Saathee Charlotte December 2014

saathee.com

December 2014

Our 200th Issue!

In this issue: India Embraces Soft Power Unemployed Indian Youth Going into Politics

page 26 page 14 December 2014 Editor

page 8

Samir Shukla

page 62

Teaching a Billion Bashful People about sex

Issue # 200

India Embraces Soft Power

HELLo REaDERS! You are holding our 200th consecutive monthly issue in your hands. Saathee began as a four page, photocopied pamphlet in 1998. We have progressed, with the support of family, readers, and advertisers to the current issue you hold.

We will strive to continue bringing quality magazines to you every month as well as regularly updated website.

We welcome readers' comments, suggestions and critiques to help make the community's information source better.

India is embracing soft power to increase its influence and trade power in Asia. See the story on page 26.

Catch up on what the city and regional community organizations are up to in our Community Organizations section pg. 88.

Upcoming festivals and holidays are listed on pg. 118.

Get daily updates about our community as well as news and videos at saathee.com Until next month, we will see you online.

India's Unemployed Youth Going into Politics

Race to Save Louisiana's Disappearing Coast

In THIS ISSUE

Publisher Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com)

Ad Design / Layout Nageshwar “Nate” Andrews

Executive Assistant Suzie Tanis

Teaching a Billion people about sex . . .pg. 08

Contributors:

India Embraces Soft Power . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14

Kirit Shukla, Judith L. Bergman, Gail Z. Martin, Neal Patel, Dipika Kohli, Ron Virmani M.D. , Balaji Prasad, and Jalendu Vaidya.

Upcoming Movie Releases . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Film Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 20 Sangeet and Evergreen Film Lyrics . . . .pg. 24 Unemployed Youth and Politics . . . . . .pg. 26 Noise Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32 Behind the Congressional Curtain . . . .pg. 40 Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 Marketing Turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50 Thinking About Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 52 The Chai Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54 Test your India Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 Saving Louisiana’s Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62 Behind Congressional Curtain . . . . . . . .pg. 68 News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 80 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 82 Community Organizations . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 88

All contents © 2014 Shukla Entertainment, Inc. Opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily of the publisher or editor.

Please contact us prior to submitting articles or photographs.

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

For a free subscription, visit Saathee.com and click the “about” button.

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.

Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 116 FYI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118

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Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118

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Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 122

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Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 124

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about the Cover: Two village women going to work at a rice field near Thanjavour, Tamil Nadu, India. According to the Directorate Of Rice Development, nearly twenty five percent of all farmland in India is devoted to rice.

Twenty percent of the world’s rice is grown in India.

Photo: Shutterstock

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Teaching a Billion Bashful People about

Sex

activists are trying to create awareness in India by talking about sex. It starts with kids.

turned toward the safety of women, said Achwal, who founded Yuja, a social venture focused on teaching youth about sexual health and gender equality. And while much of it is about bringing rapists to justice, she hopes her initiative will help “channel the anger into action.”

“I really believe that unless we can talk about sex, we can’t even talk about equality,” said Achwal.

It’s clear that not everyone is having critical conversations about either topic: More than 6 million female fetuses have been aborted since 2000 because of their gender, 2.4 million people are living with HIV and AIDS, and the most common oral contraception for young, unmarried women is the morningafter pill — a high dose of hormones designed only for emergencies. And 72 percent of youth in 2012 said they had practiced unprotected sex, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Meanwhile, the government has sent conflicting messages.

While most states include some meager adolescent health education in tenth grade curriculum, a Supreme Court decision in 2005 stated that sexual education was not a fundamental right. Just this summer, India’s health minister, Harsh Vardhan, reportedly called for a ban on “so-called sexual education” — calling instead for what he deems culturally appropriate education. (The health ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.)

That culture factor that Vardhan mentioned makes teaching sex ed somewhat complicated in the mosaic of social and sexual norms in India.

In Mohammed’s class in Delhi, the students’ parents had yet to be told what their kids were learning. It was described as just a health class.

“Our biggest fear is the beginning sessions,” said Shreya

By Ankita Rao, GlobalPost.com NEW DELHI, India — Here’s a universal truth: kids squirm in sex ed class — even in a country with ancient texts and monuments that celebrate and chronicle all sorts of coital kinkiness.

There are funny words and posters of intimacy and an anatomical exactness that seems less awkward in street slang.

Still, understanding our bodies and most primal urges is serious business, with far-reaching social implications.

Standing outside a makeshift classroom in New Delhi, a quiet 14-year-old said that lessons on sexuality and gender were what his neighborhood needs to learn the most. “I was talking to a girl, we were just working on a school assignment, and people started to gossip about us,” said Shahid Mohammed, a notebook in his hand. “Girls here aren’t allowed to leave the house. They’re scared to go out alone. People still think like they did in the old times.”

Mohammed, a lanky high school student, was one of twenty teenage students corralled for a sex education class taught by The YP Foundation, a youth-led organization that works on advocacy and education. Organizations like YP Foundation have stepped in to fill a knowledge gap that they say fuels everything from unwanted pregnancies to violence against women.

Demystifying taboo topics is the most powerful way to combat the shame that can contribute to crimes like rape, one of the social diseases that has brought sexual education into the limelight, said Nilima Achwal, a Mumbai-based educator and activist.

After the Nirbhaya case — a highly publicized gang rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi — the national dialogue has Saathee.com

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December 2014

Agarwal, one of the YP Foundation volunteers trained to teach sexual education. “A couple of people walk out. The parents might pull their kids out.”

In the back room of a family’s home, the students — barefoot and boisterous — shook off the lessons of their school day. Agarwal and her team of four other volunteers turned on slow Hindi music and hung posters across the freshly painted mint-green walls. They showed two people holding hands, a woman and man going to work, the outline of two growing adolescents. For the next hour the students were asked to reflect on the photos and draw or write their own thoughts.

The volunteers started If you give people with broader concepts like education and seeds of equality in the workplace, reserving the explicit topics being aware, you will create for later in the course. much greater change.

Agarwal said the nature of the community — comprised mostly of conservative families working as maids and cooks across the city — can require a gradual approach for bringing up sex.

Achwal, the sexual health educator in Mumbai, said it’s just as important to be clear and direct as it is to be culturally sensitive. She and her team at Yuja have taught over 300 children across four low-income schools in the city, and now are starting to work in villages in Maharashtra.

“I think the biggest mistake people make is to bring their own shame into the classrooms,” she said. “I believe in telling them everything. When you omit something, you’re telling them something is wrong with that.”

Like Achwal, it was the Delhi rape that pushed entrepreneur Avani Parekh to put the final touches on her project, Love Doctor, a website and mobile service that allows users to anonymously ask questions about relationships, sex and everything in between.

There’s a lot, Parekh said, in between. Sitting in a cafe earlier this month, the American-born Indian explained the initiative in two ways: First, as an entrepreneur breaking into an untapped market, addressing an older group of 20-somethings who can’t always be reached through schools or youth programs or classrooms. And second, and perhaps more importantly, as a woman who has worked for years with domestic abuse victims, and struggled with her own past trauma.

With this foundation, she and her team of trained volunteers have answered questions ranging from navigating intimacy within a new marriage and college crushes to unwanted pregnancies. And while she gets the occasional jokester testing the surface of Love Doctor, she said most of the 80 or so daily queries she receives are sincere.

“Sometimes people need more technical information, but other times people just want someone to listen to them, to validate them,” Parekh said. “It can be very lonely in this country of one billion people.”

From the anonymous users sending texts to Love Doctor to teens like Mohammed, the first in his family to formally discuss gender equality and sexuality, the efforts to bring awareness to the Indian public are gaining traction.

“These outdated ideas, the violence, it all comes from a place of confusion,” Achwal said. “If you give people education and seeds of being aware, you will create much greater change.”

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India Embraces

Soft Power Project Mausam is Prime Minister Modi’s answer to China’s charm offensive.

president’s youngest son, Rohitha Rajapaksa, into its space program.

“If China is investing money in places like Sri Lanka and huge families are getting benefits out of this, then that creates a political mafia,” Rukshana Nanayakkara of anti-corruption campaign group Transparency International told GlobalPost.

Traditional donors like the US and the UK have safeguards against corruption, and have made it illegal for their citizens to pay bribes overseas, Nanayakkara said. China does not have such restrictions.

India has a long history of corruption, with many people paying low-level bribes to police and public officials, documented on sites like ipaidabribe.com. More recently the country has been rocked by high-level political corruption scandals involving allegations of kickbacks to politicians from coal mining companies and cell phone networks.

The concern at Transparency International is that if India was to invest heavily in countries without a robust legal and political system, it could end up actually exporting corruption.

Project Mausam could really turn out to be Project Bakshish.

“India needs to create a certain culture against bribery and corruption. That’s not been happening and it’s really worrying,” Nanayakkara said. “You could increase corruption in other countries as a result.”

“If India was going to start something like [China], they could fall into the same situation and contribute to the growth of corruption. From Transparency International’s point of view, there has to be a large amount of transparency and accountability.”

There are early signs that Modi may change India’s “mera kya” [what’s in it for me] corruption culture.

Modi has talked tough on corruption, promising his supporters that he will take steps to end the corruption culture.

He said at a rally in August that corruption was “worse than even cancer and can destroy the country.”

Some observers are encouraged that big government projects seem to be being allocated on merit.

And there has been shock after a major political figure, Tamil Nadu state’s chief minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa was jailed for four years in September after being found guilty of receiving more than $10 million.

So it is by no means certain that Project Mausam will prompt the same concerns as China’s forays into the Indian Ocean.

To be fair to China, the country has also taken steps to reduce corruption, although three anti-corruption activists were jailed for “cult” activities in June when they staged a protest asking leaders to disclose their assets.

The two countries may be rivals, but neither wants to be crowned as the world’s biggest exporter of corruption.

By James Tapper, GlobalPost.com LONDON — For nearly a decade, China has been steadily buying influence in South Asia, by investing in a so-called “String of Pearls” — a network of ports in countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Maldives.

Meanwhile, India has watched with some alarm at the intrusion into its traditional sphere of influence by the country it sees as its main rival.

So the new prime minister, Narendra Modi, has launched a counter-gambit, called Project Mausam — a major project backed by India’s Ministry of Culture which will attempt to reconnect India with its traditional trading partners in the Indian Ocean.

The idea is that India has for centuries shared a common maritime culture, with its sailors using the monsoon winds — “Mausam” means “weather” — to move along the Arabian and African coastlines.

India wants to revive these links as a way of building soft power, to challenge Chinese influence and strengthen its links with trade partners beyond Europe and the United States.

The project has two strands: research on the history and archaeology of the Indian Ocean, and a major drive to add sites across the region to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

To the casual observer, it all sounds rather vague, and somewhat bureaucratic.

The official Project Mausam website talks grandly about conferences, academic papers, strategic links and understanding national cultures.

The big ticket projects would be the drive for World Heritage status — something that can be very costly for governments.

Germany spent about $150 million between 2009 and 2013 preparing its sites, a sum far beyond the means of countries like Mozambique.

Although India has given few details about its plans since Project Mausam was launched, it seems likely to concentrate on places like Inhambane, a port in Mozambique used by explorers such as Vasco da Gama that was once a major trade hub for pearls, ambergris, ivory and slaves.

Yet there are fears that India’s new zeal for international development could lead to a different sort of competition with China: corruption.

A devastating report by the Sri Lanka Guardian details how China has lavished money on projects dear to the hearts of the ruling Rajapaksa family. Projects include Hambantota Port, in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s home town, a Formula One motor-racing track and an international airport serving only three airlines.

If all that weren’t enough, China has also inducted the Saathee.com

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Wishing You All A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

Upcoming Movie Releases December 5

The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five armies (Director: Peter Jackson) Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Cate Blanchett

action Jackson (Director: Prabhu Deva) Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Yaami Gautam, Manasvi Mamgai, and Kunaal Roy Kapur

night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Director: Shawn Levy) Cast: Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Dan Stevens, and Owen Wilson

Wild (Director: Jean Marc Vallee) Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Gaby Hoffmann, Laura Dern, and Michiel Huisman

January 9

Bhopal: a Prayer for Rain (Director: Ravi Kumar) Cast: Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton, Rajpal Yadav, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Akhil Mishra, Fagun Thakrar, and Kal Penn

Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene (Director: Gurmmet Singh) Cast: Zayed Khan, Tena Desae, Talia Benson, and Rannvijay Singh

Mumbai Delhi Mumbai (Director: Satish Rajwade) Cast: Shiv Pandit and Piaa Bajpai

Tevar (Director: Shruti Haasan) Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Manoj Bajpayee, and Shruti Haasan

Take It Easy (Director: Sunil Prem Vyas) Cast: Vikram Gokhale, Dipannita Sharma, Raj Zutshi, Anang Desai, Joy Sengupta, and Sulbha Arya

Taken 3 (Director: Olivier Megaton) Cast: Famke Janssen, Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Forest Whitaker

December 12

January 16

Main aur Mr. Riight (Director: Anupama Chabukswar) Cast: Varun Khandelwal, Danny Saru, Shenaz Treasuryvala, Barun Sobti, and Kavi Shastri

alone (Director: Bhushan Patel) Cast: Karan Singh Grover and Bipasha Basu Broken Horses (Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra) Cast: Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Marquette, Anton Yelchin, and Thomas Jane

Inherent Vice (Director: Paul Thomas Anderson) Cast: Josh Brolin, Joaquin Phoenix, Jena Malone, and Reese Witherspoon,

Blackhat (Director: Director: Michael Mann) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, William Mapother, and Holt McCallany

Exodus: Gods and Kings (Director: Ridley Scott) Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, and Sigourney Weaver

Crazy Cukkad Family (Director: Ritesh Menon) Cast: Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla, Ninad Kamat, Kushal Punjabi, and Kiran Karmarkar

objection My God (Director: Amit Khan) Cast: Makrand Deshpande, Sanjay Mishra, Rajesh Khattar, and Zarina Wahab

January 23 Baby (Director: Neeraj Pandey) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, and Anupam Kher

December 19 PK (Director: Rajkumar Hirani) Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt, and Rohitash Gaud Saathee.com

Mortdecai (Director: David Koepp) Cast: Johnny Depp, Olivia Munn, Aubrey Plaza, & Ewan McGregor 18

December 2014

title character and now director Anthony D’Souza will helm the project. He told Bollywood Hungama, “Yes I will be directing the film however it is very early to talk about it.

Currently, we are still in the story and scripting stages with Rajat Arora working on it.” When quizzed about the film and its cast Anthony D’Souza adds, “We are looking to commence shooting the film early to mid-next year. Apart from Emraan Hashmi, no one in the cast has been finalized.”

Film Clips

India’s Supreme Court Dismisses Rule Banning Female Makeup Artists

Bhopal – A Prayer for Rain

The social thriller Bhopal – A Prayer for Rain, starring Martin Sheen, Kal Penn, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Rajpal Yadav and Mischa Barton is set for release. Based on the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, the much-awaited film has already won raves from critics and audiences alike at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Pan Asia Film Festival in London.

Writer-director Ravi Kumar sent the script to a many Hollywood actors. He wanted to interest a big name in playing the key role of Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson. Martin Sheen, a human rights and environmental activist as well as one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, was intrigued. “I knew about Bhopal when it happened,” Sheen says. “It was horrifying. We couldn’t believe the extent of the death and destruction. A friend of mine presented me the script and said, ‘Is there any possibility…?’ and I said ‘Absolutely.’” The film exposes events that led to the biggest man-made industrial disaster in history, in which as many as 10,000 people were killed in one night and created lifelong health problems for many survivors. The film will open in December.

In November the Supreme Court quashed a six decade long rule prohibiting women from becoming makeup artists in the Indian film industry. The SC in its ruling ordered the permanent deletion of the rule from Maharashtra’s trade union that allowed women to obtain memberships only as hair dressers but not as make-up artists. The reason behind the establishing of this archaic rule was that if women were allowed to do so, male artists won’t get any jobs. However, the SC observed that this provision was unconstitutional and said that such discrimination was highly gender biased. In its order that came after a petition filed by Charu Khurana, who was denied a card, the SC directed the trade union to start issuing make-up artist cards to all eligible women.

Anupam Kher to feature in TV series by makers of The Matrix The filmmakers Andy and Lana Wachowski, the brains behind Cloud Atlas, the Matrix and other films, have signed Anupam Kher for their first ever TV series titled Sense 8. Kher posted on twitter saying, “Looking forward to my first day’s shoot of Wachowsky’s series SENSE8.:) #Netflix”. Sense 8 is an American sci-fi drama revolving around eight strangers from different parts of the world who possess special psychic connections and their battle to protect themselves. The series will be shot in different places across the globe with India being one location.

Lingaa Lingaa is an upcoming Tamil action thriller film directed by K. S. Ravikumar, who also scripted the film in collaboration with the film’s dialogue writer, Pon Kumaran. The film stars super star Rajinikanth playing a dual role. Other actors include Anushka Shetty and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles. A. R. Rahman composed the film’s music. The film will release in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions. According to industry sources, distributor Eros acquired the film for a reported price of 100-120 crore. When satellite rights, theatrical rights and others counted the film is already set to bring in over Rs. 200 crore even before the first show commences.

Rajinikanth is returning to the screen 4 years after Endhiran/Robot (his Kochadaiiyaan was an animation flick). The film is slated for release on December 12, 2014.

Aishwarya Rai to finally work with Karan Johar While Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Abhishek have all been worked with producer Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has not worked with Johar for various reasons. That is about to change. According to industry reports, Johar has offered her a part in an upcoming production and she has agreed. Apparently Johar has offered her a role in the film that he plans to make with Aamir Khan in the lead. It would be a coup indeed as Ash and Aamir have never worked together on a film.

Kamal Haasan's biography Citizen K is ready

Anthony D’Souza to Direct Biopic on Cricketer Azharuddin

Kamal Haasan has many stories to tell about his life and career.

While the ones about his life await clearance, a chronicle of his art and cinema is ready for release. Aptly entitled Citizen K, the Kamal Haasan biography has been penned by filmmaker, journalist, the principal of the Prasad Film Academy and longtime Kamal Haasan admirer Hariharan.

Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures is all set on making a sports biopic based on the Indian cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin. Actor Emraan Hashmi was roped in to play the Saathee.com

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evergreen classic

Sangeet

Film Lyrics

PoPular Music of india

Tribute to past Hindi film lyricists

By Kirit Shukla

D. n. Madhok (1902 – 1982)

Song: Panchhi bāvarā...

Film: Bhakta Surdās Year: 1942 Music: Gyān Dutt Singer: Khursheed Lyric: D. N. Madhok Based on Indian Classical Rāgā: Kedār Tāl/Rhythm: Kaharavā Starring: Khurdheed, K.L. Sāigal, Monica Desai

Pundit Dinā Nāth Madhok, aka D. N. Madhok, was a lyricist and screenplay writer as well as a director of Hindi films from 1930s to 1960s. He was born on October 16, 1902. On completing his college from Lahore he worked for the railways for some time before moving to Bombay in 1931. He wrote more than 800 lyrics in 100+ films. Most of his versatile lyrics contained emotions lyrics about nature, birds, patriotism and love. His songs made the music director Naushad successful in 1940s. His first film as a lyricist was Radhey Shyam in 1932 and he wrote more than 25 songs for that movie. He also wrote dialogues for a few films like Bhakt Surdas, Tansen, Shadi, Dasi, Pardesi, Parwana, Sharda, Khandan, Nadi Kinare, Rattan and others. He also directed several films. Because of his poetic lyrics, he was also known as Mahakavi (great poet) Madhok.

His son Prithvi married veteran actor Dev Anand’s sister. D. N. Madhok passed away on July 9, 1982 in Hyderabad, India.

Panchhi bāvarā Lyrics in English: Panchhi bāvarā, chānd se prita lagāye, Chānd se prita lagāye, Panchhi bāvarā ...

Chhāyā dekha nadi men murakha, phulā nahin samāye, Vo harajāi tāron ke sang, apani rās rachāye, Chānd se prita lagāye, Panchhi bāvarā ...

Kaun batāye tujhe chakorā, gore man ke kāle Jyun-jyun prita badhāyegā tu, tyun-tyun vo ghata jāye Chānd se prita lagāye, Panchhi bāvarā ...

Meaning (Summary): The foolish bird (that is myself) is in deep love with the moon (which is far away and beyond the reach). The foolish bird seeing the shadow of the moon in the river, (thinking the Moon has come to meet) is overjoyed. The unfaithful Moon is flirting and dancing with the stars. The bird is in deep love with the moon...

O Chakora (bird)! Who would tell you that someone with the white skin (though beautiful in appearance) is black at heart.

More you love him, more he will shrink. (Moon's appearance will be waning day by day and will then disappear all together). The foolish bird is in deep love with the Moon...

Some of his popular films: 1933 - Khoobsurat balā, 1943 - Tānsen, 1944 - Rattan, 1945 - Pehli nazar, 1949 - Sunhare din, 1951 - Tarānā, 1954 - Ehsan, Bilwamangal; 1959 - Kanhaiā and so on.

His famous and meaningful Hindi song lyrics “Panchhi bawara...” are given in this issue of Saathee magazine in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on this page.

(Note: The contents of this article are compiled from news, books, internet and my knowledge and love for Indian music.)

Kirit Shukla Contact him at kiritsshukla@hotmail.com

Kirti Shah, CPA Certified Public Accountant

704-497-3898 Fax # 704-612-9628 Email: Kirti.shah@trishacpa.com Website: trishacpa.com

(P.S. This song is a tribute to my father, Shri Somnath Shukla, who inspired me into music in my childhood. He liked this song and I still remember his voice.)

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December 2014

India’s

Unemployed Youth

are going into

politics

More than half of India’s billion-strong population is young and many of them are frustrated. The result is an influx of youth into politics.

India’s youth are a potent force for change because of their sheer numbers. Some 704 million people — more than twice the entire population of the United States — are under age 30, according to the 2012 census. That is, more than half of India’s billion-strong population is young and many of them are frustrated.

One measure of frustration is unemployment. One in every third educated young person in India did not have a job in 2012, according to India’s Labor Department. Among educated graduates 15 to 29 years old, the unemployment rate was 30 percent.

By Gayathri Vaidyanathan and Pracheta Sharma, GlobalPost.com SANGRUR, India — Two years ago, Gagandeep Singh woke each morning to the sound of his mother nagging him to find a real job.

He had graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in technology from Lovely Professional University in the state of Punjab, and then gotten a job at a call center that paid the equivalent of $85 per month. His income barely covered his day-to-day expenses.

“It made no sense,” said Singh, now 26. “I was spending all I earned.”

So he quit his job, moved to Singapore with help from his parents, and pursued a master’s degree in hotel management.

Working as a cashier at an Indian food stall in a food court near the city’s airport, he roomed in apartment with 15 other young men, all from Punjab, and began to recognize the plight of the Punjabi diaspora working abroad.

“It was a really difficult life and there was hardly any place in the house,” he said. “And to think of it, we were lucky — other houses had 20 or more people cramped into a similar space.”

It was not until he returned home in September 2013 that his life truly changed, Singh said. He had become angry at the lack of opportunity in India and blamed it on shoddy government policies on job growth. So, he decided to do something to help make a change.

He attended a press conference hosted by Bhagawant Mann, a popular comedian-turned-politician who was running for parliament. Singh volunteered his services as a personal assistant. Mann, a handsome, charismatic leader who makes people go starry-eyed in his vicinity, accepted. The post is entirely unpaid.

Singh is part of an influx of young men (and a few young women) into Indian politics in recent years. Officials with the newly ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) estimate that as many as 25 percent more youth participated in the 2014 national elections than in previous elections. Young people showed up at rallies, distributed pamphlets, manned phone lines, pushed information on social media and organized communities around polling places in the latest election.

Saathee.com

‘Power to change the system’ In June, a 25-year-old Punjabi woman was sold to a Kuwaiti family as a maid. She had immigrated to Kuwait to train as a beautician and had become a victim of human trafficking. A month after her sale, her employers allowed her to call home.

Her parents listened in panic and then went on Facebook and found the cell phone number of Mann, now a member of parliament representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They reached Singh instead.

Singh listened patiently and then called a Punjabi workers group in Kuwait and asked them to rescue the woman. The group was able to find and recover the woman, and she is now back home in Ludhiana, Punjab.

Such phone calls are routine for Singh. Mann is easily accessible by his constituents because his Facebook page prominently displays a cell phone number and email address.

Singh attends to all incoming messages on behalf of his boss.

The youngster’s appearance does not hint at his importance as Mann’s right-hand man. He is usually dressed in tees, blue jeans and Fila sneakers, an iPhone 5 seemingly glued to his hand. The two of them are perennially on the road and use hotel suites to take phone calls and do the work of a lawmaker.

“I thought of joining politics so that we get power to change the system,” Singh said in the lobby of a Country Inn along a dusty highway in Talwandi Sabo, Punjab. “Maybe we can rebuild India with a lot of opportunities for new generation.”

The rise in political interest among young people can be continued on page 30 26

December 2014

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December 2014

Unemployed Youth continued from page 26

roughly marked to 2011. New Delhi, a half-hour flight away from Singh’s Punjab, was reeling from a scandal around — of all things — toilet paper. India had organized the 2010 Commonwealth Games so grandly that organizers had paid $80 per roll of toilet paper at the venues.

The difference between the cited and actual costs had padded the wallets of middlemen, one of a series of scandals that repulsed the nation.

A septuagenarian social activist named Anna Hazare came to Delhi and began a hunger strike within a mile of the Parliament to bring attention to a movement called “India Against Corruption.” He advocated a new law that would hold politicians accountable for their crimes.

The demand should have been a political non-starter, because a significant number (currently 34 percent) of members of parliament have been charged with crimes.

But the nation was mobilized behind Hazare, with youthdriven protests in all of the major cities. Though the movement lost momentum — with the government ultimately accepting a watered-down version of Hazare’s demands six months later — the political party AAP was born out of the movement in November 2012. AAP’s logo is a broom, meant to symbolize cleansing the politics of corruption. Indians believed in that promise and in December 2013, voters in Delhi decisively voted the AAP into the state government.

But AAP’s tenure in Delhi was rocky and its chief Arvind Kejriwal quit his post in February 2014. His resignation shocked the nation out of its honeymoon with the AAP. India’s youth are a potent force Contempt for the ruling political elite simmered in the for change because of their sheer lead-up to the national numbers. Some 704 million elections this April. The people — more than twice the youth — along with the entire population of the United majority of Indian voters — States — are under age 30 wanted change, but many districts were hesitant to support an untested party like AAP. The party performed dismally in most states, earning just 0.75 percent of the nation’s seats in parliament. The one bright spot was Punjab, where AAP won four seats partly due to Mann’s popularity.

Most young people supported the BJP’s Narendra Modi, who spoke to them on social media about bullet trains, broadband and jobs.

The BJP won by a landslide, securing a record 52 percent of the seats. Since his election, Modi has talked repeatedly about creating opportunities for youth by expanding the manufacturing sector and investing in skills development programs. In April, his government approved an apprenticeship program, which plans to enroll 200,000 youth in on-the-job training programs every year until 2024. ‘a licensed gunman’ Not all young people are motivated to join politics due to a desire for positive change in the nation. Some just like the power and prestige that comes with politics.

The rush can be powerful, said Aarti Thakur, 25, general secretary of the BJP’s Punjab women’s wing in Ludhiana. She is five feet tall, dressed in a Mickey Mouse tank top and tiger-

Saathee.com

30

striped tights one afternoon in August.

Sometimes, when Thakur attends an event as the BJP representative, she is treated as the guest of honor and even older people bend down to touch her feet for blessings. Thakur says she is in the BJP to help people, but is considering becoming a fixer who can connect people who have problems with the right political leaders.

“The youth who joins politics, they consider it as charm or style,” said Harsh Sharma, 29, head of the BJP youth wing in Ludhiana and a lawyer. “They think they will get a vehicle from government, a licensed gunman.”

Sharma thinks that the youth unemployment crisis is due to a lack of vision. School kids are taught by parents to crave well-paid jobs in Delhi, and when that vision does not deliver, they cannot craft alternate futures, he said. “Kids behave like machines,” he said.

The educational system is also faulty, producing a cadre graduates without the right skills, said Byomkesh Mishra, cofounder of a skills development NGO in Lucknow called Medha. The government encourages businessmen to open more colleges, he said, but it does not worry about the quality of the education.

Rajinder Bhandari, a former president of the BJP in Punjab and vice chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board, thinks that the unemployment problem would be solved if young people with degrees, who are fundamentally unskilled, would find all jobs from plumbing to farming respectable. “What’s wrong with farming?” he asked rhetorically.

‘The system is not really good’ Singh, personal assistant to Mann, thinks there is nothing wrong with farming, but it is not a career, it is just a job. And it is one he does not need to do since his family is well off. Young, educated India is aspirational and sees the prosperity enjoyed by the elite, which is inaccessible to many.

That is why about 90 percent of his schoolmates have moved abroad, Singh said.

Back at Talwandi Sapo, he pulled up outside the Country Inn in a Toyota Cruiser that bore witness to the rigors of campaigning in the form of a cracked windshield. Mann climbed in and they headed off to a rally nearby.

Just 200 curious onlookers attended the rally. Mann delivered a speech, as did the chief of the AAP who was whisked in and out of the event. It was soon over. Singh drove Mann back to the hotel, the ground floor of which was crawling with policemen assigned to protect some other politician. Mann does not travel with a security detail — he carries a gun.

A week later, results from the local election were announced. The AAP lost by a long shot.

Singh has felt fulfilled since he joined Mann, and he has been able to help make several changes in his hometown. At the same time, he recognizes the limitations imposed on his party by its dismal performance at the polls.

So, Singh is considering moving to Canada in six months to join his fiancé who works as a nurse there. Ultimately, Singh says, given the byzantine corrupt political system in India, he does not think true change will happen unless the AAP is at the nation’s helm.

“The system is not really good in India,” he said. “But when Aam Aadmi Party comes, we will get some opportunity to change the system.”

December 2014

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Noise Bliss meditations in music

By Samir Shukla arun Ramamurthy Trio Jazz Carnatica The violin has become a prime instrument of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. It is also used by many notable jazz musicians. So, it makes perfect sense that violinist and composer Arun Ramamurthy brings the instrument full circle, back to its Western origin and melds Carnatic music with jazz on the new recording Jazz Carnatica. It’s a fluid blend where the trio expands ancient ragas into the improv world of jazz. The collaborative effort is rounded out by drummer Sameer Gupta (he is also a trained tabla player) and bassist Perry Wortman. Jazz Carnatica consists of mostly original instrumental compositions. The music is a conversation between the musicians and a marriage of two genres, where the music soars, sways, and expands into unexplored territories.

“My concept with these pieces is to stay true to the raga, to stay true to the spirit of the Carnatic compositions,” stated Ramamurthy in his press release. “We may deviate from conventional song structures, and sometimes what we play suggests chord progressions, but my melody always stays in the raga.”

Raised in a South Indian family in New Jersey, Ramamurthy played in youth orchestras and also received training from a Carnatic guru while growing up.

He trained with teachers in the States but soon realized he needed to evolve. He went to India. Living for a year with the Mysore Brothers, Nagaraj and Manjunath, legendary players and teachers in the Carnatic tradition, Ramamurthy dedicated himself to practice and performance for many hours a day.

“We’d select a raga for the morning and just play exercises. Up and down the neck, working really hard, until your elbow hurt,” recalls Ramamurthy fondly. “That meant you had worked hard enough.”

Some selections lean toward jazz, such as the original composition “Conception” while others salute the traditional aspects of Carnatic music, the warmly played pieces “Dhansari” and “Darbari Kanada.” Sublime spirituality is evoked in “Govardhana” while “4th Dimension” is a spacey number. Jazz Carnatica explores interwoven rhythms creating something fresh. There’s devotional music, free jazz, timeless traditional ragas, and an evocative mix of two musical worlds.

Guest contributors include keys player Marc Cary, fiddler Trina Basu, and mridangam player Akshay Anantapadmanabhan.

“We’re playing from within. I learned that approach from my gurus in India, and it is still very upfront in my head,” Ramamurthy reflects. “You can play in front of 20,000 people or a handful, in any setting. It doesn’t matter; you center yourself and play from within—and nothing gets in your way.”

Saathee.com

Bombay Rickey Cinefonia When an operatic Soprano breaks into a Rumba, with bits of Spaghetti Western and Bollywood rhythms going along for the ride, it unhinges the listener, to say the least. Bombay Rickey is a Brooklyn-based quintet gathering their love of disparate musical styles and twisting them into a unique sound. Lead singer Kamala Sankaram is a fan of Yma Sumac, an exotica singer in the 1950’s, whose high-pitched warble either enlightened listeners or sent them scurrying out of the room.

Bombay Rickey’s new album Cinefonia is a collection of operatic singing, jazz, Bollywood beats, Cumbia, film noir soundscapes, surf rock, and then some. They are quite witty and talented enough to pull it off with panache, creating twisted songs. Their music may be considered a muddled mishmash in some circles, while the musically adventurous will dig the vibes, dance along or simply grab a cocktail and swing along.

The band features Kamala Sankaram (vocals, accordion); Drew Fleming (guitar, vocals); Jeff Hudgins (alto saxophone, vocals); Gil Smuskowitz (upright bass); and Brian Adler (percussion). All are longtime NY musicians who have also worked with eclectic artists including John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Chicha Libre, Philip Glass Ensemble and Alarm Will Sound.

Sankaram is trained in Western Classical music and a student of Hindustani music. She also writes and performs her own operas and performance pieces and is also a cartoon voiceover actress.

“As a performer, I always liked singing different styles of music, and had the ability to do them justice. I can also make weird noises,” Sankaram explains in a press release. “Earlier in continued on page 36 Samir Shukla is the editor of Saathee magazine. contact - saatheemag@hotmail.com

32

December 2014

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my career, when I was doing more new music, I had a straight tone, clean and precise, no vibrato. I was never hired for pop or opera. Then I got known for opera and wasn’t hired for other things. I needed something where I can use everything.”

Among the songs on the record, there’s a cover of the Asha Bhosle classic “Dum Maro Dum,” the hipster tune “Pondicherry Surf Goddess,” and a song channeling Cumbia called “El Final del Pachanga.” “Bombay 5-0” is a trippy take on Hawaii 5-0 while “Taki Rari” is sung in what Sankaram calls Pidgin Spanish, with undecipherable words, much like Yma Sumac’s undecipherable warble. Bombay Rickey’s world is a land where R.D. Burman and Ennio Morricone compete for the affections of Yma. Yeah it’s all a bit freaky, but it works so well.

20,000 Days on Earth – nick Cave Documentary

The directors have worked with Cave extensively on various projects over the past seven years. Cave says, “I’ve always liked their unorthodox approach to things and on a personal level we have always gotten on very well. I invited them into La Fabrique Studios to film some promotional footage for (the 2013 album) Push the Sky Away. As it turned out, in the end, they shot everything and the studio footage was so compelling we decided to expand the idea.”

Cave also opens up to a psychoanalyst as he discusses how his early years continue to inform his work. Those scenes are a treat for his longtime fans.

A writer and performer of lyrically bold songs, Nick Cave has been making music for nearly four decades. He has written songs as the lead singer of the Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. He’s also a film score composer, screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.

Special Features on the 20,000 Days on Earth release includes a Making-of featurette, nearly 1 hour of deleted and extended scenes and a 14-page booklet with interviews with the filmmakers and Cave. The film is available in DVD, Blu-ray and digital downloads.

Devo The Complete Truth about De-Evolution (DVD) They were quirky before quirky became cool. Devo holds a storied spot as an inspirer of countless bands and art creators of the pre and post-punk eras. Their visually elaborate short videos predate MTV and music videos while their influence over punk, new wave and music videos as an art form looms large. This DVD gathers videos, live clips, interviews, and short films into a collection called The Complete Truth about De-evolution. Man what a collection it is. Their vision of video-centered music was way ahead of its time. The kitschy sci-fi, spastic visuals, social commentary, all were mixed into the creative force known as Devo. If your knowledge of Devo only extends to their radio/MTV hit “Whip It,” then you’d better pop this into the boombox and immerse yourself in Devo history. The signature synth, guitars and percussion parts were bound together by the unmistakable vocalizations into a truly original sound, always accompanied by twisted visuals. They didn’t ape anyone, but many followed in their footsteps. Devo’s philosophy of the human race devolving and the pervasive corporate culture sucking life out of creative forces birthed their audio-video art. This DVD is a worthy document.

Nick Cave is a mesmeric performer, though it may take some time for the unfamiliar to absorb his musical prowess.

Those with patience and a willingness to delve far into his music will be rewarded. The film 20,000 Days on Earth is a revelatory telling of Cave’s life in his own words. For Cave fans, the film is a peek inside his work and ethos of writing songs and making music. Casual observers will get a taste of what they have been missing. This is not a typical documentary where a narrator walks through the artist’s life and work, here Cave is the narrator walking the viewer through his life and work. He is a cultural icon, to be sure, but this film humanizes him and makes him more accessible to his fans.

In their debut feature directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard fuse human drama and documentary while exploring Cave’s creative songwriting processes. It’s interesting to see Cave visit long-time collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis and listen to their tales from the road, a shared musicality. The directors also feature Cave in a series of vignettes with characters from his past, including actor Ray Winstone, guitarist Blixa Bargeld, and Kylie Minogue, who shared a duet with Cave in the unlikely hit “Where the Wild Roses Grow.”

The people visit Cave in dream-like scenes as he chats with I invite you to visit my music blog noisebliss.com for more of my music writing including CD and live reviews, thoughts them while driving his car and they ride along as passengers. and muses on the music scene and business, archives from the The film also contains intense live performances as well as the past and more. I welcome conversation. band working out songs in recording studios. Cave’s words Let me know what you think. morph into songs with his band infusing music into becoming a whole.

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December 2014

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But few people predicted just how competitive every race would be. Democrats in North Carolina, Colorado, and Arkansas were defeated. It was the first time since 1980 Republicans defeated three incumbent Democrats for key Senate seats. As many readers of Saathee witnessed in their own backyards, North Carolina became ground zero as a key battleground state with Senator Kay Hagan being defeated by State House Speaker Thom Tillis in a tight race. Republicans emerged from Election Day with a net gain of 7 seats in the United States Senate. However, Louisiana and Alaska are yet to be decided at the time of print. The potential to build on the 52 seat majority remains.

So what does all this mean? First of all, it shows democracy is alive and well. This is the way the system was set up. Things are still operating the way they were designed to work when the country was founded. It also means the control of the Senate has flipped to the Republicans.

For starters, President Obama and his team no longer have the votes necessary to shepherd legislation through the Senate.

It means the Republicans can no longer blame Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for not bringing Republican legislation to the Senate floor for a vote.

It means legislative priorities in the Senate have changed.

With both the House of Representatives and Senate under Republican majorities, maybe Washington will work toward compromise between the Democratic Administration and Republican legislative branch.

As President Obama mentioned in his press conference the Friday following the election, “Obviously, Republicans had a good night and deserve credit for running good campaigns.”

He continued to say the message of the election was that Americans want their leaders to “work as hard as they do.”

The results of this election will shape the President’s agenda for his final two years in office. Any appointments the President makes, many of which require the full consent of the Senate, will be scrutinized even more carefully. For instance, key posts such as the United States Attorney General or any vacancies on the federal bench must be confirmed by the Senate. Not to mention, key Republican policy initiatives such as completion of the Keystone XL pipeline and tax reform will be on the agenda.

With Capitol Hill and the White House being controlled by opposite parties, now is as good a time as any for compromise to be ushered into the door.

Of course, these results segue into the race for the White House in 2016. If Republicans show they can govern sensibly with this new majority, it may provide a springboard for the GOP nominee in two years. If Senate Republicans fail to capitalize, then the ramifications could be felt all the way back to the minority. Time will tell.

behind the

Congressional Curtain

By Neal Patel Senate Republicans Rise to Majority in Midterm Election This past Election Day fell on November 4 and was full of surprises, mainly because it was a midterm election. What that means is elections were held in the middle of the term of the executive branch. Since President Barack Obama was elected for a four year term in 2012, this will be his last midterm election before leaving office. There were 33 seats in the United States Senate up for election in addition to three Senate seats that were vacated early, including South Carolina’s Tim Scott who was appointed by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to fulfill the unexpired term of retiring Senator Jim DeMint in 2013.

In order to gain a majority in the Senate, the Republican Party would have to control 51 seats, whereas Democrats only needed 48 to remain a majority. There are two independents in the Senate, one from Maine and another from Vermont, that caucus with Democrats. I’m sure many of you are thinking, but even with those two votes, it’s only 50. That’s still not a majority. That’s true. But in the United States Senate, when there is a 50-50 tie on a vote, the president of the United States Senate comes in to vote.

That title is commonly referred to as the Vice President of the United States of America. That’s right, Vice President Joe Biden gives the tie-break advantage to Democrats in the event of a tied vote in the United States Senate. That’s why Republicans would need 51 votes for control of the Senate and Democrats only need 48.

Heading into Election Day 2014, it seemed like a difficult task for Republicans to gain control of the United States Senate.

There were 53 Democrats, 45 Republicans, and 2 independent Senators. That means Republicans would have to net a total of 6 seats out of the 36 elections during the midterm election. Out of these 36, 21 were held by Democrats and 15 were held by Republicans.

Here’s the issue with midterm elections. There is no presidential candidate at “the top of the ticket” so the energy and enthusiasm of many voters is low due to the lack of a national race. When the Presidency’s not at stake, people just don’t seem to care to vote as evidenced by significantly lower turnout numbers.

History, however, has shown that those who are mobilized and energetic to vote are the ones that normally disagree with the majority party’s policies. Some say it’s a referendum against the current Administration and the majority party in power. That did not mean good news for Democrats in the United States Senate.

Republicans across the country tied every Democrat to the unpopular policies of President Obama and his Administration. And it appeared to work. As Election Day went deeper into the night, it became evident Republicans would pick up enough seats to attain a majority in the United States Senate and build on its majority in the House of Representatives.

Saathee.com

Neal Patel

serves as Counsel and Communications Director to Senator Dean Heller of Nevada. @nealpatel22

40

December 2014

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Why did the scarecrow win the Nobel Prize?

Because he was out standing in his field.

Children’s Corner

Why did the farmer ride his horse to town?

It was too heavy to carry.

Word World

What did the judge say when the skunk walked in the courtroom?

Odor in the court.

By Kirit Shukla

C S

H

A R

What happened when the lion ate the clown?

He felt funny.

O

What goes up and down but never moves?

Stairs.

L

Why did the picture go to jail?

Because it was framed.

Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Letters cannot be used more than once.

Use all letters for the subject word (underlined in solutions below) 16+ words = Excellent; 11 to 15 words = Good; 10 or less = keep looking. Words we found are in solutions below.

Did you heard about the origami store?

It folded.

Why was everyone so tired on April 1st?

They had just finished a March of 31 days.

Why did the banker quit her job?

She lost interest.

The Bull and the Goat (An Aesop’s fable)

What is the fastest country in the world?

Russia.

A large bull, escaping from a lion, hid in a cave which some shepherds had recently occupied. As soon as he entered, a male goat left in the cave sharply attacked him with his horns.

The Bull quietly spoke to him, “Hit away as much as you will.

I have no fear of you, but only of the lion chasing me. Let that hungry monster go away and I will soon show you what the respective strength of a Goat and a Bull is.”

Moral: It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.

What is the coldest country in the world?

Chili.

What do you get when you throw a million books into the ocean?

A title wave.

What is the longest word?

Smiles, because there is a mile between the first and last letter.

Riddles Riddles Riddles

Why wasn’t the girl sad when her flashlight battery died?

Because she was de-lighted.

What do you call it when it rains chickens?

Foul weather.

A neutron walks into a diner and orders lunch. How much will that be?”

The waiter said, “For you? No charge!”

What does a cloud wear under her raincoat?

Thunderwear.

Why is Britain the wettest country?

Because royalty has reigned there for years.

A photon checked into a hotel and is asked if she needs any help with her luggage.

“No, I’m travelling light.”

What do you call a grizzly bear caught in the rain?

A drizzly bear.

What do you do with a dead chemist?

Barium.

How did the Vikings send secret messages?

By Norse code.

Did you hear about the fire at the circus?

The heat was in-tents.

Saathee.com

Word World (Solution): ALSO, ARCH, ARCO, CAROL, CASH, CHAOS, CHAR, CHOLA, CHORAL, CLASH, COAL, COLA, CORAL, CRASH, HALOS, HORA, LACS, LARCH, LASH, LOCA, OARS, ORAL, ORCA, ROACH, SCAR, SCHOLAR, SHOAL, SOAR, SOLAR

What happened when the short fortune-teller who escaped from prison?

She was a small medium at large.

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December 2014

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(Adverbs- modify a verb, tells “where” or “how” in these examples) 1. He stepped IN. 2. The manager was IN before the others.

3. He was voted IN. (Adjectives- describe a noun) 1. That’s the IN party.

2. That style is IN this year.

Mastering Meaning harnessing the Power of aMerican english

By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC are you perplexed by prepositions? I never really appreciated how confusing these essential elements of written and spoken language are until I started transcribing my clients’ mistakes in their spoken grammar. We park our cars IN our driveways but we drive them ON the parkway. Our children play basketball IN the school gym but they also play outside ON the playground.

Three idioms with In: 1. You’re IN FOR a big surprise! (guaranteed to have) 2. He was not IN ON their planning. (informed about, participating in) 3. The concert wasn’t postponed IN THAT the snow was supposed to melt. (for the reason that) Fill in the blanks with In or on: “Hello, Amy. I tried to call earlier but you must have been (a)___another line. I’m calling to invite you to join me (b)___Sunday afternoon to see my granddaughter (c)___her school play. We’ve been working (d)___her lines. She has the lead and she’s (e)___almost every scene. Where? Oh, the play will be (f)___the cafeteria. It has a little stage (g)___one end.

I’m also (h)___the refreshment committee so I’ll be bringing (i)___some homemade treats. Oh yes, we’d love to count (j)___you to bring cookies. My granddaughter is very turned (k)___about acting now but who knows what she’ll want to do (l)___a few years. She’s only five years old!!!

(This article is based on Chapter 23, “Perplexed by Prepositions” in my Mastering Meaning book referenced below.

However, it was originally a Saathee column published between 2008 and 2011.)

Exactly what does a preposition do? “A preposition is an uninflected word that does not change its ending. A preposition establishes a relationship between a noun and other words in a sentence.”1 Every preposition is followed by an object. In our examples, the objects of IN are ‘”our driveways” and “the school gym” and the objects of ON are “the parkway” and “the playground.” The entire phrase consisting of the preposition and its object is called “a prepositional phrase.”

Here are figurative or abstract uses of on in various functions as a preposition and also as an adverb and adjective.2 1. She’s ON the young side.

2. He’s ON his third beer.

3. I stopped ON chapter two.

4. They went to the March ON Washington 5. I came ON the solution by accident.

6. The clock chimes every hour ON the hour.

7. The spotlight focused ON the actor.

8. He knocked ON the door.

9. It was an attack ON the city.

10. They reflected ON their actions.

11. I talked ON the phone.

12. He cut his foot ON the broken glass.

Suggested strategies to increase your mastery of meaning this month: Pick a newspaper article that interests you and highlight every usage of ON and IN. Scan the newspaper headlines for various ways that ON and IN are used.

References: 1 Leonard Rosen, Everyday English Handbook (New York: Doubleday Direct, Inc., 1985), p.12.

2,3, http://www.idioms.thefreedictionary.com IN: c,e,f,i,l

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

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

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Examples of how In can be used as a preposition, adverb and adjective.3 (Preposition) 1. She was born IN the spring.

2. I threw the letter IN the wastebasket.

3. Lightning split the tree IN two.

4. He chose a life IN politics.

5. She tripped IN running for the bus.

6. I paid for it IN equal payments.

7. We paid IN cash.

8. The note was written IN German.

Saathee.com

answers: ON: a,b,d,g,h,j,k

13. I went ON a strict diet.

14. The children acted wild because they were “high” ON sugar after the party 15. The car runs ON methane.

16. I’m ON leave and the doctor is ON call.

17. This is a book ON astronomy.

18. I haven’t any money ON me.

19. The drinks are ON the house.

20. I’m traveling ON business.

21. He looked ON while they rehearsed.

22. Please put the coffee ON. 23. I’ll do it later ON. 24. You’re ON in five minutes.

25. The show must go ON.

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December 2014

ANIS H S H A H www.RealtorAnish.com

Broker

Licensed in NC & SC

I have SOLD most of my listings and am in need of new listings.

If you are thinking of selling, please contact me!

Rental - Coventry Court Fabulous Opportunity for 3-Bedroom Townhome in Sought-After Ballantyne Area! Hardwoods throughout 1st Floor.

Ceramic tile in baths with new carpet and paint throughout. Granite counters, recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances.

Surround Sound Speakers in Family Room & Master! Huge Master BR & Walk-in Closet! Oversize Garage w/Storage Area All this in Charlotte's Best School Zone & within Walking Distance to the New Publix!

eD T N Re

New Listing – Ballantyne Country Club Amazing 4 Bedroom + Bonus Room + Media Room/ 3.5 Baths, 4,500 sq. ft., Bath all brick home in desirable Ballantyne Country Club. Beautifully re-modeled! This floorplan has TWO MASTER SUITES!!!

Spacious kitchen has tons of cabinet space, huge island, granite countertops, custom backsplash, brand new SS appliances, and open to keeping area with fireplace. Bathrooms completely redone with granite and tile finishes. New flooring and new fixtures throughout. Large upstairs bonus room with floor to ceiling windows and lots of natural light.

Main level Master has own access to large deck. Deck overlooks a private, fenced backyard. Side load garage offers two entries into home for extra convenience. Don’t miss this one! Call for price.

LD O S

Coming Soon - The Crossings Pristine 3 Bedroom / 2.5 bath transitional home. Fresh paint and new carpet. Updated with new granite counters, appliances and fixtures.

Wonderful neighborhood with recreation area, walking trails, playground and pool.

Coming Soon – Piper Glen Enjoy dramatic views of the golf course in this gracious 4 bedroom / 3.5 bath one-story home with finished basement and great cul-desac location. Living room with coffered ceiling, elegant Great Room with fireplace and entertainment center. Gorgeous kitchen with granite counters. Simply beautiful!

New Listing - Waverly Hall Extremely well maintained Gorgeous 2 story with large floor plan. Shows pride of ownership. Total upgrades on all baths and kitchen, formal dining room. Nice size bedrooms and closets complete with remodeled bathrooms. Perfect placed patio shaded by mature trees, look out to large backyard, perfect for entertaining. Termite bond! One year home warranty! Lots of storage. Storage shed. This one is a must see! $239,900

New Listing - Davis Lake Amazing BASEMENT home with FULL LAKE VIEWS!!! Spacious and pristine!

Large gourmet Kitchen and stainless steel appliances, gas cooktop, vegetable sink, beautiful granite counters and brand new tile floors. Refinished wood floors throughout the formal living areas and 2-story Great Room. Enjoy the best views of the lake from the Sunroom. Master Bedroom on main floor with jetted tub in the luxury Bath. Upstairs has a wonderful Bedroom/Bonus Room. The huge walk-out basement has 2nd kitchen, study, and spacious gathering room with brand new carpets. Great neighborhood recreation. Don’t miss this perfect opportunity! $399,000

LD O S

Coming Soon - Southampton Immaculate home on one of the best wooded and fenced lots in the highly desired Southampton community. NEW ROOF!! 2600 sq. ft, 5 Bedroom / 2.5 baths.

Spacious kitchen and two formal dining rooms. Beautifully updated master bath, new fixtures and appliances. Gleaming refinished hardwood floors.

Amazing backyard with huge deck and patio.

New Listing - Hunter Oaks Pristine home in beautiful Weddington. New 2014 roof!

Shea home in Hunter Oaks, 3,00 sq.ft., 4 bedrooms plus Bonus, 3 full baths. The HVAC is less than a year old. Just perfect for entertaining with a Home theater, surround sound, and built-in Bose system at the deck. Lovely kitchen with granite counters and SS appliances. Main level bedroom and full bath. Large master suite with separate area ideal for an office or nursery.

Spacious lot with irrigation system. Schedule your personal tour today. $399,000

www.RealtorAnish.com Serving the Carolinas’ Real Estate needs since 2000 LOTS FOR SALE New Listing – Land – The Sanctuary Beautiful wooded estate lot in The Sanctuary. Over 6 acres! The Sanctuary is one of only a handful of James Audubon sanctuary/centers in the Carolinas. Enjoy pool, tennis, walking trails, kayaking, and much more at The Camp, a picturesque 17-acre waterfront amenity area at the heart of the community. Build your dream home here! $379,000

New Listing - Land - Ballantyne Country Club One of the last remaining lots in prestigious Ballantyne Country Club. Build your dream home here.

Minimum 2500 sq ft to build with an approved home builder.

Neighborhood walking trails.

Enjoy clubhouse, pool, tennis and golf with membership. Fantastic location near shopping, dining and Ballantyne Corporate Park.

L SO

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New Listing - Land - 3 Lots! - Millstone Creek Three beautiful residential lots available for sale.

Two lots are adjacent to one another. Just 10 minutes south of Ballantyne. This development consists of estate homes build with all brick, stone, or stucco exteriors. Choose your own builder. No restrictions on construction timeframe - you can build on your own schedule. All information is subject to buyer verification. This is a great opportunity! $69,900 each

New Listing - Land - Queen's Gate Two gorgeous wooded lots in Queen's Gate. Each one an acre! Beautiful neighborhood, surrounded by tranquility.

2500 sq ft minimum. Bring your builder.

The lots are adjacent to one another. Buy one or buy both and build your dream home here. Bring your offers! $79,900 each

New Listing - Vacant Lot - High Gate Gorgeous wooded lot in the highly desirable community of Highgate. Over 1 acre. All builders and plans must be approved by the Highgate HOA. Minimum Building Requirements: 1 story home - 2500 sq ft of heated space; 1.5 story home - 3000 sq ft of heated space; 2 story home - 3000 sq ft of heated space. Build your dream home here. $289,000

Recipient of the 2013 President’s Cup for Overall Company Sales Leader Awards: Ranked #1 at Ballantyne Office 2008 - 2013 Overall Office Sales Leader 2008 - 2013 Most Units Sold 2008 - 2013 Platinum Customer Service Recipient 2008 - 2013

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Cell: 704-449-LIST (5478)

Nandi Daniels Full-Time Broker Assistant Licensed in NC & SC Cell: 704-737-2384

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15235 John J. Delaney Dr. Charlotte, NC 28277

pieces. Instead, think of Pinterest as a fashion show that showcases your creativity in putting pieces together for snappy ensembles. Don’t sell. Instead, present pieces you really like, offered up for admiration. Even if you’re not in the food business, sharing a family recipe or two can build goodwill, deepen relationships and get a lot of shares!

Authors and artists frequently show the covers of new books or samples of their artwork on Pinterest with short descriptions and links to where people can buy. A beautiful wedding cake is a great advertisement if you’re a baker. The same is true for people to make and sell craft items, restaurant-owners and food truck managers, florists, party-planners, and others who sell hand-crafted work, edible or not.

What if you’re not in a tangible product kind of business?

Pinterest can still work for you and in can be fun! If you’re a coach, consultant, or other type of knowledge-guru, quotes can be just the thing to get your name out there and encourage people to share your words of wisdom.

First, think of the phrases you tend to repeat in your training: your original sayings, things you come back to time and again. Make a list of at least ten to twenty short words of wisdom or tips. Try to keep each one to ten words or less.

Now look through digital photos that you’ve taken of flowers, pretty landscapes, gardens, beaches and either use a program like Adobe Illustrator to put your quote onto the photo, or get someone to do it for you. You can include your name, or your twitter handle on the photo, but not your web site, although you’ll want to put a line or two of text amplifying the quote and your URL in the description when you upload to Pinterest.

Now find 25-50 quotes by other people that you find useful and related to your business. Or, if you prefer, keep coming up with quotes of your own. For quotes by others, always make sure you attribute the author, and add a line or two in the description of why the quote is meaningful for you.

If you’re an animal lover, take some cute photos of your pets or animals you see at the zoo, friends’ pets, animals in nature, etc. Add a gentle, funny comment and of course a line tying it back to your business with your URL in the description. Even something on the order of, ‘what, Monday already?’ with a dog or cat making a funny pose can get hundreds—or thousands— of shares (and every one of those includes your comment and URL).

Share your Pinterest pins on your Facebook page and create a board on your Pinterest page for quotes. You can even use short video clips you’ve created on YouTube and Vine to share a tip, encouraging comment or quote. This can be a great tie-in to a new speaking tour, webinar series, public program, book or coaching series.

Of course, Pinterest isn’t the only way to use great photos of what you do, or share your amazing quotes. Make sure you use photos in blog posts, on your web site, in your PowerPoint presentations, on Twitter and everywhere you connect with other people. Photos are powerful, and they can be great dooropeners for every type of business!

Marketing Turnaround

By Gail Z. Martin Five Reasons why Pinterest is great for Your Business Looking for a way to shake up your social media and get more engagement? Consider Pinterest, one of the Internet’s most popular sites that’s fun, visual and encourages sharing.

Think of Pinterest as a new take on the office break room bulletin board. You know the kind of place where people tack up interesting photos, great recipes, quotations and postcards from their last vacation. It’s also a good way to get people excited about your products and services – if you know the right way to get their attention.

Stop and think: Can you show your outcomes? If so, then it will be easy for you to start using Pinterest to promote your business. (If you can’t think of a way to show what you do, hang in there. I have some ideas for you, too.)

Before and after photos are perfect for Pinterest. People love to see how bad something looked before it received help, and how much of a change was possible. Before/After photos give us hope. They’re a Cinderella story in two photographs, turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse. When people view a before and after photo, their minds edit out the understanding that a great deal of work and effort may have gone between the two photos. What resonates is, “I want what that person got.” That desire makes someone pick up the phone and call you, or hire your business.

Who can use before/after photos? Anyone whose outcome shows a dramatic visual impact. Here’s a short list: Construction, remodelers, interior decorators, painters, hairdressers, manicurists, weight loss specialists, personal trainers/exercise gurus, dog groomers, landscapers, car detailers, autobody shops, home stagers, architects, personal image consultants, organizing specialists, carpet installers, and any kind of restoration work – hardscapes, antiques, jewelry, wood, leather, vintage clothing, etc.

My client Stu runs a very successful business installing marble and stone floors and countertops. He’s done work for multi-million dollar homes and some of the largest commercial businesses in New York City. He could take buildings with stone and marble damage from wear, water, storms, flooding, etc. and make them gorgeous. He also had a line of products to keep the stone looking nice once it was replaced. And he was disappointed that few people were buying these reasonably priced products to protect their very expensive investment.

I looked at his web site and Facebook page and asked them where the pictures were. See, Stu had boxes full of photos he had taken on the job, hundreds of before and after photos, but he wasn’t sharing them online where people could see them and understand just what a big difference his products really made. Getting those photos online was his first step to seeing more sales.

What if your work isn’t in a before/after type of business?

What types of photos could you take to show your product/service at its best? Bridal shops, clothing stories, jewelers and other apparel stores can feature new styles and trends with a short description and a link to the web site. The key here is not to flood the site with snapshots of individual Saathee.com

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications.

Contact her at Gail@GailMartinMarketing.com

50

December 2014

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December 2014

that we sometimes flop around like mere marionettes puppeteered adroitly by these invisible “pattern hands.”

thinking

About Thinking

By Balaji Prasad The 2% Thinker “The social molds civilization fits us into have no more relation to our actual shapes than the conventional shapes of the constellations have to real star patterns.” ― Thomas Hardy

Pareto’s Principle, also known as the 80-20 rule suggests that, for many things, a small fraction of something is associated with the biggest impact. Along those lines, did you know that 2% of your body weight drives close to 100% of what you do? Yes, the approximately three-pound mass in our heads – our brain - drives pretty much everything we do.

It is intuitive that not everything produced by our brains is of equal importance. Let us see if we can apply Pareto’s Principle one more time. Can we look for the 2% that is the foundation of the 2% of our body that drives everything?

Let us go overboard with Pareto yet one more time. if we are able to understand even 2% of that foundation and tweak it a bit if warranted, maybe our thoughts will come out cleaner.

And, since our actions are driven by our thoughts, perhaps our actions will align more closely with the real world than might be the case right now. That may be as close to Nirvana as we get.

All of this is easy to say. But can we really find the 2% of the 2% of the 2% needle in the haystack that we have surrounded our existence with? Maybe not, but we might be able to ferret out at least one or two things if we look harder.

Hay, Hay, Hay! Just Who Do You Think You are?

What is the “haystack”?

Everything! The haystack is literally everything you think or do. So, in a sense, you are the haystack, because ultimately what defines “you” is the sum total of everything you think and do.

So, finding the needle in this enormous haystack sounds like a gargantuan task. But if we think a little diligently, maybe we can simplify this task a bit. There may be patterns in what we think and what we do that characterize the actual things we do, or the thoughts we generate. If we can discover such patterns, we may be able to investigate those patterns rather than every single action or thought.

But are there such patterns? are We Mere Puppets of Patterns?

Of course, there are patterns; our lives are filled with them.

Patterns are useful tools that help us be efficient (or, lazy, if you prefer), enabling us to act in an auto-pilot mode for a lot of things that we would otherwise need to think through on a case-by-case basis. For example, when I get into my car, I find that my body has developed an auto-pilot routine that has me check the lights, locks, windows, mirrors and such, without me even being aware that I am doing all of these things.

So, we may not even be aware that these patterns exist, and Saathee.com

52

Patterns: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Can we be confident that these patterns help us rather than hurt us? When we do things in certain ways and when we think with specific slants, do we do so because we know that these are the most effective ways? Or, do these patterns exist because they have been planted inside us by our circumstances and the people who came with those circumstances?

Some of these patterns are quite helpful, such as the one that helps me get through the process of getting ready to drive out without thinking too hard. In computerese, I might say that my brain can engage freely in “foreground” tasks such as thinking about my plan for the day, confident that “background” processing will take care of the routine, mechanical preparation for the drive. These patterns free our brains from having to deal with the mundane, so that we can devote our precious bandwidth to the things that matter. (I get my SAT students to see how this principle speeds them up.)

But some patterns can lead us astray. For example, we may foist our patterns on our children, believing that what’s good for the goose is good for the gosling. But if the gosling is going to live in a different world than the goose did, then the poor little thing is going to be a victim, not only of its own circumstances, but its parents’ circumstances as well! So, we, like our children, may benefit by examining our patterns to see if they are context-specific and not get too in love with them.

And then there are the “ugly” patterns. These are the ones that lead to human beings turning against other human beings, to violence, bloodshed, bigotry, wars, and terrorism. It is easy to say that patterns should be examined. But can someone who is bigoted really take a step back and see that how they think is skewed rather than sacred? Also, bias is not the monopoly of those who evidently exhibit bigotry. One pattern that misleads is the us-versus-them pattern. It is too easy to see ugly patterns in others, but not in ourselves. And, since we control our own patterns, we can make them whatever we prefer them to be, rather than what they should be.

Keep 2% and Throw away the Rest While we cannot get at 2% of our brains directly, we can pause for a bit every now and then to do some pruning and tuning of pre-existing patterns. Since these patterns drive a lot of what we do, we may be able to make a difference to ourselves and others around us, if we take the time to throw out the garbage once in a while. But it does take some effort to identify what is garbage and what is not.

Is it possible to cut back on our patterns? Let me know what you think at SAT@newcranium.com.

Balaji Prasad is an IIT/IIM graduate, a published author, SAT/ACT Online and Offline Coach, interview, resume, and career coach at NewCranium.

Contact: 704.746.9779 balaji.prasad@newcranium.com December 2014

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The trail is actually the “retired” rail bed of Virginia – North Carolina railway corridor. It owes its name to the way locals referred to the old steam engines laboring up the mountain grades with heavy loads of lumber and iron ore into the Iron Mountains.

Also, a plant called the “Virginia Creeper” grew along its tracks.

By the 1950’s, the steam locomotives had given way to diesel engines. But by 1970s, many railroads were abandoned. And in 1986, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy began converting old railroad beds into trail systems for hikers and bikers.

The trail has very gentle uphill and downhill grades between Abingdon and the unofficial midpoint of Damascus. After that, it climbs nearly 1600 feet to the eastern terminus on Whitetop Mountain, near the NC border. The trail is mostly firm - made up of crushed limestone and cinder bed from the rail days.

Many bike shops in Abington and Damascus run shuttles to take people up to Damascus or the Whitetop. Then they give them bikes to simply cruise down the trail. But that did not constitute much of a work out in my opinion. So I decided to ride the trail in a way most people don’t – ride both up and down the trail.

Most wisely (being a wise guy), I split the trail in two parts – on first day, I would go from Abingdon to Damascus, an elevation loss of about 200 feet. On second day, I would go from Damascus to Whitetop, an elevation gain of about 1600 feet. Each day, I would ride about 35 miles. But, needless to say, the second day was going to be a tough one.

In early September I started driving from Charlotte to Abingdon. This is a distance of 200 miles – first going up on interstate 77 and then coming down on 81 South. It was a pleasant morning and driving was quite fun. When I got to the quaint town of Abingdon around 11 am, I was tight on time. I checked into a hotel and changed into my biking outfit. Then I drove a couple of miles to Virginia Creeper Trail Bike shop where I rented a mountain bike for the day for $20.

The Chai Table A Readers’ Forum

Infertility and Indian Culture Anonymous In the progression of an Indian child living in America, completing your education is priority number one, then of course getting married and starting your family. I felt I got two, big gold stars for accomplishing the first two and now it was time to begin popping out the kids. My wife and I began trying to conceive after our one year anniversary thinking it would take a few months to get it right but being young, healthy individuals, we would be okay. However, the months kept passing and seasons changed before we sought professional advice.

After a battery of tests by physicians, meeting specialists, and travelling around South Carolina, my wife and I were left with one fact: we would need assistance getting pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Basically, IVF allows the reproductive cells of a male and female to be joined in a laboratory and then allowed to become an embryo. After days of growth, the embryo is placed into the female to allow natural development and eventually, pregnancy.

What my wife and I learned, along with our family and friends, is that the process of IVF is a novel concept amongst the Indian community. In a culture that is no stranger to sexuality (kama sutra), reproduction (high population rates), and exhibiting a close family core, getting pregnant would seem to be an easy target to attain. We did not think that we’d be in the same boat as a number of American couples that need assistance with reproducing, especially being fit and diet conscious adults.

This experience is something we can neither turn to our parents nor many Indian friends because infertility is so unique and misunderstood. With their best intentions, they only offer generic well wishes and cliché advice. The price for treatment, including required medications, can cost an upwards of $25,000 with no help from insurance. It takes a toll on the couple not only physically and emotionally, but can hinder a young couple financially. And on top of that, treatment is not guaranteed to work.

While I understand our infertility issue is a challenging scenario for my wife and me now, I feel that we can definitely accomplish our goals of having a family in the future. Whether it is IVF, adoption, or any other means, we will find a way to be parents. In the time being, we will continue to love and appreciate each other and continue to inform the Indian community about infertility in messages like this.

First day on bike trail It was a sunny 80 degree day in Abingdon. It was about noon, so I put on my hat and sunglasses. I parked my car at the bike shop and started riding my bike to the trailhead which was only a block away. An antique steam locomotive stood nearby as a memory of the times past.

I took two bottles of water with me on the bike. The trail was wide and the setting bucolic. Many people were biking from Damascus to Abingdon. I passed through meadows and pastures.

I saw horses grazing. In one pasture, many cows were spending a leisurely afternoon. I traversed rolling farm countryside and numerous parcels of private property – requiring opening and closing private gates along the route. Views of rivers, lakes and farmland were beautiful on this warm afternoon.

I passed Watauga and then about halfway, I reached the station of Alvarado. There was a general store there but it was closed.

The trail was sometimes wide and sometimes narrow. At some places, it was muddy, at others rocky. The river seemed to be always nearby and crisscrossing the trail, this made for very picturesque scenery. There were many trestles along the way. There were mile posts along the way so I could keep track of my progress. In about two and a half hours, I got to Damascus and went past it to mile 17. I had a snack at a convenience store and turned around.

Coming back, it had become cloudy and started drizzling.

I saw a deer on the trail but he moved out of the way after

adventure in Virginia

By Ron Virmani, M.D. I had heard a lot about the Virginia Creeper Trail. The VA Creeper Trail stretches 34 miles from Abingdon, Virginia (elevation 2100 feet, pop. about 8000) down and east through the lovely town of Damascus, VA (elevation 1900 feet, pop. About 1000, known as the Heart of the VA Creeper) along the Whitetop Laurel River and up to its highest point Whitetop Station near the NC State Line at Whitetop, Virginia. The VA Creeper Trail is open year-round for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. It is certainly one of the most popular and beautiful bike trails in the eastern part of USA. Saathee.com

continued on page 58 54

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giving me quizzical looks. At about 4 pm, it started raining hard and I got drenched. At this point, I was totally exhausted.

Fortunately, I was back in Abingdon around 5 pm. I gave the bike back and went to my hotel to clean up. I was cold and shivering by this time. After a meal, I decided to venture out into the town of Abingdon. abingdon in the evening Abingdon was established in 1778 and retains its charm of a small, elegant, artsy and ideal Blue Ridge Mountain town. It dates back to the time of Daniel Boone and the battles of the early settlers with Native Americans.

I strolled through the 20-block downtown historic district which includes many 18th, 19th and early 20th century buildings. Martha Washington Hotel and spa building is magnificent. A night stay here can set you back a few hundred dollars. Fortunately, I did not experience this setback! I did enjoy some local beer in a nice pub.

Then I decided to check out the Barter Theatre. It is also a very impressive building. When this theatre opened during the great depression, people could actually buy their tickets with produce or livestock. Across from the main building is Barter stage II, where Driving Miss Daisy was the live show that night.

In the main theater, which is opulently furnished, there was also a live show – Ring of Fire – Music of Johnny Cash. It was all booked up but I was lucky to get a cancelled ticket. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and the wonderful costumes of country singers from the last century. After this, I went back to my hotel and got some sleep.

they were constructing new iron trestles to replace the old timber trestles. I saw many farms of Christmas trees.

I reached the Green Cove station, also with a general store/post office/etc. A whole bunch of people were milling around. They had stopped on their way down from the Whitetop Mountain. A few more miles to go for me.

The upgrade got steeper. I was taking frequent breaks from pedaling now. Just when I was about to give up, I got to the Whitetop mountain. The American flag was flying high. A kind lady was minding the store. She said that I was the first person to ride up the trail in 4 days. Not many people choose to ride up. There was a book I could sign for those who ride up.

I signed it with pride. She took my pictures up on top.

It had taken me four hours to ride up the 18 mile uphill.

When I mentioned to her that I could not buy a souvenir because I had forgotten to bring my wallet, she quickly calculated that I was also probably hungry and gave me some trail mix and a boiled egg. I was so thankful for her kindness.

Now came the easy part of riding down. Many others had been dropped off by shuttles and were riding down. First, the grade was steep and had to brake all the time. Then the grade was not steep and had to pedal some. Final 4 miles took normal amount of pedaling. It took two hours to make it back to Damascus, where the hot sun was beating down on the town. I needed a beer again.

I gave the bike back. I ordered a very yummy Philly cheesesteak sandwich with my beer. I do not normally drink beer or alcohol, but riding my bike like this allowed me to feel entitled! Within a period of about 26 hours, I had biked 70 miles in about 11 hours and felt I could take some liquid liberties.

I spent some time exploring the downtown of Damascus.

Then I headed back to Charlotte to write about my wonderful bike trip of riding over 47 trestles.

Second day on bike trail I woke up around 6 am and got ready for my second day of biking. Today, I was going to drive up to Damascus and then ride the bike up to the Whitetop Mountain.

Damascus is known as Trail Town USA due to the convergence of four scenic trails in town, including the Appalachian Trail, U.S. Bicycle Route 76, The Iron Mountain Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail. Damascus also is on the route of the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail and the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail.

I got to Damascus around 8 am and found the Blue Blaze Bicycle shop open. Again I rented a mountain bike for $20, took water and sunglasses and hat. The shopkeeper told me that the first 4 miles were going to be relatively flat, the next 10 miles with a 2 percent upgrade and then 4 miles of 6 percent upgrade.

I got on the trail around 8:45am. The Creeper trail went through the town and then went into deep forest. The Whitetop Laurel stream was always nearby and crisscrossing the trail under the trestles.

It was an invigorating morning. I was huffing and puffing.

I was sweating and drinking water. I was enjoying the cool but strenuous ride of the morning. As hours passed, the grade got steeper. Trestles small and big came and went. Lush waterways definitely provided distraction from the otherwise monotony of deep forest. Coming into Taylor’s Valley, I spotted the Creeper Trail Café and a fairy tale looking ice cream shop. I realized that, unfortunately, I had not brought my wallet with me. So I pressed on.

Sun had come out. A bunch of people were huddled on a trestle watching a large black snake that had just eaten a meal and was leisurely sunning itself. I took a picture of that. I had to dismount the bike and walk some trestles in the area where Saathee.com

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December 2014

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The official language of Manipur.

The state capitol of Manipur.

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Name the three Indian states and the country that border Manipur.

7

6

Name the largest lake in the state of Manipur.

8

This modern game played on horseback, though formalized and popularized by the British, is derived from Manipur.

9

The two major religions of Manipur.

The state’s official language is considered what type of language?

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By Jason Berry, GlobalPost.com NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — The river systems of the world have a certain pageantry in the history of the countries through which they flow, and names with a musical ring: Amazon and Ganges, Mekong, Nile and Irrawaddy, Rhine, Volga, Yangtze and the name with a hard, dark pull in New Orleans environmental writer Bob Marshall’s life: Mississippi.

“All of the world’s great deltas are collapsing because of development and sea level rise,” says Marshall, who has long history in the Louisiana coastal wetlands, where the Mississippi River delta meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Rivers were the highways of the world before roads and internal combustion engines,” explains Marshall. “Commerce was at the mouth of these rivers, port to port. The alluvial flood plains were fertile for farming, so they put up levees. The Niger River delta [in Nigeria] has been absolutely destroyed by oil and gas drilling, much worse than ours.”

Marshall reports for The Lens, a digital publication that collaborated with ProPublica on “Losing Ground,” an August investigation of Louisiana’s coastal erosion. The project used map simulations that drew wide media attention for a rendering of how much coastal forest has been swallowed and how far inland the Gulf is rising as south Louisiana sinks.

“Louisiana is drowning, quickly,” Marshall wrote in the main story. “In just 80 years, some 2000 square miles of its coastal landscape have turned to open water, wiping places off maps, bringing the Gulf of Mexico to the back door of New Orleans and posing a lethal threat to an energy and shipping corridor vital to the nation’s economy.”

An area the size of Delaware has disappeared. Acreage the size of a football field sinks in the Gulf on average once an hour. The federal government recently erased more than 20 communities south of New Orleans from the map – they’re underwater now.

Saathee.com

62

As a journalist for the Times-Picayune, Marshall shared in two Pulitzer Prizes with colleagues for coverage on the fate of the world’s oceans and Hurricane Katrina.

He left daily reporting after 41 years in 2012 when Advance Publications, the Newhouse family conglomerate that owns the Times-Picayune, slashed jobs in downsizing to a three-day-aweek newspaper plus the online operation.

The Lens relies on foundation and donor support with seven full-time editorial staffers and three part-time, doing indepth reporting with a special focus on land use and politics.

Marshall said he earns substantially less than his salary at the daily, but that he left with a good pension.

Marshall graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 1971 and hired on with the States-Item afternoon daily where he covered Saints football and developed a popular outdoors beat on hunting and fishing. In 1980 the morning TimesPicayune subsumed the Item. Marshall kept covering the NFL and expanded his conservation coverage, which got him kneedeep into environmental reporting.

The Lens brought him back to Loyola, where the communications department provides it newsroom space.

“I spent all this time out in the wetlands,” he says with a trace of sorrow. “It was my playground, my office and my church. That’s my religion, where I feel inspired spiritually — nature speaks to me.”

The Gulf lies 97 miles south of the city. Marshall cites rates of sea level rise and land subsidence by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in predicting that the Gulf will be at the city’s back door in 90 years, with major potential flooding before then.

The Army Corps of Engineers has completed a $14.5 million upgrade to the levee system since the 2005 flooding brought on

by Hurricane Katrina. continued on page 68 December 2014

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sponsor a BrICK $1001 $5,001 for 5 X 7 marble Plaque $10,001 for 8 X 11 marble plaque Expansion project update: Grading work and Parking Lot work has been completed. Foundation work in progress.

Building work will begin soon.

2015 mEmBErshIP DrIvE Annual membership: $101, students & seniors $31 Donate Brick and Become life member for $1001!

Upcoming Hindu Center Events & Activities: Election Day / General Body Meeting: Dec 7 (Sunday) Gita Jayanti: Dec 21 (Sunday) Balaji Anniversary: Dec 13 (Saturday) New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve Party: Dec 31 (Wednesday) Pongal / Makar Sankranti: Jan 17 (Saturday) Voice Of india radio program: Sunday 9:30 aM to noon on WnOW - 1030 aM Please support our Hindu center by advertising your business or sponsoring a show for a special occasion on the Voice of India.

For more information please call Kokila Kumar 704-264-7280 or email voiceofindiahc@yahoo.com

HINDU CENTER OF CHARLOTTE 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212 Ph. 704.535.3440 Fax. 704.535.6923 email: administrator@hcclt.org

OF CHARLOTTE

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Morning

Evening

8:30 am: 9:30 am: 10:30 am: 11:30 am: 12:30 pm:

5:00 pm: Bhajans (Individuals) 6:00 pm: - 8:00pm: Aaradhna Kalyana Utsavam Naivedyam Aarti Prasadam (Dinner)

Suprabhatam, Aaradhna Dhanvantri Homam Nava Kalasha Abhishekam Alankaram, Vishnu Saharsanam Aaradhna, Archana Naivedyam, Aarti 12:45 pm: Prasadam (Lunch)

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Yajaman for the day - $351 Nutam Vastram - $251 Homam - $31 Alankaram - $101

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on Sat Jan 17th 2015 starting at 5:00 PM. Abhishek/ Pooja with Bhajan/Shlokas. Followed by Kari/Bhogi Pallu & Mahaprasad Kari/Bhogi Pallu: Parents/ Grandparents will Bless & Shower their kids with fruits, candies, coins, Cranberries etc., supplied by Hindu Center. Please bring kids and don't miss this unique event.

Dress up in Indian tradition outfits if possible.

REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS: Sunday, January 25th Gandhi Bhavan @ Hindu Center.

Flag hoisting, National Anthem, Cultural Show & Lunch For more information contact: Anu Shenoy, Rituben Mukherjee, Nimish Bhatt or Hemant Amin.

With a Tea Party candidate who ran third in the state’s open primary, pulling 11 percent of the vote, Landrieu faces steep odds on winning a fourth term.

Marshall sees Louisiana’s hard tilt to the right as another piece of the disaster pie.

John F. Kennedy was president and Marshall barely a teenager when he began making weekend trips from the city for fishing and hunting in the coastal wilderness.

Years later, he bought a small camp near the Gulf with three pals, 30 minutes by boat from the nearest launch, where they took their kids and friends for weekends.

“We had great hunting and fishing and duck hunting,” he says wistfully. “The place was in the marsh on stilts at Cane Bayou, an area of hundreds of square miles of wetlands, the great estuary of the Mississippi River. The Gulf was three miles south. The marshes were falling apart but it was good enough to hold feed for migratory water fowl, bass and speckled trout.

It was one big living room with a kitchen, two sets of bunk beds, a screen porch, a little dock and a pier.”

The place had no electricity. It used a fresh water cistern for the bathroom shower and toilet.

“I forget which hurricane blew it over,” he says. “It’s just pilings now. The marsh out front became open water. This is in the Bird’s Foot delta, south of Venice [a fishing hamlet], at the main stem of the river. It’s still beautiful, the Amazon of North America, but it’ll be gone before the end of the century.”

The Race to Save Louisiana’s Disappearing Coast continued from page 62

“The state knows it cannot completely stop land loss,” says Marshall, “but believes that by redirecting the river and its sediment into some of the sinking basins south of New Orleans, it can regain enough wetlands to maintain a functioning estuary and some storm protection by 2060.”

The levee system that protects the low-lying city and outlying towns has for decades been bottling up sediment that strengthens wetland growth, driving it like a chute into the Gulf. But even should a rerouting of the levees succeed, the impact of 10,000 miles of navigational canals carved by oil companies through the wetlands have had a huge impact on the land loss, as Marshall has long reported.

Not to mention 50,000 industrial wells in the marsh, pushing subsidence.

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration produced a master plan to halt coastal erosion; however it has no reliable funding stream for the enormous cost, estimated in the $100 billion range. Jindal and the legislature want the federal government to bear the brunt.

Nathaniel Rich, in a Oct. 4 New York Times Magazine piece “Waterworld,” explores these issues in a profile of John Barry, author of “Rising Tide,” an acclaimed history of the 1927 Mississippi River flood.

As a local levee board official, Barry spearheaded a lawsuit against dozens of oil companies for funds to remediate the coast. Jindal fired Barry from his position and pushed a bill through the legislature, killing the lawsuit. A state judge recently ruled that the bill is unconstitutional; but Republican hostility to the lawsuit is likely to draw more political fire.

A challenge by industry to the lawsuit in federal court is pending.

Since covering the BP oil spill and following the disasters from industrial development in other deltaic regions, Marshall is a realist on the odds against enlightened policies. But in Baton Rouge to cover the debate in the legislature on the bill to kill the lawsuit, he became unusually glum.

“They had no interest in finding out what the suit was about or why it was necessary or help the state. I remember calling my wife, and saying, ‘Put the for sale sign up, we’re moving to Montana.’”

But she didn’t.

“They tried to draft twelve bills to kill the suit in different ways, and they could only get one bill to the floor,” says Marshall. “To me that’s the frustration – politics is a major cause of the damage. We’re sinking. If the computers are right we can build some of what we lost, and hold on to it – but we don’t have the money. The Republican-controlled Congress has refused to give us anything.”

The lawsuit is designed to get oil companies to the bargaining table and fund a budget to remediate coastal areas destroyed by their violations of state law. Public opinion polls favor the suit, but voters don’t provide the meat and whiskey (read: campaign funds) for democracy in Louisiana.

Five of the six Congressional representatives from Louisiana are Republicans.

After this month’s Republican electoral sweep, Mary Landrieu is — for now — the state’s only Democrat in the Senate. She is in a runoff with Republican Congressman William Cassidy, a medical doctor, who said with no hint of irony on election night: “Louisiana has a senator with an ‘F’ from the NRA. We are the state that gave the world ‘Duck Dynasty.’”

Saathee.com

Jason Berry lives in New Orleans and writes for the GroundTruth blog at GlobalPost. His books include “Last of the Red Hot Poppas,” a novel about Louisiana politics.

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December 2014

News Notes These charts show you who’s using the most of our non-renewable energy resources The United States is a top consumer for petroleum, natural gas and coal.

By Simran Khosla, GlobalPost.com The G20 summit took place last month, where the world’s biggest economies come together to make the decisions that impact us all in language most of us can’t really understand.

On the agenda for the summit was “boosting world growth, fireproofing the global banking system, and closing tax loopholes for giant multinationals.”

Noticeably absent from the agenda was climate change, even though two G20 members, China and the US, last month brokered a huge deal to bring down global carbon emissions.

Still, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the summit host, decided to keep climate change off of this year’s agenda.

Perhaps a certain magazine cover helped him miss the big climate news, but it might have a little more to do with his love for coal. Either way, protesters are prepared to make it clear to G20 members that the environment shouldn’t be an afterthought.

Some of the countries represented at this weekend’s summit are also some of the biggest users of non-renewable resources.

We’ve created a series of charts that show you the top ten global consumers of petroleum, natural gas, and coal. To give you a little more context, we’ve also added how much of the total supply of each energy type each nation produces, and what percentage of the global population each nation makes up.

With the summit’s participants representing 85 percent of the world’s GDP and 75 percent of global trade, and environmental scientists warning of the environmental nightmare we’re hurtling toward right now, this is definitely the sort of conversation that shouldn’t just be taking place on the sidelines.

Here are some of the countries that might need to get together and discuss a way to kick their environment-killing energy habits.

total petroleum with only 312 million people, while China manages to spread 11.2 percent of the world’s petroleum among its population of 1.3 billion.

The only two nations on this list that actually produce more oil than they consume are Russia and Saudi Arabia, both of whom are top trading partners to the United States and the European Union. The two nations don’t just cover their own needs — they have A LOT of petroleum left over. This probably makes them less inclined to shift to renewables. While Russia is the fifth largest producer of hydroelectric energy in the world (a renewable resource), the nation has barely scratched the surface with other renewable sources of energy. Saudi Arabia generates none of its electricity from renewable resources.

While much has been made about the dangers of natural gas extraction (fracking certainly has its flaws), the United States has seen a huge boom in its natural gas industry in the last decade. The United States surpassed Russia as the top producer of natural gas in 2008. Russia and the United States are also top consumers, together accounting for 34.3 percent of the allnatural gas use. Russia produces much more natural gas than it needsm while the United States is almost producing as much as it consumes. Iran makes a podium appearance as the third largest consumer of natural gas. In fact, Iran has the secondlargest natural gas reserves in the world, so it’s probably a resource they plan on using for a while.

China has a serious coal problem. Nearly half of all the coal consumed on the planet is consumed in China. It’s little comfort that they’re also producing that much coal, since it’s one of the least environmentally friendly non-renewables. The US Environmental Protection Agency warns: “When coal is The top petroleum consumer in the world is the United burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and States, which uses nearly double the amount of petroleum mercury compounds are released. For that reason, coal-fired China does. This statistic gets even more striking when you continued on page 74 factor in population numbers: The US consumes 20 percent of Saathee.com

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December 2014

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December 2014

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boilers are required to have control devices to reduce the amount of emissions that are released.” Even so, the United States still consumes about one-tenth of the world’s available coal, and produces 11.7 percent of the supply. The real worry with coal, though, is in developing nations in Asia. Places like India and China find coal to be a cheap source of energy as their economies industrialize. China, in fact, is solely responsible for 69 percent of the 3.2 billion-ton increase in coal production in the last ten years. Burning that much coal that fast can have an immediate impact on the environment — it’s a major contributor to China’s air quality issues.

will be held April 16-18, 2015, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, also in Huntsville.

The challenge engages high school, college and university students in hands-on, experiential learning activities, while also testing potential technologies needed for future deep space exploration. Both U.S. and international teams may register to participate. For U.S. teams, registration closes Feb. 6, 2015.

Registration for international teams closes Jan. 9, 2015.

Student teams participating in the Rover Challenge must design, engineer and test a human-powered rover on a mock course designed to simulate the harsh and demanding terrains future NASA explorers may find on distant planets, moons and asteroids.

“Throughout the months-long process, students gain meaningful experience and valuable feedback, while receiving encouragement to pursue technical careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Diedra Williams, an education specialist in Marshall’s Academic Affairs Office. “Students must use their educational background to apply practical designs and solve engineering problems similar to those encountered by NASA mission teams.”

Registration questions may be directed to Diedra Williams at 256-544-5721 or diedra.a.williams@nasa.gov (U.S. teams) and Amy McDowell at 256-544-8411 or amy.mcdowell@nasa.gov (international teams).

The Human Exploration Rover Challenge encourages research and development in new technologies and engages students in real-world engineering and problem-solving concepts that may be needed on future exploration missions.

Through innovative challenges such as this, NASA continues to demonstrate its commitment to inspiring new generations of scientists, engineers and astronauts.

Saptak Music Festival The Saptak music festival, presented annually by Saptak School of Music in Amdavad, Gujarat, will present the 35th festival from January 1 – 13, 2015.

The Indian classical music festival will have 50 sessions and feature more than 175+ artists besides about 40 students. The program has several unique features. In the vocal section it covers the entire spectrum of classical forms from the stylized classicism of Dhrupad to Khayal and the enchanting Thumri. Various gharanas and styles are represented. For the past few years there have also been morning sessions to enable listeners to savor the morning ragas. This has been appreciated by the audience. This year also there will be two morning sessions on Sun, Jan 4 and Sun, Jan 11, 2015. The complete list of artists and other details will be posted on the organization’s For more information on the 2015 Human Exploration Rover website. For more details visit www.saptak.org.

Challenge and registration, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/14dikMF naSa opens Registration for 2015 Exploration Rover Challenge Pedaling across a simulated alien landscape of rock, craters and shifting sand is one of the nearly 90 teams of high school, college and university students from across the United States and around the world who competed in the first NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge April 11-12 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given

Follow the Rover Challenge on social media for the latest news and updates: https://www.facebook.com/roverchallenge?ref=hl https://twitter.com/RoverChallenge http://instagram.com/nasa_marshall

new E-Verify Service Combats Fraud, Protects Identity, Educates Workers WASHINGTON — The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez has announced the launch of myE-Verify—a new website designed for employees. myE-Verify is a one-stop shop for employees to create and maintain secure personal accounts and access new features for identity protection.

“Since its inception, E-Verify has provided employees with valuable online tools and resources regarding the employment eligibility verification process,” said Director Rodríguez. “myEVerify signifies a significant step forward for added transparency, features, and identity protection.” myE-Verify gives workers a free and secure way to participate in the E-Verify process by accessing features dedicated for employees, including Self Check and the NASA has opened team registration for the 2015 NASA Employee Rights Toolkit. For added security, individuals will Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Organized by NASA’s continued on page 78 Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the event Saathee.com

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December 2014

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December 2014

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December 2014

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December 2014

News Notes

continued from page 74

have their identities verified through Self Check, in order to create a myE-Verify account. myE-Verify introduces the following new services: • myE-Verify accounts – Allows employees and job seekers to set up free and secure personal accounts to manage the use of their information in E-Verify and Self Check through the available myE-Verify features.

• Self Lock – Allows individuals to lock their social security numbers to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent use within E-Verify. Users can proactively protect their identities from being used by others to illegally gain employment. Self-Lock is available only to myE-Verify account holders.

• myResources – A section of the myE-Verify site that contains information in multi-media formats to educate employees about their rights as well as responsibilities of employers in the employment eligibility verification process. myE-Verify accounts and Self Lock will initially be accessible to individuals in five states - Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia - as well as the District of Columbia. In future releases, USCIS will roll out myE-Verify across the country with plans for additional features focused on employees and job seekers.

E-Verify is the free web-based service from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used by nearly 550,000 employers to verify the employment eligibility of persons they hire. For more information on E-Verify, visit the www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

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1/2 cup of the water. Bring to just boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Transfer about half of the soup mixture to a blender; add the remaining 1/2 cup water and blend until nearly smooth. Return to pot and stir to combine.

Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Stir in cheese until melted. Top servings with sliced sweet peppers and parsley.

Serves 4

Recipes & More Tuscan Bean Soup Ingredients: 1 cup packaged peeled baby carrots, coarsely chopped 1 small onion, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 32 ounce box vegetarian broth 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed 1 5 ounce package baby spinach Freshly cracked black pepper Method: In 4-quart pot cook and stir carrots and onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add beans, broth, and seasoning. Bring to boiling; slightly mash beans.

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in large skillet heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and toss with spoon just until wilted, around a minute. Remove from heat. Serve topped with spinach and sprinkled with pepper. Serve with your favorite baked bread.

Makes 4 servings.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli Ingredients: 2 pounds butternut squash 2 14 1/2 ounce can vegetable broth ½ cup water 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon margarine or butter 1 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese ravioli 1 tablespoon molasses (optional) Method: Peel squash. Halve lengthwise. Remove seeds and discard. Cut squash into 3/4-inch pieces. In a large saucepan, combine squash, broth, water, and cayenne pepper. Cook, covered (medium heat) for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Transfer quarter of the squash-and-broth mixture to a blender container. Carefully blend, covered, until smooth. Repeat until all of the mixture is blended. Return blended mixture to large saucepan. Bring just to boiling. Immediately reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the margarine or butter, stirring until just melted. In the meantime prepare the ravioli. Drain. Fill bowls with hot squash mixture. Divide cooked ravioli among bowls. Makes 5 servings.

Japanese Tofu Soba noodle Soup Ingredients: One 8 ounce package soba noodles One 32 ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth 6 to 8 medium-sized shitake mushroom caps, sliced 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 tsp rice vinegar 2 tsp natural granulated sugar 2 to 3 tsp minced fresh ginger, to taste 3 scallions, thinly sliced 8 ounces soft or firm tofu 8 to 10 ounces fresh spinach, well washed, stemmed, and chopped Fresh ground black pepper, to taste Method: Break the noodles in half and cook them in a large saucepan according to package directions until al dente, then drain. Rinse briefly with cool water. In the meantime combine the broth, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and ginger in a soup pot. Bring to a rapid simmer and then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes Stir in the scallions, tofu, and spinach. Cover and cook until the spinach is wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in the noodles. Add about two cups additional water, or enough to give the soup a dense consistency. Season with pepper and additional soy sauce if needed.

Cream of Tomato and Chickpea Soup Ingredients: 2 16 ounce canned chickpeas, drained (aka garbanzo beans).

4 cups water or bean broth (bean cooking liquid) 2 unsalted vegetable bouillon cubes 6 ripe plum tomatoes or 1 large can crushed unsalted tomatoes 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp raw cane or turbinado sugar 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 large carrots, 2 celery stalks, diced 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 pinch chipotle pepper or to taste 1 Tbsp dried basil, or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or basil

Potato Cheddar Soup Ingredients: 1 28 ounce package frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers 1 cup chopped miniature sweet peppers 3 cups fat-free half-and-half ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon curry powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup water 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1-1/2 cups) Sliced miniature sweet peppers (optional) Snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (optional)

Method: Combine chickpeas in a sauce pan with 4 cups water, stock or bean cooking liquid, 2 veggie cubes, bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer. Heat oil in a large soup pot or pressure cooker. Trim and peel and thinly slice carrots and celery. Peel, core and mince the garlic cloves, and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and celery, stir fry 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, turn the heat up to medium high and stir fry 5 minutes. Add the beans and soup stock, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer covered for 1/2 hour or until veggies are tender. Crockpot: Add everything to the crockpot, cook on low for 5 hours. Add tomato paste, salt & pepper, optional soy sauce if desired. Blend soup with a blender stick, or in batches in a blender. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with fresh minced herb, Method: In a 4-quart pot combine potatoes, chopped sweet parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella if desired. Serve with peppers, half-and-half, salt, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and chunks of fresh chewy artisan bread to dip in the soup. Serves 8.

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Community Focus Events of Note

will explore the future of Georgia’s shifting demographics and political landscape, the role of Asian Americans, African Americans, and Latino Americans in Georgia politics, and the impact of diversity in Georgia politics in 2016. The forum is partnering with multiple media outlets, radios, along with CBS Radio and Gwinnett Daily Post. The Panel will have state legislators and members of the national media. Political Tracker is a non-partisan company based in Gwinnett County. Its main goal is to meet the steadily increasing public demand for: (1) free unrestricted access to verified, unbiased political information from the federal to the local level, and (2) dynamic interaction with news, information and other users through social media as well as unique tracking technology. Info on the organization can be found at politicaltracker.com. Any information for the forum write to: mughal.govaffairs@gmail.com.

nrityagram Dance Ensemble The Nrityangram Dance Ensemble presents the performance “Songs of Love & Longing” on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 8 pm at the Reynolds Industries Theater on the campus of Duke University. Surupa Sen (choreographer/dancer) and Bijayini Satpathy (dancer), the duo from South India’s Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, will perform a special program of solos and duets inspired by the epic Indian poem the Gita Govinda. They will be accompanied by a musical ensemble featuring voice, harmonium, mardala, violin, and bansuri, recounting the love between the immortal Krishna and the human Radha described in the 12th-century ballad.

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, based in an intentional community near Bangalore, is regarded as India’s foremost dance company, and the leading exemplar of the classical dance form Odissi. Calling their New York debut “one of the most luminous dance events of the year,” the New York Times marveled as the company “performed with a burnished grace, a selfless concentration, and a depth that reflected their intensive training.”

Although dedicated to an ancient practice, Nrityagram is also committed to carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century by making new choreography and collaborating with contemporary Indian musicians. Tickets start at $10. For more details visit www.nrityagram.org and www.dukeperformances.duke.edu/calendar.

USDaa Dog agility Trial The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) agility trials will be held from December 12 – 14, 2014 at Western North Carolina Agricultural Center, Fletcher, NC. Some 300 purebred dogs compete at various levels of difficulty. The event is family friendly and free. For more details call 828-687-1414 or visit the website www.usdaa.com.

Christmas Parade Surfside Beach Festively decorated floats, equestrian units, vintage automobiles and more will stroll through downtown Surfside Beach, SC for its annual Christmas parade on Sat, December 13, 2014. The event is free for the entire family. For further details call 843-913-6111 or visit www.surfsidebeach.org.

Wright Brothers First Flight Ceremony Wright Brothers National Memorial located in Kill Devil Hill, NC will present the annual Wright Brothers First flight Ceremony on Wed, December 17, 2014. The free event will Light up the night Boat Parade feature a wreath placing ceremony, a fly over tribute and more.

Boats decorated with lights will be paraded by the waterfront The memorial is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. promenade in historic Beaufort, SC on December 5 – 7, 2014. For details call 252-441-7430 or visit www.firstflight.org.

The annual event is free. For more details call 843-525-6644 or Belk Bowl 5K visit www.downtownbeaufort.com.

The Belk Bowl 5K takes place on Sun, December 28, 2014 beginning at 1pm. Bring the family and run or walk the streets Holiday Fair Over 300 craftspeople and vendors from 15 states offering arts of Uptown Charlotte and celebrate with a post-race party full of and more will converge at the Holiday Fair in Greenville, SC free beer, food, and giveaways. Bring your family, friends, and on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at the TD Convention Center. football fans and get ready to run! First 150 online registrants will For full details and ticketing info call 864-233-2562 or hop on receive a cooler seat complimentary of the Belk Bowl. Run for a cause. Proceeds go to benefit Levine Children’s Hospital. The over to www.holidayfairgreenville.com. event is at Wells Fargo Atrium, 301 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. For more details call 704-333-2775 or visit www.belkbowl5k.com.

Georgia Political Forum Political Tracker will host a “Georgia Political Forum” on Wed, Bollywood new Year’s Eve December 10, 2014 (6 – 8:30pm) at Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071. There will be leaders from some of Enjoy an all-ages, no alcohol New Year’s Eve bash on Wed, Georgia’s top-notch media and political speakers for an evening December 31, 2014 at the Hindu Center Vihar Hall beginning of discussion on demographics, political and, electoral landscape at 8pm. There will be a DJ, dancing, karaoke, games, street food, in Georgia politics. By 2050 the United States will have no racial and lots more. Tickets are $5. Ages 12 and under must be majority and the uneven racial and ethnic population growth of accompanied by an adult. All proceed will benefit the temple the future could very well reshape the course of presidential construction project. For more details call 704-607-8412 or visit politics and Georgia politics for generations to come. The forum www.hcclt.org.

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First night Charlotte Charlotte Center City Partners present the annual First Night Charlotte event on Wed, December 31 in downtown Charlotte.

Ring in 2015 with a family-friendly cultural celebration taking place on New Year’s Eve. Artists, dancers, comedians, musicians and magicians will take to the streets and venues. First Night Kids kicks off the day with events from 12-5pm with a kids’ countdown at the main stage from 4-5pm. First Night picks back up at 8pm for evening activities until 11pm and a fantastic midnight finale show from 10pm-12:30am on the main stage. First Night is alcohol-free but attendees are encouraged to enjoy the local dining before the Queen Charlotte crown is raised to ring in 2015. Full details available at www.firstnightcharlotte.com.

2015 US Figure Skating Championships U.S Figure skating has announced that the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held from January 17-25, 2015, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is the organization’s largest event and was also held in Greensboro in 2011. The 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships featured 252 skaters. Since that event, U.S. Figure Skating has added juvenile and intermediate competition to the event, which has added another approximately 100 participants to the competition. The coliseum is located at 1921 W Lee St, Greensboro. Details are available at www.northcarolina2015.com.

Community News

First night Raleigh In 1990 First Night Raleigh was born, joining other cities worldwide RTP-based Writer Sudha om Dhingra in a joyful, family-oriented, alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration Receives Prestigious award of the arts. Admission buttons, worn by participants, make First On November 1, 2014, the Utter Pradesh Hindi Sansthan Night Raleigh the most accessible, inexpensive and safest way to announced their awards for the year 2013 for the Indian celebrate the New Year. The event has grown to be the largest New languages work being done in India and Year’s Eve event held in eastern North Carolina. First Night Raleigh Abroad. The selection committee selected has continued to thrive as an arts festival devoted to the 4 pillars of Research Triangle Park-based Dr. Sudha Om First Night: celebration, community, The New Year, and the arts.

Dhingra for “Hindi Videsh Prasad Samman.”

First Night Raleigh has evolved with the changing environment of The award is the highest in Hindi language a revitalized and vibrant Downtown. It continues to use the city as and consists of Rs 100,000 cash and air fare. a stage, presenting artists and performers in plazas, churches, Dr. Dhingra also received another award in museums, theatres, bank lobbies and street corners throughout two Hindi literature from a literary organization dozen blocks of Downtown Raleigh. For full details visit “Spandhan” based in Bhopal. The award www.firstnightraleigh.com. consists of a “samman Patr” and Rs 11,000. Dr. Dhingra is a noted Hindi writer, poet and editor of Hindi Chetna, the only Center City Concerts at St. Peter’s Hindi quarterly magazine published in North America. She has A multicultural celebration of civil and human rights through 11 books to her credit and her writing contributions are part of music and poetry will take place at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, more than 35 books and over 200 magazines.

115 W. 7th St., Charlotte on Monday, January 19, 2015, from noon – 1pm. The free event will feature poet Anthony Abbot and the aaj Ka Dhamaka Davidson College Freeword Poets collaborating with musicians Aaj Ka Dhamaka 2014 was held in Memorial Hall on UNC Laurie Hicks Tanner, Nancy Hicks Tate, Murphy Hicks Henry, Chapel Hill’s campus on as well as Herschel Lee Brown and The Euphonious Ensemble November 1, 2014. The in an inspiring tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice for show was a success with a all people remains at the forefront of today’s youth. For more big crowd that came close details call 704-332-7746 or write to music@st-peters.org. to selling out the show.

Bhangra, Fusion, and Shantala Shivalingappa Raas teams from all over Lauded as a rare dancer by artists and connoisseurs the world the East Coast competed over Shantala Shivalingappa brings a captivating contemporary for the AKD 2014 title, sensibility to the 2,000-year-old traditional South Indian along with $1500 in prize money for the first place winner. A Kuchipudi dance form. Deeply total of nine teams competed for the title, with three teams from moved and inspired by the grace each genre. The three Bhangra teams were Buckeye Bhangra, and purity of Kuchipudi, she VT Bhangra, and Steel City Bhangra. The Fusion teams were dedicated herself to intense and Maryland Dhoom, NCSU Nazaare, and Nova Nassa. The three rigorous training from one of its Raas teams were GT greatest teachers, Vempati Chinna Ramblin’ Raas, VCU Satyam. Her ensuing associations Ricochet Raas, and UVA with seminal choreographers and HooRaas. Finally, there directors including Pina Bausch and were three exhibition Peter Brook fueled her rapid rise in teams including Tar Heel the West and sparked a new global Raas, a capella group dance generation with her charm, UNC Samaa, and Chapel musicality, and the vibrant storytelling embodied in her Hill Chalkaa. A guest performances. Live musicians accompany her for this performer also flew down from London to support the performance. She will present a performance called “Akasha.” competition. British singer-songwriter Arjun performed around She will perform on Wed, February 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm on the 9 pieces and closed the show with a huge dhamaka. The official campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Single tickets start at $10. For more winners were announced at the end of the competition. They details visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org. were picked by the judges Lavesh Pritmani, Ritu Mukherjee, Saathee.com

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Hindu new Year Celebrated at BaPS Mandir The week of October 21-25 started a five day celebration for the Hindu community in the Triangle area. Throughout the weekdays a total of over 1500 people gathered at the mandir to participate in the different traditions and rituals of Diwali. The festival is also known as the “Festival of Lights” celebrates the triumph of good over evil, light over dark, and rings in the New Year for Hindus. The last day of the celebration was on Saturday, October 25. The Bochanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir in Morrisville hosted a day-long Diwali celebration. There were over 3,500 individuals who entered the mandir throughout the day. A grand Annakut, also known as a mountain of food, was offered to God to celebrate the beginning of the New Year; and to give thanks for all that He has given. Over 700 vegetarian delicacies were offered and then given out as “mahaprasad” also known as sanctified blessings to the 3,500 individuals who entered the mandir throughout the day.

A kids’ Diwali was also celebrated on October 18. Ami Patel, a volunteer, said “Diwali and New Year is my favorite time of year because it is great seeing all types of people come together. It’s like everyone puts their worries away during the holiday and just spends time with one another.” To join in the festivities of the day Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-Cary) was present. Mayor of Morrisville, Mark Stohlman, was also a part of the festivities along with Liz Johnson, TJ Cawley, Vicki Scroqqins-Johnson, Steve Rao from Morrisville`s Town Council. The day of celebration came to an end with a grand firework show at night, to showcase there can be light even when there is darkness and the triumph of good over evil.

and Rashmi Patel. The viewer’s choice award went to Buckeye Bhangra. Third place also went to Buckeye Bhangra with $500 in prize money. Second place went to NCSU Nazaare with $1000 in prize money. Lastly, first place went to VCU Ricochet Raas with $1500 in prize money. All of the teams had amazing performances, and all of their hard work created a successful competition.

Gayathri Srikanth wins First Place in art Contest Gayathri Srikanth, an 8th grader at J. N. Fries Magnet School in Concord, won first place at the US Airways Patriotism Art Contest of 2014. The family was invited for the Freedom Breakfast held on November 7 at Sheraton Hotel in uptown Charlotte.

At the breakfast, many veterans were honored along with the art competition winners in the presence of Charlotte mayor Dan Clodfelter and North Carolina governor Pat McCrory. The next day, Saturday, November 8, Gayathri was honored as a VIP at the Veteran’s Day Parade in uptown Charlotte. She thanks her art teacher, Mrs. Farrell, and everyone else who helped her to win this competition. She is the daughter of Srikanth Jothimani and Bhuvana Srikanth.

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Community Organizations Carolinas Christian assembly - Charlotte Everyone is cordially invited to join for Sunday worship, Bible class, Sunday school: Sundays from 9 am - 12 pm. English and various Indian languages are used in the Sunday services.

Contact for further details Rev. Dr. K.C. Paul (704.771.1414), Rajan Mathew (704.756.4969), Jose Varughese (704.453.6177), Varughese K. Thomas (803.322.9549).

Charlotte agaram Tamil Palli Agaram Tamil Palli serves the Tamil speaking community in Greater Charlotte area by conducting Tamil language classes.

For further details contact: Megalai Ezhilarasan agaramtp.coord@gmail.com 704-456 9881 http://agaramtamilpalli.wordpress.com CPCC Central Campus, 1201 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28235

Charlotte Gita Study Group Beginners and advanced students of the Gita are welcome. The group meets the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 3 - 5 pm. This course is based on the Home Study Course of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA. Each session starts with a meditation followed by a recorded lecture in English, supplemented by discussion among the group.

For further details: Rishi and Shikha Bhatnagar, rishi@solveron.com, 513.518.5300 Shridhar and Kruti Dave, skdave@hotmail.com, 704.844.9567 Naras and Beena Eechambadi, narasee@gmail.com www.freewebs.com/gitastudy

art of Living (Healing with the Breath) Art of Living is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual. This is done through self-development programs that recharge the body, mind and spirit and allow people to function at their optimum potential. People from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions come together in service and celebration.

For Further Details: 980-216-8732 charlotte@us.artofliving.org www.artofliving.org or www.artofliving.org/charlotte

Charlotte Hindu Center Table Tennis The group meets every Wednesday from 6.30 - 10 pm. New players come after 7.30 pm for orientation. The TT action takes place at the Vihar Hall of Charlotte’s Hindu Center, 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28134. All levels and types of play.

Free coaching and lessons. For further details: 704.607.8412.

association for India’s Development - Charlotte A volunteer movement committed to promoting sustainable, equitable and just-development. AID Charlotte supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women’s empowerment and social justice.

For further details: Kiran Uppalapati 704.307.6450; Venkata Ramana Duddu 662.231.2350.

Charlotte Indian Christian Fellowship We meet on the third Saturday of every month at 6:30 PM for Prayer, Bible Study and Fellowship. Anyone who is interested to spend an evening with us is welcome to come with your family and friends.

For Further Details: Hema at 704.841.7060 hadhopper@hotmail.com

BaPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir A spiritual, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service. Activities include: Daily Arti - 6:30am & 6:30pm; 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, Teenagers - 4:30pm, and Children - 5pm. The Temple is located at 4100 Margaret Wallace Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28105.

For Further Details: 704.573.0805 www.baps.org

Charlotte Indian Karaoke Group CIKG invites karaoke lovers to come and sing Hindi songs on karaoke. It does not matter whether you are a beginner or experienced. The most important thing is to get together and have fun. The event is held once a month, usually on Friday or Saturday. Entry and participation is free.

For Further Details: Dinesh Patel at cikgrocks@yahoo.com Charlotte Kriya Yoga Group Charlotte Kriya Yoga Group Promotes Kriya Yoga Meditation practices as taught by lineage of realized masters such as Mahaavatar Baba Ji, Lahri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Hariharananda, and Prajanananada. A sincere seeker who follows the path of Kriya Yoga with love and devotion and a desire for spiritual growth can attain Self-realization- even in one lifetime.Center hosts two annual initiation programs and a weekly Sunday meditation for initiates.

For Further Details: Agupta1@Carolina.rr.com www.kriya.org

Bethel Christian Fellowship Bethel Christian Fellowship offers services in various Indian languages (i.e. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.) .Sunday School Time - 11:15 - 11:45 am; Sunday Worship Service time : 11:45 - 1:15 pm. Sunday Service Location: Fort Mill Church of God, Student Life Center Building, 216 Academy Street, Room 102. Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715. Saturday Service Location: Life Builders Church - 730 Oak Dale Rd, Charlotte NC 28216.

For further details: 803.792.7223; pastorofbcf@gmail.com (Pastor: Rajan Samuel).

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Community Organizations Charlotte Malayalee association The purpose of this association is to promote and facilitate the cultural, educational, social and economic welfare of the Charlotte Malayalee community. For Further Details: Sunu Sebastian (sunu@email.com) or www.cltma.org.

real knowledge that separates the real Self from the non-self.

The benefits of Gnan Vidhi are many like attaining awareness of the soul, getting solution through right understanding, removing wrong beliefs and destroying past sins. For further details contact 877 505 Dada (3232). www.dadabhagwan.org

Charlotte Marathi Mandal CSMM promotes Maharashtrian culture and language.

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

For Further Details: csmmonline@gmail.com www.charlottemarathimandal.com

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, economic wellbeing and happiness. The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North and South Carolina.

For Further Details: Ekal Charlotte Chapter: Kameswar Tulasi himadeeps@yahoo.com Ekal Columbia: Janak Dalal / jaydalalcolumbia@gmail.com

Charlotte Tamil Sangam Charlotte Tamil Sangam works to bring together the vibrant Tamil community in the Charlotte area and strives to promote the Tamil language, arts and culture. For Further Details: Lakshmanan Krishnan (lakshmanank@hotmail.com) or visit www.cltts.org

Gurdwara Sahib - Charlotte The Sikh Heritage Society strives to unite and enrich the lives of the Sikh & Punjabi communities of Charlotte and surrounding areas. “Gurdwara” address: 1760 Stoney Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC 28262. Regular Program: Every Sunday: 10 - 11am, Asa Di War by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 11:00 am 12:00 pm, Keertan by Children, 12:00 pm — 1:15 pm, Keertan

by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 1:15 pm - 1:30 pm, Ardaas, followed

by Guru Ka Langar.

For Further Details: Gurdwara: 704.509.2828 704.541.0350 (Sajjan Dhaliwal), sajjan@carolina.rr.com, 704.948.8091 (Inderjeet Rajpal), irajpal@aol.com

Charlotte Telangana association Charlotte Telangana Assoc was formed to promote Telangana cultural activities within greater Charlotte area and also bring together all the Telangana people living in the area to discuss, plan, and take action around the development of Telangana focusing both on rural and urban Telangana areas.

For Further Details: www.charlottetelangana.com Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group holds weekly group sits and monthly all day sits for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course from S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers). Ten-day courses are also available for all students. There is never a charge for a course. To apply for a 10 day retreat visit www.patapa.dhamma.org For Further Details: 704.277.5013, rbddesai@gmail.com 704.563.5440, dspranger@gmail.com www.dhamma.org

Hindu Center of Charlotte The temple holds many regular events and religious ceremonies. The temple library is stocked with books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genre such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. The Hindu Center is located at 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212.

Upcoming Events: Dec 7: Election Day / General body meeting Dec 20: Balaji anniversary Dec 21: Gita Jayanti For Further Details: / 704.607.8412 (facility manager) admin@hcclt.org or www.hcclt.org

Classical Music association of Charlotte (CMaC) CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in Charlotte. Membership forms are available at concerts.

For Further Details: 704.541.3361 (Rama Rachakonda), 704.814.9355 (Lakshmi Muthukrishnan) lakshmi7778@yahoo.com cmacmusic@yahoo.com www.onlinecmac.com

IaMC (Indian american Muslim Council) Charlotte Chapter IAMC is an independent organization committed to promoting peace, pluralism and social justice for all through advocacy.

The organization is also committed to promote and protect human rights and human dignity in India as they are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace. IAMC-Charlotte, seeks to reach out to Indian Muslims living in and around Charlotte to join efforts to promote Peace and Social Justice for all, and to strive for Inter-Faith, Inter-Community understanding particular focus on Indian Diaspora in the regional area.

Dada Bhagwan Group What is Gnan Vidhi? It is scientific process of attaining Self Realization in the presence of Atmagnani. It is the gracing of Saathee.com

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Community Organizations are confidential and free of charge. The organization spreads awareness about causes and effects of domestic violence in the community and cooperates and collaborates with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Kiran assists and provides information on referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing.

For Further Details call or visit website: 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1-877-625-4726 Phone: 919-839-6203 Email: kiran@kiraninc.org http://www.kiraninc.org

For Further Details IAMC contact below: Ashfaq Mehdi 704.904.5778 Afzal Syed 704.770.1103 iamc-charlotte@yahoogroups.com India association of Charlotte (Festival of India) The organization works to foster fostering better understanding of the rich diversity of Indian culture by the larger community in and around Charlotte. A key activity is the annual Festival of India, which will be held every September in uptown Charlotte.

For Further Details: Toni Sawhney 704-604-2133 Lal Vishin 704-545-3727 www.indiafestival.net

Life Bliss Charlotte Meditation Center The Charlotte chapter of Life Bliss organization is run by volunteers who are trying 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. Life Bliss Foundation is part of a worldwide movement for meditation and healing.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a global leader in the science of enlightenment. Nithyananda is revered as a living avatar (divine incarnation) by millions worldwide. He is the author of more than 300 books published in 27 languages.

For Further Details:10127 Legolas Ln, Charlotte, NC 28269 LifeBlissClt@gmail.com 704-766-1420 / 704-992-6114 www.innerawakening.org

Indian Performing arts association of Charlotte (IPaaC) IPAAC (Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte) promotes classical Hindustani music by inviting well-known artists from India. IPAAC is offering music classes at various locations in Charlotte. For details send an email to musicschool@ipaac.org.

For Further Details: Chaula Jain 704.364.0984 Jyoti Kulkarni 704.804.1275 contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.org Jain Center of Greater Charlotte (JCGC) The JCGC serves the spiritual, cultural, social, and community needs of Jain families in and around metropolitan Charlotte area. JCGC is dedicated to the practice, understanding, promotion, and preservation of the Jain faith. Activities include celebrating major religious festivals such as Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan, and Diwali, and routine programs like Swadhyay, Poojas and children’s Pathshaala. The Jain Center is located at 7631 Mallard Creek Rd., Charlotte, NC 28262.

Upcoming Events: Friday, Dec 5 (Chaudas): Pakkhi Pratikraman at 7 pm Sunday, Dec 14 (Satam): Paathshala for children at 10:30 am Saturday, Dec 20 (Chaudas): Pakkhi Pratikraman at 7 pm Sunday, Dec 21 (Amas): Monthly Meeting & Paathshala for Children at 4 pm Monday, Dec 22 (Ekam): Snatra Puja at 10:30 pm All Other Weekdays: 9:30am - Mon-Friday - Prakshal and Pooja, 7:30pm - Aarti and Mangal Divo Weekends: 10:30am - Prakshal and Pooja, 7:30pm - Aarti and Mangal Divo For Further Details: JCGC President – Vibhakar Modi: 704.258.4507 info@jaincenter.us www.jaincenter.us

net IP Charlotte NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas chapter of North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals. The group provides a forum for on-going Career Developmental and Professional Networking activities. It arranges various events and maintains deeper ties with Businesses & the community.

It provides various effective ways for Carolinas’ Indian Professionals to connect with other successful professionals.

For Further Details: www.netIPnc.org Pratham - Charlotte area Pratham organizes grassroots programs in the area of primary education. Pratham has made an impact on the learning levels of several million children through its Read India campaign.

Pratham has developed an accelerated learning technique which helps children to read and write in two months. With nearly half the children in India who attend schools are not learning to read and write at the required level, Pratham is trying to fill an important gap in the area of primary education.

For Further Details: Anju Desai (ajdesai66@gmail.com or 980-622-0125) and Shubhra Chakraborty (shubhra.chakraborty1@gmail.com) or 704-942-4798). www.prathamusa.org.

Kiran Kiran, Inc. is a community based South Asian organization promoting self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women and men who are in domestic violence through crisis counseling and intervention, language assistance and translation and resource referrals in a confidential manner.

Kiran operates a 24/7 hotline service. Services offered at Kiran Saathee.com

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: www.probasi.org 92

December 2014

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Sahaj Marg Meditation Sahaj Marg, which means Simple or Natural path, is a Raj Yoga system of spiritual training based on the heart centered meditation. The features of this meditation include transmission of divine energy into the heart of the practitioner and cleaning of deep impressions, thereby regulating the mind.

Regular practice of this system of meditation integrates the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human being, while still encouraging people to maintain a normal family and working life. In the Charlotte area, group meditation is held at the Unity of Charlotte on Sundays and Wednesdays.

For Further Details: Srikanth Katakam 704.496.4411 naturalpath.nc@gmail.com www.srcm.org

Shrinath Dham Haveli The Shrinath Dham Haveli performs prayers and rituals on a regular basis. The haveli is located at 1006 Vickie Lane, Matthews, NC 28104.

For More Details: 704-224-6500 / 704-763-3059 vsccarolinas@gmail.com www.charlottehaveli.org.

Sindhi association of the Carolinas The Sindhi Association of the Carolinas (SAC) is organizes religious, cultural, community, and social events in Charlotte.

SAC also sends donations for the needy to the schools in India for Scholarship and also sends donations to refugees in camps in India.

For Further Details: contact, soniahassani1@gmail.com or 704.779.2396.

Sangamithra Foundation Sangamithra Foundation is a Charlotte based charity organization formed by a group of people who thrive to make a difference in the society. The team has taken the path of identifying the needs of underprivileged communities in India and provides support to meet those needs. Sangamithra has made its presence known in the Charlotte community by its participation in the 2013 Festival of India, as part of its fund raising activity. In addition, with liaisons in both the UK and the UAE, Sangamithra is reaching out on a global scale and working collectively towards realising its vision. If you would like to be a part of this noble cause, please touch base with Sangamithra Foundation. For Futher Details: www.sangamithra.org; www.facebook.com/SangamithraFoundation info@sangamithra.org;

SouthPark Cricket Club South Park Cricket Club is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it has been an active member of the Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2002. The club’s home ground is located at the Reedy Creek Park, 2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC. For Further Details: 847.722.9865 (Baseet Ahmed), baseer_11@yahoo.com www.southparkcc.org Srishti of Charlotte Srishti works to fulfill the NC community’s need for togetherness and the desire to showcase Bengali culture, heritage, literature, theatre, music and popular arts. Literally, the word Srishti means an act of creation. Though established and coordinated by a group of Bengali families, Srishti welcomes and brings together people of varied cultures, ethnicity, languages, background and nationalities who are interested in East Indian traditions.

For Further Details: Samiksha Bose: 704-321-1964 Santanu Sarkar: 704-541-3451 http://srishticharlotte.org/

Shantiniketan Senior Center of Carolinas The Shantiniketan Senior Center of Carolinas (SSCC) is located at Melange Health Solutions, 145 Scaleybark Rd., Charlotte, NC. The Center is open from 10am - 3pm. The Center presents members with activities, outings, access to physical care and mental wellbeing and care.

For More Details: Nimish Bhatt 704-560-4910 / 704-491-1186 nimishbhatt@bellsouth.net Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal On the 1st Saturday of every month, Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal has kirtans and bhajans at the Hindu Center of Charlotte at 5 pm. After the bhajans, there is Aarti and Mahaprasad. In addition, on the 3rd Sunday of every month, an additional Satsang Sabha is held at sponsor’s house at 3 - 5 pm.

For Further Details: 704.392.4488 - Ramesh Dhanani admin@issvcharlotte.org

Telugu association of Greater Charlotte area (TaGCa) The organization’s mission is to bring together Telugu speaking people and to promote Telugu Culture. TAGCA organizes regular events and programs.

For Further Details: www.tagca.org Trimurti Temple Charlotte, nC Trimurti Temple is open daily, morning puja (10am) and evening puja (7pm). Sunday abhisekhams (11am) and other special pujas. Temple is located at 6441/6519 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216. All Sundays at 11 am Venkateswara Abishekam For Further Details: 980-219-7556 / contact@trimurtitemple.org www.trimurtitemple.org

Shri Rang avadhut Parivar (Parspar Devo Bhav) The group meets Thursdays from 6 - 8 pm in Charlotte. The group recites Datta-Bavani, singing devotional Dattatraya Bhajans and reading Guru-Lilamrut. Detailed information about Charlotte meetings, literature, Videos, Nareshwar Ashram and Shri Avadhut’s life is available.

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December 2014

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The Peace of Meditation “The more you feel peace in meditation, the closer you are to God...”

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December 2014

Community Organizations Gujarati Cultural association of Piedmont (GCaP) The Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont serves the Asian Indian community through sponsored events, cultural, educational and social programs.

GCAP, 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410 For Further Details: Jack Dhekar: 336.254.1727 Manubhai Patel: 336.253.7182 www.gcap.us

Vallabh Pushti Samaj of Carolinas (VPSC) VPSC has announced Shrinathji Haveli – “Shrinath Dham” in Charlotte with support of all Vaishnav families of Carolinas.

VPSC is starting construction in the near future of “Shrinath Dham Haveli” for benefit of entire Vaishnav Samaj and Pushtimargiya devotional activities. VPSC is moving forward with objective to fill devotional need for hundreds of Vaishnavs in Carolinas to worship and pray together, perform “seva and rituals” and to observe and celebrate festivals and to perform and engage in humanitarian and educational activities. Regular “Paath and Bhajan” recitations are held on 2nd Sunday of each month from 4-6 pm at Shrinath Dham Haveli Address - 1006 Vickie Lane, Stallings, NC 28104.

For Further Details: vsccarolinas@gmail.com Prathmesh Shah: 704.763.3059

India association of the Triad (IaTnC) Greensboro The objective of the Association is to promote social, cultural and educational interests of its members, develop understanding between members of the Indian community and other residents of the Triad, and make the latter aware of issues of concern to the Indian community.

For Further Details: Kumar Bhardwaj: 336-601-0567, kumar.vansh@gmail.com Ruby Singh: 336.430.9068, rs7227@gmail.com www.iatnc.org

Greensboro

Indo-american Society of nC (IaSnC) The objectives of IASNC are to support the Indian, South Asian and American community residing 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 school based volunteering activities.

For Further Details: Krishna Balu336-292-9462, balu4428@infionline.net www.iasofnc.org

art of Living (Greensboro) The Art of Living Foundation offers programs to uncover the strength, peace, and joy that lie at the core of every human being. Part I courses are offered regularly in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Charlotte and now Greensboro. The Part I course covers breathing techniques to eliminate stress & tension; skills for improving relationships at home & at work; practical wisdom to get the most out of life; insight into the laws that govern the mind & emotions; low-impact yoga and the masterpiece of the Art of Living Course is a powerful breathing-based technique called Sudarshan Kriya, or the healing breath.

For Further Details: Nirupama Shankar @ shankar.nirupama@gmail.com Puja Verma @ puja_usa@yahoo.com http://us.artofliving.org/greensboro

Indo-US Cultural association of Winston-Salem The Indo-US Cultural Association’s primary mission is to increase awareness of the cultural heritage of India which is tremendously rich in its diversity and history. The Association seeks to reach out to the thriving Indian-American community within the Piedmont and Triad areas to share the vibrant Indian culture and promote cross-cultural understanding.

For Further Details: Subba Reddy Meka, President, 336.577.5285 http://indouswinston.org/contact.aspx

BaPS Greensboro BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is located at 922 Gallimore Dairy Road, High Point, NC 27265.

Every Sunday sabha times: Shishu (Toddlers) sabha: 4 pm to 5 pm Bal/Balika sabha: 4:15 pm to 5:30 pm Kishore sabha: 2 pm to 3:30 pm Main sabha: 4 pm to 6 pm Gujarati classes: 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm Arti at 6 pm followed by Mahaprasad Fresh Shayona snacks available on Sundays.

For Further Details: bapsgreensboro@gmail.com

Life Mission, USa This ashram has been established to provide helpful benefits for all - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. All these benefits can be achieved through the natural remedies of yoga therapy, Ayurveda, naturopathy and diet. 8136 NC Highway 119 South Mebane, NC 27302.

For Further Details: 336.421.0690 848.459.7401 (Dr. Manoj) lifemissionusa@gmail.com www.lifemissionusa.com

Greensboro Cricket Club (GCC) Good news for cricket lovers! There are several teams that play cricket in Greensboro. The goals of GCC are fun, fitness, and friendship. For info on play and location contact below players.

For Further Details: 336.501.3566 (9:00 am - 9:00 pm, S&S) Dev, Greensboro Warriors, happy4mehta@yahoo.com; Venky, Triad Tigers, venkyhot@hotmail.com.

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Quan am Buddhist Temple All interested in Buddhism are welcome. The temple is located at 1410 Glendale Dr. Greensboro, NC 27407.

For Further Details: www.ChuaQuanAm.com 96

December 2014

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December 2014

Community Organizations center holds follow up sessions on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Kirtan Satsang every Friday evening. Art of Living Center 4000 Bear Cat Way Suite 102, Morrisville, NC 27560 For Further Details: 919-793-8490 rdu@us.artofliving.org www.behappytriangle.org

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center of Greensboro, nC The Center regularly conducting Sai Bhajans, Study Circle, various service activities and SSE class (for students) in Greensboro, NC all Sundays — 9:45 am to 12:15 pm For Further Details: Swami Rajendran 908-875-6964 Dr. Varatharajah 336-851-9150

association for India’s Development (aID) Duke University Chapter AID’s mission is effect social change in India, by supporting projects with grassroots non-governmental organization in India in the areas of literacy, health care, rural credit, women’s empowerment etc.

For Further Details: http://www.duke.edu/web/aid/

Temple of the Holy name Prabhupada Village is a rural Hare Krishna community situated in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Puja/Worship of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai/Sri Pancha Tattva starts at 5:00 am every day. Every Sunday at 3 pm there is chanting, dancing, feasting and philosophy. The temple is located at 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046.

For Further Details: 336.593.2322 or 336.793.7138 prabhupadavillage@gmail.com www.prabhupadavillage.com

atlantic Coast Sikh association This is one of the oldest Sikh associations in the Southeastern USA. It meets every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at its gurdwara, located at 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC 27705.

Kirtan is done by Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha. Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time.

For Further Details: 919.309.1045 - Bhai Dyal Singh www.acsagurdwara.org

Raleigh aanC - assamese association of north Carolina AANC is a Socio Cultural organization with the objective of promoting and providing understanding of Assamese Culture and Language. AANC celebrates Assamese festivals and organizes cultural activities like Bihu Dance, music, songs and social get-togethers with essential touch of Assamese culture.

Everyone from Assam as well as anyone with any connection to or interest in Assam or Assamese culture is most welcomed.

For Further Details: 919.200.4020 assameseassociation.nc@gmail.com

Balagokulam Gokulam is where Lord Krishna’s magical childhood days were spent. It was here that his divine powers came to light.

Every child has that spark of divinity within. Balagokulam is a forum for children (4-15 years age) to discover and manifest that divinity. It will enable Hindu children in the US to appreciate their cultural roots and learn values. This is done through games, yoga, stories, songs, shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva (selfless service) in the community. Balagokulam sessions are free for all and are held on Saturdays.

For Further Details: balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com hss.charlotte@hssus.org (Charlotte region) www.balagokulam.org

academic Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (aFICE) Interested in exploring the diverse cultures of the world?

Become a host family for a high school exchange student! All the students will come from various countries around the world, and all students speak fluent English. They are of high school age (15-18) and will attend local high school in their respective communities. Each student will live as member of their American host family, sharing household duties and responsibilities. AFICE is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing cultural gaps by allowing foreign students the opportunity to live as part of an American community.

For Further Details: lathapamarthi@earthlink.net www.afice.org

BaPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events: Ravi sabha - every Sunday at 4 - 6 pm followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad. Mahapuja – every Purnima at 7 pm. Many classes are conducted. Fresh Indian snacks and sweets available at Shayona. 1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560.

For Further Details: 919.469.6605 www.swaminarayan.org

art of Living Foundation The new Happiness Program from Art of Living gives practical knowledge and techniques to unlock deepest potential and bring fullness to life. The techniques are effective in reducing stress levels and increase health, physical energy, enthusiasm, self-esteem, awareness, and clarity of mind. Advance courses are also available once every few months. Art of Living founded by Sri Sri Ravishankar’s mission is to create a violence free, stress free society and One World Family. Art of Living Saathee.com

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 INDO-American community within North Carolina and adjacent states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes.

For Further Details: 98

December 2014

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December 2014

Community Organizations Call 877.505.3232 ext 1003 rabhatt@yahoo.com www.dadabhagwan.org | www.kids.dadabhagwan.org

919.461.2386 (Ratan Ray), ratanray@hotmail.com 919.510.7943 (Swaty Sen), swaty_sen@yahoo.com banc_members@googlegroups.com www.banc-online.org Bharatiya Senior Citizens of nC The Bharatiya Senior Citizens of NC (BSCNC) is organized for folks of Indian origin aged 60 and above. The BSCNC members meet second Saturday of every month from 10am - 3pm. The next meeting will be on Sat, Dec 13 at Cary Senior Center in Bond Park, Cary.

For Further Details: Kusumben Desai (919.677.8513) Raojibhai Patel (252.236.4391) Carolina Rajasthani association The group organizes several events throughout the year.

For Further Details: Sushma Maheshwari - 919-880-8529, sushmaofnc@yahoo.com Shruti Singhi - 919-412-4819, mshruti@yahoo.com www.carolinarajasthanis.org Chinmaya Mission Chinmaya Mission is a worldwide organization promoting spiritual growth, started by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. The Chinmaya Mission Raleigh Durham (CMRDU) chapter conducts Balavihar classes from 3 year old to youth on Sunday from 10 am to 11:30 am at Reedy Creek Middle School, Cary. The classes are tailored to each age group by special curriculum created by experienced Swamijis and Acharyas exclusively for CM Balavihar. Trained teachers conduct the classes. Curriculum includes learning to chant the Bhagavad-Gita verses, shlokas, singing devotional bhajans, stories from scriptures, family pujas, meditation, and fun activities like overnight lock-ins, picnics, and competitions.

Introduction to Hindi and Sanskrit is also included. All festivals are celebrated. Parents wishing to enroll their children in Balavihar can register through the website. A regular adult study group is conducted for adults on Sunday mornings at Reedy Creek Middle School, as well as other locations in the Triangle.

For Further Details: www.chinmaya-RDU.org Dada Bhagwan Foundation The Foundation was formed with the goal of spreading peace and harmony to the world through the science of Akram Vignan - the science of Self Realization as expounded by the Shree A.M. Patel, known as Dadashri or Dada Bhagwan. DBF organizes Spiritual Satsangs /Gnanvidhi (2 hour scientific process of self-realization) of Pujya Deepakbhai around the world. There are no formal lectures here, but it’s in the format of questions and answers on various topics. This is a practical spiritual science. Dada Bhagwan Satsang on Harmony in Life: VCD Satsang of Pujya Deepakbhai and Pujya Dr. Niruma, various character building activities for Kids and Youth. Every 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturday of each month from 5 to 7 pm followed by Prasad at the HSNC Hall, 309 Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For Further Details: Saathee.com

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Datta Yoga Center - Raleigh Mission: Spread the teachings of Sadguru Sri Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore.

Activities: Namasankeertana - Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Future projects: Kriya yoga classes by Pujya Sri Swamiji-trained teachers from India. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month and every major festival day for Satsang and Namasankeertana (divine singing). Everyone is invited to attend the satsang with family and friends and receive divine blessings.

For Further Details: 919.484.1993 (Srinivas Chittineni) 919.461.0843 (Suresh Kota) Duke Diya Duke Diya is a Duke University student organization that is committed to providing a forum for interaction through political, cultural, community service, and social events relating to South Asian Americans.

For Further Details: 732.865.3173 www.dukediya.com Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation RTP Chapter Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, economic wellbeing and happiness. The Raleigh Chapter EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in the Triangle area.

For further details: Ekal/RTP: raginiusa@yahoo.com EKTaa South asian Student organization EKTAA (meaning unity) is the South Asian Student Organization at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The organization was founded in 1970. The motto is “unity within diversity.” EKTAA strives to spread culture and heritage of South Asia all over the campus as well as the local community and the organization works hand-in-hand with many organizations on and off the NCSU campus, as well as South Asian organizations from area universities.

For Further Details: www.ektaa.org Geet Bazaar Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10 am - 12 noon on WKNC 88.1 FM, join hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell, for a wide variety of music from India, Pakistan, and other countries and languages of South Asia. Geet Bazaar will also publicize community events free of charge.

For Further Details: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroz Taj) taj@unc.edu December 2014

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Community Organizations GEM - Raleigh Church of God Attend worship services, prayer meetings or Sunday School.

For Further Details: 919.395.6208 (Pastor Thankachan M.) globalem@gmail.com Gokul Bhajan and Vedic Studies Weekly satsang of parents and children singing bhajans and glorifying past times of Lord Krishna. There are multimedia assisted programs every Friday 7 to 9 pm at the Hindu Bhavan Main Hall (309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560).

Children learn slokas, learn presentation skills, manage and lead various projects such as book distribution, charity for cow protection, food for poor, prison seva, igokulam, and many more. Classes are conducted on a semester basis, with tests and scores. Children and parents also have unique opportunities for learning and developing software for ios, android and web applications. Example: Gokul Darsan (See Apple Store) For Further Details: bkdasa@gmail.com Phone: 919-491-9536 www.gokulbhajan.com Heritage India association of north Carolina (HIanC) Heritage India Association of NC aims at providing Indian cultural experience through performing arts, cultural arts, fine arts & crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.” During the year, Heritage India Association of North Carolina presents several events and also coordinates Indian dances for the main stage performances for the Raleigh International Festival.

For Further Details: yashcgarg@gmail.com Hindi Vikas Mandal of nC Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM), based in the RTP area, promotes study and appreciation of Hindi language and strives to foster Indian culture and traditions through Hindi. HVM has a special focus on the youths for the preservation of Indian Culture and heritage.

For Further Details: Saroj Sharma 919.851.0225 V.P. Tiwari 919.423.0365 Hindu Society of north Carolina - Morrisville, nC The Hindu Society of NC is located at 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC and serves the greater Triangle area. Temple Timings: Sunday to Monday - 7am-9pm (all day open).

Morning Aarti: Mon-Friday-10.30am, Saturday-10am, Sunday 10am. Evening Aarti: Mon-Friday- 8pm, Saturday-Sunday 6pm. Regular religious events: Ramayan recital, Sunderkand, Hanumanchalisa, Shiva abishek, Gayatri Bhajans, Vaishnav Bhajans , Vedic havan, Jain Pooja, Bhagvatam, Vishnu sastranam, Ekadashi Bal Krishna abishek, Lalitha sastrnamam, Skananda shasti Kavacham, and Sholaka chanting. All major religious celebrations are observed throughout the year.

Facility rentals are also available. Activities: Yoga Classes(twice a week), Hinduism and Meditation classes; Weekend Community Classes: Jain pathshala, Hindi classes, Sanskar Gurkul Classes,Tamil classes, Balmukund classes; Youth Saathee.com

Affairs: Ohm Squad is the youth wing of HSNC involved in the youth activities like camp, games, craft and arts, music, shlokas. Regular pooja services are done in the temple. Priest services are available at your home and/or at the Temple at a nominal charge.

For Further Details: Saroj Sharma at 919.654.5224 Trilok Pillai (manager) at 919.599.9567 hsnc@hsnconline.org www.hsnconline.org Hindu Students Council (HSC) - nC State University HSC-NCSU is a chapter of the national organization Hindu Students Council (HSC). HSC-NCSU is a cultural and religious student organization. It aims to provide opportunities to learn about Hindu philosophy, spirituality and cultural heritage through various activities, events and projects and is dedicated to provide “seva” (service) to the community.

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

For Further Details: hss.rtp@hssus.org - Triangle area hss.charlotte@hssus.org - Charlotte region.

Hum Sub Hum Sub is dedicated to sharing the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research Triangle Park and North Carolina.

For Further Details: 919.371.4470 www.humsub.net Immanuel assembly of God Immanuel Assembly of God is a Full Gospel Christian church serving the Indian / South Asian community in Raleigh and RTP area of North Carolina. The church is located in Morrisville.

For Further Details: 919.442.8537 thechurch@immanuelassembly.org www.immanuelassembly.org Indian american Forum for Political Education (IaFPE) IAFPE, known as the FORUM, is the oldest and largest Indian American organization for political education in the country.

This is a non-profit organization with numerous chapters 102

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Community Organizations throughout the United States. The North Carolina Chapter is in Raleigh and has just established a new committee for a 2year term. IAFPE is excited and motivated to educate the community on political issues and help the community with various services. Support is needed from the community and members to help us grow and provide relevant services and informative events.

For Further Details: Nilesh - 919.656.4361 www.forum-nc.org Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is dedicated to the task of promoting Indian classical music and dance in the Triangle area. ICMDS invites the top artists from all over the world to perform in the Triangle area.

For Further Details: www.icmds.org Indian Talent Discovery Foundation Indian Talent Discovery Foundation (ITDF) is established to promote any form of art that has originated in India by any individual. The primary objective of Indian Talent Discovery Foundation is to encourage local talent to excel in the chosen art to become professionals. The art can be in any form such as Indian Classical and Bollywood dance, Indian music, Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, traditional medicine, Vaasthu Shasra, and so on.

For Further Details: Supriya Goli (919-342-8678) contactus@itdfoundation.org www.itdfoundation.org Indo-american Friendship Foundation Did you know that about 90 percent of rural orphans are female and most of them are abandoned at birth due to their gender? Not one of them gets the opportunity to become a doctor, engineer, or even receive basic education. Because they cannot live in the orphanage when they turn 18, many of them fall victim to different types of exploitation, including sex trade.

IAFF has created an orphanage education fund to help qualified orphans to rise as high as they can climb in the educational/professional ladder. For Further Details: 919.362.7653 (Dr. Subhas C. Mohapatra) www.iaff1.org InStepp InStepp is located in Durham and its mission is to create a vibrant community by empowering women who’ve come up against some challenges in their lives to rise above those challenges and succeed personally and professionally through innovative, gender-responsive training, educational and prevention services. If you need assistance transitioning into the workforce after losing your primary source of income from a significant other due to divorce, separation, death or disability, ask about eligibility to participate in New Choices, an economic self-sufficiency program for women. Services include employment & career counseling, resume development, employability skills training, federal and state benefits application, financial and tuition assistance, community and college referrals, computer skills training and Saathee.com

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more. InStepp welcomes all women from South Asia and understands the differences in customs and religions across South Asia and can provide services in many different South Asian Languages.

For Further Details: 919.680.8000 pmanhas@instepp.org www.instepp.org International Buddhist Progress Society - nC Temple All are invited - the temple, inaugurated with modern environmentally-friendly design in 2010, is open 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Sunday, with Sunday services at 10am followed by free vegetarian lunch.

The temple is located at 2529 Prince Drive, Raleigh NC 27606.

For Further Details: 919-816-9866 www.blianc.org International Community Church CC is a worship center for people from India and neighboring countries. The pastor is Joseph B. Jesudason and the church office is located at 1215 Franklin Jones Road, Suite #204, Raleigh, NC 27606.

For Further Details: 919.233.2900 www.internationalcommunitychurch.org International Hindi association International Hindi Association (IHA) promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States. The Raleigh Chapter periodically organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry.

For Further Details: 919.656.5224 (Saroj Sharma) 919.678.9056 (Sudha Om Dhingra) www.hindi.org International Swaminarayan Satsang organization (ISSo) ISSO is a socio-religious organization and its primary objective is to advance the Sanatan Dharma in accordance with the principles and teachings of Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya, founded and ordained by Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself. ISSO Raleigh-Durham chapter organizes a regularly scheduled biweekly “Satsang Sabha,” every other Saturday, at HSNC Cultural Hall (309 Aviation Pkwy., Morrisville, NC27560), which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad. Pujya Santo visit often to impart the divine knowledge of Swaminarayan Bhagwan. Devotees come together to practice their religious duties in harmony. All are welcome.

For Further Details: 919.964.1008 isso.nc@gmail.com http://issonc.org ISKCon new Goloka Temple of north Carolina New Goloka temple is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also known as the Hare Krishna December 2014

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December 2014

Community Organizations Movement. The Radha-Krishna temple is in a rural, peaceful setting at 1032 Dimmocks Mill Rd. Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278. Visitors are welcome any day of the week to come have darshan of Sri Sri Radha Golokananda. Every Sunday at 4pm, there is a special program consisting of arati, kirtan, Bhagavad-gita discourse, and a sumptuous prasadam feast. From 4:30-5:30pm, there is a Sunday school program for children ages 3-7 and 8-12. Children take part in learning Bhagavad-gita slokas and bhajans, understanding the basic philosophy, reciting and hearing stories from the Vedas, enacting dramas and other fun activities. New Goloka also provides educational classes, seminars and programs for adults.

New Goloka Daily Darshan Times 4:30 – 5 am, 7:15 am- 1:00 pm, 4:15 - 5:45 pm, 7 - 8 pm.

Saturday and Sunday Darshan open from 7:15 am to 8 pm.

For Further Details: 919.593.6827, golokanandapriya@hotmail.com www.newgoloka.com Kiran Kiran, Inc. is a community based South Asian organization promoting self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women and men who are in domestic violence through crisis counseling and intervention, language assistance and translation and resource referrals in a confidential manner.

Kiran operates a 24/7 hotline service. Services offered at Kiran are confidential and free of charge. The organization spreads awareness about causes and effects of domestic violence in the community and cooperates and collaborates with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Kiran assists and provides information on referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing.

For Further Details call or visit website: 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1-877-625-4726 Phone: 919-839-6203 Email: kiran@kiraninc.org http://www.kiraninc.org

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

Upcoming Events: April 11 -12, 2015: India Fest, JS Dorton Arena, Raleigh For Further Details: www.nuvyug.net Pakistani american association The Pakistani-American Association (NCPAA) is a nonpolitical, non-sectarian, cultural and social organization that promotes Pakistani culture to all the communities in the Triangle Area of NC. Several events are presented during the year including a family dinner on the second Friday of every month.

For Further Details: payamber@ncpaa.org http://ncpaa.org Pratham - Triangle area Pratham is a grass-roots organization that works towards universalizing primary education in India. With a goal of reaching 20 million children, Pratham is one of the largest NGOs in field of literacy movement in India. Pratham continues to evolve, grow and works to meet the continually changing needs of the children it educates. Pratham’s North Carolina chapter actively aims to collaborate with individuals, local organizations and community associations and seeks ideas, volunteers and resources to deliver the vision of “Every Child in School and Learning Well.”

For Further Details: Rajeev Thalla - rajeev.thalla@gmail.com Monica Awasthi - awasthimonica@yahoo.com www.prathamusa.org Professional Indians’ association [PIa] PIA is a meetup that serves young South Asian professionals in the Triangle Community. The group is made of Indian professionals and grad students interested in cultural events, socializing and meeting/making friends with like-minded people around the Triangle. Monthly events include meeting at bars/restaurants, Bollywood movie nights, potlucks, Indian concerts/performances, outdoor activities, community service and volunteering. This will also be an opportunity for professionals to share their thoughts on respective industries, social causes, the economy and politics.

For Further Details: http://www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/

Lakulish Yoga and Health Retreat Lakulish Yoga and Health Retreat is a secluded resort in Caswell County, located at 8136 N.C. Highway 119 South, Mebane, NC 27302. It is a place of natural beauty that stimulates a spirit of detachment and inspires and uplifts visitors. This resort is hallowed by a Yogi, a Sannyasi who ensures that the true practice of Dharm and Yoga flourishes here, offering the North Carolina community and visitors an ongoing program of free Yoga Classes. The classes are offered each Wednesday from 6 - 8 pm, and each Saturday from 11 am - 1 pm.

For Further Details: 336.421.0690 lifemisionusa@gmail.com www.lifemissionusa.org

Punjabi Unlimited Punjabi Unlimited is dedicated to promotion/creation of a public awareness and education about Punjabi Arts, Culture, Sports, Language, Music, Dance etc. All welcome who are “Punjabi at Heart.” For Further Details: Gurpreet Burmi president@punjabiunlimited,org; Arvinder Singh vicepresident@punjabiunlimited.org www.punjabiunlimited.org

nuv Yug Nuv Yug is a cultural organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and heritage. Striving to

Raleigh Sai Center Parthi Sai devotees of Triangle area meet every Sunday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the Mini-Hall of Hindu Bhavan in

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Community Organizations Morrisville. There will be Study circle, Bhajan Practice, Veda Chanting etc. during the 4-5 pm slot depending on the week, followed by bhajans from 5:00 - 6:00pm. The center carries out several service activities as well. The Human Values Education (SSE) classes for the children of different age group will be from 3:30 - 5:00pm. All are invited to participate in the Satsangh and service activities.

For Further Details: Rakesh Huria, President, Raleigh Sai Center at 919-244-1263 E-mail rsc.president@yahoo.com.

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

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

For Further Details: www.vedantanc.org RTP Maharashtra Mandal RTP Maharashtra Mandal is a home away from home for Marathi-speaking people. The goal of the Mandal is to advocate the vibrant culture, the rich heritage as well as the wellendowed language of Maharashtra. The Mandal is dedicated to showcase the cultural, social and traditional attributes of Maharashtra to the local community through variety of entertaining programs, events and get-togethers. All aficionados are warmly invited to join.

For Further Details: Mohana Dighe: 919.378.1947 Sameer Mohile: 919.851.8799 Deepa Kardekar: 201.673.6193 www.rtpmm.org S. V. Temple of north Carolina S.V. Temple of North Carolina is built on over nine acres of centrally connected triangle area. This grand tribute to Lord Venkateswara and his consorts is designed to exacting standards of shilpa shasthra and features the only shrine in North America to incorporate abodes to Lord Viswaksena and Lord Sudarshana/Lord Narasimha as part of Srinivasa Parivaram. The temple rituals are performed in accordance with Pancharathra Agama Shastra.

Upcoming Events: Dec 2: Geeta Jayanti For Further Details: 919.468.0040 / comm@svtemplenc.org www.svtemplenc.org Sahaj Marg Meditation - Triangle area Sahaj Marg translates to “The Natural Path.” It is a natural, simple system of Raja Yoga meditation and spiritual practice that helps one realize the ultimate potential within oneself.

Regular spiritual practice under capable guidance enables aspirants to progressively experience the sublime presence of Saathee.com

the divine in their daily lives. Sahaj Marg system of meditation is freely offered to seekers worldwide through Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In Triangle area, group meditations are held on Sundays and Wednesdays.

For Further Details: (919) 303-7447 (Raj Solanki) (919) 493-6180 (Devi Sekar) raleigh.center@gmail.com> www.srcm.org, www.sahajmarg.org Sahaja Meditation Ongoing meetings, seminars and workshops are available in Raleigh. There is never any charge for Sahaja Meditation instruction or for receiving one’s self-realization which is the birthright of every human being. Anyone can do it. Sahaja Mediation is free and without obligation. RSVP in meetup: Sahaja-Meditation-Triangle-Group Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. 9308 Fairbanks Drive Raleigh, NC, 27613. More information: http://www.sahajamediation.com http:///www.coolcheck.org For Further Details: balaram.krishna@gmail.com 919.757.3135 Sky Meditation and Kaya Kalpa Yoga Sky Meditation and Kaya Kalpa yoga benefits include Longevity, Wellness and Stress Management. Triangle Sky Meditation group holds weekly group meditation and simplified physical exercises every Friday in Cary for those who have attended Shri Vethathiri Maharishi’s Kaya Kalpa Yoga course. Kaya Kalpa Yoga Courses are held several times a year for anyone 14 years and above. For more details about the course visit www.vethathiri.edu.in For Further Details: 919-830-9764 vikram.renganathan@gmail.com South Indian Fine arts academy (SIFaa) SIFAA is a non-profit organization that works to arrange and promote concerts and performances in the Triangle and Triad areas, concentrating on Carnatic music.

For Further Details: 919.773.1580 / www.sifaa.org 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 Tamil Sangam of Carolina The Tamil Sangam is an organization that promotes understanding of Tamil culture and provides a medium for people of Tamil culture to get together. The activities include music, drama, lectures, Tamil movies, etc.

For Further Details: 919-460-7432 Sarulatha Guruparan (President) www.tamilsangamofcarolina.org

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Community Organizations Telugu Christian Fellowship of nC (TCFnC) The Telugu Christian Fellowship of North Carolina (TCFNC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach out to Telugu Christians living in North Carolina, to be united and bonded together as a Telugu Christian family of God and encourage and pray for each other. TCFNC provides a place for Telugu Christians for time of worship, prayer and fellowship. They also provide a forum for kids to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and to equip them to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ. The group organizes, each year, an Annual Telugu Christian Family Conference.

For further details: www.tcfnc.org Phone: 919-43-TCFNC(82362) Triangle area Telugu association (TaTa) The Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) is a non-profit organization (started in 1983) committed to building a vibrant Telugu Community and promoting Telugu culture and language in the Triangle area of North Carolina.

For Further Details: committee@tataonline.org www.tataonline.org Triangle Bangladesh Society (TBSnC) TBSNC strives to arrange musical programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali-, Urdu- and Hindi-speaking music fans all around the globe.

For Further Details: 919.741.9343 (Ishtiaque Mohiuddin) Ishtiaquem@gmail.com www.tbsnc.org Triangle Chapter-India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) IDRF is a registered, tax-exempt non-profit organization that supports volunteer-based, honest and highly experienced nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in India in serving their populations’ critical needs around education, childcare, healthcare, women empowerment and tribal welfare, as well as relief and rehabilitation in times of natural disasters.

For Further Details: www.idrf.org.

Triangle Vegetarian Society (TVS) The mission of TVS is to build a sense of community between current vegetarians and people who are interested in vegetarianism and have a forum for a discussion of issues.

For Further Details: barman@cs.unc.edu www.trianglevegsociety.org Triangle Vipassana Vipassana, which means to see things as they are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques and was taught 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Triangle Vipassana meditation group holds weekly group sittings in Cary, Raleigh on Thursday, Saturday, and Monday and 3-hour sitting on 3rd Sunday each month, and one day sitting once every few months for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course from S.N.Goenka or one of his Assistant teachers). Ten day courses are available for all. There is no charge for the course.

To apply for a retreat visit www.patapa.dhamma.org.

For Further Details: 732-213-9660 carync.sittings@gmail.com Hitesh & Vaibhavi Parekh www.dhamma.org Urdu Majlis Urdu Majlis, the Triangle’s Urdu Literary Society, meets monthly in the FedEx Global Education Center on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Meetings include discussions of the life and works of major South Asian poets as well as opportunities to share original poetry and other writing.

All meetings are free and open to the public. Urdu Majlis is cosponsored by the Carolina Asia Center and the South Asia Section of the UNC Dept. of Asian Studies. Urdu Majlis is an intellectual endeavor with no political or religious affiliations.

For Further Details: Afroz Taj (taj@unc.edu or 919-851-1119) Ashraf Faruqi (pasbaan@hotmail.com or 919-596-4792)

Triangle Gujarati association (TGa) TGA’ s mission is to promote and serve Gujarati culture in the Triangle area by organizing various events throughout the year and impart Gujarati culture and language on the youth. The association sponsors events throughout the year.

For Further Details: nctga00@gmail.com www.nctga.org

Vaishnav Samaj of Triangle area The Vaishnav Samaj is a group of like-minded devotees who meet for religious worship and understand Pushti Marg Principles at large. Recently, a sub-chapter of Vallabh Youth Organization (VYO) was formed under the leadership of Mrs. Harsha Shah. Regular Bhajan recitations are held 2nd Sunday of the month from 4-6 pm and Seniors are requested to encourage youngsters to participate in the activities.

For Further Details: Arvindbhai Shah 919.233.7677 Navinbhai Parikh 919.387.8808

Triangle Rang Mandal Devotees of Pujya Sri Rang Avdhoot Maharaj meet every Saturday in Cary or Raleigh from 8:30 PM - 10:30 pm to sing devotional Dattatreya Bhajans and Datta-Bavani in a spiritual atmosphere. Special programs organised on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti and on the occasion of Pujya Sri Prem Avdhoot Bapji’s annual visit to the US. For Further Details: rangmandal@gmail.com

Vibha Vibha is a volunteer driven non-profit organization dedicated to creating a brighter future for underprivileged children. The Raleigh Action Center has a group of energetic and enthusiastic volunteers from varied backgrounds, including working professionals and students. This group came together through a strong belief in Vibha’s mission and a resolve that we can create a positive societal impact in India – even from half way

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Community Organizations pm (“Dhamma” talk or discussion). A “youth program” is also held once a month.

For Further Details: dhammasc@hotmail.com

around the world. The group works to organize social events that spread awareness and raise funds to further the organization’s mission.

For Further Details: raleigh@vibha.org http://raleigh.vibha.org.

Hanahan TableTennis Training Center There are no membership fees of any kind to play at HTTTC. Free open play and training. Free USATT league. Informal free coaching as time permits. Open to all levels of players from recreational to competitive. The center is located at City of Hanahan Gym, 1255 Yeamans Hall Rd., Hanahan, SC 29410 (Adjacent to Police Station).

For Further Details: www.ttHanahan.com

Regional Hindu Society of Eastern nC (Greenville, nC) The temple celebrates major festivals and holds regular bhajan seesions and Geeta study.

For Further Details: Temple 252.752.2670 B.S. Srivatsa 508.654.0360 Hindutemplenc@gmail.com

Hindu Society of Greater Spartanburg The daily Aarti is at 7:00 p.m., Balvihar classes are conducted from 10 - 11:45 am on scheduled Sundays, and Satsang is on second Sunday every month from 5 - 7 pm. Temple is located on 1130 Fairview Church Road in Boiling Springs, SC 29303.

For Further Details: 864.599.7048

Sri Somesvara Temple Sri Somesvara Temple is located near Asheville, NC. Temple hours are 8 am - 7:30pm. Regularly scheduled pujas: Subrabhath Aarti - 8 am, Rudrabhishek Nityapuja - 9 am - 12 noon, Pradoshakala puja and mangala aarti - 6 pm - 7:30pm.

The temple also hosts special events. Contact the temple: 828.476.4073. It is located at 95 Mount Soma Blvd., Clyde, NC 28721 Upcoming Events: Dec 24-27: Mini retreat For Further Details: www.srisomesvara.org.

South Carolina american South asian Cultural association of Columbia, SC The American South Asian Cultural Association of Columbia’s fundamental goal is to increase cultural awareness and develop cultural understanding among American Southeast Asian Community in Columbia area. A monthly Lunch meeting will be held on the Second Sunday of every month between 1 to 3 PM. There will be $7.00 Per Person charge for Lunch (Kids Ages 6-10 pay half price) at Delhi Palace, 542 Saint Andrew Road, Columbia, 29210. Contact in the evenings: (803) 233-7042 OR (803) 233-3995.

Bethel Christian Fellowship Bethel Christian Fellowship offers services in various Indian languages (i.e. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.) and Sunday Worship services are at 11:30 a.m.

Address: Fort Mill Church of God, Student Life Center Building, 216 Academy Street, Room 102. Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715 For Further Details: 803.792.7223 Pastor Rajan Samuel @ pastorofbcf@gmail.com www.bethelchristianfellowship.org Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist Monk. Activities are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: 6:30 pm (puja), 7 pm (meditation), and 8 Saathee.com

Hindu Temple and Center (Columbia, SC) The temple is located at 5704 Kiawah Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29212. It is open on weekdays between 8:30 am to 12 noon and between 5 pm and 8:30 pm. On weekends, the temple is open between 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and 5 pm to 8:30 pm. Bal Gokulam (Sunday School) classes are held every Sunday from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. Classes are designed to help children build physical, mental, cultural, social & spiritual lives.

Contact: 803.772.6940 www.hindutemplesc.org Hindu Temple of South Carolina The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of South Carolina was established with an objective to fill the need for thousands of Hindus in the State of South Carolina to worship and pray together, perform sacraments and rituals, to observe and celebrate festivals, and to perform and engage in humanitarian and educational activities.

For Further Details: http://www.hindutemplesc.org/index.php India assoc. of Greater Charleston (IaGC): The IAGC was founded in Charleston to bring together people who were interested in India and to provide a forum to increase the understanding of the heritage of India in US. For Further Details: 803.884.0859 iagcfolks@yahoo.com International Fellowship Church of Greenville, SC International Fellowship Church offers Sunday worship services and other weekly activities for people of Indian origin.

For Further Details: 864.234.1256 (Pastor Suhas Raiborde) www.internationalfellowshipchurch.org Kannada association of Greater Greenville (KaGG) An organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of

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International Community Church A WORSHIP CeNTeR FOR PeOPLe FROM INDIA AND NeIGHBORING COUNTRIeS We Welcome You to Become a Part of This Loving Spiritual Family “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (The Holy Bible) Pastor: Joseph B. Jesudason SERVInG GoD anD THE CoMMUnITY SInCE JUnE 1984

Regular activities Worship Service - Sundays at 8:30 aM Child Care Available 1524, north Harrison avenue, Cary (next to SaS Campus) Children’s Sunday School & adult Bible Study - Sundays at 11 aM 1215 Jones Franklin Rd Suite 204 Prayer Fellowship - Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Meet at Four Zones at host families Raleigh, Durham, Apex, Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs & Chapel Hill

Zakar Bible Club: Character development of children through memorization of God’s powerful & redemptive word.

Please send your child and receive guaranteed life lasting blessing.

Church office: 1215 Jones Franklin Road, Suite 204 Raleigh, nC 27606 (919) 233-2900 or (919) 467-4435 (Residence)

www.internationalcommunitychurch.org

We welcome you to come and receive a blessing through this evangelical, Christ-centered, Bible-based, non-denominational, loving, caring, mission-minded spiritual family church.

FREE HOT BREAkFAST • FREE WIRELESS INTERNET SEASONAL HEATED POOL • NEWLy RENOVATED

UNIVERSITY PLACE 8525 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC

Minutes from Oasis Temple & Hindu Center, UNCC & I-85 / I-77

704.549.4544 Ask for Rashmi or Sam Weddings • Graduations • Family Reunions & Other Events Saathee.com

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CaRoLIna WEDDInG BELLE

Community Organizations

PREMIER EVENT DESIGN & DéCOR

Photo By Chuck Eaton Photography

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

For Further Details: 864.430.4973 www.kagg-sc.org

MANDAPS & STAGING. AISLE DESIGN. FLOWERS. SPECIALTY LINENS & DRAPING. DOLIS. LIGHTING & MORE!

Masjid noor-UL-Huda The Mosque is located at 517 Winmet Dr., Columbia, S.C. On the first and third Saturday of every month from 6 - 8 pm, Islamic session is held by Hafiz Mohammed Basheer. Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily, and everyone is encouraged to send their children to these sessions.

For Further Details: 803.749.0827 (Dr. Shami) 803.740.5127 (Qari Abdul Khader Multani) 803.754.2632 (Mosque main number) Spartanburg Buddhist Center The center’s resident monks seek to preserve Theravada Buddhist traditions and welcomes all who are interested in Buddhism, Southeast Asian culture, or meditation. Since the center opened in 2010, the regular English group meets at 6pm on Thursdays for meditation, a brief dhamma talk, and short discussion. The center is located at 770 Bryant Rd., Spartanburg SC 29303.

For Further Details: 864-279-7546 www.patsc.org Telugu association of Greater Greenville The Telugu Association of Greater Greenville, SC, serves the Telugu community of the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South Carolina. The group sponsors several events throughout the year.

For Further Details: www.taggsc.org Triad avatar Meher Baba Group The Meher Center is a spiritual retreat/ashram located on SC Highway 17 immediately North of the Highway 22 connection 8 miles from Myrtle Beach, SC. Meher Baba visited this place 3 times and considered it His home in the West. A small brick house built especially for Him is open for “Darshan” on Fridays and Sunday (11:00 am.) / Meher Center: (843) 272-5777.

For Further Details: 336.299.9683 runderwood@webtv.net www.avatarmeherbaba.org Vedic Center of Greenville The Center is located at 499 Bethel Road in Mauldin, S.C. 29662.

Daily Aarti is conducted Mon to Fri at 8 pm. Bal Vihar classes are conducted Sun from 11:15 am - 12:30 pm. Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Sat of month at 9 am.

For Further Details: 864.967.2852 Saathee.com

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Rahma Zaghari 704.941.9467 Humam Bianouni 704.807.4638 info@CarolinaWeddingBelle.com

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Pop’s Puzzles & Jokes

By Kirit Shukla

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase Clues across: 1. NFL Super Bowl winner: 2007.

5. A state in SW Mexico, South of Veracruz.

10. Edible.

12. Rhode Island. (*) 13. Of, based on, or derived from reasoning.

15. Loosely, any of the solids in smoke, as from tobacco.

16. Indiana. (*) 17. The hours when the largest audience is available. (TV) 19. To move stealthily so as to avoid being seen or heard.

21. A jelly made from the seaweeds, used as a laxative.

22. To give circular motion to; rotate.

24. At any time; in any way.

26. Impair; disfigure.

27. A large motor vehicle used to carry many passengers.

29. To revise & make ready (a manuscript) for publication.

31. A translucent, whitish, fine-grained variety of gypsum.

34. Genesis. (*) (Bible)35. A gambler; cheap and showy.

(Slang) 36. Virginia. (*) 37. A sacred Hindu text of philosophical dialogue between Krishna and Arjun in epic of Mahabharata.

38. Pennsylvania. (*) 39. Aye; opposite of no.

40. Not immodest; not obscene.

42. Tanned leather of calf, cowhide etc. with a buffed side.

44. A monetary unit of Laos, = 1/100 of a kip.

45. A thin serous discharge from a wound or ulcer.

46. Alabama. (*)

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Clues Down: 1. A holiday on Dec. 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus.

2. To rent; to hire out.

3. A deadly, venomous snake of the cobra family.

4. A large, long-legged, wading bird having a long neck and bill; esp. that nests on rooftops and in trees.

5. “Barack ___”, the president of United States of America.

6. To assert positively without proof; affirm.

7. Xenon. (*) (A symbol of a chemical element) 8. To fill (a space) squeezing too full beyond its capacity.

9. Broadcasted on television or radio.

11. A black tropical American cuckoo bird, with a long tail.

14. Yearly; happening or appearing once a year.

15. Worn-out, fatigued or weary.

18. Saloon; bar; an inn.

20. Having no fixed course or purpose; eccentric.

23. To move swiftly; dash.

25. The oldest, longest book of hymns of the Hindu Vedas.

27. A long, curved fruit of the plantain plant.

28. To block (a passage) so as to make impassable.

30. Any device for raising a nap on cloth.

32. Eats into with teeth; corrodes.

33. To rub, scrape or wipe out; efface.

37. To go and bring.

39. You: used as objective singular and plural. (Archaic) 40. District Attorney. (*) 41. Tennessee. (*) 43. United States. (*) (Puzzle solutions are on page 118. NO peeking!)

Hee Hee Student: “Guru, is it true that regular naps prevent old age?”

Guru: “Yes. Especially if you take them while driving!”

•••••••••••••• Friend 1: “What do you use for washing dishes?”

Friend 2: “Oh, I tried many things but found my husband best.”

•••••••••••••• Teacher: “I killed a person. Convert into future tense.”

Student: “You will go to jail.”

•••••••••••••• An old mother, her son and his young wife were travelling in a boat. The water was deep. The mother asked her son: “If the boat turns upside down, whom will you save first: your wife or me?” Before he replies to mom, his wife interrupted. wife: “Please save your mother first, because I am young and many people will jump in the water to save me!”

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YOUTH CORNER (Created By Kirit Shukla) (Find & circle the words in the puzzle).

(Subject: “Chain restaurants”)

Math Magic Use these numbers only once: [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 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.

BOJANGLES BURGERKING CICI CINNABON DQ DENNYS DOMINOS HARDEES KFC KRISPYKREME

LONGHORN MCALISTERS MCDONALDS OLIVEGARDEN PAPAJOHN PIZZAHUT SOUPERSALAD TACOBELL TGIF WAFFLEHOUSE

The unused 5 letters spell “What you eat at these restaurants.”

(Note: Names suggested by my grandson Ethan: 9 yrs. old)

(solution on next page)

EZ-BZ TEST YOUR IQ The common letters are “BO” - Fill in the blanks 1. Mumbai.

BO _ _ _ _ 2. A migratory worker. _ _ BO 3. A shrewd & unscrupulous man. (Brit. Slang) _ _ _ _ BO _ 4. On, in or into a ship or airplane etc.. _ BO _ _ _ 5. A very large person, animal or thing. _ _ _ BO 6. A device for varying voltage in a circuit.

BO _ _ _ _ _ 7. A monetary unit of Nigeria: = 1/100 of a naira. _ _ BO 8. A minor injury or bruise: a child’s usage.

BO _ BO _ 9. Of a sign by which one infers a thing. _ _ _ BO _ _ _ 10. Ancient Greek coin or unit weight =1/6 drachma. _ BO _ 11. Easy and carefree in manner; jaunty. _ _ BO _ _ _ _ 12. The capital of Idaho.

BO _ _ _ 13. A boat used for pushing a barge in the water. _ _ _ BO _ _ 14. A hard, dark wood used to make furniture. _ BO _ _ 15. A hotel porter. _ _ _ _ BO _ 16. The capital of Massachusetts.

BO _ _ _ _ 17. A mechanical device built to do works for human beings, operated automatically with remote control. _ _ BO _ 18. A small turret shaped structure, provides shade and from which one can view the surrounding scenery. _ _ _ _ BO 19. Swift, vigorous growth or development.

BO _ _ 20. Physical or mental exertion. _ _ BO _ 21. Put an end to; destroy. _ BO _ _ _ _ 22. Any intermediate state; a place of neglect. _ _ _ BO 23. In good faith.

BO _ _ _ _ _ _ 24. A place of refuge, shelter etc. _ _ _ BO _ 25. Overhead; up. _ BO _ _ (Puzzle solutions are on next page. NO peeking!)

Kirit Shukla Contact him at kiritsshukla@hotmail.com

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&Desai

Desai

Festivals & Holidays

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Ph. 704.845.0918 or 704.845.0915 fax. 704.845.0928

e-mail: anup@desaillp.com

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Math Magic December 2014 Dec. 2 - Mokshadā Ekādasi Dec. 2 - Gita Jayanti Dec. 6 - Dattātreya Jayanti/ Vrat Purnimā (Full Moon) Dec. 17 - Pārshvanāth Jayanti Dec. 17 - Hanukkah Dec. 18 - Safalā Ekādasi Dec. 21 - Darsh Amās (No Moon) Dec. 21 - First day of winter Dec. 25 - Christmas Dec. 31 - New Year’s Eve (Year 2014 ends) January 2015

Puzzle Solutions

Jan. 1 - New Year Day (2015 begins) Jan. 1 - Putradā Ekādasi Jan. 4 - Eid-e-Milād Jan. 5 - Shākambhari (Poshi) Purnimā (Full Moon) Jan. 12 - Swami Vivekananda Jayanti Jan. 14 - Makarsankranit/Uttarayan Jan. 16 - Shattilā Ekādasi Jan. 20 - Darsha/Mauni Amās (No Moon) Jan. 24 - Vasant Panchami Jan. 26 - Republic Day (India) Jan. 30 - Gandhi Nirvana Day Jan. 30 - Jayā Ekādasi February - March 2015 Feb. 12 - Lincoln’s Birthday Feb. 14 - Valentine’s Day Feb. 16 - Presidents’ Day Feb. 17 - Mahashivratri Feb. 20 - Ramakrishna Jayanti Feb. 22 - Washington’s Birthday Mar 05 - Holi Mar 08 - Daylight Savings Time begins Mar 17 - St. Patrick’s Day Mar 22 - Jhulelal Jayanti Mar 28 - Rama Navami

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serving north, south Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes (Veg & non-Veg) We now cater Gujarati food for all occasions for catering contact: Andy @ 704-512-9177 or Passagetoindiaclt@gmail.com We carry fresh Flowers and Flower Garlands for all Events.

PlaCe youR oRdeR on-lIne aT

www.PassageToIndiaNC.com Lunch Buffet: Mon to Fri (11 - 3) & Sat & Sun (11:30 - 3:30) Dinner: Sun - Thurs: (5 - 10) & Fri - Sat (5 - 11)

Lunch Buffet: $6.99 Weekend Brunch Buffet: $9.99

over 30 items including Pani Poori, Bhel,Chat Papdi, Pav Bhaji, Idli,medu Wada, sambar,Vegetable Chowmein, Chilli Chicken, Tandoori mix Grill,Goat Curry & more

We Serve Fresh Dosa on Table - Please ask your server

WE SErVE hALAL MEAT

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characteristic, but know your limits. Your partners may take advantage of your good heart. On a positive note, time is very favorable for selling real estate property.

Though minor health ailment may cause you minor stress, turning your focus toward learning ways to invest in your future will bring relief.

General Predictions for December 2014

LIBRa (Sep 23 - oct 23) - December will bring great confidence Libra. You will be fearless and fond of struggle and strife. With the use of diplomatic behavior, you may gain in your business/trade prospects.

However, be careful of your partners; don’t trust blindly. Unexpected business related-travel could prove to be beneficial and you may feel victorious against your competition.

aRIES (Mar 20- apr 20) - Take it easy, Christmas is bound to bring you some peace of mind. Creating confusion or complications won’t do you any good; go with the flow and be prepared for changes. Focus on your long term goals and don’t hold back on asking for advice. Confidence level may not be at par, but don’t forget that it’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. There are also possibilities of a rise in income due to good luck. This December is also a good time to consider investing in real estate.

SCoRPIo (oct 23 - nov 22) - Family happiness will keep you warm this holiday season. Sudden unexpected gain and rise in status are also possible. You will see yourself come in contact with higher officials and authorities as your fame and reputation will increase. You may be inclined towards religion and possibly visit sacred places. The spirit of the holidays will bring a balanced state of mind and overall happiness.

TaURUS (apr 20 - May 21) - Feeling adventurous? If so, watch that budget and you may get a chance to enjoy a very positive and memorable trip. You may choose to spend a little something for religious/social events. All in all, avoid disputes with your partner and learn to compromise. On the other hand, your sibling(s) may be your good luck charm this month. Focus on smart decisions, that added with attending a networking event could lead to new business friendship.

SaGITTaRIUS (nov 22 - Dec 21) - December is going to be a very comfortable and relaxing month for you.

There will be a pleasant environment all around you and you will be favorably inclined towards the opposite sex. If you put little more effort and hard work, you can increase income above your expectation.

You may want to throw a big party and enjoy music and poetry. With the family’s full support, it’s going to be a wonderful holiday this year!

GEMInI (May 21 - Jun 21) - No hard work goes unrewarded. An abnormal experience will bring about positive changes in your career dear Gemini. Both long distance and short distance journeys are possible during this time. However, think twice before making a final call. One wrong decision during the last week of the month has the potential to damage your reputation.

Haste makes waste. Hold off on aggressive activities till middle of next month.

CaPRICoRn (Dec 21 - Jan 20) - Haste makes waste.

Think twice before finalizing a decision. Watch your health this season, taking chances may put you at risk.

Keep the good words flowing with your associates and competitors as they may be your only support in resolving problems. Keep a calm attitude, as stubborn behavior may put you in hot water. Keep the holiday spirit up and take a trip to visit friends and family.

CanCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22) - Unexpected problems by your associates can be the main event of this month.

This can make anyone feel crabby; however focus your attention or warm relations with family members. Your knowledgeable and mature actions may bring much respect and good luck your way. This December is a good time for making social and career-related decisions. Though circumstances may delay some major decision, don’t give up. Don’t let your sweet tooth get the best of you this holiday season, watch your diet and keep the gym attendance regular.

aQUaRIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 19) - There is no reason to be upset, but confusion will be all over your mind. General happiness will not be there. Income, job and health will be in order, but your peace of mind will cease to exist.

Don’t be a Scrooge; help the needy instead and you will feel satisfied and happy. Long distance journey in the third week of the month will prove to be rewarding so keep on working hard.

LEo (Jul 22 - aug 23) - What a great month to celebrate Leo! Your amiable disposition and ability to avoid friction could grow your curiosity. You may develop a taste for high philosophy or literature. You may even feel inclined towards religious or social activities. You may even part take in charity work. Your keen and prompt actions will keep your business afloat. A pleasant journey is quite possible, though avoid driving or drive very carefully. Bon Voyage!

PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20) - Your own caliber and skills will bring excellent results in your business and trade.

If involved with educated and learned people in your project, the results will be fantastic. You will make strenuous efforts to satisfy your aspirations and aggressive acts will pay off well. Some sort of familyrelated problem will need attention. The state of your health will be satisfactory.

VIRGo (aug 23 - Sep 23) - Although a positive start, keep your guard on as the month comes to a close.

Watch the budget this holiday season. You may be faced with unexpected expenses. Being generous is a great Saathee.com

By Jalendu Vaidya Contact: 973-223-5047 / hindusvision.com 120

December 2014

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Classifieds BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: Investment opportunity: A Charlotte based startup has developed a very sophisticated 'Restaurant rating, reservations, and customer management app for mobile and web. Seeking investors for convertible shares at 7.5% interest per year with option to convert or refund after 12 months. Please contact Veeram @ 704771-5477 For Sale: Country & aBC store, land and stock, Hunts brothers pizza and much more. Camden, South Carolina. Great Business and location. Call 803-420-2198.

23 units independent motel plus two bedrooms house for sale in SC. Owner retiring after 22 years. Financing available.

Call for details: 803-464-5736.

Indian Fast food restaurant for sale in North Charlotte. Great business in high growth area, near I-85, I-485 & Highway 29. Contact: idianfastfood87@gmail.com or leave a message at 408-829-0314.

Convenience Stores/Gas Stations for Lease or Sale in NC. Great opportunities with upside potential. Only serious inquiries; must have capital for goodwill / inventory. Please call 803-789-3133.

Motel For Sale: in NC. 50 rooms.

Interstate location. Owner retiring. For info call Harry 336-314-4101.

Liquor and c-store for Sale: Clover, SC. Gross sales yearly $380,000-$400,000 from both stores, monthly expenses only $1,000 (or less)+ $1600 rent; Asking $50,000 + inv. ($80k-$100K). Owner finance available.

Rocky 803-810-5105.

Budget Motel For Sale: 519 Main Street, Kenbridge, Va. 23944. 14 Rooms with 3 Bedroom House. $150,000 Firm. 434-9538794.

C-store & Gas Station for sale: very busy through way in Matthews NC. High margin & very profitable, good terms call 704-604-4506.

Motel for Sale in Jonesville, NC. 41 Units and apartment. National Franchise. Price reduced! $725k. For more info call RK at 704-224-6130.

Two C-stores / gas stations for sale in Rockhill, SC. Busy road next to big college.

Call Guru Patel 503-330-8723.

For Sale Gas Station w/C-Store + Liquor Store in Clinton, SC. Yearly sales: Inside $780,000, Liquor $96,000, Gas 660,000 gallons, Lotto $300,000, Misc. $12,000.

Great opportunity!

Asking price w/property $650,000+inv; bank loan available with good credit; Call 803-528-1215.

Saathee.com

Convenience Store for sale or lease.

North August, SC. (Georgia border). .75 acre land. 2 extra rooms with store. Selling due to family emergency. Call Haresh 706-294-6672.

C-Stores: Easley, SC $1.1M + Inv, GR $2.2M; Kernersville, NC $99K + GR $700K Motivated; Statesville, NC $125K + Inv, GR $2.27M; 704-821-8888 or www.Countysouth.biz

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Motel Help wanted: Couple needed to manage motel in SC. Excellent pay plus bonus and accommodations. Call for details 803-464-5736.

Front Desk agent Wanted: For a franchise hotel in Kinder, LA. Fluent english is a must. Exp. Preferred but will train. This is a live-in position. Pls. Call 910-273-2132.

Couple needed to manage 35 unit independent motel in SC near Florence.

Must have experience, legal status, and speak English. In person interview required. Accommodations provided. Call 843-992-8424 Manager needed for upscale retail store in Brier Creek (Raleigh). Must be smart & energetic. Call 919-412-2578.

House helper needed in Cary, NC. Hindi speaking preferable. Excellent pay. Call 919-342-0293.

Convenience Store Help Wanted: Charlotte. Retail Experience Preferred.

Speak English & have legal status. Please Call 856-266-5059.

Live in nanny / housekeeper needed in Apex / Cary, NC for 2 year old and newborn. Must be active and have drivers license. Great salary and benefits. Please call 914-310-4133.

Refulgent Technologies Inc.: IT staffing company is currently recruiting Java, .Net, SQL Server and QA candidates. We also do Training & Placement. e-mail: recruiter@refulgent-tech.com Warehouse manager: Need warehouse manager in Rock Hill for clothing business. Skills required: teamwork, organization, planning, time management, inventory control, dependability, ability to lift heavy objects.

Call 704-277-3233.

Hotel Help Wanted in Charlotte. Live in Manager (Experienced, English speaking, Legal status) for 47 room Motel. Salary + Accommodation + Bonus. Email: hoteljob214@yahoo.com 122

Motel Help needed: housekeeping in Rock Hill, SC. Independent motel with 41 rooms. Accomodations provided. Please call 803-412-2132.

Energetic Manager needed for hotels in Raleigh, Charlotte, Virginia. Strong operational, quality assurance and revenue management skills required, experience preferred. Sal: 32,000 to $40,000 email: hotel.raleigh@gmail.com. night audit / Front desk help wanted for Franchise motel, Charlotte. Full-time / Part-time. Must have experience, be honest, reliable & fluent in English. Call Nina 704-299-3364.

Help Wanted: Subway & Store in Greensboro, NC area. Couple preferred.

Must speak fluent English, have legal status and computer knowledge. Please call: 704-737-1555.

Experienced Threading Practitioners or Licensed Esthetician in Charlotte & Raleigh. New locations now open. Full or part-time with great pay and flexibility.

Experience required. Good English skills.

Please call 980-322-1110.

Gas Station Help Wanted: Couple, fulltime in McCormick, SC (near Greenwood & Augusta) & Lincolnton. Must speak fluent English & have legal status. Good pay. Please call 704-299-8535.

Domestic help needed for Gujarati family in Rock Hill SC. Excellent cooking and cleaning skills required. Benefits include competitive salary and allowance for rent.Must be legal US resident and able to drive. Call 803-448-4820.

Elder Care needed: Live-in for 78 years old mother in SC. Please call 843-797-2737 or email jay_jinja@yahoo.com.

Part-time/Full-time Single or Couple: Needed ASAP for a convenience store / gas station in Gaffney, SC. Must speak English & have legal status & previous experience preferred. Call 704-726-7544 or 864-487-4939.

Full-time nanny needed: live-in or live out in Huntersville, NC (exit 23, I-77). 4 month old and 8 year old after school.

Please call 704-274-9556. nanny/Domestic help needed: Full-time or Part-time in Concord, NC. Please call 704-780-1670. nanny/baby sitter needed in Lumberton NC for a 5 month old. Live in Nanny preferred but not necessary. Please call 443-895-7066.

Live In nanny needed: South Charlotte. for 3 year old son. Please call 952-334-3666.

December 2014

HELP WANTED

Eyebrow Threader We are hiring experienced females for Eyebrow Threaders, waxing and facial specialist, eyelashes extension specialist, henna tattoo.

Full time or part-time Cary, NC Raleigh, NC Great salary + tips + commission. if you live close to the above locations, please call or e-mail.

(773) 507-8848 (773) 981-8848 Email: apq147@yahoo.com

Retail Sales associate in Columbia SC. Male / Female / Couple. Full or part time.

Opportunity to advance quickly into management. Contact 706-877-0315.

Hotel Help Wanted: Charlotte.

Competitive salary and accommodations provided. General / property manager (experience required), night auditor (experience preferred but will train).

Must be fluent in English. Email 123nash@gmail.com Convenience / Gas Station Help Wanted: couple or single. Full-Time. Near Charlotte. Accommodations can be provided 704-701-9975.

Motel Help needed: Housekeeping in Rock Hill, SC. Independent motel with 41 rooms.

Accommodations provided.

Please call 803-412-2132.

Sales / Marketing: Drapery manufacturing company in HighPoint is looking for full time sales person. Must have good communication skills and sales experience.

Please email raj@northstate.net or call 336-558-3410.

Full-time help wanted: ASAP for a gas station / convenience store in Charleston, SC. Must speak English. Experience preferred. Please call 980-355-9071.

Household help needed: Help needed with vegetarian cooking at home and light cleaning, in Greenville NC. Please call 609-540-7983.

Restaurant Help Wanted: Indian Restaurant in Charlotte NC looking for Curry Chef, Appetizer Chef and Waiter/Server. Must have working experience. Please Call 704-512-9177 Driving help needed to pick up 2 kids from school every afternoon. 12:30 pm and 3 pm. Both schools & home in Charlotte (28277). Call 626-298-4277.

Motel help wanted for front desk & operation in Charlotte, NC. Accommodations provided. Please call 803-554-6377.

Saathee.com

nanny needed: for 2.5 year old in Cary, NC. Daytime hours. Light cooking and housekeeping, Guajarati-speaking preferable. Please call 919-259-4699.

MATRIMONIAL Keralite ezhva good looking girl 28 years.

LLB from Symbiosis and MBA. Settled in pune. Father retired army colonel.

Looking for suitable alliance from Hindu malayalee family. email bio-data: santoshx@gmail.com.

SERVICES astro Healing Therapist: For guidance on Career, Wealth, Marriage, Health & Reiki Call Dr.Ajay, Wellness Guru. visit www.astrouniverse.com.

E-mail: astrouniverseindia@yahoo.com 919-3427169 or (+91) 9444052660.

Tabla Classes for all ages in Charlotte on weekends and evenings by professional tabla player with 20 years experience.

Call: 704-232-4463.

Hindu Priest: All kinds of puja.

Including: havan, katha, weddings, graha pravesh, funeral services & Shraadh. In Hindi, English & Tamil. Call Balaji 704877-6320 or 704-545-7220 or e-mail: priestbalaji@gmail.com 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

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

Mehandi (Henna): Award-winning artist in the Chapel Hill / Durham, NC area specializes in Mehandi parties. Perfect for weddings, birthdays & get-togethers.

Creative & beautiful art! Contact: Krishna Priya Dasi: 919-824-7734; krsnapriyad96@gmail.com; www.lotuslyrics.com/henna.html; Facebook: Krishna Priya Dasi Vaibhavi’s Beauty Parlor: Charlotte Ballantyne area in Stone Creek Ranch.

Offering Waxing, Facials, and Threading.

Please call or text for appointment 843465-6048.

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. Pretty Face - Indian beauty parlour.

Threading, facials, waxing etc conveniently located at Ballantyne /South Charlotte area.

Please call for appointment 704-726-8928.

Beauty Parlor in Columbia and Charlotte area: Waxing, Threading, Bridal Henna, Facial. Call for appointment: 704-526-8707.

Ribald Farms nursery & Florist: Specializes in Indian wedding reception design and floral arrangements. For more info contact Shawna Turner at 803328-2266 or www.rockhillflowers.com

Saathee Classifieds

astrologer With Gold Medals - Jayanti Lad- Contact for Health, Wealth, Relationship, Child, Enemies, Court Cases, Marriage, Job, Business, Vastu Problems, Preparing & Matching Horoscope. Call 919-463-5180 or Jayantinlad@yahoo.com

Business ads are $25 Personal ads are $15 Upgrade to color or add a box for additional $10 Saathee.com ads posted daily (call for rates)

Pari Beauty In Matthews, nC: Threading, Waxing, Facials, Bleaching & Much More! 23 years of experience.

Special Deals & Great Service. For Appointment Call: 704-846-7912.

We accept all credit cards and checks.

Ads up to 25 words. Deadline for print is the 20th. Web ads daily.

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

Call 704-625-7578 or 704-231-0751.

Email: sastrigal2003@yahoo.com Dholi For Hire: Plays the Dhol (drum) for any occasion! Classes Available! Barat, Doli, Graduation, Birthdays, Baby Showers & any other festivity. Affordable rates! Call Arpan Bhandari 704-843-7202 or email: arpandholi@yahoo.com 123

How do I Submit classifieds?

1. on-line: saathee.com (classified section) 2. e-mail: Saatheemag@hotmail.com 3. Fax: 704.527.7590 4. For more info call 704.527.7570 Saathee Magazine PO Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

December 2014

Advertisers Index A & V Satellites ......................................................7

DJ Lalit ...............................................................75

Access Realty & Funding (Chandravadan Shah)....53

Elegant Designz...................................................63

Patel, Tony (Real Estate) .......................................68

Accounting Solutions (Muhammad Kamran Awan)83

Eshaan Jewelers .................................................33

Paul Joseph - Commercial Real Estate...............114

Ali and Sons Car Care ......................................101

Event Decor by Ghazala .....................................61

Payal Groceries ...................................................87

All Car Care.........................................................56

Eye Level Learning Centers..................................63

Peacock Indian Cuisine (Charlotte) .......................43

Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices)................................81

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

Fairview Home Mortgage.....................................41

Persis Indian Grill...............................................111

Anil Bedi & Associates PC (CPA & Consultants) ..125

Family Fare Convenience Stores ........................125

Puja Boutique (Charlotte) .....................................39

Apna Travels (Morrisville)....................................121

Friends Travel ......................................................41

Rajbhog Foods ....................................................45

Around The World Market Charlotte......................22

Fu Lin................................................................103

Rajdeep Video & Photography (Ramesh Panjabi)...47

Asiana Fusion.Sushi ............................................77

Gandhi International Market ...................................6

Religious Ceremonies (Swminath Sastrigal)........105

Aspect Commerical Realty (Prashant Parmar).......21

Gem Avenue........................................................25

Ritu Selects - India Inspired Couture.....................37

Aura And More... Boutique (Ladies Fashions)........85

Geological Resources, Inc..................................121

Robert Brown LLC (Oza, Rishi: Immigration Law) ..10

Austin Village Eye Care (Dr. Keshav Bhat)..............61

Global Mall / Legacy Jewels ..............................127

Roop Beauty (Pooja Patel) ....................................58

BallantyneTech Academy .....................................55

H2 Laser & Skin ..................................................91

Rug & Home........................................................11

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Charlotte)........42

Halal Yafa Market & CafĂŠ .....................................27

S S Event Services (Event planning, Photo, Video)103

Barot, Tushar (Statefarm) .....................................31

Hindu Center Charlotte (Events) ......................64-67

Saffron Restaurant and Catering ..........................39

Bashyam & Spiro LLP (Immigration Law)..............59

India Grocers (Charlotte) ....................................115

Shah, Anish (Real Estate)...............................48-49

Bhindi Jewellers ......................................2, 3, 19

International Community Church .......................113

Shah, Kirti (CPA - Sepa Consulting) ....................78

Bipin & Smita Parekh (Real Estate).......................51

J&P Metal Arts Inc ............................................23

Shining Star Academy..........................................38

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

Jag Insurance Group ..........................................99

Shree Beauty Care .............................................95

Bombay Grille (Charlotte) .....................................57

Jaipur Indian Restaurant (Charlotte)......................91

Shukla, Kirit (Music Lession & Band) ..................107

British International School of Charlotte ................85

K & M Accountant................................................99

Shyama Beauty Parlour .......................................87

Carolina Law Group (Monty Desai) .......................73

KD Financial & KMD Realty ..................................12

SJ Iyer Reatly ......................................................95

Carolina Wedding Belle (Event Design & DĂŠcor)..114

KD Photographics................................................71

Skyzone Charlotte Indoor Trampoline Park...........55

CaroMont Medical Group (Dr. Manu Patel)..........103

Khanna & Sons Jewelers.....................................15

Sleep Inn (Charlotte) .........................................113

Chai Pani (Restaurant - Ashville, NC) ....................83

Kirti Shah CPA .....................................................24

Smart Energy Solutions (CSI)..............................126

Challa Law Offices, PLC (Immigration)..................31

Mahabazar.com (Travel Agent) .............................71

South Char. Endocrinology (K. Narasimhan, MD)...76

Charlotte Chess Club .......................................107

Maharani Restaurant ...........................................99

SRF Charlotte Meditation Group ..........................95

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat .........................72

Malani Jewelers ................................................128

Sukhadia's Indian Cuisine....................................61

Charlotte Music School ...............................23 & 79

Malaya Kitchen (Charlotte) ...................................97

Suravali Music Group...........................................53

Chiro-Carolina

...............................................86

Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors)....................77

Swami Driving School........................................109

Concha, David (Immigration Attorney)...................78

Matthews Family Dentistry ..................................97

Taaza (Fresh) Indina Bistro ...................................81

Concord Children's Clinic ................................107

Meena Jewelers (Zaveri Bazaar Jewelers) ..............5

Thakkar, Beena (Realty)..................................34-35

Copper................................................................29

Mishra Architecture PLLC ....................................46

The Blue Taj.........................................................29

County South Realty & Business Brokers..............75

Muslim American Society Immigrant Justice Ctr.109

Travel Universe ....................................................69

Curry and Cakes (Charlotte) ...............................105

MyTripFare (Travel agent).....................................51

Travelinks ............................................................45

Deccan Dental Lab ..............................................97

Nagpal, Sunil (MetLife).........................................53

Ttravel Guru ........................................................78

Dentist (Dr. Prashant Rao - Cedar Walk Dentistry).91

Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) ..........................47

Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate)........................................87

Dentist (Pineville Dentistry - Lina V. Mistry, DDS) ...76

Neeta's Beauty Parlor ........................................107

UBS (Manish Mehta, CFA, CFP)..............................9

Desai Desai Accounting ....................................118

New Year Party (Goels Plaza)................................13

Uni World Travel...................................................31

Desai, Rajarshi (CPA, PLLC) .................................79

Nuv Yug India Fest (Charlotte and Raleigh)............17

Vallabh Pushti Samaj of Carolinas (VPSC).............16

Digital Room Photography ...................................97

OM Tech Training ..............................................105

Vyas Travels.........................................................53

Dish Installer Charlotte (USAT Satellite) ................27

Pardasani, Kamlesh (Real Estate) .........................93

White Horse Weddings.........................................10

DJ Hangama ....................................................51

Passage To India - Fine Indian Cuisine ...............119

Woodlands .........................................................89

DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) ..............................................47

Patel Brothers (Charlotte) .....................................28

Worldwide travels ...............................................21

DJ Don (David Pandoria) .....................................63

Patel, Champa (Real Estate)...............................103

Zevar Bridal Fashion Jewelery ............................21

Saathee.com

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December 2014

Anil Bedi & Associates, PC CPAs and Business Consultants Member: AICPA, IIA & ICAI

1.800.313.1921 or 678.779.3475 (cell) e-mail: anil@abacconsulting.com

www.abacconsulting.com

25% off

(with this ad. exp: 1.5.15) Serving Medical offices, Motels, Gas-Stations, Restaurants and all other businesses.

Serving North Carolina & South Carolina We Specialize in: Individual & Business taxes • Accounting & Payroll • FBAr Filing new company incorporations • Tax filing for all - including H-1 & L-1 visa holders W-7's and Tax ID's for IT consultants • Internal audit & SOX Compliance • Business set-up and support in India • Filing Available for All 50 States • Free e-Filing

C-Corp., S-Corp. & LLCs

Anil Bedi FCA, CPA Over 20 years of experience Serving the entire Southeast

Free, no obligation consultation!

®

Franchise Opportunity!

Leading convenience store franchise-retailer in North Carolina.

With retail convenience stores throughout North Carolina, Family Fare relies on the entrepreneurial drive, leadership and energy of our Franchisees to independently manage their store operations. Knowing our success is directly related to the success of our Franchisees, we are committed to finding the best Franchisees possible.

Family Fare. . .Helping you get there.

For more information please visit our website

www.familyfareconveniencestores.com Saathee.com

125

December 2014

now open in

Charlotte

Call Amit Patel 980.254.4200

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