Saathee Charlotte March 2020 by Shukla Entertainment

Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent

Saathee.com

March 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

U.S. Groundwater is Decreasing due to Agriculture: pg 32 Angrezi Medium and More New Films: pg 36

Puzzles & Jokes: pg 118 Help Wanted ClassiďŹ eds: pg 124

RUKSHMANIâ€™S

TIJORI

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336-613-8777

In This Issue

Page 72 Digital Honesty in the Millennial Frontier

Page 28 Irfaan Khan and Kareena Kapoor Star in Angrezi Medium, Opens in March

Content

The Editor’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14

Page 18 Community Events

Page 32 U.S. Food Trade Increasingly Leans on Unsustainable Groundwater.

Increase Your India Knowledge . .pg. 54

Community Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18

Nutrition for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58

Film Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28

Buy Right Sit Tight . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64

Upcoming Movie Releases . . . . . . .pg. 26 Groundwater Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32

Read, Watch, Listen . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36

Thinking About Thinking . . . . . . .pg. 62 Mirror Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70

Subcontinental Divide . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72

Namaskar Y’all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40

My Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 74

Raajeev’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46

Increase Your USA Knowledge . . .pg. 78

Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44

Spot the Differences . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50

Saathee.com

Personal Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 76

Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 82 8

News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 84

Community Organizations . . . . . .pg. 96

Youth Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 116

Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . .pg. 118

Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . .pg. 120

Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 120

AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 122

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 124

Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 128 March 2020

Hello Readers!

U.S. food trade increasingly leans on unsustainable use of groundwater. See page 32 for the story. The A Capella group Penn Masala has released a new recording. Read the review on page 36. It is one of among the eight Indian classical dance forms. Mohiniyattam is a graceful dance to watch and is a solo recital by women. See the Dances of India column on page 44. Our recipe section is adding one more tasty recipe this month. Read about the ingredients and method to make vegetable biryani on page 82. Comments and Suggestions always welcome. Samir Shukla, Editor

“Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent.”

March 2020 Issue # 262 - Saathee.com Editor Samir Shukla (Samir@Saathee.com)

Publisher & Advertising Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com)

Ad Design / Layout Nageshwar Andrews

Digital Media & Marketing Jennifer W. Allen & Dhruv Pathak

Contributors for this issue:

We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology." - Carl Sagan

Kirit Shukla, Dr. Maha Gingrich, Parul Kharod, Palak Trivedi, Raajeev Aggerwhil, Taige Shukla, Amit Rupani, Mo Vidwans, Balaji Prasad, Ahsen Jillani, and Jalendu Vaidya.

Cover: Shimla A wintry day in Shimla. It is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

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

- FOUNDED 1998 -

Saathee Magazine

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March 2020

The Editor’s Desk

By Samir Shukla

Political Devils

I’m smitten by devils. Not the ones that inhabit religions. I’m talking politics, which bedevils me like a cheap, shoddily written mystery novel. Election years, especially presidential election years, unfold at a rapid pace, where intrigue, suspense, tragedy, comedy, disappointment, elation, all are wrapped into a never-ending variety show. The distillation of persuasion techniques spewed by politicians are a continuing study of mine. The way a politician can manipulate people, or, in fairness and in many cases, inspire people to better themselves, is an art form. Half the job is instilling doubt about one’s opponent into the minds of low information masses. It’s not what you’re going to do, but the bad things your opponent has done or is going to do. Here I sit on this mid-February midnight, analyzing, scrapping with the devils, while the political races are unfolding in the 2020 arena. Can he win? Can she win? Will an incumbent president get tossed out by voters or will he pull off another victory? The night belongs to me alone, and in this moment, tonight, it’s a devilish voice that accompanies my fingers tapping words on this old laptop. The gravelly voice and jarring music of Tom Waits emerges out of the cheap laptop speakers while I assess the moment, after watching the umpteenth democratic debate. This one with the new entrant Michael Bloomberg on the stage. Sure, he got attacked from all sides and clearly wasn’t properly prepared, but this is his first debate. I’m sure he’ll get his groove, like the other candidates, or suffer a quick burnout. That’s the game of devils, this politics. You may say that you’re not political, but politics surround you, blanket your every move and you may not even realize it. It is all local impacting global. Participate, vote, or suffer the consequences of your lack of interest. After watching debates, I often awaken in confusion finding myself making speeches to my pillow, and then staring at the ceiling, trying to win the race, as if I’m a candidate. Why didn’t he or she say this or that, I wonder in the haze of half sleep. I could never run for office, though. Three deterrents: One, you are always begging for money; Two, you must play nice to people you normally couldn’t care less hanging around. Three, there is more than one skeleton in the closet, best left hidden in a dark corner, never to see light of day. It’s sad that running for office now comes with souldestroying scrutiny, every minor thing done in the past is brought to light and unwrapped, every comment made in Saathee.com

public or email or text exposed, every racy joke made in the past becomes like handcuffs, all fodder for character destruction. Who needs that? I understand that the whole candidate matters, especially in the race for the White House, but the endless pinpricks can bleed out even the most steady folks. It’s this deadening campaigning that deters many good people from running for office. This is unfair for a lot of, well pretty good folks, running for office. They want to impact changes, take the country forward, but the process is so demeaning. You know a society has become unhinged when a friend is no longer a friend just because of some disjointed political discussion or his support for a particular candidate. Tom Waits croons another one of his alleyway tales while I gather my thoughts of the plodding horse race that is ahead. The hubbub of the four early caucus and primary states is now speeding toward the massive wall of Super Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m working on a new means testing for candidates. I’ll call it “Loseability.” Loseability? Yes. It’s my answer to electability, a word that’s bandied about frequently when arguing the chances of a particular politician. Electability is about the positive aspects of a candidate, along with likeability, money, etc. I think all candidates should assess their loseability first. What is a particular candidate doing or not doing that makes them more loseable, if you will. I can wrap my fingers around that better than arguments of electability. When you gather loseability factors of a candidate and sort the negatives out, the arguments of electability become more sensible and can guide the candidate further. I will offer more of my analysis and loseablity factors as the election season wears on. North Carolina is part of Super Tuesday. The races are too scattershot to assess in any meaningful way. By the time you read this, Super Tuesday will have passed, the voters in those states will have spoken and the national races, as well as regional ones will have winnowed out. The race to pick the Democratic nominee for President looks like a long slog, but sunny March may offer some clarity. It’s morning now. Slumber was restless. The devils of politics are being disinfected by the bright sunlight on my face. It’s another day in the political neighborhood.

Samir Shukla

Editor of Saathee magazine contact - Samir@Saathee.com follow me on Twitter: @ShuklaWrites

March 2020

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March 2020

Community Events Nuv Yug India Fest: Raleigh & Charlotte, NC (March 2020)

Nuv Yug India Fest promotes Indian cultural arts by producing programs of artistic merit that entertain and educate. It also is a way to reach out to people from diverse ethnic background to increase awareness of Indian cultural arts and build strong community ties. This March, Nug Vug will host an event in Raleigh at the Jim Graham Building of the NC State Fairgrounds on March 1415, 2020 and in Charlotte at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, NC on March 21-22, 2020. Both events include free admission. For further Raleigh info: www.nuvyug.org For further Charlotte info: www.nuvyugclt.org

Myrtle Beach Marathon: (March 7, 2020)

Join in for the 23rd annual Myrtle Beach Marathon on March 7, 2020. Enjoy a weekend full of events including: a beachfront Health and Wellness Expo, full marathon, half marathon, 5K, family fun run, and two post-race celebrations. A Boston Marathon qualiﬁer, with only 25 feet of elevation gain, you’ll tour one of the East Coast’s top vacation towns while earning your PR. Start near Broadway at the Beach, race along Ocean Blvd, and ﬁnish at Pelicans Ballpark for the post-race extravaganza. To learn more, visit capstoneraces.com/myrtle-beachmarathon.

Aag Ki Raat Dance Competition: Columbia, SC (March 7, 2020)

Aag Ki Raat is a Bollywood-fusion dance competition hosted by the University of South Carolina. Presented by the Indian Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.), AKR aims to celebrate South Asian dance and culture by attracting teams from all over the country in the spirit of competition. Proceeds from AKR beneﬁt Carolina Survivor Clinic. CSC is the only clinic in the North and South Carolina to provide comprehensive and holistic care for refugees. Come out to help the students and community of Columbia, SC enjoy the eight competing teams at AKR on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at Koger Center of Performing Arts. Tickets will be sold at the door. Any questions? Email: uscakr@gmail.com

Run Hard Columbia Marathon: (March 7, 2020)

The Run Hard Marathon provides course support, ﬂuids/nutrition, shirts, medals and awards. From 5K to full Marathon. So, save the date and come on down on Saturday, March 7, 2020. The course is fully certiﬁed from the USATF. Find more details at Runhardcolumbiamarathon.com.

TAHTS Disaster Relief 5K Run & Walk: Morrisville, NC (March 7, 2020)

Charleston STEM Festival: Ladson, SC (March 7, 2020)

The Charleston STEM Festival is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and math in the Lowcountry. It takes place on March 7, 2020 from 10am - 3pm at Exchange Park in Ladson, SC and will feature over 80 exhibitors who will provide hands-on activities, live performances, interactive demonstrations, and family-oriented STEM entertainment. The festival is an initiative of the Lowcountry STEM Collaborative (www.lcstem.org) managed by South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics and Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University. Details, Facebook.com/charleston.stem.festival. Saathee.com

The Triangle Area Hindu Temples, “(DRC) Disaster Relief Committee” works with a vision to help the disaster victims by mobilizing its volunteers and donors in a timely manner to help victims and families in their time of need. TAHT’s DRC has been actively participating to bring relief eﬀorts for disasters in the United States and India. A 5K Run and Walk is planned for Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 9am - 12pm at the Morrisville Community Park. Registration is $10 and includes a commemorative T-shirt. To register go to tahts.org/5k-run-and-walkregistration/. For more details, write to, jabhiranjan@gmail.com. March 2020

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March 2020

Community Events Vedic Yoga Therapy Clinic: Charlotte, NC (March 7-8, 2020)

The Vedic Yoga Foundation, India presents this Yoga Therapy event on Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 11am4pm and Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 2-6pm at the Shreenath Dham Haveli on 1006 Vickie Lane in Matthews. Explore the secrets of ancient Indian wisdom with Dr. Nisar Shaikh and the new concept of Vedic yoga therapy as a combination of ayurvedic principles and yoga techniques to help boost overall wellness. Registration is free, but space is limited. Call Mitesh Gandhi: 704-236-4004 or Pratmesh Shah: 704-763-3059 to register. See more info about the Vedic Yoga Foundation at Vedicyoga.co.in.

Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival (March 9-15, 2020)

Come experience the Hilton Head Wine and Food Festival during the week of March 9-15, 2020. The festival will celebrate its 35th year with many events, including local chef showcases, wine education sessions, live entertainment and of course the famed Grand and Public Tastings. all located in and around the iconic Harbour Town in Sea Pines Resort. See more information including ticket prices at Hiltonheadwineandfood.com.

Cricket Talent Identification Program: Raleigh, NC (March 19, 2020)

USA Cricket announces player talent identiﬁcation events across the country for women and girls who are thirteen years old or above. The objective is to expand the women’s national player pool while also exposing girls to national programs sooner in order to accelerate their development and prepare them for future playing opportunities such as the ICC Girl’s Under 19 Cricket World Cup. Hosted by Friends Pavilion and Triangle Cricket League, it will take place March 19, 2020. The venue is an indoor cricket arena, 6201 Dailmer Way, Raleigh, NC. For more details call 919-803-6583.

Oak City Revolution: Raleigh, NC (March 21, 2020)

Women in Business Expo: Concord, NC (March 14, 2020)

The 3rd Annual Women in Business Showcase will take place at the Concord Convention Center on Saturday, March 14, 2020 from 10am to 5pm. The expo is aimed at supporting business owners, business professionals, startup or growing businesses and to challenge the traditional barriers that women in business face. All women will benefit from this event by sharing their challenges & experiences, and connect with likeminded women in business to aid on their own business journey. Tickets and other info can be found at CharlotteWIBE.eventbrite.com.

NC Comedy Festival: Greensboro, NC (March 20-29, 2020)

Raleigh’s premiere Bollywood-fusion dance competition will take place at North Carolina State University’s Stewart Theater in Raleigh, NC on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Teams from several universities will compete in this fast-paced and colorful dance competition. For more details, visit Facebook.com/OakCityRevolution.

Thalavadyan Concert: Charlotte, NC The festival brings a diverse group of improv, sketch and stand-up comedians to help further the NC comedy scene in four diﬀerent venues. (March 22, 2020) There will also be a variety of workshops available to help hone your The Classical Music Association of Charlotte comedic chops. The festival will be held for 10 days between March 20-29, (CMAC) presents Thalavadyam Concert, an 2020. See more information including performers and workshop schedules instrumental ensemble featuring violin, ghatam, at Nccomedyfestival.com. thavil, and keyboards, on Sunday March 22, 2020 at the Gandhi Bhavan, Hindu Aarohan Dastoor Recital: Charlotte, NC (March 21, 2020) Center, 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte. The performance begins at 3:30pm. For more details, call 704-814-9355 or visit Onlinecmac.org. OBX Taste of the Beach: Nags Head, NC (March 26-29, 2020)

The Aarohan School of Music presents its annual recital “Dastoor: A melodious ﬂow of Indian Heritate” on Saturday, March 21, 2020 beginning at 4pm at Sandra Levine Theatre, Queens University, 1900 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte. All proceeds will be donated to CRY America. Tickets range from $25 - $100. Gracing the occasion will be vocalist Padmashree Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty. For more details call 704-701-6235 or write to, Aarohan.music@gmail.com. Saathee.com

In this food-centric weekend between March 26 & 29, 2020, chefs to full-on foodie fanatics will revel in innovative culinary opportunities offered up by members of the Outer Banks Restaurant Association. They offer over 60 events over four days at over 30 different venues. This fun food festival event features: wine tastings, cooking classes, special multi-course menu presentations, brewery tours, tapas crawls, cook-offs and more. Info, Obxtasteofthebeach.com. March 2020

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Serving the Community Since 1982 March 2020

Community Events Catawba Valley Gem & Mineral Show: Hickory, NC (March 27-29, 2020)

The 11th annual SHiFT Charlotte Conference will be held on March 27 & 28, 2020 at the Oasis Shriner’s Facility at 604 Doug Meyes Place in Charlotte. Meet masters and leaders of all types such as healers, doctors, acupuncturists, integrative physicians, intuitives, coaches and scores of other experts. There will be speakers, over 110 vendors, complimentary healing areas, experiential appetizers and more. Learn more at Shiftcharlotte.com.

SHiFT Charlotte: (March 27-28, 2020)

Hindi Play - Jab Savitri Returns: Durham, NC (March 27-29, 2020)

The grounds will be ﬁlled with locally grown plants – herbs, perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, shrubs, native plants, vegetable starts and houseplants, plus garden art & accessories, artisan crafts & local foods. The festivities will be held on March 28-29, 2020 at the Poplar Grove Plantation on 10200 US Highway 17, NC in Wilmington, NC. Admission is $5; kids 12 & under are free. Activities include live music, kid’s activities, and free classes & nature trail walks for all. To learn more, visit Poplargrove.org/festivals/herb-garden-fair.

In this 50th annual show, there will also be an education area, vendors, mini-mine, fossil & geologist booths, demonstrations, and more. The event will be held at the Hickory Metro Convention Center between March 27 & 29, 2020. Admission is $5 for all 3 days. Free admission for military, law enforcement, scouts, organized youth groups, organized senior groups, and Children 12 & under. See more details at Cvgmc.com.

Herb & Garden Fair: Wilmington, NC (March 28-29, 2020)

This year Hindi Rangmanch brings a comedy play for all. Laughter is the best medicine and you don’t need any prescription for this. Enjoy the evening with your friends and family with the Hindi Play “Jab Savitri Returns” with three performances between March 27 & 29, 2020 at the DAC Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris Street in Durham, NC. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $50 for VIP, and $15 for students & seniors. Childcare will be provided in diﬀerent local daycare facilities for minimal cost. Tickets available at Eventbrite.com.

Saathee.com

SC Comicon: Greenville, SC (March 28-29, 2020)

SC Comicon is the Upstate’s premier comics and pop culture convention. This family-friendly event in Greenville, SC has something for fans of all ages—from the top creators in comics and celebrity guests, to games, toys and collectibles, and cosplayers. The convention will be at the Greenville Convention Center on March 28 & 29, 2020. Details, Sccomicon.com.

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Community Events Heritage India Festival: Morrisville, NC (April 4, 2020)

Zakir Hussain in Concert: Charlotte, NC (April 17, 2020)

Ustad Zakir Hussain, legendary tabla maestro, will perform live with Jayanthi Kumaresh (veena) and Kala Ramnath (violin) on Friday, April 17, 2020 beginning at 7:30pm at the McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College Street in Charlotte, NC. The concert is organized by the Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC). Tickets are $40. For information on IPAAC call 704-364-0984 or visit www.ipaac.org. To purchase tickets, visit Blumenthalarts.org The Heritage India Association of North Carolina presents the and search for Zakir Hussain. Heritage India Festival on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from 3:30-8:30 pm at the HSNC Cultural Hall in Morrisville, NC. This year’s Leela Dance Collective’s SPEAK: event features Classical group dances, Group Fusion/Folk dances Raleigh, NC (April 17-18, 2020) in all age categories, musical group presentations, children’s art competition, heritage awards ceremony and a free eye camp. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors, and kids years & older. All participants and volunteers are admitted free. For more details, email yashcgarg@gmail.com or visit Heritageindianc.org.

iMAGINE Upstate STEAM Festival: Greenville, SC (April 4, 2020)

The 6th annual iMAGINE Upstate STEAM Festival will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2020 in Downtown Greenville, SC featuring interactive exhibits and live stage shows from more than 70 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) organizations. Creating meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and career readiness with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), innovation, and entrepreneurial activity. To learn more, visit Imagineupstate.org. Serving as a bridge between tradition and innovation, history and progress - Indian Kathak and American Jazz Tap dance continents and ages apart share parallel stories of struggle and Sani Fashion Show and Fundraiser: perseverance in SPEAK. The collaboration is created by the Chapel Hill, NC (April 5, 2020) Sani Designs is hosting a fashion show on April 5, 2020 at 5pm Leela Dance Collective. With rhythm, poetry, storytelling, at the Blue Zone in Chapel Hill. It is conducted in partnership music and dance, SPEAK features leading female Kathak with the UNC Children's Hospital. All ticket sales will go dancers and Tap dancers creating magic on the stage, joined by towards the hospital. Find more details about the show at the Indian classical and American jazz musicians. This collaboration comes to Raleigh, NC on April 17 at 8 p.m. and Sanidesigns.com. April 18 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Titmus Theatre, presented by NC State LIVE. For details, visit Go.ncsu.edu/speak

Timeless Ragas, Modern Instruments: Cary, NC (April 5, 2020)

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Indian Classical Music and Dance Society presents, “Timeless Ragas, Modern Instruments” - a North Indian classical music concert on Sunday, April 5, 2020, 6:00pm at Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St., Cary, NC. Enjoy a blend of ragas with saxophones and tabla. ICMDS members are free, $25 for nonmembers. Details at Icmds.org. Saathee.com

Eastern classical music with electronic music Whether you are are buying or selling, sounds, world music genres and call me for the best real estate experience! traditional and classical orchestral arrangements. This concert tour will feature songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English. He will perform live on Saturday, June 13, 2020 beginning at 8pm at Durham Beena Thakkar Realtor/BrokerPerforming Arts Center. More Licensed in NC & SC details: Dpacnc.com.

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March 2020

Upcoming Movie Releases Chhalaang (Delayed to June) (Director: Hansal Mehta) Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nushrat Bharucha, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub

March 6

My Spy (Director: Peter Segal) Cast: Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Kristen Schaal, Greg Bryk, and Ken Jeong

Misbehaviour (Director: Philippa Lowthorpe) Cast: Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes, and Greg Kinnear

The Roads Not Taken (Director: Sally Potter) Cast: Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Laura Linney, and Salma Hayek

Baaghi 3 (Director: Ahmed Khan) Cast: Tiger Shroﬀ, Riteish Deshmukh, and Shraddha Kapoor

The Way Back (Director: Gavin O’ Connor) Cast: Ben Aﬄeck, Janina Gavankar, Rachael Carpani, Hayes MacArthur, and T.K. Carter

Kaamyaab (Director: Hardik Mehta) Cast: Sanjay Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal

Onward (Director: Dan Scanlan) Cast: Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer

Angrezi Medium (Director: Homi Adajania) Cast: Irrfan Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal, and Pankaj Tripathi

The Banker (Director: George Nolﬁ) Cast: Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long, Colm Meaney, and Samuel L Jackson

March 20

A Quiet Place, Part II (Director: John Krasinski) Cast: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, and Cillian Murphy

March 13 Inside the Rain (Director: Aaron Fisher) Cast: Rosie Perez, Eric Roberts, Aaron Fisher, Catherine Curtin, and Ellen Toland

March 27 Mulan (Director: Niki Caro) Cast: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Gong Li, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Chum Ehelepola, Arka Das, and Jet Li

Bloodshot (Director: Dave Wilson) Cast: Vin Diesel, Sam Heughan, Eiza González, Lamorne Morris, and Guy Pearce

Sooryavanshi (Director: Rohit Shetty) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, and Abhimanyu Singh

The Informer (Director: Andrea Di Stefano) Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Common, Ana de Armas, and Clive Owen Saathee.com

March 2020

Film Clips Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl

Director Sharan Sharma has woven a film based on the life of first female air force pilot in combat. Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl stars Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Vineet Kumar Singh, and Manav Vij. The biopic is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Zee Studios. The film, extensively filmed across Lucknow, is slated to be released in cinemas on April 24.

The Roads Not Taken

Director Sally Potter’s ﬁlm follows a day in the life of Leo (Javier Bardem) and his daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), as he ﬂoats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future. Veteran actresses Laura Linney and Salma Hayek are also part of the cast. The Road not Taken begins its run in theaters on March 13.

The Lovebirds

A couple (Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani) experiences a deﬁning moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. The comedy drama also stars Anna Camp, Paul Sparks, and Kyle Bornheimer. The Michael Showalter directed movie opens on April 3.

Haathi Mere Saathi

Saathee.com

Last month, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar launched the first look poster of the biopic of late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, in Delhi. He tweeted, “Released the first look of the biopic of Dr. A. P. J Abdul Kalam in New Delhi today. A joint venture of #Hollywood and #Tollywood, the feature film made on the iconic People’s President of India, will be released by end of this year. A little while earlier, actor Paresh Rawal shared on Twitter that he was to play the late politician in this biopic. “In my humble opinion he was SAINT KALAM! I am so blessed and fortunate that I will be playing KALAM Saab in his biopic.” The film will be made in both Hindi and English and will revolve around the life of Kalam and his contribution to India’s nuclear program.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas Joins Matrix 4 Cast

Angrezi Medium

Irrfan Khan returns in the sequel to the 2017 ﬁlm Hindi Medium. Homi Adajania directs Angrezi Medium (English Medium) with the cast that includes Kareena Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Poorvi Jain, Deepak Dobriyal, and Pankaj Tripathi. The ﬁlm was shot in Udaipur and London. Hindi Medium starred Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Radhika Madan. Angrezi Medium’s soundtrack is composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Pritam, GourovRoshin and Vikram Montrose with lyrics written by Kumaar and Varun Grover, Bhargav Purohit, and Vayu. Look for it in theaters beginning March 13.

Abdul Kalam’s Biopic Coming Soon

Rana Daggubati will star in the upcoming ﬁlm Haathi Mere Saathi, which is based on real life events and people involved with conservation and protection of elephants. Director Prabu Solomon guides the cast including Zoya Hussain, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Pulkit Samrat, Vishnu Vishal, and Rajiv Kachroo. This is not a remake of the 1971 Rajesh Khanna classic. The movie is slated to hit the screens on April 3. 28

According to Variety, Priyanka Chopra Jonas will join the fourth installation of the Matrix series. The as yet untitled ﬁlm is being directed by series co-creator Lana Wachowski. Other cast includes Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Neil Patrick Harris. Matrix 4 is expected to open in May 2021. Chopra Jonas has worked in over 60 films and has won India’s National Film Award. Her U.S. TV debut was on the ABC drama “Quantico,” which ran for three seasons. She recently starred in (along with Farhan Akhtar) The Sky is Pink. Also according to Variety, she’ll next be seen in Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes, from Robert Rodriguez, and an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger. March 2020

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U.S. Food Trade Increasingly Leans On Unsustainable Groundwater

Rows of almond trees extend to the horizon in Kern County, groundwater is embedded in the domestic food trade and how California. Orchards like this one have sprouted in the last decade in much is exported. areas of California’s Central Valley that are already water stressed. Konar and her colleagues combined groundwater depletion Photo Brett Walton/Circle of Blue data with county-level food trade data. They found that, between 2002 and 2012, unsustainable groundwater use increased by 32 percent in products traded domestically. The Biggest Reliance on Unsustainable increase was 38 percent for exported goods.

Groundwater is in The Western States, Study Finds

Deﬁcit spending If groundwater is like a bank account, then this is deﬁcit spending. Withdrawals can exceed deposits, but there comes a time when the account is drawn too low. For groundwater, there are local consequences for ecosystems, water supply, and farm income. But the risks of not being able to meet future demands because of groundwater depletion also reverberate with the purchasers of those products, Konar explained. “Agricultural production that depends on unsustainable groundwater use will eventually become infeasible, once groundwater pumping reaches the physical or economic pumping constraints,” the researchers write. “It is therefore essential to understand the risks posed to domestic and international agricultural supply chains by the eventual declines in agricultural production from these locations.” The study was published online in the journal Water Resources Research. Scott Jasechko is an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies groundwater. He noted that the study opens new windows into water use and the food trade. “It provides a picture within a given county of something that we hadn’t seen before,” Jasechko told Circle of Blue. Jasechko, who was not involved in this research, also

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

American agriculture is a behemoth, a world-leading industry that, while meeting extensive domestic demands, still exports around $140 billion in farm products each year. Soybeans go to China. Cherries to Japan. Baskets of goods to Canada. Some of that production rests on a risky and unstable foundation, a new study finds. It takes water to grow those crops, and an increasing portion of the country’s irrigation water is unsustainably mined from groundwater sources that are being depleted. Groundwater use is unsustainable in the long term when the amount of water that is extracted from an aquifer is greater than the amount that enters, via rainfall or artificial means. A research team led by the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign sought to quantify that deficit as it relates to farm irrigation. They wanted to know much of this unsustainable groundwater is used to grow corn, wheat, cotton, and dozens of other crops, said Megan Konar, a lead author for the study. They also wanted to know how much unsustainable Saathee.com

continued on page 92

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Read • Watch • Listen Penn Masala Releases New Recording Musafir

By Samir Shukla

Penn Masala has a knack for expanding the human voice. Their modus operandi? It is A Capella, where singers perform without musical instruments. Their voices are the instruments. Penn Masala, world’s first South Asian A Cappella group, was birthed on the campus of U Penn in 1996. All members are students at University of Pennsylvania. They fuse their voices into classic and contemporary songs from India and English pop and render something wholly new. Cultural boundaries are blurred while embarking on new musical adventures of South Asian-Western fusion. Shaunak Kulkarni, current group president, explained how the group picks songs to work and record. They have a committee. Ok, so that sounds a bit board room for a musical group, but it makes sense and is an effective way to select songs for an outfit that has rotating members as they graduate and new ones are added year to year. They are essentially a long running band with rotating singers. Kulkarni was born in California but spent a decade in Pune, India, Most members are born in the USA but have a distinct connection with their South Asian, mostly Indian, heritage. So, the committee, says Kulkarni, chooses the songs from the favorites and suggestions brought to the meetings by members. These songs are then worked by the members with a music director, who is also a member of the group, to caress into new arrangements. The organization consists of a president, music director and business manager, keeping the workings of the ensemble flowing smoothly. These positions change as members graduate and others join. Most are undergrads with a few grad students. The group generally holds auditions at the beginning of the fall semester, says Kulkarni, but may hold more in spring if any changes are needed to the ensemble. Saathee.com

Penn Masala’s latest songs are gathered in the new recording Musafir (traveler). The album is full of warm renditions of popular songs blending with hits from the Indian Subcontinent. There are some dramatic songs mixing English lyrics that segue into Bollywood songs. Coldplay’s “Everglow” and the Hindi song “Kaise Mujhe (feat. Benny Dayal)” from the film Ghajini seem made for each other when the voices fluidly merge them. Another example, Adele’s “When We Were Young” walking hand in hand with “Tera Yaar Hoon Main.” Their version of “Ae Watan” practically moistens the eyes when the group vocalizes the patriotic song from the soundtrack of the 2018 Indian feature film Raazi. It’s quite riveting. There are over a dozen such renditions in Musafir. The closing track, “United By Music - A Desi Regional Medley,” is a wonderful example of India’s diverse languages, cultures, and religious traditions brought together into one. The vocals are formidable and the familiarity of the chosen songs makes it immediately identifiable. It’s a showcase of varied Indian languages that have a common foundation and heritage. The track addresses social and identity issues without lecturing. Each song on the album creates a unique mood with innovative and eclectic arrangements. Penn Masala has released 10 full-length studio albums since their inception. Musafir is available on major streaming services. More details at PennMasala.com.

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Editor of Saathee magazine contact - Samir@Saathee.com follow me on Twitter: @ShuklaWrites

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Reﬂections and a few confessions as an Indian American in the Carolinas

Saluting the Everyday Artist By Shyama Parui

The Impressionists? Nope! This is not about the modern works of Picasso nor is this about the exquisite glass art of Dale Chihuly or other famous painters of the past or present. Today, I feel like recognizing the artists who add some pizazz to our otherwise monotonous lives. It’s the unknown person who designed the pattern on the coﬀee cup that you reach for every morning or the creative sand sculpture you saw on the beach last summer. You don’t have to go too far to enjoy the splashes of aesthetic beauty these artists sprinkle in our mundane environment. Regardless of where you are right now, take a quick look around you and see if you can spot what I call “everyday art”. The cover of the journal you picked up on an impulse, your teenager’s shimmering phone cover, the delicate embroidery on a table cover, the mandala pattern on the mouse pad, or the ikat sofa cover are perfect examples. Even if it is from a bargain store, some colors and patterns seem to have universal appeal showing up on cushion covers, curtains and even as Adam Levine’s shirt for his 2019 Super Bowl halftime performance. The internet exploded with images comparing his shirt to matching home décor items, resulting in some hilarious conversation threads on social media. As the youngest of four sisters, I often became the involuntary shopping companion for my didis (older sisters). After hours spent at Mumbai’s Elco market or some of the other popular fashion haunts of the 80’s, my patience was rewarded with pani-puri and Frankie rolls (street food). Along with droolworthy recollections of the food, vivid images of fabrics swaying from store fronts are saved in my mind. Bursting with vibrant colors, weaves and exquisite materials, shopkeepers sold fabrics by the yard produced by humble factory workers Saathee.com

and rural artisans alike. These places not only showcased traditional and contemporary designs, but also awakened the hidden fashion designer in us. What can be easily created with the use of digital technology was once a form of art resulting from painstaking efforts by talented painters. Until the 1980’s, Hindi movie posters were hand painted with gigantic images of stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. Sometimes you could catch a glimpse of these artists adding finishing touches to their posters on billboards as they balanced themselves on the scaffolding. Their work was admired by millions who drove by the city’s Western Express Highway and rode the local train on their commute to and from work, yet nobody knew the artist’s name or saw their signature. Their job has become obsolete, but the old posters are prized collector’s items which perhaps recognizes their contribution to cinema. If you live in the Charlotte area and have walked on West Boulevard, you may have noticed art on the sidewalk that beautifully illustrates the partnership between the city and her culture. Over ten artists from the Indian community were invited to grab their palette and paintbrush to artistically deliver a crown to the Queen City. The masterpiece that ensued was remarkable making this one of my favorite stories. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the uninvited spray paints and slogans that stain urban structures. That is often the work of continued on page 94

Shyama Parui

Shyama is a long time North Carolina resident and an ardent writer. You can reach her at: shyamashree_parui@hotmail.com

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Dances of India By Dr. Maha Gingrich

Mohiniyattam

An Enchanting Dance Form

When I was little, I watched Mohiniyattam dance style performed by a few well-known artists. I loved the graceful movements and the white costumes. So, years later I made an attempt to learn Mohiniyattam with an instructor in Baroda, India. I finished fundamentals and the first sloka (Prayer song), but the teacher had to relocate. There are not many dance teachers to promote this dance style outside Kerala. So, the probabilities of finding them elsewhere became too slim. Let me share some basic information about this graceful dance style. Among all characters in Indian mythology, Mohini or an enchantress is unique, filled with beauty and seduction. The famous story of churning the milky ocean for nectar is directly connected to this beautiful dance form. The story is about the gods and the demons churning the milky ocean to extract the elixir of life. When the nectar of life was found, the demons literally took the divine brew by force. Following the incident, Lord Vishnu came to the rescue of the gods. He allured the demons by taking the form of a woman with outstanding beauty called Mohini and stole the elixir of life from them and handed it to the gods. The enticing acts of Mohini are reflected in the dance form of Mohiniyattam or also spelled as Mohiniattam. One among the eight Indian classical dance forms, Mohiniyattam is a graceful dance to watch and is a solo recital by women. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words Mohini meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and aattam meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. Thus, the word Mohiniyattam literally means - dance of the enchantress. This dance form said to have originated in Kerala. It is closely related to Bharatha Natyam of Tamil Nadu, which was originally called ‘Dasiyattam’. Originated as the temple dance performed by Devadasis, it portrays feminine love in its countless forms such as devotional and maternal forms with increased emphasis on Lasya and Bhava (expressions). In the main items Cholkettu, Padavarnam and Padam, mudras (hand gestures) and facial expressions are more important than the rhythmic steps. This dance form also has elements of other performing art forms of Kerala such as Koothu and Kutiyattam. Besides, Saathee.com

Mohiniyattam also came under the influence of two other south Indian dance forms - Bharathanatyam and Kathakali. Mohiniyattam in its early days went through ups and downs, which eventually received support during the reign of King Swathi Thirunal. Costumes and ornaments of Mohiniyattam have much in common with female characters of Kutiyattam and Kathakali. Originally, Mohiniyattam was performed only in Temple’s premises and royal courts. The first reference to Mohiniyattam is found in ‘Vyavaharamala’ composed by Mazhamangalam Narayanan Namboodiri, of 16th century AD. Major contributions to this art form were made by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, Irayimman Thampi and Kuttikunju Thankachi. Mohiniyattam comprises about 40 different basic movements called adavukal and its performance style is marked by the swaying of hips and the gentle movements with straight body posture from side-to-side. This dance like many other classical dance forms of India follows the sign language (mudras) as described in the ancient treatise on Hastha Lakshanadeepika to convey the story. These mudras are expressed through fingers and palms of the hands. Most of the dances of Mohiniyattam are similar to Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi, though subtle differences in styles are obvious. The language used in the lyrics is a pleasant mixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit, known as Manipravalam. Formerly, the Padams were especially composed to include only Sringararasa (expressions of love). Now a days, artists are using any classical or semi-classical compositions, even from other languages within India. The real beauty of Mohiniyattam comes through when mature ladies enact the romantic Padams specially written to present the Ashta Nayikas (eight heroines). The accompaniments for Mohiniyattam are Vocal, Veena, Venu, Maddalam and Idakka. Other instruments are also not unusual. Primary emphasis is placed on gestures and facial expressions. The mudras (hand gestures) are almost always same as those employed in Kathakali. The artists try to enact the lyrics almost in its entirety, like in Kathakali. The unique costume of this dance style, takes away any distractions of bright costume colors and helps audience focus on the beauty of the dance itself. Simple, yet elegant costume is one of the aspects that give Mohiniyattam a unique identity among all classical dance forms of India. The attire for Mohiniyattam consists of a simple off-white sari, bordered with broad golden brocade (called kasavu in Malayalam) or sometimes red borders. It is worn with a huge pleated fan in front and artistic gold jewelry. In addition, the hair style is also unique. Here the hair bun encircled with jasmine flowers is worn diagonally on the left side of the dancer’s head. The ankle bells are worn suggesting a hint of quite movements. I hope someday this beautiful classical dance style would be propagated as other popular dance styles of India.

Dr. Maha Gingrich

For questions or comments contact via e-mail at: Gingrichmaha@gmail.com

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RAAJEEV’S CORNER Equally oﬀensive to all

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As a comedian, when I get on stage, I know that my audiences are judging me based on their preconceived notions of Indians or South Asian people. Sometimes before saying anything, I just glance around the room, smile and give them a nod. Even with that little gesture, I would get a good laugh from the audience. They are probably expecting a nerdy Indian comic who would just get on stage and give a TED talk without making any eye contact or ever smiling. A simple smile breaks their preconceived notion about me. I also like to capitalize on their assumptions by saying, “So, I am Irish.” That generally cracks the audience up. Although we live in an age of political correctness and people are generally polite, sometimes their actions cause an interesting faux pas. Every time I get up to go to the restroom at an Indian restaurant, some American customers waiting at the buffet line ask me about the daily special. I used to politely explain to them that I didn’t work there and I was a customer just like them. However, now I just tell them about my favorites from the buffet, explain how the pakodas are made and give a primer on the curry sauce. Then I go to their table to ask if everything is okay, fill up their glasses with water and collect the tips! Being brown-skinned also has some disadvantages at Indian restaurants. I get the worst service from the servers because they probably think that I am not going to order alcoholic drinks and will not leave a large tip. They are right about the drinks but tipping is based on the quality of the service. The fact that they are providing bad service based on the stereotype makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Based on my past experiences, now when I go to an Indian restaurant, I try to be more friendly with my desi servers. Usually a smile and a little small talk about the weather and the décor does the trick. It also helps them earn a decent tip from me. I read somewhere that restaurants seat beautiful people next to the window. My wife and I are not exactly the role model restaurants are looking for. Once we went to a fancy Italian restaurant and they seated us by the kitchen. Next time we went to a chic French restaurant, they seated us by the bathroom. The third time when my wife and I went to a steakhouse for a business dinner, they didn’t even bother seating us. They just gave us uniforms and put us to work! The stereotypical perception is not restricted to restaurants only. When I travel for business and pull my rental car in front of my hotel, somebody gets in the back of my car thinking I am the limo driver. I guess my suit and tie along with the color of Saathee.com

my skin give it away. Even at the reception desk, when I get assigned a hotel room 711 or 911, I wonder if it’s just a coincidence or the receptionist is playing a game with me! Even I apply stereotypes in making decisions in my daily life. For instance, I rarely give money to young white homeless people. The same is the case for Asian or Indian homeless people. I don’t recall seeing any but if I did, I would not give them any money. They have a good social support system so they should be tapping into that. In addition, Indians have a network of 7-11’s or hotels owned by their fellow countrymen who can help them out. A few years back I gave a ride to an old lady in Washington DC. They have a system of picking up “slugs” so you can go through car pool lanes for free. Once she found out that I was from India, she said all Hindus will go to hell if they don’t believe Jesus Christ died for their cause. I thought if all Hindus go to hell then she can certainly expect to get a customer service support call from hell. That also means hell is going to be hot and crowded so Hindus will feel right at home. “You have reached the Hindu support hotline from hell. Press 1 if you are a Doctor. Press 2 if you are an Engineer. Press 3 if you want to open a 7-11 and press 4 if you want to go back using our reincarnation program.”

People’s habit of judging based on stereotypes used to bother me but now I actually have fun observing human behavior. I accept the fact that they are making a decision not in the present but based on their past experiences, insecurities or myopic thinking. Most of the time these actions are innocuous and don’t impact me signiﬁcantly, so I just have fun with them. I use them as premises to write new jokes and have a laugh later. I also don’t mind being judged as cheap. I think if people are going to form opinions based on their preconceived notions about my frugality, let me fully commit to being a Bania and excel at it!

Raajeev Aggerwhil

LA-based comedian Raajeev Aggerwhil has starred in Nickelodeon’s TV show 100 Things to Do Before High School and also acted in the ﬁlm based on the television series. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @raajeevcomedy March 2020

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Nutrition for Life

March is National Nutrition Month By Parul Kharod

accrediting agency for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics • To keep the registration current with ongoing education. The state license gets renewed every year, whereas RD credentials get renewed every 5 years.

Every year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates the National Nutrition Month with a new theme. This year’s theme — Eat Right, Bite by Bite —supports the philosophy that every little bit (or bite!) of nutrition is a step in the right direction. Small goals/changes can have a cumulative healthful eﬀect. In honor of the National Nutrition Month, let’s clear up some myths and misconceptions.

In addition to the RDN title, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also has specialized certifications for Renal Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, Nutrition Support, etc. Plus, most states in the US have licensing rules that regulate the practice of dietetics. It is illegal to practice dietetics without a state license. As this field has so much demand, there are other degrees like CNC -Certified Nutritional Consultant or Certified Nutrition Coach. Not all of these certifications are validated. Be aware that titles like weight-loss coach, life coach, or wellness expert, which have no official meaning.

What is the diﬀerence between a Registered Dietitian and a Nutritionist? To put it simply, a Registered Dietitian can be a nutritionist, but a nutritionist cannot be a Registered Dietitian. In the US, there is a clear distinction between a dietitian and a nutritionist. A nutritionist is a very loosely used term. Anybody can call themselves a nutritionist or a nutrition consultant. Many gyms, health facilities, and weight loss centers claim to have one on staﬀ.

Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) degree has stricter criteria. RDNs have: • At least a Bachelor’s degree; most often a Masters in Nutrition/Dietetics • Completed a year-long supervised internship with minimum 1200 hours • Passed a national registration exam conducted by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, which is the Saathee.com

Why is nutrition/diet advice so confusing? I have heard this a million times – one day eggs are good, continued on page 94

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Thinking About Thinking By Balaji Prasad

trance, compelled to deal with the day-to-day realities that my feet all-but-unknowingly plod wearily on. The point also is that we have choice. We not only have this unlimited resource of imagination but we also have the unconstrained choice of how much of it to use, how to use it, and to what purpose. We can deploy this powerful resource just because we can, or because we must: because it makes sense to use it to our advantage.

An Inﬁnity of Iﬃnities “If I were a rich man, Daidle deedle daidle, Daidle daidle deedle daidle dumb, All day long I’d biddy biddy bum, If I were a wealthy man …” ~ From Fiddler on the Roof

A single universe When you live in a single universe, you live in a simple universe. But when you become “if-fy”, you fabricate multiple If! If only … universes and are doomed to forever compare the imaginary If only they would be kinder and more understanding … with the real, torn asunder between the two. If only he were a little less selﬁsh and a little more reasonable But we can be better than this! Let us agree to banish the … conditional conjunction from the lexicon: the rowdy, If! If only … rambunctious “If”. Unless, of course, you ﬁnd yourself playing If only people would follow the rules. If only people were a little the role of the Fiddler on the Roof or another role in some other less political and stopped twisting words and logic like pretzels play. Then by all means, be if-fy, very if-fy. … If! If only … If only I were younger and more vibrant as I used to be … Balaji Prasad If only my parents had been more aware of me and given me is an IIT/IIM graduate, a published author, the boost I needed, think of what I would have become! SAT/ACT Online and in-person Coach, and If! If!! If!!! K-12 Math Tutor at NewCranium. balaji.prasad@newcranium.com

An aﬃnity for an iﬃnity

Since there are so many if’s, why not just one more? If No If If I didn’t do the silly if, And lived as if each thing were thing, Might I then get one thin whiﬀ, Of what it’d be that makes heart sing? If I could somehow end if-ﬂing, This Houdini’d cut his string, And be as free as bird on wing, I’d sing, you’d sing, we all would sing, A thing’d be then just simple thing, A simple, simple, simple thing!

The curse of imagination

The point is that we are endowed with the gift of imagination. Or, a curse. It all depends on how we use this inﬁnite resource that lets us play endless mind games with ourselves. Imagination allows us to transcend real things, and transport ourselves to faraway When you live in a lands and times, quite often to single universe, you universes that do not exist. With our feet planted ﬁrmly on the live in a simple ground, and our heads in the universe. clouds, a poor body gets stretched to its breaking point between heaven and earth. And while my head and feet engage in an endless quarrel, I die a slow and torturous death, tormented by parallel universes that could be, but never come to pass, while I walk around in a numbed Saathee.com

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Buy Right, Sit Tight Rational side of the investing pendulum

The Only Ones to Get Hurt On a Roller Coaster Are the Jumpers Part II “The only ones to get hurt on a roller coaster are the jumpers.” – Paul Harvey

By Amit Rupani

through. It’s one crazy roller coaster ride. Investor would have faced 70 percent drawdown from 1999 through 2009. And another 44 percent drawdown in 2008.

Last month we took a deeper look at big drawdowns in Apple and Amazon’s annual historical returns. For this edition we will look into Microsoft and Google (Alphabet). Imagine you are on a roller coaster ride. You have your seat belts and safety bars on. The ride is in full swing. In the middle of the ride you realize that it is too much handle. Now what’s the safest thing for you to do? Just close your eyes and hang in there. Don’t jump. If you do this, generally you will come out ﬁne. But if you jump out while the ride is on, you will get hurt. For an average investor, stock market is like an amusement park and each stock is like a roller coaster ride. There are not many smooth rides in this amusement park. Each ride has its own volatility. An average investor will get in at the wrong time (high price) and also get out at the wrong time (low price). The problem isn’t that we’re impatient. It’s that the ride is not easy. Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Netﬂix, Berkshire Hathaway. These are some of the most honored companies in the world. These have created tremendous money for its shareholders. But it was not a smooth ride in these stocks. Each gave the sinking feeling in the stomach many times to its shareholders.

Microsoft (MSFT): (See Mircosoft Chart on page 113.) has gained 271,843 percent since its IPO in 1986 giving annualized return of 26.34 percent so far. This is just capital gains and ignoring dividend income that investor would have received so far. $10,000 invested in its IPO has increased to $2,718,4322 in about 34 years. These are very impressive gains. But one should also zoomin and look through the pain the investor would have gone Saathee.com

Alphabet (GOOG): (See Alphabet Chart on page 113.) has gained 2,728 percent since its IPO in 2004 giving annualized return of 23.99 percent so far. $10,000 invested in its IPO has increased to $272,800 in about 15.5 years. Google saw largest drawdown of 65 percent from 2007 through 2008. The journey in Google seems to be less diﬃcult, but it has been only 15.5 years since its IPO so far. I will not be surprised if it sees more such large declines in next 15 years. There are two points that I want to make here. First, is that a large drawdown is an inevitable part of achieving such high returns. It’s almost impossible to escape the volatility with any stock in the long-term. Second, if you are looking at the above tables or long-term charts and are thinking that I can handle this, don’t kid yourself. It’s never easy as it looks. One needs very strong stomach to handle such volatility and very few investors have it. One needs to control their emotions during periods of adversity to become a better investor. continued on page 113

Amit Rupani, CFA

is an Independent Investor, practices Value Investing principles, manages money for longterm wealth creation through Equities asset class. Email: rupaniamit@yahoo.com 64

March 2020

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Upcoming Hindu Center Events & Activities: Holika Dahan: March 9, Monday; Dhuleti: March 15, Sunday Ugadi / Gudi Padava / Baisakhi / Chetti-Chand in Temple: March 25, Wednesday Chaitra Navratri: March 25 (Wed) to April 2 (Thurs) Holi /Ugadi/Gudi Padva/ Basant Mela: March 28, Saturday Ram Sita Kalyanam: (Ramayan Reading- April 3 to April 4) Swaminarayan Jayanti: April 4, Saturday Ram Navami: April 4, Saturday Cheti-Chand: April 5, Sunday Mahavir Jayanti: April 5, Sunday Hanuman Jayanti: April 8, Wednesday Maha Prabhuji Patotstav: April 18, Saturday Arts Exhibition: May 2 (Sat) & May 3 (Sun) Vasavi Mata Jayanti: May 9, Saturday

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March 15, 2020 (Sunday at 12:30 pm)

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COLOR, MUSIC & FOOD

Chaitra Navratri

Celebration: March 25 (Wed) to April 2 (Thurs)

Sri Rama Navami Ram Sita Kalyanam

Evening Ramayan reading starts Friday evening April 3rd and end on Saturday April 4th (in temple). Saturday April 4th Sri Ram Sita Kalyanam 5 pm (in Vihar Hall) Swaminarayan Jayanti in Gandhi Bhavan April 4th 5 to 8 pm.

HINDU CENTER Hindu Center of Charlotte celebrates Spring Festival / Basant Mela encompassing

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with a Mela & Cultural Program with music, dance, and flavours from all over India ! Cultural Program Contacts Email: hc_cultural@yahoo.com Anitha Gowtam 704-206-9348 Sarika Milhoutra 201-696-1877 Amulya Deepak 704-589-4033 Riya Annesha 980-349-9476 Sponsorships Call: 704 206 9348/ or email: hc_cultural@yahoo.com HC Contact Reena RoyÂ reena.roy@hcclt.org; Hemant Amin 704 258 3588

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OF CHARLOTTE Cheti Chand Sindhi New Year April 5, 2020 (Sunday)

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Lord Mahavir Jayanti Celebration April 5, 2020 (Sunday)

Hanuman Jayanti Celebrations April 8, (Wednesday)

108 times Chanting Hanuman Chalisa from 10 am to 6 pm followed by bhajans, aarti and Prasad

541st Birth Anniversary of Shri Vallabhacharya Celebration

Saturday April 18th, 2020 (4 to 7 PM) Hindu Center - Vihar Hall The celebration will begin with reciting Patth followed by Kirtan, Bhajens, Discourse, cultural program and Arti, followed by Mahaprasadam.

Please join us and let us celebrate this joyous/auspicious occasion.

For Details: Jankiben Shah 704-542-9577, Rohiniben Shah, Geetaben Mehta , Deepakben Jadeja or Bhartiben Patel

For Path Sponsor Call: Kshitish Mehta: 704-560-5459, Shrutiben Shah 704-763-0320, Maltiben Mehta 704-763-9988 Shri Vallabhacharya (1479-1531 C.E.) was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India. Shri Vallabhacharya was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. He worshipped Shrinathji form of Lord Krishna. He is also known as Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya.

Mirror, Mirror

A Conversation From the Outside Looking in...

The Co nfessio ns of a

By Jennifer Allen

“Every age has its storytelling form, and video gaming is a huge part of our culture. You can ignore or embrace video games and imbue them with the best artistic quality.” ~ Andy Serkis

I still remember that summer day back in 1978 when my dad walked in the door with a large, yet somewhat slim box that he carefully slid over into my mother’s hands. After opening the brown box, inside was… another box. This box, however, had a colorful shiny graphic that said, “Video Computer System by Atari”. Yes my dad had slyly slipped our first gaming console into our lives, and soon the clunky Atari 2600 console was hooked up semi-permanently into our downstairs TV stand. Fast forward to 1985. My dad is in a weekly bowling league in the evenings after work. I tag along to get out of the house (and out of my mother’s hair for three hours). I have two choices while we’re there. I could sit there with five men in their mid-40’s as an 11 year-old girl (which wasn’t as creepy then as it sounds now) or my dad could slap a $5 bill in my hand and send me off to the arcade down the hall. I think you can guess which one he opted for me to choose. Fast forward again to the fall of 1988 and us going to the Toys R’ Us the night of my birthday to buy me a Sega Master System console with three games. Most of my friends had a Nintendo console at the time, so I wanted to be different. Sadly that first Sega console ended up not selling very well, but I did play my games on it as long as I could before it finally died. You have to remember that in the 80’s and early 90’s you had two options for keeping teenagers entertained outside of the house. You either played outside, or went to “The Mall”. Often it was just easier for parents to drop the kids off for an afternoon with $20-$30 in their pocket for food and whatever Saathee.com

Girl G

amer

else they planned to do. These were also simpler times when you didn’t have to worry so much about kids getting kidnapped. We often went to the mall in groups anyways so the chance of that happening was generally pretty slim. As a rule… the popular kids generally went shopping and to the movies while the non-so-popular kids went to the comic book store and the arcade. The only time those lines crossed were in the Food Court during lunchtime, and even then we’d usually sit at opposite sides of the court. The only real “neutral zone” where everybody truly mingled was in line at the Pizza Shop, and even then it wasn’t always harmonious. High school is when I started to truly embrace and accept my “nerdy” side. I went to my first Star Trek Convention at 14. I’d been collecting comic books since I was 7 (thanks Mom) but I finally walk into a full-fledged comic book store until I was 15. I also became a regular at our local mall arcade. By this point I was thoroughly more entertained watching everyone else playing rather than play the games myself. Call it cheap, if you like, but hey it worked.

A wild ride Whether you consider yourself a gamer or not, there is no denying that video games have become a major industry all over the world over the past 60+ years. Yes, you read that right. The ﬁrst video game was produced in 1958, though many continued on page 113

Jennifer Allen

works at Saathee and is also a Podcaster, Blogger, Photographer, Graphic Artist, Martial Arts Practitioner, and all around Pop Culture Geek. March 2020

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Subcontinental Divide An Indian Subcontinent & America Dialogue

Digital Honesty in the Millenial Frontier

By Ahsen Jillani

I have another life in which I am a 109-year-old Arab sheikh, and I live in Texas. Over the years, I have had countless arguments about why I feel no obligation to be anything else in cyberspace. This issue is gradually beginning to take on a new meaning as the digital world digs its claws deeper into our daily lives. I occasionally type something innocent in the search ﬁeld, like “woman raking leaves,” and watch the information monster come awake in my life. Yes we have all been debating lately if Alexa or Siri could hear us all the time—and they can. Some cyber-giants like Apple and Amazon have apologized for intrusive voice farming, or at least acknowledged that the possibility and technology exists. But the “woman raking leaves” analogy has become so routine to us now that we consider it a convenience at worst. On a fully loaded Smartphone, a simple search triggers a feeding frenzy amongst the giant gorillas who own our lives. Rakes start appearing in the Facebook feed with 5-star ratings. My Amazon homepage becomes a virtual shed full of shiny gardening tools. Home Depot sends me an email with 10 percent oﬀ on any rake purchase. Cookies on the phone adopt “rake” as the preferred word as soon as I enter “R.” According to my phone, which is much smarter than me, I spend a stunning 5-6 hours a day on the device. Like most of Saathee.com

us, I treat it like a personal assistant and bark nonsense on social media and search for any weird object that comes to mind. The problem is that I am beginning to feel that the phone is actually my personal boss, rather than assistant. Since Facebook thinks I am an aging Arab in Texas, my feed is full of geriatric gems, like life insurance offers, social security seminars, nursing home ads, local hospitals offering happy colonoscopies, and of course, news about Texas. Actually, even though the GPS knows precisely where I am sitting, living room or toilet, my weather app constantly flashes Texas weather emergencies also—in addition to targeted car ads in Houston or Austin. I have nothing to hide Digital paranoia kind of came and went. We are all numb to the information gathering and consider it a part of our daily lives. After all, rakes are innocent enough. And so what if I am searching for colon cancer articles. I have nothing to hide. continued on page 92

Ahsen Jillani

a former editor and publisher, is originally from Islamabad, Pakistan, and now lives in Mint Hill. He owns Must Media, a PR company focusing on both political and corporate clients.

March 2020

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My Voice Readers' Forum By Palak Trivedi

The Story I Needed

Most days in third grade went similarly; I sat at my desk, listening to my teacher drone on about either something the South Carolina curriculum propagandized into “history” or the foreign concept of rounding numbers. This particular day was almost over and our substitute teacher had grumbled his way down afternoon attendance, getting dangerously close to my name. I’d already prayed to every god I could remember, hoping the bell would ring before he got to me, but no such luck. I raised my hand, not even bothering to correct his absolute butchery of my name, and heard a few kids behind me snicker. The sub stopped to look up, but the bell rang and before he could say anything, half of us were out the door, with me leading the way. As usual, Mom picked us up and dropped my sister and me oﬀ at Ba’s house. The moment we arrived, Ba (grandmother) smothered us in her embrace and herded us indoors. She had already set out our favorite meal - macaroni and cheese with a dash of ketchup - so we ran into the dining room, sliding across the slippery vinyl ﬂoors in our socks. “Don’t do that, beta!! You’ll fall and hurt yourself!” Ba scolded in Hindi, but as always the smile on her face gave her away. “Eat up,” she said with a familiar twinkle in her eye, “I have something special in the drawer to show you today.” My sister and I shoveled down the macaroni and galloped up the stairs to her room, glancing at one another in Saathee.com

anticipation. In the corner of the room was the large, chestnut dresser with an upper compartment and three drawers below. The upper portion contained Ba and Dada’s clothes, as did the first two drawers of the lower portion of the dresser. The last drawer, however, was home to various trinkets and toys that Ba had saved over many years and would surprise us with when we came to see her. From little toy cars to bangles she would break into pieces for a makeshift board game - she always had something. We sat on either side of her, craning our necks to watch as she carefully opened the drawer, almost feeling a golden light from inside illuminating our faces. After going back downstairs, my sister plopped onto the couch to watch T.V. with Dada and to play with her new race cars. Meanwhile, I meandered over to the dining room and my attention shifted to the ring on my hand. It was big; too loose and heavy on my small finger, so I let it slip off and ran it down the luminous, gold chain Ba gave me to wear it around my neck. My fingers trailed down the chain to the ring and followed the design around the gems. I lifted my gaze and watched them catch the light from the dusty chandelier above and send reflections dancing across the room. After finishing her work, Ba came over to the patch of the dining room floor where I sat. “So, what will we play today, beta?” “Actually, Ba, can I ask you something?” “Why are you asking me, dobi? Just demand, ‘Ba! I have a question you must answer!’” She smiled the way only grandmothers can; her eyes twinkled and crinkled up around the edges. Her wrinkles looked like writing on a page; deep smile lines and deeper worry lines on her forehead, but no angry crinkle between her eyebrows like Dada. I smiled back and sheepishly brought out the ring. “Ba, where did you get this from? Some of my… friends from school might ask about it and I don’t know what to tell them.” Ba paused for a minute and looked at me with an expression I recognized. Her smile fell for a heartbeat and the lines on her forehead deepened, but in the next moment she lit up again. “Well that is a fantastic story, beta. Come, sit here while I tell you.” I crawled over to her and laid my head on her lap. She stroked my hair and brushed it off my face as she began her story, this time in Gujarati, as she always did when she told stories of back home. “When I was young, we lived under the rule of a great king we called ‘Maharaj.’ My father Mohanlal - who I called Baba - was an advisor to the king. After my brother’s wedding, Baba went to see Maharaj and found him pacing anxiously. He told Baba the village was in trouble; crops were failing, the treasury was almost empty, and our village was on the brink of starvation! Maharaj waived all taxes to help the people of the village and sought help from other kings, but continued on page 88

Palak Trivedi

hails from South Carolina. She has been writing for 10 years, has published a children’s book, and is working on her ﬁrst poetry collection. Contact: ptrivedi2017@gmail.com March 2020

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March 2020

Personal Finances By Mo Vidwans

It’s Time to Crunch Numbers Again Let us get ready

Crunching numbers? I am talking about getting ready to prepare for tax returns for 2019, of course. Like a bad penny, it comes back again and again, without fail, every year about this time. Since it is not going away, we might as well capitulate and be prepared for it. Most of us have been doing taxes for a long time, few years for sure, so we know by now what to expect, where to get help, what paperwork and other information to gather, what software we prefer to use and most of all how long it takes to prepare such tax returns if we are doing it ourselves. This is important because we do not want to rush at the last minute like most procrastinators do and try to beat the deadline and then find out that we are out of time or that we made many mistakes. This is the second year we are all working with the new tax law that was passed in December 2017; so we are getting used to the new rules somewhat. By now, the W2s, 1099s and other documents are trickling in. If you are itemizing then you will need much more information and many other documents to support what you are going to claim. But because of higher standard deduction now, the number of people who will itemize has dropped to about 10 percent from roughly 37 percent of all filers and that was the intent of the new law. While the new law has changed the rules and taken away many things, it has also added some new benefits other than increasing the standard deduction. Earned income credit, childcare credit and Child tax credit are just a few of them that help the lower and middle income filers. Some of these credits are taken straight against the taxes which benefits the most because they reduce the taxes dollar for dollar as against when some of the benefits just reduce taxable income. Key thing here for the tax payers and the self preparers is that they need to keep an eye on such changes and make sure that they take full advantage of the new benefits. There are many ways the tax preparer can get help. There are at least four different software packages that are available to use for such purposes, keeping in mind that all software packages cost money and then more money to file. These packages are good for most of us who do not have much preparation out of the ordinary but when things get sticky with your returns then you have to be careful with the package you get. Help is available but getting the right people to answer your questions is always troublesome and occasionally does not go smoothly. I have noticed that many times these packages don’t even guide you to optimize your tax refunds. A good Saathee.com

example is if we have to file form 1116 to get the full credit for the foreign taxes we may have paid on our foreign dividends. If the tax preparer does not know about this and does not prompt the software to go look for the credit, it can be lost very easily. There are a few other examples like this. The main point here is that the tax preparer has to be well aware of what they should expect and are entitled to and make sure that the software is giving you that. Absence of right knowledge is very detrimental here. If you have a very simple return, IRS would let you file directly on their website and you don’t need to own the software or pay for filing. But you have to go online and get on their website. There are other organizations like AARP who in co-operation with IRS run a volunteer program across the 50 states where they prepare return totally free for the seniors and indigent; but really anyone can walk in there and get their returns done free. There are over 35,000 such volunteers and they prepare and file about 2.5 million such returns (full disclosure: I am one of those volunteers) at 5000 sites nationwide. These volunteers have to go through at least 16 hours of class training and pass many tests every year before they are qualified to prepare returns for the season. Many religious and other organizations also offer such free services. If you are absolutely not going to be ready to file by the deadline of April 15, then there are other options. You can ask for and easily get an extension to file by six months assuming that by then you would be ready to file. The only condition attached to this extension is that you still have to pay your tax due by the April 15 deadline. This is, in a way, a catch 22. You are asking for extension because you don’t have all the paperwork but still you have to pay all the tax due now which you cannot calculate because you don’t have the paperwork. How do we get over this? Well the answer is in estimating the taxes due somehow; usually from the previous years’ returns or pay enough extra so that you would not have tax due when you finally file. Preparing for State tax returns is generally not paid much attention to. The reason is the same that we assume the software we are using will take care of it. But sometimes that is not the case and the tax preparer needs to be aware of and be watchful so that you don’t miss any deductions.

Mo Vidwans

Vidwans is an independent, board certified financial planner. For details visit www.vidwansfinancial.com, call 984-888-0355 or write to mpvidwans@yahoo.com. 76

March 2020

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March 2020

Saathee

Vegetable Biryani

RECIPES

Biryani, a dish many of us are very familiar with, a favorite among most, and one that comes in many varieties depending on where you are in South Asia. There is nothing quite like the spicy and aromatic flavors and that’s why this month our Saathee Chef, Taige Shukla, has decided to prepare Vegetable Biryani. This rice dish is believed to have originated in Persia many centuries ago, has become a staple in most South Asian restaurants and homes. While the long list of ingredients may seem intimidating, it is a lot easier to prepare than you might think. The best part about biryani is that you can make it your own. Don’t hesitate to add an extra spice here or there, use different vegetables or even add a protein like chicken or paneer; the possibilities are endless. Today, we have prepared a simple Vegetable Biryani using veggies like potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans and cauliflower.

Watch the recipe video at Saathee.com/Taige.

Ingredients 1 cup basmati rice ½ cup yogurt 3 tbsp milk ½ cup oil 3 tbsp ghee Vegetables: 1 medium potato (diced) ½ cup carrots (diced) 1 cup cauliflower (florets) ½ cup green beans ½ cup peas 1 cup onions (chopped) 15-20 raisins 10 raw cashews (halved) ½ tbsp ginger paste (chopped ginger + oil) ½ tbsp garlic paste (chopped garlic + oil) Spices: 8 strands of saffron 5 mint leaves (chopped) 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick 7 peppercorns 1 star anise 4 cloves ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera) ¼ tsp sugar ¼ tsp turmeric 1 tbsp coriander 1 tbsp cumin ½ tbsp garam masala 1 tsp chili powder Salt & Pepper

Saathee.com

Directions 1 2 3

Recipe serves 4-6

Start by preparing the rice. Soak 1 cup of basmati rice in water for up to 30 mins. Once rinsed and drained add the rice, ¼ tsp of cumin seeds, and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth or water to a cooker (I used an Instant Pot). Steam for 8-10 mins.

Meanwhile, prepare some items that will be placed aside for later. Soak 8 strands of saﬀron in 3 tbsp of warm milk. Let soak until ready for use. Sauté cashews and raisins for 3-4 mins on medium-high heat. Set aside. Now sauté ¼ cup of the onions with sugar until caramelized. Also set aside.

Now, start with ¼ cup of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp of ghee in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onions and fry until golden-brown. Then, add in 1 more tbsp of ghee, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick (cut in half), 7 peppercorns, star anise, and cloves, let cook for 30 seconds. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté for 2 mins.

In the same large pan, add-in the vegetables: ½ cup of carrots, ½ cup of green beans, ½ cup of peas, 1 cup of cauliﬂower ﬂorets, and 1 cup of potatoes. Continue by stirring in the spices: ¼ tsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of coriander, 1 tbsp of cumin, ½ tbsp of garam masala, and 1 tsp of chili powder. Cover pan and let everything cook for 5 minutes on low heat.

After 5 minutes, remove cover and add in ½ cup of yogurt and chopped mint. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile once the rice is cooked, stir the saffron milk into the rice and fluff it. Once the spiced vegetables are cooked, mix the rice in.

6 Finally, garnish the rice dish with the pre-prepared caramelized onions, cashews and raisins. You are now ready to serve your Vegetable Biryani. Remember you can make this dish your own by adding or subtracting vegetables or even by preparing it with a protein of your choice.

March 2020

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March 2020

News Notes Dola Re Dandiya Competition Held in Chapel Hill

Dola Re Dandiya took place at Memorial Hall at UNC Chapel Hill on February 15, 2020. Over 200 collegiate raas-garba & bhangra dancers from all over the United States came to Chapel Hill to compete for ﬁrst, second, and third place positions in their respective categories. This year’s placings: Raas-Garba Bhangra 1. SLU Raas 1. Birmingham’s Blazin’ Bhangra 2. UVA HooRaas 2. Illini Bhangra 3. UCF KnightRaas 3. Carolina Indian Arts Lok Naach

Indian American Table Tennis Star Kanak Jha is Heading to Tokyo Summer Olympics

Kanak Jha, 2019 US Men’s Singles Champion, is part of the US table tennis team that will head to Japan for the summer Olympics. He was also on the 2016 Olympics team and played both singles and doubles. Jha and Lily Zhang are the first two table tennis players to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. According to teamusa.org, both qualified for the games by merit of being the highest ranked American in their gender in the February ITTF World Rankings. Jha is 25th, while Zhang is 28th. Jha is based in Milipitas, California and competed at the Summer Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and earned bronze, the first men’s Olympic or Youth Olympic table tennis medal for the U.S. In July 2019, Jha became the first American to four-peat in men’s singles at the national championships as he has won the championship every in the years 2016-2019. The eventual U.S. Olympic table tennis team will comprise of three men and three women. The Games run July 24 to Aug 9, 2020.

Taranjit Singh Sandhu Appointed New Ambassador of India to USA

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, most recently High Commissioner of India, Colombo, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the United States of America. Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu is an experienced diplomat, having served in the Indian Mission in Washington DC twice earlier. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington DC from July 2013 to January 2017. Earlier, he was First Secretary (Political) at the Embassy of India, Washington, DC responsible for liaison with the United States Congress from 1997 to 2000. Saathee.com

March 2020

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March 2020

He has also been at the Permanent Mission of India to United Nations, New York from July 2005 to February 2009. Prior to his current assignment in Washington DC, Ambassador Sandhu was High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka from January 2017 to January 2020. He had also served at the High Commission of India, Colombo earlier as the Head of the Political Wing from December 2000 to September 2004. Born on January 23, 1963 in a family of educationists, Ambassador Sandhu studied at The Lawrence School, Sanawar and graduated with History Honors from St. Stephens’ College, Delhi. He pursued a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Ambassador Sandhu is married to Reenat Sandhu, who is Ambassador of India to Italy. They have two children.

Bharat Ke Rang, Ekal Ke Sang Fundraiser in Morrisville, NC

One of several Ekal Vidyalaya fundraisers in the Southeast was held in Morrisville, NC on February 8, 2020. This year the event was presented by Ekal Volunteers who are from diﬀerent rural parts of India. There was a varied spectrum of performances which consisted of patriotic songs, folk songs, Bollywood hits, and a colorful Krishna drama, which was performed with touching performances. Funds were raised from ticket sales and donationsl to support about 127 schools. For more details about Ekal Vidyalaya’s work, visit the website www.Ekal.org/us.

Red Baraat’s Festival of Colors

The 9th annual Festival of Colors tour by Red Baraat will take place in March to coincide with Holi celebrations around the world. Red Baraat Festival of Colors is an immersive celebration through music, dance and visuals. After presenting a multicity annual for 8 straight years that showcased South Asian artists during the Hindu holiday of Holi, Red Baraat has taken the spirit of the festival to the next level: a year round show of communal revelry that brings together what NPR has called “the best party band in years,” a montage of classic Bollywood visuals, and a ﬁery dancer. Traditionally, Holi is marked by public gatherings of families and strangers sharing songs, dance, and the exchange of colors. It signiﬁes the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and for many, a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships. Red Baraat Festival of Colors debuted in 2012 at a sold out Le Poisson Rouge in New York City and then expanded to over a dozen cities in the United States. Returning to its roots of just brass and drums and complete in colorfully painted white jumpsuits plus a dancer, the new show, Red Baraat Festival of Colors, is a full blown immersive experience as the band, the visuals, the dancer are like a mélange of colors, each bold on its own but commingling to form a stunning panorama. Among the performances include March 6, 2020 in Washington DC, and March 7, 2020 in Miami. Anjali Taneja will open for Red Baraat in Washington, DC. For more details, visit www.RedBaraat.com. Saathee.com

March 2020

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pointer ﬁnger, as I had so many times before. “Ba? Do you remember this ring?” “Yes, I do beta.” “Do you remember the story you told me about it? Was it real?” “In some ways, yes. In other ways, no.” “Why, Ba?” She looked more tired than I remembered and the lines on her face were more pronounced, but when she smiled, the twinkle in her eyes remained the same. “My Baba was the greatest man I ever knew and a trusted advisor to the king. That was true, but the ring did not come from him; honestly, I’m so old now that I don’t remember where it came from anymore. You needed something to hold on to, beta. You’re a smart girl, but you allow others’ opinions of you to hold you back from achieving your full potential both at home and at school.” “I didn’t know you knew about school.” “Of course I did, dobi,” she smiled cheekily, “you should know that I know you better than you know yourself.” I couldn’t help but smile, shaking my head. Ba pulled my head into her lap and stroked my hair, pushing it oﬀ my face, “I didn’t tell you that story to fool you, beta. You needed a story to make you feel as special as you are. It was the story you needed.”

My Voice

continued from page 74

to no avail. He felt defeated; the village always supported him. How could he call himself king if he could not support them? A seed of an idea popped into Baba’s head and he deliberated on this seed until it blossomed into a plan. He told Maharaj that he found the solution to their problem himself! The king’s face lit up, but when Baba said the answer was the people, his face fell. He believed a good king should never place burdens upon his subjects; besides, they had nothing left to give. Still, Baba persisted that the reason Maharaj’s reign had been fruitful for the people was that he had always put them first by forgiving debts, waiving taxes, providing justice in court, or giving up his own need for the needs of the village; he should allow them the opportunity to give back. His wise words convinced the king. A gathering was held and Maharaj told the village his predicament. Immediately, people threw themselves at his feet, ready to sacrifice anything to help, but the king explained he had come to ask for their hands; he realized the village could use their strengths to raise enough money to pay the neighboring king for food for their children, if nothing else. The village readily agreed. Scouts were chosen to make deals with distant kingdoms and to spread word of what their village had to offer. Women crafted the finest jewelry seen for miles and sold it faster than it could be made. Villagers donated cloth to be made into beautiful garments to sell and tailors offered to repair garments for travelers. Farmers offered their labor to farms in neighboring villages for a share of their crops and skilled cooks made delicious sweets from the sweet mango trees to be sent out and sold. Anyone that could provide any kind of service did and quickly, the treasury was filled completely! With these funds, Maharaj held a grand feast for everyone and bought food from nearby villages to last them until the next crop. Months later, Maharaj held a meeting of the royal court and asked Baba to stand before them. He revealed Mohanlal was the man who had solved their problems; the village was prospering, merchants were selling exponentially, and the new structure of their economy would sustain the village for generations to come. Baba shook his head humbly and Maharaj went on to tell him that his wisdom and humility had doubled his respect for him. For his noble actions, Maharaj pronounced Baba Chief Advisor to the King and as a token of his gratitude, he removed a large ring from his pinky finger and placed it in the palm of Baba’s hand. A few years after that, I married your Dada. Before I left home, Baba enclosed the ring in my hand and asked me to pass it on in my family to tell them of our legacy and what it means to be a part of our family.” I stayed quiet for a moment. “So what does it mean to be a part of our family, Ba?” She looks down at my wide-eyed face and smiles. “Baba was a wise man, beta. I see that his wisdom was passed down to you. People will try to cut you down, but you must always remember where you come from. You are more than what children at school say to you. You are more than what people in our family tell you that you should be. You are smart and capable of changing lives; it’s in your blood. She carefully lifted my hair and placed the necklace the ring hung from around my neck. “Keep this ring to remind you that Ba is always with you just as I knew that Baba would always be with me.”

Many years later, I sat with Ba on the ﬁrst anniversary of Dada’s passing. It was quiet in the house; we were surrounded by clouds of our own thoughts. We would look up occasionally, often forgetting the other was there. I spun the ring around my Saathee.com

The ring never left my possession. In times of hardship, I grip it to remind myself of Ba’s constant presence and that her and my great-grandfather’s wisdom will always help me ﬁnd my way. One day, it will provide a source of inspiration for my own grandchildren. I will tell them the story and the reason why Ba created it for me. It was the story I needed.

March 2020

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March 2020

Subcontinental Divide continued from page 72

Actually, a couple of years ago, I ran into a thread where a paranoid fellow cyber-traveler was discussing how to keep all the phone records and cookies off the phone. A hundred people jumped on him and accused him of cheating on his spouse. After all, why else would you hide from Bezos and Zuckerberg? The millennials have actually grown up with the information monster, and as best consider it a friend. Those of us who played Atari in the 80s, and used to put floppy drives in the early PCs have seen this phenomenon evolve slowly— from those bulletin boards where we would type messages in green flickering text while hogging our phone lines with 2400 Baud modems, to the early cookies being set by AOL every time we checked that magical thing called email. I to this day remain puzzled about our relationship with the internet. I mean, what does it want? What do the social media companies want? What do the free apps want? Why is Apple face-recognizing the photos in my phone? Why does all their fine print want full access to my contacts and photos?

A pipeline that constantly monitors Truthfully, there may be two scenarios at play in information harvesting. There may simply be that nerd programmer who wants a Lambo and is always searching for an app that a granddaddy like Facebook would purchase. WhatsApp was an example, but there are thousands more. The giants of course are slowly becoming part of a pipeline that constantly monitors what we are doing, and sells us what we don’t need as a society, or a planet—whether we like it or not; whether we want it or not. So digital honesty is nothing I lose sleep over. On top of being an oxymoron, it is slowly morphing into a religion headed by smiling nerds who are richer than god. No, we don’t put honest pictures on social media. We take 20, then use ﬁlters and eﬀects, and we crop and we upload with some statement that seems nonchalant because of course we have such busy and stylish lives.

Nonsense mushy memes Those more savvy will open photos in Photoshop and alter backgrounds in addition to airbrushing their skintags. If someone is in Paris, we google streetview Paris and tell them to definitely drink coffee at the Café de Criminale, which is our favorite place in Paris. We put our correct birthdays on social media, so 200 strangers can send us nonsense mushy memes and GIFs with hearts flying out of a puppy’s chest. You, John Doe, with a certain birthday, living in a certain town, is now an entity that will forever live in the heart of the internet. Those FindAnyone subscription sites will know who you are and where you are. Amazon will know your shopping habits and urge you to get their corporate card because you buy so many printing supplies. Facebook will know you like sports cars and sell ads to local (Texas) dealers. Google will send a van with a camera up and down the street for god knows what reason. I am not invisible, but I aim to go down fighting in this final battle for my privacy. And for that privacy, this sheikh will sacrifice the 15 percent off at Old Navy and keep a picture of his camel as the profile picture on Facebook. Don’t mess with Texas! Saathee.com

Groundwater

continued from page 32

praised the study for crossing certain academic divides. He said it united hydrological data with trade flow information that is more commonly in the realm of economists. “They bridged data sets for research communities that rarely talk to each other,” Jasechko said. There was a reason for that union, Konar said. The wider view reveals how water flows throughout the economy and crosses borders, she explained. The United States dominates the export markets for soybeans and coarse grains, giving the country’s farmers a critical role in global food security. “It’s important to think about how that water use is integrated into full supply chains,” Konar told Circle of Blue. “It’s not just the agricultural producers who will be directly impacted by unsustainable water use. There are indirect impacts for those who rely on farm products.” Though the United States is large agricultural exporter, most farm products are sold domestically. Ninety percent of the unsustainable groundwater in 2012 was embedded in products traded within the United States. Collectively, it adds up. Unsustainable groundwater in farm products used domestically was equivalent to the full volume of Lake Mead, the nation’s largest surface reservoir, the study found. The trade data allowed the research team to see how exposure to water risk is changing downstream of the farm. In 2002, for instance, California’s major trade partners were Europe and the Americas. A decade later, East Asia devoured the lion’s share of California’s exported output. Trade partners are indirectly exposed to risks of groundwater depletion, especially if the deficit spending reaches a break point and production has to be curtailed.

Withdrawals for irrigation increased The study’s findings align with other national water trends. While nearly all categories of water withdrawals are decreasing in the United States, groundwater withdrawals for irrigation increased, climbing 16 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Groundwater depletion for irrigation increased in the time frame of the study, particularly in major aquifers. California’s Central Valley and the Ogallala aquifer of the High Plains both showed increased depletion. The researchers also calculated the biggest groundwater depletion footprint, which they defined as depletion per unit of agricultural production. The state with the largest footprint was Arizona, where rural groundwater use is largely unregulated and water tables are dropping. State lawmakers are now calling for legislation that would require stronger monitoring requirements and water-use reports. The study has some limitations. For one, data sets were mismatched. Water depletion data were from 2000 and 2010, while food production data was from 2002 and 2012. Also, certain crops, like grapes, were not included in the trade data. Konar said they were handcuffed by the data that was available. If anything, the estimates of unsustainable groundwater use in agriculture are conservative, Konar said. 2012 was a drought year in California and the Midwest. The lack of rain would have increased groundwater use compared with 2010, which was the year of the hydrological data set used in the study. Jasechko said that these were minor problems in an otherwise powerful study. “Given the data available, they’ve done an admirable job of merging apples and oranges,” he said. No pun intended.

March 2020

Nutrition

continued from page 58

the next day they are bad. One day butter is healthy, and then it’s not. How do we diﬀerentiate from what is good or bad, and how do we decide what to eat?

Science, especially nutritional science, is an evolving area based on new research and better understanding of our bodies with improved technology. Nutritional science is not simple, and here are a few reasons why:

• In research, the randomized controlled trial is considered the gold standard for evidence. Researchers will take test subjects and randomly assign them to one of two groups. One group gets a treatment; the other gets a placebo. It is just not practical to run randomized trials on people. It’s not possible to randomly assign diets and expect 100 percent adherence. Plus, it is diﬃcult to separate the eﬀects of diet from other variables such as environment, genetic factors, stress, etc.

• It’s not humane to purposely make people sick by making them deﬁcient in a nutrient or overdosing them.

• Nutrition researchers have to rely on observational studies. These studies run for years and may track diet patterns to see who develops what disease. These can be very valuable, but are not clear cut and as precise as randomized trials. Not every participant is honest or accurate about remembering what they ate.

• The results of a research study depend on who funded the study. For example, a study funded by the dairy industry will say that milk is extremely important. Or a study funded by the egg industry will say that eggs are not bad for your health. Research funded by independent government agencies or foundations tends to be more credible than industry-funded research. Moreover, most funding goes to treatment of disease rather than prevention.

• There are limitations in the methods used. Only 50 percent of calorie numbers on labels and databases have been found to be accurate. Each person’s immune system and digestive system is unique so there are diﬀerences in what we eat and what we actually absorb. The calorie counting apps do not take that into account. What you eat may not aﬀect you immediately.

The bottom line is to not get confused by every study that comes out. Do not rely on books or websites to get your nutrition advice. Don’t fall prey to quick weight loss gimmicks or cleanses or products that sound too good to be true. Always seek professional guidance from well-trained Registered Dietitians. Remember that you are a unique person and your individual medical and family history has to be taken into consideration. When it comes to diet and nutrition, one size does not ﬁt all!

Namaskar

continued from page 40

mysterious individuals who act stealthily, hidden by darkness. Graffiti has been the expression of art or angst done illegally as a defiant way to seek attention or convey messages using walls, trains or bridges as the canvas. Most people would define it as vandalism, but rebel art can sometimes be more like avantgarde artists who defy accepted genres or styles to bring innovation while tearing down the safety net of conventions. To appreciate the pièce de résistance from different categories, our only options are to either plan a trip to the museum or pay a fortune to acquire it. Due to distance and financial limitations, it is not a realistic option for most people. We rely on the everyday artist to uplift our mood by getting rid of the bland and the boring with little touches. Their skills may go unnoticed, but it is sorely missed in sterile environments like airplanes and cubicles. I applaud cities that have successfully mixed the two by inviting celebrated artists to create their work for public places thereby making art more accessible to the common man. Murals brightening up Mooresville downtown and art in and around Uptown Charlotte are examples of such endeavors in the local area. Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park, a unique institution that blends a museum and a park also comes to mind. What was previously a contaminated brownfield, was transformed into an outdoor sculpture museum and is currently home to some amazing pieces. I would love to see more bustling metropolitan areas creating similar green spaces inviting the public to simultaneously admire art and get active. These everyday artists are the unsung heroes of our lives who quietly infuse our surroundings with splendor. Without them, our world would be like the tragic monochromatic landscape that would typically be ignored in a gallery.

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• All studies do not apply to everyone. Sometimes, the study may be accurate, but its reporting is not. Journalists are not trained scientists. So, they may misunderstand study conclusions, over-exaggerate study ﬁndings, or may not see how a single study ﬁts into the larger scheme of things.

• Surprisingly majority of the doctors are not trained in nutrition either. In a 2018 survey, 61 percent of internal medicine residents reported having little or no training in nutrition. On average, U.S. medical schools oﬀer only 19 hours of nutrition education across four years of medical school.

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March 2020

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Community Organizations Charlotte

Carolinas Christian Assembly Oﬀers worship, fellowship and community assistance to South Asians in Charlotte. Sunday morning worship services is currently being held at New Heaven Community Church, 8823 Albemarle Road, Charlotte at 9:30am. Pastor Cherian, oﬀers free counseling services to married couples and is a licensed premarital counselor. For Further Details: Dr. Shibu Cherian (Pastor) 704.208.9099 12601 Idlewild Rd., Matthews, NC www.carolinaschristianassembly.org

Art of Living (Charlotte) 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. All are welcome. For Further Details: 980.216.8732 charlotte@us.artoﬂiving.org www.artoﬂiving.org/charlotte

Charlotte Gita Group The Charlotte Gita Group is commencing study of Mundaka Upnishad, beginning March 1, 2020. The group meets twice a month on Sundays from 3 - 5pm. Each session starts with meditation followed by a recorded lecture in English (by Swami Parmarthanada) and discussion. Everyone welcome. For Further Details: dshetti@gmail.com - 214.587.7331 skdave@hotmail.com - 704.844.9567

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Charlotte) Dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selﬂess service. Activities include: Daily Arti - 6:30 am & 6:30 pm; Weekly Satsang Sabha held Sundays with spiritual discourses: Adults: 4pm, Young Men (Ages 23-36) - 3pm, Young Women (Ages 23-36) - 4pm, Teens - 4:30pm, and Children - 5pm. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/baps-charlotte

Charlotte Malayalee Association The association promotes and facilitates the cultural, educational, social and economic welfare of the Charlotte Malayalee community. For Further Details: cltma@cltma.org 704.517.5850 www.cltma.org

Bethel Christian Fellowship BCF was founded to “Raise Up the Next Generation for Jesus Christ.” The Fellowship oﬀers services in various Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam) with a Sunday School from 9 9:55 am and Sunday Worship from 10 - 11:45 am. For Further Details: 803.792.7223 Pastor Rajan Samuel - pastorofbcf@gmail.com 7604 New Town Road, Waxhaw, NC www.bcfcog.org

Charlotte Marathi Mandal The Mandal adds to the vibrancy of Charlotte with various events including the Ganapati Festival which are designed to keep the cultural values and traditions alive. The community is encouraged to participate. For Further Details: 704.565.9237 committee@charlottemarathimandal.org www.saathee.com/charlotte-marathi-mandal

Brahma Kumaris (Charlotte) Works toward world peace and transformation through selftransformation. Free Raja Yoga Meditation classes. This meditation throws light on the importance of rebuilding inner positive energy and provides tools to relax, refresh and recharge. It gives the power to choose good and positive thoughts. Sunday mornings - 8am to 9am - Introduction to Raja Yoga Meditation.Sunday mornings 8am to 9am - Introduction to Raja Yoga Meditation. For Further Details: 704.412.1426 / bknc2010@gmail.com www.brahmakumaris.org

Charlotte Telangana Association Association promotes two diﬀerent aspects, to promote Telangana cultural activities within Charlotte area and also to bring together the Telangana people. Also plans and takes action around the development of Telangana focusing both on rural and urban areas. For Further Details: Charlotte.telangana@gmail.com www.charlottetelangana.com

Carolina Kannada Balaga CKB was formed by the people living in Greater Charlotte area originally hailing from Karnataka region in India and people who are interested in preserving and promoting Kannada literature, language, culture and heritage. Founded in 2008, CKB oﬀers cultural, educational and social events periodically every year. For Further Details: www.carolinakannadabalaga.org

Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques, taught more than 2500 years ago as a remedy for universal ills. The group holds weekly group sits and monthly all-day sits for established students. Tenday courses are also available for all students. There is no charge. For Further Details: 704.277.5013 - rbddesai@gmail.com 704.807.3933 - madhaviparikh@yahoo.com www.dhamma.org

Carolina Khadayata Samaj All Khadayata families of NC and SC are welcome to be part of the Carolina Khadayata Samaj. For Further Details: carolinakhadayatasamaj@yahoo.com Jaswant Mehta - 704.839.1965 (Charlotte) Sharad Mehta - 336.554.5211 (Greensboro) Kaupind Shah - 919.928.2852 (Raleigh) Saathee.com

Classical Music Association of Charlotte (CMAC) CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in 96

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Community Organizations in India. IAMC-Charlotte seeks to reach out to Indian Muslims in Charlotte to strive for Inter-Community understanding with focus on Indian Diaspora. For Further Details: Ashfaq Mehdi - 704.904.5778 iamc-charlotte@yahoogroups.com

Charlotte. Membership forms are available at shows. Upcoming Events: March 22: Thalavadyam instruntal concert, Gandhi Bhavan, Hindu Center, 3:30pm April 26: Vocal concert by Amritha Murali and party, Gandhi Bhavan, Hindu Center, 3:30pm For Further Details: Lakshmi & Muthukrishnan - 704.814.9355 Jayashree & Panduranga - 704.442.1186 memberservices@onlinecmac.org www.onlinecmac.org

Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC) IPAAC promotes Classical Hindustani music and is the result of a shared dream of a small group of music enthusiasts to bring the rich world of classical music and dance from the Indian subcontinent. For Further Details: Jyoti Kulkarni - 704.804.1275 Chaula Jain - 704.248.1515 contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.org

Dada Bhagwan Foundation (Charlotte) Every living being is in constant pursuit of happiness. This search ends only when the source of eternal happiness is found. It can be attained through realizing your true Self. A path to eternal happiness was discovered by Gnani Purush A. M. Patel (Dada Bhagwan) and it was revealed as Akram Vignan, a spiritual science. Weekly satsang held Every Sunday 1- 3pm & once a month Saturday 2-7pm, which includes watching DVD Satsang with Q & A, Aarti & Mahaprasad. For Further Details: 877.505.3232 x 1027 wccharlotte@us.dadabhagwan.org 7400 City View Dr, Charlotte, NC www.dadabhagwan.org

ISKCON (Charlotte) There are weekly meetings to learn and practice bhakti-yoga - for all ages. Celebration of festivals, prasadam, heartfelt kirtan, spiritual discourses, class for kids, association with visiting monks and teachers, and make friends. Bhagavad-Gita class is held on every Friday at multiple locations. For Further Details: 980.277.GITA (4482) Iskconofcharlotte@gmail.com

Gurdwara Sahib (Charlotte) The Gurdwara works to enrich the lives of the Sikh & Punjabi communities. Regular Program: Every Sunday: 10 - 11am, Asa Di War by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 11am - 12pm, Keertan by Children, 12 - 1:15pm, Keertan by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 1:15 - 1:30pm, Ardaas, followed by Guru Ka Langar. For Further Details: 704.509.2828 1760 Stoney Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC www.charlottegurdwara.org

Jain Center of Greater Charlotte (JCGC) Serving the spiritual and community needs of Jain families while understanding and preserving the Jain faith. Members meet for worship, ceremonies, and festivals. Organizes religious activities year-round - including celebrating religious festivals such as Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan, and Diwali, and programs like Swadhyay, Pujas and childrenâ€™s Pathshaala. Upcoming Events: Sat, March 7 (Phagan Sud Teras): 6 Gau (Bhav) Yatra, 10:30am-noon Sun, March 8 (Phagan Sud Chaudash): Astha Prakari Puja, 9:30am, Pakkhi Pratikraman, 6:45pm Mon, March 16 (Phagan Vad Aatham): Astha Prakari Puja, 9:30am Sun, March 22: Paathshala for Children, 10:30am Mon, March 23: (Phagan Vad Chaudas): Ashta Prakari Puja, 9:30am Wed, March 25: (Chaitra Sud Ekam): Snatra Puja, 9:30am Regular events: Weekdays: 9:30am - Prakshal & Puja; 7:30pm - Aarti & Mangal Divo Weekends: 10:30am - Prakshal & Puja 7:30pm - Aarti & Mangal Divo For Further Details: JCGC President: Saumya Kothari: 858.382.351 info@jaincenterus.org 7631 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC www.jaincenterus.org

Hindu Center of Charlotte The Center holds many regular events and religious ceremonies. The temple library is stocked with books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genres such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. Upcoming Events: March 9: Holika dahan March 15: Dhuleti For Further Details: 704.534.3440 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte, NC www.saathee.com/hindu-center-charlotte

India Association of Charlotte The organization works to foster better understanding of the rich diversity of Indian culture by the larger community in and around Charlotte. For Further Details: Toni Sawhney - 704.604.2133 Lal Vishin - 704.545.3727 indiafestival.iacofcarolinas.org/

JET USA (Charlotte, North Carolina) These organizations are operated across the world to empower communities. Activities include personality development and spiritual activities like discourses / puja / homam etc. VTSeva (Volunteering Together for Service) focusing on various service activities. For Further Details: charlotte.jetusa.org jetcharlotte@jetusa.org 704-981-1JET

Indian American Muslim Council (IMAC) of Charlotte Committed to promoting peace, pluralism and social justice through advocacy as well as protecting human rights and dignity Saathee.com

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Community Organizations Kriya Yoga (Charlotte) A sincere seeker who follows the path of Kriya Yoga with love and devotion and a desire for spiritual growth can attain Selfrealization. Two annual initiation programs and a weekly Sunday meditation are held. For Further Details: Adesh Gupta - 704.814.7476 info@charlotte.kriya.org www.kriya.org

Madhya Pradesh Association of Charlotte (MPAC) MPAC is a cultural organization based in Charlotte and formed by people hailing from Madhya Pradesh interested in preserving and promoting Hindi literature, language, culture and heritage of the state. For Further Details: mp2clt@gmail.com 980.231.1112 www.mpaclt.org

Pratham - Charlotte Pratham organizes programs in the area of primary education through its Read India campaign. With nearly half the children in India who attend schools not learning to read and write at the required level, Pratham is trying to ﬁll an important gap in this area. For Further Details: Anju Desai - ajdesai66@gmail.com - 980.622.0125 Shubhra Chakraborty - shubhra.chakraborty1@gmail.com 704.942.4798 www.prathamusa.org

Probasi of Charlotte Probasi’s goal is to organize cultural and educational program related to Bengal in the Charlotte area, to increase Bengali cultural awareness, and to provide community service in the area. For Further Details: Swapan Nandi - 704.708.5993 Anindita Paul Bhunia - 704.360.2326 welcome@probasi.org www.probasi.org

Sahaja Yoga Meditation Classes are free to attend and meant for all age groups who desire to ﬁnd his or her true self, which is full of peace, joy and love for others. Sahaja Yoga was founded and developed by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi and teaches simple techniques of meditation. Sessions are conducted weekly or biweekly. For Further Details: 5935 Hickory Grove Rd, Charlotte www.meetup.com/SYCharoletteNC/

Samskrita Bharati Sthanam of Charlotte Promotes Samskritam (Sanskrit) as an everyday language and provides access to its rich repository of knowledge. Trained teachers teach Samskritam in spoken and written forms in an interactive environment. Start your journey to speak this ancient foundational language by attending a one-day introductory workshop. No prior knowledge is needed. Four Further Details: Shreedhar Murthy: murthy90232@gmail.com or 513-967-4775 Joy Vyloppully: vykuntha@gmail.com or 704-906-5665. www.sbusa.org Saathee.com

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Sangamithra Foundation Formed to make a diﬀerence in society, the team has taken the path of identifying the needs of underprivileged communities in India and provides support to meet those needs. Sangamithra works collectively towards realizing its vision. For Further Details: info@sangamithra.org www.sangamithra.org

Sant Nirankari Mission (Universal Brotherhood) Knowing about God is a knowledge and knowing God is Realization of God as “Knowing about something” is diﬀerent from “knowing something”. God can only be realized with the blessing of living true master. You are invited to join for a weekly congregation. For Further Details: Meena Thohan: 703.443.0584

Shanti Niketan Senior Center of Carolinas The Center values diversity, holistic health, peaceful living and community engagement, especially for under-served populations including Refugees, Immigrants, and minorities. Eﬀorts are made to support a population with the understanding that a diverse population adds to the strength and well-being of the community. For Further Details: Nbcharlotte@uisac.org 704.491.1186 7701 Wallace Lane., Charlotte, NC. 28212 www.uisac.org

Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal On every 1st Saturday, Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal has kirtans and bhajans at the Hindu Center of Charlotte at 5pm. After the bhajans, there is Aarti and Mahaprasad. In addition, on the 3rd Sunday of every month, an additional Satsang Sabha is held at a sponsor’s house from 3 - 5pm. For Further Details: Divyesh Chauhan - 704.965.9735 Sanjay Savaliya - 704.779.7574 admin@issvcharlotte.org issvcharlotte.org

Shri Rang Avadhut Parivar (Parspar Devo Bhav) Devotees of Guru Dattatraya Rang Avadhut and Shri Prem Avadhut meet on Thurs from 6-8pm in Charlotte for recital of “Datta-Bavani,” singing devotional Dattatraya Bhajans and reading “Guru-Lilamrut.” For Further Details: Bharat Shah - 704.724.6247 Nagesh Patel - 704.399.7805

Sindhi Association of the Carolinas The Sindhi Association of the Carolinas (SAC) organizes religious, cultural, community, and social events in Charlotte. SAC also sends donations for the needy to the schools in India for Scholarships and for camp refugees in India. For Further Details: sindhiassociationcarolinas@gmail.com 704.779.2396

South Park Cricket Club (SPCC) The South Park Cricket Club is a group of gentlemen who play competitive cricket for fun. SPCC is based in Charlotte and has March 2020

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Community Organizations been a part of the Carolina Cricket League since 2010. For Further Details: anishtr@hotmail.com www.southparkcc.org

Sparsh of Greater Charlotte Sparsh seeks to build community, preserve our heritage, and showcase the culture of the states of Bihar and Jharkand through cultural, charitable, and social events. For Further Details: sparshofcharlotte@gmail.com 980.221.9641

Srishti of Charlotte Srishti works to fulﬁll the community’s need for togetherness and the desire to showcase Bengali culture, literature, music and arts. Srishti means an act of creation and brings together people of varied cultures, ethnicity, languages, and backgrounds who are interested in East Indian traditions. For Further Details: Santanu Sarkar - santanu_kumar@yahoo.com 704. 541.3451 www.srishtiofcharlotte.org

Telugu Association of Greater Charlotte Area (TAGCA) TAGCA was formed with an intention of preserving and promoting the Telugu cultural heritage and traditions among the Telugu speaking people in Charlotte. The association organizes social and cultural events and festivals that reﬂect the Telugu culture from India. For Further Details: pr@tagca.org www.tagca.org Trimurti Temple Devasthanam The temple grounds oﬀer many areas to explore including 14 sanathis with traditional Mandabams for various Hindu deities. Open daily with a Morning Puja at 10am and Evening Puja at 7pm. Sunday Abhisekhams at 11am as well as other special pujas. For Further Details: 980.219.7556 contact@trimurtitemple.org 6519 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC www.trimurtitemple.org

Vallabh Pushti Samaj of Carolinas (VPSC) VPSC’s objective is to ﬁll devotional needs of Vaishnavs in Carolinas to worship and pray together, celebrate festivals and engage in humanitarian and educational activities. Paath and Bhajan recitations are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 4 - 6pm. A VYO Youth (ages 6-14) educational Meet is also scheduled on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays. For Further Details: 1006 Vickie Lane, Matthews, NC www.saathee.com/vallabh-pushti-vpsc

Greensboro

Art of Living (Greensboro) Uncover the strength, peace, and joy at the core of every human being. Courses are oﬀered in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Greensboro which cover breathing techniques to eliminate stress; skills for Saathee.com

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improving relationships; practical wisdom; insight into the laws that govern the emotions; low-impact yoga and the breathingbased technique called Sudarshan Kriya, or the healing breath. For Further Details: Sonal Chhawchharia - sonal.chhawchharia@gmail.com Puja Verma - puja_usa@yahoo.com www.artoﬂiving.org/us-en/greensboro

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Greensboro Features Sunday Sabhas: Shishu (Toddlers) sabha: 4 - 5pm; Bal/Balika sabha: 4:15 - 5:30pm; Kishore sabha: 2 - 3:30pm; Main sabha: 4 - 6pm; Gujarati classes: 2:30 - 3:45pm and Arti at 6pm followed by Mahaprasad. Fresh Shayona snacks available on Sundays. For Further Details: 336.355.9798 bapsgreensboro@gmail.com 922 Gallimore Dairy Road, High Point, NC www.baps.org/Greensboro

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. For Further Details: Janak Patel - 919.799.1603 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC www.gcap.us

India Association of the Triad (IATNC) Promotes social, cultural and educational interests, develops understanding between members of the Indian community and other residents of the Triad area, and make the latter aware of issues of concern to the Indian community. For Further Details: committee@iatnc.org www.iatnc.org

Indian Association of the Carolinas (IAC) IAC promotes Indian culture by hosting community events, Diwali and Garba and similar celebration and sports events. Their Center is located in Winston-Salem. For Further Details: Gopal - 336.509.5943 Hasmukh - 336.971.5594 (Membership Help) indianac14@gmail.com www.indianac.org

Indo-American Society of NC (IASNC) Supports Indian and South Asian communities in Greensboro, NC and vicinity and other individuals interested in learning the culture, traditions, and arts of India. Speciﬁcally, IASNC promotes Indo-American cultural, arts and sports events and also schoolbased volunteering activities. For Further Details: Krishna Balu - balu4428@inﬁonline.net - 336.292.9462 www.iasofnc.org

Indo-US Cultural Association of Winston-Salem Increase awareness of the cultural heritage of India which is tremendously rich in its diversity and history. Association seeks to reach out to the Indian-American community within the Piedmont and Triad areas to share the vibrant Indian culture and promote cross-cultural understanding. March 2020

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Community Organizations For Further Details: indouswinston@gmail.com 336.575.5348 www.indouswinston.org

Life Mission, USA This ashram has been established to provide physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beneﬁts. All these beneﬁts can be achieved through the natural remedies of yoga therapy, Ayurveda, naturopathy and diet. For Further Details: 336.421.0690 Dr. Manoj - 848.459.7401 lifemissionusa@gmail.com 8136 NC Highway 119, South Mebane, NC www.lifemissionusa.org Sri Mata Hindu Temple of North Carolina Working to meet the community’s religious, spiritual, and cultural Needs. Panchayatana Puja is the system of worship in the Smarta Sampradaya of Hinduism. It is said to have been introduced by Sri Adi Shankara. Weekdays: 6:30 - 7:30pm; Sat & Sun: 10:30am 12:30pm. For Further Details 336.LOK.MATA (565.6282) info@matahindutemple.org 8535 Lasater Road, Clemmons, NC www.matahindutemple.org

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center (Greensboro) The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center regularly conducts Sai Bhajans, Study Circles, various service activities and SSE classes (for students) every Sunday from 9:45am - 12:15pm. For Further Details: Swami Rajendran - 908.875.6964 Dr. Varatharajah - 336.851.9150 www.sathyasaicentergso.org

Winston-Greensboro Cricket Club (WGCC) Everyone from Triad Area in NC are welcome. The goals are fun, ﬁtness, and friendship. WGCC is also a member of the Carolina Cricket League. Practice Sessions during the regular season are held every Wednesday at 5:30pm in Weston Park, Winston-Salem. For Further Details: www.wgcricketclub.com

Raleigh

AABAJ (American Association of Bihar and Jharkhand) Organized to bring together the Indian diaspora connected with Bihar and Jharkhand. AABAJ celebrates Holi, Diwali, Chatth and other festivities while promoting and sensitizing the unique culture, music and cuisine from Bihar and Jharkhand. Also conducts Yoga and Art classes, and provides learning opportunities for the next generation. For Further Details: Pragyan Shrivas 919.371.2800 Samarendra Kishore 919.438.0009 aabajmail@gmail.com Art of Living (Raleigh) Art of Living gives practical knowledge and techniques to unlock Saathee.com

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deepest potential and bring fullness to life. The techniques are effective in reducing stress and increase health, physical energy, enthusiasm, self-esteem, and clarity of mind. Advance courses are also available. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar’s mission is to create a stress-free society. For Further Details: 919.659.5939 rdu@us.artofliving.org 4000 Bear Cat Way, Suite 102, Morrisville, NC www.artofliving.org/us-en/raleigh

Assamese Association of North Carolina AANC promotes understanding of Assamese culture and language. AANC celebrates festivals and organizes cultural activities like Bihu Dance, music, songs and social events with Assamese culture. Everyone from Assam as well as anyone with any connection to or interest in Assamese culture are welcome. For Further Details: Nilaskhi Phukan - 919.949.1618 - nilakshi_phukan@yahoo.com 919.200.4020 assameseassociation.nc@gmail.com

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Raleigh) Dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selﬂess service. Daily Arti - 7am & 6:30 pm; Weekly Satsang Sabha held every Sunday which includes Bhajans and spiritual discourses: Adults: 4pm, Young Men (Ages 23-36) - 3pm, Young Women (Ages 23-36) - 4pm, Teens - 4:30pm, and Children - 5pm. For Further Details: 1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC www.saathee.com/baps-shri-swaminarayan-mandir-morrisvillenc

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 Indian-American community within North Carolina and adjacent states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes. For Further Details: exec@banc-online.org www.banc-online.org

Bhaktidham Raleigh This is a Pushtimargiya community and cultural center. The seva and bhakti of Pushtimarg Manorathas are conducted, dedicated and oﬀered to Thakorji based on the path and teachings of â€œShree Jagadguru Shri Vallabhacharya”. The center is blessed by H.H. Shree Dwarkeshlalji Mahoday Shree (Kadi Amdavad). For Further Details: 919.610.4194/ 919.622.1126 Info@pushtimargrtp.com www.pvsr.org

Bhartiya Senior Citizens of NC (BSCNC) The organization for seniors of Indian origin that are age 60 years and over. Members meet on 2nd Sat of each month at Cary senior center in Bond park in Cary NC from 10 am to 3 pm. The next meeting will be on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Holi will be celebrated. For Further Details: amidhara19@yahoo.com March 2020

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Community Organizations Chinmaya Mission Raleigh-Durham (CM RDU) Founded by Swami Chinmayananda and dedicated to spreading the knowledge of Vedanta and other Hindu scriptures and to provide individuals with the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness. CM RDU conducts weekly discourses (Satsanga-s) and study groups for adults, and classes for youth (Yuvakendra) and children (Bala Vihar). For Further Details: www.chinmaya-RDU.org

Dada Bhagwan Foundation (Raleigh) Every living being seeks happiness. This search ends only when the source of eternal happiness is found. It can be attained through realizing your true Self. A path to eternal happiness was discovered by Gnani Purush A. M. Patel, also known as Dada Bhagwan and revealed to the world as Akram Vignan, a spiritual science. This is based on the foundation of Self Realization. Satsangs at HSNC, Sat 5 - 7pm, followed by Aarti and Prasad. For Further Details: 877.505.3232 x 1003 wcraleigh@us.dadabhagwan.org 309 Aviation Pkwy, Rooms 5 & 6, Morrisville, NC www.dadabhagwan.org

Datta Yoga Center (Raleigh) Spreads the teachings of Sadguru Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji. Activities: Namasankeertana - Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Kriya yoga classes conducted by trained teachers from India. The group meets on the ﬁrst Sat of every month and every major festival for Satsang and Namasankeertana (divine singing). For Further Details: Suresh and Madhavi Kota - 919.434.1604 www.dycusa.org

EKTAA Student Organization (NCSU) EKTAA (meaning unity) is the South Asian Student Organization at NC State. The motto is “unity within diversity.” EKTAA strives to spread culture and heritage of South Asia on campus as well as the local community and works hand-in-hand with many organizations on and oﬀ the NCSU campus, as well as South Asian organizations from area universities. For Further Details: ektaaexec@ektaa.org / www.ektaa.org

Geet Bazaar Radio (NCSU) Sundays from 10am - 12pm on WKNC 88.1 FM, join hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell, for a variety of music from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and beyond. They specialize in the music of the Indian ﬁlm industry including ghazals, qawwalis, bhajans, and Indi-Pop. Listen worldwide using the NC State Student Media App or live streaming on wknc.org. For Further Details: Dr. Afroz Taj & John Caldwell - 919.851.1119 geetbazaar@wknc.org

GEM Raleigh Church of God Come and join in every Sunday from 10:45am to 1pm. They have worship services, prayer meetings, Sunday school. For Further Details: Pastor Thankachan Mathai - 919.395.6208 globalem@gmail.com 3331 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC Saathee.com

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Gokul Bhajan & Vedic Studies (Raleigh) Weekly satsang singing bhajans and glorifying Lord Krishna are held Fridays 7pm - 9pm at the HSNC in Morrisville, NC with a dinner afterwards. Gokulam Learning Center in Durham every 1st & 3rd Saturday from 5pm - 9pm. Children learn slokas, skills, manage and lead projects such as book distribution, charity for cow protection, food for the poor, and prison seva. For Further Details: bkdasa@gmail.com 919.491.9536 / www.gokulbhajan.com

Gurdwara Atlantic Coast Sikh Association Meets Sundays for Diwans along with Akhand Paths celebrated on appropriate dates. Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time. For Further Details: Yadvinder Singh - 919.477.7035 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC acsikhassociation.org

Heartfulness Meditation (Triangle) A heart-based system centered on the supremacy of heart that helps one realize the ultimate potential within oneself. Regular practice under capable guidance enables aspirants to progressively experience the sublime presence of the divine in their daily lives. It is oﬀered free through Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In the Triangle, group meditations are held Sun at 8:30am & Wed at 7pm. For Further Details: Raj Solanki - raj_solanki@yahoo.com www.heartfulness.org

Heritage India Association of NC (HIANC) HIANC provides Indian cultural experience through performing and cultural arts, ﬁne arts & crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.” HIANC presents several annual events such as Heritage India Festival in April, Gandhi Jayanti in October, Children’s Day in November, and participates in the International Festival of Raleigh in October. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/heritage-india-association

Hindi Vikas Mandal of NC The Mandal, based in the Raleigh-Triangle area, promotes study and appreciation of Hindi and strives to foster Indian culture and traditions through Hindi. HVM has special focus on the youth for the preservation of heritage. Every year HVM organizes Kavisammelan (Poetry Reading) and a members’ picnic. Conducts Hindi classes (10:30 - 11:30am on Saturdays) at HSNC for children. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/hindi-vikas-mandal

Hindu Society of North Carolina The temple is open daily from 7am - 9pm. Morning Aarti: Mon-Fri 10.30am, Sat-Sun 10am. Evening Aarti: Mon-Fri 7pm, Sat-Sun 6pm. All major religious celebrations are observed. Facility rentals are also available. Activities: Yoga, Hinduism and Meditation classes; Weekend Community Classes: Jain pathshala, Hindi classes, Sanskar Gurkul Classes, Tamil classes, Balmukund classes; Ohm Squad is the youth wing of HSNC involved in the youth activities like camp, games, and arts. For Further Details: 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC www.saathee.com/hsnc March 2020

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Community Organizations HumSub HumSub is dedicated to sharing the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research Triangle Park and North Carolina. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/hum-sub

Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is dedicated to promoting Indian classical music and dance in the Triangle area by inviting top artists from all over the world to perform. Upcoming Events: March 28: Local talent show April 5: Timeless Ragas, modern instruments For Further Details: www.saathee.com/icmds

International Community Church ICC is a worship center for people from India and neighboring countries. Church services at Reedy Creek Baptist Church. For Further Details: 919.233.2900 Pastor: Joseph B. Jesudason 1524 N. Harrison Avenue Cary, NC www.icc-nc.org

International Hindi Association IHA promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States. The Raleigh Chapter periodically organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry. For Further Details: Saroj Sharma - 919.460.7830 / 919.656.5224 www.hindi.org

Kiran, Inc. Kiran serves and empowers South Asian victims of domestic violence in NC by helping them rebuild their lives and ending the cycle of violence. Although domestic violence is rarely talked about, it is a rampant and preventable public health problem. Kiran promotes healthy family relationships and raises awareness on the prevalence of domestic violence through outreach and advocacy. Core services comprise of a 24-hour free and conﬁdential hotline, crisis counseling, legal advocacy, translation assistance, resource referrals, and skills development. For Further Details: www.kiraninc.org 24 hours Crisis line: 877.625.4726 kiran@kiraninc.org Oﬃce: 919.831.4203

Krishnadham USA The mission is to foster richness of Hindu heritage in children and to provide experiences on cultural values to visitors and residents alike under the guidance of Vaishnavacharya Shri Dwarkeshlalji Mahoday. Satsangs and monthly manoraths celebrate various Pushtimargiya festivals. They meet at 4000 Bearcat Way, Suite 102 in Morrisville, NC on Sat from 5:30pm to 7:00pm for Satsang. For Further Details: Hemant Sura - 919.608.2412 krishnadham.nc@gmail.com 795 Beaver Creek Road in Apex, North Carolina Saathee.com

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North Carolina Tamil Christian Fellowship The Tamil Christian Fellowship meets in Morrisville/Cary/Apex, North Carolina twice a month for worship, study and prayer. For Further Details: 919.747.4115 (Prasanth) nctamilchristian@gmail.com

Pratham - Triangle Area Pratham works towards universalizing primary education in India. It continues to evolve, grow and works to meet the continually changing needs of the children it educates. The NC 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.” For Further Details: Sri Rajgopalan - rajagoph@yahoo.com Ravi Sundarajan- ravisrajan@yahoo.com www.prathamusa.org

Radha Krishna Temple of NC Organizes keertans/chantings, havan, pooja, abshik, bhog, aratis, and all-day festivities. For Further Details: 919.685.0447 or 919.306.3175 635 Hollands Chapel Road, Apex NC

Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of NC The Society draws inspiration from the philosophical wisdom of the Vedanta as practiced and preached in the modern day by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Practical Vedanta and the message of the harmony of religions and the spiritual oneness are studied. For Further Details: 919.412.8304 vedantanc@gmail.com 3109 Globe Road Morrisville, NC www.vedantanc.org

RTP Maharashtra Mandal The goal of the Mandal is to advocate the vibrant culture, the rich heritage and the language of Maharashtra. The Mandal is dedicated to showcase the cultural, social and traditional attributes of Maharashtra to the local community through variety of programs and events such as Makar Sankrant, Shiv Jayanti, Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Festival and Diwali. For Further Details: mail@rtpmm.org www.rtpmm.org

RTP Tamil Catholic Association Formed by Catholics hailing from Tamil Nadu, the objectives are to support Tamil Catholics in worship through regular Roman Catholic mass and prayer, celebration of religious feasts and festivals and to pass on this tradition to future generations. Also active with religious instructions in Tamil, support for Tamil heritage and charitable causes. Meets the 3rd Sunday every month at St. Lourdes Matha Church to recite the rosary and celebrate the holy mass. For Further Details: rtptamilcatholic@gmail.com 1400 Vision Drive, Apex, NC www.rtptamilcatholic.org March 2020

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Community Organizations Sahaja Meditation Meetings, seminars and workshops are available in Raleigh. There is never a charge for Sahaja Meditation instruction. RSVP in meetup: Sahaja-Meditation-Triangle-Group Thursdays at 7:30pm. For Further Details: balaram.krishna@gmail.com 919.757.3135 / www.sahajamediation.com

Sewa RTP Sewa RTP, a chapter of Sewa International, organizes activities ranging from local community service to fundraisers for developmental projects in India. Sewa RTP has following activities on monthly basis: Sewa Day, Workshops / Seminars, Assisting Community in Emergency situations, Chapter Meetings - 3rd Thursday of every month. For Further Details: www.sewausa.org/chapter/raleigh/raleigh-overview Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple (ISSO) ISSO’s objective is to advance the Sanatan Dharma in accordance with the principles and teachings of the Original Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya. A weekly “Satsang Sabha” is held every Saturday (5-8pm), which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad. Open daily 8am to 12pm and 4pm to 9pm; Daily Sandhya Aarti: 7pm. For Further Details: 500 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC www.saathee.com/issonc

Sky Meditation and Kaya Kalpa Yoga Beneﬁts include longevity, wellness and stress management. The group holds weekly group meditation and Simpliﬁed Physical Exercises every Friday. SKY Meditation initiation and SKY Kaya Kalpa Yoga Courses are held several times a year. For Further Details: Rajendran Kailasam - 919.824.8429 sky.cary@yahoo.com www.vethathiri.edu.in

South Indian Fine Arts Academy (SIFAA) SIFAA works to arrange and promote concerts and performances in the Triangle and Triad areas, concentrating on Carnatic music. For Further Details: sifaa.music@gmail.com www.sifaa.org

Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mandir of NC The Mandir promotes Sai philosophy and facilitates worship and services similar to Shirdi SaiBaba Temple, located in Shirdi-India. This organization is dedicated to sponsoring and supporting religious, spiritual, cultural, educational and charitable activities in the US and abroad. For Further Details: 919.386.1085 info@shirdisaimandirnc.org 1150 NW Maynard Road, Cary, NC www.shirdisaimandirnc.org

Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Temple (Durham) The temple is open daily with puja services, along with celebrations of religious festivals and other events. For Further Details: 984.888.5306 Saathee.com

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410 North Carolina 55 STE D & C, Durham, NC ssvpriestservices@gmail.com www.srisiddhivinayakatemple.org.

SV Temple of North Carolina The temple, a tribute to Lord Venkateswara and his consorts, is designed to exacting standards of shilpa shasthra and features the only shrine in N. 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. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/sv-temple-nc

Tamil Cultural Association of North Carolina (TCA NC) TCA NC was formed for the purpose of providing youths with exposure to Tamil culture. Everyone is invited to join TCA and become part of the organization promoting Tamil culture in the Triangle area. For Further Details: tca_nc@yahoo.com www.tcanc.org

Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) TATA is committed to building a vibrant Telugu Community and promoting Telugu culture and language in the Triangle area of North Carolina. For Further Details: www.triangletelugu.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 Hindi-speaking music fans all around the globe. For Further Details: Ishtiaquem@gmail.com www.tbsnc.org

Triangle Gujarati Association (TGA) TGA’s mission is to promote and serve Gujarati culture in the Triangle area by organizing various events and programs throughout the year and impart Gujarati culture and language on the youth. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/triangle-gujarati-association

Triangle Vegetarian Society (TVS) The mission of TVS is to build a sense of community between current vegetarians and those interested in vegetarianism and have a forum for a discussion of issues. TVS was formed promote the nutritional, ethical, environmental, and other aspects of vegetarianism. Build a sense of community among people of varying interests in plant-based diets, encouraging healthy and sustainable. For Further Details: barman@cs.unc.edu www.trianglevegsociety.org

Triangle Vipassana Meditation Vipassana, which means to see things as they are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques. Group sittings are held every Saturday and are only meant for students who have completed 10-day Vipassana course as taught by S N Goenka. March 2020

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Highland Creek: 704-625-6366 10018 Benﬁeld Rd. Charlotte, NC 28269

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March 2020

Community Organizations For Further Details on vipassana meditation: Hitesh & Vaibhavi Parekh - 732.213.9660 / 919.601.3555 carync.sittings@gmail.com www.dhamma.org

Vaishnav Samaj of Triangle Area A group of like-minded devotees who meet for religious worship and understand Pushti Marg Principles at large. Bhajan recitations are held 2nd Sunday of the month from 4-6pm and Seniors are requested to encourage youngsters to participate. For Further Details: Arvindbhai Shah - 919.233.7677 Vithalbhai Shah - 919.803.9027

Vraj Education Raleigh Kendra The Kendra is conductis weekly teaching of Hinduism and Pushtibhakti Marg backed by Vraj Temple Pennsylvania. Raleigh Vaishnav children get an opportunity to recognize, learn, and exercise Pushtimarg guidelines and leverage rich Shri Vallabh Mahaprabhuji heritage to improve lives. For Further Details: vraj.raleigh@gmail.com www.facebook.com/VrajEducationCenter/ Won Buddhism Meditation Temple A modern, simpliﬁed expression of Buddhism that stresses equality between the sexes, the ordained and laity and teaches practical spirituality of mind and body. Join on Saturdays and Sundays from 10-11:30am for meditation, chanting, Qi-gong exercise and practical dharma talks. The primary teacher is Rev. Wow-Gong. For More Details: 919.933.6946 ncwonbuddhism@gmail.com 8021 Old NC 86, Chapel Hill, NC www.WonBuddhismNC.org

Regional

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India Ekal was established to help in the development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, and economic freedom. The Carolinas Region of the EVFI USA conducts fundraising and awareness programs in Raleigh & Columbia. For Further Details: Southeast Regional President: Chander M. Aggarwal - cmaggarwal44@gmail.com - 407.454.3739 Carolinas Regional President: Janak Dalal - jaydalalcolumbia@gmail.com - 803.665.4050

Hindu Society of Eastern NC (Greenville, NC) The temple celebrates major festivals and holds regular bhajan seesions and Geeta study. Upcoming Events: Jan 26: New Year’s Havan For Further Details: Temple - 252.752.2670 Dharam Vasnani: 252.413.8181 Hindutemplenc@gmail.com Saathee.com

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ISKCON Temple of the Holy Name in Prabhupada Village The Temple, situated in a peaceful, rural area, is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Come and take darshan of Sri Sri Parama Karuna Nitai Gaurasundara from 5am-7:30pm, 7 days a week and special program held every Sunday at 3pm with arati and kirtan, bhajans, discourse on the Gita. Festivals are celebrated year-round. For Further Details: 336.593.2322 tothn@iskconpv.org 1283 Prabhupada Rd. Sandy Ridge, NC www.iskconpv.org

Nithyananda Sangha NC (Inner Awakening) Inner Awakening works to spread the knowledge of Yoga and meditation by letting people experience the teachings of Vedic Science in its purest form delivered by the enlightened master Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda. This chapter is part of a worldwide movement for meditation and healing. Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a leader in the science of enlightenment and the author of more than 300 books published in 27 languages. For Further Details: 704.766.1420 / 704.992.6114 innerawakening.org nithyananda.org

Nuv Yug Nuv Yug is a cultural organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and heritage while striving to create synergy among various cultural groups from the South Asian region. For Further Details: www.saathee.com/nuv-yug

Prabhupada Village A rural, devotional community, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Inspiration and guidance is derived from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Following his personal example, spiritual values in order to achieve true happiness, prosperity and spiritual fulﬁllment are taught. Serving Hindu communities, visiting homes for fellowship, worship, scriptural study, and kirtan. Also facilitate spiritual festivals, Bhagavad-gita discussions, and vegetarian cooking. For Further Details: 336.593.8108 or 336.593.3031 sarvadrik@gmail.com www.prabhupadavillage.com

Sacred River Cow Sanctuary The sanctuary is a goshala in the foothills near Iskcon’s Temple of the Holy Name. Connect with nature, discover the joy of cow seva, and introduce your children to the importance of cows in Vedic culture. To arrange a visit or Pooja, call 336.339.3070. For Further Details: Find Sacred River Cow Sanctuary on Facebook.

Sri Somesvara Temple (Asheville) The temple is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC. It is a Vedic Shiva temple at the center of Mount Soma, a community commonly referred to as “Mount Kailash of the West.” People travel great distances to experience Sri Somesvara’s March 2020

Buy Right

continued from page 64

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consider 1972’s Pong to be the ﬁrst commercially successful game. What a wild ride we’ve been on as we’ve shifted from two small rectangles of light hitting a tiny slip back and forth to photorealistic adventure games with only our own imagination holding us back.

Threatened by a girl The biggest problem that I personally face is that whole misconception that “Girls don’t play video games” or if they do, they don’t play them as well. A girl is only there to impress a guy or that she is simply his “arm candy” and doesn’t really care about the game itself. Trust me. I’ve never been “arm candy” and never will be. When I was watching others play the games in the arcade as a kid, I did it so I could not simply enjoy the game from afar but also learn how the game is played. There are still those guys who feel threatened by a girl being better than them at a game, and often toss harsh comments out there. You have to develop a tough skin learn to brush the negative away. Gaming keeps your mind focused, and it can also influence someone’s interest in the STEM fields. If more girls would play video games, then they may become more involved with engineering and computer science down the road. Honestly we need to encourage more women to study fields of technology, and having them learn about games is a perfect stepping stone. I actually learned how to do computer code, graphic design, and 3D design because I wanted to work in game design. I even owned an online business for five years where I made digital products, and this was akin to logging into a game.

Games have become more appealing You also have to realize that not all gamers are kids anymore either. Almost all of my fellow gamer friends are 35 and older, and the male/female/other gender split is just about even. While women have made a lot of strides to being more accepted in the gamer genre, I feel that some game developers still think that their core audience is 18-35 year-old heterosexual males. However, as society shifts and the overall gamer demographic changes, the games have to evolve along with them. Fortunately there has been a lot more female involvement as of late in both development and the player base. Therefore games have had to become more appealing to a wider audience. We’ve seen more games recently with intelligent female protagonists who are are not in a scantily clad outﬁt.

Let’s enjoy it together I’m not ashamed to be a woman who happens to like games. I’d rather be seen as a good player rather than “Wait, you’re a girl? No way!” Honestly the term, “girl gamer” should probably fade away into obscurity and instead we simply appreciate people in the gaming world as we should anywhere else… with no judgement of color, religion, lifestyle or gender. We all just happen to enjoy one particular thing… so let’s enjoy it together. I ﬁnd it amusing to this day when my dad calls and jokes, “Did I catch you on the computer?” My path to becoming a gamer was his own doing, and I think secretly he realizes it. Gaming has helped make me who I am, and I will never be ashamed of that. Now, who has a quarter? I’ve got next. 113

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Community Organizations between 8:30am to 1pm and 5pm to 8:30pm. Bal Gokulam (Sunday School) classes are held Sundays from 10:30am to 12 noon. Classes are designed to help children build physical, mental, cultural, social & spiritual lives. For Further Details: 803.772.6940 5704 Kiawah Road, Columbia, SC www.hindutemplesc.org

powerful Linga, profound silence, and timeless vibrations. The temple is open every day from 9:30am to 6:30pm. Aarti is at 6pm. For Further Details: 828.476.4073 www.srisomesvara.org

South Carolina

American South Asian Cultural Association of Columbia, SC The goal is to increase cultural awareness and develop cultural understanding among American South Asian Community in Columbia, SC area. A lunch meeting will be held on the second Sunday every month between 1 - 2:30pm. For Further Details: 803.233.7042 / 512.547.7077 (Evenings) 1728 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC

Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) A temple and monastery oﬀering teachings of the Buddha, primarily by bringing Theravada Buddhist nuns and monks to Greenville. “Theravada” refers to the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism, the highly traditional school found in countries such as Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. The meditation is on Mon & Thur from 6- 8pm & for women only on Friday 9- 10am. Sutta discussion on Sat from 2-4pm. For Further Details: 864.329.9961 greenvillebv@gmail.com 113 Woodridge Circle, Greenville, SC www.carolinabuddhist.net

India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) IAGC was incorporated when the residents of Indian origin in Charleston felt the need to organize a community of people who were interested in the culture and heritage of India and share the profound beauty of this culture with others. Events are organized through the year including picnics. For Further Details: Omi Hasija (Chairperson) - 843.766.4661 iagcchs@gmail.com www.indiaassociationofgreatercharleston.com

Kannada Association of Greater Greenville (KAGG) An organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of Kannada culture in the area. KAGG is a primarily run by volunteers and invites Kannadigas living in and around Greenville area to participate in the organization. Kannada classes for children are also conducted. For Further Details: 864.430.4973 kaggculturalcommittee@gmail.com www.kagg-sc.org

Dada Bhagwan Foundation (Columbia) Every living being is in pursuit of happiness; no one likes suﬀering. This search ends only when the source of eternal happiness is found. It can be attained through realizing your true Self. A path to eternal happiness was discovered by Gnani Purush A. M. Patel, also known as Dada Bhagwan and it was revealed to the world as Akram Vignan, a spiritual science. This is based on the foundation of Self Realization. Weekly satsang held Every Sat 5- 7pm with Q & A sessions, aarti, and Mahaprasad. For Further Details: 877.505.3232 x 1035 wccolumbia@us.dadabhagwan.org Regency Inn 1335 Garner Lane, Columbia, SC www.dadabhagwan.org

Hindu Society of Greater Spartanburg Satsangs are held from 5-7pm on the second Sunday of each month. The Society also celebrates religious and social festivals based on the Hindu calendar. Though the Balvihar does not meet on a regular basis, the temple is quite active in sponsoring children’s programs, such as Rangoli classes and classical and contemporary dance classes. For Further Details: 864.599.7048 1130 Fairview Church Road in Spartanburg, SC pluralism.org/proﬁle/hindu-society-of-greater-spartanburg/

Hindu Temple and Center (Columbia, SC) The temple is open on weekdays between 8:30am to 12 noon and between 5pm and 8:30pm. On weekends, the temple is open Saathee.com

Spartanburg Buddhist Center of SC The Center’s resident monks seek to preserve Theravada Buddhist traditions and welcomes all interested in Buddhism, Southeast Asian culture, or meditation. A regular English-speaking group meets at 6pm on Thursdays for meditation, a brief Dhamma talk, and short discussions. For Further Details: 864.327.8726 770 Bryant Road, Spartanburg, SC www.facebook.com/spartanburgbuddhist2012

Telugu Association of Greater Greenville TAGG is devoted to the awareness and promotion of Telugu Culture in the Greenville Area. The association caters to the cultural and social needs. TAGG organizes events to celebrate major festivals and organizes a picnic during the summer as scheduled activities. In addition, TAGG screens choice Telugu ﬁlms throughout the year and organizes special cultural events. For Further Details: www.taggsc.org

Vedic Center of Greenville Daily Aarti is conducted Mon - Fri at 8pm. Bal Vihar classes are conducted Sundays from 11:15am - 12:30pm. Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Saturday of each month at 9am. Temple is open from 9 to noon and from 5 to 9 pm daily. Various religious services are oﬀered. For Further Details: President: Janak Desai - 864.884.5183 520 Bethel Road, Mauldin, SC www.vediccenterofgreenville.org 114

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ERB IND IA

ISIN

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Tel: 704.542.3933 Established 1989

Youth Corner

Who wants to be a Scholar?!

Word World

Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Letters cannot be used more than once per word. Use all letters for the subject word (underlined in solutions below) 11+ words = Excellent; 8 to 10 words = Good; 7 or less = keep looking. Words we found are in solutions below.

Brain-Train:

Y=Name of State

6. The area of an eclipse with minor axis = 4ft. and major axis = 7 ft. is approximately (a) 18 Sq. feet (b) 20 Sq. feet (c) 22 Sq. feet (d) 24 Sq. feet

A. Alaska B. Florida C. Utah D. South Carolina E. North Carolina F. Georgia G. Texas H. Tennessee I. Nevada J. New Mexico

Run Rabbit Run

7. Use of math and computers to understand chemical behavior is this branch of chemistry. (a) Inorganic (b) Analytical (c) Physical (d) Theoretical 8. Super Bowl 2020 winner (a) Panthers (b) Forty Niners (c) Chiefs (d) Patriots

On a strong windy day, a rabbit was frightened after hearing sounds made by the wind. He ran and hid in a hole of a big tree. Suddenly he heard another loud thud near him. He got scared, jumped out and ran into the jungle. On the way he met a deer who asked him, “Why are you running?” The rabbit replied, “Did you not hear the sound? The sky has fallen down.” The deer then started running with him. Soon they met a zebra, who joined the pair once he heard what happened. Soon they were accompanied by a giraﬀe, a jackal, a fox, a wolf and many more animals. A lion heard all the noise and came out of his den to ask, “What is the matter?” All of the animals said in unison, “The rabbit said that the sky has fallen down.” The lion asked the rabbit, “Can you show me the place?” And so the rabbit led all the animals to the tree and found a big fruit lying on the ground. The lion said, “This is the portion of the sky that has fallen down.” Suddenly, all of the animals were ashamed of their juvenile behavior and the rabbit snuck away to disappear into the forest. Moral: Think before you act. Herd mentality can lead to chaos. Saathee.com

9. The birth stone, if you are born in March is (a) Aquamarine (b) Amethyst (c) Gamete (d) Diamond

Scholar: All correct; 1st Class: 9 Correct; 2nd Class: 8 Correct; 3rd Class: 7 Correct; Need to improve: 6 or less

Word World (Solution): DEIL, DELI, DHULETI, DIET, DILUTE, DUEL, DUET, EDIT, HELD, HIDE, HIED, HUED, IDLE, LIED, LUDE, THUD, TIDE, TIED, TILDE

1. Yadkin 2. Edisto 3. Oconee 4. Duck 5. Pecos 6. St. Johns 7. Tanana 8. Guadalupe 9. Bear 10. Humbold

4. “Equal volumes of all gases contain same number of molecules at the same temp. and pressure.” is the law of (a) Ohm (b) Pythagoras (c) Periodic (d) Avogadro

5. Uranus has ___ known moons. (a) 14 (b) 27 (c) 53 (d) 79

Here is simple quiz. See if you can solve. No peeking! Compare (Columns X & Y) and Pair.

X = River

3. How many US states start with the letter M? (a) 8 (b) 7 (c) 6 (d) 5

Brain Train 1-E, 2-D, 3-F, 4-H, 5-J, 6-B, 7-A, 8-G, 9-C, 10-I

2. Amitabh Bachchan sang a Holi song in the film (b) Silsila (a) Don (c) Hum (d) Sholay

4.d

1. Arrange these chemical substances according to their low to high boiling points. (a) Chloroform (b) Glycerol (c) Water (d) Sulphuric acid

3.a

Answer the ones you know and research to answer the rest. There is only one correct answer.

Scholar Answers: 1.a, c, b, d 2.b 5.b 6.c 7.d 8.c 9.a 10.c

By Kirit Shukla

116

March 2020

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117

March 2020

Pop’s Puzzles & Jokes By Kirit Shukla

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase Clues Across:

1. Georgia Power’s nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, GA. 6. The art of producing illusions by sleight of hand. 11. The orange Muppet character of sesame street. 12. To free from moisture by exposure to the air. 13. New York. (*) 14. A day celebrated on next day of Holi. (March 10, 2020) 16. A bald head. (Slang) 18. North Carolina Nurses Association. (*) 19. Alabama. (*) 20. Beer with a bitter ﬂavor and higher alcoholic content. 21. Frozen water. 23. Sindhi new year; Zulelal Jayanti. (March 25, 2020) 25. Enclosed in a protective covering. 26. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice. 28. The Sun rises in the ___. 30. The hearing organs. 33. Hectare. (*) 34. “—’s Puzzles and jokes”, Saathee. 36. To equal in meaning. 37. Member of Parliament. 38. A monetary subunit of the krona (Sweden) and krone. 40. A type of ritual puriﬁcation in Islamic procedure. 42. A man of rank or position. 43. A waxy secretion on the leaves of the eucalyptus trees. 45. Malaysian spicy fruit salad. 47. The attribution of the ideal characteristics. Saathee.com

Clues Down: 1. A whitefish native to the lakes of Scotland and England. 2. A city of Russia in Europe on the Oka River S of Moscow. 3. Guinea. (*) 4. The alternate rising & falling of the surface of the ocean. 5. A town on the Sindhu river of India in eastern Kashmir. 6. Yao languages spoken by the Yao people of China, Laos. 7. A city in northwestern Greece, a part of Epirus region. 8. Gross Domestic Income. (*) (Economics) 9. Iran. (ISO Country code). 10. Rode a bicycle. 12. A commander of a castle, as among Portuguese. 15. An old British gold 20-shilling piece issued first in 1604. 17. A holy city in western Saudi Arabia. 19. A skin disorder caused by inflammation; pimples. 21. To convey as a gift. 22. Integrated Access Devices. (*) 24. A door fastener, a hinged metal strap secured by a lock. 25. A rabbit. 27. Closely resembled. 31. The capital of Nigeria. 32. The area along the waterfront edge of a pier or wharf. 33. The Hindu festival of throwing colors. (March 19, 2020). 35. A puffy fried wheat cake of India. 37. Michigan. (*) 39. Before. 41. Dozen. 42. One of a pair of narrow wooden, metal or plastic strips used for gliding over snow. 44. Pennsylvania. (*). 46. A monetary subunit of the kip. (Puzzle solutions are on page 120. NO peeking!)

Hee Hee

Jokes From Around The World

Desi barber commented: “Your hair needs cutting badly.” Mafatlal seating on the chair: “It does not. It needs cutting nicely. You cut it badly last time.” ••••••••••••••

Booddhoo was being tested for a job as a cop. Examiner: “If you were by yourself in a police car and were pursued by gangsters in another car going at seventy miles / hour on a lonely road, what would you do?” Booddhoo: “Eighty.” •••••••••••••• Mafatlal gave a dollar to a homeless man and advised: “Now spend this money on food. Don’t waste it on junk.” The man grumbled: “Do I tell you how to spend your money?” 118

March 2020

Word Find (Created By Kirit Shukla)

Find & circle the words in the puzzle. (Subject: “Nautical Expression”)

Math Magic Use these numbers only once: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9) in empty squares, to get = the final given answers. Note: Follow the order of operation per basic math rule: ×,÷, +, The multiplication or division is done before addition and subtraction. (solution on page 120)

BASE BEAM BILGE BUNKER CANVAS CORE DEADEYE DECK END GALLEY GUNNEL HELM HEMP ISLAND KEDGE MARTINGALE

ON PORT PUMPS REST RIDE ROBAND RUDDER SCUTTLE SEA SHEAVE STANCHION STATEROOM STRAKE TE TIMBER WHISKERS

All leters are used.

EZ-BZ

TEST YOUR IQ The common letters are “OJ” - Fill in the blanks) 1. A lepton having 200 times mass that of an electron.

2. A person highly skilled in music.

3. To give exact information on.

_ UO _

_ _ _ _ UO _ _ _ UO _ _

4. Urinary Output. (*)

UO _

5. A lepton having 3500 x mass that of an electron.

_ _ UO _

6. A bass part written out in full and accompanied by numbers to indicate chords to be played.

7. Finnish name of Finland.

8. Being in actual contact. 9. Pair.

_ _ _ _ _ _ UO _ UO _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ UO _ _ _ UO

10. University Of South Carolina. (*)

UO _ _ _

11. Australian marsupial of a domestic cat size.

_ UO _ _ _

12. A mineral [CaF₂] used as a steelmaking ﬂux..

_ _ UO _

13. The ﬁrst part of the small intestine extending from the pylorus to the jejunum.

14. A language spoken in the Edo State of Nigeria.

_ UO _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ UO

15. The keystone of an arch. 16. University of Guam. (*)

17. Capable of ﬂoating .

18. A distilled alcoholic beverage .

19. An Indo-Chinese people of Tonkin.

20. A compound of ﬂuorine.

21. A select group.

22. Unit Operating Agreement. (*)

_ UO _ _ UO _

_ UO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ UO _ _ UO _ _

_ _ UO _ _ _ _ _ UO _ _ _ UO _

23. A cavity in the cytoplasm of a cell.

_ _ _ UO _ _

25. Redwood.

_ _ _ UO _ _

24. Network Utility Operator. (*)

_ UO

(Puzzle solutions are on page 120. NO peeking!) Kirit Shukla Contact him at kiritsshukla@hotmail.com

Saathee.com

119

March 2020

Festivals & Holidays Spot the Diﬀerences Solutions from page 50

March 2020 Mar. 5 - Āmalaki Ekadashi Mar. 7 - Hazarat Ali Birthday Mar. 8 - International Women’s Day Mar. 8 - Daylight Saving Time Begins Mar. 9 - Holi / Phalguna Shukla Purnima (Full Moon) Mar. 10 - Dhuleti Mar. 10 - Purim Mar. 12 - Hola Mohalla (Sikh) Mar. 17 - St. Patrick’s Day Mar. 19 - Pāpmochini Ekadashi Mar. 19 - Spring Equinox / Mabon Mar. 22 - Lailat al-Miraj Mar. 23 - Somavati Amas (No Moon) Mar. 24 - Ugadi / Gudi Padwā / Chaitra Navaratri Mar. 25 - Cheti Chand / Zulelal Jayanti

1. Lime Removed 2. Logo removed 3. Laundry added 4. Bag Added 5. Cucumber Added 6. Words Removed 7. Sleeve Color Changed 8. Bracelet Removed

April 2020 Apr. 1 - April Fool's Day Apr. 2 - Ram Navami Apr. 4 - Kamadā Ekadashi Apr. 5 - Palm Sunday Apr. 6 - Mahavir Jayanti Apr. 8 - Hanuman Jayanti / Chaitra Purnima (Full Moon) Apr. 9 - Passover Begins Apr. 9 - Theravada New Year Apr. 9 - Lailat al Bara'ah Apr. 10 - Good Friday Apr. 12 - Easter Sunday Apr. 13 - Vaishakhi / Baisakhi Apr. 14 - Shrināthaji Pātotsav Apr. 16 - Passover Ends Apr. 18 - Varuthini Ekadashi Apr. 21 - Yom Ha’Shoah Apr. 22 - Earth Day Apr. 22 - Administrative Professionals Day Apr. 23 - Darsh Amas (No Moon) Apr. 24 - Ramadan Begins Apr. 24 - Arbor Day Apr. 28 - Adi Shankaracharya Jayanti

9. Cabbage Added 10. Bird Added 11. Crate Color changed 12. Logo Added to hat 13. Sunglasses added 14. Carrot added 15. Weight removed

7 9

6 5

Puzzle Solutions from page 118

Math Magic from page 119

Saathee.com

120

March 2020

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March 2020

Astroscope -

March 2020

ARIES (March 21 – April 19) There won’t be any major alterations to your life this month. You’ll waste energy making bad decisions, but luck will favor you as you will realize these mistakes fairly quickly. You may lose faith from spirituality or religion. Try to be quiet and slow down things in your life. Avoid travel, eat healthy and exercise regularly. Control your ego and avoid unnecessary expenses. The second half of the month may be worse than the ﬁrst half of the month.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) You may enjoy ﬁnancial beneﬁts and happiness this month. You will see a rise in your bank balance. Take full advantage of this positive period to gain higher status in your career. However, be sure to check the terms and conditions before accepting any agreement. Avoid traveling. A dispute with a sibling is also possible this month. Remember to move fast as this positive period won’t last long.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) Time will move fast for you, and you’ll spend money to enjoy it. This may disrupt your focus and cause strife. In the last days of the month you may realize your mistake. Over-conﬁdence could be another concern this month. You may experience a slump in your income. Don’t miss any opportunity of investing in real estate. Watch your health and be safe to avoid injuries or accidents.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22) Don’t delay your goals by being stubborn. Things are running faster than you can comprehend. Use your energy cautiously and constructively. Don’t miss an upcoming opportunity as you will regret it otherwise. Remember not to rely on your partner or associates. You must act aggressively to defeat your opponents. Spiritual power may prove to be a very strong support for you. The time is good for spending on entertainment and travel.

LEO (July 23 – August 22) This is the time to slow down and rethink about ways of action. Your destiny may prove to be stronger than you believe. An old health issue may start bothering you again. Caution is your mantra this month. Expenses may get out of control, so don’t make any abrupt decisions. Your child could become a helping hand. Spend more time with family in order to solve an old family issue and enjoy an easier life.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) You will experience unexpected ups and downs in your personal life. If employed, service or working conditions will not be satisfactory. Involvement in familyrelated issues could make you spend money on unwanted activities. You will make mistakes and not blame anybody else. You must remember that the time is negative for you. Watch your health very carefully.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) Even though you will gain a big opportunity, you have to listen to and obey someone else. Don’t insist on elevating your name, but just enjoy the achievement with your family, friends and siblings. Spend some money to celebrate it. You may get distracted from your responsibilities. This is a time to enjoy good luck. The time is favorable for traveling and earning some extra income at the same time.

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) Life will start moving forward in a deﬁnite direction. Your education and study will help you in building a new career. Great support from your partner will delight you. Avoid having an egotistical attitude. Some misunderstandings with family could be there. Don’t rush into any major risks. You may suﬀer a minor health problem. Don’t overstress yourself with an additional work load.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Life will move pretty fast and you won’t be able to keep up. Build your team and ensure that you all work together. You may take on more responsibilities and end up frustrated in the process. Your siblings and friends may be involved in your advancement. Follow their ideology and keep working hard to achieve better success. There is chance for an accident, hence drive very carefully to avoid it. Focus on research related activities.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) A minor setback may disturb your long-term projects. Try to discipline yourself as you are capable of losing your moral power. If you’re not careful, this might hurt your reputation. Don’t make any major decisions this month. There is danger of a major dispute with your partner. The month will start with some good news and then by the middle of second week, you will lose control over the situation. Slow down and take it easy.

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) You are likely to face several awkward situations this month. As a result of this you may be unlikely to bend and worsen your environment on account of your arrogance. A rise in income may not bring peace of mind or any kind of happiness. An old, yet serious injury might cause major health problems. Adapt to change and move fast.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) You will do extremely well in your business or profession this month. An expansion of this business may also take place. Friends and enemies will both surround you and you have to use your cunning to make your way through. Don’t compromise your morals. Enjoy your success, but don’t go past your limits. Don’t involve your partner in job or business-related decisions.

By Jalendu Vaidya

Contact: 973-223-5047 Saathee.com

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March 2020

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Country Side Convenience Store/Gas for sale in Hartsville, SC. High Margin, Inside $40000, Commission of $2000, other income $300, Gas 8000 Gallons. Asking $25000 + Inventory. Call Jay 302521-2008.

Properties for Sale: 50-room Franchise hotel & 1st floor Retail storefront in Statesville, NC. Both properties include owner apartment. Good locations & well maintained. Serious buyers only. Call Indian Restaurant for Sale in East 336-244-4199. Charlotte in high traffic area. Ideal for Established Dry Cleaning Business for Indian and/or Asian cuisine. Contact Sale in Raleigh, NC Asking Price 704-651-1135.

Motel Help Needed: Night Auditor (Full-time or part-time) & Laundry (couple or single) for Franchise motel Charlotte, NC. Accommodations provided. Call or text 980-229-8216.

Cashiers wanted (single or couple) for Gas Station in Rock Hill, SC (Exit 77). Legal status required. Good pay with experience! Call 803-792-4452.

Nanny needed: Full-time or Part-time or Convenience Store for Sale in Kingstree, live-in also possible for 2 year-old SC (Hwy 52). Closed after 35 years due to daughter in Raleigh, NC. Must have own previous ownerâ€™s bad health. Includes 3- transportation. Please call Monica at 252bedroom apartment. Asking $149k but 955-6294. Convenience Store Property for Sale can lease with option to purchase. Six Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk / with no Gas in Gaffney, SC. Call 980- months free lease payment for qualified Manager, Night Auditor & Housekeeper operator. Call Jerry 843-312-1892. 250-4995. (Single / Couple) for franchise hotels in Wilmington, NC. Accommodations Indian Restaurant for Sale in high traffic EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES provided. Call 910-262-8357 or email area of Charlotte. Serious inquiries only. Hotel Help Wanted: Franchise Motel in ilmhotelemployer@gmail.com Call 515-441-4390. Convenience Stores: Kernersville, NC Shelby, NC needs Front Desk, Night Full-Time Sales Associate needed and Housekeeping $699,000 + Inv, Annual Sales $900,000, Auditor (previous experience required) for Men's (Couple/single). Accommodation Inside $555,784; York, SC $329,000 + Inv, Retail Clothing Store in various locations Inside $494,000, Fuel Gal 175,000; provided. Must have legal status and - Charlotte NC, Danville, VA & Commerce, GA $69,000 + Inv., Annual basic Computer skills. Call Sanjay 704- Collinsville, VA. Contact Nick 276-618Sales $1,128,000, Fuel Gal 372,000; 974-1521. 1166 or email suitcityusa@gmail.com County South: 704-440-4433 or visit Looking for light everyday Household www.Countysouth.biz Help: Duties include dishwasher loading Live-in Nanny needed to take care of 15 Dry Cleaners for Sale in Greenville, SC. /unloading , folding laundry, cleaning month-old boy in Charlotte, NC. Contact 2 drop stores gross $200k net. $60k will and chopping vegetables. Please call 704- 704-804-8770. help the ideal buyer add several 665-7778. Threading Specialists wanted in locations. Contact Jay at 864-350-2571 or Convenience Store Help needed in Charlotte. New locations opening soon. jerif1960@gmail.com. South Carolina. Single or Couple. Legal Full & part-time, Great pay & flexibility. C-Store/Gas Station for Sale in Lancaster status a must. Apartment provided. Sign up for Training. Must have good County, SC. Consistent business w/ Contact 864-952-1005 to discuss further English speaking skills. Call 704-312-1870 (M-F, 9am-5pm). guaranteed earnings. Fixer upper 3BR details. home available with land. Asking Hotel Help Wanted: GM/Front Desk Nanny needed for 13 month-old in $695,000 + inventory. Owner financing Manager/Housekeeper for franchised Indian Land (close to Ballantyne). Please available with BG check and great credit Hotel in Eastern NC. Experience & fluent contact 410-350-5541. history, Please text 803-577-7008 or 973- English required. Contact Threaders Needed: Now hiring for the 207-6798. office.newriverhotels@gmail.com or 336NEW Idolize Brows and Beauty in Franchise Hotel for Lease near Rock Hill / 553-9231. Huntersville. Please contact Richburg, SC. 32 Units. Call 803-230-4402. Looking for Young, Energetic Employee sam@idolizespa.com or call 704-763-0242. C-store with Property for Sale or Lease (Full-time/ Part-time, single or couple) for Hotel Help Needed: Manager, Front 45 miles from Columbia, SC along with Tropical Smoothie CafĂŠ franchise food Desk, and Housekeeping couple needed displays for fresh produce & frozen store near UNC-Charlotte. Weekend in Carrollton, VA. Accommodations items. Gross income $55K / Lotto $25K availability preferred. English required. provided. Legal status required. Call 804Call Pravin Patel 803-974-0291. per month. Call 904-307-4770. 317-8587. $240,000. Excellent location in high income area. Selling due to health reasons. Contact 919-210-9919 or pg1patel@yahoo.com

High Volume Gas Station/C-Store for Sale or Lease in the heart of Gaffney, SC. Neighborhood store on busy street with brand new pumps! Call 704-726-7544.

For Sale or Lease: Gas Station w/ C-Store & Restaurant in NC. Corner location, ATM and jukebox also included (extra income). With 3 bedroom accommodations. Call Milan Patel 252521-5656. Saathee.com

Front Desk / Night Auditor position available for Hotel in Charlotte, NC. Good pay with accommodations provided. Call Tarun 704-968-1731.

Gujarati Family seeking help with Kids (12 and 7) and Cooking/Household work in South Charlotte. Monday-Friday, 2pm to 7pm. Must be able to drive and speak English. Contact Dolly 980-214-0296. 124

Gas Station help needed at multiple stores within 30 mins of Greensboro, NC. Experience required and must speak fluent English. Call or text 336-509-4054.

Motel Help Wanted: General Managers and Front Desk Clerks for franchise motels in Richburg, SC & Rock Hill, SC. Legal status & fluent English required. Accommodations provided. Call 803-230-4402. March 2020

Nanny needed to take care of 1 year-old in Concord, NC. Also some light cleaning, Nanny should be completely dedicated towards their work. Call 717440-5434.

Gas Station Help Wanted (single or couple) in North Carolina 30 min from Greensboro. Call or Text 336-684-5421.

Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk, Housekeeping/Laundry & Maintenance for franchise hotel in WV. Accommodations provided. Email resume to kash.patel18@gmail.com or call/text 732-277-5401.

Looking for Nanny for 2 year-old in South Charlotte. Needs to actively engage and communicate with the child. Please call 980-999-2926.

7-11 Convenience Store Help Wanted: All 3 shifts in South Charlotte (Indian Land/Ballantyne area) and near Northlake Mall. Experience preferred. Fluent English & legal status a must. Parttime or full-time including weekends. Contact 856-266-5059 or store10700@gmail.com.

Manager Couple needed for franchise hotel 1.5 hours from Charlotte. Accommodations provided. Fluent English required. Text or Call 704-701-9975.

Restaurant Help Needed (team members and managers) for two fast-casual restaurants in Raleigh/Durham. Experience NOT required. Full-time or Part-time. Very flexible schedules. Excellent growth opportunity. Contact 919-523-6670. Cashier wanted for Convenience Store near Charlotte. Accommodations provided. Must speak English. Text / Call 704-701-9975.

Motel Manager & Housekeeping Couple Needed for independent motel in Greenville, SC. Legal status & English required. Call 864-517-9587 or 864-3767543.

C-Store/Gas Station Help Wanted in Gaston County / Bessemer City (30 min drive from Charlotte). Full-time. Honesty, consistency, and punctuality a must. Great package with transportation & accommodations. Call 704-408-4920 or 973-207-6798.

Convenience Store help needed immediately in Charlotte, NC. Full-time including weekends. Call 704-241-4499.

Looking for Help in South Charlotte home with Indian cooking, laundry and kitchen cleaning. Contact 980-643-7635. Saathee.com

Hotel Housekeeping Needed for Hotel in Cleveland / Akron, OH. $4 per room. Accommodations provided. Call Ram 919-673-7623 or email Ram@omdevelopmentcorp.com

Eyebrow Threading Position available in Winston-Salem, NC. Excellent Pay + Tips & Benefits! Some Experience & fluent English required. Call 336-422-7582.

Housekeeping Couple needed for franchise motel In Dillon, SC. Accommodations provided. Call or text 843-455-5900.

Hotel Management Firm Hiring: Housekeepers, front desk (must speak fluent English), and General Manager of franchise hotels. Experience required. Email resumes to abcone@abcinns.com or call 704-649-6833 (M-F, 9am-5pm).

Front Desk Clerk needed for franchise Motel in Burlington, NC. Accommodations Provided. Call 336-693-9057.

Sales Coordinator and Estimator needed for rapidly growing company in High Point, NC. Email resume to kajalb@amerifabintl.com

Housekeeping & Laundry Couple needed for Franchise Hotel in Concord, NC. Legal status required. Accommodations provided. Call Rusab 704-772-5554.

Gas Station Help Wanted: Full-time, Single or couple in Kings Mountain, NC. Experience preferred. Must speak English. Accommodations provided. Call 704-763-0722

Help Wanted: Housekeeping (couple or single) needed for franchise hotel in NC. Manager (couple or single) needed for independent motel in NC. Accommodations provided for both positions. Contact 704-465-8129 or lehran19@yahoo.com.

Restaurant Help Needed in Cary/Morrisville area. Looking for cooks and servers for well-established fullservice restaurant. Excellent pay and benefits. Contact 919-434-5078. Front Desk & Housekeeping Couple needed for Hotel in Raleigh, NC Legal status required. Accommodations provided. Call 301-526-6532.

Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk/Manager, Night Auditor and Housekeeper (Single/Couple) for franchise hotels in Charlotte, Gastonia, High Point. Accommodations provided. Call 704-460-0379 between 6- 9pm. 125

Nanny needed in Concord, NC to help take care of 6 month-old along with some household work. Contact Deepika 469740-7255.

C-store / Gas Station Help Wanted in Gaffney, SC. Part-time or Full-time. Single, Couple or Family. Legal status required. Fluent English & previous experience preferred. Call 704-726-7544

Housekeeping Couple Needed for hotel in Statesville, NC. Accommodations provided. Conversational English preferred. Contact Jigar 732-645-6379.

Looking for Energetic Employee (Fulltime/Part-time, single or couple) for Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise store in Columbia, SC. Weekend availability preferred. Some English required. Call Yogi Patel 410-708-8475.

Experienced manager and Housekeeping (single or couple) needed for franchise motels in North & South Carolina. Accommodations provided. Call 704-737-0363 or 704-4658089 or email cpandoria@gmail.com.

Math Tutor Needed in Charlotte for UNCC college student & for high school student. Call for 704-724-2005 for details.

Motel Manager & Housekeeping Couple Needed for independent motel near Rocky Mount, NC. Legal status required. Accommodations provided. Call-910-818-0578 Live-in Person Needed to look after elderly Gujarati parents in Charlotte, NC. Call 704-906-9170.

PROPERTY & EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Jaguar XE Sports Sedan 2017 in mint condition. No Scratches, No Dents. 31K miles with Company Warranty transferred in your name. Call Jay 732397-1634. Home For Sale by Owner: Charlotte (Ballantyne) Excellent Brick Front, 2,000 Sq.Ft. , 4 Br & 2.5 bath. Stainless LG Appliances, Top Schools, Blakeney shopping walkable. Asking $316,900. Email almoria@hotmail.com or Call / Text: 704-650-0196.

Vintage International Stamps in thousands covering almost all Countries. A treasure for Collector! Selling as one lot. Contact Jay 732-397-1634.

CLASSIFIEDS CONT ON NEXT PAGE March 2020

CLASSIFIEDS CONTINUED SERVICES College Math Professor Glen Dawson accepting high-performing students for advanced math training. Grades 2 through High School. Founder of Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Academy. Apply at mathtutor99.org

Need help with your tax filings? Contact Bhaskar CPA for affordable personal and business tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services. Contact 704-7707125, lak123cpa@gmail.com or visit www.lnbcpa.com for details. Tutor available in RTP area. SAT/ACT/AP/Honors. In-person & online one-on-one coaching. Contact 919-8190647 or prepututor@yahoo.com.

Dholi For Hire: Plays the Dhol (drum) for any occasion! Barat, Doli, Graduation, Birthdays, Baby Showers & any other festivity. Affordable rates! Call Arpan Bhandari 704-641-4761 or email: arpandholi@yahoo.com

Neeta’s Beauty Parlor: Charlotte area open 7 days a week. Full service. Call for appointment. 704-968-0270.

Need an affordable DJ for Graduation, Birthdays, Baby Showers & any other festivity? Look no further! Contact DJ Rahul at 980-319-7389 or email: TheRealDJRahul@gmail.com Travel Passion: Call for International & Domestic Air tickets. We process India Visa, OCI, Indian Ppt Renewal, Hotel bookings & Tour packages. Call 509.550.9076 or 509.550.9034 Email: travelpassion24@gmail.com

Gujarati Priest: Devendra Dave Independent priest. Ganesh, Randal, Navratri, Diwali’s Laxmi & Sharda Pujas, Satyanarayan Katha, Weddings, Vastu, Baby Shower, Funeral Seva. Call Daveji 704-780-3563. God Blessings to All.

Saree Draping: specializing in draping sarees, dupattas and jewelry for any event. Weddings, Engagements, Baby showers, Birthdays, etc. Contact Rital Patel at info@bridaldraping.com or www.bridaldraping.com

Pari Beauty In Matthews: Threading, Waxing, Facials, Massage for newborn and mom & other services. 30 years of experience. Special Deals & Great Service. Call: 704-846-7912.

Gujarati Priest in NC & SC for Ganesh, Randal, Laxmi, Sharda Pujan, Satyanarayan Katha, Wedding, Vastu, Baby Shower, Hawan, Grah Shanti. Kishor Trivedi Home: 336-774-0597 Cell: 336-486-7925 E-Mail: kishor7@juno.com

Call or text DJ Sam for Indian Bollywood house parties and more at 704-649-5065.

Priest Available for these services: Shree Satya narayan katha, Shanti hawan, Vastu shanty, Weddings, Baby shower, Bhumi pujan, Mata ki chowki pujan, Funeral, all types of karmakand. Please call Viral Bhatt 704-438-6334

LEARN ABOUT LAND

We specialize in helping groups invest in land. Contact Bob Atkinson “The Land Man” 919-362-6999 or visit www.learnaboutland.com

To Submit a Classified visit: saathee.com/submit-classified or email: info@saathee.com or call 704.527.7570

Serving Buyers and Sellers Since 1989 Our experienced and talented agents can speak

English, Hindi & Gujarati Offering Motels, Restaurants, Dry Cleaners, Laundromats, Convenience Stores, Land and more CONVENIENCE STORES:

C-Store: Monroe, NC $499,000 + Inv, Prop Incl., Annual Sales $533,602 Fuel Gal 250,000 C-Store: Cleveland County, NC $90,000+ Inv., Annual Sales $1,197,600 –recently reduced C-Store: Vale, NC $159,000 + Inv., Annual Sales $1,295,000, Fuel Gallons 312,000 C-Store: Lancaster Cty, SC reduced, $650,000 + Inv., Prop Incl., Annual Sales $1,200,000 C-Store: Marion, NC, $99,000 + Inv.., Inside Sales $770,000 Fuel Gallons 144,000

FOOD:

Let Us Help You Buy or Sell A Business!

County South Realty & Business Brokers 303 Indian Trail Road South Indian Trail, NC 28079

704-440-4433 www.CountySouth.biz

Cafe: Hudson, NC $59,000, Annual Sales $162,123, Seats 50 Sports Grill: Moore Cty, NC $360,000 + Inv., Annual Sales $535,000 Small Cafe: Sanford, NC $164,000+ Inv., Annual Sales $280,596, Seats 32

OTHER LISTINGS:

C-Store Distributorship: Charlotte, NC $110,000 Annual Sales $620,000 Retail and Restaurant: Chatham County, NC $419,000 – Property Included

CountySouth.biz

Dog Grooming Business: Charlotte, NC $140,000, Inventory Included, Annual Sales $192,000

More listings available at: Saathee.com

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Advertisers Index Aarohan Amritaâ€™s School of Music............................22

Fincare.US (Recession-Proof Your Retirement)..........45

Patel Brothers (Charlotte)..........................................87

A2Z Health Mart Pharmacy......................................37

First-in-Smiles Dentistry.........................................105

Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices)..................................129

Aarushi Salon (Charlotte) ..........................................33

Geological Resources, Inc.........................................85

Patel, Tony (Real Estate)............................................19

Accounting Solutions (Muhammad Kamran Awan)...57

Global Mall / Legacy Jewels ..................................131

Pathak, Atul (Real Estate)..........................................57

Amarja Webb (Realtor / Broker - Allen Tate).............79

H2 Laser & Skin .......................................................49

PNC Bank (Commercial Financing - Reena Ruwala).99

Anand, Versha (Real Estate) .....................................83

HelloMyCPA Consulting Inc.......................................59

Ponce D. Moody Funding.......................................109

Anil & Anjali Bedi LLC (CPA & Consultants)...............81

Hindu Center of Charlotte (Events) ......................66-69

Pramukh Mandapam ...............................................21

Around The World Market (Charlotte)......................107

Home Decorators Of America (Atlanta) .....................56

Quality Inn & Suites (Banquet Hall - Charlotte) ..........31

Aspect Commerical Realty (Prashant Parmar) ..........73

Idolize Brows & Beauty .........................................103

Raghu Mothukuri Allstate Agent................................75

Bala Sure (Broker / Realtor, NC & SC)......................63

Illume MD (Laser Hair Removal)................................79

Raj D Batra Photography ..........................................75

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Charlotte)......60-61

India Grocers (Charlotte) ...........................................95

Raj Jewels (Morrisville, NC) .....................................6-7

Bashyam Shah LLP - Immigration Law Group..........38

Insurance - Tushar Barot, (Supreme Insurance)......121

Rajdeep Video & Photography (Ramesh Panjabi)......59

Bawarchi Indian Cuisine (Charlotte) ..........................93

IPAAC (Ustad Zakir Hussain Trio - In Charlotte)..........15

Raj's Kitchen (Indian Street Food - Charlotte)............37

Bhindi Jewelers ......................................................2

Jay Bale (Real Estate - Commercial & Residential)....49

Ram Realty (Ram Kalagara)......................................42

Bipin Parekh Realty, LLC...........................................30

K & M Accounting ..................................................103

Regal Oaks Dental .................................................105

Blooming Buds.........................................................75

K Scott Weddings (Wedding & Event Designer) ......129

Richa Sinha Real Estate...........................................37

Blooming Smiles Pediatric Dentistry .........................47

Kaur, Karamjit (New York Life Insurance)...................16

Royal Biryani (Charlotte)............................................33

Blue Federal Credit Union.........................................41

KB Zaveree.................................................................4

Rug and Home.......................................................130

Bombay Grille (Charlotte)........................................115

KD Financial & KMD Realty.......................................29

Rukshmani's Tijori ......................................................3

Brijal Shah (Keller Williams - Real Estate)..................71

Khanna & Sons Jewelers .........................................23

S S Event Services (Event planning, Photo, Video).....45

British International School of Charlotte.......................9

Kumar, Kokila (Real Estate - Allen Tate).....................47

Saffron Restaurant and Catering...............................99

Brown Immigration Law (Rishi Oza, Partner)...........127

Life Mission USA (Summer Camp, Training, KGB).....55

Sangam Travels........................................................59

C4D Mortgage (Jubi Chackunkal, P.E.) .....................45

Maadhurya Photography........................................121

Second Clinic (Doctor Visits Online)...........................39

Carolina Law Group (Monty Desai)............................89

Maharani Indian Cuisine (Charlotte) ..........................43

Shah & Trivedi CPA, PLLC ......................................123

Carolina Wedding Belle (Event Design & DĂŠcor)......123

Malak Jewelers........................................................27

Shah, Anish (Real Estate) ...................................52-53

CaroMont Medical Group (Dr. Manu Patel)................47

Malani Jewelers.....................................................132

Shah, Kirti (CPA - Sepa Consulting) ......................101

Charlotte Chess Center .........................................117

Malaya Kitchen.........................................................19

Shining Stars Academy ............................................80

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat ..............................90

Marathi Masala Restaurant and Food Truck..............63

Sona Realty (Venkat Suryadevara) ............................10

Chatpatay Causal Indian Kitchen (Charlotte) .............71

Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors) ........................35

Surgical Specialist of Charlotte .................................43

Chiro-Carolina

....................................................91

Matthews Family Dentistry ......................................91

Thakkar, Beena (Realty) ............................................24

Concha, David (Immigration Attorney).......................99

Monroe Oil Company................................................48

The Blue Taj..............................................................17

Copper Restaurant (Charlotte)...................................17

Mr. Idli (Pineville) .......................................................97

Travel Passion ..........................................................47

County South Realty & Business Brokers ...............126

MyShadi Bridal Expo (Raleigh) ..................................11

Ttravel Guru ...........................................................101

Delhi Palace / Spices of India (Columbia, SC)............83

Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) ............................101

Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate).............................................33

Dentist (Pineville Dentistry - Lina V. Mistry, DDS) .......65

Nawabs Kebabs (Charlotte) ....................................109

Uni World Travel......................................................121

Desai & Desai LLP (CPA & Financial Services)..........85

NCMPAA (NC Metro Punjabi Arts Academy) .............19

Union Family Eye Associates (Dr. Keshav Bhat).......111

Desai, Rajarshi (CPA, PLLC)......................................35

Neeta's Beauty Parlor.............................................103

V.I.P Travels...............................................................21

Dimension Hair Salon (Charlotte) ..............................79

North American Bancard ........................................13

Vema Mortgage LLC (Sebastian George).......65 & 117

DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) ...................................................73

Nuv Yug India Fest......................................................5

Vyas Travels..............................................................94

DJ Lalit (Lalit Hemnani)...........................................129

Olsinski Law Firm, PLLC (Viral Mehta) ......................77

Windsor Run (Retirement Community)......................25

DJ Murali ...............................................................101

OM Tech Training .....................................................88

Worldwide Travels ....................................................73

Fairview Home Mortgage .........................................39

One2 Entertainment .................................................62

Zafran Kabab Palace (Harrisburg).............................81

Fantasic Sams ......................................................111

Passage To India - Fine Indian Cuisine......................34

Zaika Express (Charlotte)..........................................33

Saathee.com

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March 2020

specializing in the most gorgeous cultural weddings!

WIDE SELECTION of MUSIC HINDI ♦ TAMIL ♦ TELUGU ♦ BHANGRA ♦ HIP HOP DANCE ♦ POP ♦ 70’S, 80’S & 90’S

ANNIVERSARIES, BIRTHDAYS, BRIDAL SHOWERS, BABY SHOWERS, CORPORATE EVENTS, HOUSE PARTIES, WEDDINGS OR RECEPTIONS

Contact DJ Lalit:

704-299-3610

K. Scott Weddings 336-496-1864

djlalit.clt@gmail.com STATE OF THE ART

K. Scott Weddings specializes in Multicultural and Fusion weddings, focusing on the customs, traditions, and heritage of our clients.

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We pride ourselves in providing the most professional services to our clients. No matter where you are in the planning process, K. Scott Weddings can and will accommodate your needs to create a unique & special event.

Law Offices of

MRUGESH S. PATEL

Member of American Immigration Lawyers Association

888-549-0030

Family Petition Fiance Visa H-1, L-1, & Student Visa Visitor Visa Labor Certification

Citizenship Removal/Deportation Re-entry Permit Adoption Consular Processing

Call for consultation!

North Carolina Office:*

1913-204 J. N. Pease Place University Ridge Office Center Charlotte, NC 28262

New Jersey Office: 1941 Oak Tree Road Suite 101 Edison, NJ 08820

* Practice in Carolinas limited to immigration only (Office visit by appointment only). Licensed in New Jersey.

Serving your immigration needs in North Carolina & South Carolina

Saathee.com

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