MARCH 2013
ZARINE’S KIDS
Virtuosi of Houston
PANKAJ DHUME
In Conversation with HUM
JONATHAN BLAKE
Honoree at New Orleans Mardi Gras
VEHICLES OF THE GODS Divine Transportation
THE RAPE OF
“India’s Daughter” by India’s Sons
Springing into
COLOR
FROM
THE PUBLISHER’S DESK We welcome the month of March when spring steps in ostentatiously, parading her multi-hued regalia, and heralding the season of new beginnings and festivity. Lent, the time of penance and introspection ends and Easter brings the gift of resurrection. It’s also the time of year for Holi, the Hindu festival that celebrates spring with revelers throwing colored powder at each other. And the Rodeo is in town! Houston, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Last month the Manhattan Institute released a new report by Joel Kotkin on America’s Growth Corridors, which defines the four key corridors that are burgeoning in an otherwise lackluster economy. Houston takes the sterling role as the largest city among the four growth corridors. As if that’s not enough to make the rest of the nation jealous, a Rice University research study has found that Houston has eclipsed New York as the nation’s most racially and ethnically diverse area. We who live here enjoy multicultural experiences through foods, the arts, and the opportunity to mingle and mix with a profusion of global citizens that have put down roots and call Houston home. This month, we have many interesting articles by HUM’s superlative writers. A searing and thought-provoking opinion piece by Dr. Arjune Rama discusses the circumstances on that fateful bus in New Delhi where 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey was gang-raped, disemboweled, and subsequently lost her life. He urges society to re-examine the causes of hate crimes against women. The case sparked outraged echo in South Africa in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of 17-year-old Anene Booysen, with citizens demanding for justice and protection. This month, the prolific Charles C. Foster has honored us by writing our What I Love About Houston column. Enjoy spring and stay safe. Warmly,
Kalyani Giri
Publisher
team HUM Publisher/Editor Kalyani Giri Art Director Saqib Rana
CONTENTS
Print Consultant Ken Hoffman Correspondents Dr. Arjune Rama Ian Mellor-Crummey Lisa Brooks Nalini Sadagopan Priya M. James Tajana Mesic Tamara Mousner Helen Buntting Langton
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Contributors Prof. Anna L. Dallapiccola Archana Laxmisan Cathy Wistner Charles C. Foster David Garvin Jagdip Ahluwalia John Guess, Jr. Dr. Kusum Vyas Dr. Rathna Kumar Roger And Anjali Arora Srikanth Vivaswath Kumar
What I Love About
06 HOUSTON CHARLES C. FOSTER
KIDS 08 ZARINE’S CATHY WISTNER In Conversation With
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PANKAJ DHUME
15
Committing to Positive Change
KALYANI GIRI
LENT
HELEN BUNTTING LANGTON
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MARDI GRAS THE TEXAS CONNECTION Designer Jonathan Blake Honoree
MANGO TREE 20 THE ARCHANA LAXMISAN
MARCH 2013
ZARINE’S KIDS
Virtuosi of Houston
PANKAJ DHUME
In Conversation with HUM
JONATHAN BLAKE
Honoree at New Orleans Mardi Gras
VEHICLES OF THE GODS Divine Transportation
THE RAPE OF
“India’s Daughter” by India’s Sons
Springing into
COLOR
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MARCH 2013 Can Electromagnetic Radiation Cause
23 CANCERS AND TUMORS? SRIKANTH
OF THE GODS 24 VEHICLES PROFESSOR ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA
Spring 2013
38 FASHION TRENDS PRIYA M. JAMES
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI’S OLEANDER GIRL
40 A TRIUMPH IN SKILLED ARTISTRY Dr. RATHNA KUMAR
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THE RAPE OF “INDIA’S DAUGHTER” BY INDIA’S SONS 42
ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS-USA
Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai
Samskriti To Present Kuchipudi Recital By
ARJUNE RAMA, MD
An Unparalleled Educational Opportunity VIVASWATH KUMAR
30 DON’T BE OFFENDED, ITS HOLI! 44 DEEPIKA RUKMINI POTARAZU Dr. KUSUM VYAS THIS THE RIGHT 32 IS TIME TO BUY?
SPRING BLOSSOMS! 46 Contest Winning Entries
YOUR WAY 34 COMPOSTING TO A HEALTHIER SOIL
A VEGAN LIFESTYLE 49 LIVING DAVID GARVIN
TO REMEMBER 37 LESSONS THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
GRAFFITI RUN 50 THE The Colorful 5K
ROGER AND ANJALI ARORA
TAJANA MESIC
JOHN GUESS, JR.
Voice
what
ILove about Houston
BY CHARLES C. FOSTER
When one is asked to write about what one loves about Houston, the surprising thing is that there is so much to write about. Having lived in Houston for more than three decades, having moved here to start my legal career in international law that morphed into one of the largest immigration law firms, what has always struck me is how little people outside of Houston have any image (for good or bad) of Houston. Today, because of its strong economy, being the energy capital of world, having the largest medical center, being the space capital of the world for man’s exploration of the universe, being the 4th largest city in the U. S. with the 3rd largest Consular Corps, Houston clearly should have a better known profile. The most interesting point for me is how much Houston is loved by those who move here. They may not have necessarily wanted to move here, but once they get here they fall in love with Houston and do not want to ever leave. What is it that we all love about Houston? I would characterize it that while Texas may be the friendliest state in the union, clearly Houston is the friendliest major city. Houston is wide open. We don’t care where you come from; once you get here, live here and work here, you are by definition a Houstonian irrespective of your race, national origin or citizenship. While in some cities how long not only you but your family has resided in the city is an issue, but when people run for an
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elected office in Houston, I’ve never once heard anyone question how long they have lived in Houston or their ethnicity or race. We take that for granted; once you live here, by definition you are a Houstonian. I often repeat the following anecdote because it says a lot about our city, state and country. Early in my immigration law practice, I had before me a very attractive, wealthy couple who spoke
perfect English, French and Farsi. I had just outlined a strategy for how they could acquire their Lawful Permanent Residency or so-called “green card” status in the U. S. At that time they had both graduated from the finest university in Paris, University of Paris-Sorbonne, and they had an expensive apartment near the Champs Elysee and, of course, Paris is one of the great cities of the world. As I was advising them how to acquire
Permanent Resident status to allow them to start a new life in Houston, I paused briefly and with some degree of humility on behalf of all Houstonians, I said, “You know, Houston is a great city, but after all Paris isn’t that bad, is it? Why Houston?” I will always remember the husband’s answer. He said, “Mr. Foster, no matter how long we live in Paris, we will always be outsiders never considered Parisians or French, but we can move to Houston and we can become Houstonians and that is important to us and our family.” There is so much to love about Houston, but I have to single out the fact that during my career, I’ve seen Houston grow from essentially a big oil town with a very Texas flavor where you could literally count the number of Chinese or Indian restaurants on one hand, to one of the most diverse, multi-cultural cities in the U. S. In fact, we are the largest majority minority city where there is no one race or ethnic group that has an absolute majority. The Asian American population is growing at the fastest rate. The incredible growth in the Asia American communities all came about as a result of legislation initiated by President John F. Kennedy and passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Immigration Act of 1965 did away with the National Origin System, which for the first time effective in 1968 allowed people to immigrate irrespective of their nationality based upon family ties and more significantly
for Asians, based upon professional job skills. According to Stephen Klineberg, Co-Director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s latest report, “Diversity and Transformation Among Asians in Houston,” Asian Americans are that part of the population with the largest number of college graduates and with the highest levels of income. That is directly related to the fact that in 1968 few Asians had any relatives in the United States and the only way to legally immigrate at that time was based upon job skills at a professional level or through investment. Finally, in terms of why I love Houston, I have to single out three projects with which I was intimately involved, the most important of which is when, as Chairman of the Asia Society Texas Center in 1995, we dreamed the possibility of building a permanent home in the Museum District that would allow us to have space for art exhibitions and performing artists in addition to the regular lectures we were already hosting on policy and business. Just this last April 2012 we finally dedicated our extraordinary new $48.5 million Asia Society Texas Center designed by the remarkable international architect, Yoshio Taniguchi, which celebrates Asian culture and which is a platform for the Asian American community to host important events and celebrate their culture. If you are not a member of the Asia Society, I would urge you
to go on-line and join the same and enjoy the many ethnic and cultural events and exhibitions that membership offers. The other projects are the George Bush Monument and the James A. Baker III Monument on Buffalo Bayou in Sesquicentennial Park in Downtown. We often take our children to Washington, DC to visit Presidential monuments and we can now do that in Houston. The Bush Monument was initiated by me; I co-chaired both projects in order to commemorate the fact that these two gentlemen are not only clearly by any measure the most distinguished citizens of Houston in terms of their impact nationally and globally, but also the fact that great cities in our history have great public art. If you’ve not been to Sesquicentennial Park on Buffalo Bayou behind the Wortham Theater (on Franklin at Bagby across from the Aquarium), I would urge you to visit. In short, I love Houston for its great diversity of population and incredible cuisines, the fact that I believe we are the most open, accepting city in the country and the fact that we have great cultural institutions, museums and performing arts companies and, as mentioned above (I’m biased), I love the new Asia Society Texas Center and the Bush and Baker monuments in downtown Houston.
Charles C. Foster is the Co-Chairman, FosterQuan, LLP, a wellknown immigration firm. Foster currently leads the Greater Houston Partnership Task Force on Immigration Reform, a nationwide effort to secure sensible immigration reform legislation that meets the needs of the business community, families, and our nation’s economy. He is the founding Chair of the State Bar of Texas Immigration & Nationality Law Section. He also serves as Honorary Consul General for the Kingdom of Thailand. Additional service activities include: Board of Trustees of The Asia Society and Chairman of its Texas Center; Board Member of the Greater Houston Partnership and its Executive Committee; Member of the Executive Committee of the Houston International Festival; Member of the Board of Directors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the International Institute of Education – Southern Region, Neighborhood Centers, Inc., InterFaith Ministries, and the Houston Ballet. Long recognized as a national expert in U.S. immigration law, Foster has served as senior policy advisor to both Presidents Bush and Obama during their Presidential campaigns and has testified before both the U.S. House and Senate Subcommittees on Immigration on a variety of occasions. Foster is best known for his role in helping ballet performer Li Cunxin stay in the United States over the objections of Chinese Communist Party officials, which was memorialized in Cunxin’s autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer and later in a film by the same name.
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Inspiration
Zarine’s Kids BY CATHY WISTNER
When Zarine Boyce was first invited to a Virtuosi of Houston Young Artist s Chamber Orchestra concert in the year 2000, she wasn’t very enthusiastic about hearing children perform classical music. She attended rather reluctantly, and was surprised to find her misgivings unfounded. For what she saw and heard so inspired her, that she became Virtuosi’s greatest champion and a vocal crusader to their cause. “I was so pleasantly surprised by the musicality of these formally attired young people. If one shuts one’s eyes, one can be transported to any classical music hall in the world! Since my first concert, my driving passion has been to make it possible for Virtuosi’s young musicians to realize their aspirations of careers as classical musicians,” said Zarine, who serves as the President and CEO (pro bono) of Virtuosi with the support of
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her husband Dr. Meherwan Boyce. Her efficient team includes Karen Needham as the Director of Orchestra Operations at Virtuosi for the past twelve years and mother to an alumnus, and Steven Casas as the Director of Events and Design; I have worked as Director of Development at Virtuosi for the past nineteen months. The organization has an active Board of Directors and an Advisory Board, and numerous parents that provide a support system. Virtuosi has been surprising and delighting audiences since it was founded by two acclaimed Moores School of Music, University of Houston professors in 1996. Artistic Directors, Conductors Franz Anton Krager, and Andrzej Grabiec, recognized the need for advanced music education and performance training for talented young musicians focused on reaching their
full potential. In a music scene dominated by the beat of Hip-Hop, Rap, Rock, and Country, these 11 to 18 year old musicians dream of careers as classical musicians. Now in its 17th Season, Virtuosi would not have achieved its exciting growth from its humble beginnings in a school classroom without the support of Houston’s fine arts patrons. The students are selected by audition for their ability to play at the exemplary level required in a smaller sized orchestra of 40 to 55 musicians. They come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in the Greater Houston area and many of them qualify for tuition assistance. Why are Houston classical music aficionados so committed to helping Virtuosi students prepare for the highly competitive admission process of prestigious music schools and conservatories? Virtuosi musicians excel because of their expanded knowledge of repertoire and higher level of performance experience. They gain self-confidence, leadership skills, and responsibility through chamber music rehearsals and concerts, a concerto competition, master classes, a small ensemble program, and a small ensemble summer workshop. The Small Ensemble Performance Program is a popular way of preparing students to meet higher education music curriculum
requirements. Participants receive coaching in the performance of smaller chamber works by music professionals such as Ivo-Jan van der Werff, the professor of viola and chamber music at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University; and Frank Xin Huang, Concertmaster, Houston Symphony. They expand their repertoire performing in a variety of community outreach, corporate, and private venues, including frequent performances as pre-Houston Symphony concert entertainment at Jones Hall. A Virtuosi small ensemble had the honor of playing at the reception for Houston Symphony patrons in New York City prior to Houston Symphony’s May 6, 2012 performance at Carnegie Hall. As respected leaders in Houston’s philanthropic community who serve on numerous nonprofit boards, the Boyce’s recognize the importance of providing life skills as well as musical training to Virtuosi students. A respect for diversity and the importance of community service are important components of Virtuosi’s programming. The 2012-2013 season’s 49-member orchestra includes 3 African-Americans, 9 Asians, 22 Caucasians, 10 Hispanics, and 5 Mixed Race musicians representing 30 campuses from 10 school districts, and 2 home-schooled students.
www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Photo: Priscilla Dickson
From left, Dr. Meherwan Boyce, Maestro Franz Krager, Zarine Boyce, Maestro Andrzej Grabiec, at the Inaugural Concert Backstage Cocktail Reception at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, December 2012
Virtuosi is committed to making chamber music more accessible to individuals with health or mental impairments that might otherwise never experience the pleasure and therapeutic values of live classical music performances. Small ensemble performances have recently touched the lives of developmentally disabled adults at The Center, critically ill children and their families at Ronald McDonald House and Texas Children’s Hospital, and residents at long-term care and skilled nursing facilities. Fifty-two of Virtuosi’s seventy-eight small ensemble performances in the 2011-12 season were pro bono community service or outreach events. Virtuosi musicians are also praised for their versatility. Each year, Virtuosi chooses a theme to celebrate their young musicians as Legends of the Future at a fundraising gala dinner and concert. They perform a Pops and classical original program arranged by Dr. Robert Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Composition Studies, Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. The Virtuosi of Houston Achievement Award is presented to individuals who epitomize the legacy of selfless giving. The May 5, 2012 event, An Imperial Evening Celebrating How Sweet It Is, honored Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia for their humanitarian efforts on behalf of their fellow citizens regardless of ethnicity or religion. This year’s event, Legends of the Future: Celebrating Motherhood, will be held on May 11th at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Several mothers, including Margaret Alkek Williams, Carolyn Farb, Gina Bhatia, and Mandy Tinkle, mother of rising fashion designer Jonathan Blake, will be honored for enriching
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the lives of their families and serving as role models to our community. The elegant evening, attended by over 425 patrons of the performing arts and philanthropic leaders, begins at 6.00 pm with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and spirited bidding on an array of silent and live auction items sure to tempt even the most discerning bidder. An original program arranged as a tribute to motherhood and a special performance by the Houston Boychoir will accompany dinner. Kristine Mills, Houston recording artist and winner of the Houston Press Music Awards, 2009 Best Female Vocalist, and 2010 Best Songwriter, praised the Virtuosi small ensemble that performed with her on the Front Row broadcast and the debut of her new CD at Warehouse Live. “Together we made magic and brought new life to those songs.” She was so impressed by the musicianship and maturity of these young artists that she invited them back for her next performance. Virtuosi measures its success by the high percentage of Virtuosi’s graduating seniors who continue their music education at the college level as performance, music administration, or music education majors at renowned music schools such as Julliard School; Curtis Institute of Music; Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University; Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University; Boston Conservatory; Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University; Butler School of Music, University of Texas; Moores School of Music, University of Houston; DePaul University School of Music; New England Conservatory of Music; and the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, Belgium.
Spring/Summer 2013 collection available now
Green
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Photos: Krishna Giri
In Conversation With
Pankaj Dhume
President of Indo American Chamber of Commerce Greater Houston 2013
BY KALYANI GIRI I’m visiting with Pankaj and Asha Dhume at their home in Avalon, a community within the sprawling metropolis of Sugar Land. It’s a place of grace and tranquility. A tall lone Buddha statue stands sentry between a curvy loveseat and a sumptuous sofa teeming with opulent puffy cushions. Veritably a treasure of a conversation piece is an exquisite coffee table that holds elegant court in the center of the room; it’s a life-sized reclining figure of a beautiful Indian tribal woman articulated in fiberglass, her delicate bone structure so masterfully described that I almost expect her to set aside the glass-top and stand, ankle bells musically ajingle. A wall of gleaming windows framed by burnished bronze curtains proffers a panoramic view of the patio and swimming pool, and beyond, a lake mottled by the shadows of an early gathering dusk. I’m here to talk with Pankaj, the reigning President of the Indo American Chamber of Commerce Greater Houston (IACCGH) 2013 about the Chamber and his aspirations for the year ahead. Pankaj also holds the prolific designation as the Vice President of Global Corporate Services at BMC Software Inc, a company he’s worked for since 1998. I had cautioned the Dhumes that I’d be bringing a photographer along and requested Asha to be present during the interview. Asha is resplendent in a gold-accented violet and magenta silk saree, while Pankaj’s shirt finds dapper echo in violet. The couple wed in 1991; theirs’ was a marriage arranged by their families and the nuptials took place fifteen days after their first meeting. Pankaj jokingly hastens to add that thereafter, it was a love match. Indubitably, they are soulmates in a relationship forged on bedrock of friendship and respect, and Pankaj admits that Asha’s unswerving loyalty and support are pivotal to his success. They are proud parents to Mahima, a student at Rice University and a talented artist, and Gaurav, a senior at The Village High School. Asha, the consummate hostess, ignores my protests and hastens to the kitchen to return with a laden tray that somewhat resembles an English/Indian high tea. It’s a lovely and informal evening with the Dhumes. They’ve led interesting lives. Pankaj turns out to be a witty raconteur who regales us with anecdotes of both harrowing and hilarious circumstances, while Asha interjects softly now and then only to jog his memory about a name, date, or an incident. When the conversation veers towards the IACCGH, Pankaj is contemplative, confident and goal-oriented. Background Pankaj Dhume was born in Mumbai, India. His parents were originally from Karwar, a Konkani-speaking enclave 100 miles south of Goa. He grew up speaking Marathi, Hindi, and English. He attended the Elphinstone College and secured a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics and statistics. An avid sportsman, he played amateur and professional badminton. His first job was as a management trainee at Mahindra & Mahindra. After two years, Pankaj left India for the USA, where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration at the Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky, and a second Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. He worked as a computer engineer in Boston for four years. After their marriage, Asha joined him, and their children were born in Massachusetts.
BMC and the IACCGH Connection The Dhumes moved their young family to Houston, Texas, in 1998 when BMC Software acquired the company Pankaj worked at in Massachusetts. He joined IACCGH in 1999. In 2001, Robert “Bob” Beauchamp (now CEO of BMC), hand-selected him to start BMC’s first office in India. Pankaj chose Pune in Maharashtra. He signed for the mission for two years, but at the end of it, he was asked to stay on longer. By then, BMC had 300 local Indians working in the company. “The big challenge initially was learning how to navigate in India, and I learnt invaluable lessons on how to succeed in that environment,” says Pankaj of the differences between the USA and India. For several years, the family vacillated between India and Houston, spending much time in both places before moving back to this city permanently in 2010 when Mahima graduated from the 12th grade and received acceptance at Rice University. On Steering IACCGH in 2013 How did you get involved in the IACCGH? I was invited to join the Board in 1999 by the founders Durga Agrawal and Ashoke Nath. Later, while I was in India I served as Director at Large to the Houston Chamber. I also joined the local Chamber in India and started dialogue with Jagdip Ahluwalia, one of the founding members of IACCGH, to facilitate education links between India and the US. The Chamber was started with the intent to encourage trade between the US and India. Now we have an added focus to promote business among people in this city, a sort of crosspollination. What is your vision for your year in office and how do you hope to implement your goals? My vision is a thriving Chamber that serves the needs of the Indo-American business community in Houston. We create a platform where businesses can come together to become aware of each other, identify business opportunities and educate our members on local and international issues that affect their business. This year’s focus is going to be on the Energy and Education sectors. On the Energy front, the Chamber will start the creation of an ecosystem that will be needed to serve the business opportunities for the US and India in the years to come. With shale gas reserves tapped in the US, it will become a net exporter of gas in this decade. India’s gas needs continue to grow and it will need the US to supply this gas. India is not a part of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) yet. The Government of India is working to establish its relationship with the US government to get access to the future US gas reserves. We are collaborating with other local Indo-American organizations such as the Indo-American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) of Houston. Their focus is political and they are working with Congressmen and Senators to make this a success. I am sure that with these efforts, gas exports from US to India will occur. This will create tremendous opportunities for jobs and businesses to provide all kinds of services. India has a significant need for gas with regards to the burgeoning population, infrastructure, and the economy. The Chamber is working to identify and establish this ecosystem to make it work at different levels. Almost www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
The Beginning of
IACCGH BY JAGDIP AHLUWALIA has been an advisor to the chamber ever since.
all the major Oil & Gas companies that are headquartered in Houston have a presence in India or a business relationship in India. We, the Chamber, would like to assist in creating better and more business opportunities on both sides. In your opinion, how effective has the Chamber been and how does it impact the role of the Indo American community in Houston? The Chamber has been very effective and plays a crucial role in the community. It was the first Chamber of its kind in the south and continues to be a strong and respected organization in the Indo-American community in the south region of the country. Its strength is in its membership. We have a breadth of members, from individuals who work as consultants, small proprietorship, to large global companies. We provide value across the board whether it is in assisting individual or small businesses in establishing themselves as a minority business, or navigating to the appropriate contact in the county or city government, to taking government and business delegations to India. We do it all. We also work with other Chambers to identify and bring their business opportunities to our community. How did BMC’s CEO Robert Beauchamp get to be a part of the Chamber? Bob was invited in 2001 to join the Advisory Board of IACCGH by Durga Agrawal, and the then Consul General of India to Houston, Rinzing Wangdi. Bob
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How about education, your other initiative? There is a shift that’s taking place in India. India’s agricultural sector is now highly productive and self-sufficient. Because of this, young people are moving out of the rural areas to the cities for better opportunities, but can’t afford expensive academic training. They need vocational training, somewhere between six months to one year on a vocation. The Houston Community College (HCC) is a local institution that is a leader in such training and I believe the time is right for HCC to establish a presence in India. They already have a presence in Vietnam and Qatar. I believe the Chamber facilitated a collaborative endeavor between MD Anderson Cancer Institute and the Tata Cancer Institute? The joint initiative between MDACC and TCI was signed in 2003 as a joint research program between the two organizations. Doctors have been going back and forth from both institutes in a climate of exchanging ideas, sharing knowledge and researching new treatment. What other significant collaborations have IACCGH engendered? In 2007 an IACCGH delegation, which included Judge Ed Emmett, visited India and met with Anand Mahindra, Managing Director at Mahindra and Mahindra and convinced him to set up a company in Texas. Anand Mahindra was so convinced in that meeting, that M & M setup their US headquarters in Harris County the following year. One year is too short to accomplish all you’ve set out to do. How do you ensure continuance? The President Elect of IACCGH for 2014 Sanjay Ramabhadran and the Board of Directors share my vision. I am assured it will be carried forward at least to the end of 2014. http://www.iaccgh.com/
IACCGH was founded in 1999 by a group of Indo-American businessmen who realized that India was emerging as a major player in the global economy. They felt the need to create a bi-lateral chamber focused on India and the USA. Strong support came from the then Consul General Rinzing Wangdi, who was the key driving force behind the initiative, and the first Advisor. Business and community leaders such as Dr. Durga Agrawal, Rao Ratnala, Vijay Goradia, and Jagat Kamdar led the creation of the Chamber with Wangdi’s support. It was my honor to be invited to serve as the founding Secretary with Agrawal as founding President and Jitu Shah as the founding Treasurer. In addition to being a portal for Houston businesses to do business with India, the Chamber started focusing on the economic empowerment of the Indo American community by teaching members about the benefits of “certification” as a minority or womanowned business. The Chamber was instrumental in hosting inbound trade delegations and supporting Greater Houston Partnership-led delegations and in 2008, took a powerful delegation led by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett to India; this led to an enhanced investment by Mahindra USA in Harris County. Other initiatives have included the Memorandum of Understanding between Mumbai’s Tata Cancer Center and University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center, which will be celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Though the Chamber is basically Indo-American it serves the whole business community in the Greater Houston area, evident by the cross section of the audience at any IACCGH event. The Chamber is also proud to have a leadership role with Dallas, Tampa, and Atlanta in creating an Alliance of Indo American Chambers in the states served by the Houston Consulate and I have the privilege of serving as Honorary Executive Director of this Alliance. Led by a team of dedicated volunteers under President Pankaj Dhume, the Chamber continues to grow to meet the changing needs of the Houston economy. The Chamber is also honored to continue working closely with the Indian Consulate to create opportunities for trade and commerce between Houston and India and we thank the Honorable Consul General P. Harish for his support.
Nurture
Lent
Committing to Positive Change
BY HELEN BUNTTING LANGTON The Northern Hemisphere is celebrating the beginning of spring while we in the South are about to welcome Autumn. Spring is such a beautiful time for new beginnings with new born animals frolicking in fields and previously winterravaged trees budding with blossoms. It tells of new hope as the coldness and desolation of winter is driven away by the freshness of less extreme temperatures and sunny skies. This idea of new beginnings was beautifully reinforced for us when our precious granddaughter arrived on the first day of Spring. Spring really had sprung and it was a celebration in more ways than one. On Ash Wednesday we experienced a different kind of Spring in our church - the beginning of the observance of Lent. In the old days, penitents wore sackcloth and ashes as a sign of how sorry they were for their transgressions. That would not be a good look in the modern world, so the priest uses blessed ashes to mark our foreheads, humble our hearts, and remind us that life on earth is transient. We remember this when we are told that ‘you are dust and unto dust you shall return.’ As a child this pronouncement made me feel afraid. Now it is inspirational. The season of Lent is very important in my Catholic faith and it lasts for 40 days. It prepares us for Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. Lent means many things to many people and I have to admit that it has evolved as my faith has grown over the years. Essentially, it is a time of spiritual stocktaking and springcleaning our lives of things that are not life-giving. It is a time of fasting, sacrifice, and prayer as we attempt to become closer to God. When I was a young child at a Catholic boarding school the concept of giving up something you really loved
for the 40 days was very literal. Some girls would give up eating candy or meat for 40 days. It was great having a close friend or sister who wasn’t eating candy because it meant more for those of us who hadn’t chosen the torture of missing out on sweet treats. We used to look at our self-sacrificing friends and think: ‘what a sucker!’ Some kids could be quite ruthless making sure to eat the sweet
treats very slowly, taunting those going without. As I grew older I realized the significance of Lent wasn’t just about giving up foods we loved. If we gave up treats the idea was to donate the money saved to Caritas, an international Catholic organization that helps the poor. I also learnt that the goal was to turn away from sin and make a conscious decision to change habits or circumstances that were keeping us from leading a freer spiritual life not bound by sin. The short-term plan is to take a behavior you struggle with, and then curb it for 40 days and nights. The larger picture is that you may make a 40 day commitment but actually succeed in making it a lifelong resolution. I know many people who have stopped smoking or indulging
in alcohol for Lent. They end up loving how they feel so much that they give it up altogether. Then there are some who don’t drink for 40 days and nights, only to buy out half the liquor store on Easter Saturday. Those usually end up legless on Easter Sunday and I can tell you now, it is not because they are celebrating the resurrection of Christ. I have had some spectacular failures in keeping up my Lenten observation. There were the two years in a row when I tried to remove all swear words from my vocabulary. Having three challenging teens, it became too much of a sacrifice. And they didn’t fail to remind me every time I broke my pledge. That only made me want to swear… again. The year I decided not to indulge in or listen to gossip worked really well. When I see the kind of hurt and trouble gossip causes, I’m grateful for that one Lent which opened my eyes to the freedom from this bad habit. I’m not perfect and still sometimes slip up but I feel an incredible peace in my life because nobody can come back and say they heard about something from me. I just love it when something confided in me is finally revealed and other friends get offended that I didn’t tell them when I knew all along. I tell them I should have been a Catholic priest. *smiling* Lent is also a time not just for giving up things, but also for actively adding positive, spirit-growing things to your life. It’s a time for visiting the sick, getting involved in church ministries, praying more, reading the Bible, doing things for other people, learning to forgive those who hurt you, and spreading the love that Jesus Christ came to teach us. It is a time to be aware that YOU as an individual can make a difference. For those of you who are observing Lent, have a beautiful Easter season.
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. www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
King Jonathan Blake Tinkle KLR XXV Queen Amanda Rose Tinkle KLR XXV
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Mardi Gras in New Orleans
The Texas Connection Fashion Designer Jonathan Blake Honoree at The Krewe of Little Rascals’ 30th Anniversary
Houston’s hottest young fashion designer Jonathan Blake presided as honoree at the Mardi Gras for youth in Metairie, New Orleans on January 20, 2013. Accompanying him was Brittany Booker, Ms. Texas 2012. Jonathan, a former captain for five years, and the King 2008, returned for the 14th year as Returning King at the 2013 Ball and parade celebrating The Krewe of Little Rascals 30th Anniversary, as they presented a 17-float, 75-unit parade on Veteran’s Boulevard. The celebrity guests Jonathan and Brittany were transported in a convertible driven by the latter’s parents, Glen and Robin Booker. The Krewe, designed for youth from 3 to 19 years of age, and founded in 1983 by Jack Spittler Sr. and Maureen Spittler of Friendswood, Houston, was named after Hollywood’s most fabled kids’ group; for the past thirty years The Krewe has presented a full-dress ball and parade, a zero-alcohol philanthropic event that benefits and positively impacts the lives of children through various organizations. The street parade this year included over 280 float riders and remains the longest-running, most flamboyant and most successful Mardi Gras parading organization for youth in Mardi Gras history. Along with a four-mile street parade complete with floats, bands, car groups, horse groups, dance schools, and a myriad of other featured units, The Krewe staged a full-dress Tableau Ball with a 10-piece orchestra at the Pontchartrain Center on Williams Boulevard near the New Orleans Airport. The Krewe was also featured in the February 1998 National Geographic World magazine as the Kids of Mardi Gras. What makes
Little Rascals unique is that each year, The Krewe includes along with regular young members, many special needs children from area hospitals and homes, an experience made possible through both Texas and Louisiana corporate sponsorships. Many from Jonathan Blake’s immediate and extended family, as well as other Texas youth and notable elders are involved at the highest levels of the organization and have been for years. This year’s Texas contingent in New Orleans included the following: Queen Little Rascals XXX, Abby Shelenhamer (Houston); Captain, Amanda Tinkle (Houston), a former Queen 2008, Captain for 8 years and a Krewe member for 14 years; Captain, Taylor Shelenhamer (Houston), a former Queen 2012; Maid, Amber Garren (League City); Scepter Bearer, Jack G. “Tres” Spittler III (League City); Scepter Bearer, Jack G. Spittler Jr., (League City), First Krewe member 1983, First Captain 1983-1988, King 1989, Board 1994-2013; Lady-in-Waiting, Emma Maierson (Houston); Float Krewe Members, Adam and Abigail Maierson (League City); Float Krewe Member, William Scardino (Houston); Float Krewe Members, Patrick and Kaylie Martin (Houston); Lady-in-Waiting, Emily Shelenhamer (Houston); Flower Girl, Megan Shelenhamer (Houston); Flower Girl, Sierra Thompson (Austin); Float Riders, Kolton Wilson (Dickinson), Landon Wasem (Friendswood), and Brittany Long (Friendswood). Krewe Board Members from Texas included Lucille “Happy” Garren, Rachel Kay, Carol Metzger, Jack Spittler Sr., Jack Spittler Jr., Maureen Spittler, Amanda Tinkle, John Tinkle, and Mandy Tinkle.
From left, Mandy Tinkle, Fashion Designer Jonathan Blake, Miss Texas (USA) 2012 Brittany Booker & John Tinkle
From left, Taylor Shelenhamer, Mandy Tinkle, Jonathan Blake & Amanda Tinkle
From left, Rose McCreery (Jonathan’s grandma), Mandy Tinkle, Captain Amanda Tinkle, Fashion Designer himself, Jonathan Blake, and John Tinkle www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Queen Abby Shelenhamer XXX and King Austin Engler XXX
Mandy Tinkle with pace car driver Rose McCreery
From left, Megan Shelenhamer (Flower Girl), Brittany Long, Emily Shelenhamer (Lady in Waiting), Kolton Wilson and Landon Wasem Miss Texas (USA) 2012 Brittany Booker with Fashion Designer Jonathan Blake
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From left: Jennifer Tinkle, Rose McCreery, Jonathan Blake, Captain Taylor Shelenhamer, Emily Shelenhamer (Lady in Waiting) Queen Abby Shelenhamer, Megan Shelenhamer( Flower Girl), Captain Amanda Tinkle, Mandy Tinkle, and John Tinkle attending Krewe of Little Rascals Royal Ball 2013
www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Premonition
The
Mango Tree
BY ARCHANA LAXMISAN The rusty lanterns swung creakily in the breeze, groaning on the lower dry branches of the mango tree. It had rained earlier in the day, and the humidity hung heavily in the air in spite of the warm summer breeze. Anu walked in to the small compound, latching the iron gate behind her, lifting her saree carefully. With her other hand she clutched at the banana leaf, a makeshift receptacle for the prasadam- sandalwood paste, a small ripe banana and flowers and a mixture of jaggery, dry rice flakes and grated coconut, that she had reverently carried back from her trip to the temple. A strange sadness gripped her at the time, making her pause for a sec-
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ond, looking around at the garden. Hibiscus flowers and bougainvillea vines brightened up the lush green garden. The kolam had not quite washed away, streaks of white mixed with earth near the small pedestal that housed a solitary tulsi plant. A lump formed in her throat and she rushed inside the old house, kicking off her sandals caked with drying mud. Today would be the day she left home. Her bags were already packed, and the house hummed with excitement. Her father was in the garage supervising the driver as he cleaned out the old car that would take her to the airport. Her mother was in the kitchen packing the delicious fried foods and fragrant spices that would disappear into her already crammed suitcases. Anu walked to the back of the house, exiting to the verandah where her grandmother sat, arthritic legs stretched out from underneath her, her quick but gnarled fingers expertly weaving flowers together for the evening pooja. Anu sat by her grandmother and thrust out her hand with the banana leaf, “Paatti, prasadam,” she said. Her grandmother, looked up, smiling softly, eyes twinkling behind dark-rimmed glasses much too big for her small wrinkled face. She took the proffered leaf and smeared the fragrant sandalwood paste on her forehead, taking a pinch of the dried rice mixture and placing it in her mouth. She then took a string of flowers from the leaf and beckoned Anu to turn around. As she did, her grandmother paused for a moment. Anu cocked her head to the side. Odd, her grandmother never strayed from their ritual. Anu would always go to the temple and return as she had with prasadam. Her grandmother would then always take flowers from the leaf and place them in her hair, gently pulling strands of braided hair around it to keep it in place. She would then push Anu off, clucking at her to go study before dusk arrived. Instead, this time, her grandmother started to comb her long curly hair with her fingers. Anu relaxed, her shoulders sinking backward, her breath deepening as her grandmother continued to
wordlessly braid her long hair, working the string of jasmine flowers in with the braid. When she was done, Anu’s paatti rested her hands on Anu’s shoulders. “You will be gone soon, chakkare,” addressing Anu by her nickname. Anu nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes, dropping silently from her bent head. She turned around to face her grandmother. Her grandmother smiled, but her eyes seemed suddenly sad and dark, as if some distant memory had eclipsed her usual mirth. Placing a finger under Anu’s chin, she said softly, “I will not see you again, my chakkare. Be brave, my little one. Your time has come. Things will get worse before they get better.” “Wha..!”, spluttered Anu, confused. “Anu, there you are! You are going to be late!” cried her mother, appearing at the doorway. “Go get dressed! Your dad is grumbling already,” she said, pulling Anu up by her elbow. Anu got up quickly, flustered. The prasadam fell off her lap, scattering flowers and rice flakes across the rough stone floor. She frowned, but her grandmother motioned her away, sweeping up the debris with her hands. “Hurry now, chakkare, don’t keep your dad waiting.” The driver honked the car horn outside, impatiently. Anu hurried. Later, she would wistfully come back to this moment. Wishing against hope that she had more time. So many words unsaid, so many questions unanswered. If only she had known. The car pulled away from the driveway, Anu turning around, straining against the glass window for a final look. Her mother stood at the gate, waving, and her grandmother stood by the door of the house. Her paatti had always seemed taller than she now looked, a fading figure, small and bent wrapped in her nine-yard saree. Anu
blinked away the easy tears, gazed at the road in front of the car, and willed herself to smile. These were happy circumstances, after all. She was on her way to join her new husband in New York, the land of new beginnings. They had been married only a few weeks, a whirlwind wedding set up by her parents. Her husband lived in NYC, and his father was a childhood friend of her father. When Anu had insisted on leaving to the US, having snuck an application for a Master’s degree to NYU and magically getting accepted, her parents had initially revolted. The thought of their only daughter living alone in a large alien city had alarmed them. But Anu was adamant, and her usually reticent grandmother had defended her. Her parents disagreed at first, but her father remembered that he had an old friend with a son in NYC. A few phone calls and a trip to the town astrologer later, he had announced that she could leave, but as long as she got married. Anu, unwilling but resigned, had reluctantly agreed. It was not unusual for marriages to happen as quickly as this in her little town, and many of her college classmates were already married. A few months later, her soon to be spouse had flown down to her little town. She was married the next day, her new husband flying back on her marriage night. He was a “successful” engineer, according to her father. She frowned at the memory. He was a handsome man, but had seemed cold and distant. They had barely talked, but her parents had brushed away her fears as inconsequential. Only her grandmother had listened, not saying a word. Anu wondered what her grandmother had meant earlier. Just as she began to recall her words, the car pulled in to the tiny airport. “Time to go, Anu,” her father said, his voice hoarse.
“Be good.” Anu stumbled out of the car. After hugging her dad, she followed the peon, who carried her luggage on his head and shoulders into the terminal. ***The Present*** Anu looked out at the verandah. Now, nearly twenty years later, everything had changed. The broad wooden beams were covered in dust, but the enclave still stood green and overgrown with weeds. Some people stopped and stared, taking in her bobbed curly grey hair, fair skin and jeans, a few snickering openly. New high-rises obscured the horizon. Music blared from the loudspeakers fitted onto a car, that wound through the traffic. Anu’s mind wandered reluctantly back to her early days in NYC. She had arrived in late winter and the cold temperatures plagued her dearly. She was struck by the lack of color in NYC, a tall imposing city of grays and blacks. But most of all, she was unprepared for her new marriage. Her husband’s apartment was small, gray and dingy. Her husband was indeed, cold. He would only speak to her when he returned home drunk, and then he would only berate her for being ugly. He made fun of her nose-ring and her long braid. He laughed at her awkward English. He called her stupid and ignorant. Anu never complained, worried that her parents would not understand. Her husband stood over her when her parents called, never allowing her to talk for very long. Only her grandmother seemed to notice her absence of words. A few weeks after, her father called her, gently breaking to her the news of her grandmother’s death. She had passed away peacefully in her sleep, as quietly as she had lived. Anu had cried, inconsolable. Her husband had grabbed the phone from her in disgust. www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
That is when the nightmare really began. One particularly violent night soon afterwards, her husband grabbed her by her braid and chopped it off with a pair of kitchen shears, kicking her savagely as she collapsed on the floor. He raped and beat her until he tired himself out, to pass out drunkenly on the small bed. Anu picked herself up gingerly, stumbling to the small bathroom to examine her injuries under the flickering orange light. Blood streamed down her face and arm. Stifling her sobs so as to not wake her drunken husband, she gathered her coat and a bag into which she stuffed a few of her clothes and her now bloody braid. She then did the unthinkable. She walked out. Anu knocked on the neighbor’s door. An elderly couple lived there, with whom she had exchanged a few shy words. The old gentleman who answered the door, took her hand and her coat and wordlessly led her in. The police arrived a few minutes later. The next few months were a blur. Her husband turned out to be employed at a coffee shop, having lost his job because of his alcoholism. The social worker who worked with her was relieved that Anu still had a valid visa issued by NYU. The international office helped Anu find a job and student housing. The bruises healed eventually, but the most painful wounds had not been inflicted by her husband. When Anu had called her parents to tell them her story, they were at first silent. Then her mother sobbed as her father stated that she must have done something wrong. The groom they had selected for her was too good, too perfect. Their horoscopes had matched. He had come from a respected Brahmin family. Of course, he did not drink. She must be lying. When Anu protested, her father cut her off. She was told to go
back to her husband, like the good girl she was raised to be and not shame her family. She was asked to get pregnant, which would then increase her husband’s affections toward her. No daughter of his would be divorced. She might as well be dead to him. Anu did eventually get a divorce. And her father stopped speaking to her. Her mother would call her once every few months, often crying over the phone despite Anu’s insistence that she was doing well. Always a bright student, she had excelled in graduate school and landed a highly paid position with a financial group soon after graduation and quickly rose in ranks to an executive position. Her hair remained short to remind her of her past, but was now cut into a stylish bob. She avoided “friends” who reminded her of her shameful “divorced” status. The few Indian men she had met treated her indifferently, often shying away from her when they learnt she was divorced. She remained shy and reserved in her personal life, unwilling to re-visit the ghosts of her past with a new relationship. But that had changed about ten years ago, when she had met Steve at a friend’s party. Steve was a kind, gentle giant of a man. Brought up in the old South, he opened doors for women, spoke with a warm rumble and had an easy toothy grin. In turn, Steve saw her as a sweet, brilliant, petite brunette with sad lovely eyes and a smile that made his heart dance. They were married a few months later, their small wedding attended by his family and a few of her friends. Her parents were conspicuously absent, her father having disavowed his sinful daughter who had further insulted him by re-marrying out of caste, to a white Protestant. “Not even a Hindu,” he would mutter to Anu’s mother. “Mom!”, a young boy called, shaking Anu out of reverie. “Look at
this place! Did you grow up here?” Anu looked fondly down at her charming son. Only eight years old, a bundle of energy and the apple of her eye, he had her dark curly hair and his father’s blue eyes. “Yes, Ethan. Do you like it?” “Like it? I love it!” Ethan announced, jumping off the verandah and racing away to the mango tree where the gardener was picking off ripe mangoes, with a fascinated Steve watching from below. The mango tree had not had a crop for the past twenty years, since she had left, Anu’s mom had said. “Your paatti had planted that tree the day you were born. Your father could not bear to cut it down.” Last week, she had received an unexpected phone call from her mother. Her father had been sick and the local doctors had given him only days to live. However, he had made a miraculous recovery and wished to see her and his grandson. Anu had taken the next flight back home with Steve and Ethan in tow. “Anu, why don’t you cut up some mangoes for Ethan?” asked her father as he walked gingerly up to her on his cane. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he said, “They were always the sweetest, just like my little girl.” Anu smiled, those easy tears springing once again to her eyes. “Paatti told me that things would get worse before they get better, Appa,” Anu said softly. “I miss her. How did she know?” “She always knew such things. Your paatti was a very wise woman,” her father said, stopping as Ethan bounded up to them. “Taata, look!” Ethan said, holding up a ripe mango. Anu watched as her father indulgently took Ethan’s hand in his, cradling the golden fruit, as they walked towards the tree. Anu paused, watching them - young and old, Ethan’s soft pale hand in her father’s brown gnarly one. She smiled.
Archana Laxmisan is an aspiring writer who hopes to have more success with a word processor than the proverbial monkey. When not concocting stories in her head, she practices as a general internist in the greater Houston area. She is the current President and CEO of SoS (Share Our Secrets), a Houston-based organization based on lifelong development, personal and professional growth. http://www.shareoursecrets.org
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Techie
Despite any lack of evidence, one hears claims of power lines and cellular phone usage causing cancer. The latter (false) claim was made by no less an entity than the UNO’s World Health Organization. This shows an alarming lack of knowledge in the public sphere on the benefits and dangers of electromagnetic radiation. What is Electro-Magnetic Radiation (EMR)? EMR is emitted and absorbed by charged particles and travel at the speed of light in the form of a wave. These waves can travel through empty space for billions of light years and reach earth. In fact, everyday sunshine is electromagnetic radiation emitted by the nuclear fusion reactor that we know of as the Sun, and is released by all the stars in the universe, which is why we can enjoy starry nights and sunny days. The stars emit the entire spectrum of EMR radiation at all times, although the strength of radiation at all wavelengths is not uniform and varies from star to star. Electricity, light, radio waves, X-Rays, infra-red or thermal radiation are all examples of EMR that we absorb and encounter on a daily basis. It is common knowledge that exposure to sunshine can cause cancer, so what does this all mean? The key to understanding EMR begins with understanding that the EMR occurs in a range of frequencies from as low as 50Hz (or 50 crests and troughs per second in a waveform) all the way up 10^20Hz (1 followed by 20 zeros crests and troughs per second). Hz or Hertz is the unit of measurement of frequency of waveforms of all types - the higher the frequency of a waveform, the smaller its wavelength. Now, let us take a look at the human body. We all look solid to the naked eye and we see cell structures under an electron microscope. But the atoms that we are composed of are millions of times smaller than what the most powerful microscope can reveal. Even if we did have such a microscope and zoomed in at the atomic level, we would find that we constitute mostly of empty space and that the atoms that comprise our bodies are strung up in the form of a net due to elec-
Can Electromagnetic Radiation Cause Cancers and Tumors?
tromagnetic forces at the atomic level. EMR that can actually pass through these spaces need to be of the order of around 10^16 Hz. EMR waves of lower frequency will only end up vibrating the atoms in our body and cause them to heat up. Whereas, EMR with frequencies greater than 10^15 Hz can damage cell structures and potentially cause cancer if the human body is exposed to such radiation for long periods of time. The length of the allowed period of exposure is directly dependent on the strength of the EMR. Let’s keep in mind that our bodies are just walking laboratories held together by various biological vessels composed of myriad chemical compounds, and kept in place by electromagnetic forces at the subatomic level. There may not be chemistry between us, but there is certainly a lot of active chemistry in progress within each of us - a veritable biological sack of chemicals, if you will. As an example, consider how microwave radiation generated by a microwave oven heats up food items. It does so by affecting all the atoms in the food item to vibrate, which results in the heating up process. Heat is merely an indicator of the amount of vibration of the particles in any object. The more particles vibrate, the more energy they emit, which feels like “heat” to us when we touch it. Heat is also called “infra-red” or thermal radiation because it is EMR at very low wavelengths, unlike “ultra-violet” radiation, which is composed of EMR radiation at very high frequencies, even higher than visual radiation, or visible light. But what does all this have to do with cancer-causing EMR? In order to cause cancers or tumors, EMR radiation
needs to be small enough to enter the spaces between the atoms that constitute our bodies and nudge individual atoms out of their places. That results in the mutation of cell structures, and can give rise to cancerous cells. However, all such EMR radiation greater than 10^15Hz frequencies are harmful to the human body and can cause cancers and tumors, as they can affect change in the chemical composition of our bodies, resulting in the mutation of normal cells to cancerous cells that start attacking other cells in the body. What is the official scientific word on this topic? A report is produced regularly by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (http://www.icnirp.de/) that provides guidelines on the level of exposure that can be considered safe for different frequencies of radiation. You can read the official report online as an executive summary, but the document essentially admits that there is absolutely no one particular safety guideline that can be applied to the entire spectrum of EMR. The document also clearly states that there is no evidence to indicate that EMR from cell phones or power lines have any proven links to cancers or tumors. If one is really concerned about cancer-causing agents, one should first pay attention to chemical agents at use in the home; do not use a mixture of cleaning agents that react with each other. Such combinations can be lethal, as the companies that produce household cleaning agents do not test all combinations of chemicals, and the warning labels on the containers only point to a limited set of other reagents known to interact in a negative manner. Also, don’t forget to wear your sunscreen the next time you step out. The sun produces far more harmful cancer-causing EMR than your cell phone or power lines ever will.
Srikanth has an avid interest in all things related to science, mathematics and music and holds a day-job as a software engineer. www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Belief
BY PROFESSOR ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA
Vehicles of the Gods
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A great number of festivals are celebrated in every South Indian temple. On these occasions the processional images of the presiding deity, its consorts and associates, beautifully dressed, decorated with jewelry and flowers, are paraded on their vahanas (a deity’s mount, typically an animal or mythical entity) along streets, which skirt the temple precincts. Every temple has a collection of vahanas as part of its cultic appurtenances. During the festivals, each morning and evening these shoulder-borne conveyances proceed outward from the sacred temple precincts, follow a carefully established route, and finally return to the temple. Striking features of these vahanas are their superb craftsmanship, the exuberance of the decoration, and last but not least, their huge size, which dwarfs the sacred image they carry. To the devotee, the temple vahanas represent much more than the creatures mostly, but not only animals they are meant to portray; once cleaned and adorned they become divine creatures in their own right, mediating between him/her and the deity. Occasionally we find in shilpa texts such as, for instance, the Mayamata of Mayamuni (c. 12th cent C.E.) some information regarding details of construction of the shoulder-borne vahanas, e.g. materials and proportions. However, up to date, no textual evidence was discovered which could help to decode their deep symbolism. Furthermore, as far as I am aware, no one has drawn an inventory of the most popular types of vahanas, let alone attempted to study this subject which is one of the many areas of fragile artistic heritage which awaits an in depth and systematic analysis. In modern South Indian temples the vahanas are made of wood, often covered by metal sheaths, occasionally, gold or silver, and encrusted with semi-precious stones. Special pujas are celebrated before the gods (firmly tied on their vahanas, which are mounted on long poles) leave the temple precincts on the shoulders of as many as twelve bearers. From the artistic point of view the vahanas are particularly interesting because they demonstrate how the traditional artistic canons, with all the rules of iconometry and iconography, are interpreted by the creative imagination and irrepressible skills of the craftsmen up to the present day. The agama-texts speak in great detail of the utilization of vahanas and rathas (chariots) at festival time. In the course of a festival, the utsavamurti of the main deity rides a different conveyance each time that it appears in public: e.g. flower palanquin (pushpa shibika), swing (andolika), wish-fulfilling tree (kalpavriksha), and animals such as a lion, an elephant or a horse; or other beings such as bhuta or Ravana. Literary evidence suggests that the custom of parading sacred images on shoulder-borne conveyances goes back at least to the 12th century, but it is probably older. For example, the Mahotsavavidhi a ritual guidebook composed in Sanskrit by Ag-
horashiva in 1157 C.E. gives a detailed description of the rituals and processional order of the images paraded on their vahanas at the time of Rajaraja II Chola. Furthermore, it speciďŹ es which vahanas are to be used at which time each day of any festival cycle. Interestingly, most of the vahanas listed by Aghorashiva are used even today, as demonstrated by the schedules of the 2012 Virappan Tirunal celebrated at the Sri Ranganathaswami temple, Srirangam, or the Ani Festival of the Sri Nataraja temple at Chidambaram, both published on internet. Epigraphic sources testify that temple vahanas were among the many donations which kings, queens and their entourage made to temples. Thus, in January 1517, Krishnadeva Raya presented a vahana each to the Ekamranatha and Varadaraja temples in Kanchipuram. On the same occasion, his spiritual advisor the renowned Madhva philosopher, Guru Vyasaraya presented a Shesha vahana to the Varadaraja temple. The custom is still observed; in the past decade or so, the Amrutam Sweet House in Madurai has donated a number of
vahanas to the Kudal Alagar temple. Along with the literary and epigraphic evidence, there are a number of murals, paintings on cloth and on paper, mostly dating from the 17th to the late 19th century, depicting deities paraded on vahanas and on chariots. Early 19th century sets of drawings on paper and on mica depicting processional scenes are particularly interesting as the artists have rendered the events with documentary precision. The murti on its vahana is carried on a palanquin by eight bearers; at the head of the procession are insignia, torch, or parasol-bearers, musicians, and, occasionally, dancing girls. The procession concludes with further parasol and insignia bearers. The most popular vahanas appearing in these sets are: the elephant (gaja vahana); a lion (simha vahana), not always in the shape of a lion, sometimes in the shape of a tiger - strong, ferocious, with bulging eyes, bared fangs, and a ruffled mane more like a yali than a lion or a tiger; a bull (vrishabha vahana); a mouse (akhu vahana); a coiled serpent with extended hood, the naga or Shesha vahana; www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
a swan (hamsa vahana), one of the most sumptuous artistic creations among the vahanas, endowed with a superb comb and an extravagantly foliated tail; and an equally ornate peacock, mayura vahana. Occasionally, fabulous creatures such as the yali vahana appear in the drawings. Other vahanas represent natural objects: kalpavriksha, the wishing-tree, and the prabha vahanas, the two orbs, the golden one representing the sun, and the silver one, the moon. As mentioned above, a vahana, be it a stone image enshrined in its mandapa opposite the entrance to the shrine of its deity, or be it carried in procession on the shoulders of the bearers, is to be considered a divine presence in its own right. This is why the texts, indirectly, insist on the fact that those who bear the vahana and the other participants in the procession should be in a state of ritual purity. To further stress the divine power of the vahana, the texts prescribe that among the participants there should be bearers of divine insignias, such as umbrellas, fly whisks, musicians, singers of hymns and dancers, exactly as depicted in the murals and drawings. The vahanas which we find today in South Indian temples are, at the most, one hundred years old, but probably much more recent - a demonstration that the artistic tradition of crafting vahanas is a living one, and that, as was the case in the past, temples and benefactors still commission them, such as the Amrutam Sweet House in the case of the Kudal Alagar temple, Madurai. Apart from the gold- and silver-plated vahanas, which are kept in strong rooms, the majority of wooden vahanas stored in South Indian temples are sadly neglected. In the best of hypothesis they are locked in vahanashalas, and the visitor can have a peep at them through the iron grills. Generally, however, they are stashed in some unfrequented part of the temple precincts and forgotten until the next festive occasion. Most of them are in a state of disrepair, covered with dust, filth, and cobwebs and at the mercy of rats, white ants and all kind of vermin, which eventually will destroy them. These wonderful expressions of devotional art are an “endangered species” and unfortunately no one seems to be doing something to protect them.
Professor Anna L. Dallapiccola has a Ph.D in Indian Art History, a Habilitation (D.Litt.) from University of Heidelberg, Germany. A former Professor of Indian Art at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University from 1971 to 1995, she was appointed Honorary Professor at Edinburgh University in 1991, and has regularly lectured at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. From 2000 to 2004 she was Visiting Professor at De Montfort University, Leicester. She, along with Drs. Michell and Fritz, participated in the Vijayanagara Research Project from 1984 to 2001 writing mainly on sculpture and iconography. Her Catalogue of South Indian Paintings in the collection of the British Museum has been published in May 2010 and the monograph The Great Platform at Vijayanagara in August 2010. Her Indian Painting: The Lesser Known Traditions, proceedings of an international conference held in Houston in 2008, was published in April 2011. She resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Authors on Asia
Kishore Mahbubani March 5, 2013
Reception: 6:30 pm Program: 7:00 pm Book signing to follow program
For years former diplomat and academic, Kishore Mahbubani, has studied the changing relationship between Asia and the U.S. in works like Can Asians Think? and The New Asian Hemisphere. In The Great Convergence, he assesses East and West at a remarkable turning point in world history and reaches an incredible conclusion: China stands poised to become the world’s largest economy as soon as 2016. Unprecedented numbers of the world’s population, driven by Asian economic growth, are being lifted out of poverty and into the middle class. And with this creation of a worldwide middle class, there is an unprecedented convergence of interests and perceptions, cultures and values: a truly global civilization.
Asia Society Members $5 | Nonmembers $10 Purchase online at AsiaSociety.org/Texas
1370 Southmore Blvd. | Houston 77004 | 713.496.9901
Shame
The Rape of “India’s Daughter” by India’s Sons Author’s note: the following piece includes a particularly graphic description of rape BY ARJUNE RAMA, MD
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“Mother, I want to live.” Unable to speak, 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey wrote these words on a piece of paper in an intensive care unit at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi while being treated for injuries resulting from being gangraped and beaten on a bus. Only 5% of her colon remained in her body when she was brought into the trauma center on December 16th, 2012. She died on December 29th from her multiple blunt injuries and massive gastrointestinal infections. As a physician I pride myself on being able to tolerate ghastly images. I did not vomit or faint when I saw my first cadaver or bloodied trauma victim. However, just reading the details of Ms. Pandey’s experience nauseates me. In trying to wrap my mind around what happened to her I find myself at a loss. I am reminded of when astronomers explain how much farther Saturn is from Earth than Mars. Both distances are on the order of millions of miles. Though Mars is much closer to Earth, on such a scale my mind is unable to realistically differentiate the distances. Similarly, Ms. Pandey’s experience is many orders of magnitude greater than the darkest experiences of my life and thereby nearly impossible to fully appreciate. She has been dubbed “India’s Daughter.” As such I like to think that she is collectively Our Daughter. In order to honor the memory of Our Daughter, we need to effect change. Although I am heartened by the demonstrations and hope her story will help lead to a reduction in the incidence of sexual assault in India, I do not want the details of her lived experience to be lost in the sociopolitical shuffle. The words “gang-rape”
and “beating” do not capture the hell this woman experienced. To ensure that our enthusiasm for change does not waver with governmental distractions and changes in the news cycle, we need to put ourselves into her shoes on that horrible night and tattoo her experience into our memories. Let’s not allow safe journalistic language to obfuscate the depths of devastation this woman endured. In service of harnessing our collective vitriol, I would like to engage you, dear reader, in a thought experiment. Since her suffering was on a nearly inconceivable level, we need to psychologically layer the multiple transgressions she experienced upon ourselves to fully appreciate it. For example, I begin by imagining my clothes being removed forcibly on a city bus. If the transgression stopped there I would go home sobbing and eternally humiliated. I would likely never ride a bus again. Then I add another layer: in addition to being forcibly stripped, someone touches my genitals. This is beyond humiliation; I have been physically violated. Then I add a multiplier: violation by not one person but by five. Already I am approaching a level of terror of which I struggle to conceive. Up to this point, legally speaking, I have been “molested.” Then I move into a plane of terror that thoroughly exceeds my ability to fully appreciate. I imagine that those men take turns penetrating me. Without condoms. For nearly an hour. Thoughts about deadly infectious diseases like hepatitis or AIDS fly through my mind. Next someone is beating my head with a luggage rod. In my semi-conscious state
I realize that someone has pushed that same rod into my anus, past my rectum, stopping at my transverse colon (roughly 2 feet into my body). Then an incomprehensible sensation occurs wherein the rod is removed, pulling my colon out with it, pulsing and bleeding onto the bus floor whereupon millions of bacteria leap onto my entrails. I haven’t been merely exposed. I haven’t been merely violated. I have literally been turned inside out. On a city bus. This is exactly what happened to Our Daughter. Lets not distance ourselves from the perpetrators no matter how comforting such separation might feel in this moment. As Ms. Pandey has been called “India’s Daughter,” let’s remember that her assailants are also “India’s Sons.” This moniker is neither a point of pride nor an insult. If we are to truly appreciate the magnitude of this issue we have to recognize that our sons have a problem. Sadly, instead of addressing the problem with our sons, some Indian state governments have foisted greater limitations on our daughters. In some states, women are further limited in how they dress or how late they may stay out at night as a result of Ms. Pandey’s rape and subsequent death. Such statutes only serve to reinforce a patriarchal system in which the sexuality of women is considered a liability and thereby covered over in order to curtail male sexual violence. Instead of more rules that simply sweep sex under the rug, we need to pull the rug off completely to show our sons what sex is and what sex is not. Sex is about love. Sex is about passion. While
sex is powerful, it is not to be used as power over another person. Least of all, sex is not a weapon. When our daughters show their skin, they are not inviting harassment or assault. They are allowing themselves to feel pride in their own bodies. Our sons must recognize that the mothers, sisters, and grandmothers they love so dearly were once the young women currently being catcalled, molested and raped. If our goal is to raise men as opposed to overgrown boys, we must show our sons that manhood does not occur when the clock strikes midnight on their eighteenth birthday. A boy becomes a man slowly over time, through demonstrations of respect and restraint. A man is secure in his masculinity such that he does not need to molest or rape a woman to feel sexually vital. Furthermore, a man does not need to participate in gangs or think with a mob-mentality; he thinks and acts for himself. So secure is he in his sense of right and wrong that he is willing to intervene in a mob, even if it causes him to lose face. If there was a single man in that group of boys that took Our Daughter’s life, the event would have been over before it began. If these expectations of our sons seem daunting lets remember the details of the evening Our Daughter spent on that bus. Let’s put ourselves into her horrifying position. Let’s remember that in the aftermath of her experience she voiced one basic wish: she wanted to live. We owe Our Daughters so much more.
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
March 2013
Celebration Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai
Don’t be Offended,
Its Holi! BY DR. KUSUM VYAS Spring! It’s that time of the year when Mother Nature’s energy has awoken from its winter slumbers, bringing hope, growth, and a riot of vivacious colors to herald the new beginning. Come March 27, and Indians across India and throughout the world will come together to welcome one of the most beautiful seasons of the year with the festival of colors known as Holi or Phagwah in the Indo-Caribbean Hindu community. What’s so special about this celebration is that Holi is one of the most popular and ancient festivals in India. References to Holi are found in ancient paintings and murals and in sculptures on walls of ancient Hindu temples. A panel sculpted in the 7th Century temple
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at Hampi, capital city of Vijayanagar, shows a joyous scene of Holi. The carved sculpture depicts a Prince and his Princess standing amidst maids waiting with syringes or pichkaris to drench the Royal couple in colors. The tradition has continued uninterrupted for millennia. In India, where prayer and sumptuous food are an integral part of the festivities, the best part is the ritual of taking to the streets and splashing friends and even total strangers with dry colors, water balloons, sprayers, and even a good dousing with entire buckets of colored water. On this day, everyone is fair game. This is the time to relax social codes. The day takes the form of a fun-filled, boisterous celebration where
“Gentle breeze, blowing from the south, softens the chilly air of the winter. The land comes to life as the flora suddenly bursts into maturity and young flowers bloom all over. The air is filled with intoxicating smell of fresh flowers and the effect is seen even on the cuckoo which is in an inebriated state”. Indian Poet Kalidasa on Vasanta Ritu (The Spring Season)
barriers between rich and poor, men and women, young and old are broken down. All are free to throw colors on each other and get pummeled with vibrant bags of colorful powder. It’s a time during which mischievous behavior is not only condoned, but encouraged. Crowds of people playfully pelt each other with paints in mesmerizing hues of blues, yellows, magentas, greens, violets, and more adding a rainbow-like hue to the environment. In India it is common to see kids squirting passers-by with flower-based colorful liquid! As with all Indian festivals, Holi also has sacred aspects associated with it — a majority centering on the triumph of good over evil.
The most popular one is about an arrogant king who resents his son Prahlada for worshipping Lord Vishnu, the creator of the Universe. When every attempt to stop him fails, his sister Holika, believed to be immune to fire, joins in the effort by inviting the young boy to accompany her into a large fire. Helped by the powers of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada escapes unscathed, while Holika burns to ashes. To commemorate this event, huge bonfires are lit the night before Holi to cleanse the air of evil spirits. In the North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, the festival is attributed to the immortal love between the mischievous funloving god Krishna and his devotee/consort, Radha. Therefore, people of Braj where he spent most of his life, celebrate it with great gusto for almost two weeks! While history and circumstances may have flung many Indians to the farthest
reaches of the globe, they remain undiminished in their enthusiasm for festivals and rituals that define home. Wherever the Indian diaspora lives in sizeable numbers, Holi is the same jamboree of myriad colors as in India. However, whenever Holi falls in the middle of working week, the Indian expatriate community celebrates the festival on a weekend closest to the actual date. It is perfectly natural for Indians living in the West to be overcome with nostalgia when major festivals like Holi come around. Some hold on to their Indian roots and strive hard to keep their traditions with religious fervor and put effort into passing on the cultural legacy to their children. For others it is a day filled with fun, good food, and an abundance of enthusiasm in the midst of a riotous crowd stomping to either the heavy Bhangra beat, or the all-time favorite Bollywood Holi song, “Rang Barase…”
On March 27, cities and towns across the world will once again burst with color as we welcome the joy of Spring. Thanks to the internet and social media, it’s now easier than ever to locate a Holi celebration at a temple, university town square, or public park near you. Be sure to prepare yourself for an exuberant show of goodwill, clouds of color and, yes, no dearth of good food. A word of caution for those who want to keep their clothes clean: Even if you stand back and away from the crowd, you are fair game for the kids and you may get some of that color splattered on your clothes! Be warned and wear something that you won’t regret getting messy beyond reclamation! But then, as they say in India, “Bura Na Mano, Holi hai - don’t be offended, it’s Holi!
Dr. Kusum Vyas is a graduate of Nairobi and Texas A&M University, and a Distinguished International Visiting Professor, Universitas Mahendradatta, Bali, Indonesia. She was born in Nairobi and grew up in Kampala. Kusum is the founder of the Green Kumbh Movement and GYAN a project of Living Planet Foundation. GYAN is focused on religion-based environmentalism that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) describes as “the world’s largest civil society movement on climate change”.
Verizon Wireless Theater 520 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77002
For additional information, contact Shannon Nunez at 713.869.7740 or snunez@childrenatrisk.org
Is This the Right Time to Buy? BY ROGER AND ANJALI ARORA Is this the right time to buy real estate? It depends! In order to make any investment, whether in your primary residence or commercial real estate, or even stocks and bonds, one must look at macro-economic factors such as unemployment, income levels, inflation, investments, etc., that may affect your investment. On a micro level, it depends on your individual financial situation, your current job, what part of the country you live in, and whether you are able to withstand another housing shock should one occur again. If you live in Houston or certain parts of Texas (Austin, Dallas, San Antonio), you have probably seen home sales increase, inventory decrease, and prices rise in the past year or so. Texas has bucked the trend nationwide, and is seeing Texas sized increases in home prices. In Houston alone, home sales were up 16% in 2012 as compared to 2011, and unsold home inventories dipped to the lowest level in a decade, resulting in record price increases. The reason behind that is that Texas economy in general, and Houston specifically, is on a rebound thanks largely to the number of jobs being created in the energy sector due to the fracking technology. Houston is probably experiencing the best real estate market in the country today. New homes and large multi-family units are being built, homes are selling, commercial space is
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being leased up, and rents are escalating. But will this boom in Houston last forever? We don’t think so. What goes up must eventually come down. There are many external factors that could come into play to reverse the existing trend. With the energy sector heating up, there are possibilities of mergers and acquisitions amongst some of the big players. If that happens, it’s common to see layoffs and consolidation of large office spaces. When people get laid off, it affects every segment of the real estate market, be it single family, multi family, or commercial. How about new proposed regulations that will result in slow down of fracking, especially in Texas and North Dakota? If and when that happens, it would surely cause some massive layoffs in the energy sector, however, the likelihood of that happening in Texas is far less compared to a state such as California. Further, there are talks in Washington about eliminating the tax deduction on home mortgage interest. This is a sword that will adversely affect all residential real estate markets across the country, not only in Houston. Then there is talk about inflation, and inflation is definitely coming to our doorsteps sooner or later, due to the massive amounts of money the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) has been printing. Currently, the FRB is maintaining its ZIRP, or zero inter-
est rate policy and has been printing money to keep interest rates low in order to stimulate the economy. But there will be dire implications when the FRB eventually stops printing. Interest rates will rise, and as borrowing becomes more expensive, asset prices will tumble. Let us take both residential and commercial real estate and see how it will affect each when this happens. In residential, when inflation hits and interest rates rise, so will mortgage rates rise accordingly. Let’s take a $300,000 mortgage for example. If interest rates on a 30 year loan go up, let’s say, from 3.5 to 6%, the monthly interest payments on that same amount of loan will increase by almost $600 per month. That will discourage or disqualify many potential homebuyers from buying if their estimated monthly payments go up. When demand falls, so do prices. In commercial real estate, the formula used to value most commercial real estate is V=NOI/R, or in simpler terms, Value of the real estate = Net Operating Income divided by the Cap rate (or Capitalization rate). In this scenario, let’s take a property with a net operating income of $100,000. Net operating income (NOI) means rental income after all operating expenses such as management and maintenance salaries, accounting fees, legal fees, insurance expense, janitorial expense, supplies, etc, but not including principal and interest payments. At current cap rates of between 7.5 to 8%, not taking into account any other factors such as age, condition, class or location, the property would be valued in the range of $1,250,000 to $1,333,333. But with inflation and rising interest rates, the cap rates tend to rise too, and investors would demand a 12% cap to cover their risks, which would drop the value of the same property with the same NOI to $833,333 using the formula shown above. But what if you are not living in Texas and see some
positive signs of a housing recovery? David Stockman, former director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Reagan Administration told The Daily Ticker, “I would say we have a housing bubble... again.” Stockman argues a combination of artificially low interest rates and speculation are to blame, not unlike the last boom and bust cycle in real estate. According to Stockman, “it’s this medicated, cheap money being put to work by investors like large hedge funds and private equity groups that’s driving the apparent healing in some of the hardest hit real estate markets in the country …and as soon as they conclude prices have moved enough, they’ll be gone as fast as they came.” Stockman argues the problem in housing is the two forces needed for a recovery - first-time buyers and trade-up buyers - are missing. With the combination of 7.9% unemployment and staggering student loan debt, he doesn’t see a young generation of new home buyers coming into the market. And with baby boomers heading for retirement with less than adequate savings, he thinks they’ll be trading down, not up, with their homes. That’s not to say that one should not invest in real estate. One just needs to be diligent in one’s research after weighing in all of the macro economic factors. There are still a few good deals out there, in various pockets of the country, but whether the average reader is knowledgeable enough to identity the good ones from the bad ones is another story. If you do decide to invest in real estate, make sure you do not buy it on an adjustable rate mortgage. Lock in today’s low rates for the next 20 to 30 years, and if you can negotiate with your bank, try to get a loan that is assumable. These will greatly help you sell your property when interest rates climb, and drive the demand down.
Roger Arora is a serial entrepreneur who owns an apparel imports company distributing to major retailers in the USA as well as a real estate investment and development company. He is currently working on several real estate projects primarily in areas with oil shale activities. He holds an MBA in Finance from Rice University. Anjali Arora is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Texas, and holds a PhD in food technology and packaging engineering. They currently live in Sugar Land, TX with their 3 sons.
www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Photo Credit Greg Holdsworth
Green
The goal of Sustainability 2.0 column is to share valuable resources, discuss relevant trends and bring you the latest and greatest on how to 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.
COMPOSTING YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER SOIL BY TAJANA MESIC During a recent visit to the Hoh National Rain Forest in the Pacific Northwest, one of my most treasured memories was the rain-filled smell of earth. This rich smell of old trees and leaves decomposing, the fresh scent of the moist soil, and the vibrant green of new growth. How magical! Far from the vision of orchids and colorful parrots, this temperate rainforest in Washington State impresses with mosses and ferns that blanket the forest floor and fallen trees, adding another dimension to the enchantment of the rainforest. The Hoh Rain Forest soil feels totally opposite to my Houston home soil. My garden and lawn is set in alkaline tough clay soil and it needs help; compost comes to mind. We all have a Master Gardener friend with gorgeous petunias and picture-perfect daffodils and caladiums. What they will tell you is that the answer lies in the soil. Rich soil makes beautiful plants. We don’t
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have that soil here in Houston and we need to feed it nutrients. Organic compost is the best that we can feed our soil. Making and using compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, reduces water run-off, restores your garden and lawn, and creates more beautiful landscapes. Using organic compost will help you grow your own beans, squash, watermelon, and gorgeous caladiums and petunias in no time. Compost is the magic ingredient that helps feed the roots of plants. How do we make compost? Basics There are so many ways to turn your old vegetables, fruit and other organic materials scraps into healthy food for your soil. Composting is controlled decomposition. How does it work? The aerobic microorganisms break down grass clippings
and leaves, veggies and fruits, paper and cardboard. These hard-working bacteria and fungi need oxygen, moist environment, carbon and nitrogen to create energy and proteins. They also need the right temperatures and pH conditions that sustain microbial growth and activity. They colonize on the organic matter, metabolize it, and release energy in the form of heat as a by-product. The final outcome is organic compost that is really great for the soil and rich with nitrogen, which in turn feeds your soil and your plants. To get the breakdown process going, your compost pile needs nitrogen and carbon-rich organic matter. Where do you get all of that?
to turn it, lift off the composter or bin and set it next to the pile. Use a pitchfork to turn it. 4. The compost is ready to use when you can no longer recognize the original ingredients and it has a rich earthy smell. Until you use it in your garden, keep the finished compost covered to prevent rain from leaching out nutrients. Herb Garden Compost Tea For those creative gardeners, here is another recipe. How about some compost tea? It is not made out of tea leaves, but with your compost. If you enjoy growing potted culinary herbs in your kitchen, a little compost tea will do your plants a world of good. Herbs grown outdoors do well in lean soil, since most of them originate from lean soil areas. Lavender, thyme, basil,
Photo Credit Greg Holdsworth
Materials and Supplies It comes from what you throw away, by way of vegetable and fruits peels, grass clippings, and dead leaves. Half of the stuff your household throws away is compostable. Americans recycled just 3 percent of the 32 million tons of food scrap waste we produced in 2008. Here is the list of things to put into the pile: Old fruit and vegetables Coffee grounds and filters Teabags Eggshells Grass clippings Shredded paper and cardboard Dead leaves Wood chips Bark, mulch, old topsoil Hay and straw Other great items to use in the compost pile are dead houseplants, nut shells, pine needles, shredded newspaper, sawdust, wool or cotton rags, pet fur, hair, dryer lint, bird feathers, and fireplace ashes. These following items might not break down, so keep these out of your compost pile: pet waste and cat litter, meats or bones, dairy products, fats and oils or any grease, anything treated with pesticides, coal or charcoal. Making Compost is as Easy as 1-2-3-4 Using a homemade or commercial composter is the best way to go about starting your own compost pile. You can purchase composters online, visit with the local Transition Houston group or your Whole Foods to learn more about which works best for you. If you are handy, you can build your own out of 4-foot-high wire garden fencing. Once you decide which one is best for you, here is what to do: 1. Set your composter on the ground in an easily accessible place. 2. Place a 4-inch layer of plants, sticks or other coarse material in the bottom of the bin. Add kitchen wastes, dead plants, grass clippings and chopped leaves. Add water as often as needed to keep the material moist but not soggy. 3. Turning the pile is helpful but optional. If you choose
rosemary, mint – most thrive in hot, sunny locations with welldrained soils. Container-grown plants typically lose nutrients through watering and need a little stimulation. Compost tea is an excellent organic fertilizer, helping your potted herbs reach their full potential. Recipe: 1. Scoop about 3 handfuls of compost into the middle of a two-by-two-foot square of burlap. Tie the corners with twine. 2. Soak your burlap bag in a plastic or galvanized-steel bucket overnight until the water turns a brown color. Remove the burlap and return your compost back to the pile. 3. Use the nutrient-rich brown compost tea to water your herbs. www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Photo Credit Greg Holdsworth Workplace Composting Programs Companies can compost as well. Some choose to work with commercial composters to reduce their waste and save money without having to invest in the composting infrastructure themselves. Right here in Houston, they are realizing savings from participating in corporate recycling and composting programs. The City of Houston Green Office Challenge encourages composting and had over 100 participants in the challenge in 2012 alone. Companies with an onsite cafeteria, dining operations, or break areas create large volumes of food waste and organic materials. They greatly benefit from creating, implementing, and measuring a workplace composting program. Not only does it decrease their disposal costs and divert tons of organic waste from landfills, it can also bring them closer to zero waste goals in their corporate sustainability plan. Landfills can be one of the most expensive ways to get rid of
waste because they are designed to contain and manage the waste forever. In contrast, a composting facility continuously turns organic material into a valuable agricultural product. The collected organic materials, ranging from food scraps, meats, bones, produce and floral from restaurants, grocery stores and corporate cafeterias, this material is collected and transported to commercial composting facility where it is used to make compost. This program represents full-circle recycling—taking organic material from the earth and returning it back as a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Making use of our organic food scraps, dead leaves, cardboard, paper, and grass clippings not only helps divert tons of waste from the landfill and protect our Earth but also helps enrich our soil without the added cost of harmful fertilizers. What is not to like? Start composting today. Your kids will thank you. And you might grow your own piece of the Hoh Rain Forest.
Tajana 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.
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Roots
Lessons to Remember
This Black History Month BY JOHN GUESS, JR. This Black History month is a benchmark. It is 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery in the United States and it is the 50th anniversary of the famous March on Washington led by A. Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights leaders. Slavery of course is a hot topic this year given the film depictions of the institution in Lincoln and Django Unchained. It is difficult to imagine the hardships that 19th century African American slaves endured traveling the Underground Railroad, putting their lives at risk in the hope to one day be free. The Underground Railroad, organized by former slaves, freed blacks, and sympathetic whites, facilitated runaway slaves finding shelter, food, drinking water, safe hiding places, and safe paths to follow as they moved to the free states of the north and Canada. The search for freedom and resistance to slavery resulted from slave communications that defied efforts of whites for social control and took many forms, including call and response as well as the visually striking secret codes that were sewn onto quilts and hung outside to give warning or tell them the area was safe. At the Houston Museum of African American Culture, our current Black History exhibition, Caroline Plantation is highlighted by artist Phillip Pyle’s take on what that resistance communication would look like today in his creative Slave Facebook. So one lesson we know from history is that the human desire for freedom motivated those not free to create imaginative ways to maintain their humanity and gain many different kinds of
freedoms, mental, social as well as physical. We wanted to highlight that fact in the Caroline Plantation, the fact that freedom was not just given and that slaves were never rendered completely powerless. This fact is so often overlooked or underplayed that I bring it up first. The second lesson is that the attempt to remove all identification of slaves here to their native Africa was never successfully accomplished. The continuing imprint of Africa in current day America is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. But the third lesson worth gleaning during these anniversary celebrations is the fact that whites and other races and ethnicities have always been involved in movements to free blacks here, whether from slavery or segregation and inequality. It is why we must always remember that we when we celebrate the Civil Rights Movement we must celebrate Lyndon Baines Johnson as well as Martin Luther King. Our museum reflects the recognition of our multicultural present and future through its acknowledgement of this multicultural aspect of our history. As we forge ahead in building this gift of a museum to Houston, we are ever cognizant from history of the commonalities that exist when we explore our differences. Perhaps that is the most important lesson of all that we should be reminded of this Black History Month. John Guess, Jr. is the CEO of the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
Heart
Spring 2013 Fashion Trends BY PRIYA M. JAMES
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
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Images courtesy of Nordstrom Inc.
The changing of the seasons is often represented by the change in colors. This spring, the most prominent hues on the runway are colors that represent the current trend of “being green” and earth friendly. Soft shades of blue, green, yellow, and orange with gray undertones; vibrant red and blue, and emerald are the leading colors this year. Although the season is typically associated with pastels and bright colors, combinations of black and white have also been included by several designers in their spring collections. Following the earth-friendly theme, nature inspired prints such as floral and leaf prints are on trend for spring, as are stripes in clothing and accessories. Lace, which has been a trend the past few seasons, will continue to be popular too. Accessories for the season are big and bold. Bags and sunglasses are large and oversized. Jewelry trends include statement necklaces, stacked bangles, wrist cuffs, and vintage neckwear. Footwear take on a life of their own by a profusion of floral patterns, chunky heels, ankle straps, strappy boots, and pointed toes. Spring is about rejuvenation, so refresh and revitalize your look with this season’s trends.
www.hummagazine.com
Images courtesy of Nordstrom Inc.
March 2013
Chitra Divakaruni’s Oleander Girl
A Triumph in Skilled Artistry
Review
BOOK REVIEW BY RATHNA KUMAR Felicity of phrase. That is what Sister Nessan, Headmistress of Holy Angels’ Convent and our English teacher, would have said of Chitra Divakaruni’s latest book, Oleander Girl. Divakaruni knows how to thread together a beautiful story using the fabric of words with the skilled artistry of a Kashmiri carpet weaver. She paints word pictures with telling effect, much like an artist using a palette to mix various colors with stunning and sometimes unexpected results. Hamlet’s lament, “Words, words, words” is exactly the opposite with Divakaruni – it becomes a celebration of language in her case. Korobi… oleander… beautiful, fragrant, poisonous… How interesting that Divakaruni should have chosen such an ambivalent name for her heroine! As the story unfolds, one realizes that the name is so apt. Korobi is beautiful, intelligent and refreshingly different, which is why Rajat falls in love with her. But, like the oleander flower, she has her flaw – her stubbornness and refusal to compromise, which puts her and all her loved ones in tricky and sometimes dangerous situations. Considering that she is only eighteen years old, perhaps one can blame this tragic flaw on youthful immaturity. Incidentally, at no time in the novel does the author ever reveal the hero’s age! To me it was like reading Rebecca without finding out the heroine’s name, which has always remained an exciting mystery! The ambiance of old world Kolkata is beautifully brought out in the vivid descriptions of Korobi’s ancestral home, 26 Tarak
Prasad Roy Road, and the Durga temple within its compound. At the same time, the lifestyle of the rich-and-the-famous is very well portrayed through the Bose family, and the decadence of the ultra rich through Sonia. The story is peopled with many interesting and distinct characters. Cameos like the good-hearted but sycophantic Sudha, the trouble-shooting store manager, and the traditional old family servants come alive through
Divakaruni’s perfect imagery. Mousy Seema who stands up to her lousy husband Mr. Mitra the villain, the kind-hearted investigator Desai, his handsome and helpful nephew Vic who falls head-over-heels for Korobi, the loyal driver A.A, a k a Asif Ali, Bhattacharya the astute politician with the hidden good side, bright young Pia, grandma Sarojini, Ko-
robi’s long-lost father Rob Lacey, even Korobi’s dead mother Anu, and a host of others that float in and out of the pages, all add color and plausibility to the story. Divakaruni has analyzed her characters with the skill of a psychologist, and presents them with all their good qualities and their flaws. There are times when we feel like shaking Korobi and drumming some sense into her head, scolding Rajat for his insensitivity and lack of judgment, or delivering a solid punch to Mr. Maitra’s smug face, and that is because the author makes these characters come alive before us. Throughout Korobi’s search for her father we keep in step with her, vicariously feeling her highs and lows in emotions, sympathizing, empathizing, and keeping our fingers crossed for her. There are moments when we get the feeling that the lovers may end up losing one another, for did not Shakespeare say – “The path of true love ne’er did run smooth”? But, happily for them and for the romantics at heart, true love does triumph at the end, and we smile benignly upon the joyous couple, agreeing, with Robert Browning, that “God’s in his heaven / And all’s right with the world”. Oleander Girl, published by Simon and Schuster, will be available at bookstores early in March. Cost is $24.00, and can be pre-ordered at Amazon and other internet purveyors of books. Chitra Divakaruni will read from Oleander Girl at the Asia Society Texas Center on March 7, at 7.00pm.
Rathna Kumar is a world renowned dancer, teacher and choreographer and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Government of India’s highest award for Excellence in the Performing Arts, the 2010 Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar. Kumar is the Founder-Director of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, Texas’ first Indian dance institute, and Artistic Director of Indian Performing Arts Samskriti.
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First prize winner will receive two Gold VIP Passes (all screenings and seminars) to Hillcroft: the WorldFest Houston, 46th Annual International Independent Film Festival - April 12 21, 2013 Houston, 5959- Hillcroft,
TX 77036 - 713-334-5555
Second prize winner will recieve two Silver VIP Passes (all screenings) to the WorldFest Houston, 46th Annual International Independent Film Festival - April 12 - 21, 2013 Four consolation winners will receive one 16’’x20’’ enlargement each of their choice, courtesy of 59 Minute Photo & Saeed Agha Photography
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Frontier
Engineers Without Borders-USA An Unparalleled Educational Opportunity BY VIVASWATH KUMAR
Benito Ramírez, Pueblo Nuevo entrepreneur
Fran, local community member, and Michael, Rice EWB student, tying rebar for health clinic foundation
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During my freshman year, I attended my first meeting of Rice University’s Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) chapter as a curious student searching for student clubs with which I could be involved. The concept initially seemed straightforward: students involved in EWB-USA identify opportunities where an engineering project can improve a developing community’s quality of life, and in conjunction with the community implement the project over 5 years. To ensure implemented projects’ sustainability, EWB teams return at least a full year after completion to monitor the project, and to assess that the community possesses the knowledge to ensure its continued functioning. Fast forward 9 months; I arrived in Pueblo Nuevo, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua on my first trip as a co-Project Leader of the Rice EWB-USA Nicaragua II team. Although tasked with the technical skills to complete the construction of a health clinic that the Rice chapter had planned for 3 years, I was not prepared for the sheer magnitude of the difference in living conditions I experienced. I enjoyed a comfortable life during my childhood in Singapore and the USA, but I now found myself in a community suffering from water shortages, lack of health care, blood-thirsty mosquitoes, and no toilets. I slept outdoors in the rain nightly, showered only twice weekly in frigid cold water, labored in the hot sun from sunrise to sunset, and grappled with sickness constantly. However, by staying focused on our goals, my team and I successfully constructed the clinic, and negotiated a contract with the National Ministry of Health to provide doctors and medicines. When the team returned a year later, we were pleased to see that the clinic was functioning as planned, and that general community health had improved. I write this article just days after traveling to Kuwait City, where I was asked to represent EWB-USA and to speak at a World Federation of Engineering Organizations conference about the EWB-USA’s impact on globalization. As I reflected on my experiences to deliver my speech, I found that the true value in the EWB-USA experience went beyond overcoming technical challenges into more intangible concepts. Designing an engineering system for a community a world away, and working with community members across language and cultural barriers represented the types of challenges to which no textbook can teach. While I was proud of the Rice team for laboring tirelessly to accomplish the formidable task of designing and implementing a health clinic, I was simply bowled over the by the stories of some of the Nicaraguans I met. For example, during my first trip to Pueblo Nuevo in May 2011, I met Benito Ramírez, who complained of low crop yields from his farm. Since he and his sons were constantly at risk for communicable diseases, their average productivity and the
Medicines provided to Pueblo Nuevo clinic by Nicaraguan National Ministry of Health
Fran, local community member, Scott, Rice EWB professional mentor, and Michael, Rice EWB student, tying rebar for health clinic foundation
Rice EWB team driver, Felíx Nicoya, poses with wooden beam used to construct hospital bed for Pueblo Nuevo clinic
family’s meager income had decreased, a phenomenon reflected most notably by their shoddy thatch-roof house. However, when I returned in May 2012, I was humbled by the strides that Benito’s family had made during the past year. When doctors began visiting the community after the clinic opened, his family’s health steadily improved and their farm productivity increased tremendously. He enjoyed a large harvest, and used its profits to start a small convenience store out of his house from where he sold essential household items to community members. From his store’s profits, he afforded expanding his house with a new brickconstructed room, and a tin roof. In just one year, the project that we implemented fundamentally changed the progress of one family’s life, and cultivated within them a spirit for entrepreneurship, a hallmark of globalization. There are many such stories from the hundreds of projects implemented by EWB-USA volunteers around the world, and as the organization grows, more communities and countries around the world benefit from its impact. As an immigrant Indian-American, my story is familiar: my parents come to the United States so that I would enjoy unparalleled educational opportunities. My involvement with EWB-USA has given me the type of education that has positioned me to be a citizen of the world and an engineering leader to a scale that no classroom can achieve.
Pueblo Nuevo children taking a break at local elementary school
Completed health clinic in Pueblo Nuevo, May 2012
Rice EWB Nica II team poses with Pueblo Nuevo community members and completed health clinic, May 2012
Vivaswath ‘Vivas’ Kumar is a junior B.S. Electrical Engineering student at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA. He is the Student Representative on the Board of Directors of the Engineers Without Borders-USA, where he represents the interests of the nearly 10,000 student members involved with EWB-USA working in over 40 countries in 5 continents around the world. He is also a founding member of the OwlSpark Accelerator, Rice University’s entrepreneurship accelerator program. His hobbies and interests include marathon running, electronic music, and learning languages. vk7@rice.edu www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
Arts Samskriti to Present Kuchipudi Recital by
Deepika Rukmini Potarazu Samskriti, the organization that fosters and celebrates the performing arts of India, will present a performance by classical dancer Deepika Rukmini Potarazu at the Kaplan Theater, Evelyn Rubinstein Jewish Community Center on March 16, at 6.30pm. Chief Guests for the evening are the Hon. P. Harish, Consul General of India in Houston, and Nandita Harish. The Washington DC – born artiste was trained from the age of eight in the Kuchipudi style of dance of Andhra Pradesh by the doyen of that traditional lineage and Founder of the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, the late Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam; she also came under the tutelage of Vempati Ravishankar, and received guidance in the fundamentals of dance from other disciples of the Kuchipudi Art Academy, such as Kalpana Jayanthi and Vanaja Dasika. A sophomore at Duke University, Deepika hails from a family that has a deep and abiding appreciation for the sanctity of the fine arts. Deepika had the privilege of participating in productions and programs of the Kuchipudi Art Academy both in India and the United States, including Leela Ganapathi performed at the Music Academy Dance festival in January 2009. Since 2009, Deepika has presented many solo performances at prestigious venues in India and the United States. She has also conducted workshops for elementary school children and high school children in the United States. Along with classical dance, Deepika has trained in Carnatic vocal music and western drums for several years. She has also played competitive tennis. She recognizes the value of her cultural heritage and has a keen sense of responsibility in her mission to continue to establish Kuchipudi as a pre-eminent form of traditional Indian dance. She has garnered several honors, titles, and awards over the years which include the Singar Mani at National Dance Festival, in Mumbai, India in 2010; the Maryland Distinguished Scholars Award for the Arts 2010; and the Yuva Kala Bharathi award by the Advisory Council of Bharat Kalachar in 2011. In 2012, Deepika was conferred with the Natya Chudar award from Kartik Fine Arts Chennai. The award ceremony was a part of EPIC WOMEN Conference / Performance conclave. Deepika’s recital under the auspices of Samskriti is supported through grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. www.samskritihouston.org
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Photo: Alejo Pesce
The Director and Staff of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts cordially invite you to
Noopura Ninaadam 2013 (The Sound of Bells)
a recital by the students of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts in joyous celebration of the Center’s 38th Anniversary 1975 – 2013 And as a special tribute to the late, great Gurus
Kalaimamani Smt. K. J. Sarasa & Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam Saturday, March 16, 3.00 – 6.00 PM Kaplan Theater, Evelyn Rubinstein Jewish Community Center 5601 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096 For further information: www.anjalicenter.org
832 275 9658 / 832 462 0299 All are welcome! RATHNA KUMAR – FOUNDER-DIRECTOR Venugopal Josyula – Assistant Director Sangeeta Ramachandran – Bharatanatyam Instructor
Winners
Spring Bl ss ms! We asked HUM readers to describe what the Season of Spring evokes. You wrote eloquently about mortality, loss, hope, perseverance… and love. We sent your entries to our distinguished panel of judges who admittedly struggled to select the winners. Our grand prize-winner is Loren Allardyce; she will receive a gift certificate for dinner for two at the 024 Grille and an overnight stay at The Westin Houston Memorial City, with strawberries and champagne sent to the room (courtesy The Westin Houston Memorial City and HUM Magazine). Writers whose submissions were chosen for print will each receive a box of signature truffles (courtesy of Theresa Roemer and HUM Magazine). Thank you all for your poetic words. A special thank you to our panel of judges: Emily Peterson, Pradeep Anand, Rachel Dvoretzky, Rachel Varghese, and Susan Lycans Adkins.
Reflection Love Once the peach trees establish their pink blossoms and Easter lilies begin nudging their way up through the winter earth, the indication of a lush Houston Spring is nearly at our fingertips. In my life, Spring is not only a beautiful rebirth of dormant vegetation, but the season in which our daughter was born. She was born with Down Syndrome. Although this diagnosis was inconceivable and intimidating four years ago, today, she thrives. She is a brilliant and vibrant young girl and through her life, I am reminded that with all life, diligence and perseverance are vital. Just as we trim and prune trees, we must polish and stimulate our young. It is in Spring that I am reminded that every life has a purpose.
By Loren Allardyce Grand prize-winner
The anticipation of Spring is here, my season of energy and refueling. Having lost the two most important women in my life, on the same day in April to the same disease could be solemn. Yet, I reflect on the lessons these women taught. The reflection fills me with strength, inspiration, and love, enveloping me in a blanket of the sun’s radiance. This is their hug. Their comfort, support, and encouragement fill me with love, humility and their beautiful spirits. I stand tall, above all seedlings struggling to break the dirt. I am the beautiful bloom from their seeds.
By Sue Ann Pieri
Renew
Spring, warmth, rain, sun. Clear. New life is all around me Renewing myself By Lisa Brooks
Faith
SPRING rejuvenates our belief in the justice of nature that gives us hope for new perspectives and refreshes our life with color. Our existence revolves and everything that comes to an end gains rebirth. I believe we sometimes reach a point in our paths, where hope is completely necessary to remind us to fight through the wilted moments of our destiny. Spring is to understand that at some stage it will flourish again, for life does not stay at a still, and that is the course of nature and the law of the universe. Spring evokes the beauty of mortality, the simplicity of life, the fragrance of hope and the strength of our faith.
By Fatema Josh
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Joy When groundhog Phil predicts an early end to winter, it’s time to spring in joy! An unmatched sense of optimism and joie de vivre, springs to mind now. Add to it, the anticipation of relishing the outdoors. And, could there be a better time to spring that Valentine surprise? That temperate time of year when birds twitter and bluebonnets spring up, is when cheer and creativity blossom to chase wintry blues away. As foliage around me gets a new lease of life, I spring into action with renewed zest, to take on the season’s offerings. No mistaking that spring in my step, as I look forward to regaling in Mother Nature’s lap with my loved ones.
By Priya Subramanian
Jubilation To me, Spring is the magical time of year of unfettered blooming, explosion of colors, sounds of birds and kids — life around us erupting. Spring makes its entry loud and clear ,warm sun, cold winds — cooling my cheeks and warming my soul. Spring beckons me to step out of my comfort zone with renewed energy and creativity in my thoughts... I have Spring fever! Spring is natures’s way of saying “Let’s party”!
By Sandhya Shenoy
Color
Anticipation
Mother Nature, are you sleeping? While the tulips are slowly peeking out of winter’s snow laden ground March, the rains begin their weeping Spring the flowers start their creeping Flowing colors roar in silent sound Summer comes, slowly yielding growing things, glad of trees shielding. By Peta-gay Chen Ledbetter
The chirping of the birds and humming of the bee’s herald coming of the season, spring is here! What is the calling for the birds and the bees? Is it that the mating season is near? The heart flutters and the body quivers, is it attraction, is it passion, or is it love that transforms one in sublime thoughts? The bees are infatuated sucking the sweetness of the nectar from the lovely flowers, The lovers are satiated by their gaze intent and their eyes speak a million words, that say, Do we need wine, flowers or chocolates to celebrate Valentine’s?
By Thara Narasimhan
Rebirth
As a child in Massachusetts, I felt reborn along with the green earth when we didn’t need mittens any more, when crocuses started showing through the snow banked along fence-lines. Here in Houston, in warm days and cool evenings when the roses bloom and the trees bud out, my kids and I leave our snug home for patios and parks. Last spring, I was newly-born as a single adult. Reaching for warmth, I have grown as a mother, as a woman, as a citizen of the world. This is my season for possibilities becoming reality, for coming alive again.
By Blake Bramhall Scherer
www.hummagazine.com
March 2013
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Choice
Living A Vegan Lifestyle BY DAVID GARVIN I’ve been a vegetarian since 1982 (only 30 short years ago), but for roughly half of that time I have lapsed into a vegan diet. Actually when I discovered, to my surprise, how easy it was cutting out meat products, I thought I would go the “whole hog” and cut out dairy and eggs too! I was inspired by a small, self-published book called The Farm Cookbook by some hippies who had left California in the 1970s to set up a farm commune in Tennessee. They built log cabins, embraced simple living and promoted a wholesome, plant-based diet for health. Their motto was “Strive for happiness, causing the least suffering possible”. In the photos, they looked like happy families, tilling with plows and harvesting organic produce. And since I had a job at the newly-opened Whole Foods Market, I had all the right foodstuff to make the recipes. A part of me missed creamy brie and chocolate milk, but the cookbook had substitutes for cheese and dairy milk, so I plunged into the pages with a sense of adventure. A few definitions and details A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) is someone who, for various reasons, chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products. While vegetarians choose not to use flesh foods, vegans also avoid dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, down, and cosmetics or chemical products tested on animals. Veganism, the natural extension of vegetarianism, is an integral component of a cruelty-free lifestyle. Living vegan provides numerous benefits to animals’ lives, to the environment, and to our own health – through a healthy diet and lifestyle. I must confess that while I enjoyed about 10 years being a vegan with almost no commercially available dairy substitutes other than soymilk (even health food stores in the 1980s only had faux meat products for vegetarians), becoming a Buddhist monk in
the early 1990s in Asia introduced dairy back into my life. Being a Westerner at the monasteries where I stayed, devotees in Thailand and Japan would often bring cheeses and ice cream as a treat for us. It was only after coming back to Texas, marrying and resuming the life of a householder that I began again to consider the effects of factory farming on cows in the USA. And with the proliferation of dairy substitutes in supermarkets, I knew I could prosper happily and conscientiously as a vegan. In fact it had become a slightly hip thing to be a vegan! “But I could never be a vegan!” Some people shift into a vegan diet slowly, starting with vegan ‘analogues’ — plant-based foods whose taste resembles animal products. Others simply take out the animal products from their diet and replace them with plant foods with which they’re already familiar. Still others concentrate on experimenting with entirely new vegan foods, often from international cuisines. Thankfully, there is no shortage of vegan foods to help make the transition. In fact, most of the food we eat is vegan, without us knowing it! Even better, grow your own food! If you have a porch that can hold large plant containers or a front or back yard with just a little space, start a garden of your own. Growing your own food is a healthy and cheaper way to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Get to a library or bookstore and find out what grows best in your neck of the woods and get planting. Overall, I have found it is very satisfying to be living a positive life in alignment with my values. That motto from The Farm Cookbook, “Strive for happiness, causing the least suffering possible”, still resonates with me, both spiritually and in practical terms. In fact, I am just now beginning to deeply understand it’s true worth.
David Garvin lives in Sugar Land with his wife Shobana and son Dhruva. A native Texan, he works for Texas Instruments in chemical analysis and is in charge of book distribution for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Houston.
Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Bars Mara: Adapted from Pam Reeves Serves: Makes about 20 bars What You Need 2 cups rice flour + 4 tablespoons (could also sub gluten-free allpurpose or regular flour) 1 cup earth balance 2 cup sugar 4 large egg replacers (stick with either Ener-G or a lighter-based egg replacer – no flax) 6 tablespoons lemon juice (I used fresh-squeezed) 2 teaspoons lemon zest ½ teaspoon baking powder Powdered sugar, for dusting Directions -Preheat oven to 350 F. -For crust, combine 2 cups flour, earth balance, and ½ cup sugar until slightly crumbly. (It will still be moist, not super dry). Lightly grease the bottom of a 9×13 glass plan and press the mixture into pan. (I greased mine with earth balance.) -Bake crust for about 15-20 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown and it’s springy. -While crust is in the oven, combine 1½ cups of sugar, 4 egg replacers, lemon juice, lemon zest, 4 tablespoons of flour, and baking powder in a bowl. Mix until well combined. -When crust is done, pour the topping over crust and return to oven for about 20 minutes. Filling should be set. -Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let cool for about 2 hours and dust with more powdered sugar, if desired. -Enjoy!
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Creating an entirely new colorfully euphoric experience, the Graffiti Run 5K will combine the festive beauty of the Indian holiday Holi, a celebration of color, with American athleticism at the Sam Houston Race Park on April 14. A diverse, multigenerational group of over 3000 runners will participate in this fun, wellness event. The local charity benefitting from this year’s run is COLLAGE: The Art for Cancer Network. Like COLLAGE, Graffiti believes that art and color can transform lives. “It is a top priority to produce an amazing event,” said Derrest Williams, co-owner of the Graffiti Run, “and it is just as important for us to give back. We are honored to work with the COLLAGE and invest in the importance of health and health education.” Kicking off the New Year to a great start filled with joy, fitness, color, and great music, the Graffiti Run is proud to host its second event in its favorite city: Houston. The Graffiti Run is harnessing what’s most beautiful in Houston: art, athleticism, and family fun. For further information contact 800-517-2990
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