she said.

Avani Parekh-Bhatt, co-director of KIRAN, also works with Nimbalkar to increase awareness of domestic violence in the South Asian community.

Parekh-Bhatt has been involved with non-profit organizations for several years and is extremely passionate about social causes especially those affected the South Asian community.

She is making constant efforts to raise funds for KIRAN, and works hard to ensure that the reason KIRAN folded before does not happen again. “With this economic climate, we can have funding one year and nothing the next,” she said. “Give us $5 a month. Tell people about us. Volunteer with us,” she requested.

Parekh-Bhatt also recognizes that KIRAN folded not long after they started the organization about ten years ago because it was mainly a volunteer/student initiated effort. “While we want the energy of students, we want people that are grounded in community that will stay for awhile,” she said. When KIRAN was originally formed, there was no staff, which led to no accountability. According the Parekh-Bhatt, having a staff provides a permanent structure and brings in a factor of accountability and evaluation.

Her approach is to combine grassroots and a more formalized effort to get KIRAN off the ground.

Together, Nimbalkar and Parekh-Bhatt have already conducted two volunteer training sessions, in which the volunteers are trained to help the victims who call and seek support from KIRAN. The services provided include a crisis line available Monday-Friday from 9 am – 9pm. The help line is run by staff and trained volunteers, and is mainly used to offer assistance, support, safety planning, and a venting resource for the victims. According to both Nimbalkar and Parekh-Bhatt, many calls are just victims wanting to cry and have their voice be heard.

While they are trained on crisis counseling, they are not trained for and do not give any legal advice or tell the victim what they should do. The staff and volunteers of KIRAN offer support and resources, and only take whatever information the caller wants to give. All information is strictly confidential. KIRAN staff and volunteers place a great deal of importance on confidentiality.

Another service that KIRAN offers the community is a support group for survivors, and (current) victims of domestic violence. The group meets once a week and provides support to women going through domestic violence.

KIRAN also provides translation services and volunteers can translate in the following South Asian languages: Hindi, Marwadi, Gujarati, Kannada,

Saathee

continued on page 100 saathee.com

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February 2009

Saathee 11

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Smoke Rings

By Jug Suraiya Thanks to India’s Health Minster Ramadoss, there are smoke rings spreading all over the country. No, the hookah-pani-bandh minister hasn’t taken up puffing himself. But, owing to his anti-smoking crusade, informal circles, or rings of smokers are changing the social topography of the nation. The other day I was invited to a Delhi club. When I got there I found the host and the hostess sitting at a long table around which were arranged a dozen empty chairs. I apologized for having arrived too early, before any of the other guests. No, no, my hostess assured me. Everyone’s already here.

They’re all outside, she said.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll step outside for a while myself, she added, and disappeared. My host and I sat a while in silence, contemplating the empty seats.

Carry on, my host said finally. Go and join them, he waved me off. But how about you; we can’t just leave you sitting here all by yourself, I protested.

Someone has to stay here and hold on to our table, and seeing as how I’m the host, I guess it’s my responsibility, he said. So I left him there, sitting alone at the deserted table, cloaked in a glowing nimbus of self-sacrifice, the captain going down with his ship, Sidney Carton in the tumbrel headed for the guillotine. I went outside and spent a very pleasant evening with people I’d never met before. I never did get their names, but one was an India Kings Extra Mild, two were Marlboro Lights and another was a Habanos Monte Cristo No 4 Classy.

The health minister’s no-smoking-in-public-places diktat has turned get-togethers with friends in clubs, pubs, restaurants, and cafés into get-togethers with perfect strangers as people nip out to light up, on balconies, terraces, patios, street corners, any non-taboo nook or crevice they can find, where they chance upon others of a similar bent of purpose, with whom they form a convivial if transient confederacy, a sodality of Smokers’ Anonymous. Often, barring a brief salutation at the beginning of the evening, guests don’t get to meet their hosts at all, and vice versa.

But that’s all right, because you get to meet so many new people you’d never met before, and might never meet again. It’s like party hopping, except instead of your having to hop from party to party, different parties hop to you, in the form of a Dunhill Luxury Length wanting a light, a Benson & Hedges Regular who assures you February 2009

he never inhales, and a passive-smoker groupie who says she always does.

As smokophobia — the fear of Big Brother catching you in the act — spreads from public places into private residences, it gives rise to new niceties of social protocol. For instance, there is the logistical problem of serving food and drink to guests who have en masse decamped from the designated party premises to go smoke in assorted outdoor spaces. Should the considerate hostess, anticipating such an exodus, equip her guests with airline-style meal boxes they can cart out with them? What about drink? Does anyone have a phone number for a Rent-a-dog agency that does Swiss St Bernards, brandy casks and all?

Provisioning is not the only problem. When does the host know when the last guest has gone and the host can safely call it a night? A hospitable couple was kept up till what are called the wee hours by a guest on the lawn who refused to go.

It was only by dawn’s light that the discovery was made that the occupant of the lawn wasn’t a thickskinned guest but the night chowkidar who’d brought his hubble-bubble along to ward off the wintry chill.

Such glitches apart, smoke rings are a growing trend, even among non-smokers who find them fascinating for their lucky-dip unpredictability. You never know whom you’re going to meet, thanks to a smoke ring (a flaky Wills Flake, a regal Regent King Size?). With one notable exception. You will never, ever meet the health minister.

And for this relief, Ramadossji, much thanks.

Source: Times of India

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An Indian-American Soldier in Afghanistan

By Samir Shukla Pick a career. Engineer. Doctor. Scientist. Lawyer.

Information Technology. These are generally the preferred lines of work for many Indian-Americans. Few Indian-American youngsters, born and bred in the United States, join the armed forces. Sidharth Handa is among the exceptions. Although becoming a soldier didn’t cross his mind until he was in college.

He not only signed up for the Army reserves, but also spent better part of last year on a mission in Kunar Province of Afghanistan. Kunar is in the insurgency hotbed of Northeast Afghanistan on the border with Pakistan.

Handa returned in November 2008 after serving his assignment in Afghanistan. We chatted about his experiences as he was preparing to head off to medical school in early January 2009. He was preparing for his trip to England to spend his first year in med school there and will attend medical school at St. Navy Commander (CDR) Daniel W. Dwyer presenting George’s University Handa with the Bronze Star Medal. in Grenada after that.

Sidharth Handa (nick name: Tony) is 29 years old and was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Greenville, SC. He attended and graduated from Furman University in Greenville.

He received a Bronze Star Medal (for meritorious service) for his work in Afghanistan.

Along with his duties with the army, he also worked as a mentor, including with the Red Crescent and other organizations. “I worked with refugees and humanitarian assistance. I really enjoyed work there. I wouldn’t mind going back,” Handa said.

Here are some highlights of the interview with Handa: Tell me a little about yourself, your family and your childhood.

My mom is from Delhi and my dad is from Chandigarh. My mom moved to DC from India when February 2009

she was 15. When she was 20, she went back to India to get married. My parents moved back to DC. Shortly after they had me, they moved to Greenville so my father could start working as an engineer at Michelin. My mother also got a job with them eventually and both of them have been working for Michelin ever since. I went to high school at Southside High School as part of the International Baccalaureate Program. After graduation, I went to Furman University in Greenville and joined the ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) between my sophomore and junior year because of the excellent scholarship opportunity. After graduation, I received my commission as a United States Army Officer in the Medical Service Corps. I worked for Novartis Pharmaceuticals and then Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmacaeuticals full time and was in the Army reserves one weekend every month. In 2007 I was retrained by the Army into the Special Operations community as a Civil Affairs officer. I was then deployed to Afghanistan for my 12-month tour (9 months actually in the country). I am now in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England in medical school at St George’s University. My sister, Monica, also attended Furman University and graduated in 2007, then started law school at UNC Chapel Hill.

Did you have a typical desi upbringing in South Carolina?

There were only at most a couple of hundred desi families in Greenville when I was growing up, so even though I had a lot of Indian friends, I was raised to make friends with many other social groups. My family remained as religious as possible with regular pujas and going to the temple after it was built. We visited family in DC a great deal, also, where there is a large desi presence.

Is there anyone else in your family in the armed forces, here or in India?

The only person I know of in the military was my great uncle in India many decades ago, but I don’t know too many details about that.

Did you know at an early age you wanted to join the army or was it something that happened during your college years?

Joining the Army was probably something that anyone who knew me in high school would say I would NOT do. I was a little bit of a mama’s boy and didn’t really “get dirty” so to speak. It shocked many people, but Eid lunch with Governor in Afghanistan it really was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What was your motivation for joining the Reserves?

I joined the Reserves between sophomore and junior years at Furman University. They had a very good

Saathee

continued on page 98 saathee.com

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Kisse Pyaar Karoon (Director: Ajay Chandok) Cast: Arshad Warsi, Ashish Chowdhry, Yash Tonk, Shweta Menon, and Shakti Kapoor

3. Chandi Chowk To China Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shorey, and Mithun Chakraborty

Chal Chala Chal (Director: Rajiv Kumar) Cast: Govinda, Murli Sharma, Reema Sen, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri, Asrani, and Manoj Joshi

4. Raaz: The Mystery Continues Emraan Hashmi, Adhyayan Suman, and Kangna Ranaut

Aloo Chaat (Director: Robby Grewal) Cast: Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Shariff, Linda Arsenio, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Manoj Pahwa

5. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Kajol & Rani

Dev D (Dir: Anurag Kashyap) Cast: Abhay Deol, kalki Koechlin, Mahi Gill, and Parakh Madan

Top Five Songs - Februar y 09 1. Delhi-6: “Rahna Tu” Music: A.R. Rahman Singers: A.R. Rahman, BennyDayal & Tanvi

Gulaal (Director: Anurag Kashyap) Cast: Deepak Dobriyal, Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastav, Piyush Mishra, Ayesha Mohan, and Jessy Randhawa

2. Dev. D “Nayan Tarse” Music: Amit Trivedi Singers: Amit Trivedi

Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye (Dir: Madhureeta Anand) Cast: Randeep Hooda, Raima Sen, Arbaaz Khan, Eka Kumari Singh, Suhasini Mulay, and Anjan Srivastava

3. Lucky By Chance: “Yeh Jindagi Bhi” Music: Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy Singers: Shekhar Ravjiani and Loy Mendonsa

Jugaad (Director: Anand Kumar) Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Hrishita Bhatt, Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra, Akshat Kumar & Govind Namdeo

4. Ghajini: “Guzarish” Music: A.R.Rahman Singer: Javed Ali

Billu Barber (Dir: Priyadarshan) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Asrani & Om Puri

5. Slumdog Millionair: “Jai Ho” Music: A.R. Rahman Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah and Mahalaxmi Iyer (Note: This top five is based on the following non-scientific research: your feedback, video rental, box office from India and United States, internet opinions & our opinion) February 2009

Saathee

Fox (Director: Deepak Tijori) Cast: Arjun Rampal, Sagarika Ghatge, Udita Goswami, Sunny Deol, and Vipul Gupta saathee.com

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Saathee 19

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Film & Music Reviews

By Aishwarya Ramaswamy Chandni Chowk to China Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone , Mithun Chakraborthy , Ranvir Shorey Director: Nikhil Advani Nikhil Advani’s muchhyped Chandni Chowk to China is finally out.

Though Advani has proved his mettle as a director with his earlier ventures, CC2C fails to meet the highly set bars.

The trailers and the promotions did give an idea that this movie is something action lovers would gravitate to. Apart from the laudable Kung Fu action sequences choreographed by Huan Chiu Ku and Abbas Ali Moghul, the comical dialogue adds to the entertainment factor of this movie. The story revolves around a roadside vegetable cutter in the by-lanes of Chandni Chowk and his eventful trip to China. Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) is portrayed as a goofy loser who finds his deity in a potato! One fine day a couple of Chinese tourists come across this clown and for some ethereal reason end up with a staunch belief that Sidhu is the reincarnation of Lui Shang who was the only courageous soul able enough to defeat the local thug Hojo!

Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey), dupes Sidhu and both land in China. On his way to China he meets Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), a tele-shopping model promoting yet to be invented gadgets. Now the audience is introduced to the typical Bollywood element of flashback and family separation. The flashback starts with Hojo and his atrocious ways that were objected by Deepika’s father. Very predictably, Hojo destroys the whole family. To keep the movie going, Sakhi’s father has had a miraculous escape while Sakhi’s twin sister Meow Meow (also played by Deepika Padukone) works for Hojo. The rest of the story revolves around the destruction of Hojo and reunion of the separated family. In spite of the clichéd comedy and untimely item songs, this singing-dancing Kung Fu action affair does not totally fail as an entertainer.

waves. After Om Shanti Om became a blockbuster hit, bollywatchers have high expectations from this starstudded movie, especially since SRK and the sultry beauty Deepika Padukone are paired up again. Billu Barber is yet another remake venture by Priyadarshan. Pritam has composed the music of this movie where the number of songs seems never ending, where half are remixes. Many different singers have contributed their voices. This album has a good mix of catchy upbeat rhythms and slow romantic melodies as well as a couple of folk numbers. The opening song “Marjaani” by Sukhwinder Singh is a great dance number and seems to have been inserted to add a commercial element.

Though it resembles “Mauja hi Mauja” due to the mix of Punjabi lyrics, the fast rhythm makes you stay on to it. Right from the times of “Chaiya Chaiya” (Dil Se) to “Haule Haule” (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) Sukhwinder Singh’s voice for SRK has never churned out anything less than a super hit. With yet another song with the same combination, you start to wonder if he has been declared as the official voice of SRK. “Love Mera Hit Hit” will probably be the most popular song, since it’s the only one featuring Shahrukh and Deepika. The hinglish lyrics, tinged with rap, lend this song a clubby feel that should result in a hit. “Ae Aa O…”! Well, that actually is the title of the song. Coming from Bollywood, it shouldn’t amaze you.

The lyrics of the song say that it is one of those inspirational songs sneaked into the album to instill in the listener a sense of motivation. This would probably help boost the heroism of the already super hero!

Apart from the above, there are other songs like “Bhillu Bhayankar” and remixes contributing to the endless list. “Bhillu Bhayankar” set in a Bihari tone and “Jaoon Kahan” composed with a Sufi touch give an earthy, emotional touch to the album. It is a wellknown fact that Pritam has been accused of plagiarism in many of his earlier efforts. This endeavor, though nostalgic in traces, is still worth lending an ear.

Get more Film and Music reviews at www.saathee.com

Billu Barber Music: Pritam Lyrics: Gulzar and Sayeed Quadri The music of King Khan’s latest personal endeavor has just been released and is definitely creating February 2009

Saathee 22

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FA M I LY D J N U M B E R O N E !

By Kirit Shukla A Tribute to Bollywood Music Directors Chitragupta (1917-1991) Music director Chitragupta Shrivastava composed most of his works during the 1960’s in Hindi films. He was born in 1917 and composed music for more than 130 films.

Most of those were mythological movies and stunt movies, which could not become very popular and could not make much impression on Bollywood audiences. He hardly got the opportunity to work in box office hit movies. Here are some of his very famous songs: “Tum hi ho maataa, pitaa tum hi ho” (Film-Main Chup Rahungi), “Teri duniyaa se doora, chale hoke majboor” (Film-Zabak). It is believed that if you cannot make your desires come true, your siblings or children will. Today his sons Anand-Milind are well-known music directors in Bollywood films. They worked as assistant music directors with their father for about eight years. Chitragupta passed away on Jan. 14, 1991.

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Some of his other films (In alphabetic order): Aadhi Raat Ke Baad, Aakash Deep, Alibaba and 40 Thieves, Aulad, Bada Aadmi, Bade Ghar Ki Bahu, Barkha, Ek Raaz, Ganga ki Lahren, Gayatri Mahima, Guest House, Jai Hind, Kali Topi Lal Rumal, Maya Bazaar, Miss Mala, Naag Panchami, Oonche Log, Opera House, Patang, Shiv Ratri, Tel Malish Boot Polish, Tulsidas, Vaasna and so on...

My favorite meaningful classic song, “Chala uda jaa re panchee” is given in this issue of Saathee in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on page 24.

Khemchand Prakash (1907-1950) He was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan in 1907. Prakash was one of the great music composers in Hindi film industry in mid 1930’s to mid 1940’s, which was one of the best decades for black and white films. However, I don’t know much of his biography. He made his debut in 1939 for Hindi films. He died in 1950.

I remember his evergreen classic songs: 1. “Aayegaa, aayegaa, aanewaalaa” sung by Lata Mangeshkar in her early life, when she started getting fame, in 1949 film- Mahal.

2. “Chandaa re jaa re jaa re” film– Ziddi 3. All songs sung by Saigal in film –Tansen.

Some of the films with his music: Shri Ganesh Janma, Pagal, Vish Kanya, Diwali, Meri Ankhen, Holi, Pardesi, Tansen, Rim Jhim, Bhartruhari, Mumtaz Mahal, Sindoor, Asha, Ziddi, Gauri, Jan Pehchan, Mahal etc.

February 2009

Saathee

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Classic FILM LYRICS

By Kirit Shukla Song: Chala uda jaa re panchee Film: Bhabhi Music: Chitragupta Singer: Mohammad Rafi Lyric: Rajendra Krishna Year: 1958 Based on Indian Classical Raga: Pahadi Taal/Rhythm: Kaharavaa Starring: Balraj Sahani, Pandhari Bai, Nanda Chala uda jaa re panchee Chala uda jaa re panchee, aba ye desha huaa begaanaa. khatam hue dina usa daali ke jisa par teraa baseraa thaa,aaj yahaan aur kal ho wahaan ye jogi waalaa pheraa thaaYeh teri jaaagira nahin thi chaara ghadi kaa deraa thaa,Sadaa rahaa hai is duniyaa mein kisakaa aabo-daanaa;chal ud jaa re panchhi ..Tune tinakaa-tinakaa chuna kara, nagari eka basaayi, Baarish men teri bhigi paankhe, dhoopa men garmi khaaiGham naa kara jo teri mehanata tere kaama na aayi, Achchhaa hai kuchh le jaane se dekara hi kuchha jaanaa, Chala ud jaa re panchhee ..

Bhoola jaa aba wo masta havaa wo udanaa daali-daali, Jag ki aankha kaa kaantaa ban gayi, chaala teri matwaali, Kaun bhalaa usa baaga ko poochhe, ho naa jisakaa maali,Teri kismata mein likkhaa hai jeete jee mara jaanaa; chal ud jaa re panchhee ...Rote hain wo pankha-pankheroo saatha tere jo khele, Jinke saatha lagaaye toone aramaanon ke mele, Bheegi aankhiyon se hi unaki, aaja duaayen le le, kisako pataa aba isa nagri men kaba ho teraa aanaa; Chala ud jaa re panchhee …

Meaning (Summary): Fly bird, fly away, now; as this land has become aimless. The time you lived on this branch of a tree is over, today you are here & tomorrow you are there like a nomad. That was not your property, but it was your stay for a short awhile. Who had lives forever in this world! Fly bird, fly ... You have made your small world (nest) by picking small branches and leaves, one at a time. Your wings got wet in the rain and have suffered from heat also. Do not be unhappy if your efforts do not become useful to you. It is definitely better to leave by giving rather than taking. Fly bird, fly ...

Forget now that nice air and flying from one branch to another. The world does not like your happy gait anymore, since they became hateful like thorns. Who cares for a (barren) garden which has no caretaker!

Well, it was written in your luck to live a life like a dead one. Fly bird, fly ... All those birds with whom you had shared your desires and flew with you, are crying. You also take their blessings with your wet eyes, because who knows when you will return in this place! Fly bird, fly ...

February 2009

Saathee

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Visit saathee.com for Nazar Television local listings.

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Asin Does a Katrina After the success of Asin’s Hindi debut Ghajini this southern star is looking forward to London Dreams.

Interestingly her chemistry with her co-star Salman Khan is the talk of the town. Apart from this Sallu connection – sizzling chemistry and all, we’ve heard that her character in LD is similar to that of Katrina’s in Yuvvraj. London Dreams is about a rock band in England. Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, play childhood friends who are rock musicians in the movie. So while Katrina played the cello in Yuvvraaj, Asin will play the guitar in this film. And as Asin and Kat seem to be on the same song sheet, the newbie on the block – Asin that is, is on one helluva high note.

Abhay Was Crazily in Love

Contributed by Guatam Buragohain and Urvashi Ashar

Aishwarya Bit By a Leech Shooting in the thick jungles of Kerala may sound cool, but Ash and Abhi we’re sure won’t mind trading places with anyone who wishes to be in their shoes. The couple was shooting for Mani Ratnam’s next, tentatively titled Ravana in Kerala.

And never mind the adventure part of it all, shooting in the thick forests was proving to be pretty dangerous. A unitwala informs us that a leech bit Aishwarya Rai on the first day of shoot there. “The jungle is full of leeches, snakes and other wild animals that director Mani Ratnam had to hire local snake catchers to deal with such problems,” we are told. But our Tarzan and Jane Bachchan aren’t complaining at all, and are taking every bloodsucker in their stride.

Abhay Deol is one man who seems pretty interesting amongst the current lot of young actors. Abhay will soon be seen as the modern day Devdas in Sudhir Mishra’s film. And the role is one that he quite identifies with. “I have gone through my Devdas phase – long time back. I was a kid then, I was really young and crazy about a woman. But I have passed that stage,” he confesses to us. So Abhay has thrown away the bottles of beer, and even got over his dear. Is that clear?

Bipasha is Inspiring…

You never know where some newbies get their inspiration. But Bipasha Basu is a good source.

South actor Brinda Parekh, who has worked in South films like Pokkiri in Tamil and Buddhivanta in Kannada, now makes her way into Bollywood. She plays vamp in the Ajay Devgan-Salman starrer London Dreams. And considers the sexy Bips to be her inspiration.

After all Bipasha, too, played vamp in Jism, remember. “Yes, she is very beautiful and talented.

It’s going to take me a long time to get to where she is!” says Brinda. Oh yeah, if only it was everybody’s cuppa tea to pull of that kinda role.

Anushka’s Individualistic Look And while on Sonam Kapoor, there’s a newbie on the block, Anushka Sharma, who is constantly being compared to her. In spite of being just a film old, Anushka is making it clear that she hates comparisons. People have been constantly comparing her to Sonam, and have been saying that the two look quite alike. “I know they’ve been talking about it, but nobody has asked me this question directly. May be they are scared to ask,” says Anushka, “I don’t think I look like Sonam.

She has very different features.” But do we really know what Sonam looks like? She too changes her look with every photo-shoot she does, remember?

February 2009

Saathee

Imran Adopts Maamu Aamir’s Body Tactics Some uncanny similarities, after Jaane Tu... Imran Khan was tagged “chocolate boy” but with his very next he got into some great action with Kidnap. He had to work hard on his body to look convincing for the role of a kidnapper. Imran then worked harder – just like Aamir did for Ghajini – for a muscular look in Soham Shah’s Luck. And now, just like Aamir, Imu too is losing it all – the muscles, we mean.

Yes, the cute newbie on the block is all set to lose that muscular look for his forthcoming film Delhi Belly. The dude has stopped exercising and lost weight to sport a gaunt look in this sex comedy.

Interestingly, Aamir, too, is losing weight for Three Idiots. Some observation.

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Saathee 29

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John Abraham Advises Sameera Reddy

Shah Rukh’s Hand Shakes

If you guys think only the lesser mortals like us have to slog it out, read this one. We spotted Shah Rukh Khan at the airport. He was flying to the US. But what we also spotted was that SRK’s hand was bandaged.

Apparently the actor, who had obviously hurt himself badly was advised complete bed rest. However, SRK decided to join Karan Johar and the My name is Khan unit in LA. He called Karan and requested him to postpone the shoot for two days, and Karan was more than willing to do so. It’s all about loving this Khan.

Actor John Abraham is doing many-a-good-deed these days. After working with Nagesh Kukunoor in Aashayein which hopefully will release sometime this year, he swears by the director, so much so that when Sameera Reddy was offered a role in Nagesh’s Yeh Hausla, it was Johnny boy who asked her to grab it with both hands. And grab she did. Now Sexy Sam can’t stop raving about Nagesh.

Bollywood is so full of circles.

Aamir Khan Was In Depression

If you thought that not even a mountain could move this actor, you’re mistaken. For Aamir Khan, too, can get into depression. And that’s exactly what happened before the release of Ghajini. The actor got into what’s called “prenatal depression,” and this is something he has confessed on his own. “I was a nervous wreck and not too sure how well the film would fare.

I couldn’t smile or sleep, and I walked around like a zombie. I even lost my appetite,” Aamir tells us. But with Ghajini having raked in the moolah, and being declared a superhit, we guess it’s time for some post-natal celebrations, eh?

Secret behind Salman’s Youth “I cycle, swim, go to the gym, eat the right kind of food and sleep late as I don’t get sleep easily and wake up early, that’s the secret behind my age,” declares the Khan, when we wanted to know how he keeps getting younger with each passing year! Well, well famous words from the wise man. Heard that everyone? This is what that keeps the recently tuned 43 years old Khan going. Anyways, we don’t have any other choice, but to believe him. And about tips on how he calmed his infamous temper? Well, that bit of advice we’ll leave for next time.

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February 2009

Saathee

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Saathee 31

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Book Reviews

By Samir Shukla India People Place Culture History (DK Publishing) India is booming. The ancient lands are being paved with modern highways. These roads, the new infrastructure, are yet another thread, winding around the countryside, leading the country into the global economic arena and political influence. Over a billion people populate this noisy democracy while its countless cultural inflections, languages, lifestyles, religions and ethnicities remain intact. India: People Place Culture History is a fantastic hardcover book shedding light on the vast history and cultures of India. The landscape of India ranges from the Himalayas in the north to the deserts of the west, the lush tropical forests of the south and northeast to fertile lands in between. India’s personalities are as varied. The book is loaded with wonderful photographs that give a sense of place that is India with the ancient and the new. The historical and religious primers are concise and presented in a balanced and literate manner. The editors obviously have a love of India and the book is a showcase of that admiration. Besides the photos the book also features hundreds of original full-color illustrations. The book is the result of a labor of love that has bloomed and belongs in all home libraries. There’s also a short travel section featured for contemporary explorers. The interesting aspect is that the writers and editors interview everyday Indians to get a pulse on their daily lives and sense of pace. India is an ancient and living civilization that can confound casual observers. This book helps make sense of some of the joyous madness that is India.

The text and narrative are insightful and concise and thought-provoking. This book is on the spot in revealing and showcasing the melting pot that is India, a land that has absorbed so many outside influences while remaining unique. The marvelous photos alone are worth the price.

the lack of photos also leaves more room for recipes.

And recipes galore, from kabobs to grilled deserts. The book features 250 recipes “flame-kissed” as the author puts it. There are many unusual combinations and grilling techniques presented here including quesadillas, grilled Portobello salad with Roquefort dressing, lentil-stuffed pita pockets with grilled onions, veggie fajitas with chipotle sour cream, white pizza with leeks and peppers, Tandoori-style vegetable kabobs, and grilled nectarines with Mascarpone Cream. You get the picture. This book is not only for vegetarians.

Even meat grillers will find tasty ideas and recipes that can enhance their meals with numerous veggie options next time they fire up their grills. There are chapters on sandwiches, pizzas and flatbreads, appetizers, soups and kebabs as well as marinades, glazes, sauces, and desserts. It’s filled with a variety of easy dishes for gas grills, charcoal grills, or a simple campfire grill sizzling under an open sky. The expanded introductory chapter features helpful information on current equipment options such as pellet grills, grill pans, built-in grills, and indoor grilling machines. This new collection adds 50 new recipes along with improved techniques and equipment to the original edition. It’s simple. Open the book, find something you like, and fire up the grill.

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“Maam?” Anju pressed as the woman prepared to hurry away.

“Yes?” “They changed the gate to A-15, it’s right there.”

Anju pointed to the gate in the front of her and the woman smiled.

“Thank you. I’m afraid we would have missed our flight without you.”

Word World

“You’re welcome.” Anju watched the elderly woman walk away before glancing back at the screen. “It’s early?” Grabbing her luggage Anju made her way to the terminal at the other side of the airport. It was a good thing she checked to see if her plane to Dubai was early. Making it to the gate, she pulled out her necessary travel documents and a while later relaxed comfortably in her plane seat.

D R

E E V

L I

Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Use all letters for the subject word.

No repeating of any letters.

32+ words = Excellent; 26 to 31 words = Good; 25 or less needs to improve. (Solution at bottom of page)

A Trip

By Ananya Mallavarapu Traveling. Just the word placed exciting feelings in Anju. She adored airports, cars, and any other mode of transportation that could get her from one place to the next. However, as much as she loved exploring places, there were three places that she had to visit periodically. One was her American home city of Boston. It may have been Boston, but its charm and good times kept her feeling nostalgic. The other was her home city of Hyderabad, the place she was born and frequently visited, the third she guessed would be a quaint little town in Dordogne, France. A town she had come to love. As Anju thought about these things she walked to the airport TV that she hoped would tell her everything was alright with her flight. Furiously shaking thoughts about Boston away, Anju paid attention to the airport TV in JFK International Airport.

After all, she would be back in Boston soon enough.

“Excuse me.” Anju turned around and met an elderly woman traveling with what she presumed was her grandson. “Do you know if the 5 pm flight to Dallas is still on time?” Anju glanced at the monitor of airplane timings and found the flight the woman was talking about, or at least one of the three.

“Which airline are you flying on?” She asked turning back around.

“Southwest.” Looking back at the screen once more, Anju found the flight. “It’s early maam.”

“Oh, I suppose I should get going.”

February 2009

The flight was entertaining enough, with the in-flight movies and music, and her travel companions. Anju sat next to an elderly couple from India that had come to visit their daughter and grandson. She loved listening to their stories and smiled. She was dying to meet her grandparents again.

After spending her four-hour layover in Dubai walking around the expensive airport, Anju made her way to the gate. She made her way aboard and fatigue finally getting to her, fell asleep soon into the flight.

When Anju woke up, she saw the far-off lights of Hyderabad. How long had it been since she had visited? Resting her head against the glass Anju enjoyed the view until the landing. She always disliked this about plane rides: the way the landing made you brace and the noise that it created. When they arrived at the gate, Anju was more than ready to disembark.

She wanted to go to her grandparent’s home, relax, and sleep.

After making it through customs Anju walked to baggage claim. Several workers who wanted to make some quick money helping her load her bags approached her. Ignoring them, since she did not have that many, she grabbed her two small ones and walked out. Almost immediately the crisp and warm night air greeted her. For her travel-worn body this was entirely worth it. She quickly spotted her cousin and walked over.

“Ananth, Bavunava?” [1] “I’m good, you?”

“Good.”

“Ammamma nekosam car degara undi.”

“Pada, eldam!” [3]

[2]

[1] Bavunava- How are you? (Telugu). This is the informal version, used to address friends and close cousins.

[2] Ammamma nekosam car degara undi.- Ammamma (maternal grandma) is waiting for you at the car. (Telugu.)

[3] Pada, eldam- Let’s go! (Telugu) Word World (Solution): DELI, DELIVER, DERIVE, DEVI, DIRE, DIVE, DIVER, DREE, DRIVE, EIRE, ELIDE, ERIE, EVER, EVIL, IDLE, LEER, LEVER, LIER, LIVE, REED, REEL, RIDE, RIDER, RIEL, RILE, RIVE, RIVER, VEER, VEIL, VERD, VILE

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Dances of India

By Dr. Maha Gingrich Challenges of Dancing with Pitchers and Plates It is really interesting to see how many dance styles incorporate the use of pitchers and plates irrespective of their region and style.

This balancing act in both classical dances and folk/tribal dances requires a lot of practice, concentration and the ability to balance the pitcher on their head while dancing.

For example: In Kuchipudi dance style, which is a South Indian classical dance style from Andhra Pradesh, we perform a dance called Taranga Nritya.

We place a brass pitcher filled with water on our head and perform to several rhythms while standing, squatting and sitting. When I did my Arangetram (Dance Graduation), I had a high fever. I felt dizzy and my pot moved to the side of my head. I had to keep it there and complete that dance without dropping the pot. It is very intense to watch, especially as I was only six years old. Audiences were holding their breath, as they expected me to drop it anytime, but I did not.

Sometimes, we also place a brass plate on the floor and stand on it. This challenges the dancer to balance the pitcher, while dancing on the brass plate.

In recent days, you do not see much of such dances.

They are risky as you may drop the pot or miss your step on the plate and flip the plate. However, I am going to do the dance on the plate with RaviKumar Sindagi on April 18, 2009 during the stage production of our Dances of India performance.

Moving on to other styles, in a folk dance called Churkula from Uttar Pradesh; the dancer places the circular wooden piece, which holds 108 burning lamps.

Sometimes, the dancer also places oil lamps in each palm of her hands and mostly dances in darkness. It is truly fascinating to see the movements of lamps glowing in different patterns as the dancer gracefully and carefully makes her moves.

Another Indian folk dance that I have addressed in one of my previous issues is Karagam, from South India, especially from Tamil Nadu. In this dance style the pitcher is decorated with religious symbols, filled with uncooked rice and placed on the male dancersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; heads. They form a procession and while dancing and balancing these pitchers they pray and sing and make eye-catching dance movements.

The Riangs of Tripura perform Hazagiri dance in the month of August or September. Here instead of placing the earthen pots on their head, the dancers actually dance on the pots, which are larger in size.

Actually, Hazagiri is a form of Lakshmi, the goddess of February 2009

prosperity. This dance is performed to invoke this Goddess.

Let us not forget the Milkmaid dances in many classical dance styles like Kathak, Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi that also use the pitchers. Many Garba dances challenge the performers to use pitchers while making intricate formation and exchanging pitchers while dancing. Of course I do have to mention the use of Kalash during Hindu rituals (pooja), which represents the cleansing of the worshipper.

These are some of the examples of dance styles that use the pitchers and plates. I wanted to bring your attention to the similarities within the dance styles, both classical and folk and their commonalities in religious expressions. All these dance forms use the pitchers and plates that have religious significance.

Most important of all is the ability of the dancer to be challenged physically, spiritually and technically to balance and perform with such intricacies. To see some of these dances, please watch my Dances of India segment on Nazar television. You can also attend my Dances of India performance on April 18, 2009 to see two of us dance on a brass plate in Kuchipudi style.

Tickets are on sale at the box office â&#x20AC;&#x201C; call 704.330.6534.

For questions or comments contact Dr. Maha Gingrich via e-mail at: msgingrich@juno.com

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In addition to cricket there are a number of social events that take place throughout the year.

Saathee 36

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February 2009

Saathee 37

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Better Banswara, Mediocre Mumbai Musings from my Recent India Visit

By Pankaj Jain I recently visited India after a period of more than two years. I felt a real change in smaller towns and villages, for instance, even a small town like Banswara now enjoys wireless broadband Internet and the mobile phone has become an essential possession of every Indian.

Unfortunately, Mumbai has not changed much in last twenty years that I have been observing: same pollution, traffic, choking infrastructure, and negligible improvement in security even after the recent attacks.

Delhi, I have heard, has very aggressively improved its infrastructure with the help of metro train and stringent pollution control, though I have not visited Delhi recently.

Mumbai is still very chaotic politically with Shiv Sena and other equally divisive organizations. Even Congress has shown little political will to deal with the infrastructure or pollution or security so far. May be that is why Sheila Dixit keeps winning by working hard to improve Delhi. The only infrastructure change in Mumbai that I noticed was the work in progress for the monorail between Andheri and Ghatkopar. I hope it will lead to more such projects badly needed by “maximum city,” as Suketu Mehta calls it.

One thing, however, seems to have gone unnoticed by Mehta and Salman Rushdie, both of whom recently spoke at the Asia Society in New York, and preferred to call the city Bombay because Mumbai, according to them, is an “imaginary name” forced upon by the politicians.

However, Rajasthanis like my late grandmother and other millions of Marathi and Gujarati speaking people have been calling the city Mumbai long before the recent political enthusiasm of name-changing commenced in India.

I wish India sees its future in towns and villages like Banswara, the vision Gandhi once had. In the early nineties after I finished my Bachelor’s degree, when I was working in Jodhpur and Udaipur, they seemed like distant places compared to Mumbai. Now with Internet and mobile phone revolution, every “sleepy village” of India has the same access to information as the big cities and that is a huge step forward. The Gandhian vision could not be actualized while most of the villages were poor in terms of access to the information. So maybe it can happen now. Only if the people themselves were given more power to take their destiny in their own hands like the Panchayati Raj system that Gandhi had suggested, I think the information revolution would help even further.

I went to a high school in Banswara and many kids came to interact with me in their auditorium for two hours. I was astonished to see the intellectual energy of these boys and girls. They had challenging questions about India, USA, NRIs, their careers, the dominance of English, importance of studying history, etc. This is one of February 2009

the biggest changes at the grassroots level in India: a new energy unleashed because of the information revolution.

The kids challenged me with the questions about Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, and Jhumpa Lahiri!

Hopefully this young, empowered generation will prevent irresponsible politicians from assuming too much political control – although in the US that never happened.

The promise of democracy at least allows the people to kick the politicians out every few years. Fortunately, the liberalized economy keeps the government and politicians out, something that was not possible 20 years back.

Unfortunately the pollution control and the action against terrorism still need government intervention otherwise there is no hope in the near future for India’s security and pollution control. Thanks to corrupt politicians, India remains dangerously behind the curve on these issues.

After a brief stay in Rajasthan, I went back to Mumbai and then to Nagpur, Maharashtra. Almost at every place, my thoughts kept turning optimistic and pessimistic.

Almost every field where government continues to play a role continues to suffer, most notably the civic amenities, the environment, and security. According to the Economic Times, 2008 was perhaps the best year ever for Indian sports with spectacular success in cricket, Olympics, and many other sports. Wherever and whenever Indians can perform with their skills without the red tape of the government, they have outperformed their rivals.

However, one major disappointment continues to be the environment. During the wedding ceremony that I attended, I saw unbelievable amount of waste of food and plastic. After twelve years of stay in the United States, I naively wanted to recycle the plastic water bottles, only to be disappointed not to find even a garbage can.

Of course, littering continues to be a birthright of every Indian. Coming back to garbage generation and disposal, in 1960s and 1970s, the Western countries also had extremely polluted cities and rivers, but with tougher laws and active civic participation they successfully cleaned their cities and rivers. Alas, India and China are making the same mistakes of early Western countries, something Infosys co-founder has also noted in his latest best selling book “Imagining India,” but what he has missed is the situation with the agriculture and farmers.

He criticizes Indian farmers for using outdated practices. However, I think that the traditional farming practices of India will be the future for farmers not only in India but also even in the West. Soon, both the topsoil quality and even the quality of the food grains will be judged by the kind of farming practices. I visited the Ashrams of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave, at Vardha and Paunar, both near Nagpur. At both the places, there are dozens of NGOs inspired by their visions of agriculture as the backbone of Indian life and economy. All these NGOs use traditional farming such as organic fertilizers and prohibition of chemical fertilizers. It is these traditional Indian ideas that the West is just waking up to.

Last November, Bill Moyers, an anchor at the PBS aired a major interview on the evils of industrial farming in the USA. Sadly, I also found that the big Indian farmers also use the similar Western agricultural practices that were adopted by Indian “green revolution.” It seems like the perfect time to make a U-turn to traditional farming.

Some of us in the West wonder whether India will be able to sustain itself during this global recession. But

Saathee

continued on page 78 saathee.com

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soft deposits around your gums. In addition to the cleaning, your dentist will check your mouth for oral cancer, tooth decay, cavities and other potential problems. From a cost perspective, the cost of a preventive visit will far outweigh the cost of treating future dental problems.

A Dentist’s Blog

By Dr. Meena Chelury Riding out the Recession There is no end to the barrage of bad economic news! In the past few months, I have become familiar with unknown and mysterious terminologies like CDOs, derivatives, toxic loans, sub-prime, Alt-A loans, TARP etc, etc. Though I don’t know much about them, I do know that they are related to billions and billions in losses that are seriously affecting our economy. Not a single day goes by without headlines in our newspapers and on local TV talking about impending lay-offs and poor business conditions that will affect our community. Enough of this bad news. I am not an economist or finance specialist. I am just a dentist who enjoys taking care of my patients. So, let me weigh in with what you can do during tough economic times.

First and foremost, if you have severe toothache or dental conditions that need immediate help, please do consult your dentist or emergency care immediately.

As one of my patients once quipped, a toothache doesn’t understand economy and the pain is more excruciating than the economic hardship. So, please do take care of your immediate dental problems that need attention.

Economic hardships affect different people in different ways. Here are a few things you can do to take care of your dental health.

Focus on Preventive Care: Zero-cost Prevention: The easiest and probably the cheapest preventive care is your daily brushing and flossing. Make sure that you keep your teeth clean by brushing, at least, twice a day. You should floss regularly to prevent the onset of gum diseases. In my earlier blogs, I have written about gum diseases and how it affects your dental health including loss of teeth, bad breath and its linkages to heart disease. A $2 dental floss goes a long way in preventing future costs. Make sure that you change your toothbrush frequently, at least once in 3 months. Brush heads do get worn out easily. And again, another $2 investment goes a long way.

6 Months Visit for Cleaning and Checkup: I am sure your dentist might have reminded you about your regular visit and cleaning. You may wonder if you are cleaning daily, why you need to visit a dentist for a 6month cleaning. Well, during this visit, a well-trained dental professional cleans your teeth. A dental hygienist has lot more tools for cleaning including ultrasonic cleaners and hand-instruments, to remove hard and February 2009

Stress related problems: With falling stock markets, failing job and house markets, it is hard not to clench your teeth. No pun intended! I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the increase in stress-induced teeth clenching or grinding among the Wall Street professionals.

People with Bruxism, a medical term for grinding, gnashing or clenching your teeth, unconsciously clench their teeth while sleeping. It may be mild or require no treatment. However, if it is frequent and severe, it may lead to damaged teeth, jaw disorders and other problems. A clenched jaw can exert up to 300 pounds of pressure, which can wear teeth down and crack them, particularly where there are cavities or old fillings. People may not know they have this condition and it is difficult to catch. So, if you experience toothache, sore jaw or a headache after a good night’s sleep, you may very well have this condition.

Your dentist can help fabricate a night guard to prevent nighttime clenching.

Finally, do check on your employer paid dental insurance. If you have one, make use of it. Most plans offer a decent preventive coverage and it is for you to avail it. For others, who do not have insurance, you may want to check out the County Public Health Dental Clinics. UNC School of Dentistry, my alma mater, has been offering low-cost clinical services.

As always, should you have any question, feel free to drop me a note, or consult your friendly dentist.

See you in the next issue. Till then, keep smiling!

Dr. Meena Chelury can be reached at meenac@yahoo.com or www.AmberlyFamilyDentistry.com

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Rotation Close your mouth, pucker your lips and rotate clockwise 10 times and then anticlockwise 10 times.

Breathe normally.

Yoga

A Path of Life

By Pradip Bulsara Relief from Stiff Neck & Neck Tension Shoulder Lifts Start off with shoulder lift. Lift both shoulders up and simultaneously drop them down. Repeat the shoulder lift 10 times. Breathe in while lifting the shoulders and breathe out when dropping the shoulders down.

Repeat the movements from the top at least three times. This set of movements can provide relief from neck tension and regaining neck mobility. Try it out and have fun doing it.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.â&#x20AC;?

- Patanjali (translated from Sanskrit)

Opening/Closing Mouth Open your mouth wide and then close. Repeat the opening and closing of your mouth 10 times. Breathe out while opening the mouth and breathe in after closing the mouth.

Pradip Bulsara teaches a yoga class at the Hindu Center in Charlotte on Sunday mornings.

Bite Right/Left Bite on the right side and then on the left side. Repeat biting on the left and right 10 times on each side. Breathe out as you bite and breathe in as you relax your mouth.

Wiggle Left/Right Keep your lower jaw relaxed, mouth slightly open and wiggle your jaws left and right. Repeat 10 times.

Breathe normally.

February 2009

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The Chai Table Saathee Readers Forum

The Imperatives of the Regional Solution Dr. V. P. Vaidik Vice President Biden’s visit to Afghanistan on January 10 and Hamid Karzai’s to India in quick succession are parts of one jigsaw puzzle. President Obama would like to understand the intricacies of South Asian politics before he makes up his mind on the direction of his policy in the region. Biden has visited Pakistan in the past.

The issue before Obama is whether to continue with Bush’s policies or change them. The Mumbai attack has shaken the United States. This was evident in the continuous media coverage of the attacks. Obama’s comment, that India has the right to self-defense, does not sum up the issue.

The possibility of such attacks on Washington or New York must be haunting him. Now General Petraeus has come up with a new theory, according to which problems in Afghanistan cannot be solved unless India plays an active role in the region. He perceives terrorism and violence as regional issues with regional solutions, which require the participation of not only China, Russia and Pakistan but other neighboring countries, especially India. The US has made no concrete statement as yet; on the contrary, Obama is planning to deploy another 30,000 troops in Afghanistan.

The NATO forces are sacrificing and fighting bravely but are unable to get any success or credit. The two NATO ambassadors to Afghanistan have explicitly shown their frustration with current situation. The US reckons the slow progress of Afghan affairs and realizes that with the ongoing lackluster performance, it may take 15 more years to finish the job. Afghanistan has been like a second home for me. On my last trip, I visited several cities and villages, and I witnessed a remarkable disillusionment among the Afghans. They consider the NATO soldiers worse than the Russians.

The Afghans hate the way these soldiers raid their houses, search their women, and throw rockets on marriage processions and community centers. I am told by many persons that they are even complicit in opium smuggling in Helmand valley. The unsavory activities of NATO soldiers are also earning a bad name for Hamid Karzai’s government, which, in turn, is facilitating Taliban resurgence. Even after all these years, Hamid Karzai’s government remains fragile. There is no National Afghan Army strong enough to fight the Taliban. The ground reality is that if NATO forces were to leave Afghanistan, Taliban will not even take five hours to decimate the current government. In totality, United States’ Afghanistan mission has proven to be a failure, and this is the reason that the idea of a “regional solution” is gaining currency.

General Petraeus’s recent statement regarding a regional solution to the Afghan problem is on the same lines which I proposed in my earlier articles on the subject a few months ago. Last month Obama’s foreign policy advisors came to Delhi and for three days they February 2009

did an intense amount of brainstorming over the Afghan issue with Indian experts and officials. It appears as if the US is in some kind of hurry to leave Afghanistan. In a time of economic downturn, millions of dollars are going down the drain in maintaining the forces in Afghanistan. The US’s spirits are running low and their forces seem tired. In past seven years, US has spent about 120 billion dollars on this war.

The US experts are well aware that raising the number of soldiers is not going to help win the war against the Taliban. The outside solution has already failed.

They must look for an inside solution. The inside solution is called as regional solution in the parlance of International Politics.

What is this regional solution? Is it that the US withdraws its forces and India sends its forces to Afghanistan as their replacement? Surely, it will be sheer naïveté on US’s part to suggest such a solution at this juncture. In 1981, Babrak Karmal, President of Afghanistan, came out with the same solution to replace the Russian forces with Indian forces. The impracticality of the solution had made me turn it down immediately. My biggest worry is India agreeing to the regional solution proposed by US without considering its repercussions. Our leaders’ lack of experience in foreign affairs and the current heady atmosphere of IndoAmerican friendship can tilt the argument in favor of America. India should heed the lessons of history: in the past 150 years the Afghans have thrice defeated the mighty British forces, and drove the Russians out of Afghanistan.

Since the Afghan issue has far-reaching ramifications for South Asian politics, India, the regional superpower, cannot remain indifferent. No doubt, sending its forces to Afghanistan is in India’s interest. The Indian forces will also be much more effective than the NATO or American forces. The expenditure on them would be far less than on the NATO forces. However, Indian forces should not be imposed on Afghanistan like that of the US, NATO and the Russian forces. Before India takes any decision on Afghanistan and Pakistan should pass a resolution in their Parliament in favor of Indian forces being sent to Afghanistan. Pakistan’s collaboration is vital because no force can survive and win the war in Afghanistan without its support. A joint front of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India alone can exterminate the Taliban from South Asia. However, the active participation of Pakistan appears extremely doubtful with the growing tension between India and Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan is already facing Indian forces on its eastern front, and therefore, would never agree to have Indian forces also on its western front, lest it is surrounded on both sides by India. If the US has a plan to replace its armies in Afghanistan with the Indian Armies, it would not augur well for the US-Pak relations. Pakistan will resist this proposition tooth and nail. It was a different situation six month ago, when I mooted this idea. US will have to rethink its strategy of calling Pakistan as it’s only and reliable ally in the region against terrorism.

The attitude of Pakistan on the Mumbai attack is a case in point. The US should pick up courage to rescind the policy of artificial balance of power that it has created in South Asia since 1947. Is US ready to do so?

Only if America is ready for this fundamental change can the “regional solution” work.

Saathee

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romance), HEARTfelt (felt very strongly and sincerely) as in heartfelt thanks). 2

Harnessing the Power of American English

By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC Contrary to what many believe, Valentine’s Day is not a uniquely American holiday invented by greeting card companies! Various myths about its origins are summarized on www.AmericanCatholic.org and www.Wilstar.com and www.history.com which point to both Roman and Catholic roots. The Catholic Church, faced with making a mid-February pagan rite of passage for young men more respectable (a lottery where young men drew the name of a teenage girl from a box and she became his “partner” for a year), substituted the names of saints to be emulated for a year instead! The Catholic Church replaced the pagan god Lupercus with a third century priest, Valentine, the new patron saint. Valentine had been beheaded by the Roman Emperor Claudius for secretly performing marriages for soldiers after Claudius had banned marriage believing that married men made poor soldiers!

Before his death, Valentine signed a note to his secret love, the blind daughter of his jailer, “From your Valentine.”

This month we will look at the ways the word “heart” is used in the English language. Longman’s Dictionary lists twelve ways “heart” can be used and several more compound words.1 (1) Body: “He could feel his heart beating.” (2) Emotions: “He loved her with all his heart,”(3) Shape used to represent love. (4) The heart of something is the most important part (the heart of the matter; the heart of the city). (5) At heart is who you really are. “He seems tough but he is a sweet guy at heart.” (6) To know, learn or recite something by heart means to have memorized it. (7) In a card game, hearts means a playing card with one or more heart shapes on it. (8) If someone’s heart sank he suddenly became very sad or disappointed.

(9) To do something to your heart’s content (“conTENT”) not “CONtent”) means as much as you want to. “He went sailing to his heart’s content.” (10) Kind-hearted means having that kind of character. You can say “hard-hearted,” “cold-hearted” etc. (11) To have a heart of gold means to be generous and kind.

(12) To take heart means to have hope and to lose heart means to lose hope.

The meaning does lie in the “music.” Compound words (nouns made up of two words) are always said with the first word emphasized. SWEETheart, is a term of endearment usually reserved for romantic partners.

If you say “sweet HEART,” the native English speaker will hear two separate words with “sweet” as an adjective describing a heart (like “sweet candy”). Other compound words with “heart” which should be pronounced with the first part stressed are HEARTache (strong feelings of sadness), HEARTbreak (strong feelings of sadness and disappointment, perhaps for a lost February 2009

Memorize the difference between commonly confused words. Here is an example of the two words that sound alike, are commonly confused and whose incorrect usage escaped my notice when I proof read my January 09 Accent on News email newsletter: 3 Fill in the blanks with complement and compliment.

1. “They will ________ him on his excellent report.”

2. “These colors really _________ each other.”3 (Answers are below) Use context clues, dictionaries and special resources to learn idioms.

Here are common idioms that use the word “heart.”

Match these idioms with their meanings.4 ___Heart-to-Heart ___Set Your Heart on it ___Heart and Soul ___My Heart Skips a Beat ___Cross Your Heart a. Promise something is true b. Honest, serious c. I get very excited. d. All of your time effort and interest e. To want something very much Suggested strategies to increase your word power this month: 1. Look and listen for various ways heart is used in magazine articles and conversations.

2. To match the spelling and the correct meaning, remember the sentences: I received a compliment (praise). Each item complements (enhances) the other.

3. Listen to conversations and check newspapers and magazine articles for examples of headlines with metaphors and expressions using “heart” especially around February 14th!

References: Longman Dictionary of American English, Pearson Education Limited, 2004, p. 428-9.

2 Ibid. p. 429 3 Ibid/ pp.178-9.

4 The Idioms Workbook, 2nd Edition by Myra Shulman Auslin, Pro-Ed www.proedinc.com 2003, pp.258-262.

1

Answers: 1. compliment which to say something nice, to praise someone 2. complement which means to combine well with something else and bring out its good qualities.

3. Idioms: b, e, d, c, a.

Mastering Meaning

Saathee

Judith L. Bergman is the founder and director of Triangle Speech Services.

She is a speech pathologist and corporate speech trainer.

Contact: jlbergman@mindspring.com or 919-489-5464. www.trianglespeech.com saathee.com

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By Chandan Sen Hot, Flat and Crowded In this compelling book by Thomas Friedman, thrice Pulitzer Prize winner, the author uses his phenomenal writing skills to underscore the emergency facing planet earth.

Global warming (hot) is tied to globalization (flat) and the rise of the middle class (crowded). There is no longer any shred of doubt that global warming, caused by human activity, has had and will have very serious consequences for us all, and more importantly, for our children. Rising prosperity and demographic changes, especially in the developing world, but also in the developed world, has led and will lead to increasing consumption patterns and hence global warming.

I urge all my readers to immediately peruse this book and tune in to its message of alarm, on the one hand, and hope on the other. Without concerted action, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will soon reach 550 parts per million, or even more. Our motto should be to “Avoid the unmanageable and manage the unavoidable.” Tremendous negative consequences will follow the melting of the ice caps, rising sea levels and increasing atmospheric temperatures. Pests will not die out in winter, species will become extinct and the very survival of human beings on planet earth will be in the balance. I am not writing this because I am an alarmist; I am not. But when serious scientists write peer-reviewed articles; when people like Al Gore get the Nobel Peace Prize; when Katrina strikes; when polar bears start rapidly decreasing in number, and when island nations are getting submerged, we are probably already past the tipping point, or very close to it.

I confess that I’ve only finished half the book, and skimmed over the other half, but am intrigued that the author offers solutions, in the latter, to problems that he describes in the former.

The New Green China Thomas Friedman, in his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, has devoted an entire chapter to modernday China and its problems and opportunities vis-à-vis the environment.

Briefly, while China modernizes and builds, migrates its millions from villages to cities, and increases its cars, power plants and factories, there are forces in China pushing it to become “green.” Edicts from high Government officials, implementation by provincial and municipal employees, and watchdog activities by concerned citizenry, including media people, have all started to act in concert.

The most exciting success story concerns electric bicycles and mopeds, which have all but replaced petrol-driven ones. The owners of these clean, green February 2009

vehicles merrily ride them all over the city during the day and then dutifully carry the batteries upstairs to their rooms or apartments to charge all night. Of course, there is still a residual carbon footprint in this activity because the electricity used in the overnight charging of these batteries, comes from coal-fired power stations. But that is the challenge of the future, or in other words, is the next problem to be tackled.

The seventh richest businessman in China makes silicon photo voltaic cells, which are renowned for both their high quality and low price. Although most of these solar cells are exported, there is a growing, internal demand in China for these energy-converting cells. Let’s hope that the trend continues.

Likewise, wind energy has been harnessed in some areas using windmills, and the air has been cleaned up by closing down inefficient, energy guzzling cement plants and replacing them with more efficient ones.

Others have been relocated.

A model city, Dalian, is a high-tech city with a software park. The mayor of Dalian has taken pains to maintain air quality and keep the city “green,” because software developers are very conscious of good living conditions and are very mobile when it comes to changing jobs.

Finally, a lot remains to be done in the “greening” of China. Thomas Friedman, as an American, makes the point that the rest of the world, including China, plays “follow the leader”—-the leader, as always, being America. If America can go green quickly and economically, the rest of the world will follow suit. It’s a project well worth pursuing.

Vignettes On Climate Change And Green House Gases The recently concluded meeting of the UNFCCC, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, recommended that the world adopts a target of planting one billion trees every year for the next ten years.

For those of you whose Biology is a bit rusty, trees produce oxygen and take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

France has the best air quality, in parts per million, of all the developed nations, largely because of the preponderance of nuclear power plants to generate its electricity.

The Governor of Wyoming state was recently on TV to say that his state had huge deposits of coal, which could be used to produce electricity in clean coal burning power plants. This would not only be more economical than imported oil, but would reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Britain and Germany are, apparently, leaders in alter-

Saathee

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Healthwise

By Anjana Agarwal Should we take extra Vitamin E? Since the chief function of Vitamin E seems to be as an antioxidant, neutralizing potentially harmful free radicals in the body, the nutrient has become a superstar. Would high doses of the vitamin prove to be the key to good healthpreventing cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, as well as promoting glowing skin, good eyesight, and other benefits? Studies have yielded contradictory findings and so far the answer seems to be no.

Here’s a summary of the latest news: • Heart disease: It’s logical that Vitamin E might help prevent heart disease because of its antioxidant properties (free radicals are believed to be a factor in hardening of the arteries), but supplements have not proved helpful. In Nov 2008, the physician’s Health Study II showed that among more than 14,000 male doctors taking high doses of Vitamin C or Vitamin E for eight years, neither supplements reduce heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular deaths; In fact, Vitamin E slightly increased the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes.

• Lung Cancer: Vitamin supplements, including Vitamin E, have not proved protective, according to 2007 study funded by Nation Cancer Institute (NCI).

Smokers who took Vitamin E supplements actually had a slightly higher risk of lung cancer. Though these are not the final words, the researchers warned smokers that the supplements “may be detrimental.”

• Prostate Cancer: While some early studies suggested a protective effect, more recent research has not. In October 2008 researcher halted a major clinical trial (funded by NCI) on Vitamin E and prostate cancer after five years because they said there was no benefit. Apparently, there was slightly more cancer among the Vitamin E takers, though this may have been due to chance; the men will continue to be monitored to see if this is real.

• Alzheimer’s disease: There is little good evidence that E supplements can prevent or treat either cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s. Indeed, only two studies were found worthy of review. One was a clinical trial of people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s: Vitamin E supplements may have slightly decreased disease progressions, but, surprisingly, patients experienced more falls. The other study looked at mildly impaired people, in whom 2000 IU of Vitamin E produced no benefit.

• Macular degeneration: The major cause of blindness in older people. Research about Vitamin E has been inconclusive. Nevertheless, Vitamin E is one ingredient in special formulations (PreserVison and February 2009

similar supplements) that have been shown to slow the progression of the disease.

Bottom Line: Get your vitamin E from food, not supplements. The supplements have not proved beneficial, and may even be risky. Most people can benefit from basic daily multivitamin and mineral supplements.

E-ssentials: • Vitamin E exits naturally in eight forms of which alpha-tocopherol is the most important.

• It is fat-soluble and can be stored in body.

• It acts as an antioxidant, that is, it helps neutralize free radicals.

• It is measured in milligrams or International Units (IU): The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults is 15 milligram or 23 IU. • Deficiency in Vitamin E is unknown, except in people with rare genetic disorder or malnutrition, or in preterm infants.

• Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, whole grains, and leafy greens supply the most Vitamin E. Broccoli, tomato sauce, red peppers, carrots and some fish are also good sources.

For individual diet counseling, see a registered dietitian.

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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup raisins (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons butter

Flavor Feast

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, two tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.

Stir in raisins and walnuts if desired. Spoon mixture into pastry shell. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Aaaah. Desserts...

Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp Ingredients: 2 apples - peeled, cored, and cubed 2 pears - peeled, cored, and cubed 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons honey 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1/4 cup ground walnuts 1/2 cup butter

Biscotti Dessert Cookies

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8inch baking dish. Mix the apples, pears, cranberries, 1 tablespoon flour, honey, and lemon juice in the prepared dish. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts, and butter to the consistency of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle loosely over the fruit mixture. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until brown and crisp on top.

Creamy Rice Pudding Ingredients: 3/4 cup uncooked white rice 2 cups milk, divided 1/3 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten 2/3 cup golden raisins 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Method: In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. In another saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups cooked rice, 1 ½ cups milk, sugar and salt.

Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook two minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup ground toasted hazelnuts 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup butter, softened 6 tablespoons honey 2 eggs Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, hazelnuts, and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat butter and honey until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Divide dough in half. On prepared baking sheet, form each half into a log about 12 inches long and two inches wide, spacing about two inches apart. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until golden brown. Transfer logs to a cutting board and cut on diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay slices on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer, until dry. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in a tightly sealed container and let them age for a few days before serving.

Apple Crumb Pie Ingredients: 1 (9 inch) pie shell 6 cups thinly sliced apples 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) 3/4 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour February 2009

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The Stock Tickers

and indicated that although the inflation rate has dropped substantially, it does not foresee the problem of “deflation” any time soon. The RBI indicated that the inflation rate could creep up to 6.5 – 7 percent by the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2009) but is comfortable with the current situation. Given the steep drop in the WPI, interest rate reductions could be on the horizon.

The Pakistani economy and stock market continued

By Rajesh Ganatra to face significant challenges throughout CY2008 and into 2009. Despite the difficult economic conditions Here are some important quotes as of 01/23/2009 and violence throughout the country, the KSE-100 managed to do well during the first part of CY2008 Mumbai (Bombay) Sensex: 8,642.50 and it registered its best close ever at 15,676.34 on Karachi, Pakistan KSE-100 Index: 4,823.89 Dow Jones Industrial Average (USA): 8,027.84 April 18, 2008. Immediately after reaching the sumNASDAQ Composite (USA): 1,475.69 mit, the index got caught up in the global market sellS & P 500 Index (USA): 831.77 off and the KSE-100 lost over 40 percent of its value within four months. As the world markets continued to Currency Exchange Rates: Indian Rs. 49.23 = $1.00, tumble, the Pakistani government put in a protective Pakistani Rs. 79.05 = $1.00 floor at the end August 2008 to try to stabilize the market and protect it from additional declines. While Gold Price: $803 / ounce (Mumbai) Silver Price: $11.96 / ounce (Mumbai) the floor was in place, the Karachi KSE-100 hovered between 9,178-9,184. Initially, the floor was to be (Note —- Mumbai prices quoted in U.S. dollars were calculated using the above exchange rate and the metric factor removed at the end of October 2008, however, severof 28.6 grams equals 1 ounce. Generally speaking, there are al extensions were made in order to try to calm the slight variances in prices of precious metals between India markets. The floor was finally taken out on & U.S.A. due to market conditions / exchange rates).

12/15/2008 and the markets immediately started to Yes, 2008 was a “bear of a year” around the world’s plunge - the index stood at 5,753 on January 1, 2009. financial markets - the Sensex lost more than half of After a brief sprint back into the 6,000s - the index its value: the index started 2008 at 20,286.99 and tanked again and tumbled below 5,000 by the third closed out at 9,647.31. During the first couple of week of January 2009. trading days of CY2009, the Sensex re-claimed the The U. S. equity markets and economy had a miser10,000 level and it seemed like the markets had at able 2008 and the turn of the calendar brought a coulast regained their footing. Then came the Satyam ple of celebratory days, however, it was soon back to bombshell: founder and chairman B Ramalinga Raju reality. The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 indices all lost admitted that the company’s “books were cooked” and in excess of 30 percent during CY2008. The U.S. econthe fraud had taken place over a number of years. omy lost over 2,500,000 “non-farm jobs” during Immediately after divulging this, he resigned from the CY2008 and the accelerating pace of job losses during company and was promptly arrested - Raju is current- 4Q2008 was astounding. Many long-standing titans of ly awaiting trail and if convicted, he could face years the financial industry succumbed to mergers or bankin prison for the fraud. What is especially shocking is ruptcy during CY2008 and during January 2009, two that given the size of the fraud, Price Waterhouse, more banking titans found themselves in the ditch: who were the company’s auditors, were not able to Bank of America (NYSE-BAC) posted its first quarterly detect the fraud - subsequently, Price Waterhouse loss in 17 years and Citigroup (NYSE-C) also posted later admitted that its audits should not be relied massive losses and plans to split itself up. At the time upon. Besides the Mumbai listing, Satyam shares of writing this article, both stocks were in the single trade in New York under the symbol “SAY” - the stock digits. has lost most of its value on both exchanges and is a Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of “far cry” from its 52-week highs. the United States on January 20, 2009. During his There have been some new Board members named inaugural address, he discussed the current state of at Satyam and with the departure of Raju the compa- the economy and promised diligent efforts to remedy ny still needs a new CEO. Meanwhile, Satyam is being the situation; however, he indicated it would take time extremely proactive and trying to stabilize its situa- for the recovery to arrive. Wall Street is in a bad tion, however, it will be a long time before it can mood and was looking for a “quick fix” - and the marrebuild a strong bond of trust with customers, vendors kets were not pleased by the new President’s words. and investors.

The Dow fell over 300 points and settled under 8,000 Inflation in India has dropped significantly over the for the first time since November 2008 - this ranked past few months - in virtual lock-step with the decline as one of the worst “Inaugaration Day” performances in energy prices. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) hit ever by the equity markets. The market’s fall was a high-point of 12.91 percent during August 2008 and compunded by the troubles in the banking sector, and immediately upon the retrenchment of energy prices, State Street Capital (NYSE-STT) reported dismal the WPI began to drop - it dipped below the double- financial results and a bleak outlook - this pummeled digit level during November 2008 and the mid-January the markets even harder. The following day, the marreadings were in between 5.5 – 6 percent. The kets did rebound sharply, however, it does appear to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is quite pleased with this, continued on page 102 February 2009

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for when they start to buy (and they inevitably will begin buying again, sooner or later).

Write two or three press releases to spark media coverage, a feature article or an event listing to keep your company name visible.

Update your media list to make sure your releases are reaching the right reporters. Hint: As you call to update, this is a great time to renew your relationship with reporters, ask what they’re working on and offer to be a resource.

Record a new audio or video greeting for your website to keep it fresh. Remember, new content helps to keep your site high in the search engine rankings.

Write a couple extra blog posts to entice more readers (prospects) to your blog.

Send out your media pitch to half a dozen radio stations offering to be a guest with expert tips on how listeners can solve a problem or create an opportunity

•

Marketing Turnaround

•

By Gail Z. Martin •

Sowing the Seeds for Marketing Success Wondering how your year is going to shape up if your phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook with new clients? Today’s economy has thrown some people into a tailspin with worries about recession, and many businesses are experiencing a slow down.

Have you ever considered that a slow month or two could be your chance to sow the seeds for a very prosperous rest of the year?

I grew up in a farming community, and so it wasn’t uncommon to pass a field that had been high with a crop the year before that was now lying unkempt and untended. It wasn’t forgotten or wasted. It was lying fallow for a season. “Resting” an acre or two is a longestablished farming practice to allow the land to replenish all of the nutrients that crops have depleted.

So what does that have to do with marketing?

These days, a lot. I hear many small business owners commiserating about how slow it was in December and that for them, it may not have picked back up yet. They are not seeing a lot of new orders. There are delays on in-process work. Fallow ground.

This is absolutely the best chance you may have all year to tend to your own marketing. Just think about it. People aren’t quite back from the holiday mindset, or they’re being cautious—whatever the reason, you’ve got more of that most precious of commodities: time.

How will you use the fallow time? For me, any unexpected pause is a godsend because it lets me update my website, write new press releases, dream up new promotional work for my virtual assistants, or finish editing a transcript. These are all things that are difficult to find the time to do for myself when I’m working full-tilt for my clients. Fallow days or weeks let me strengthen my own marketing foundation. I’ve found that it is an investment that pays off all throughout the year.

• •

While a “slow” month can be frustrating, it can pay long-term dividends when you invest the time in your own marketing and promotion. You’ll look back on the yearlong rewards and welcome the next slow period so you can sow the seeds for new opportunities!

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications.

Contact her at dreamspinnercommunications@earthlink.net

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So what are five marketing tasks you can do in this fallow time to strengthen your marketing position for 2009? You could: • Inquire about speaking to a local business association to get in front of prospects and be top of mind February 2009

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Personal Finance

By Narendra Dixit

Younger Investors Face Shaken Confidence Television, newspapers, Websites, blogs… everywhere you look, people are discussing our faltering economy and the uncertainty it carries with it. For the first time in a long while, our country faces serious financial challenges with no quick fix in sight. And we’re not even sure if we’ve seen the worst of it yet.

Unregulated sub-prime mortgage lending has not only led to unprecedented home foreclosures, but has literally crippled the U.S. credit market, making it extremely difficult for consumers and businesses alike to be loaned money for any purpose. Financial institutions that have been American fixtures for decades have been forced to lay off employees, sell to the highest bidder, or just dissolve completely. Every American, either directly or indirectly, is being affected by this economic crisis. In a country where credit is a way of life, it’s as if a house of cards has been hit by a twister.

Lost Faith Retirees and those approaching retirement are living through their “worst case scenario” as they see the money they saved for decades become compromised.

When the AARP conducted a nationwide phone survey in October 2008 asking working Americans aged 45 and older how the unstable U.S. economy is affecting them personally, 65 percent said they will have to delay retirement and work longer to compensate for losses.

That’s not what any pre-retiree wants to face.

But younger investors are feeling this crisis, too.

Since, as a whole, young investors had less in the market, there was less to lose. Let’s forget about dollars for a minute, though. Confidence is what’s at stake for young investors. The belief that working hard, saving diligently and planning wisely will ensure retirement security–that mindset is what is being rapidly eroded.

Young investors are asking themselves, “Why should I even bother?”

Here’s why: Now is the best time for young investors to put money into play. With time on their side, they can use employer-sponsored qualified retirement programs such as a 401(k) to buy securities at reduced (and even under-priced) cost right now and hold these investments for decades while obtaining tax deferral on any potential growth. It’s a buyer’s market if you have the time to be patient – and with retirement 40 years off, there’s plenty of patience to be had. Of course, personal risk tolerance and diversification continue to be important factors in pursuing long-term financial goals.

Keep on Saving A 401(k) isn’t the only place to stash funds. While their salaries still fall within the income parameters, young investors ought to consider putting additional dollars into Roth IRAs. Since the money going in has already been taxed, later withdrawals will be tax-free.

February 2009

Mutual funds are another important tool for almost all investors, but especially those with less stock-buying experience. Managed by professionals, mutual funds are investment pools that make it possible to buy a small piece of many stocks – sometimes hundreds or thousands of them.

Each investor must evaluate mutual funds according to their own strategic needs. They need to ask, “How aggressive or conservative is the fund? Does it fit into my investment mix? What’s the performance been over the last 1, 3 and 5 years? What fees are involved?”

Many mutual fund analysis tools can be found online, or the fund company can be contacted directly for access to a prospectus. Remember, investments are subject to market risk, will fluctuate and may lose value. Consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives carefully before purchasing a mutual fund. Request a prospectus containing this and other information and read it carefully before you invest or send money.

Tightening the Belt With Congress’s bailout plan ramping up and the cyclical nature of the financial markets, the U.S. economy should eventually rebound. But, until it does, it may be wise to keep a few extra dollars in your pocket. Brown-bagging lunch, car-pooling, renting movies and shopping only for things on sale are all surefire ways to save a little here and there. To make a significant impact on expenses, giving up the apartment (and rent payment) and moving back home with family is a huge cost-saving option for those willing to go that route, even if only temporarily. But, if that level of savings commitment is not in the cards, continuing to trim extraneous things from the budget and live within your means is always fiscally responsible, regardless of the state of the economy.

Going Forward As you press on during these uncertain times, keep your long-term strategy and investment horizon in mind. Be sure to consider working with a financial professional to make sure your investments are properly allocated and your portfolio reflects your personal goals. Asset allocation is a method of diversification that positions assets among major investment categories. Asset allocation and diversification do not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets, but they are tools that may be used in an effort to manage risk and enhance returns.

Above all, keep investing. Now is not the time to stop your 401(k) contributions – it’s the time to increase them if possible. As always, invest what you can, even if it’s not much. With time on your side, even modest contributions now can pay off down the road.

This article is not intended as legal or tax advice. Accordingly, any tax information provided here is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the tax payer.

GE 46998A

Narendra Dixit offers securities through AXA Advisors, LLC (member NASD, SIPC) and offers annuity and insurance products through an insurance general agency affiliate, AXA Network, LLC and its subsidiaries. 704-540-1509

Saathee

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Immigration Matters 100,000 Employers Use E-Verify Program U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced recently that more than 100,000 employers had signed up to participate in E-Verify, a free, easy to use online system that equips participating employers with the tools to quickly and effectively verify the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees.

The Bratton Corp., a construction products supplier from Kansas City, Mo., employing about 200 people in Kansas City and Pasadena, Calif., is the 100,000th employer to participate in E-Verify.

“We congratulate The Bratton Corporation for joining the thousands of employers who participate in E-Verify, and whose numbers are growing by a thousand each week,” said USCIS Acting Deputy Director Mike Aytes.

“They all have taken a significant step toward maintaining the integrity of the American workforce.”

Employers have run more than two million queries through the system since October 2008, and employers have been able to automatically verify more than 18 million workers’ eligibility since 1997.

Currently, approximately 96.1 percent of qualified employees are cleared automatically by E-Verify, and 99.6 percent of all work-authorized employees are verified without receiving a tentative nonconfirmation or having to take any type of corrective action.

USCIS plans to make additional enhancements in 2009 to E-Verify and the employment authorization process, including amending the list of acceptable identity documents workers may present to employers to verify employment eligibility and adding passport data and photos to the system to reduce identity theft.

Beginning this month, the federal government will require that certain federal contracts contain a clause requiring the contractor and certain subcontractors to use E-Verify.

While participation in E-Verify is voluntary, 15 states now require certain employers to participate and comply in some manner with a federal work authorization verification program.

E-Verify evolved from the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program and was offered on a voluntary basis in 1997 to employers in California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas, the five states with the largest immigrant populations. E-Verify was offered to all employers as a free web-based program in 2004. USCIS administers the program in partnership with the Social Security Administration.

Information for Federal Contractors Federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to begin using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify system starting Feb. 20, 2009, to verify their employees’ eligibility to legally work in the United States. The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council amended the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to reflect this change.

February 2009

The new rule implements Executive Order 12989, as amended by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2008, directing federal agencies to require that federal contractors agree to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees. The amended Executive Order reinforces the policy, first announced in 1996, that the federal government does business with companies that have a legal workforce. This new rule requires federal contractors to agree, through language inserted into their federal contracts, to use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all persons hired during a contract term, and to confirm the employment eligibility of federal contractors’ current employees who perform contract services for the federal government within the United States.

Federal contracts awarded and solicitations issued after Feb. 20, 2009 will include a clause committing government contractors to use E-Verify. The same clause will also be required in subcontracts over $3,000 for services or construction. Contracts exempt from this rule include those that are for less than $100,000 and those that are for commercially available off-the-shelf items. Companies awarded a contract with the federal government will be required to enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of the contract award date. They will also need to begin using the E-Verify system to confirm that all of their new hires and their employees directly working on federal contracts are authorized to legally work in the United States.

USCIS Changes Filing Location for EB-5 Related Items The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that petitions and applications related to the Alien Entrepreneur (EB-5) immigrant classifications and Regional Center Proposals under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Pilot Program must be filed at the California Service Center (CSC).

Currently, EB-5 petitions and applications are filed at either the Texas Service Center (TSC) or the CSC, depending on where the alien’s commercial enterprise is located.

Regional center proposals are currently submitted to the Chief of Service Center Operations at USCIS headquarters. This change in filing locations is necessary to improve the efficiency in the processing of EB-5 related filings.

USCIS has established a unit at the California Service Center comprised of specially trained adjudicators dedicated to EB-5 adjudications. By consolidating adjudications at the center, USCIS believes that it will be able to reduce overall processing times and better monitor EB-5 related adjudications.

Filing changes are effective Jan. 26, 2009. For a 30day period that began on Jan. 9 and ends Feb. 9, 2009, EB-5 related petitions and applications mailed to USCIS headquarters or the Texas Service Center would be forwarded to the California Service Center. After February 9, EB-5 petitions and applications received at an incorrect filing location will be rejected and returned with instructions to re-file at the correct address.

For direct mail, send to: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services California Service Center Attn: EB-5 Processing Unit P.O. Box 10526 Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0526

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to the potential employer, you can impress them by telling them what you have learnt from your research and also ask intelligent questions. There is a wealth of information available online for publicly listed companies who are required by law to file their quarter results. Privately held companies usually maintain good company background and history information on their website. Also be focused on asking intelligent questions to show your level of intelligence and depth of research on company.

Job Interview Tips

By Amit Arya The year 2008 was historic many ways. From a perspective of a job seeker, it was historic due to the fact that it was the worst year for jobs since 1945 with the year’s job losses in the vicinity of 2.6 million. The freshly born 2009 will be a challenging year for the economy as well and we, NetIP board, would like to offer a few tips to readers on interviewing for jobs.

Whether you are fresh out of college or a seasoned professional, there are a few interview tips that are always applicable. Some things are a matter of common sense, like don’t be late for an interview. In fact arrive at least half an hour before the interview time as some companies may ask you to fill an application.

Carry a few extra copies of your resume; bring a list of your references with telephone numbers in case you are asked for the same. Besides these points, we would like to expand on a few points that are essential to landing an offer.

First impression is the last impression: While an interview is a conversation about your qualifications and how your personality and experience fit within an organization, we cannot discount the importance of appearance when you first meet someone. It is highly recommended that you dress in formal attire when going in for an interview regardless of how lax the dress code is within an organization. A suit with tie for men and business suit for women is the safest bet.

Your hair should be neatly trimmed and shoes polished to a shine. Carry a briefcase or portfolio if possible for your documents. You should introduce yourself with a firm handshake, try to maintain eye contact as much as possible during the interview but not stare. If you chew gum, make sure you discard it well before the interview. Do not take any beverages like coffee or soda to an interview. Cover your tattoos if you have any.

Research the company: So you are inside the boardroom and your neat, trimmed looks have reinforced what your potential employer saw on your resume. As the conversation starts, learn more about the company. During this time it is highly beneficial to know some key facts in advance about the company like what the company’s core businesses are, who the key customers are, etc. Thus, instead of just listening February 2009

Take Notes: During an interview, a lot of information will be exchanged between you and the potential employer. Taking note of key points as they arise in the conversation can work to your advantage. Some important things to note are qualities that the employer is looking for in candidates, issues facing the department, the structure of the team. Be certain to maintain eye contact as much as possible and keep your notes short and relevant. These are things that you can recap when you close the interview and advise the potential employer on how you can solve specific issues facing the department.

When answering, take your time: So you have just been asked a question and the answer seems to be eluding you. It’s ok to take your time and reflect upon the best answer. Don’t be compelled to give an answer based on the first thing that pops in your head. The potential employer is looking for a good answer and not a quick one. Listen, think and then answer for best results. For best result, get with a relative or friend and practice answering a few commonly asked interview questions a day before the interview. A good rule when answering behavioral questions is to follow the STAR model.

• S - Situation. Describe the situation or issue.

• T - Task. Talk about the task that needed to be accomplished.

• A - Action. Describe the action you took to achieve the task on hand.

• R - Results. List the results that were a direct outcome of your actions Be honest: You are not expected to know everything there is to know about a particular role or company. So if you are asked for something that you are not sure about, do not try to guess the answer. If you are asked about something directly and the answer to the question is not a positive one, don’t invent a lie to cover it up. Being honest will save you potential embarrassment down the line and perhaps even your job and any job offer is conditional upon verification of facts.

Close with positive remarks: In an interview, you want to set the exit tone of the meeting. Make sure continued on page 102 Amit Arya is the NetIP CO-Chair for Professional Development.

NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas Chapter of the North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals.

Contact: amit@netipcharlotte.org www.NetIPCharlotte.org

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By Rajesh Ganatra Australia, South Africa and New Zealand plan tri-nation Twenty20 league Players’ representatives from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have begun talks on an IPL-style trination Twenty20 league that will involve franchises from the three countries and begin play in 2011.

Discussions were held in Australia on the sidelines of the recent South Africa and Australia series, and are being seen as a significant step forward towards the formation of the league, which would follow the IPL, the Champions League and the ECB’s proposed EPL. “We can certainly confirm that we have been in discussions with the boards from Australia and South Africa and we are working towards the launch of the league in 2011,” Justin Vaughan, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), told Cricinfo. “But we are not at any stage to release details of that.”

Discussions are still at an early stage but the trination league may have three teams each from Australia and South Africa, and two from New Zealand.

The collaboration among the three boards is understood to have been borne out of the realisation that it would be difficult for one country to sustain a league on the lines of the IPL, which is being run by the cashrich BCCI. “The three boards thought there was benefit in collaborating,” Vaughan said.

Officials from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had begun discussions to join hands for an annual tri-nation tournament on the sidelines of the ICC annual conference in Dubai last year. Various models were discussed and subsequently it was felt that the best way forward was to adopt a franchise-based model that combined teams from the three countries.

Courtesy cricinfo.com

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Upcoming Cricket action England visits West Indies February 4-8, 2009 - 1st Test @ Kingston, Jamaica February 13-17, 2009 - 2nd Test @ Antigua February 26-March 2, 2009 - 3rd Test @ Barbados March 6-10, 2009 - 4th Test @ Port Of Spain, Trinidad Mar. 15, 2009 - 20/20 match @ Port Of Spain, Trinidad March 20, 2009 - 1st ODI @ Guyana March 22, 2009 - 2nd ODI @ Guyana March 27, 2009 - 3rd ODI @ Barbados March 29, 2009 - 4th ODI @ Barbados April 3, 2009 - 5th ODI @ St. Lucia March 2009 - April 2009 - India visits New Zealand June 2009 - ICC World Twenty20 Tournament June 2009 - July 2009 - India visits West Indies Jun. 2009 - Sept. 2009 - Australia visits England - Ashes Series For updates on all the cricket action and scores visit saathee.com.

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One Planet Continuing the Countdown to Earth Day 2009

By Olga Han As the weeks pass and we move further into 2009, I am proud to say that I have continued to take actions toward helping save the environment.

And, you know, it wasn’t hard at all. In fact, it was rather easy.

The hardest part, I think, was explaining to my daughter, who likes things in miniature, why we were buying the larger-sized packaged foods instead of the smaller sizes. Lucky for me, she understands (and appreciates) saving money, so that went over all right.

Now that the major gift-giving holidays are pretty much over, there is so much packaging around the house. Recycle it. Save it. Reuse it. I am sure the moms out there agree with me that it is always handy to have some spare, emergency wrapping material around. And all those pretty holiday cards you received this year—-save them. The kids can use the cards in art projects throughout the year, or even use the covers to make cute gift tags for next year.

The festivities are over, and now it’s time to go back to work. Here are more ideas on how we can all continue to help the world go green.

Donate your old electronics. Instead of keeping that old TV, monitor, computer or other electronics in the closet or throwing them out, recycle them. By recycling your old electronics, you not only clean out your clutter, you can help others access technology and save the environment, too. Many organizations will turn old equipment into refurbished equipment or they will reuse parts. Televisions and monitors are made with lead and mercury, two sources of environmental (soil and water) contamination when put into our landfills. Recycling your equipment saves our environment and reduces the need to take any more natural resources to build new equipment.

Remember, it only takes one person, one small action, to make a world of difference.

April 22 is Earth Day. It’s two months away. Let’s continue in our efforts to help save our environment, for ourselves, for our children, for our future.

If you’re not ready to go paper towel- or paper napkin-less like I do, buy recycled paper. If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones, we’d be saving 544,000 trees!

(Source: EPA).

Check your mailbox. Many of us receive catalogs from companies that we never even ordered from.

Even better than recycling them, take a few minutes to call them up and ask to be taken off the mailing list.

If calling isn’t your thing, go online to those companies or try www.catalogchoice.org; it’s a free service that lets you decline paper catalogs you no longer wish to receive.

Do a lot of work on your computer? Great! You’re saving paper by writing emails and electronic files.

Just print only what’s necessary, and then print on both sides of the paper.

February 2009

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Isha Yoga Healing Through Sadhana

By Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Physical existence is always happening between cause and effect. Suppose there is an infection. You ate or drank something somewhere and got infected. The cause was bacteria. Now there is an effect: the infection.

So you try to remove the cause by taking antibiotics.

You kill the cause with medication, because it is external to you.

Other diseases are not caused externally, but rather occur from within. In these situations, the cause is much deeper when compared to that of an infection. For this type of disease to manifest, there is an imbalance or a malfunction in the energy-body, which reveals itself in the physical body, or sometime in the mental body.

Now with something like pranic (energy) healing, or any kind of healing for that matter, you are only appeasing the effect. In a way, what you are doing is attaining a little control or mastery over your own energies so that you are able to put a screen between the cause and the effect. The effect dies out, but the cause stays buried.

As far as nature and life energy are concerned, the effect was only their way of telling you that there is a cause inside of you. What we refer to as “cause” is the disturbance of energy trying to manifest itself in a certain way.

Let us say you have asthma. If we take away your asthma, you still have the same kind of energy in you.

It may manifest in some other way, as some other calamity. You asthma was only an indication of a deeper disturbance. This is because your energies are still in the same situation, but only the effect was taken away.

So, next time, it may take effect in a deeper or more acute manner to inform you again. On the other hand, if you bring awareness to your disease, you get connected to the cause of it.

When we talk about bringing awareness to your disease, we talk about accepting what is there. This does not mean becoming defeated about your disease. If you truly become aware of the disease, then you become aware of the cause as well. In terms of energy, the moment you bring awareness to any part of your body, it will immediately become active.

Just as an experiment, carefully attend to any part of your body. Put your attention in this place and just be with it. You will see that so much energetic activity will begin to happen there because if you bring awareness and consciousness to that part of the body, your natural life energies become enhanced. This way, you could heal and change the energy situation to some extent.

February 2009

Now, why did the energy body get disturbed in the first place? For this to happen, improper elements of lifestyle, thought patterns, emotions or a combination of all these are present. There is a certain karmic structure that you have built which is causing some kind of turmoil to your energy, which manifests itself in the physical body as disturbed energy or disease.

But even if you settle the energy situation to some extent with healing, mental focus, or a certain level of awareness, the karmic substance which is causing this remains. The karmic substance is recorded in your energy as the fundamental software. It was work only within the ambit of the programmed software.

The life energies within you created your whole body.

All the bones, blood, flesh - everything, including your brain, was created by this energy. When you were born, your body was so tiny and today it has become so big.

Nobody stretched you from outside, did they? Whatever is creating the body is within you. So, when it can do so much, can it not fix a tiny cartilage or a hole in the heart?

Now this whole activity of trying to heal somebody is, in some way, trying to play God, or trying to manipulate energies in an improper way.

Healing happens naturally when the objective is not healing, but sadhana, which is the dissolution of karma by itself. When the cause is dissolved, the effect is no more.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is a yogi and mystic with profound mastery of the ancient science of yoga. At his home in southern India, Sadhguru oversees Isha Foundation, an entirely volunteer-run, nonprofit service organization dedicated to cultivating human potential through yogic science. At the core of the Foundation’s initiatives is a customized system of yoga called Isha Yoga—a set of programs and practices specially designed to address the challenges of modern living.

Isha Yoga’s Inner Engineering in Charlotte, NC Inner Engineering is an opportunity to explore the very essence of life. The program features discussions, guided meditations, and a balanced set of simple, but powerful yoga practices. The fundamental practice is Shambhavi Maha Mudra, an ancient kriya (inner energy process) never before offered publicly anywhere in the world. Together the program and practices establish health and vitality, mental calm and clarity, and a deep sense of joy. (www.ishafoundation.org/InnerEngineering)

Free Introductory Talk: Mar 4th, 2009, 6:30-7:30pm 7-day Program: Mar 4th-10th, 2009 (Led by Trained Isha Yoga Teacher) Weekdays: 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Sat: 10am-1pm Sun: 8am-5pm Venue: Idlewild Arena, 7523 Idlewild rd, Charlotte, NC-28212

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boards and resume scanning systems. Electronic resume systems allow job seekers to enter resumes and search for jobs on the Internet.

Networking Job search networking is a targeted effort to talk to people about your job search. It should not be limited to casual conversations with people you meet. It should be a calculated campaign to contact people for ideas, suggestions and information. Networking is not new; it is simply the sharing of information and resources with others. Everyone carries with them a wealth of information and insight. When we share information, we tap into this wealth of knowledge and open the doors of opportunity. This exchange is often informal and not planned. Networking, as a job search strategy, is more formal and calculated.

Job Searching in a Tough Economy Looking for work is a full-time job and is the hardest work a person may ever do! A serious job search requires as much time looking for work as will be spent on the job. A 40-hour week job equals a 40-hour week job search. Now, with the economy in doldrums, job searches require even more effort and perseverance.

Clear occupational goals and objectives are required for an effective job search. Knowing the kind of work you’re looking for will keep your search in focus. No one is really looking for “anything.” Every job seeker has requirements for employment and limitations on their current qualifications. Without clear job search goals, the search will become aimless and ineffective.

Begin your job search by gathering and organizing all the information you need to sell your qualifications and satisfy the needs of a prospective employer.

Next, complete a thorough identification and analysis of your skills. Employers not only want to know where you’ve worked, your job title and that you need a job; they want to know what you can do. If you were looking to purchase a product that would cost you thousands of dollars a year for many years, you also would want to know what it can do.

There are some basic tools you should develop to help in this effort. First, prepare a Personal Data Record with all your employment-related information. This will make employment applications easier to complete.

Second, write one or more resumes that advertise your skills to an employer.

Now you are ready to begin seeking that new job. The job market is constantly changing. During one period of time job opportunities may be scarce, during another period they may be plentiful. Regardless of job market conditions, there’s always strong competition for the better jobs. Successful candidates are those who use up-to-date job search techniques.

Experts agree that today the vast majority (80 percent or more) of job openings are not advertised. Most employment opportunities are hidden. A primary reason is simply that most employers don’t need to advertise; they have enough applicants without it. Another reason is that employers prefer to hire on a referral from someone they trust.

There are a variety of strategies that increase the chances of identifying job openings and to break into the “hidden job market.” These techniques include: networking, informational interviewing, direct employer contact, employment services, electronic bulletin February 2009

Informational Interviewing The informational interview is a networking effort targeted toward potential employers and professionals within a specific industry. This technique is used to gather information regarding skills, training and experience needed for an occupation. It’s also a method to learn about a specific company or about an industry.

Never ask for a job during an informational interview.

Direct Employer Contact Direct contact is essential for the serious job seeker.

But direct contact takes planning and preparation. It isn’t enough to just walk in and ask, “Are you hiring?”

A successful job search is a sales campaign and your challenge is to sell your qualifications.

The first step is to list potential employers, as your job search progresses, you’ll continually add to this list.

The local public library is a priceless resource in this effort. The library is an excellent place to identify potential employers and prepare your job search strategy.

Specific publications to review include the phone book, Chamber of Commerce listings, employer profiles, industry guides and newspapers. Additional sources for information include your local university career centers and community agencies.

Once you have your list, plan a strategy to approach each employer. There are many approaches available and you’ll want to vary them depending upon the circumstances and your preferences. You can fill out an application, send a resume, call the employer directly or arrange for an informational interview.

Persistence and follow-up are the keys to a successful job search. If you’re serious about employment, plan your follow-up. There is no such thing as a wasted effort and the only dead lead is the one you chose to kill.

Situations change and the employer who isn’t hiring today may be looking for someone with your qualifications in the future.

Private Placement Agencies Employment agencies come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Some specialize in very specific occupational areas. Many employers have exclusive arrangements with employment agencies and they can be an excellent resource for job leads. If you’re interested in the services of an agency, investigate them carefully. Determine what they’ll do for you and how much it will cost.

Saathee

continued on page 102 saathee.com

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TREATING CONDITIONS SUCH AS: LOW BACK/LEG PAIN NECK/ARM PAIN HEADACHES SPORTS INJURIES AUTO ACCIDENT INJURIES ARTHRITIS/FIBROMYALGIA NECK/LOW BACK DISC INJURIES WORK RELATED INJURIES The Chiropractic Doctors at Carlisle Chiropractic Clinic North have been helping people in Charlotte for over 25 years. During that time we've helped thousands of patients find relief from debilitating pain. The secret to our success?

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Better Banswara, Mediocre Mumbai continued from page 36 everywhere I went in India the first question people asked me was about the American recession and its causes. My answer was simple: one of the reasons for American recession was the “Chaarvak” habit of misusing the money taken on loan/credit/debt. Since most Indians even today spread themselves only within the bounds of their limitations, India will be able to sustain itself much better than the USA where even government has broken all records of blowing the budget with huge deficits. And nobody is talking of changing lifestyle of people and the government to spend within their means. On the other hand, Obama has generated optimism about USA even among Indians acknowledging that he has no magic wand.

Getting back to the Indian economy and its ability to match the growth of China, I think, India should NOT join the rat race of rapid growth. Instead of going for the rapid Chinese growth model, which leads to butchering of the environment and growing discontent among the farmers and other neglected sectors, India would do better to develop its own indigenous growth model which must be sustainable and inclusive (where every part of its population shares the fruits of the economy).

Of course, this is easier said than done, but didn’t Gandhiji have such a vision for India once? Unfortunately, the ecological disaster and attacks on Indian elite locations, once again highlights the mistakes India has made in its urge to imitate the West. The sooner India realizes that it must not become a mini America of the 1960s and 1970s, the better it will be for its citizens.

Finally, here is my tribute to the students of New Look Senior Secondary School, Banswara. Here are their excellent questions and my attempted answers to them. Also enjoy an environmentalist poem by a seventh grade student Garvit Jain of Banswara at the end of the article.

1. Is brain-drain good for India? Shouldn’t all Indians return to India and help India?

Answer: Brain Drain has actually helped India with massive reinvestments of the brains for India’s economy and Indian culture abroad.

2. What is the need of studying history, which is all about old forgotten people and places?

Answer: History is the best teacher for the humankind because it provides us with good role models to follow and cautions us against our own past mistakes as well.

3. What is so glorious about Indian heritage, which is full of child marriage, caste problems?

Answer: Indian culture is not just about sati, baal-vivaah, and jati-prathaa. Indian culture is also about the recognition of divinity in every being of the universe with its larger ecological importance, universal brotherhood based on global family, welcoming all religions to India since ancient times with its message for pluralism, amazing traditional scientific and technological advances based on “green” technologies.

4. Aren’t NRIs like Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy only after their personal gains? How are they helping India when they have even left their Indian citizenship?

Answer: Whether we like it or not, every Indian born person is treated like an Indian spokesperson outside India, and by his/her personal achievements, (s)he adds to the Indian brand-recognition.

5. How to deal with poverty and corruption of India?

Answer: Poverty and corruption are interlinked because February 2009

both derive from wrong choices of politicians made by Indians and wrong priorities by corrupt politicians. Only solution can come from youth of today who will emerge as better world leaders tomorrow.

6. What and how do you teach Indian films?

Answer: Films are the vehicles of popular culture and they reflect the contemporary social and political developments. By taking popular films seriously, we can study the current socio-political dynamics with better insights.

7. How to deal with huge population of India? Is there any hope?

Answer: India is the youngest nation on the earth today based on the majority of its population of young people.

On the contrary, most Western nations are growing older at a fast pace and majority of their populations will soon become a burden on their economies with less young productive hands. Hence, population in India is its asset not a burden, if this asset can be productively and creatively channeled for India’s and the world’s future.

8. How to think of Indian culture when we all want to focus on our careers? Our parents also have limited info about both our future and about Indian culture.

Answer: By choosing such careers in which Indian culture is not forgotten or ignored. If Gandhian ideas are adopted in every walk of the life, it is possible to lead a successful career and helping India/World simultaneously.

9. Why don’t you come back and teach all these cultural subjects right here in India?

Ans: Ironically, none or very few of the Indian universities have subjects that I can teach in the American universities so I must continue to teach India in the USA. 10. Why should English be given importance in India?

Ans: English is another asset that Indians possess better than the Chinese or Russians. The three-language system of Indian state run schools has worked in the favor of Indian students, professionals, and Indian economy. Only problem is the extra glory attached to English. With the rapid spread of Hindi films in the world and mobile phones and computers available in Indian languages in India, more Indian languages will soon be at par with English.

11. Aren’t foreign MNCs all about profit? Why don’t they invest in Indian villages?

Ans: This is where sustainable (with green technologies) and inclusive (developing all sectors of India) growth is imperative for India otherwise India will end up making same mistakes that were made in 1960s in the Western countries.

Saathee

Imagine a world without trees, Oh! I wonder there would be no breeze.

And the fauna kingdom would perish, Even the man will not cherish.

Oh man! Why don’t you realize, The utility of these precious guys.

Who make the Earth a splendid beauty, And make each one’s life fruity.

What does their cutting give you?

Just a mere piece of land or a sou, Nothing but environment matters in life, Then why on it are you using knife?

Sometimes I cry out in pain!

For the way you cut trees in vain.

Have you ever anticipated its outcome?

It doesn’t seem to me much winsome.

Pankaj Jain, PhD, is a lecturer at North Carolina State University. www.indicuniversity.org saathee.com

February 2009

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saathee.com

Community Focus Events of Note: Virsa Punjab Da The NCSU Sikh Student Association will present “Virsa Punjab Da” on February 7, 2009 beginning at 7 pm at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. The bhangra competition will feature teams from the southeast. Following a vision for artistic and cultural integrity, the event serves to artfully display both the rich culture and heritage of Punjab as well as illustrate the diversity of South Asia. Dedicating all proceeds towards educational and medical support for orphans and widows in India through the Nishkam Seva charity, “Virsa Punjab Da” primarily aims to help alleviate the rampant poverty and suffering for the most vulnerable in South Asia. Ticket Prices: $12 advance, $15 at the door, $10 child 12 & under. To order tickets by phone, call the 919.560.3030 or visit www.carolinatheatre.org/tickets. Additional Info: visit www.vpdncsu.com or email vpdncsu@gmail.com.

Odissi Dance Recital Sujata Mohapatra, daughter in law of the legendary Guru Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra will perform on Friday, March 6, 2009 beginning at 7pm. The venue is yet to be determined. The show is sponsored

by Pani Dance Academy, Triangle Oriya Association, and ICMDS. Tickets are $25, $15, and $10. Members will be admitted free. Info: Nina Dash 919.942.0130 or 919.260.7409.

Community Reports: Dance Diversity: A Celebration of Dance The multi-cultural event “Dance Diversity” took place at the Havana Social Club in Cornelius on January 11, 2009.

The evening, in celebration of the opening of Taadum Dance Studio, featured varied performances and multiple dance styles by professional Latin, hip-hop, shag, and Indian dancers. The performances were interspersed with a business fair to launch and promote several new and existing businesses. The dances ranged from classical and folk Indian dances, shag, cloggers, and Latin along with a mixed martial arts demo and an acoustic music singer. Charlotte-based dance teacher Radhika Unnithan performed an eclectic Latin dance with a dance partner mixing Indian folk dance with Rhumba, flamenco, cha cha cha, and salsa.

Info: Visit www.taadum.com email taatai@gmail.com.

February 2009

Goels Plaza Triangle’s New Year’s Eve Celebration Goels Plaza, a banquet and conference facility in Raleigh, NC successfully orchestrated their annual New Year’s Eve Party on December 31, 2008. The party has become a popular event in the Triangle area.

This year the attendees were treated to food from Royal India Cuisine, popular Western and Indian music by Sohil Kharwa of DJ Hangama, party favors, a champagne toast, and more. Prizes were awarded to best dancer and bestdressed persons.

South Park Cricket Club SPCC is a member of MACC Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2004. Since its inception, SPCC has been striving continuously to promote the game of cricket.

The team participates in tournaments and friendly matches and plays most Saturdays and Sundays from mid-March until late-October. Its home ground is located at the Reedy Creek Park in Charlotte. SPCC currently has over 25 members and is seeking new players to join the club. South Park Cricket club of Charlotte will kick of the new season in beginning in February 2009. Info: www.southparkcc.org.

India Study Abroad Program Spend six weeks in India learning Hindi and Indian culture through the UNC Summer in India Study Abroad Program. It is not necessary to be a UNC student to participate, but you must be at least 18 years old. Earn seven hours of university credit. No previous knowledge of Hindi required. This program, based in New Delhi, provides students with the opportunity to study Hindi and Indian civilization while immersed in Indian culture and language. Two of the six program weeks are spent in Delhi. Also included are excursions to contrasting regions of North India: Western Uttar Pradesh (Agra), Rajasthan, and Haridwar/Rishikesh.

One week is spent in home stay with an Indian host family. Dates: May 18 to June 26, 2009. Indian Literature and Culture course is taught in English. The program fee is $3450 (includes all in-country expenses, tuition and fees, room and board, transportation and insurance; does not include RDU to Delhi airfare).

Scholarships and financial aid are available for many students. Note: the application deadline is February 12, 2009. Info: www.unc.edu/~taj/summ.htm.

Saathee

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Community News & Events Compiled by Rajesh Ganatra

Charlotte Art of Living (Healing with the Breath) Art of Living is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual. This is done through self development programs that recharge the body, mind and spirit and allow people to function at their optimum potential. People from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions come together in service and celebration. Two courses are being offered: Feb 12-16, 2009: for Teens.

Feb 18-22, 2009: for Adults Info: 704.248.2647 charlotte@us.artofliving.org www.artofliving.org BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Regularly scheduled activities include a daily Aarti at 6:30 am and 7 pm.

Darshan: Mon-Fri 6:30 am-12:30 pm and 4 - 8:30 pm, Sat/Sun 6:30 am8:30 pm. Gujarati classes are held every Sunday from 3 - 4 pm and "Satsang Sabha" is held every Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

The Swaminarayan Temple is located at 4100 Margaret Wallace Road in Charlotte, N.C. Info: 704.573.0805 704.573.0820 (fax) Bhartiya Association of Lake Norman (BALKN) BALKN invites members from Indian community living at Lake Norman and the surrounding areas to join the organization and be a part of the ongoing fun activities.

Info: 704.807.4485 (Mitesh Parikh) 704.663.6647 (Mahesh Trivedi) 704.881.4939 (Sunny Bhavanani) www.balkn.org Carolinas Prayer Fellowship Rev. Dr. Samuel Prabodh Talluri invites everyone living in the North and South Carolina to participate in "Fellowship" Every Sunday Morning in Gastonia, N.C. Info: 704.865.1428 (Jay) 704.824-8698 (Joe) 704.545.1465 (Dayakar) Charlotte Gita Study Group Join the study of the Bhagawat Gita, based on the home study sourse by Swami Dayananda Saraswati of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, PA. Swamiji's written February 2009

commentary in English will follow each verse, after which there will be a chance to have a short discussion.

Additionally, there will be a short guided meditation session. The group meets every first and third Sunday from 4 - 5.30 pm in Charlotte, NC. Info: 704.622.9108 rvenky@aol.com naras@quaero.com Charlotte Kannada Koota The Charlotte Kannada Koota is an organization that promotes understanding of Karnataka culture and provides a medium for people of Karnataka (Kannadigas) to get together. The activities include social get-togethers, music, and drama.

Info: 704.526.9990 (Appan Patil), agm_patil@hotmail.com 704.281.8732 (Raj Kulgod), kraj7@yahoo.com Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group holds weekly group sits and monthly all day sits for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course from S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers). Ten-day courses are also available for all students. There is never a charge for a course.

Info: 704.544.0790 rbddesai@yahoo.com 704.563.5440, dspranger@earthlink.net / www.dhamma.org Classical Music Association of Charlotte (CMAC) CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in Charlotte.

Membership forms are available at concerts.

Sun Mar 22 @ 3:00 p.m. - vocal concert by Nisha Rajgopal at CPCC Info: 704.541.3361 (Rama), 704.814.9355 (Muthukrishnan), lakshmi7778@yahoo.com cmacmusic@yahoo.com www.onlinecmac.com Dada Bhagwan Group Satsang is conducted every Sunday at 7 pm at the Hindu Center in Charlotte and there is also a Satsang Saathee 82

every Thursday. In addition, watch Satsang from Friday to Tuesday at 7 am on TV Asia. The present topics are "Pati-Patni ka Divya Vyahvar" and "Chovis Tirthankar." The group has recently opened a library for spiritual books, audios and videos.

Info: 704.287.3133 www.dadabhagwan.org Datta Yoga Center - Charlotte The group is dedicated to the service of SadGuru Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji through SadGuru Seva, yoga and satsang (singing the glory of god). Regular Activities: Satsang every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, from 4 7pm. Bhajans composed by Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji are chanted and occasionally video programs produced by Avadhoota Datta Peetham are viewed including Sri Swamiji's visit to Manasa Sarovaram, Music for Meditation and healing concerts and lectures.

Info: 704.839.3256 (Ravi Anupindi) www.dattapeetham.com www.dycusa.org Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to selfesteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One School One Teacher in one village) plans to establish 100,000 schools in tribal areas by 2012.This will cover all the villages in tribal areas where there are no schools today. The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North and South Carolina. Seeking volunteers. Info: shuklas@carolina.rr.com www.ekalvidya.org Hindu Center of Charlotte The center is located at 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212.

The library is stocked with books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genre such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. Library info: 704.554.0765.

Children's Religious Oriented Program (C.R.O.P.) is for children saathee.com

Punjabi Dhaba

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Saathee 83

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Community News & Events Kindergarten through 12th grade to educate them in culture and understand religious practices. A glimpse on understanding The Bhagvad Gita provides children with an opportunity to learn about the GITA with simplicity, ease and in an inclusive discussion format.

Info on CROP 704.547.1676 (Chetna Patel) patel4260@bellsouth.net or 803.802.7634 (Manish Kandpal) kandpal@fmtc.net The Senior Citizens Group meets on the 1st Sunday of every month at 4 pm and followed by Satyanarayan Katha at 5 pm. Future trips and activities are in the planning stages.

Info on the group: 704.334.2462 (Gobind Bhojwani).

The sloka class teaches children between the ages of 4 and 13 different Hindu hymns, their meaning and significance.

The class meets Sundays at 9:30 am. Info on the class: 704.814.9355 (Lakshmi Muthukrishnan).

Info on the Social Welfare Committee: 704.372.1265 (Narain Amar) or 704.948.5609 (Dhinakaran Pillai).

The Vedic Havan is held at the vedant hall on second Sunday of every month at 10:30 am to 12:00 pm noon followed by Prasadam. Info: 704.825.9223 (Swadesh Sawhney).

The Pranayam classes are held Saturdays from 9:30 - 11 am in the Vivek Hall. Info: 704.649.5374 (Kajal Jain), 704.554.0765 (Manisha Naik), or 281.304.5597 (Sanjay Vyas) pranayamclt@aol.com.

Yoga classes are held Sundays at 9 am. Info: 704.864.8212 pradip_bulsara@hotmail.com.

Upcoming Events: Mon Feb 23 - Mahashivratri Samuhik Abhishek from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, 8:30 to 9 pm Bhajan/Stuti 9:00 Aarti. Info/Volunteer opportunity: Charuben Shukla at 704.568.8206 Sun Mar 15 - The Tenth Thyagaraja Aradhana & All Composers' Day @ 9:30 a.m. - Vihar Hall.

Info: Jayashree Panduranga: 704.442.1186, pandu@bellsouth.net Rama Rachakonda: 704.541.3361, R_rama2000@yahoo.com Info: 704.535.3440. www.hcclt.org India Association of Charlotte Call for Entries for a Juried Art Exhibit, Dates: April 15 - May 26, 2009 at Spirit Square, 130 North February 2009

Tryon St., Charlotte, NC. The theme for this exhibition will be “I Am an Indian Woman.” Entry deadline: February 28, 2009, and sponsors are welcomed for this event.

Info: vapradhan@bellsouth.net sarveda@bellsouth.net Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC) IPAAC (Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte) promotes classical Hindustani music by inviting well-known artists from India.

Info: contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.org Indian Visual Artists Association of Charlotte (IVAAC) IVAAC was founded by artists of Indian origin living in the Charlotte, NC area in their pursuit of a creative outlet, stemming from an urge to express the flow of their innate artistic moods and ideas. The vision is to promote the enigmatic and intriguing Indian culture into meaningful forms of expression that exposes the rich traditions and diversity of one of the most ancient civilizations on earth, in today's fast blending global culture and to create an organization that provides planning and funding required to ensure and support a vibrant and culturally diverse Indian art community.

Info: 704.540.8799 (Amit Shah), 704.688.5387 (Kinshuk Agarwal) www.ivaac.org Kiran KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South Asian organization. We promote the self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. We spread awareness of South Asian women's issues in the community and we cooperate and collaborate with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives.

Countries in South Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Though there are differences in language, customs, and religions across these countries, these regions share many basic cultural and historical similarities. KIRAN operates a crisis phone line Monday- Friday from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. If you need help or are in search of information Saathee

regarding domestic violence call an advocate.

Services offered are confidential and free of charge: • Information in a culture and context-sensitive manner • Non-judgmental help and support to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations • Emotional support • Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing • KIRAN's services are completely confidential. Translators and crisis counselors do not disclose any information provided by our clients. Info: Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1877-625-4726 Kiran@kiraninc.org www.kiraninc.org McColl Center for Visual Art The McColl Center for Visual Art has selected Veda Saravanan and Varsha Pradhan to display their paintings in the 6th and 7th Street windows in Charlotte downtown. Veda will be displaying in the 2 windows of the Hearst Tower on 6th street, and Varsha in the 6 windows of the TransAmerica building on 7th Street from January 10, 2009 through July 11, 2009. McColl Center for Visual Art is an artists’ residency program and gallery dedicated to promoting contemporary art and supporting artists regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Center’s goal is to present art and artists in a way that engages and enriches the public while revealing the creative process through open studios, outreaches, community projects, and educational programs.

Net IP Charlotte NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas chapter of North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals. NetIP Charlotte provides a forum for on-going Career Developmental and Professional Networking activities. It arranges various events and maintains deeper ties with Businesses & the community. It provides various effective ways for Carolinas’ Indian Professionals to connect with other successful professionals.

Info: hd@netipcharlotte.org (Hardik Shah) www.NetIPCharlotte.org saathee.com

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Community News & Events Pratham - Charlotte Area Pratham Charlotte chaper is looking for vounteers and someone to lead the Charlotte Chapter.

Info: M. Ramesh 919.678.0109 chith_ramesh@hotmail.com www.PrathamUSA.org Probasi of Charlotte Probasi is the Bengali community based in Charlotte and surrounding areas. The community's goal is to organize cultural and educational program related to Bengal in the Greater Charlotte area, to increase Bengali cultural awareness, and to provide community service in the area. Info: www.probasi.org Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal On the 1st Saturday of every month, Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal has kirtans and bhajans at the Hindu Center of Charlotte at 5 pm. After the bhajans, there is Aarti and Mahaprasad. In addition, on the 3rd Sunday of every month, an additional Satsang Sabha is held at sponsor's house at 3 - 5 pm.

Info: 704.392.4488 - Ramesh Dhanani Sikh Heritage Society The Sikh Heritage Society strives to unite and enrich the lives of the Sikh & Punjabi communities of Charlotte and surrounding areas. "Gurdwara" address: 1760 Stoney Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC 28262.

Info: 704.948.7664 (Roshan Attrey), rattrey@aol.com, 704.541.0350 (Sajjan Dhaliwal), sajjan@carolina.rr.com, 704.948.8091 (Inderjeet Rajpal), irajpal@aol.com www.gurdwaracharlotte.com SouthPark Cricket Club South Park Cricket Club is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it has been an active member of the Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2002. The club's home ground is located at the Reedy Creek Park, 2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC. Info: 847.722.9865 (Baseet Ahmed), baseer_11@yahoo.com www.southparkcc.org Srishti of Charlotte Srishti has emerged to fulfill the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need for togetherness and the desire to showcase Bengali literature, theatre, music, cinema February 2009

and popular arts. The word Srishti means an act of creation. Though established and coordinated by a group of Bengali families, Srishti welcomes and brings together people of varied cultures, languages, background and nationalities who are interested in East Indian traditions.

Info: 704.321.1964 (Samiksha Bose) 704.541.3451 (Santanu Sarkar) 704.882.6115 (Manmatha Chakrovorty) Steele Creek Cricket Club Cricket is played every Sunday morning at the Steele Creek Athletic Association complex at 13530 Choate Circle, (weather permitting) from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. This group is dedicated to playing cricket with a hard tennis ball and/or soft baseball (also known as T-Ball) for fun in the Steele Creek Area of Charlotte. If you would like to stay informed about this club or would like to play or watch cricket, feel free to join and share your ideas. For information on current hours of play, location, and contacts visit www.geocities.com/steelecreekcricketclub Telugu Association of Greater Charlotte Area (TAGCA) The organization's mission is to bring together Telugu speaking people and to promote Telugu Culture. TAGCA and Hindu Center of Charlotte are conducting Telugu Classes, every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 10:30 - 11:30 am and are free for member and non-members alike. Info: Sreedhar Manjigani 704.965.6704 education@tagca.org www.tagca.org United Cricket Club Forming a team this March of experienced as well as beginners that love cricket. Team will play in the Atlantic League. Practice is every Sunday at Reedy Creek Park (11 to 4pm).

Sunday and Monday evenings for ages 15 and up. Join the fun.

Info: 704.712.6106 (Captain-Syed) 704.996.5500 (Vice Captain-Ejaz)

Greensboro Greensboro Center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, Barsana Dham A satsang (devotional meeting) is regularly held on Saturdays from 3:30 - 5 pm at the home of Ashwatthama and Madhu Sharma, which includes prayer, chanting, Saathee

meditation and lectures of Shree Kripalu Maharajji on the philosophy of Shrimad Bhagwatam. The lectures of Jagatguru Shree Kripalu Maharajji are shown on the "International Channel Network" --weekdays at 7:30 am and Saturdays at 12:30 pm and also on TV Asia weekdays at 8 am and 10 am on weekends.

Info: 336.643.0578 krishndas59@yahoo.com www.jkp.org, www.isdl.org Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont (GCAP) The Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont serves the Asian Indian community through sponsored events, cultural, educational and social programs.

GCAP, 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410 Info: 336.420.7290 336.327.1235 www.gujaratisamajoftriad.org Hare Krishna Temple Sandy Ridge This rural Hare Krishna community is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The community is based upon the teachings of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the philosophy of the BhagavadGita, becoming God conscious. Come and join in the kirtan, mantra meditation, and discourses on the top most yoga system. There are lots of regular festivities and events. Treat yourself to a free, hot and delicious vegetarian meal on Sundays at 1 pm.

Venue: 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046.

Info: 336.871.9738 www.prabhupadavillage.com Hindu Society of North Carolina at Greensboro The HSNC at Greensboro is located at 2424 Huffine Mill Road. Its mission is to serve the Hindu Community and promote Hindu Culture through religious, social and educational activities. Regularly scheduled events include Puja, bhajans, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs, celebration of holidays & community service.

Info: 336.621.5848 www.hsnc-triad.org India Association of the Triad The objective of the Association is to promote social, cultural and educational interests of its members, saathee.com

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Community News & Events develop understanding between members of the Indian community and other residents of the Triad, and make the latter aware of issues of concern to the Indian community.

Hindi Language classes are being taught by Mrs. Punjabi.

Info: 336.656.0203 (Dhananjay Kumar) / www.iatnc.org Kiran KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South Asian organization. We promote the self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. We spread awareness of South Asian women's issues in the community and we cooperate and collaborate with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives.

Countries in South Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Though there are differences in language, customs, and religions across these countries, these regions share many basic cultural and historical similarities. KIRAN operates a crisis phone line Monday- Friday from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. If you need help or are in search of information regarding domestic violence call an advocate.

Services offered are confidential and free of charge: • Information in a culture- and context-sensitive manner • Non-judgmental help and support to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations • Emotional support • Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing • KIRAN's services are completely confidential. Translators and crisis counselors do not disclose any information provided by our clients. Info: Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1877-625-4726 Kiran@kiraninc.org www.kiraninc.org Life Bliss Foundation Life Bliss Foundation - NC Center offers workshops, books, CD’s, and DVD’s on living by enlightened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s teachings on spirituality and enlightenment. A satsang is held at the

Center on Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Join for Life Bliss Meditation (Nithya Dhyaan), free vegetarian meal, plus video discourse with discussion. The evening is completed with dancing as a meditation. Meditation workshops are taught on a regular basis. The Life Bliss Program draws from religious traditions worldwide. The meditation techniques can be easily practiced by everyone. Location: 1060 Tyler Rd., Walnut Cove, NC 27052 Info: 336.644.1111 www.lifebliss.org

Atlantic Coast Sikh Association This is one of the oldest Sikh associations in the Southeastern USA. It meets every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at its gurdwara, located at 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC 27705. Kirtan is done by Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha. Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time.

Info: 919.309.1045 - Bhai Dyal Singh 919.467.4856 - Mrs. Raj Dhillon www.acsagurdwara.org

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center of Greensboro, NC The Center organizing regular Sai Bhajans, Study Circle, Balvikas class for students and Service Activities.

All devotees are welcome to the Center. 1st Sunday of the Month 4 – 6 pm, all other Sundays 10 am 12:15 pm.

Info: 612.239.7529 (Deepak Deshpande at Winston Salem) 908.875.6964 (Swami Rajendran at Greensboro)

Balagokulam Gokulam is where Lord Krishna's magical childhood days were spent.

It was here that his divine powers came to light. Every child has that spark of divinity within. Balagokulam is a forum for children (4-15 years age) to discover and manifest that divinity. It will enable Hindu children in the US to appreciate their cultural roots and learn values. This is done through games, yoga, stories, songs, shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva (selfless service) in the community.

Balagokulam sessions are free for all and are held on Saturdays.

Info: balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com hss.charlotte@hssus.org (Charlotte region) / www.balagokulam.org

Raleigh Academic Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (AFICE) Interested in exploring the diverse cultures of the world? Become a host family for a high school exchange student! All the students will come from various countries around the world, and all students speak fluent English. They are of high school age (15-18) and will attend local high school in their respective communities. Each student will live as member of their American host family, sharing household duties and responsibilities. AFICE is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing cultural gaps by allowing foreign students the opportunity to live as part of an American community. Info: lathapamarthi@earthlink.net www.afice.org Association for India's Development (AID) - Duke University Chapter AID's mission is effect social change in India, by supporting projects with grassroots non-governmental organization in India in the areas of literacy, health care, rural credit, women's empowerment etc.

Info: www.duke.edu/web/aid/

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events: Ravi sabha every Sunday at 4 - 6 pm followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad. Mahapuja – every Purnima at 7 pm. Many classes are conducted. Fresh Indian snacks and sweets available at Shayona.

1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560. Info: 919.469.6605 www.swaminarayan.org Bengali Association of North Carolina (BANC) BANC seeks to promote Bengali culture, language, music, arts and social activities by offering varieties of programs for members of INDOAmerican community within North Carolina and adjacent states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes.

Info: 919.461.2386 (Ratan Ray), ratanray@hotmail.com 919.510.7943 (Swaty Sen), swaty_sen@yahoo.com banc_members@googlegroups.com www.banc-online.org saathee.com

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Community News & Events Bharatiya Senior Citizens of North Carolina (BSCNC) BSCNC is a nonprofit organization for Senior Citizens of Indian origin that are of age 60 and over - the organization meets on the second Saturday of each month at Cary Senior Center, which is located on High house Road in Cary, NC from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

An election for Board of Directors for 2009 is in the works.

Swamiji-trained teachers from India.

The group meets on the first Saturday of every month and every major festival day for Satsang and Namasankeertana (divine singing).

Everyone is invited to attend the satsang with family and friends and receive divine blessings. Info: 919.484.1993 (Srinivas Chittineni) 919.461.0843 (Suresh Kota) YahooGroups: Dattasatsang_NC.

Child Relief and You (CRY) An organization in the Raleigh area working with the India-based charitable non-profit organization committed to encouraging and facilitating individuals and organizations to make a positive impact in the lives of underprivileged children since 1979.

CRY America's RDU Action Center has been active since 2001. CRY-RDU invites people to join the enthusiastic volunteer base to contribute ideas or any relevant skills.

Info: 919.362.9591 (Sarav Arunachalam) rdu@cryamerica.org www.cryrdu.org

Duke Diya Duke Diya is a Duke University student organization that is committed to providing a forum for interaction through political, cultural, community service, and social events relating to South Asian Americans.

Info: 732.865.3173 www.dukediya.com

Chinmaya Mission The group hosts study groups/satsangs in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, and Chapel Hill and all are welcome to attend. Chinmaya Mission offers an avenue for adults to acquire spiritual knowledge that can be applied to lead a successful and happy life.

Study groups follow three disciplines - self-study, enlightened discussion, and finally, reflection on the knowledge gained in class. Everybody is invited for all the Jnana Yagna (Lecture Series) by Bramachairini Sumati Chaitanya of Chinmaya Kirti of London, UK. Sumatiji will talk on Updesh Sara by Sage Ramana Maharishi.

Sessions: Fri Jan 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sat Jan 3 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sun Jan 4 - TBD. Venue: Triangle Children's Center Gym, 1900 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC. Info: 919.544.2815 CMRDU1@gmail.com www.chinmaya-rdu.org Datta Yoga Center - Raleigh Mission: Spread the teachings of Sadguru Sri Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore.

Activities: Namasankeertana Bhajans written, composed and sung

by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Future projects: Kriya yoga classes by Pujya Sri February 2009

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to selfesteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One School One Teacher in one village) plans to establish 100,000 schools in tribal areas by 2012.This will cover all the villages in tribal areas where there are no schools today. The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North and South Carolina. Seeking volunteers. Info: 919.803.0478 (Hari H. Nath) / hnath45@yahoo.com www.ekalvidya.org EKTAA South Asian Student Organization EKTAA (meaning unity) is the South Asian Student Organization at North Carolina State University (NCSU).

The organization was founded in 1970. The motto is “unity within diversity.” EKTAA strives to spread culture and heritage of South Asia all over the campus as well as the local community and the organization works hand-in-hand with many organizations on and off the NCSU campus, as well as South Asian organizations from area universities.

Info: www.ektaa.org Geet Bazaar Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10 am Saathee

12 noon on WKNC 88.1 FM, join hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell, for a wide variety of music from India, Pakistan, and other countries and languages of South Asia. Geet Bazaar will also publicize community events free of charge.

Info: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroj Taj) taj@unity.ncsu.edu GEM - Raleigh Church of God Attend worship services, prayer meetings or Sunday School.

Info: 919.395.6208 (Pastor Thankachan M.) globalem@gmail.com Heritage India Association of North Carolina (HIANC) Heritage India Association of North Carolina aims at providing Indian cultural experience through performing arts, fine arts, cultural arts & crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.”

It organizes three colorful events annually, and the 2009 celebrations are as follows: 1. Heritage India Festival on April 4 at the HSNC Cultural Hall 2. Gandhi Jayanti on October 4 at the Marbles Kids Museum 3. Children’s Day on November 14 at the HSNC Cultural Hall.

Group performances by youth, children and adult artists from the Triangle community are welcomed for all three events.

Info: Yash Garg at 919.870.5222 Harsha Shah at 919.362.0520 chander@bellsouth.net Hindi Vikas Mandal of NC Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM), based in the RTP area, promotes study and appreciation of Hindi language and strives to foster Indian culture and traditions through Hindi. HVM has a special focus on the youths for the preservation of Indian Culture and heritage.

Info: 919.851.0225 (Saroj Sharma) 919.461.0001 (Vinod Goel) vgoel2@nc.rr.com www.hindivikas.org Hindu Society of North Carolina Morrisville, NC The Hindu Society of North Carolina, located at 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, N.C. serves the Indian community in the Triangle area and its vicinity. Temple timings are: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sat. - Sun. 8 saathee.com

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Community News & Events am – 7 pm. Daily Aarti and Puja is also conducted by the Priest. Other regular religious and cultural programs: Monthly Vedic Havan, Tuesday Hauman Chalisa recitation, Sri Ramakrishna Study Group, Sri Sai Baba Group, Gita Study Group, Devi Puja, Vaishnav Bhajan Group, Akhand Ramayana Recitation, Weeklend Language and Spiritual Knowledge Classes, and Sloka classes for Children. Yoga classes are also offered twice a week (Sunday at 8:00 a.m.and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.) at the Cultural Hall. Priest services are available at your home and/or at the Temple at a nominal charge. Info: hsnc@hsncweb.org www.hsncweb.org Hindu Students Council (HSC) NC State University HSC-NCSU is a chapter of the national organization Hindu Students Council (HSC). HSC-NCSU is a cultural and religious student organization.

It aims to provide opportunities to learn about Hindu philosophy, spirituality and cultural heritage through various activities, events and projects and is dedicated to provide “seva” (service) to the community.

Info: 919.676.0298 (Mrinmoyee Sanyal) / msanyal@ncsu.edu www.hsc-ncsu.org Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) conducts weekly activities to develop character and leadership skills in participants, emphasizing values such as self-discipline, self-confidence and a spirit of selfless service (seva) for humanity while maintaining Hindu cultural identity in harmony with the larger society. HSS is inspired by the idea that the whole world is one family. HSS started in 1989 in the United States and currently has over 100 chapters (shakhas) across the country. The Research Triangle Park chapter meets every Saturday. Activities are tailored to include yoga, games, songs, lectures and discussions on Hindu dharma and culture.

Info: hss.rtp@hssus.org - Triangle area hss.charlotte@hssus.org - Charlotte region.

Hum Sub Hum Sub is dedicated to sharing the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research February 2009

Triangle Park and North Carolina.

Info: 919.468.3332 (Mamta Bisarya) 919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi) info@humsub.net www.humsub.net Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is dedicated to the task of promoting Indian classical music and dance in the Triangle area. ICMDS invites the top artists from all over the world to perform in the Triangle area. Info: www.icmds.org Indo-American Friendship Foundation Did you know that about 90 percent of rural orphans are female and most of them are abandoned at birth due to their gender? Not one of them gets the opportunity to become a doctor, engineer, or even receive basic education. Because they can not live in the orphanage when they turn 18, many of them fall vicitim to different types of exploitation, including sex trade. IAFF has created an orphanage education fund to help qualified orphans to rise as high as they can climb in the educational/professional ladder.

Info: 919.362.7653 (Dr. Subhas C. Mohapatra) www.iaff1.org Indus Foundation Indus Foundation was founded in NC by a group of professionals with the sole purpose of giving back to the community and the country that has helped members achieve success.

Every dollar is wisely spent back into the community without any overheads. Current major projects: Indian Cancer Society rehabilitation Center in Mumbai, Mental Healthcare Center for socially rejected Women in Indore, and three Educational Centers in Gurgaon. Adopt an ongoing project or launch an new project under specific guidelines. Make a commitment today to build a better tomorrow.

Info: 919.461.0001 (Dr. Vinnie Goel, Chairman) 919.467.0598 (Dr. Shri Kulkarni, President) 919.319.7294 (Dr. Vijaya Bapat, Vice-President) www.indusfoundation.info International Community Church CC is a worship center for people from India and neighboring counSaathee

tries. The pastor is Joseph B. Jesudason and the church office is located at 1215 Franklin Jones Road, Suite #204, Raleigh, NC 27606.

Info: 919.233.2900 w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y church.org International Hindi Association International Hindi Association (IHA) promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States. The Raleigh Chapter periodically organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry.

Info: 919.851.0225 (Sarojben Sharma) 919.362.5244 (Sudha Dhingra) www.hindi.org International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization (ISSO) Primary objective of ISSO is "To advance the Sanatan Dharma in accordance with the principles and teachings of Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya, founded and ordained

by Lord Shree Swaminarayan (Shree Sahajanand Swami)," enabling His devotees from both the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad) and Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) to practice their religious duties in harmony.

The Raleigh-Durham chapter organizes a "Satsang Sabha" every two weeks, typically on Friday or Saturday evenings, which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad.

Info: 919.363.2356 (Niraj Joshi) niraj_joshi@yahoo.com www.swaminarayan.info ISKCON of North Carolina The Sri-Sri Radha Golokananda Temple - Iskcon of NC is situated on 16 acres of field and forest with the historic Eno River flowing behind the temple property. The temple is just a few miles off of Routes I-40 & I-85 and located at 1032 Dimmocks Mill Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Daily aarti- 4:30 am, 7:15 am, 12:30 pm, 4:15 pm, 7 pm. Darsana: Monday through Friday 7:30-11:30 am and 4:15-5:45 pm, Saturday all day until 5:45 pm, Sunday all day until 7:30 pm. Sunday Festival 5 – 7:30 p.m. includes kirtan, aarti, Bhagavad Gita discourse, vegetarian feast, and Sunday school for children.

Info: 919.732.2680 krsnapriya@earthlink.net saathee.com

Adam Pham, MBA Agency Owner Home/Office Appointments Available Allstate Insurance Company 7874 Idlewild Road Indian Trail, NC 28079

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Community News & Events Nuv Yug Nuv Yug is a cultural organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and heritage.

Striving to create synergy among various cultural groups from the South Asian region.

Info: info@nuvyug.org www.nuvyug.org Pakistani American Association The Pakistani-American Association (NCPAA) is a non-political, non-sectarian, cultural and social organization that promotes Pakistani culture to all the communities living in the Triangle Area of North Carolina.

Several events are presented during the year. A family dinner is held on the second Friday of every month.

Info: payamber@ncpaa.org www.ncpaa.org Pratham - Triangle Area Founded as a UNICEF initiative, Pratham is a grass-roots organization that works towards universalizing primary education in India. With a goal of reaching 20 million children, Pratham is one of the largest NGOs in field of literacy movement in India.

Pratham continues to evolve, grow and works to meet the continually changing needs of the children it educates. Prathamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Carolina chapter actively aims to collaborate with individuals, local organizations and community associations and seeks ideas, volunteers and resources to deliver the vision of "Every Child in School and Learning Well." Info: www.prathamnc.org RTP Maharashtra Mandal RTP Maharashtra Mandal promotes Maharashtrian culture and language.

Maharashtra mandal is committed to serve RTP community with various cultural, social and traditional marathi programs and events.

Info: 919.468.8824 (Jayant Yete) 919.757.7300 (Neeraj Shikarkhane) www.rtpmm.org S. V. Temple of North Carolina Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina was founded in 1998 to serve the religious and cultural needs of North Carolina's growing Indian community and to promote Hindu religion and heritage among future generations. The temple operates according to ancient Hindu scriptures (agama shastras) and houses the main deity, Lord Sri Venkateswara. In February 2009

addition to its religious and educational work within the Hindu community, S. V. Temple also delivers humanitarian services for the rest of the community. Info: 919.468.0040 comm@svtemplenc.org www.svtemplenc.org Sahaj Marg Meditation - Triangle Area Sahaj Marg translates to "The Natural Path." It is a natural, simple system of Raja Yoga meditation and spiritual practice that helps one realize the ultimate potential within oneself. Regular spiritual practice under capable guidance enables aspirants to progressively experience the sublime presence of the divine in their daily lives. Sahaj Marg system of meditation is freely offered to seekers worldwide through Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In Triangle area, group meditations are held on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Info: 919.841.0035 (Alexey Lef) 919.757.2732 (Jenna Boyd) meditation@nc.rr.com www.srcm.org, www.sahajmarg.org SAMPIGE - Triangle Kannada Association The Triangle Kannada Association is a cultural association for people residing in the Triangle area from Karnataka, India. Sampige organizes Kannada (the language spoken in the Karnataka area) activities in music, dance and drama as well as social activities. www.sampige.org Info: sampigeeditor@yahoo.com Satsang/Kirtan of Pujya Shri Asaram Bapu "Satsang" pertaining to Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta is organized every month in the Triangle area of NC. Venue: Mayank & Prapti Trivedi's residence in Cary, NC. Info: 919.465.9155 trivedimp@gmail.com.

Share and Care Foundation (SCF) Share and Care Foundation (SCF), a charitable organization focused on several projects in India and the USA, is launching a new chapter for the Carolinas - this represents the first chapter outside the New Jersey headquarters of SCF. SCF has been working with the Triangle's Indian community for more than 15 years.

Info: 919.425.5299 (Manu Patel) 919.469.1258 (Rajeev Kamath) www.shareandcare.org Saathee

South Indian Fine Arts Academy (SIFAA) SIFAA is a non-profit organization that works to arrange and promote concerts and performances in the Triangle and Triad areas, concentrating on Carnatic music for the present. Info: 919.773.1580 www.sifaa.org St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Monthly Mass and regular services are held in Malayalam/English by Rev. Dr. M. K. Thomas at the Baptist Student Center, 2702 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. Info: 919.461.1773 sec@stgregoriosnc.org www.stgregoriosnc.org Tamil Cultural Association of North Carolina (TCA NC) TCA NC is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of providing youths with exposure to Tamil culture. Everyone is invited to join TCA and become part of a wonderful organization promoting Tamil culture in the Triangle area.

Info: tca_nc@yahoo.com www.tcanc.org Tamil Sangam of Carolina The Tamil Sangam is an organization that promotes understanding of Tamil culture and provides a medium for people of Tamil culture to get together.

The activities include music, drama, lectures, Tamil movies, etc.

Info: (919)-465-1606 Ravi Shanmugam (President) Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) The Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) is a non-profit organization (started in 1983) committed to building a vibrant Telugu Community and promoting Telugu culture and language in the Triangle area of North Carolina. www.tataonline.org Info: committee@tataonline.org Triangle Bangladesh Society (TBSNC) TBSNC strives to arrange musical programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali-, Urdu- and Hindispeaking music fans all around the globe. Info: 919.741.9343 (Ishtiaque Mohiuddin) Ishtiaquem@gmail.com www.tbsnc.org saathee.com

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1918 Randolph Rd. Suite 440 Charlotte, NC 28207 www.charlotteprimarycare.com February 2009

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Community News & Events Triangle Chapter-India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) IDRF is a registered, tax-exempt non-profit organization that supports volunteer-based, honest and highly experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India in serving their populations' critical needs around education, childcare, healthcare, women empowerment and tribal welfare, as well as relief and rehabilitation in times of natural disasters. Info: www.idrf.org.

Triangle Gujarati Association (TGA) TGA serves the Gujarati community in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. TGA sponsors musical programs, dramas, and cultural activities to help maintain Gujarati culture and heritage.

Info: Harsha Shah 919.362.0520 Akshat Patel 919.468.6879 Girishbhai Amin 919.439.5848 Manisha Patel 919.319.5698 nctga00@gmail.com www.nctga.org Triangle Indian Youth Organization (TIYO) This organization has been created with the purpose of encouraging youths of Indian origin aged between 12-18 years to develop skills for leadership, to organize team-oriented efforts, understand and participate in community services, understand & develop individual potential.

Info: 919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi) triangleindianyouth@yahoo.com Triangle Rang Mandal Devotees of Pujya Sri Rang Avdhoot Maharaj meet every Saturday in Cary or Raleigh from 8:30 - 10:30 pm to sing devotional Dattatreya Bhajans and Datta-Bavani in a spiritual atmosphere.

Special programs organised on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti and on the occasion of Pujya Sri Prem Avdhoot Bapji's visit to the US. Info: rangmandal@gmail.com Urdu Majlis Urdu Majlis is a literary organization for the promotion of Urdu language and literature and has no political, national or religious affiliations. The group has regularly scheduled monthly meetings in which enthusiasts and scholars of Urdu literature meet to discuss the life and works of a selected literary figure.

Info: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroz Taj) February 2009

919.596.4792 (Ashraf and Seema Faruqi) taj@unity.ncsu.edu

Regional Cape Fear Cultural Association of India - Wilmington Cape Fear Cultural Association of India is an organization that promotes understanding of Indian culture and promotes a medium for people of Indian culture to get together.

Info: 910.799.0948 (President: Anil Shah) 910.791.4686 (Cultural Program Director: Suvarna Karve) 910.762.4903 (Treasury Director: Purnima Khajanchi) 910.392.1929 (Music Director: Santosh Sheth) Hindu Society of Eastern NC (Greenville, NC) All programs are from 11 am - 12 pm (noon), followed by Aarti & Prasad unless specified otherwise.

Info: 252.830.5177 (Dharam Vasnani)/ VasnaniD@aol.com Hindutempleenc@gmail.com Indo-US Cultural Association of Winston-Salem The Indo-US Cultural Association's primary mission is to increase awareness of the cultural heritage of India which is tremendously rich in its diversity and history. The Association seeks to reach out to the thriving Indian-American community within the Piedmont and Triad areas to share the vibrant Indian culture and promote cross-cultural understanding. Info: Madan Rangabasyam Phone 336.354.6199 indouswinston@gmail.com

South Carolina Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist Monk.

Activities are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: 6:30 pm (puja), 7 pm (meditation), and 8 pm ("Dhamma" talk or discussion). A "youth program" is also held monthly. Info: dhammasc@hotmail.com India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) The IAGC was founded in Charleston to bring together people who were Saathee

interested in India and to provide a forum to increase the understanding of the heritage of India in US. Info: 803.884.0859 iagcfolks@yahoo.com International Fellowship Church of Greenville, SC International Fellowship Church offers Sunday worship services and other weekly activities for people of Indian origin.

Info: 864.234.1256 (Pastor Suhas Raiborde) www.internationalfellowshipchurch.org Kannada Association of Greater Greenville (KAGG) Devoted to the awareness and promotion of Kannada culture in the Greater Greenville area. KAGG invites Kannadigas to join the organization. KAGG will celebrate "Ugadi" on Sat Mar 28 - the event will include cultural and social activities followed by a catered dinner.

Info: 864.430.4973 www.kagg-sc.org Masjid Noor-UL-Huda The Mosque is located at 517 Winmet Drive, Columbia, SC. A weekly Islamic session is held by Qari Abdul Khader Multani every Saturday from 6 - 8 pm. Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily.

Info: 803.749.0827 (Dr. Shami) 803.740.5127 (Qari Abdul Khader Multani) 803.754.2632 (Mosque main number) Sirigannada Sirigannada is the Kannada Association of South Carolina (based in Columbia) is a non-profit organization created in 2004 by the interested Kannada speaking people of South Carolina. A voluntary organization primarily run by memberships and donations from Kannadigas of the State of South Carolina.

President: Dr. H.N. Narayanaswamy Nadig. Vice President: Mrs. Radha Rajagopal.

Secretary: Mrs. Usha Bilgi. Treasurer: Malathi Nagaraj.

Info: www.sirigannada.org Vedic Center of Greenville The Center is located on the Corner of Bethel Road and Bethel Drive in Mauldin, S.C. Daily Aarti is conducted Monday to Friday at 8 pm. Bal Vihar classes are conducted Sundays from 11:15 am - 12:30 pm. Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Sat of month at 9 am.

Info: 864.967.2852 saathee.com

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Handa continued from page 16 ROTC program. They pay your tuition. I had a special contract with the Medical Service Board. I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 2007 when they called me to transfer to special ops committee.

Did your parents have any apprehensions about joining the army?

My parents were very supportive. They weren’t excited about me going (to Afghanistan). I told them about, at least safer aspects of the job I was doing and I may have spared a few details. I kept a blog going (while in Afghanistan) and updated it almost daily so family and friends would know my actions and day to day life so they would know I was ok. My parents would send me care packages and I could tell they were very proud. People from their work would send me things.

When did you go there and when did you return?

My orders were from Dec 31, 2007 through Dec 19, 2008. My days in Afghanistan were March 2, 2008 Nov 24, 2008.

What were your duties?

My primary job was I was in charge of coordinating the efforts with the people, part of the Provincial Development Plan. The Governor of the province I worked with was Gov. Wahidi. My main duties were in civil affairs. Part of the provincial reconstruction team.

I trained at Fort Bragg for the work.

their own accord. This can happen as development grows. Unfortunately most people are more interested in having a well in their house instead of building a road. If we build something and if proper coordination isn’t done with the ministry of education, the school that we’ve build may become housing or get taken over by the Taliban.

The Taliban will pay you $100 to shoot up a military convoy. So things like that is an enticement for locals to make money.

So we adjusted a lot of our contracts such as when we build a road, then 85 percent of the labor should come from a 10 kilometer radius so the locals can make money and not get enticed by the Taliban. This also ensures that the people mostly affected by the road get paid and receive the benefits of using the road.

The average wage of a Taliban fighter would be like $5 per day, so we would put in our contracts that the contractors had to pay at least $5.50 per day. We would go out and make sure the quality of the work was good and the people get paid the amount they are supposed to.

What are some other challenges?

The Pakistani insurgents are a big hindrance to Afghanistan. You can see a spike in the fighting in the summer. In the winter there’s snow on the ground, in the passes and in the mountains so they can’t get over the border. But in the summer there’s a spike in attacks and violence. Everybody knows it’s the Pakistani insurgents that come over, cause problems and then go back. That’s not saying there aren’t groups within Kunar that cause trouble. They do have a couple of training camps and there are some anticoalition forces there, so a lot of them are locals.

What were some of the memorable missions in Afghanistan?

What was memorable was me being responsible for Is there a specific incident that really affected the building of four schools, 10 clinics, five roads, and you or stands out during your time there? a whole municipal improvement plan to include public One incident I remember well, but don’t really like latrines, waste management system, civil service to talk about it. vehicles, district governor vehicles, and a large govWithout really geternment executive building for all the line directors ting into the (ministers). The lives we affected really made everydetails, basically I thing worth it. had breakfast with a new lieutenant, What was it like at the base?

2nd Lt. Michael R. There’s a lot of fighting in the province. It’s a mounGirdano, who had tainous terrain with lot of fighters coming over from just come in with Pakistan. I.E.D.’s are very common. We got attacked his unit a couple of regularly. The base is about two hours from Peshawar days prior. We Ceremony for fallen comrades in Pakistan. talked about usual things, and he What do you feel will bring long-term success went on about how he wanted to marry his girlfriend in Afghanistan? and all these other things. Our convoy was hit with an In Afghanistan corruption is the biggest problem. IED and he and three others died instantly. His Building a school costs around $50,000 but actual remains were blown up to 300 meters away. We had money usually spent is around $250,000, which is big a memorial for him and the other three soldiers killed waste of American taxpayer money. Don’t know where in that blast at our base. It was one of the worst most of the money goes. The work we’re doing is very things I have ever experienced. But in the end, it has noble. The biggest problem is corruption. I honestly given me new perspective on life. Tomorrow really think right now a lot of money is being thrown away isn’t promised, and I try to take full advantage of over there. There are no checks and balances. every day God has given me.

We’re creating a big subsidy. The key to success in Afghanistan is the emergence of the middle class on February 2009

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Kiran

Astride three continents

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Malayalam, Konkani, Marathi, Punjabi, Nepali Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

KIRAN also is working within the community to get rid of social stigmas against getting a separation or divorce if you are suffering from domestic violence.

KIRAN’s vision is to see women being more empowered and have more courage. They want women to become stronger and not tolerate domestic violence.

A main issue that KIRAN has recently come across is domestic violence with immigration blackmail. “In fact, immigration matters are amongst the top on our domestic violence abuse list,” Nimbalkar said.

Husbands are taking advantage of the fact that their wives have no family and no relatives in the United States, and threatening them stating they will not give them their visa or green card if they report the domestic violence.

KIRAN’s board members, staff, and volunteers are hopeful that the South Asian community will carry the message forward. KIRAN as an organization has set the wheels in motion, however, they are now turning to the community and seeking their help to get the message across and create awareness about domestic violence.

For more information on KIRAN, visit their website at www.kiraninc.org, or contact either director Rowina Nimbalkar or Avani Parekh-Bhatt at kiran@kiraninc.org. The hotline phone number for KIRAN is 1-877-625-4726.

native energy car design, at least as far as the technology is concerned. The technology, therefore, is already there; it just needs to be brought to market— -with all that that implies.

February 2009

Calculations have shown that if every household in the USA used one CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp), instead of an incandescent light, it would save energy and reduce pollution equivalent to removing one million cars off the roads of America.

India’s foremost carmakers, the Tatas, have launched a new car that runs on air. It uses compressed air stored in tanks inside the car to drive the pistons of a compressed-air engine. The tanks can be refilled at specially equipped gas stations within minutes. One tankful of air lasts for 125 miles. If a gas station is not available, the car can be refueled through the inbuilt compressor, which runs off standard electricity outlets.

This mode of refueling takes about four hours, largely because the motor-compressor inside the car is much less powerful than the gas station compressor.

You have to note, though, that the fuel isn’t really free.

It costs $2 at the gas station, and the electricity required to drive the compressor has to be produced somewhere. Hopefully, that “somewhere” will be a clean coal-burning power plant equipped with all the latest pollution-reducing gadgets.

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be a “long road ahead” although the new commanderin-chief is formally in office now.

Every year, the Federal Reserve Board meets eight times to review economic data, monetary policy, and make appropriate adjustments to interest rates as deemed appropriate. All of the meetings for CY2008 have concluded and due to the extreme and uncharted conditions and circumstances within the global financial system, the Fed has taken actions to lower interest rates in between the regularly scheduled meetings as well. At the 12/16/2008 meeting (which was the last meeting for CY2008), the Federal Reserve slashed the Fed Funds rate (the rate at which banks borrow money from each other) to a target range of 0.00 - 0.25 percent and the Discount Rate (the rate at which individual banks borrow money from the Fed) to 0.50 percent - this represents a historical low and due to the slack economic conditions, these rates are expected to be in place for the foreseeable future this dramatic rate cut did indeed have a sharp, strong negative impact on the U.S. Dollar’s value against other world currencies.

The eight meetings for CY2009 are slated as follows: 1) January 27-28, 2) March 17, 3) April 28-29, 4) June 23-24, 5) August 11, 6) September 22, 7) November 3-4 and 8) December 15.

Temporary agencies and contract houses are another source of employment. Increasingly, employers are turning to them for help in managing their human resources. Many people have worked their way into excellent employment by first working as a temporary.

Once they prove themselves, the employer is eager to hire them as permanent employees. Even if this doesn’t happen, temporary jobs are an excellent way to build skills, gain experience and minimize the cost of reemployment. If you’re receiving any wage subsidy, such as Unemployment Insurance, be sure to check for any adverse consequences temporary employment may have on those benefits. If you choose to use an agency, check them out very carefully and be sure you understand all the conditions of the contract.

Special Note: This article contains the ideas and thoughts of its author and it does not necessarily imply the viewpoints of “Saathee” magazine, this website or its principals.

Job Search Technologies There is an increase in the use of technology in job search. With the use of computers and modems, a person can reach a vast world of opportunities. Many job seekers use electronic media to identify potential employers and submit their qualifications. Employers and employment agencies use scanners to enter resumes and applications into a computer that reads, summarizes and stores the information for future consideration. These scanning systems use various degrees of artificial intelligence software to screen job candidates.

Rajesh Ganatra is also the Community News Editor for Saathee and writes the “The Cricket Forum” column.

Contact: rajeshtganatra@rocketmail.com

NetIP: Interview Tips continued from page 64 you take the time to prepare and give a short summary based on the notes that you taken during the interview. If you do not have prior experience, recap departmental issues and stress on how you can add value to the team and the company based on your academic background, personality traits and good work ethics. Demonstrating a positive attitude and closing with positive remarks leaves a good impression that may even cover for minor a slip up during the interview.

Thank you Note: A good practice is to send a thank you note to each individual you interviewed with, as well as the Human Resource partner you had worked with initially. The note should be concise and thank the person for listening to you. Recap things you may have discussed with the person and highlight again why you will be a good fit for the organization. Thank you notes should be sent promptly within a day or two of the interview.

February 2009

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Saathee 103

READ MORE TESTIMONIALS AT OUR WEBSITE. saathee.com

Clues Down:

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(Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase)

1. “__ of India” Saathee’s feature on ‘Nrityakala’.

2. A woodwind musical instrument having a slender conical body and a double-reed mouthpiece.

3. The chamber on the top of a lighthouse surround the light.

4. Spring up; appear.

5. “ ___ de Janeiro”, A seaport in SE Brazil.

6. A person or a thing that cleans.

7. Loss Of Coolant Accident. (*) (Nuclear plant) 8. Anger; Wrath.

9. Civil Engineer. (*) 12. A foreigner; Stranger.

15. A large carrion-eating bird related to hawks.

16. Remaining after deductions. (Accounting) 19. A thought or notion.

21. “Freeloader”, character of “HeeHee,” Saathee’s (Jokes) feature.

22. A timetable.

24. Academy award presented annually for films.

26. “Mount __”, the highest peak in Crete Island.

28. A person who receives/disposes of stolen goods.

30. Vigilantly attentive; Keen.

31. The female reproductive gland, a womb.

33. Expire; cease to live.

36. Past tense of verb Leave.

37. A thin horny plate at the end of a finger or toe.

39. A river in the lower world over which the souls of the dead were ferried by Charon. (Myth.)

42. An automobile.

44. Long Island. (*) (Puzzle solutions are on page 110. NO peeking!)

Clues Across: 1. The currency and monetary unit of USA. 6. Paroxysmal pain in the abdomen or bowels.

10. Arab’s outer garment made of goat’s hairs.

11. The monetary unit of Iran = 100 Dinars.

13. A metal-bearing mineral or rock.

14. The policy of refraining from the use of intense force, as in reaction to oppressive authority.

17. The Whale, a constellation above the equator.

18. International Atomic Energy Agency. (*) 20. The natural habitat of something; Constituent.

22. South Dakota. (*) 23. A particular character, quality or nature.

25. Asia and Near East. (*) 26. The frozen state of water.

27. To draw in through the nose by inhaling.

29. The lover of Lord Krishna. (Hinduism) 31. In the worked cited. (*) (Latin: Opera Citato) 32. To foresee, predict or foretell.

34. A seaport in East territory of New Guinea.

35. A sweetheart chosen on the Valentine’s Day. 38. Daylight Saving. (*) 40. The plural of the verb “Is”.

41. Definite; Completely evident.

43. A wingless, leaping, bloodsucking insect.

45. The European country; Capital: Rome.

46. The large, hairy, abominable snowman of Tibet.

47. “ __ Bahadur Shastri”, the former P.M. of India.

48. Regional Express Airline. (*) (Australia) February 2009

Hee Hee (Booddhoo is foolish. Mafatlal is a freeloader.)

Wife: “You cook really good. Now I will never insist on going to a restaurant. Now you will cook everyday. By the way, did you learn nice cooking from your mother?”

Husband: “I learned from my father, not my mother likewise my grandfather learned from his father.” ****** Booddhoo: “Your little daughter was learning music.

What benefit did you get out of this?”

Mafatlal: “My neighbor sold me his house at half the price.” ****** Doctor: “You are sick because you worry too much.

Don’t worry. I had a patient who came last month, who was sick because he was worried that he could not pay the bills of his wife’s tailor. I told him not to worry about it. He left worriless and is well today.”

Patient: “ Do you know, Doctor? I am that tailor.” ****** Customer: “Waiter. I got a button in this soup!”

Waiter: “Thank you, sir. I was looking for my button for the last two hours!” ******

Saathee 102

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EZ-BZ

YOUTH CORNER

TEST YOUR OWN IQ

(Created By Kirit Shukla)

(The common letters are “UD” - Fill in the blanks)

(Find & circle the words in the puzzle).

(They are all “Psychology”).

1. Happening unexpectedly.

_ UD _ _ _

2. A group of British Islands in Atlantic ocean, East of North Carolina. Cap. Hamilton.

_ _ _ _ UD _

3. Strongly audible.

_ _ UD

4. Angular distance east or west on the Earth’s surface, from prime meridian.

_ _ _ _ _ _ UD _

5. The mammary glands, as in cows.

UD _ _ _

6. A thick, soft dessert containing flour, milk, eggs and sweetening.

_ UD _ _ _ _

7. Any deception or trickery.

_ _ _ UD

8. To expel.

_ _ _ _UD _

9. Pal or chum. (Informal)

_ UD

10. To thrust forward.

ABNORMAL ABSTRACT ACQUIRED ADDICT ALZHEIMER ATTITUDE AUTISM BEHAVIOR DELUSION DIAGNOSIS DISORDER

DOGMA EMPATHY EMOTION FORGET HYPNOSIS HYSTERIA INHIBIT MENTAL MOTIVATE NEUROSIS TASK

_ _ _ _ _ UD _

11. Unrefined.

12. Pass judgment on.

_ _ UD _ _ _ _ UD _ _ _ _ _

13. To contain as a part of whole.

_ _ _ _UD _

14. Covered with mud.

_ UD _ _

15. A city famous for of lakes and palaces in Rajasthan, India.

UD _ _ _ _ _

16. To slip away from.

_ _ UD _

17. To hug tenderly.

_ UD _ _ _

18. Inclined to excessive self-esteem.

_ _ _ UD

19. A person who thrusts himself without welcome or invitation or reason.

_ _ _ _ UD _ _

20. Bare; unclothed.

The unused 11 letters spell Saathee’s “This Feature.”

_UD _

21. Wise in practical affairs.

_ _ UD _ _ _

22. A male animal kept for breeding.

(Correction in Saathee Jan. 2008: In Youth corner—the correct spelling is "TUNGSTEN" and not "TUNGSTON."

_ _ UD

23. A Japanese plant having edible shoots.

UD _

24. An unfavorable opinion formed beforehand or

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without knowledge or reason.

25. To bring to an end.

_ _ _ _ UD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ UD _

(Puzzle solutions are on page 110. NO peeking!)

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Who wants to be a scholar?

Festivals & Holidays Compiled by Kirit Shukla

By Kirit Shukla There is only one correct answer.

1. Arrange these US caves by length in order from long to short. (a) Fisher Ridge, KY (b) Wind Caves, SD (c) Jewel Caves, SD (d) Mammoth Caves, KY 2. Music director of 1979 Hindi film: “Do Shikari” (a) Ravi (b) Naushad (c) Khayyam (d) Chitragupta

February 2009

3. “Gorakhpur–Varanasi” distance by NH#29 is about (a) 100 Kms. (b) 200 Kms. (c) 300 Kms. (d) 400 Kms. 4. “Kho Kho” is India’s game played by two teams of 12 players & _ players in the team enter the field. (a) Five (b) Seven (c) Nine (d) Eleven 5. “Warren G. Harding” was US President for period (a) 1909-1913 (b) 1913-1921 (c) 1921-1923 (d) 1923-1929

Feb. 2. .

Feb. 6 .

Feb. 9 . ......

Feb. 14 Feb. 16 ......

Feb. 20 Feb. 23 Feb. 24 Feb. 27

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6. “A hatred of reasons or reasoning” is known as (a) Misology (b) Misogynist (c) Misogamy (d) Misoneism

March 2009

7. The volume of a cube made from a solid sphere of seven inches radius is approx. = __ Cubic inches. (a) 1237 (b) 1347 (c) 1437 (d) 1537 8. The state nickname “Beehive State” is (a) Hawaii (b) Florida (c) Montana (d) Utah 9. 12 Oz. of beer has approximately __ calories. (a) 50 (b) 150 (c) 250 (d) 350 10. Which is the largest (in area) country in the world? (a) Russia (b) Canada (c) India (d) USA

Mar. 7 . . . . . .Aamlaki Ekadasi Mar. 10 . . . . .Eid-E-Milad . . . . . . . . . . .Holi (Full Moon) Mar. 15 . . . . .Rang Panchami . . . . . . . . . . .Eid-E-Maulud Mar. 17 . . . . .Saint Patrick’s day Mar. 20 . . . . .Spring begins (US) Mar. 22 . . . . .Papamochini Ekadasi Mar. 26 . . . . .Darsha Amas (No Moon) Mar. 27 . . . . .Gudi Padavo Mar. 28 . . . . .Chetichand Major Holidays & Festivals of Apr. 09/May 09.

11. “Urmila” was wife of __ according to Ramayana. (a) Rama (b) Laxman (c) Bharat (d) Shatrughna 12. A year (Orbit around the Sun) of Uranus is about (a) 64 Earth Years (b) 74 Earth Years (c) 84 Earth Years (d) 94 Earth Years Scholar: All correct First Class: 11 correct Second Class: 10 correct Third Class: 9 correct Needs Improvement: 8 or less correct.

You be the judge for yourself.

Puzzle Solutions are on page 110. No peeking!)

February 2009

.Groundhog day .Jaya Ekadasi .Maghi Purnima (Full Moon) .Guru Govindadas Jayanti .Valentines day .President’s day .Shrinathaji Patotsava .Vijayaa Ekadasi .Maha Shivaratri .Darsha Amas (No Moon) .Ramakrishna Paramhansa Jayanti

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Apr. 10 Apr. 12 Apr. 27 .....

May 9 .....

May 10 May 25 May 26

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.April Fool’s Day .Rama Navami .Kamadaa Ekadasi .Mahavir Jayanti .Hanuman Jayanti (Full Moon) .Good Friday .Easter .Akshaya Trutia / Akha Trij .Parashuram Jayanti .Buddha Poornima .Tagore Jayanti .Mother’s Day .Memorial Day .Jarathost no Diso saathee.com

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(FA) Branded Gas Station / C-Store, Check Cashing, near Asheville, NC Asking: $250,000 + Inv, In: $84,000/mo. Out: 40,000 gal./mo.

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(MW) Branded Gas Station / C-Store, Check Cashing, near Wadesboro, NC Asking: $150,000 + Inv., In: $40,000/mo. Out: 20,000 gal./mo. Rent: $2800. 2,500 SF. (AB) Gas Station / C-Store, near Marion, NC - NEW LISTING Asking: $149,000 + Inv., In: $60,000/mo. Out: 30,000 gal./mo. Rent: $1,275.

Plus: Game Machine, Lottery, ATM: $2,100 net/month (RD) Gas Station / C-Store, Check Cashing, near Gaffney, SC - Net: $8,000/mo.

Asking: $95,000 + Inv., In: $40,000/mo. Gross: 30%. Out: 30,000 gal./mo. Rent: $2,200/mo.

(RH) Gas / C-Store, near Asheville, NC. No Alcohol - Net: $6,000/month.

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Indian Restaurant, Leased, near Raleigh, NC (AR) - PRICE REDUCED Asking: $125,000, Gross: $300,000, Cash Flow: $60,000. Area: 2,250 SF. Rent: $4,300 Subway, Leased, Raleigh, NC (NQ) Asking: $139,000, Gross: $233,000, Net: $72,000. Area: 1,200 SF. Rent: $2,300.

Quizno's, Leased, near Cary, NC (ET) Asking: $110,000 + Inventory, Gross: $313,000, Net: $65,000. Area: 1,400 SF. Rent: $3,625.

Dry Cleaning Store / Plant with two drop stores, near Cary, NC (PD) Asking: $599,000. Leased. Gr: $462,000. Close to affluent homes, shopping, offices, hospital.

Dry Cleaning Store / Plant, near Henderson, NC (SK) Asking: $299,000. with Real Estate. Gross: $120,000. No competition in 20 miles Cleaning Store / Plant, Raleigh, NC (MJ) - PRICE REDUCED. Motivated Seller Asking: $225,000. Leased. New. Started April 08. Close to affluent homes, shopping, offices.

UPS Store, busy Shopping Center, Charlotte area, NC (BD) - NEW LISTING Asking: $175,000. Leased. Gross Estimate 2008: $215,000. Net: $60,000 February 2009

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takes might kill you. Figuratively. You must analyze and understand the situation before taking any action.

General Predictions for February 2009 ARIES MAR 20 - APR 20 Your confidence, energy and luck rise during the first half of the month. Life will move very fast, and then you might feel it begin to go slow again.

Do whatever you can to promote yourself. A change in career is also possible, but you really should listen to your kids. During this action-y month, don’t become emotional and lose opportunity. You might have to use up some savings.

TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 21 You’ll be lucky financially. Try to smile more often. It can help you win over your opponents.

Try not to argue with your friends too often. Your spouse might be lucky, too. Moving to change where you work may also turn out good. This is a perfect time for making marriage decisions or going into a new business project. You will find a good partner.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 21 It is time to slow down in life. Relax and find easy money. Your stars show that you might get an expected temporary benefit through your partner. Try not to be greedy or it might turn out contradictory in the long run. The second half of the month will be better than the first half. However, familial insecurities might bother you. During the first week of the month, listen to your spouse.

CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22 You might notice a positive change in your family’s attitude. If you can understand and accept it, you’ll be able to pass up confusion. Lots of money benefits are clearly shown. Now is a positive time for making career-related changes or taking quick business action. Taking fast action is the key for a big financial gain. You might entail your sibling in making decisions. A minor health problem is also possible.

LEO JUL 22 - AUG 23 Try to be flexible and move fast to bring down your opponents. You might have to play politics to achieve success. Cheating might bring you temporary success, but really, don’t do it. Some kind of para-psychic experience might show you the right way to go. This experience may change the path you choose. You should watch your health, too. Don’t push yourself too hard or you might start coughing it up.

VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 23 You might be involved in matters related to your kid this month. Try to control your anger, though.

Don’t try to do anything rash. And your spouse will do much better than you. Don’t envy people.

Some medical expenses might prove costly. Even though this is not a negative time, your own misFebruary 2009

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LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 23 House and property related issues might mess your set-up completely. Your mother may prove to be a good help now. You should try not to travel this month. You might see a problem ending this month. Don’t follow advice from your friends or associates. The good thing is that you won’t feel stress or tension. A big argument with your spouse can also deteriorate the situation.

Try to stay relaxed and the tables will turn soon.

SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 22 Now is when you must use all good or bad tricks, but immediate action is the key to win. Family politics can show up, but an attitude check towards your siblings can also help. You’ll be able to defeat your enemies with minimum effort. Get ready to travel. Your kid might bring happiness.

Expenses on luxury items might exceed income.

Take full advantage of this period.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21 An unexpected family issue might mess up everything. You might lose your self-confidence and have to face false charges. The situation could weaken as the time passes. You may have to compromise with your principles. Don’t make any decision under the influence of aggression.

You may find full support from your mother. You must spend some time with her or talk to her before taking any action.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Situation may force you to make changes. Don’t make a decision, consider alternatives. Talk to your friends and listen, just don’t go for short cuts. Changes are good but only if taken after consulting someone. Don’t break laws and become greedy; wrong action may affect your reputation. Don’t wait till end of month to make a change. Avoid involvement of your spouse.

AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 19 Your own mistakes will be responsible for your downfall. Spend more and more time with your family. You may have to pay for the mistakes made by your spouse. Try to pass time without making any move. Debt taking must be avoided.

Also avoid speculation this month. If you can avoid these, you will be able to maintain your income and enjoy family happiness. Also remember not to compromise your ideology.

PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20 Your luck will protect you this month. You will enjoy a very happy life unless you ignore your health. All your mistakes and wrong actions will be forgiven. Speculation may earn some good money. An unexpected gain from your fore fathers is also possible this month. The only condition is to check your health and be happy and the first half of the month is better than second half in this respect.

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Saathee

Classifieds BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: EVOS. Successful Franchisor of America’s First Healthier Fast Food.

Burgers, fries, and shakes that are 50-70% less fat, 100% full of flavor!

Franchise opportunities now available in NC. 706-414-5440 www.evos.com Running Indian Restaurant for Sale: Durham/Chapel Hill. Great location. 100 seat. Up to date kitchen.

Buffet. Call 919.423.4763.

Convenience Store/Gas Station For Sale: In Moore County, NC (Near Pinehurst Area). $550K + Inventory.

Includes Property. Call 919.280.6354 Convenience Store For Sale: In Gaffney, SC. $960K inside & 40K/month gallons with property or lease. Owner financing available. Call Saeed 704.877.8578 Indian Restaurant For Sale: in Downtown Charlotte,NC. Excellent location. Call 571.238.4905.

C-Store / Gas & Auto-Workshop For Sale: Charlotte, NC - Great Interstate Location, 4-5 minutes to Downtown. Lease $4500/month. 3 month deposit, no royalty fees.

Purchase $550K. All EPA requirements current. Only Experienced & Financially able Call 704.641.5902 Businesses For Sale: Café, restaurants, deli, coin laundry, dry clearers, and more plus residential listings.

Call for best discounts when you buy or sell. 704.649.9095.

C-Store/Gas Station For Sale: Near Hickory, NC. Inside Grocery Sale $60K + 20K Lottery & 30K in gallons of gas.

Also, 500SF additional space + an extra lot. $200K + inventory for BUS only or $700K + inventory for whole property. For Info Call 517-712-1965 or email: nchotels@gmail.com. Bank Loan Is Transferable.

Citgo Station For Sale / Lease: Citgo Station & Café located in Sparta, NC. Intersection of Hwys 221 N & 21 N. Great location! In operation & full equipped. Sell or Lease.

Contact 336-372-4401 Liquor Store For Sale: Seneca, SC. 10 Year Lease. Rent $1050. Gross $375k. Call Harry 864-882-2523 Dry Cleaners For Sale or Lease: 4000+ sq.ft. plant with property.

Includes new 3BR apartment & two drop off stores. Call Jay (864) 350-2571 January 2009

Franchise Motel For Sale: 40+ Room franchise motel close to Charlotte with manager’s apartment.

Asking price $2.3M. Seller can assist with financing options. Please call 704-906-9899 Liquor store & C-Store for Sale/Lease: Reduced in Clover, SC (Near Gastonia): Asking $115 k + inv (Negotiable) on lease or $350k inc 1200 sq. ft. building /w 1 acre land. Gross for both $377k. Call Rocky 803.810.5105 Businesses for sale: Quiznos and C-store in the Raleigh area; 2 transmission shops in the Triad area. Email Olga at info@EntrustAssociates.com or call 919.881.9997.

Businesses For Sale: C-STORES: Durham, $350K + Inv., GR $1.6M; Easley, SC, $39K + Inv., GR $1.2M; Gastonia, NC, $1.6M + Inv., GR $4M; Piedmont,SC, $210K+Inv.,GR $2.5M; Peachland, NC, $549K + Inv., GR $570K; Many locations available under $99K + Inv. 704.814.9435 www.countysouth.biz EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Gas Station / Conv. Store help wanted. Exxon Station in Kannapolis, NC. Experience preferred. Competitive pay. Safe location & friendly customers. Good communication skills required.

Call Paresh Parikh 704.490.9074.

Motel Help Wanted: Looking for couple for housekeeping and front desk for a franchise motel. accomodation provided Call 919.208.3513.

Gas Station Help Wanted: Full time help for convenince store near Charlotte, NC. Accommodations Provided! Call 704.701.9975 Gas Station Help Wanted: Full time help for convenience store in South Carolina.

Offer good pay.

Experience preferred but not required. Call 803.410.0185 Hotel Management Firm Now Hiring: Various positions available for house keepers, front desk (must speak fluent English), and General Manager/s of franchise hotels.

Experience is MUST for all positions. Email resumes: abcone@abcinns.com or call 704-649-6833.

Nanny Needed: Live-In / Live-Out for a newborn starting end of February 2009. Light housework & cooking assistance. Location in South Charlotte. Call 704-625-7560 or email: sona_kashyap@yahoo.com Saathee 110

Motel Help Wanted: Couple needed for Motel help. Front Desk & Housekeeping. Call 704-867-0231 Nanny Needed: Experienced, reliable, live-out position in Cary/Raleigh area for 9 month child.

Light housekeeping and cooking expected.

Must have own transportation. 919-234-2677 Mother's Helper/ Housekeeper Needed: Energetic, reliable, experienced help needed for 1 yr old twins and newborn. Cooking and light housekeeping expected. Position in North Raleigh. Call 919-848-6457.

PROPERTY FOR SALE OR RENT: Condo for Rent: Near waterfront and swimming pool. Walking distance to bus. Perfect for small family, H-1 workers or students.

704.619.1603 Townhome For Sale Charlotte: Only 4 miles from downtown, Airport, South Park Mall. Great Schools (Myers Park High & AG Middle). Near Light Rail. 2br & 1.5 bath. $149,000. Scaleybark at Woodlawn Rd. Call 704.641.9336.

PRODUCTS: American Mattresses Too Soft? Try a Duroflex mattress from Aleppy!

Rubberized coir with 3’ latex foam cushion. Limited quantities. BilliBeds, 919.321.1284, carrom1@hotmail.com SERVICES: Babysitter Available full-time or part-time. Experienced. Speaks Hindi, Gujarati and English. Call 704.619-1603.

Quality home tutoring service in the Univesity area. We provide math and science tutoring by highly qualified teachers (MS). call 704.287.2594 aru.sharma@yahoo.com Tax Returns: Tax Preparation with e-filing, Sales/Payroll Taxes; and Notary services to Individuals and small businesses. Ten years experience. Call Mahesh Patel, EA, MBA, (704) 799-6377 Harmonium/Keyboard Player: For any occasion/party, Garba-raas, traditional Indian wedding songs, programs & lessons.

Kirit 704.568.8206.

Art Class: To enhance the skills of fine, sketch & modern art - for your kids: from ages 3+. Classes by an Experienced art teacher. Contact: Karli 704-541-9439 / 704-965-3550. saathee.com

Accent Reduction Training: Three-month tutorial with certified speech-language pathologist.

Transform accents from career obstacles to charming cultural flavors.

Invest in your future! www.trianglespeech.com Bollywood, Bhangra, Fusion, & Hip Hop Dance Lessons In Charlotte: Dance instructor/choreographer with 10+ years of experience in various dance styles including Bollywood, Bhangra, Hip Hop, Fusion & Reggae. Private & group lessons for males and females of all ages!

919.395.2679; email dancevolutions@gmail.com.

Mehandi (Henna): Award winning artist from Jaipur, India is specializing in wedding parties (Bride & attendants). Satisfaction is guaranteed regarding design, color & price.

Krishna Priya Dasi 919.824.7734 E-Mail: krsnapriyad@hotmail.com Beautician in Charlotte, NC : Vandana Patel. Eyebrows, bleach, facial, wax, haircuts, manicure, pedicure, bridal makeup & Mehndi. 22 Years of experience. Appointments Available on Monday & Wedneday Only. Call 704.552.4795.

Dholi For Hire: for any occasion, barat, doli, graduation, birthdays, baby showers and any other festivity. Affordable rate. Instructional classes. Also Indian Clothing for Sale, Chudidar & Anarkali suits, etc.

Call Ritu Bhandari at 704-843-7202. email: sbhandari@carolina.rr.com Balaji Priest: All kinds of puja, havan, katha, weddings, graha shanti, funeral services & Shraadh.

In Hindi, English & Tamil.

704.877.6320 or 704.545.7220.

Beautician in Matthews, NC: Pari Beauty - Threading, waxing, bleach, facial, manicure, pedicure & much more. 18 years of experience.

For appointment call 704.846.7912 South Indian Priest: Sastriji is an independent priest Call for Pujas, Gruhapravesh, Weddings, Multi-lingual, Vedic traditional priestly services, etc. 704.625.7578 704.231.0751. sastrigal2003@yahoo.com Gujarati Priest: Devendra Dave Independent priest. Ganesh, Randal, Navratri, Diwaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laxmi & Sharda Pujas, Satyanarayan Katha, Weddings, Vastu, Baby Showers, Funeral Seva.

Call Daveji 704.780.3563. God Blessings to All.

MATRIMONIAL: Looking for a match for sister: 37-year-old divorcĂŠe, issueless, Gujarati, Pharmacist with Green Card. Looking for educated professional Hindu man.

Call 803.431.3966.

SAATHEE CLASSIFIEDS: Business ads are $25 & personal ads are $15 up to 25 words. Type or clearly write the ad & include a check along with your home/work phone numbers. Classified posted on saathee.com at no extra charge.

We accept Credit Cards.

Ad Submision Deadline is the 20th.

Saathee Classified PO Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com 704.527.7570 Fax: 704.527.7590

Ser North ving C South arolina, Car & Geo olina rgia

- Life Insurance

Toll Free: 1-877-510-KHAN Maqsood Khan Principle Agent khanm5@nationwide.com

Khan and Associates Inc. 349 South Swing Road Greensboro, NC 27409 Nationwide Mutual Insurance Comany and Affilliated companies. Nationwide Life Insurance Company. Home Office: Columbus, Ohio 43215-2220.

Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

February 2009

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Index of Advertisers Agie Photography (Agie Sundaram) . . . . . . . . .79 All Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Allstate (Adam Pham MBA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Amerifab International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Art Of Living (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Ashirvad Tours & Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Asian Grocery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Austin Village Eyecare (Keshav Bhat O.D. MS) .95 BallantyneTech Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Bashyam, Spiro & Edgerton LLP (Immigration Law)79 Bayleaf Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Bharat Bazaar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Bhindi Jewellers . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover Bhojwani, Pinky Patel (New York Life) . . . . . . .57 Blooming Buds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Bombay Cuisine Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Bombay Grille Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Bright Mart Music & Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Carlisle Chiropractic Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Cary Photo & Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat . . . . . . . . .103 Charlotte Primary Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 CheapIndianGrocery.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Concha, David - Immigration Attorney . . . . . . .66 Cosmos Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 County South Realty & Business Brokers . . . . .20 Countywide Sealcoating & Striping . . . . . . . . . .8 Dances of India (Dr. Maha Gingrich) . . . . . . . .30 Delhi Palace (Columbia, SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Dentist (Dr. Prashant Rao - Cedar Walk Dentistry)31 Desai Desai Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Desai, Raj (Accountant) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Dhamaaka (Live Music, DJ & More) . . . . . . . . .20 Dick James Law Firm (Monty Desai) . . . . . . . . .5 Dish Network (Hindi Elite Pack) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Dish Network (Viren Mehta) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 DJ Kenz (Kenz Desai) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 DJ Don (David Pandoria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 DJ Mav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 DJ Ravi (Bhangra Baam) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Elegant Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 E-nopi (Tutoring - Math & English) . . . . . . . . . .19 Eshaan Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Fairview Home Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Fast Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Five Star Limousine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Friends Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Fu Lin Asian Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Gandhi International Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Grover Medical Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Gujaratin Natak (Unmarried Husband) . . . . . . .15 Henna's Dulhan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Hindu Center (Mahashivratri) . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 iFuturistics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 India Fest 2009 (Nuv Yug) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 India Grocers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 India Palace (Columbia SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 India Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 In-Style Boutique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 International Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Isha Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 ITaxLogic (Tax services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Jaipur Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 JM Emporium (Columbia, SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 K & M Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 K & S Real Estate (Mayank Patel) . . . . . . . . . .31 KD Photographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 La Bella Studio (Photography & Cinematography)29 Legacy Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover Limon Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Live Spectrum Ent. (Jagjit Singh Farewell Show) 13 Mahabazar.com Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Maharani Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Malani Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover Mandap World (Nita Govan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors) . . . . . . .11 Mrithujayan, Sue (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Namaste India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) . . . . . . . . . .111 New South Auto Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Parekh , Bipin & Smita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Patel Brothers (at Bright Mart location) . . . . . .25 Patel, Champa (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 February 2009

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Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Payal Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Photography By Vinod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Prashant Video Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Pretty Inspirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Pro-Learners IT Training (Provish Consulting) . .53 Punjabi Dhaba (Indian Restaurant Columbia, SC)83 Puvvala, JP (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 R.P. Videography (Rashmi Patel) . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Rajbhog Foods (Shree Kailash) . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Rajdeep Mandap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Rajdeep Video (Ramesh Panjabi) . . . . . . . . . . .32 Rajeshree Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Rama Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 Rapid Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Refulgent Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Religious Ceremonies (Swaminath Sastrigal) . .89 Royal Kabab Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Royal Pakistan Grocery Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 saathee.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Saffron Restaurant & Sangeeta's Catering . . .45 SAT Tutoring (The Hitchhiker's Guide to College)103 Shah, Anish (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . .62 / 63 Shah, Chandravadan (Real estate & Mortgage) 107 Shah, Kirti (CPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Situl Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Sleep Inn (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Soma Indian Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Sonal Furniture & Custom Draperies . . . . . . . .114 Southpark Cricket Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Spice Kitchen (Catering) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Sunuvkriti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Tamarind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Transportation (Diamond Cab) . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Travel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Travelinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Ttravel Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Tulika's Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Udipi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Usha Decor (Wedding Planning & Decor) . . . . .29 Vyas Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 White Horse Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Woodlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Worldwide travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Zamana Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

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