Austin South Asian - February 2015 by Austin South Asian

Monthly Community Paper | www.austinsouthasian.com | 512-828-6709 | Vol. 8 No. 02

Obama In India

Republic Day Banquet Ashwin Ghatalia – IACT Advisory Board Member

the people ask why was IACT formed and what does it do.

inside

February 2015

Make Diet Changes.....04 Baba’s Birthday...........05 Pakistani Artists..........06 Creative Ideas............07 Austin ISD Trustees.....08 South Asians Today.....10 Indian Origin Scientist.11 Make A Difference.......12 Jhumpa Lahiri.............13 Legal Special..............15 NEW DELHI: In a landmark visit, US President Barack Obama and PM Narendra Modi managed to agree on many

important deals and committed that the two nations will be partners in economic progress (Contined On Page 19)

By Sumaiya Malik

and ethnic performers. UT Austin has collaborated with SXSW to bring these artists and will also

Pakistani Artists Showcase At SXSW

A group of twenty-five Pakistani musicians w i l l showc a s e at the annual SXSW n e x t month starting March 13 for a week l o n g festival. The artists include pop, classical

As IACT celebrates the republic day of India for the 4th time on January 24th 2015, some of

Elect your ICC Team ON SAT FEB 21, 2015 India Community Center (ICC) of Austin is conducting its Annual meeting on Saturday 21 February 2015 from 2:30 to 4:45 pm at Little Walnut Library, 825 W. Rundberg Lane, Austin, 78758 (near HEB across from Taj Grocers). Only ICC members may vote; if you would like to become a member, you may do so at the meeting.

hold a free concert on Friday, March 13 at UT Students Activity Center. (Continued On Page 06)

Please read on “Why do you want to segregate” told my friend (Continued On Page 08)

For questions, please email iccaustin@gmail.com, Mary Mathew at MaryLM@aol.com or Harish Kotecha at Kotecha@yahoo.com or 512-994-4638.

March 2015

HEALTH Special 512-828-6709

Plants Protection.........16 Affordable Care Act.....17 Medicare Coverage......17 Obama In India..........19 Predictions.................19 Trim Expenses...........20 Community Calendar...20 Harvard.....................21 Childrens Page............22 Padma Bhushan..........23 Indie Meme Film Showcase 2015...................24 Entertainment........25,26

Austin South Asian | February 2015

1 Brand. # 1 Car.

And now,

1 Dealership in Austin*

(& that includes ALL Brands!) *per GST New and Used Sales Report 2013

For the Most Amazing Deals on Toyota, Come Check Us Out! Sony Bala sony_bala@charlesmaundtoyota.com

Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only locally-owned Toyota dealership!

www.charlesmaundtoyota.com 646-430-3930 8400 Research Blvd. Austin TX

Austin South Asian | February 2015

MAKE DIET CHANGES

(StatePoint) The biggest hurdles to sticking to a new diet are convenience and flavor. Who wants to eat food that doesn’t taste good or is hard to make? You and your family are more likely to stick to your commitments if the changes you make suit your schedule and your palate.

lime or orange, chunks of watermelon or several sprigs of fresh mint or basil. Refrigerate until you’re ready to drink. Or get hydrated with green tea, which is loaded with antioxidants.

Here are three easy changes you can make to your diet today:

Whether you’re on the go or at home, snack time can be a dieter’s downfall. Rather than buying full-sized bags of high-fat snacks like chips, which are easy to binge on, opt for single-serving snacks that are wholesome and full of flavor. For example, olives in ready-to-go cups are a fuss-free way to punch up the flavor profile of a meal or snack.

Hydrate Yourself Water reigns supreme as the health drink of choice among nutritionists and dieticians. Most diet plans include the following crucial advice: Stay hydrated, but avoid sugary beverages. In addition to all of the critical functions water performs in your body, staying hydrated will help you feel fuller so you eat less over the course of the day. But water doesn’t have to be tasteless to bestow benefits. There are many virtually calorie-free ways to dress up water and add a hint of nutritional value: Add slices of strawberry or cucumber, wedges of lemon,

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.

512-828-6709 info@austinsouthasian.com www.austinsouthasian.com

Snack on Bold Flavors

Pearls Olives to Go! single-serving Black Pitted Olives in a cup can be just as satisfying as a serving of chips, but they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, GMO-free and vegan. They’re easy to open and stay fresh until you’re ready to eat them, which makes them perfect to stow in a gym bag or desk drawer.

Letter To The Editor IDEAYA Inc. is a Scholarship Foundation established to help Austin City Youth to attain Employable Skills beyond High School. Our mission is to help academically, financially and socially challenged youth in Austin to attain employable skills beyond High School or GED. IDEAYA Inc. is committed to its mission of helping socially, financially, academically disadvantaged youth with High School Diploma/ GED attain Vocational/ Technical employable skills at ACC or any local Texas State Institutions. IDEAYA Inc. was established (Nov. 2010) to help hard-working and under-privileged Austin Youth with GED or High School Diploma. The requirements are: . U.S. Citizen . Have a GPA between 2.0- 3.0, . Have good Attendance Record with no misbehavior problems. . Are at or below the poverty line.(Must meet Texas State Poverty Guidelines) Only the above requirements will be considered for IDEAYA Inc.’s Scholarship.

With the help of generous donors, IDEAYA Inc. has awarded: Two scholarships in 2011 and two more scholarships in 2013. Even if President Obama’s proposal for Free Tuition for Community College Education is voted and enacted in near or far future, we think these genre of students may not be able to meet Text Book and other Accessory expenses without extra aid from funds like IDEAYA Inc. Tuition or Text Book Costs will be paid directly to ACC/ACC Book Store on behalf of the students by IDEAYA Inc. for four semesters. We are aspiring to give three to four scholarships in 2015. Thank you, For more details email: samineni.ideaya@ gmail.com Sincerely, Kumari R. Samineni

Three Ways To Incorporate Spirituality Into Your Everyday Life (StatePoint) These days, life’s focus is often on consumerism -- from the latest gadgets to keeping up with the Joneses. Whatever your religious beliefs, you may be looking for ways to find more meaning in your life.

Ignore your latest text message. Whether it’s over a delicious meal or on a long walk, giving your loved ones your undivided attention can bring you closer together. • Volunteer. You may have a packed schedule, but if you do a little searching in your calendar, you may be able to find some time to set aside for a volunteer project that helps you connect with others in your community. • Be introspective. There is plenty of great literature available that can help you explore your own spirituality.

Here are three ways to possibly find that enlightenment: • Family time. Spend some quality time with family or close friends. Turn off the TV.

One new title, “Coming Home, A Spiritual and Religious Dialogue,” by Star Chang, who has studied religious scriptures, history and spiritual books for years, delves into the teachings of the likes of Buddha, Jesus, Plato and Muhammad. The book seeks to help readers navigate their own path by discovering which teachings apply to them and how to incorporate them into a modern lifestyle. This reading

can be especially beneficial to those looking for more meaning around the holiday season. More information about the book can be found at www.BookComingHome.com. From spending time with others to spending some time with yourself, you can give your daily routine more meaning. (StatePoint)

To Advertise In ASA

512-828-6709 info@ austinsouthasian.com

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Bhagawan Baba’s Eighty-Ninth Birth Day

By Mahesh Magadevan A combine of service and spiritual activities during the week ending of 11/23 this year starred the eighty-ninth birth day festivities of our beloved Bhagawan Baba. Through the collective efforts and enthusiasm of the center members, this year’s birth day celebrations were satisfying on all fronts, physically and emotionally.

Home, Austin. Appropriate gifts like fleece blankets and socks were also offered to them as a part of this service engagement. Crowning glory of this year’s 11/23 celebrations was the cultural events in the evening at the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church. Events commenced with conventional

Events kicked off with a service project at the Austin State Hospital on Friday, 11/21 at 1745 hrs in which center members provided care and support to about 35 mentally challenged in-patients at this hospital by way of providing musical entertainment and sharing of gifts. Following day on Saturday, 11/22, over 400 needy ones was treated to sumptuous breakfast and lunch at the CARITAS facility in down town Austin. At the same time, between 1030hrs to 1200hrs, around twenty of our volunteers inclusive of six SSE children engaged themselves to provide care, entertainment and games to around thirty elderly patients at Walnut Nursing

triple Omkars to be followed by a well conceived and presented video dharshan of our beloved Swami. A skit titled “Sri Ramakrishna-The Universal teacher” was enacted by the young adults/adults of the

center that was well applauded by an appreciative audience of regular devotees and other guests of 225 in magnitude. LT.COL. (Dr) Chetan Kharod, an ardent Sai devotee from San Antonio was the guest speaker of the day. Dr. Kharod developed the theme of “ Oneness with Sai “ with key sentence that reading sai literature and quotations will not get one closer to HIM just as entering a restaurant and reading the menu will not satisfy either the palate or hunger. One needs to emotionally feel and experience HIS omnipresence through one’s own effort that has to be a regular practice of recover, re-vector, re-group and commence the next response (effort). He interspersed his convincing presentation with his own personal experiences whilst serving in the emergency services in US Air force and how he

felt the grace of Swami at times of extreme emergency bordering to near death situation. His inspiring speech was listened to with rapt attention by one and all including the younger ones. Young Adults then presented a scintillating musical offering with a wide range of selections from all religious faiths and cultural variations reminding us Swami’s message “ALL PATHS LEAD TO SAME GOAL”. Concluding item of bhajans lived up to its reputation of bringing all in the audience tuned to same frequency leading to maximum spiritual energy transfer and food for the hungry souls. Program concluded as scheduled a 2100hrs to be followed by the dinner. In the words of a septuagenarian guest who is a visitor to Austin- “I have attended many birth day celebrations of our beloved Bhagwan in many parts of world but this one at Austin stands out in my memory, for its program quality as well large scale participation by almost all members of center. This is the real oneness with Sai in practice.”

Candle Light Vigil by Austin Pakistani Community By Sumaiya Malik On Monday, December 22nd, 2014, the Austin Community held a silent candlelight vigil on the grounds of the State Capi-

tal Building. Right after sunset, about seventy people of all ages, gathered together and stood in front of the main rotunda to remember the students and teachers who

died in the horrific massacre in Peshawar on December 16, the same month. It was a solemn gathering. One could see tears glisten in the eyes of some in the candlelight. The massive tragedy that happened in Peshawar, Pakistan, rocked the whole world and united people regardless of their nationality, gender, age, color or religion. Children and adults expressed their feelings through posters that they held in their hands. ‘Peace and Love from USA to Pakistan’ said one poster. A mother held, ‘I am a mom, I feel

your pain’ as her children stood nearby. Dr. Zarmeena Vendal, who was one of the organizers of the vigil, said that on that horrific day we all became human beings, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends. Kamran Ali, Director of the South Asia Institute at UT Austin, asked everyone to hold a minute of silence.

To Advertise In ASA

512-828-6709 info@ austinsouthasian.com

Software QA Training in Austin

Complete Manual and Automation testing concepts and all the industry standard tools including a database and Linux.

Mail: Firstqa@gmail.com Contact: 512-297-8980 We help until you get the job.

Web: http://www.firstqasolutions.com/training.htm

HOME LOANS * * * * *

Austin First Mortgage Loan Officer License # 84989

ajay@austinfirstmortgage.com

MANAGER FINANCIAL SERVICES: YOUR NEXT BIG CHALLENGE. Your next big career challenge is here at Prudential as a Manager Financial Services (MFS). It’s an exciting role in which you’ll recruit, lead and shape a team of ethical, confident sales professionals with the goal of helping customers grow and protect their assets. This opportunity requires Series 6, Series 26, Life, Health and P&C registrations (or ability to obtain such), along with excellent time management/organizational skills and an understanding of industry compliance. You’ll also the initiative to coach and develop a topperforming team. In return, you’ll enjoy: • Competitive Compensation • Bonuses • Recognition Programs • Exceptional Benefits • Excellent Growth Potential & More We are an organization with tremendous momentum. Challenge yourself to find out why. For consideration, please respond to: Ramesh Raj, Managing Director 832-389-5165 ramesh.raj@prudential.com

© 2014 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc., and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Life Insurance is issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ, and its affiliates. Securities offered by Pruco Securities, LLC (member SIPC). Each is a Prudential Financial company. The availability of other products varies by carrier and state. Prudential is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ. Prudential is an Employer that participates in E-Verify. 0222647-00006-00 Expires 10/28/2015

(Continued From Page 01)

The artists include Mai Dhai, Poor Rich Boy, Khumariyaan, Mekaal Hassan Band, Haroon and Sain Tanveer. One of the singers is Mai Dhai, a traditional Manganiyar singer and dhol (Punjabi drum) player from the Thar Desert region.

Over the years, their patrons have shifted from Kings to anyone who can offer them a meal.

Ajay Kamboj (512) 934-0512

Pakistani Artists Showcase At SXSW In March

The Manganiyars are caste of Muslim musicians who traditionally performed for the kings of Rajasthan in the Subcontinent.

No Cost Refinance Low Interest Rates Purchase or Refinance Excellent Customer Service Free Pre - Approval

13284 Pond Springs Rd STE 203, Austin, TX 78729

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Their repertoire ranges from the ballads about the kings to Sufi songs written by various mystics. Even though they are classified as folk musicians, their traditional music in classical and it clearly indicate the roots of classical music in the Indian Subcontinent. The rawness of the folk and the complexity of classical music is what make their music so special.

This is a group of four artists who play the rubab, sitar, guitar and percussion. Khumariyaan or The Intoxicators, has reawakened the live music scene in Peshawar. They will perform at the SXSW on March 19: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=M-vllXgMPHE Mekaal Hasan Band plays fusion between East and West. Their group consists of artists from India and Pakistan. For the showcase they will be collaborating with the famous Pakistani singer Humera Channa who will be the lead vocalist. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vkqVvTcG-A4 Haroon, a singer, composer, musician, producer, recording engineer and live performer will also be part of the showcase (March 19). His song Janeman was the first Urdu/Hindi pop song to air on MTV.

Today, they live in the deserts of Thar and Cholistan in Pakistan and Rajasthan in India.

His hit songs include Mahbooba, Haroon Ka Nasha, Muft ka Maza. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=vraZKlJL-nI

Hailing from Tharparkar, in the interior region of Sindh province, Mai Dhai’s driving percussion and other worldly voice evoke the ancient rhythms of times long past.

Tanveer brothers from Sialkot, Pakistan, will bring the Punjabi Folk Dhol.

You can find her on Youtube: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=y28Y2B0J2Qc

Their ‘dhol spinning’ style to cast a spiritual trance in the sufi style will be a part of the showcase. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=madcTheDq3g

Poor Rich Boy, Lahore’s underground indie-rock phenomenon. This group sings with English language lyrics.

The SXSW has always showcased trailblazer music from USA and more recently from international music scene as well.

The group is on tour in the US from May 30 to June 11 as a part of Center Stage.

A few years ago, Usmaan Riaz, a young Pakistani guitar player presented a solo show during SXSW around town.

Their best song “fair Weather Friend” can be heard on the following link: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-vllXgMPHE Khumariyaan belongs to the Genre of Hyper folk.

This is going to be a bigger showcase with many more Pakistani musicians. Details about the South By Southwest Festival can be found at http://schedule.sxsw. com

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Three Creative Ideas For Winter Entertaining And Parties (StatePoint) The look of your party can be just as important as its other elements. So go above and beyond a plain table setting. Set the mood for your party and provide a striking visual to accompany the feast by creating a thematic “tablescape.” The experts at Bed Bath & Beyond are of-

Consider Lenox Park City flatware and china. The porcelain plates are decorated with delicate bare branches and the flatware’s design mimics tree bark. Remember, little details go a long way. Add sprigs of rosemary to Champagne for an evergreen feel and flavor. Glamorous Gold To create an opulent look, think rich colors, vivid patterns and one of the hottest tabletop trends this season— gold. When opting for a formal setting, avoid mixing shapes and limit your color palette. From placemats to china, repeat soft curves for an overall unified effect.

fering three ideas for elevating your entertaining décor: Rustic Living A warm, woodsy vibe invites lingering conversation. Skip the tablecloth and add a burlap runner and rattan placemats in rich neutral hues to create a foundation of textures. Bring in some warmth using soft green moss centerpieces and the sleek glitter of champagne flutes. Mix shapes to give the table a casual, welcoming feel. For example, for a rectangular table, use round placemats with square plates. Likewise, use centerpieces of varied heights, such as glass candle holders of different sizes accented with rope and filled with moss. Add tall branches to the moss for a dramatic touch.

Use a show-stopping place setting that creates richness and visual depth, such as Wedgwood’s Renaissance Gold, which pairs gold with cobalt blue. Mirror these colors with your other table accessories. Use soft touches to keep the look from feeling cold, such as lush roses in full bloom or ferns spray painted gold for a pretty finishing touch.

India Community Center (ICC) of Austin

Annual General Meeting India Community Center (ICC) of Austin needs your help! Let your voice be heard at the ICC Annual General Meeting. The original intent of ICC was to be an organization welcoming Indians new to Austin. With the advent of an array of more organizations, the purpose of ICC may need to change. Join us as we elect new Trustees and Board. We plan to elect a strong team so that we can set new objectives that will benefit the Indian community. The meeting will be held Saturday, February 21st from 2:30 to 4:45 pm at Little Walnut Library, 825 W. Rundberg Lane, Austin, 78758 (near HEB across from Taj Grocers). Only ICC members may vote; if you would like to become a member, you may do so at the meeting. For questions, please email iccaustin@gmail.com, Mary Mathew at MaryLM@aol.com or Harish Kotecha at Kotecha@yahoo.com or 512-994-4638.

Winter Wonderland

et add to the table’s sparkle.

Bring the best parts of a wintery walk through the woods into your dining room— no shoveling required.

To keep our snowy scene from feeling too chilly, add Champagne flutes with rich golden accents, and the warm glow of candlelight.

Use a lightly golden tablecloth, dotted with silver metallic snowflakes. Reinforce with platinum-and-white place settings and top with a silver snowflake napkin ring. Use faux snow to create a “runner” of snow drifts down the table center, dotting it with real evergreen sprigs to create a naturallooking trail between the diners. Include a hint of metallic shine with silver placemats. Crystal votive holders and mounds of real ice in the champagne buck-

More ideas, decorating tips, recipes, printable décor, playlists and inspiration can be found at the “Above & Beyond” blog at blog.bedbathandbeyond.com. At your next dinner party, wow your guests and set the mood for your feast with tablescapes that please the eye.

To Advertise In ASA

512-828-6709 info@ austinsouthasian.com

Indian American Coalition of Texas (Continued From Page 08) when I asked him to join IACT, young man accompanying him, a recent arrival and graduate chimed in “Yes” he said” I got a well-paying job and they do not treat me any differently”. Implication- why create a separate identity when we are all one and treat each other nicely. The fallacy of such an argument is that even in the most monolithic society, differentiation exists in its demographics, of age and sex and myriad other interest groups ranging from sports and culture, services and manufacturing and educational and scientific institution and cults, to name just a few. In a more diverse nation such as ours the situation gets lot more complex. The most basic societal elements are groups. They form because of common or shared experiences, vantage points , interests or approaches. When the interests of these groups intersect they collaborate, negotiate or work on conflict resolution. Each group then works to further its interest or vantage point, hopefully to create a win- win situation. Most fundamental outcome is to “Engage or to interact, lend weightage to a viewpoint and furthering it. A group consisting of more articulate and educated individuals exude a vision and work on societal good consisting of two aspects, social services and public policies as they affect the group itself and the society at large. The Jewish community a mere 2% of the population, with its family values , achievements and education has made deep inroads in both, inspiring and precedent setting for an equally educated and successful Indian American (IA) community (1% of the population) that shares the same family values. One is happy to note that over time IA community’s activism has increased in both the aspects, however, IA community is lot more diverse and heterogeneous and needs organizations to cater to its overarching needs. IACT was formed to meet the

Three Steps To Protect Your Pets Austin South Asian | February 2015

needs of IA community’s civic engagement especially as it affects public policies. This is also in line with the rise of IA community’s activism here and elsewhere. While the northeast and California has led the way, IACT in central Texas is filling the gap to create public voice, ensure civic engagement and participate in public debate and policy issues as they pertain to central Texas. Reaching out to elected and public officials: Organizing Candidate forums, understanding their ideas endorsing candidates by working with organizations like NAAO-PAC and ultimately relations building are the main aspect of reaching out to the officials. An example of this can be seen in organizing 15th August celebration - Sen. Kirk Watson the keynote speaker at the last leadership forum was so impressed by the level of commitment of the IA community that he declared 15th August as the day of civic engagement for the Indian-American community. On that day IACT in collaboration with SAIVA and many other groups organized a combination of cultural events and engagement with our elected officials. IACT has developed very good working relationship with the current city council and mayor and cultivating the same with newly elected city ,county and state representatives Work with Organizations with shared values and approaches : One of the prime example is IACT’s work with Network of Asian American Organizations (NAAO) where some 15 AsianAmerican Organization come together and work on public policy issues. IA community shares culture and value system with other Asian community. Together it now represents 7% of the population and creates a lot of weight in the public eyes. One of the most tangible outcome has been the building of $6.5 million Asian American Resource center (AARC). (Continued On Page 17)

Your pet is part of the family. So when it comes to disaster preparedness, keeping pets safe should enter into the equation. Here are three simple ways pet owners can prepare for emergencies and prevent accidents:

• The American Red Cross recommends taking a Pet First Aid Class to learn such basics as how to administer medicine, treat wounds, care for injuries and prepare for disasters. Whether you’re at home or on the road, these

skills can save lives.

• Depending on the type of emergency situation you’re faced with, your home may become an unsafe place to stay. Evacuation plans should include pets. Know in advance if you have friends or family with whom you and your pet can stay. If that’s not possible, keep a list of boarding facilities or hotels that accept animal companions. • Ensure toxic chemicals in your

home, such as cleaning supplies, are inaccessible to pets. Additionally, be sure any medications are sealed and out of reach of curious paws. If you suspect your pet has consumed a poisonous substance, contact the ASPCA poison hotline at (888) 426-4435. The hotline operates 24 hours a day. With a little knowledge and preparation, you can be a more responsible pet owner.

Austin ISD Trustees Appoint Paul Cruz Superintendent To Lead District At tonight’s regular board meeting, Austin ISD Trustees appointed Paul Cruz as superintendent of the district’s 85,000 students and 12,000 staff members. “Committed to continuing our dedication to rigor, relationships and resources, I am honored to be named superintendent,” AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz said. “I look forward to continuing the communication of the district’s successes; working with staff and community members to address areas of needs; and carrying out the will of the Trustees.” Since Dec. 15, 2014, when Cruz was named sole finalist for superintendent, he has been engaging the community by sharing his vision and allowing the public to ask him questions at several public events. Through seven community forums and more than 20 presentations to community organizations, Cruz discussed the district’s focus areas, plans for improvement and the need for ongoing dialogue regarding student achievement. Cruz most recently served as the interim superintendent for AISD. He has worked in education for 28 years.

In his time with AISD, graduation rates have improved to an all-time high of 84.1 percent.

dent of schools in Laredo ISD, a district with approximately 23,500 students.

While with Austin ISD, Dr. Cruz has worked on the development and implementation of the following initiatives and programs: Early College High Schools where students are able to earn up to 60 hours of college credit before they graduate from high school; Single-gender schools; One-way and two-way dual language immersion programs; Family Resource Centers; Social and Emotional Learning Initiative; Creative Learning Initiative which involves integrating fine arts into everyday lessons; Twilight Schools, which is an after school program to support high school completion; Learning Support Centers to reduce discretionary placements to the Alternative Learning Center; Youth Service Mapping; and REACH, which is a program designed and developed to recruit and retain the best principals and teachers for AISD schools.

He served as the deputy commissioner for dropout prevention at the Texas Education Agency. Cruz also has taught a graduatelevel course in curriculum and instruction.

Cruz has worked as a teacher, campus administrator and central office administrator in Corpus Christi, San Antonio and south Texas. He was also a superinten-

Having set a personal goal to earn a doctorate before he turned 30 years old, Cruz received his Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Texas at Austin at the age of 29. In his doctoral program, Cruz was a fellow in the Cooperative Superintendency Program, which is designed to prepare future urban school superintendents. He also received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from UT-Austin, with a specialization in English, and a Master of Science degree in educational administration from Corpus Christi State University. Cruz and his wife, Diana, a former teacher, have been married for more than 25 years and have four children: Maricristina, Selly, Paul and Emmanuel.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Maha Shivratri Celebration At Austin’s Newest Temple in North Austin Tuesday February 17th

Come Join us to Celebrate Maha Shivratri on February 17th

 Sundareswarar Temple - Abhishekam and Pooja  8:00 PM - 10:00 PM, 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM, 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM  Devotee contact: temple@chinmayaaustin.org for sponsorships www.chinmayaaustin.org 12825 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78727 (Near Fry’s Electronics behind TX DOT)

Our mission is to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to society.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

How To Dress For Success In The Workplace

(StatePoint) When it comes to professional success, the way you present yourself in the workplace should complement the quality of your work.

Additionally, discount department stores often sell designer labels at a fraction of the cost.

Whether you’re looking to advance your career or simply make a great impression, you can refine your office look and style.

Invest in an iron and give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning to ensure clothes are wrinkle-free. Every season, go through your closet and set aside clothes that no longer fit, are worn out, faded or out of style.

Take everything into account, your wardrobe, your accessories and your workspace.

Donate these clothes and make room for new ones.

Wardrobe

Accessories

You may not have the top job yet, but the old adage holds true – dress for the job you want, not the one you have. If budget is an issue, don’t sweat it. Online coupons can help you score great deals at mass market retailers.

if your office is business casual.

Rocking the basics can make a great impression at meetings, conventions and other professional events. Show employers, colleagues and clients that orga-

South Asians Today

By Vasooda Kumar

As South Asians we are lauded as the model minority, we pride ourselves on this label and have become the spokesmen for the American Dream, a land of opportunity in which anyone regardless of race can make it.

Be sure to press your clothes even

Asians, let’s not forget the hate crimes faced by the Muslim and Sikh communities after 9/11, especially the mass murder of Sikhs in the case of the Oak Creek Gurudwara shooting, and the aggressive policing of Muslim communities.

Yet, we don’t really consider ourselves minorities, do we? When there is speak of minorities we attribute that to Hispanics and Blacks, because as Asians we see ourselves lumped in with the economic and educational strength of Anglos.

If any of these acts have scared our community, imagine the suffering of the African Americans who has been enslaved, tortured, lynched, now criminalized, victimized by the Jim Crow prison industrial complex and shot dead by police at 20 times the rate of whites.

We seek and accept the complimentary privilege of being the model minority but it comes at the cost of remaining silent and excusing the racial and cultural discrimination we face in our daily lives.

The current suffering of the African American community should be recognized by our South Asians as we too have fought through nonviolent resistance to ensure people of color do not remain oppressed.

While it is true that this country has been very kind to us as South

The reality is as immigrants we would not have a place in Ameri-

can society if African Americans who were in this country before us had not fought for the rights of people of color. It was the work of the civil rights movement and the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 that led to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which struck down race based immigration quotas that previously prevented Asians from entering the United States.

nization is important to you by carrying a planner and business notebook. Look for a sleek design, such as those from the AT-A-GLANCE Collection.

These products not only keep you organized and track your story, but can act as a highly useful accessory to your professional style. Whether you’re looking to stay organized by the day, week or month, a planner won’t just help to improve your image; it can also help remind you of upcoming deadlines so you stay organized. Workspace Take ownership of your workspace. Your desk, cubicle or office is visible round-the-clock, even when

you are off-the-clock, so make sure it makes a great impression. A few personal items are welcome in most workplaces. Just be sure any personal photos of friends and family that you display are tasteful and appropriate. Lastly, display a stylish wall calendar on your cubicle or office wall to keep important dates in view. Or if you prefer, a desk pad calendar gives you the same view of your busy month ahead. You want colleagues to know that not only do you have a full plate, you know what’s on it. By fine-tuning your look, you can help yourself reach your professional goals and look great doing it.

Tips to Manage Pain from Arthritis Naturally

(StatePoint) One in five adults in the United States now reports having doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For those living with the chronic pain of this disease, learning how to manage arthritis is crucial to the health and happiness of millions of Americans. With that in mind, here are several natural ways to reduce complications and pain associated with arthritis: • Those who are overweight or obese are diagnosed with an arthritis symptom more often than those with a lower body mass index, according to CDC statistics. Take a load off your joints by maintaining a healthy weight. Weight loss has also been linked to less pain from arthritis, especially in the knees, which bear the brunt of excess pounds.

So while many of us go about our daily routines ignoring the protests outside our windows, this New Year, I urge you to reconsider.

• Evidence indicates that both endurance and resistance exercise can provide significant benefits to those with osteoarthritis, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, arthritis patients should typically avoid placing too much pressure on joints. Low-impact exercises such as biking, swimming and walking are recommended treatments for arthritis. A doctor or physical therapist is a good resource for helping you make a fitness game plan.

Start a dialogue, remain informed and reconsider the voice of the African American community as they face this pivotal time in the fight against injustice.

• No matter what precautions you take, pain from your condition is sometimes inevitable. And when it’s severe, it can be debilitating. Some arthritis medications mask pain, which may make it harder to gauge the status of your condition. A homeopathic medicine, however, works naturally with your body to ease suffering from arthritis pain.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Indian-Origin Scientist Develops New Way To Treat Osteoarthritis

London — Indian-origin researcher Tina Chowdhury from Queen Mary University of London and her team have developed a new “microcapsule” treatment delivery that can reduce inflammation in cartilage affected by osteoarthritis and reverse damage to tissue.

A protein molecule called C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), which occurs naturally in the body, is known to reduce inflammation and aid in the repair of damaged tissue.

However, CNP cannot be used to treat osteoarthritis in patients because it cannot target the damaged area even when the protein is injected into the cartilage tissue.

“If this method can be transferred to patients, it could drastically slow the progression of osteoarthritis and even begin to repair damaged tissue,” said Chowdhury from QMUL’s school of engineering and materials science.

This is because CNP is easily broken down and cannot reach the diseased site.

The team constructed tiny microcapsules with individual layers containing CNP that could release the protein slowly and, therefore, deliver the treatment in the most effective way. In experiments on samples of cartilage taken from animals, they showed that the microcapsules could deliver the anti-inflammatory CNP in a highly effective way.

CNP is currently available to treat other conditions such as skeletal diseases and cardiovascular repair. “If we could design simple injections using the microcapsules, this means the technology has the potential to be an effective and relatively cheap treatment that could be delivered in the clinic or at home,” Chowdhury said. The research was funded by Arthritis Research UK and the AO Foundation.

2015 Will Be The Year Of India’s Next Technology Revolution

The multibillion-dollar valuations of India’s new tech stars, Flipkart and Snapdeal, are no pricing bubble, but a signal that the country’s technology boom has begun. The next five years will see a flurry of technology innovation that will transform India as much as cellphones have over the past 15 years.

the public good and to show the world how to create an entirely new digital infrastructure in areas such as the following:

tools with which to provide the same types of one-hour delivery services that Amazon and Google are launching in American cities.

Electronic commerce: Flipkart and Snapdeal have largely focused on consumer products for

Sharing economy: Uber showed Indian entrepreneurs that appbased ride-sharing was practical

There is a lot for Indian entrepreneurs to learn from Silicon Valley. But the bigger opportunities are for them to leapfrog it by solving the problems of the many rather than of the few. The same infrastructure lacuna that enabled India to create Aadhaar — lack of all technological legacy to have to worry about — offers it an opportunity to implement changes unarguably for

Health apps and devices: Inexpensive sensors can be connected to smartphones and tablets to result in medical devices that are as accurate as those that western hospitals use. That is what Kanav Kohol did with the Swastaya Slate, a health device with 33 sensors, for blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, blood hemoglobin, urine protein and diseases such as HIV, syphilis, dengue and malaria.

This will be enabled by the availability of low-cost smartphones, the digital identity that India’s Aadhar project has provided to hundreds of millions of people who lacked any documentation, and a host of exponential technology advances. A billion Indians will be joining the global economy during this decade.

sharing on farms, jhuggi rentals, bike sharing and seed swaps.

the well-to-do. The real market opportunity is to address the needs of the people who will soon be coming online. New marketplaces need to be built for artisans in villages so they can design and create custom crafts for customers worldwide; apps are needed by which fruit sellers, sweet shops and restaurants can showcase their products and take orders from neighborhood customers; local merchants need the

even in India’s chaotic cities. But Uber, too, targeted elite, high-end customers. The bigger opportunities will be to share rides in three-wheelers, bicycle rickshaws, and buses. Technology can also facilitate hiring of workers in the informal economy — laborers, technicians, maids, and painters — through automation. Also needed are apps for tractor-

Using this $800 device and the A.I.-based apps that come with it, health workers in Jammu and Kashmir are providing life-saving medical care to a population of 2.5 million people. Telemedicine can also connect people in remote villages to medical experts. There are endless possibilities for entrepreneurs to transform India’s health-care system to provide medical care to billions of people in need, in India and abroad. App-based automation of public services: Whether it be for booking railway tickets and monitoring train arrival times or for

analyzing government productivity and efficiency data, virtually every aspect of government services could be improved through measurement, monitoring, and automation. Entrepreneurs can take a key role in modernizing governance by using technology and data to stem corruption. Smart cities: Small, inexpensive, Internet-connected sensors, monitoring things such as traffic patterns, air quality, noise, radiation levels and water quality, can be used to manage pollution and waste, parking, traffic congestion, security and almost every other aspect of a city’s functioning. Entrepreneurs can start building smart neighborhoods and then smart cities. Education: No matter how hard the government tries, it will not be able to fix India’s public schools in time to educate the more than 100 million children in towns and villages with substandard educational facilities. The only solution for them rests in using technology. (Continued On Page 11)

Austin South Asian | February 2015

2015 Will Be The In First, Woman Leads Year Of India’s Next Guard Of Honor For Obama Technology Revolution

(Continued From Page 11)

The XPRIZE Foundation has launched a $15 million global competition to develop software that will enable children to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic. Already, there are tens of thousands of apps that can teach subjects such as history, geography, music, mathematics, and science. These need customization for regions and local languages, and adaptive learning platforms in order to tailor education to the needs of the student. Agriculture: At a minimum, Internet-connected smartphones can be used to educate farmers on how to improve crop yields and minimize chemical usage. Social media can connect them with each other so that they can share experiences, and sensors

can help monitor soil humidity and optimize watering. Supply chains can be improved, and onfarm diagnostic technologies can increase efficiency.

New Delhi: In a first, a woman officer from the Indian Air Force,

Thakur was seen giving commands, which was followed by

Thakur hails from Rajasthan and has served in the IAF for more than 13 years and is an administrative officer posted at its publicity cell, DISHA, at the Delhi Air Headquarters in New Delhi.

With India’s abundance of I.T. talent — and its greater abundance of social and infrastructure problems — its entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to lead the world in innovation. I have little doubt that 2015 will be the launching point for India’s technology revolution. (This article originally appeared in the The Washington Post and is reprinted here with permission from the author. Vivek Wadhwa is a Fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University; Director of Research, CERC, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University; and Distinguished Fellow, Singularity University.)

Make A Difference – Save Trees By Vidya Kumar Most of my work is reviewing reports created by staff. Recently there was a problem with one of the reports and hence, I had to intervene and then understood that some of the printed reports I can view online by making a slight modification. I realized that there is room to reduce stationery and started looking at every single paper that is being printed for my review to check whether it can be done away with. I was able to reduce 20 sheets per day with just one staff. Immediately, I met with my boss and went through with her whether we can change the procedures for the review and reduce wastage. Finally, there was considerable reduction of paper printing on a daily basis. So now I have it as part of my routine tasks once in six months to go through all the procedures and check whether any modifications can be made to reduce stationery. By reducing printing paper – it not only saves trees but the expenses in the office like cartridges, time spent by employees in printing, wear and tear of the printers, storage charges since most of the corporate office policies have record retention of 8-10 or more years will be reduced. And one can feel proud that they are helping the environment. My suggestion – every one of us need to make it a point as part of yearly task – at the beginning of the year to review their usage of paper because ultimately, it will help us to live better.

the inspection of the tri-service guard of honor.

She is also a para-jumper. Her leading the ceremonial guard of honor comes in a year “woman power” is the theme of the Republic Day parade.

Wing Commander Puja Thakur led the ceremonial guard of honor for President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

the national anthems of the U.S. and India. The 21-gun salute came next. Thakur then escorted Obama for

This will also be the first time when women contingents of the army, air force and navy will march down the Rajpath. Another woman officer, Flight Lieutenant Smita Singh was the supernumerary officer

Bollywood Cupid Coming To Austin This Valentine Day By Shruti Anand

ary of this event.

“Date with Bollywood” is back with the Bollywood-style Celebration of Love

Indian Cuisine will be served at the event and Live Entertainment will be provided by the Mayur Dance team in partnership with local artists.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, January 4th 2015 – Bollywood is known for its upbeat music and high-energy dances, but little is known about the fairy-tale romance presented in Bollywood movies underlying all the music and dancing. Monsoon Dance aims to change this by bringing the “Date with Bollywood” again this Valentine Day to the Hilton Austin Ballroom in Downtown on February 14th 2015 at 7 PM. “After the enthusiastic feedback Austin gave us last year, we want to celebrate Love BollywoodStyle in an even more grand and glamorous way this year”, said Ramya Naik (Event Manager, Monsoon Dance) and the vision-

The guests will have the opportunity to participate in Song Dedications, Bollywood Couple Games & the unique Fashion Show of Love- Walk of Love. A Bollywood Photo booth will be available for guests. The evening will have an open dance floor with DJ Dan Singh spinning a Fusion of Bollywood Music. Tickets can be bought at www. monsoondance.com/bollywooddate All the proceeds from this event will be donated to Growing Roots

whose mission is to empower families of children with special needs through hands-on information, resources and support. About Monsoon Dance, Founded in 2012, Monsoon Dance is committed to presenting and teaching Indian Dance forms in Greater Austin Area and supporting local charity organizations through the spirit of Dance and Performances. Website: www.monsoondance. com Flickr Page: http://www.flickr. com/photos/113718926@N08/ If you would like more information about this story or would like to schedule an interview or a segment with a presentation of Love with Bollywood Dance & Music, please contact Shruti Anand (Ph: 512 363 7796, Email: connect@ monsoondance.com)

Most Kids Not Sleeping Enough: How to Help

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Jhumpa Lahiri Wins 2015 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

While parents understand the value of good sleep, a majority find it difficult strong contenders like Pakistani author to ensure their kids get enough quality sleep each night, according to a reJAIPUR — The 2015 DSC Prize for South Bilal Tanweer (“The Scatter Here is Too cent survey of parents Asian Literature has been awarded to Jhum- Great”), Kamila Shamsie (“A God in across the country.

Every Stone”), Sri Lankan author Romesh Gunesekera (“Noontide Toll”) and Shamsur Rahman Faruqi (“The Mirror of Beauty”).

From using electronic devices in bed to a lack of bedroom routines, there are plenty of reasons kids are not getting enough sleep. But high-quality sleep is important, reports the same sleep survey, conducted by Sleep Number, with the majority of parents saying that sleep impacts their child’s performance in school and in extracurricular activities. Luckily, new tools are helping kids rest easier at night. For example, Sleep Number just introduced SleepIQ Kids -- a smart bed for kids. You can adjust the bed’s firmness as children grow and monitor their presence in bed, restfulness and restlessness to assess quality of sleep.

The Pulitzer Prize winning Indian American author was not present to receive the award at the Jaipur Literature Festival, but communicated her thoughts via Skype. “I had published this book with the apprehension that I had not done justice to the time and events that inspired the story. I am particularly proud of this prize,” she said. Jury chair Keki N. Daruwalla said: “This is a superb novel written in restrained prose with moments of true lyricism.

With these new sleep tools, parents can help kids be their best tomorrow. pa Lahiri for “The Lowland,” it was announced Jan. 22. It starts with a sense of loss and trauma (StatePoint) Lahiri won the $50,000 prize, beating

due to the death and then the ongoing presence of a key character.”

Austin South Asian | February 2015

TIPS FOR FAMILIES TO GET HEALTHIER TOGETHER Want your kids to eat right and get moving more? With childhood obesity being a major problem in this country, this sentiment is top of mind for many parents and guardians. But you have more power than you may realize to steer them in the right direction, say experts.

are part of the team and that health and fitness are a family affair.

Parents have more potential than anybody else to influence their children’s behavior -- including their eating habits -- according to a study by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In fact, parents outrank sports celebrities as the people most children would most like to be, according to the survey. “You are the most influential role model in your child’s life,” says Kim Larson, registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy spokesperson. “Modeling healthy eating behaviors encourages children to adopt and choose healthy behav-

iors that will benefit them for a lifetime.” Setting Realistic Goals Small steps add up, and Larson

recommends making healthy lifestyle changes that are realistic and easy to stick with for the longhaul. Try adopting healthy changes for the entire family, such as: • Make sure your kids know they

• Encourage children to help plan meals -- from developing the menu to shopping to preparing and serving the meal. • Serve regular, balanced meals and snacks with a variety of nutrient-rich foods. • Eat breakfast daily. • Enjoy family dinner together each night or as often as possible. • At each meal, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. • Make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains. • Get active. Incorporate physical activity where you can in your day, whether taking a family walk after dinner or hitting the gym. Remember, children and teens should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, and adults should get two and a half hours per week. Focus on Overall Health, Not

Weight Alone According to the experts, good nutrition, health, and fitness fun should be the focus of your family’s goals, not calorie counting, food restriction or working out. “You don’t want your kids to think that a healthy lifestyle is only about how much they weigh,” Larson says. “Concentrate on delicious nutrition and fun physical activities,” says Larson. For a personalized plan tailored to your lifestyle, food preferences and the unique needs of your family, consider consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. You can find one in your area at www. EatRight.org. By get the whole family together, you can commit to a healthier lifestyle as a team. (StatePoint)

Tips To Boost Baby And Toddler Brain Development While formal education may not begin until age five, those years preceding classroom learning are crucial to brain development. You can get your child started on the right path early on by encouraging learning whenever possible.

For newborns, Mitchell recommends books that feature bright, bold colors and vivid patterns that are easy to hold, for sharing between baby and parent. “Babies love to hear the sound of their

Sing a Song Simple songs can be a fun and helpful way to reinforce basic concepts like numbers, letters and animals. Sing with your little one in the car, or when you have free time at home. Great choices include “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” “The Alphabet Song,” and “The Wheels on the Bus.” Stock your home with simple instruments like kazoos, tambourines, and mini keyboards built for little fingers to encourage impromptu solos. Also, consider enrolling your child in music classes, which can be a great way to lay the foundation for music instruction later in life. Colorful Books “Books for young children should also be learning tools that help build vocabulary and language skills,” says Sophie Mitchell, preschool publisher at DK Publishing.

parent’s voices, so read enthusiastically to your child,” she says. Mitchell also recommends that parents choose books that are filled with the things babies find fascinating, such as images of others babies, tod-

dlers, animals and vehicles. Toddlers love pointing out things they know and saying the words out loud. They appreciate book content that features images of their real world. Surprise elements like flaps, sounds, pull tabs and textures can provoke curiosity and engage reluctant readers. “Preschool-aged children need clear, appealing subjects which capture their preoccupations and passions,” adds Mitchell. For this age group memory is a very important reading skill to develop, so parents should look for titles that include fun, repetitive text. Clear word labels can help young children make associations between images and words. For an early learning library, consider introducing your tykes to the “My First”

board book series. First published in 1989, these iconic little books have now been reimagined for a new generation. With titles like “My First Animals,” “My First Colors,” and “My First Words,” they are packed with bright, colorful photographs and large easy-to-read text to captivate budding readers. More information about the series can be found at www.Dk.com. Be Active Babies, toddlers and preschoolers need lots of mental stimulation for brain development. Rather than simply sitting them in front of the television, take little trips that can foster questions and observations. Whether that be the playground, the zoo or even a run-of-the-mill trip to the grocery store, these experiences are crucial for early learning. Talk to your child throughout the trip, pointing out things you see. When you get home, you can reinforce the realworld concepts with learning books. Don’t wait until kindergarten to get the ball started on education. By simply reading out loud and encouraging everyday play, you can help develop key learning skills in your child. (StatePoint)

Austin South Asian | February 2015

LEGAL SPECIAL Solving The H1B Visa Impasse

By Tom Giovanetti In this corner: A number of employers, particularly tech companies, who claim they have a large number of unfilled positions and can’t find enough skilled American workers to fill all of their needs, and thus need to attract skilled foreign workers through an expanded H1B visa program. In the opposite corner: Immigration skeptics, including probably every unemployed programmer in the country, who think tech companies simply prefer to hire cheaper imported labor rather than more expensive American workers. From this perspective, even one unemployed American tech worker is proof that the H1B program undermines citizen employment. How shall we break this impasse and make progress on what should be one of the easiest incremental

reforms in the immigration reform debate? A bipartisan commission likely to end in gridlock? Raw political “we won, you lost” power? Further inaction, which just exacerbates the problem?

Here’s a better idea—how about a market mechanism that would determine once and for all not only who is right, but that would determine what the market-clearing price for skilled immigrant labor actually is, informing future immigration policy formation? Right now, H1B visas are issued

on a first come, first served basis, for a flat fee, and the number is arbitrarily capped. Such a system tells us nothing about how much an H1B visa (and thus a skilled immigrant worker) is actually worth to an employer. And because the number is capped and the fee low, the system actually encourages a lottery or jackpot approach—in other words, employers would apply for as many visas as possible, hoping to get enough. This is an irrational system. It would make much more sense to allocate H1B visas via an auction process. If H1B visas were auctioned to employers each year in a sealed bid process, with the bids allocated from highest to lowest until the available permits were exhausted, supply and demand would establish the market-clearing price for the right to hire a skilled immigrant worker. Because of the likely higher fees

resulting from the auction mechanism, employers would have no incentive to hire an immigrant worker if an equivalent American worker were available, which would lead to more accurately determining areas where shortages of American workers actually exist. Additionally, it has been estimated that such a process could raise significant revenue, perhaps as much as $1 billion annually, which could be directed toward funding improvements in border control, a biometric entry and exit system, and other features of a modernized immigration system. Further, these new, market-determined H1B visas should be transferrable between employers, which would allow for further gathering of value information and market efficiency through a dynamic allocation of skilled immigrant workers.

Such a system would effectively price the value of skilled immigrant workers to the U.S. economy, informing immigration policy decisions, providing tech employers with more certainty, and particularly would serve to help determine how many H1B visas are made available based on market forces rather than the arbitrary fiat dictates of bureaucrats. Of all the controversial elements of proposed immigration reform plans, the H1B visa impasse should be the easiest to solve. Moving the allocation decision from an arbitrary process to a market-clearing auction should settle the debate over our economy’s demand for skilled immigrant labor, and an incremental success in our highly controversial immigration debate might help to break the immigration reform impasse in other areas as well.

Action Against Obama On Immigration Moves

By Alex Moe House Speaker John Boehner told Republicans behind closed doors that GOP leaders are evaluating a variety of legal actions to take against President Barack Obama following his executive actions on immigration. “We are finalizing a plan to authorize litigation on this issue one we believe gives us the best chance of success,” Boehner told members, according to a source in the room. Those options could include filing a congressional lawsuit against the president or joining the 26 states challenging Obama’s executive order granting temporary legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants.

The House would need to vote to authorize any future action the chamber would take. Democrats immediately blasted House leaders. Drew Hammill, spokesman for

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, called Republicans’ pursuit of the lawsuit “an embarrassing admission of failure.” “Once again, House Republicans are crawling to the courts to re-

lieve them of their responsibility to govern. Republicans should stop wasting millions of taxpayer dollars suing the President, and start showing some seriousness for the security of the American people,” Hammill said. Boehner’s announcement comes as the House mulls how to deal with immigration and just a day after GOP leaders pulled the border security bill from a vote on the floor. Leaders blamed the winter weather for shortening the week, but some House conservatives argue that the bill would not have had enough votes to succeed. “I think…there was an informal whip that was going on over the last few days and I don’t think it went the way [leadership] wanted

it to go,” conservative Rep. Matt Salmon told reporters Tuesday, adding, “God bless the weather.” Boehner admitted at a Tuesday press conference that House Republicans have had “a couple of stumbles” with regard to some of their legislative endeavors since the 114th Congress convened. But, he added, he remains committed to “talk to our members about these issues,” and he pledged to move on the border bill at a later time. If Republicans choose the route of congressional litigation, it would make the second lawsuit pending against the administration. The House voted last year to challenge Obama on health care

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Plants Protection From Frosts And Freezes By Venkappa Gani The gardening has become popular to grow not only ornamental plants but also vegetables, fruits and herbs at homes. You need good soil, water, sunny spot for backyard gardening. There are lots of challenges to overcome droughts, floods, hot/ cold weather, insects, nutrients in soils. Here in central Texas weather plays major role as it is very hot during summer and freezing cold during winter. Protecting plants during freezing cold days has become greater challenge for tender plants. One has to deal with early frost of fall which will damage warm season plants and late frost of spring will damage fruit trees which are in bloom and tender vegetables planted in early spring.

These untimely unexpected frosts for short time can kill plants and wipe out fruit production.

There are two types of cold events damage plants in Texas

front that moves from Canada through the great planes to Texas

1) Advective freezes: Windy cold

2) Radiative frosts: This occur when sky is clear and no wind. During the day, the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radiation heats the plants and soil; at night they lose radiation back to the sky. Plants cool faster. Radiative frosts occur in winter and can seriously damage delicate plants.

When water inside the plant freezes it causes ice crystals to form that pierce cell walls of the plant. Cell walls leak out as temperature rises and then die, turn into dark tissues to brown and dry up. Hard freeze with stormy wind for a day or more not much can be made to protect plants, speeds up cooling of plants tissues. Simplest protective methods are inadequate. Protection Techniques: Central Texas goes through brief and short time frost & freeze spell.Some of the techniques used to extend the plant life to get adequate produce by minimizing the damage. Watering plants before anticipated freeze will help to relieve stress caused by drought. (Continued On Page 18)

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Affordable Care Act And You – A Public Service Announcement

By Ashwin Ghatalia – IACT Advisory Board Member

Open enrollment for year 2015 health care insurance, especially under the auspices of Affordable Care Act (ACA), AKA ObamaCare, runs from November 2014 to February 15th 2015. It requires that you have at least “ Minimum Essential Coverage”, not having this would make one liable for fine collected when one files taxes which could be minimum of $325/- or 2% of the household income. The issue of enrolling becomes

critical

coverage.

1) if the employer does not provide you, any health insurance 2) if you have adult dependents who may not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

Market place is on an online site where consumers

Any legal resident or citizen of the country can apply for medical insurance under ACA. If a full insurance plan is offered to you or your spouse through your employer you are of course not eligible under ACA. A health Insurance market place is a new way to shop for health

1) Can get information about health insurance options 2) Can purchase qualified health plan 3) If eligible can get help paying premium and out of pocket expense There are two types of financial assistance to help make health insurance more affordable, tax credits and cost sharing. If you find it difficult to navi-

gate through all the options and conditions, there is an organization called Insure central Texas/ Foundation Communities Center located at Highland Mall on 2nd level across from Blender’s in the food court with abilities to serve hundreds of families. You can also visit www.InsureCentralTexas.org. The service is free. Enrolling in health insurance plan avoids penalties and ensures proper health coverage. Any question please contact Nora Cadena at Nora.Cadena@foundcom.org or at 512 887-2060

How To Comparison Shop For Medicare Coverage

If you are eligible for Medicare, you should start exploring your options before you need to select coverage. Many Medicare medical and prescription drug coverage options are available for comparison shopping. There is much to compare, particularly for health plans offered through private health insurers, called Medicare Advantage (MA). These plans often offer additional benefits -- like dental and vision coverage -- as well as things like gym memberships, online doctor visits and care coordination for people with certain chronic conditions. “Premiums and benefits are different depending on the plan, so it’s important for people to look at these differences to make sure their plans meet their needs,” says Josh Martin with Amerigroup’s Amerivantage Medicare plans, which serves many MA members. According to Mr. Martin, here are the basics when it comes to comparison shopping for Medicare coverage. Examine the plan’s list of covered drugs.

Different plans have different lists of covered drugs, called formularies. Check to see if your drugs are covered and at what

cost, particularly if you’ve gotten new prescriptions since you last picked your health insurance plan. The drug coverage in Medicare -- called Part D -- now includes more coverage for those with a

“coverage gap” and supplemental gap coverage is available in some plans. The coverage gap is a temporary limit on what Part D plans cover for prescription drugs. The gap starts after both member and plan have paid a certain amount for covered drugs. And different plans offer different benefits. For example, in most of its plans, Amerivantage offers drugs at a lower cost to those who use a pharmacy network that Amerivantage recommends because of its specially negotiated, lower drug costs. Review the provider network. Are your favorite hospitals, doctors and pharmacies included in

the network of your Medicare Advantage plan? You should check, especially since, in some plans, costs generally increase when you go outside the network.

And in other plans, to receive coverage you need to stick solely with providers in that plan’s network. Consider the extra costs. When making your decision, weigh not only the plan’s monthly premium, but other out-of-pocket costs, like copays, coinsurance and annual out-of-pocket maximums. Look for bells and whistles. One of the pluses for Medicare Advantage plans is the extras, such as gym memberships, nurse health lines, online doctor visits, dental and vision coverage, and care coordination for people with certain chronic conditions. Compare plans to see what they offer. Explore the possibility of extra help. Those with limited income may qualify for financial assistance. Ask your plan for more information. Additionally, you can visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ extrahelp or call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-7721213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) for details. To learn more, visit www.Medi-

care.gov. You can also contact individual plans like Amerivantage at myamerigroup.com or (888) 900-4537 to learn about Medicare Advantage and other options, including Medicare Supplement and Part D prescription drug plans. Those needing help choosing a plan may contact a State Health Insurance Assistance Programs counselor by visiting https://shipnpr.shiptalk.org/shipprofile.aspx. Amerigroup is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Amerigroup depends on contract renewal. For more information, contact the plan. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, formulary, pharmacy network, provider network, premium and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change on January 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. This plan is available to anyone who has both Medical Assistance from the State and Medicare. Premiums, co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles may vary based on the level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact the plan for further details.

Indian American Coalition Of Texas (IACT) Celebrates Republic Day Of India

(Continued From Page 08) IACT board members also sit on the board of AARC and working with the city as well as organizations such as SAIVA we have been able to get the city to approve $700K to build commercial kitchen which is in progress now. Similarly inputs for the meals requirement for elderly IA members was provided and the program is working very well. IACT is also working with organization like FWD. us for immigration reform. Support Social causes and organization: IACT has worked with organizations like NetIP promoting essay competition, “Be The Change” by volunteering, Sankara foundation fund raising promotion, IACT has also participated in US census, Grand jury volunteering. Every year IACT recognizes achievements of path breaking community members and invites distinguishes guests to its events. Unifying the IA community: IACT organizes events like India’s republic day, leadership forum and 15th Aug where IA community members and leaders come together to work out common community themes and highlight issues. Education: IACT members write in IA community related magazines on events, elections, candidates, and election issues on a regular basis. Appeal to the IA community: The scope of public policies and civic engagement is large. This can only be achieved if the participation in this endeavor is broad and deep so we appeal to all who are interested in civic engagement to join us and provide us with your inputs and concerns. Join us to celebrate the Twin democracies of India and the US on 24th January 2015 at AARC. Information can be obtained by visiting www.iactaustin.org

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Plants Protection From Frosts And Freezes

(Continued From Page 16)

sides.

Water is great heat sink as it holds warmth and release more slowly than plant surface or air. Watering plants right before a freeze will create warmth which will slowly release during long cold evening.

Then secure with boards, bricks, rocks or soil to hold the air. This is especially helpful in preventing a breeze from cooling things down faster.

This will help along with covers. Covering plants is easy and practical method to protect plants against frost or freeze. Bed sheets, drop cloth, Blankets, Plastic, Row covers other material available to wrap plants are used for cold night. By wrapping with cloth by itself does not keep a plant warm. To cover plants effectively, lay the cover over the plant and allow it to drape down to the soil on all

The next day, remove the covers to allow the sun to warm the soil a little and then replace the covers as the sun goes down. Plastic sheeting or any material that radiates its heat out quickly will burn plant tissues where it touches them. Spun bound polyester heavy weight row cover fabric works well in holding heat. The practical and effective method is to set up hoop tunnels with

PVC pipe into the ground to form series of arched hoops.

may make it through a mild winter.

Drive short sections of rebar into the soil and then slide PVC pipe onto them.

Protecting Container Plants:

Cover the hoops with thick polyester rowcover fabric without touching plants. Make sure fabric is anchored down to prevent air movement from outside wind and easy to roll. You can heat source by using Christmas lights with big bulbs without touching plants. You can use metal cages around the plants and cover with polyester fabric as in hoop tunnels. Use mulch around tender perennials

Are You A Smart Traveler?

(StatePoint) Whether venturing around the world or road-tripping across your home state, traveling smart can help you get the most out of your vacation without over-spending.

ing to a Bank of America survey, but only 54 percent are planning their vacations in advance and only 38 percent use credit card rewards to help offset costs. Travel Channel host and expert,

these tips to help Americans raise their travel and budget IQ: Work out the details before departure. Send your itinerary and contact information to loved ones. Alert your credit card company that you’ll be traveling, especially when going overseas. And check to see if they waive foreign transaction fees. Apply for TSA pre-check to get through airport security faster. Follow your airline, hotel, the city you’re traveling to, and sites you plan to see on social media. “When you connect with businesses they’ll send you deals directly and give you great advice on what to do locally. They can often prove to be a helpful resource.” she says.

Nine out of 10 Americans think they are smart travelers, accord-

Samantha Brown, has partnered with Bank of America to offer

Simple steps like these can save you time and money, while protecting you from the unexpected.

Plants growing in containers are especially susceptible to cold weather. Tops are exposed like any other plant, being above ground the roots lack the insulation of the earth and will get much colder than of an in-ground plant. Roots are often less hardy than top portions of the plant. Some plants which are normally quite hardy can suffer root death when temperatures in the container drop to just 28 degrees. Best solution is to move container plants into a garage or other pro-

tected location. Even in the garage make sure sunlight through window is available. Reduce the watering plants during winter and keep garage door for brief period to have air circulation. Use heater during deep freeze nights. The plumeria plants need not be watered while in the garage during winter time. Be patient with plants, some time they may look dead but they may recover after arrival of warm weather. Ref: Central Texas Horticulture: http://horticulture.tamu. edu/travis

Tips To Update Your Home’s Technology When thinking about home updates, our attention so often turns to a fresh coat of paint or new décor, but some of the most practical, meaningful changes you can make to your home will truly modernize the way you live. Here are a few key tech updates to fully bring your home into the 21st century. Modernize Your Landline As our mobile phones’ functionality expands with each generation, don’t leave your home phone in the dark ages. You can now link your mobile phone calls to your home phone. For example, with a Panasonic Link2Cell handset, you can link up to two smartphones to make and receive calls, as well as receive talking ID alerts so you never miss a text. You don’t even need a separate landline to use these features. Other technology highlights include Enhanced Noise Reduction that allows you to suppress background noise around callers while simultaneously enhancing

their voices, and a powerful battery back-up system that keeps you connected when the power goes out. More information can be found at www.Panasonic.com. Home Theater Bring the theater experience home by giving your living room or den a tech makeover. A smart home theater system will sync with your devices so you can enjoy music wirelessly or access an external or network drive for media content. Don’t forget the surround sound, as well as a lighting scheme that optimizes your audiovisual experience. Programmable Thermostat Going green and being comfortable can now go hand in hand. Improve your home’s energy efficiency and well-being at the same time by investing in a programmable thermostat. Look for a user-friendly, intuitive thermostat that automatically turns itself down when you are not home and that can also be programmed remotely from a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

February Predictions - 2015 ARIES (March 21 to April 20): Time till February 15th is very favorable for to make any move in career. You can even get a better position in the same company. Chances of making money through stocks are too strong after 15th. A new member will be added in your close friends circle or in the family in second half of February. TAURUS (April 21 to May 20): Property related matters will settle before February 15th or you may buy another vehicle for personal use. There is a strong chance of major improvement in career after 15th. You will continue to get in better shape, health wise. One of your child may also get admission in desired and prestigious college. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Time to go after the people who own you money. It may not come in full but you may be successful in recovering most of it. Do not panic and try to change career on impulse this

month as another better offer will come towards last week of February. Some one in the family will go on a short trip this month. CANCER (June 21 to July 22): Long awaited news could come before February 15th. There will be major improvement in career this month. You may sign the papers to buy another franchise business. Speculation and playing lottery will be fruitful. You will also hear some very good news about a child towards the end of this month. LEO (July 23 to August 22): There will be excitement as every thing will start going your way. Big deals can finalize before February 15th. A child will start the process to get admission into a specialized field. Spouse may need some extra medical care towards the end of February. You will enjoy an evening with famous people this month. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22): It will be better to hold on to all important decisions till February 15th. You should face

no difficulty in achieving your goals after that let it be personal or professional. Money wise you will continue to stay comfortable. A business or life partnership will also finalize this month. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22): Financially the whole month of February is good for you and especially the second half, so keep working on your plans, you should hit it big this time. You may also discard one ungrateful friend from your list. All business trips will go well and assurance will come quick. Try playing lottery also. SCORPIO November

(October 23 to 22): You will accomplish a lot in first half of February. this is the right time to approach government agency or people in power to seek favor. Business will take off in second half and number of new clients will escalate. You will also attend couple of social events and get to meet many relatives and

friends. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 to December 22): You will be very lucky in all money matters especially in first half. Of course the trend will continue there after also. You will launch a major project and the success will be almost instant. You may travel long distance towards the end of February with the family to attend an important social event. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19): When it comes to dealing with government or law you need to be very careful or will be imposed a hefty penalty in second half of February. Do not rush into any conclusions or sign any contract in a hurry. Second opinion will help you make the right choice. A child will need moral and financial support. AQUARIUS

(January 20 to February 18): Spouse will need your help and you may not like all ideas but will

have no choice but to fulfill them. Some of you may accept a new job offer in the second half of February. You may communicate with people living overseas to discuss few important issues. Your will continue your search for another property. PISCES (February 19 to March 20): Mind will be very focused. Avoid buying any used vehicle or a run down property this month. You will receive some good tips and guidance from a totally unexpected person. It will be favorable month for people in sales. You may have to change some electric gadgets in the house in first half of February.

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

Obama In India: 10 Major Takeaways For India & US From American President’s Visit (Continued From Page 01) The two leaders managed to put the civil nuclear deal to work, took defence cooperation up another notch, besides US endorsing India for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Obama said the United States could be India’s “best partner” as he wrapped up a three-day visit by highlighting the shared values of the world’s biggest democra-

cies. All the bonhomie between the leaders, didn’t conceal the fact that India and the US got a great deal of work done after Modi broke with protocol to greet Obama and wife Michelle soon after Air Force One touched down, underlining their personal chemistry. Delhi and Washington also decided to establish hotlines between

the PM and president and also between their national security advisors, Modi said during the joint press conference with Obama after their summit meeting. We take a look at ten major takeaways from Barack Obama’s India visit. 1) Indo-US nuclear logjam broken

2) US announces $4 billion of new initiatives, trade missions 3) Cutting red-tape, holding bureaucracy accountable 4) Renewable push 5) PM Modi promises ‘ease of doing business’ 6) Asia-Pacific policy gets a new thrust

7) Obama assures on concerns over H-1B visa issue 8) Joint production on 4 defence projects: 9) Social security pact 10) Boost for Smart cities

Austin South Asian | February 2015

February 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: February 01, Sunday, 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Lunar Health Fair & Open House - Start the year off right with a checkup and fun family activities at this special Year of the Ram, Lunar New Year health fair. Glucose testing, BMI readings, blood pressure and cholesterol checks from the Asian Pharmacy Students Association at UT Austin available from 9am to 1pm. Kids crafts, story corner, photo booth and more available 10am to 2pm. FREE. AARC Ballroom, Classrooms and Community Rooms February 07, Saturday, 03:00 PM, Uttarayan 2015 - Austin Marathi Mandal is at Highland Park Elementary School, 4900 Fairview Dr, Austin, TX 78731. Tickets: AMM Members $ 5.00; Non Members $ 10.00

February 07, Saturday, 02:00 PM - 05:00 PM, Sangeethotsava 2015 hosts by Austin Kannada Sangha TX is at Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Of Austin, 2509 W New Hope Dr. Cedar Park, TX 78613. February 11, Wednesday, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, GAACC Business Buzz - In this meeting of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, learn how to effectively use email marketing to engage and communicate directly with your current and potential clients. Learn best practices from Lynn Marcus, president of Marcus + Company, Constant Contact authorized Local Expert and master certified solution provider. Register online to reserve a seat: www.austinasianchamber.org. February 12, Thursday, 01:30 PM - 08:30 PM, Get Covered America – Health

Insurance Marketplace Enrollment - Get Covered America, a non-profit that performs outreach and education on the Affordable Care Act, will be assisting uninsured families with applications to the health insurance marketplace before the Feb. 15th deadline. FREE. AARC Community Room 8. February 14, Saturday, 07:00 PM, Monsoon Dance presents Date with Bollywood - A Valentine Day Dance and Dinner Party! at HILTON AUSTIN IN DOWNTOWN, 400 E 5th St, Austin, TX 78701. February 15, Sunday, 05:00 PM, AARC Community Ambassadors Application Deadline - Ever wanted to start a book club at the AARC, a gardening group, ping pong tournament or a children’s playgroup? Now is your chance!

Apply for the new AARC Community Ambassadors program, attend two two-hour training sessions, and develop your own ongoing community program at the AARC. See our website for details and application form: www. austintexas.gov/aarc under “Get Involved.” February 19, Thursday, 07:00 PM -08:30 PM, Crimson Woman Professional Development Meeting - This meeting presented by Felora Derakhshani of Crimson Woman is open to the public and will consist of a presentation and networking. www.crimsonwoman.com FREE. AARC Conference Room. February 22, Sunday, 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM, FCC Lunar New Year - Families with Children from China presents this annual event including Austin Chinese Educational Services Choir, Bingo, Face painting,

balloons, crafts, cake, FCC dancers from April Rain, appetizers, awards, and more. Tickets range from $6.35 to $17.00 for member/ non-member toddlers, children and adults (FCC member toddlers are free) available through www. fccaustin.org. AARC Ballroom. February 28, Saturday, 10:30 PM, DESI DHAMAKA Austins Biggest Bollywood Party is at Madison Nightclub, 307 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78701. February 28, Saturday, Chinese Society of Austin Chinese New Year Celebration - Annual celebration from the Chinese Society of Austin - includes dinner, entertainment and door prizes. $20 non-member, $18 member and $10 for children under 8. Contact Li Li, lili4eve@gmail. com, 512-699-0298 (after business hours) for tickets. AARC Ballroom.

Three Simple Ways to Trim Monthly Expenses

Everyone seems to be looking for ways to save more money, especially as the cost of living is on the rise. By trimming expenses on the things you need, you can devote more toward the things you want, as well as save more for the future.

The discount experts at Dollar General are sharing some moneysaving tips to help reduce your monthly bills. Home Maintenance If you’re paying a professional to perform simple home maintenance tasks and keep up the lawn, consider doing it yourself. From pest prevention to raking and watering the lawn, many such duties are simple to perform with inexpensive tools and a free afternoon. You can also lower your monthly utility bills with a bit of mainte-

nance and a few modifications.

By frequently changing your heating, ventilation and air condi-

tioning (HVAC) filters, you may be able to lower your electric bills by improving your unit’s performance, as well as help keep it free from pollution and debris. A dirty filter may cause your unit to work harder to heat your home in the winter and cool it in the summer. A new filter can cost as little as a dollar, whereas a new HVAC unit will come with a heftier price tag. Also, consider swapping your traditional incandescent bulbs for LED light bulbs, which typically use 85 percent less energy, sav-

ing you potentially over $130 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. Healthy Habits Healthy habits can save you money down the line, from lost work time to doctor visit copays. Start with a well-balanced diet, daily exercise and a good night’s rest. In the cooler months consider soups and hot tea. Also, make sure your home is well-equipped to keep the whole family feeling their best. Stock up on vitamins, minerals, hand soap and disinfected wipes and sprays to help prevent a cold or flu. Preventive medicines can also fend off any pending illness during allergy seasons. Disinfecting wipes make it easy to clean commonly-touched household items, such as door knobs, telephones, refrigerator

door handles and TV remotes. Use disinfectant sprays to protect your family from germs and freshen up your home. Digital Coupons Coupons can save money every day, but they can be time consuming to clip. They are also often forgotten at home. However, digital coupon programs can help you avoid these hassles. For example, by signing up for Dollar General’s new Digital Coupon Program online or at check-out, you can load relevant coupons to your profile for everything from groceries and cleaning supplies to seasonal items. Digital coupons are then automatically applied when eligible items are purchased. With a bit of planning, maintenance and savvy consumerism, you can save more on the items you purchase frequently. (StatePoint)

Austin South Asian | February 2015

India Community Center (ICC) of Austin

A Love Call from Harvard? Not Quite. Emily Hong You come home from school, and your mom, bright-eyed, rushes into your room with excitement. In her hands? A thick envelope from Harvard. On the envelope? Your name. “For me? From Harvard? But…why?” You rip open the envelope, and the letter with the glorious Harvard seal reads, “Dear Johnny, we are pleased to…” You read on, hearts beating out of your chest. It’s only when you finally reach the bottom of the letter you come back to earth: “You will make a wonderful addition to our Class of 2019, and we invite you to check out our admissions page and apply this fall!” Have you ever wondered how colleges know you and can send you these emails and pamphlets? If you are a junior, chances are, your inbox is already flooded with emails from colleges asking you to apply to them. Colleges buy a list of names from SAT and ACT of students whose scores fall into a certain score range. They will then send you those shiny magazines with attractive students on the manicured verdant lawns to lure you into applying. I’ve had students who only scored about 2000 on their SATs and have received these materials from Princeton and Columbia.

These colleges all say that you will make a great addition to their community full of bright students and award-winning faculty. “Come on,” I say to my students. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” I know I sound harsh whenever I give my students a reality check like this. But, I make it a point to give my students a realistic perspective on what chances they are up against when it comes to college admissions. Too many students want to apply to Harvard “just in case” or just because their parents want them to apply because they just “might get lucky”. The reality is this: I have never seen anyone in my last 10 plus years of college admission counseling who got into Harvard with an SAT score of 2000. Most students who get admitted to Harvard or any of the Ivy Leagues usually have SAT scores of 2300 or above and ACT scores of 35 or above. I have seen nationally ranked student athletes get recruited by Harvard with a bit lower score, but still they scored in the 2200 range on the SAT. So, it’s time to get realistic and hit those SAT books, rather than drooling over those glossy Harvard pamphlets!

Bombay Express

Authenitic Indian Cafe 100% Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Tuesday - Sunday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm 1300 N IH35 Building #12, Unit # 216 Austin, Texas - 78753

512-491-5055

(Take-Away is possible on all items on the menu)

Austin South Asian | February 2015

ACROSS 1. Cookie amount 6. “You betcha!” 9. Bartenders typically split these 13. Ancient Greeks’ assembly area 14. Snake-like reef dweller 15. Gent or guy 16. Salad dressing vessel 17. African grazer 18. *Truman’s “State of the _____” was first one on TV 19. *”Return to Normalcy” President 21. *Uniform ______ Holiday Act 23. A Beatle bride 24. Cowboy’s prod 25. Egg cells 28. Wisecrack 30. Old fashioned expression of disapproval 35. Bruce Wayne in “The Dark Night” 37. Chinese dynasty from 960 to 1279 39. High-strung 40. Jessica ____ of “Dark Angel” 41. Kind of test 43. Stake driver 44. *The nation did this in Nov. ‘63 with Jackie 46. Saintly glow 47. Stack 48. Bracelet for the arm 50. “Scene one, ____ one” 52. Feather glue? 53. Cleanse 55. Bird-to-be 57. *”He Kept Us Out of War” was his slogan 60. *He hailed from Hope 64. BBQ spot 65. Building addition 67. Dry white Italian wine from Verona 68. Tim or Woody 69. *George H. W. Bush led it in the ‘70s 70. “The Lego Movie” hero 71. Join together by heating 72. Barbie’s beau 73. Nostradamus and Tiresias, e.g.

DOWN 1. “Cello Suite No. 1” composer 2. Site of Taj Mahal 3. ____ of duty 4. Belief 5. Detesting 6. Safecracker 7. Even, to a poet 8. Like Raphael’s cherubs 9. Be inclined 10. Hipbones 11. Clever tactic 12. ___ Gabriel 15. Non-competitive race 20. White _____ 22. Not safe in baseball 24. Having physical sensation 25. *”Change We Can Believe In” President 26. Courage in the face of danger 27. Vinyl collectible 29. *”No Child Left Behind” President 31. Impermanent employee 32. Characteristic 33. Throat dangler 34. *”Tippecanoe and _____ Too” 36. Anglo-Saxon nobility title 38. Apple variety 42. Bumpkin 45. *President Ford’s VP 49. Chinese “way” 51. Knights’ breastplates 54. T-shirt style 56. Fairytale garden dweller 57. Whip lash mark 58. It shall, for short 59. Behaved like Pinocchio 60. Family or kin 61. Like a broken horse 62. Last word in radio transmission 63. They now play in Brooklyn 64. “Hand” with claws 66. *George Washington couldn’t tell one?

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 | February 2015

Padma Bhushan For Mathematician Manjul Bhargava, Bill And Melinda Gates

New Delhi: BJP leader L.K. Advani, spiritual leader and philanthropist Aga Khan, actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were among the nine named for India’s second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan.

for Padma awards posthumously. Also among the Padma Vibhushan awardees was senior nuclear scientist M.R. Srinivasan, 84, who negotiated with Russia for supply of reactors for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. “I am happy to receive the award.

plants. He has previously been conferred the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, journalists Swapan Das-

The awards, declared on the eve of Republic Day, are the first Padma honors announced by the Narendra Modi government, which assumed office last May. Last month, it conferred the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, on former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya. A Home Ministry release said President Pranab Mukherjee has approved Padma awards to 104 people – Padma Vibhushan for nine, Padma Bhushan for 20, and Padma Shri for 75. Seventeen of the awardees are women. Four have been named

It is the recognition for the people who worked with me,” said Srinivasan, who has nearly 60 years experience nuclear science and oversaw the construction of most of the country’s atomic power

gupta and Rajat Sharma, lawyer Harish Salve, filmmaker Jahnu Barua, former chief election commissioner N. Gopalaswami, wrestler-turned-coach Satpal, math “Nobel Prize” winner Man-

jul Bhargava and Carnatic singer Sudha Raghunathan were among the 20 recipients of the Padma Bhushan. While Bhargava is settled in the U.S., four others in the list are foreign nationals. Barua, who is one of the six from the northeast to figure in the awards, told IANS: “It makes me happy. I feel that such recognition is necessary. A lot of good work is being done and such recognition will do good to the region.” Economist Bibek Debroy, badminton player P.V. Sindhu, space scientists S. Arunan – the project director of India’s Mars mission – and S.K. Shivkumar, director of the Indian Space Research Organization Satellite Center who held a key role in building the deep space network that was used in tracking the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbite inter-planetary satellites, were among those named for Padma Shri. “I feel deeply honored. All in the family are also elated. It is the

January 2015 Sudoku Answer: First Correct Answer: Norman Jacob

recognition for the team members,” Arunan told IANS. The list of Padma awardees includes some spiritual leaders – Swami Rambhadracharya (Padma Vibhushan), Swami Satyamitranand Giri and Shivakumara Swami (both Padma Bhushan) and Prtugal-based Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja (Padma Shri). Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and yoga guru Ramdev declined the awards. The Padma Bhushan awardees also include former Lok Sabha Secretary-general Subhash C. Kashyap. Prominent among those who have been conferred Padama Shri include Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, music director Ravindra Jain, Gujarati writer Tarak Mehta and cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma or Pran (posthumously), T.V. Mohandas Pai (trade and industry), Mithali Raj (sports) and J.S. Rajput (literature and education). Sindhu said she was pleasantly surprised. “It feels really good. I am really happy to get this award. This will further motivate me to do better and win more matches and tournaments. My family is also very happy. I really did not expect this honor and it comes as a very pleasant surprise,” Sindhu told IANS over the phone from Hyderabad.

Second Correct Answer: Yudhveer Bagga

The Padma awards are given in various disciplines and fields of activity such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Indie Meme Film Showcase 2015

To add to the backdrop of Austin’s rich artistic culture, Indie Meme presents its first international FILM SHOWCASE 2015 on February 07 & 08 at St. Edwards University.

dience National Award Winning Films, Best Actress Award Winning Performances, Music that is beautiful & haunting and Stories that are real, all neatly packaged at one venue by Indie Meme.

civil war in Sri Lanka. Brought together by fate, they fall in love only to find out the truth about his past... A beautifully told story with haunting pauses & stunning cinematography.

The 2 day film series will showcase over 10 internationally acclaimed indie films consisting of shorts, documentaries and features from Asia with Skype Q/A with many of the filmmakers.

The impressive films in the showcase are:

NEWBORNS A film which is not an observation of the survivors of Acid attacks and their experience; it is the experience itself, just as it was expressed by the women.

WITH YOU WITHOUT YOU (SRI LANKA)

A more evolved dialogue would perhaps liberate survivors from being victims… BIDESIA BAMBAI

The marginalized migrant who comes alive with his music, in a city that renders him illegal and unwanted. The music itself is raw, pulsating & so many times raunchy. The Film Show Case 2015 is an explosion of diverse cultures of South Asia. It brings to the au-

This is the story of a Sinhalese man and Tamil woman who bear the brunt of a 30-year-old bloody

Bhojpuri music, it’s stars & it’s aspirants are featured in this multilayered documentary.

HAMARE GHAR (our home) In this ‘modern’ home, there is no obvious violence and hierarchies but, as the protagonist slowly realizes, it is hidden behind caring words and gestures of love. The relationship between domestic help & their employees in an upper middle class home is explored in this short. TIMBAKTU The relationship that a farmer shares with her land, her seeds, raising critical questions about food, the very essence of human life is what the film is about. Beautifully shot and uplifting it’s magic in 30 minutes! I AM Stellar performan¬¬ces by the stalwart actors of the indie scene in India– Nandita Das & Rahul Bose are overshadowed by the grim stories they tell of the struggle to regain an identity that has been taken away from them. Set in a callous, cold unsympathetic world I Am, based on Based on true-life incidents brings up the unacknowledged common problems of modern India. THE RAT RACE

“The night rat killers” of Mumbai are the protagonists of this tale so heartwarming, that you will never complain about your profession again! AASHPORDHA (audacity) Parental authority, teenage rebellion, curry, whiskey, and house music all packed in a short poignantly funny film. SHIP OF THESEUS If the parts of a ship are replaced, bit-by-bit, is it still the same ship? Exploring questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death. Voted “amongst 15 the life-changing films of all time” by Ciritics Circle UK and according to NDTV “To miss it would be tantamount to missing one of the finest Indian films of recent times”. All these incredible stories and more are yours to watch in Austin at the exclusive FILM SHOWCASE 2015! A 2-day Film Pass is just $25. Become an Indie Meme member & get the pass for $15 only!! Log on to indiememefs. brownpapertickets.com for details, schedule and Passes. Visit indiememe.com for more information.

French Artist Romy Angevin Commissioned For prosthetics In Anushka Sharma’s NH10 NH10 is essentially a thriller at heart about a young couple who are getting away from the city for

tized and is as close to reality as possible and the same applies for the prosthetics used in the film -

something is more dramatised than what it would actually be in similar situations. Since none of our action is romanticized or loud, it was important that even our prosthetics was not over the top or designed in a way where it emphasizes the impact of the action sequence.”

Austin South Asian | February 2015

NGE Announce ‘Dishoom’ Starring Varun Dhawan, John Abraham & Jacqueline Fernandez The year 2014 has been a great one for Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE) with a line-

Says Navdeep Singh, “It’s a newage thriller and the prosthetics helped to break stereotypes. Anushka is a star but in this film we did not want to glamorize her at all.

a much needed break and how things take an unexpected turn It’s new age, gritty and looks to break stereotype and will leave you at the edge of your seat. What makes this thriller, different from the others was the fact that no scene has been over drama-

The prosthetics in the film are almost invisible and as minimal and natural as possible, professionally executed by Romy Angevin, who is an experienced make up designer from Paris, France. Reveals a unit source, “ Nowhere will you be made to feel that

We wanted the scratches, bruises and gashes she sustains to look convincing as its a very real film. That’s why a specialist in makeup and design was brought in.Romy’s experiences on stage and European films gives the film an world cinema look.”

1895 Era Recreated For Ayushmann Khurrana’s Hawaizaada entire city in Gondal, Gujarat. In order to maintain the authenticity of the era and avoid fabrication, the makers kept every single detail in mind and re-created the set from scratch.

up of super hit movies. In a recent announcement on their social media, they have confirmed that they will be soon rolling out a new film, ‘Dishoom’, which goes into production soon. The film which is directed by Rohit Dhawan stars Varun Dhawan, John Abraham & Jacqueline Fernandez. Nothing much has been clarified

As the film is set in the 1895 era,

it was difficult to find real locations. The makers travelled extensively to remote parts, villages all over India to find a desired location as they were not keen to shoot the film on a set.

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan has finally started shooting for his much talked about film Mohenjo Daro. It has been reported that the

They wanted to encapsulate the era of 1895 hence re-created an

A major chunk of the film has been shot there. The entire team has managed to bring out the era brilliantly on silver screen. HAWAIZAADA stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Pallavi Sharda, Mithun Chakraborty, Naman Jain & others. Produced by Reliance Entertainment, Vishal Gurnani & Rajesh Banga, HAWAIZAADA is released on 30th January, 2015.

NGE is in full swing with all their films proving to be a sure shot success at the Box Office. Theproduction house already has ‘Phantom’ directed by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali’s directorial ‘Tamasha’, Sabbir Khan’s film with Tiger Shroff and then Housefull 3’ with Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh directed by Sajid Farhad, in the pipeline. With so many upcoming films, looks like NGE promises another great year to cine buffs.

Hrithik Starts Shooting For ‘Mohenjo Daro’

The director made it a point to look into the nuance elements of the era while reconstructing the infrastructure.

Vibhu Puri, who is making his directorial debut with HAWAIZAADA, was keen to shoot the film in real locations and for that, the makers created an entire city from scratch in Gondal, Gujarat.

about the film yet; however going by the record, this one too is sure to be an all out entertainer, just like every other Sajid Nadiadwala film.

actor has reached Bhuj, Rajasthan and has begun his shooting for the upcoming period drama which has finally started after much stalling. The actor was spotted at the air-

port; he posed for the shutterbugs and even clicked a few pictures with fans. Roshan is back in action after his last flick Bang Bang in 2014. The actor is teaming up with director Ashutosh Gowarikar for the second time after their major hit Jodha Akbar in 2008. The Roshan fans will be soon seeing the actor onscreen as Mohenjo Daro is scheduled to release next year. The Bollywood Greek god has been cast opposite to the South actress Pooja Hegde, who will be making her Bollywood debut with the movie. Mohenjo Daro is based on the era of he famous Indus Valley civilisation in the city of Mohenjo Daro

Austin South Asian | February 2015

Huge Demand For Craze Builds Up For Dhanush’s ‘Anekudu’ ‘Karthikeya’ Hindi Rights lier films won a little acclaim among the Telugu audiences, Dhanush could not manage to create a substantial fan base here.

National award winning actor Dhanush draws huge admiration from his fans in Tamil and Hindi film circuits.

H o w e v e r, the recent hit film ‘Raghuvaran BTech’ succeeded in bringing much needed attention towards the star and his upcoming films.

Even though some of his ear-

Dhanush’s next release is ‘An-

egan’ in the direction of KV Anand. The Tamil version is releasing on 13th February, and the distributors are already showing interest in acquiring the rights for the film’s Telugu version titled ‘Anekudu’. KV Anand, being a well known name among the Telugu film lovers with films like ‘Rangam’ and ‘Brothers’, is also adding to the commercial viability for the distributors. We will have to wait and see if ‘Anekudu’ will have a simultaneous release in Telugu speaking regions along with the Tamil version.

Jyothika’s Comeback Wrapped Up

New so Jyothika’s comeback in the remake of the Manju Warrier Malayalam film ‘How Old Are

too was directed by Roshan Andrews.

The film commenced its shoot in Delhi and has wrapped its talkie portions in a span of just 46 days. It is learnt that the final shot was canned recently at Shollinganallur and that the post-production works have commenced where Savitha is dubbing for Jyothika. Rahman, Abhirami and Sanjay Bharathi have played important roles and Santhosh Narayan is scoring the music. The film will be centring on the issue of woman empowerment and will highlight the elements in a glorious manner bound to appeal to a universal audience.

You’ was received amidst wild cheer and smiles across all social networking platforms. The shooting for the ‘How Old Are you’ remake being directed by Roshan Andrews has been completed. It must be noted that the original

Jyothika’s comeback movie is being produced by Suriya under the banner of 2D Entertainment.

The film is being planned to be released by March-April 2015 as a summer treat for the fans.

ICC NEEDS VOLUNTEERS Please contact ICC or email:

iccaustin@gmail.com

Nikhil-Swathi starrer supernatural thriller ‘Karthikeya’ was a smash hit at the box office last year.

Hindi remake rights of the film. As per the latest buzz, Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Films and Atul Agnihotri are the frontrunners for the

The film’s spiritual theme mixed with logic, humor and suspense was given an overwhelming response by the audience. Made on a modest budget, the film went on to reap huge profits for its producers and the distributors.

Hindi rights and are not shying away from shelling out a bomb to grab the rights.

Noticing the potential of the film, several Bollywood leading production houses are vying for the

However, the film’s producer Venkat Srinivas seems to be in no hurry to cash in on the craze. Apparently, the producer is waiting for few more days to strike a profitable deal with the Hindi production houses.

Salman Khan’s Father Salim Khan Refuses Padma Shri Award

Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan has denied Padmashri award saying that he deserves more than that. The 79-yearold screenwriter who wrote scripts for biggest Hindi films like Sholay, Deewar and Zanzeer along with his partner Javed Akhtar has turned down precious Padma Shri award asserting that it’s too late for the Indian government to acknowledge his work and contribution to the Hindi cinema. Salim Khan feels that the central Indian government has taken too long time to give ‘Padma Shri’ award to him as his junior Javed already received both ‘Padma Shri’ and the ‘Padma Bhushan’ long back.

Austin South Asian | February 2015

1 Brand. # 1 Car.

And now,

1 Dealership in Austin*

(& that includes ALL Brands!) *per GST New and Used Sales Report 2013

For the Most Amazing Deals on Toyota, Come Check Us Out!

(1401 Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park, TX)

Affordable, Accurate, Fast, and Convenient Services !

Our Services •Individual & Business Tax Filing •Bookkeeping & Payroll Services •Sales Tax & Franchise Tax Filing •Life Insurance & financial Planning •Notary & Other Business Services

For Free Initial Consultation,

Phone: (512) 200- 7400 Email: info@alltimetax.com

SERVICE & PARTS EXCELLENCE

Service Excellence Award Customer Relations Award

All Time Tax & Financial Services, LLC

www.alltimetax.com Proud Recipent of the 2013 Presidents Award

*Most trusted tax firm in Texas helping thousands of Asian families over years *

Try us before spending big dollars on big companies, for simple tax returns !!

Austin’s only locally-owned Toyota dealership!

www.charlesmaundtoyota.com 888-256-0166 8400 Research Blvd. Austin TX

Syed Shah • 512-934-1612 syed_shah@charlesmaundtoyota.com

To Advertise in ASA call 512-828-6709

Austin South Asian | February 2015