India Herald 071019

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VOL. 25 • NO. 28 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Local teen designs MobileApp for Tamil Nadu Foundation street vendors in India celebrates Father’s Day

Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) Houston Chapter conducted its Father’s Day Celebration on Sunday, 30th June, 2019 at Sugar Land Memorial Park-Among the senior fathers who attended the event were Dr.S.G.Appan, Anantha Krishnan and C. Jegadeesan. They were recognized as Banyan tree (Alamaram Appa) which means sturdy and characterized by aerial prop roots that mature into thick woody trunks and anchor the tree to the ground. This tree symbolizes longevity which means offering continuous care and guidance to the upcoming generation in a family. Story on Page 9.

Aryan Bhatia with a street vendor using the “My cart” mobile App; Aditya Bhatiya (inset)

By SESHADRI KUMAR Two teens staying in their third floor home in an apartment building in Mumbai, India, had a daily chore. They had to stand in the balcony waiting for the street vendors every morning to buy vegetables, fruits, street food, sugar cane juice and so on.

The wait would last for 45 to 60 minutes every morning. It was boring and frustrating for the teens and they thought this was a ridiculous waste of time.

In this era of wireless technology and smart phones, the teenagers came up with an idea -invent a Mobile App to solve the problem.

And they did. Recently, their App called “MeriPheri” was released for street cart vendors in Mumbai suburbs.

Interestingly, one of the youth, 16-year-old Aditya Bhatia of Katy, a 10th grader is from the Houston area. While visiting Mumbai last summer for his vacations, he teamed up with his cousin, Aryan Bhatia and developed the App. The App, MeriPheri, in Hindi means “My Cart”. It is said to be India’s first App

that connects street vendors (called Pheriwala) to customers.

They have introduced a new term “P-Commerce” or “Pheri Commerce” like-e commerce that can revolutionize the way this small business is transacted in India.

Indian street vendors have been known for a long time to carry mobile phones. So the App is an easy application that they can use.

The App received tremendous response with almost thousand downloads in a week and great reviews.

Aditya says “There are more than 10 million street vendors in India, and hundreds of millions of people purchase from them every day. If we provide a platform to connect the two, it can simplify things and generate millions of dollars’ worth of business. It benefits both the sellers and buyers immensely.”

A state legislator Jyoti Kalani mentioned the new App in the Maharashtra State Assembly and recommended felicitating the youngsters for their unique initiative.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 3

NEWS

US denies capping H-1B visa quota

Earlier this month, reports had suggested that the US was looking to curb the number of H-1B visa recipients from India as a tit-for-tat response for the country’s data localisation eorts, which were hurting North American tech giants like Visa and MasterCard.

However, during his ongoing three-day visit to the country, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the Indian government conďŹ rmed that there were no such plans, India Today reported on June 26. “The United States’ global leadership in technology has been made possible, in part, by its ability to attract the most talented workers from around the world,â€? India’s IT trade association Nasscom said in a statement on June 20, when the headlines about restricting H-1B visa allocations ďŹ rst oated. “If US policy makes it more diďŹƒcult to hire advanced tech workers, it will only weaken the US companies that depend on them to help ďŹ ll their skills gaps, put jobs at risk, creating pressure to send technology services abroad.â€?

The US bureau of labor statistics predicts that in 2020 there will be 1.4 million more software development jobs in the country than applicants who can ďŹ ll them.

By 2030, the US could lose out on $162 billion-worth (Rs 11 lakh crore) of revenues annually in the tech sector alone unless it ďŹ nds more hightech workers, a 2018 study by management consulting ďŹ rm Korn Ferry found.

Meanwhile, India could become the next tech leader since the country is poised to have a surplus of over a million high-skilled tech workers by 2030.

Already, a slew of unfavourable tweaks to the work-visa programme by the Donald Trump administration has led to Indian IT giants like Infosys and Wipro pulling back on exporting talent.

Still, Indian nationals

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accounted for majority of the visas—over three- Donald Trump hits out at ‘unacceptable’ India tarisquarters—in the last lottery.

And it’s American consulting and tech behemoths such as eloitte and IBM which account for most of the H-1B population.

The US government has informed India that it is considering capping H-1B visas to countries that force foreign ďŹ rms to store data locally, Reuters reported on Wednesday night.

The proposal is expected to further worsen economic ties between Washington and New Delhi, which have been aected by a recent row over trade taris.

The news also comes days ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to New Delhi on June 24. Pompeo will be the ďŹ rst senior US oďŹƒcial to visit India after the Narendra Modi dispensation returned to power after elections.

The H-1B visa programme allows companies to bring skilled personnel from overseas to work in their facilities in the US under an yearly quota.

Approximately 85,000 H-1B visas are granted each year, on which there is no country-speciďŹ c limit; as many as 70 per cent of these visas are issued to Indians.

The Reuters report claimed two “seniorâ€? Indian government oďŹƒcials were briefed a week ago about the US plan to cap the number of H-1B visas issued to Indians “at between 10 per cent and 15 per centâ€? of the annual quota.

App in the Maharashtra State Assembly and recommended felicitation of the youngsters for Certified Public Accountant their unique initiative.

The teenagers meticulously Off: 713-984-4852 • Cell: 832-283-1677 designed the app with lot of • Fax: 713-278-1656 features like Cart Setting, Time Email: Email:Sharmasenanayake@yahoo.com sharma@sharma-cpa.com and Distance Setting, Alerts, Web:sharma-cpa.com Sharma-cpa.com Web: Live Calling and Tracking.

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The two are now seeking venture capital or Angel Investing funds to promote the App and get maximum downloads and usage. “We have a self-sustainable model. Three years down the COLLEGE ADMISSIONS GRADUATE ADMISSIONS line we will have big companies interested as nobody has targeted SAT ACT GMAT LSAT this market and our app will have PSAT SAT Subject GRE TOEFL tremendous data on small and petty purchases� says Aditya.

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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

VIEWS

The Elephant in the Room in Growing Indo-US Ties

By FRANK ISLAM US President Donald Trumps trip to the DMZ to meet with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and his conciliatory get together with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in Osaka Japan got most of the headlines in the US and world press at the end of June and beginning of July. The most consequential conversations during that time period, though, may have been those held by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to India before the Osaka summit and by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Summit itself.

Those discussions and the subsequent comments after them signaled that the India-US strategic partnership may be continuing to evolve in a positive direction.

Modi has diligently pursued the development of this partnership with the US. Much progress was made on that partnership during his first term. Near the end of 2018, Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, was quoted as saying that, “This has been a landmark year for US-India ties as we build out stronger relations across the board”.

This was high praise at that time. The partnership relation was strained as one moved into 2019, however. In April, a Congressional Research Service brief on US-India trade relations noted, “Bilateral tensions have increased over each side’s tariff policies.”

Then, on May 31 – the day after Modi was inaugurated to start his second term – the Trump administration announced that it was terminating India’s participation in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) which allows eligible developing countries to import to the United States duty free. Last year, the GSP accounted for approximately $5 billion of the $83.2 billion

in imports India sent to the US. India responded in midJune by putting tariffs on 28 US products – many of them farm goods such as almonds, walnuts and apples of which India is a primary consumer.

This tit-for-tat created substantial tension in the India-US relationship going into the G20 Summit.

Pompeo’s India visit and Trump’s interaction with Modi during the G20 meeting and an agreement to try to work together to resolve the trade issues relieved that tension considerably. The trade talk meeting is scheduled to be held in New Delhi in the week of July 8.

The G20-related soundbites have all been good. But soundbites will not advance the strategic partnership. What will be required is collaborative engagement and compromise.

Fortunately, there are several factors that are aligning to promote this occurring. They include: the excellent trade performance between the two countries in 2018, India’s developmental needs; support in India for more expansive trade relationships; support in the US for an enhanced partnership; and, the China-US trade war.

Numbers published by the US Office of Trade Relations show that in 2018: US goods exports to India were $33.1 billion, up 28.9 per cent from 2017; US goods imports from India were $54.4 billion, up 11.9 per cent; the US-India goods trade deficit was $ 21.3. billion, a 7.1 per cent decrease.

The biggest challenge that India will have to address to become a major player on the world stage are significant developmental needs in areas such as job creation, education, healthcare, and climate change. India will not be able to address these issues alone. It will need substantial assistance and investments from the US and others to do so.

This need has been recog-

nised and called to the attention of the Modi administration.

Shortly after the election results were announced, a highlevel advisory panel submitted a report to India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry recommending “rationalising India’s tariff structure to make it more predictable” and the creation of an Empowered Investment Promotion Agency.

There is substantial support in the US for closer ties and greater cooperation between the US and India as well. It comes from groups such as the US India Business Council at the US Chamber of Commerce and members of the IndianAmerican community such as myself who will work tirelessly to bring the two countries together.

Finally, there is the USChina trade war. This ongoing game of tariff oneupmanship is creating an opportunity for India to become a go-to nation for investments and increasing its exports. What is needed now is for representatives of the US and India to come together in a room to develop a strategic plan for the strategic partnership. In my opinion, there is only one obstacle to developing and implementing that plan successfully and producing great results for both nations.

That there is one person from the US who will not be in that meeting, who has a mind of his own, who does not work participatively, and who thinks reactively rather than strategically. That person could torpedo the US strategic partnership. If he does, we will need life rafts to keep the strategic partnership afloat until there is someone new at the helm.

(Frank Islam is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader, and thought leader.

He currently heads the FI Investment Group, a private investment holding company, in Potomac,MD.)

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The Alliance for Justice And Accountability (AJA), a coalition of progressive organizations across the United States, today urged the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), to move India into Tier 1 of “Countries of Particular Concern,” on account of the continuing deterioration in the human rights and religious freedom situation in India.

USCIRF had recently issued a statement, condemning the brutal and merciless lynching of Tabrez Ansari in the Indian state of Jharkhand. While the AJA coalition welcomes USCIRF’s statement on a shameful and inhuman murder of a young man on the basis of his religious identity, we believe the US needs to take a stronger stance on the rapid intensification of violence against religious minorities and “lower” castes in India. The first step would be to acknowledge the fact that the state of religious freedom in India at this point has reached a new low, far below the levels of Tier 2 where India had been placed by the USCIRF even before the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained power in the national elections of 2014.

Tabrez Ansari’s mob lynching is particularly nerve-wracking since the beating, caught on video tape, continued for about 12 hours, at the end of which police took the victim into custody.

He was taken to hospital only after 4 days, where he died of his injuries. The fact that the state was complicit in Ansari’s lynching is clear from reports that the police threatened the family with a similar fate when they begged for Ansari to be given medical attention. In the jail, the family found the main perpetrator of the violence berating Ansari, asking why he was not dead yet despite the severe beatings. While eleven villagers have been arrested, past incidents of mob lynching do not instill confidence in the prospect of justice being served.

Ansari happens to be the 11th victim of mob lynching in India this year. “According to web portal lynch.factchecker.in, cow protection was the most common excuse for attacks triggered by religious hate since 2014, with 77 such hate crimes being reported in the last five years,” said Dr. Shaik Ubaid, a coalition leader.

“Overall, 124 cow-related hate crimes were recorded between May 24, 2014 and April 30, 2019,” added Dr. Ubaid.

“The inhumanity of the mob that beat Tabrez for hours, forced him to chant Hindu slogans and circulated the video of the beating on social media is undoubtedly shocking. However, the complicity of law enforcement and the lack of outrage in large sections of the Indian polity, is a sign that India’s descent into fascism is rapidly accelerating, ” said Mr. Umang Kumar, a coalition constituent.

Activists in India are rightly alarmed about what the future portends with hateful rhetoric occupying so much of the national discourse. Indian social activist Harsh Mander is a founding member of Karwan-e-Mohabbat (“Caravan of Love”), a solidarity campaign for victims of hate violence, including lynchings.

Mr. Mander recently stated, “An environment has been created across the country that enables and encourages this kind of violence.”

The BJP’s landslide victory in the recent polls has emboldened Hindu supremacist groups in India to carry out mob lynchings against minorities and Dalits. In many cases, victims are targeted for reasons as varied as suspicion of possessing beef, protesting against caste discrimination or simply for their religious or caste identity. Last week a Dalit deputy “sarpanch” (village head) was beaten to death by upper caste men in Gujarat. This was the third such incident in that region in less than a month.

AJA has also noted with alarm, the direct assault on civil society in the form of the ruling party’s vendetta against whistleblowers and human rights activists. Sanjiv Bhatt, the IPS police officer who reported having been at a meeting where Mr. Modi gave the green signal for the pogrom against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, was recently sentenced to life imprisonment in a 30 year old case of custodial death. The entire case and his eventual conviction is widely seen as the ruling party’s payback for Mr. Bhat speaking truth to power. The Alliance for Justice and Accountability has pledged to work with people of all faiths to defend India from the onslaught of hate and divisiveness.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 5

ESSAY

Should you judge a book by its cover?

The book jacket has evolved into a variety of styles. One significant transition was what Chip Kidd brought into being – the photographic collage. In this column, the avid book collector discusses how with only eight seconds to persuade the reader to take a chance on a book, book jackets have evolved over the years.

One significant transition includes the photographic collage used for Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park, which was so successful that it was carried over into the marketing for the film adaptation.

By V.R. FEROSE Studies show you only have eight seconds to persuade the reader to take a chance on your book. How do you make it count?

The answer lies in the book cover. It is not surprising that some readers buy a book just for the uniqueness of its cover.

It is why my wife has often bought multiple copies of the same Agatha Christie book, especially vintage editions.

Classics like Gone With The Wind, Pride And Prejudice,

and Wuthering Heights are often released with new covers.

1984 by George Orwell has seen more than 42 different covers, my favourite being the one with the Big Brother eyes, designed by Adronauts Berlin.

Classic examples of a cover reinforcing the message of the title are Made To Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, which has an aptly placed, sticky, duct tape on the cover, while that of The End Of Food by Paul Roberts has an image of an empty styrofoam package.

Some covers of Nabokov’s Lolita have managed to take ‘suggestive’ to a whole new level.

There are many book covers that show sexually explicit content in subtle but provocative ways, like that of Tampa

by Alissa Nutting which has a buttonhole turned into a vagina, and of Sex And The Citadel by Shereen El Feki, which shows how sex is all wrapped up in religion, tradition and culture.

Artist Archie Ferguson makes a visual pun on the title of Kevin Brockmeier’s The Brief History of the Dead with his cover design of disembodied hands, their creepiness accentuated by the black-andwhite colour scheme.

A book I bought for the sheer genius of the cover was Look Who’s Back by German writer Timur Vermes, a satire about Adolf Hitler.

But as hard as it is to imagine, there was a time when books had no covers. Up to about the mid-eighteenth century, hardcover books only had boards.

Later, publishers began issuing these books wrapped in plain paper covers, their function being merely to keep the hardboards of the book free from dust. It was in the nineteenth century, when publishers began to aggressively compete to sell books, that the idea of making such plain wrappers attractive came into being. Interestingly, at first these blank covers were imprinted with not illustrations but advertisements for future books from the publisher!

The book jacket has evolved into a variety of styles. One significant transition was what Chip Kidd brought into being – the photographic collage.

Kidd began experimenting with a marriage of letters and photographic objects and has since become one of the most famous book-cover designers.

His most notable was for Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park, which was so successful that it was carried over into the marketing for the film adaptation.

Chip Kidd: Book One is a collection of all his book covers and designs, as well as hundreds of developmental sketches and concepts; it is annotated by Kidd and many of

the best-selling authors he’s worked with.

One study of Kidd’s work notes that he “uses every surface of a hardcover jacket – the spine, the back, the flaps – to escape the two-dimensional world of graphic design”.

When it comes to magazine covers, the New Yorker is unbeatable. I have over the years collected issues of TIME magazine that have Indians on the cover.

Cover Story by Steven Heller and Louis Fili showcases memorable magazine covers that are the result of successful collaborations between graphic designers, writers, and marketers.

This is commercial illustration at its most alluring and sophisticated. Hence it is no surprise that many collect rare magazine covers in addition to rare and unique books.

Some collect yellowbacks, a cheap novel published in Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century. Developed in the 1840s to compete with the “penny dreadful”, they were marketed as entertaining reading and had brightly coloured covers.

Among Indian books, I had always loved the simplicity of the covers of Ruskin Bond and RK Narayan books; their artwork resonated with the characters in the stories.

Speaking of Indian books, I spent considerable time with

my graphic artist Sriram Jagannathan when we were making the cover of GRIT: The Major Story.

A book cover should stir the curiosity of buyers and lead readers though the story. It is heartening that there are several talented book designers working in India today, some as full-time in-house graphic artists for publication houses, and others who freelance.

While many of them are influenced by the work done at US and UK publishing houses, they also bring their own desi slant to their design work.

There are so many books being published that it is hard to keep track of all the covers.

But the real good ones will remain with you for a long time.

It was Orhan Pamuk who said: “Book covers are like people’s faces: either they remind us of a lost happiness or they promise blissful worlds we have yet to explore. That is why we gaze at book covers as passionately as we do faces.”

And whoever said, don’t judge a book by its cover!

(Ferose is a technologist based in Silicon Valley, and is gently mad about books. Based in Palo Alto, VR Ferose heads the SAP Engineering Academy.)

—SIMRAN AHUJA in NEW INDIAN EXPRESS

“49 “44Years Years Visit www. India-herald.com.

and Counting, Providing Services Email: 1970-2019 1970 - 2014 To Generations editor@india-herald.com of Businesses and Professionals Around The World”

PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

NEWS

Sitharaman walks the talk for foreign investors India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, aims to steady the economy alongside some attractive tax concessions for foreign direct investment (FDI) with the Indian Budget, writes India Inc. Founder & CEO Manoj Ladwa.

Foreign investors should be pleased. Presenting the ďŹ rst Budget of Narendra Modi’s second term, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman eased tax compliance norms, pushed for greater use of digital payments, assured start-ups that there would be no harassment on the issue of Angel Tax, provided massive tax concessions for the manufacture and adoption of electric vehicles, announced tax and other incentives for foreign companies to invest in India and set out the roadmap for making India a $5-trillion economy over the next ďŹ ve years.

Allaying apprehensions of a section of investors that the Indian Prime Minister’s focus on welfare schemes was diluting his commitment to economic reforms, the Finance Minister emphatically said that India Inc was the main job and wealth creator of the country.

Fiscal math adds up Fiscal hawks will also be pleased to know that the ďŹ scal deďŹ cit for the current year is estimated at 3.3 per cent of GDP, down 10 basis points from the comparable ďŹ gure of 3.4 per cent for the previous year.

Globally competitive invest-

ment destination The Finance Minister has signalled the Modi government’s intent to reform the Indian factor markets – land, labour and capital – which a majority of analysts acknowledge as the big drag on the economy.

She announced that 44 labour laws will be crunched into four codes that will simplify laws and reconcile the many contradictions and conicts that now bedevil India’s labour market. She was short on details, but in terms of signalling, it sent out a powerful message that the Modi government is serious about making India a globally competitive investment destination.

Sitharaman, who made history with her Budget Speech as India’s ďŹ rst full-time female ďŹ nance minister, took another step towards redeeming the pledge of reducing corporate tax to 25 per cent for companies with a turnover of an estimated $57 million. This means 99.3 per cent of all companies will now pay tax of 25 per cent of their net proďŹ ts – bringing India closer to the tax rates of competitor economies such as the ASEAN nations.

I see many experts and analysts on Indian television channels questioning why this lower tax rate wasn’t extended to all companies, i.e. why 0.7 per cent of companies were left out. It’s a fair point. Hopefully, it will be addressed in the coming years.

Easier foreign investment norms She also announced a slew of measures for foreign institutional investors (FII) and foreign portfolio investors.

FII and FDI in infrastructure debt funds can be sold to any domestic investor within a lock-in period and FPI norms will be rationalised and KYC guidelines streamlined to make it more investment friendly.

She also announced the merger of the NRI portfolio and FPI routes of ďŹ nancial investments.

The Finance Minister pointed out that FDI inows to India remained robust, rising 6 per cent to $64 billion last year despite global FDI ows declining 3.3 per cent.

There have been reports in the Indian media that several foreign investors in China are looking at India as an alternative investment destination. ‘The Economic Times’, India’s largest ďŹ nancial daily, reported that up to $50 billion in investments could come to India as a result of the US-China trade war.

In order to make India more attractive for foreign investors, Sitharaman announced tax concessions for companies bringing FDI into India. She said the government will make it easier for such investors to enter the Indian aviation, media, insurance and other sectors with up to 100 per cent ownership. However, her speech did not have too many details on this measure.

The Budget also announced easier local sourcing norms for single brand retail, addressing a major pain point of foreign investors. Norms for foreign reinsurers to set up shop in India will also be eased.

Ambitious divestment target The Finance Minister has set a very ambitious disinvestment target of more than $17 billion, a 5 per cent increase over the previous year. She also reiterated the government’s intent of privatising the loss-making national carrier Air India. But given that Air India could not be sold last year and the recently bankrupt Jet Airways has not been able to ďŹ nd any buyer, I’m not sure if investors will come forward to bid for the “Maharajahâ€?.

However, the move to club the government’s direct holding in public sector companies with those of governmentowned companies while calculating the 51 per cent stake that is essential for maintaining public sector status will increase the oating stock of these companies and enable foreign investors to increase their stakes in these companies.

Banking sector clean-up In my opinion, one of the most important proposals of this Budget is the $10 billion recapitalisation of public sector banks. As every expert worth his soundbite has said, the overhang of bad loans has made it impossible for the Indian banking sector to lend

money needed for domestic investments.

This funding, coming on the top of a $72 billion clean-up of the bad loan mess, should provide banks with suďŹƒcient comfort to pass on the beneďŹ ts of lower rates to customers and also lend more to the private sector.

The Finance Minister reiterated the Modi government’s intent to spend around $160 billion on infrastructure over the next ďŹ ve years. The banking sector reforms will facilitate this process.

Read between the lines and it becomes clear that the government is now intent on moving India from being a consumption-driven economy to an investment-driven one.

All the major miracle economies – ďŹ rst ASEAN and the east Asian countries to China – have been investment-driven. India bucked the trend by depending on domestic consumption to drive growth.

Now, India seems to be moving towards the tried and test model that has worked all over the world.

In sum, Sitharaman’s ďŹ rst Budget is a bold statement that has clearly laid the roadmap for transforming India into a $5-trillion economy by 2024.

(Manoj Ladwa is the Founder and CEO of India Inc. publishers of India Global Business magazine.)

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 7

COMMUNITY Entertainment company Shemaroo appoints Kunal Wadhwani to head US operations NEW JERSEY Shemaroo Entertainment Limited (Shemaroo), one of India’s leading entertainment content houses, which entered the US market with the launch of its video streaming service ShemarooMe in April 2019, announces that Kunal Wadhwani will be heading its US operations.

Wadhwani has been with Shemaroo for over three years and has held multiple roles, including as head of social media and digital marketing. Prior to joining Shemaroo, he served as Everymedia Technology’s (Mumbai) director of media planning and buying.

Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo said, “Our entry into the US with the launch of ShemarooMe has opened up massive opportunities, and this new role is our commitment to deliver Bollywood content across borders. Kunal’s enterprising strength and innate understanding of the digital space will be a strong fit for the US market.”

Shemaroo Entertainment Limited is a leading global content power house, which has played a pioneering role in the arena of content ownership, aggregation and distribution.

Shemaroo has been a core part of the Bollywood Industry and has managed to maintain many relationships with the best production houses over the years.

With a diverse and growing collection of over 3700 titles, Shemaroo has offered premium content and services to customers in more than 30 countries, across several Indian languages. With the brand in existence for over five decades, Shemaroo continues to redefine itself to respond to the disrupting consumer environment, by delivering content across age groups in genres such as movies, comedy, devotional and kids.

The company’s innate ability to sense the pulse of what an audience will consume, has not only helped it become a trusted partner to few of the biggest media platforms such as YouTube, Hotstar, Star Gold, Zee Cinema, Vodafone, Reliance Jio, Tata Sky, Apple iTunes, Etisalat, but has also helped Shemaroo create entertainment experiences, in ways never thought of.

ShemarooMe is the Over the Top video streaming app of Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, one of India’s leading content power house.

Over 55 years of being in the media and entertainment industry, Shemaroo has now evolved to be a significant player in the digital ecosystem. ShemarooMe is a comprehensive app with a diverse and exclusive content offering for an audience looking for Bollywood, Gujarati, Devotion, Punjabi, and Kids categories. Consumers can download the ShemarooMe OTT app from Google Play, iOS App store and http://shemaroome.com/.

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International Day of Yoga at The Woodlands

On June 22nd, hundreds of Yogis celebrated the summer solstice by participating in the third annual International Day of Yoga hosted at Town Green Park in The Woodlands.

On this day, more than a dozen of volunteers woke up early to promptly set up the stage, sound system, and sponsor tables before the event formally began at 7a.m..

In their third year of hosting the event, the Hindu Temple of The Woodlands EYS services with Consul General of India welcomed many former guests such as the Isha Foundation and the Body and Brain Yoga Foundation.

The morning began with an array of devotional Indian Music that at once created a serene environment for the rest of the events.

As the lines of community members and Yogis slowly filled the vast space of the park, many closed their eyes to respectfully await the starting

and power, orange for sexuality and creativity, and finally red for basic trust.

And so, after about an hour of doing various yoga forms, we were led by the Hindu Temple of the Woodlands to do twelve Surya Namaskars, a sun salutation, preparing us for the International Day of Yoga Protocol outlined by the Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modiji and his government.

In all the event was about two-and-a-half hours to three hours, where at 10AM many gleefully got up from the serene morning to receive the complimentary drinks and snacks sponsored by HEB. We thank our other sponsors: Memorial Hermann Hospital of the Woodlands, North Wood Family Medicine, Villa Sports, and our fellow supporters: Costco, HEB, Starbucks, Wal Mart, and McDonald for making this event memorable!

—NEETA SHUKLA, M.D.

prayers.

Soon after, the first type of yoga began with Sahaja Yoga that focused on deep meditative breathing guiding us to be mindfully aware of our surroundings and our own individual actions.

The Isha Foundation then gracefully led us through some warmup poses and asanas.

At around 8AM, the Body and Brain Yoga led us through some unorthodox forms of Yoga that included the Korean Art of Tai Chi Yoga.

Many who had never done this before, eagerly participated in the warrior poses and in unison stretched their muscles.

Of the assembly, what stood out the most was the colorful chakras laid out in the center of the field. Starting the chakra or the seven vortexes of energy was purple symbolizing spirituality, followed by blue for awareness, light blue for communication, green for love and healing, yellow for wisdom

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PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

NEWS

Budget does not ignore middle class: Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday sought to quell complaints that the Budget had ignored the middle class and punished the rich, and the government was turning protectionist in trade policies.

She said the proposals for infrastructure and affordable housing would help the middle class, and the tax hike should be viewed as a sharing of responsibility rather than a measure to punish the rich.

“If you use the fuel tax hike and say I am hitting at the middle class, I would say I am investing in better metros, better public transport and so I expect there would be a behavioural shift towards more public transport usage,” she said.

The Finance Minister said the announcement of deductions for affordable housing was not aimed at the super-rich but at the middle class. T She also made the point that consumption was not ignored since investment in public infrastructure would put money in the people’s hands, as would the proposed minimum wage legislation the government was trying to pass.

Ms. Sitharaman defended her announcement of a 10% import duty on newsprint and a 5% duty on imported books saying it was aimed at encouraging domestic industry and the usage of domestic supply.

“I think there is enough number of publishing houses in India and also printers who have been voicing a concern saying we are being flooded by cheap books being printed outside,” she said.

“Why should the capacities which have been invested in India lie idle just because books coming in from outside are cheap?”

“I think there is enough newsprint in India available which should first be utilised,” Ms Sitharaman said. “We wanted to make sure that happens.”

India’s newsprint demand was estimated to be about 2.7 million tonnes in 2018-19, according to Care Ratings. The industry estimates put the domestic capacity at only 15-20% of it. The hike in the import duty is expected to significantly raise production costs for the newspapers and magazines.

However, the Minister said this move, along with the numerous other import duty hikes she announced, should not be viewed as being protectionist.

“We have been asked if the government is becoming protectionist. Not at all,” she said. “We wanted to support Make in India, and therefore, where capacities exist within India for products that can be usefully bought by Indian procurers, we want to extend that help by deterring imports.”

Regarding the surcharge on those earning more than ₹2 crore a year, she emphasised the difference between rights and duties.

“There is a duty and there is a right,” she said. “Equally, all of us have to commit ourselves to building this country. It is not a punishment. It is more sharing of the responsibility. We cannot afford to have those who are in the poorest sections of our society to remain without basic amenities. We all have to share in... Therefore, I don’t see it as a punishment. It is part of ‘please participate in building this country’ exercise.”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her Budget speech on Friday, announced that the government will shortly be releasing new rupee coins for public use.

These coins will be in the denominations of one, two, five, 10 and 20 rupees.

Earlier this year in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the new coin series, saying they will be easily identifiable for the visually impaired.

The coins will feature the Ashoka Pillar, the words ‘Satyameva Jayate’, ‘Bharat’, ‘India’ on the obverse sides, while the reverse will contain the denominational value in words and numbers, along with the rupee symbol, according to a March 6, 2019 gazette notification. The Rs. 20 coin will have a nickel silver outer ring, with an inner ring made of nickel brass, and will weigh between 8.33 or 8.75 grams.

SC won’t hear TikTok plea to transfer cases of ban from Madras HC The Supreme Court on Thursday refused a plea by Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the short-form TikTok mobile video application, to transfer cases relating to its ban from the Madras High Court to the apex court for speedy disposal.

Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for the company, highlighted the larger issue of right to free speech and expression and protection afforded to intermediaries under the Information Technology Act. He said the petitions pending before the Madurai Bench of the High Court should be transferred to the apex court for final disposal.

However, the company withdrew its plea after the Bench said it was not inclined to transfer the case from the High Court to itself.

The apex court had directed the High Court to decide on April 24 the plea of TikTok seeking interim relief of lifting the ban imposed by it. The High Court on that day lifted its ban on the social media app with the condition that the platform should not be used to host obscene videos. On April 3, the High Court directed the Centre to TikTok as it voiced concern over “pornographic and inappropriate content” being made available through such apps.

Though the High Court did not object to TikTok being used in jest, it pointed out how the application could be used for crude humour against innocent parties and lead to violation of the fundamental right to privacy.

The High Court had observed that inappropriate contents were being made available to children. Majority of the teenagers were playing pranks, gaffing around with duet videos and sharing split screen with strangers. This could expose the vulnerable ones to sexual predators.

The court took cognisance of the fact that countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh had banned TikTok and the U.S. enacted the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to safeguard children.

To advertise in India Herald email editor@india-herald.com call 281-799-9459 (cell)

Ayodhya: Supreme Court to hear plea; mediation proceedings not moving

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a plea of a claimant to the disputed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land that the mediation proceedings triggered by the court to heal hearts and minds is making no headway.

In an urgent mentioning before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, the claimant asked the court to instead list the Ayodhya appeals for hearing “at the earliest”.

The application was made by Rajendra Singh, survivor of Gopal Singh Visharad who first approached the court in 1950 for a declaration that “he is entitled to offer worship without any obstruction according to the rites and tenets of his religion at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram Chandra”. Visharad had also sought a “permanent prohibitory injunction against the removal of the idols of Lord Ram situated at the place of birth”.

Appearing for him, senior advocate P.S. Narasimha claimed that “not much progress” had been made in the mediation proceedings conducted by an apex court-appointed panel of mediators, including former top court judge, Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla, as Chairman; spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, a pioneer in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the country.

“Despite initial reluctance in the process of mediation, the applicant herein wholeheartedly participated in the mediation proceedings conducted by the three eminent persons appointed by the court. However, in the three meetings participated during a period of five months, neither any concrete proposal has come from anyone nor any headway is likely to be made in the process of mediation,” the application said.

The CJI has asked him to file his application, signalling the court would examine the plea.

A five-judge Bench led by CJI Gogoi, on May 10, granted the mediation committee time till August 15 to continue with its efforts to resolve the prolonged and strife-ridden Ayodhya title dispute.

The Ayodhya mediation committee had filed an interim report dated May 7 with the Constitution Bench.

The Bench had sent the Ayodhya dispute for mediation on March 8 in a bid to heal minds and hearts. It had given the panel an initial deadline of eight weeks.

Eight weeks time The eight weeks was the time given to the Muslim parties to examine the accuracy and relevance of the Uttar Pradesh government’s official translation of thousands of pages of oral depositions and exhibits in the Ayodhya title suit appeals pending since 2010 in the court.

The committee had held several rounds of mediation with the stakeholders in Faizabad district, of which the disputed area in Ayodhya is a part of.

The CJI had expressed the hope that mediation may spell a peaceful end to the volatile dispute between the members of the two religious faiths. The court had pushed for a possible out of court settlement despite objections raised by some Hindu parties that their faith in Lord Ram’s birthplace was “non-negotiable”.

The Bench had explained that the case “is not about the 1500 sq ft of disputed land, but about religious sentiments. We know its impact on public sentiment, on body politic. We are looking at minds, hearts and healing if possible”.

Gandhi’s pic on liquor bottles: Jaishankar says Israeli firm has stopped production, apolozised

An Israeli company that put Mahatma Gandhi’s image on liquor bottles has stopped the production and supply of the product and is making all efforts to withdraw it from the market after India took up the issue with it, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour on Tuesday, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the Israeli company had insulted the ‘Father of the Nation’ by printing his picture on liquor bottles. He had demanded action against the company and removal of the bottles carrying the pictures.

In a letter to Singh, Jaishankar said, “We share your outrage on the issue. Our embassy has already raised the issue with the Israeli company. The company has stopped the production and supply of the bottles and is making all efforts to withdraw the product from the market.”

It has also offered its heartfelt apologies to the people and Government of India, and has regretted its actions, he added.

COMMUNITY

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 9

TNF Houston chapter celebrates Father’s Day

Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) Houston Chapter conducted its Fathers’ Day Celebration on Sunday, 30th June, 2019 at Sugar Land Memorial Park- South Meadow Pavilion.

The TNF office bearers and members of the Advisory Board along with their families arrived at 10.00 AM and started the function arrangements. Some of those who participated brought food, audio-visuals and other needed items for celebrating the event.

President of the Houston Chapter, Mala Gopalakrishnan gave the welcome address, offered a brief introduction of the TNFChapter activities and introduced the officers namely Secretary Dr. Nalini Balachandran, Treasurer Punitha Thangaraj and the Advisory Board members.

Among the TNF Board members who attended the function were Dr. Vaduganathan, Srikanth Venugopal and Bala J. Balachandran with their families.

In her welcome address, Mala Gopalakrishnan mentioned that the TNF took a lead in organizing the Fathers’ day celebration this year. Among the senior fathers who attended the event were Dr.S.G.Appan, Anantha Krishnan and C. Jegadeesan. They were recognized as Banyan tree (Alamaram Appa) which means sturdy and characterized by aerial prop roots that mature into thick woody trunks and anchor the tree to the ground. This tree symbolizes longevity which means offering continuous care and guidance to the upcoming generation in a family.

The Father’s Day celebrations started in a pleasant manner with a prayer song sung by Anantha Krishnan, followed by Karaoke-songs offered by Ganesh Rajamani, Uma Shankar, Kishore Thangaraj, Nalini Balachandran, Thenmozhi Ganesh, Anitha Chandrashekar and Priya Senthil. Aadhi Gopalakrishnan and Aakash Srikanth sang a popular Tamil song.

This was followed by a debate (Patti Mandram) on the topic “Future of Children’s Career is Self-driven or under Father’s guidance.”

There were three participants in each group. Those who supported ‘Self driven” were Dr. Jeevaraj, Dr. P. Stalin and Dr. Vaduganathan and those who supported the group “Father’s guidance” were Chokkalingam, Govindan and Thangaraj. The above three senior fathers volunteered to be the judges for the debate.

The speakers of the” Self-driven group “stressed the importance of allowing children to take their own decisions in building their future career namely education, job and life style. In the contemporary world, children are well aware about good and bad things in their lives and sometimes they help the parents in routine day-to-day activities.

On the other hand, the ‘Father’s guidance group” presented the view on the significance of abiding the continuous guidance and mentorship of parents for leading their children’s bright future career.

The discussions were very hilarious and livened the debate.

On hearing both sides of the debate, the judges narrated specific examples from their own personal lives and concluded that the future of children’s career can be Self driven as well as by close monitoring and guidance of parents.

This combined effort will provide a healthy atmosphere for the well-being of the entire family. The President of the Houston Chapter congratulated the speakers of both groups for their valuable contributions.

The organizers served a sumptuous lunch and snacks to all the participants. Amid much cheers, the program continued with some more pleasant songs offered by attendees. The weather was very pleasant throughout the day. There were about 80 people that included children and adults who equally enjoyed the event.

Dr. Nalini Balachandran offered the vote of thanks. She thanked the office bearers, Advisory Board members and other participants of the event for their involvement and making the function a grand success.

—Dr. P. Stalin

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 11

NEWS Pontiff blesses ISRO chief for successful Moon Mission

Ahead of Chandrayaan 2 launch, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K. Sivan offered special prayers at the Sri Krishna mutt in Udupi on July 7.

According to a statement from the Palimar Mutt, Mr. Sivan and his family met the paryaya seer Vidyadheesha Tirtha and sought his blessings.

Chandrayaan 2, India’s second Moon mission, will be launched on July 15, 2019

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Support A Child (SAC) Project Dhaatu Puppet Theater Presents

“A Puppet & Dance Musical Show” A Broadway Style Entertaining Performance

Directed by: Anupama Hoskare from Bengaluru

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 13

Spirituality

How can the food we eat affect the mind?

“We must eat the right food, We must behave properly, and sleep the right amount. Everything we do must be regulated.” If we eat too much or too little, nature will punish us. When the body does not get the vitamins and proteins it requires, it falls victim to various diseases. We are then unable to progress spiritually and materially.

The Vedas tell the story of the Sage Uddalak, who had a disciple named Shvetaketu. Uddalak told Shvetaketu that since food and drink significantly affect the mind, one must consume sattvic food.

One should not become a slave to the whims and fancies of the mind: “Today I want to eat a rasgulla,” “Today I feel like puris and samosas,” and so on. Most of us have an attachment to taste. “What will you cook today?” “What’s for lunch today?”

Uddalak explained that this weakness for taste defiles the mind.

Shvetaketu did not understand this, and questioned his master, “Food is meant for the gross body, and the mind is subtle matter, so how can the food we eat affect the mind? Food and drink are physical things. Whether we eat dry bread or a rasgulla, should be irrelevant.”

Actually, the food we eat is divided into three parts. One part is converted into excreta; one part turns into blood, flesh and marrow that constitute the physical body. The third part nourishes and develops the mind. Thus, our ideas are affected by what we eat and drink.

There are five sheaths that cover the soul, and when our sadhana crosses the first one, the annamaya kosh, then food and drink will no longer affect us. Consuming meat and alcohol will not matter. But until we have crossed the annamaya kosh, the food we eat will continue to influence the mind.

People tell me, “Maharaj Ji! I cannot control my temper. I am also fond of chillies, and eat three or four every day.” “Why do you eat such hot food?” “Because I enjoy it, and I am unable to give it up.” “In that case, you will be unable to give up anger as well.”

If you eat the wrong food, you will have to suffer the consequences.

Shvetaketu did not understand his Guru’s statement. Although he did not refute his Guru’s words, he was confused. Noticing his bewilderment, Uddalak ordered, “Shvetaketu! No food for you today.” The next day, he repeated his instruction, and continued doing so for sixteen consecutive days.

After sixteen days of fasting, Shvetaketu was finding it difficult

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to move, and his head was spinning.

In that state, Uddalak asked him to recite and explain some Vedic verses. Shvetaketu was not able to remember anything.

On the seventeeth day, the Guru ordered that Shvetaketu be given some milk. The following day he was permitted to eat some fruit.

Then the Guru asked him to recite a Ved mantra.

This time, Shvetaketu could easily recite the verse. Uddalak then said to him, “My son! I asked you the same question two days ago, but you could not reply, and today you are able to do so easily.

So you see, food does affect the mind.”

Sattvic food creates a sattvic intellect. Rajasic food creates a rajasic intellect, and tamasic food creates a tamasic intellect.

Therefore, we should be careful about what we eat. Do not be a slave of taste.

Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation. He is the founder of the unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul.

He received His degrees in Engineering and Management from IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Kolkata). Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. For the last 3 decades, Swamiji has been inspiring people all over the world, on the path of Spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society and God-realization.

He has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle etc. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Kellogg and Duke University.

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PAGE 14 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

NEWS

14 Karnataka MLAs stationed near Pune, waiting for speaker’s decision on resignation

Fourteen MLAs of Karnataka’s ruling coalition are in a place about 90 km from Pune and will wait for the Speaker’s decision on their resignations before taking a call on proceeding to Goa or returning to Bengaluru, sources said on Tuesday.

The 14 MLAs, at the centre of the crisis in the JD(S)Congress government, had been staying in a luxury hotel in Mumbai and left on Monday evening for Goa. But they are presently stationed at a location 90 km from Pune, towards Satara, in Maharashtra, the sources said.

If their resignations are accepted, they may even go back to Bengaluru, they added.

The MLAs -- 10 of the Congress, two of the JD (S) and two Independents -- were to travel to Goa by road, accompanied by Mumbai BJP Yuva Morcha president Mohit Bhartiya, they said.

“The decision on whether to go to Goa will be taken at 3 pm after the Karnataka Assembly Speaker (Ramesh Kumar) takes a call on the resignations of these MLAs. If he accepts the resignations, the MLAs may even go back to Bengaluru,” a source said.

Seven more MLAs of the ruling combine from Karnataka are likely to join the 14 legislators later in the day, the source said.

The monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature will begin on July 12. Maharashtra BJP legislator Prasad Lad had earlier said the 14 MLAs left the luxury hotel in Mumbai where they were staying at 5 pm on Monday.

They were expected to stay at a resort in Goa where ar-

rangements were made for them, the sources said.

The year-old CongressJanata Dal (S) coalition government in Karnataka is on the brink of collapse after the spate of resignations by the MLAs. The Karnataka Assembly has 225 members, including one nominated MLA. The halfway mark in the 225-member Assembly is 113.

Before the latest spate of resignations, the Congress had 78 MLAs, the JD(S)-37 and the BJP-105.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition effectively had the support of 119 MLAs in an Assembly.

BJP in Karnataka has decided to stage a dharna here on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who it claimed, has lost majority after 14 MLAs of the ruling Congress-JD(S) quit.

The coalition has been rocked by the resignations of 14 MLAs - 11 of Congress and three of JDS. “I have held discussions with our legislators and we have decided to hold a protest in front of the Gandhi statue at 11 AM, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy who has lost majority,” party state unit Chief B S Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

The former Chief Minister has been holding a series of meetings with party leaders at his residence since morning on the ongoing political developments and BJP’s plan of action.

According to sources, Yeddyurappa is expected to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

BJP’s protest comes a day after Congress leaders,including AICC General Secretary K C

Venugopal and Congress Legislature Party leader Si Siddaramaiah staged a dharna in front of the Gandhi statue, accusing the party of trying to destabilize the government by undemocratic means, using money and political power.

In a blow to the Kumaraswamy led Congress-JD(S) government, the number of coalition MLAs who have resigned has increased to 14,with the addition of R Roshan Baig on Tuesday.

Of the 14 MLAs,11 are from Congress and three from JD(S).

The ruling coalition faces the threat of losing its majority if the resignations of the rebel MLAs are accepted.

The JD(S)-Congress coalition’s total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.

With the support of the two independents, who Monday resigned from the ministry, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224 member House, where the half-way mark is 113.

If the resignations of the 14 MLAs are accepted, the coalition’s tally will be reduced to 102.

The Speaker also has a vote.

Meanwhile, a delegation of BJP leaders,led by party state General Secretary Arvind Limbavali went to the office of the Speaker Ramesh Kumar to meet him, but he was not there.

Speaking to reporters, Limbavali said they had come to meet him regarding the assembly session,starting from July 12.

“But the Speaker has told us he is away, so we will seek an appointment once again and meet him.”

UN report on Kashmir legitimises terrorism: India India on Monday slammed a United Nation human rights body’s report on Jammu & Kashmir situation and called it continuation of the earlier “false and motivated” narrative which ignored the core issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Refuting the report, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “The update of the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is merely a continuation of the earlier false and motivated narrative on the situation in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir. The legitimisation of terrorism has been further compounded by an unacceptable advocacy of the dismemberment of a UN member state.”

India’s retort came after the Geneva-based OHCHR, which last year released its first-ever report on Kashmir, issued an “update” of the 2018 report on Monday, claiming that “neither India nor Pakistan has taken any concrete steps to address the numerous concerns raised”.

The MEA said the OHCHR “update” is in complete variance with positions of UN Security Council, which had strongly condemned the dastardly Pulwama terror attack and subsequently proscribed Masood Azhar, the Pakistan-based terrorist.

“A situation created by years of cross-border terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistan has been ‘analysed’ without any reference to its causality. The OHCHR update seems to be a contrived effort to create an artificial parity between the world’s largest and the most vibrant democracy and a country that openly practises state-sponsored terrorism,” Kumar said.

The OHCHR report claims the civilian casualties reported in Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from May 2018 to April 2019 may be the highest in over a decade and called on the UN Human Rights Council to consider “the possible establishment of a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir”.

“We have registered our strong protest regarding the update with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The release of such an update has not only called into question the seriousness of OHCHR but also its alignment with the larger approach of the United Nations,” Kumar said.

India follows the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and will take all measures to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty against cross-border terrorism, Kumar said.

“Motivated attempts to weaken our national resolve will never succeed,” the MEA said.

The report’s failure to recognise an independent judiciary, human rights institutions and other mechanisms in J-K that safeguard, protect and promote constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights to all citizens of India is “unpardonable”, Kumar said.

Bacchus worshippers in India rise

With liquor consumption on the rise, alcohol has emerged as the most common psychoactive substance used by Indians followed by cannabis and opioids.

While over 16 crore people in the country consumed alcohol, around 3.1 crore used cannabis, and about 77 lakh people take opioids. Of them, more than 5.7 crore alcohol users, 72 lakh cannabis users, and about 77 lakh opioid users are addicted and need help.In a calling attention motion moved in the Rajya Sabha over the use of drugs among schoolchildren, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot gave out these numbers and said the Government is also conducting a survey in 10 cities across the country to assess the pattern and profile of substance use among school and college students.

“Total sample size of schools and colleges would include 6,000 students and 2,000 college students. The report of this survey is expected to be received by November this year,” he said.

The study covers cities like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Ranchi. Elaborating on various actions being taken by the Government to curb the drug addiction menace, Gehlot said it has prepared a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.

As part of the NAPDDR, the Ministry is undertaking focussed intervention programmes in 127 high risk districts.

During 2018-19, the Government released Rs 112.33 crore for the programme while in the current fiscal an outlay of Rs 135 crore has been allocated, Gehlot said. The Minister said more than 5.7 crore alcohol users, 72 lakh cannabis users and about 77 lakh opioid users are addicted and need help.

He said as per findings of a national household survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2018, 1.18 crore people between the age group of 10-75 years are taking sedatives and 77 lakh are using inhalents and children and adolescents were found to be using inhalents more than others.

NEWS Pleas to allow Muslim women to enter mosque dismissed

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by the State president of the Kerala unit of the Akhil Bharatha Hindu Mahasabha to allow Muslim women to enter mosques for offering prayers and to shed the “purdah” system.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi refused to entertain the plea by Swamy Dethathreya Sai Swaroop Nath, who had challenged the Kerala High Court’s dismissal of his petition.

“Let a Muslim woman challenge it,” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed orally.

The petitioner said he “looks upon Muslim women as none other than his sisters”. “The segregation and discrimination shown against Muslim women by not allowing them to enter and pray in masjids in the main prayer hall along with their male counterparts is against Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution,” the petition said. Any strict adherence to the preachings and teachings of past centuries was “equivalent to the strict adherence to the size and type of clothes worn during childhood even during adulthood. This amounts to obstinacy,” it said. On “purdah”, it said the “culture and concept of looking at a woman as a personal belonging has led to the purdah system”. “In a hot country like ours, it is a cause of discomfort… Moreover, it gives anti-social elements a chance to misuse the apparel to conceal oneself and do anti-social acts,” it argued.

U.S. ban lends support to Baloch fighters

Following the U.S. ban on the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the militant organisation’s support base has widened within the political spectrum of Balochistan with even a prominent overground leader urging the U.S. to reconsider its decision. Hyrbyair Marri, one of the nationalist leaders living in exile, has come out with open support for the militant organisation.

“Taliban, the brainchild of Pakistan, has been complicit in bringing the Twin Towers down and now the U.S. has unfortunately bent its knees to appease Pakistan and Taliban by banning the Baloch organisation. The Trump administration should rethink their decision,” he said in a message on the social media.

Mr. Marri is a son of the late Khair Bakhsh Marri and a political scion of the Marri clan. He is known as a leader for the Free Balochistan Movement and remains in exile but not in hiding.

Mr. Marri’s comment came days after the U.S. Treasury added the BLA in the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. His comment reflects the position taken by the head of the BLA Bashir Zeb Baloch who had called upon the U.S., the EU and others to find out the “real terrorists” in Balochistan. A spokesperson of the outfit, Jiyand Baloch, had also urged for a reconsideration of the U.S. ban.

The Marris are a family of traditional aristocrats of the Pakistani province whose hold on the movement is being challenged by the more aggressive BLA cadre. Mr. Marri had in the past said he was not associated with the BLA and the latest social media message is a sign of acceptance of its growing popularity among all sections of the Baloch movement. The BLA activists have indicated that they oppose the traditional feudal sardars like the Marris and the Bugtis and want a social reform in the province alongside freedom from Islamabad.

Baloch spokespersons claim that “death squads” are active in the province that assist the law and order operations of the Pakistani military against the rebels and have claimed of several operations that they have conducted against Pakistani forces in recent weeks.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 15

Provision to give India NATO ally-like status passed by US Senate

The US Senate has passed a legislative provision that brings India at par with America’s NATO allies and countries like Israel and South Korea for increasing defence cooperation.

The National Defence Authorisation Act or NDAA for the fiscal year 2020, that contained such a proposal was passed by the US Senate last week.

Introduced by Senate India Caucus Co-Chair Senator John Cornyn with the support of Senate India Caucus Co-Chair Senator Mark Warner, the amendment provides for increased US-India defence cooperation in the Indian Ocean in the areas of humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism, counter-piracy and maritime security.

Last week, House India Caucus Co-Chair Brad Sherman, along with Congressmen Joe Wilson, Ami Bera, Ted Yoho, George Holding, Ed Case and Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced a similar legislative proposal to the House FY2020 NDAA that would greatly enhance the US-India relationship.

The Bill would be signed into law after both the chambers of the US Congress — the House of Representatives and the Senate — passes it. The House is expected to take up its version of the NDAA sometime in July before legislators adjourn for the month-long August recess on July 29.

In a statement, the Hindu American Foundation commended Senators Cornyn and Warner for their efforts in advancing the US-India strategic partnership.

“Elevating India to non-NATO status is vital, now more than ever, for the US, for India, and for the entire region,” said HAF managing director Samir Kalra.

“Whether we do that with free standing legislation or whether we do that with an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act matters, I think, very little. What matters is that we recognise the importance, in a tangible way, of the US-India alliance,” Congressman Sherman said at the HAF Capitol Hill Reception last week.

The US recognised India as a “Major Defence Partner” in 2016, a designation that allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with that of the US’ closest allies and partners, and ensures enduring cooperation into the future.

Trump accuses India of imposing tariffs on American products; says ‘no longer acceptable’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India has long had a “field day” imposing tariffs on American products, which is “no longer acceptable” to the U.S. Mr. Trump’s comment came days after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, where the two leaders aired their concerns over bilateral trade disputes and agreed for a meeting of their Commerce Ministers to sort out the issues.

“India has long had a field day putting tariffs on American products. No longer acceptable!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.Later this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Energy Secretary Rick Perry are scheduled to address a major India-centric conference in Washington D.C. President Trump, championing his ‘America First’ policy, has been a vocal critic of India for levying “tremendously high” duties on U.S. products and has described the country as a “tariff king“. Though trade is an important part of the booming bilateral relationship, a row over market access and tariffs has escalated in recent months, leading to fears of a protracted dispute.

Before his meeting with Mr. Modi, Mr. Trump tweeted, “I look forward to speaking with

Prime Minister Modi about the fact that India, for years having put very high tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the tariffs even further.

This is unacceptable and the tariffs must be withdrawn!”

India has raised tariffs on 28 items, including almond, pulses and walnut exported from the U.S., in retaliation to America’s withdrawal of preferential access for Indian products. Mr. Trump has also criticised India’s high import tariff on the iconic Harley Davidson motorcycles as “unacceptable”.

President Trump terminated India’s designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the key Generalized System of Preference (GSP) trade programme from June 5, after determining that New Delhi had not assured the U.S. that it will provide “equitable and reasonable access” to its markets.

The GSP is the largest and oldest U.S. trade preference programme and is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.

The Trump administration wants India to lower the trade barriers and embrace “fair and reciprocal” trade.

Last February, India slashed the customs duty on imported motorcycles like Harley-Da-

vidson to 50% after Mr. Trump called it “unfair” and threatened to increase the tariff on import of Indian bikes to the U.S. The government on June 21 last year decided to impose these duties in retaliation to the U.S. decision to significantly hike customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products.

America, in March last year, imposed 25% tariff on steel and a 10% import duty on aluminium products.

Many U.S. companies like Google, Mastercard, Visa and Amazon have raised concerns over the issue of data localisation and its impact on their operational cost.

In April last year, the Reserve Bank of India had issued a directive on the ‘Storage of Payment System Data’. It had advised all system providers to ensure that, within a period of six months, data relating to payment systems operated by them is stored in a system only in India for effective monitoring.

India has also dragged the U.S. to the World Trade Organisation’s dispute settlement mechanism over the imposition of import duties on steel and aluminium. India’s exports to the U.S. in 2017-18 stood at $47.9 billion, while imports were at $26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India.

—The Hindu

To advertise in India Herald email editor@india-herald.com call 281-799-9459 (cell)

PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

FEATURE

Beatles-singing star Himesh Patel, featured in ‘Yesterday’ Himesh Patel has a story about Ed Sheeran: While shooting their film “Yesterday,” in theaters June 28, the costars, along with a few others from the cast and crew, had dinner at a restaurant in Liverpool. After the meal, Sheeran walked across the street to his car, where he passed two young girls.

“One of them went, ‘Oh my god!’ And by that time, Ed was in the car,” Patel said. “They were like, ‘Was that ...?’ Then they were both like, ‘Nah. It couldn’t have been.’ And just kept walking. It was weird for me. I was kind of like, ‘It definitely was!’”

The story is similar to the reactions Patel’s character in “Yesterday” gets. The film follows Jack Malik (Patel), a down-and-out musician who becomes an international superstar after a freak accident erases the world’s memories of the Beatles and Jack, the only person to remember them, claims the band’s discography as his own.

The character goes on to sign a record deal with Universal Music Group, tour across the world with Ed Sheeran (who plays himself) and become an idol to millions of fans.

It’s a life that’s far from Patel’s own, but it’s something that’s slowly becoming a reality. As one of the still-rare leads of South Asian descent in a mainstream movie, Patel — who is also slated to star alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in the historical drama “The Aeronauts” in the fall — is still finding out what it means to be a role model.

“There are still kids who are going to look up to actors who look like them. And it’s still unusual to see it in certain aspects — like playing a rock star, for example,” Patel said.

“We haven’t seen that yet. It changes the conversation. People are then going to be like, ‘OK. What’s the next thing you do?’”

Raised in a small town in Cambridgeshire, England, Patel was one of a few nonwhite kids in his village. He fell into acting at the age of 10 when he starred as the lead in his school play, “This Is Your Life, Santa Claus,” a parody of the U.K. documentary TV series, “This Is Your Life.”

“My teachers told my parents, ‘You know, he’s got a bit of a knack for it,’” Patel said.

And so his parents enrolled him in theater school. When he was 16, Patel was asked to audition for the British soap opera “EastEnders”. The problem was the audition was on the same day as his final exit exam for school, which he needed to take to graduate.

“I ummed and awwed and was like, ‘I don’t know. I might have to go in and do this

exam,’” Patel said.

In the end, he took his exam, and as soon as he finished, his parents rushed him to the audition. A couple weeks later, Patel was offered the role of Tamwar Massoud, one of the show’s first Asian British characters.

But it wasn’t until a couple seasons in that Patel fully realized what that meant.

“Because I was so young and eager when I started, it took me a while to realize my place in the industry. It dawned one me a few years into being an actor on TV that it’s not an equal table,” Patel said.

“We were specifically portraying a Pakistani Muslim family. But I knew that I, as an Indian Hindu, related to the character and the family as a whole. We were representing a large swath of the population and within that lies a responsibility of fighting to be represented correctly.”

Patel went on to star in “EastEnders” for nine years.

After he left the show in 2016, he wrote an essay for the book “The Good Immigrant” about his experience as an Indian British actor. Though he wasn’t often typecast, largely because of how the industry had changed in his decade on TV, he was very much aware of how other actors of his background were treated, which is why he’s hopeful for where Hollywood is headed.

“The industry is starting to listen and go, ‘Oh. we can’t just put South Asian guys as doctors or cab drivers or terrorists anymore. People aren’t going to settle for that. We need to start offering these threedimensional roles that have been traditionally reserved for straight white guys.’” Patel said.

Patel considers his role in “Yesterday”, which wasn’t written with a specific race in mind, an example of this change. He first auditioned in New York a couple years ago, where he was asked to read a monologue and perform a Coldplay song of his choice.

(Screenwriter Richard Curtis has said the band’s lead singer, Chris Martin, was originally in mind to play Jack’s mentor before Sheeran was cast.)

Using a cheap guitar he bought when he was 13 (he wouldn’t replace it until he was cast), Patel, who taught himself to sing and play the piano and guitar when he was a teen, performed a cover of Coldplay’s “Never Change.”

It caught the attention of Boyle and Curtis. After a couple more auditions — in which he performed Beatles songs like “Yesterday” and “Back In the U.S.S.R.” — Patel was offered the role.

And while he had a small worry in the back of his mind that the part would go to anoth-

In “Yesterday,” Himesh Patel plays Jack Malik, a musician who is one of the only people in the world to remember the music of the Beatles.

From left, Ed Sheeran, Lily James and Himesh Patel attend the UK Premiere of “Yesterday” at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on June 18, 2019 in London, England.Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images file er “straight white guy”, Patel remained hopeful.

“You do wonder whether that’s the thing, but I guess these are the moments that change that conversation,” Patel said. “If somebody is the right person for the role, then their background or ethnicity shouldn’t stop them.”

But Patel’s final moments before he was cast weren’t without drama. Moments after Boyle called him to offer him the role, Patel, who was sick in bed at the time of call, threw up.

After vomiting a couple more times that night, Patel took some cold medicine to help him fall asleep. Long story short: He ended up in the emergency room that night due to a combination of shock over the news and a bad reaction to the pills. “It was a weird night by all accounts,” he said.

She watched the movie and was like, ‘I don’t usually cry.

But I found myself crying.’ It was the first time she’d seen someone of that background doing something like that in a movie. It was here and now and possible.

Patel — whose first memories of the Beatles include dancing to their cover of “Twist and Shout” in the hall of his primary school and listening to John Lennon’s “Imagine” (his mother’s favorite) on a re-released CD — hasn’t met or heard from any members of the band. According to Patel, Boyle did receive the blessings of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to make the film — the latter of whom said “some very nice things” about the movie after he had seen it.

“I still don’t know if Paul has seen it,” Patel said. “I’m sure he would love it. I hope he does anyway.”

As “Yesterday” nears its release, Patel looks back on its press tour. The film didn’t in-

tend to make a statement about race, and the character’s ethnicity isn’t mentioned once.

Still, Patel understands the importance his role has for the South Asian community.

“We didn’t try to do that. It wasn’t like, ‘We’re going to get an Indian guy to play this role,’” Patel said. “I’m just glad that I happen to be the right guy to play the role and that I happen to be of this background.”

He recalls an experience at the start of his press tour with a journalist of Indian descent that put everything into perspective.

“She watched the movie and was like, ‘I don’t usually cry.

But I found myself crying,’” Patel said. “It was the first time she’d seen someone of that background doing something like that in a movie. It was here and now and possible.” www.nbcnews.com

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019• PAGE 17

STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI Gandhi returns home, meets Tilak, Gokhale The Indians now realized what was at stake; but they were unable to decide what to do. They requested Gandhi to postpone his departure and help them. He agreed to stay on for another month and organize resistance to the new bill.

Late that night the Indians held a meeting ill Abdulla Seth’s house under the presidentship of Seth Haji Muhammad, the most influential Indian merchant there. They resolved to oppose the Franchise Bill with all their strength.

Telegrams were sent to the Speaker of the Assembly and the Premier of Natal requesting them to postpone further discussion on the bill. The Speaker promptly replied that the discussion would be put off for two days.

The Natal Indians then drew up a petition to the Legislative Assembly pleading against the bill.

This was followed up by another petition to Lord Ripon, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies. This was signed by more than ten thousand Indians. Copies of the petition were circulated in South Africa, England, and India. There was much sympathy for the Natal Indians' plight, but the campaign had started too late to stop the bill becoming law.

However, the campaign did do some good. ,For the first time, the people of India came to know of the conditions in Natal. An even more important result was the new spirit that now awakened the Indians in South Africa.

The Natal Indians pressed Gandhi to remain and guide them for a little longer. Gandhi told them that he was prepared to stay on if the Indian community would provide him with sufficient legal work.

They gladly agreed to do this.

Twenty merchants turned over all their legal business to him.

When Gandhi applied for enrolment as an attorney to argue cases in court, the entire bar, composed of white lawyers, strongly opposed him. The Supreme Court of Natal overruled the objection, however, and he was allowed to practise.

Soon Gandhi became one of the busiest lawyers in Durban; but to him law was a subordinate occupation. His main interest was his public work. He felt that merely sending in petitions and protests would not help the Indians much.

A sustained agitation was necessary.

So he proposed the formation of a permanent organization to safeguard the interests of Indians.

A meeting was called to discuss this matter. The spacious hall in Dada Abdulla’s house was packed to the full. It was there, on that occasion, that the Natal Indian Congress was formed.

In 1894 the Natal Government sought to impose an annual polltax on the indentured Indians.

These were laborers who had been recruited from India on a five-year contract, but on starvation wages. Under the contract they could not leave their employer. They were treated practically as slaves. These men had

been taken to South Africa to help the white colonizers in agricultural work. The Indians did more than had been expected of them. They worked hard, purchased land, and started cultivating their own fields.

Their enterprise did not end there.

They soon built houses and raised themselves far above the status of laborers. The white people did not like this. They wanted the Indian workers to return to India at the end of the contract period.

To make things much harder for them, the Government now imposed an annual poll-tax of £25.

The Natal Indian Congress started a strong agitation against this.

Later, at the intervention of Lord Elgin, then Viceroy of India, the tax was reduced to £3. Still Gandhi considered it an atrocious tax, unknown anywhere else in the world. The Natal Indian Congress continued its agitation, but it was 20 years before the poll-tax was finally withdrawn.

When Gandhi applied for enrolment as an attorney to argue cases in court, the entire bar, composed of white lawyers, strongly opposed him. The Supreme Court of Natal overruled the objection, however, and he was allowed to practise.

In three years in South Africa, Gandhi had become a well-known figure. And his practice was well established. He realized that he was in for a long stay. He knew that the people there wanted him with them, so in 1896 he asked their permission to go home and bring his wife and children to South Africa. Besides, a visit to India would be useful in gaining more support for the Indians in South Africa. He had arranged his work so well that he could look forward to six months’ leave.

In the middle of 1896 Gandhi sailed for India, and after twentyfour days landed at Calcutta. From there he went to Rajkot. It was a happy family reunion when Kasturbai welcomed him with their two sons.

But the plight of the Indians in South Africa was so much on his mind that he could not be content to enjoy domestic bliss in peace.

He therefore launched a campaign to acquaint the people of India with the real condition of the Indians in South Africa. He met the editors of influential newspapers and important Indian leaders, including Lokamanya B. G. Tilak, the hero of Maharashtra, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale who, like Gandhi, was already famous at the age of 27. Wherever Gandhi went, he tried to make the people aware of the lot of their compatriots in

Mahatma Gandhi Week

Sponsored by Houston Arts in Houston Alliance in honor Mahatma -- Sept. 27 to Oct 3, 2004.

Gandhi Sesquicentennial Call 713-785-3900 or visit Houston celebrations. www.mahatmagandhilibrary.org South Africa. Many newspapers published his views and strongly supported his case. Summaries of these newspaper reports and comments reached South Africa long before Gandhi returned there.

Meanwhile, plague broke out in Bombay and threatened to spread to neighboring areas. In Rajkot Gandhi volunteered to join a group who tried to educate the people about the need for sanitation and other measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

At the end of November, however, Gandhi received an urgent message from Natal asking him to return immediately. There were some developments which required his presence there. So Gandhi set sail for South Africa once more, taking with him Kasturbai and their two sons and also the only son of his widowed sister.

However, a message reached Gandhi advising him not to land with the others but to wait until evening, as there was an angry mob of whites at the dock.

Kasturbai and the children were sent to the house of Gandhi's Parsee friend, Rustomji. Later, accompanied by Jason Laughton, the legal adviser of Dada, Abdulla & Co., Gandhi went ashore. The scene looked peaceful, but some youths recognized him and shouted, "Look, there goes Gandhi."

Soon there was a rush and much shouting. As Gandhi and his friends proceeded, the crowd began to swell until it was impossible to go any further. Suddenly Laughton was pushed aside and the mob set upon Gandhi. They pelted him with stones, sticks, bricks, and rotten eggs. Someone snatched away his turban, others kicked him until the frail figure collapsed. He clung to the railing of a house. The fury of the white mob was unabated and they continued to beat him and kick him.

"Stop, you cowards," cried a feminine voice. "Stop attacking the poor man." It was the wife of the Superintendent of police. She came up and opened her parasol and held it between Gandhi and the crowd. This checked the mob.

Soon the police arrived and dispersed the crowd.

— To be continued

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The EternalName____________ Gandhi Museum is an initiative of the Mahatma Gandhi Library of Houston. The Museum will be Address__________ a world-class cultural destination in Houston. The MGL has acquired land in southwest Houston and has launched a capital campaign to fund the development of the Eternal Gandhi City______________ Museum. The total cost of the initiative is $8.5 million. The first Eternal Gandhi Museum opened Tel:______________ in New Delhi in 2005, and Houston will be the only city in the United States where people will be able to experience these powerful exhibits and learning opportunities first-hand. Visit eternalPlease make che gandhi.us for more information.

6610 Harw

PAGE 18 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Art Museum Kannappan Art Museum will be open for public Tuesday 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM, Saturday 10AM to 2 PM, Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Address: 2341 N. Galveston Ave, Pearland, TX 77581.

Ashirwad Classes for Kids in Katy Enrollments are open for Indian Heritage classes for Kids and Teens from 4 to 16 yrs. Class curriculum includes Yoga, Meditation, Sloka, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwad Githa, Sports Day, VEDIC Fair Presentations, Dance, Drama, Hindi & more. Contact : 281-995-0930 or AshirwadABlessing@gmail.com.

7 Secrets for Awakening your Best Self� & Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran, August 3 – August 16 Swami Mukundananda, a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation will have two Free Week-long programs in Houston.

The ďŹ rst program is on 7 Secrets for Awakening your Best Self at India House at 8888 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77031 from August 3 – 9.

Aug. 3rd (Sat.) – Aug. 8th (Thur.), Yoga & Meditation from 6 pm – 7:15 pm, Discourse from 7:15 pm to 9 pm.

Aug. 9th (Fri.): Free Workshop with Swamiji from 6pm – 9pm.

The Second Program is on Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran at Houston Durga Bari Society Auditorium, 13944 Schiller Road, Houston, TX 77082 from August 10 (Sat.) – 16 (Fri.) from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. For both programs, Admission is Free & Prasadam is served on all days after program. Visit http://www.jkyog.org/ events to register or call 281-6305982/ 832-377-6070/ 281-782-7345 or email: houstonjkyog@gmail.com BUY

SELL

Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (o Hwy 6 bet.

Bellaire & Westpark). Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-4238541.

Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire o Hwy 6). 281-752-0100.

Brahma Kumaris The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Center is open 7 days a week. The center oers free Raja Yoga Meditation classes: MonFri @ 6:00-6:45am and 7-8 pm, Sat-Sun @ 7:00-8:30am, 10 am-2 pm. Visiting hours are Sat-Sun @ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact us at (832) 379-8888, houston@bktexas. com, or bktexas.com to sign-up for classes. All Raja Yoga Meditation teachers at the Houston center are samarpit and have 15+ years of teaching experience.

Chinmaya Mission Summer schedule Both BalaVihar and adult classes will remain closed from May 19th to September 7th.

Classes will resume on Sunday, September 8th. New member registration for Bala Vihar will be conducted in Chinmaya OLD

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Classes in Houston, Mission Bend, & Sugar Land

Smrti Hall on SUNDAY, August 4 and 11 from 9 AM to noon. Detailed information will be provided at the time of registration. No registrations will be done for Bala Vihar during September 2019. For more information: Visit www. chinmayahouston.org or call Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 Jeeyar Educational Trust Translate knowledge into action classes every Sunday at 10:15 a.m to 12 p.m. at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, 10098 Synott Road, Sugar Land, Tx 77498. Call 785 550 3621 or 832-334-9163. Visit www. ashtalakshmi.org for registration.

Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, VSGH (oďŹƒcial Branch Center of Ramakrishna Math, Belur), 14809 Lindita Dr. (77083), has lectures & talks on every Sunday 11 am - 12 pm, followed by Arati & Prasad; Bhagwad Gita Class on Tuesdays, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm; and Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna on Thursdays, 11 am - 12 pm. Rev. Sw. Atmarupanandaji, the Resident Monk, gives all classes, lectures & talks. Ramnaam Sankirtan is on 1st Saturdays 6 pm - 7 pm.

Please visit www.houstonvedanta. org or call 281- 988-7211.

Jain Society Jain Society of Houston, JSH, is located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063. Key tenets of Jainism are: Non-violence - Ahimsa, Philanthropy with multicity in views – Anekantvad, No possessiveness - Aparigrah, Right Knowledge -- Samyak Gyan, Right Path – Samyak Darshan, and Right Conduct – Samyak Charitrya. JSH has Jain Pathshala Classed for students of all ages each Sunday starting at 10:15 AM. The center is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. Call Jain Center at 713 789 2338 or visit www.jainsocietyhouston.org for calendar of events and other detailed information.

Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies.

Heartfulness Meditation Heartfulness Meditation is a practical technique of tuning inwards to experience our higher selves. Meditation with someone who has the capacity of yogic transmission can help you explore the Heartfulness practice more deeply.

There are no charges for this, and we invite you to experience the unique beneďŹ ts of this transmission. Workshops on Heartfulness relaxation and meditation are held weekly throughout Houston. Web: www.heartfulness.org; Email: houston.heartfulness@gmail.com.

Cell: 713-929-0040.

Hare Krishna Dham Houston’s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30 a.m, 7 a.m, 8.30 a.m, 12 noon, 4.30 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 p.m. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com

Houston Namadwaar A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly “Gopa Kuteeram� children’s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity).

Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478.

Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036.

Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma).

Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166.

Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.

Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603.

Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., Staord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English.

For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757.

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 713-7298994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us Preksha Meditation JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts weekly Meditation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions inside its unique Pyramid hall under the auspicious guidance of Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji who are stationed at Houston Center this year. It also runs special events and programs like IChoose, Meditation Camps and Gyanshala program for children ages 4-14 yrs. JVB is located at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston 77082.

Every Tuesday, 9:30am-11:30am, Samaniji has pravachan for all

adults interested in learning about Jainism. Every Wednesday there is Swadhyay class from 7-8pm and meditation from 8-9pm. Every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only.

Every Saturday, there is Yoga Class from 9-10am and Meditation from 10-10.30am. Ist & 3rd Sundays, there is Gyanshala Classes for Kids ages 4-14yrs. from 10-12:15pm followed by Lunch. Visit www.jvbhouston.org or send email at info@ jvbhouston.org for more details.

Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; www.DivyaProducts.com.

Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-451-8238.

Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar.

Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am.

Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oer Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org.

Swaminarayan Temple Hindu Satsang at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, under Shree NarNarayan Dev Gadi kalupur.

Opens daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Daily aarti at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday sabha from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. followed by aarti at 7 p.m. and Maha-Prasad (free dinner). www.issotx.org. (281) 530-2565.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019 • PAGE 19

PAGE 20 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

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