DIY Kitchen Makeover

25 Austin South Asian | June 2021 Fun Spring And Summer Toys And Games For Kids!

In the warm weather months, you can keep toddlers and preschoolers engaged with these great learning toys and games perfect for the season:

• Chalk it Up:

With just a colorful set of washable, toddler-safe chalk, your child can create their own artwork on any sidewalk or patio.

Or, draw a hopscotch or four square court for active playtime that builds coordination.

• Travel Inspiration:

Inspire kids who are ready to go places with LeapFrog’s 100 Words About Places I Go bilingual learning book. Featuring age-appropriate words, this interactive book teaches about people and objects in 12 unique places in both English and Spanish.

Go to the beach in any season and discover words in two languages about things to bring and surprises to find.

The school, the park, the farm,

the amusement park and more locations can light up your child’s world and spur their imagination.

• Obstacle Course:

Transform the backyard into an amazing obstacle course. Toys you have on hand such as hula hoops, Frisbees and bean bags can be used to create different components of the course.

• Ice Cream Fun:

By pretending to run their own ice cream cart, kids can create a variety of imaginative and tasty-looking ice cream combinations.

And the Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart helps them build memory and sequencing skills, as it comes with six cute animal order cards that encourage little ones to follow the instructions. The cart also features playful phrases to introduce colors, numbers and flavors, and plays upbeat songs and music when pushed.

• Pretend Picnic:

Make learning a picnic with the Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket. Kids can lift the lid to hear cheerful phrases and unpack the colorful plates, forks, cups and food.

The interactive shape sorter on the lid recognizes the food pieces and says the shape and color of each one, encouraging kids to drop the correct food in the basket for rewarding responses.

Whether your family is at home or on the go, great games and toys help link learning with fun. (StatePoint)

DIY Kitchen Makeover Ideas You Can Complete In A Weekend

Whether you’re putting down roots or putting your home on the market, kitchen upgrades make a huge impact. Not only do they have daily “good feeling” appeal for current homeowners, they can offer a great return on investment when it’s time to sell.

So it’s no surprise that kitchens were the second leading site of home improvements made since the pandemic, according to Hippos’s recent “State of Homeownership Survey.”

Boost your kitchen’s beauty and functionality with these DIY makeover ideas:

1. Countertops. Tired of boring countertops? When using the SpreadStone kit from Daich Coatings, an elegant new finish requires only the ability to paint, roll and sand. Working well on existing laminate, cultured marble, formica and other solid surfaces, the result is a dynamic stone finish that provides shimmering mineral accents and color highlights found in natural mined rock. The three-step process includes applications of a stone base coat, decorative stone coat and stone clear top coat. Finished countertops resist heat, stains, abrasion, impact and household cleaners. Available in 10 colors, including Oyster and Volcanic Black, each kit includes application tools and required coatings to complete 30 to 40 square feet of space. Kits are available online at The Home Depot and at daichcoatings.com.

2. Decorative boards. Add warmth to bars and kitchen islands, or an entire wall, by installing decorative wood boards. The ready-to-install S4S Decorative Boards from Ornamental Decorative Millwork provide a rich, clean appearance and are available in Ambrosia Maple, White Oak, Black Stained Aspen and Gray Stained Aspen profiles.

3. Track lighting. For a cool look that’s also highly functional, install track lighting above all areas of the kitchen where you slice, dice and sauté, or use it to highlight design elements. Kits make installation easy and are available in a range of designs complementing any style. Add specialty lighting in other areas of the kitchen to give the room a warm glow.

4. Floating shelves. Add floating shelves to keep spices handy, hold favorite cookbooks, stack plates or display decorative accent pieces. Lightweight and easy-to-install in just minutes, those from Ornamental Decorative Millwork can be easily painted or stained to complement other design elements in the room.

5. Wood beams. Add architectural style and warmth to your kitchen (or any other room) with lightweight Rustic Beams from Ornamental Decorative Millwork. Whether it’s adding straight beams, creating a center beam with cross beams, or crafting a coffered ceiling, home design creativity knows no bounds with this DIY project. Made of real wood, these pre-stained U-shaped beams and wrought iron metal accent brackets are available at Lowe’s and come with everything needed for installation.

6. Outdoor kitchen. Building an outdoor kitchen is an amazing way to make better use of your backyard and enjoy fresh air as you cook and dine.

Using VertiStone Roll-On Wall Texture, you can ensure the space is beautiful. Without prep work and in little time, you can use it to completely transform any drywall, block, masonry or concrete outdoor kitchen surface in such finishes as smooth polished marble, natural suede, parchment, dream lace and linen. Then, to protect the newly-coated surfaces, simply add Hi-Build Ultra Clear Coat, a tough coating that resists water, U/V rays, chemicals, impact and abrasion.

Thanks to a variety of products making DIY easy, you can affordably give your kitchen that “wow factor” in an afternoon or weekend. (StatePoint)

26 Austin South Asian | June 2021 Sitara: Let Girls Dream Raises Voice Against Child Marriages

By Sumaiya Malik

The day after I watched “Sitara: While the film is set in the sub-continent, child marriages, shockingly so, exist in the U.S. Unchained at

Let Girls Dream,” a 2020 short film directed and written by Academy Awards winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, I was still thinking about it.

The film, available on Netflix, belongs to the new genre of short films gaining popularity in a world where attention span is short, and a lot must be said forcefully and quickly especially when it’s an important message that will affects society. last, a US-based non-profit listed that 300,000 children– under age 18 – were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018.

In Texas, in the same time span, an estimate showed more than 41,000 child marriages.

96% of the children married were age 16 or 17, typically not old enough to file for divorce or enter a domestic violence shelter, and most were girls, the website said.

Sitara, a computer-animated 15-minute film attempts to spotlight the issue of child marriage, a marriage in which at least one party is under 18 years of age. Set in the old city of Lahore, the film revolves around Pari, a fourteenyear-old girl who aspires to be a pilot.

She has an older brother, maybe by a year or two, and a much younger sister in a house where the parents are far apart in age. A framed picture shows an old man, Pari’s dad, with a child-bride, her mother.

The film is beautifully made, with colors and background details that all speak up in their silence about child marriages of which one is destined for Pari.

The way the film pans out is anyone’s guess, but what’s important and different in this film is that no character in a society function alone. Each one supports the other and vice versa. The problem of child marriages is closer than we think. Often, we don’t even realize it.

Sitara reminds us of that. The film breaks hearts only to make them eventually beat with hope.

Sitara shares Pari’s dreams and sorrow when faced with a forced marriage with an old man. The film acts as a mirror to those who have the power to stop the cycle of child marriages.

Marriage before age 18 has such devastating, long-lasting consequences – undermining girls’ health, education and economic opportunities and increasing their risk of experiencing violence – that the U.S. state department considers marriage before 18 a “human rights abuse,” a 2017 New York Times article said.

The same article added that Texas recently passed a bill in 2017 to end most child marriage, but allows emancipated minors to marry. Emancipation from parental control involves (absolving a parent’s responsibilities to a minor) involves convincing a judge that a minor is sufficiently mature and independent to make legal binding decisions such as marriage.

A 2018 Dallas Morning News article said that too often it’s actually parents set on marrying off their offspring who manipulate their child – and the legal system – into approving the designation.

Divorces are expensive, and if the marriage is abusive, getting help from a shelter or law enforcement becomes complicated by age.

The fact remains that a character in society is not alone and each character influencing a child marriage can play a positive or negative role in stopping what is considered child abuse. Chinoy’s Sitara becomes a mirror image for all those parents and siblings who can take the bold step of breaking this unhealthy process especially in the United States where education and awareness are already a part of every home.

To find help or volunteer visit Asian Family Support Services of Austin, afssaustin.org.

Anupam Kher Is Choked With Emotions As He Completes 37 Years In Bollywood!

Anupam Kher is all set to celebrate his debut in movies tomorrow, as May 25 marks 37 years of his first Bollywood outing ‘Saaransh’.

Feeling emotional ahead of the big day tomorrow, the actor shared a video from the starting credits of his debut movie that highlighted his name – Introducing Anupam Kher.

“Even today when I see my name in the opening titles of my first film #Saaransh as introducing #AnupamKher I get choked with emotions. Can’t believe that tomorrow, 25th I will complete 37 years in cinema. #1DayToGo for my 37th birthday in movies! More tomorrow! 1DayToGo #Saaransh #Introducing,” wrote the actor.

Recently, Anupam Kher had announced his decision to quit his popular American TV show to be with his family.

Speaking about the same, he had told BT in an interview, “Acting is a part of my life, it’s not my life. And at all times, we have to be ready to lose something to gain something.

Quitting the American show was a difficult decision — career-wise, financially and otherwise. But my family and my wife Kirron needed me more. It’s not like I won’t get work here.”

The veteran actor will soon be seen in ‘Kashmir Files’ and has also signed up filmmaker like Rohit Dhawan and Sooraj Barjatya for their next ventures. (Courtesy: https://timesofindia. indiatimes. com/)

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27 Austin South Asian | June 2021 P Susheela Wants AR Rahman To Help Make Her Biopic

Music director AR Rahman has revealed that veteran playback singer

P Susheela has expressed her wish of wanting him to make her biopic. Rahman revealed this during a

Twitter Spaces session that he was part of on Sunday.

The composer was part of the session to promote his maiden production, 99 Songs, which has now been released on OTT following its theatrical release on April 16 earlier this year.

When the Oscar-winner was asked about the most moving feedback that he has got the film, Rahman said, “I was talking to the great south Indian singer P Susheela ma yesterday (on Saturday), and I asked her if she had watched 99 Songs.

I told her that it is out on Netflix, and she asked me what’s that. Later, her brother, who was with her

‘Eternals’ Teaser Trailer: Richard Madden And Gemma Chan’s Indian Wedding; Kumail Nanjiani’s Bollywood Dance Number Has Desi Fans Buzzing On Twitter

The first ‘Eternals’ teaser is here and it promises to have Marvel superheroes channelling their Desi side and getting groovy to Bollywood tunes. it still managed to squeeze in snippets of major Indian references that Desi fans will be eager to watch unfold on the big screen.

The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal beings forced out of the

shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy - The Deviants. While the action sequences, epic superhero costumes, plot, even

Marvel Studios debuted the exciting teaser trailer of the highly a possible New Avengers foreshadowing have had Marvel fans counting down the days to November 5, it is the Indian references in the trailer that got desi fans on Twitter buzzing.

anticipated film directed by Academy Award–winner Chloé Zhao. Although this one will turn back the clock the dawn of civilization It is impossible to miss the romantic scenes between Richard Madden’s all-powerful Ikaris and Gemma Chan’s Sersi. Going by the looks of the teaser, their love story that spans over decades, even had the two tying the knot in the traditional Indian way, with Gemma in a saree and Madden in a sherwani.

That’s not all, Kumail Nanjiani will also be seen channelling his inner Bollywood star as his character Kingo gets groovy to some catchy tunes in a Bollywood-style dance number.

In an interview with THR, the actor revealed that the Marvel film has a Bollywood dance sequence with over 50 dancers in it. (Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/) spoke, to me and I told him to show her the Telugu version of our film on OTT.

After watching, she called back and said, ‘This is very good’. And then she added, ‘I want my story to be made this way, will you help it?

That was epic. She is one of the legends and she has sung like so many thousands of songs and has been there for seven generations.

And she is one of my favourite singers and seeing someone from that generation responding to my film that way was lovely.”

Rahman was joined in this session with the film’s director Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy and the duo shared what went behind the making of this passion project.

Dharmendra’s Grandson Karan Deol Has Seen “One Or Two Films” Of Hema Malini: “She’s A Brilliant Actress”

Veteran actor Dharmendra’s grandson Karan Deol, who stepped into Bollywood just like his grandfather and dad Sunny Deol, in a recent interview with Times Of India said that he has seen only a couple of films of Hema Malini and he thinks she is a “brilliant actress.” Hema

Malini married her Dream Girl costar Dharmendra in 1979 and the couple are parents to two daughters - Esha and Ahana Deol.

At that time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur, with whom he has four children - sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, as well as daughters Vijayta and Ajeeta. When the actor married Hema Malini, he didn’t divorce Prakash Kaur. Talking to the TOI about Hema Malini, Karan Deol said: “She has had a brilliant and prestigious career from start to finish. Yes, I’ve seen one or two films of her; she’s a brilliant actress.”

Dharmendra and Hema Malini

were co-stars of films like Sholay, Seeta Aur Geeta, Dilagi, Raja Jaani, Do Dishayen, The Burning Train, Jugnu, Dil Kaa Heera and Dream Girl.

Karan Deol made his debut as an actor with dad Sunny Deol’s 2019 directorial project Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which was produced by Dharmendra. The film, also starring Sahher Bambba, released in November 2019. (Courtesy: https://www.ndtv.com/)