APRIL 2013
ďŹ ercely independent
HUNTER TODD & KATHLEEN HANEY
bring international movies to
WorldFest-Houston
C
Photo: Krishna Giri
coming to theaters near you
FROM
THE PUBLISHER’S DESK Houston loves festivals and we suffer no dearth of them. On the calendar this month is the iFest Houston that celebrates cultural diversity. Over the two weekends of April 20-21 and 2728, downtown Houston will be teeming with revelers eager to enjoy a mixed bag of entertainment, shop at the colorful stalls lining the streets, educate themselves about other cultures, and sample from a veritable smorgasbord of international cuisines. This year, iFest is training the spotlight on Brazil. So if you want to brush up on your carimbo or your copoeira, iFest’s the place to be. April also ushers in the annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. This year WorldFest honors India’s prolific history of 100 years of cinema. Most crucially, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I find it baffling that we actually require reminders to protect those that are the most vulnerable, our children. As a mother myself, I read in awe and admiration the article written by Nina Friedman Neish about the adoption of her beautiful daughter Fayth. Her selflessness touched my heart and made me yearn for a better world where the birthright of all children would be love and safety. As we observe Earth Day also this month, let’s be kinder to our planet. It’s the only one we have. Warmly,
Kalyani Giri
Publisher
team HUM Publisher/Editor Kalyani Giri Art Director Saqib Rana Correspondents Dr. Arjune Rama Ian Mellor-Crummey Ken Chitwood Lisa Brooks Nalini Sadagopan Priya M. James Tajana Mesic Tamara Mousner Helen Buntting Langton
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a concept-to-completion, every stage in between - and beyond - enterprise
Contributors Carlota Gonzalez Dolly Ahuja John Bradshaw, Jr. Nandini Bhattacharya Nina Friedman Neish P. G. Parameswaran, Md Seetha Ratnakar Tushar Unadkat Dr. Venugopal K. Menon
7457 Harwin Dr #250, Houston, TX 77036 Tel: 281-888-4552 email:info@hummagazine.com www.hummagazine.com HUM Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor. This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.
CONTENTS What I Love About
06 HOUSTON JOHN BRADSHAW, JR. Executive Producer Ash Shah
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DEBUTING FILM AT WorldFest
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WorldFest Houston
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WISE Prize Recipient Keynote Speaker at
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KALYANI GIRI
Fiercely Independent
KALYANI GIRI
PRATHAM GALA 2013 the Magic, the Logic of
INDIAN CINEMA NANDINI BHATTACHARYA and DOLLY AHUJA
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APRIL 2013
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Mahesh Sriram
ALLROUND ARTISTRY KALYANI GIRI
Stealing from Paul to Pay Peter
THE LIBERAL ARTS ARJUNE RAMA, MD
fiercely independent
HUNTER TODD & KATHLEEN HANEY bring international movies to
Cover: Hunter Todd & Kathleen Haney Worldfest-Houston, 46th Annual Internatinal Independent Film Festival
WordFest-Houston
C Photos: Krishna Giri
Photo: Krishna Giri
Company expansion seeks part time / full time
•Business Developement Executives •Graphic & Web Designers •Freelance Writers Previous experience a bonus. Serious candidates need only apply
Please send resume to jobs@hummagazine.com
APRIL 2013 Prediction
20 THE HIT REMAKE OF 2013! TUSHAR UNADKAT
22 24
Causing Ripples
CREATING WAVES SEETHA RATNAKAR
Man on a Mission
HARISH JAJOO KALYANI GIRI
AGAINST ALL ODDS 26 NINA FRIEDMAN NEISH
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Timeless Traditions
WOMEN PRESERVING CULTURE LISA BROOKS
OFF TO MOTHERS 34 HATS Luncheon Raises $155,000 For Easter Seals Here’s my Advice...
37 POPE FRANCIS KEN CHITWOOD
ART FORMS OF KERALA 38 DR. VENUGOPAL K. MENON
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Fashion
SPRING FLORALS PRIYA M. JAMES
45 COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE P. G. PARAMESWARAN, MD
South Asian Independent Cinema in North America
AND FALL 30 2013 OVATION AWARD WINNERS 46 RISE TUSHAR UNADKAT Houston Grand Opera Salutes
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Hummingbirds, Spring and the Planet
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY TAJANA MESIC
Delicious Memories of my 48 GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHEN CARLOTA GONZALEZ
GOODBYES 50 WRETCHED HELEN BUNTTING LANGTON
Voice
ILove
what about BY JOHN BRADSHAW, JR. For most of my life, I had a lovehate relationship with Houston (initially more hate than love). Graduating from Lamar High School, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm for my departure to the West Coast. “Goodbye heat and humidity! So long parents!” I happily embarked on a life in California, initially shell-shocked by the cultural differences between Los Angeles and Houston, only to be even more blown away when I moved to Germany 15 years later. While I saw Houston as “provincial,” my forays back began instilling in me an appreciation for my family’s long history here and some of the elements that make Houston unique. Over time, the city had transformed. Places like Midtown and the EaDo were on the map, and the mix of people was astounding. My distaste slowly eroded, leading to my eventual homecoming in 2008. Diversity tops my list of things I love about Houston. As a teenager, I noticed that Bayou City was less of a melting pot and more of a combination of many selfsegregated parts. Lunchtimes at Lamar were telling: most African Americans ate in the cafeteria, most Hispanics hung out in the back courtyard, and most Anglos sat on the front lawn, with the small contingency of Asian American students in the periphery. Moving to California introduced a new world to me. Los Angeles in the 1990s was no heavenly utopia, but there was a fluidity and acceptance of differences that seemed lacking in Houston. There, ethnic communities were rooted in certain areas of town but the borders were less fixed and the mixing of people was commonplace. You stopped noticing the differences as much, and those differences you did notice, you appreciated. When I moved back to Houston in
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Houston
2008, the change was immediately apparent. Still self-segregated, the intersection of cultures is now the mainstream, and this heartens me greatly. Ask Dr. Stephen Klineberg at Rice University and he will broaden your understanding with fact-induced analysis of Houston’s emerging place as the nation’s most “ethnically-balanced city.” Dr. Anne Chao can take you deeper with detailed information on the origins and growth of Houston’s Asian American communities. Today, I am proud to be part of an organization that is engaging our city’s diversity in meaningful, constructive, and innovative ways. Appreciation of this local diversity motivates me every day; even more inspiring is how the wealth of local cultures blends with the history and heritage of many of our native sons and daughters. The intersection of cultures in my own lineage gives hint of the diversity at play throughout our local history. As a fifth-generation Houstonian, I trace my lineage back through twists and turns where all roads lead to Houston. When I dig deeper, the reasons my people moved here connect me in even stronger ways to my hometown. My ancestral “entry points” to Houston speak of a typical American story of immigration, diverse cultural backgrounds, and economic opportunism that uniquely intersects with the industries and enterprises that have made this city great. My father’s side has been here the longest, beginning in the 1860s with English and Irish great-great grandparents, Maria Payton and James Conner. Seeking better work opportunities, they established their home here and raised their brood of musical children. My rather adventurous great grand-
father, the son of a German-speaking Swiss father, joined this branch in the 1880s. John Secrist was an industrious chap and a skilled painter of railway cars; he came to Houston, then a budding train transport hub, to improve his lot and get a taste for the rough-and-tumble atmosphere that the town had to offer. Houston was a stark contrast to the calm, pristine streets of his native Cincinnati — practically the “Wild West!” By the early 20th century, Houston had established itself on the rail lines, which consequently brought the North Carolina and Louisiana branches of my family to the mix. Descendants of English colonists, my young great-grandfather, John M. Bradshaw, made his way from Greensboro in 1910 and found work in one of the busy Downtown Houston hotels. His fortunes mirrored those of Texas oil; he found his calling as founder of the Hercules Oil Company and at the time was considered one of the best-known independent oilmen in the nation. A decade after Bradshaw’s arrival in Houston, my great-grandfather Joseph Elliot — an executive with Morgan’s Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company — moved his wife and army of daughters to a house on Fannin Street. Of French and Spanish ancestry, the family settled right into the Catholic community, with my grandmother and greataunts attending St. Agnes Academy. Jump ahead to the 1960s, and my mother’s side enters the picture in synch with the rise of the Texas Medical Center. An accomplished radiologist, my grandfather Harold Swanberg selected Houston for his final years; the industriousness and medical advancements of the city appealed to his German immigrant work ethic. His daughter (my mom) went on to
Lunch Buffet A la carte Dinner Catering for all occasions
teach medical writing at Baylor College of Medicine and to write for The Houston Post back in the day. The descendants of all these people — my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins — have constituted some of the city’s more colorful characters, some prominent like my father, a bestselling author and public speaker, and some relatively unknown like a cousin who faithfully served with the Houston Police Department. Yet each branch of the family has intersected with key components in Houston’s industrial history. Each has embodied that unique flavor of Texan pride and “can-do” spirit that we wear like a badge of
honor here. And each brought with them perspectives that reflected their distinct cultural backgrounds. While family ties keep me in Houston, the growing diversity of this city sustains me, and the tree-lined streets of the Museum District are the icing on the cake. My relationship to Houston has evolved into something like a well-seasoned marriage, where you accept the peccadillos and faults, remain ever appreciative of the positive attributes, and somehow grow more and more in love with the complete package.
We undertake catering for all occasions across the Greater Houston area
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John Bradshaw, Jr., born and raised in Houston, is the Acting Executive Director of Asia Society Texas Center. He earned Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in history from the University of Southern California. During his 15 years on the West Coast, he began a successful career in nonprofit fundraising and was awarded New Development Professional of the Year in 1997. Before returning to Houston in 2008, he lived and worked in Munich, Germany. Locally, he is best known for his work with Asia Society and various involvements with cultural organizations in this city.
Tel: 832-237-8811 www.Dhakshin.com
Showbiz
WORLD PREMIERE WORLDFEST HOUSTON
Ash Shah
46th Annual International Independent Film Festival
Houston Businessman Is Executive Producer of Debuting Film at WorldFest BY KALYANI GIRI From a very young age, entrepreneur and businessman Ash Shah yearned to be a filmmaker or an actor. Growing up in Bombay, India where Bollywood’s celluloid scene fueled imaginations and incited vivid dreams, Ash would gaze entranced at the big screen and lose himself in the magic of make-believe. Now, decades later, and Ash is associated with a movie, not as an actor, but in an even more pivotal role as the Executive Producer of Benoy Badal Dennis (BBD), a Hindi language movie (with English subtitles) that will make its world premiere at WorldFest Houston on April 18, 2013. The film, directed by Anjan Dutt, has an all-star cast headlined by the legendary actor, Naseeruddin Shah. Ash is funding the film and serving as its business and media manager, two realistic roles that he says come naturally to him. But Ash still holds onto his goal of making a movie of his own sometime in the near future. “I certainly hope to write a screenplay that will include drama, comedy, romance, and suspense! It will probably be a biopic modeled on my own life as I’ve been exposed to all those colorful elements,” he says laughingly. Binoy Badal Dinesh, set in current day Kolkota, India, is a drama that traces the intersecting lives of three men (Binoy played by Jimmy Sergil, Badal by K.K. Menon, and Dennis by Shauvik Kundagrami from Houston), who unbeknownst to each other, are brought together for a common cause – the execution of a game plan against a corrupt, manipulative and selfish politician (Naseeruddin Shah) who has turned their lives upside down. As a last resort, the three young men are forced to take the law into their hands, in a lawless land, in order to bring justice to the wronged. Will they succeed in their mission? The movie has a suspenseful, dramatic and climatic ending of three inspiring stories culminating into one great finale. To purchase tickets, visit www.worldfest.org
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With English Subtitles
Staring Naseeruddin Shah, Jimmy Shergil, KK Menon, Shauvik Kundagrami, Sandhya Mridul Executive Producer: Ash Shah
Thursday • April 18 • 2013 • 9 PM
AMC Studio 30, 2949 Dunvale Road, Houston
For additional information, contact Krishna Giri @ 832-368-4012 Ash Shah @ 832-541-6633 krishnagiri@aol.com ashah@impexfilms.com www.worldfest.org www.amctheatres.com
For info call: 281-286-9398 or email: contact@jonathanblake.net
JONATHAN BLAKE
FalL/Winter Fashion 2013
Salute
WorldFest Houston Celebrates 46th Year of Being Fiercely Independent
Adds Flavor to Houston’s Melting Pot BY KALYANI GIRI One can’t fault Hunter Todd for being a tenacious Scotsman. True to his heritage, he’s as hardy as a Highlands Aspen and just as perpetually in motion… even on the calmest of days. That innate restlessness coupled with a strong will and an insatiable love of a well-devised movie has led to the decades of success of the WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival, which he founded. This year, the oldest independent film festival in the world, and the third largest film festival in North America, will celebrate 46 years of recognizing and honoring outstanding creative excellence in independent movie making. With prodigious disparity, the festival will kick up its heels with an art car parade, a spirited mariachi band, the sonorous wail of Scottish bagpipes, and the opening night premiere of the film Filly Brown at the AMC Studio 30 Theatres at 2949 Dunvale in southwest Houston on April 12, 2012, and run through April 21. Aficionados of the cinema arts will delight in a calendar packed with movies playing on five screens, documentaries and movie shorts, and a liberal dash of master classes crammed with authoritative talks by renowned filmmakers. This year, WorldFest will present a Salute to India for 100 Years of Cinema through an array of five intriguing films beginning with the exemplar film, A Thousand Desires Like This (Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi) by Sudhir Mishra; the movie depicts the epic history of India in the tumultuous 70’s as seen through the lives of three young people whose fates are inextricably intertwined. Other India-collaborative movies include Surkhaab by Sanjay Taireja, The Nowhere Son by Houston-based San Banarje, and Play Like a Lion by Joshya Dylan Mellars. Also making its world premiere at WorldFest is Benoy Badal Dennis (BBD), directed by Anjan Dutt. Actors include thespian Naseeruddin Shah, Jimmy Shergil, K.K. Menon, Shauvik Kundagrami and Sandhya Mridul. The executive producer for the movie is Houston businessman Ash Shah. For ten fun days WorldFest will regale audiences with 51 awardwinning feature films, nine of which will be making their world premieres at the festival. Over 33 nations will be represented and include ten female directors, several comedies, thrillers, eleven compelling documentaries, two fantasies, and the opening night film debut of the brand new Edward James Olmos production Filly Brown, which tells the true story of the feisty and gifted Latina rapper, Gina Rodriguez. WorldFest has also reached deep in the heart of Texas for Randall P. Dark’s Seadrift vs The Big Guy, Baldemar Rodriguez’s In Search of the American Dream, Travis Ammon’s Suicide Notes, and a sneak preview of Shawn Welling’s 4th film, The Legend of DarkHorse County. Three Midnight Madness shows that are sure to be a huge hit with horror movie buffs are Her Cry: La Llorona Investigation, a new take on the old Mexican ghost story by Damir Catic, The Inflicted by Matthan Harris, and Nicholas Gyeney’s Matt’s Chance starring Edward Furlong, Lee Majors, Margot Kidder and Gary Busey. No awards are given in any category unless the scores from the juries are high enough to place for honors.
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Kathleen Haney, WorldFest Artistic and Program Director, said that she and Todd were thrilled to have such an exceptional line-up of independently produced films again this year. “We focus on a story well-told and each year, we are continually amazed by what filmmakers are capable of doing in spite of incumbent challenges. The caliber of Indie films just keeps getting better and better,” said Haney. “Our work is very gratifying when we witness the cycles of growth in filmmakers who begin with a script, progress to a short, and culminate with a feature length film that they bring to WorldFest. In the ten days of WorldFest we can do no more than 60 films a year. We feel that it is impossible to properly emphasize individual films when the festival screening schedule is too large. We try to keep high standards and concentrate only on the very best new American and foreign independent films and honor those,” Haney added. The festival offers so much more than film screenings. The entire movie making process from casting, cinematography, distribution, directing, producing, scripting, is addressed in a series of world-class seminars conducted by experts in each field. All seminars will be held at the Marriott Westchase on Briarpark. WorldFest also offers competition in TV Production, Documentary, Corporate and Business Films, Student and Experimental, TV Commercials, Film and Video Production, Music Videos, New Media Interactive and Web Sites, Screenplays, Print and Radio. This year’s six master classes will feature: Jon Scheide, Hollywood producer and director; Alan Mendelsohn’s Docs on a Dime; Leigh Murray’s Marketing and Producing your Script; Trish Avery’s SAG/AFTRA for Indie Filmmakers, and a Film Critics Panel moderated by Nick Nicholson. WorldFest has emerged as the oldest continuous film festival management in the world with the same executive director, serving for 46 consecutive years. Hunter Todd, a charismatic maverick and an award-winning filmmaker in his own right, prides himself on the festival’s long run and acknowledges that it’s been a hard haul. He’s delighted that WorldFest was the launching pad for the careers of moviemaking luminaries in the prodigious ilk of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, Spike Lee, John Lee Hancock, Francis Ford Coppola, Gavin Hood, Randal Kleiser, Oliver Stone, and David Lynch. Few other festivals have had such a “discovery” track record. “Audiences will get to view the works and get to meet the Spielbergs and Ang Lees of tomorrow,” said Todd. “WorldFest is also the only festival where everything is open to the public, whereas in other festivals such as Cannes and Sundance you can only gain entry with proper credentials,” he added. The festival also promotes cultural tourism for Houston, and helps develop film production in the region to add to the richly diverse fabric of the city. The festival concludes with the Grand Awards Gala and Cocktail Reception at the Marriott Westchase on April 20, and the Consular Regatta/Barbecue at the Houston Yacht Club on April 21. WorldFest-Houston sponsors include the State of Texas, City of Houston, NASA, AMC Theaters, Houston Film Commission, Boxer Properties, Houston Yacht Club, Texas Film Commission, Marriott Houston Westchase, and the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA). www.worldfest.org www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Empower 2012 WISE Prize Recipient Speaker at Pratham Gala Pratham USA, an award-winning nonprofit organization committed to empowering children and youth in India through education, will host its annual fundraising gala on April 27, 2013 at the Hilton Americas in Houston. The event, For the Love of Learning, will celebrate Pratham’s continuing success and honor the organization’s distinguished Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Madhav Chavan, who will deliver the keynote address for the evening. Dr. Chavan, a noted global humanitarian, and the winner of the Wise Prize for Education 2012, will remark on the progress and achievements Pratham has made in the past year. The annual award is the first major global prize of its kind, recognizing an individual or an organization for their noteworthy contribution to the field of education. The award comes with a monetary prize of USD $500,000 and a gold medal; Dr. Chavan will be generously donating the money to Pratham. A premiere and upscale annual social event on the Houston calendar, the Pratham Gala attracts this city’s affluent professional, business and community leaders from a cross section of the local communities, along with individual philanthropists — all with a personal commitment to improving child literacy in India. Last year, the gala saw in attendance 800 guests, and raised over $1.25 million under the accomplished leadership of Chapter President Swatantra Jain. This year, Jain hopes to raise as much if not more. The Gala program for 2013 will include a cocktail reception, a plated dinner, an auction, a dance performance by Naach Houston, and a instrumental music performance by Bollywood Strings. KHOU 11 News Anchor Rekha Muddaraj will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the event. Pratham, which means “first” in Sanskrit, was founded in the slums of Mumbai in 1994 with UNICEF support. Today, Pratham’s urban programs, including pre-schools, community libraries, and remedial learning programs, reach thou-
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sands of children every year. In 2007, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Pratham launched its flagship Read India Campaign, an innovative effort to reach millions of children in India who cannot read or write, or do basic mathematics. Pratham’s “Annual Status of Education Report” (ASER) evaluates India’s education through direct testing of over 700,000 children in 16,000 villages across India. ASER is the only annual measurement of basic literacy and numeracy conducted at scale in India today and its widespread dissemination has helped focus government attention on the issue of learning. Pratham programs have been evaluated in ten large-scale randomized trials conducted by J-PAL, the Poverty Action Lab at MIT. Pratham’s programs have been recognized internationally for their innovation and impact. In 2011, Pratham received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award in the public service, and the 2010 Henry R. Kravis Leadership Prize. The Houston chapter is Pratham USA’s founding chapter and was formed in 1998. Pratham USA has also been recently recognized for its efforts to fundraise for education initiatives in India. In January, Pratham USA was awarded the Times of India Social Impact Award for International Contribution to India. Last year, the Houston Business Journal ranked Pratham USA as one of the healthiest local charities.
Pratham is the largest non-governmental organization providing quality education to underprivileged children of India. With a budget of less than $14 million, Pratham uses very low-cost and scalable methods and works in collaboration with the government, local communities, parents, teachers and volunteers across the country to educate millions of children every year. Pratham’s mission is Every Child in School and Learning Well. Pratham USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, and accepts tax deductible contributions from US donors to create educational reform throughout India. www.prathamusa.org
PRATHAM HOUSTON GALA 2013 for the love of learning SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013, 6 PM Hilton Americas @ 1600 Lamar Street, Houston, TX 77010
KEYNOTE ADDRESS Dr. Madhav Chavan CEO and Co-founder of Pratham Recipient of the 2012 WISE Prize ENTERTAINMENT Bollywood Strings • Naach Houston EMCEE Rekha Muddaraj (KHOU 11 News Anchor) Cocktails & Dinner Black tie optional for more information, contact the PRATHAM HOUSTON OFFICE: 713-774·95990 or info@prathamusa.org
coming to theaters near you
Encore
Indian Cinema:
the Magic, the Logic BY NANDINI BHATTACHARYA and DOLLY AHUJA The softhearted thug asks the bouncy village belle in the midst of her chatter: “What is your name, Basanti?” The garrulous beauty is flounced. Indian filmgoers still laugh at this joke. This tidbit from Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 blockbuster and iconic film Sholay (The Embers) summarizes the magic and the logic of Indian films: they tell us what we already know, and we want to hear it again and again, delighting ourselves and the world in the process. The funny scene in Sholay captures the logic of what makes Indian cinema magical. Planting the pleasures of repeating stories, themes, swashbuckling characters and lovely ladies in the very structure of the film itself - What’s your name, Basanti? - is the not-so-secret logic shared by Indian cinema and its millions (maybe billions?) of lovers. This anecdote captures the formal
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essence of Indian film stories; they can be a known quantity captivating the hearts of millions of informed viewers worldwide. Be they the antics of the softhearted thugs of the blockbuster Sholay - which popularized the aforesaid joke - or the story of lost brothers reuniting after years of hardship (Amar Akbar Anthony, 1977), or that of the diasporic dude visiting India and winning back the heart of a whole country (Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge; The Brave-hearted Shall Win the Bride, 1995), or the desi dude coming to New York to win the diasporic girl (Kal Ho Naa Ho; Tomorrow May Never Come, 2003), or an impressive array of avant garde and parallel filmmaking, Indian cinema and its counterparts have been about cultural consensus formulaically expressed, as in ancient Greek theatre. The stories are universal, often retold, and deeply loved.
Variety, they say, is the spice of life, however. Can it be that Indian cinema lacks in variety? Unlikely, given the history of Indian filmmaking in at least ten major Indian languages and cultural milieus: Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Assamese, and Oriya, to name only some. Innovation is not lacking either; the world of Indian cinema is a dynamic, multi-generational, multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan world. It has been a hundred years since the Indian Film Industry made its humble beginnings with important stories to be told. Yes, it was the narrative that ruled the film world then, but it got lost somewhere in between when some people decided to play to the gallery. Nonetheless, with exemplary classics being produced every year, time and again, some brave men and women get together and build small as well as
big budget films based on good scripts in which they truly believe. The audience reciprocates and the distributors occasionally surprise by buying. Sometimes even big studios back such projects. Also loved and even deified are the actors and actresses who often achieve iconic status. When Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest megastar in recent Bollywood history had a severe on-set accident and nearly died, the prime minister of India and her son rushed to the hospital and the country ground to a standstill. Indian movies have given India and Indians a parallel pantheon. It started in the early nineteen hundreds with mythologicals, a genre that captures - in essence the deepest concern and preoccupation of Indian cultural and political life. In the mid-twentieth century, the film industry reflected a nation patriotically suffused with memories of independence and aspirations for future development. Mother India (1957) came out of that heyday of hope and striving. Striving slowly turned into strife as in the 70s and 80s, political and economic disaffection and disillusionment gave rise to the Angry Young Man phenomenon - embodied by Bachchan or the Big
B - which cinema eagerly lapped up as its new bestseller, leading to films like Sholay. Women and gender issues have always been central to Indian films. An example would be Nargis, the Muslim actress, playing a Hindu peasant mother (Mother India, 1957), wherein she shoots to death her rebel son so that the community can survive. Another layer of meaning in the story would point to Nargis’ Muslim identity; she came from a minority community that was often accused of seeking such wild justice. In the film, her womanhood lays such accusations to rest. The plough resting on her shoulder is the precursor to Indian’s new dawn, the era of socialized capital and national development. The woman bears the labor and responsibility of national regeneration. There are so many levels at which women can, must and do signify. “What is a South Asian? Someone who watches Hindi movies,” writes Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. Echoing the seventeenthcentury English poet John Milton’s epics Paradise Lost and Paradise Found in his very title, Mehta reminds us of the meaning of this cinema: an impossible consensus.
Nandini Bhattacharya is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in English at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. She has written scholarly books and essays on colonial and postcolonial writing, and is recently the author of a book on Indian cinema (Hindi Cinema: Repeating the Subject [Routledge, 2012]). Being a lover of contemporary Indian English literature by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Amitav Ghosh, Arvind Adiga and Jhumpa Lahiri, she is turning her energies also to repeating her passion for writing in the creative genre. Dolly Ahuja, a Mumbai-based writer who pens stories for radio show, Yaadon Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Misra, and is also writing her debut Hindi feature film, contributed to this article.
www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Debut
Allround Artistry
BY KALYANI GIRI
Casually dressed in jeans and t-shirt, Mahesh Sriram sweeps into my office with his trademark-dazzling smile. The model, actor, artist, and entrepreneur has popped by to chat about a movie, Chinna Cinema (Small Cinema), in which he’s making his acting debut. The film, with the tagline Unlimited Budget, is due for release both in the US and India this month. It’s a comedy feature film in the Telugu language that’s been shot on location in New York, New Jersey, and his native Hyderabad in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The film, produced collaboratively by Sekhar-Jyothi (Jersey Plots Productions) with direction by Ajay K. Kambhampati, has all the requisite constituents of the quintessential Tollywood movie. There’s the love triangle with both protagonist and evil villain vying for the affections of the heroine, oodles of histrionics and handwringing, fight scenes, a popular comedian, and song and dance sequences against backdrops of breathtaking vistas. He shows me the trailer online. I’ve got Mahesh pegged as the hero, so I’m mildly taken aback when it’s revealed that he’s actually the villain. “It seems I looked perfect for the character,” he laughs ruefully. “Ajay had seen me in the Himalya Fresh television commercial and asked my friend, cinematographer Hyder Bilgrami, to put us in touch. I was surprised and happy to be considered for Chinna Cinema as it’s a positive career boost for me,” Mahesh adds. It’s his big break, the one he’d been waiting for, so he’s understandably excited. The film also promises to launch the career of young Hyderabad-born Arjun Kalyan who is making his own debut in Chinna Cinema as the hero who moves from India to the US in search of greener pastures. He meets and falls in love with a pretty girl (US-based model and actress Sumona Chanda), but the course of true love rarely does run smooth. So when complications arise,
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the hero has to face adversity before he finds happiness. The movie also has its mirthful moments through the antics of veteran funny man, ‘Thagubothu’ Ramesh Ramilla. Cinematography for Chinna Cinema is by Hyder Bilgrami. Storied playback singer S.P. Balasubramaniam lends his superb voice to the film whose music director is Praveen Lakkaraju. For Mahesh, transitioning from modeling to acting was just a blip on the radar of his creativity. “It was a great learning experience, and quite different from modeling for the camera. Being in character and remembering long dialogues drew all my concentration. It was initially unnerving to have huge crowds watching while I was trying my best to stay in the role,” he says. “Of course, there were people requesting autographs, which was so much of fun,” Mahesh adds with a smile. As his role was being shot intermittently, he commuted from New York to Houston often to take care of family and business. If Chinna Cinema does well at the box office, how will that change him personally and his plans for the future, I ask. “My lifestyle won’t change. I’m just a simple guy who leads a disciplined life. Everything in moderation,” says Mahesh. “If the opportunity to work on more films comes up, that would be great! That’s when I’ll have to consider how to juggle it all, but for me, family always comes first. Right now, I’m enjoying a little of everything,” he adds. Indeed, his does appear to be a charmed life. Born and raised in Hyderabad, Mahesh graduated with a degree in multimedia and graphics and later completed an MBA. He moved to Chennai where he studied 3D animation, while keeping his passion for modeling alive through ramp modeling, fashion photo shoots, and print and television commercials. In India he enjoys much visibility as the face emblazoned on
MAHESH Sriram www.hummagazine.com
Photo: David Hood dsimageworks
April 2013
billboards popularizing a diverse range of products from Sri Lakshmi Mills and Kawasaki Bajaj to Pepsi and Microsoft, among others. In 2001, the opportunity to work on 3D animation in the UK came up. After several years in London, he moved to Houston where he founded his own animation company, Axis Studio. He enjoys the exibility of being able to work from anywhere and the freedom to arrange his schedule around whatever needs his immediate attention. Mahesh is in the Hewlett-Packard global campaign television commercial, which was shot earlier this year, the Himalya Fresh and the Lipton Iced Tea commercials, all primarily geared for the US market. He’s also a gifted artist with a diverse portfolio of oils on canvas. A devoted family man, Mahesh, and wife Soma who he married in 2006, are parents to two little girls, Maya and Surina. www.facebook.com/chinnacinema
Mahesh Sriram in Chinna Cinema
Viewpoint
The Liberal Arts:
Stealing from Paul to Pay Peter
BY ARJUNE RAMA, MD “You know, we don’t need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It’s a great degree if people want to get it, but we don’t need them here. I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, math degrees. That’s what our kids need to focus all their time and attention on. Those type of degrees. So when they get out of school, they can get a job.” -Florida Governor Rick Scott (The Marc Bernier Show, 10/11/2011) Since late 2012 to present, Mr. Scott, pursuant to his statement above, has been pushing the Florida legislature to consider freezing state university tuitions for three years in “strategic areas” based upon supply and demand in Florida’s job market. Effectively, this means that the tuition burden for those obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) would remain stable while the tuition for those choosing liberal arts degrees (such as anthropology) would climb to fill the financial gap. In other words, under his proposal, a liberal arts degree would be more expensive than a STEM degree. Despite having pursued a STEM degree myself, I am perplexed by this logic. I knew that by going into medicine I would be well compensated; shouldn’t I have paid more than my liberal arts colleagues and not the other way around? As a psychiatrist-in-training I am confused in other ways: how am I to understand the underpinnings of behavior without the work of anthropologists? How am I to appreciate the depths of human misery without the work of those who have devoted their lives to literature, the stage, and the screen? I can imagine Mr. Scott’s reply, “I’m not saying the arts aren’t important. But we only need a dozen musicians to fill our iPods, a few artists to deck our walls and a handful of actors to grace our stages. So why are we investing in so many?”
The reason is this: art, like science, is not based on a one-to-one ratio. Investing in one artist or scientist does not translate into a piece of work that “legitimizes” the funding. Artists and scientists alike all stand on the shoulders of those who came before. The Beatles did not create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by themselves. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were informal students of American blues and rock luminaries upon whose work they built their own masterpieces. Similarly, Albert Einstein’s photoelectric law was not a singular creation but rather a work deeply influenced by Max Planck’s quantum theory developed years earlier. According to Dale Brill, who chairs this task force on academic funding, when it comes to liberal arts majors, “There will always be a need for [liberal arts graduates]. But you better really want to do it, because you may have to pay more” (Sun Sentinel, 10/12/2012). Given the similar nature of artistic and scientific progression, such a proposed funding structure reeks of hypocrisy. If there will “always” be a need for liberal arts graduates, then why are we disincentivizing their education? The answer lies between the lines of Mr. Brill’s policy: while we need the liberal arts they are inherently less valuable than the sciences. Bizarrely, despite his overt support of producing STEM students, Mr. Scott fails to address what actually happens to STEM majors while in college. According to a study released in October 2011 by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, 60% of STEM students end up leaving the major prior to graduation. This figure begs the question: if these careers are so lucrative and necessary, why are students switching? Elaine Seymour’s and Nancy Hewitt’s Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences (Westview Press, 1997) established that poor teaching was
found to be the most significant factor. The Wisconsin Center for Education Research is currently working on a study entitled Collaborative Research: Talking about Leaving Revisited: Exploring the Contribution of Teaching in Undergraduate Persistence in the Sciences in order to further address the issue. The Wisconsin group posits that a mere 10% reduction in the transfer rate of STEM students would produce three-fourths of the one million STEM graduates that President Obama announced last year as a goal over the course of this decade. I do not believe that Mr. Scott has a grudge against the liberal arts. I think he, in good faith, is searching for a solution to the problem of our lack of STEM graduates to fill the increase in STEM jobs. He is looking to bolster Florida’s economy and incentivize the pursuit of a college education in an era when tuition has spiraled out of control. However, his approach is at best merely shortsighted and at worst completely unnecessary. While using financial resource allocation to incentivize STEM majors may create more STEM students in the short-run, research suggests that these students may not even graduate with these majors and therefore fail to fill STEM jobs in the long-run. The solution to this problem lies in a reallocation of funding which reaps rewards on a much longer timescale but with a far less headline-capturing strategy: revamping the ways that we educate those students already motivated to pursue STEM majors so that we can bring them to graduation and subsequently into STEM careers. Unfortunately, investments in improvements in teaching style frequently requires a large investment up front with long-term rewards only reaped long after the lawmakers who championed them are out of office.
Arjune Rama is a resident physician in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. You can follow him on twitter at @arjunerama www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Scope S cope
Predict the Hit Remake of 2013! BY TUSHAR UNADKAT This year, Indian Cinema is celebrating its 100th birthday! Indian Cinema aka Bollywood is the name-remake from Hollywood. Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest centres of film production in the world. In history, foreign language movies inspire international filmmakers and have adapted or reproduced the stories in their regional language. Bollywood has a bad reputation of imitating Hollywood. The list of “Bollywood” remakes from popular “Hollywood” movies is excessively long and to name just a few for examples are: Agni Sakshi, a remake of Sleeping with the Enemy Aitraaz, a remake of Disclosure Chachi 420, a remake of Mrs. Doubtfire Heyy Babyy, a remake of Three Men And A Baby Sarkar, a remake of The Godfather Shaurya, a remake of A Few Good
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Men What is a remake”? That is the question! Remake doesn’t necessarily mean that the film is a frame by frame copy. Commonly, the term “remake” is applied in reference to a movie that uses an earlier movie as the main source material. The term “requel” can also be used to describe a remake of an earlier movie. With some exceptions, remakes make significant character, plot, and theme changes. Interestingly, “Bollywood” has a long list of remakes from its own portfolio. Some of the signature Bollywood films of the 70s and 80s are Zanjeer (1973), Sholay (1975), Don (1978), Umrao Jaan (1981), Chashme Buddoor (1981), Himmatwala (1983) and many more. We’ve already seen Sholay, Don and Umrao Jaan that revived the old films and in the first quarter of 2013 Bollywood film forecasts, we have few remakes scheduled to release:
A remake of 1981 comedy drama Chashme Buddoor (Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval), is scheduled for a release on February 22, directed by David Dhawan and starring Ali Zafar and Taapsee Pannu. Sid, Jai and Omi (Ali Zafar, Siddharth and Divyendu Sharma respectively) live together in a small house in Goa. Large on life, wants and everything else, the only thing that seems to keep Omi and Jai going is the women in Goa. Sid, on the other hand, lives a straight and normal life. The two womanizing slackers, Omi and Jai, now attempt to woo the new girl Seema (Taapsee Pannu) in the neighborhood. A series of lies, secrets and comical situations is what follows, making the flick a thoroughly enjoyable family outing! The remake of 1983 blockbuster, Himmatwala (comedy/action/drama) with superstars Jitendra and Sridevi directed by K. Raghavendra Rao is scheduled to release on March 29th. Director Sajid Khan is retelling the basic story about a poor and wronged woman’s son
who returns from the big city to avenge his father, an honest schoolteacher. Duo superstars Jitendra and Sridevi have left a strong impression for past three decades, when we talk about Himmatwala. Now, the audience is curious to watch for Ajay Devgan and Tamannaah Bhatia chemistry on silver screen. In 2005, Tamannaah made her acting debut in the Bollywood film, Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, before working in the major South Indian film industries. However, it is a lot of weight for Tamannaah to carry, the fact she has to work on a character that was previously played by the winner of four Filmfare Best Actress Awards, who is often cited in film media as “The First Female Superstar of the Indian Cinema”, none other but Sridevi. The other exciting action/drama film to release on April 12 is Zanjeer, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, starring Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt
and Prakash Raj. The original Zanjeer was directed and produced by Prakash Mehra, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Ajit and Bindu. The movie changed the trend from romantic films to action films and pioneered Amitabh’s new image of a brooding but explosive person who fights back when cornered, known as “The Angry Young Man.” The film became a super-hit, collecting six crores at the box office and was the fourth highest grossing film of 1973. The fun is to watch the box-office collection and ranking of the new version in 2013. Some of other films that deserves a quality remake are Jane Bhi Do Yaro, Prem Rog, Ek Duje Keliye to name a few. The next century of Indian Cinema has a very bright future and lots to expect! Stay tuned with HUM to read more about the growth of the Bollywood internationally.
Internationally celebrated, multiple award winning media personality and art critique, Tushar Unadkat is CEO, Creative Director of MUKTA Advertising and Founder, Executive Director of Nouveau iDEA (New International Dimension in Entertainment & Arts). Follow @TusharUnadkat
www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Black & White
We May Not Have Created Waves But We Surely Caused Some Ripples BY SEETHA RATNAKAR
The softhearted thug asks the bouncy village belle in the midst of her chatter: “What is your name, Basanti?” The garrulous beauty is flounced. Indian filmgoers still laugh at this joke. This tidbit from Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 blockbuster and iconic film Sholay (The Embers) summarizes the magic and the logic of Indian films: they tell us what we already know, and we want to hear it again and again, delighting ourselves and the world in the process. The funny scene in Sholay captures the logic of what makes Indian cinema magical. Planting the pleasures of repeating stories, themes, swashbuckling characters and lovely ladies in the very structure of the film itself - What’s your name, Basanti? - is the not-so-secret logic shared by Indian cinema and its millions (maybe billions?) of lovers. This anecdote captures the formal
A hundred years of Indian cinema and to think that our family has been associated with the film industry for over seventy years of that fills me with a sense of great pride, and disbelief. It is of special significance to us because my parents and all us five children have been a part of this wonderful world of celluloid dreams. I suppose it all started with my father, Seshagiri Rao (A.S. Giri), who was the singer/hero of the trail blazing film Sumangali in the early 1940s. Tall and handsome, he was the quintessential hero, a woman magnet. While it was the only movie he’d ever acted in, his popularity remained for as long as he lived. My mother, Anasuya Devi, was offered several roles as a leading artist but her conservative family did not allow her to act as it wasn’t considered a field for “nice” girls from good homes. She went on to become the first female Music Director of South Indian cinema when she directed music for a Kannada feature film, Mahatma Kabir. She must have derived vicarious satisfaction when her first born, Rathna Papa, made her acting debut at the tender age of two in Adrusta Deepudu. Rathna became Variety, they say, is the spice of life, essence of Indian film stories; they can a popular child atiste in many moviescinema in the 50s however. Cansuccessful it be that Indian be a known quantity captivating theand featured and early 60s. Her most memorable fi lm will always be the trilingual lacks in variety? Unlikely, given the film hearts of millions of informed viewers Samsaram produced by Gemini Pictures, in which she actedinwith another history of Indian filmmaking at least worldwide. Be they the antics of the child of artist, Anil Kumar. She was four andIndian he was six; as fate would have it, ten major languages and cultural softhearted thugs the blockbuster the two married decades later in 1975. Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, milieus: Sholay - which popularized the aforesaid My brother Krishna (Giri) Malayalam, was a prankster. He acted in two films, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, joke - or the story of lost brothers reunitRamudu and Akbar Vagdanam. However when he was shooting Assamese, and Oriya, to name onlyfor the ing after yearsDonga of hardship (Amar Anjali pictures he refused to act scared some.Sundari Innovation is not lacking either; in a Anthony, 1977), or that of theblockbuster diasporic Suvarna sceneand thatwinning requiredback him the to fightthe with a snake. He was given snake world of Indian cinema is aa plastic dynamic, dude visiting India multi-ethnic and rights heart of a whole (Dilwaale Dulbutcountry he demanded a real snake multi-generational, to show real fear. Even though child cosmopolitan It hasthe been a hunhaniya Le Jaayenge; The rights Brave-hearted and animal activists were not so vocal world. those days, producer dredas years since the Indianabout Film Industry Shall Win the could Bride,not 1995), or thewith desihis demand comply he was concerned the safety made itsfrom humble beginnings im-He did dude coming of to his New YorkThat to win the Krishna’s crew. marked exit films for a shortwith while. portant stories to be told. Yes, it was the diasporic girl (Kal Ho Naa Ho; Tomorrow take up a lead role in a children’s film Pillalu Thechina Challani Rajyam narrative that ruled the film world then, May Never Come, 2003), oryears an impres(Telugu)a few later. Unfortunately, he became seriously ill halfway but ithad got to lost somewhere in between sive array of avant garde through theand filmparaland the producers find a replacement after waiting when some people decided to play to lel filmmaking, Indian cinema and its for a few months. the more gallery. Nonetheless, with exemplary counterparts have been about I came nextcultural in line but I was reserved and inhibited as a child. classics being produced every year, time consensus formulaically expressed, as Imagine my shock when I had to debut as a boy in Pelli Nati Pramanalu and again, some brave men and women in ancient Greek theatre. The stories are (Telugu). My lovely long tresses were cropped and I had to wear short get together and build small as well as universal, often retold, and deeply loved. pants and a shirt throughout the movie. Apparently I must have looked better as a boy and so I went on to do two more films and with dual male roles too! In the Telugu film Pendli Pillupu I acted the role of the young
hero, N.T.Rama Rao and also as his nephew, and in the Kannada film Mahatma Kabir, I was the young Kabir and also Kabir’s son. This male role jinx was finally broken when I could act as a girl in Manchi Kutumbam (Telugu) after which I decided to bid adieu to acting and joined my sister Rathna to perform Indian classical dance. My younger sister and brother decided to emulate our dad and also became one movie wonders. My sister Kamala acted in Pelli Naati Pramanaalu (Telugu) when she was a mere infant. My brother Neehar made a mark as young Nageswara Rao in the Telugu version and as Shivaji Ganesan in the Tamil version of the super hit film Premnagar. Telugu superstar Venkatesh was the other child artiste in the film and he still continues doing leading roles in films while all five of us have moved on to do other things that destiny had in store for us. Films and showbiz continued to impact our lives for several years. Rathna and Kamala moved to theatre. I sang playback for a few films. Krishna did psychedelics and visual effects for dance song sequences in films and was nicknamed “Disco Dumbu”. Neehar shifted to software and married an actor, Radica (of Nizalgal fame). Even after studies and employment took us to various parts of the world our interest in films never abated. All of us have remained staunch movie buffs and still feel a sense of solidarity with the artists and technicians who have toiled for the success of this industry. We join all of you to celebrate this century with a feeling of immense satisfaction that we also played a small but vital role. We may not have created waves but we must have surely caused some ripples with our foray into this vast world of celluloid. Seetha Ratnakar is a media person who has been associated with Doordarshan, the official Indian television channel, for over 37 years. She recently retired as the Assistant Station Director of the Chennai Kendra. Her area of specialization has been directing programs on dance, music and documentaries on subjects related to Indian culture. She now lives in Chennai, India and works as a freelance film director and artistic director for major dance productions. She also writes articles on media and travel.
seetharatnakar@gmail.com
Krishna Giri in Pillalu Thechina Challani Rajyam
A.S. Giri
Anasuya Devi
Anil Kumar and Rathna (Papa) Kumar in Sansar
Seetha Ratnakar in Mahatma Kabir
Neehar Giri in Prem Nagar www.hummagazine.com www.hummagazine.com April April2013 2013
Personality
Shashi and Harish Jajoo with their two sons Rishi (right) and Sidhartha (left)
Harish Jajoo Man on a Mission BY KALYANI GIRI Harish Jajoo is telling me about projects that the City of Sugar Land has up its sleeve that will raise the fast-growing metropolis’s profile to that of a Utopia. Never mind that the multiple award-winning, master-planned city with about 85,000 residents is ranked as one of the safest towns in the US, or that it made Forbes Magazine’s “Top Suburb to Live Well”, boasts an exemplary school system, or that the area is home to Fortune 500 global companies like Schlumberger and Fluor Corporation; if that doesn’t already qualify as utopian, then I honestly don’t know what would. Harish, a City of Sugar Land Council Member for District Four for 2011-2013, who’s up for an unopposed second term in office this May, is enthusing about a performing arts center that will soon take up residence in his jurisdiction on the northbound feeder of US 59 at University. The state-of-the-art indoor venue that will seat up to 7000 is already destined to become a sought after premises for concerts and other events. He’s also excited about the pro-
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posed construction of a community sports center on 65 acres of parkland in Telfair. The multi-million dollar enterprise, with a permanent cricket pitch, and badminton, lacrosse and tennis facilities, has been submitted to residents of Sugar Land and is pending approval. If endorsed, the park will come to fruition within 2-3 years. “These amenities are not needed but they’re certainly wanted as they add to the quality of life, and make the city an attractive destination location,” says Harish, who is a career engineer. He’s also an urban infrastructure professional with over three decades of experience and an avid volunteer/activist supporting programs that enhance Sugar Land. “Public service and being involved is so important if you want to see change in your community,” says Harish, who during his campaign, knocked on 2500 doors to meet constituents personally. “Sugar Land is exciting because there are always new projects and the community participates actively. I’m humbled
and overwhelmed by our diverse communities who supported my campaign in myriad ways,” he adds. His number one supporter is wife Shashi, who is a gracious presence during our interview. It’s all about teamwork, confides Harish. He and fellow council members Amy Mitchell, Bridget Yeung, Donald L. Smithers, Himesh Gandhi, and Joe R. Zimmerman, work together as “a solid team”; he lauds the exemplary leadership of the Mayor of Sugar Land, James A. Thompson. “Our Mayor is a good leader, a consensus builder, and is very respectful of the council members. We’re also very fortunate to have a highly qualified and very experienced City Manager in Allen Bogard whose own team of experts do a great job overseeing the implementation of the day-to-day operations of the city,” Harish says. With some temerity, I ask whether he felt satisfied with his accomplishments during his first term as council member. “With my background in engineering and infrastructure, I have impacted how we maintain our city by focusing on sidewalks, roads, drainage, parks, and other amenities. As a council member serving on the board of directors of this city, I also have a voice in advocating fiscally conservative responsibility in budgeting, contracts, and spending,” Harish says. According to the Sugar Land 2012 Annual Report, ethnicity is 52% White, 35.3% Asian, 7.4% Black or African American, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino, and 2.3% other. Fortune 500 firms dotting Sugar Land’s landscape already/or in the near future include Costco (most desired retailer by residents of SL) and Optum Rx (at the Granite Towers 11). Sugar Land is also home to international, national, and local companies in the ilk of Unique Industrial Products, ICAP Energy, LLC, Team Industrial Services, Inc., and Validas Inc, a software company; this augurs well in terms of employment opportunities ergo a more robust economy. The City of Sugar Land has won innumerable accolades; the Best All-Around Clean Air Leadership award by the HoustonGalveston Area Council in 2012, the Certificate for Achievement of Economic Excellence from the Texas Economic Development Council, and named the Community of Respect for four years consecutively by the Anti-Defamation League, to mention a few. Born the youngest of seven siblings in Kapurthala, Punjab, Harish Jajoo spent the early years in Delhi before moving to Canada in 1975 to pursue an engineering degree from the University of Windsor. He moved to Houston in 1982, and started out as an ingénue engineer with the City of Houston and retired in 2011 with the lofty portfolio of Senior Assistant Director to dedicate more time to his campaign. Having accomplished that, he has since joined a small civil engineering and construction management company, Isani Consultants, as a Principal; his responsibilities include facilitating the firm’s internal operations and business development. Before his first term in office, he served on the board of the Planning and Zoning Commission of Sugar Land, an appointed position. He’s also chaired the infrastructure planning division for Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land, a non-profit service organization that works closely with
Fort Bend ESCAPE Center for the prevention of child abuse. Harish and Shashi have lived in Sugar Land since 1985. The couple has two sons - Rishi, 28, a PhD at Harvard in Systems Biology, and Sidhartha, 26, a University of Houston Business graduate who’s presently pursuing business opportunities. The family home with its open floor plan is inviting, panoramic. The comfortable breakfast nook we’re seated at is where Shashi and Harish share their morning cups of tea, which he makes, says Shashi with a serene smile. Quirky Rajasthani puppets add pops of color to the mostly white kitchen. Recumbent on shelves and in alcoves in the sprawling living areas are icons of Ganesh, the elephant-headed god of auspicious beginnings, reflective of the family’s Hindu faith. They have long been associated with the Chinmaya Mission of Houston where Shashi has taught children’s classes for 15 years; Shashi’s also a medical technologist at the Memorial Herman Hospital for the past 25 years. The couple met through mutual family back in India and had what Harish cryptically describes as a “modified arranged marriage” in New Delhi in 1981. “It was an arranged marriage without pressure,” Harish elaborates, observing my bemused expression. “She is my strongest supporter, she keeps me on the straight and narrow. We’re good together,” he adds. Harish’s two brothers also reside in Sugar Land. The extended family gets together every weekend, which helps strengthen the bond among the younger generations of Jajoos. I ask Harish about his second term. What’s he looking forward to? “I love challenges and look forward to them. My goal is to always be responsible, effective, and accessible to the people because I represent them,” says Harish. “I always have the wellbeing of the diverse communities as my primary purpose in doing this service.” www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Hope & Fayth
Against all Odds BY Nina Friedman Neish In 2003, I was sitting in a CPS staffing, a meeting where all the parties involved in a case review the details of the situation, when a case worker suggested that I become a foster parent. I must have looked at her like she was nuts. I told her I could not take care of a dog and give it back, let alone a child. However, she did get me thinking. I was already trying to figure out a way to become a mother. I was 40 and had recently become single. I never thought a single woman could adopt a child. Little did I know, the social worker’s suggestion that day set me on a path that would lead me to become the mother of a beautiful little girl; a little girl who was born four weeks premature to a mother who was a drug addict that lived on the street. She received no prenatal care. The child who would become my daughter was delivered with many complications due to the amount of alcohol and crack cocaine her birth mother had used during her pregnancy. While the birth mother was in the hospital after her baby was born, a CPS social worker interviewed her. Her only question was would she be arrested if the baby girl died. Child abuse can happen before a child is born. People seldom understand why a birth mother is not prosecuted when she gives birth to a child that has cocaine or alcohol running through its body. It is not a crime under our current laws to ingest drugs and alcohol while pregnant. It is a sad day when a child is born with fetal alcohol syndrome or other drug and alcohol related issues. My daughter Fayth is a lovely mixed race child, now 8 years old. I’m so grateful to be her mother. She
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did not crawl until she was 12 months old and she did not walk independently until she was 17 months old. She has received intensive speech and occupational therapy since she was one. Fayth is a beautiful happy little girl who struggles with social situations. She has some sensory issues, ADHD, and she receives special education accommodations at her elementary school. Fayth has a hard time understanding concepts. She often says things that don’t make sense and though she reads very well, she can’t tell you what the book was about. She has poor impulse control and she gets easily frustrated with easy tasks. It was much simpler when she was younger. People don’t expect small children to always make sense. As Fayth gets older it is more obvious that she is different. People are not always kind to people that seem odd or different. What will Fayth be like when she is older? We (I subsequently married and my husband adopted Fayth) don’t know. We hope that she will be a productive, happy woman able to maintain relationships and take care of herself. We hope she will be able to work, be successful, and a productive part of our world. Some people thought I was a little crazy to adopt a little girl who was subjected to the drug exposure. I felt like being a parent is always a roll of the dice. You can do everything right while you are pregnant and still give birth to a child with learning struggles. I am very lucky to be Fayth’s mother and I would not change a thing. Well, I do wish I could change one thing. I wish I could make women understand that drugs, alcohol, and pregnancy don’t mix. It angers me that people inflict these struggles on a child, many of which are preventable. I became a Child Advocate in 2002. I wanted to really make a difference in the life of a child. A child advocate is appointed by a judge to be an independent voice in court for an abused or neglected child. The job of the advocate is to carefully research the background of the child to help the judge make a sound decision about the child’s future. The advocate gives a report to the judge making a recommendation about placement to the court. The advocate follows the case until it is finished in permanency. A child in the Child Protective Services (CPS) system can easily have 1-3 different caseworkers through the duration of their case. That is why the role of the advocate is so important. People often ask me how I can be a child
Satish Rao’s
o’s a R ish
Sat
advocate, thinking it would be too difficult to see up close what sort of abuse and neglect people have inflicted on children. It is hard. It’s hard to treat a parent, who has done unspeakable things to a child, with respect and kindness, which is what the advocate is expected to do. Sometimes CPS workers have 30 or more cases and can have 70 or more kids on their caseload. It is almost impossible for them to keep up with all the details of each Hillcroft: case. One case can have any number of kids on it. It is the5959 goal of Hillcroft, organizations Houston, such as Child Advocates to have a volunteer for every child TX 77036 713-334-5555 that is in the system. A case of abuse is reported in the US every 10 seconds. This does not include the silent abuse that also causes permanent damage, which is what happens before a baby is born. Fetal alcohol syndrome can cause small brain size, tremors, hyperactivity, fine and gross motor problems, attention deficits, learning disabilities, intellectual impairments, and mental retardation. Not every child exposed to alcohol or drugs will develop intellectual disabilities but it is the leading known preventable cause of intellectual disabilities. Many lives are affected by each incidence of this form of abuse. Interventions are imperative as the child grows and learns. April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness month. I believe that education is part of the answer to pre-natal abuse and any type of child abuse, but it is probably only part of the solution. Legislation should be passed that would prosecute women who neglect their unborn babies. There are no agencies or organizations other than Child Advocates that provide the same service to a child in the CPS system. However, there are certainly many other pivotal organizations that help children who have been the victims of abuse. One way to make a difference is to volunteer and to be involved. Child Advocates recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to speak on behalf of abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes. CASA is part of a nationwide organization of Court Appointed Special Advocates with 920 chapters in 50 states, and 50,000 volunteers serving 225,000 children. In 2012, over 30,000 cases of child abuse or neglect were called into the Department of Child Protective services; 5506 were confirmed after investigations were completed. I’m grateful every day that I have been given the gift of Fayth. I know she has a long road ahead. But, I also know that she has parents who love her, care for and believe in her, and will do whatever it takes to help her as much as possible. I will continue to work within the system to try to make a difference also. Helping a child to reach its potential could have a huge impact on our world. We never know what a child can grow up to become, invent, or discover. Giving children the best start in life is imperative. http://www.childadvocates.org/
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Heritage
Timeless Traditions
Women Preserving Culture BY LISA BROOKS “The Hindu culture, where traditions are timeless.” These were the words that kicked off a marvelous evening of shared experiences, education, and community at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford on March 30, 2013. I was one of only a handful of non-Indian, non-Hindu women among hundreds at the BAPS Women’s Conference hosted by the Mandir, and did initially feel slightly out of place until I was greeted by Sejal Patel, a lovely young woman, who took it as her personal mission to answer all my questions, and made sure that I felt comfortable. She first escorted me on a guided tour of the Mandir, which is a stunningly beautiful carved marble building, a shrine to the gurus. She explained that the carving was done by hand in India and then shipped and assembled on site. At the conference room, women of all ages were pouring into the room in their beautiful sarees to take their seats. Even before the speakers came up to the podium, the sacred flame, or diya, was lit to invoke the blessings of the gods. Following that, there was a lovely traditional Indian dance performance by Amisha Patel. The thrust of the symposium was about nurturing children to preserve their heritage and traditions. “When you put a seed in the ground and nourish it with air and water, it does not become the air or the water. It becomes a unique plant,” said Alpana Thakkar, one of the speakers at the seminar. “It is the imperative responsibility of caregivers to nurture children with the same history and traditions of their ancestors that will be carried into the future. Service is the key to preserving traditional values. In service to family, community, and guests, one becomes closer to god, and one begins to see the spark of divinity in all beings,” added Thakkar. Guests, speakers and sponsors were introduced. Present was a compelling array of accomplished women that included doctors, architects, attorneys, mothers, daughters, scientists, and entrepreneurs. The first featured speaker was Krupa Amin, whose subject was Standing Tall: Understanding the Richness of Hindu Traditions. She quoted the story of a young woman, an Indian immigrant, who studied hard, worked, held a job, saved money, and bought a nice pair of slacks for an interview. However, the slacks did not fit very well. Neither did she get the job. She was lamenting this to a professor who in turn asked what she would wear in India, and she replied, “a saree, of course!” The professor advised, “Then next time, wear a saree. Be comfortable and confident in who you are, true to your identity.” “It’s a fact that immigrants face challenges in American culture. There is always a hyphen separating them from being Americans. Indian-American, Mexican-American, African-American,” said Amin. “However, building on existing identity rather than creating a new one keeps the culture strong. And, little by little, aspects of other cultures become part of American culture. It is important to maintain traditional values in an ever-changing world. In daily rituals there is power,” she added. One important value is Asmita. Pride. Make a conscious effort to learn, celebrate festivals, spirituality, together as a family. It keeps people and traditions grounded in the past, to develop pride in your roots, and allows children to become the torchbearers for Hindu values in modern times, added Amin.
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The second panelist Ramola Panchal spoke on Conveying Beliefs: Communicating our Traditions to Others. She said that to remember and practice tolerance and understanding leads to universal acceptance. Hinduism, she said, is more than a religion. It is a way of life. She used the analogy of a coconut, an odd-looking fruit that doesn’t appear to be a fruit at all. People can misjudge Hinduism, hearing that there are multiple gods. However, one must look deeper to see the truth. Breaking the coconut, or the stereotype, and revealing the modern monotheistic Hindu faith requires Hindus to be ambassadors of their culture. It is imperative to understand the religion well enough to explain it to others. Festivals celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Communicating beliefs and traditions help dispel misunderstanding and lead to a better appreciation of the true meaning of what Hinduism represents. Hinduism is the third largest world religion. Hindus must understand their culture fully in order to share with others, and speak about it with a sense of pride. Ambassadors of the Hindu heritage must convey traditions through actions, and share their knowledge with others to spread the light from the East, added Panchal. The final speaker for the evening was Hiral Patel. Her topic for discussion was Building Tomorrow: Upholding Hindu Values for Future Generations. She talked of the responsibility of the parents, particularly the mothers, to do the major teaching of their children in the home. “Language is important and helps us feel more connected. It facilitates communication between generations. Use the real native word rather than the English equivalent,” said Patel. She exhorted attendees to focus on the sentiments of festivals, not just the party. Mandirs are important to reinforce values in the community. Certain traditions have to be represented at home. To pass along lasting values it takes constant reminders. Family time is important. It can reinforce values and bridge generations, Patel added. A very moving moment occurred when Patel was brought to tears speaking of what a mother is in terms of selflessness. She recalled her own mother telling her it was okay for her to move from New York to Houston as a selfless act. “It’s impossible for me to be away from my young son even for a short time. But, across generations, women have done what they must to help preserve culture and traditions in their families. Resilience is important to be able to assimilate and be a part of American culture, and still preserve important cultural traditions of your people,” said Patel. It was a very moving and inspiring afternoon. I, a Jewish woman, found that every thing that was said resonated within me. My grandparents and great-grandparents were immigrants. They too worked hard to preserve their own culture and pass it along to future generations, while becoming Americans. Jewish-Americans, GermanAmericans, Russian-Americans… I believe in our melting pot culture that it is an experience shared by many. After a delicious meal, I headed home exhilarated by all I had learned and experienced, but mostly by the knowledge that my experience in living in America and working to preserve my own heritage for my children is not too different from that of other cultures.
Speaker Krupa Amin
Speaker Ramola Panchal
Speaker Hiral Patel
Keynote Speaker Alpana Thakkar
Speakers & Sponsors
Photos: Courtesy of BAPS
Nandita Parvathaneni (left), wife of Consul General of India receives a token of appreciation
Amisha Patel
Lisa Brooks is the proud mother of four wonderful children, a Comparative Religion teacher at Congregation Emanu El, and she also owns and operates a small home organizing business. She enjoys writing, reading, and exploring both in Houston, and around the world.Â
Balikas welcome guests with chandlo www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Lucia and Michael Cordua
Liz Gorman and Melissa Fitzgerald
Stacy and John Andell
Leslie Jackson and Marcus Carter
Houston Grand Opera Salutes 2013 Ovation Award Winners Eight philanthropists were named recipients of the Houston Grand Opera 2013 Ovation Awards at a cocktail reception held at the Abraham’s Oriental Rug Showroom in the Decorative Arts Center of Houston, March 13, 2013. The awards honor young Houstonians who are role models for other young civic-minded people in the arena of altruism. Houston Grand Opera’s Rebecca Koterwas and Vincent Covatto presented the awards to the honorees that are selected from a large pool of nominees. The eight recipients this year are: David Cordúa, Executive Chef,
Cordúa Restaurants; Kathleen Flaherty, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System Young Professionals; Freddy Goerges, Founder, Houston Young Professionals Society; Liz Gorman, Co-chair, Team Bering Omega Services Aids Walk Houston; James Phelan, Co-founder, ChildBuilders Nightshift Young Professionals Group; Shavonnah Roberts Schreiber, Membership Chair, Houston Young People for the Arts; Kate Stukenberg, Co-founder, Blondes vs. Brunettes Alzheimer’s Awareness Event; Justin James “JJ” Watt, defensive end of Houston Texans (NFL); Founder,
Samuel and Omana Abraham
Hasti Taghi and Janae Tsai
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Justin J. Watt Foundation. “It’s great to be among friends and people who make so much of a difference in Houston,” said David Cordúa, whose father is the illustrious Chef Michael Cordúa, pioneer of Latin American cuisine. Kate Stukenberg dedicated her award to her father, Joseph Hugh Allen, whom she lost to Alzheimer’s disease in 2008. “I’m honored to be recognized for my efforts with Alzheimer’s. The cause is very personal, very important to me,” said Stukenberg.
Shavonnah Roberts Schreiber and Joseph M. Schreiber
Elizabeth Abraham Colombowala, Ovation awardee for 2010, lauded the Houston Grand Opera for being a leader in encouraging young leaders. “The awardees are peer selected and a great honor, shining a much deserved spotlight on leaders who devote their time, resources, talents, contacts, and social networks to organizations and causes dear to their hearts. These young professionals have extensive philanthropic involvement, their events are successful, and their efforts spur more involvement from others due to their creativity and leadership,” added Colombowala. The announcement and reception coincided with a kickoff event for the upcoming Opera Ball Encore Party, the “after party” for young patrons of HGO’s yearly white-tie fundraiser. Encore Party Chairs, Leslie Jackson and Marcus Carter announced that the Encore Party will honor Ovation Award recipients and follow the theme of this year’s Opera Ball – La Belle Époque - on April 13, 2013 at the Wortham Theater Center. Encore partygoers will enjoy a full bar in the Grand Foyer and dancing with DJ Little Martin from midnight to 2 a.m. A midnight breakfast will also be served. Dress for the Encore party, which will begin at 10.00 p.m. is white or black tie. www.hgo.org/encore
Freddy Goerges, Kathleen Flaherty, David Cordua, Shavonnah Roberts Schreiber, Liz Gorman, Kate Stukenberg, and James Phelan
Edward Sanchez and Dr. Rolando Maldonado
Divya Brown and Melissa Fitzgerald
Alex and Astley Blair, with Omana and Samuel Abraham
Photos: Priscilla Dickson
Sylia Gallegos and David Cordua
Valerie Palmquist Dieterich and Tracy Dieterich
James Phelan and Lori Freese
Caroline Starry LeBlanc, Kate Stukenberg, and James Glassman
Serina Mammen and Ajay Mammen
Omana Abraham and Annie Abraham
www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Green
The goal of Sustainability 2.0 is to share valuable resources, discuss relevant trends and bring you the latest and greatest on how become part of a creative solution. We will discuss energy, out of the box water conservation, socially responsible investing, eco-tourism, healthy eating, and collaborative consumption.
EARTH DAY: HUMMINGBIRDS, SPRING AND THE PLANET BY TAJANA MESIC The Spring is here! Not soon enough – just ask the colorful Houston butterflies and hungry bees who stumble around from flower to flower, drunk on nectar. If you are lucky, you might also spot migrating hummingbirds that are starting to reach Houston from their wintering grounds in Yucatan. Most ruby-throated hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico, typically leaving at dusk for a nonstop flight of up to 500 miles, which takes 18-22 hours depending on the weather. They come to Texas hungry just in time for bottlebrushes and lantanas that are starting to bloom in reds, purples and sunflower yellows. At that point, Earth Day is just a few short weeks away. Typically commemorated on April 22, Earth Day is a celebration of planet Earth and Nature with roots back in the 1970s when many Americans drove gas-guzzling V8 engine cars and industrial pollution went mostly unchecked. It was in 1970 that a movement was born. After witnessing a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969, two politicians – Gaylord Nelson and Pete McCloskey – formed an alliance and announced their collaborative effort of “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media. Their goal was to introduce environment protection onto the national political agenda through environmental action rallies. What happened then? As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and
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Photos: Tajana Mesic poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. Today, goal of Earth Day events is to provide a forum for education and engagement where corporations, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations can come together to showcase their environmental initiatives, present ideas and perspectives, and provide community volunteer opportunities. Where do you look for an Earth Day close by? Houston For a Houston-style Earth Day, visit Discovery Green on April 14 from 11-5 pm. Earth Day Houston is an all-day fun event produced by Air Alliance Houston. It is Houston’s top familyfriendly annual celebration of our planet. There is something for everyone at the event. Kids might enjoy the Earth Zone featuring interactive environmental awareness activities highlighting land, air, water, sustainability, healthy living and wildlife and habitat. Grownups will be easy to spot at the Eco Landscape Zone and an Urban Harvest Local Fare checking out local and sustainable products. With all the expert advice, you can easily find the perfect tomato or the fig variety that works for your yard. Or get a rain barrel. Smaller but equally powerful efforts are underway in some leading residential master-planned communities and corporations around Houston. These forward-thinking companies are looking to educate, entertain and empower their residents and employees about more sustainable life both at home and the office. Earth Day events are being planned throughout April, complete with recycling of electronics, introduction to habitat and water protection, Audubon presentations and learning more about wildlife we are surrounded by in urban and suburban homes.
visers. For over five months, the Green Grove team worked with the professional planners to reduce the environmental impact of the event. The event’s eco-friendly initiatives helped offset nearly 300 metric tons of CO2 and divert over 70 percent of the waste generated from 48,000 attendees from the landfill. The Dallas Earth Day was the second largest Earth Day event in America that year and grew into the Texas-sized largest Earth Day in Texas year by year. It is an annual, outdoor festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and influence the way Texans think, live and work. The family-friendly and free-admission event allows leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit worlds to unite and show North Texans how green lifestyle choices can lower their cost of living, improve their health, and help save the environment. This April 22, find one of the many Earth Day events close to you and help write many more victories and successes into our history. Or just put out a hummingbird feeder for the rubythroated Houston-bound hummingbird. Either way, you are helping protect our Earth for future generations.
Dallas In 2011, Green Grove Group worked with founders and organizers of Earth Day Dallas as their official sustainability adTajana Mesic is the president and founder of GGG Sustainability Solutions. GGG is a corporate sustainability consulting firm, providing clients with professional guidance on integrating sustainability strategy into operations in a financially viable way. GGG is a certified B Corporation. You can get more sustainability tips at www.facebook.com/greengrovegroup or connect with Tajana at www.greengrovegroup.com
www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Wendy Dawson and sons
Dr. Anne Kushwaha and Beth Muecke
Debbie Festari and Karina Barbieri
Julie Brown and daughter
Debbie Deutser Greenbaum and Bob Deutser
Ursaline Hamilton and sons
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Lindsey Williams, Jenny Barnes, Madison Shofner
Hats Off to Mothers
Honoree Gracie Cavnar
Photos: Gary Fountain
Luncheon Raises $155,000 For Easter Seals
The 14th Annual Hats Off to Mothers Luncheon beneďŹ tting the Easter Seals Greater Houston raised a whopping $155,000 for the humanitarian organization and its programs that help serve the disabled and their families. Held at the River Oaks Country Club on March 26, 2013, helping make the event a success were the nearly 365 guests who attended, beautifully dressed in haute couture, high heels and spectacular hats and fascinators. The occasion honored 10 outstanding Houston mothers who have made signiďŹ cant contributions to their families and the Houston community. Chairing the luncheon were Elizabeth DeLuca and her daughter Lauren; honorees were Gina Bhatia, Julie Brown, Gracie Cavnar, Wendy Dawson, Debbie Deutser Greenbaum, Ursaline Hamilton, Robin Klaes, Beth Muecke, Judy Nyquist, and Ginny Simmons. www.easterseals.com
Sitting, from left, Gina Bhatia, Julie Brown, Gracie Cavnar, Wendy Dawson and Debbie Deutser Greenbaum Standing, from left, Ursaline Hamilton, Robin Klaes, Beth Muecke, Judy Nyquist, and Ginny Simmons www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Ginny Simmons and Family
Robin and Danny Klaes and Judy Nyquist
Event chairs Lauren DeLuca and Elizabeth DeLuca with Caroline DeLuca (sitting)
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Counsel
Pope Francis, Here’s my Advice... BY KEN CHITWOOD Since his election on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis, has frequently been evaluated by, and compared to his papal namesake - St. Francis of Assisi. The son of a rich cloth merchant, St. Francis eschewed wealth and instead chose to live among beggars and mendicant preachers in and around Rome. He is famed for being gracious to the poor, preaching to animals of the forest and being as humble as they come. Thus far, His Holiness has been cast in the same light. Furthermore, his papal priorities seem to match-up. According to the Associated Press column by Nicole Winfield, the new pope aims to focus on protecting nature, the weak and the poor. Certainly, these lofty ideals will sway millions of Catholics, and a great swath of progressive Protestants and people from other faiths, to support this seemingly simple pontiff. Yet, before he gallivants off to save the world the new Bishop of Rome needs to heed the words of his spiritual forebear St. Francis, who said: Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. And also: Where there is injury, let me sow pardon. As Pope Francis takes the reins as Vicar of Christ from his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, he inherits what some refer to as “a church in crisis.” While retired Pope Benedict XVI focused much of his energy in an attempt to revitalize the church of Rome as it faded away among Western Christians repulsed by sex abuse scandals across the Northern Hemisphere, he did not accomplish any lofty goals in his eight-year papacy. Indeed, even though the Church continued to grow across Africa, Asia and the Americas, closer to home, the Vatican faced grave managerial shortcomings and more scandal. Some commentators believe that due to his seeming shift in priorities, reputation as a humble leader and identification with non-Western Catholics, Pope Francis will innately prove to be a breath of fresh air for the Roman Catholic Church. I caution their optimism and recommend that Pope Francis first take care of what is necessary and possible, and sow pardon where there is injury, if he wants to restore a robust Catholic presence throughout the world.
Before the new Pontiff can address worthwhile issues concerning the environment, poverty or protecting the vulnerable he must first restore the Catholic Church’s credibility - and this will be accomplished by confronting the sex abuse scandal, addressing leadership issues within the church and giving the Church a proper global expression. First, Pope Francis must sow pardon concerning the injuries caused by multiple priests in multiple dioceses over multiple years. The sex abuse scandal is not a case of isolated incidents and not something that can be overlooked because of new initiatives in a positive direction concerning global poverty and climate change. This scandal is indicative of a need for reform within the church from the top down, including priestly perpetrators and the bishops and cardinals that covered the offenses up. By no means will it be completed overnight by one papal bull. It will take years to make some form of reparation, rid the church of sexual indecency (or at least make an attempt) and bring transparency to a leadership structure clouded in secrecy. This is the second step that Pope Francis must take. Again, the Vatican leadership scandal is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to issues with Church governance. The newly elected leader of the largest Christian church in the world must take the steps to modernize the leadership structure of his church, open up closed doors and re-catalyze a stolid bureaucracy that often times is more concerned with preservation than proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lastly, as the first Latin American pope, the Holy Father is at least an emblematic attempt on behalf of the Catholic Church to appeal to its largest, and fastest growing constituencies in the South and East: the Americas, Africa and Asia. Now, Pope Francis will have to step up the rhetoric and cash in on the excitement and begin to represent this burgeoning tide of Catholics from the developing world not only in word, but also in deed. Certainly, there is much expected of Pope Francis, and many people tugging on his ear and attempting to direct his papal hand. While we certainly will not see the Church revolutionized by this theologically conservative, and humbly progressive, man, there is still hope that perhaps His Holiness will, like his progenitor St. Francis, do the impossible by starting with what is necessary and possible and sowing pardon where injury has ruled the day.
Ken Chitwood covers religion from Houston as a freelance writer. Passionate about religious education he writes to share fascinating religious stories from various spiritual perspectives. His work regularly appears in the Houston Chronicle and his work has appeared in Religion & Politics, RealClearReligion, Publisher’s Weekly, and Sightings from the University of Chicago. Ken serves two local churches and is a graduate student in theology and culture. Ken has learned about, and taught, religion in several countries and actively encourages religious literacy through teaching, blogs, professional writing and speaking. Follow Ken on Twitter @kchitwood. www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Finearts
Art Forms of Kerala
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BY DR. VENUGOPAL K. MENON The striking sliver of terrain nestled between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats in the southern peninsula of India, is often claimed as ‘God’s Own Country’, and acclaimed by National Geographic as one of the top places to visit. Officially it is the state of Kerala, the land of the coconut palms, pristine beaches, picturesque peaks, green expanses, meandering rivers, waterfalls and backwater bodies. The place asserts the distinction of having the maximum literacy, lowest infant mortality, highest life expectancy and greatest Human Development Index, the first democratic Communist government, matriarchal families as well as the notoriety with the most suicides, alcoholism, mental illness, divorces and crimes. ‘Art’ has eminence in Kerala; it commands respect, it attracts audience, it is appreciated, it is taught, it is performed, it occupies an integral part of the culture. Classical Arts in Kerala owns an ancient tradition, spanning through centuries of exposure and expressed in a variety of styles. As every art form in India, the several styles had originated in the temples and were associated with the religious practices, which gradually became integrated into the main cultural fabric. Kings and ruling heads of the various dynasties supported, promoted and nurtured the various art forms. The renowned among them in Kerala were Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma in classical music and Raja Ravi Varma in painting, legendary authorities that provided leadership in their respective roles. Kathakali Kathakali is the most known performing art form, a total style purely from Kerala, acclaimed by the entire world for its distinctive elegance. It combines multiple features of ballet, opera, mime and its own unique style, which require the student over ten years to qualify before they can perform. It is a distinct ensemble of movements, and expression performed with complexity and refinement to the accompaniment of vocal music, chenda, maddalam (native drums), chenkila and edathalam. Kathakali used to be performed on the temple stages, a play lasting the entire night and portraying stories picked from the famous epics. The performance is in the light from a huge oil lamp, the nilavilakku, the glow of the light augmenting the expressions of the artists. The performers play out the meaning of the music using mime, facial expressions, hand gestures, the mudras, and body movements. The more eminent artists will perform beyond the music, adding their own elaborate imagination (manodharmam) that elevates the level of the performance and makes it exceptional and appealing to the erudite in the audience. Kathakali costumes are complex, colorful and highly structured, along with the artist’s face painted and made up with distinctive and intricate details, matching the personality they represent. They are grouped as pacha or green for digni-
fied and virtuous characters, kathi, the knife for the villains, thadi, the bearded with the color of the beard referring to a spectrum of qualities from aggressive to saintly, kari, the black for mean and minukku, the refined for females. Kathakali themes are almost always based on Hindu mythologies Mahabharata, Ramayana and other related epics. The plays traditionally lasted six to eight hours through the nights during temple festivals, but lately they have been modified, abbreviated and performed as cultural pieces to a variety of audience. Ramanattam Some believe that Ramanattam could be the precursor to Kathakali for similarities in the presentation, costumes, music and movements. King Kerala Varma of Kottarakkara, created and modified this style, depicting the story of Ramayana as a counter to ‘Krishnattam’, created by Zamorin of Calicut and played in Krishna temples, mainly Guruvayur. The composition of Ramanattam is in Manipravalam style, blending Sanskrit and Malayalam as in a golden necklace studded with pearls and other gems. Krishnattam As the name indicates, this style depicts the story of Lord Krishna and usually played in the famous Guruvayur temple. The legend goes that Krishnattam was created by the Zamourin (Samoothiri) of Kozhikode, an ardent disciple of Krishna, with the blessings of saint Vilwamangalam, and played for eight nights covering the story of Sri Krishna from incarnation to ascension. The costumes and make up are similar to Kathakali, but the lyrics are in pure Sanskrit. Chakyar Koothu One of the oldest theatrical art forms played in the temples by ‘Chakyars’, belonging to the upper class Hindus, who are connected to the temples serving the different needs and receiving alms for their livelihood. The stories are told in a humorous way, often cracking jokes and making fun of individuals in the audience, along with some gestures and expressions, to the accompaniment of music in Sanskrit. The costumes are simple, with bare bodies, few ornaments and a red cap. Usually the Chakiar’s wife, the ‘Nangiar’ is on the stage, singing along, and a Nambiar will be in charge of the special drum, mizhavu. The style of the Koothu is informal, with colloquial expressions and music blending Sanskrit and Malayalam. Ottamthullal Created by the illustrious Kunchan Nambiar, as a response and challenge to the humiliation he suffered from a Chakiar during a performance. Kunchan Nambiar who was playing the mizhavu for the Koothu dozed off and was ridiculed www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
by the Chakiar with sarcastic remarks in front of the audience. As retribution, Nambiar wrote a poem the very same night, depicting a story from the epic Mahabharata, devising a new approach in his inimitable style. It is said that the show was played on an adjacent platform drawing the entire audience from the Chakiar Koothu. There is facial make up, head-gear and flowery costume, along with more dancing than of the Chakiar Koothu. Koodiyattam Meaning ‘performing together’, this style is the beginning of dramatic art forms in Kerala. Performed by Chakiars and Nangiars, from Sanskrit dramatic compositions, Koodiyattam is in the form of dance-dramas. The presentation is in ‘Koothambalams’, theaters within the temple complexes. The themes are from the Hindu epics, but bringing in social, moralistic and other relevant present day life issues with an educational message. One story may take many days to complete, with the vidooshaka, a central character, explaining the Sanskrit story in Malayalam to the audience using his skill in mime and dramatic expressions. Theyyam The chapter, ‘The Dancer from Kannur’ in the book Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple gives a beautiful description about Theyyam, the Hindu worship ritual piece from northern Kerala. The performer of the dance play, is called Kolam, personifying the deity. He is from a ‘lower’ class who is traditionally chosen for the privilege. He observes severe penance for three months and assumes the ‘power’ of the God he is representing during the performance. To the accompaniment of music and drums, the Theyyam artist enacts the ritual in the open without any stage. There are several types of Theyyam based on the story and the deity they represent. Many families subscribe to and support Theyyams as offering and penance to the deities, to receive blessings. Thirayaattam This is a ritual dance drama played during festivals in temples of the Goddess, often considered as a subdivision of Theyyam but with differences in costumes, rituals, music, make-up and performances. Traditionally it belongs to the Vannaan community. Like the Thiyyam, the characters assume the roles of divine personalities. The dance takes place at night under the light of torches and has indigenous instruments as accompaniments. Unlike Theyyam, the Kolam or the attire of the Thira dancer can take up various manifestations. Like in Kathakali the make-up is elaborate and time consuming. There are traditional rituals and meticulous details that are observed
before the actual performance of Thirayattam. During the play, the artist changes the costume to enact the various roles. The climax involves the ritual called urayal where the performer goes into a trance, shaking, shivering, and dancing vigorously. Velakali This is a ritual art form performed on the temple premises and is an extremely vigorous and spectacular dance form. It used to be performed by groups of about fifty from the warrior class of Nairs, who dress up like soldiers and perform with swords or canes. They display the martial art skills and with music and instruments including trumpets and drums, perform with energy and vitality. The deity is taken on a procession on an elephant and people join the procession with chanting and encouragement. Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu is the 2000-year-old, martial art style of Kerala, still existing, and representing the traditional valiant, physical and cultural character of the state. In recent years it may have even gained more popularity outside the state with the younger generation showing interest to learn the technique. Perhaps styles like Karate and Kung fu, may trace their origin to Kalarippayattu as the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took the tradition to the Far East. The art is described in Vishnu Puranam of Dhanur Veda and thus is very much a part of Hindu religious traditions. The legend goes that the warrior saint Parasurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, created the art form after he reclaimed the land of Kerala from the seas by throwing his axe. He also established forty-two kalaris and trained twenty-one gurus to teach. Kalari is a battlefield and payattu is the skill of fighting. The training involves rigorous physical and mental exercise with learning of physiology and the preparation taking many years of submission in the traditional Gurukula style. There are the Northern and Southern styles of training with emphasis on physical and meditational methods that are followed. The training involves agile body movements, foot and hand work, aiming to strike the opponent at his marma, the vital points of the body. The only attire of the artist is a katcha, a long piece of cloth bound tightly around the waist and legs, which protects the hip and waist and allows free movement. They use a sword (vaalu) and a shield (paricha) in the combat or may fight bare, without any armaments. Courtesy Credit to sources: • Kerala.com, All that’s Kerala, • The Art Forms of Kerala • Kerala Art Forms • Mallika Sarabai (ed), Performing Arts of Kerala
Dr. Venugopal K. Menon graduated in Medicine from Trivandrum Medical College in 1962. He came to the US in 1969, and completed Residency in Pediatrics and a Fellowship in Allergy and Immunology. He was an associate at the McGovern Allergy and Asthma clinic for 35 years, serving as its President for 8 years before retiring. He has been involved with many organizations such as India Culture Center, Indian Doctors’ Club, Indo-American Charity Foundation, AKMG, Kerala Association and is a founding member of the Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland.
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Style
Spring Fl
rals
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One of the biggest trends of the spring season is floral prints. This is a timeless trend that tends to be showcased each year in spring and summer collections on the runways. Unfortunately, though florals are a huge hit on the runway, most people often shy away from wearing them, because they worry that it may bring more attention to their figure, be too overwhelming for the eye, or they simply associate floral prints with clothing worn by their grannies. The truth is anyone can wear floral prints, no matter what your age and no matter what your size. If you are just beginning to explore the world of floral prints, try starting out basic. Rather than wearing a top with an overwhelming floral print paired with floral pants, start by choosing pieces with small flowers and then ease into bigger prints as you get more comfortable with the trend. If you have a larger shape or don’t want to bring attention to a part of your body, stick with small flowers, as larger flowers tend to accentuate larger areas. Another great way to ease into wearing floral prints is to mix them with solid pieces. Floral pants are a hot trend this summer; try wearing a pair with a solid colored shirt. If you are still not comfortable wearing floral prints, then you can incorporate a touch of floral in your accessories with a floral bag, scarf, or pair of shoes. A floral print will not universally work for everyone, so it is important that you find the print that is most suitable for you. Just remember that the key to successfully wearing a floral print or any print is to know what works best with your body and style.
Images provided by H&M
BY PRIYA M. JAMES
Images provided by H&M
Priya James is a fashion stylist and owner of Priya James Fashion Consulting. She has a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing from The Art Institute of Houston. Priya has styled and assisted in the production of fashion shows and photo shoots and has provided fashion consulting services to small businesses and start-ups in the fashion and retail industry. www.fashionmepretty.com www.facebook.com/PriyaMJamesFashionConsulting www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
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Houston • New York • New Jersey Desi Resource Guide 2013 Desi Festivals & Holidays A sampling of Indian, Nepalese and Pakistani Restaurants & Businesses Auditoria, Stadia, Banquet Halls, Venues Coming Events in the city, Across the border and Around the World Consulate General of India - Houston & New York Cultural, Religious and Social Organizations Currency Convertor based on current rates Houses of Worship: Gurudwaras and Temples Helpful numbers Home Mortgage Calculator Indian Government info online Link to Essential Information, Knowledge is Power Live Darshan of some temples in India Movie Theaters showing Bollywood movies News You Can Use • Photo - Video Gallery Places to Visit • Sites We Like U.S. Desi Media - Newspapers & Magazines U.S. Govt. on line U.S. Telephone nos. in numerical order and much much more Contact R.K. Nagar @ rknagar@hotmail.com for more information
Constitution
BY P. G. PARAMESWARAN, MD
COMPLEMENTARY
Medicine
Alternative medicine, once considered alien and unacceptable, is now regarded as complementary to, and as mainstream medicine. Leading medical centers in this country now offer patient care in their departments of Alternative and Complementary or Integrative medicine. This is good news for patients because both conventional medicine and complementary medicine have the same goal – to get the patient back to good health. However, they adopt very different approaches to achieving this goal. Conventional medicine, to a large extent, is based on the belief that the physical body and the mind are two distinct entities expounded from the time of the 17th century philosopher Rene Descartes. Practitioners of conventional medicine start with the patient’s symptom and look for a specific cause. In other words, conventional medicine is diagnosis led. Tests are done to confirm the diagnosis and the treatment plan is directed at the affected part of the body. Very little attempt is made to investigate the role of the mind or social and environmental factors that could have caused the illness and their influence on other systems of the body. Recognizing that the mind and body are inextricably linked, complementary medicine attempts to treat the person as a whole. The term holistic medicine is derived from the Greek word holos meaning ‘whole’ because it takes into account not merely the symptoms but also the psychological state of the individual, social and environmental factors as well as spiritual beliefs. It is based on the belief that illness is a disruption of physical and mental wellbeing, and therefore, treatment should utilize the full potential of the human body’s natural self-healing capacities. According to many of the world’s ancient holistic health systems such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, the body has a natural tendency towards equilibrium or homeostasis, the
maintenance of which is the key to good health. Interestingly, both Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine consider that every illness originates within the mind and involves the physical body subsequently. The symptom is considered part of a pattern of disharmony. Illness results when the harmony or equilibrium is disrupted. During one’s lifetime, several stresses challenge the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. These challenges can affect both the emotional and physical wellbeing. Therefore, complementary therapies aim at preventing illnesses by maintaining equilibrium, and prescribe it as an ongoing process. Ayurveda and Chinese traditional medicine for example, emphasize techniques like Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong to help both mind and body to function at an optimum level, increasing vitality and encouraging self-healing mechanisms. These are suitable for all ages and levels of ability and need to be practiced on a daily basis as a health maintenance therapy. Additionally, complementary therapies are non-invasive, have no side effects when performed by qualified therapists, are economical and may even be effective when western treatment has failed. These therapies can often be used to complement traditional western medicine. An integrated approach combining the best in mainstream medicine and complementary therapy would be the ideal approach for any disease management. It is very encouraging to see leading medical schools in the country offering opportunities to young graduating doctors to get trained in various complementary therapies. Hopefully upcoming western trained physicians will have the tools of complementary medicine in their arsenal enabling them to be “healers” in the true sense of the word. They would be wise to remember the Chinese proverb that compares looking for treatment after the onset of illness to looking for arms after the enemy has begun to attack.
Dr. P.G.Parameswaran has been conducting bone marrow donor registration drives in the South Asian community since 1996. He is a surgeon who was in private practice for over forty years. He currently practices alternative therapies including acupuncture and hypnotherapy for problems such as chronic pain, phobias and addictions. He and his wife Lakshmy have been active members of the Houston community for over 30 years. www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Panorama
Rise and Fall of South Asian Independent Cinema in North America BY TUSHAR UNADKAT Facts show that in the first decade of the new millennium, there were an average of four to five independent feature films produced every year. But, now, we see a sudden downfall. HUM communicates, through Tushar Unadkat, with well-known South Asian Independent filmmakers Tirlok Malik, Piyush Pandya, Manan Katohora, Raj & DK and actor Sheetal Sheth, who share their experience and focus light on matters of importance for success, and failure, in the film industry. “My first feature film Lonely in America (1990) displayed in 74 countries, 37 film-festivals and was the first Indie American film on HBO landmarks an opening for South Asian Independent cinema in North America,” reveals New York based Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik. “The reason for the downfall is that films did not have the proper distribution and the audience did not know about the films. I feel the future will be good if we work together to create awareness and find a way to reach the audience,” explains Tirlok Malik, the founder director of Apple Productions, New York. “If your film does not bring the money back, how can you make your next film?” questions Trilok and adds with gratitude, “I feel very lucky that I am still making films and hopefully will continue.” With numerous credits as an actor, producer, director and line producer, Trilok recently directed a Punjabi feature film Khushiyaan that bagged 14 nominations including the Best Picture at PIFAA in Toronto, last year. After Lonely in America, the next milestone is Piyush Pandya’s American Desi (2001) that resonated with a very huge desi audience and encouraged a whole new generation of talent to explore filmmaking. It is then, for a decade we saw a big wave of Indie filmmakers sprouting left, right and centre, making an average of 4-5 feature films every year, however, none by Piyush Pandya. HUM asked Piyush, why we saw no more films by him and why there is a sudden downfall after the first decade in the new Millennium. “I don’t think we have the infrastructure to sustain this as a business as yet. All the
films (including mine) are labor of love, where some are more successful than the others. But there is just so much you can do when financing on credit cards, borrowing from relatives, or getting a small pool of investors,” divulges Piyush. “There have been films made that have been seen and well received at festivals, but I’m looking for a more professional, business approach where we put out 3-5 quality films every year. We need the right producers who can harness the talent we have here and make films which are entertaining, thought provoking, and commercially viable,” said Piyush, thoughtfully. “I’m optimistic that in the next couple years we will be able to get all the elements together to start making films commercially like our two parents: Hollywood and Bollywood,” concludes Piyush. On the other hand, Manan Singh Katohora is one independent filmmaker who is not willing to give-up regardless of any situations and believes that, “indie filmmaking is still happening.” Manan’s film portfolio includes Arya (2003), When Kiran Met Karen (2008), 9 Eleven (2011) amongst others. “I wouldn’t call myself a successful independent Indian American filmmaker, but consistent and struggling artist,” confesses Manan. “I think the focus on NRI themes has shifted, because most of the films didn’t do well — no critical acclaim or box office success. It’s just stories now — whatever it’s about, whoever it’s about,” exposes Manan with over a decade of filmmaking experience. With varied views from the filmmakers, it is now time to read opinions of a successful South Asian actor who bridged her career from Indie to mainstream film business. Yes, non-other but Sheetal Sheth, 36 years old, New York based actor shares that her success is personal. Sheetal is seen in over dozen films including the Indian cross-over and Hollywood films and to name a few, ABCD (2000), American Chai (2001), Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005), The World Unseen (2007), I Can’t Think Straight (2008) to name a few.
“Why we are in this business and what drives us as actors/storytellers?” she questions and then promptly answers, “I have been drawn to material and content that is challenging and thought provoking, while being entertaining. I think we can tell when someone is committed and excited about the work. Otherwise, it feels false and will then, sometimes fail to connect on certain levels.” Read on to get the verdict from the director duo Raj & DK, who set a new trend in the history of South Asian independent filmmaking scene and efficaciously transcended into the mainstream Bollywood industry! Makers of Flavors (2003), 99 (2009), Shor in the City (2011) and Go Goa Gone (2013 post production) “Whether Eastern or Western film, what matters more is the balance of sensibilities keeping a wider audience in mind,” speaks Raj, with confidence over the phone from Mumbai. “One of the facts independent filmmakers need to bear in mind is to keep personal stories out of the equation, as it is harder to market,” shares Raj from his wealth of experience. “The reason why we don’t see as many independent films in recent years is because except for one or two films, those who attempted to make movies have not made money. That is highly discouraging! The process is much longer with no returns, results to the change in trend,” believes Raj. Raj went back and forth since the release of Flavors in 2002 and then for 99 but has moved permanently for past six years. “The precise answer to our success story is based on perseverance. Regardless of monetary failure or any other, you still have to go for it! It is a lot of balancing act when you have a family, job, etc.” confesses the duo directors. Independent filmmakers are pioneers of sharing original voices, an art community that deserves support and heard.
Internationally celebrated, multiple award winning media personality and art critique, Tushar Unadkat is CEO, Creative Director of MUKTA Advertising and Founder, Executive Director of Nouveau iDEA (New International Dimension in Entertainment & Arts). Follow @TusharUnadkat www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Foodie
Delicious Memories of my Grandmother’s Kitchen BY CARLOTA GONZALEZ Mexican cuisine is vast and rich, and is one of the best of the world, however its great diversity is little known. Corn, beans, and chilies are considered to be the substructure of Mexican food, but it goes way beyond that with its amazing variety of dishes, many of which are not so well known. Mexican cuisine is about dishes replete in sumptuous spices, decadent sauces, fiestas, colorful folklore, but also and most importantly, about the celebration of family when grandmothers, daughters, granddaughters, aunts, and cousins get together to prepare a feast for a special occasion. Growing up, one of my fondest memories was that delightful tradition of young and old pitching in to create breath-taking aromas that wafted through the air making tummies growl with hunger. Copious amounts of food was prepared demanding all hands on the deck, however menial a task, even if it was to clean the husks for the tamales. The conversations, the laugh-
ter, and the camaraderie remain fresh in my memory along with the fragrance of freshly ground coffee with a hint of cinnamon brewing in a pottery mug on the wood fire. The adobe oven, the sweet empanadas, and the breads! While some directed their attention solely to preparing the main items that would later grace the table, others made sure there was enough for all those hard at work in the kitchen. And of course for the little ladies, as coffee wasn’t a beverage permitted us, they made sure we had our share of rich foamy hot chocolate; for the hot summers, there were tall jars of freshly prepared fruit beverages. From time to time, the men would offer to help bring in the wood to keep the stone oven going, or help carry heavy loads. Of course they knew that by stopping in the kitchen, it meant a delicious treat, and sometimes if they were lucky they were asked to taste some new and imaginative dishes. Often the ladies were
coyly told, “Well if you serve me some more, I might be able to tell you what I think.” Everybody knew what that meant; a larger serving! What I admired was the fearlessness of the aunts and elders in trying new ideas and tweaking their recipes to fabricate gastronomical delights. I can still hear them asking my grandmother what she thought of their idea and all I heard was an enthusiastic “Let’s try it!” That kitchen was the biggest chemistry lab I had ever seen. At the end of the day the exhausted ladies always felt a sense of accomplishment. The food was ready; it looked and tasted delicious. The next question they asked each other was “What are you going to wear for the party?” Someone complained about a tight girdle. The children, having eaten first, had fallen asleep. Memories like those…simply priceless!
Caldo Tlalpeño Caldo tlalpeno is a savory chicken garbanzo bean soup flavored with smoky chipotle chiles and enriched with avocado, panela cheese, sautéed rice and tortilla chips. There are many variations of this Mexican chicken soup, but spicy chipotle chiles are essential to this flavorfully divine dish. Ingredients: Broth: 2 chicken breasts, trimmed, or 1 whole chicken skinned and cut into pieces ½ head garlic cloves ½ medium onion 2 bay leaves 10 whole black pepper corns 2 chicken broth cubes ½ tsp. rosemary 2 – 3 chopped carrots 1 cup cooked or canned garbanzo beans Side trimmings:
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5 corn tortillas cut into thin strips and fried 8 oz. panela cheese cut into squares 1 avocado cut into squares 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 4 radishes, sliced 5 sprigs cilantro, chopped 1 lime quartered Mexican rice / sautéed rice Preparation: In a large saucepan place chicken, garlic, onion, bay leaves, black pepper, broth cubes, rosemary, and enough water to cover chicken, and boil over mediumhigh heat. If working with chicken breasts, the boiling process is the same; just shred the breasts into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to a simmer and skim any foam that rises to the top until the chicken is cooked. Remove from heat, and remove the garlic, onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns with a slotted spoon.
Add the chopped carrots and the drained garbanzos. The perfect way to present this dish is by pouring broth with a piece of chicken, carrots and garbanzos into soup bowls. Trimmings such as avocado, cheese, chipotle pepper, strips of corn chips, radishes, cilantro, and Mexican rice or sautéed rice are placed on a separate plate to the side and added to the broth as per individual taste.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Chicken Enchiladas Suizas Recipe Suizas (the creamy sauce formed with the layering of cream and Chihuahua cheese in the enchiladas) 1 chicken * ½ medium onion 3 garlic cloves 1- 2 bay leaves 2 chicken broth cubes 8-10 whole black peppercorns 1 (24) pack corn tortillas 2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese ** 16 oz sour cream or 1 quart of heavy cream whipped *** 2 cups tomatillo green salsa * You may skip this process of cooking the chicken and just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat. ** Substitutes: Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, or any quesadilla melting type cheese *** Whip heavy cream and sour cream together to make a perfect every day table cream Preparation: Place the chicken, onion, garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, and chicken broth cubes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove from heat, set chicken aside and reserve chicken broth for other uses. Let the chicken cool and shred the meat. While cooking the chicken, start the Tomatillo
Salsa. This can be done a day ahead and stored in the fridge. In a skillet pour some oil and start frying the corn tortillas individually on both sides only long enough to warm and soften the tortilla to roll without breaking. Keep frying as many as you are planning to prepare, usually estimate about 3 to 4 tortillas per person. Stack the tortillas on a plate until you finish frying. Fill each tortilla with shredded chicken and roll. Place rolls on a baking dish one next to each other. At this point it is important to decide at what time you are serving the meal. It’s best to leave the next step at least 20 minutes before serving. If you put the sauce layers too early and let it sit for too long before serving, the rolls might start breaking and it will affect presentation. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next cover the rolls with a thick layer of fresh sour cream, then place a layer of tomatillo salsa, cover it with shredded cheese and bake in oven for about 10 – 15 minutes until heated through and cheese is completely melted. Garnish: Your favorite choice of shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced tomatoes, red onions, avocado and pickled jalapeno peppers. Side dishes: Fried potatoes and carrots, guacamole, pico de gallo, Mexican rice, refried beans or a little black bean cream soup.
Tomatillos can be either roasted in the oven or boiled. Roasting is more flavorful; boiling is the more common way to cook tomatillos. If you like your salsa hot, use one pepper per tomatillo, if not, use one pepper per two tomatillos. This recipe makes four cups salsa. Ingredients 10 tomatillos 8 serrano peppers (you may also substitute with jalapeño peppers) 1 peeled clove of garlic ½ cup chopped cilantro 2 tsp of salt Preparation: Remove papery husks from tomatillos and stems from peppers and rinse well. Place tomatillos, peppers and salt in a saucepan, put just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Take saucepan off the stove and add the garlic clove and let it sit about 2 – 3 minutes. Next drain and save the water. Place tomatillos, cilantro, chili peppers and garlic in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. If you would prefer a less thick consistency you may add some of the water you saved. Taste for salt and add if needed. Cool at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes. Carlota Gonzalez was formerly an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant to corporations in Monterrey N.L. Mexico and Houston, Texas. She prides herself on being a modern housewife involved in community activities, a volunteer for HISD, a home decorator, painter, chef, and loves to tend to her family’s needs. Her interests are people, art, music, and she loves to wear high heels, wrap a pashmina around her neck, and enjoy lunch with friends.
www.hummagazine.com
April 2013
Nurture
Wretched Goodbyes BY HELEN BUNTTING LANGTON As the youngest of seven siblings I used to watch the others with envy at the end of the school holidays. They would board a train or bus to leave on what appeared to me to be a big adventure. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why two of my sisters cried so much and why the boys looked so determinedly red-faced and stoic as they boarded their transport. When I turned six I had a rude awakening. I was thrilled to be a ‘’school child’’ at last and got endless pleasure out of strutting about in my brand new uniform, snow-white socks and shiny black shoes. However, the whole adventure turned into a crying fest when I realized my parents were really leaving me behind in a strange place and saying goodbye to me for the longest time, a whole term away at boarding school! The crushing heartache and exhausting sobbing those first few nights became a pattern I would repeat at the beginning of every term for the next twelve years. I came to dread the end of the holidays with my whole heart and as I wept into my pillow night after night the first few days, my little heart felt like it was breaking. Little did I know that that first separation would be a harbinger of things to come, that I would relive that first painful goodbye throughout my life and that as difficult as goodbye is, it is a part of life. We lose people to death, we lose relationships, our health, and our looks as we age, even our memories when dementia or Alzheimer’s sets in. Nothing in life is permanent and with change, we have to
say goodbye and get on with life as it is and not as we want it to be. Well, just sometimes, there is a goodbye beyond bearable. When this happens, all the accumulated sadness of years gone by seems to meet in one place and squeeze your already bruised heart every which way. When the pain you feel is so bone deep that you don’t know how to pick yourself up from it. Crying doesn’t make it better. It just stuffs up your nose and aggravates your tension headache. I experienced all this recently when I took my third child to university a month ago. This boy has kept me busy and on the hop for 19 years. I have probably spent hundreds of hours the last few years transporting him to sports practices, games and visiting his many friends. A very social animal with a wide range of friends, his wacky sense of humor and uncanny gift for mimicry caused fits of hilarity. In his last year of school he was awarded the Chris Tucker cup for comedy. He loved playing his music very loud and was respectful enough to only play clean versions in my presence. He’d twirl me around to dance in the kitchen when I was not in the mood. He’d hug me for no reason at all. We would talk for hours and he often dispensed wisdom you don’t expect from someone so young. He cheered me up when I was down and would often throw my own words of encouragement back at me. When he was accepted at the university, I was so proud. Unbearable sadness hung in the air as we drove the
five hours to university. We were both so debilitated by the grief of parting that I just wanted to take my big, gorgeous boy, put him back in the car and bring him home. In my less emotional moments I kept thinking of his future and how he’d have nothing if we didn’t cross this difficult bridge. Our hometown is small and opportunities for dead end jobs would be all he would have to look forward to. I left him there and came back home to a place quiet and empty of his larger-thanlife presence. I shared my grief and discovered that many people had experienced what I had, or were going through it. My young niece who left South Africa for America and is married to a Romanian had the best words of comfort for me. She spoke about how much better I would feel once I got used to my “new reality”. She was so right. I knew we were going to be both all right once our boy started posting pictures on my Facebook page of him having fun with new friends. He has also joined a soccer team and a church. He’s enjoying his lectures. He is loving his new life. At home, my husband, our youngest son and I are quietly getting used to our new family dynamics without our loudest member. The reality is that unless we say goodbye to one life we will miss out on all the possibilities that another has. And so, although we miss our boy, this goodbye is really one of the best gifts we have been able to give him.
Helen Buntting Langton is a writer and a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother residing in New Zealand. In a former life in her native South Africa, she worked as a teacher for 18 years.
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