Austin South Asian - March 15 by Austin South Asian

Monthly Community Paper | www.austinsouthasian.com | 512-828-6709 | Vol. 8 No. 03

ICC NEW TEAM Sureshbhai Patel

By Mary Mathew Austinites, your ICC Team is coming together to “plan to plan.” On February 21, a small

group of interested community members and ICC board members met at Little Walnut Library to discuss the goals and future of ICC. An interim board was formed of committed volunteers

who will collaborate to restructure the organization. The members of the interim board are as follows: Mary Mathew, Raga Chandra, Sijo Vadakkan, Sohail Lodhia, Debasree Dasgupta, Ashwin Ghatalia, Jagannath Vedula, and Pramod Patil. When India Community Center of Austin was first formed and its constitution was written in 1985, it was the only Indian organization in town; now there are numerous organizations. How should the role of ICC change? How can ICC best serve Austin? Do you have ideas you would like heard? Contact one of these board members, or email iccaustin@gmail.com.

Vehicle Registration And Inspection Stickers Are Partnering Up In Texas “Two Steps, One Sticker” Program Begins March 1 AUSTIN – Get ready for a new

Texas Two Step. Today the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) joined State Senator Royce West and county tax assessor-collectors for “Two Steps, One Sticker Day” at the state Capitol in Austin. The event h i g h lighted the state’s transition to having just one sticker for vehicle inspection and registration. (Continued On Page 08)

By Richa Gandhi, Student, University of California, Berkeley

Why did being “skinny,” “black” or walking in a neighborhood become perceived

as the sign of a perpetrator or criminal? Why did a communication barrier give an officer the prerogative to throw a fragile grandfather to the ground? What about a grandfather’s walk through his neighborhood, could have caused a neighbor to feel so uncomfortable as to call the police? (Continued On Page 24)

Town Hall Meeting With Austin Police Department on March 6th

Post unpleasant event of police excess in Alabama where Mr. Sureshbhai Patel has been partially paralysed, IACT has been in touch with Austin Police Department (APD). To APD’s credit they have been proactive also in interacting with IACT. A town hall meeting is planned with a tentative date of 6th of March. IACT board members are working on identifying a venue and working with APD to set up the agenda for the meeting. It is imperative that APD gets to know our community and also to educate members of the of APD to prevent any unpleased experience and create an enduring harmony. We welcome community members to participate in strength. For venue and time pl email shahinalvi@yahoo.com or call (512) 577-9454 / (512) 791-5112

inside

March 2015

Make A Difference.......04 Raag Of Ages.............05 Indo American Seniors..6 BAGA.........................07 TYLA Launches End.....08 Sureshbhai Patel.........10 SCE Layoffs................11 New York Sikh Man.....11 Human Trafficking.......12 Health Special.............15

APRIL 2015

Real Estate Special

512-828-6709 Coconut Sprouting......17 Islamophobia..............17 Austin Non Profits.......18 Hypertension..............19 Predictions.................19 Trim Expenses...........20 Community Calendar...20 Purnendu Dasgupta....21 Childrens Page............22 Three Indians Win......23 Indie Meme Film Showcase 2015...................24 Entertainment........25,26

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Make A Difference ‘Click It Or Ticket’ Campaign Technology Equates Honesty Aimed At Increasing Seat By Vidya Kumar The reason that we were able to retrieve Belt Use Among Teens the lost property was because it was lost in

AUSTIN – Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. In an effort to curb this deadly trend, the Texas Department of Transportation is partnering with more than 900 Texas high schools to remind teens to “Click It or Ticket.” “All traffic fatalities are tragic, but it’s especially difficult to hear about teenagers having their lives cut short,” said TxDOT Executive Director LtGen Joe Weber, USMC (Ret). “We’re asking families, teachers and peers to remind teens to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle. It’s the law and it can save their lives. Don’t let your child be the next fatality.” In 2014, 293 teen drivers and passengers (ages 15-20) died as a result of traffic crashes in Texas. Of those fatalities, 134 (46 percent) were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. To help raise awareness and save lives, TxDOT is sending free “Teen Click It or Ticket” educational toolkits to high schools across the

Austin South Asian

Editor: Bala Kumar Marketing: Jayachitra Vijay -512-8286709 / info@austinsouthasian.com Production: Jyothi Mariswaran Admin: Sharada Dayanidhi Publisher: Vidya Kumar Distribution: Vasooda Kumar ©All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof be published without the wirtten consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertisement and article is 20th of every month.

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state. Each kit contains banners, posters, brochures and parking lot signs reminding students to wear their seat belts or face costly tickets, injuries or even death. Throughout the spring, TxDOT also will promote “Teen Click It or Ticket” at University Interscholastic League (UIL) competitions. A real-life, mangled truck display and an audio recreation of what happened to the teens who survived it, will be set up at boys’ and girls’ state high school sports tournaments in San Antonio, Georgetown and Austin. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), properly worn lap-shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45 percent. Texas law requires all vehicle drivers and passengers to be buckled in a seat belt or face fines and court costs up to $200. For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at MediaRelations@txdot.gov or (512) 463-8700.

Recently, when my husband visited India he forgot his laptop during customs at the airport. He thought that he had lost and there was no way of getting it back. Everyone said that in India if you lost it is difficult that you can get it back. But fortunately, he gave a call to the airport lost and found and lo! and behold they said that there was a laptop and he or anyone that he authorizes can come and get it provided they describe it correctly. Similarly, my uncle left his iPad in Bengaluru airport and he thought that he would not get it. Because, of our recent experience, he tried and was able to locate the iPad. What is different – from all those previous years when it was difficult to find lost property in India? Has everyone become honest overnight? That too when someone finds electronic goods?

Airport where there are so many cameras that people who find it will hand it over to lost and found department rather than keep it for themselves. That means technology is making us honest people. Even in work because everyone knows that their office computers are being monitored by IT hence, surfing the net has been reduced atleast from official devices. Survey has also proved that even those who work from home tend to work longer and put in more hours than those who are going to office because they know that someone is able to monitor their computer. I feel confident that as more technological progress is made that we as humans are going to be more honest because of checks and audits that technology can ensure. I am waiting for the day when technology makes all of us honest and truthful.

HYPERTENSION

By KrishnaGC-FNP

“Healthy lifestyle Prescription” is essential for prevention and management of the Hypertension Hypertension In simple word, High blood pressure (HBP) is high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. There are common misconceptions that people with high blood pressure, will experience symptoms such as headache, nervousness, sweating, and difficulty sleeping or facial flushing. Hypertension is a symptomless condition, “SILENT KILLER”. Normally, hypertensive crisis (systolic/ top number higher than 180 OR diastolic/ bottom number higher than 110) give you headache and nosebleeds, are not a reliable indicator for HBP. Nosebleeds can be caused by variety of factors such as dry air, allergies, cold, si-

nusitis, anticoagulants drugs, poor immune system, etc.

The Symptoms of Hypertensive Crisis are dangerously high HBP may obvious symptoms such as severe headaches, severe anxiety, shortness of breath, Nosebleeds occur: and need emergency medical treatment is needed. There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it is manageable. Everybody needs to know their blood pressure numbers and do not ignore your high BP readings. Age (middle age/45 years, race/ethnicity, family history, obesity, sedentary life, tobacco, alcohol, stress, certain chronic diseases (such as kidney disease and sleep apnea), pregnancy, higher salt intake, too little potassium, too little vitamin D in diet are major risk factors for Hypertension. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack or stroke, heart failure, aneurysm, blood vessels in kidney and eyes, and metabolic syndrome. Children age 3 and older will usually have their blood pressure measured as a part of

their yearly checkups. Check your blood pressure at least every two years starting at age 18. Blood pressure should be checked in both arms to determine if there is a difference. What Is “Normal” Blood Pressure? An elevation of systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mm Hg at least three times on two occasions is called hypertension. Diagnosis should only be made by a healthcare professional. A variety of symptoms may be indirectly related to HBP but are not always caused by HBP, such as: sub-conjunctival hemorrhage (blood spot in the eyes), facial flushing, dizziness may occurred. A blood pressure reading has a top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic). The ranges are: • Normal: Less than 120 over 80 (120/80) (Continued On Page 19)

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Syrian American Poet Amal Kassir Attends Vigil At UT For North Carolina Tragedy By Sumaiya Malik On February 11, 2015, Amal Kassir, an internationally acclaimed, Denver-based slam poet was in Austin. When she heard of a vigil being planned

of three innocent Muslims of North Carolina. Back at the University in Denver, Kassir (19) attends classes and works at her father’s Syrian restaurant, Damascus Grill, in Littleton, Colo., during the week. On the weekends, she tours the United States, performing her slam poetry at festivals and political rallies. She is an activist in the fight to end civil war in Syria. Winning an international poetry slam gave her a platform to continue her humanitarian work.

by the Muslim Students Association at UT Austin at the Main Mall on the night of February 11, she rushed to the vigil and stood there sliently hearing the thoughts of fellow brothers and sisters who poured out their anguish and concern about the deaths

This vigil was just another example of the role Amal plays when she is in a gathering. She leads the way and that is what she did at the MSA vigil. (Continued On Page 12)

Muslim Community Support Services Fundraiser On Saturday, March 28 By Sumaiya Malik The Muslim Community Support Services will hold their annual Fundraiser/Dinner on Saturday evening, March 28, 2015 at Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX 78754. MCSS is a non-profit organization. It provides financial, educational, and medical support to many Muslim Refugee families, and is planning to establish a resource center for these families. It also aims to integrate the new Muslim immigrants into the Greater Austin community. Funds raised during this event will be used to establish the resource center and to continue providing support to the refugee families that arrive in Austin through a plan run by the State Department. MCSS was formed in the year 2000 when a few concerned Muslim community members started talking about providing

social services to the Muslim community of Greater Austin, establishing a Muslim cemetery in the Greater Austin area, and establishing a Merit Scholarship for College going Muslim students ($750 per year). They have been successful every year in accomplishing these goals. There are six board members. The Founder and President, Mohsin Lari, emphasized the need to donate with an open heart especially this year because the number of Iraqi families has increased from 40 families to well over 200 refugee families. The Refugees’ needs continue to grow as more and more families are arriving every month. Domestic Violence cases have gone up multiple folds and require much more resources compared to 3 years ago. (Continued On Page 06)

Raag Of Ages Concert In Austin On April 04

By Sumaiya Malik “Raag of Ages” an Austin based band, playing desi rock fusion and jazz music will be performing live in action on Saturday, April 4 2015 at 3:30pm at the Marchesa Hall in Austin. ROA has a following in the whole South Asian community. Their past performances

included songs from Vital Signs, Junoon, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and popular Bollywood songs like Sun Raha Ha Na Tu, Roop Tera Mastana, Jaan-e-Jaan.

Imran Baqai (Bass/Vocals) and Uzair Farooqui (Keyboard) are engineers. Rizwan Khan (lead guitar/vocals) is in IT and is the main driving force for the band.

All the band members come from different professional backgrounds but are united in their love for music. Fida Khan, their lead singer and Junaid Siddiqui on Drums/Vocals are physicians.

Kashif Rehman, also in IT, works for Dell and plays the Tabla/Dholak/Naal. We asked Imran Baqai, a founding member how the band started. He said that a group of friends interested in music and in dif-

ferent professions got together and started ‘jamming’ regularly. Initially Rizwan, Junaid and Imran practiced. ‘When Fida joined us the band took off,’ ‘To enforce the practice and to formalize weekly meetings we formed a band. We would sing pop rock, with a heavier guitar influence,’ said Imran. The heavy guitar influence comes from Imran’s continued effort to do better every time he plays the bass guitar. Rizwan over the years has been a part of several bands. He has played an important role as a producer, audio engineer and a recording/session musician in success of several artists in the 90s. (Continued On Page 10)

Picture Credit Picture in February 2015 issue on page 5 for article ‘Candle Light Vigil by Austin Pakistan Community’ was taken by Nizam Photography - Nazm. photo@gmail.com”

Austin South Asian | March 2015

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Muslim Community Support Services Fundraiser On Saturday, March 28

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Their dire need is cash to sustain the expenses of the families. Other kinds of donations include furniture, groceries, meat, clothes and tutoring. Most families have school going children who do not speak English. While ESL is available for free in many churches and libraries, the families are not used to the American system and need settling down one on one. Fatima Ahmed, the general secretary, emails and calls from time to time keeping the whole system in order. All members work diligently to keep the cemetery development in order. The MCSS works

hand in hand with Cook Walden to ensure timely burial. This year’s guests include Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Chief of Police Art Acevedo and State Representative Donna Howard. Most of the donors are the South Asian and Arab communities of the Greater Austin Area. MCSS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization registered with the state of TEXAS. The Federal tax ID # is 74-2977031.Your donations are Tax deductible. Donations can be made on their website. http://www.mcssaustin.org/Contacts.html For tickets please email info@mcssaustin. org or call 512-775-1481.

Indo American Senior Citizens Meeting On 15th February 2015 At Pflugerville Community Center By Jagdish Kothari

Indo-American Senior Citizens Association, Austin in their meeting on 15th February 2015 to celebrate 50th Marriage anniversary of two senior couple with music and Bollywood film songs. There were cakes and food and lot of fanfare. Approximately, 75 seniors attended this meeting.

BAGA 7

Saturday, April 18th, 2015 11:30 am – 7:30 pm

Free Admission! Free Parking! The growing diversity of the population in Austin area is reflected in the number of ethnic cultural celebrations each year. One of the most unique of these events is the “Bengali New Year Festival”, on Saturday April 18, from 11:30 am – 7:30 pm, at the Fiesta Gardens (2100 Jesse E. Segovia St). This is a City of Austin sponsored event and organized by the Bangladesh Association of Greater Austin (www.bagatx. org) for 14 years in a row, this is the most vibrant and colorful cultural event of the Bangladeshi Community in Austin. We are expecting 4000+ locals in the event. Admission is free and the general public is cordially invited to attend. The Bengali New Year is based on a solar calendar introduced in North India over 400 years ago by the Mogul Emperor Ak-

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This year’s celebration, according to the Bengali calendar, ushers in the year 1422. Traditionally, the New Year is a seminal event in Bengali social and cultural life. Corresponding to the harvest and the beginning of the financial year for businesses, it is a time of happiness and joy, and an occasion for festivals and feasting. The Bengali New Year Festival showcases the historically rich, colorful culture of Bangladesh and recreates the atmosphere of optimism and joy that characterizes this occasion back home. Traditional Bangladeshi ethnic foods, ethnic dress, indigenous arts and crafts, open air performances of Bengali music and dance, and a Children’s cultural and international dance program will be featured at this festival.

MEN CAN COOK! Email your recipe with your photos and see yourself in print

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Austin South Asian Invites Contributions From Readers And Community

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Planning For Future- Actions For The Community By Ashwin Ghatalia Secretary NAAO, IACT advisory board member Under the auspices of Network of Asian American Organizations (NAAO) a community meeting was organized to collect and reconcile the tasks that Asian Community wants. As NAAO member in good stead seven IACT members and board members participated in the meeting. Several action groups/ committees have been formed AARC phases 1 and 2&3 : The Phase 1, our 17,000 sq.ft. center built with about $6.5 M (not including the land cost) has been a resounding success . Of all the centers the city has built this is the youngest and busiest – a good example of excellent teamwork between the city and the Asian-American community. All Austin communities use this center, helping create outreach to other communities. Of the city allocated land of 15 acres, this facility utilizes 4.5 acres of land and was the first phase of the three phase project. Per the request of the community a commercial kitchen is already in works costing some $700K and will accommodate special request for strict vegetarians Phase 2 and 3 are planned for the rest of the land. The total cost of all three phases was estimated a $39M. A committee formed recently will revisit the original plan that consisted of a business center, additional conference rooms and parking, a park an amphitheatre and a performing art center and develop plans to execute the work. The organization is also envisaging this center contributing to the growth of city district 1 where it is located Work With City Council, State legislature and support public organizations Asian community has developed very good working relationship with the newly elected Mayor Steve Adler and the council

members as well as some of the stet legislatures. The mayor is intent on greater public participation and is looking forward to deeper involvement by the Asian community. We can help a great deal by volunteering in city and county boards and commissions. To facilitate such participation a NAAO committee has been formed. Every member of our South-Asian community is encouraged to go to www.austintexas.gov web site to get all the information and volunteer for the commission of interest. Having expertize and/or experience and willingness to commit time is of essence. Outreach: This is a relations building effort. Showcasing diverse Asian culture to community at large, collaborating on common theme are some of the additional ways of achieving this Month of May is Asian&Pacific Ilander Heritage month. Of the many events planned the first event takes place on May 2nd, NAAO will partner with AARC to organize “street festival”. IACT will organize an event on 19th May and one more event for 29th is in planning stage. While events planned in May are near-term the outreach along with all the activities mentioned are based on continuing activities over longer term.

To Advertise In ASA

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Vehicle Registration And Inspection Stickers Are Partnering Up In Texas

(Continued From Page 01) Beginning March 1, 2015, the state of Texas will stop issuing vehicle inspection stickers and change to a “Two Steps, One Sticker” inspection and registration program. Under the new system, Texas vehicle owners will need to pass inspection prior to renewing their registration. The familiar blue-bordered registration sticker will serve as proof of both inspection and registration. The first year of the program is a transition period to allow vehicles’ inspection and registration expiration dates to align. Here is what drivers will need to do: March 1, 2015 – February 29, 2016: You will be able renew your registration the same way as always as long as your vehicle has a current, passing inspection. However, if your inspection and registration stickers already expire in the same month, your vehicle will need to pass inspection prior to registration renewal. When you renew your annual registration online, by mail, or in-person at your county tax office, your inspection status will be verified electronically. Remember that a current, passing inspection is required for registration renewal. March 1, 2016, and beyond: Your inspection and registration will expire at the end of the month indicated on your registration sticker. You will have a convenient 90-

day window prior to your expiration date to complete two simple steps: pass vehicle inspection and renew your registration. Registration renewal will still be available online, by mail or in person at your county tax office. Texans can look forward to the many benefits of a “Two Steps, One Sticker” program: • One sticker, one date: Are you one of the millions of Texans whose inspection sticker and registration sticker expire in different months? With “Two Steps, One Sticker” you will just have one sticker with one expiration date. • Less clutter, better view: Who wants multiple stickers in their view while behind the wheel? With “Two Steps, One Sticker” you will just have the registration sticker in the corner of your windshield. • Safer streets, cleaner air: Because a passing vehicle inspection will be a requirement to renew your registration, more Texans will comply with the safety and emissions testing laws. So with “Two Steps, One Sticker” there will be safer and more environmentally-sound cars on the road. • Fraud prevention: With inspection stickers no longer needed under “Two Steps, One Sticker,” this change will eliminate the risk of inspection sticker fraud and theft. Courtesy: Statepoint

Austin South Asian | March 2015

TYLA launches End Bullying Now campaign AUSTIN — Bullying has been a persistent problem in our society. While many believe that bullying stops after graduation, in reality it occurs at all ages—from the classroom, to cyberspace, and the workplace. According to a survey on the Department of Health and Human Services website, 62 percent of respondents claim they witnessed bullying two or more times in the last month, and 41 percent claim they witness bullying once a week or more. With the ease of technology and prevalence of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, cyberbullying can be humiliating and extremely public. Although numerous organizations attempt to address the issue of bullying, none have explained to the public how the law address-

es the epidemic or provides help to those in need, said Rebekah Steely Brooker, president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, or TYLA. “Being either a bully or a victim can have a profound impact on the individual’s life,” Brooker said. “TYLA is excited about the prospect of tackling this very challenging subject in a way that engages, educates, and truly changes lives.” To meet this need, TYLA created the End Bullying Now campaign consisting of an interactive website that targets children, teens, parents, educators, and the workplace through short stories, expert education, testimonials, and games. Viewers can watch celebrities such as Marty Turco, a former goalie for the Dallas Stars, and

ordinary individuals such as Keri Kaiser, vice president of marketing at Children’s Health in Dallas, share their bullying stories. A grant from the Texas Bar Foundation is funding the project. Since its inception in 1965, the foundation has awarded more than $15 million in grants to lawrelated programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation. The End Bullying Now campaign is now live at biggerthanbullies. com. TYLA is dedicated to continue collecting videos of testimonials in order to identify with even more website viewers. For more information on how you can end bullying, visit biggerthanbullies.com. Courtesy: Statepoint

TxDOT, Texas High Schools Focus On Saving Teen Lives AUSTIN – Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. In an effort to curb this deadly trend, the Texas Department of Transportation is partnering with more than 900 Texas high schools to remind teens to “Click It or Ticket.” “All traffic fatalities are tragic, but it’s especially difficult to hear about teenagers having their lives cut short,” said TxDOT Executive Director LtGen Joe Weber, USMC (Ret). “We’re asking families, teachers and peers to remind teens to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle. It’s the law and it can save their lives. Don’t let your child be the next fatality.” In 2014, 293 teen drivers and passengers (ages 15-20) died as a re-

sult of traffic crashes in Texas. Of those fatalities, 134 (46 percent) were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. To help raise awareness and save lives, TxDOT is sending free “Teen Click It or Ticket” educational toolkits to high schools across the state. Each kit contains banners, posters, brochures and parking lot signs reminding students to wear their seat belts or face costly tickets, injuries or even death. Throughout the spring, TxDOT also will promote “Teen Click It or Ticket” at University Interscholastic League (UIL) competitions. A real-life, mangled truck dis-

play and an audio recreation of what happened to the teens who survived it, will be set up at boys’ and girls’ state high school sports tournaments in San Antonio, Georgetown and Austin. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), properly worn lap-shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45 percent. Texas law requires all vehicle drivers and passengers to be buckled in a seat belt or face fines and court costs up to $200. For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at MediaRelations@txdot.gov or (512) 463-8700. Courtesy: Statepoint

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Governor Apologizes For Police Treatment Of Sureshbhai Patel

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley apologized to the Indian government for the treatment of Sureshbhai Patel, who was roughedup by police, calling the case one of “excessive force” in a letter made public Feb. 17. Bentley’s office released a letter to Indian Consul General Ajit Kumar a day after the two men met to discuss the case involving the 57-year-old Patel, who was hurt in a confrontation with Madison police while visiting relatives earlier this month. Audio and video recordings released by police show Patel was slammed face-first to the ground by an officer responding to a call about someone walking in a subdivision in the town, a bedroom community of Huntsville. Patel suffered injuries including partial paralysis in his legs, and

his attorney said he now is in rehabilitation after leaving a hospital Feb. 16. The man has filed a federal lawsuit over his treatment. The governor’s letter expressed Bentley’s “sincere apology for this tragic incident to your government, Mr. Patel, and the citizens of India who reside and work in our state.” “I deeply regret the unfortunate use of excessive force by the Madison Police Department ... and for the injuries sustained by Mr. Patel,” wrote Bentley. The Madison police chief apologized during a news conference last week. Bentley said the state would investigate the confrontation alongside the FBI. Bentley’s letter came as officer Eric Parker pleaded not guilty to assaulting Patel during a con-

Raag Of Ages .. (Continued From Page 05) He is an artist/producer/musician/ engineer with 350 releases in Pakistan. We asked Rizwan what drives him to create exceptional music, he gave credit to good friends, music and awesome audience.’ ‘…and supportive spouses.’ Fida added with a smile. They have been blessed no doubt. Fida Khan, the lead vocalist looked back at how he began singing. He surprised his parents by singing a difficult song in a wedding audience.

late Ustad Afzal Hussain Khan, a respected artist from the sub-continent who regularly performed at Radio Pakistan, Karachi. Junaid plays the drums/perucussion and Uzair is on the keyboard. It is this casual style that makes ROA such a favorite of Austin. They often invite singers or musicians from other groups to come play music on a Friday night. The band has invited Faakhir and Nusrat Hussain to their practices.

Fida went on to become a physician, but his love for music continued.

Fida has sang with them and brought out the best in the artists with his singing ability. He is actually a notch above a tenor!

Fida moved to Austin in 2011 and was soon invited by Junaid for an informal jam session.

The group is busy practicing for their upcoming concert Austin on April 4 at the Marchesa Hall.

Same session, he was requested to become the band’s lead singer. Kashif plays the Tabla and Naal.

The tickets are $15 and available through contacting ROA on facebook or email at RaagOfAges@ gmail.com.

He received formal training from

frontation in the north Alabama city on Feb. 6. Parker is being fired, and he faces an April 29 trial. An attorney for Parker, Robert Tuten, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment about Bentley’s letter. A lawyer for Patel, Hank Sherrod, said the man has left the hospital and is now in rehabilitation for injuries that include partial paralysis of his left leg. “He has a long, difficult, and uncertain rehabilitation process ahead of him, and he and his family deeply appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support he has received,” Sherrod said in an email.

Austin South Asian | March 2015

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AUSTIN HOUSING FAIR Saturday April 11, 2015 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Asian American Resource Center 8401 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX 78754 (Hwy 183, exit Cameron Rd)

HOUSING EXPO

Government agency, Non-Profit community organizations, Real estate professionals, Banks, will be on hand to answer your questions. Come talk to the experts!

SPRING INTO HOMEOWNERSHIPS WORKSHOPS Limited seat, rsvp early at www.austinhousingfair.com

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How can I get down payment assistance Where are affordable houses in Austin Financial fitness to improve your credit score The hidden cost of homeownership Home buying 101: House hunting – Negotiating – Closing. Presented in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi and Korean  How much house can I afford and how to get financing Presented in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Hindi

CULTURAL PRESENTATIONS - FOOD - PRIZES Martial arts performance, Asian dance & music

www.austinhousingfair.com visit the website for info and RSVP for workshops or call 512-354-7888

Austin South Asian | March 2015

SCE Layoffs, H-1B Visa Hiring from India Draw Fire

Southern California Edison has laid off hundreds of IT workers and replaced them with workers from India on H-1B visas, angering many of the U.S. workers, some of whom are being asked to train their replacements, the journal Computerworld reported recently.

said in a statement. “They are bringing in people with a couple of years’ experience to replace us and then we have to train them,” one longtime IT worker told Computerworld. “It’s demoralizing and in a way I kind of felt betrayed by the company.”

The “transition,” which started in August and is expected to be completed by March, will result in about 400 layoffs, with “another 100 or so employees leaving voluntarily,” SCE, Southern California’s largest utility firm,

Computerworld interviewed four affected SCE IT employees who agreed to talk on condition of remaining anonymous. SCE confirmed that Bangalore-based In-

Attacker Of New York Sikh Man Charged With Hate Crime

San Leandro, Calif. The man who attacked a young Sikh father in 2014 by mowing him down in a pickup truck and calling him a “terrorist” has been indicted on hate crime charges, according to a CBS TV report.

got into a verbal argument with Singh because Singh’s car door was blocking the street.

hate crime and said his client was defending himself from an assault by Singh.

Caleca allegedly got out of his vehicle to confront the Indian

Prabhurpreet Kaur, Singh’s wife and the mother of his then-infant

His nine-count indictment was handed down Feb. 18, 2015, by the Queens County Grand Jury.

After an exchange of words, defendant allegedly struck victim intentionally with his hicle and dragged him along street.”

the the vethe

Police said that Caleca was driving his pickup truck on 99th Street in Ozone Park, Queens, when he

In 2012, before any layoffs began, SCE had about 1,800 IT workers and another 1,500 contract workers, Computerworld said. The H-1B program “was supposed to be for projects and jobs that American workers could not fill,” one worker said. “But we’re doing our job. It’s not like they are bringing in these guys for new positions that nobody can fill.” SCE, Computerworld reported, said that the shift to Infosys and Tata “will lead to enhancements that deliver faster and more efficient tools and applications for services that customers rely on. Through outsourcing, SCE’s information technology organization will adopt a proven business strategy commonly and successfully used by top U.S. companies that SCE benchmarks against.” SCE said Infosys and Tata were chosen in a competitive process that began with “eight potential vendors,” some U.S.-based. “The decision to contract with Infosys and TCS was made following vendor site visits, some in India, and in-depth reviews of prospective vendors’ operations,” the utility company said.

Joseph Caleca, 35, of Setauket, New York, was charged with attempted murder and felony assault after the July 30, 2014, attack on Sandeep Singh, 29.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement: “The defendant is accused of an unprovoked attack that allegedly began with the defendant driving by the victim and his friends and calling him a terrorist and ordering him to leave the country.

fosys and Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services have been contracted with to meet staffing needs.

American man. Singh told police that Caleca called him a terrorist and shouted, “Bin Laden, go back to your country,” before mowing him down and dragging him several feet before fleeing the scene, reported 1010 WINS radio. Singh was hospitalized for abdominal and back injuries. Caleca’s attorney, Murray Richman, told Newsday it was not a

son, joined protesters and representatives of The Sikh Coalition at the site of the assault two weeks after it took place. “This attack is not only an attack on my husband, it’s an attack on the Sikh community. It’s an attack on the Americans,” she said. Caleca, currently out on bail, will appear before a judge April 22. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Courtesy: IndiaWest

The IT workers claim that the Indian tech workers they are training don’t have the skill level of the people they are replacing. The SCE outsourcing “is one more case, in a long line of them, of injustice where American workers are being replaced by H1Bs,” Ron Hira, a public policy professor at Howard University and a researcher on offshore outsourcing, told Computerworld. “The majority of the H-1B program is now being used to replace Americans and facilitate the offshoring of high wage jobs,” Hira

added. SCE said it is helping affected employees with severance, and other benefits, including “job fairs and other possible opportunities with other organizations within SCE.” “SCE does not take this action lightly and it is assisting employees through this difficult period,” the utility said. However, another employee interviewed by Computerworld said it doesn’t appear that SCE wants to keep any of the IT workers being laid off. “They just want to get rid of us and clean house,” said the worker, who now worries about keeping her home. The SCE move has attracted the attention of a key legislator in Washington who is in a position to influence immigration law. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who heads the Senate’s immigration subcommittee and a strong critic of reported abuses of the H-1B visa program, cited SCE’s layoffs in a speech in the Senate. SCE, Sessions said, “is transitioning those positions to foreign employees who have come in under the H-1B visa program for the sole purpose of taking a job. They are not coming under the immigration policy where they would move from green card into permanent residence and into citizenship. They come solely for a limited period of time to take a job, and they work for less pay too often,” he added. “What is in the interest of American workers at a time when we are laying off large numbers of workers — skilled and unskilled? Do we really need massive increases in foreign workers? Do we need to pass legislation that would double the number of guest workers that come into the country at this time? I think not,” Sessions concluded. Coutesy: IndiaWest

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Massive Human Trafficking Case Pits Indian Workers Against U.S. Corporation

A trial finally got underway last month in the first of five lawsuits brought about by guest workers from India against shipping magnate Signal International, in what may collectively represent the largest-ever human trafficking case in the U.S. The lawsuits are brought about by former workers of Signal, who were brought over from India – mostly Kerala – to repair the massive destruction to the South Coast in Texas and Louisiana caused by Hurricane Katrina. Using recruiters based in India, Dewan Consulting and Syed Mansur Razvi Company, Signal hired 500 welders and pipe-fitters in 2006, using the U.S. guest worker – H-2B – program. According to court documents and India-West interviews, the workers said they paid $15,000 or

more to the Indian recruiters, who lured the workers over with the promise of a green card, which would allow them to permanently remain in this country.

She came to the podium introduced herself and said we hear ‘this one being shot and that one being shot. Everyone gets shot. We need to break the cycle with love.’ She asked all the women to repeat after her, I am your sister and asked the men to say I am your brother to create harmony in the gathering. Amal came off the stage with tears in her yes as she saw the smiling photographs of Deah Barakat, his

The workers claimed they were

Thangamani, and Vijayan. The group is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law

Many claimed they had pawned inherited jewelry and land in the hopes of gaining a brighter future for their families.

Furthermore, Signal required the men to pay $1,050 per month to live in its barracks. “We were like pigs in a cage,” Subulal Vijayan, a pipefitter from Allepey, Kerala, told India-West in 2008. Vijayan – a plaintiff in the current case – said he had been a guest

wife Yusor Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Abu-Salha. May they rest in peace. The MSA president added that there is no one solution except to get educated about what is going on around you. He asked everyone to continue there path to education so that a moment of inspiration arises and is taken. Amal Kassir’s advice will be remembered by many. Her current project ‘More than Metaphors’ gears towards collecting usable clothes and household items for charity.

The guest workers achieved a major victory Jan. 26 when Texas Federal Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn ruled that human trafficking charges against Signal could not be dismissed, even though workers were coerced outside the U.S. to pay for temporary work visas. “The undersigned agrees with the plaintiffs and finds that the transporting or recruiting of workers into the United States is a domestic — not extraterritorial — application of the Trafficking Victims’ Protection Reauthorization Act,” ruled Hawthorn.

Instead, upon arrival, the workers received 10-month contracts and were forced to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions.

Syrian American Poet Amal Kassir Attends Vigil At UT For North Carolina Tragedy (Continued From Page 05)

worker for more than 18 years and had never seen more miserable conditions.

housed 24 men per 24 x 36 foot trailer with open toilets and slept in bunk-beds piled three high. Meals were also sub-standard.

Center, the Asian American Legal and Defense Fund and the Louisiana Justice Institute, along with private law firms.

Signal International maintained that the company had spent more than $7 million to construct stateof-the-art housing for the guest workers, with catered Indian cuisine, laundry facilities, large screen televisions, pool tables and computers with Internet access.

The group is suing Signal International; Malvern Burnett of the Gulf Coast Immigration Law Center, who allegedly helped Signal to obtain the legal paperwork required to bring in the guest workers; and Indian recruiter Sachin Dewan.

The guest workers were paid $18.50 per hour, on par with their American counterparts, said the company. In 2012, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled that the workers could not file a class action suit. Thus, the cases are now being heard individually. The plaintiffs in this case are Kurian David, Thanasekar Chellappan, Jacob Joseph Kaddakkarappally, Maruganantham Kandhasamy; Dhananjaya Kechuru, Hemant Khuttan, Krishan Kumar,Andrews Issac Padaveettiyl, Kuldeep Singh, Palanyandi

“The fact that the plaintiffs are foreign or some of the acts may have occurred abroad does not change the domestic character of the plaintiffs’ claims.” Hawthorn also ruled that the plaintiffs may have been subjected to forced labor, noting that one of the plaintiffs testified that Signal had made numerous threats that, should he leave the company, he would be turned in to immigration authorities.A similar case is being heard by a jury in Louisiana. Courtesy: IndiaWest

Indo-American Seniors Association

By Jagadish Kothari Indo-American Senior citizens Association is a non profit organi-

zation and we meet twice a month on 1st and 3rd Sunday at Pflugerville Community Center and do some activity for the benefit of senior citizens In our meeting at Pflugerville Community Hall we did Indian Flag Hoisting on on 18th January 2015 at the Hands of one of our members who had completed 100 years.

Austin South Asian | March 2015

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Austin South Asian | March 2015

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Austin South Asian | March 2015

HEALTH SPECIAL A Healthy Bedtime Routine Is Important For Kids

Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is a prelude to a great night’s sleep, which is critical for young bodies and brains.

games and puzzles. Brush Up

Here are some great ways to create healthy bedtime habits for you and your family.

It’s also a good time to give back and help other children in the community who may not have access to dental care.

Screen-Free Down Time Our electronic devices are an integral part of our lives. Even young children may spend a portion of time each day using tablets, mobile phones and e-readers.

A free downloadable coloring book called “Brushing Fun,” is available to help introduce kids to healthy habits.

However, the light emitted from these devices can hinder sleep, so make sure you incorporate some screen-free down time before bed. Great substitutes for these electronics are good old-fashioned books, storytelling time, board

Health Month, an excellent opportunity for both kids and parents to learn more about preventive dental care and the importance of a healthy oral care routine.

February is Children’s Dental

Each free download will trigger a donation of 10 tubes of Tom’s

of Maine Wicked Cool! natural toothpaste to Oral Health America (OHA), a non-profit dedicated to increasing access to oral health care, education and advocacy for all Americans. The coloring book, which can be personalized with a child’s name, offers games, puzzles, tips and facts about oral care, as well as a story that encourages kids to appreciate nature. “Brushing twice a day is a fundamental healthy habit. Kids are never too young to learn how to take care of their smile,” says Susan Dewhirst, goodness programs manager at Tom’s of Maine. More than 200,000 annual patient visits have been made possible and more than a million tubes of free toothpaste have been distributed by the Tom’s of Maine

Dental Health for All program. To learn more, visit www.TomsofMaine.com. Set a Schedule Sticking to a set bedtime for kids may be difficult at first for both you and your children. But once everyone adjusts to the schedule, the benefits will be made clear. A consistent bedtime policy will be easier to enforce, and kids’ internal clocks will likely adjust to the schedule over time. To determine an appropriate bedtime for your school-age kids, factor in the Mayo Clinic recommendation of nine to 11 hours of sleep per night. For better sleep and healthy smiles, create bedtime routines for you and your family that are easy to follow. (Statepoint.com)

March Is National Nutrition Month: Tips To Recharge Your Resolutions

Have your healthy New Year’s habits already begun to fade? Recharge your resolutions this March during National Nutrition Month. While a healthy lifestyle can certainly help you get the body you always wanted, the benefits extend well beyond your appearance, say experts. “Adopting a healthy lifestyle offers more than just weight loss alone; it can also promote your overall health and reduce your risk of chronic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and even some types of cancer,” says registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, Ximena Jimenez. “Eating right and staying active is an investment in a high-quality life.” In time for National Nutrition

Month, Jimenez is offering a few ways you can “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle,” the theme of this year’s annual focus on nutrition. • Make Informed Food Choices: A healthy lifestyle is about so much more than just choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables.

While this is important, it’s also essential to make informed food choices based on your individual health and nutrient needs. Knowing which nutrients your body needs, the foods that contain them, and how much fits into

your healthy eating plan, are all part of making smart choices. A registered dietitian nutritionist can educate you and guide your food choices while keeping your tastes and preferences in mind. • Choose Sensible Snacks: Sensible snacks are a part of any healthful eating plan. If you choose carefully and plan ahead, snacks can prevent overeating at mealtimes and throughout the day. For children and adults, alike, snacks can supply foods and nutrients that we might miss in meals. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and low-fat dairy foods. • Get Plenty of Physical Activity: Daily physical activity is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, and unfortunately most Americans don’t include enough exercise in their

daily routines. Regular physical activity strengthens bones and muscles, reduces the risk of chronic illness and fosters overall wellbeing. • Consult an Expert: Registered dietitian nutritionists draw on their experience to develop a personalized nutrition plan for individuals of all ages. RDNs are able to separate facts from fads and translate nutritional science into information you can use. An RDN can help you adopt a healthy diet, reach and maintain a healthy weight, and ultimately reduce your risk of chronic disease. To help, the Academy offers tips, games, tools and nutrition resources at www.EatRight.org/ nnm.Don’t let your 2015 resolutions fall by the wayside. Use National Nutrition Month as an opportunity to revive your goals for the long-term.(Statepoint)

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Coconut Sprouting

By Venkappa Gani

the nut in fresh w a t e r for three days. Placed the soaked nut in a plastic ziplock bag. Added some water inside the bag to create humid condition. Closed the bag a n d placed in warm p l a c e for 2-3

Background: The plants are propagated by Seeds, Cuttings, Grafting and layering. Various techniques and short cuts are used to accelerate the propagation process. Some plants are naturally propagated in suitable environmental conditions of temperature, humidity, soil. The coconut palm is propagated naturally when ripe coconut with husk falls on the ground where right conditions exist. This process takes long time. I was anxious to try coconut sprouting at home with warm weather conditions. Experiments: Tried with coconut with husk removed from local grocery store. Used easy method by soaking

weeks.

Saw only white fungus on the third eye of the nut. Fungus spread on the whole surface of the nut. Never saw any sprout coming out. I decided to try with ripe coconut with husk intact. Got one ripe coconut with sufficient water inside the nut by shaking and listening water sound. Used bucket large enough to hold coconut and some space surrounding it. Filled the bucket with warm rain water enough to immerse coconut for soaking for three days. Used big bucket with holes in the bottom for drainage. Placed rich potting soil with compost and coco coir mix for holding moisture to create humid conditions. Placed soaked coconut pointed

end down inside the soil such that 1/3 top portion was above the soil level. Three eyes of the coconut were above the soil. Added warm water inside the bucket covered the open top end with clear plastic simulating green house effect with humidity and warm air inside. Placed the bucket in warm location. Watered periodically to keep soil moist and keep watching the any changes through the plastic. Weeks gone by, months gone by nothing seen for almost six months. after seven months saw light green bud through the third eye (cavity at the end of the nut attached to the tree) of the coconut. (Continued On Page 18)

Islamophobia And Discrimination

By Ashwin Ghatalia One of the great attributes of democracy in general and of the USA in particular is the respect for individuals, groups and celebration of diversity. It is true, while first amendment gives individuals the right to voice their opinion, lack of respect, xenophobia, racial and ethnic or any other form of discrimination has no place in civil society. The recent spate of events, however, are not sanguinary. The rise in recent times of very vocal and intolerant groups brings about a grave danger to civil society. When a state representative, using the state resources and premises, pledging allegiance to a foreign nation, indulges in antiminority rhetoric the danger becomes graver. This is what happened at our State capitol. The outburst was against members of Muslim community.

In one clear sweep the whole Muslim community was indicted. An elderly Indian gentleman was mauled by a police officer. The gentleman, a recent visitor from India not versed in English, was wantonly and brutally attacked by a policeman merely based on the report by a neighbor that a thin black man was walking in the neighborhood peering into garages. Police assault occurred within 90 second of the encounter, partially paralyzing an innocent man. It was creditable that the police commissioner took a quick action fired the erring policeman and arrested him. FBI is investing but there are so many things wrong with this picture.

elderly gentleman series of right actions were taken by the authorities, the situation is completely different regarding African Americans in general and youth in particular. Hispanic community fares no better, look at police shooting and killing as is the case of Michael Brown or individuals killing with total disregard for human values, as is the case in Trayvon Martin. Not only did the law fail to provide justice, even media joined in the chorus of making it sound as if the victims were the guilty party. Such circumstances create societal and legal discrimination.

A dean of a university, an Indian American was jailed because she was traveling without her passport within the country actually with the state â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a clear case of racial profiling.

A disproportionately large population of minority being incarcerated merely attests to this malaise. Supreme court rolling back the gains made after the civil rights bill and dilution of voting rights will make the matters turn for worse.

While in the case of the Indian

If one such incident would have

been just an isolated or of rare occurrence, it could have been dismissed as merely a momentary aberration but multiplicity of ethnic and racial violence with no consequence to the perpetrator reflects a deep malady. No community is immune to having a few bad apples but how can we justify indicting the whole community for the crimes of few! Vast majority of people want the same thing that is, to have peaceful life, a good and secure future. Would that be any different for minorities? The enlightened must stand by the basic precepts of civility and understanding. Every citizen needs to be vigilant. We Asian Americans as an educated community must stand for social justice and fight discrimination and bias wherever and whenever it occurs. This is what we owe to the society at large. There is an excellent documen-

tary called â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Denialâ&#x20AC;? made by PBS program and presented under its Independent lens series. It is a program that promotes deep introspection regarding us as individuals and us as a society and the biases that lie deep within our subconscious and challenges us to fight our own ghosts, circumventing them will help us to help the downtrodden The success of our community has come through education. With the rising activism in Indian-American community come the organizations that promote opportunities for education by providing scholarships to aspiring young minority members across the spectrum. This fledging effort will grow. That will address at least one of the ways to help the downtrodden but the most important is to raise the conscience of the nation by speaking out by taking a stand by working on many faceted approaches.

Name

Austin South Asian | March 2015

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Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Austin Bollywood Cultural Association ABHN (Asian Behavioral Health Network) AFSSA /SAHELI AKS (Austin Kannada Sangha) AMM (Austin Marathi Mandal) Art of Living Arya Samaj Asha ATS Austin Bengali Association Austin Dance India / Anu Dance Austin Gurdwara Sahib Austin Hindu Temple Austin Indian Austin Intercultural Network Austin South Asian - Newspaper BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Austin Bollywood Shake BTC CAAAD Chinmaya Mission of Austin CTBA Cutting Chai Productions Dining for Women - Chapter 1 Dining for Women - Chapter 2 Ekal Vidyalaya GAACC GAMA GSA HC4A IACT IASCA ICC ICMCA IDEAYA IFA Indian Syrian Orthodox Church IndieMeme Jain Sangh of Greater Austin Monsoon Dance NAAO Naga Valli Natyalaya School of Dance NetIP Oliver Rajamani’s music group Om Shanti Place for Change Pratham Radha Madhav Dham RangaMancha (Play group) SAADA SAALT Circle SABA Sai Baba Group SAIVA School of Social Work - Former Dean Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Austin TCA TIE Austin Tiru Gallery TV Asia UT Center for Asian American Studies UT ICA UT ISA Vadtal Swaminarayan Temple Vibha

Contact Person Email Lesley Varghese Jignesh Patel Esther Chung Linda Phan Veena Rao Sukumar Smita Kulkarni, Prasad Bimal Choudhary/Anoop Swarn Mahendru Gaurav Agarwal Mahendran Nagarajan Ashan “Hero” Chaudry Anuradha Naimpally Harnek S. Bains UmaKant Gupta Nimish Pathak Shalini Komarla Vasooda Kumar Kamal Dhanani Ruchika Dias Sonia Kotecha Ramey Ko Seth Greenberg /Girish Niloy Deb Sushma Parmar Jaya Thakkar Seema Mehta Talsi Gadhia Marina Bhargava Jose Animon / PG R Satyajeet Dodia Harish Kotecha Shahin Alvi Jagdish Kothari Mary Matthew Prashant Manikal Kumari Samineni Mrs. Janaki Nagarajan Alka Bhanot Pankil Matalia Shruti Anand Sumit Dasgupta Naga Valli Vinita Subramanian Ganesh Dasika / Sumina Oliver Rajamani Prakash Mohandas Mark Henson Vandana Kumar Chirag Patel /Braj Rani Amit Apte Samip Mallick Shamim Shahi Arpana Parikh / Sujata Mahesh Mahadevan Shubhada Saxena Shanti Khinduka Craig & Jill Edwards G. Narsi Reddy Mayur Mehta Rama Tiru Seema Govil Sona Shah Aishavaraya Sonawane Kushal Patel Dushyant Desai Angela Sohan

lesleyvarghese@gmail.com soundimaging.medical@gmail.com abhn.austin@gmail.com lphan@saheli-austin.org sukumarveena@hotmail.com spanvalkar@hotmail.com bimalenduc@gmail.com” mahendrus@yahoo.com austin@ashanet.org vijaysan@gmail.com zareefc@yahoo.com anu@anudance.com hbains@austin.rr.com guptaji1949@yahoo.com nimish_pathak@yahoo.com shalini.komalra@gmail.com vasooda@gmail.com kamalswami@gmail.com info@bollywoodshakeaustin.com s_kotecha@yahoo.com ramey.ko@gmail.com girish.chaitanya@gmail.com niloyjdeb@hotmail.com sush@cuttingchaiproductions.com jayathakkar62@gmail.com mehta_seema@hotmail.com gadhiat@yahoo.com mbhargava@AustinAsianChamber.org animon.jose@gmail.com sdodia09@gmail.com kotecha@yahoo.com salvi@iactaustin.org jagdishkot@yahoo.com marylm@aol.com icmca.committee@gmail.com kumari.samineni@gmail.com raj38@hotmail.com stgregorios.online@gmail.com alka_bhanot@yahoo.com pankil@hotmail.com shrutinanand@gmail.com dasgupta1974@gmail.com booking@nagavalli.com suminabhatti@gmail.com booking@oliverrajamani.com prakash.mohandas@gmail.com mark@placeforchange.com info@prathamusa.org chirag@radhamadhavdham.org apteamit@gmail.com samip@saadigitalarchive.org shahishamim@hotmail.com sujata.ajmera@gmail.com info.austin@sairegion10.org saivamembership@gmail.com khinduka@wustl.edu info@saiaustin.org s_shamapant@yahoo.com mayur@ieee.org tirugallery@gmail.com govilseema@gmail.com sona.shah@austin.utexas.edu aishwaryasonawane@yahoo.com kushalp8493@gmail.com rdesai2001@hotmail.com coordinator@austin.vibha.org

(Continued From Page 16) This gave confidence and encouragement to see the coconut has sprouted. What an excitement !!! Continued to watch stem getting longer by the week and first green

leave without any leaflets. One thing I did not see any root coming out on the top. I was wondering where th roots are coming through the hard shell. It was time for The Garden Club of Austin Spring Horticulture plants and flower show. Decided to put this for the show on June 2014. Placed the sprouted coconut in a pot for the show though there was no entry type for this plant. Entered in special type of plant. Won the KING OF THE SHOW Award which surprised the friends. This became the talk of the show and public appreciated as they had never seen before this kind of plant at the show. Even after the 2-3 months gone

by but no signs of roots coming out. After all this waiting decided to transfer the sprout to bigger container. During this process carefully removed the soil around the plant to see any roots coming through the hard shell, Lo and behold at the bottom of plant 6 inches long white root with soil coated showed up. Carefully transplanted into another pot with more rich soil filled up to the stem. It was amazing to see how nature does its job cracking through the hard cell and using all the nutrients from coconut water and meat during first year until green leaves and roots can respond to outside nutrients (fertilizers). During summer kept the container outdoor on patio under the shade. Periodically used rain water as needed. The coconut palm grown having with 4 green leaves without leaflet about 4-4 ft heigh. During cold weather brought inside warm place near window to get enough sunshine to keep adequately growing inside. The Garden Club of Austin presented the THE KING SHOW award for Best Entry -Div II, Fruit/ Vegetable on December 2014. It was really good learning experience to be patient for lengthy process to complete.

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Austin South Asian | March 2015

March Predictions - 2015 ARIES (March 21 to April 20): It will be an expensive month though the money will be well spent. It will be beneficial time for brokers. You will continue to have few fears about job for some more time. You may be double minded about an opportunity that requires change of residence. You will buy some high end gadget for personal use. Useful lead coming from reliable source. TAURUS (April 21 to May 20): You will be going on a short but interesting trip. Presence of planet Saturn in fifth will boost your Morales and provide extra ordinary success in career. You will finish an important project well before deadline. Boss will be happy and make necessary approval for next level. You may redevelop taste for very spicy food and desert. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Extra money will bring some relief. Claim will be approved and you will be issued the check. Do things within legal parameters and handle all government related matters carefully. Changes at

work will leave you unhurt but still shake you up. You will be travelling to a nice area with family to attend a social event. CANCER (June 21 to July 22): Changes you were working on will finally materialize. It may not be rewarding right away but in long term. Believe in your expertise and march forward with your plans. Family may be leaving for the overseas trip soon. You will get all the help from superiors and those in high places. You may be thinking of taking off from work for few days. LEO (July 23 to August 22): Some of you will be getting ready for an upcoming trip and spend most of the evenings in mall. You will have better controls of the things at work. Business will also improve but not to satisfactory level. You will be meeting an influential person. Transiting strong Venus can cause intimate relationship with a beautiful person. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22): Stress at work will reduce but will not go away completely. After paying off all the bills you will have enough money left in

your pockets. People creating trouble in the past will start paying attention elsewhere. All meetings and trips will bring instant results and rewards. You will call or get in touch with a trusted person for advice. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22): Planets help you overcome many difficulties and changes in career just around the corner. Financially you will continue to meet your commitments though worries will not leave you alone either. Isolating from world will not help rather you should call friends and arrange get together. You will work hard to resolve an issue involving a child. SCORPIO November

(October 23 to 22): Things will once again start moving in right direction. You may be slowly working towards starting a new venture in partnership. You will start preparation for an upcoming trip also. Spouse will be under lots of pressure for some reasons. People who promised big will not keep up their words as a result you will discard them from your

list. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 to December 22): You will need to put in extra hours but sales will be kind of flat. People who you helped in the past will start to maintain distance and will not be there in case of need. People in job will have some changes pretty soon. Do not take any chance with weather. Do not be double minded and do not put off things for another day. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19): If you try little harder and sincerely, you will achieve lot. Planets are sill favorable for money through speculation or lottery. You will gain friendship of a very useful person. Throw all the fears out of your mind and enjoy what you have. You may organize to have some special prayers done at your place and invite many friends friends. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18): You have the right tools, but if you hesitate, you will lose a huge opportunity. You will be going on an important trip.

Meetings will go well and you will receive the clearance. People will try to cause distraction but will fail. You will become more popular in social circle and will be invited to couple of important parties. PISCES (February 19 to March 20): Focus on today rather than worrying about future. Expenses will come down a lot. You will feel tired of slow or no progress in the past and will take some drastic steps. Gamble will pay off. You will come across few very compatible people and may decide to use their expertise. You will be excited about an upcoming big reunion.

Pandit Parashar parashar@parashar.com www.parashar.com 925-833-7170

HYPERTENSION (Continued From Page 04) • Prehypertension: 120139 over 80-89 • Stage 1 high blood pressure: 140-159 over 90-99 • Stage 2 high blood pressure: 160 and above over 100 and above • High blood pressure in people over age 60: 150 and above over 90 and above Management:

Non Pharmacological management: (Therapeutic life style changes) • Weight reductions(can decrease 5-20 mm Hg of BP reading) • DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet (can decrease 5-20 mm Hg of BP reading) • Low sodium diet (can decrease 5-7 mm Hg of BP reading) • Avoidance/reduction of

alcohol intake ( can decrease 2-4 mm Hg of BP reading) • Stress management/relaxations • Exercise/Aerobic physical activity; at least 30 minutes every day (can decrease 4-9 mm Hg of BP reading) • Cessation of smoking

enzymes) Inhibitor, Beta blockers, Calcium Channel blockers, Adrenergic Inhibitors, or combination Patient Education Regarding Med:

Pharmacologic management:

Do not discontinue your medicines unless directed by health care provider.

Thiazide type diuretics, ARB (angiotensin II receptor blockers), ACE (angiotensin converting

Some medications may cause orthostatic hypotension, drowsiness, syncope, dizziness.

Use caution when operating machinery or driving. Avoid cough/cold or allergy medications that contain sympathomimetic with antihypertensive. Avoid use with alcohol or central nervous system depressants.

Austin South Asian | March 2015

March 2015 Community Calendar

We have compiled this event listing based on the information available on the web site (where ever possible) of the community/organization as of third Friday. Please check with the organizers to confirm its accuracy. We request all South Asian organizations to email us (info@austinsouthasian.com) their community calendar on or before 20th of every month, for the events happening next month. We will carry listing of all South Asian non-profit organizations in Austin. If the Name, Contact info is not correct or has changed email us (info@austinsouthasian.com) the changes you want to see. E&OE.

SCHEDULE: March 01, Sunday, 01:00 PM, Austin Marathi Mandal presents Movie ‘Lokmanya’ at Southwest Theatres, 13729 Research Blvd,Suite 1500, Austin, TX 78750. The ticket is available for $10 for adults and kids. For more information, contact Austin Marathi Mandal at 512-695-2658. March 07, Saturday, 02:00 PM, Holi celebration is at Radha Madhav Dham Hindu Temple, 400

Barsana Rd, Austin, TX 78737. For more information, contact 512-288-7180. March 22, Sunday, 04:00 PM, Ekal Vidyalaya presents Bollywood Milestones 2015 at Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX 78754. The ticket price is $35 (includes drinks, refreshments and dinner). For more information, contact Ekal Vidyalaya at 512-238-8440. March 31, Tuesday, 10:00 PM,

Austin Marathi Mandal organizes Fund Raising Campaign - Pune School and Home for Blind Girls Donation at Austin Marathi Mandal, PO Box 200182, Austin, TX 78720. For more information, contact Austin Marathi Mandal at 512-695-2658. Ticket Information: Donation amount of $25 - $ 25.00 Donation amount of $50 - $ 50.00 Donation amount of $75 - $ 75.00 Donation amount of $100 - $ 100.00

According to Research studies Children spend more than 6 hours on some form of Media activity everyday. Help your child kick Media Addition. Order Media Rehab Tool Kit TODAY. Email: info@mediarehab.com

Indian Americans Elected To National Academy Of Engineering Washington, D.C. – The National Academy of Engineering has named 10 Indian Americans among the 67 new elected members announced Feb. 5 by NAE president C.D. Mote, Jr., who noted that election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” The Indian Americans, and their specific contributions, include: * Hari Balakrishnan, professor of computer science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, for contributions to wired and wireless networks and distributed systems.

* Sangeeta Bhatia, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and director, Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative

Technologies, Cambridge, Mass., for tissue engineering and tissue regeneration technologies, stem cell differentiation, and preclinical drug evaluation. * Anantha Chandrakasan, Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering and head, department of electrical engineering and computer science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, for development of low-power circuit and system design methods. * Santosh K. Das, retired vice president, Polymer Technologies Inc., Randolph, N.J., for understanding of the composition, structure, property, and processing interrelationships of rapidly solidified amorphous and microcrystalline

alloys. * Deepakraj M. Divan, president, chief technical officer, and cofounder, Varentec Inc., San Jose, Calif., for design and commercialization of advanced power conversion technologies for improved quality and controllability of the power grid. * Supratik Guha, director of physical sciences, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM Corp., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., for contributions to field effect transistor technology that allow continued scaling of silicon microelectronics. * Samir Mitragotri, director, Center for Bioengineering, and professor of chemical engineering, University of California, Sana Barbara, for development, clinical translation, and commercialization of transdermal drug delivery systems. * Guruswami Ravichandran, John E. Goode Jr. Professor of Aerospace, professor of mechanical engineering, and director, Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Tech-

nology, Pasadena, for contributions to mechanics of dynamic deformation, damage, and failure of engineering materials. * Junuthula N. Reddy, distinguished professor, Regents’ Professor, and inaugural holder of the Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, for contributions to composite structures and to engineering education and practice. * Ajit P. Yoganathan, Regents’ Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering, and director, Center for Innovative Cardiovascular Technologies, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, for improvements in the biomechanics of prosthetic heart valves and the development of heart repair devices. A Pakistani American, Tahir Ghani, Intel Senior Fellow, technology and manufacturing group, and director, transistor technology and integration, Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Ore., was elected to the NAE for development of transistor technologies for logic products.

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Beating Of Indian Grandfather ‘Horrible’: Ami Bera Purnendu Dasgupta Receives Award

Earlier this week, 57-year-old Indian Sureshbhai Patel went for a walk while visiting his family in Alabama, and ended up having an encounter with police that left him partially paralyzed. After the officer involved in the

and “tragic.”

“This week’s incident in Alabama, that left an Indian grandfather visiting his American family partially paralyzed, is horrible and tragic,” said Bera.

Moving forward, we must come together as a nation to tackle the very real issues our minority communities face, and to rebuild trust and understanding among law enforcement agencies and the diverse communities that they serve,” added Bera. As Patel remains hospitalized and partially paralyzed, the incident has caused an outrage in the Indian community.

For Excellence In Education

Arlington, Texas — Purnendu “Sandy” Dasgupta, the Jenkins Garrett Professor of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington, recently received the 2015 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education.

As this year’s award recipient, Dasgupta will receive a plaque and cash prize.

An attorney for Patel’s son Chirag Patel reportedly filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier Thursday, arguing that the police used excessive force and had no reason to stop or search him on a public sidewalk.

incident was arrested for assault and the FBI said they are investigating, Indian American Congressman Ami Bera (D, Sacramento County) has made a statement Feb. 13, in which he has called the incident “horrible”

“My heart goes out to Mr. Patel and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery. I’m glad officials have acted quickly to respond and that the FBI has opened an investigation.

Patel, who’d arrived in Alabama a week earlier from India, was staying with his son and daughter-inlaw, and had come to help care for their 17-month-old toddler while his son worked and attended graduate school at the University of Alabama. Courtesy: IndiaWest

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tally-friendly analysis of arsenic in drinking water; rapid analysis of trace heavy metals in the atmosphere; iodine nutrition in women and infants and the role of the chemical perchlorate; and the development of a NASA-funded ion chromatograph for testing extraterrestrial soil, such as on a trip to Mars.

The national award recognizes a scientist who has enhanced the professional development of analytical chemistry students, developed and published innovative experiments, designed and improved equipment or teaching labs, and published influential textbooks or significant articles on teaching analytical chemistry. “I am a third generation university teacher. So, much of this honor I can credit to my father and grandfather -- I am merely carrying on that tradition,” Dasgupta said in a press release. “I am especially honored by this award. I have been recognized for some research accomplishments or other in the past but this one recognizes for the first time my commitment to and love for teaching and that is why it is so gratifying,” the Indian American professor added. Dasgupta’s research area includes: methods for environmen-

He will also attend the ACS national conference in August in Boston, where he will address and participate in an awards symposium on education in analytical chemistry. Dasgupta joined the UT Arlington College of Science in 2007 after a distinguished 25-year career at Texas Tech University. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Burdwan, West Bengal, and a doctoral degree from Louisiana State University. Dasgupta was named the Jenkins Garrett Professor of Chemistry in 2007. He was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2014. The national award recognizes a scientist who has enhanced the professional development of analytical chemistry students, developed and published innovative experiments, designed and improved equipment or teaching labs, and published influential textbooks or significant articles on teaching analytical chemistry.

THEME: SWEET TOOTH ACROSS 1. Face fringe 6. Like a wallflower 9. Something that happened too fast? 13. One hipbone 14. Romanian money 15. Sheep’s clothing, e.g. 16. Bassos, alternative spelling 17. Middle-earth creature 18. Balance sheet item 19. *Peanut _______ 21. *Popular pastry center 23. Exclamation of surprise 24. Duds 25. Tapped at parties 28. Two-masted vessel 30. Orient’s bigwig 34. Misfortunes 36. Not that 38. Australian cockatoo 40. Done after shuffling 41. Popular garden perennial 43. Triathlon ride 44. Part of surgeon’s prep 46. Rudolph, e.g. 47. Affirm 48. Austrian province 50. Ogler 52. Former name of Tokyo 53. Give notice 55. Clinton ___ Rodham 57. *Dessert in honor of a dancer 61. Text treatment 65. French farewell 66. Labour group 68. Kind of salami 69. House coat 70. Little squirt 71. In the company of 72. Bone-dry 73. ___ Khan 74. “Dressed to the _____”

Austin South Asian | March 2015

DOWN 1. Kind of lettuce 2. Having wings 3. Not final or absolute 4. Vigorous enjoyment 5. Blacksmith shop 6. *____ gin 7. Part of H.M.S. 8. New Mexico’s state flower 9. Portrait sculpture 10. Mona ____ 11. One who uses something 12. Short for “retired” 15. Pompous windbag 20. Strongly opposed 22. Funerary vase 24. Shiny from moisture 25. *Sour Patch ____ 26. Choose by vote 27. Dazzling 29. “____ Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” 31. *Rum ____ 32. Martini garnish 33. *Alaska’s state 35. Hurtful remark 37. Dog command 39. Parade honoree 42. _____ provocateur 45. Back down 49. Head or john 51. 40th President 54. *Indian yogurt staple that can be sweet or salty 56. Fragrant resin 57. Hemmingway nickname 58. Jewish month 59. Henry ____ 60. “____ your hand” 61. Tiny bit 62. Involved in a secret 63. *Sugar, waffle or cake ____ 64. Droops 67. *Yule ___

SOLUTION

Sudoku

Please email your sudoku answers to info@austinsouthasian.com. Name and photo of the inviduvidual with first correct answer will be published in Feberuary 2015 issue.

To Advertise in ASA call 512828-6709

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Three Indians Win 2015 International Student Art Contest The Space Foundation will be awarding three Indian and two Bangladeshi youths who were

to submit original artwork for this year’s theme, “The View From My Spaceship,” in various age

Ferdous, both of Bangladesh, took first and third place, respectively, in the 3-4 years category. In the 7-8 years category, 8-year-old Ipsita Roy of India took third place, while 12-year-old Bhavyangana Kanthed of India tied for second place in the 11-12 years category. The winners will receive a certificate, ribbon, personalized astronaut autograph and an art kit. The winning entries will be displayed at the 31st Space Symposium to be held on April 13-16 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

among the 28 winners for the 2015 International Student Art Contest. Students from around the world, ages 3 through 18, were invited

categories. Six-year-old Suryansh Khetan of India took first place the 5-6 years category, while 4-year-old Farhat Hassan and 3-year-old Zannatul

The art will also be displayed at the Space Foundation World Headquarters and Discovery Center, located in Colorado Springs. Courtesy: IndiaWest

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February 2015 Sudoku Answer: Correct Answer: Yudhveer Bagga

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Austin South Asian | March 2015

‘Katiyabaaz’- Powerless For 14Hrs/Day!

Indie Meme’s next film is about the energy crises faced by the city of Kanpur in India, which is a universal energy issue for the whole world! Be there March 4th to watch an entertaining documentary with an enlightening Q&A with the filmmaker post screening. Indie Meme had it’s 10 film 2-day fiesta last month. ‘The

ence post screening… While Srinjay Thakur was a bit nervous as it was his first short film playing internationally – the audience loved him, his genuineness and of course his film LIFE. The beautiful Anjali Patil who won a best actress award for WITH YOU WITHOUT YOU joined the audience from Mumbai. Being fluent in Marathi, Hin-

and filmmaker Anirban Roy happily explained how the story was totally a product of growing up in Calcutta in a Bengali family! Onir Skyped with Austin 5:30am IST to talk about I AM and all the anecdotes of the big wigs he was able to pull in for the film… He remains an Indie Meme hero for making such a tough film!

the story of an acid attack survivor featured in the film and how it led to much discussion about the completely inhumane act of violence against a woman. The Film Showcase ended with a skpe conversation with, the SHIP OF THESEUS’s filmmaker Anand Gandhi who is erudite, smart, charming and fascinating! He shared with the Audience the story of the Egyptian actress Aida Al-Khashef who plays the blind actress and so much more. Anand spoke about his next film – promising to be explosive, timely and very controversial - about the phenomenon that is the AAM ADMI PARTY!! Remember you heard about it first from Indie Meme – ‘A proposition for a revolution’.

Film Showcase 2015” gained many new members in addition to showing some spectacular films.

di & English, Anjali gave a flawless performance in ‘Sinhalese’ the language spoken in Sri Lanka.

Day two saw Skype with producer, Ruchi Bhimani of an experimental short film NEWBORNS.

The highlight was surely the Skype Q&A sessions with the audi-

ASHAPORDHA got the maximum laughs from the audience

She explained to the audience how the film was navigated by

SURESHBHAI PATEL....

(Continued from page 1) The answer to these questions lies in the innate nature of prejudice and oppression. By better understanding the implications of prejudice and oppression, we become more aware of it and more able to address it within our own lives. On Thursday, February 12, 2015 a grandfather from India was thrashed to the ground as result of taking a stroll through his neighborhood. Fifty-seven year old Sureshbhai Patel was walking in his neighborhood when a neighbor called the police station describing what he saw to be a “skinny black guy” whom he hasn’t seen before. When the police arrived at the scene, Sureshbhai spoke very little English but tried to communicate as best he could. When the officer asked “Where are you headed?” Sureshbhai explained as best he could. To this the officer replied “I can’t understand you” and then proceeded to ask about the address at which Sureshbahi Patel resides. Sureshbhai began to point in the direction of his home to better answer the officer’s question. Just moments after this interaction, the officer held Sureshbhai’s hands and then threw him to the floor. When the police then demanded him to get up, the grandfather had suffered injury and therefore could not move. Below is a link to the full video of the encounter provided by AL.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Vgqe0SBLM. This incident goes beyond the issue of miscommunication and appearance. We have clearly seen that people of all backgrounds are attacked. From Trayvon Martin, an innocent son to Sureshbhai Patel, an innocent grandfather. Prejudice goes beyond age. It goes beyond race. It could happen to anyone.

TV Asia did a feature on the event and as always supported Indie Meme in it’s mission to build a community that appreciates meaningful cinema from South Asia! To give these wonderful likeminded viewers an opportunity to mingle there was a mixer at Marigold Gateway to India where

there was much discussion about what film resonated with whom and why! And this brings us back to the next Indie Meme presentation!! KATIYABAAZ A multi-award winning documentary about how the city of Kanpur in India has been dealing with no electricity for 12 -14hr every day for many years now... MARCH 4th @ 7:30pm in association with Austin Film Society WITH the FILMMAKER, Fahad Mustafa, in attendance. Tickets are discounted for Indie Meme Members and you can become a member at the venue for $20 to get 20% off all tickets to Indie Meme events for the year. For Katiyabaaz (Powerless) tickets are $8/- for Indie Meme members and $10/- regular price Go to @ http://powerless.brownpapertickets.com/ The film has English Subtitles and played on the prestigious PBS earlier this year. More details about Indie Meme at www.indiememe.com

So what should we do about it? In addition to holding the officer Eric Parker accountable for his actions, we as a society can be more cognizant of our own reasoning in our daily activities. Prejudice is often not as transparent. It’s often subtle, formed by one’s subconscious. In this unfortunate occurrence, prejudice was not only depicted by the officer but also by the neighbor that called the police. In fact, to find danger based off of one’s race and unfamiliarity is akin to assuming all people unlike you are suspicious. While we may not have seen prejudice so clearly depicted in our routine lives, many of us have witnessed it to some extent. For example, recently I attended a retreat for UC Berkeley’s student leaders in service where we spent the day discussing prejudice and oppression. In a community like Berkeley, one would expect to almost never see or hear about accounts of oppression and prejudice. Contrary to this perception, I learned that it occurs everywhere in the world around us. Often times it’s just either subtle or not discussed. However, by identifying prejudice and questioning it, we come one step closer to addressing it. If there is anything that can be learned from this unfortunate incidence, it is to better understand the basis of our own judgments and the intentions of those around us. This realization, in and of itself will help reduce the presence of prejudice. In the wise words of Eckhart Tolle “Prejudice of any kind implies that you are identified with the thinking mind. It means you don’t see the other human being anymore, but only your own concept of that human being. To reduce the aliveness of another human being to a concept is already a form of violence.”

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Lupita Nyong’o To Star In ‘Desh’ Deshpande Foundation Mira Nair’s ‘Queen Of Katwe’ Plans 100 Sandboxes In India for director Mira Nair’s next film.

si’s rise from dire poverty to the World Chess Olympiad.

A pretty-looking Lupita dropped this juicy piece of news as she walked the red carpet at the 2015 Academy Awards Feb. 22.

According to reports Lupita will playing the mother of the chess prodigy.Interestingly, this is not the first time that Lupita will be working with Nair.

She said that she will be working in Nair’s new project titled “Queen of Katwe,” produced by Disney.

“12 Years A Slave” actress Lupita Nyong’o has been signed on

“Queen of Katwe” is about an African chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi, who inspired a book, also entitled “Queen of Katwe,” which chronicles Mute-

coming untitled film directed by A.R.Murugadoss. Anal Arasu is the man behind the execution of deathdefying stunts in some of the highly popular Te l u g u , T a m i l and Hindi films.

claimed action director Anal Arasu once again for her up-

This is the fourth film in w h i c h Sonakshi Sinha will be working with Anal.

Hospitals and Srinivasa Raju of Peepul Capital are among those who have offered their support. Deshpande said about 30 ventures have come out of the Hubli-based Sandbox initiative.

The actress was, in fact, a production assistant on Nair’s 2006 film “The Namesake.” David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King, Jr. in “Selma,” is in talks with Disney to also star in the film. Nair is an Indian filmmaker, best known for her independent films. She has previously made highly acclaimed movies like “Monsoon Wedding,” “Amelia” and “The Namesake.” Courtesy: IndiaWest

Sonakshi Sinha To Work With Action Director Anal Arasu Again Actress Sonakshi Sinha has teamed up with critically ac-

Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, the Massachusetts-based founder of Sycamore Networks and co-founder of Cascade Communications,

She has earlier worked with him in films like Dabangg2, Holiday and Rowdy Rathore. The film is completely womancentric and Sonakshi will be seen doing lots of martial arts styled action sequences. A source close to the actress said, “Sonakshi is very excited about the film as this is her first full fledged action film. She has worked with Anal sir before wherein he has choreographed some excellent action for Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan, but this time he will be doing it for Sonakshi.” The film is scheduled to go on floors in March this year.

hopes to extend “Sandbox,” his social entrepreneurship model, to at least 100 locations in India, Times of India reported recently. An initiative of the Deshpande Foundation — the family foundation he launched with his wife, Jaishree — Sandbox Startups Incubation is an ecosystem where entrepreneurs transform ideas into successful enterprises. It taps into the expertise of entrepreneurs, mentors, government leaders, policymakers, investors and financial institutions.A Sandbox in Telangana was recently colaunched by Deshpande, Redbus co-founder Phanindra Sama and Raju Reddy, former CEO and founder of U.S.-based Sierra Atlantic. Another initiative was launched in Varanasi in January in association with the Ek Soch Foundation, a social initiative of Dilip Modi’s Spice Mobility, the Times said. A third Sandbox is planned in Gujarat. “We need help from other people. If we get about 100 Sandboxes in the country, we can spread our network to about 600 districts,” Deshpande told Times of India. Rajender Singh of DLF Foundation, Sangita Reddy of Apollo

They receive seed funding and mentoring. Enterprises funded so far include a brake system for bullock carts that don’t harm animals when brakes are applied, and a machine to sort cashews by quality standards. At the launch of the Varanasi project in January, about 25 projects were showcased. They will be evaluated for possible support and funding. With programs like “Make in India, the country has “taken up entrepreneurship-friendly initiatives,” Deshpande said. “It is a hub of talent.” In December, Forbes India named Deshpande the winner of its “Distinguished Non-Resident Philanthropist” award for his efforts to help Indian non-governmental organizations scale up.“As an entrepreneur, you need to identify a problem and scale up,” the 64-year-old entrepreneur told Forbes India. “The same holds true for the philanthropy space where people need help scaling up. That is where we step in. An idea does not have an impact unless it is directed at some burning problem in the world.” Courtesy:IndiaWest

Austin South Asian | March 2015

Akshay Kumar Continues His Mission To Empower Women By Attending Brahmakumari Minithon

Akshay Kumar recently attended the Brahmakumari Minithon in Mumbai to show his support for health and gender equality. Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar continues to show his support for women across India when on Sunday he attended the Brahmakumari Minithon, where thousands of women ran for health and gender equality.

eryone’s job to ensure that every single girl in India is confident and safe. Akshay Kumar is no stranger to making his voice heard when it comes to women’s rights and security. His latest tweet shows his continuous support for and empowerment of women. Akshay had further raised his concerns about women’s safety after the recent Delhi rape incident.

Last year, Akshay launched his Martial Arts Institute for Women, a pioneering initiative to enable women to learn Martial Arts skills to help them better defend themselves. Now, in a further step, he recently started Martial Arts training and defence classes for visually impaired girls. Speaking

Priyanka Chopra Speaks At EF’s Day With World Leaders, Meets Bill Clinton

Priyanka Chopra was one of the speakers at EF Hello World’s Day with World Leaders Conference held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Priyanka,

actress,

singer

Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker among several others. Before she came on stage to begin her speech, Brown, who was the speaker before Priyanka, said, “I’m the opening speaker for Priyanka Chopra.”

and the challenges of education for women. “I want girls to understand that education is not a privilege. It is their right,” said Priyanka during her speech. During her speech she also mentioned that she was in school in Boston when Clinton was President of the United States. And she did get a chance to have a chat with Clinton later. We hear that Priyanka got a standing ovation for her speech. “What an amazing day.So honoured to speak at @EFHelloWorld & being part of an amazing list of speakers @billclinton@stevewoz@OfficeGSBrown,” tweeted Chopra.

and philanthropist, was in great company with the attendees and speakers including other big names like former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, cofounder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, ex-US President Bill Clinton,

Chopra spoke about women empowerment through education - a subject that has been close to her heart for many years now. She also explored inequality

“Gratified,talking about my favourite subject #GirlPower !2 all the ladies out there..happy Valentine’s Day.Always remember u are invaluable,” she added. Education First (EF), a world leader in international education, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

about this initiative, Akshay said that he felt extremely happy to put a smile on the faces of these children. He added that it is ev-

The Indian cinema star, who is currently filming for his upcoming movie Gabbar, has a black belt in Taekwondo. He travelled to Bangkok to enhance his Martial Arts skills and after learning the combat sport Muay Thai in Thailand, he returned to Mumbai to practice his Martial Arts skills, a feat he continues to showcase in his many action films.

Kaaki Sattai is appealing A decently paced, well scripted film with plenty of humour and great music makes Sivakarthikeyan’s Kaaki Sattai worth a watch, writes S Saraswathi. The Ethir Neechal team has come together for yet another breezy entertainer, titled Kaaki Sattai. Produced by Dhanush’s Wunderbar Productions, the film is directed by R S Durai Senthilkumar with Sivakarthikeyan in the lead. As the title suggests, Kaaki Sattai is about the power of the khaki uniform. It’s an enjoyable tale of a zealous police constable determined to take on the might of the corrupt system. Mathimaran (Sivakarthikeyan) is a lowly police constable at a station headed by Inspector Sathyamurthi (Prabhu). Mathi is disgusted with the compromises his seniors, including Sathyamurthi, make due to pressure from the commissioner and the ministers. Divya (Sri Divya) is a nurse who

comes into his life. We are treated to some beautiful well-picturised songs and some amazing dance moves by Sivakarthikeyan. There is the usual comedy as Mathi woos his love, with advice from another friend, constable Samarasam (Imman Annachi).

Matters turn grave when Mathi’s friend, a young tea seller dies and Mathi accidentally stumbles upon an illegal organ trafficking ring, masterminded by Durai (Vijay Raaz), a ruthless criminal with powerful connections. Mathi realises that the hospital Divya works in is the centre of the illegal activity. But can he prove it?

Austin South Asian | March 2015

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Austin South Asian | March 2015