Saathee Digital May 2010 Charlotte

--May 2010

A kathakali dance performer

In this issue: Idol Finalist - Anoop Desai Releases Debut Writing for Social Media

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Will the recently passed healthcare legislation be a boom for Indian businesses? Go to pg. 10 for details.

There’s a wonderfully detailed interview with the filmmakers of Summer Pasture, documenting a nomadic Tibetan family, beginning on pg. 14.

North Carolinian Anoop Desai made it to the finalist stage of American Idol in 2009. He is now gearing up to release his debut recording. Find the story on pg. 36.

Wondering how to diversify your financial portfolio as the economy recovers? Bonds maybe one option. Find the details on pg. 62.

Are we witnessing the declining phase of Test Cricket?

Read a cricket lover’s take on the increasing popularity of IPL and the decline of test cricket on pg. 66.

Are you thinking about buying a franchise business?

Hop on over to pg. 72 for an informative article.

Catch up on all the happenings in local organizations in our Community News section beginning on pg. 96 or stay up to date daily at www.saathee.com.

All the sizzling astroscope predictions are on pg. 122.

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

Quote: “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

- Mark Twain

May 2010 – Issue # 145

Editor:Samir Shukla (saatheemag@hotmail.com) Publisher: Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com) Community News Editor: Rajesh Ganatra Ad Design / Layout: Nate “Natwarlalji” Andrews Consultant: Himanshu Desai

Contributors for this issue: Pradip Bulsara, Kirit Shukla, Rajesh Ganatra, Judith L. Bergman, Chandan Sen, Dilip Barman, Smitha Prasad, Dr. Maha Gingrich, Wendy Wells, Narendra Dixit, Krutika Chheda, Gail Z. Martin, Anjana Agarwal, Swapna Krishna, Matt Joyner, Swami Satyanand, Anita Kulkarni, Jalendu Vaidya, and Christine M. Hall.

Your saathees: Samir, Divakar, Raj & Himanshu

In this issue:

May 2010

All contents © 2010 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 20th of the previous month.

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

Saathee Magazine (Founded 1998) P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 Phone: (704) 527-7570 Fax: (704) 527-7590 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com

www.saathee.com

Cover: Kathakali dancer

Kathakali is a Classical Dance-Drama of Kerala in South India that dates from the 17th century and is rooted in Hindu Mythology. Read more about it on page 34.

Saathee 2

Photo: BigStockPhoto

May 2010

A kathakali dance performer

The Good Capitalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 06 US Healthcare Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 10 Radioactive Delhi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 12 Summer Pasture Filmmakers Interview . . . . . .pg. 14 Saathee Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 16 Bolly Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 20 Sangeet, Music of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22 Evergreen Film Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 24 Indian Classical Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28 Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 30 Virtual Teaching Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32 Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 34 Anoop Desai Recording Debut . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 38 Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40 Music Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Astride Three Continents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 College of Your Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 48 Healthwise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50 The Stock Tickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54 Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56 Marketing Turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 Personal Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62 Cricket Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 66 Business Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 68 Buying A Franchised Business . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72 The Chai Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 74 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 80 Community News & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 96 Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 120 AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 122 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 124 Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 126 Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 126

In this issue: Idol Finalist - Anoop Desai Releases Debut Writing for Social Media

Saathee Magazine, USPS 021-116, is a free subscription magazine published monthly by Shukla Entertainment Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Saathee, P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220-1468. Postage paid at Charlotte, NC. (ISSN: 1543-8147) saathee.com

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May 2010

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The Good Capitalist Fabindia’s William Bissell plans to reinvent India’s companies.

By Jason Overdorf - GlobalPost.com

India’s rural cooperatives helped save millions from starvation. But with little incentive to grow and invest, small farmers and cottage craftsmen stayed small.

Fabindia’s William Bissell offers a new solution.

A slim and bookish 41-year-old, Bissell’s side parting and earnest manner give him the air of a boy scholar. But he doesn’t keep his ideas locked up in an ivory tower. A curious mix of devout capitalist and social reformer, Bissell first turned the village-based textile export company he inherited into a multimillion-dollar retailer. Then he turned it into a laboratory for an idea that could transform rural India.

In 2007, Bissell hived off a substantial portion of Fabindia’s assets to create a new firm dedicated to investing in and promoting community-owned companies comprising the retailer’s rural artisan suppliers. The scheme is based on an innovative system that makes workers into shareholders and creates its own micro stock exchange. And if Fabindia can work out the kinks, it could translate the old idea of agrarian cooperatives into fast-growing firms capable of simultaneously unleashing capitalism’s unrivaled energy and reigning in its destructive appetites.

“I’m a communitarian. That’s where the philosophical underpinning comes from,” said Bissell. “What’s interesting to me is how to use capitalism, the way it organizes capital and information and shares and distributes wealth – because it is a fairly comprehensive ideology – to produce beneficial outcomes for society.”

Founded in 1960 by William’s father, John Bissell, an American who’d worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation, Fabindia arose as an export firm that marketed India’s rich heritage of handloom fabrics to the world. The company began to shift focus to the domestic market in 1976, when it opened its first retail outlet in Delhi.

But it was after William took over in 1998 that the firm really took off. In less than a decade, the young entrepreneur built Fabindia into a 112-store, $75 million retailer with outlets in Rome, Dubai and Guangzhou, expanding the product line to include designer clothes, jewelry, home furnishings, body care products and organic foods — all without straying from the company’s socially conscious roots. Giving usually staid handicrafts a slick, modern spin, it’s Pottery Barn meets The Body Shop meets Pier One — the company is incredibly popular with ordinary Indians, posh socialites and Western expatriates alike.

May 2010

But Bissell isn’t resting on his laurels. He is reinventing the company again.

The essentials of Fabindia’s new business model are simple. Bissell first created Artisans Microfinance (AMFL), an investment company, which identified and helped fund 17 community-owned firms that Fabindia calls “supplier-region companies,” or SRCs. Many of these firms had at their core non-profits and cooperatives that had been Fabindia suppliers for two generations.

But when they were restructured, their artisan-workers bought shares in the future — and a guaranteed piece of Fabindia’s pie. By tapping the locals and angel investors, Fabindia got a 50-percent boost in investment.

More importantly, the SRC shares have already appreciated 50 percent and more, said Prableen Sabhaney, a Fabindia spokesperson. Returns like those – and the jobs they generate – could spell an end to rural poverty and the ills of urban migration.

Hiving off management responsibilities to shareholder-owned companies promises to make Fabindia more efficient, too. Now, instead of dealing with more than 700 individual suppliers, the corporation only deals with 17 SRCs. That already means it can handle larger volumes and theoretically gives smaller artisans and suppliers a better chance to showcase their products locally and break into the retailer’s supply chain.

But there have been growing pains. In some cases, instead of looking for new sources for products, the SRCs took the easiest route — resting on their laurels and relying on supplier companies that were almost as large as the community-owned units themselves.

“We had too many carrots and not enough sticks,” Bissell said. “Now we’ve given some of their suppliers the ability to come to us directly to make the SRCs feel that they need to sing for their supper. Because just sitting around and expecting checks to roll in is not the model that we had in mind.”

Bissell’s community-owned companies represent a change from the rural cooperative. Currently, Fabindia still owns about half the stock of the SRCs. But within five to seven years Bissell plans to reduce that to about a fourth, as artisans, employees and outside investors pick up more stock.

Unlike in traditional cooperatives, where members have equal voting rights regardless of their investment or productivity, SRCs will reward the artisans who hold larger stakes in the units with a larger say in how they are run. Shareholders also reap rewards from the company’s growth in direct proportion to how much — and how early — they invested. That means that, like cooperatives, the SRCs provide a vehicle for small, cash-starved rural artisans to pool their money to expand and modernize their operations. But unlike cooperatives, they give the savviest of the bunch a strong motive to invest.

“The person who uses the cooperative most benefits the most as well — not the person who started the cooperative and took the risk. So that basically means that nobody individually will take the risk,” said Vineet Rai, the founder of Aavishkaar. Unlike cooperatives, which also prohibit outside investors, the shareholder system of Fabindia’s community-owned companies encourages entrepreneurial investment by promising a larger payoff to the early movers when the firm grows. And that could mean rapid growth for rural India, too.

Saathee 6

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For India, US Healthcare a Sea of Opportunity Outsourcing firms in India brace themselves for the onslaught of work following US healthcare reform.

By Taylor Barnes — GlobalPost.com

U.S. healthcare reform gave 32 million new Americans insurance, the new U.S. president a feather for his cap and a good seven years’ boon to the workload of India’s $61 billion outsourcing industry.

India’s Economic Times declared it the industry’s “biggest bonanza yet” and “far bigger than the Y2K.” While it’s too early to know the extent of the boon, India’s outsourcers — the call centers, the medical record transcribers, the software developers — are quietly gearing up for the increase in administrative work and technology development the health care legislation promises.

Finance and banking, telecommunications and manufacturing are the sectors that provide the lion’s share of work to India’s outsourcers. But healthcare — where now less than five percent of the industry’s business comes from — is poised to be one of the fastest-growing, said Ameet Nivsarkar, vice president for global trade at NASSCOM, a trade body for India’s information technology and business process outsourcers (BPOs).

“Now the next $60 billion ... can’t come from these sectors,” he said. “So the industry is looking at health care as a promising new industry.”

India’s BPO and information technology exporting industry grew about six percent the fiscal year ending this past March, according to NASSCOM, but is expected to more than double its growth — up to 15 percent — this year.

It’s the classic outsourcing debate but with a newer, larger scale: Does the $940-billion bill, coming as unemployment persists at just under 10 percent, mean sending another round of jobs abroad?

Anything that is electronic in health care can be offshored — sent outside U.S. borders — and no state or federal regulations prohibit personal medical data from leaving the U.S. (Some insurers, however, choose to keep personal health data within U.S. borders.)

India’s outsourcers get new health care work in two ways, by the initiative to computerize personal medical records included in last year’s stimulus bill and by run-of-the-mill maintenance of health records both for the newly insured by the reform and the millions of others who already are but whose insurers will need to cut administrative costs.

That’s where Firstsource Solutions, a Mumbai-based IT firm, sees an opening. Managing the new enrollments and claims, expanding member databases and revenue cycles that come with these 32 million “is very significant” for their business, its CEO Ananda Mukerji wrote in May 2010

an email, adding that Firstsource has been watching the U.S. health care space since 2006.

Up to 41 percent of the money spent on a health plan in the U.S. goes toward administrative costs, according to a recent Deloitte Center for Health Solutions study.

Insurance companies will face mandates to spend as much as 90 cents of every dollar on the actual well-being of a client, Mukerji adds, which will “drive increased need for administrative efficiencies, and thus increased demand for outsourcing.”

Similarly, the initiative to digitize medical records could be a multibillion-dollar boost to India’s high-skilled software developers. “You don’t have enough people in the U.S. to put together these solutions and even if you did, it would be too expensive,” said Sudhakar Ram, CEO of Mumbai-based IT solutions firm Mastek. He estimates that digitizing medical records will cost between $10 million to $20 million per U.S. hospital, based on his firm’s similar work in the U.K. “That’s a huge amount of investment. ... I would say it’s a significant opportunity for Indian [firms] over a five- to seven-year time frame.”

But both political sensitivities on job creation and privacy concerns mean that not all of health care’s IT work will be offshored.

“It will not be just Indian IT companies (but) companies over here as well,” said Virendra Singh, a director at Moody’s Economy.com who specializes in outsourcing.

Several executives at Indian firms said their strategy would be to blend an American workforce that knows the local business context with an Indian one.

Since salaries have increased little in the U.S. during the recession, there is not as large a price differential in hiring an American software engineer and sending an Indian one to a U.S. client site on a skilled worker visa, said Rohit Anand, a Mumbai-based analyst with PINC securities.

The availability of American talent to Indian firms is part of the reason why India’s three largest outsourcers have begun setting up shop in the U.S. and employing Americans. In 2008, Bangalore-based Wipro opened a development center in Atlanta that employs 500 people, mostly Americans, and runs a call center for a U.S. health care client. Tata Consultancy Services set up a similar campus with 300 employees near Cincinnati. Infosys is planning a subsidiary in Dallas that will hire locals and seek U.S. government contracts.

Select insurers don’t allow their data to leave the U.S., since revealing personal health information can sway a potential employer’s or insurer’s decision to work with an individual. In the U.K., TV reporters highlighted the risk of sending health data abroad when they went undercover and were able to buy personal health records from a London hospital that had its health records processed in India.

“The level of protection of health data (in the U.S.) is far, far, far below the protection of our financial data in this country,” said Deborah Peel, a psychiatrist and founder of Patient Privacy Rights.

But despite the prolonged and highly publicized fight over the reform’s cost and benefits, there was little debate over the role India would quietly assume in it.

“The acceptance of the fact that the outsourcing saves money is there,” said the analyst Anand. “If government takes the call, they’re going to have to (answer) it in a good fashion.”

Saathee 10

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A mysterious radiation leak exposes the dangers of recycling.

By Jason Overdorf - GlobalPost.com

In the post-apocalyptic West Delhi junk market of Mayapuri, Ram Kumar sits with a group of laborers like himself in the scant shade provided by a ramshackle shed.

Due to a mysterious radiation leak that has sent seven neighborhood residents to the hospital with radiation poisoning over the past week, business is slow, and there’s no work for these loaders. But Kumar says he has no choice but to wait.

“You can’t see it (radiation), you can’t feel it, you can only imagine how contaminated the air is here,” said Kumar. “Everyone thinks of leaving, but where would we go?”

Recycling is big business in India, which imports as much as three million tons of scrap metal each year.

But this week’s radiation poisonings have shifted focus, temporarily, to the flip side of the fortune: Along with the towering heaps of steel and copper comes a mountain of hazardous waste — asbestos, lead, mercury and, it turns out, potentially deadly radioactive materials.

“Under metal scrap, almost everything comes in — be it radioactive material, be it ammunition, be it ewaste, hazardous waste, toxic waste,” said Kushal Yadav, head of the toxins unit at New Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment, a non-government think tank. “We don’t really know what’s coming in. It’s only when such incidents happen that we come to know.”

On April 7, shop owner Deepak Jain and four others were hospitalized with radiation sickness after they were exposed to what initial press reports described as a bright, shining metal object.

Subsequent investigations by the country’s atomic energy regulators identified the radioactive material as Cobalt 60 — a metal used in the sterilization of medical equipment and for radiotherapy.

Before long, the team of scientists discovered 11 different sources of radiation in Mayapuri’s scrap heaps, and an anonymous source at one of the investigating bodies told India’s Mail Today newspaper that the Cobalt 60 was believed to be part of a larger, yet undiscovered consignment of metal.

This is not the first such incident, and will by no means be the last. Last year, high levels of radioactive metal were found in a shipment of stainless steel elevator buttons which were exported to Germany. And not long ago, a railway worker was seriously irradiated when he pocketed a shining object he discovered on the job.

Radiation poisonings are just the tip of the iceberg.

Exposure to other forms of hazardous medical, elec-

May 2010

tronic and industrial waste is so commonplace that no one keeps statistics about the associated health problems.

“In this incident around 10 people have been affected, but this is only a case where you have seen acute exposure,” said Yadav. “In terms of chronic exposure, which is happening over long periods of time, there are hundreds of thousands of workers exposed to tiny amounts of toxins every day, and it’s affecting their health. This is never documented anywhere.”

According to a recent study by the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, only half of the 400,000 kilograms of hospital waste that India generates each day is treated before its disposal. Toxic Links, an NGO, estimates that as much as 50,000 tons of electronic waste is illegally imported each month, bringing with it lead, mercury, cadmium, beryllium and other hazardous materials, while Indian industry generates 6 million or 7 million tons of hazardous waste per year. On Indian shores, poor laborers — even children — climb its mountains in rubber sandals and tear it to pieces with their bare hands. And they do it for next to nothing.

Kumar and the other loaders in Mayapuri earn between $2 and $5 a day heaving clapped out drive shafts, truck tires, axles, steel pipe and all manner of scrap onto trucks and wagons. It’s brutally hard work in one of the hottest Aprils on record — the mercury already nearing 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Even in the lee of the dilapidated warehouse, a hairdryer wind sandblasts the ragged workers with grit. The air smells of ozone and sweat and scorched metal. The danger is as bald-faced as the filth.

“Getting hurt is part of the job,” said Kumar.

Shop number DII-32, where the first pin made of radioactive Cobalt 60 was discovered, is now shuttered, a stack of Delhi Police barricades forgotten against the wall. But the scrap dealers on either side are still watching their workers sift and sort wire and pipe. Nobody seems unduly worried about being irradiated. The national Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has given the all-clear signal after repeated sweeps of the area. And, if anything, the shop owners are defensive about the safety of their trade.

“It’s perfectly safe,” one dealer said. “Why should I be worried? I’m sitting in my shop. I don’t have the hobby of going around with my notebook.”

With not a spot of grease on him, he’s probably never in his life touched a piece of the scrap he sells.

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Interview With Filmmakers of the Documentary

By Dilip Barman

Summer Pasture (Directors: Lynn True and Nelson Walker, 2010) (98 minutes, a shorter version of 82 minutes will air on PBS) I had mentioned in the April 2010 issue of Saathee the film Summer Pasture, shown at the Full Frame Film Festival. Filmed during summer 2007 with rare access to an area seldom visited by outsiders, it presents a sensitive portrait of a family at a time of great transition.

Husband Locho, wife Yama, and their yet to be named baby live in Dzachukha, eastern Tibet, nicknamed “5-most” by the Chinese for being the highest, coldest, poorest, largest, and most remote area in Sichuan Province. They depend on their yaks for survival, as their ancestors have for generations. In recent years, Dzachukha has undergone rapid development, posing new challenges.

Over the course of the film, we witness an exciting story, punctuated with the family’s good natured humor, of their daily routine. Summer Pasture, vibrantly filmed in the beautiful wide-open vistas of Tibet, provides a deeply personal account of what it means to be a nomad in a swiftly modernizing world, and a universal story of family survival.

I was delighted to have met the filmmakers, Lynn True and Nelson Walker, at Full Frame, where their film received honorable mention for an award for best exemplifying the value and relevance of world religions and spirituality. In late April, I had the pleasure of talking with them; a condensed transcription follows.

Lynn was born in South Korea and adopted by American parents, and grew up in India, the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, and suburban and urban America. She graduated from Brown University with a joint degree in Urban Studies and Architectural Studies. While at Brown, she also studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and Architecture at Columbia University in New York and Paris.

Nelson’s undergraduate degree, coincidentally also at Brown, is in American Civilization with a focus on race and cinema. As a sophomore, he interned at Providence Pictures, which produces programs for Public Television’s NOVA, as well as the Discovery and History May 2010

Channels. He went on to get a film degree at Columbia University. He has worked extensively in Tibet, as a documentarian, video facilitator, and filmmaking instructor at Tibet University in Lhasa.

Lynn and Nelson, congratulations on your honorable mention award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. My first question is - why Tibet?

Lynn: We are drawn to personal stories. I’ve lived and traveled in many different places and am fascinated by details of everyday life in different communities. There can obviously be vast differences, but the commonalities are amazing. Summer Pasture is about one summer with one family in Tibet whom we met through our collaborator, Tsering Perlo. Perlo grew up in the nomadic community where the film was shot and introduced us to his cousin’s welcoming and engaging family, who ended up being this film’s subjects. We didn’t want to make a film on Tibet, but rather offer a glimpse of this family and allow their daily lives and insights be a window onto what it’s like to live in Tibet.

Nelson: It was our karma that landed us in Tibet. In 2005, I worked with Columbia University and the University of Virginia to train Tibetan scholars in basic camera techniques to document oral traditions.

This led to a job teaching filmmaking at Tibet University in Lhasa, and subsequently a trip to the Kham region where Summer Pasture was filmed.

It was on this initial trip to Kham that we met Tsering Perlo and decided to collaborate on a film.

What motivated Perlo and, particularly, his cousin’s family to participate?

Lynn: Perlo, an artist with an interest in filmmaking, had been working with various NGOs in Kham and had been planning to launch his own organization, Rabsal, to support local Tibetan filmmakers. Nelson and I really wanted to do some kind of project with a nomadic community and Perlo was excited for the experience.

Locho and Yama were very open and generous with their time. I think they realized that we’d come from very far and that was a curious thing to them. They wanted to make sure we really understood the nomadic lifestyle and so were forthcoming with their time and information – they really wanted to help us.

How did this story come to you?

Lynn: We never had a story, beyond simply wanting to document nomadic life in some way. After days of travel by airplane, car and horseback to get there, we were just glad we made it! Without an agenda, we tried to shoot pretty much everything we could that happened with the family that summer, and asked that they be involved in directing what was shot. We ended with over 200 hours of footage. The story that unfolds in the film emerged from almost two years of editing.

Saathee 14

continued on page 52

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saathee.com

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Top Five Movies - May 2010

Upcoming Movie Releases

(Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks)

1. Prince Vivek Oberoi, Aruna Shields, Nandana Sen, Neeru Singh, Sanjay Kapoor & Dalip Tahi

Badmaash Company (Director: Parmeet Sethi) Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang, Vir Das, Anupam Kher, Kiran Juneja, and Pawan Malhotra

2. Paathshaala

Shahid Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Swini Khara, Dwij Yadav & Avika Gor

It’s a Wonderful After Life (Director: Gurindher Chadha) Cast: Shabana Azmi, Shaheen Khan, Goldy Notay, Sally Hawkins, and Sanjeev Bhaskar

3. Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?

Ajay Devgan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Satish kaushik & Akhilendra Mishra

Bal Hanuman 2 (Director: Pankaj Sharma) Animated film

4. Housefull

Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal, Ritesh Deshmukh & Boman Irani

Admissions Open (Director: K. D. Satyam) Cast: Anupam Kher, Aashish Vidyarthi, Ankur Khanna, Pramod Moutho, Rati Agnihotri, Sudesh Berry, and Abhishek Sharma

5. My Name Is Khan

Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Soniya Jehan, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab & Parvin Dabbas

Top Five Songs - May 2010

Bumm Bumm Bole (Director: Priyadarshan) Cast: Darsheel Safary, Atul Kulkarni, Rituparna Sengupta, & Ziyah Vastani

1. Housefull “I Don’t Know What To Do” Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan & Shabbir Kumar

Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De? (Director: Partho Ghosh) Cast: Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Aman Verma, Nikita Anand, Muammar Rana, and Rozza Catalano

2. Raavan “Ranjha Ranjha” Music: A.R.Rahman Singers: Rekha Bharadwaj, Javed Ali, A.R. and Anuradha Sriram

Kites (Dir: Anurag Basu) Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Kangna Ranaut, Barbara Mori, Kabir Bedi, Nick Brown, and Yuri Suri

3. Paathshaala “Aye Khuda” Music: Hanif Shaikh Singer: Salim Merchant

Khatta Meetha (Dir: Priyadarshan) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, and Makrand Deshpande

4. Kites “Zindagi Do Pal Ki” Music: Rajesh Roshan Singer: Kay Kay 5. Ishqiya “Dil To Bachcha Hai” Music: Vishal Bhardwaj Singer: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (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)

May 2010

Raajneeti (Director: Prakash Jha) Cast: Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, and Naseruddin Shah

Saathee 16

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Upcoming Movie Releases Continued

(Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks)

Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai (Director: Ravi Chopra) Cast: Govinda, Salman Khan, Lara Dutta, Tabu, Ashish Chowdhry, Boman Irani, and Rajpal Yadav

Raavan (Director: Mani Ratnam) Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Govinda, Nikhil Dwivedi, and Manisha Koirala Milenge Milenge (Director: Satish Kaushik) Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena, Aarti Chhabria, Satish Shah, Delnaz Paul, and Kirron Kher

Mr. Bhatti On Chutti (Dir: Karan Razdan) Cast: Bhairavi Goswami, Anupam Kher, Shakti Kapoor, Anjan Srivastava, Emma Kearney, Pawan Shankar, and Neha Phense Knock Out (Dir: Mani Shankar) Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Kangna Ranaut, Irrfan Khan, Gulshan Grover, and Rukhsar

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Peter Gaya Kaam Se (Director: John Owen) Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Lekha Washington, and Amit Sial Ek Tho Chance (Dir: Saeed Akhtar Mirza) Cast: Purab Kohli, Amrita Arora, Vijay Raaz, Pawan Malhotra, Zafar Karachiwala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Sadia Siddiqui, and Rajat Kapoor Allah Ke Banday (Director: Faruque Kabir) Cast: Sharman Joshi, Faruque Kabir, Naseruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, and Anjana Sukhani Fatso (Dir: Rajat Kapoor) Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Gul Panag, Purab Kohli

Krantiveer - The Revolution (Director: Mehul Kumar) Cast: Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Sameer Aftab, Jahan Bloch, and Farida Jalal (Movie release dates subject to change.)

May 2010

Saathee 18

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s t i B y l l o B

Shekhar Kapur on jury at Cannes Film Festival

Suniel Shetty returns to action with Hindi Remake of Keerthichakra

After his debut in the action flick Balwaan almost two decades ago, Suniel Shetty went on to act in various romance, comedy, and socially relevant films. Now Shetty returns to action with a Hindi remake of the popular Malayalam film Keerthichakra that will be directed by Major Ravi (an ex-Indian Army Major). Major Ravi also directed the original version starring Mohanlal. Shetty said, “I am excited about doing an action film after a long while. The original version Keerthichakra was a huge success and I hope that the Hindi remake also does well. I play the role of an officer who leads a team of 10 young commandos. My character is like a mentor and guide to the younger boys.” The film is based on the militancy issue in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hrithik’s Kites Ready to Soar

When producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu first met Mexican actress Barbara Mori for Kites story narration in Los Angeles, the actress just had inch long hair as she had gone completely bald for her role for the Spanish film Cosas Insignificantes (Insignificant Things).

Roshan admits that when he saw his future heroine with only one inch long hair, he was hesitant to sign her on. “I was aghast,’’ he said. “I asked her how we would shoot with her six months down the line, but she was confident that her hair would grow or else she suggested that she would put hair extensions.’’ Director Basu adds, “Barbara looked beautiful in short hair too. I had an option to have her with short hair in Kites, but in our industry actresses generally don’t have short hair. So later when she came to India, we did some look tests with Barbara in short hair and also with hair extensions and she looked even prettier in long hair.”

The title and story of Kites is the brainchild of Rakesh Roshan.

“The idea for Kites came to me when I was gazing at the sky and saw two kites flying,” notes Roshan. “It looked very romantic. It was very intriguing—the way they came close, played, almost embraced each other and then drew apart. Unaware that someone else was pulling the strings and could cut them loose. I sat down and penned a story around this idea. Kites is the metaphor of the film. Kites fly against the wind and not with it, stronger the wind blows, higher the kites fly,” adds Basu. The film is a romantic saga and was filmed in two versions, Hindi and English. Shot in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, Kites features Hrithik Roshan, Mori, Kangana Ranaut, Kabir Bedi and Nick Brown. The music is by Rajesh Roshan. Kites opens worldwide on May 21, 2010.

May 2010

Shekhar Kapur, director of varied films including Elizabeth, Masoom, Mr. India, and Bandit Queen is set to take India to the famed international stage after getting elected on the feature film jury of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. The festival runs May 12-23, 2010 and will also have other international names alongside Kapur including Kate Beckinsale, Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Alberto Barbera, French author/ screenwriter and director Emmanuel Carrere, Benicio Del Toro, and Spanish director Victor Erice, while Tim Burton will preside over the jury for feature films at the festival. Kapur follows veteran actress and Censor Board Chief Sharmila Tagore who was on the jury last year and Aishwarya Rai who was part of the prestigious Cannes jury in 2003.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s next on life of Gautam Buddha

With epic films like Swades, Jodhaa Akbar and Lagaan under his belt, director Ashutosh Gowariker has set off on another film adventure. Gowariker is in search of a fresh face to play the part and do justice to the innocence of the character of Siddhartha. The story focuses on the life of Prince Siddhartha and his journey to enlightenment where he becomes Gautam Buddha. Producer Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modi says, “This will be the first global film coming from India for the global audience about the man who brought India to the world map and the philosophy that will make the world live as one family.” While Gowariker says, “I have always been fascinated with the story of Prince Siddhartha who renounced his life of luxury and family, in search of an answer to what causes human suffering and subsequently attained enlightenment and came to be known as Buddha.” – Courtesy of Bollywood Hungama

Akshay Kumar Highest Tax Payer in Bollywood for year 2009-10

He wasn’t just role playing in the Income tax advertisement recently coaxing citizens to pay their taxes, but Akshay Kumar has stood true to his image and is the highest tax payer from Bollywood for the second year straight.

He paid an advance tax of Rs. 9 crore in March 2010, taking his total advance tax payment in the current financial year to Rs. 18 crore. He paid Rs. 31 crore in 2008-09, a period that saw him delivering hit after hit. Also in the queue of diligent tax payers is Aamir Khan, with a tax payment of Rs. 12 crore, Shah Rukh Khan Rs. 11 crore, Salman Khan made a total tax payment of Rs 5.5 crore. Moving to other Bollywood stars, Abhishek Bachchan paid an advance tax of Rs. 4.15 crore while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan paid Rs. 2 crore.

Big B paid an advance tax of Rs 2.9 crore, taking his total advance tax payment in the year to Rs 4 crore. Ranbir Kapoor paid an advance tax payment of Rs. 2.1 crore.

Next is queue is Kareena Kapoor, who paid an advance tax of Rs 1.45 crore in March 2010 taking the total to Rs 3.65 crore. Saif Ali Khan made a payment of Rs. 1.52 crore. – Courtesy of Bollywood Hungama

Saathee 20

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Heer Ranjha - Yeh duniyaa yeh mehphil mere kaam ki nahin, Milo na tumto hum ghabraaye; Kagaz Ke Phool - Dekhi zamaane ki yaari, Bichhade saabhee baari baari.

He won many awards.

National film award: 1970 - Best lyrics (Film—Saat Hindustani)

Sahitya Academy award: “Awara Sajde” (Book)

By Kirit Shukla

Filmfare award: 1975- Best Dialogue, Best Screenplay & Best story - (Film - Garam Hawa)

Tribute to Bollywood’s Past Lyricists

Kaifi Azmi: (1919– 2002)

His birth name was Syed Athar Hussain Rizvi. But lovers of classic Hindi and Urdu Bollywood songs as well as poetry know him as Kaifi Azmi. The Urdu literary giant wrote many songs including the classic, “Ab tumhaare hawaale watan saathio”, (Film: Haqeekat).

Kaifi Azmi was born in Azamgadh, U.P. in 1919.

Azmi was also an actor, a story and a screenplay writer. When he was 11 years old, he recited his first Ghazal, “Itnaa to zindagi mein kisiki khalal pade, Hasne se ho sukoon na rone se kal pade,” in a “Mushaira,” which made him popular. This Ghazal was later turned into a song sung by Begum Akhtar.

His elders wanted to train him to become a theologian but that pursuit ended because he was a nonconformist and his nature created many problems in the seminary he attended for his education. During the “Quit India” movement against the British 1942, he abandoned his studies and became a member of the Communist Party and Progressive Writers’ Movement of India. As a result, his poems were full of intense emotions, sympathy and compassion towards the disadvantaged section of society. He arrived in Mumbai in 1943 where he wrote many notable and meaningful Hindi and Urdu lyrics for numerous Bollywood films.

His family is quite talented. His wife Shaukat was an actress. His daughter Shabana Azmi is a long-established actress and an M.P. His son Baba is a noted cinematographer and Baba’s wife Tanvi Azmi is also an actress. His son-in-law Javed Akhtar is a well-known lyricist and poet. Kaifi Azmi died in Mumbai on May 10, 2002.

One of his very popular classic lyrics, based on his life and writings: “Waqt ne kiyaa ...” is given in this issue of Saathee in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on page 24

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Song: Waqt ne kiyaa Film: Kagaz ke Phool Year: 1959 Music: S. D. Burman Singers: Geeta Dutt Lyric: Kaifi Azmi Based on Indian Classical Raga: Mishra Kafi Taal/Rhythm: Dadra Starring: Guru Datt, Waheeda Rehman Waqt ne kiyaa

Waqt ne kiyaa kyaa haseen sitamTum rahe na tum ham rahe na hamWaqt ne kiyaa ...Beqaraar dil isa tarhaa mileJis tarhaa kabhi ham judaa na theTum bhi kho gaye, ham bhi kho gayeEka raaha par chalke do qadamWaqt ne kiyaa ...Jaayenge kahaan sujhataa nahinChal pade magara raastaa nahinKyaa talaasha hai kuchha pataa nahinBun rahe hain dil khwaaba dam-ba-damWaqt ne kiyaa kyaa haseen sitam ...

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Meaning (Summary): Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown, you did not remain you, I did not remain me. Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown...

Anxious hearts met this way, as if we were never separated. You got lost, I got lost, on the same path, two footprints. Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown... Where do we go, we don't know; we started walking, but there is no trail. What we seek, we don't know, Our hearts are knitting new dreams every time.

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Saathee 24

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Basic Principles of Carnatic Music – Part I

By Smitha K. Prasad

Indian Classical Music

Despite the changes that Carnatic music has undergone over the centuries, there are certain principles that it has adhered to and these have largely remained unchanged.

Hindustani Music

By Anita Kulkarni Bhajan

A bhajan is a light classical form of singing in Indian music and is a devotional expression. Bhaj means “take God’s name” and mana means “mind.” Mind is a treasure of all the good and bad things, and Bhajan is the only form of singing which helps us to keep away from all evil and bad thoughts. It makes our mind pure so we can experience a stage of peace and happiness in the truest sense of life. It’s a spiritual thought and guidance given by saints.

Bhajans can be sung in folk style or classical style.

The subjects are prayer, religious padas, God’s grace, blessings, description of holy places, acts of mortality, songs of nature and divine love to God or surrendering to God. Bhajan singing is a great heritage of India from past history. Many bhajans are devotional lyrics or compositions written by great Saints, such as Aadi Shankaracharya, Tulasi Das, Sur Das, Meera Bai, Kabir Das, St Dnyaneshwar, and Tukaraam. There are many bhajans popularized in South India by great Saints, such as Tyagraja and Swami PuranderDas.Bhajans are usually sung in Taal Keharwa, Dhumali, Dadra, or Roopak. The classical based Bhajan can be sung in any Raga. They are mostly sung for praising Shree Raam, Shree Krishna, Mother Goddess Durgadevi, God Shankar, and Shree Ganesh.

Bhajan has no language boundaries. This style of singing is spread in all India and is usually sung in the Temple. Many classical artists conclude their concert with bhajan. It is a musical meditation sung in many different types of Raagas.

Nirgoon Bhajans are the compositions in Nirgoon bhaav (formless feelings) by St Kabir and Guru Nanak.

These bhajans, as well as St. Kabir’s poems and verses, are very popular in Punjab and Sikh religion. They give us a spiritual traditional knowledge of life. Marathi abhanga of Maharashtra were popularized by great vocalists, such as Pt D V Paluskar, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Kumar Gandharwa, Anup Jalota, Lata Mangeshkar, and Suresh Wadkar.

Sufi bhajans are for Allah in Sufi tradition.

Here are some popular bhajans: “Vaishnav Jan to”

by St Narsingha Mehta, Saint meerabai’s bhajan “Payoji maine raamratandhan paayo,” and “shreeramchandra kripaapu bhajanan” by Saint TulsiDas.

Sruthi - Sruthi, in Carnatic music, refers to the pitch of the vocalist’s voice or the musical instrument. In any kutcheri (concert), the performer sings or performs in the same sruthi and this is not changed for the duration of the kutcheri. It is the responsibility of the artist, particularly vocalists, to find a sruthi that is comfortable not only for the voice but also from an auditory perspective. The vocalist should be able to traverse a range of notes in the selected sruthi. While the selection of sruthi is determined, to a large extent, by voice quality, training and practice improves the range of the voice. Typically, children have a higher sruthi than adults; you may have noticed that even while normally speaking, younger children’s voices tend to be higher pitched than adults. The artist relies on a tambura or tanpura (a drone instrument) to maintain sruthi. In fact, one of the terms that you frequently hear in appreciating an artist is the ‘sruthi suddham’ – how well an artist adheres to the sruthi for the length of the concert.

Swara - Like other music systems, Carnatic music also has seven musical notes or swaras- sa ri ga ma pa dha ni which can be likened to the western scale- do re mi fa so la ti; the position of the swaras in Carnatic music is on a relative scale rather than an absolute scale. Sa and Pa are called drone notes since they are constant for a particular sruthi. The tambura (drone instrument) strings are a combination of Sa and Pa notes which are continuously plucked, and this gives rise to the drone, which the musician uses as a reference. Additionally, except for the drone swaras (sa and pa), which are constant, the other swaras all have variations.

Raga - Raga or melody comes about when swaras are strung together. A raga consists of an ascending pattern and a descending pattern of swaras (musical notes).

Depending on the pattern and the swara combinations in the pattern, the resulting raga is different and has a different name. Some commonly heard ragas in Carnatic music include Mayamalavagowla, Kalyani, Shankarabharana. A raga has to always adhere to the rules (the particular swaras and the pattern of the swaras) that define it. Raga Mayamalavagowla is typically the first raga in which simple exercises are taught to all students of Carnatic music. It has all the seven notes in a straight ascending and descending pattern and is thought to be a melody that students can grasp.

Mayamalavagowla is not a ‘simple’ raga nor should it be thought of as a “beginners raga.” It is sung by many accomplished artistes and very often forms the main presentation in a kutcheri.

We will cover the remaining tenets in Carnatic music, and discuss more about swaras in the next issue. Till we meet next time, do listen to raga Mayamalavagowla- if you google the raga, you will find Carnatic music websites where you can listen to compositions in this raga.

Smitha Prasad

Anita Kulkarni

is a Carnatic vocalist based in Cary, NC Email: smitha_prasad@hotmail.com

Email:info@anitakulkarni.com

May 2010

Saathee 28

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When Asha learns about this fact for the first time in the novel, Gowda’s words brought tears to my eyes:

Book Reviews

“‘We are a minority in this country. You know the birth rates are all bungled up in India, don’t you? We have something like nine hundred fifty girls born for every one thousand boys.’ Meena stares straight ahead. ‘Mother India does not love all her children equally, it seems.’” – Page 229

By Swapna Krishna Secret Daughter Author: Shilpi Somaya-Gowda (William Morrow)

I cannot put into words how much I loved Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s “Secret Daughter.” Gowda writes with such grace and wisdom, it is impossible to believe that this is her debut novel. Her prose is lyrical and beautiful, yet clear and precise. Her writing makes the book easy to read and keeps the heavy subjects discussed within its pages from being a weight on the reader.

When she gives birth to a daughter in a small village in India, Kavita is fearful for the fate of her baby. After all, her husband Jasu has made it clear that they need a son and cannot afford to raise a little girl. Desperate to protect her daughter from a cruel fate, she secretly takes her to Mumbai and leaves her at an orphanage, hoping that she may one day have a good life.

In San Diego, American doctor Somer is devastated by her inability to have children. She agrees to consider adoption from her husband Krishnan’s home country of India, and they end up bringing a beautiful one-year old girl into their family. As their daughter, Asha, grows, she begins to question her Indian heritage and origins, wanting to know more about the place and people she came from.

Gowda also does an excellent job making each major character in this novel a sympathetic one. Somer, Krishnan, Asha, Jasu, Kavita – all these people want different things. Sometimes, the desires of one character clash with the needs of another, yet Gowda manages to write in a manner the reader can sympathize with both characters at the same time. When Somer went to India and felt frustrated by the culture differences, I understood her pain at the same time I felt Krishnan’s anger that she wasn’t trying hard enough.

It was an amazing feat, and it happens again and again over the course of “Secret Daughter.”

The discussion of the culture clash between America and India was very well done. Gowda focuses on how alien India can be for Americans, or even for Indians who aren’t used to the pace and style of life. She also beautifully describes the feelings of any person of Indian heritage learning about their home country. She put thoughts onto paper that I would never even have known how to put into words. She described exactly what was in my heart – the feeling that India is a country of opposites, a dichotomy. The pride one can feel in being from a country of such beauty with such richness of culture, coupled with the shame that, statistically, daughters are not valued as much as sons in India.

May 2010

I loved all the stories discussed in this novel, but it was Asha’s search for a sense of identity that spoke to me the most. She had no sense of belonging at the beginning of the novel. Though she knew her parents loved her, she needed more than that to find her place in the world. I loved the realizations that she came to as the novel progressed – where her identity really was, what really mattered, and what the power of a mother’s love can do.

This book is a beautiful portrait of family, culture, and the importance of understanding your heritage, while also being a testament to the love of all our mothers. It doesn’t matter what culture or background you are – Gowda’s writing and compelling story will pull you in and not let you go until the last pages of the novel are turned.

Shadow Princess Author: Indu Sundaresan (Atria)

I have read everything Indu Sundaresan has published. From “The Twentieth Wife,” her beautifully written debut novel about Mughal India, to In the “Convent of Little Flowers,” her moving and insightful short story collection, every single piece of fiction she has published is simply incredible.

Despite knowing this, I approached “Shadow Princess” with some hesitation – I absolutely loved the first two books in the series, “The Twentieth Wife” and “The Feast of Roses,” so my expectations were high.

To say the least, “Shadow Princess” blew my expectations out of the water. This book was amazing.

Sundaresan shows her incredible skill at writing characters in this novel. The main character in the first two books, and the person with whom the reader’s sympathies lie, is Mehrunnisa, also known as Empress Nur Jahan. In “Shadow Princess,” however, the main characters are Mehrunnisa’s opponents, the people that the readers’ minds were set against in the first two novels.

There is a generational gap between Mehrunnisa and Jahanara, the main character of “Shadow Princess,” but Mehrunnisa is still a very important character in the book, more for her legacy than anything else.

As a result of this turnaround, it’s easy to become concerned that this book might not be as magical as the previous two, that the characters might not be as sympathetic. And here is where Sundaresan displays her genius – she gives the reader the ability to fully identify with these characters, while not losing their

Saathee 30

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Education: The Virtual Teaching Assistant

By Saritha Rai- Globalpost.com

Not far from the magnificent snow peaks of the Himalayas, Anita Bakshi stares at the computer screen in her home at Kalimpong. She is correcting and grading college assignments.

She carefully considers the sentence structures and format, correcting the grammar and critiquing the content. Bakshi, who holds a master’s degree in both education and English, embeds her comments in the assignment. Articles “a” and “the” are a problem in this particular assignment, while some sentence structures are faulty and a few key points are missing from the argument.

But here’s the catch: her students are not Indian. They attend the University of Houston in Texas, thousands of miles away in another hemisphere.

In what might have been inconceivable a few years ago, some cash-strapped American universities and overworked faculty are turning to outsourcing, a tactic finetuned by U.S. corporations to cut costs. In distant Kalimpong in northeastern India, army wife Bakshi is a virtual teaching assistant for EduMetry, a company based in Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. The trend is not without controversy.

Education in the U.S. has been faulted recently for falling behind rigorous academic systems in India and China. Some critics find it ironic that myriad teaching tasks such as homework help, SAT exam support and now, grading students’ college assignments, is being outsourced to India, one of the countries that President Barack Obama exhorts Americans to compete against in the global workplace.

“We are just getting started, this trend is unstoppable,” said Ravindra Singh Bangari, vice president of EduMetry in India, where the bulk of its assessors are based. Bangari, formerly a counterinsurgency specialist in the Indian army, teaches at a premier business school in India while EduMetry’s co-founder Chandru Rajam is a professor at George Washington University School of Business.

This week, sitting in a small, spare office in downtown Bangalore where the whirring fans provide little respite from the scorching summer heat, Bangari is preparing for an incoming rush for its Virtual TA service. A thousand papers need to be graded and returned in 10 days.

Outsourcing is contentious because many Americans blame the practice for job losses. Outsourcing this particular ingredient of academics could backfire on American schools, further amplifying the gap between instructors and students, some feel. But Bangari disagrees. “We are freeing up professors and teaching assistants of the tireMay 2010

some task of grading, so they can spend more time interacting with their students, helping them do better,” he said. EduMetry charges about $12 per assignment evaluated.

Terri Friel, dean of the Walter E. Heller College of Business at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, agrees that the Virtual TA service can enhance the conversation between faculty members and students. Faculty, if honest, will admit that they can spare no more than an hour at most going through students’ work. “Students usually get a red slash on their work with a NO! or a GOOD! floating in the margin without any idea of what either means,” she said. “What other teaching assistant develops a report on common errors, the implications of that and how to fix it?” she asked.

Ohio Northern University, George Washington University and Butler University are among those who use the service, as do a number of online colleges. The law and ethics class at the University of Houston averages 500 students per term, each producing five assignments.

“Obviously the traditional system of assessment where one professor and a couple of teaching assistants take care of all the grading cannot work,” said Bangari.

Assessor Natalia Shukla who grades English papers says that the errors in some student assignments are overwhelming.

Graders, a network of army officers’ wives, stay-athome moms with young children, retired teachers — all well-qualified, Bangari hastens to describe — have grabbed the chance to use technology to work remotely and for flex-hours, communicating with U.S. faculty on email, chat and by phone.

They each earn $500 to $1,000 a month, depending on the time spent and the complexity of assignment graded. Army wife Rama Vishwanath is a management graduate whose husband is stationed in Srinagar in northern Kashmir. She spends five hours daily grading about 10 management assignments. In Bangalore, the Russianborn Shukla, who holds a master’s degree in Indian history, works between five and 10 hours a day, assessing English and sociology assignments.

TA outsourcing is not without challenges. Remote assessors can miss the classroom discussion that provides additional context to the assignments, and sometimes even the socio-cultural perspective. They often have to shift cultural gears, making their proper English less formal to adapt to American colloquialisms. The initial grading standards set

by EduMetry were so high that students were upset at receiving low marks. The assessors have since learned to be less blunt and more generous with grades.

Despite the criticism, EduMetry sees validation for its service. It is inundated with emails from Americans wishing to enroll as graders. Bangari counted 35 resumes in the last few weeks. There has been a flood of inquiries from colleges and universities asking for grading services in courses ranging from nursing to philosophy.

EduMetry currently handles 2,000 student assignments a week. But Bangari says demand outstrips supply by three times. He wants to hire another 20 assessors and build capacity to 5,000 students papers a week.

He has the support of U.S. educators like Roosevelt University’s Friel: “The service can assist us to better educate our students and make better use of a very expensive resource — faculty minds that are in shorter and shorter supply.”

Saathee 32

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mime to constitute a complete sign language. The movements are explosive, accompanied by a nonstop drumming that begins before the performance and lasts throughout the whole dance-drama.

This is Kerala’s rich contribution to the Indian classical dances, drama and art. You may be able to check out some mythological or classical Malayalam movies to watch this unique dance form.

Dances of India

By Dr. Maha Gingrich Kathakali

This South Indian classical dance style is often confused with the name Kathak, a North Indian dance style.

Kathakali is a Classical DanceDrama of Kerala in South India that dates from the 17th century and is rooted in Hindu Mythology. Kathakali actually means, “Story-Play”, and it has been a highly specialized dance style for ages. This dance style has been considerably influenced by the old Sanskrit dramas of Kerala called Kudiyattam, and also Krishna Atam or the dramatic stories of Lord Krishna. The themes of these compositions were based on the stories of the Puranas with their beauty of parables and moral lessons.

When I was little, I saw Mahabharatham being staged by some great Kathakali dancers. First, I was a little scared by the facial makeup and the elaborate costumes and dance movements. I do not remember how that fear transformed into fascination. The movements were very powerful and hypnotic.

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

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Kathakali is a harmonious combination of five forms of art:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Literature (Sahithyam) Music (Sangeetham) Painting (Chithram) Acting (Natyam) Dance (Nrithyam)

All the five forms of art have a very important place in this dance style. Its literature is poetic and dramatic.

Like Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi, Kathakali dance style also composes its music using the Carnatic or Southern school of classical music.

Unlike other dance forms, the make-up used in Kathakali is a highly developed art, involving great skill in the application of the paints. I actually saw the dancers lay down on the floor to get their make up done, as it takes quite a few hours to complete the face painting. Meticulous care is taken to see that each mask is perfectly applied on the face, with each color in its right place, to enhance the dramatic effect of the dance performance. This aids in doing the exaggerated and wonderful facial expressions. Each particular facemask represents a different type of character.

To act, the use of the eyes and eyebrows is far more evolved and involved than in Bharatha Natyam or Kathak or any other school of the classical dance. Eyes and eyebrows are constantly used to aid the process of communication in the most effective manner with great intensity.

During the drama the dancers do not speak, but they used varied hand movements known as ‘Mudras’ and May 2010

Saathee 34

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American Idol Finalist Set to Release Debut Recording

By Samir Shukla

Born and raised in North Carolina, in the arts and academic environs of Chapel Hill, Anoop Desai croons pop and R&B. He stepped into the lights of the music business when he became a finalist on the eighth season of “American Idol” in 2009. Friends, family and fans in the Indian-American community around the country rallied to his base and called and clicked to get him votes to push his status closer to becoming American Idol. Desai didn’t win. But he used that stage to catapult into his long sought music career.

After the Idol run he went on a 50-city tour with fellow finalists, performing 3-4 songs every night in front of thousands. After the tour wrapped Desai headed to Los Angeles, set up shop and began work on his debut recording. He says the Idol tour in 2009 presented an “Insight into the music industry as a job.” He learned. He gleaned.

He matured and honed his voice and began writing for the album All is Fair, the independent debut that will be released in early May. The album was recorded at Osceola Studios in Raleigh, NC with producer Ian Schreier.

Desai decided to release the record independently, without label support, because labels tend to say “we own you,” Desai said. He wants to “make music my own way. Have complete control over my identity,” rather than a record label exec dictating terms.

The first single off that record, “My Name” hit the streets in late March. It’s an R&B flavored, hip-hop touched, Indian rhythm-brushed pop song that’s immediately catchy. Desai grew up listening to varied, eclectic music, including classic Bollywood tracks that his parents loved, and now he combines it all into southern soul pop.

He kept the album short, with eight tracks, because Desai feels he would rather release more short albums, in shorter time span rather than full length recordings with longer span between each recording.

It’s a strategy for the digital age.

An Indian father and South African mother raised him in Chapel Hill. His parents have always been supportive of his music ambitions and “encouraged me to try out for American Idol.”

Desai attended and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he balanced academic achievement with his passion and pursuit for music. While at UNC Chapel Hill, Desai performed with the acapella group the Clefhangers. An accomplished trumpet player, he May 2010

decided along the way to become a singer. Why? Well, “singing is more fun.” He describes his college years as half music half academics. Motivated by the death of a friend, Desai auditioned for the eighth season of the popular TV show “American Idol,” where he became the first ever 13th finalist. Though backed by a large fan base and favored to win by celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and Keith Urban, Desai was eliminated in the seventh week of the competition. He wrote the song “My Name” because, “I wanted to prove to people I belong here. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed on Idol. I want my music to transcend that show.”

Anoop Desai mixes pop, R&B, and Indian influences to create a sound all his own. Working without the support of a major label, he has complete control over this freshly released EP; from writing, to its release and marketing. Desai is calling the shots. Always aware that he is an artist and it’s the fans that matter, Desai plans to keep them engaged by releasing shorter EPs more often, as opposed to the typical albumbased industry model.

When he performs live at big venues, Desai is backed by a 9-piece band, but he also performs at small, intimate venues with his co-songwriter and friend David Mikush on acoustic guitar. Mikush also did the graphic work for the album as well as the website.

Anoop Desai was honored by the town of Chapel Hill last year, where he received a proclamation from the mayor declaring May 4, 2009 as “Anoop Desai day.” He plans to do extensive touring in support of first recording. Get more details on tours and the album at anoopdesai.com.

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Saathee 37

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By Kirit Shukla

E T

N

A

G

S

R

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

30 words = Excellent; 21 to 29 words = Good; 20 or less needs to improve. (Solution at bottom of page)

A huge lump of gold Once upon a time there was a rich village. The wealthiest of the villagers decided to hide a huge lump of gold to protect it from bandits and robbers. So he buried it in a nearby rice field.

Many years later, the village was no longer rich, and the rice field was abandoned and unused. A poor farmer decided to plow the field. After some time plowing, it just so happened that his plow struck the long forgotten buried treasure.

At first he thought it must be a very hard tree root.

But when he uncovered it, he saw that it was beautiful shining gold. Since it was daytime he was afraid to try and take it with him. So he covered it up again and waited for nightfall.

The poor farmer returned in the middle of the night.

Again he uncovered the golden treasure. He tried to lift it, but it was far too heavy. He tied ropes around it and tried to drag it. But it was so huge he couldn’t budge it an inch. He became frustrated, thinking he was lucky to find a treasure, and unlucky to not be able to take it with him. He even tried kicking the huge lump of gold. But again it wouldn’t budge an inch!

Then he sat down and began to consider the situation. He decided the only thing to do was to break the lump of gold into four smaller lumps. Then he could carry home one piece at a time.

He thought, “One lump I will use for ordinary day-today living. The second lump I will save for a rainy day.

The third lump I will invest in my farming business.

And I will gain merit with the fourth lump by giving it to the poor and needy and for other good works.”

With a calm mind he divided the huge lump of gold into these four smaller lumps. Then it was easy to carry them home on four separate trips.

Afterwards he lived happily.

The moral is: “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

May 2010

The Greedy Crow Once upon a time there was a pigeon who lived on a nest close to a kitchen. The cooks of the kitchen often fed her grain. She liked the place and her life was fine.

One day a crow saw the pigeon and saw how it was getting wonderful food from the kitchen. Then one day she made friends with the pigeon, and under the pretext of friendship, she somehow made the pigeon share the nest with her. The pigeon then told her that they could spend time together, but when it came to food both had their own ways. So she suggested the crow search for her own food. The crow was impatient and the very reason she had made friends with the pigeon was for the food. The crow wanted meat and all the pigeon got was grains from the kitchen. The crow could not wait any longer and ultimately decided that she visit the kitchen directly. She silently crept down the chimney into the kitchen and smelled a fish cooking. She got greedy and tried to get the fish. But in the process she disturbed a ladle, and created a noise. This alerted the cook who was in the neighboring room and he caught hold of the crow and killed it.

The Moral is; “Greed kills intelligence.”

Word World (Solution): AGES, ARES, ASTER, EARS, EAST, EATS, GARNET, GATE, GEAR, GRANT, GRATE, GREAT, NEAR, NEAT, RAGE, RATE, SAGE, SEAR, SEAT, SNAG, SNARE, STAGE, STAR, STRANGE, TAGS, TANG, TARN, TEARS, TRANS

Word World

Two ways of beating a drum Once upon a time there was a drummer living in a small country village. He heard there was going to be a fair in the city of Varanasi. So he decided to go there and earn some money by playing his drums. He took his son along to accompany him when playing music written for two sets of drums.

The two drummers, father and son, went to Varanasi. They were very successful. Everyone liked their drumming and gave generously to them. When the fair was over they began the trip home to their village. On the way they had to go through a dark forest that was the home of some robbers.

The drummer boy wanted to protect his father and himself from the muggers. So he beat his drums as loudly as he could, without stopping. “The more noise, the better!” he thought.

The drummer man took his son aside. He explained to him that when large groups passed by, especially royal processions, they were in the habit of beating drums. They did this at regular intervals, in a very dignified manner, as if they feared no one. They would beat a drum roll, remain silent, then beat again with a flourish, and so on. He told his son to do likewise; to fool the muggers into thinking there was a powerful lord passing by. The boy ignored his father’s advice. He thought he knew best. “The more noise, the better!”

Meanwhile, a gang of muggers heard the boy’s drumming. At first they thought it must be a powerful rich man approaching, with heavy security. But then they heard the drumming continue in a wild fashion without stopping. They realized that it sounded frantic, like a frightened little dog barking at a big dog.

So they went to investigate and found only the father and son. They beat them up, robbed all their hardearned money, and escaped into the forest.

The moral is: “Overdoing leads to a downfall.”

Saathee 38

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(RC) gas Station / C-Store, near Clinton, nC - Cash Flow: $10,200/month net. Asking: $125,000 + Inv., In: $50,000/mo.

Out: 50,000 gal./mo. Rent: $3,150/mo. Lottery: $2,500/month net. ATM: $100 /mo. net. Games: $1,000/mo. net (Sh) Branded gas Station / C-Store, near high Point, nC Asking: $99,000 + Inv., In: $48,000/mo. Out: 45,000 gal./mo.

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Businesses For Sale or Lease Continued:

(Kg) gas Station / C-Store, near gaffney, SC Asking: $95,000 + Inv., In: $38,000/mo. Out: 11,000 gal./mo.

Rent: $3,150/mo. Cash Flow: $11,400/month net Lottery. + Check-Cashing + ATM + MO: $7,300 /month net.

(Jt) C-Store & grill / Branded gas Station, Apex, nC Asking: $80,000 + Inv., without Real Estate, Rent: $4,000/mo.

Out: 58,000 gal./mo. 2,600 SF. 1.32 acres (Cn) Branded gas / C-Store, near Beaufort, SC Asking: $80,000 + Inv., In: $31,000/mo. Out: 30,000 gal./mo. Misc.: $2,300 net/month. Rent: $3,500/mo. Cash Flow: $7,100/mo. net (B0) Conv. Store / gas / Pizza near Marion, nC. Asking: $59,000 + Inv, In: $18,000/mo. Out: 12,000 gal/mo. Pizza: $10,000/mo. Lottery: $600/ mo. net. Games: $1,500 / mo. net.

Rent: $2,000. Cash Flow: $6,700/month.

(Kn) Conv. Store / Branded gas near hickory, nC Asking: $20,000 (firm) + Inv + $13,000 deposit In: $22,000/mo. Gross Margin: 30%. Out: 27,000 gal/mo. margin: 4c/ gall. Games, Lottery, ATM: $1,800/ mo. net. Rent: $2,000/mo. Deli can be re-opened. U-Haul to be added. (nQ) Subway, Leased, Raleigh, nC – Asking: $90,000, Gr: $233,000, Net: $60,000. Rent: $2,300.

(PQ) Auto garage, Raleigh, nC – Rent: $3,500/month. - Includes all mechanics tools, fixtures.

High Visibility / High Traffic. 3-Lift Garage with NC Inspection. Lots of parking space.

(Wg) Convenience-Store grocery wholesaler, near Raleigh, nC – Cash Flow: $13,117/mo. – Asking: $135,000 + Inventory (about $275,000). Sales: $1.4 million. Rent: $7,500/month, 10,000 SF warehouse

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By Pradip Bulsara Trikonasana (Triangle pose): Variation1 Stand erect with feet about three to four feet apart. Turn the right foot to the right, stretch the arms side ways and raise them up to the shoulder level so that they are in one straight line. Slowly bend to the right and place the right hand in front of right foot, keeping the two arms straight in line with each other. Turn the left palm forward.

Look up to the left palm and hold the pose for few seconds. Slowly return to the upright position with the arms in straight line. Repeat on the opposite side. This completes one round. Repeat three times.

Variation2 Stand erect with feet about three to four feet apart. Turn the right foot to the right, stretch the arms side ways and raise them up to the shoulder level so that they are in one straight line. Slowly twist the trunk to the right and place the left hand in front of right foot, keeping the two arms straight in line with each other. Turn the right palm forward. Look up to the right palm and hold the pose for few seconds. Slowly return to the upright position with the arms in straight line. Repeat on the opposite side. This completes one round. Repeat three times.

These asanas affect the muscles on the sides of the trunk, the waist and the back of the legs. Regular practice will help reduce the waistline.

Pradip Bulsara teaches a yoga class at the

Hindu Center in Charlotte on Sunday mornings.

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along with African drums and of course the vibes (a percussion instrument used much in jazz). The tracks include “Cubist,” with Indian scats and a new age backdrop, “freehand,” a vibes outing, “Aldebaran,” “Zulugu,” “In from the Cold,” “Convex,” and “Middle Ground,” some featuring vocal samples. Leake inhabits a musical universe where old meet new, traditional meets futuristic. He teaches at the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music in Boston.

There aren’t any weak tracks on the album, although the recording ranges from new age to psychedelic rock, as if its two records in one, requiring listener patience. Musically open ears and minds will soak in and appreciate the experimentation and soundscapes.

Raydience is a world jazz debut from longtime musician/vocalist Ronnie Ray Padilla. San Francisco-based Padilla’s recording, under the moniker Raydience, is a mix of world jazz, R&B, African rhythms, and new wave instrumentals. The instrumentation and vocals are fairly top notch, where Padilla, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist, gathers current and former members of Tower of Power and Garaj Mahal, along with a slew of seasoned jazz session musicians. The varied tracks include “Zambula” (a tropical jazz dance track), “Arcenio’s Garden” (a mellow acoustic mood setter), and “Setting Birds Free” (R&B vocals, jazzy, gospel-like), along with “My Brother My Brother,” “Angelica,” “You Are My Rainbow,” “Tara Nova,” “Bahian Smiles,” “Dancing In The Rain,” and the strongest track “Shakti Ma.” The spirituality and earthiness of Padilla’s Native American roots permeate most compositions. There are many sinewy, moody touches, but some of the tunes get dull after a couple listens. Overall Raydience is a recording exploring Native American spirituality, jazz and world rhythms that works well most of the time.

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Harnessing the Power of American English

By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home” are the opening words to an American folk song that most natives can sing. In American Sign Language, “home” is signed by touching the cupped fingers lightly to one’s cheek and then to one’s lips i.e. home is where you get a kiss and a meal!

This month we will explore the multiple meanings and idiomatic usage of words related to home.1 “I felt at home in that gathering,” someone would say if he felt secure, comfortable and welcomed. In a “period movie” that takes place in the late 19th or early 20th centuries you might have hear someone say, “Mrs. Smith is at home on Thursdays,” meaning that she is available to receive visitors. If you are proficient and skilled in an area you might say, “I’m at home with...(musical scores, numbers etc.).

Referring to your residence, you would say, “I’m going home,” without using the article, but the term “a home” usually expanded to “a home for...” refers to an institutional setting. “His uncle just moved into a home for the elderly.”

My hometown is Stratford, Connecticut, meaning that I was born and lived there with my family until I went to college. Northampton, Massachusetts is the home of Smith College which I attended until transferring to Barnard in New York City where an apartment became my home away from home.

In business, there are two very different meanings for home office: the first refers to the corporate headquarters of a large company and the second refers to a very small business, usually a sole proprietorship or early start-up located in the owner’s personal residence.

In sports, the home team plays in familiar surroundings and is said to have the home team advantage. In baseball we have home plate and home runs.

Also we can say, “The coach homed in on (focused on) areas that needed the most improvement.”

If their parents are divorced, children may be unfairly stigmatized by the expression, “They come from a broken home.” The “arrow struck home” means that someone’s criticism or observation had the impact of truth and relevance to listeners. Other expressions with similar meanings are: “The speaker’s points hit home.” “In his remarks, he drove the nail home.”

May 2010

Suggestions to increase your word power this month: Look at the headlines and articles in various sections of your local paper including Sports, Business, Gardening, Living, Real Estate, National and Local News to find ways home is used both literally and figuratively. Listen carefully to conversations among native speakers of English to identify different ways they use home. Practice using various expressions with home and ask a native speaker for feedback on the accuracy and appropriateness of your usage.

References: 1 http://www.idioms.thefreedictionary.com/home 2 The Idioms Workbook, 2nd Edition by Myra Shulman Auslin, Pro-Ed www.proedinc.com 2003, pg. 39.

Answers: 1-a, 2-b, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-a, 7-c.

Mastering Meaning

Choose the correct meaning to complete these statements: 1___To be certain you will succeed at something because you have finished the most difficult part of it is a. to be home free. b. to feel at home. c. to be close to home.

2___If someone says, “Make yourself at home” are they a. inviting you to move in? b. asking you to relax as if you were in your own home? c. giving you permission to be “at home” to visitors?

3. If your teenaged son is eating you out of house and home, is he a. costing you so much that you may lose your home? b. eating up all the food in the refrigerator as fast as you can replace it? c. annoying you greatly?

4. If you describe someone by saying, “There’s nobody home!” this person is acting a. lost. b. as if he has no brains or common sense. c. like someone else.

5. If your friend tells you, “That movie was nothing to write home about,” the movie was a. not about something you should describe to your parents or older relatives. b. not something your friend feels like discussing. c. not especially good or exciting.

6. “We can talk about this till the cows come home” means that we will be discussing this a. for a long time and accomplish nothing. b. until it is evening and we get too busy. c. until we figure out the answer.

7. Bring the house down means 2 a. collapsing a building. b. wrecking something. c. having the audience cheer wildly for you because you were very funny.

Judith L. Bergman M.A CCC is the director of Triangle Speech Services specializing in foreign accent modification.

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

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ASTRIDE

3

CONTINENTS

By Chandan Sen Cricket at Vivekananda Park Distance lends enchantment to the view. How tranquil those halcyon days of our youth appear now! It was during our BSc at St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta that a classmate suggested that we play cricket during the weekend.

This class friend, whose name I forget now - an unforgiveable sin - lived very close to that beautiful park next to the Lakes in South Calcutta. I remember the names of some of the other enthusiasts who gathered at Vivekananda Park that Saturday. There was Archan De, who’s now a Professor in Scottish Church College in Calcutta. Debabrata Saha, who went on to score in the top 10 in the IAS exam, was therefore inducted into the IFS, and is now Indian Ambassador in the Ukraine, and Dipankar Pramanick, who again is a Professor in an American University.

Our game was played with real cricket gear—-pads, gloves, duce ball—the works. We played almost all day every weekend during winter, with only a mid-morning break for “drinks.” To add a personal touch to the proceedings, one day my dad turned up in our black Ambassador car to watch me play from the sidelines.

Now, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I realize that it warmed his heart to see me healthy again and enjoying the fresh air of Vivekananda Park. My illness in middle-school had greatly distressed him, but had had the salutary effect of bringing him closer to God. I’m not claiming that our game was net practice for First Class cricket played on the Eden Gardens. We were, after all, Physics major students much more familiar with books and lab work than the subtleties of bat and ball. Yet to our undiscerning minds we played a good game. Yes, there was the occasional flighted ball and the bumper, the hooked shot to the fence, the diving catch and the accurate throw in.

Many years later my cousin Kunal held his marriage reception at the hall adjoining the park. I took the opportunity, in a lull in the proceedings, of wandering over to the spot where we had had our “pitch” that winter of 1970. Memories flooded back, and I remembered Swami Vivekananda’s quizzical remark in Bengali, “If the stomach is full, even the idea of a football game appears attractive.”

Distant Cousin Bachchu Dada When we were in Hukumchand Jute Mills between 1950 and 1960, my childhood memories consist, among other things, of relatives who visited us from time to time. Among those who made the 30 miles journey was Bachchu Dada, a young man of about 24, son of a cousin of my Dad’s.

This uncle of ours, Prodyut Sen, was a senior detective in Calcutta Police. The story goes that Bachchu Dada, always scared of becoming a victim of

May 2010

some criminal vengeance against his dad, was always ready to run, and run fast!

But jokes apart, Bachchu Dada applied for an apprenticeship in (West) Germany and went abroad in 1960. The family lived in Calcutta, and Dover Lane, the quiet cul-de-sac in South Calcutta, saw a number of young men and women leaving to study in Germany.

Children have fragmented memories, and when in the course of things, I found that our grown-ups—meaning Mom and Dad—-had decided to take us to England with them for one year, imagine my surprise when, halfway through our stay in England, Bachchu Dada suddenly turned up at our house in Baxenden, Lancashire.

Dad had got him a job at his factory, British Northrop, in Blackburn. Dad and Bachchu Dada would go to work, and come back, together. One fine day Bachchu Dada presented me and my sister with two books—-my first Biggles books. These books, featuring the fictional hero Biggles, and his friends Algy, Bertie and Ginger, were written by a skilled writer, Captain W.E. Johns, and were hot favorites in those days.

Even today, critics acknowledge that Johns was a fine writer, though he had his faults, notably self-plagiarism. To me at least, the books opened up a fascinating world of planes, guns, and innocent childish notions of how the adult world worked.

The two books that Bachchu Dada gave us had lurid pictures on their covers, and alluring titles:Biggles in the Cruise of the Condor and Biggles and the Black Peril.

Looking back, those two books were among the very best that I’ve ever read. No wonder that the shopkeeper recommended them to Bachchu Dada when he’d gone to the bookshop looking for books to buy my sister and me.

Bachchu Dada eventually returned to Germany to complete his study of German foundry practice, and then went back to India to settle into a job in Madras, about 1000 miles from Calcutta. His company produced steel castings for scooter engines, and supplied a local vehicle manufacturing unit. Bachchu Dada had finally arrived.

Much later, I had occasion to present Bachchu Dada’s son with a book on the DOS operating system.

It was a small token of gratitude for a favorite cousin.

Distinguished Professor D. N. Bose I first met Professor D. N. Bose at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1972. He taught us esoteric subjects like Materials Science and Solid State Devices, and by his skill and passion for the subject, imbued in us an interest that remains to this day, at least in me. He had done his PhD from a British

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continued on page 82 Chandan Sen

Contact: chandansen33@hotmail.com

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College of Your Dreams

By Christine M. Hall The waiting game on the wait list

The end of the 2010 college admission’s season has finally come to a close. May 1 marked the deadline for students to either accept or reject their college offers.

For a select group of students, however, the wait has just begun. These are the students that have chosen to remain on a college’s waitlist.

In the past, the college waitlist was seen as a positive; it signaled that there was still a ray of hope and the student had not been rejected yet. Students that were waitlisted were told that they had the necessary credentials that the college was looking for, but they just didn’t quite have room at this time to offer them a placement. Those words “at this time” became that new light at the end of the tunnel.

Historically, colleges rarely went very deep into their waitlist, if at all. Each school has their own criteria for how they select students to come off the waitlist. While some schools ranked their applicants and systematically elevated students as spaces occurred, most schools admit that all the applicants have the same chance of obtaining a spot. Some schools request that you send any new information that might strengthen your case, while others request that you do nothing at all but wait.

Students that choose to remain on a waitlist are faced with several decisions. First, they need to understand that they will have to put down a deposit on their second choice school in order to insure that they have a placement for the fall. Although a student has until May 1 to notify a school of their acceptance, notifications regarding waitlists can continue well into the summer and even right up until the start of the fall term.

Assuming a student is offered a placement from the waitlist, they must then be prepared to forfeit that deposit they placed at their second choice school.

Other financial factors, such as not being eligible for financial aid or being unable to secure housing may also come into play. Some schools require immediate acceptance from the waitlist, leaving little time to discuss finances.

The last few graduating classes have found themselves in an acceptance pool that has each been marked by unique circumstances. The class of 2008 was the largest applicant pool to have ever applied to college – they were the last of the baby boomer’s chilMay 2010

dren. The class of 2009 was marred by the recession and saw colleges overextending acceptances in fear that the economy would decrease the number of students enrolling. The class of 2010 has been marked as the class that has received the most placements on waitlists.

Once accepted in a positive light, the waitlist in many schools has increased exponentially and has lost some of its positive status. In some cases, schools have placed the same number of students on the waitlist as they have to those that they have extended acceptances.

An uncertain economy has created a situation where colleges are no longer able to estimate the number of students that will enroll in their school. This then forces the college to place more students on their waitlist in fear that they may not meet their numbers.

In essence, it’s no longer that they would have really loved to take you, but instead it’s that they are afraid of not filling their next class.

Despite the poor economy, colleges have found themselves slammed with applications. In a situation where it is difficult to discern what occurred first, students are applying to a greater number of schools in order to insure that they are accepted to at least one college of their choice. While the ease of online applications has made this possible for students, this action in and of itself is also responsible for the glut of applications being poured into the college admissions office.

As students ponder the decision as to whether or not to remain on the waitlist, it’s important that they understand the big picture. With a waitlist the size of the acceptance list, the odds of getting in are even greater than they were during the application process.

The waitlist no longer consists of applicants that are not qualified.

This pool of candidates can now be hand-picked over by the college. They can now seek out that unique candidate that will help round out their applicant pool profile. The student is now at the mercy of an unknown entity hoping their qualifications are what the school is short on - a criterion that can be anything from gender, nationality, geographic location or even a rare talent.

With many more students landing on the college waitlist this year, students and their families need to take a careful look at how they play the waiting game.

In an economy that is already strained, looking at the overall costs is important. Insuring that they can afford to jump ship at the last minute is essential.

Make sure you can afford all the last minute changes, including loss of deposits, change in travel plans and even the additional costs of personal items, which may include clothing or computer equipment.

It comes down to this. Essentially, the ability to be flexible is a must, as planning time will be eaten away with each day a student is on the fence as to where they will attend.

Christine M. Hall, Ed.D. advises and assists families with all aspect of the college prep and application process. Contact: chall@cmhcollegeconsulting.com or 919.535.8833 or www.cmhcollegeconsulting.com

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May 2010

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pharynx, larynx, and esophagus cancers. It is believed that alcohol damages sensitive tissues in the upperrespiratory tract when consumed, which may cause cancer. The AICR recommendations are the same as the American Heart Association recommendations for those who consume alcoholic beverages. They encourage people who do not drink alcohol not to start.

Healthwise

By Anjana Agarwal Alcohol and Nutrition Should you have the glass of wine? Are two better?

Wait, is beer going to give you the same benefits?

What about vodka? Do you have to have a glass of alcohol each day? Can I have a drink only three days a week? Is alcohol good for my heart? Will it raise my risk of cancer if I have a drink? The attention and changing voice of alcohol and health claims is staggering! The following facts are what we know about alcohol and health.

Red wine and heart disease The heart-protecting benefits of red wine have received some attention. This information, however, is confusing, because professionals do not know what it is about drinking red wine that may have beneficial effects. Current thought is that it is possibly because of flavonoids, antioxidants, or lifestyle factors that have the desired effect. The American Heart Association has no specific recommendations regarding alcohol consumption and heart disease, but research is continuing to demystify the connection.

Alcohol and stress Many people consume alcohol to reduce feelings of stress or anxiety in their lives. Research finds that alcohol in low doses may lessen the body’s response to stressors, but many studies show just the opposite effect—alcohol really increases the stress response by stimulating production of the same hormones the body produces when under stress. No conclusions on the alcohol and stress connection exist at this time.

Excess alcohol consumption also depletes many vitamin and mineral intake, and can cause liver failure, inflammation of pancreas and many other medical problems.

For individual diet counseling see a registered dietitian.

Anjana Agarwal, MS, RD, LDN, CNSD, CDE Registered Dietitian Phone: 704-890-3162 Carolina Nutrition (Adult & Pediatric) www.carolinanutrition.com

Alcohol and cholesterol Will drinking alcohol affect your cholesterol levels?

Current research shows that alcohol may have beneficial effects on raising HDL or “good” cholesterol in the blood. No evidence exists to show that drinking alcohol has the same effects as other measures to improve cholesterol ratios. The American Heart Association continues to recommend that working with a physician, increasing physical activity, losing weight if overweight, and following a healthy diet are the primary interventions in lowering cholesterol.

For your heart, the American Heart Association recommends: “If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.) Drinking more alcohol increases such dangers as alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, suicide and accidents. Also, it’s not possible to predict in which people alcoholism will become a problem. Given these and other risks, the American Heart Association cautions people to not start drinking, if they do not already drink alcohol. Consult your doctor on the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation.”

Alcohol and cancer Does drinking alcohol cause cancer? According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), pretty convincing evidence shows that drinking alcohol increases the risk of liver, colon, rectal, breast, mouth,

May 2010

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Film - Summer Pasture continued from page 14

Nelson: We cast a wide net, and filmed anything that seemed interesting. We had a loose sense of what was going on, but given the language barrier, it was hard to be on top of everything. The story emerged later through the edit.

Can you tell describe how the family directed the film?

Lynn: They wanted to introduce us to their lifestyle and ensure that we represented things accurately. For example, Yama emphasized that it was important somebody wake up when she did â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at 3:30am â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and film her starting her day. That became an opening scene, Yama rising in the dark and cold to begin her dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work.

Nelson: Locho also informed us about the community meeting, and suggested we film it. We were grateful he did, and never would have been able to capture such a sensitive situation without his enthusiasm to make it happen.

Lynn: On the flip side, there were some moments we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t include in the film. There is great footage of Yama feeding her daughter; it was adorable to see the baby with yogurt all over her face. But when Yama saw the footage, she said she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want that included because it made the baby look dirty.

How did your initial meeting go?

Lynn: We first met Locho six hours from the nearest road, with all of our gear. Locho and his brother Zangwu picked us up with yaks and horses. We hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even begun thinking of â&#x20AC;&#x153;castingâ&#x20AC;? the film. We were just trying to make it to the pasture in one piece! But after hours on horseback riding next to Locho, who talked nonstop the entire way, we knew he would be great to film.

Was language a barrier?

Lynn: We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak or understand any Tibetan, much less the nomadic dialect. But Perlo was with us the entire time to provide loose translation, though we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t focus on understanding everything. Not being able to understand all that is spoken frees you up to be more in the moment, not chasing the conversation but rather following other modes of communication.

Nelson: We showed Locho and Yama as much of our footage as we could while we were shooting. We would show them footage in our tent and, on several evenings, projected for a broader audience. People from surrounding tents would gather â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it was like a drive-in, only with horses! We asked Locho and Yama what they thought would be important for us to film, and what we should leave out.

What did they feel would be important?

Lynn: They just wanted to be portrayed accurately.

They know that nomads are looked down upon by the townspeople, so didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to come across as dirty or lazy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t at all, far from it. They are proud of their traditions and shared many details about their daily tasks, the spiritual significance of something or other, the history of nomads. But they never wore any of this on their sleeves. They werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trying to convince us of their value or their religion or anything. Our ques-

May 2010

tions may simply have been a good opportunity to vocalize often unspoken thoughts.

How did you prepare for the film?

Nelson: We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to expect, other than severe weather and having no electricity. We packed like for a 3-month camping trip, bringing tents, water filtration pumps, a small camp stove, and even a solar shower, though we found our yak dung fire to be far more efficient then our stove, and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use the solar shower once! We used a couple of small mini-DV cameras, a foldable solar panel to charge batteries, and a gas-powered generator we bought in Chengdu for a laptop, which we used to digitize our tapes on-site.

Lynn: We assembled gear that might get us through conditions at 15,000 feet and hundreds of miles from the nearest city. We brought things like waterproof equipment cases, layers of clothing, emergency medications, personal toiletries, etc.

Tell us more about your daily routine.

Lynn: Camping without electricity for three months was ´ a singular experience.

We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pick up Yamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Âľ , 1 7(59 , (: early morning habit, but we rose with the sun around 7am and hiked to a spring to collect water. Then we would start a fire (using dried yak dung chips that Yama would 09 give us), heat up tea with yak milk (that Yama would also give us), and have breakfast, usually tsampa (barley flour mixed with butter and tea) or oatmeal that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d brought. The rest of the day, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d film, look at footage from the previous day, be with the family, pretty much just go with the flow. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d eat dinner with the family or cook our own meal, such as rice or noodles, and go to bed when it got dark. We had flashlights and could read in our tents â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I probably read more books that summer than any other period.

SXQFWXDWHG ZLWK WKH IDPLO\ÂśV JRRG Nelson: Our schedules pretty much conformed to their schedules, though we only got up with Yama a few times!

How did you enjoy living the nomadic lifestyle?

Nelson: In the early morning it would be below freezing, but by noon it was often above 80°F in the sun. On most afternoons, there would be some hail or rain, which would clear up almost as quickly as it started. One morning in mid-July we woke to 6 inches of snow! Despite this, it was quite nice living there. There wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t constant interference of cell phones and email, and since there were no cities nearby, the stars were amazing!

Lynn: We enjoyed ourselves immensely, but we did sometimes miss certain things. For example, waking up every morning in a cold tent where you have to walk outside into the frosty air to go find a spot to go to the bathroom â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it makes you wish you had an actual bathroom and a nice hot shower sometimes. But in general it was amazing and I feel incredibly lucky to have had that experience. It makes you realize we do not need all the â&#x20AC;&#x153;stuffâ&#x20AC;? in our lives.

Did you have to get any Chinese approval for filming?

Lynn: The local government officials knew we were doing this project, but we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any official approval.

When we were there in 2007, it was a fairly relaxed peri-

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May 2010

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The Stock Tickers

By Rajesh Ganatra Here are some important quotes as of 04/18/2010 Mumbai Sensex: 17,591.62 Karachi, Pakistan KSE-100 Index: 10,655.83 Dow Jones Industrial Average (USA): 11,271.86 NASDAQ Composite (USA): 2,490.34 S & P 500 Index (USA): 1,192.45

Currency Exchange Rates: Indian Rs. 44.73 = $1.00, Pakistani Rs. 84.00 = $1.00 Gold Price: $1070/ ounce (Mumbai) Silver Price: $17.22 / ounce (Mumbai)

(Note —- Mumbai prices quoted in U.S. dollars were calculated using the above exchange rate and the metric factor of 28.6 grams equals 1 ounce. Generally speaking, there are slight variances in prices of precious metals between India & U.S.A. due to market conditions / exchange rates).

The first quarter of CY2010 was a rather quiet one for the Sensex - however, after rising over 70 percent in CY2009 it was expected that the market would take a breather. The Sensex started the year at 17,464 and dipped into the 15,000s during February 2010 but then had a wonderful nine-week rally in which the lost ground was recovered and as of 4/16/2010, the Sensex was positive for CY2010 by 127 points. The Sensex challenged 18,000 on 4/7/2010, trading as high as 18,047 - but the index could not hold 18K on a closing basis. The Indian Rupee continued its appreciation against the US Dollar during April 2010 - on 1/1/2010 US$1 equaled INR46.60 and as of 4/16/2010 the rate was INR44.50.

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet will be making a foray into international routes by introducing three routes to India’s neighbors - Dhaka, Bangladesh, Colombo, Sri Lanka and Kathmandu, Nepal - the routes are expected to be fully operating functional by June 2010. Per the Cellular Operators Association of India, carriers continue to aggressively add subscribers onto their networks: “Bharti Airtel,” India’s top mobile operator, added 3 million mobile subscribers in March 2010 and that increased its total base to 127.6 million subscribers. Third-ranked “Vodafone Essar” (which is controlled by Vodafone) signed up 3.63 million mobile users in March 2010 and that topped its total base above nine-figures, to boost its total to 100.9 million.

Fifth-ranked “Idea Cellular” gained 1.7 million mobile subscribers, taking its total client base to 63.8 million.

During 1Q2010 and into April 2010, the Karachi KSE-100 index staged a very bullish performance despite the continued backdrop of violence in Pakistan. The KSE-100 index progressed very well through the upper 9000s and hesitated a bit at the 10,000 marker. Once the index re-joined the five-digit

May 2010

club, it continued its forward march and reached 10,659 on a closing basis on 4/16/2010. The Pakistani Rupee strengthened a bit against the U.S. Dollar during April 2010 - the currency had been trading at 84.50-84.90 to the US$ but in early April, it strengthened to 83.60-83.90 to the US$.

The CEO of the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), Arif Alauddin recently disclosed that with the assistance of the World Bank, 100,000 agriculture tube wells would be operated through solar energy within coming five years. Alauddin said there are already 1,100,000 tube wells across Pakistan and the World Bank has approved the pilot project under which initially 25 tube wells will be run through solar energy panels. The total funding to be provided by the World Bank for the tube wells will be US$300 million.

Additionally, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has assured Pakistan it will approve the release of the next tranche ($1.2 billion) of an $11.3 billion loan at a board meeting on May 3, 2010 - the total amount of the IMF loan was increased to $11.3 billion in July 2009 and the Central Bank received a fourth tranche of $1.2 billion of the aforesaid loan on 12/28/2009.

The Government of Pakistan is trying to broaden the tax base and keep the budget deficit “close to” 5.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and assured the IMF that the loan would help to control the deficit.

The U.S. Equity Markets made good progress during the first half of April 2010. The March 2010 “non-farm payrolls” came in at +162,000 jobs created - the best reading in three years and the stock market took an extremely positive cue from that. The Dow closed back above 11,000 on 4/12/2010, the S&P reclaimed the 1200s on a closing basis on 4/14/2010 and the NASDAQ composite attained the 2,500 level on a closing basis that day. Even with the re-captured ground, the NASDAQ still rests a full 50 percent below its best close of 5,048 that was attained a decade ago, on 3/10/2000. The positive jobs report and the indications that more businesses are hiring is certainly a good sign, and consumer confidence is on the uptick as well. However, the unemployment rate registered a reading of 9.7 percent and taking into account discouraged workers, etc. economists say the “real” unemployment rate is actually near 16 percent. This figure is completely unacceptable and reflects that Main Street is still having hard times although Wall Street has rebounded from the depths of the lows hit approximately 13-14 months ago. It will take years for all of the lost jobs to be fully restored and for the unemployment rate to dip back to 5%-ish. Several corporations have shown improving financial pictures and that also gave a boost to the market. On Friday, 4/16/2010 the rally, however, was abruptly interrupted because Google (NASDAQ-GOOG) released its 1Q2010 financials in which the company had a healthy revenue figures, but the bottom line missed the analysts’ expectations. In addition, civil fraud charges were filed by the SEC against Goldman Sachs (NYSEGS) that the company failed to report a conflict of interest in its trading of complex mortgage securities.

Crude Oil has been range-bound between $75-$85 per barrel over the past year or so, but recently has trad-

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Social Media

by Wendy D. Wells

Writing for Social Media

I’ve been talking so much about using the tools of Social Media that I think I might have skipped the most basic and important aspect of using Social Media. You need to write relatively coherently. Now, I’m not talking Shakespeare and I’m not suggesting that you use perfect grammar or punctuation in every post you put out on the web. It is, however, very important that you do not make yourself or your business look illiterate. Have someone proofread your copy before you post it. Use spell checker. This is yet another reason why using a professional for marketing, Social Media, and copywriting are better ideas than trying to do everything on your own. You’ll come off sounding more professional and polished.

Sometimes formal business writing is a necessity and there’s just no getting around it. There is a difference between formal writing, emails, and posting a blog!

Even MBA’s dread when they are forced to do any sort of formal business writing. There’s simply no replacement for the written word, even in our technologically advanced age. Sometimes a phone or video conference isn’t practical, and an email simply isn’t emphatic enough for what needs to be said.

Presentations and projects often require original text, so you’re going to need some basic business writing skills. For times like these and when you need more than a memo to get your point across, follow these simple tips to make the business writing process easier and to keep your reader engaged.

thing out. The two previous sentences are an example, they say the same thing. Many companies have some sort of internal reference system, abbreviations or nicknames that can shorten your text. If everyone knows the Seattle warehouse is called “S-E2,” use it. Avoid editorializing, save it for a meeting, phone conference, or as a follow-up.

Too much space is wasted with: For some time now, I have seen the need to improve the system of inventory control at S-E2, it has grown into a problem, which can deter its progression into a major distribution hub. Instead, get straight to the point of what is best for the company and not what makes you look the best. Before it can become a major distribution hub, the inventory system at S-E2 needs significant modification. Search for content that steers away from your core subject and remove it.

Business writing is not about you but when it’s done properly, business communication will make you look great!

Go! - When you’ve made your point, there is no need to recap. This isn’t Composition 101, where your grade depends on the “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them,” formula. Once you’ve made your point and finished what you have to say, stop writing!

Wendy D. Wells

is President of WD Wells Writing and Editing, LLC. She is a Charlotte, NC based, Telecommuting Copywriter, Professional Blogger and Editor. wwells@wendywellswrites.com

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Begin - When you introduce the topic of any business correspondence, consider your audience. How much background information is needed for them to understand what you’re talking about? If “very little” is the answer, then keep it short. You can lose your reader very early with too much information, especially if it is only adding flavor to the topic.

Format - Headings in business writing help the reader get a quick idea of the page’s topic and content.

Use headings to get the message across quickly, allow your readers to skim the page and show emphasis.

Headings also create white space, which gives the eyes a “rest” between topics and paragraphs. Does it have to be words? Business writing is often best communicated when it’s not written at all! (Especially for business correspondence, when the reader has quick and easy access to a trash can.) A graph or chart is much more effective than our market shares showed an increase in penetration throughout the summer months, reaching 92%.

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By Gail Martin

The Comeback Kid How well do you “process failure?”

The April 12 issue of Newsweek Magazine featured an article by Daniel Gross entitled: “America’s Back!

The Remarkable Tale of our Economic Turnaround.” http://www.newsweek.com/id/236190. I loved this article for two reasons. First, it stands in direct opposition to the drumbeat of negativity you hear on the street with compelling evidence that we’ve turned a corner. Secondly, Gross notes that one of the things Americans do best is bounce back from failure.

According to Gross, in America, failure does not have the stigma attached that it does in other countries. We pull ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and resolve to do better next time. Our system is more tolerant of failure than in many other countries. (Heck, when you really mess up, you get your own reality TV show!) And in a quirky, entrepreneurial, genius-inventor-in-the-garage kind of way, we celebrate failure because at least it means you tried. Recall the quote attributed to Thomas Edison that he had found 10,000 ways NOT to make an incandescent light bulb.

Gross called the freedom to make mistakes and get a fresh start, along with the willingness to make mistakes in pursuit of a big dream “processing failure.”

How well do you “process failure?”

The last year and a half has been a rough ride.

Banks failed. Companies failed. Stock portfolios failed.

And individuals who had worked hard found a lot of their gains swept away in an economic hurricane even bigger than Katrina. We’ve spent quite a few months nursing our failures. And yet….

We believe in the power of tomorrow. Annie said it on Broadway: “The sun’ll come out, tomorrow.”

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s girlfriend said it: “There’s always tomorrow for dreams to come true.”

Even Scarlett O’Hara said it: “Tomorrow is another day.”

Process failure.

Maybe you tried a new line of business and it didn’t meet expectations. That’s OK. Learn and move on.

Process failure.

Perhaps you experimented with a new type of marketing and it didn’t pay off quickly enough. Take a lesson and do it differently next time. Process failure.

The quintessential American attribute, at least according to Gross (and I agree) is the ability to shake off disappointment and start over, with dreams that are even bigger, better and bolder than before. Many of the immigrants to America left behind old failures along with their original names when they came to this country for a fresh start. Many more shed their failures and headed West for to start over. Our legends May 2010

are full of people who did what others said couldn’t be done, and along the way, failed publicly plenty of times before they hit it big.

How can you “process failure” to emerge from the downturn bigger and better than ever? Are you planning for a comeback?

Research shows that companies that keep marketing during a downturn and remain visible are the ones that get the lion’s share of the business once consumers begin to spend again. Are you using inexpensive, effective marketing to stay visible and offer value?

Start planning now to turn last year’s “failures” into this year’s big breakthroughs. What have you learned that will make you better, smarter, more adaptable or faster than ever before? What next-big-thing idea do you have floating around in your head that you haven’t recognized yet?

Yogi Berra said “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” So when the sun comes up tomorrow, are you prepared to make the most of it?

Gail Z. Martin

owns DreamSpinner Communications.

Contact her at dreamspinnercommunications@earthlink.net

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Personal Finance

By Narendra Dixit Bonds: Stability and Income for Your Portfolio

Many individuals generally view bonds as conservative investments that may provide steady income and a higher degree of protection of principal. When the equity markets do exceptionally well, it may be tempting to increase your investment in equities. However, it’s important to maintain an even approach to investing to ensure your investments are well diversified at all times. Thus, bonds may merit consideration as a component of your portfolio.

Equity vs. Debt When it comes to investing, you can be either an owner or a lender. If you own stock (or shares of a mutual fund that invests in stocks), you are a shareholder and literally own a part of a company. The company has no obligation to pay you back by redeeming your shares, and the value of your shares will rise or fall with the fluctuations of the market.

On the other hand, when you buy bonds, you are acting as a lender. That is, you are “lending” your money to an entity (e.g., a company, state, municipality, or the U.S. government) for its promise to pay, which takes the form of periodic interest and a return on your principal. The borrower does have an obligation to you (the bondholder), to repay. However, it is possible for the borrower to default on this obligation to pay interest and principal.

Bond Basics One of the most common questions posed by potential bond investors is: “What is bond yield?” Yield is the investor’s original return on investment. When most people mention yield, they are referring to current yield (i.e., the current annual interest income divided by the initial price paid for the investment).

Perhaps a better measure for investors is yield to maturity (YTM), which is the bond’s rate of return if it is held until its maturity date. YTM provides the most complete measurement of performance, taking into account the present value of future interest payments.

There are several factors that can affect yield.

However, one of the more important considerations is credit risk. This is the risk that a bond issuer will go into default before a bond reaches maturity. Lower quality issues tend to pay higher yields to compensate for added risk. In addition, for bonds carrying similar credit ratings, it is typical that the longer the time until maturity, the higher the yield tends to be.

Bond investments are also subject to interest rate risk, so that when interest rate rise the prices of bonds can decrease and the investor can lose principal value.

May 2010

What About Bond Funds?

Like stocks, successfully investing in bonds requires a great deal of knowledge and experience. For this reason, bond mutual funds can be a good way to incorporate bonds into your portfolio. A bond fund is run by professional money managers who use their knowledge and experience to purchase a variety of bonds that are consistent with the fund’s stated objectives. However, unlike individual bonds, a bond fund has no obligation to pay a stated interest rate or return your principal. As an investor, you should be aware that investment returns and principal values of bond mutual funds will fluctuate due to market conditions. Therefore, when shares are redeemed, they may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Many investors who understand bond yield may still have a difficult time accurately comparing the performance of bond funds when fund companies calculate and advertise yields in different ways.

Fortunately, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established an industry standard for computing yield in mutual fund advertisements and sales literature. The standard creates a fixed-yield quote requirement for bond mutual funds, making it easier for investors to decide which bond funds are most suitable for their individual investment portfolios. In addition, a funds prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional, can be consulted for a complete list and description of its holdings, as well as information on risks, fees, and expenses. Always read the prospectus and consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives carefully before investing.

Before You Decide . . .

Bonds can be a valuable addition to your portfolio because of their ability to help maintain principal and provide income. However, the percentage of your portfolio you choose to invest in bonds should be determined by your overall goals and objectives.

Despite the allure of potentially higher returns from equities, bonds may still deserve some of your investment attention.

GE-34221

For more information about establishing a financial plan, contact your financial professional.

——————————————————This article is not intended to provide legal, tax or investment advice. AXA Advisors and its affiliates do not provide legal or tax advice.

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

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The Cricket Forum

Test Cricket - a fading classic?

By Rajesh Ganatra

Hello Cricket Fans! Here’s some upcoming action in the cricket world. I love test cricket and have put my thoughts about its decline in the piece that follows the schedules. I welcome your comments.

Bangladesh visits England

Thu May 27 to Mon May 31 - 1st Test - England v Bangladesh @ Lord’s, London

Fri Jun 4 to Tue Jun 8 - 2nd Test - England v Bangladesh @ Old Trafford, Manchester Thu Jul 8 - 1st ODI - England v Bangladesh @ Trent Bridge, Nottingham Sat Jul 10 - 2nd ODI - England v Bangladesh @ County Ground, Bristol

Mon Jul 12 - 3rd ODI - England v Bangladesh @ Edgbaston, Birmingham South Africa visits West Indies

Wed May 19 - 1st T20I - West Indies v South Africa @ Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Thu May 20 - 2nd T20I - West Indies v South Africa @ Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad Sat May 22 - 1st ODI - West Indies v South Africa @ Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Mon May 24 - 2nd ODI - West Indies v South Africa @ Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad Thu May 27 - 3rd ODI - West Indies v South Africa @ Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Sun May 30 - 4th ODI - West Indies v South Africa @ Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Thu Jun 3 - 5th ODI - West Indies v South Africa @ Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica Thu Jun 10 - Mon Jun 14 - 1st Test - West Indies v South Africa @ Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica Fri Jun 18 - Tue Jun 22 - 2nd Test - West Indies v South Africa @ Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Sat Jun 26 - Wed Jun 30 - 3rd Test - West Indies v South Africa @ Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

Australia visits England When the Aussies meet the English team - classic matches are a “certainty” and a series of ODIs between the two nations is scheduled in the near future: Tue Jun 22 - 1st ODI - England v Australia: The Rose Bowl, Southampton Thu Jun 24 - 2nd ODI - England v Australia: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Sun Jun 27 - 3rd ODI - England v Australia: Old Trafford, Manchester

Wed Jun 30 - 4th ODI - England v Australia: Kennington Oval, London Sat Jul 3 - 5th ODI - England v Australia: Lord’s, London May 2010

I have been a cricket fan for over two decades now.

Being born in Rochester, NY - I grew up purely on baseball and saw many live games of the Rochester Red Wings (the AAA ball club) and avidly followed their parent team in the major-leagues, the Baltimore Orioles - additionally, being in the Rochester market, we received the New York Yankees games on television and I saw Reggie Jackson (Mr. October) and Dave Winfield during their glory days.

Then in 1988, I visited London, England for my cousin’s wedding, and after the family festivities were completed, we had a few days at leisure in London. So I got myself some English Tea and a plate of scones, and turned on the telly —- a game called “cricket” was being played and in fact, it was a Test match.

Just like baseball, a bat and ball were being used in this game as well, but obviously, the Cricket field was nothing like the baseball diamond that I was used to. I starting asking my dad about the game and having been born in Uganda and played the game during his childhood there, he sat down with me and took a keen interest in the match being played.

As we watched the match, dad looked back on his childhood and he started explaining the rules of this fascinating game to me in great detail. Unfortunately, the match had just started and since it was a five-day match, we would not have the chance to watch the complete match and see the final result prior to our departure to the USA. There was no Internet back then and the local papers had absolutely no coverage of cricket - Rochester’s sports section was all about the Red Wings, Orioles and the nearby NFL football team, the Buffalo Bills. So a few days after coming back home, we called the family back in London and one of the things we talked about was the cricket match - there were indeed lots of ‘6s’ and ‘4s’ and even taking into account the typical English weather, all five days of the match were in fact played and the finish was fabulous.

Then came our first trip to India in 1992 - and you can imagine how the cricket coverage was there! Sports channels were carrying matches, they had TVs in hotels and restaurants broadcasting the matches, the matches were front-page material in the newspapers, and even near the temples, people were listening to the matches on transistor radios prior to entering the temple for “Darshan” (guards ensured that all electronic items were off prior to devotees entering into the temples).

During my “maiden voyage” to India, Kapil Dev was wrapping up his marvelous career and a young man named Sachin Tendulkar was just starting his. It was a special, unique time in the world of cricket - each fiveday Test was a cherished sporting event, savored pitch-by-pitch, over-by-over, innings-by-innings ...it was indeed an invigorating experience. Sure, you had to wait five days for a result - but each day of each match was indeed spectacular, a thriller in the truest sense and you would go to sleep eager to get up the next morning to see what the budding Sachin was going to do with his bat the next day.

Tests have been remained the primary form of Cricket for decades but after the new Millennium (2000), the One-Day International matches (50 overs per side)

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Itemized Deduction expense documents: In case you itemized your deductions you will have to maintain all the expense receipts, mileage logs and other documentation that help substantiate your expenses.

Remember, with IRS the rule during an audit is you prove it or lose it! I recommend to my clients that they maintain a scanned backup of their documents in case originals or lost or misplaced.

Business Matters

By Krutika Chheda

Tax Documents you must Maintain

What a great year this year has been for the tax payers in the US. Perhaps this may have been the best year for tax payers to get tax refund in recent history.

Massive tax cuts from Bush administration and huge tax incentives from the Obama administration for individuals such as the home buyer’s credit have reduced the effective tax rate of US tax payers to the lowest levels seen in many years. We shall wait for the official figures from the US treasury, but this year has been a bonanza of huge tax refunds for our clients. Now that the tax returns have been filed, what to do with all the paperwork and documents? This may be a good time to clean out the growing pile of tax and financial papers that clutters your home and office. Here’s a list of what you need to keep and what can be safely recycled (make to shred any documents with personal information) without fearing IRS’s audit and queries.

Business records: Business records can become a nightmare to maintain. Since your income is not directly reported to the IRS as in the case of a salaried W2 income, the IRS is even more stringent when it comes to checking business records. If you have a sole proprietorship and have filed business loss on your personal return, make sure you maintain all possible income and expense records.

Tax returns: Keep copies of your tax returns for at least three years. Those of you that are in the midst of the immigration process may want to hold on to the tax returns at least until after your immigration case is completed. I recommend clients to hold on to the tax returns for at least three years after the immigration case is completed.

Social Security Records: Check with the Social Security Administration each year to confirm that your payments have been appropriately credited. If the Social Security Administration records are wrong, you will need the W-2 or copy of your Schedule C (if you IRS Statute of Limitations - Three Year Rule are self employed) to prove the correct amounts. Don’t This rule limits the number of years that IRS can audit dump those records until after you’ve validated those your tax returns. For assessment of additional taxes, contributions. the statute of limitation runs generally three years from the date you file your return. The idea behind this is that after a period of years, records are lost or mis- Keep in mind this column and the articles published placed and memory isn’t as accurate as well. Once the here are only meant to provide you with information statute of limitations has expired, the IRS can’t go about taxes and in no way should you consider this as after you for additional taxes. However there are tax advice. I hope you have started thinking about saving more of your hard earned money, paying less to exceptions to this general three year rule: the IRS and at the same time reduce your audit risks Failure to report all income (Remember IRS expects as you brave through the economic head winds in a you report your global income) and the unreported recession. Consult your tax advisor regarding your amount being more than 25 percent of the income individual tax situation and your financial advisor for shown on the return, increases the limitation period to any financial investments related situation. six years.

Claiming loss from a worthless security increases the This Article provides only an overview to the complex Tax Laws and business matters. It is not exhaustive limitation period to seven years. nor a substitute for Independent Tax Advice provided If you file a “fraudulent” return, or don’t file at all, the by a Tax Accountant or a Tax Attorney familiar with limitations period never begins to run. The IRS can get your case. you at any time.

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May 2010

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Buying a Franchised Business

By Matt Joyner, Esq.

In the current recession many people are interested in owning their own business as a way to free themselves from the uncertainties of corporate employment and to gain more control over their financial destinies. Often however they have little prior experience in starting a business. In these circumstances the choice to purchase a franchised business can make a lot of sense. In a typical franchise system the company that owns the business (the “franchisor”) grants a right to a purchaser (the “franchisee”) to operate the business using the franchisor’s trademarks and operating system in an exclusive geographic territory for a fixed period of time.

The result is that the franchisee can benefit from a “prepackaged” business with a proven operations system, valuable trademarks, exclusive territory and collaborative marketing that they could not have generated for themselves if they attempted to operate as an independent start up.

Prior to buying a franchised business, however, the would-be entrepreneur should give careful consideration to many things: their proposed investment, their individual skills, their personal goals and the legal aspects of franchised businesses. In the United States franchises are governed by both federal and state law. Under the franchise regulations administered by the Federal Trade Commission a business arrangement is a regulated “franchise” if goods and services are distributed under a franchisor’s trademark, the franchisor exercises significant control over or provides substantial assistance to the franchisee, and the franchisee is obligated to pay the franchisor at least $500 by the end of the first six months operation of the business.

The right to use the franchisor’s trademarks (like McDonald’s Golden Arches) and the maintenance of uniform operations through substantial contractual controls by the franchisor are the hallmarks of a franchise system.

If a business arrangement falls within the federal regulation of franchises, then the franchisor must provide certain relevant information about the business to the franchisee before the franchisee purchases its business. This federally required information is contained in a “franchise disclosure document” or “FDD.” Under the federal law the FDD must contain information on 23 specific topics relevant to the franchisor’s business and the franchisee must have the FDD for 14 calendar days before buying the franchised business.

FDDs can be voluminous and intimidating documents, but contain helpful information such as the prior business experience of the franchisor’s executives, lawsuits against the franchisor, the fees a franchisee can expect to pay the franchisor, the contact information of current and past franchisees in the system and copies of the contracts involved in the franchise relationship, including the franchisor’s form Franchise Agreement.

Entrepreneurs should pay close attention to the information revealed in the FDD and the terms of the Franchise Agreement because once they purchase the franchise they will have to live with these documents. Recently a North Carolina franchisee sued its franchisor claiming that the franchisee was defrauded into purchasing a bakery and coffee business by verbal representations by the franchisor’s agent that the construction upfitting costs for the franchise location would be much less than they actually turned out to be. The North Carolina Business Court ruled against the franchisee on the grounds that the FDD and the Franchise Agreement specifically provided that their written terms superseded any verbal representations May 2010

made to the franchisee in the purchase of the franchise, and that the written terms expressly disclaimed any warranties as to the costs of opening and operating the restaurant. In short the franchisee was stuck with the terms of the FDD and Franchise Agreement as written.

So what should a potential buyer look for in an FDD and Franchise Agreement? First, with regard to the FDD, one of the most important things the buyer should do is contact personally those existing and former franchisees disclosed in the FDD to talk with them about their experiences as franchisees within the system. Existing and former franchisees will often be very frank about any issues or problems they have experienced with the franchisor. If a buyer talks to a number of them and hears a consistent complaint echoing through their answers, then he knows he has hit upon something he should take into consideration before purchasing.

Second, with regard to the Franchise Agreement, the buyer should determine those provisions of the Franchise Agreement that may be subject to negotiation with the franchisor. Not surprisingly Franchise Agreements usually are drafted by franchisors in very one sided terms favoring the franchisors. As a general principle a franchisor wants to maintain uniformity among the franchisees within its system, and thus those contract provisions that bear directly upon uniformity within the system typically are less negotiable than those that do not. Also, generally speaking, the older and more established a franchise system is the less flexibility it will demonstrate in the negotiation of its Franchise Agreement. A younger or less established system that is eager to recruit quality franchisees however frequently will be more open to varying its Franchise Agreement terms in order to attract the buyer.

Buyers should consult with experienced counsel to understand the information disclosed in the FDD and to negotiate favorable terms in the Franchise Agreement.

Finally, in any decision to purchase a franchised business the compatibility of the buyer with the business itself is crucial. Different people with different skills and personalities are suitable for different types of businesses.

One size does not fit all. A potential buyer should conduct a candid assessment of his own abilities and interests before purchasing a franchise to determine whether he and the opportunity are right for each other and the extent to which he will need to hire in his new business individuals with necessary skills that he himself does not possess. A good franchise broker typically will assist a prospective purchaser with that process of self discovery and matching personality with business opportunity.

Starting a business is a huge challenge, but the potential rewards are likewise great. Purchasing a franchised business on favorable terms can give the entrepreneur an advantage over “going it alone.” With the assistance of experienced counsel the franchisee can achieve his dream of business ownership and financial success for himself and his family.

This Article provides only a general overview of complex legal issues. It is not intended to be legal advice or a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney familiar with the facts of your situation.

Matt Joyner is an attorney who helps clients start, run, buy and sell businesses.

He is a Shareholder at Bishop, Dulaney & Joyner, P.A. in Charlotte and may be contacted at mjoyner@bdj-law.com or (704) 442-8875.

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The Chai Table

Saathee Readers’ Forum

The Secret of Happiness, Part One

By Swami Satyanand

Everybody wants happiness. After all, no one is satisfied with unhappiness! Why do we seek happiness and reject unhappiness? The answer is that our natural state is found solely in contentment, peace and happiness. Yet we continue to search out pleasures that lead only to an ever-changing and painful existence.

What is in us that causes us to be unhappy? It is the prakriti, or maya, that is attached to the soul that makes us unhappy. Maya is delusion and it has the ability to project its veiling power, making that which is lifeless appear to be vibrant and full of life, that which is temporary to be permanent, and that which is impure to be wholesome and pure. This is why we identify the physical body with our self rather than with the Divine Essence, which is our true nature. The truth is that the body has no life of its own. It exists only due to the presence of the Atma, the Divine Soul within.

Since we identify ourselves with the physical body, we become passionately connected to the Maya of the tangible world and its comforts. Meanwhile we hardly remember the Atma or Divine soul within, for our focus is on the physical body only.

Life is like a drama. Maya engineers this drama, but we imagine that the drama we are enacting is truth.

That is why it is called God’s leela, or “divine play.” In truth this Maya is an illusion, not a reality. For example, in the waking state this physical world appears to be real, yet while we are sleeping in the dream state the world becomes unreal. Further, when we are in the dream state it appears that dream world is real and our waking state is unreal.

Finally, when we are in deep sleep, both these states become unreal. What, then, is real and what is unreal? In truth, all three of these states are unreal. Each of them is no more than a transient world that constantly changes, keeping us off-balance and ultimately unhappy. In contrast, Truth, or reality, never changes. It is changeless and eternal.

We will discuss what this prakruti and maya is and what are the measures and practice necessary to come out of maya so as to achieve stability, happiness and peace in the next issue.

Before we may understand the secrets of happiness, we must first we try to understand what happiness is and where happiness is to be found.

Are you happy? How might we describe a happy person? How can we learn to be happy?

Although happiness appears to be a simple concept, everyone’s definition of happiness is different.

Similarly, although water is the simplest and most common liquid, the containers that may hold it are many. Therefore one person’s happiness will manifest as unhappiness for another. A smoker may find happiness in a cigar while a non-smoker is repulsed by its strong odor.

In truth, no one has a clear understanding of the true nature of happiness. The very idea of happiness appears to be an illusion, yet we spend all our time and energy pursuing it. One person may find happiness in collecting wealth, while another seeks it in parties and social events. Another person finds happiness in enjoying movies while still others find it in eating. Still others find it in raising a family or attaining good health.

The vast majority of people pursue endless goals that end in dissatisfaction; ultimately leading to new pursuits followed by yet another dissatisfying result.

No matter what we accomplish, the “happiness” we seek inevitably proves to be unfulfilling and transient.

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through the schedule we kept - up at sunrise, to bed when it got dark, no internet, phone, TV. It kind of felt like a period when we were able to concentrate on all the important things in life and cut out all the other junk. It was the first time in a long time I felt really healthy - getting enough rest, not overworking, eating regular meals.

Nelson: My experience also got me thinking about my consumption and dependence on technology. In many ways, nomadic life is the opposite of how we live in much of the western world. We’re all about changing our environment to suit our needs. Nomadic life is about adapting to the environment, and acknowledging one’s own role in the ecosystem. At the same time, I’ve come to realize that that pastoral life is not as idyllic as I once thought. It’s easy to romanticize it from afar, but it takes back-breaking work to produce basic elements for survival. I’d like to think that I’ve become more mindful about the ways in which my activities affect the world around me — but it’s really difficult in a society based on consumerism and often misguided notions of progress.

What are your distribution plans for the film?

Lynn: The U.S. television rights are owned by Public Broadcasting, and we hope that they will show it in 2011.

We are seeking additional distribution, such as DVD sales and international broadcast. We recently started screening it at film festivals in the U.S.; in June, its Asian premiere will be at the New Beijiing Film Festival in China.

Nelson: We’re also trying to develop a grass roots distribution plan for the film in Tibet. We hope to bundle it with participatory videos and films made by Tibetan filmmakers, and to distribute these films throughout Tibet.

Lynn: Even if we don’t get a formal distribution deal, we’ll certainly produce the DVD ourselves and at the very least make it available on our website of www.khamfilmproject.org.

How did you two come to work together?

Nelson: We first met in 2003, when I was working on a documentary about an HIV-positive South African choir. My partner and I needed an editor, and a mutual friend recommended Lynn. We’ve been collaborating ever since! This is the third film we’ve collaborated on.

What are your future plans?

Lynn: My immediate plans are to find a new job! After three years scraping by and putting this film together from grants, loans, and credit cards, I need to pick up freelance editing or production work. My dream is to continue making projects like Summer Pasture involving not just filmmaking, but also community engagement. For example, we also facilitate participatory video workshops with first time filmmakers and run a Tibetan film series at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem.

Nelson: If you put me behind a camera, I’m happy. I hope to continue working as a cinematographer on other interesting documentaries. Lynn and I have started to develop some new projects. We’d like to do more participatory video work in Tibet and perhaps even start another documentary there. In addition to the Tibet film series, we’ve also programmed a Congo film series at the Maysles Cinema. We’ll be doing that again this fall and hope to develop another documentary there, too.

od and the local officials were quite supportive of us, as we were up front about what we were doing and where we were traveling.

Nelson: Tsering Perlo secured permission. Having lived in Zachukha for most of his life, he had personal relationships with most of the local officials, and was able to convince them that we were interested in documenting nomadic culture, and not making a political film.

Since Zachukha is so isolated, most of the local officials are actually Tibetans, so they clearly saw the value, too.

The locals also asked that we document a number of significant landmarks in the community, including a sacred lake and important mountains. Even though we were cleared to film, we did have a few scares. Once, I was filming a Communist Party sign in town when a police car pulled up. The officers called Perlo to the car. I was convinced we were about to be arrested or have our tapes confiscated, so while Perlo spoke with the officer, I managed to remove the tape from my camera and replace it with a blank. Perlo then called me over to the car and asked if I wanted to go to the police station. I got confused — why were they even asking? Then Perlo cleared things up; they had heard about us and wanted us to film them working!

Wow! India has been an important supporter of Tibet; did the Tibetan community in India have any involvement in the project?

Lynn: No, but many of our Tibetan collaborators and translators in New York happened to have lived or grown up in India, many at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala.

You also lived in India for a bit as a child, right?

Lynn: Yes, but for less than a year when I was a baby.

I don’t have memories of India, though I do have a lot of photographs of myself as a chubby, naked child running around in a village. I did go to India with a friend when we were 16 years old and spent about six weeks traveling around. I loved riding in auto rickshaws and only regret that I never drove one myself.

Has the family seen the film?

Lynn: Yes, they saw a rough cut that we gave Perlo late last year. He showed it to them on his laptop computer, and he said they really liked the film! We were happy and relieved because we really wanted the film to ring true for them and their community.

How is the family?

Lynn: The last we heard, well. Locho bought more yaks from another nomad who moved into town. Yama had another baby a year after we left; everyone is healthy. Yama still battles health issues, but she is a tough woman. We really want to go back and visit them.

Note: All pictures copyright ©2010 by The Kham How has the film changed you?

Film Project and are used with permission. The podcast Lynn: I will forever remember the experience of living of this interview will soon be available and can then be there and understanding viscerally that one does not heard at http://www.dilip.info/audio/summerpasture. need so much “stuff.” I also appreciate having gone May 2010

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Community Focus

Events of Note

Community Reports

The Blue Mug Arvind Mahajan of AKM Realty and Live Spectrum Entertainment Present “The Blue Mug,” a comedy play featuring Konkona Sen Sharma (Actress of Omkara, Athiti Tum Kab Jaoge, Mr & Mrs Iyer, Wake up Sid, and others) Vinay Pathak (Bheja Fry, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Khosla Ka Ghosla and others), Rajat Kapoor (Monsoon Wedding, Corporate, Bheja Fry, Dil Chahta Hai and others), Ranvir Shorey (Singh is King, Bheja Fry, Khosla Ka Ghosla and others) on May 16, 2010 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Stewart Theater, on the campus of NCSU, Raleigh. Tickets and info at www.livespectrum.com or 919.655.5123, 919.323.4024.

Greenville Ugadi 2010 Gala The Telugu Association of Greater Greenville, SC welcomed “Vikruthi Namah Samvatsaram” during their 7th Annual Ugadi Celebrations on March 20, 2010 at the Ahimsa Hall (Vedic Center). Nearly 600 people from the Greenville area were treated to music, dance,

KIRAN’s Classic2010 Ping Pong Tournament Here’s a chance to showcase ping-pong skills at the tournament to benefit KIRAN, a statewide non-profit organization that serves South Asian victims of domestic violence in North Carolina. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit KIRAN. The tournament will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2010 from 10am to 4pm at Middle Creek Community Center, 123 Middle Creek Park Ave, Apex, NC 27539. Phone: 919.771.1295. Enjoy the drinks, food and socialize with friends, community members while watching loved ones play. Pre-registration (by May 15, 2010) is $20. Onsite registration is $30. Spectator entry fee is $2 (raffle for a prize). For details email vidya.raj@kiraninc.org Subject: Ping Pong.

Vocal Concert by Master K. M. Balamuralikrishna He will be accompanied S. D. Sridhar on Violin and Tanjore K. Murugabhoothi on mridangam. The concert is on Sunday, May 16, 2010 beginning at 3:30 pm at Tate Hall, CPCC. For complete details visit www.onlinecmac.com.

Ekal Charlotte Tennis Tournament 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 self-esteem, 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. Ekal Charlotte is planning a tennis tournament on June 5-6, 2010. For registration and information send an email to the address below.

Info: ekalcharlotte@gmail.com May 2010

food and fanfare. It was a thrilling moment to sense the pride reflected in the faces of all cultural performers, residents of Greenville and visitors. Starting from the entranceway to the stage, the decorations were

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astounding. Everything was planned with an eye for perfection. The decoration team, consisting of Aruna Patchipulusu, Jyothi Garipalli, Pavani Thammana, Poornima Chaluvadi, Neeraja Sama, Srivalli Kondapalli and Vasavi Manthena deserve kudos for their creativity and hard work. The evening kicked off at 5:30pm with the prayer “Sri Ganesh Vandana” presented by Nutan Sangeet Vidyalay students. “Telugu Badi” students followed it up with a program titled “Mana Pandugalu” - which enchanted the audiences with their costumes and dialogues describing the significance of various festivals celebrated by people of Andhra Pradesh. This was followed by the popular kids’ fancy dress competition, where kids showed such fun and frolic, which brought some mythological characters back to this computer age. The parents left no leaf unturned in the design of their costumes and props.

The interesting part of this event was the participation of quite a few non-Telugu members of Greenville community. The stage setting of the fisherman village, cruise ship, raja kumari drawing picture and boys getting out of the helicopter for the “Billa” song showed the effort put in by the choreographers, participants and parents. The debut performance by 4-year-old tiny tots dancing to the tunes of “ringa ringa” is worth a mention. Performances included classical presentations by Mrs. Sunitha Raj, Shipra Bethi, Priyanka and Renjini Iyer to the foot tapping numbers from super hit movies by boys and girls of all ages to the adult performances. Along with the fast-paced dance numbers, slow dances to melodious songs were a big hit. The depiction of first love and college romance during the dance for “Mate Mantram,” took the audience to their college days. The women’s dance with a roll count of 20 participants was yet another outstanding presentation in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Teenage boys who call themselves the TAGG Tigers danced to the rhythm of “Bangaru Kodipetta.” Teenage girls danced for a song recorded - in their own voice to depict how the modern girls transform from being innocent to street smart was very creative. The last two performances of the evening “Enduke Ravanamma” which stressed on the current job situation with light comedy and “Tight tonic” with befitting costumes to appropriate props were truly delightful and had the audience filled with laughter. The anchors of the evening Anita Budidi, Ram Garipalli and Ranjeeta Mote carried their roles with great poise and elegance and helped navigate the evening. The guests enjoyed delicacies like mirchi bajji and chekkara pongali. An event of this magnitude could not have happened overnight and was backed by a team of very motivated and dedicated committee and the dedication and hard work of volunteers. More info about the association can be found at www.taggsc.org.

2010 Heritage India Festival Heritage India festival celebrated its 5th anniversary on April 10, 2009 at the Hindu Society Cultural Hall, Morrisville. It reflected the traditions and vibrancy of Indian heritage and brought out cultural sentiments of Indian Americans living in the Triangle Area through many artistic presentations. This annual celebration offered a chance to event-goers to learn about the regional cultural peculiarities and similarities. The May 2010

Program began at 5 pm with a “Lamp Lighting “ ceremony by Dr. G. D. Sharma. This was followed by a classical dance by the “Shloka - Mooshika Vahana” and a brief introduction about the significance of the festival by Yash Garg. The evening included the classical dance “Krishna Thillana,” a folk dance from Maharashtra “Nach Re Mora — Peacock dance,” group Tamil dance, and many other creative performances in classical and folk dances as well as group musical presentations. Nandita Garg and Anju Verma emceed the

festival. The dances ranged from vibrant pieces of classical dances choreographed by Sridevi Jagannath, Meena Rajagopal, Padma Rao, the artistic directors of the Triangle Area’s prominent Classical Dance Schools and Madhumita Misra who choreographed fusion dance of classical “Odissi and Modern Folk Fusion,” to the colorful folk dances coordinated and choreographed by Payal Malkani, Heritage Program chair and artistic director of “Nachbaliye Dance Group” in collaboration with her creative team choreographers, Pragati Sonker, Geetali Singh, Richa kapoor, Bina Parikh and Komal Nandwani. There was a “Sitara Dance Group” presentation choreographed

by Vidhya Bhat, two Maharahstra dances’ choreographed by Sonali Kolte, a Tamil dance choreographed

by Sunitha Lakshminarayanan, and a patriotic group dance choreographed by Padmapriya Kandasamy. A

total of 136 performers participated in the Center Stage performances. A special mention of the spectacular Kathak solo presentation at the Heritage Festival by award winning artist Rinku Bhattacharya is in order.

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She won the 2010 Championship from the competition organized by the NC Chapter of the International TV show “Boogie Woogie.” The audience cheered the wonderful, melodious solo presentation by Guru Madhumita Saha during the program as well as Rinku Bhattachryya’s musical presentations as grand finale.

The prominent musician-choreographers who choreographed items for presentation by their students are: Madhumita Saha, Gautam Saha, Tabla Maestro (SurSangam Music Academy), Darshna Zaveri (Sur Sumiran School of Music), Sridevi Jagannath (Laassya School of Dance & Music), Aparna Amin, and Geetha Ganesh. Duke Eye Center’s specialist physicians, Dr. Pratap Challa, Dr. Prithu Mettu, Dr. Jessica Chow conducted free eye screenings. Dr. K.P. Sandeep took photos and video of the Festival. The recipients of 2010 Heritage awards are as follows: Sudha Rathie “Community Ambassador Heritage Award,” Rinku Bhattacharya, “Excellence in Classical Dance Heritage Award,” Muskesh Shah, “Distinguished Community Services Heritage Award,” and Dr. Srinivas Nagabhushan Rao Chadaram, “Distinguished Leadership Heritage Award.” Comedian Seema Kukreja entertained the audience with her witty jokes, imitations and funny stories. – Contributed by Yash Garg.

India Festival, Fayetteville, NC The Fayetteville India Festival, presented on Saturday, April 17, 2010, has become an eagerly anticipated annual event since it began in 2005. The Festival offers a unique opportunity to celebrate Nirja Parikh performing Bharatnatyam and explore India’s diverse culture and traditions, including authentic regional food, arts, crafts, and entertainment. Since its start, the India Festival has increased steadily both in size and in scope. This year about 5,000 people attended the festival, a testimony to the growing popularity of Indian culture in the Sandhills region. The proceeds from the festival go directly to the local charities of Cumberland County. SENCAIA has donated over $80,000 to the local charities; the recipients are Wounded Warriors of 82nd Airborne Division & YMCA Fort Bragg, Educational Institutions, Health Care Providers, Falcon Children Home & Central Children’s Priya Dwivedi performing Home of NC, Women’s Centre of Bharatnatyam Fayetteville and local Police & Fire Departments. Everyone enjoyed the cultural program, consisting of classical and modern Indian live performances, fashion show, East-West fusion dance, singing and music. A varied fare of Indian cuisine was on hand to warm appetites. A dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer base ensures the success of the festival each year. There were also many stalls, which offered a multitude of activities for patrons of all ages to participate in, such as gold jewelry, fashion jewelry, cloths, crafts, henna, spices and kids name writing in Hindi. Overall, the India Festival is a taste of the food, culture, music, dance, and tradition that is India. – Contributed by Arunesh Kaushish

Dances of India

Dances of India took place at CPCC’s Halton Theatre in Charlotte on April 24, 2010. The 9th installment of Dances of India was sold out and the capacity crowd of over a 1000 enjoyed performances from Dr. Maha Gingrich and group. Over 35 dancers and musicians presented eight items ranging from Bharat Natyam to Kuchipudi to Greek Dances along with the now renowned Unity in Diversity number which is performed with an accompanying live band and dancers from seven international dance styles (Indian, African, Latin, Chinese…). The theme was “Festivals” of India.

-- Photos courtesy of NCIndians.com

Bindhu Pamarthi of Cary, NC, was crowned Miss Harnett County on Saturday, March 27, 2010. The Miss Harnett County pageant is an official preliminary competition to the Miss North Carolina pageant this summer.

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Cricket

continued from page 66

Bhosle, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson. The legends of music live on, and always will no matter what newcomer takes the microphone today!

And so it should also be in the world of cricket! Let’s hope that it does and each fan has to do their part to keep Tests alive, thriving and “in the present” instead of being relegated “to the past.”

became more and more prevalent. It has reached the point where often times, when two nations meet for cricket matches - it is a series of ODIs: Tests, the classic form of cricket, are nowhere to be found on the schedule of matches. Even when there are Tests, the majority of the matches on the docket are ODIs. The shorter matches have magnificent attendance, but For current scores on series in progress and other interesting cricket stats, visit www.saathee.com attendance at the five-day Tests has substantially dwindled. After India and Pakistan resumed Cricket ties in contact: Rajeshtganatra@rocketmail.com 2004 - all of the ODIs were ‘full houses’ - but there were empty seats at the Tests, even at one of the hottest match-ups in cricket!

Let’s turn to 2006-2007 - what happened then? 20over matches were invented! At first, they were sprinkled into series “here and there” but now, the majority of International Series feature at least one 20-over International (20I) match, if not more.

Certified Public Accountant There have been 20-over World Cups, and the thrilling Indian Premier League, which is currently in its 3rd sea- ·Tax Preparation and Planning: Individuals & Businesses son of existence and has just added two more franchises that will join the circuit next season, is entirely 20-over ·Accounting System selection and Implementation format. Set aside days, the majority of Cricket matches (ODIs and 20Is) are now completed within a few hours. ·Bookkeeping and Payroll Even with the advent of ODIs, Tests were still a major ·Financial Statement Review and Analysis part of the International fixtures but with the emergence of this new, quick, lightning-fast format of 20-over matches, where does that leave Tests? Will they go the way of the dinosaurs and become extinct?

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-general Immigration Matters As a fan, I must say that draws are quite the uneventful, dull bore: I want to see results, win or lose! Many SERVIng thE IntERnAtIOnAL COMMunIty times, the first four days have been exceptional and the My parents are IMMIgRAntS therefore I can team I’m rooting for is only a few runs away from victory understand your situation. you will be treated and the target could easily be met on the fifth day - but if with the utmost integrity and respect. there happens to be a sudden cloud-burst, then the crickSaturday and telephone consultations available et parade gets rained on and the super-duper match concludes as a meek draw.

We can also serve your needs That’s quite a let-down and disappointing indeed, and in the following areas: I’m sure that many of my fellow cricket fans feel the same way.

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Book Reviews

continued from page 30

sympathy for Mehrunnisa. It’s a delicate balance, yet it’s accomplished deftly and amazingly well.

It’s not necessary to read the first two books in the series before reading “Shadow Princess,” as Sundaresan does an excellent job at delivering the necessary information in order to establish the background of the story. Although I recommend reading “The Twentieth Wife” and “The Feast of Roses” because they are such rich and textured books.

The history in “Shadow Princess” is also enthralling.

It’s about the building of the Taj Mahal, at least in part, which adds a certain mystique to the novel.

Sundaresan handles very complicated and varied history with a beautiful simplicity. The book never becomes bogged down in details, yet she provides a vivid look at an amazing period in Indian history.

busy writing a book and still drove a car, although he had grayed and could well afford a driver. The old house in Short Street had been pulled down and rebuilt along modern lines. There is now even an elevator to go up to the second floor, an unusual facility in a two-storied building in Kolkata.

Professor Bose was, and still is, a role model for us.

Along with his students, he had discovered a way to produce pure Silicon from rice husk. Recently, I sent him a directory of companies in the Research Triangle Park, companies who might be interested in this new technology.

Who knows, INTEL may be interested in building a chip factory in the venerable district of West Bengal called Medinipur. It would only cost a few billion dollars.

Astride

continued from page 46

University and, after post-doctoral work in America, joined IISc a few years before my batch started our BE studies.

In an environment where almost all the professors were talented teachers, Professor Bose stood out in my mind because of the exceptional clarity with which he intertwined mathematics and engineering. Let me explain.

I’ve always felt that our engineering teachers gave the impression of using Math merely as a shorthand notation, when a verbal description would have done just as well. As an undergraduate student, I felt that our Math teachers taught complex analysis and other Math subjects in a very isolated fashion. In fact, while doing my MS at NCSU I wrote a letter to the editor of IEEE Computer magazine to this effect.

Professor Bose left IISc at about the same time that I did. He had wanted for me to do my BE project under him, and, looking back, I feel that this would have been a wise move on my part. But, as they say, life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards. My interest, at that time, was in circuits, rather than in materials, and so I did my BE project under a different teacher. Who would have thought that, over time, these two different fields would almost coalesce, and certainly become practically indistinguishable from each other?

Professor Bose joined IIT (Kharagpur) as a full Professor, and retired many years later after serving and leading as Dean. I kept in touch and had occasion to meet him both at his home in Short Street and at IIT (KGP). He always obliged me by writing glowing recommendations whenever I required them.

When I came to the USA, once in 1984 and again in 2001, Professor Bose and I exchanged email messages and phone calls. He traveled widely both nationally and internationally, to participate in seminars, attend meetings, and grill students in their PhD defense.

Last time I was in Kolkata, in 2005, Professor Bose and I had a pleasant dinner at Marco Polo restaurant in South Kolkata. He reminisced over so many things.

He had kept in touch with so many people. He was May 2010

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Immaculate home on Beautiful Fenced Lot. Former Model. Loaded with Upgrades, Bright & open, New carpet & floors & Granite Countertops & Backsplash, Undermount SS Sink, High Smooth Ceilings & 2 Blinds Thru-out, 2 Fireplaces, Lrg Mstr BR, Mstr Bath w/dbl Vanities, Separate tub & shower. Huge Rec Room. Only few yrs old Water heater,Furnace,A/C, Appliances etc.1 yr Hm Warranty. A MUST SEE! Motivated Seller Says Bring All Offers! $159,900

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Recipes and more Simply sensational homemade soups

No matter what the season, people frequently turn to a comforting bowl of soup for lunch or dinner. What surprises many is how easy it can be to make sensational homemade soups. Whether serving soup as part of an entertaining menu or an easy weeknight meal, making soup from scratch does not have to require hours in the kitchen.

Shortcuts, like starting with ingredients such as healthy a vegetarian broth, which provides an ideal blend of stock, vegetables, herbs and seasonings, make it easy to create the perfect foundation for every soup recipe.

Here are some quick tips to help you enjoy homemade soups throughout the year:

Remove the skin from the potatoes and mash the pulp.

Heat the butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and cook until it’s tender. Stir in the broth and five cups potato pulp. Place 1/3 of the broth mixture into a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Repeat the blending process twice more with the remaining broth mixture. Return all of the pureed mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the cream and chives and cook for five minutes or until the mixture is hot. Season as desired.

Spoon 1/4 cup remaining potato pulp into each of 8 serving bowls. Divide the broth mixture among the bowls.

Serve with one or more Assorted Toppers. Assorted Toppers: Chives, shredded Cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.

Time-Saving Tip: Microwave the potatoes on high for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re fork-tender. Serving Suggestion: Serve with endive and sliced pear salad with lemon mustard vinaigrette sprinkled with crumbled blue cheese. For dessert serve chocolate Éclairs.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Ingredients: • Cook up a family favorite during the weekend and 1 3/4 cups vegetarian broth save leftovers for school and work lunches or for 2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes 3 cups V8 100% Vegetable Juice suppers throughout the week.

• Entertaining? Turn your party into a soup sampler. 1 can (about 8 ounces) whole peeled tomato, cut up Ask each guest to bring their favorite soup and serve 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables in cups, ramekins or even shot glasses to encourage 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper people to try all the different varieties.

• Fire up the slow cooker. In the morning, place ingredients into your slow cooker. Let the soup simmer throughout the day and you’ll come home to an inviting aroma and a dinner that’s ready to enjoy. Add a crusty bread or salad to round out the meal.

Method: Place the broth and potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan and heat to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir the vegetable juice, tomatoes, vegetables, thyme and black pepper in the saucepan. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serves six. Serving Suggestion: Serve with a tossed salad and Ranch salad dressing. For dessert serve dark chocolate cookies with Below find delicious soup vanilla cream filling. recipes that can be prepared under an hour. All are sure to Baked Onion Soup please friends and family. For more flavorful soup recipes, Ingredients: visit saathee.com and click on 4 tablespoons butter or margarine the recipes section in the features menu.

6 cups sliced peeled onions Twice-Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients: 6 large potatoes 2 tablespoons butter 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 5 cups vegetarian broth 1/4 cup light cream 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives Toppers

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 6 cups vegetarian broth 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method: Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in a heavy stockpot; sauté onions over medium-low heat until light brown, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir in broth, vinegar, salt, Method: Heat the oven to 425° F. Prick the potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simwith a fork. Bake for 30 minutes or until the potatoes mer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serves 6. are tender. Remove the potatoes to a bowl and cover the bowl. Let the potatoes stand for 10 minutes.

Courtesy of ARAcontent May 2010

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Community News & Events 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.

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 am12:30 pm and 4 - 8:30 pm, Sat/Sun 6:30 am-8:30 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. Upcoming Events: Sat May 8 - Annual Health Fair from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Info: Jimmy Patel 704.649.1021 Info: 704.573.0805 Bhartiya Association of Lake Norman (BALKN) BALKN organizes several community programs every year. For details about the organization and upcoming events visit www.balkn.org Carolina Sanskritk Maharashta Mandal CSMM Carolina Sanskritk Maharashtra Mandal promotes Maharashtrian culture and language. Maharashtra mandal is committed to serve Carolina Marathi community with various cultural, social and traditional marathi programs and events.

Info: Medha Tannu, mantannu@yahoo.com, 704.548.1570 Abhay Khanore, terasahara2000@yahoo.com, 803.554.1234 Pandurang Naik, psnaik@yahoo.com, 704.904.3636

May 2010

Carolinas Christian Assembly Charlotte Everyone is coordially invited to join for Sunday worship - 9:30 to 10:30 English, 10:45 am-12:00 Malayalam. Address: 3046 Senna Drive, Matthews, NC 28105 Prayer and Spiritual guidance: 704.323.5834 803.322.9549 704.756.4969 CCAprayerline@gmail.com Charlotte Gita Study Group Info: Rajesh Venky and Savitha Mathur, 704.845.0464, rvenky@aol.com Shridhar and Kruti Dave, 704.844.9567, skdave@hotmail.com Charlotte Indian Christian Fellowship The group meets the third Saturday of every month at 6:30 PM for Bible Study, Prayer and Fellowship.

Everyone is welcome to join the fellowship along with family and friends.

Info: Hema 704.841.7060 hadhopper@hotmail.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 Table-Tennis Club Charlotte Table-tennis Club is located at 345 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC 28204 (Corner of East 7th St. & Hawthorne Lane).

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 6-10 pm, Saturday 2-6 pm Sun 1-5 pm.

Info: www.charlottetabletennis.org 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 Saathee 96

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. New center now open in Jesup, GA. To apply for a 10 day retreat visit www.patapa.dhamma.org Info: 704.277.5013, rbddesai@gmail.com 704.563.5440, dspranger@gmail.com 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 May 16 at 3:00 p.m. - program

by Master K. M. Blamuralikrishna & party, Tate Hall.

Info: 704.541.3361 (Rama Rachakonda), 704.814.9355 (Lakshmi 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 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 saathee.com

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Community News & Events

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. Ekal Charlotte is planning a tennis tournament on June 5-6, 2010. For registration and information send an email to the address below.

Info: ekalcharlotte@gmail.com www.ekalvidya.org

Festival of India FOI 2010 will feature talented Indian members of the community performing on stage, scrumptious food, exhibits. It an opportunity to absorb the sights, smells and taste of India. New this year will be Bhangra on the street with live music, lectures by noted specialist in India culture and politics and “Indian Idol” a chance to see and hear some talented musicians. Sept 4 - 5 at the new Knight Theatre in downtown Charlotte. 12 - 7 pm Saturday and 12 to 6 pm on Sunday.

Admission: $5 for both days. Info: www.indiafestival.net Hindu Center of Charlotte The center is located at 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212.

Temple Phone: 704.535.3440.

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 Kindergarten through 12th grade to educate them in culture and underMay 2010

stand 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.

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 above the age of five 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.

Sat May 1 through Sun May 7 Katha by Pujya Yogeshbhai Shastriji.

Info: www.hcclt.org 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.

Upcoming Events: Sat May 22, 2010 (6 pm) - Vocal Recital by Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande.

Venue: Tate Recital Hall, CPCC Central Campus.

Info: Sarla Kumar 704.846.4423 Chaula Jain 704.364.0984 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, Saathee 98

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. Promoting the self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. The group spreads 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. For help or 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 does not disclose any information provided by our clients. Info: Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1-877-625-4726 Kiran@Kiraninc.org www.kiraninc.org

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Community News & Events

MaGaReSa Club The MaGaReSa Club is a music outlet for South Asians who want to develop their musical abilities through Bollywood music sessions. www.yahoogroups.com/group/magaresa-indianmusic , or http://magaresa.ning.com or http://www.meetup.com/Bollywood-Music-MeetupGroup/

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: www.netIPnc.org Pratham - Charlotte Area Pratham is India’s largest non-profit organization with grass roots programs in the area of primary education. Pratham has made an impact on the learning levels of several million children through its Read India campaign that reached 31 million children across India. Pratham has developed an accelerated learning technique, which helps children to read & write in two months. With nearly half the children in India who attend schools are not learning to read and write at the required level, Info: Anju Desai (ajdesai66@gmail.com or 980-6220125) and Shubhra Chakraborty (shubhra.chakraborty1@gmail.com) or 704-942-4798). 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 Sahaj Marg MeditationCharlotte Area Sahaj Marg, which means Simple or Natural path, is a Raj Yoga system May 2010

of spiritual training based on the heart centered meditation. The unique features of this meditation include transmission of divine energy into the heart of the practitioner and cleaning of deep impressions, thereby regulating the mind.

Regular practice of this system of meditation integrates the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human being, while still encouraging people to maintain a normal family and working life. In the Charlotte area, group meditation is held at the Unity of Charlotte on Sun and Wed. Info: Arun and Promila Sehra 704.844.0147 Srikanth Katakam 704.496.4411 naturalpath.nc@gmail.com www.srcm.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 - admin@issvcharlotte.org Shri Rang Avadhut Parivar (Parspar Devo Bhav) Soul devotees of Guru Dattatraya Rang Avadhut and Shri Prem Avadhut meet Thursdays in Charlotte from 7 - 8 pm for recital of “Datta-Bavani”, singing devotional Dattatraya Bhajans and reading “Guru-Lilamrut”. Info on meetings, literature, Nareshwar Ashram and Shri Avadhut’s life is available. Info: Bharat Shah - 704.724.6247 Nagesh Patel - 704.399.7805 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: 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 Saathee 100

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 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.

Info: www.geocities.com/steelecreekcricketclub Tamil Catholics of Charlotte Tamil Catholics living in the Charlotte-Greensboro area interested in attending monthly mass in Tamil contact pravben@gmail.com.

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: 704.905.9127(Captain-Syed) 704.493.7629 (Vice CaptainMohsan)

Greensboro Greensboro Cricket Club (GCC) Good news for cricket lovers! There are several teams that play cricket in Greensboro. The goals of GCC are fun, fitness, and friendship. For info on play and location contact below players. Info: 336.501.3566 (9:00 am - 9:00 pm, S&S) Dev, Greensboro Warriors, happy4mehta@yahoo.com; Venky, Triad Tigers, venkyhot@hotmail.com. saathee.com

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Community News & Events 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

India Association of the Triad The objective of the Association is to promote social, cultural and educational interests of its members, 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 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 crosscultural understanding.

Upcoming Event: IUCA presents India fest 2010 on June 5, 2010 from 12 – 5 pm at Winston Park, 226 N. Marshall Street, Winston Salem, NC 27101, downtown area. Featuring various merchant vendors, delectable Indian cuisine, and four hours of continuous cultural program.

Admission is free to all.

Info: indouswinston@gmail.com Milan Arora - 336-765.3379 Life Bliss Foundation The NC Chapter offers workshops, books, CD’s, and DVD’s on spirituality and enlightenment from living enlightened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda. 500 videos are available on www.youtube.com /LifeBlissFoundation Satsangs in the Greensboro/ Winston-Salem area include Life May 2010

Bliss Meditation, video discourse, Q&A, and Nithya Spiritual Healing Prayer, a method of energy healing.

Satsang Locations: Weekly Wednesdays, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Integrative Therapies, 7-E Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro NC 27407. Weekly - Fridays, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, 1143 Sequoia Drive, Lewisville, NC 27023. Meditation workshops are taught on a regular basis. Info: 336.644.1111 www.lifebliss.org Life Mission, USA Opening ceremony of the Lakulish Yoga and Health Retreat on May 15 - 16, 2010 at Megane, NC. This ashram has been established to provide helpful benefits for all - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

All these benefits can be achieved through the natural remedies of yoga therapy, ayurveda, naturopathy and diet. 8136 NC Highway 119 South Mebane, NC 27302.

Info: 336.421.0690 lifemissionusa@gmail.com www.lifemissionusa.com 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 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, all other Sundays 10:00AM – 12:15 PM. Info: 612.239.7529 (Deepak Deshpande at Winston Salem) 908.875.6964 (Swami Rajendran at Greensboro) Temple of the Holy Name Prabhupada Village is a rural Hare Krishna community situated in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Every Sunday @ 1 p.m. —- chanting, dancing, feasting and philosophy.Temple is located at 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046 Info: 336.593.9888 www.nckrishnas.com Triad Hindu Temple The Triad Hindu Temple is located at 2424 Huffine Mill Rd., Greensboro.

Its mission is to serve the Hindu Community and promote Hindu Culture through religious, social and educational activities. Regularly Saathee 102

scheduled events include Puja, bhajans, children’s programs, celebration of holidays, community service.

Sunday, May 9 10:00am Community Havan (with kids as Yajman) coordinated by Ajay Bharadwa.j Sun, May 16 - 10:00am Siva Puja 10:30am, BALVIHAR Sunday, May 23 - 10:00am Narasimha Jayanthi, Balvihar 10:30am Sunday, May 30 - 10:00am Sathyanaraya puja Info: www.triadhindutemple.org

Raleigh AANC - Assamese Association of North Carolina AANC is a Socio Cultural organization with the objective of promoting and providing understanding of Assamese Culture and Language.

AANC celebrates Assamese festivals and organizes cultural activities like Bihu Dance, music, songs and social get-togethers with essential touch of Assamese culture.

Everyone from Assam as well as anyone with any connection to or interest in Assam or Assamese culture is most welcomed. Info: 919.200.4020 assameseassociation.nc@gmail.com 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 educational organization dedicated to bringing cultural gaps by allowing foreign students the opportunity to live as part of an American community. www.afice.org Info: lathapamarthi@earthlink.net Association for India’s Development (AID)- Duke University Chapter AID’s mission is effect social change saathee.com

Indian Groceries, Fresh Vegetables Movies, Music, Fashions & More!

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1918 Randolph Rd. Suite 440 Charlotte, NC 28207 www.charlotteprimarycare.com May 2010

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Community News & Events 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. http://www.duke.edu/web/aid/

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 www.acsagurdwara.org 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 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 INDOMay 2010

American 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 Bharatiya Senior Citizens of North Carolina (BSCNC) BSCNC is a nonprofit organization for Senior Citizens of Indian Origin that are age 60 years and over.

Normally, the BSCNC members meet on the second Saturday of each month at the Cary Senior Center in Bond Park, Cary, North Carolina from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

In spring and summer, there are activities like picnics, day trips and long and short tours. There will be a picnic on Sat May 8 at 10:00 a.m. and the venue will be North Cary Park in Cary, which is located on the corner of Cary Parkway and Norwell Blvd in Cary, a mile away from Harrison Avenue. For directions to the park and more info: Bharati Patel: 252.236.4391 Harish Shah: 919.387.1629 Dhirubhai Desai 919.677.8513 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 Chinmaya Mission Chinmaya Mission Raleigh-Durham conducts Balavihar classes for children and youth (preschool to 12th grade) regularly every Sunday from 10 am to 11:30 am at Reedy Creek Middle School, Cary. In addition to classes that are tailored to each age group, lessons include chanting of Saathee 104

Bhagavad Gita verses, and singing bhajans. With the theme of Krishna – My Friend, all students this year are learning about Bhakti or devotion to God. All festivals are celebrated along with Prasad for families. Parents wishing to enroll their children in Balavihar can download registration form from the website.

A regular adult study group/satsang is conductedfor adults on Sunday mornings at Reedy Creek Middle School, as well as, other locations in the Triangle.

Info: www.chinmaya-rdu.org cmrdu.balavihar@gmail.com 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 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. 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 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 saathee.com

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May 2010

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Community News & Events 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

Geet Bazaar Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10 am - 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, cultural arts, fine arts & crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.”

Upcoming Events: October 3, 2010 - Gandhi Jayanti at the Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh November 13, 2010 - Children’s Day at the HSNC Cultural Hall.

Info: Yash Garg at 919-870-5222 or Harsha Shah at 919-362-0520.

Email: 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: Saroj Sharma 919.851.0225 V.P. Tiwari 919.423.0365 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 May 2010

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. 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 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.

Upcoming Events: Bhagwat Katha Program by Yogesh Ji: May 8-10, 2010 Saturday May 8: 1:00-5:00PM Sunday May 9: 4:00-9:00PM Monday May 10: 7:30-9:30PM Mother’s Day Celebration: Sunday, May 9, 2010, Devi hawan: 11:00AM-12:00 Noon Recognize Mothers, and serve food: 12:00 Noon 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 harmoSaathee 106

ny 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 Triangle Park and North Carolina.

Info: 919.468.3332 (Mamta Bisarya) 919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi) info@humsub.net www.humsub.net Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) IAFPE, known as the FORUM, is the oldest and largest Indian American organization for political education in the country. This is a non-profit organization with numerous chapters throughout the United States.

The North Carolina Chapter is in Raleigh and has just established a new committee for a 2-year term.

We are excited and motivated to educate the community on political issues and help the community with various services. Support is needed from the community and members to help us grow and provide relevant services and informative events.

Info: Nilesh - 919.656.4361 www.forum-nc.org 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.

Sun Jun 6 @ 3:00 p.m. - Vidushi Ashiwini Bhide (Vocal).

Venue: Reedy Creek Middle School, 930 Reedy Creek Road, Cary, NC 275133046 Info: www.icmds.org

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Community News & Events 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 cannot live in the orphanage when they turn 18, many of them fall victim 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 on-going 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 countries. 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

May 2010

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 RaleighDurham 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 begins at 4:00 p.m. and it includes kirtan, aarti, Bhagavad Gita discourse, vegetarian feast, and Sunday school for children.

Info: 919.593.6827, golokanandapriya@hotmail.com Yoga classes - Krishna Priya at krsnapriyahg@yahoo.com Kiran KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South Asian organization. Promoting the self-reliance and empowerment of Saathee 108

South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. The group spreads 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. For help or 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 1-877-625-4726 Kiran@Kiraninc.org www.kiraninc.org 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: www.nuvyug.net 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 saathee.com

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hours: tues, Wed & thurs: 11 AM to 9 PM; Fri & Sat: 11 AM to 10 PM; Sun: 11 AM to 9 PM; Mon: Closed

8829 E. WT Harris Blvd. • Charlotte, NC 28227 • 704-563-8666

Community News & Events

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. Pratham’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 Professional Indians’ Association (PIA) PIA is a meetup that serves young South Asian professionals in the Triangle Community. The group is made of Indian professionals and grad students interested in cultural events, socializing and meeting/making friends with likeminded people around the Triangle.

Monthly events include meeting at bars/restaurants, Bollywood movie nights, potlucks, Indian concerts/performances, outdoor activities, community service and volunteering. This will also be an opportunity for professionals to share their thoughts on respective industries, social causes, the economy and politics. www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/

Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of North Carolina The Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of NC draws inspiration from the timeless, philosophical wisdom of the Vedanta as practiced and preached in the modern day by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Perhaps you know a great deal about Practical Vedanta and the message of the harmony of religions and the spiritual oneness of Existence - or perhaps you are just curious and want to learn more.

Regardless of background and/or knowledge the organization welcomes participants.

Info: www.vedantanc.org RTP Maharashtra Mandal RTP Maharashtra Mandal promotes Maharashtrian culture and lan-

May 2010

guage. 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 S.V. Temple of North Carolina is built on over nine acres of centrally connected triangle area. This grand tribute to Lord Venkateswara and his consorts is designed to exacting standards of shilpa shasthra and features the only shrine in North America to incorporate abodes to Lord Viswaksena and Lord Sudarshana/Lord Narasimha as part of Srinivasa Parivaram. The temple rituals are performed in accordance with Pancharathra Agama Shastra.

Upcoming events: June 10 - 15, 2010: Srivari Prathama Brahmotsavam 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) 303-7447 (Raj Solanki) (919) 493-6180 (Devi Sekar) raleigh.center@gmail.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.

Info: sampigeeditor@yahoo.com www.sampige.org Saathee 110

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 Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina The Sikh Gurudwara of North Carolina welcomes visitors of all backgrounds regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or gender. All peoples, regardless of their origin or orientation, are welcome to attend our services and share in the blessings of God. Religious services are held every Saturday evening and Sunday morning, followed by a community meal (langar). In addition to religious services, we offer educational programs for children and young adults. Adults participate in religious discourse during monthly study circles. Members of the Sangat (congregation) regularly participate in community service projects in the Triangle area. The Sikh Gurdwara at North Carolina is located at 3214 Banner Street in Durham, NC 27704.

Info: 919.220.9917 www.sgncweb.org 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 Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj Meditate with a Master. Whether you’re already a serious meditator, or would like to learn, you are invited to receive Sri Swamiji’s gift of Dhyan Yoga. Sri Swamiji comes to North America every year to teach this ancient technique of silent meditation which has been practiced by the saints and seers of India for centuries. Daily meditation practice saathee.com

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Community News & Events

helps one achieve peace of mind and increased capacity to deal with stress, worry and physical illness. It helps to clarify one’s inner search, and leads to an understanding of one’s true purpose in life. Sri Swamiji embodies the physical and spiritual presence of Sri Shivabalayogi, who completed 12 years of intense spiritual austerity— meditating up to 23 hours a day for 8 years, and 12 hours a day for another 4 years—emerging as a God-Realized Yogi. His worldwide Mission is to bring people of all faiths into the line of meditation, to spiritually elevate our consciousness so that we all can actively contribute to creating a more peaceful world.

All programs are free. They include one hour of silent meditation followed by kirtan, the singing of devotional songs, and an opportunity to speak with Sri Swamiji. Swamiji will be in the Triangle area through May 25, 2010. To learn more about Sri Swamiji’s mission and Tour, visit www.shivabalamahayogi.com 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) http://members.fortunecity.com/ta milsangamofcarolina

May 2010

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.

Info: committee@tataonline.org www.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 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) Triangle Gujarati Organization is a non-profit Organization with a mission to promote Gujarati culture in the Triangle area. The goals are to serve the Gujarati community by organizing various events throughout the year and impart Gujarati culture and language on the youth.

Upcoming events: Pre Navaratri Program- Oct 2, 2010 Sharad Purnima Program/Raas Garba- Oct 23, 2010 Diwali Function- Nov 6, 2010 Info: President: Ms. Harsha Shah 919.362.0520 Vice President: Ms. Hemini Patel 919.387.2900 www.nctga.org Triangle Indian Youth Organization (TIYO) This organization has been created Saathee 112

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 and develop individual potential. There will be activities that will fall into the broad categories of education, arts, cultural, charity, religious and community services.

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

Special programs organized on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti and on the occasion of Pujya Sri Prem Avdhoot Bapji’s annual visit to the US. Info: rangmandal@gmail.com Triangle Vegetarian Society (TVS) The mission of TVS is to build a sense of community between current vegetarians and people who are interested in vegetarianism and have a forum for a discussion of issues.

Sat May 15 @ 7:00 pm: Potluck and talk on Judaism and Vegetarianism at Barry Nakell’s home, 149 Dixie Drive, Chapel Hill, NC. 967-7325 Info: barman@cs.unc.edu www.trianglevegsociety.org Two Cents of Hope (TCH) Two Cents of Hope was started by a group of Indian students at NC State University with the belief in empowering youth via education. The goal is to uplift the weaker sections of the society through education. The foundation lies in the power of cents giving TCH its name. As J. Carney put it, “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land.” By using coin boxes to collect loose change, the total donations result in a collection that yields considerable amount of money, enough to give education to a poor student - indeed a firm footing for the rest of his or her life. Apart from the coin collecsaathee.com

Community News & Events

tion other sources of funding include fundraising events (Trishna, Crescendo, and Booth in Cary Diwali) and sponsors. In the last three years TCH has funded $21,689, which includes 77 projects benefitting 270 students and two schools in India. To keep a coin box at your place or to know more about Two Cents of Hope, email - coordinator@nc.twocentsofhope.com. www.twocentsofhope.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) 919.962.1060 (Dr. Afroz Taj) 919.596.4792 (Ashraf and Seema Faruqi) taj@unity.ncsu.edu

Regional Barsana Dham satsang (Greenville, NC) Barsanadham is organizing a monthly devotional bhajans and kirtans program at the Vedic Center of Greenville, NC. This program is on every third Saturday of the month from 11-1pm and followed by lunch prasad.

Info: Madhu Sharma 336.404.7047 Email: madhu0sharma@yahoo.com www.barsanadham.org 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: Shashin Patel, President.

(910.790.9448) Sanjay Batish, Vice-President.

(910.371.9860) Anjali Dashputre, Treasurer.

(910.395.6633) Sukhbir Dhillon, Cultural Secretary (910.796.1965) May 2010

Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce The Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) develops and promotes trade, business, commercial and professional relationships between India and the United States, especially within the state of Georgia. GIACC was formed recognizing the need for promoting bi-lateral activities among South Asian and mainstream communities in the United States and South Asia.

Info: 678.762.7589 AniThirdM@aol.com, ani@giacc.org.

770.840.1925 - susan@giacc.org. www.giacc.org Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville, NC Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville, NC is a brand new non-profit organization. There will be three days of ceremonies for the temple invocation from Fri May 21-Sun May 23 and ‘Staphana Mahotsav’ will take place on Sun May 23.

Invocation of ‘Bhagwan Mahavir’ will take place on Sun Jun 20.

More information about the ceremonies/events will be posted as the dates draw nearer.

Temple Address: 907 Cedar Creek Road, Fayetteville, NC 28302.

Info: 910.485.4626 910.484.8956 hindubhavan@yahoo.com www.hindubhavan.org Hindu Society Of Eastern NC (Greenville, NC) Upcoming programs: Sun May 9 @ 10:30 AM - Geeta Study with Mr. Bangalore Srivatsa Sun May 16 @ 10:30 AM - Geeta Study with Mr. Bangalore Srivatsa Upcoming programs (children): Sun May 2, Sun May 9, Sun May 16, Sun May 23, Sun May 30: “Balgokulum” at 10:00 a.m. and “Balvihar” at 11:00 a.m.

Info: 252.830.5177 (Dharam Vasnani) VasnaniD@aol.com Hindutempleenc@gmail.com

South Carolina

American South Asian Cultural Association of Columbia, SC The organization’s fundamental goal is to increase cultural awareness Saathee 114

and develop cultural understanding among American South Asian Community in Columbia area. A monthly dinner will be held on the Second Sunday of every month between 6 to 9 PM. There will be $10.00 Per Person charge for dinner at India Palace, 110-A Columbia Northeast Drive, Columbia.

Info: evenings 803.233.7042 or 803.233.3996 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 once a month.

Info: dhammasc@hotmail.com Hindu Society of Greater Spartanburg The temple is located on 1130 Fairview Church Road in Boiling Springs, S.C. 29303. The daily Aarati is at 7:00 p.m. Balvihar classes are conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on scheduled Sundays.

Satsang is on second Sunday of the month from 5 - 7 pm.

Upcoming Events: Sun May 2 - Shri Laxminarayan Satya Narayan Pooja Sun May 9 - Balvihar Day Info: 864.599.7048 Hindu Temple of South Carolina The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of South Carolina was established with an objective to fill the need for thousands of Hindus in the State of South Carolina to worship and pray together, perform sacraments and rituals, to observe and celebrate festivals, and to perform and engage in humanitarian and educational activities.

Information and details: www.hindutemplesc.org/index.php India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) The IAGC was founded in Charleston to bring together people who were 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 saathee.com

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Community News & Events 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) internationalfellowshipchurch.org

Kannada Association of Greater Greenville (KAGG) An organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of Kannada culture in the Greater Greenville area of South Carolina.

KAGG is a primarily run by volunteers and invites Kannadigas living in and around Greater Greenville area to participate in the organization. Kannada classes for children are being organized to meet at the Vedic Center in Mauldin every other Sunday morning.

Info: 864.430.4973 www.kagg-sc.org Masjid Noor-UL-Huda The Mosque is located at 517 Winmet Drive, Columbia, S.C. On the first Saturday and third Saturday of every month from 6 PM to 8 PM, Islamic session is held by Hafiz Mohammed Basheer. Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily, and everyone is encouraged to send their children to these sessions.

Info: 803.749.0827 (Dr. Shami) 803.740.5127 (Qari Abdul Khader Multani) 803.754.2632 (Mosque number)

Mrudani School of Performing Arts Mrudani School of Performing Arts is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the classical arts of India. Mrudani School offers classes in Bharathanatyam (Kalakshetra style) and Kuchipudi in Columbia, Orangeburg, and Charleston, SC. Info: Monica @ 843.849.7841 Anuradha @ 803.347.3851 classicaldance.india@gmail.com Sirigannada Sirigannada, the Kannada Association of South Carolina, a non-profit organization was created in 2004 by the interested Kannada speaking people of South Carolina.

It is a voluntary organization primarily run by memberships and donations from Kannadigas of the State of South Carolina.

Info: www.sirigannada.org

Telugu Association of Greater Greenville, SC Telugu Association of Greater Greenville, SC, serves the Telugu community of the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South Carolina. The group sponsors several events throughout the year.

Info: www.taggsc.org Triad Avatar Meher Baba Group The Meher Center is a spiritual retreat/ashram located on SC Highway 17 immediately North of

the Highway 22 connection 8 miles from Myrtle Beach, SC. Meher Baba visited this place 3 times and considered it His home in the West. A small brick house built especially for Him is open for “Darshan” on Fridays and Sunday (11:00 am.) / Meher Center: (843) 272-5777.

Info: 336.299.9683 runderwood@webtv.net www.avatarmeherbaba.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

Send your organization’s news and events to us by the 15th of the month for inclusion in following month’s issue.

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Stocks

Festivals & Holidays

continued from page 54 ed at the upper end of the trading range and it broke above $86 per barrel on 4/15/2010 - the rising oil prices and the massive stimulus packages by the Government (which resulted in significant increases in the money supply) have certainly created concerns about inflation, and the Federal Reserve is certainly monitoring the economic data “like a hawk.”

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 and in extreme circumstances, the Fed has taken action in between meetings as well.

Interest rates were kept at historically low levels for CY2009 and the low rates in the USA and also abroad certainly helped global markets and economies come back from the brink. Although with the economies around the world showing signs of expanding, monetary policy around the world may change later this year if inflationary pressures come to the surface. The wildcard is that when interest rates inevitably and finally do rise, how will the markets react to that situation? Maybe the markets already understand that higher interest rates will be a part of the economic formula but if there is a string of interest rate increases (ala 1994) then that may hamper the markets. The first scheduled meeting for CY2010 was on January 26-27 at which the interest rates were left unchanged and on February 18, 2010, the Fed raised the “Discount Rate” to 0.75 percent - the Fed indicated that this was merely to reverse one of the ‘extreme measures’ taken at the height of the financial crisis and the move was not signaling a long trend. Interest rates were also kept unchanged at the March 16 meeting and the remaining meetings for CY2010 are scheduled for: June 22-23, August 10, September 21, November 2-3 and December 14.

Compiled by Kirit Shukla

May 2010

May 1 - Gujarat/Maharastra Day May 8 - Tagore Jayanti May 9 - Mother’s Day - Kamala Ekadasi (Vaishnava) May 13 - Darsha amas (No Moon) - Adhik/Purushottam Maas ends May 16 - Akshay Trutiya/Akhaa Trij - Parshuram Jayanti May 18 - Shankaracharya Jayanti - Ramanujacharya Jayanti May 24 - Mohini Ekadasi May 26 - Narsimha Jayanti May 27 - Buddha Purnima (Full Moon) May 31 - Memorial Day June 2010 Jun. 8 - Apara Ekadasi Jun. 12 - Bhavuka amas (No Moon) - Rajjab Jun. 14 - Flag Day Jun. 15 - Maharana Pratap Jayanti Jun. 16 - Guru Arjundev Shahid Day Jun. 20 - Father’s Day Jun. 21 - First Day of Summer Jun. 22 - Nirjala/Bhim Ekadasi - Gayatri Jayanti Jun. 25 - Vat-Savitri Purnima (Full Moon) - Moon Eclipse (Partial) Jun. 26 - Sant Kabir Jayanti - Hazrat Ali Birthday

This article contains the ideas and thoughts of its author and it does not necessarily imply the viewpoints of “Saathee” magazine or its principals.

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

Contact: rajeshtganatra@rocketmail.com

Holidays & Festivals of July 10/August 10 Jul. 4 - Independence Day (USA) Jul. 8 - Yogini Ekadasi Jul. 10 - Shabbe - Miraj Jul. 11 - Darsha Amas (No Moon) - Solar Eclipse (Full) Jul. 13 - Ratha Yatra Jul. 18 - Jain Atthai starts - Durga Asthami Jul. 21 - Dev Shayani Ekadasi Jul. 23 - Jaya Parvati Vrat starts Jul. 25 - Vyas/Guru Purnima (Full Moon) Jul. 28 - Shabbe - Barat - Jaya Parvati Vrat ends Aug. 12 - Ramadan/Roja May 2010

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May 2010

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Saathee 121

R E S U L T S !

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get some relief from recent losses. Try to curb your expenses and avoid dispute with your siblings. Uncertainty in income may also hurt you.

You may feel some relief during last week of the month. Your kid’s health could be another issue you may need to address this month.

General Predictions for May 2010 ARIES (Mar 20- Apr 20) After a slow start, life will start rolling by last week of the month. It is better to start moving, but don’t rush to make any abrupt decisions in the beginning of the month. Remember to check egoistic comments. You may also see improvements in your health. Your friend will help you in bringing positive turn in your life. Happy family life is clearly indicated. Time is good for making property-related decision.

TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 21) After a very good start, a confusing situation will start hurting your self-confidence. It is now time to hit the brakes on your expenses. You may get help from your associates; use them for your success. You may need to strategize and work to get easy money in the coming months. Instead of the whole family, try to solve kid problems and handle them with care. Avoid travel, as it may end up in disaster.

GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 21) After a negative start, time will start improving during second half of the month. That is the period to be serious and start making major longterm decisions. You may enjoy higher status as a result of your newly innovated ideas. Your spouse could have major role in this success. It will make you feel very delighted and happy. Do not rush to invest in real estate during this month. Get ready to work hard from now onwards.

CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22) The month will start with a very busy schedule, but will end with a great success. Plan to spend on celebrating your achievement. Your income is going to go up. You will earn good name and fame this month. Avoid travel this month and focus on completion of your projects. Your family could prove to be a very good support. Make a team with your family and associates to get results.

LEO (Jul 22 - Aug 23) You may enjoy full control over the situation this month. Time is appropriate for entering any new partnership deal. Go ahead with confidence and start new venture. Avoid taking any big debt till last week of the month. You may have to waste your energy for family issues. Instead of resolving them, wait for next month to handle them. Move fast and don’t miss opportunities that come to you this month.

VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 23) It is not advisable to make any major move this month. Your instinct and ideology may mislead you. Try to support and work with your spouse to

May 2010

Saathee 122

LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 23) Try to take advantage of the first half of the month. You may start losing control over the circumstances afterwards. You may spend your time and energy in useless pursuits this month.

Don’t invest in land property this month. Your income will go up but at the same time expenses may also rise. Family happiness may not be there because of arguments with your spouse. Try to check your diet if traveling.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 22) Your hardship may end during last week of the month. Continue working on your projects, but wait till end of the month to achieve desired result. Don’t forget that your enemies are also working parallel to you and may reach success at the same time. Don’t count on your siblings and associates for help. Your family may help you in gaining financial success. Watch your health this month.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 21) You should be extremely comfortable this month.

Due to your caliber and skills, results will be positive. You will be respected and fame will also increase. Your keen observation will pay dividend. The state of your health will improve. You will continue to yield power and authority either in government or business life. Time is good for investing in real estate property.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 20) You may feel like your luck is blocked. Setback from many directions may frustrate you. Try to slow down and wait for coming months for better opportunities. Also keep watching your health and don’t ignore any symptoms for illness. You can count on your siblings or friends for help. It is advisable to travel and spend on pilgrimage this month. It will give you new direction.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 19) Even though hardship and tiring work will continue, you could see rise in bank balance and enjoy happy family life. Unexpected financial gain may delight you. Act maturely and use your education to earn more. Eye-related headache problems may develop and slow you down. Drive very carefully and control aggressive as well as stubborn behavior to any mishap.

PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20) You will do extremely well in your business or profession. An expansion of business may also take place. Friend and enemies both will surround you all the time. You have to us your skill to make your way through. Family atmosphere will be quite satisfactory. Good news from far off place is also possible. Your spouse will co-operate with you nicely. Act wisely to achieve success.

By Jalendu Vaidya Contact: 973-365-1766 / hindusvision.com

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May 2010

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Classifieds BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES:

Popular Quiznos On Sale: Great location, profitable, owners retiring. Contact (704) 728-3135.

Need Help Selling Your Business?: Confidential professional seller representation. Contact Olga at 919.881.9997 or email: info@entrustassociates.com Gas Station For Sale: in Mocksville, N.C. Excellent location. Absentee Owner. $125K Plus Inventory. Rent $3500/mnth.

Call Mitesh (704) 807-4485

HealthyWay Cafe Franchises Available: Natural and Organic. Initial investment as low as $163K! Financing Available. Contact: hnhfranchisebrokers.com or (919) 815-3026

Motel For Sale/Lease: 61 rooms. 10 years old. For sale or lease. Contact Mr. Patel: 704-786-3100 Hotel Property Wanted: WANTED HOTEL PROPERTY ON OWNER FINANCE. CONTACT 252-412-7681.

Investors buying Franchise Motels in NC, SC, VA, GA: at “Current Market Pricing Only”. Financing in place to acquire up to 15 locations. Please call 704-906-9899

Business For Sale: In Danville, VA. On Hwy 58 Martinsville. Highway & Local Business with Exxon Gas Station and Deli (optional). Good lottery commission & much more. Good Inside Business. Good opportunity. Call 336-327-4576 or 336501-8917 Convenience Store / Indian Grocery Store For Sale: Greensboro, NC. Excellent location with high traffic! Very good opportunity! Call 336-508-2540

Fast food franchise for sale. Newly renovated. Located off I-85, close to UNCC, big businesses, 3 hospitals, high family income residences. Profitable catering established. Serious buyers call 704 576-6516.

Gas Station & C-Store For Sale: Benson, NC. Business for sale asking price $115k plus inventory. Grill and Bar is attached. Call : (919)894-1919 or (919)345-3102 or (919) 345-5434.

Gas Station & C-Store For Sale: in Moore County, NC. Inside Business $41K/Mo. Gas 20K Gal/Mo. Lotto$20K/Mo. Asking Price $550K with property. Call (919) 280-6354 16 Unit Independent Motel For Sale: in Marion, NC with 2 bedroom house. Good condition & location. Call 843-271-0147

Businesses For Sale: Café, restaurants, deli, coin laundry, dry cleaners, and more plus residential listings. Call for the best discounts when you buy or sell.

Guaranteed Excellent Service!

704.649.9095. Broker.

May 2010

Large Grocery Store in Eastern NC for Sale with RE - Only $749K + Inv. Price redueced - motivated seller. $2M in annual gross! 4 Walk-In Coolers, 2 WalkIn Freezers, Many Large Floor Coolers, and Floor Freezer. Large Full Deli & huge meat section. Very little competition!

704-814-9435 www.countysouth.biz EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Nanny Wanted: to take care of 8 month-old baby. Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm at our home in South Charlotte, NC. Call 703-598-6589

Motel Now Hiring: Require a couple to manage an Independent Motel in South Carolina. Must have legal status & speak fluent English. Accomodations provided.

Call between 5pm & 7pm only. 864-3846900 Tim Wilkison Signature Real Estate: is looking for a Real Estate Agent for the Ft. Mill, SC office. Call Mike Boston at (704) 609-0974 Hotel Help Wanted: Front desk clerk for motel in Winston Salem, NC. Legal status required.

Must speak English.

Accomodations provided. 336.254.7371 or 336.608.9571.

Live-In Nanny Needed: In South Charlotte, NC. Call 704-491-8449.

Gas Station / C-Store Now Hiring: Looking for Full-Time/Part-Time help in Kannapolis/Concord, NC. Email Contact: spatel52@carolina.rr.com or laneexpress@windstream.net

Household Help Needed: for Triad-area location. Call 336-471-1901 or email: kajal109@gmail.com for further info.

LOOKING FOR COUPLE: Full-Time for convenience store/gas station/restaurant near Charlotte, NC. Students Welcome: Perfect Summer Job Opportunity! Accommodations Provided!

Call 704.701.9975 Franchise Motel Now Hiring: Front Desk Clerk. Experience is necessary.

Good Salary.

Accomodations Possible.Fayetteville, NC area. Email: devsuper8@gmail.com

Cook & Staff Wanted Immediately: Need experienced chefs and retail staff for Indian restaurant in South Charlotte.

Call 704-408-1535 or 980-297-4860

Threading Practitioners Needed: Full & Part-time for Mall Locations in North Carolina (Greensboro & WinstonSalem,) and Virginia ( Virginia Beach & Chesapeake). Willing to train. E-mail to bk56@sbcglobal.net or call 248-7213255

Hotel Management Firm Now Hiring: Various positions for housekeepers & General Manager/s of franchise hotels.

Experience is a must for all positions. EMail resumes to rsrkcorp@yahoo.com or call (803) 606-9994.

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Cooking Help Needed: for a small family in South Charlotte. Please call 7045413363 or 7042998720.

Immediate Openings for Threading Practitioners: for two locations in the Charlotte Area. We have Full and Part Time positions available, weekdays and weekends.

Great pay and Tips.

Experience is needed. Please call 980 322 1110 or email: mo@the-brow-bar.com

Now Hiring: Seeking couple for Internet Cafe. At least one member of couple needs to be FLUENT in English & have basic computer skills. Also housekeeping position (English not required). Accomadations provided. Good salary. Located in Roxboro, NC. Call 336-599-0981 for more information.

Grocery Store Now Hiring: Need help in evening/weekends to manage Grocery Store in Winston Salem, NC. Decent pay.

Call 336-749-2398

Nanny Wanted: Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 to take care of 4 month old baby and also help with cooking.

Please call 704.541.3363 or 704.299.8720.

Looking For Kitchen Help: for Rajbhog Foods in Charlotte, NC. Please contact (704) 909-7783 or e-mail to charlotte@rajbhog.com

Currently Seeking Cashiers For Mall Candy Store: to accurately and efficiently operate cash register while providing prompt & friendly customer service.

Responsiblities include cleaning & stocking product. Minimum Age: 21. Hours: 10-40 Location: Streets at Southpoint Mall (food Court) Durham NC. Call 704.737.1384 Nanny Wanted: Gujarati speaking live-in nanny needed in Chapel Hill, NC. Cooking & light housekeeping. Call 919-444-1597

Looking For A Live-In Nanny: Needed to take care of 4 year-old after school.

Household duties. Serious enquiries only.

Charlotte, NC area. Call 704-299-2007

Nanny Needed: Reliable full time live in/live out help needed for a two-year old in RALEIGH, North Carolina. (Cooking and light house work) Please call (919) 380-8751

Hotel Management Firm Now Hiring: Immediate Hire For Corporate Office Must have Quickbooks experience.

Various other positions available for: house keepers, front desk (must speak fluent English), and General Manager/s of franchise hotels. Experience is REQUIRED for all positions. Serious inquiries only. Email resumes to info@abcinns.com or abcone@abcinns.com CAR FOR SALE:

Cars For Sale: 2005 BMW X3 - ONLY 45K miles, $18,595, OR 2007 Toyota Camry - 52K miles, $14,595. Great Mother’s Day or Graduation Gifts. Both cars in very good condition. Serious Inquiries only. Call 704-701-9701

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FOR SALE OR RENT:

Exceptional Estate Home - Irmo, SC: $699,900 - Nestled among mature trees and open spaces, an exceptional estate home built for celebrating life, purpose, and passion. Every room brings into focus what we cherish most: family, friends, laughter, memories, quiet-reflection, accomplishment, convenience, and rest. The quintessential urban-country-scape, you are close to everything on your schedule while enjoying the good things in life that have nothing to do with schedules. Start loving where you live today! This home boasts a full inlaw/guest suite and endless possibilities.

Tour this outstanding estate online at http://goberryteam.com/262319.asp

House for rent in Charlotte. University area close to I-85 & I-485, safe & quiet neighborhood. 4 bedrooms, office and garage. Call 704.510.1443.

Home For Sale: Providence Plantation (Charlotte, NC) - 2849 Redfield Dr. $245,789. Best Price! +/- 2,400 sq.ft. 4/5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, security system, fenced yard & playground. Original owner.

Homeowner warranty. Great schools! Near I-485. Broker fee or will provide $10k credit at closing. Call 704-845-8018.

MATRIMONIAL:

Seeking Gujarati Educated Male: for beautiful 25 year-old sister who has Masters in Biomedical Science & Organic Chemistry. Residing in New Jersey. Call 803-431-3966 after 5pm or email: md_uhmehta@yahoo.com

Hindu Parents In NC Seeking Alliance For Daughter: 26 years/ 5'1" BS from UNC-CH, working. She is outgoing, friendly & caring. contact: ranigulab@gmail.com

Seeking Guajarati Brahmin Male: age 28 - 31 for sister currently residing in India. She has an MBA from Australia and is currently working and residing in Amdavad. Call 704.274.9204 or (+91) 9726647544 for details.

SERVICES:

Music Camp Charlotte: A day-long music camp to be conducted in July.

Learn music concepts the easy way.

Limited seating. Call for full details and registration 704.568.8206.

Manpasand Mohanthal: Freshly prepared mohanthal available for small dinner gatherings to large parties. Other home-made sweets available. Call for details. 704.619.1603.

Babysitter/Caregiver/Housekeeper Available: A CNA / CPR Certified (with Nursing background) Mature Nepali female. Part-time or Full-time. Flexible & affordable pricing. Available in the Raleigh, NC area. Call 919.518.1992

Accent Reduction Training: Threemonth tutorial with certified speech-language pathologist. Transform accents from career obstacles to charming cultural flavors. Invest in your future! www.trianglespeech.com

May 2010

Weldone Beauti Parlour: Eyebrow threading, Facial, Body Massage, Waxing, Henna Designs, Skincare, Haircare treatment. Latest Indian technique and more. visit www.weldoneBeautiParlour.com or call (704) 699-8397.

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

18 years of experience. For appointment call 704.846.7912 Shree Beauty: Licensed Cosmetologist in the Mooresville / Lake Norman area for Eyebrow Threading, Facials, Waxing, Chemical Peel, Etc. For appointments call Jagruti at 704-500-2724 or 704-6587747. Location: 137 Troter Ridge Dr. Mooresville, NC 28117 Math Tutoring : Real-time tutoring using virtual whiteboard technology with professional tutors based in India. Free 30 min trial. As low as $7 for a 45 minute session.

State-aligned curriculum & assessments.

Call Ritu Thakur 704-443-7054 or toll-free 888-757-8377 www.TCYONLINE.com.

Gujarati Priest: Devendra Dave Independent priest. Ganesh, Randal, Navratri, Diwali’s Laxmi & Sharda Pujas, Satyanarayan Katha, Weddings, Vastu, Baby Showers, Funeral Seva. Call Daveji 704.780.3563. God Blessings to All. 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.

South Indian Priest: Sastriji is an independent priest Call for Pujas, Gruhapravesh, Weddings, Multi-lingual, Vedic traditional priestly services, etc.

Call 704.625.7578 704.231.0751. Email: sastrigal2003@yahoo.com Mehandi (Henna): Award winning artist from Jaipur, India specializing in wedding parties (Bride & attendants).

Satisfaction guaranteed regarding design, color & price. Please call: Krishna Priya Dasi 919.824.7734 E-Mail: krsnapriyad@hotmail.com

Your child deserves a head start in Math this year! Contact Chandan Sen at INTEC Tutoring today. Helping students succeed for 23 years. E-mail: chandansen331@yahoo.com or call 919.834.9227.

Need A Party Planner: for birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, gradutions, anniversaries, mehndi or sangeet? Call Mehar @ 704-641-4717 or 704-843-7202 Beauty Parlour: Beauty Parlour near Arboretum area (Charlotte, NC).

Pineville-Matthews Rd. Henna design services avaliable for bridal & any occassion. Call (980) 422-0035 Home / (858) 342-1591 Cell

Astrologer With Gold Medals - Jayanti Lad- Contact for Health, Wealth, Relationship, Child, Enemies, Court Cases, Marriage, Job, Business, Vastu Problems, Preparing & Matching Horoscope.

Call 919-463-5180 Jayantinlad@yahoo.com

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Art / Drawing Class: For Ages 4 to 15.

Learn sketches, charcoal painting, modern art, oil on canvas, etc. From an experienced Teacher & Artist. For Details Call Karli: 704-541-9439 / 704-9653550 or email: karli@rediffmail.com Neeta’s Beauty Parlor: Charlotte area open 7 days a week. Full service. Please call for appointment. 704.968.0270.

Home Improvement & Fix-It Services: Specialize in Decks, Porches, Tiling, Painting, Trim, HVAC, Electricals, Landscaping, Pressure Wash, Basement completion & More! Call 704.827.1109 or 704-737-3608. 10% OFF first service.

Deepti Beauty Parlor: (Concord, NC near Highland Creek/Skybrook): Threading, waxing, facial, bleach, manicure, pedicure & much more. For appointment call 704.405.5574

Dholi For Hire: Plays the Dhol (drum), for any occasion, barat, doli, graduation, birthdays, baby showers and any other festivity. Affordable rate. Arpan Bhandari at 704.843.7202. email: sbhandari@carolina.rr.com Tutoring: for 5th to 10th grades mathematics. Also tutoring & lessons in Hindi. Charlotte Area. Call 704.619.0251

Henna Designs: Experienced henna artist for weddings, parties, arangetrams & more. Reasonable rates. Charlotte area. Call 704.619.0251

Computer Consulting: Assistance with software installation, set-up, formatting, back-up, troubleshooting & more. Very reasonable rates. 704.619.2358

SAATHEE CLASSIFIEDS:

Business ads are $25 & personal ads are $15 up to 25 words.

Submit classifieds on-line at www.saathee.com or via e-mail, fax or US Mail. Ad Submission Deadline is the 20th of the month. We accept credit cards and checks. Ads are posted on saathee.com at no extra charge.

Feel free to call us with any questions.

704.527.7570

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www.saathee.com Saathee Classifieds PO Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

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Index of Advertisers

A.S. Art Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Aamir Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Access Realty & Funding (Chandravadan Shah) . . .39 All Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Aloha Mind Math (Tutoring) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Alvi Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alyssa's Garlands (Ila Amin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Anokha Dance Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 AP Architecture Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Apna Travels (Morrisville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Art Of Living (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Asian Grocery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Asiana Fusion.Sushi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Atlanta Liquidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Aura Boutique (Ladies Fashions) . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 BallantyneTech Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Bashyam & Spiro LLP (Immigration Law) . . . . . . .37 Bharat Bazaar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Bhindi Jewellers . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover Bipin & Smita Parekh (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Blooming Buds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Bombay Grille Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Cakes and Flakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carolina Digestive Care Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Carolina Medical Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 CaroMont Medical Group (Dr. Manu Patel) . . . . . . .35 Cary Photo & Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Centex Homes (Brijal Shah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Charlotte Music School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Charlotte Prep School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Charlotte Primary Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 CHIP-IN (Clean & Healthy India Promotion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Intl) .24 Chiro-Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Concha, David - Immigration Attorney . . . . . . . . .86 Copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 County South Realty & Business Brokers . . . . . . . .73 CPCC (Jump Start - Certificate Training Program) . .8 Crown International Shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Delhi Palace (Columbia, SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Dentist (Dr. Prashant Rao - Cedar Walk Dentistry) .58 Desai Desai Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Desai, Raj (CPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Dick James Law Firm (Monty Desai) . . . . . . . . . . .95 Dish Network (Viren Mehta) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 DJ Kenz (Kenz Desai) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 DJ Don (David Pandoria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 DJ Lalit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 DJ Ravi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Elegant Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 E-nopi (Tutoring - Math & English) . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Eshaan Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Fairview Home Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Festival Of India (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Five Star Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Franklin's Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Friends Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Fu Lin Asian Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Gandhi International Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Global Mall (Atlanta) . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover Grover Medical Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Heating & Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Henna's Dulhan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Hindu Bhavan (Fayetteville, NC) . . . . . . . . . .78 & 79 I-Capture (Photography-Videography) . . . . . . . . . .73 iFuturistics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 India Grocers (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 India Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 International Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Jaipur Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 K & M Accountant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 K.B. Zaveree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 KD Photographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Khandekar, Shobana (Allen Tate Realtors) . . . . . . .25 Lightning Minds (Training In Oracle Tech) . . . . . .115 Little D Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Live Spectrum (The Blue Mug) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Mahabazar Imports (Ruchi Lime Pickle) . . . . . . . .117 Mahabazar.com Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Maharani Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Malani Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover Marriott (Courtyard - Ballantyne) . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors) . . . . . . . . . .29 Meghna Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Mika Concert (Royal India Concerts) . . . . . . . . . . .13 Mrithujayan, Sue (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Music Lessons / live music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Nach Bollywood (Dance Instruction) . . . . . . . . . . .35 Nagpal, Sunil (MetLife Financial Services) . . . . . . .99 Namaste India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

May 2010

Nazar Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Neeta's Beauty Parlor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Nilgiris Indian Bazaar (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Oza, Rishi (Immigration Legal Services) . . . . . . . .18 Paracha Entertainment (Shreya Ghoshal Concert) 127 Parekh, Smita (Bank Of America Mortgage) . . . . . .19 Passage To India - Fine Indian Cuisine . . . . . . . . .33 Patel Brothers (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Patel, Champa (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Payal Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Piedmont GYN/OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Poplai, Deepak (White Insurance) . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Prashant Video Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 R.P. Videography (Rashmi Patel) . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Rajbhog Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Rajbhog Foods (Shree Kailash) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Rajdeep Mandap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Rajdeep Video (Ramesh Panjabi) . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Rama Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Rapid Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Ravindra Dave Pandit (Religious Services) . . . . . . .93 Religious Ceremonies (Swaminath Sastrigal) . . . .97 Ritu's Dance Showcase (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Royal India Bazaar (Columbia, SC) . . . . . . . . . . .101 Royal Kabab Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Royal Pakistan Grocery Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 S. Mustafa Shah-Khan (Dentist) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Saathee Subscription Coupon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Saathee.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Saffron Restaurant & Sangeeta's Catering . . . . . .47 Sam's Mart Inc. (Paul Joseph) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128 SAT Tutoring (The Hitchhiker's Guide to College) . .41 Shah, Anish (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 & 91 Shah, Kirti (CPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Shama Patel (Artist) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Shiv Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Shyama Beauty Parlour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Situl Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Sleep Inn (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Sunuvkriti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 SV Temple (Events) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 & 65 Terry Waller Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Thakkar, Beena (Realty) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Tim Wilkinson Signature Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Transportation (Diamond Cab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Travel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Travelinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Ttravel Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 U-Haul Indian Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 United Central Bank (Mehul Patel) . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Usha Decor (Wedding Planning & Decor) . . . . . . . .99 Vyas Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 White Horse Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Woodlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Worldwide travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Saathee 126

saathee.com

May 2010

Saathee 127

saathee.com

C-STORES FOR SALE:

Charlotte & Greensboro NC, Columbia SC and Atlanta Metro area.

Owner Financing Options on select locations.

Call Paul for details.