December 2013-January 2014 India Currents by India Currents

The Delhi Lament by Dave Prager

The Price of Living Long by Lakshmi Mani

A Million Morsels of Love by Meera Agarwalla

Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

dec ‘13 - jan ‘14 • vol. 27, no . 9 • www. indiacurrents.com

A look back at our most memorable conversations this year

My Recipe Book facebook.com/IndiaCurrents twitter.com/IndiaCurrents HEAD OFFICE 1885 Lundy Ave Ste 220, San Jose, CA 95131 Phone: (408) 324-0488 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: info@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Publisher: Vandana Kumar publisher@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x225 Managing Director: Vijay Rajvaidya md@indiacurrents.com Editor: Jaya Padmanabhan editor@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x226 Events Editor: Mona Shah events@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x224 Advertising Manager: Derek Nunes ads@indiacurrents.com Northern California: (408) 324-0488 x 222 Southern California: (714) 523-8788 x 222 Marketing Associate: Raj Singh marketing@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x221 Graphic Designer: Nghia Vuong WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU (Managed by IC New Ventures, LLC) 910 17th Street, NW, Ste# 215 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: (202) 709-7010 Fax: (240) 407-4470 Associate Publisher: Asif Ismail publisher-dc@indiacurrents.com (202) 709-7010 Editorial Assistant: Priya Potapragada events-dc@indiacurrents.com (202) 709-7010 Sales Associate: Sam Kumar Sales-dc@indiacurrents.com Cover Design: Nghia Vuong INDIA CURRENTS® (ISSN 0896-095X) is published monthly (except Dec/Jan, which is a combined issue) for $19.95 per year by India Currents, 1885 Lundy Ave., Ste 220, San Jose, CA 95131. Periodicals postage paid at San Jose, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to INDIA CURRENTS, 1885 LUNDY AVE, STE. 220, SAN JOSE, CA 95131 Information provided is accurate as of the date of going to press; India Currents is not responsible for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors. Advertising copy, logos, and artwork are the sole responsibility of individual advertisers, not of India Currents. Copyright © 2013 by India Currents All rights reserved.

Fully indexed by Ethnic Newswatch

I have a recipe book like no other. It is a diary of memories. Written in long hand, it bears the distinctive scribbles of individuals who are not with me. Some have passed on and some live elsewhere. When I began my life as a bride, it was propped up on my counter, much like a kitchen deity. I opened it daily, often twice or three times a day and recalled the weaves of the nib as it scratched into the pages. I remember the hands that have written into it—the one with the scar on the wrist; the dainty many-bangled one; the gnarled nailbitten one. When it was determined that I was going to leave my home and my life in India to join my husband in the United States, my father bought a notebook at the local grocery outlet. It cost him next to nothing and became my most precious possession. During its evolution, my father recorded the treatment of vegetables, obsessed over measurements, argued about garnishings and observed the precise umlauts of cutting and dicing. The details were carefully crafted and a narrative derived. Visiting aunts, cousins and friends were persuaded to add their versions of curries and kuzhambus to the pages and my father painstakingly ledgered the names of the new recipes to the table of con-

tents, that he had thoughtfully left room for. Re-starting life afar from what was familiar, the recipe book became a bridge spanning the distance between longing hearts. Opening its pages made me feel, viscerally, the hope that had been invested into my happiness. You know that recipe book that our father gave you, my brother reminded me recently, it’s time for me to get my share of it. Long accustomed to fighting for my place and holding fast to what was mine, it seemed like an alien concept. After all the book had been written for me and had borne witness to the major events in my life, the ups of my marriage, my endeavors with computer science, the joyous birth of my twins, my re-generation as a writer and now a mother who was poised to bid good-bye to my daughters who, in less than a year, were to head out to college. It has supported me well. The recipes are cemented in my head, as are the memories. I have used the book to serve the people I love and now it’s time to broaden its reach. Brother, it comes to you with my affection. Make from it what I have.

Jaya Padmanabhan

Mortgage Rates are Historically Low Call

Rehman Farishta

ATTENTION ALL BUYERS & REALTOR’S!

Market is HOT. I will give you a FREE Underwriter approval to Beat Cash Buyers in Multiple offers situation and go with NO LOAN Contingency. We offer Stated Income Loans. Call me for details. WE CAN CLOSE FAST!!

ALL ZERO COST MORTGAGE RATES! Loan Program RATE APR

DRE # 01339085

Loan above $200,000 and below $417,000 5/1 ARM 3.00% 3.00% 7/1 ARM 3.375% 3.375% 10/1 ARM 3.50% 3.50% 15 Years fixed 3.25% 3.25% 20 Years fixed 4.00% 4.00% 30 Years fixed 4.125% 4.125% Loan above $417,000 and below $625,000 5/1 ARM 3.25% 3.25% 7/1 ARM 3.50% 3.50% 10/1 ARM 3.75% 3.75% 15 years fixed 3.375% 3.375% 20 years fixed 4.125% 4.125% 30 years fixed 4.25% 4.25% Above $625,000 and below 2 million Dollars. 5/1 ARM 3.25% 3.25% 7/1 ARM 3.375% 3.375% 10/1 ARM 3.875% 3.875% 15 years fixed 4.25% 4.25% 30 years fixed 4.50% 4.50% These rates based on 10 days lock & for owner occupied, purchase or refinance, single family homes, without cash out or second loan on the subject property. Borrower with minimum 740 FICO and 70% CLTV or below with Escrow/Impound account: Rates as of October 18, 2013. Rates subject to change without notice. Please call to qualify for best rate. CA properties only!

NMLS # 378252

MBA & Senior Loan Consultant

510-386-1033 Fax: 510-797-7876

rfdfarishta@gmail.com

Home Advantage Realty & Mortgage Company 702 Brown Road, Fremont, CA 94539

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 1

2 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

INDIA CURRENTS december 2013—jan 2014 • vol 27 • no. 9

PERSPECTIVES

Northern California Edition

LIFESTYLE

www.indiacurrents.com 1 | EDITORIAL My Recipe Book By Jaya Padmanabhan

34 | BOOKS Gr8 Reads of 2013 By Jeanne Fredriksen A Review of Lowland By Rajesh C. Oza

Find us on

6 | FORUM Should India Be Spending Money on a Mission to Mars? By Rameysh Ramdas, Mani Subramani

56 | RECIPES Savor the Flavor By Shanta Sacharoff, Praba Iyer 67 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA Nothing in Common? By Jasbina Ahluwalia

8 | A THOUSAND WORDS Counter Valley Thinking By Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan 10 | LIVES The Stagnant Traveler By Benedito Ferrao 24 | BUSINESS A Code Name for Sexism and Racism By Vivek Wadhwa 28 | VIEWPOINT A Million Morsels of Love By Meera Agarwalla 30 | DESI VOICES Thirteen Things I Wish I’d Heard When I Turned Thirteen By Rajdeep Paulus 44 | FINANCE Factoring the Twitter IPO By Rahul Varshneya 88 | FEATURE The Price of Living Long By Lakshmi Mani

12 | Total Recall A retrospective of our stories and sentiments; a pop quiz and celebrity tweets

102 | REFLECTIONS The Everyday Yogi By Cesar Flores 110 | HEALTHY LIFE Morning Routine By Ashok Jethanandani

20 | Analysis The Delhi Lament By Dave Prager

52 | Travel Spellbinding Silk Road By Bob Rupani

130 | ON INGLISH Step Into Our Verandah By Kalpana Mohan 144 | THE LAST WORD Alice Munro’s Nobel—A Victory for Women By Sarita Sarvate

68 | MUSIC 2013 Bollywood Music Countdown By Vidya Sridhar

76 | Films Best Movies of 2013 By Aniruddh Chawda

125 | DEAR DOCTOR Connecting Creatively By Alzak Amlani 139 | MEDIA Meet the New Ms. Marvel By Emily Files

WHAT’S CURRENT 90 | Cultural Calendar 104 | Spiritual Calendar

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 3

Deco Kitchen Cabinet & Bath, Inc. Elegance in the Finest Cabinets, Granite Countertops and Flooring DECO Specializes in * Cherry, Spice Maple, Red Oak, Canadian Maple Kitchen Cabinet, Bathroom Vanity * Various Granite Countertops Free Estimates, * Stainless Kitchen Sinks, Vanity Sinks * Faucets, Range Hoods Free Computer Kitchen Design, * Hardwood & Laminate Flooring Wholesale & Retail * Order ready within 2-3 days

www.decokitchenbath.com | 408-947-1188 | 408-947-1888 Email: decokitchenbath@yahoo.com

950 McLaughlin Ave., San Jose, CA 95122 (between Story Rd & HWY 280)

4 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

voices All About Getting Along

I don’t agree entirely with Jaya Padmanabhan in her November editorial (Compromise: The Dirty Word in Marriage and Politics, India Currents, November 2013). In my view, compromise is about getting along, knowing that neither side has the the right answer all the time. Compromise should not be looked upon as winning or losing an argument. It is just a tool to learn to get along with people with whom we disagree. When it comes to marriage, it depends on the maturity of the couples involved; mature couples understand that to “give in” is necessary at times in order to get along, since the two parties are coming from different backgrounds and/or cultures. When it comes to politics, I agree that the government shutdown and the subsequent resolution was not a case of compromise. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed by the Congress in 2010, but the Republicans did not like it. So they tried to force changes by holding the Obama administration at ransom at the time that other matters were on the negotiation table, like tax reform and debt reduction. If the Republicans want to change the ACA, they should make sure to have a majority in both houses of Congress as well as a Republican President. Right now they don’t have such majorities and hence cannot change the ACA also known as Obamacare. Ben Antao

A Great Singer

It is good that India Currents is featuring diverse topics in the magazine. Coverage of renowned personalities, politicians and musicians are illuminating and bring to life many unknown aspects about the featured personages. Sandip Roy’s article on Manna Dey was very refreshing. (Wearing His Crown Lightly, India Currents, November 2013). During the late 50s I heard the song “Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua” playing on loudspeakers during religious festivals. The song remained in my memory over the years. It was a song by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar from the movie Shree 420 played by the actors Rajkapor and Nargis. Manna Dey was a great singer and I will always remember his timeless melodies. K. N. Ganesh, Fremont, CA

The Original Bose

The Nobel Prize in physics has been

awarded to Francois Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of Scotland for predicting the existence of a super-particle boson (1964) capable of acquiring mass when moving in a strong external field. These theorists did not have the chance to work with big computer banks in their research. Intense collaborative work by a large team of scientists made it possible to validate this prediction and convincingly identify the product particle as the Higgs boson. The award to this team this year was anticipated due to the media exposure of the massive effort and the suggested name: “God Particle” for the new strange particle due to its potential to perhaps explain the origin of the universe. The winners, Englert and Higgs, are to be congratulated. The saga of the bosons is a tortured one. Satyendranath Bose (1894-1974), working at the University of Calcutta, developed a statistical model for sub-atomic particles in nature. The particles obeying this behavior were named “bosons” after the inventor. Bose predicted that such particles could be condensed under extremely low temperatures. Such deposits, if they occurred, were named Bose Condensates. His seminal paper on this subject was published in 1924. S.N. Bose was a super-capable scientist, an intuitive genius and one of the top brains of the world during the last century. It’s too bad his name was never considered for the Nobel award during his life time. P. Mahadevan, CA

A Powerful Recollection

Benedito Ferrao wrote a truly amazing piece about a wonderful human being (The Journey Home, India Currents, October 2013). Thank you for writing this Benedito and thank you India Currents for publishing. Sandhya Radhakrishnan, online This captivating piece captures Andy’s true essence and the extraordinary legacy he left behind. Bravo to Benedito for this remarkable story and gratitude to India Currents for printing it. Joanne R., online

The oldest and most trusted Site Since 1985

Visitors Insurance

800-257-7718

ADVERTISE in the complete Indian American magazine

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year (408) 324-0488 . (714) 523-8788 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: ads@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Write: 1885 Lundy Ave ste 220 San Jose, CA 95131 Deadline: 20th of every month

SPEAK YOUR MIND! Have a thought or opinion to share? Send us an original letter of up to 300 words, and include your name, address, and phone number. Letters are edited for clarity and brevity. Write India Currents Letters, 1885 Lundy Ave. Suite 220, San Jose 95131 or email letters@indiacurrents.com. Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 5

forum

Should India Be Spending Money on a Mission to Mars?

No, India should be fiscally conservative

Yes, India should spend on space exploration

By Rameysh Ramdas

By Mani Subramani

ndia has launched a rocket in space on a mission to Mars, becoming only the 4th nation in the world to do so and the first in Asia to embark on this journey. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) also boasts that this is a trailblazing “budget” rocket at a cost of only Rupees 450 Crores (75 million USD), a fraction of what NASA spends on a similar mission, achieved through “indigenization of the program which has helped keep costs low” according to an ISRO spokesman. Some expert commentators have speculated that this mission makes India a contender for the commercial global space market estimated at $300 Billion. While the Indian media and politicians have gushed at this achievement as a national pride, other saner voices have questioned if this massive expense and effort is misguided and necessary, given the gravity of other basic needs that are sorely lacking for much of its 1.2 Billion population. India apparently is not doing this with money to spare, according to a recent article by M.K.Venu in The Hindu; India has to pay back a short term debt of over $172 Billion by March 2014. According to the Global Hunger Index Report 2013, released just last October, India is at 63 in the index, hunger in India remains at “alarming levels,” just one of the three countries in that category outside of Africa, besides Haiti and Timor. By embarking on this The report also says that flight of fancy and fan- India continues to have the highest prevalence of tasy, India is squander- children under five who underweight, at more ing precious resources are than 40%. UNICEF esthat could be channeled timates that about 1.83 million children die in toward solving the na- India before their fifth birthday, most of them tion’s critical needs. due to preventable causes. A recent United Nations report said that more than two-thirds of India’s population has no access to toilets and that India had 60% of the global population lacking access to basic sanitation. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-2012 ranked India 89th out of 142 countries for its infrastructure. It is estimated that there are over 300 million Indians with no access to electricity. Just as an individual has to prioritize needs and live within their means, a nation has to as well. By embarking on this flight of fancy and fantasy, India is squandering precious resources that could be channeled toward solving the nation’s critical needs. As social activist and former member of Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council, Harsh Mander opined the Mars mission depicted a “remarkable indifference to the dignity of the poor.” Even the former ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair has ridiculed the mission as “utter non-sense.” Instead of looking for life in Mars, India can use this money to better the lives on earth, within its own borders. Any amount of inflated national pride will never feed a hungry mouth, cure a sickness or educate a child. n

ust as families all over India invest in their future by spending significant portions of their resources on education, the government of India is justified in making significant investments in the technological future of India through the space program. It is indeed true that poverty and infrastructure are thorny issues in India. Even worse is the issue of corruption. Not allocating funds to the Mars program does not ensure that the funds will be allocated for other necessities. In fact citing these issues as a way for not pursuing prestigious programs like the Mars probe, is the lazy way out. It’s also the easy way out. Space exploration is hard and challenging work. For example the Mars probe will experience great differences in temperature that will drive fundamental innovations in material science technology and onboard power requirements will drive innovations in efficient solar panel technologies. The space program will challenge and inspire engineers, scientists and managers to develop skill sets and excel in them. Such excellence and world class performance is essential to sustaining the growth rates of the Indian economy. A growing economy in turn promotes additional spending on infra-structure and sanitation. A growing economy also increases the tax base which is essential for infra-structure spending. According to the Times of India there was The space program a 235% increase in education spending between will challenge and in1999 and 2009. This is more than the spending spire engineers, scienon any other essential tists and managers to items like food, shelter, etc. It is not a coincidence develop skill sets and that India’s economy has excel in them. been growing like gangbusters during the same time period. It is called thinking big and being visionary. This is not the time for government to engage in narrow minded thinking and cutting ambitious programs like Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). Second guessing spending on space programs is nothing new. Politicians and interest groups have used empty phrases like “use the money here on earth” since the beginning of space programs starting with Apollo. Such criticisms are not leveled at military programs because, unlike space programs, military spending has winners and losers with clear consequences. Space programs on the other hand are non-aggressive and have consequences that are subtle but extremely beneficial. For example the Apollo space program provided a technology boost to many areas such as micro miniaturization of computers, heart monitors and mobile phones. CAT Scanners and MRI technology that are commonplace in hospitals around the world today came from space technology. So let’s broaden our minds, take pride, and encourage ambitious programs like MOMS. The world and India can always use more inspired scientists and engineers. n

Rameysh Ramdas, an S.F. Bay Area professional, writes as a hobby.

Mani Subramani works in the semi-conductor industry in Silicon Valley.

6 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Jeevan Zutshi Broker License Number 01304502

Real Estate Investment Advisors

510-589-3702 jeevan@jeevanzutshi.com

www.jeevanzutshi.com Specializing In: • Commercial Real Estate • Apartment Buildings • Residential Real Estate Listen to Real Estate Investment Talk Show Hosted by Jeevan Zutshi Call (510) 589-3702 to get schedule

27831 Manon Ave., Hayward, CA

20 units cottages $3.1 million Closed Escrow in August, 2013

Manon Garden Apartments, Hayward, CA

Sari Mitchell presents Most Unique Parties and Ponies

(877) 338-9130 www.mostunique.com

Most Unique would like to thank the wonderful Indian Families for all your support for the past 22 years. Come see us at the Cupertino Diwali Mela

20 units $2.65 million Closed Escrow in June, 2013.

BART Terrace Apartments, Hayward, CA

23 units $2.9 million Closed Escrow in December, 2013.

Single family home on Hendy Avenue, San Jose, CA

$770,000 Closed Escrow in July 2013

$160 AMAZING “get it all” SHOW

Magic with animal petting, facepaint, bubbles, puppets, games. Performed by a clown, princess, pirate. Also, FREE, the appearance of a Popular cartoon character of your choice (big suit)

CELEBRATION SPECIAL $240. Sari or Mike and pony, petting zoo, plus the “get it all” show for 2 hours (South Bay) Jeevan Zutshi Real Estate Investment Group has extensive transaction experience in all types of residential and commercial properties. Contact Jeevan today for a free, no obligation appraisal on your rental property or to help you find your dream home.

20 Years of Fun

(510) 589-3702 Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 7

a thousand words

Counter Valley Thinking By Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan

y now, you’ve heard of Balaji Srinivasan, the Stanford Ph.D. turned entrepreneur (aren’t they all?) who spoke at the “Startup School” this October. In his speech, Srinivasan (no relation) proposed that the United States has become the “Microsoft of nations” and that Silicon Valley technophiles should act like the Google founders in 1998. “There’s no way [Larry Page and Sergey Brin] could have reformed Microsoft,” he said, “so [they had to] start their own company; they had to exit.” Srinivasan couched what Anand Giridharadas termed his “secession call” in a political theory of “voice versus exit.” Voice, he said, represents reformist politics. People who use their voice write letters to the editor and cast votes. Exit, by contrast, means opting-out; it means canceling your newspaper subscription and emigrating from a country whose principles you reject. “Exit,” he said with disarming candor, “means giving people the tools to reduce the influence of bad policies over their lives without getting involved in politics. The tools to peacefully opt-out, as our ancestors did.” Exit, he claimed, actually strengthens voice. There’s a lot to be said about Srinivasan’s proposition that Silicon Valley zillionaires “start new countries.” For one thing, as the New York Times noted, this is not just his dream; tech doyens like Elon Musk are already planning to colonize Mars. But what matters is not just what Srinivasan said; it’s how he said it. His rhetorically savvy speech betrayed the insidious naïveté of its widely shared undergirding ideology, whether you call it libertarianism or techno-utopianism. Us vs. Them: In Srinivasan’s rendering, it’s the Silicon Valley versus everyone else, the Bay Area versus New York/Los Angeles/Boston/ Washington, D.C., and, though he didn’t deign to mention them, versus everyone in the red states. “They have aircraft carriers, we don't,” he said. “We don't actually want to fight them.” Having grown up in the Valley, I understand Srinivasan’s feeling of distance from the rest of the United States. On September 11, 2001, I went through the motions of shock and grief, documenting antiMuslim hate crimes for my school paper and reaching out to family in New York, but I felt oddly detached from the scenes of recovery unfolding back East. California was just so far away, I thought, and so different from everywhere else, that we might as well have been another country. Going to college in North Carolina changed my provincial perspective. There, I cultivated a more expansive understanding of “Americanness” itself, as a project inclusive of varied political attachments, cultural ideals, and historical investments. It is a project worthy of commitment, critique, and care. The New Founding Fathers: Make no mistake about it: the new world “outside the United States, run by technology” will be yet another patriarchy. Srinivasan’s narrative replaces Washington and Jefferson with the likes of Page and Brin, but we’re still in the realm of founding fathers. It is now well known that the technology industry is an all boys club. When Twitter announced it was going public, it had to admit that there were no women on its board. Until 2012, Facebook, too, had an all male board. The company Srinivasan founded, Counsyl, counts only one woman in its fourteen-person leadership team. Of course, board representation is not a perfect metric of gender 8 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

A world run by software may be sexier than a world run by bureaucrats, but it’s just a sexist horse of a different color. equality or opportunity, but it is one sign of the frat-boy culture of the tech-driven world. The tech world replicates, it does not repair, the sexism, ethnocentrism, and blind spots of the existent world, resulting in things like Wikipedia articles divided into the unequally valued categories of “American novelists” and “American women novelists.” When Srinivasan dreams of a “world run by software,” he forgets that software is not some autonomous being given down to us from on high. It is not an artificial intelligence free of human fallibility. It is man-made and ineluctably human, in both its potential and its problems. A world run by software may be sexier than a world run by bureaucrats, but it’s just a sexist horse of a different color. Ancestral Mythology: Srinivasan used the example of his father’s immigration to the United States in order to develop his theory of virtuous exit. Showing a photo of his father outside “a grass hut,” Srinivasan explained his emigration from India: “[My father] grew up on a dirt floor in India and left, because India was an economic basket case and there’s no way that he could have voted to change things in his lifetime.” Srinivasan proposed that we view America not as a land of immigrants, but rather as a land of emigrants who chose to leave their countries of origin. Now, his story goes, we should return to our emigrant-roots and opt-out of the United States. Srinivasan’s familial tale entirely obscured India’s colonial history and sustained post-colonial efforts to develop an independent nation that would be more than what he flippantly termed “an economic basket case.” He used the specter of poverty (a poverty shared by none of the Valley execs he addressed) as an imperative to pursue one’s fortunes elsewhere, disingenuously drawing an analogy between the context of the grass hut and that of America’s supposedly technophobic regulations and outdated infrastructure. The Indian example also gave lie to his argument that “exit amplifies voice.” Emigration out of India, also known as the brain drain, didn’t result in India’s eradication of poverty. It only reinforced the problems of a society in which upper-middle-class people don’t bother to vote because they can simply exit, if not retire into their own private Antilias. Nations, history has shown, need more people to opt-in, people like my uncle Shashi Tharoor, who left an illustrious diplomatic career to get into the political trenches of India’s Lok Sabha. It’s hard work that involves engaging people who don’t think the same way you do, who have different values, ideals, and dreams. And isn’t that what life’s about? Srinivasan’s software-run utopia needs to be countered by feminists, historians, and anyone committed to the project of building a better, shared world. n Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan is a doctoral candidate in Rhetoric at UC Berkeley.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 9

lives

The Stagnant Traveler A reflection on the time and space between losses and gains By R. Benedito Ferrão

whole year would go by before I could visit her grave. It was my first trip back to Goa. Twenty years on, and it is still one of my two biggest regrets of moving to the United States: I could not be there for my grandmother in her final days. Now, two decades later, I have the opportunity to make up for the second misgiving. My parents named my sister after my grandmother Inacia. When my sibling had her daughter, she named her after Adeline, my brother-in-law’s grandmother. Inacia had passed away on my parents’ wedding anniversary and Adeline on my birthday. A metaphor for life, then, that jubilation is not without counterpart. Though those two matriarchs never met, they may as well have been kindred spirits for their fierce independence and straightforwardness, qualities I already see in my niece. Having not had the chance to grow up with my sister, on this the longest sojourn in my ancestral homeland, perhaps it is not too late to mitigate that shortcoming by being in the life of her daughter, the latest addition to our family. The trouble with being a transnational is not simply the impossibility of existing in multiple places at the same time, but coming to terms with knowing that life and death happen even when one is not “there,” wherever there might be. Yes, there was every joy to be had, this year, in watching my niece take her first steps, utter her first words and, finally, say my name. But on the other side of the planet, in my other life in America, Andy, a close friend, was to succumb to a hit-and-run accident. I had to mourn from afar, again. Only, this time, the geography was the other way around, and I wondered, again, if my presence might have changed something, anything. Around the same time, my godmother came to the end of her life. I was in Goa when she breathed her last, and I wondered —if I had the choice—if I would have chosen to be elsewhere. But how would that change the grief I felt? It was becoming only too clear, that while I had lost loved ones before, I was at that point in my life where the space between those losses might only get smaller. A neighbor, whose father had died not too long ago, asked about my mother who 10 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

It was becoming only too clear, that while I had lost loved ones before, I was at that point in my life where the space between those losses might only get smaller. was being treated for a recurrent illness. It was how I had found out that my godmother had taken a turn for the worse—both women had been referred to the same hospital. While my mother was being attended to by the doctor, I went up to see my godmother. She had been sedated, and the family kept vigil outside the intensive care unit. The priest had already administered extreme unction. I tried not to dwell on the future and what it might hold, nor did I want to think about how this scene may be one I might bear witness to again. Outside, the monsoons pelted rooftops and turned the streets the characteristic red of Goa’s laterite soil. I recalled how my godmother would come to see me at my grandmother’s house where my family used to stay during trips from Kuwait where my sister and I were born. The last email I wrote Andy was to tell him about my godmother and to share my niece’s latest exploits—he had gotten to meet her on what was his only trip to India earlier this year. It was only after that I realized he never got to read my message. I tried not to be angered by my neighbor’s question, which came from a place of concern and memories of the parent she had lost: “Your mother ... Are you looking after her well?” Instead, I recalled with shame what I had said to my uncle nearly twenty years before. It was right before I left for America. I could not have known that it would be the last time I would see my grandmother when I said to my father’s brother: “Take good care of her!” My uncle, a patient man, simply replied, “Do I not?” I could not return to Goa when my grandmother died. It had only been a few

months since I moved to America and did not have the means. I was saddened, too, to be absent at my niece’s birth. Instead, that November two years ago, I was doing battle with graduate school in London while desperately missing my family in Goa, as well as the relative warmth of the California autumn. I shared news of the newborn with my flatmate, a fellow student of Nigerian and Ghanaian origins. She promptly responded, “Another ogbanje!” Our friendship had been firmly cemented when at a conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart, we both remarked upon the phenomenon of changelings in Chinua Achebe’s novel. The ogbanje of Yoruba and other Nigerian traditions are children destined to die and be reborn in the same family; often considered malevolent, we decided that Achebe had incorporated these babies that traverse spiritual and physical terrains as a postcolonial metaphor. Ogbanje might symbolize the past reincarnated, but also remade in the present—always evolving, but never certain. Achebe’s death this year reminded my friend and me of how we related his use of ogbanje to our own understanding of otherness in the lands we called home—of being transnationals. Ogbanje became our code word to refer to those we identified as having had similar trajectories to ours: fellow travelers trying to make a home in several places, but never really at home in any one place. That my friend should classify my niece as an ogbanje seemed apt, named as the little one is for her great-grandmother, born to my sister named for our grandmother. Those names that have traveled through generations allow nostalgia to live on, even as new memories are made and baby steps are taken. Despite the impossibility, I will always regret not being there for those moments in life—both of loss and gain—that happen elsewhere. But what will carry me is knowing that the stagnancy of memory is life’s deepest well, even when life happens in many places at the same time. n R. Benedito Ferrão writes from Goa. Find his blog at thenightchild.blogspot.com, or on Facebook at The Nightchild Nexus.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 11

Total Recall

A look back at some of our unforgettable conversations this year—voices that are forging the future in journalism. Enjoy readers’ responses to a pop quiz and celebrity observations for some LOL moments. “...Korobi looks so like her dead mother that the words die in Sarojini’s throat. Not her face or her fair skin—but that posture, that troublesome yearning toward the world, that radiant smile as she turns toward her grandmother.” Chitra Divakaruni, The Mystique of the Past, April 2013 “Some people find classical music downright annoying. A friend of mine during my college days used to get irritated every time I listened to an elaborate “todi alapanai.” It didn’t matter that it was played by a leading violinist; it apparently made his ears bleed!” Kanniks Kannikeswaran, Musical Tastes, April 2013

Our Words, Our Sentiments “It was in such information-de-saturated times that I landed in Dayton, on a balmy summer day.” Rajee Padmanabhan, The Power of My 929, July 2013 “Leaving aside the ludicrousness of why someone would be traipsing about on a brightly lit sunny day just after they had perpetrated a crime, I got straight to the point and said, ‘You stopped me because you made an assumption of my race.’ Inadvertently confirming my suspicion, the officer responded, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a black. All that matters is that you matched the description I have.” Benedito R. Ferrao, The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, August 2013 Given that gift giving is a necessary evil, can we as a society, try to make it less evil? Sujatha Ramprasad, Greener Gifts Please, March 2013 12 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

“Yet, deep down somewhere, I envy those who can believe. I long for that childhood when I pined for idols; when prayers and rituals were symbols of belonging, of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.” Sarita Sarvate, Of Gods and Faith, October 2013 “The problem with sauteing and dicing the husband is that at the end of all the grilling you must cross his path again and again—in the bedroom, the kitchen and the family room.” Kalpana Mohan, Offend Me and You’ll Be Chutney, May 2013 And what happens if you’re not a “survivor?” The implication is that if you die of cancer, you just didn’t try hard enough. You failed. So if you’re a “non-survivor,” are you a “failure?” Or are you just dead? Ranjani Iyer Mohanty, Heroes Among Us, September 2013

The life of a Princess just isn’t what it’s made out to be, [Diana] seems to imply. The Prince is off chasing after another skirt (the cad!), the meddling in-laws are restricting her visits with her sons, and the press is murderously nosy. Geetika Pathania Jain, The Princess and the Heart Surgeon, November 2013 At my school in Kolkata, far far away from the American civil rights movement and the red hills of Georgia, “I Have a Dream” was an elocution favorite. Tutored by Belgian priests, Bengali students from resolutely middle class families belted out their renditions of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech. Stripped of its historical context, delivered in the prone-to-breaking voices of teenagers, our tremulous interpretation of an African-American preacher’s cadence often landed somewhere in between Bollywood melodrama and soupedup folk theater. Sandip Roy, An American Export Mightier than McDonald’s, October, 2013 Before long, Epsi will have so much stuff she’ll require what Virginia Woolf once longed for—a room of her own— and despite our best academic efforts and socialist impulses, she’ll open her lips to pronounce that possessive “mine.” Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan, Epsilon’s Worldly Possessions, April 2013

Celebrity Airwaves

Most Read Articles

Perfectly Done Kalpana Mohan, September 2013 Naked Yogis and Toe Socks Mimm Patterson, February 2013 March Against Monsanto Chris Kanthan, May 2013

July 2013 May 2013 Graph Search: Tagore:100 Years after On a Quest Nobel Prize

Nov 2013 Ro Khanna

Most Popular IC Recipes Satsivi Berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mix) Ye Misir Wot (Spicy Ethiopian Lentils) Baghara Baingan Hyderabadi Biryani Green Gazpacho Cucumber Margarita

Deepak Chopra THE SOUTH ASIAN VOTE COUNTS.

Fan Club Ro Khanna Thanks to @IndiaCurrents for this thoughtful piece about my candidacy for #CA17: http://www.indiacurrents. com/articles/2013/11/01/ro-khannarunning-start-campaign-silicon-valley …

July 2013

Cover Stories that Hit Home

Kareena Kapoor Being a bride is like a dream come true for every girl. It was like a fairytale for me. Everything felt magical.

Amitabh Bachchan ... embarrassing moment for celebrity: raising hand to acknowledge a wave from passer by, and discovering its not for you !!

June 2013

Chitra Divakaruni @IndiaCurrents Interesting essay on Tagore’s contemporary reputation. http://www.indiacurrents.com/ articles/2013/07/01/100-years-afternobel-prize …

Eloquently Said... Just as I began reading your July 2013 issue, I put on the kettle for “tea” like Sarita Sarvate (Tea, India Currents, July 2013), called out to my husband, “I’ll have three sugars with that, please” like Kalpana Mohan (I’ll Have Three Sugars With That, Please, India Currents, July 2013), then went into the den and managed to find a spot to sit on “the accursed couch” like Lakshmi Palecanda (The Accursed Couch, India Currents, July 2013) to read your always interesting magazine. Congratulations on starting up in Washington, D.C. A. Sharma, West Covina, CA

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 13

Providing Robust Information Technology Solutions

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

IT PLACEMENTS AND TRAINING Business Analyst

Attractive Billing Rates

Quality Assurance and

Free Accommodation

Project Management

Guaranteed Placement

Canvas InfoTech, Inc. 39465 Paseo Padre Parkway Suite # 2800 Fremont, CA 94538

..................................... Contact: Sapna Marwha ..................................... (510) 342-5663 Ext. 102 sapna@canvasinfotech.com

www.canvasinfotech.com 14 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Pop Quiz—Readers Respond Favorite Hindi Movie Dialog?

Favorite Comfort Food? Mom’s mirchi parantha and moong daal with tadka Monica Kumar Chutney with crispy dosa

Srinath Murthy

Self-made quinoa upma with spinach sambar, made with MTR sambar powder Vasudev Bhandarkar Rasam and roasted potato

Kalpana Mohan

Saag paneer with naan and some raita Mary Ann Donnegan Daal chawal

Ras Siddiqui

Utamamm dadh dhadhatt padham ... madhyam padham thuchuk thuchuk ... khanishtham thudthudiiy padham ... sursuria pran ghatkam. (A loud fart is respectable ... a medium fart is tolerable ... a slight fart is fearful ... a silent fart is unbearable)—3 Idiots Dhan Sak

Dazed and Confused

Robert iss harami ko liquid oxygen may daal do! Liquid issay jeenay nahi day gaa, oxygen issay marnay nahi day gaa!—Ajit Ramesh P.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Tum mujhse koi vada nahi kar rahi ho, aaj mai tumse ek vada karna chahta hoon— Guide Vijay R. Arre O Sambha, Kitne aadmi the—Sholay Ruchita Jadhav, Srinath Murthy

Real Housewives of Orange County Srinath Murthy Daytime drinks with friends

Raj Singh

Facebook stops between writing Kalpana Mohan Snacking before bed

Tushar Kumar

Conversation Starter?

Srinath Murthy

What are you working on?

Prakash Narayan

Aapko pahale bhi kaheen dekha hai ... Vijay R. A wicked smile

Vasudev Bhandarkar

Of course, the number one conversation starter: the sari. Kalpana Mohan

Return of the Jedi

Wallet

Tushar Kumar

My dog

Ramesh P.

A book, a chapstick and a jacket Shalini Srivastava An attitude Deepa Mehra My Body

Ras Siddiqui

Ruchita Jadhav

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Shalini Srivastava Amar Prem

Vasudev Bhandarkar

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Baghban

Pen in my left pant pocket Akshat Raj

Dhan Sak

Akshat Raj

Picture Abhi Baki Hai Mere Dost Monica Kumar

Something You Cannot Leave Home Without?

Raj Singh

Pati, Patni Aur Woh

As Good As It Gets

My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist—My Name is Khan Ras Siddiqui

Srinath Murthy

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

Suniye, main tumhare bacche ki ma banney wali hoon—Dhool ka Phool Vasudev Bhandarkar

My Kajal Stick Monica Kumar

What are you drinking?

A Movie Title that Describes Your Love Life?

Kalpana Mohan Prakash Narayan Indra Prasad

If You Met President Obama What is the First Thing You Would Say? You are doing a great job. Don’t let the idiots at Fox get you down. Srinath Murthy How do you manage four women at home? Ramesh P. Publish NSA phone tapes of John Boehner! Vijay R. I love it that you can make dal-roti. Can I try it some day? Vasudev Bhandarkar Listen, you have his phone number, I know, so can you arrange for a date with me and George Clooney? I can fly out to Lake Como. Kalpana Mohan What happened to the audacity of hope? Ras Siddiqui Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 15

16 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

STANFORD PREP The only dedicated ACT test prep center

• Small class size, personalized coaching • Instructors hold master’s and doctoral degrees from prestigious universities Winter Boot Camp begins December 21st in Fremont LIMITED SPACES So Please Register Quickly!

(510) 995-0667 info@stanfordprep.org www.stanfordprep.org

/ indiacurrents @ indiacurrents

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

HABLA ESPANOL? LEARN SPANISH! Listening and Speaking Spanish is Fun.

• Flexible, Private In-Home Spanish Tutoring • Years of experience with small children, adolescents, university students and professionals • Native Spanish speaker • Moderate Fees Email: carmen_jhnsn@yahoo.com

Contact: Carmen Johnson (408)

829-4856

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Ro Khanna with supporter

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

SINGAPORE MATH CLASSES Grades K to 8 TUITION FEE: $

PER MONTH ($700 PER YEAR)

• Classes are offered on Saturdays • Class meets once a week for 1 hour 15 minutes • Low Student-Teacher Ratio 6:1 • Tuition includes all study materials – Textbooks & Workbooks • Weekly homework provided (OFF TU • Taught by experienced staff TION) • Class schedule available online

10%

NOW ENROLLING!

(510) 402-6284

RAINBOW MATH AFTER SCHOOL 39675 Cedar Blvd., Suite 135, Newark, CA 94560 info@rainbow-math.com • www.rainbow-math.com

Choo Choo Train PRESCHOOL FULL/PART TIME 8:00 am to 6:30 pm • Small Class Size • Academics • Potty Training • Healthy Snacks

(408) 746-9583

choochootrain168@yahoo.com

1110 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road A1, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (Near Sunnyvale Public Library & Fremont High School)

www.choochootrainpreschool.com FRE Registr E ation Fee

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 17

SILICON VALLEY UNIVERSITY Univesity Caters to Silicon Valley High-Tech Industry

Doctoral Degree

• Computer Engineering Master Degree

• Computer Science • Computer Engineering • Business Administration Bachelor Degree

• Computer Science • Computer Engineering • Business Administration 18 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Certificate Program

• Computer Networks & Telecommunications Engineering • Database Design & Software Engineering • English as a Second Language (ESL) / TOEFL CONTACT US:

2160 Lundy Ave., Suite 110 San Jose, CA 95131 Tel: (408) 435-8989 Fax: (408) 955-0887 Email: info@svuca.edu

ACICS Accredited Member

www.svuca.edu

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 19

analysis

The Delhi Lament

An ex-expat looks for ways to capture the flavors of the Delhi he left behind By Dave Prager

20 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

A Creative Commons Image

spotted the Indians entering Denver’s Botanic Gardens about fifty feet ahead of us. It was their clothes that got me excited: both ladies wore saris. I nudged Jenny with excitement. She sighed. “Dave, this is getting creepy.” Creepy? Since when is it creepy to follow strange Indians around a park hoping to catch their eyes, start a conversation, win their trust, become friends, exchange numbers, and accept an invitation to dinner—all because I want to eat homemade Indian food again? I mean, doesn’t every American who once lived in Delhi do that? The year-and-a-half my wife Jenny and I lived in Delhi’s Hauz Khas Market neighborhood changed me forever. Not just because of the career boost from my promotion to the Gurgaon office. And not just because the book I wrote about Delhi is spinning through book shops even as this essay goes to print. No, it’s mostly because now that I’m no longer in Delhi, my stomach forces my brain to view every Indian I see as a potential conduit to the food I miss so much. I’m not trying to be creepy. I just miss the food. Before we moved to Delhi, I had no appreciation for the dynamics of the cuisine. I was perfectly content with the cheapest Indian buffet serving the stalest garlic naan and the driest tandoori chicken. In those innocent times, every dish on every menu sounded equally exotic and exciting; I’d order whatever I didn’t recognize and, with full ignorance as to both the quality and the composition of what I was eating, enjoy every bite of it. But in the years since we’ve left Delhi, not a single Indian restaurant has achieved even the standards of my office canteen’s watery dal. I’ve yet to taste a paneer as milky and smooth as that from Saket Select Citywalk Mall food court. And even Singapore’s top-

rated Indian restaurants were just a distant echo of what was, to me, the gold standard of Indian food: the meals our maid Ganga would cook for us three times a week. (Wikipedia tells us that Annupurna is the Hindu goddess of food; experience tells us that Ganga is her earthly manifestation.) We’ve tried the trendiest Indian restaurant on Denver’s South Pearl Street, the Singapore branch of Saravana Bhavan, and a dhaba in the back of a suburban Indian grocery in Aurora, Colorado. I’ve departed them all with my belly full but my heart empty. I’ve even purchased the same MDH spice boxes using which Ganga used to cook her heavenly meals for us, faithfully following the recipes printed on the back and failing each time to come anywhere close. Which is why I stare so hungrily at every Indian that I see. We’re in a restaurant in Estes Park, Colorado, a mountain town near one of America’s most spectacular national parks. A bagel is in my hands but my tongue is tasting creamy

dal makhani, because all I can focus on are the unmistakable accents emanating from the couple at the table next to us. They’re discussing hiking routes and camping spots; I’m hearing menu plans and cooking instructions. “Where are you from?” I ask, leaning towards their table, hoping the answer is “Nizamuddin East” so that our conversation could flow easily to kebab stands and butter chicken. The man looks up. “Seattle,” he tells me, curtly. He turns back to his map. I return to my bagel. Now it just tastes like a bagel. After leaving Delhi, Jenny and I spent a year in Singapore and then returned to the States to start a family. Success: our baby daughter Georgiana is sweet, adorable, and the perfect tool to aid my quest to ingratiate myself to Indians. She first played her part at the San Francisco airport. Approaching the gate for our flight back to Denver, I spotted an Indian

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 21

22 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

bhindi masala. They can tease baingan bharta out of the most stoic eggplant. Their kitchens are their link to Delhi, and we former residents—or, at least, this former resident—want in. So far, though, I’ve had no luck. At the San Francisco airport, for instance, our connection to that Indian couple was severed when boarding began for the Denver flight: only we stood up. Our new friends were waiting for a flight to Arizona, which meant that no dinner party was imminent. Nor could I make any headway at that restaurant in Estes Park, where I looked up from my bagel with one last desperate attempt: “No, where are you originally from? India? Because we spent eighteen months living there!” To which the woman smiled gently and said, with finality, “Your daughter is beautiful.” Her tone left no further room for discussion. Nor could I make it work at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where I’d spotted that Indian foursome entering ahead of us. Our meandering paths had crossed theirs a half-dozen times, despite Jenny’s best efforts to steer us away from them. Finally, near the Lilac Garden, I spotted my opening: the patriarch of the family was posing his wife, daughter, and son-in-law for a photo. I quickly offered to snap the four of them together. He declined. In accented English. To which I replied in my own terrible Hindi, “Aap guessa hai!?” The four of them looked at me. “Hindi bollna?” I asked. “Are you speaking Hindi?” the father finally asked me. “Yes!” I beamed. “We lived in Delhi for a year-and-a-half.” “Oh. We don’t speak much Hindi.” They turned back to their photo. I turned back to my wife. And that night for dinner, I sautéed some onions and tomatoes, emptied a can of chick peas into the pan, and dumped in a few tablespoons of MDH channa masala mix. It was not like Ganga’s at all. n A Creative Commons Image

couple and their infant son. Bells clanged in my head: she was wearing a salwar. Which meant she was born and bred outside the United States. I innocuously steered George’s stroller toward them. Jenny rolled her eyes and walked off to get coffee. I sat a few seats down from them, removed George from her stroller, and engaged in a deliberately-conspicuous bout of tongue-waggling and noise-making. Sure enough, George’s irresistible smile drew their eyes; and that was the opening I needed. “How old is your son?” I asked. I didn’t actually care how old he was; I just wanted to confirm their accents. And as they proudly boasted that Nikhil or Naveen or something was a year or eighteen months or seven or whatever, all that my brain registered were pronunciations that implied a childhood immersed in sambar. With chicken biryani clouding my thoughts and phantom thalis teasing my nostrils, I exclaimed (loudly, to mask my stomach’s rumbling): “Oh! You’re from India! We lived there for eighteen months!” And from there, the conversation progressed just as I’d hoped. They were from Chennai, but they knew Delhi, and together we grew pleasantly melancholy reminiscing about places and tastes that were, for both of us, equally dear and equally far. By the time Jenny joined us with her coffee, we were chatting about old days like old friends, contrasting our transitions to each other’s cultures, recalling the restaurants we missed the most, and jointly lamenting the fact that nobody knows how to cook an uttapam west of Chowpatti Beach. My nostalgia for Delhi generally fixates on food, but it can go deeper. At three o’clock on a workday, for instance, I’ll look blearily up from my computer and fantasize about the chaiwallah outside my Gurgaon office, just seven thousand miles to my left. Had it been three o’clock in that office, Dipankar and Murali and I would have paid him a visit and enjoyed his five-rupee respite from our responsibilities. (Although this moment of freedom, too, leads my mind back to food. Because here in America, as I stand by the coffee maker, the nearest snack is at a convenience store a mile away. How can my country be considered a world leader when we’re so lacking in sidewalk samosa vendors?) At these times, when I’m missing the camaraderie as much as the cuisine, I turn to the Internet. I vicariously join my Delhi

friends as they motorcycle to Leh or eat parathas in Old Delhi. I toast the country on Republic Day. I cheer cricket players on a first-name basis. And I join them in experiencing the changing capital city—like when my former coworker Nobin switched from the office cab to the Delhi Metro for his commute to Gurgaon. From his seat, he tweeted praise at the shining municipal infrastructure that warmed me in my chair half a world away. I’ve even grown nostalgic for Delhi’s traffic, of all things. Imagine getting misty-eyed for MG Road! But it’s happened: though there was nothing in Delhi I hated more than my commute to Gurgaon, the traffic in Denver is, in a way, worse. Because when I descend the on-ramp into four orderly lanes of vehicles in which nobody honks, nobody jostles for advantage, and nobody takes to the shoulders to jump the queue, I realize that Delhi’s traffic, for all its misery, also contained a kind of freedom: the skill of the driver could alter the course of the jam. A good driver could seize ephemeral opportunities revealed by shifting vehicles to shave seconds off the commute, or to cross the Ring Road before the light turned red. But Denver’s traffic is egalitarian in its oppression. Once you’re on the highway, you’re committed to the collective fate. Delhi’s traffic allows for individual heroics; Denver’s traffic is entirely communal. But I live in America now. I accept it: derivative restaurants, watery tea, nonnegotiable traffic, and streets that are empty of samosas. Which is why I can’t imagine that I’m the only American creeping around Indians to spark culinary connections. Because those of us who left our stomachs in Safdarjung know that expat Indians must be coping with the same emptiness—except that expat Indians possess the wisdom to transform frozen okra and boxed spices into a glorious

Reprinted with permission from The Book Review Literary Trust, New Delhi. Dave Prager is the author of Delirious Delhi: Inside India’s Incredible Capital, just published by Arcade Publishing. You can read an excerpt at DeliriousDelhi.com. Dave now lives in the Bay Area and is on a quest for the best rajma masala. You can tell him where to find it at dave@deliriousdelhi.com.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 23

business

A Code Name for Sexism and Racism Shining a light on Twitter’s Board By Vivek Wadhwa

n the surface, Silicon Valley looks like the perfect meritocracy. Half its startups are founded by immigrants. You see people from all over the world collaborating and competing. And race and religion are no barriers to success. But when you look closer, you begin to notice something strange: that, with a couple of notable exceptions, women are rarely found in the executive ranks of tech companies. The Valley’s echo chamber—what I call the “mafia”—is oblivious to criticism about this. It doesn’t seem to care about the imbalance. Note the Twitter IPO filing. It shows that all of its board members are male, as are all of its executives—other than one lawyer whom the company added a few weeks ago—and all of its investors. The company surely knew that this would draw attention, given the recent controversies in Silicon Valley about sexism and all of the media attention to Sheryl Sandberg’s book on women in tech, Lean In. Twitter execs either didn’t care enough to fix the imbalance; had criteria that could not possibly be met; or, they had reasonable criteria but didn’t cast a wide enough net that would capture non-traditional women or women in non-traditional roles who might be very valuable on their board. The New York Times quoted two anonymous sources as saying that Twitter CEO Dick Costolo had prioritized recruiting a woman to be on the board but had found it difficult. I don’t buy this. Twitter is as much a media and advertising company as it is a technology company. It may have been difficult for it to find women engineers or venture capitalists, because they are in short supply; but there are thousands of capable women in other industries. And then there are academics—such as University of California San Francisco Chancellor Sue DesmondHellmann, whom Facebook added to its board this year. I had said to The New York Times that the elite arrogance of the Silicon Valley ma-

24 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

fia (the Twitter mafia) is male chauvinistic thinking. I asked how they dare think they could get away with this. Twitter’s response shows the depth of the problem. Rather than responding to the issue that was raised, Costolo simply launched a personal attack on me. Here is what he wrote: @rich1 “Vivek Wadhwa is the Carrot Top of academic sources.” Yes, Costolo’s comments were inappropriate and he owes me a formal apology. But I don’t for a moment think that he is overtly sexist or that he deliberately discriminates. I think that he is reflecting a common behavior in Silicon Valley, where power brokers proudly tout their “pattern recognition” capabilities. They believe they know a successful entrepreneur, engineer, or business executive when they see one. Sadly, the pattern is always a Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos—or themselves. Nerdy white males. To me, pattern recognition is a code name for sexism and racism. It must end. The sad reality is that Silicon Valley is a boys club that stacks the deck against women and certain minorities. This may have been okay when the tech industry was in its infancy and companies like Twitter didn’t get the national attention they do. But they can’t get away with this in this day and age. This exclusionary behavior is also harmful to companies and their shareholders. To start with, having women on boards produces better outcomes. Research by analyst firm Catalyst shows that companies with the highest proportions of women board directors outperform those with the lowest proportions by 53%. They have a 42% higher return on sales and 66% higher return on invested capital. When it comes to entrepreneurship, the advantages of diversity become even clearer. Firms founded by women are more capital efficient than those founded by men. Women-led high-tech startups have lower failure rates. Venture-backed companies run by a woman have annual revenues 12%

They believe they know a successful entrepreneur, engineer, or business executive when they see one. Sadly, the pattern is always a Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos—or themselves. Nerdy white males. higher than those by men; and organizations that are the most inclusive of women in top management positions achieve a 35% higher return on equity and 34% higher total return to shareholders. The boys club won’t change easily. How can we level the playing field and encourage more women to enter the technology sector? These are questions journalism professor Farai Chideya (New York University) and I asked several hundred women to help answer, in order to create a book titled Innovating Women—which prescribes solutions. In a nutshell, women are turned off by the chauvinism and arrogance of the technology

industry. There are many stories of women attending conferences and being groped or disparaged. They tell of venture capitalists who ask humiliating questions such as, “What does your husband think about your being an entrepreneur?” Women in business tell of being sidelined. Girls tell of being made fun of or discouraged from taking an interest in engineering and mathematics. Women highlight the common stereotypes such as in the film The Social Network in which men were writing code and many of the women were dancing around in their underwear. But women also said that they believe things are changing for the better. Although the number of women studying computer science has fallen, National Science Foundation data show that girls now match boys in mathematical achievement. In the United States, 140 women enroll in higher education for every 100 men who do. Women earn more than 50% of all bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and nearly 50% of all doctorates. Companies, such as Xerox, that make the effort to recruit women and create womenfriendly workplaces are seeing great benefit. Xerox has had two consecutive women CEOs—first Anne Mulcahy and now Ursula Burns. Its CFO is a woman, as are its controller, its chief marketing officer and its CTO. It also doesn’t have the problem that companies such as Twitter say that they do—that they can’t find women engineers and executives. As Xerox CTO, Sophie Vandebroek, (a co-author of Innovating Women) says: “Incollege hiring, which is most of our engineering hiring, well over 40% are women. Some years, it was even more than 50% ... As you know, in college about 25% [engineering and computer science majors], and in industry about 10–12% of engineers are women. So, if you can create a culture and environment where people can truly be themselves, they can not only bring their intellect to work, but also their passion and their heart to work. Number one they’ll be much more creative, they’ll be much more entrepreneurial. But you’ll also be able to attract people from all different colors, from different genders, different ages.” Maybe Twitter should add one of the great women at the helm of Xerox to its board? Vandebroek comes with my highest recommendation. n Vivek Wadhwa is an entrepreneur turned academic. You can follow him on Twitter at @ vwadhwa and find his research at www.wadhwa.com. First published in The Wall Street Journal.

Strategism Get PMP Certified

Become a Project Management Professional Why STRAGEGISM? • Guaranteed to Start & No Cancellations • We will not cancel the date we advertise. • 100% First Time Pass Guarantee • Success Rate • Highly Experienced Trainers • Centrally Located • Mock Exams 1000 Questions • Bootcamp as well as Month Long Program • Online Classes as well as InClass • One Stop Shop • Application Help for the Tests • Personalized ScoreCard For Each Participant • Client Project Placement & Consulting Assistance CONTACT: Priya • Mac • Chitra • Sam

1-877-648-0004

send email at: contact@strategisminc.com or visit our office at 2450 Peralta Blvd, Suite 222, Fremont CA 94536 Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 25

Sh iva

beauty . jewelry . fabrics

TWO TO IONS T A C O L OU! Y E V R SE

BEAUTY SALON

1st LOCATION 40673 Fremont Blvd., (Cross Street Grimmer Blvd.) Fremont, CA 94538

(510) 440-8300

2nd LOCATION 46485 Mission Blvd., (Mission & Warm Springs) Fremont, CA 94539

(510) 440-9900 • THREADING • WAXING • FACIAL • HAIR CUT (MEN/WOMEN) • HAIR COLOR • BLEACH • BRIDAL Contact: Kanak Patel

www.shivabeautysaloninc.com

Tel : 510-440-8300 • Cell: 510-299-3418 Business Hours : Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 am - 7:30 pm Sunday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday Closed 26 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

OW EYEBR ING D THRE$A 00

Rita's Beauty Salon 20% Licensed Cosmetologist 30 Years Experience

• • • • •

Eyebrow (threading) Waxing Color & Hi-lights Permanent Hair Straightening Designer Haircut for Men, Women & Kids

beauty . gifts DISCOUNT

(1st Time Customers)

Not valid for Manicure & Peidcure

• Facial (Herbal, Gold, Fruit, Shahnaz) • Traditional Indian Bridal Makeup & Mehandi IRING NOW H ING • Manicure & Pedicure D THREA TS • Acrylic & Gel Nails ARTIS

616 Hollenbeck Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Open Tue - Fri 10 am to 7:30 pm Sat-Sun 10 am to 6 pm www.ritabeautysalon.com MONDAY CLOSED (CALL FOR APPOINTMENTS)

(on El-Camino & Hollenbeck, behind Car Wash)

(408) 732-3998 (408) 888-0152 Cell

ADVERTISE in the complete Indian American magazine

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Merry & Happy Christmas New Year “We would like to thank India Currents for the wonderful opportunity it has offered ‘Most Unique Parties & Ponies’ to meet and entertain the fun and friendly Indian families of the Bay Area.” - Mike & Sari Most Unique Parties & Ponies

Do you want to be free LASER of unwanted hair?

“ ...The best advertising in the valley is done thru India Currents......” - Pia Ganguly, @ Pia Ka Ghar

ADVANCED

H A I R R E M O VA L

We Are Specialists In Laser Hair Removal For South Asian Patients

An Enhanced You Cosmetic Surgery Medical Group and the Lowen Laser Medical Clinic

We have been providing safe and effective permanent laser hair removal for patients of all skin types, including South Asian patients, for over ten years. We have three state of the art devices, the Candela CentleYAG, GentleLase, and the intense-pulsed light Palomar Starlux Y. All skin types can be treated, and large areas quickly done. Candela has dynamic cryogen cooling and Starlux has sapphire glass cooling, both designed to enhance safety and comfort. Come to a Center that has truly comprehensive hair removal capabilities for all body areas. We also offer the first and only laser that is FDA approved for stretch mark removal, the Palomar Lux 1540 erbium, 1064 YAG Laser Spider Vein Treatment; Lux IR Non-Surgical Laser Skin-Tightening, IPL Photofacial, Laser Skin Rejuvenation for wrinkles and acne and scar correction, Botox, Dysport, Obagi, Restylane & Radiesse. Eyelid wrinkle removal with minimal down time with Cynosure Smartskin Microblative Laser. In practice for over 25 years. CELLULAZE ANTI-CELLULITE TREATMENT • SMARTLIPO TRIPLEX LASER LIPOSUCTION IN-OFFICE • LOCAL ANESTHESIA • QUICK RECOVERY • AFFORDABLE

Robert M. Lowen, MD

Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Mon-Fri

(800) 888-7474 • (650) 965-7888

www.enhanced-you.com • info@enhanced-you.com 305 South Drive, Suite 1, Mountain View

CALL: (408) 324-0488 | (714) 523-8788 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: ads@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Write: 1885 Lundy Ave., Ste 220 San Jose, CA 95131 Deadline: 20th of every month Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 27

viewpoint

A Million Morsels of Love The romance of Karva Chauth By Meera Agarwalla

’m not one for rituals. Growing up, my family was far from religious. When other families took extensive vacations to India touring endless temples and doing darshan, my brother and I took full advantage of the fact that my mother’s social obligations in India outweighed her pious ones. We were more than thrilled to bask in our airconditioned Indian apartment, playing Nintendo, watching American television and awaiting hot pizza delivery from the newly established Dominos.

Religious Indifference?

Don’t get me wrong—it wasn’t that we were Richard Dawkins-ites (well not yet, anyway) flouting our religious indifference and heathenish attitudes. Instead, we actually took on a more “spiritual” approach. The term “religion” has come to embody dogma, rituals and an association with organized religiosity. “Spirituality” on the other hand, is advertised as a more inclusive concept where morals are permitted to be subjectively interpreted and ancient text or philosophy contains an intellectual component. My brother and I were raised on the latter; we were guided to question everything that we know, not to follow or believe anything blindly and to simply “be good and do good.” Regardless of my mother’s aversion to organized religion, in our early childhood days, we did partake in a few religious rituals. We recited the aarti every night before bedtime, we knew core slokas and the meanings behind them, and spent every Sunday afternoon learning about Indian history, religion and culture. However, a full blown devotion to religion and its rituals never emerged.

My Mother’s Disbelief

I never saw my mother perform pooja. She never visited the temple and with her quick 28 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

The author with her husband

metabolic affinities, she would never even entertain the idea of fasting. Fasting inevitably involves some self-discipline, devotion, or a belief in good health, but my mother always maintained her disinterest towards the notion whenever she was pelted with questions and stares of disbelief for abstaining from fasting. It would naturally follow that I never participated in the like either. One year, I got caught up in the hype of wanting to fast so that I would “get a good husband” (as common myths foretold) but after a few hours without a cheeseburger, that plan quickly dissipated into thin air.

Keeping Karva Chauth

Imagine then, the disconnect of me looking forward to the Indian tradition of Karva Chauth where wives are supposed to fast for their husbands to preserve the husband’s health, wealth and happiness. The holiday falls in October or November, four (chauth) days after the new moon. The wives are to fast from sunrise until the first sighting of the moon, after which it is permissible to eat. Of course, much like many Hindu auspicious occasions, the idea behind Karva Chauth stems from many different legends and tales. One says that a beautiful queen

was duped by her brothers to break her fast, and that her husband suffered lifelong physical impairment as a result and was only cured once his wife committed to fasting throughout Karva Chauth. Another story claims that a woman, who was devoted to her husband, threatened to curse the god of death when he was about to take her husband. Because the god of death was convinced that the woman’s devotion was so powerful and that her curse might come true, he set her husband free. Folklore such as these can be relevant in that they teach a moral or a specific value; however, parables that are designed to dispense infinite wisdom are not always applicable in modern day nor do the original intentions reflect those sincere beliefs. Additionally, declining an invitation to lunch with your coworkers on Karva Chauth naturally provokes questions about fasting, which when iterated out loud sounds completely archaic. Moreover, if your husband isn’t observing the fast as well, he will undoubtedly (and perhaps inadvertently) become a bull’s eye target for the masochist remarks incredulous feminists are eager to launch. In an age of prolific social networking, where one’s personal information is blasted for your closest 1,000 friends to see and stalk, nothing remains private. Facebook statuses, blog posts and Instagram pictures reflect those of your friends who celebrate Karva Chauth, those who scoff at it and those who have no idea what it is.

Legends and Stories

For me, my appreciation of Karva Chauth peaked when I was looking up the origins of the holiday. Much like the rationale-defying traditions in Hindu religion that I usually sidestep, I expected this one to be no different. Most of the legends and stories I looked

up described the tradition and the frills that go along with it; however, it had me questioning the actual purpose of the fast. I then came across another article that described Karva Chauth as seasonally occurring at a time when men were usually off to war for undesignated periods of time. Their wives would fast as a prayer for the husbands’ health and safe return. For some reason, this anecdote struck a chord. I imagined myself in a remote village, stripped of modern day conveniences with my husband gone for months at a time not knowing whether he was dead or alive. Considering I go into hyper-paranoia if I don’t get an “I’m fine” text from him during partying hours, I can’t even fathom being away from him for such a long time, let alone not knowing whether he was ok. Perhaps it’s naïve and hackneyed to assume that wives were so desperate for their husband’s safe return that they contrived a plea exchange to ensure their husband’s safety. For me, it represents a defining act of love. An act to demonstrate the sliver of hope, faith or belief that one’s devotion and sacrifice could be enough to bring back a loved one home safe and sound.

An Indian Valentine’s Day

Though pop culture now deems this celebration a modern day “Valentine’s Day” where husbands eagerly await the first moon sighting with their wife, Karva Chauth is just another reason to celebrate the commitment to sacrifice and the extent one will go for their spouse. While I logically know it’s not necessary for me to starve myself to prove I love my husband, it’s the symbolism and emotional power behind the story that propels my desire to fast. I was inexplicably blessed to marry the man of my dreams, who not only treats me like a queen every day of my waking and sleeping life, but showers me with an undeserving amount of love and affection, sacrifices his desires in place of mine, and takes care of me in the way every father dreams of for his daughter. Whether he condones the fast or whether he doesn’t observe it with me is completely irrelevant. Because the way he will lovingly feed me a bite of my cheeseburger from In N Out when we first see the moon makes that moment worth a million morsels. n Meera Agarwalla lives in San Francisco, where she is currently working for a legal recruiting firm and volunteers as a pro bono attorney for gender based and political asylum claims. She loves traveling, reading, writing, and feeding her husband.

Apsara Aesthetic Medicine Limited Time Only!

Melasma & Hyperpigmentation provide greater efficacy and comfort with nearly 60% more power to treat your skin by RevLite SI Laser $129 per tx. - Limit 10 tx. LASER HAIR REMOVAL

Buy 6 treatments of any area and get 6 additional treatments free of equal or lesser value All skin types are treated safely and effectively Results vary for each individual patient

Apsara Aesthetic Medicine Rani V Ramachandran, MD, Director 105 N. Bascom Ave, STE 203B San Jose, CA 95128 www.RaniMd.com

408.294.2399

Offers Expires - 09/30/2013 Professional Model* ** While supplies last

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 29

desi voice

Thirteen Things I Wish I’d Heard When I Turned 13 By Rajdeep Paulus

did not want to give my soon to be teenage daughter a list of advice, because I do that normally—daily, sometimes twice a day, often times more. Instead, I thought to myself, what do I wish someone had said to me back in the day when I was turning this corner from tween to teen? Here’s what I came up with. Starting this conversation can be a challenge, but it’s probably the most important first step.

A Creative Commons Image

1. You will like boys. A lot. And that’s perfectly normal. 2. You will get zits. Don’t pick them. They will only look worse. A little dab of toothpaste at night will help. 3. You will most likely get cramps or headaches and your back may hurt once a month. You’ll have to keep going as if nothing’s going on. But you can always tell your mom; and get a few extra snuggles that day. 4. You will love your siblings one day and plot to murder them in their sleep the next. Some day that same sibling might become your best friend. So don’t kill them. 5. You might have a crush on a teacher. Especially the one who tells you you’re the most amazing student ever and looks like a Hollywood Hottie. Crushes are normal. Don’t let him distract you from the goal. You still need to aim for straight As.

don’t feel so pretty—your eyes, your smile, your skin color, and even your hair that doesn’t want to sit right in that one spot. Because what makes you beautiful is the wonder inside you. Stay wonder-full! 9. Your body will change. Slowly at times, then all of a sudden. There will be days you’ll want to hide, and days you will want the world to feel your presence. This is perfectly normal. Your body is precious—a miracle, every single cell. Talk to me when you’re not sure how to handle all the conflicting emotions. We can go shopping, or out for ice cream, or get into our warm fuzzies and talk.

6. Don’t freak out when you don’t get all As. You are not your report card. Just do your best. The grades are merely icing.

10. Your lips are perfect—made for talking, singing, and kissing. Contrary to popular belief, a kiss is not just a kiss. Save your first kiss, because once it’s gone, you can never get it back. It’s okay to say no, if someone asks for it. You are in charge of your lips. They’re yours after all.

7. Your days will be similar to the weather. You will have good days and bad. Days when you feel as happy as sunshine. Other mornings when the storms in your heart keep you from wanting to get up. This is partially due to hormones, and also just a part of growing up. Know that you can laugh with your mother and cry in her arms. I’ll give you space. But when you’re ready, come out and talk to me. I’m waiting for you.

11. You will hear about sex. A lot. At lunch in the cafeteria, on-line and all over social media. You will be curious. You’ll have questions. The sources might even have some truth to them. But not everything you hear is true. And for all the hype, there’s so much more to it then what Hollywood makes it out to be. You can talk to me. I promise not to judge you, freak out, or tell you I have all the answers. Because I don’t.

8. You are beautiful. Even on days you

12. You’ll imitate others as you try to find

30 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

your own style. That’s okay. Just don’t get so caught up in mirroring someone or something you like that you don’t give yourself a chance to discover yourself. Ask yourself questions. What makes you feel comfortable with yourself? What do you believe? What is important to you? What message do you want to share with the world through your life and the way you live it? 13. You will change your mind, about what you want to be when you grow up; what you’ll wear in the morning; who your best friend is; and lots more. Change is normal, good, healthy. Just remember the truths that never change. Mom and Dad love you. God loves you, and we’re not giving up on you, ever. And you? What do you wish someone had told you along the way? At thirteen? Sixteen? Twenty-one? Yesterday? n Rajdeep Paulus, author of Swimming Through Clouds, is mom to four princesses, wife of Sunshine, a coffee addict and a Chicago Bulls’ fan. As of June 2013, she wears her bright orange Tough Mudder headband around the house, just for fun. She earned it, after all. For more on Rajdeep and her Masala-marinated madness, stop by rajdeeppaulus.com. For a Free downloadable, Best of Indie Authors Sampler, pop over to playlistfiction.com to check out a nice chunk of Swimming Through Clouds and four other Young Adult books of 2013.

LAW OFFICE OF

India Currents is now available on the Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/IndiaCurrents/dp/B005LRAXNG

KARIM S. MANJI A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

PROVIDING SUPERIOR LEGAL SERVICES

IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN JOSE BAY AREA

Business Law  Personal Injury  Estate Planning  Bankruptcy 

on facebook.com/IndiaCurrents Most Popular Articles Online November 2013

Call today for a free consultation

1)Ro Khanna: Running a Start-up Campaign in Silicon Valley Jawahar “Joe” Samagond

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHIC (408) 324-0488

(408) 286 8484 lawksm.com

2) Auto! Kalpana Mohan 3) When Men Hold Hands Nabeel Chollampat

1625 The Alameda, Suite 800, San Jose, CA 95126

4) The Princess and the Heart Surgeon Geetika Pathania Jain

Elegant Drapery Concepts * Specializing in custom draperies to match your home decor * Save up to 40-60% by ordering direct from the manufacturer. * Choose from a wide selection of luxurious sheers, prints, and solid fabrics.

5) Approximating H-4 Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan 6) East Coast Temple Trail Meera Ramanathan 7) Slip Into Something Comfortable Lakshmi Palecanda 8) Our Recipes, Our Lives Monica Bhide 9) Compromise: The Dirty Word in Marriage and Politics Jaya Padmanabhan 10) How’s Your Agni? Ashok Jethanandani

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHIC (408) 324-0488

* Also featuring a large selection of blinds, shades, bedspreads and custom upholstery.

Call for a Free in home consultation Toll free

(866) 415-1100 | (510) 206-6478 Info@elegantdraperyconcepts.com www.elegantdraperyconcepts.com

Online Extras:

• Easy access to our current content and decade-old archives of diverse articles • Special web-only articles and videos • Digital issue of the magazine • Interactive event listings • Advertising access to a niche high-value segment of the community • Comments highlighted on home page • A full color experience • RSS feeds and newsletter subscriptions Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 31

ask a lawyer

2014 Employment Law Changes By Madan Ahluwalia

What minimum wage rate changes are to become effective in 2014?

The minimum wages in California will increase to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014. The minimum wage rate changes in other states, effective January 1, 2014, include: • Arizona to $7.90 per hour • Connecticut to $8.70 per hour • Florida to $7.93 per hour • Missouri: $7.50 per hour • Montana: $7.90 per hour • New Jersey: $8.25 per hour • Ohio: $7.95 per hour for businesses with annual gross income above $292,000 per year, • Oregon: $9.10 per hour • Rhode Island: $8.00 per hour • Vermont: $8.73 per hour. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. This federal minimum wage, however, does not supersede state set mini-

32 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

mum wages. Employers are required to pay the higher rates if a state’s minimum rates are higher than the federal rates. Some cities have already raised the minimum wage that employees in the city receive. For example, last January the city of San Francisco raised the minimum wage to $10.55 per hour making it the highest minimum wage in the country!

Q A

What changes will be made to the California Labor Code in 2014?

As of January 1, 2014, employees will receive additional protection against discrimination or termination if they are victims of certain crimes or need to take time off from work in order to attend court appearances related to these matters. The protection is also being expanded to include those individuals with military or veteran status. With the current California law that is already in place, employers are not allowed

to discriminate against or terminate an employee that requests time off from work due to being a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence. In 2014, this protection will now include victims of the following crimes: • vehicular manslaughter while under the influence; • felony child abuse; • assault that resulted in the demise of a child less than eight years old; • felony physical abuse of an elderly per son or dependent adult; • felony stalking; • solicitation for murder; • felony DUI resulting in injury; • hit-and-run resulting in injury or death; • other serious felonies n

Madan Ahluwalia is a California attorney who practices law in Santa Clara, CA. His website is www.attorneyonradio.com. He can be reached at (408) 416-3149

legal visa dates Important Note: U.S. travelers seeking visas to India will now need to obtain them through BLS International Services. Call (415) 609-4965 or visit http://www.visa. blsindia-usa.com/ for more information.

December 2013

his column carries priority dates and other transitional information as taken from the U.S. State Department’s Visa Bulletin. The information below is from the Visa Bulletin for December 2013. In the tables below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed. “Current” means that numbers are available for all qualified applicants. “Unavailable” means no numbers are available.

Verma LAW FIRM Arjun Verma, Attorney at Law (408) 436-1010

FAMILY PREFERENCE VISA DATES Preference Dates for India 1st Nov 15, 2006 2A Sep 08, 2013 2B May 01, 2006 3rd Mar 08, 2003 4th Sep 08, 2001 NOTE: F2A numbers subject to percountry limit are available to applicants with priority dates beginning Sept 01, 2013 and earlier than Sept 08, 2013.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA DATES Preference Dates for India

Your Ad Here in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

The Department of State has a recorded message with visa availability information at (202)485-7699, which is updated in the middle of each month. Source: http://www. travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_6211. html

www.vermafirm.com

Merry Christmas

1st Current 2nd November 15, 2004 3rd September 01, 2003 Other September 01, 2003 Workers 4th Current Certain Current Religious Workers 5th Current Targeted Employment Areas

Email: info@vermafirm.com

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

KHORSHED ALAM

MBA, MA (Econ.), EA, CPA, CVA, ATA, ABA Member, National Association of Certified Value Analysts (NACVA)

Business Valuation Services

Measuring Value Is Our Goal - Dedicated to Customer Satisfaction

• Do you or your clients need the services of a Certified Value Analyst who is accredited in Business Valuation? • As a Certified Public Accountant and as a Certified Value Analyst we perform valuations of business for purposes of buy or sell, divorce settlement, financing transactions, owner disputes, gift & estate tax.

(408) 445-1120

E-mail: kalamtx@aol.com

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 33

books

Gr8 Reads of 2013 By Jeanne Fredriksen

elf-help. Truth and consequences. Thrills. Family saga. Humor. Knowledge and power. History. Inspiration. What more could a bibliophile ask for? 2013 was a haphazard year for South Asian-centric books. That in itself was unusual since previous years had seen an appreciable growth in such offerings. Nevertheless, some extraordinary books made the India Currents Gr8 Reads of 2013 list. Some were published with great fanfare; others entered the market atop the authors’ impressive bodies of work; and a heart-stopping debut left readers breathless. If you haven’t read these remarkable books yet, what are you waiting for? HOW TO GET FILTHY RICH IN RISING ASIA by Mohsin Hamid. Published by The Penguin Group, Riverhead Books. March 5, 2013. $26.95. 240 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, AB)

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a cleverly-crafted tale told in the style of a “self-help” book in the second person. “You” travel from a dusty village to a bustling city with an unnamed narrator as “you” climb from abject poverty to corporate success using his step-by-step method. That method raises soul-searching questions including that of our own destinies. Compelling, witty, and reflective of contemporary life in a changing society, HtGFRiRA lingers long after the last page.

OLEANDER GIRL by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster. March 19, 2013. $17.75. 304 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, A) 34 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Korobi, raised by her grandparents and named after the deadly oleander flower, seeks answers about her heritage and the parents she never knew. Her quest compels her to postpone her wedding and takes her to America, where she learns the unimaginable and is faced with difficult decisions. Through Divakaruni’s signature beautifully-crafted prose, Oleander Girl portrays a young woman and her family at the crossroads of change. THE CARETAKER: A RANJIT SINGH NOVEL by A.X. Ahmad. Published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group, Minotaur Books. May 21, 2013. $24.99. 301 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, AB, A) After being disgraced, Captain Ranjit Singh of the Indian Army finds himself in America, embroiled in a string of situations that would break a brave man’s spirit. Singh, now part of a community of illegal aliens trying to keep their heads above water while staying below the radar, plays a deadly catand-mouse game with a politician and those who want what they believe Singh possesses. The Caretaker is a dazzling debut and thriller of the first degree. AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED by Khaled Hosseini. Published by The Penguin Group, Riverhead Books. May 21, 2013. $28.95. 416 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, AB, A)

Khaled Hosseini is a master storyteller, one who reaches deep into the souls of his characters and his readers. His most complex novel yet travels between Afghanistan and France to the United States over seven decades. And the Mountains Echoed tells the tale of a family fractured by sacrifice and how

each member of each generation survived poverty, war, displacement, and self-discovery. This is, arguably, Hosseini’s best to date. OPEN MIC: RIFFS ON LIFE BETWEEN CULTURES IN TEN VOICES Various Authors, Edited by Mitali Perkins. September 10, 2013. Published by Candlewick Press. $15.99. 144 pages. (Available: HC, D, MP3, A) Ages 12-Up Award-winning author Mitali Bose Perkins contributes to and edits this lively collection of short fiction and non-fiction pieces that puts a humorous spin on an otherwise serious subject. Drawing on their own experiences, ten Young Adult (YA) authors tell stories that break down cultural and racial barriers. In the introduction, Perkins states, “Once you’ve shared a laugh with someone, it’s almost impossible to see them as ‘other’.”

THE LOWLAND: A NOVEL by Jhumpa Lahiri. September 24, 2013. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a Division of Random House. $27.95. 352 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, AB, A) A tale of two brothers, as different as night and day, is the foundation of Lahiri’s absorbing new novel. It is the late 1960s, a time of political upheaval in Calcutta. One brother soars with his continuing studies in America while the other descends into the Naxilite underground. Complex and penetrating, The Lowland dissects the moral issues that come with headstrong conviction, violent revolution, inexorable grief, the unbreakable bonds of family, and yes, love. Lahiri’s precise and inspired prose grabs the reader’s attention.

legal

HABBU & PARK

LAW OFFICES OF

A LAW CORPORATION

ANAND JUDGE

Attorneys Hemant R. Habbu & Jeff Park

• IMMIGRATION - Family & Business (H1B, L1, E, etc.), Employment Labor Certification & Green Cards, Artists Visas (O,P), Naturalization/Citizenship OCI (Overseas Citizen of India Applications) • CORPORATE & BUSINESS LAWS - Incorporations, Strategic Partnerships, Stock Option Plans, Funding, etc. • INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS - Contracts, Customs, Trade, Investment, etc. • EMPLOYMENT LAW - Overtime, Wages, Contracts, Wrongful Termination, etc. • SERVICES - Transactions, Negotiation, Litigation, Mediator

• CIVIL • FAMILY • CRIMINAL

Fall Special FREE W IL

FREE PHONE CONSULTATION

San Mateo, CA

Roy Legal Group

Your Ad Here

Medical Malpractice Specialist

Winner of many high profile settlements

Established law practice since 1997 in the Los Angeles area and now serving the San Francisco Bay Area. 2000 Wyatt Dr., Ste. #15, Santa Clara, CA 95054

(408) 970-9100 • (408) 933-9986 FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION www.baylegals.com • info@baylegals.com

Raj D. Roy

Attorney at Law

Living Trusts and Estates Planning, setup and maintenance of trusts, trustee/administrator issues, litigation of estates, foreclosure prevention, etc.

Medical Malpractice Careless treatment and undisclosed side effects. Real Estate: Homes, Motels and Apartments Winner of many high profile settlements. Sales, mortgages, insurance claims, motel and apartment injuries, discrimination, eviction, etc. Personal Injury Accidents, slip and fall, work related injuries, Business & Corporate Issues product liability issues Intellectual Property issues, contracts, leases, asset protection, business litigation Labor & Immigration Law Work Permit & Immigration Status Change, Family Law EB-5 Visa for immigrant investors, Divorce, child and spousal support, legal and Labor Code violations, wage and physical custody, visitation, restraining orders, hour issues, discrimination, sexual harassment, domestic violence, asset and liability wrongful termination, and overtime claims We also speak Spanish, Hindi, Bengali & Tamil

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

(650) 326-8422

Merry Christmas

Market St., Ste. 530, San Jose, California 95113 (408) 993-9577 95 SouthAffiliated www.HabbuPark.com Offices in Mumbai & New Delhi

We speak English, French, Marathi, Hindi, Bengal & Gujarati

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

RAJI RAJAN Attorney-at-Law

* DIVORCE, SUPPORT * TRUSTS, WILLS, PROBATE * MEDIATION * NAME CHANGE, ADOPTION

(408) 730-9492 - Sunnyvale 355 W. Olive Avenue, Suite 101, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 www.therightlawyerforyou.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 35

MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT by Indu Sundaresan. Published by Washington Square Press, a Division of Simon & Shuster. October 8, 2013. $16.00. 352 pages. (Available: PB, D, AB, A) The Kohinoor, once a stunning 186-carat diamond and still impressive at a truncated 105 carats, is an object over which empires, countries, and people fought, shed blood, and died. The novel begins in 1817, when Afghanistan’s deposed Shah Shuja Durrani is duped by Maharajah Ranjit Singh and loses the diamond to him. From that point on, Sundaresan provides a thought-provoking hopscotch history of the diamond’s travels through a turbulent time of change and subterfuge. This must-read is a gem in Sundaresan’s bibliography. I AM MALALA: THE GIRL WHO STOOD UP FOR EDUCATION AND WAS SHOT BY THE TALIBAN by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb. Published by Little, Brown and Company. October 8, 2013. $26.00. 352 pages. (Available: HC, PB, D, AB, A) Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai rejected the notion that females are meant to remain in the home and illiterate. Reared in a rural Pakistani family that encouraged her dreams as if she were a son, she fought for the right to an education. The Taliban, enraged by her conviction and hoping to make their point, shot her in the head at close range. The result? This young girl has become a worldwide symbol of fearless strength and peaceful protest. Her autobiography is a remarkable story of inspiration and empowerment. n Availability key: HC=hardcover | PB=paperback | D=digital | AB=Audiobook CD | A=Audible download | MP3 = MP3 CD Jeanne E. Fredriksen reads and writes from Wake Forest, North Carolina, where she is happily at work on her young adult novel. 36 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Brothers Beyond Boundaries By Rajesh C. Oza THE LOWLAND: A NOVEL by Jhumpa Lahiri. September 24, 2013. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a Division of Random House. $27.95. 352 pages. (Available in Hardcover)

reader is blessed when finding a writer who speaks to him or her. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, this reader was quatro-blessed with four fabulous authors: Saul Bellow, R. K. Narayan, V. S. Naipaul, and Salman Rushdie. And in this century, with Jhumpa Lahiri, my literary “Fab Four” has evolved into my “Fav Five.” Without exception, I will read most anything that these favored writers publish. As is common within epistolary families or between friends who stay in touch by email, the relationship between a reader and his cherished writer is remarkable in its ability to pick up a conversation after a long gap; this is a connection that neither distance nor death (of the writer) can fracture. Bellow was my first literary love. Not only did he write knowingly about the great Midwestern city in which we both grew up, but he also graduated from the same university I went to, and his fourth wife was my Calculus professor. Perhaps what clinched the affection was a simple passage in Herzog, one of Bellow’s finest novels: “Recently I saw Pather Panchali. I assume you know it, since the subject is rural India. Two things affected me greatly—the old crone scooping the mush with her fingers and later going into the weeds to die; and the death of the young girl in the rains.” It is altogether possible that I married my Calcuttan wife of nearly three decades because I had seen Pather Panchali; so it is not surprising that Bellow has a special place in my heart. My fondness for Narayan, Naipaul and Rushdie has been well-chronicled in these pages, so I won’t go on and on like a schoolboy with a crush on his English, Anthropology, and History teachers. These literary brothers—Bellow, Narayan, Naipaul, and Rushdie—have informed my worldview in an avuncular way. Through the years, they allowed me to sit at their feet and listen to their stories about Chicago, Malgudi, Trinidad, Bombay, and beyond; without judgment, they enabled me to make my own way in the world. And just as I was easing into middle-

age, content that I was fully formed with my hard-earned knowledge of the ways of the world, along came a gift from the centenarian mother of my friend, Steve. Without expectations, I read Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, amused and bemused that a 100-year-old Californian would be gifting me a 32-year-old Indian American woman’s short stories. Suddenly, I had a “kid sister,” but would she have anything to say to me? Long before the Pulitzer committee awarded Lahiri’s debut work with America’s most prestigious literary prize, my answer was a resounding, “Yes!” And my response to Lahiri’s latest novel, The Lowland, is “Yes. And how!” Like Bellow’s Herzog, The Lowland also has a reference to Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece film, Pather Panchali, suggesting a concern with family, change, and death. Both novels masterfully explore the belief in enduring family life while acknowledging that part of growing up is finding one’s own way. Writing metaphorically about her fraternal protagonists, Subhash and Udayan, Lahiri, in the first page of her novel, foreshadows both plot and character development: “Certain creatures laid eggs that were able to endure the dry season. Others survived by burying themselves in mud, simulating death, waiting for the return of rain.” It is not long before we know which of the brothers will endure the dry season and which will bury himself in mud. In her introduction to Narayan’s Malgudi Days collection of short stories, Lahiri, comparing Narayan and Maupassant, may just as well have been writing about herself and Narayan: “Both explore the frustrations of the middle class, the precariousness of fate, the inevitable longings that so often lead to ruin. Both create portraits of everyday life, and share a vision that is unyielding and unpitying.” As Narayan did with the townsfolk confronting change in Malgudi, Lahiri explores the evolving lives of people in a middle-class Calcutta neighborhood, an evolution that spans the birth of modern India (and births of the two brothers after World War II) to a 21st-century avatar of an India replete with “high-rise apartment buildings, glass-fronted offices.” In the middle of these decades, the novel’s critical inflection point is the death of

legal

UMA SUBRAMANIAN, J.D. Attorney-at-Law

• Family Law-Divorce/Custody/Support/ Restraining Orders • Criminal Defense • Immigration • Auto Accidents/Personal Injury • Evictions

(925) 935-1976

Fax (925) 935-1077 1855 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 210 Walnut Creek, CA 94596

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

BHATIA & CO, Inc.

BUSINESS & IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS ALL SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOF

Team of highly qualified professionals in US & India

IMMIGRATION

• We are immigration consultants bonded with the California secretary of state. We assist you in preparation of following petitions:

• H1B, H4, and other temporary work visas • L1A/ L1B (Intra Company transfers and including all related Corporate matters in US & India) • Employment Based Green Cards - PERM/ Eb1/ Eb2/ EB3/ NIW • Relative & Fiancée Petitions • Family-based Gcs • Adjustment of status and B-1/2 extension (We are not attorneys in the US)

NEERAJ BHATIA, CPA, CA 5201 Great America Pkwy., Suite 256, Santa Clara, CA 95054 Info@bhatiaco.com

TAX & ACCOUNTING AUDIT & REVIEW SERVICES INCORPORATION & BUSINESS CONSULT. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS INTERNATIONAL TAXATION – ACCT/ LEGAL

Office in India : 1/5 West Patel Nagar, Main Rd, New Delhi-110008. Tel : (91-11) 4508 4477

(408) 845-9411

www.bhatiaco.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 37

IndiaCurrents

Scan to Subscribe

Merry & Happy Christmas New Year Now you don't have to miss a single issue of our award-winning Indian-American monthly magazine. In celebration of 26 years in business, subscriptions to India Currents within California are now available for FREE!

Yes, please start my FREE subscription to India Curents! NAME (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)

ADDRESS (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)

CITY

STATE

ZIP

Offer valid in California only

EMAIL ADDRESS

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

SIGNATURE (required)

DATE

You must sign and date this form in order to receive your free subscription. Mail this form to:

India Currents Subscriptions 1885 Lundy Ave Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95131 Or Email to: subscribe@indiacurrents.com Fax to: (408) 324-0477 Sign up at www.indiacurrents.com Join us on Facebook and Twitter Please allow 4-6 weeks for the first issue to arrive.

Back issue $3 each, if available

38 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

the younger brother, Udayan, who becomes involved in the late 1960s Naxalite movement—a doomed, Mao-inspired revolution promoting redistribution of land to the tiller. The “lowland” of the book’s title is an expanse of land in the brothers’ neighborhood that, at the beginning of the novel, dips a few feet into the ground, just low enough to serve as a pond “thick with water hyacinth,” just high enough to serve as a shortcut for Subhash and Udayan to the “outskirts of the neighborhood.” By the first third of the novel, the lowland serves as both a hiding place for Udayan as he seeks to avoid capture by the police, as well as a muddy resting place for a stone marker commemorating his shortened life: “Here where the water came and went, where it collected and vanished, was where [Subhash’s] brother’s party comrades had chosen to put” the memorial tablet. By the end of the novel, Calcutta is reborn as Kolkata, and the lowland has disappeared, filled in to house the next generation, with all its dreams and despair, change and continuity. Like Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas, The Lowland conflates familial and political conflict. Lahiri’s Subhash is, and is not, Naipaul’s Mr Biswas: both are displaced men, at once removed from the larger patterns of their worlds and at the same time implicated by them. Mr Biswas is the product of an indentured diaspora; while his distant ancestors were from India, the history of his immediate family—parents and grandparents—is obliterated, impermanent like their mud and grass huts in the Trinidad countryside. While Subhash’s departure from India is voluntary—he joins a doctoral program in Rhode Island—it, too, yields an outsider’s sense of otherness: “He knew he had to be careful. He knew he could get arrested in America for denouncing the government ... He was here courtesy of a student visa ... He’d been invited to America

as Nixon’s guest.” Over time, Subhash settles into his American life, but like Mr Biswas’ neurotic isolation in Trinidad, Subhash’s life is an ongoing struggle to find home and self. What mattered to him and his family back home was largely irrelevant in the United States. Outside of India, the violent Naxalite uprising was buried in the Cold War preoccupation with the Vietnam War. In the midst of all the chaos of the outer world, Subhash seeks stability, order, and an identity that marks his individuality alongside, and apart from, his brother. It would seem that Rushdie’s showy magical realism and Lahiri’s quiet unadorned prose would have little to do with each other. And stylistically this would be true. But like Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, The Lowland signals the end of homogeneity, celebrating what Rushdie has called “mongrelization” and Lahiri sensibly leaves unlabeled. Where Rushdie shocks the reader with his reference to “bastard” children, Lahiri startles the reader with “fatherless” children for whom Subhash accepts paternal responsibility: “The coincidence coursed through him, numbing, bewildering. A pregnant woman, a fatherless child. Arriving in Rhode Island, needing him. It was a reenactment of Bela’s origins. A version of what had brought Gauri to him, years ago.” Without invoking a spoiler alert, it is perhaps helpful to obliquely convey that this mother/daughter pair forever links Subhash to Udayan, with Gauri being a wife of sorts to both, and Bela a daughter to one, but only in name. Perhaps this is how Lahiri speaks most eloquently to this reader. Serving as a kind of bridge between generations, she straddles both tradition and modernity. While honoring the world Subhash and Udayan come from—a world that their parents imagined would continue to exist with arranged marriages and a home complete with well-educated sons, respectful daughters-in-law, and happy grandchildren —Lahiri unsentimentally gives way to an altogether different future: “The house stood practically empty. A mockery of the future they’d assumed would unfold.” But a future does unfold—a brave new world “containing more information than anyone has need for.” And yet, “in a world of diminishing mystery, the unknown persists.” I certainly look forward to my next “bibliochat” with Jhumpa Lahiri and each of the brilliant characters that she mysteriously brings alive, helping me know them, her, and myself a bit more completely. n Over five decades, RCO and his brothers— Nirmal and Kamlesh—have shared the boundary of family with their sister, Savita, while finding their own way in the larger world.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 39

ADVERTORIAL

Investment Myth Number 4: Renting Property is the Best Way to Generate Income

I want to share a secret with you…

used to believe that the only way to generate income through real estate investing was by owning and renting property. I bought (and later sold) single family rental houses, fixed them up whenever necessary, and found tenants for each of them.

appreciation in the property that they are lending against. Private lending isn't for every investor, but the following are some of the reasons why you might consider it as part of your real estate and overall What I quickly learned was that being a landlord wasn't as easy investment strategy. as I expected. I had to deal with tenant issues and maintenance problems, and pay for “extras” I hadn't really considered like 1) The returns can be as good or better insurance and property taxes. (I soon found out why landlords like than those you get from renting to complain about the “three Ts” – tenants, toilets, and taxes!) property. CHARLES TRALKA 2) Your loan is secured by the equity in I didn't realize that there was another way to create income GCA Partner the property you are lending against. through real estate investing – a way that more sophisticated 3) Since you don't own the property, you don't have to manage investors had figured out which earned them solid returns without tenant or maintenance issues. the hassles of owning property directly. It's called “private lending”. 4) You can invest in loans for a wide range of property types. Why I Like Private Lending 5) Many different lending models are available from one investor / one loan to pooled funds. Private lending simply means providing loans that are secured by real property. The investor/lender earns money by collecting Contact us to learn more! interest for their loans and in some cases can also profit from To learn more about private lending, just call (408) 369-1571 x 102 or email info@gcaequitypartners.com GCA Equity Partners, LLC: 2105 South Bascom Avenue, Suite 190: Campbell, CA 95008: Telephone: 408 369 1571 x 102

40 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

insurance

Looking For A Better Deal On Auto Insurance?

* Visitors * New Immigrants

* Auto * Home * Life * Umbrella * Business,Work Comp.

* Students * H1, B1, J1, F1

Duabba Insurance Agency 2450 Peralta Blvd Suite 203, Fremont CA 94536 Phone: 510-797-7989 Fax: 510-794-7398 visit us @ farmers.com

Visitors Medical Insurance

Gurcharan Singh Mann Insurance Agent Lic. #OC70672

Contact: Padmaja Bapat Tel: (800) 204-1939

email: padmajabapat@yahoo.com

www.visitors-insurance.com

All Solutions Insurance Agency

INDEPENDENT BROKER

Also available:

• Home Insurance • Visitors Insurance • Life Insurance • Commercial Insurance • Health Insurance Call your one-stop broker

Amila Insurance Services

4340 Almaden Expressway, Suite 212, San Jose, CA 95118

Tel: (408) 723-2100 • Fax: (408) 723-0332 (Lic.# OD83085)

AMAR SEHGAL,

Most Competitive Rates & Friendly Service

“More than a Provider … a Partner”

Open Monday thru Saturday 915 Meridian Ave., Ste 209, San Jose, CA 95126

Want to Save 15% to 25%? Call...

SEETA BHANDARI @ 408-225-4300 HARISH & RAJNI KAPUR @ 951-247-2003

Northern California: 574 Blossom Hill Rd., *Auto * Home * Commercial * Truck San Jose, CA 95123 Lic. # Oe99424 * Business * Renter's * Health Ph: (408) 225-4300 2 Locations to serve you in Southern and Northern California Email: Seeta@allsolins.com $$$ NO BROKER FEES $$$ • We represent Top Rated Companies

Harish Kapur Rajni Kapur

Southern California: 22364 Alessandro Blvd., Moreno Valley, CA 92553 Lic. # 0C04291 Ph: (951) 247-2003 Email: Harish@allsolins.com

(408) 298-2194

Cell: (408) 506-9474, Fax: (408) 298-2748

email: asehgal@farmersagent.com

• Auto • Home/Renters • Life • Business • Health Individual & Group • Visitors’ Medical Gets you back where you belong.

MANJIT SINGH Exclusive Agent CA Lic. # 0C19465

• Auto • Life • Home • Business

• Renters • Health • Notary Public

Conveniently located next to 7-11

r NO Call foation Oblig ote Qu

Allstate Insurance Company 5725 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124

Tel: (408) 979-7980 Cell: (408) Fax: (408) 979-7983 E-mail: A034052@allstate.com 24 hrs a day/ 7 days a week

497-4141

Your Ad Here Merry Christmas

Seeta Bhandari

LUTCF

Insurance Specialist, Lic. #OB62962

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

FA R M E R S

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 41

Coverage will start on January 1, 2014

HAVE NO HEALTH INSURANCE?

NO PROBLEM! Enrollment will start on October 1, 2013 Duabba Insurance Agency is certified to sell COVERED CALIFORNIA individual, family and small business Health Plans Contact us to enroll

(510) 797-7989 License # 0C70672 Duabba Insurance Agency 2450 Peralta Blvd # 203 Fremont, CA 94536 42 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

insurance

RACHEL PAYNE INSURANCE AGENT (Lic.# 0834938)

915 Meridan Ave., Ste 210 San Jose, CA 95126

• AUTO • FIRE • LIFE • BUSINESS • TRAVELERS INS

(408) 885-1190

FAX (408) 298-3308 rpayne@farmersagent.com

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

Lic. #0773339

HEALTH INSURANCE Robert Ju

Platinium Broker

Toll Free.

1-888-771-1668 • 1-800-908-0883 • 1-888-855-4061

We are • Platinum Broker for Blue Cross • Elite Broker Blue Shield in California • VIP Broker for Health Net • Premier Broker for Cigna • • • • •

Best & Fast service from Premier Agent Phone Line Medicare Supplement 1st Year Save $180 2-500 Group Medical Insurance (Low Cost) Total Dual Senior Plan and Senior Plan Specialist Specialist, Briage Plan. GA Service you better and save you $$$ Life Insurance includes: long term care, chronic illness, and living benefits Affordable rate for auto and home insurance

www.robertju.com

•

FAX: (408) 996-8400

•

Robert@robertju.com

Robert Ju Insurance Agency - 7337 Bollinger Rd., Suite A, Cupertino, CA 95014 Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 43

finance

Factoring the Twitter IPO By Rahul Varshneya

f you have to guess who the hardest person to contact is, would you pick Pope Francis, Barack Obama or George Clooney? The answer is George Clooney because he doesn’t have a Twitter account.

Twitter, You Say?

Twitter is the 140 character messaging network that is redefining the way information virally travels from one corner of the world to the other. Twitter is the network that is used by the Who’s Who of the sports, entertainment, business and political world. Unlike other social media, Twitter has become the network of choice for the followers and the followed, the news creators and the news consumers. In the 21st century, it is an equalizing force for communication. Twitter filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in October 2013, which has led to debate about the company’s valuation as well as the social media business in general.

Tweeting Public

An IPO is a company’s decision to sell its stock to outside investors for the first time. Through an IPO, a company goes from being a private company to a public one. The main reason a company goes public is to raise money from the public to finance its growth. It allows the company to expand its capital base through equity funding in exchange for shared public ownership of the firm. Members of the public want to join the IPO to be a part of the future growth prospects of the company. Any individual shareholder who exceeds 5% ownership of outstanding (available for purchase) stock is considered a significant shareholder. Bill Gates, former CEO and founder of Microsoft, only owned between 19%-22% of the company at any given time. Although an IPO seems like the beginning of a company’s journey, many steps must be completed leading up to this event for it to be a successful one. The last few years have seen many famous companies go public—Linkedin, Facebook, Yelp and most recently Twitter. Some of these companies have had successful IPOs and others have floundered for various reasons.

44 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

A Piece of the Pie

The first step in the IPO process is establishing the underwriters of the IPO—the bank or banks that will lead the initial public offering, information which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through an S-1 form. These banks will be involved in establishing the IPO price and creating demand for the shares in return for a percentage of capital raised through the offering. Twitter filed its S-1 form on October 3 of this year naming Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley as the lead underwriters. The investment banks come in and perform due diligence on the client’s financial statements. In contrast to their public counterparts, private companies that are in the IPO stage do not have enough financial information to determine a valuation, so they are valued through a method called Comparable Transaction Approach. This method compares the company going IPO to other companies in the same industry that have gone public in the recent past as currently prevailing market conditions affect company valuations. One of the difficulties of this process is creating the right universe of companies to include in the analysis, they might be in a different stage of company lifecycle, they might differ in size or risk factors, or the market might treat the current IPO differently than in the past—many of which contributed to the inflated valuation of Twitter. The end goal of the pricing process is to come up with a price per share which is low enough to create demand in the market but high enough to raise the necessary capital for the company.

Taking the Show on the Road

Twitter has garnered a lot of attention since it filed for its IPO in early October. The initial price target set by Goldman Sachs was $17 to $20. In this IPO, like all others, a road show was held to stir up demand. A road show takes place for several months leading up to the IPO where company management meets with potential institutional investors (large Banks and Pension Funds), Fund Managers

and Investment Analysts to stir up demand for their stock offering. There was such a large demand for Twitter stock that Goldman Sachs bumped up the price from $23 to $25. The final price on IPO day was finally set at $26/share which is the price the large investors got to buy at. By the time individual investors were able to buy Twitter the stock had jumped into the $40s. On its first day, Twitter reached as high as $50 before settling at $42, where it has been trading at in the subsequent days.

Lofty Valuations

The pricing of Twitter’s shares has created a debate about lofty valuations for internet technology firms going public. In 2012, the business community had a similar debate when Facebook went public. At the time, with $3.7B in sales and implied valuation of around $104B, Facebook had a revenue multiple of 28x, compared to Google of just 5.1x. Now Twitter has come out with an astronomical 33x. Based on its revenue projections, whether they will meet the revenue target of $1.2B in 2014 up from $600M in 2013 remains to be seen. It has been a long time since a company going IPO has created such excitement. An increase in pricing from $17 to $26 and subsequently jumping into the $40s has largely been attributed to investors chasing a popular company rather than good financials. Warren Buffet aptly called it “emotional exuberance” at play and not substantiated by the business. In terms of timing, Twitter has entered the market at a much earlier stage in its life cycle than Facebook did. Supporters are optimistic about Twitter’s potential triple digit growth prospects and are throwing Facebook’s tapered growth and poor postIPO performance in the cynics’ faces. Is investing in Twitter a smart move or purely emotions at play—the world is watching intently. n Rahul Varshneya graduated from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University with a degree in finance and is working in the technology industry as a financial analyst. He is currently enrolled in the chartered financial analyst (CFA) program.

tax & accounting

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 45

tax . accounting PARVEEN MAHESHWARI

CPA/PFS, CFP ®, MS (TAX)

Tel: (650) 340-1400 Email: parveen@cpamax.com www.cpamax.com Over 20 years of experience

Tax & Accounting Services Business Services Corporation Returns Partnership/LLC Returns Accounting Services Business Consulting

Individual Services Tax Preparation Tax Planning Financial Planning

851 Burlway Road, Suite 201 Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel:

650.340.1400 www.cpamax.com

BHATIA & CO, Inc.

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS ALL SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOF

Team of highly qualified professionals in US & India

INTERNATIONAL TAX ISSUES

FBAR * OVDP * OVERSEAS INCOME / DEDUCTION * FOREIGN TAX CREDIT * OVERSEAS BRANCH/ SUBSIDIARY

TAX & ACCOUNTING

• Income Taxes - Individual & Business - C&S • Audit representation IRS/ FTB, etc • Sales & Other Taxes • Payroll Processing & Taxes NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com 46 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

• Non-profit formation • Federal & State Tax Exemption INCORPORATION & BUSINESS CONSULTING

IMMIGRATION CONSULTING

• L1 (Intra Company transfers including all related Corporate matters in US & India) • H1, H4, B1/ B2 extension , etc • Relative & Fiancée Petitions • Labor Cert , Green Card Petitions • Employment, EB1 & Family-based green card We are not attorneys in the US AUDIT & REVIEW

• Audit: Full Assurance • Review: Limited Assurance • Employee Benefit Plan Audit • Compilation-Lowest level of Assurance

• Incorporation & other corporate matters • Incorporation of Corporations - C & S Corps. • Setup of LLC, LLP, Branch Office, Sole PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN INDIA Proprietorship & Partnerships, • Dissolution of Corporation & Business matters • Accounting & other Process Outsourcing • Business Planning & Financial & Profit Planning • Indian Accounting, Tax & Corporate Matters

NEERAJ BHATIA, CPA, CA

5201 Great America Pkwy., Suite 256, Santa Clara, CA 95054 Info@bhatiaco.com

Office in India : 1/5 West Patel Nagar, Main Rd, New Delhi-110008. Tel : (91-11) 4508 4477

(408) 845-9411

www.bhatiaco.com

tax . accounting

HARSHAD SHAH • Income Tax Preparation • Year-round Bookkeeping • Buying & Selling Businesses & Homes • Setting Up Corporations

(408) 238-1200 Fax (408) 238-1276

2690 S. White Road, Suite 245, San Jose, CA 95148

Best Wishes for a Happy Year 2014!

JESSIE TAX SERVICES Specializing in: • Computerized Tax Return Preparation • Individual, Family & Small Businesses • Partnership & Corporation • Bookkeeping, Payroll & Sales Tax • IRS, FTB, Sales Tax, EDD Audits Representation

OUR GOALS:

JASWANT S. JESSIE

ENROLLED AGENT

KENT TAX

Chandrakant S. Chudgar B.A., LL.B., E.A. - TAX CONSULTANT

IRS AUDIT REPRESENTATION

Income Tax Service, Bookkeeping,

GLOBAL INCOME TAXATION

Payroll, Sales Tax...more

Tel: (510) 744-0753 Fax: (510) 744-0754 www.Kenttax.com

SUGU ARIA C.P.A., M.B.A., F.C.A.

countant

Certified Public Ac

Specializing in individuals, partnerships, corporations, start-ups, and small business

• ACCOUNTING AND TAXES • AUDITS & REVIEWS • BUSINESS PLANS • INCORPORATIONS • IRS AUDIT REPRESENTATION “ An experienced accountant and successful high tech entrepreneur ”

Member of IGLN of WCA (ID: 73419) An International Shipping & Logistics Service Provider Licensed & Bonded by Federal Maritime Commission servicing: • Ocean Import & Export containerized FCL-LCL shipments • Customs Clearance, Trucking & Door delivery to your warehouse • Competitive pricing offered Tel : (760) 861-1294 Fax : (760) 269 3125 snehal@gclogisticsinc.com

Snehal B. Jardosh MBA, CRM, ABR

SUGU ARIA C.P.A. A Professional Corp.

4100 Moorpark Ave. #100 San Jose, CA 95117

(408) 423-9600 www.suguariacpa.com

Fax: (408) 423-9800 • E-mail: sugu.atmt@sbcglobal.net

Your Ad Here Merry Christmas

www.jessietax.com

Executive II 2140 Peralta Blvd., Suite 113, Fremont, CA 94536

EXECUTIVE 11 2140 Peralta Blvd., Ste 113. Fremont, CA 94536

Enrolled Agent (EA), NTPI Fellow

• Phone (408) 736-2451 • Fax (408) 736-8626 Email: jessie@jessietax.com 1491 S. Wolfe Road, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 By Appointment Only

BUSINESS SERVICES

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

MULTI-FINANCIAL SERVICES

WE SPEAK TAX

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 47

advertorial

New Website Makes Comparing and Reviewing Money Transfer Services Easy The launch of CompareRemit.com now saves the immigrant community time, effort, and money when transferring funds to India

ompareRemit.com, a new online service offering non-resident immigrants, an unique way to quickly compare money transfer services and find the best value for their dollars when transferring money to India. The innovative website gives users a wealth of information and knowledge about remittance services. It is also designed to overcome the common hurdles faced by those transferring money, including finding the best exchange rate, ensuring that the transfer service is trustworthy and reliable, and getting the best value.

CompareRemit lets users immediately see today's dollar-rupee exchange rate as well as the exchange rate offered by the various remittance services such as Western Union, MoneyGram, Xoom, and many more. Customers can quickly find the best exchange rate across many money transfer services without having to visit multiple remittance websites. All

the services on CompareRemit are free to the user. Prior to CompareRemit, people transferring money to India were required to navigate many money transfer websites to compare foreign exchange rates, features, services, and fees before identifying the service they should use. The hassle was so great that many took the easy route by choosing based on brand and missing out on better exchange rates. The CompareRemit website eliminates those problems and gives customers greater control and the ability to choose features and services that suit their needs by visiting a single website. Plus, the customers of CompareRemit can read and post reviews to help them choose based on real customer feedback.

“ … an unique and innovative online platform to compare various money transfer services to India. " people spend far too much time trying to figure out the best remittance service. Remittance is a billion-dollar-a-year industry and CompareRemit is a gamechanger within that industry. It will change how remittance works for the future of non-resident Indians by helping them make smart, informed decisions about transferring money in the most reliable and least expensive way.”

The site is designed to bridge the gap between customers trying to send money and the various remittance Rajeev Shr i v as t av a, CE O of service providers. The goal is to help CompareRemit.com, remarks, “Most customers make the best choice about where and when to transfer money. Using CompareRemit, customers can view exchange rate trends and get alerts about exchange rates to ensure that they are getting the best value for their money. CompareRemit is a new service launched by a reputable company known for delivering invaluable services to the Indian immigrant community through other platforms like Path2usa, Trackitt, and Lawbench. CompareRemit is committed to maintaining the same level of commitment and high standards of service through its money transfer service.

Get the Most for Your Dollar. A few extra pennies can make a big difference cash pick-up 48 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

tax . accounting

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 49

STRATEGIC BUSINESS ADVISORS & CONSULTANTS A FULL SERVICE ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR BUSINESS & INDVIDUALS ACCOUNTING, TAX & PAYROLL FOR: CORPORATIONS

INDVIDUAL OWNERS

LLC

IRS OR CA STATE TAX PROBLEMS?

PARTNERSHIPS

LET OUR EXPERTS DEAL WITH THE IRS & STATE.

S CORPORATIONS

ASHOOR BETHISHOU MBA CPA

(408) 334-2365

bcocpa@yahoo.com

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF EXEPTIONAL SERVICE TO OUR CLIENTS & FRIENDS

INDIA CURRENTS

Mail this form to:

Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Now you don't have to miss a single issue of our awardwinning Indian-American monthly magazine. In celebration of 25 years in business, subscriptions to India Currents within California are now available for FREE!

Yes, please start my FREE subscription to India Currents! NAME (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) ADDRESS (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) CITY

STATE

ZIP

India Currents Subscriptions 1885 Lundy Ave Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95131

Or Sign up at www.indiacurrents.com Join us on Facebook and Twitter Please allow 4-6 weeks for the first issue to arrive. Back issues $3 each, if available

Scan to Subscribe

EMAIL ADDRESS

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

SIGNATURE (required)

DATE

Merry & Happy Christmas New Year

You must sign and date this form in order to receive your free subscription. 50 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 51

travel

Spellbinding Silk Road By Bob Rupani

From Astrakhan to Tashkent, traveling the historic trade route

ur world and way of life has been shaped by events, inventions, explorations and ancient trade routes like the historic Silk Road. I recently drove on this fabled journey with the Silk Road 2013 Expedition. This overland expedition was organized by Land Rover Experience Germany and included 11 very well prepared vehicles. I joined the expedition in Astrakhan Russia and drove till Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, traversing through Kazakhstan.

The Silk Significance

The Minaret of Kalyan and the Mosque of Kalyan in Bukhara The Silk Road Trails

The double hump-backed camel 52 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

The Silk Road connected Hindustan (as India was known then), Tibet and China to places as far away as Rome and Greece. This route was traversed by traders, pilgrims, soldiers, nomads, etc. for a period of about 2,000 years. Though trade on this road is said to have begun in (202 BCE—220 CE), the name “The Great Silk Road” was only given in the 12th century CE by the German geographer and geologist Ferdinand Von Richthofen. Stretching some 6,213 miles, the Silk Road gets its name from the profitable trade in Chinese and Indian silk. Indian spices were in great demand at the time, but silk played the most important role in the development of this trade route. Once Alexander the Great came over the Khyber Pass, direct trade links were developed by merchants from Greece, Egypt and Rome with the princely kingdoms of Hindustan. The fine Indian silk reached China mainly through Tibet via what is now known as the “Hindustan-Tibet” road. The Indian silk and famous “gold zari’ work or embroidery became most popular with foreign aristrocrats. Here’s a fascinating bit of trivia: Indian silk was used as protection for warriors. It was worn under the armor, as it had the unique ability to help pull out arrowheads from a solder’s body. Along with silk many other goods were traded and various technologies, religions and philosophies, cultural practices, languages, recipes and cuisine also spread via the Silk Road. The Bactrian camel was the main pack animal for the caravans, because of its ability to withstand cold, drought, and high alti-

tudes. It carried loads of up to 550 pounds and traveled 31 miles a day! And thanks to the Silk Road, some Bactrian camels are still found in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh.

Over the Khyber Pass

A large portion of the Silk Road passed through Central Asia and many historians believe that the climate and geography of this region played a crucial part in the world’s history, especially that of India. The arid weather was not conducive to agriculture, and this resulted in a nomadic lifestyle for the people of the steppe regions. These nomads became very accomplished horseback riders and their way of life was well suited to warfare. They started moving out and conquering other territories, which made them even stronger. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, also came from this region. He was born in 1483 in contemporary Uzbekistan. He was a direct descendant of Timur, through his father, and a descendant of Genghis Khan from his mother’s side. In 1504, he crossed the Hindu Kush Mountains and captured Kabul. He then went over the Khyber Pass and reached Hindustan. In February 1526, Babur’s 17-year-old son, Humayun (Father of Emperor Akbar), led the Timurid army into battle against Ibrahim Lodi, the Afghan who ruled the Delhi Sultanate then, and achieved a decisive victory. In the Battle of Panipat, fought in April 1526, Ibrahim Lodi was killed and his army defeated. Babur became ruler of both Delhi and Agra and thus began the Mughal Dynasty in India. The Silk Road eventually faded from prominence because Portuguese explorers like Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India and landed in Calicut (now Kozhikode) in 1498. In 1513, the first European trading ship reached the coasts of China, and this event marked the end of the historic Silk Road.

A local on horseback in Kazakhstan

The Road Less Traveled

Traversing through Kazakhstan, I was fascinated to see how sparsely populated the region is. It’s the ninth largest country in the world, but with just 17 million people, its population is only the 62nd largest. What’s even more significant is that its population density is less than 16 people per square mile! Compare this with India, which is the seventh-largest country and the second-most populous one with over 1.27 billion people (by a recent estimate). But more importantly, the population density is almost 1,100 people per square mile. (United States is 84 per square mile.) This means that when you travel across a country like Kazakhstan, you wonder where the people are. In between cities you have vast stretches of desert flatlands and steppe grasslands that are completely uninhabited. You can drive for 300 miles and not see even five people! In fact we saw more camels than people. Surprisingly, we did not see a single tree in Kazakhstan and no land being cultivated either. But we did see some horses and horsemen herding sheep. This desert land is barren and bare, but beautiful.

The Caravan Cities of Uzbekistan

After we crossed into Uzbekistan the “land of the Uzbeks” we began to see a few more people, but even here the population density is about 158 people per square mile. Along the way we came across many Bactrian double humped camels—heroes of the historic Silk Road.

Magak-i-Attari, Bukhara

While traveling along the Silk Road we visited the Aral Sea, which was once one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 26,254 sq miles. Since the 1960s, it’s been shrinking rapidly because the rivers that fed it were diverted by the Soviet government for irrigation projects. By 2007, the Aral Sea had become 10% of its original size. This is “one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters” that’s resulted in the creation of a desert on the former lake bed. Fishing boats now lie scattered on the dry land and it’s actually a very depressing sight. Fortunately, everything else we saw in Uzbekistan was beautiful. The historic cities of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara are simply spectacular. Along with Bukhara, Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Interestingly, Khiva and Samarkand are both on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, and Bukhara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fishing boats on the once thriving Aral Sea

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 53

Made famous by Tamerlane, the TurkoMongol ruler, Samerkand contains the world’s greatest collection of Islamic architecture. The intricate tilework and soaring domes are visible everywhere and especially at Tamerlane’s resting place, the Gur Amir. The minarets, mosques, markets, mausoleums, madrassas, etc, all have a distinctive architectural style with decorations highlighted in shades of turquoise. Bukhara has the oldest surviving mosque in Central Asia—the Magak-i-Attari, dating back to the twelfth century. Built in 1807, the Char-Minar (as it is also known) or Four Minarets, (we have one in the Indian city of Hyderabad too), is a little building full of character. It consists of four turrets with small turquoise cupolas and a square domed house between them. Khiva used to be a slave trading hub and its walled boundaries suggest a once bustling well-protected marketplace. It’s a day trip to Khiva and its various buildings, mosques and minarets display the inticacies of majolica tiles, some engraved with proverbs by yesteryear philosphers.

A Food Mecca

This entire region is a tourist’s delight and we were greeted with warm smiles everywhere, but what was strange is that when asked where I was from; if I said India—it evoked hardly any response. But when I said Hindustan, there was instant recognition and I was often greeted with a namaste. In fact a local FM station in Uzbekistan also plays Hindi film songs on a show called “Namaste Hindustan.” Many words used in Uzbekistani are familiar, too. They call their sandy places or deserts, registan, exactly the word Indians use to refer to deserts. Shops are known as dukan, gardens as bagh, mother as maa, etc. Uzbek women too wear a dress known as salwar which is identical to the Indian salwar kameez. The food in Uzbekistan is fantastic and familiar. Kebabs, naan, pilaf (similiar to

pulao), and somsa (baked samosa). Yes, samosas are almost always baked in Central Asia and never fried. They are baked in round clay tandoors and sold on the streets as a hot snack. All the food is truly delectable and I particularly enjoyed the kebabs which are served with raw onions and a much thicker version of the naan, than what we eat in India. The naan in Uzbekistan is like thick pita bread and sold everywhere. It’s rarely eaten hot and interestingly, the naan bread is considered to be holy for the Uzbek people. According to their tradition, when someone leaves home he bites a small piece of obi-non (naan) and it is kept until the traveler comes back and eats the whole bread. The origin of kebabs is equally charming. Uzbeks say it was born out of shortage of cooking fuel and the dish was invented by medieval soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires! One of the most popular sweets in Uzbekistan is halva. It’s delicious and considered a must at weddings. In fact during courtship, it’s customary for an Uzbek youth to bring halva for his fiancée. When a baby girl is born into an Uzbek family, she is also reffered to as “halva.” They also have many chai-khanas (tea-houses), where you are served a piala (cup) of chai (tea)! The Silk Road connected countries, cultures and people in a most unique manner and this made my overland journey thoroughly enjoyable and educative. n Bob Rupani is a pioneering Indian automobile journalist and author of books such as Driving Holidays in India and India’s 100 Best Destinations. His latest book More Driving Holidays in India released recently.

A woman selling Uzbek naan, which resembles pita bread 54 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

A palace in Samarkand

Three Uzbek women dressed in salwars

A kebab stall in Uzbekistan

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

KRISHNA RESTAURANT

and

PURE VEGETARIAN FOOD

DAILY LUNCH

• • • • • •

for Latest news  Special event invitations  Exclusive content  Behind the scene photos  Contests

Chapati or Puri Vegetable Dal & Rice Farsan & Chatni Pickle Sweet Dessert

Served From:

11 am - 2:30 pm

SUNDAY SPECIAL DINNER

Served From:

Served on Sunday Only:

Chapati or Puri 2 Vegetables Dal or Kadhi Rice or Pulav Pickle & Papad Sweet Dessert 5 pm - 8 pm

Take Out or Eat In

DAILY DINNER

• • • • • •

550+ TAX $ 700+ TAX

Take Out or Eat in

FARSAN

SNACKS INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

Rotala Khicadi & Kadhi Vegetable Bhaji or Bhartu Pickle & Papad Sweet Dessert 5 pm - 8 pm

Take Out or Eat In

700+ TAX

Papadi Ganthia Hot Mix Thin Sev Chakli Garlic Sev

Khaman-Dokhla $2.99/plate or $7.00/lb Bhel Puri $2.99/plate Kachori $1.99/plate Samosa $1.99/plate

510-656-2336

• • • • • •

$7.00/lb $7.00/lb $7.00/lb $7.00/lb $7.00/lb

Business Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm

40645 Fremont Blvd. #1 Fremont, CA 94538

Over 20,000 sq.ft. With games, rides, jump house, largest maze

www.kidscastlenewark.com Best Speciality Original Desi Pizza Place

KIDS CASTLE TIMINGS: THU. 6 pm - 9 pm FRI. 6 pm - 10 pm SAT. 10 am to 10 pm SUN. 10 am to 9 pm

$10 TOKENS GET $3 TOKENS

FREE WITH COUPON ONLY

WOW!! DEAL

14” Large ANY PIZZA 1 Pitcher of Soda & 50 Tokens

$27.49

Kids Party Package

STARTING AT

95 /Child

00 OFF ANY LARGE PIZZA

NOT VALID WITH DELIVERY & OTHER OFFERS. MUST PRESENT COUPON

Expires 01/31/14

BUY

LIMIT 1 COUPON PER CUSTOMER

(510) 791-2096

Expires 01/31/14

www.indiacurrents.com

Desi Pizza Expires 01/31/14

@ indiacurrents / indiacurrents

VE WE HA E ID CURBS RKING PA PICKUP

Inside Kid’s Castle

35145 Newark Blvd., Newark

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 55

recipes

Savor the Flavor By Praba Iyer, Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

Favorite holiday recipes—the warm taste of home and hearth

Samosa Pie with Goji Berry Chutney

e all know that deep fried foods are not healthy foods, and we all love samosas. I created this savory Samosa Pie as a healthy option to traditional fried samosas. Serve Samosa Pie as an entree for lunch or supper or as an appetizer after cutting into thin slices with your favorite chutney. Try my new invention: Goji Berry Chutney.

cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of corn meal. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing it in with a fork until the mixture begins to hold together. Gather the dough into a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Divide the dough into two balls, wrap them in a plastic or wax paper and refrigerate Samosa Pie

Samosa Pie

Ingredients for the crust: 2½ cups unbleached white flour 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, or vegan “buttery” alternative, chilled and cut into pea-size pieces ½ tsp salt 4 tbsp chilled water For the filling: 3 tbsp vegetable oil 3 tbsp finely chopped green or yellow onion 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes 1 cup grated carrots ¾ cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen and thawed ¼ teaspoon each cumin, turmeric, and coriander powders 1 tsp garam masala or a mixture of ¼ tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom 3 tbsp cilantro, freshly chopped ½ cup water juice of one lemon salt and cayenne powder to taste Method You can use your favorite pie crust recipe or follow one of the following two methods. i) Using a food processor, combine all the ingredients for the crust except for the water. Pulse for a few minutes until the butter is integrated into the flour. Add the water, a little at a time, just until the dough starts to form a solid mass. ii) To make the dough by hand, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry 56 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

for 30 minutes while preparing the filling. To prepare the filling Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions until limp. Add the vegetables and spices. Sauté for several minutes. Add the water and lemon juice, cover, and cook until the potatoes are just soft. Do not overcook. If too much liquid remains, stir fry the mixture uncovered for a few minutes to dry it. Add salt and cayenne to taste. Set aside. When the dough has chilled, place one of the two pieces on a piece of waxed paper and flatten it a bit. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and roll it out into a 10-inch circle. Repeat with the other piece. Place the crusts, waxed paper and all, into the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the pie crusts from the freezer and let them thaw for a few minutes. Remove the waxed paper and spread one crust into an oiled pie plate. Prebake this crust for 15 minutes, until it starts to change color. Remove it from the oven and fill with the vegetable mixture. If the mixture looks dry, sprinkle the

surface with a few drops of water. Cover the filling with the second crust, pinching the edges to seal. Prick the top crust all over the surface with a fork, brush with oil, and bake for about an hour until the pie is golden brown. Serve with a chutney.

Goji Berry Chutney

Goji berries are native to China, where they are traditionally used as a tonic to reduce agerelated vision problems, inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure. The nutritional profile of these berries is extremely impressive, with a good amount of antioxidants. Goji berries that have been dehydrated in the sun or at a very low temperature are often found in the “raw food” section of health food stores. Their mostly sour, slightly sweet flavor makes them a good ingredient for condiments. 1 cup dried goji berries ½ cup hot water 3 tbsp sweetener: honey, sugar, agave syrup or maple syrup l tbsp freshly grated ginger 1/8 tsp each ground cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne Soak the berries in the hot water for 30 minutes. Place them with the water and the rest of the ingredients into the jar of a blender or food processor. Blend to a fine puree. Let the chutney sit, covered, for at least 15 minutes before opening. Transfer to a glass jar with a tight lid and chill before serving. This chutney will keep well in the refrigerator for at least a month. n Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, author of Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine, lives in San Francisco, where she is manager and coowner of Other Avenues, a health-food store.

Ribbon Pakoda

Ingredients 2 cups rice flour 1 cup chickpea flour ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon asafoetida salt to taste 2 tablespoons butter ½ - ¾ cup water oil to fry a murukku/chakli press with a two slit plate* Method Place the rice flour on a sieve and sift it

into a microwaveable glass bowl and heat it in a microwave oven for two minutes. Remove and sift the chickpea flour into the same bowl. Add the cayenne pepper, asafoetida and salt. Grate the butter into the

Ribbon Pakoda Press

still remember the long strands of crispy delight that we would munch while watching cricket test matches on TV in Chennai. When my mom moved to California, she taught me her recipe, which is still the favorite in my home. It has been a nonstop crowd pleaser, from my son’s friends in the neighborhood, to our own friends every Diwali. A bowl filled with mom’s ribbon pakoda (or pokkodam as she would say) with a hot cup of ginger chai is my all time simple pleasure.

Ribbon Pakoda

Delightfully Crisp flour mixture and using your fingers mix it into the flour to make a crumbly texture. Slowly add water little by little to make a soft dough. Check seasoning. Heat oil in a wok to about 350 degrees or check by placing a wooden ladle in the center. If there are bubbles forming around the ladle the oil is hot and ready for frying. Keep a pan lined with paper napkins to drain the oil from the fried pokkodams. Make sure that the murukku press has a two-slit plate attached tightly. Place a lemon sized ball of dough into the the press. Lower the heat to medium and then press the dough into the oil in a circular pattern. Keep the heat on medium and fry the pokkodam by flipping it a couple of times till it is golden yellow in color. Remove and drain it on a the pan with paper napkins. Once it is cool to touch, taste to make sure it is crisp and has a little bite of the cayenne. Enjoy! n Praba Iyer teaches custom cooking classes around the SF Bay Area. She also blogs about cooking at rocketbites.com.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 57

58 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 59

24 C,

AD PROOF

Contact: ADITYA PESHWARIA Client: ANU PESHWARIA Fax: PDF aditya@anuattorney.com Please indicate any changes or corrections needed on this proof, and e-mail/fax it back to us. India Currents Fax: (408) 324-0477 Initials

NEW YEAR EVE PARTY 2014 Starts at 8:30 pm • Dress Code: No Sports Attire For Adults only with food, drinks, music, etc. Pre-Fixed Dinner, Champagne, Bottle Service, etc. Starting at $100 per person (Minimum group of 4 and above)

Ad is Correct

FEATURED Needs Changes ENTERTAINMENT Every Saturday Night - Indian Music & Dance DEREK&NUNES DJ Love playing Rocking Pulsating Music 1885 Ave., Suite 220 Dec. 7, Dec. 21 andLundy Dec. 31, 2013 SanCode: Jose, No CA Sports 95131 Attire 10 pm to 1 am • Dress

(408) 324-0488 / (714) 523-8788 FAX: (408) 324-0477

For Advanced Booking: • Email: iclounge2@gmail.com • (408) 245-8500 • IC-Lounge.com 195 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 60 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Date

dining . catering

NCH U L Y DAIL CIALS SPE

Caterin g fo occasi r your o our spe n is ciality.

Food for your SOUL

Serving Authentic Indian Snacks & Veg Thali Celebrating 11 Years in Indian CuIsine and Chatpate Snacks

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Snacks & Refreshing Drinks . Catering Services

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

WE SELL FRESH ROTIS EVERY DAY

3 Locations for your convenience

• 889, E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 - (408) 733-9000 • 939, W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 - (408) 733-1111 • 46465 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 505-9999

www.chaatus.com

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 61

RESTAURANT PRESENTS

31st December, 2013 Doors Open at 8 pm On-Line Tickets Available on:

For Group Tickets Call:

(408) 481-0700 1214 APOLLO WAY, STE 404B SUNNYVALE, CA 94085

LIVE DJ with DJ Preeth

1214 APOLLO WAY, STE 404B SUNNYVALE, CA 94085

31st December, 2013 Doors Open at 8 pm On-Line Tickets Available on:

For Group Tickets Call:

(408) 481-0700

LIVE DJ with DJ Preeth

62 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

CST: 2021480-40

TRAVEL MERCHANTS Serving the community for 19 years.

Providing cost saving, innovative travel management solutions.  Superior customer service and extensive knowledge and experience to make all of your travel arrangements trouble-free and cost effective!  Competitive air fares for the South Asian region especially for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, and Sri Lanka etc.  Our main goal is to provide fast, reliable and convenient service for all of our customers

AGENTS FOR ALL MAJOR AIRLINES www.TravelMerchants.com

Consolidators for

1312 ROLLINS ROAD, BURLINGAME, CA 94010

FREMONT, CA

Tel: 650-348-7000 • Fax: 650-348-7007

Tel: 510-791-9000 • Fax: 510-745-0801

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 63

travel

SUNNYVALE TRAVEL

CST# 1007750-10

SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS

days 7 n e Op k SPECIALIZING IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL a wee TO

INDIA • EUROPE • HAWAII Consolidator for Major Airlines www.sunnyvaletravel.net WE OFFER PACKAGES FOR:

LENT EXCEL E AT SERVIC ITIVE T COMPE ES I PR C

EMERGENCIES CALL (408) 499-3906 (408) 245-5090 FOREMAIL US: Info@SunnyvaleTravel.net

WE OFFER FARES FROM INDIA

251 SOUTH MATHILDA AVE. SUNNYVALE, CA 94086

TRIPS &Wholesale TRAVEL S AI TRAVELS Direct Airfares to public Established in 1982

• Air India • Cathay Pacific • Lufthansa • Singapore Airline • EVA Air • American Air • Korean Air • Emirates Air • and many more • Hyderabad • Amritsar • Delhi • Mumbai • Bangalore • Colombo • Calcutta • Dhaka • Cochin • Chennai • Trivandrum For More Information Please Call:

(408) 737-7000

1250 Oakmead Parkway, Ste 101, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Atultishere@yahoo.com

Fax: (408) 737-3647

64 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Monday thru Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Full Time Agents Required Fax Resume

(408) 737-3647

travel

Universal Travel And have a DUBAI stopover!

Cost Includes: • 2 nights hotel accommodation in Dubai • Daily hotel breakfast • Return Dubai Airport transfers • Dhow cruise with dinner • Desert safari with dinner • Half day Dubai city tour

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Where your journey begins... 3days/2 nights in Dubai FLY Emirates Airlines to India Starting at $199.00 per person

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

CST#2038722-40

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

International Airlines Travel Agent Network

Wholesalers for Major International INDIA • PAKISTAN • BANGLADESH FAR EAST • SOUTH PACIFIC • CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA FULL SERVICE AGENCY WITH PACKAGES TO HAWAII/MEXICO AND TOURS TO INDIA/ASIA-PACIFIC/EUROPE AND SOUTH PACIFIC

CONSOLIDATED FARES ON Prompt Service • Seats Available Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Ask for our Stopover Packages China Airlines, Korean, Asiana, United, Call for Special Fares Lufthansa, American, Delta.

916-429-2711

www.universaltravel.com

Specialists in Tickets from India to USA

Pay in US$ or in INR for Tickets originating from India 10% Off Travel Insurance for your parents when buying Air Tickets with us

Putting service first to meet all your business or personal travel needs.

TEL: (916) 932-2198

Yaan Travels offers a massive selection of airlines, flights and fares, many never previously available online, so you can find the lowest prices and best schedule options for all your local and international travel.

sales@expresswaytravel.com

www.ExpresswayTravel.com AD Offices PROOF in California Chennai

We are experts in top luxury vacations, cruises and tours.

(408) 256-6897 www.yaantravels.com

TRAVELS.COM

Book Online • Domestic Flights

• International Flights • Car Rentals • Hotels • Vacation Packages

& Contact: PETE PATEL Client: UNIVERSAL TRAVEL CST# 2072106-40 Fax: pete@universaltravel.com Please indicate any changes or corrections CST# 2062437-40 needed on this proof, and e-mail/fax it back to us.

India Currents Fax: (408) 324-0477 Initials

Date

(510) 249-9333 Ad is Correct (408) 243-5495

Needs ChangesEFax: (510) 257-1756

AMERICAN EXPRESS 3712

95006

C F FROST

Email@3stravels.com DEREK NUNES 465001885 Fremont Blvd., #716, LUNDY AVE., STE 220 SAN JOSE, CA 95131 Fremont, CA 94538

g Servin (408) 324-0488 / (714) 523-8788 e th FAX: (408) 324-0477 munity

Appointed agent for COX & KINGS

com 995 since 1

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 65

travel

Merry Christmas

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

DDEEPAK T TRAVELS CALIFORNIA

Wholesale Prices On Most Major Airlines CST # 206548740

CHEAP FARES Offer Competitive Fares Originating From India to USA From: Bombay / Delhi / Calcutta / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Trivandrum etc. Special Discounts for Europe and Domestic Travel Within USA

MOVED TO NEWS S ADDRE

For further details contact Rita: (408) 735-7849 or fax (408) 735-0526 542 Lakeside Dr., Suite 2E, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 • E-mail: rita@deepaktravels.com

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

PLAZA

SPAN TRAVELS AND TOURS

TRAVEL LINE (INTERNATIONAL) FOR ALL YOUR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

WE SPEAK HINDI, TELUGU, TAMIL, MARATHI AND PUNJABI.

* CONSOLIDATOR FARES TO ALL MAJOR CITIES IN INDIA * BEST DEALS TO HYD, MAA, BLR, COK, AND DEL, BOM. * TOUR PACKAGES TO EUROPE, HAWAII AND MEXICO.

Special India R/T * Pakistan * Bangladesh cial Spe es to kag Pac waii & a H xico Me

Prices subject to change without notice

Spe

cial

Bhadresh Jhaveri (Surat) PaInckaTgoeusr fo dia r Euro & Asha B. Jhaveri pe (415) 362-3577 • (415) 362-3508 plazatravelline@sbcglobal.net Fax: (415) 362-3564 Newark Office: (510) 770-1978 Open : 10 am - 6 pm Daily

39628 Potrero Dr., Newark, CA 94560

Offers escorted travel and vacation packages worldwide with: www.spantravels.com WE SPECIALIZE FROM INDIA FARES CA Seller of trv regn# 2059835-40

408.235.7711

2118 Walsh Avenue, Ste #145, Santa Clara, CA 95050 Email: spantravels@aol.com

BB Travel Experts

CST # 2112876-50

AIRLINES • CRUISE • RAIL • CAR RENTALS

Most Economical and Competitive World Wide Airlines ticketing with a personal touch and live agents. To & From USA, Canada, India, Pakistan, China, HongKong & other Countries. Call or e-mail us: Bomi Patel BB Travel Experts

(408) 264-4395 (408) 390-0750

email: bbtes9@gmail.com www.bbtravelexperts.com

No frills, no unpleasant surprises Just good service & low travel rates

International Airlines Travel Agent Network

PUNJAB TRAVEL punjabtravel@gmail.com • CSTR# 1001108-10

AD P Contact: SPA

We are the travel agency that understands all your needs

Call VARSHA

(510) 799-8300 amglotravels@gmail.com Reg.# 2069369-40

66 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

SAN JOSE

(408) 441-7570

SACRAMENTO

(916) 226-6393

Client: RA Fax: PD FREMONTPlease indicate a needed on this proo (510) 824-8009

India Current

relationship diva

Nothing in Common? By Jasbina Ahluwalia

After 29 years of marriage, my husband just told me that he wants to separate, because he no longer thinks we have anything in common. I’m not sure what to do. How do I deal with the idea that we have nothing in common? We’ve shared so much together over the years. We married in our early twenties, unlike people today, and it’s hard for me to come to grips with what I’m hearing.

When your husband claims you have nothing in common, even though you have a long shared history, it’s possible he is making an excuse to distance himself from you. Maybe his feelings aren’t clear even to himself. It is possible your husband may feel that he is trapped in a marriage/ relationship that he began when he was very young and that he never had an opportunity to explore his own independence. When he says that you have nothing in common, it almost sounds like he is trying to separate himself from you and to prove how different he is from you.

If you wish to continue investing in the relationship with the hopes of potential reconciliation, try these remedial measures: • Instead of trying to convince your husband of all the things you have in common, let him know you appreciate how much he has grown and changed over the years. • Show an interest in learning more about any of his hobbies, work or sports activities which genuinely appeal to you on some level. • Ask if he will attend marriage counseling with you. It’s possible he will be more receptive to a third party’s perspective At the same time, do not lose sight of your own needs. Continue to invest in your own interests and circle of friends. i) Join a group that enjoys the same activities as you, like a book club or a movie night club. ii) Volunteer for a local charity or political organization. iii) Think about exploring a new interest. No one wants to give up on a marriage

INDIA CURRENTS Now you don't have to miss a single issue of our awardwinning Indian-American monthly magazine. In celebration of 25 years in business, subscriptions to India Currents within California are now available for FREE!

NAME (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) ADDRESS (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) CITY

STATE

ZIP

Jasbina is the founder and president of Intersections Match, the only personalized matchmaking and dating coaching firm serving singles of South Asian descent in the United States. She is also the host of Intersections Talk Radio. Jasbina@intersectionsmatch.com.

Mail this form to:

Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Yes, please start my FREE subscription to India Currents!

after having made a lifetime commitment to another person. Divorce can be very hard and take a very real emotional and financial toll, no matter who initiates it. If your husband decides not to come back to you after your separation, remember that he is an independent person and his decision may have less to do with you than with his own issues. In such a case, ask yourself if you want to be in a marriage where you are the only person working on staying together. You deserve to be appreciated and valued for who you are, as well as in a relationship where both people are mutually invested. n

India Currents Subscriptions 1885 Lundy Ave Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95131

Or Sign up at www.indiacurrents.com Join us on Facebook and Twitter Please allow 4-6 weeks for the first issue to arrive. Back issues $3 each, if available

Scan to Subscribe

EMAIL ADDRESS

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

SIGNATURE (required)

DATE

Merry & Happy Christmas New Year

You must sign and date this form in order to receive your free subscription. Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 67

music

2013 Bollywood Music Countdown

usic directors these days are pushing the boundaries of vocal phenomenon with timbre, pitch, frequency, volume, bass, voice and

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero

By Vidya Sridhar rhythm, among others. My yardstick for the 2013 top ten albums is simple: Does the music have emotional appeal? Does it make me want to hit the repeat button? What

Lootera

about rhythm and lyrics? n Vidya Sridhar works at NASA and is a mom of two elementary school children. She lives and breathes all things filmi.

Ram Leela

Music: Amit Trivedi

Music: Pritam This is an all out fun album, which lives up to all its expectations. Almost all the songs are good. The “Agal Bagal” number is fun and so is “Hey Mr. DJ.” It helps that my youngsters adore it. The album balances out with Rahat’s “Mere Bina.” n

This album opens with “Sawaar Loon” and you fall in love with the Hindustani sounds. The songs aptly suit the historical aspect of the movie and are lovely, lilting numbers. Not for your dance enthusiast, though. The songs remind me of 1942—A Love Story. The music is memorable; the songs are delightful and totally original. n

Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

Music: Monty Sharma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali This audio is reminiscent of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and, like its predecessor, is a treat for all music lovers. Sanjay Leela Bhansali turns music composer and this album is a mix of folk and fusion songs. All ten songs are culturally nourishing, there is no room for remixes or pop flavor in this album, but all of the songs deserve to be heard and enjoyed. “Nagada Sang Dhol,” in particular, is my favorite both for the visual and cultural treat it provides. n

Satyagraha

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara

Music: Vishal Shekhar Music: Salim-Sulaiman, Indian Ocean, Meet Bros Anjjan, Aadesh Shrivastava The album kicks off with a contemporary version of “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.” The mood of rebellion is conveyed with the music, but made more memorable with Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics. The album has a classical base to it. “Aiyo Ji” and “Raske Bhare Tore Naina” are the most memorable tracks. n 68 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

This Karan Johar production will probably deliver if the music is anything to go by. (The movie hasn’t been released at the time of this writing.) A fun soundtrack with peppy dance numbers and slow romantic ones. The track features 9 songs and the ones that jump out almost literally are “Tooh” and “Chingam Chabake.” The lyrics are clever and amusing. “Naina” is the most beautiful song on the album. It’s lower on my list because it’s up and coming but definitely noteworthy. n

Music: Pritam This movie takes us on a journey through a bygone era and the soundtrack aptly has a retro feel to it. Pritam has paired traditional qawwali numbers with lovely Hindustani music and this sequel delivers. We even have an old favorite “Tayyab Ali” with a new flavor. n

travel

ADVERTISE IN

A NAME TO REMEMBER

TRAVEL

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

CST #2023580-40

IT WORKS! “We would like to thank India Currents for the wonderful opportunity it has offered ‘Most Unique Parties & Ponies’ to meet and entertain the fun and friendly Indian families of the Bay Area.” - Mike & Sari Most Unique Parties & Ponies

Cathay Pacific

TOURS TO INDIA TOURS TO EUROPE We Accept All Major Credit Cards Open: Mon-Fri: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm • Sat: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm 46596 Mission Blvd. (Between 680 & 880 Hwy) Fremont, CA 94539

(510) 656-7280

Rani Bedi Virender Bedi Only for Emergencies call

Fax: (510) 656-7247

(510) 708-3342

We will meet or beat anybody’s fares in the Bay Area

KULDEEP DEORA

Amber Travel DBA

WORLDWIDE

* BEST INTERNATIONAL & DOMESTIC FARES AVAILABLE ON ALL AIRLINES (from USA to India, Europe, Asia, Australia & anywhere in the world)

/ gency Emer te Deals inu last M Excellent @ ice Pr

• • • •

Specialize In Originating India Tickets Corporate Accounts Warmly Welcome Excellent Vacation Packages And Cruises Tickets Delivered To Your Doorstep

Spec Fares ial Busin for & Fir ess st Trave Class lers

“ The ad looks superb. I also received a box of India Currents which flew faster than the hot samosas last weekend.” - N. Muralikrishnan Music Class on Demand “ You posted a full page ad for my show Eastern Structures Western Sounds. It was a great success and I want to thank you very much” - Saku Rodrigo Om Linga Perf. Arts I truly appreciate your coverage of the Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival... The advertisement in India Currents a played an important part in publicizing the event and making it the huge success it was” - Sheela Jayaram

Happy Merry & Christmas New Year

(650) 568-9000 / (650) 619-1965 Cell

AMBER TRAVEL

Price Ave

Whipple Ave

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

CALL:

Veterans Blvd

693 Veterans Blvd., Ste #2 Redwood City, CA 94063

Fax:(650) 226-3882

(for Emergency Call Anytime 24 X 7 @ (650) 619-1965)

Kuldeep@AmberTravels.com

www.ambertravels.com

Right Service @ Right Price

(408) 324-0488 | (714) 523-8788 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: ads@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Write: 1885 Lundy Ave., Ste 220 San Jose, CA 95131 Deadline: 20th of every month Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 69

Raanjhanaa

Aashiqui 2

Music: A.R. Rahman A.R. Rahman delivers with Raanjhanaa. The album has multiple tracks that showcase a fusion of Hindustani classical music with western symphony. The title track “Raanjhanaa” carries all the essential Rahman elements, marks a significant beginning, and doesn’t disappoint throughout. Incredibly noteworthy are the tabla, flute and sitar interludes. This is definitely an album for the old school and takes you on a musical journey to Benares. n

Chennai Express

Music: Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Ankit Tiwari The sequel to one of the most popular musical albums ever is one of the best soundtracks of this year. This album is a musical treat especially in this age of fairly repetitive tracks. It has beautiful instrumental numbers, romantic ballads and mesmerizing music. Long after you stop dancing to this years dance numbers you will have these songs on your playlist. n

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Music: Vishal Shekhar The music complements the flavor of the movie which is fast paced and full of masti. We start with “One, Two, Three, Four” and you have the marriage of North and South Indian dance music and lyrics, which continue all the way to the very end. The album is replete with heart pounding music and some moments of romance thrown in. Upbeat and catchy is how I would sum it up. The original album does not include “Lungi Dance,” which is featured during the credits and is performed by Honey Singh, but it is definitely worth an honorary mention. n 70 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Music: Pritam The most popular album of the year with chart topping dance numbers and soul searching slow numbers has to be the Karan Johar’s blockbuster Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. High on energy, it is a totally catchy and fun album, with its share of emotional songs. Both the movie and the album are a completely satisfying Bollywood package. Dharma Productions delivers again. n

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 71

Smart-Pig Technology Allows PG&E to Assess, Validate its Gas Pipelines

14-foot-long “smart pig” weighing nearly a ton is helping PG&E inspect the insides of its large natural gas pipelines. This state-ofthe-art inspection tool, commonly known as a smart pig, has been helping PG&E to ensure pipeline safety in PG&E's service area since 2012. Using a medical analogy, the tool provides an MRI for a pipeline segment and helps increase the effectiveness of how the utility assess its pipeline segments. According to PG&E, this is the most advanced way to determine the overall condition of the pipeline. Smart pigs rely on GPS mapping data, magnetic sensors and other technology to record detailed information from inside the pipeline. They can find defects as well as measure the thickness of pipeline walls. And, if corrosion or any other signs of weakness are found, repair crews are able to reach the part of the pipeline that needs work with precision. Smart pigs are free-swimming, meaning that the pressure of the gas moves them through the pipeline, ideally at 5 or 10

mph. The massive tool can be used to test pipelines measuring 24- to 30-inches in diameter. The multi-diameter flexibility makes it especially useful. As of September 30, 2013, PG&E has completed strength testing for 577 miles of transmission pipeline, including 460 miles that have been validated through hydrostatic pressure testing; automated 98 valves on large-diameter, high-pressure pipelines located in heavily populated areas; replaced 77 miles of transmission pipeline; and inspected 78 miles of transmission pipeline using in-line inspection tools such as “smart pigs.” How can you play a role in protecting the community where you live and work? Please remember three simple numbers – 811. When planning a project that involves any type of dig, PG&E asks contractors and homeowners to call 811 two business days before the work begins. Someone will come to your site and mark all gas and electric lines. That makes your job safer and eliminates the chances of an accident. And this is a free service.

A PG&E employee locates and marks underground utility lines. 72 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

As of September 30, 2013, PG&E has completed strength testing for 577 miles of transmission pipeline. Sounds easy right? Well, year-to-date, within PG&E's service area, there have been more than 1,400 cases where someone has dug into the ground and struck a natural gas or electric utility line. These dig-ins stop projects, impact traffic to nearby homes and business and can lead to injuries. A call to 811 connects homeowners and contractors to Underground Service Alert (USA). The hotline is a free service that notifies utility companies about any type of excavation project and then allows utilities to dispatch professional locators to the location to mark underground lines. PG&E has also partnered with the Contractor State License Board and CAL OSHA to educate contractors who have a history with dig-ins. Calling 811 is not only a safety prevention measure, it's also the law. Repeat offenders are subject to disciplinary action being taken against their license. When a call is made to 811 before a dig, 99 percent of the time no damages will occur. A trained locator, using special tools that identify where utility lines are located, will come to your site and clearly mark areas where digging should not occur. No project is too small. In fact, 38 percent of unreported dig-ins come from residential homeowners doing routine projects around the house such as planting a tree or installing a fence post. Calling 811 is a shared responsibility.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 73

presents

Arangetram of

Somya Bhatia Saturday, February 8, 2014 •• 4 pm Venue: Sunnyvale Community Center 550 E Remington Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Theme: Nari Shakti (Women Empowerment) Shraddha Joglekar, Artistic Director of KalaAwishkar Dance School, has beautifully choreographed the dances in Somya’s Arangetram on a theme that gears towards the power of women in society and their importance.

Yatra Naryastu Pujyante, Ramante Tatra Devata “Where women are respected, there gods reside!” (Shraddha strives for all her dancers to give a strong message to the community through their Arangetram and not only be good dancers but also better citizens and have good human values.)

(408) 656-5019 www.kalaawishkar.com • kalaawishkar@yahoo.com

SITAARRE TV is a South Asian entertainment television show featuring Bollywood Star Profiles, Celebrity Interviews, Movie Reviews, Special Themed segments, Business Infomercials and the highlights of Community Events happening in and around the Bay Area.

Kavita, Anchor

Show Times and Networks: 1. Every Sunday,10 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. on KTSF 26 available on Dish Network and DirecTV Channel 26, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Channel 8 and also available to watch on Comcast on Demand 24/7 Show Reach: Entire Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Greater Bay Area). 2. Every Sunday, 11 A.M. – 12 Noon on Comcast/Xfinity - Channel 238 in the entire Bay Area 3. Every Sunday, 5 P.M. - 6 P.M. on Comcast/Xfinity – Channel 238 in the Central Valley (Tracy, Livermore, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton & Sacramento 4. Every Sunday 5 P.M. – 6 P.M. on Times Warner, Channel 503 in New York and New Jersey 5. Every Monday, 5 P.M. – 6 P.M. on Times Warner, Channel 503 in New York and New Jersey

ADVERTISE ON SITAARRE TV • REACH 12.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS Call today to find out about our competitive ad rates and custom made advertising packages.

The Premiere South Asian Entertainment Television Show Contact: Poonam Bajaj (510) 304-8654 • Email: sitaarre@gmail.com

74 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

music

Vocal Music Classes By DR

MOUSOOMI BANERJI

(disciple of late Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh and Ustad Munawar Ali Khan) * Teacher of repute and artiste having numerous stage and TV shows. * Elementary lessons for beginners in Indian Classical Music (Hindusthani style) and Light Classical Music - including bhajan, ghazal, etc.

* Special lessons in Bangla Gaan - (Bengali) ClassesseIn, San Jo Puraatani, Tappa, Nazrulgeeti, Sunnyvale ra Atulprosad, Raagprodhan, etc. & Santa Cla mousumi_999@yahoo.com Contact: (408) 799-1102 • (408) 823-3918 mousumi.banerji@gmail.com

Learn the vocal and instrumental music of the Senia Maihar gharana on sitar or other instruments!

Habib Khan Sitar, Vocal

Tabla Lessons

in San Jose, Fremont, Mountain View, South San Francisco, Danville, & Cupertino & Miliptas (ICC)

John Stephens is a disciple of Ustad Aashish Khan and holds an MFA in North Indian classical music.

(650) 255-9752

For more information Email john@johnloganstephens.com www.johnloganstephens.com

Bansuri Bamboo Flute

Jeff Whittier

• Flutes of the Highest Quality

habibkhan@comcast.net www.habibkhan.com

Sohini Sangeet Academy

Pandit Binay Pathak NOW IN BERKELEY ~

Every Wednesday ~ Ashkenaz

1317 San Pablo Ave ~ Berkeley, CA 94702

• Lessons in North Indian Music in Palo Alto & Fremont

Lessons • Hindustani Vocal • Sitar • Tabla • Harmonium

• Video Instructions Available • Light Classical Music for Indian Weddings

MUSIC LESSONS ly On r Pe son s Le

$15

Contact

* * * * * *

Piano Guitar Drums Voice Bass Flute

(408) 268-6703

Call to Register (916) 217 3259 www.sohinisangeet.org

Your Ad Here Merry Christmas

(650) 493-2187

E-mail: Bansijeff@aol.com

Sacramento Classes Going On

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

The San Fernando Valley School of North Indian Music

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 75

films

Shape-Shifters, Goons and Love Sublime Best Hindi Movies of 2013

his too had to happen. 2013 witnessed Hindi language releases that went on to become some of the biggest box office hits in India’s history. This not-so-subtle seismic shift in the power of box office validation created a near miraculous alignment of boffo box office big tent events that also received generally positive critical reception.

By Aniruddh Chawda In an ever more increasingly transparent and still-evolving world of how Hindi movie financing works, the newest box office reports carry far more credibility than in the days of yore when some of the biggest movies were financed by gray-market sources and when word of mouth had to be relied on by the bean counters. These are exciting times and here are 1. THE ATTACKS OF 26/11. The power of cinema to contemplate humankind’s inhumanity—warts and all—as it unrolls has seldom been so starkly captured in Hindi movies. Ramgopal Varma’s precise take on the final hours leading to the capture of Ajmal Kasab in the 2008 terrorist attacks on central Mumbai takes on breathtaking urgency from the get-go. Unflinching in its depiction of the horrors that a handful of cross-border killers carried out, Attacks goes as far as fingering complicity by Pakistan’s intelligence services. Taking on a near-documentary façade as the camera makes stops at each successive killing field, this is riveting stuff. Seen through the eyes of a high-ranking Mumbai cop (Nana Patekar) in charge of the initial response to the attacks, Varma filmed at some of the actual venues where the attacks took place (the city’s main train station and the posh café where some of the attacks were staged). We have met the enemy. He is most definitely not us. n

2. YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI. By far the more impressive of Ranbir Kapoors’s two outings this year, (the other being Besharam) Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD)solidified Kapoor’s box office creds in the topmost tier. Along with Deepika Padukone who has had an incredible string of six hits in a row (Desi Boyz, Cocktail, Race 2, Chennai Express, Yeh Jawaani Yeh Deewani and Ram Leela), YJHD celebrated all the fun reasons for going to movies—good story-telling (he is a detached TV journalist, she is a mousy med student), great setting (a feast of scenic backdrops from Paris to Kashmir), romance and comedy in the tradition of the grand romantic movies from the 1960s, the last time that romance was let loose with such carefree, musically charged reckoning. And a one, and a two: “Budtameez Dil, Budatameez Dil …” n 76 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

some of the reasons to be excited about catching Hindi movies. n Globe trekker, aesthete, photographer, ski bum, film buff, and commentator, Aniruddh Chawda writes from Milwaukee.

3. KAO PO CHE! Abhishek Kapoor’s would be small entry proved to be one of the most talked, best and successful movies of year. Based on yet another Chetan Bhagat best-seller (an earlier Bhagat book resulted in the megahit 3 Idiots), Kao Po Che! moreor-less sticks to Bhagat’s theme of using three bromancing young men. Directly or indirectly tapping on the biggest stories out of the Indian state of Gujarat—everything from the Bhuj earthquake to the rise of Narendra Modi—Kapoor’s movie follows three grown-up wannabe younger men who jointly open a sporting goods store. Kapoor effortlessly intertwines the larger news headlines into the lives of the three BFFs played by Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Sushant Sing Rajput, even though the acting kudos are hijacked single-handedly by Digvijay Deshmukh as a budding cricket protégé whose Muslim family is victimized by sectarian strife. The memorable finished product is a testament to smartly made smaller-budget movies in the tradition of Vicki Donor (2012). n

4. DAVID. Bijoy Nambiar’s highly evocative time-shifting entry disappeared without as much as a ripple. That is a shame. Navigating an unusual story of three central characters by the same titular name from three different time periods, Nambiar successfully juggles three timelines. The three David characters are played by Neil Nitin Mukesh (as a mafia enforcer in London circa 1975), Toronto-born newcomer Vinay Virmani as a Mumbai musician whose family gets caught up in religious bigotry in 1999 and south Indian actor Vikram as a contemporary beach-going Goan silently pining for the mute girlfriend (Isha Sharwani) of his best friend. Supported wonderfully by Tabu as a massage parlor madame and Rohini Hattangadi as a hate-mongering politician, Nambiar proved that the sum of the parts can add up to under-the-radar fireworks. n

5. SPECIAL 26. Setting aside the oddsounding title, Niraj Pandey’s bank-heist thriller transformed a recent headlining news story about a band of crafty robbers who posed as income tax collectors into a firstrate Robin Hood-esque story with thrills galore. Pitted against the hoodwinking robbers who are led by a shrewd mastermind played by Akshay Kumar, is an equally determined anti-corruption squad headed by a clever fiscal gumshoe played by Manoj Bajpayee (who is everywhere these days), Special 26 proved entertaining. The gang’s shenanigans, always threatened by implosion and pseudo-defections (which ones are real and which ones are staged?), take tongue-in-check jabs at India’s seemingly permanent regime of governmentby-red-tape. Even though Kumar’s character outwardly romances a comely neighbor (played by newcomer Kaajal Aggarwal), the real courtship is the battle of egos between

the criminal alpha-male and the determined cop as they attempt to outwit each other. As a perpetual testosterone booster, director Pandey uses brisk pacing and eye-catching camera work to elevate the duel to a grand territorial pissing contest. This is Akshay Kumar’s best movie ever. n

6. KRRISH 3. The convergence of super hero and science fiction themes is a relatively modern phenomenon in Hindi movies. As the third installment of Rakesh Roshan’s man-in-tights franchise after Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish, Krrish 3 proved a surprisingly well-made entry with great action choreography and special effects. Hrithik Roshan’s credible double role playing a scientist father and his city-slicker son Krishna who moonlights as the daredevil Krrish is countered nicely by Vivek Oberoi’s vampire-like Kaal,

the diabolical degenerate who stole scientific secrets from Krishna’s father to half-manufacture/half-recruit a breed of super-powered half-human baddies including Kangana Ranaut’s hard-to-dismiss shape-shifting vixen Kaya. Triangulated in the crosshairs of hyper-marketed pre-release buzz and generally favorable reviews, the Roshans stormed the box office. Within three weeks of a sensational Diwali weekend release, Krrish 3 beat out the previous record holder (and recent release) Chennai Express to nail the crown as India’s all-time box office champion. Let that sink in. Krrish 3. Biggest. Box Office Hit. In India’s history. n

7. LOOTERA. Rising from the cacophony of high-octane action features that ruled at the movies in the summer (Go Goa Gone, Zanjeer, Shootout at Wadala), Lootera was a breath of fresh air. Director Vikramaditya Motwane, who made a sensational debut with the phenom entry Udaan (2010) returned with Lootera, a love-sublime romantic thriller. Based on an O’Henry short story, Motwane seductively draws the viewer into a hook up between the nubile daughter (Sonakshi Sinha) of a feudal land baron and the rogue archeologist (Ranveer Singh) as they teeter-totter on the willthey-won’t-they odyssey from the outback of West Bengal to the snow-covered hills at Dalhousie. A heightened romantic pulse has so rarely been captured this beautifully. Close your eyes and imagine Sinha as a modern day mountain recluse Sharmila Tagore in Daag and Singh as a rugged, stacked, imposter Dev Anand in Hum Dono. n 8. SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE. The Yashraj label has had an impressive string of romantic comedies on their books (Hum Tum, Bunty Aur Babli, Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan). Director Maneesh Sharma stages a loose love triangle involving a bossy lass (Parineeti Chopra), a runaway groom (Sushant Singh Rajput) and his jilted would-bebride (Vaani Kapoor). The gimmick here is the script’s pseudo-realistic sensibility—its 2013, so there might be premarital coupling, women who smoke and performance anxiety at all junctures. Skewing towards a hip urban demographic (something Yashraj does well, instantly forging a generational connection that worked well for them in selling Shahrukh Khan in the 1990s), the subtext is the fear of being single—none of the characters appear to want to be alone even as they clamor for solitude. A techie-created conundrum indeed! n Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 77

9. SATYAGRAHA. Prakash Jha never met a populist card that he wasn’t tempted to deal immediately. And Satyagraha, a modern day Gandhian hunge-strike and euphemistic salt-marches drama, was fundamentally no different. Hinged on a retired headmaster (forcefully played by Bachchan) emerging from a family tragedy to confront a municipal highway construction scandal, Satyagraha succeeded better at proving the same point that Jha’s earlier Aarakshan had to lift heavier weights for. Jha’s social commentary also benefited by keeping alive a discourse on two hot button socio-political Indian news stories with extraordinary shelf lives— Anna Hazare’s anti-graft hunger strike and the so-called 2G spectrum scandal spiraling outward from the under-selling of extremely lucrative telecom bandwidths to a handful of deepest-pocket buyers, a scandal that Time magazine named as the second greatest abuse of power in modern times, behind only Watergate. Witty, well-written and sentimental without being sappy, Satyagraha stood its ground. n

78 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

10. RAM-LEELA. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s retro-feel modern day Romeo and Juliet set in the hinterlands of Gujarat was hands down the biggest explosion of color on the screen. Bhansali, who directed, co-produced and even leant a hand to the soundtrack, injected incessant sexual references and imagery that suggested sexual violence, especially against the women folk—a woman’s shawl violently pulled off and thrown into a lake and then riddled with bullet holes as a metaphor for rape and near unlimited jokes about guns as euphemistic cod pieces representing proven or unproven virility, to name but a few. Though the elaborate circus of a 500 year-old blood feud between two rural mafia clans pivots from a nearphantasmagoric spread of ethnic threads, make-up and jewelry, the bawdiness of the delivery has the unintended effect of having the leads Ram (a pumped up, scantily loinclothed Ranveer Singh) and Leela (a midriff baring Deepika Padukone) appear more in lust than in love—a distant whimper from what the bard intended. The most memorable acting was Supriya Pathak’s tyrannical matriarch and Leela’s control-freak mother

and also Richa Chadda and Barkha Bisht as two young widows victimized by clan warfare. n

inor rant: Because of tight deadlines, some year end 2013 releases could not be considered here, including Yashraj’s Aaamir Khan-Abhishek Bachchan headlining action adventure franchise install Dhoom 3 and Sanjay Tripathy’s middle-age comedy Club 60, featuring Farookh Shaikh and Sarika. EQ for Year 2013: B+ On to 2014. Happy movie going!

IndiaCurrents

Scan to Subscribe

NOW A VAIL AB LE ON AMAZO KINDLE N.COM EDITIO N

The Grove Of The Sun Parvathi Ramkumar

Described by readers as beautifully written, elegant, melodic, and mind-blowing. (Reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.uk. Also on Goodreads) A fantasy novel of magic, and sorcery, a poetic tale of Dreamscapes and the primeval forces of nature. The story of Order, Chaos, and one man's quest to save his land, Chimera, from destruction. Order rules Chimera and its elemental forces of Water and Earth. But Order cannot avoid confrontation with Eventide, wielders of Chaos. Ildanis sees what is hidden from plain sight – that Order and Chaos were separated through man's folly, and neither Order, nor Chaos, are as they appear to be.

Yes, please start my FREE subscription to India Curents! NAME (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)

ADDRESS (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)

CITY

STATE

ZIP

Offer valid in California only

EMAIL ADDRESS

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

SIGNATURE (required)

DATE

You must sign and date this form in order to receive your free subscription.

Wishes You A Happy & Prosperous New Year! Shruthi Swara Laya, USA, is a fine arts institution dedicated to Performing Arts in Indian Music and Dance.

Carnatic Vocal Classes in Fremont / Dublin

For more info regarding Carnatic Vocal Classes contact: Anu Suresh

510-552-5824 • ggavimal@sbcglobal.net

Mail this form to:

Back issue $3 each, if available

www.shruthiswaralaya.com

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 79

Director:

Srividya Eashwar

Veera-Valour

Smt. Shraddha Joglekar Artistic Director

• Dance taught in pure classical form • Complemented with Theory & Yoga • All age groups welcome • Performance arranged for students

10th Year of Artistic Excellence Classes offered in a combination of styles including Folk, Semi-Classical, and Fusion at various locations in Cupertino and San Jose.

Classes are offered in San Jose and Dublin! For more details 408-656-5019 kalaawishkar@yahoo.com • www.kalaawishkar.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

Shantha- Peace

408-246-3005 / 408-838-3079 Email: vidyasdance@gmail.com  Web: www.xpressionsdancemusic.com

Special Event Insurance in minutes online

1DayEvent.com Diwali, Weddings, Parties, Concerts, Sports, Trade Shows, Business Event

Pundit Habib Khan music school offers Hindustani vocal classes at KalaAwishkar dance school! For details contact Smt. Shraddha Joglekar.

The James Logan Center for the Performing Arts is a new, state-of-the-art, 599 seat, proscenium, theater located on the campus of James Logan High School in Union City.

Offering rental space for: • Bharatanatyam Recitals • Rehearsals • Performances • Class/Instruction • Auditions • Showing/Showcases • Special Events/Parties • Meetings/Workshops

Americas largest Event Liability Insurance Broker

Zain Jeewanjee Insurance - 1985

Contact: Alan Dye (510) 471-2520 Ext. 60395 Email: adye@nhusd.k12.ca.us • http://loganweb.nhusd.k12.ca.us/PAC

1-800-257-7718



Bharata Natyam  Kathak  Kuchipudi  Kathakali VIJAYA BHANU the entrepreneur of dance classes in California since 1982 and (3 times award winner "NATYAMAYURI " DOCTOR award in dance 1995 Dancing Angel award in 2000. Versatile Classical Dance Performer and the

Versatile singer of Bhajans, Gazals, Geet, Sangeet, and Filmy old and new songs and Punjabi folk songs. Available For Stage Concerts And Home Concert for All occasions, In your Choice of locations. VijayaBhanu.net VijayaBhanuAcademy@yahoo.com

(562) 746-1945 • (562) 402-1051 80 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

with

Savitha Sastry Learn with one of India’s most renowned dancers! Private Classes: Nov 22 - Dec 29, 2013 Workshop: Dec 7 & 8, 2013

For timings and schedule email:

savitha@savithasastry.com Details: www.savithasastry.com

Your Ad Here in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

PRIVAT E CL ASSE AVAIL A S BLE

AD PR

Contact: SHRADD Client: KALAAW Fax: PDF kalaa Please indicate any cha needed on this proof, and e Happy New Year

offer classes in

Yoga & Indian Classical Dance

Bharathanatyam One-on-One Classes

Merry Christmas

SRI, SAKTI, SARADE, KALANIKETAN

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

India Currents Fax:

Initial Ad is Correct Needs Changes

DEREK 1885 Lu San Jos (408) 32 FAX: (40

dance & music

KALANJALI Dances of India Establshed in 1975

Jayendra Kalakendra

CLASSES IN BHARATANATYAM

Suganda Sreenath

Artistic Director:

India's most ancient classical dance

Bharatanatyam classes (Kalakshetra style, incl. Extensive Theory)

Following traditional Kalakshetra syllabus - all levels

• San Jose • Fremont • Santa Clara

TANUSREE SREEDHARAN

Enrollment for New Students at Santa Clara, San Jose & Fremont For details contact Suganda Iyer

www.sugandasreenath.com

(408) 270-9295

SACRAMENTO, LAFAYETTE, BERKELEY Registration and Information:

510-526-2183

Email: sugandaiyer@comcast.net

Kalanjaliusa@aol.com

BharathaKala Kutiram Artistic Director:

Jayanthi Sridharan offers Bharathanatyam Classes in North San Jose

Call: (408) 251-3438 e-mail: bkkdanceschool@gmail.com

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

ANURADHA NAG Artistic Director

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

offers Kathak classes in

Call (408) 324-0488

 Sunnyvale  Fremont  San Jose

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

Wishes Everyone A Happy & Prosperous New Year!

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 274-6966

NEW CHILDREN BEGINNERS CLASSES FORMING 2014 IN SUNNYVALE & SAN JOSE (EVERGREEN) Anuradha Nag herself is a senior disciple of Birju Maharaj who teaches this fascinating style of Indian classical dance to many Indian and foreign students who aspire to learn kathak. It was heartening to watch her students equaling Birju Maharaji's own students from India. Kudos to Anuradha Nag for organizing such a magnificent, magical evening of kathak, in San Francisco. ------------ Narthaki, Aug 2, 2003 20+ Years Teaching Experience

For more info, call:

(408) 374-8017

Email: Tarangini@sbcglobal.net www.taranginischoolofkathak.org

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 81

82 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

PROMISE World Wide presents

(An Evening of Enchanting Dances from different parts of India)

A Fund Raiser Show

“NRITYA SANGAM”

Bharatanatyam

by Tiruchitrambalam School of Dance

Kathak

by Tarangini School of Kathak Dance

Kuchipudi

by Natyalaya Kuchipudi School of Dance

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2014

Time: 5:30 pm Venue: Smithwick Theater, Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos, CA 94022 ($3 Parking Fees - Please bring exact change) Tickets: $20 | $25 | $35 $75 (guest and patrons) Tickets go on sale from Jan. 20, 2014 and can be purchased at brownpaper tickets

http://nritya.bpt.me/

To purchase $75 reserved tickets please contact the organizers.

Semi Classical and Folk by Aerodance

Contact Information Jaya Basu (408) 605-0495 Pompy Bhattacharjee (510) 468-7777 Sayoni Mukherjee (408) 771-7778

"Promise Worldwide is a US-based 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to provide nutrition, clothing, education and training to under-privileged children and women from the slums of the world, with projects currently in Kolkata, India.”

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 83

B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

SHIVA MURUGAN TEMPLE P U J A S

F E S T I V A L S

w w w. s h i v a m u r u g a n t e m p l e . o r g Happy New Year! PUJAS & FESTIVALS

PUJAS & FESTIVALS Sat. Jan. 11 - Vaikunda Ekadasi Carnatic Music Rohit Jayaram

Tue. Dec. 31 - Hanuman Jayanti

Sun. Jan. 12 - Thai Pongal Cultural Event - Bharathanatyam Mythili Kumar & Students

PHOTO: VIGGY MOKKARALA

Sun. Dec. 8 - Murugan Sashti Puja Carnatic Music Program Paduka Academy Students

Wed. Jan 1, 2014 - Happy New Year Carnatic Music Cultural Event Sindhu Natarajan Sun. Jan. 5 - Arudhra Darisanam Bharathanatyam Sreelatha & Students

Sat. Jan. 18 - Pathayathirai Thai Pusam Sun. Jan. 19 - Subramania Trisadi Puja Fundraiser Murugan Kalyanam Sun. Jan. 26 - Indian Republic Day

B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

SHIVA MURUGAN TEMPLE /SAIVA SIDDHANTA ASHRAM 1803 Second Street, Concord, CA 94519 • Weekdays: 10am - Noon & 6pm - 9pm • Weekends: 10am - 9pm Voice Mail (925) 827-0127 • • Fax (925) 827-0209 • www.temple.org

Happy New Year from

Artistic Director Mythili Kumar

Upcoming performances by

Rasika Kumar

in Chennai, accompanied by Malavika Kumar on nattuvangam December 8th, 2013 - 7 pm

Bharath Kalachar Maya – The Mystery of Krishna Sri YGP Auditorium

17 Thirumalai Rd., Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai, TN 600017, India

December 27th, 2013 - 7 pm

Hamsadhwani

Indira Nagar Youth Hostel Auditorium No.2, 8th Lane, Indira Nagar, Adyar, Chennai 600020, TN, India

December 30th, 2013 - 2 pm

Narada Gana Sabha

Sadguru Gnanananda Hall 314 T. T. Krishnamachari Rd. Alwarpet, Chennai 600018, TN, India

January 9th, 2014 - 5:45 pm

Krishna Gana Sabha Dr. Nalli Gana Vihar Hall

20 Maharajapuram Santhana Salai T Nagar, Chennai 600017, TN, India

vwww.abhinaya.org • (408) 871-5959 • abdanceco@gmail.com 84 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 85

86 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 87

feature

The Price of Living Long Confronted by the fearful prevalence of Alzheimer’s By Lakshmi Mani

s we celebrate more birthdays, and the number of people living to be ninety or even hundred is no longer uncommon, behind the celebration lurks the painful reminder that longevity comes at a price. The golden years may not be so golden when we realize that brain cells can deteriorate with advancing age and rob people of a good deal of their lives by wiping out much of the past, and disabling the capacity to function in the present or plan the future. The culprit behind this tragic deterioration is the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In her blog in the Times Union, Elizabeth Floyd calls AD “the long goodbye.” It is a form of dementia, resulting in loss of memory and cognitive functions, and in worsening conditions, behavioral changes and an inability to perform even simple daily tasks. The connection between neurological damage in the brain and clinical dementia was first presented by a German doctor named Alois Alzheimer at a medical conference in 1906. Hence the eponymous name of the disease.

Touched by Alzheimer’s

When I met one of my friends here in Schenectady after a long time at a social function, I noticed a significant absence. Her husband, a prominent cardiologist, and a pillar of the Indian society, a sort of Renaissance man whose hospitality I had enjoyed often whenever I visited Schenectady, was not with her. I remembered attending many birthday parties and wedding anniversary celebrations hosted by this couple just a few years back. Answering the puzzled look on my face, my friend said with sadness: “Fifty plus years of our life together have been wiped out completely. He does not remember me or his children.” He lives now in a facility for AD, away from his loved ones, since he needs professional care. Love is not enough. Another friend who regularly sat with me at meal times at Ingersoll Place, an Assisted Living facility in Niskayuna, New York, where I have been living for the past 18 months, has now gone to the Memory Room, a space allotted for residents with memory problems, and separate from where 88 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Once, a vibrant person, who sat at my table along with her husband, today she is forgetful, and cannot perform even simple daily tasks like bathing and dressing herself. She seems to go in and out of her present life and cannot connect with her past. regular residents live. There are 11 residents that currently live in the Memory Room. Roughly half of them have dementia, and the other half AD. Once a vibrant person, who sat at my table along with her husband, today she is forgetful, and cannot perform even simple daily tasks like bathing and dressing herself. She seems to go in and out of her present life and cannot connect with her past. While medicine has wrought miracles in curing diseases that seemed incurable in the past, and prolonged our lives, the price that some of us pay for longevity is loss of memory and weakening of motor and cognitive functions that can result in AD. The essence of a person is taken away with this disease. Their life experiences, which make up their personhood, vanish through the decline of brain functioning, and who they were remains only in memory for those who love them, like photographs in sepia. The best that can be done for Alzheimer’s patients when they are unable to carry out daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and walking which ends up in frequent falls, is to have one on one caregivers. When Alzheimer’s patients show behavioral changes like agitation, hallucinations, paranoid distrust, depression and wandering, it becomes necessary to have structured living areas where psycho-social services can be provided. Over 8 million people have AD, and it is expected that by 2050, there will be a million new cases every year. AD strikes about ten

percent of people in the United States aged 65 and up. Fifty percent of people over 85 and up have this old-age scourge. Healthcare costs for dementia and AD in 2010 were over $172 billion dollars, three times higher than money spent for the healthcare of other seniors over 65. Businesses lose over 58 billion dollars a year because some of their employees are caregivers to loved ones with dementia/AD and need time off. Why do these dreadful diseases happen? The word “dementia” literally means “the loss of the ability to think.” Scientists have made significant progress in understanding the possible causes of Alzheimer’s but have found no cure. The brain is a complex structure which has over a hundred billion nerve cells or neurons. Connecting these neurons and helping them communicate with each other are synapses that send out electrical and chemical signals to the body for motor as well as cognitive activities. In its pathological state, the brain is hindered from carrying out its important function of sending out these signals because of the formation of plaques and the tangles of the neurons. A protein called “beta amyloid” causes the buildup of plaques in the spaces between the neurons. The plaques prevent communication between the neurons. The protein “tau,” which normally promotes communication in the brain cells, breaks them up into tangles in its pathological state, and blocks effective communication between the brain cells. This brain disorder causes Alzheimer’s. The causes of AD can be genetic as well as non-genetic. Some non-genetic factors include head injuries in childhood, lower levels of formal education, and lower socioeconomic status. Though not proven conclusively, environment and childhood experiences can be a risk factor in getting this mind-robbing disease.

The South Asian Diet

1n 2006, a study titled, “Curry Consumption and Cognitive Function in the Elderly” conducted by Ng TP, Chiam PC, Lee T, Chua HC, Lim L, Kua EH indicated that those “who occasionally ate curry (less than once a month) and often (more than once a

month) performed better on a standard test (MMSE) of cognitive function than those who ate curry never or rarely.” Shrikant Mishra and Palanivelu published a paper in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology on the effect of curcumin (turmeric) on Alzheimer’s disease. The paper stated that there is a lower incidence and prevalence of AD in India. “The prevalence of AD among adults aged 70-79 years in India is 4.4 times less than that of adults aged 70-79 years in the United States.” Turmeric, an essential ingredient of the Indian diet and used in curry powder, is proven to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can improve cognitive functions in patients with AD. The beneficial effects of turmeric is attributed to the fact that elderly villagers in India have one of the lowerst incidences of AD.

Symptoms of AD

• Memory loss that may be so severe as to disrupt daily life. While one may occasionally forget things as one grows older but remember them later, it is a different matter when one forgets important dates, events, recently learned information, or asks the same questions over and over, and needs memory aids like electronic devices or relying on family members for memory lapses. • Difficulty in following through a plan of work and completing it. • Concentration becomes a problem. So does remembering familiar roads or the rules of a game. • Understanding anything that is not happening immediately. Alzheimer’s patients may forget where they are or how they got there. • Difficulty reading, judging distance, distinguishing color and contrast, whichcould impair driving ability. • Trouble with language. They may struggle with the choice of the right words. • A tendency to hide things and being unable to retrace their steps to find them. AD patients mistrust people and often accuse them of stealing. • Alzheimer’s causes changes in judgment or decision making. • People with AD tend to withdraw from social activities, hobbies, work projects or sports. In short, anything involving working with other people. • Having mood swings that lead to confusion, anxiety, distrust, and depression.

lthough drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can minimize the effects of AD, there is as yet no permanent cure for a disease that ironically deprives us of spending our well-earned last years with full control of our cognitive

faculties. However, there is still a glimmer of hope that a cure can be found in the foreseeable future since significant research is being conducted at places like the Rockefeller University and the Fisher Center in New York. At Ingersoll Place, some AD residents are encouraged to listen to music or play the piano and some engage in memory exercises like trivia games to enhance the cognitive memory links. Patients are mainstreamed into activities like social hours, chair exercises, and religious services like communions. There are some cases where both spouses live under the same roof, the “normal” person in the Assisted Living area and the Alzheimer’s person in the Memory Room. The “normal” spouse often takes the spouse who has mental problems for outings, or both spouses attend social activities together. All this gives the Alzheimer’s person a chance to interact with others although they still have memory deficit. I would like to share the experience of a family at Ingersoll who shall remain anonymous and the Alzheimer’s patient referred to as X. It is an example of what a family experiences when a loved one has AD. When the family noticed that X had some severe memory problems and behavioral changes, they had her evaluated by their family doctor as well as by Dr. Zimmerman, an expert on Alzheimer’s at the Albany Medical Center. Dr. Zimmerman noticed her gait as well as other behavioral changes and found that she had AD and needed special care. X is now a resident at the Ingersoll Memory Room where specialized caregivers look after her daily needs like toileting, proper meals, and accompanying her to the General Activities Room where she participates in chair exercise and social events. X seems quite happy and even feels safe in the Memory Room as she has become accustomed to the new reality of life in the Ingersoll Memory Room. It is not an easy task for either the victims of brain disorder or their caregivers to cope with their situation day in and day out. Support systems may help somewhat. We can only hope, in these days of cutbacks in healthcare, that more funds will be allocated for continued research on AD, a scourge that robs our seniors of their most precious faculty. The greying of America should not be treated with cold indifference. n Lakshmi Mani taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology for 20 years. She writes on American and Indian-American literature, and is a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow. Many thanks to Dawn Brasch, Michelle Wyman, Nikki Dale, and Maria Anthony for helping me with valuable research material.

ADVERTISE in the complete Indian American magazine

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Posing with

To mark the season of festivities, we wanted to put a something fun and playful. So, we invited you, our readers Hope you enjoy this selection

Reader Shashi Murthy with President Bill Clinton

Advertiser Bomi Patel in his douglee and feta...seen here with HRH Prince Philip

Community activist Deepka Lalwani and Anima Desai with actress Shabana Azmi at a Indian Business & Professional Women event 90 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Letter addressed to reader Indira Patel by Bachchan

Amitabh

h Celebrities

a s n

different spin on what we could do for this year-end issue; and advertisers, to submit your pictures with celebrities. as much as we did.

Events Editor Mona Shah with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and his wife Antonia Minnecola

Reporter Deepak Chitnis with actor Aamir Khan

Marketing Associate Raj Singh and his friend Gary Genest with former Warriors basketball player Baron Davis

Reader Heena Mehta with founder and chairperson of the Dhirubhai Ambani International School Nita Ambani Reader Atul Shah with singer Shaan Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 91

Reader Suman Gill and her kids Annika and Ryan with singer Suzanne Vega

Cultural organizer Kala Iyer with singer Vijay Prakash

Reader Satish Kamath with the “googly” legend cricketer, B.S. Chandrashekhar

92 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Reader Shruti Kamath with Kiran Bedi, India’s first and highest (woman) ranking officer in the IPS

Shilpi Verma with Saswati Sen and kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj

Reader Roopa Mohan at a speech competion with Sunil Gavaskar

Vidhya Subramanian with former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Nirupama Rao

Reader Sunita Verma with singer Shreya Ghosal

Advertiser Yogi Ramesh with actor Adam Sandler

Reader Teena Arora with Food Network star Guy Fieri Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 93

events DECEMBER-JANUARY

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events Edited by: Mona Shah List your event for FREE! FEB. issue deadline: Monday, January 20 To list your event in the Calendar, go to www.indiacurrents.com and fill out the Web form

Check us out on

special dates Christmas Day

New Year’s Day Guru Govind’s B’day Makara Sankranti

Jan. 1

Jan. 7

Pongal

Jan. 14

M.L. King Jr. Day

Sarasvati Puja

3 Tuesday

Jan. 20

December

Jan. 26

Delirious Delhi—Book Reading. Dave

Feb. 4 Feb. 4

CULTURAL CALENDER

December

Duet featuring Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar, Jan. 10, 11, 12

Jan. 15

India’s Republic Day Vasanta Panchami

Dec. 25

1 Sunday

Children’s Day. UN declared Universal

Children’s Day celebrated with children’s activities, drawing contest, song and dance performances, fancy dress, displays, public speaking and more. Organized by Indian American Organization. 1-3 p.m. Milpitas Public Library, 160 N. Main St., Milpitas. Free. (510) 789 6182. www.indian-american. org.

94 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Prager takes readers through India’s capital as he and his wife experienced it: isolated, overwhelmed, and loving every minute of it. 6 p.m. Book Passage, 1 Sausalito, San Francisco Ferry Building, San Francisco. (415) 8351020.

December

6 Friday

Family Christmas Event. 7 p.m. India

Community Center (ICC), 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Adults $25, kids $15. (408) 9341130. marketing@indiacc.org. www.indiacc. org/Family_Christmas_Event.

ning. Karaoke style Bollywood music. Dinner included. Organized by Tri Valley Music. 7:30 p.m. Cafe Tandoor, 420 Market Pl, San Ramon. $14. www.shopdesibazaar.com/ trivalleymusic.

December

7 Saturday

Debate Tournament at ICC. For 5th10th grade students. Organized by India Community Center and Bay Area Debate Club. 9 a.m. India Community Center (ICC), 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. (408) 934-1130. marketing@indiacc.org. www.indiacc.org/ debate.

PartAay Like it’s Xmas. Bollywood

Jhalak Dreams 2013. An evening of dance, bringing together the cultural diversity of India. Organized by Indian-Fusion Dance Academy. 4-8 p.m. Mt. Pleasant High Auditorium, 1750 S White Rd., San Jose. (408) 238-4034. www.indian-fusiondance.com.

San Ramon TriValley Musical Eve-

Living Trust Seminar. Presented by estate planning attorney Robert P. Bergman.

karaoke and dance. Organized by Saratoga Bollywood. 7:30 p.m. Blue Rock Shoot, 14523 Big Basin Way, Saratoga.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 95

96 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Attendees receive a discount off planning fees. 9-10 a.m. 1777 Saratoga Ave., Ste 210, San Jose. (408) 247-0444. www.lawbob.com.

Audition Call for Professional Actors/Dancers. ROARRR, a Bollywood

musical audition seeks 40 talented actors and dancers to join their company. Organized by Solskrit. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Susan Dance Studio, 2146 Ringwood Ave, San Jose. talent@solskrit.com.

Christmas and New Year Celebration. Traditional Christmas lunch followed

by cultural programs. Organized by Malayalee Association of Northern California. 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Center for Performing Arts, 1800 H St., Union City. www.mancaonline. org.

Karnatik Music Concerts—Triple Header. 2:30-3:30 p.m.-Vocal concert

with Abirami Sambamoorthy Nyanthara, Narasimhan (violin), Swaminathan Venkateswaran (mridangam). 4-6;30 p.m. Veena concert by Priyanka Lakshmi Chari, Vignesh Venkataraman (mridangam). 7-10 p.m. Vocal concert by Hema Sista, Srikanth Chary (veena), Subha Chandramouli (mridangam). Organized by Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan Fine Arts (SR Fine Arts/SRFA). 2:30-10 p.m. Community of Infinite Spirit(Divine Science), 1540 Hicks Ave., San Jose. First 2 concerts Free, Evening concert $10. (408) 569-0860. srfinearts2012@ gmail.com. www.srfinearts.info, mycity.sulekha. com/smt-hema-sista-sri-srikanth-chary-veenaand-mrudangam-tba_buy_614614.

420 Market Pl, San Ramon. sangama.us@ gmail.com. www.sangama.us.

December

9 Monday

Inspiration India Dance Series.

Designed to encourage students to blend the rich ancient dance cultures with modern day contemporary dance. DanceVersity will be merging the styles of kathak, with the popular American dance style lyrical. Both styles embody the art of story-telling and a full-body expression of the music. Instructors are Zakir Hussain, and mother/ daughter duo Antonia Minnecola (kathak) and Isabella Qureshi (lyrical). Ends Dec. 9. Organized by DanceVersity World Dance for Youth. 4-7 p.m. Ashkenaz Dance and Music Center, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley . 12-week session: $225. (415) 300-6911. isabella@danceversity.com, info@danceversity. com. danceversity.com.

Epilogue—An Art Exhibit. Jitish Kallat, a Mumbai-based artist honors his late father through a deeply personal installation. “Epilogue” (2010–11) comprises 753 photographs that depict progressively eaten roti, the round, traditional South Asian flatbread. Each roti represents one of the 22,500 moons that were in the sky during Kallat’s father’s 62-year lifespan. Ends April 20. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. San Jose Museum of Art, 110 South Market St., San Jose . $8 adults, $5 seniors, students, and youth 7-18, free for

members. (408) 271-6840. info@sjmusart. org. www.sjmusart.org/around-table-stage-onejitish-kallat-epilogue.

Master Classes with Savitha Sastry.

Bharathanatyam workshops for interested students. Ends Dec. 29. (408) 997-9783. savitha@savithasastry.com. www.savithasastry. com.

December

14 Saturday

Breakfast with ICC Santa. Meet Santa, take a photo with him and bring your wish-list letter. 10:30 a.m. India Community Center (ICC), 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $5 ICC members, $10 non-members. (408) 934-1130. marketing@indiacc.org. www. indiacc.org/santa.

A Fundraiser for Cyclone Phailin Relief. An Indian classical dance program

featuring bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, kathak and mohiniattam; performed by Bay Area dancers. Organized by Yuva Bharati and Guru Shradha. 2-6 p.m. Jain Temple Auditorium, 722 South Main St., Milpitas. $20. (510) 366-3825, (650) 394-6022. yuva_bhrati@yahoo.com, gurushradha@gmail.com. www.yuvabharati.org.

Bringing Bharath to the Bay. Indian cultural program, with skits, kid’s musical and food. Organized by Pastor Samuel. 4 p.m. Christ Church of India, 460 S. Cypress Ave., San Jose. (408) 247-5673. www.Chris

Philharmonic Orchestra Season Opener. The San Jose Youth Symphony’s

Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director and Conductor Yair Samet, will open with Wagner’s The Overture To The Meistersinger, Gounod’s Ballet Music from Faust, and will conclude with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. This concert will also showcase winners from the 2013 Young Artists’ Competition. Organized by San Jose Youth Symphony. 2:30 p.m. California Theatre, 345 S. 1st St., San Jose . $5-$15. (408) 885-9220. sjys@sjys.org, shoko@sjys.org. www.sjys.org.

Bringing Bharath to the Bay. Indian cultural program, with skits, kid’s musical and food. Organized by Pastor Samuel. 4 p.m. Christ Church of India, 20801 San Ramon valley Blvd., San Ramon. www.CCISanramon.org. Sangama, Christmas—New Year Celebration. Organized by SanGaMa, Tri-

Valley Kerala group. 4 p.m. The Cafe Tandoor,

Santa Claus is coming to town, December 21 Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 97

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events mycity.sulekha.com/aaja-nachle-nye-2014_ buy_614679.

ICC’s New Years Eve. Dance perfor-

mances, open bar, dancing with DJ Shem, Indian dinner buffet by Amber India. Party Tiaras, hats and noisemakers for all. 8 p.m. India Community Center (ICC), 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Early-bird ticket (till Dec 15th) $79, kids $ 39. (408) 934-1130. marketing@indiacc.org. www.indiacc.org.

New Year’s Party 2014. Dinner,

champagne, and live DJ dancing. Organized by Red Carpet Productions. 8 p.m. Arka Restaurant, 725 S Fair Oaks Ave, Sunnyvale. Adults $38 (till Dec. 15), kids $18.

January Shrikant Chary performs at the Christmas Dinner hosted by Badrikashrama, Dec. 25

tindia.org.

December

15 Sunday

KCCA Cake and Wine Festival 2013.

Home-made cake competition. Organized by Kerala Club Calfornia. 11 a.m. India Community Center (ICC), 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas.

WomenNow Charity Ball 2013. An

evening of giving, entertainment and networking. Proceeds from the event will be equally distributed among the participating charitable organizations. There will be silent donation tables. Organized by WomenNow. 6:30 p.m. Silver Creek Valley Country Club, 5460 Country Club Pkwy., San Jose. $125. (510) 364-4271.

December

21 Saturday

Living Trust Seminar. Presented by estate planning attorney Robert P. Bergman. Attendees receive a discount off planning fees. 9-10 a.m. 1777 Saratoga Ave., Ste 210, San Jose. (408) 247-0444. www.lawbob.com. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Interact and take pictures with Santa, kids arts and crafts and performances. Christmas carols with Bay Area singer Lailani. Adult performances, karaoke and DJ dancing. Organized by Induz Events. 6 p.m. Mehraan 98 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Restaurant, 5774 Mowry School Road, Newark. Adults $20, kids $10. (510) 875-5006. rsvp@induz.org. www.induz.org.

December

25 Wednesday

Christmas International Vegetarian Dinner and Concert. Begins with a

concert by Shrikant Chary and Hrishikesh Chary on veena accompanied by Nataraja Srinivasan (mridangam) followed by dinner. 3-7:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

December

31 Tuesday

Jhoom 2014—New Year’s Party. Dress code: Formal Western/Indian. Shades of blue and/or gold. Organized by Anita Lachhiramani, Shinku Sharma, Sushama Thakker. 7:30 p.m. Corinthian Grand Ballroom, 196 N 3rd St, San Jose. Adults $95, Young Adults $65, kids $55. events.sulekha.com/ jhoom-2014-new-year-s-party_event-in_sanjose-ca_291515. Aaja Nachle—NYE 2014. A Telugu music event with music and dance with DJ Preeth. 8 p.m. Sneha Restaurant Banquet Hall, 1214 Apollo Way, Suite 404 B, Sunnyvale. Adults $40, kids $20. (408) 481-0700.

4 Saturday

January

10 Friday

Duet Featuring Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar. Strains of flamenco,

ancient Celtic music, and Indian raga will emanate from this improvisatory duet. 8-10 p.m. The Sunflower Center, 1435 N. McDowell Blvd., Suite 100, Petaluma. $15. (707) 792-5304. info@thesunflowercenter.org. www. ancient-future.com/pr_jan2014tour.html, lydiasorganics.com/the-sunflower-center.html.

January

11 Saturday

Duet Featuring World Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar. Perform-

ing a duet with flamenco and ethereal Indian ragas. Organized by Trinity Chamber Concerts. 8-10 p.m. Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St., Berkeley. $15 general, $10 senior/disabled/ student. (510) 549-3864. info@trinitychamberconcerts.com. www.ancient-future.com/ pr_jan2014tour.html, www.trinitychamberconcerts.com.

January

12 Sunday

MakarSankranti, Uttarayan, Kite Flying. Kites, strings, food will also be

available, along with “TilGud Chiki” and

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 99

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

more. Organized by Bay Area Youth Vaishnav Parivar. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. www.bayvp.org.

Duet Featuring Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar. Strains of passionate

flamenco and ethereal Indian raga. 8-10 p.m. Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $15. (831) 603-2294. tmm@ cruzio.com. www.ancient-future.com/pr_jan2014tour.html, www.donquixotesmusic.info.

January

16 Thursday

Estate Planning Seminar. Includes dinner. Organized by Mahesh Bajoria. 6-8 p.m. New India Chaat Cafe, 1645 Flickinger Ave., San Jose. Free. (510) 791-9911. mahesh@ bajorialaw.com.

January

18 Saturday

Living Trust Seminar. Presented by

estate planning attorney Robert P. Bergman. Attendees receive a discount off planning fees. 9-10 a.m. 1777 Saratoga Ave., Ste 210, San Jose. (408) 247-0444. www.lawbob.com.

Karnatik Music Vocal Concerts— Double Header. 2:15-4:15 p.m.- Vo-

cal concert by Parthiv Mohan, with Shiva Ramamurthi (violin) and Vignesh Venkataraman (mridangam). 4:40-7:30 p.m. Vocal concert by Megha Ranganathan, with Shiva Ramamurthi (violin) and Amit Ranganatha (mridangam). Organized by Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan Fine Arts (SR Fine Arts/SRFA). 2:15-7:30 p.m. Community of Infinite Spirit (Divine Science), 1540 Hick’s Ave., San Jose. Free. (408) 569-0860. www. srfinearts.info.

January

28 Saturday

Lean for Social Good. A summit with a group of nonprofit leaders, social entrepre-

New Year’s Day

Jan. 1

Hanuman Jayanti

Guru Govind’s B'day

Jan. 7

Good Friday

Makara Sankranti

Jan. 14

Easter

April 15

neurs, Lean Startup experts, philanthropists, funders, and innovators. Organized by Lean Impact. The Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St., San Francisco. General $100. (615) 628-7072. www.leanimpact.org/san-francisco/.

February

8 Saturday

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Somya Bhatia. Student of Shraddha Joglekar,

Artistic Director of KalaAwishkar Dance School. Organized by KalaAwishkar Dance School. 4-7 p.m. Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E Remington Drive., Sunnyvale . Free. (408) 656-5019. kalaawishkar@yahoo.com. www.kalaawishkar.com.

Gandhi’s B’day

Oct. 2

April 18

Navaratri ends

Oct. 3

April 20

Dussehra

Oct. 4

Pongal

Jan. 15

Mother’s Day

May 11

Idu’l Zuha

Oct. 5

M.L. King Jr. Day

Jan. 20

Buddha Purnima

May 14

Sharad Purnima

Oct. 11

India’s Republic Day

Jan. 26

Memorial Day

May 26

Karva Chauth

Oct. 11

Saraswati Puja

Feb. 4

Father’s Day

June 15

Dhan Teras

Oct. 21

Vasanta Panchami

Feb. 4

Ramazan

June 28

Diwali

Oct. 23

Presidents Day

Feb. 17

Ratha Yatra

June 29

Muharram

Oct. 24

Maha Shivaratri

Feb. 28

U.S. Independence Day

July 4

Govardhana Puja

Oct. 24

Ash Wednesday

March 5

Guru Purnima

July 12

Bhai Duj

Oct. 25

Holi

March 17

Eid ul Fitr

July 28

Guru Nanak’s B’day

Nov. 6

Now Roz

March 22

Raksha Bandhan

Aug. 10

Guru Teg Bahadur Day

Nov. 24

Ugadi

March 31

Indian Independence

Aug. 15

Thanksgiving Day

Nov. 27

Gudi Padva

March 31

Krishna Janamashtami

Aug. 17

Christmas Day

Dec. 25

Ramanavami

April 8

Ganesh Chaturthi

Aug. 29

Baisakhi

April 13

Labor Day

Sept. 1

Mahavir Jayanti

April 13

Onam

Sept. 7

Tamil New Year

April 14

Navaratri begins

Sept. 25

l(408) 324-0488 l(714) 523-8788 l(202) 709-7010 www.indiacurrents.com

100 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 101

reflections

The Everyday Yogi One man’s journey to find himself through yoga By Cesar Flores

elevision was my first yoga instructor. I remember watching shows, and doing the same yoga practice for a year every night, thinking to myself, “I got a good downward facing dog now! my flexibility is great! I need a different video.” I thought that yoga was all about flexibility and strengthening of the body. All I knew was that I felt good and that the woman teaching the class through the video made me feel good for that precious half hour that I put into it. But then I saw myself wanting more—more videos, more classes and more instruction. Seeking a broader understanding of the practice, I started looking into local yoga studios. Not being the richest of people, I was forced to take advantage of promotional deals, which ranged from a free session to a whole week of practice before I had to pay. I couldn’t afford the 150 dollars a month for a membership. But I was dedicated. At first it was great, getting different techniques from all sorts of different teachers who told me how I should and should not move, what the correct posture was for a certain asana (move or pose.) But there are only so many yoga studios in the South Bay. I was forced to make a choice. Either start paying for a yoga class or purchase videos and do them at home. Either way I had to spend some money, money I didn’t have. Getting paid, to me, meant getting a step closer to pay off rent, transportation and food for the next two weeks. Paying such a high monthly fee for yoga was almost enough for me to quit the practice all together. Yoga felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford. My economic solution compelled me to start studying books on the art, reading as much as I could on the practice. I learned about the origination and its changes through time; whole dimensions and depths on yoga that I had not received from videos or classes. It’s a

102 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

beautiful practice, showing different ways to focus the breath so as to awaken energies within the body, and using movements to bring illumination to different parts of the body. I started seeing that yoga is an expression of the individual to wake up his or her inner self. Learning ways to dance and ride the wave of life instead of constantly fighting your way through. Yoga was not a stretch pose; it was a way of being one with the world. Looking at the origins of the word Yoga in religious texts, there were no actual moves written down for people to follow. It just started as the connection of the mind with the divine, eternity, god, the universe, or any other words to define a person’s particular inner self. These days, I often get family and friends asking me to run them through a yoga practice. I am ecstatic when they ask me because it gives me a chance to show what I have learned and am still learning everyday. I often tell them that yoga classes are not just a teacher student type of dynamic. It is more like a dance between two peers learning from

each other. They tell me their weaknesses, strengths, stresses and problems in life. I just cater to them, being a support system for their progression. And they also help me. There’s been many times that a student, due to inherited flexibility or strength does a lot better at a move that I taught than I could do myself. They illustrate techniques in a more understandable way. I feel that the real yoga is the time we spend together; it’s like going out and getting a cup of coffee or going to the beach with a friend. It’s a shared experience. I learn the body capabilities of the person, as they tell me how they move, and I give them my comparison. It’s a beautiful practice, a practice that I now take to the real world, doing yoga the exercise when I can, but having yoga within me at all times. When I think of someone doing a downward facing dog, doing all these elaborate tricks with their body, I see them as beautiful, but I don’t think they catch the essence of yoga any more than my quest for the answers of life through different means—taking a walk in the hills, or sitting still with

my breath. Taking one’s body through all of these loops, craving and wanting more “yoga,” I see it turning into a monster. I read people saying in magazines, “If I don’t do yoga at least three times a week, I don’t feel complete.” It’s funny to me because it makes the one thing that the practice was made for, to feel complete and at one, is the same thing that has you feeling incomplete when it not present. This may sound a bit silly, but when I think of yoga, I think of my dog, Chico. He watches me go to and from work, rushing, reading, watching tv, being sad, being happy, eating, being angry and all sorts of other activities I do in my quest for life, hardly taking time to sit down and enjoy the moment, or at least acknowledging that every moment counts. You hear so many stories of people looking back on their death beds telling their family and friends to enjoy every moment, because once that moment is gone, it leaves forever. The practice of yoga is the same way, we keep heading for that perfection, that perfect pose, that next practice, not seeing that the concentration, time, and love you put into the pose is what matters. Above all the gurus, ancient texts, philosophers, psychiatrists and practitioners that I have gone to or looked up for answers on yoga, I feel as if Chico is the sage in my life. It does not matter if he does not speak, just his look tells me all I need to know. That we do all these things, stress ourselves out, put ourself to balls, twist, run, jump, practice yoga, not knowing that there is no need to do any of this, that shavasana (final resting pose) is there from the beginning, all of the actions done to get you there are just to get you to see it. See that life just is, life is yoga.n Cesar Flores is a writer and videographer with Silicon Valley De-Bug. He is also a lead organizer with Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project.

Share your health stories with India Currents readers! We are accepting original submissions that focus on health and wellness. Send your 600-800-word essay on disease prevention, exercise, ayurvedic cooking, or any other health-related topic to Mona Shah at events@indiacurrents.com.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 103

SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH

December

1 Sunday

The True Nature of Soul. Organized by Self-Realization Fellowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times. Sri Ramanama San Kirtana and Meditation. Group singing of verses de-

picting the story of the Sri Ramayana of Sri Gowswami Tulsidas. Followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org.

Sri Rama Nama Sankirtana. Organized by Narayanananda Puri Swamiji. 7 p.m. Balaji Temple, 5004 N. First St., San Jose. (408) 203-1036, (408) 956-9050. balajitemple1@ gmail.com, info@balajitemple.net. www.balajitemple.net, www.balajimatha.org. Discourses on Dakshinamurti Stotram by Swami Tattvavidananda, Dec 4-13

Satsang on all nights on Mundakopanishad. By understanding the meaning

of renunciation one comes to enjoy the experience of Self in the phenomenal world. In studying this Upanishad, under the guidance of Swami Bodhananda, find the meaning of renunciation and the essence of joy. Ends Dec. 2. Organized by Sambodh Society. 7:15-8:30 p.m. Various homes in East and South Bay. Free. (650) 704-1720. gswamy@ gmail.com. www.sambodh.com.

Vedanta and Yoga Retreat. With Swami Bodhananda Saraswati. Organized by Sambodh Society. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Venue TBD. Free. (650) 704-1720. gswamy@gmail.com. www. sambodh.com.

December

4 Wednesday

Discourses on Dakshinamurti Stotram by Swami Tattvavidananda.

Praise of Sri Daksinamürti who is Isvara in the form of a teacher. In 10 verses, this encomium holds the key to the mystery of the creation of Isvara. Ends Dec. 13. Organized by Arsha Vidya Center. 7-8:30 p.m. Jain Bhavan Auditorium, 722 South Main St., Milpitas. Free. vijaykapoor@gmail.com. www. 104 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

arshavidyacenter.org.

December

6 Friday

Bhakti Yoga Retreat with Acharya Mangalananda. Acharya Mangalananda

of Ma Anandamayi Ashram, Omkareshwar India, will present an in-depth weekend of inspiration and practical spirituality. The three day event will cover experiences in the path of Bhakti Yoga; kirtan (devotional chanting); guided meditations; the invocation of the Divine Feminine; the practice of Swakriya Yoga—mantras with movement from the Tantric Tradition; discussions and sharing. Noon meals provided and reasonably-priced accommodations in ashram or in nearby devotees’ homes. Ends Dec. 8. Organized by GTucker Productions and Ananda Seva Trust. 6-5 p.m. Ananda Seva Ashram, 4378 Bennett Valley Road., Santa Rosa . $250. (707) 548-6685. matriprasad@yahoo.com. www.mangalananda.org, www.SriAnandamayiMa.org.

Boundless Wisdom. Silent meditation, reading and commentary by Nome on

verses from Ribhu Gita. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio.com. www.satramana.org.

December

6 Friday

Diet—A Balance of Six Tastes. Present-

ed by Ashok Jethanandani, this workshop is part of a series on preventive health from an Ayurvedic perspective. Understand the concept of a balanced diet in Ayurveda. What are the six tastes, how do they affect the doshas, and why must they be in balance? What foods are best for regular consumption? Learn to eat right. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www.indiacc.org/ayurveda.

December

7 Saturday

Shukla Shashti Subramanya Abhishekam. Organized by Narayanananda

Puri Swamiji. 3 p.m. Balaji Temple, 5004 N. First St., San Jose. (408) 203-1036, (408)

spiritual growth

ADVERTISE IN

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

IT WORKS!

JAI MATA DI

Acharya Ji

HINDU WEDDING PRIEST

HINDU PRIEST & VEDIC ASTROLOGER

Please contact for ASTROLOGY - Job & Business Problems, Marriage problems, Marital/Family tension, Love & Relationships etc. RITUALS - Vastu Puja, Satyanarayan Katha, Grah Shanti, Homam, New business starting puja, and all other rituals.

“ The ad looks superb. I also received a box of India Currents which flew faster than the hot samosas last weekend.” - N. Muralikrishnan Music Class on Demand

Pandit Krishna Kuamr Pandey “Acharya Ji”, is available in all states in USA and Canada to perform Hindu Marriages in English/Hindi as per your tradition and schedule for Gujarati, Punjabi, Sindhi, North and South Indian style.

Email: hindupriest01@hotmail.com • www.hindupriestusa.com DURGA JYOTISH MANDIR 990 Lakewood Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089

(408) 480-5477 (Cell) • (408) 400-0513 (Home) Also available for all types of Poojas and Horoscope/Matchmaking

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE! ONE FREE CONSULTATION

Pandit Krishna Kumar Pandey Acharya Ji

“ You posted a full page ad for my show Eastern Structures Western Sounds. It was a great success and I want to thank you very much” - Saku Rodrigo Om Linga Perf. Arts I truly appreciate your coverage of the Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival... The advertisement in India Currents a played an important part in publicizing the event and making it the huge success it was” - Sheela Jayaram

Happy Merry & Christmas New Year CALL:

(408) 324-0488 | (714) 523-8788 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: ads@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Write: 1885 Lundy Ave., Ste 220 PANDIT KRISHNA KUMAR San Jose, CA 95131 ACHARYA JI Deadline: 20th of every month PDF hindupriest01@hotmail.com

AD PROOF

Contact: Client: Fax: ‘13—Jan ‘14 www.indiacurrents.com | 105 Please indicate anyDecchanges or|corrections needed on this proof, and e-mail/fax it back to us.

956-9050. balajitemple1@gmail.com, info@ balajitemple.net. www.balajitemple.net, www. balajimatha.org.

December

8 Sunday

Receiving God’s Answers to Your Prayers. Organized by Self-Realization Fel-

lowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www. yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times.

Sri Samuhika, Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja and Katha. Group partici-

pation, sponsors receive kolasha and puja samagree and will sit for the worship. Begins with bhajans by Rita Sahai and students. 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 2782444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org.

Ekadasi Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. Organized by Narayanananda Puri

Swamiji. 7 p.m. Balaji Temple, 5004 N. First St., San Jose. (408) 203-1036, (408) 956-9050. balajitemple1@gmail.com, info@ balajitemple.net. www.balajitemple.net, www. balajimatha.org.

Sukla Sasthi. 8 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ga-

napathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

December

15 Sunday

Yoga: Personal Experience of God.

Organized by Self-Realization Fellowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 2525299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf. org. Contact temples for times.

Sri SaradaDevi Jayanti. Annual event

focusing on the life and teachings of Sri SaradaDevi, Bengali saint of the late 1800s and early 1900s, wife of Sri Ramakrishna. Talk by Pravajika Virajaprana followed by a concert by Krishnapriya Kashyap with Balaji Mahadevan on tabla. Followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org.

Kritika Vratha Sri Valli Deva Sena Sa106 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

metha Sri Subramanya Abhisheka. 4 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

December

16 Monday

Shree Datta Jayanti Celebration.

Shree Dattatreya palakhi procession during one hour japa of ‘Digambara Digambara Shripad Vallabh Digambara’. Followed by Guru Paduka pooja, aarti and mahaprasad. Organized by P P Paramhans Swami Sugandheshwaranand “Prabhu Baa’s” disciples. 6:30-8 p.m. Sanatan Dharma Kendra, 193 Commercial St., Sunnyvale. Free. (408) 2521845, (408) 439-5291, (408) 396-1827. sagadre@hotmail.com. www.prabhubaa.org, www. vageeshwaree.com.

Dhanu masa Pooja Aarambam Dattaatreya Jayanthi. 5 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ga-

napathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

December

20 Friday

Ramana Darshanam. Silient meditation, reading and commentary by Nome on passages from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio.com. www. satramana.org.

December

22 Sunday

Attunement with the Christ Consciousness. Organized by Self-Realization

Fellowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www. yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times.

Sri Gita Jayanti. Talk and discussion on

the Bhagavad Gita followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org.

December

24 Tuesday

Discourses on Yoga Vasistha by Swami Bodhatmananda. Ends Dec. 30.

Organized by Chinmaya Mission San Jose. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jain Center of Northern California, 722 South Main St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 998-2793. sanjose@chinmayamission.org. www.chinmaya-sanjose.org.

December

29 Sunday

The Purpose of Life. Organized by SelfRealization Fellowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times. Kirtan and Talk. Group singin and talk, followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

December

30 Monday

Jayanti of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Meditation, readings, and puja to Sri Ramana Maharshi, singing of devotional songs,. Organized by Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT). 7:30-9:30 p.m. SAT Temple, 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio.com. www. satramana.org/html/sri_ramana_maharshi_ jayanti.htm.

December

31 Tuesday

Samashti Vishnu Sahasranaama Pooja. Bhajans in praise of the Lord fol-

lowed by Samashti Vishnu Sahasranaam pooja conducted by Panditji Ravichandran. Organized by Chinmaya Mission San Jose. 6-10 p.m. Jain Center of Northern California, 722 South Main St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 998-2793. sanjose@chinmayamission.org. www.chinmaya-sanjose.org.

Shiva Abhisheka Sarva Devatha. Special archana. Special aarti and manthra pushpa at midnight. 11:30 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

January

1 Wednesday

Sri Ganesha Homa and Music. Homa

spiritual growth

Ganapathi, Navagraha, Vasthu, Ayushya Homas, Marriages, Seemantham, Nama-karnam, Upanayanam, Sathyanarayana Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Durga Sapthasathi Yanthra Puja. Hiranya Sradha and last rites. American born children’s horoscopes.

Pt. Ganesh Sasthry

5639 Kimberly Street, San Jose, CA 95129

Home (408) 245-5443 Cell (925) 209-7637

Kabalikarpaga@hotmail.com

l;ek:; s;m;st;; s;uiK;n;;e B;v;nt;u

PSYCHIC PREDICTIONS BY ANGELICA 98% CORRECT

I will give you the most trusted advice on Love, Family and your Career & Financials and how to learn to achieve Higher Goals

CALL:

(818) 402-2750

psychicangelica777@yahoo.com

VEDIC SAMPRADAYA RITUALS ALL TRADITIONAL HINDU PUJAS & HOMAS LIKE:

• Ganapati, Navagraha Homas • Upanayana, Seemantham, Marriages • Sradha, Funeral Services Classes in Puja Vidhi & Veda Chanting

PANDIT RAVICHANDRAN

Veda Pandit • Sahitya Siromani 1193 Bluebell Drive, Livermore, CA 94550

(925) 449-0620

Your Ad Here in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

All kinds of Hindu traditional Pujas and homas

Merry Christmas

ö XI m;;F;e n;m;/

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 107

followed by devotional bhajans Suman and Sargam Shah. Aarati and mahaprasad. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

Sri venkateswara Suprabhatam. Followed

by Sri Shiva Abhisheka, special pooja aarti and manthra pushpa. 8:30 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

January

3 Friday

10 Healthy Eating Habits. A talk by

Ashok Jethanandani. You know that what you eat has a bearing on your health. Did you know that how you eat also has a profound effect on your health? 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www.indiacc. org/ayurveda.

January

4 Saturday

Sri Sundara Kanda of Goswami Tulsidas. Group singing followed by aarati

and mahaprasad. 2:30-5:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org.

January

5 Sunday

Sri Ramanama Sankirtana and Meditation. Group singing of the Ramayana followed by aarati & mahaprasad. 11 a.m.1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

January

10 Friday

Eating the Right Amount. A work-

shop presented by Ashok Jethanandani. Eat right. Eat the right amount for your health. But how much is the right amount? You will learn to determine the optimum meal amount for you. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www.indiacc.org/ayurveda.

January

11 Saturday

134th Jayanthi of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. The program will 108 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

include a talk by Dennis Hartel from Arunachala Ashrama, New York, chanting, a video, music, Veda parayanam and arati. Lunch will be served. Organized by Arunachala Ashrama. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Fremont Senior Center, 40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont. Free. (510) 656-2752. sunita_parasuraman@yahoo.com. www.arunachala.org.

January

12 Sunday

Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. Focusing on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. music by students of Divya Ramesh, bhajans by Viveka Hamsa Bhajana Mandali led by Sreevalli Vinod, talk by Vedananda Maharaj, followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org. Lecture by Nalini Rao. Entitled: Sri Chakra: Tantra, Yantra and Mandala. Exploring Abstraction in Indian Art. 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St. (at 3rd Ave.), San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. culturalfellowship@sbcglobal. net. www.http://culturalintegrationfellowship. org.

January

17 Friday

Personal Conduct and the Mind. Presented by Ashok Jethanandani. In this session we focus on mental health, and the ayurvedic principles of maintaining a balanced state of mind. You will learn how the state of our mind affects our personal conduct and vice versa. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www.indiacc.org/ayurveda.

January

19 Sunday

Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja, Katha and Kirtan. Group participation,

followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

January

24 Friday

Sleep Tight. A lecture by Ashok Jethanandani. You will learn the vital role sleep plays in resting and rejuvenating the body and mind. What are the effects of late nights or oversleeping on the doshas and on your health? How to make up for sleep depriva-

tion. Should you take daytime naps? 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www. indiacc.org/ayurveda.

January

26 Sunday

Sri Ramanama Sankirtana and Meditation. Group chanting followed by aarati

and mahaprasad. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org.

January

31 Friday

How’s Your Agni? Presented by Ashok

Jethanandani, this workshop is part of a series on preventive health from an Ayurvedic perspective. Understand the concept of agni in Ayurveda, and the importance of keeping it in balance for proper digestion. How does it go out of balance, and then how can balance be restored? Observe simple ways of tuning in to yourself to check the status of your digestion. Get tips to keep agni in balance. Learn practical remedies to improve appetite, and relieve indigestion. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas. Free. (408) 934-1130. www. indiacc.org/ayurveda.

February

1 Sunday

Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Gowswami Tulsidas. Group singing

followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 2:305:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama. org.

February

2 Sunday

Sri Haridasa Day. Annual event with top Karnatik music schools participating in singing compositions of the saints and poets of the Haridasa Movement in Karnataka from the 12th through the 14th centuries. Participating schools include Padmaja Kishore, Divya Ramesh, students of Shakuntala Murthy and others to be announced. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org. © Copyright 2013 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited.

Om Sri Mathre Namaha Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center SRI LAKSHMI GANAPATHI TEMPLE

(408) 226-3600 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose, CA 95111

(Capitol Expressway West and Montrey Road Junction, Opposite and 1 Block from Capitol Cal Train Station)

www.vvgc.org or siliconvalleyhindutemple.com

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Monday, January 13, 2014

Bhogi Festival Soma Pradosham At 6.00 pm Shiva Sri Rudra Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Tuesday, January 14, 2014 Uttarayana Punyakala Makara Sankaranthi Pongal Festival At 10.00 am Suryanarayan Pooja Aarati and Manthra Pushpa At 5.00 pm Makara Jyothi Festival Sri Ayyappa Pooja Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Mandala pooja ends At 10.00 pm Jai Jagadhesha Hare Aarati for Balaji Ekantha Seva and the temple closes. Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Kanu Maattu Pongal (Gow Pooja) At 5.00 pm Shiva Abhisheka Aarati And Manthra Pushpa At 6.00 pm Pournami Vratha Sri Sathya Narayan Swamy Pooja/Vratha Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Friday, January 17, 2014 At 4.00 pm Sri Lalitha Devi/Sri Bhuwaneswari Abhisheka continued with Sri Lalitha Sahasra Nama chanting Aarati and Manthra Pushpa At 6.00 pm Thai Poosam Kavadi Festival Sri Valli Deva Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Sunday, January 19, 2014 At 4.00 pm Sri Sankata Hara Chathurthi Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Homa/Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Abhisheka, Sri Shiva Abhisheka, Sri Valli Deva Sena Samthe Sri Subramanya Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Tuesday, January 21, 2014 Sri Thiagaraja Aaradhana At 6.00 pm Shiva Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa At 7.00 pm Sri Thiagaraja Aaradhana Special Pooja Aarati and Manthra Pushpa

Please Make A Note:: Temple Address:: 32 Rancho Drive, San Jose CA 95111 Temple Timings: Week Days Morning 10.00 Am To 12 Noon, Evening At 6.00 pm To 8.00 pm - Week Ends And Holidays 10.00 am To 8.00 pm FOR BHAJAN'S RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES, MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES, PRIVATE POOJAS PLEASE CONTACT TEMPLE FOR FURTHER DETAILS MANGALANI BHAVANTHU,SUBHAM BHUYATH,LOKA SAMASTHA SUKINO BHAVANTHU, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL LOVE IS ALL

For Pujas & Rituals Contact: PANDIT

880 East Fremont Ave #302, Cupertino Villas, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 — Home: (408)

GANESH SHASTHRY 245-5443 / Cell: (925) 209-7637 E-mail: srikalahatheeswara@yahoo.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 109

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

Merry Christmas Sunday, December 8, 2013 Weekend Timings Sukla Sasthi At 8.00 pm Valli Deva Sena Sametha Sri Tuesday, December 31, 2013 Subramanya Sahasra Nama Archana At 11.30 pm Shiva Abhisheka Sarva Devatha special Archana Saturday, December 14, 2013 At Exact 12.00 Happy New Year 2014 At 4.00 pm Sri Venkataeswara Special Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Abhisheka Sani Pradosham Shiva Sri Temple closes at 1.00 am Rudra Abhisheka continued with Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Chanting Aarati Wednesday, January 1, 2014 and Manthra Pushpa Temple Opens At 8.30 am Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam Sunday, December 15, 2013 continued with Sri Shiva Abhisheka, At 4.00 pm Kritika Vratha Sri Valli Deva Souramana Mooola Nakshatra Sri Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Hanuman Jayanthi Special Pooja Aarati Abhisheka and Manthra Pushpa continuous Archana Monday, December 16, 2013 At 10.00 pm Sukha Kartha Dukha Harta Dhanu Masa Pooja Aarambam and Jai Jagadesha Hare Aarati for Balaji (Begins) Dattaatreya Jayanthi Ekantha Seva and the temple closes. At 5.00 pm Temple Opens Shiva Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa Monday, January 6, 2014 At 6.00 pm Pournami Vratham Sri At 8.30 pm Sukla Sashti Sri Valli Deva Sathya Narayana Swamy Pooja/vratha. All are welcome to participate with family. Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Sahasra Nama Archana Tuesday, December 17, 2013 Saturday, January 11, 2014 At 8.30 pm Sri Nataraja Abhsiehka Temple Opens At 8.00 am Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam Wednesday, December 18, 2-13 continued with Sri Nava Graha Homa/Sri Sri Arudra Darsanam Saneeswara Graha Homa continued At 6.30 pm Shiva Abhisheka Arudra with Sri Nava Graha Abhisheka/Sri Darsana special Pooja Aarati and Saneeswara Graha Abhisheka Sri Manthra Pushpa Venkateswara Abhisheka continued with Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama chanting, Saturday, December 21, 2013 At 12.00 Noon Sri Navagraha Homa/Sri Kritika Vratha Sri Valli Deva Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Abhisheka Saneeswara Graha Homa continued Sunday Koodarai Vellum Seer Govinda with Sri Navagraha Abhisheka/Sri 27th Day Pasuram, Sri Vaikunda Saneeswara Graha Abhisheka Aarati Ekadasi Paramapada Vaassal (Swarga and Manthra Pushpa At 2.00 pm Sri Venkateswara Abhisheka Vaassal) (Heavens Gate) Opening continued with Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Ceremony Pooja Aarati and Mantrha Pushpa chanting Aarati and Manthra Pushpa At 4.00 pm Sri Sankata Hara Chathurthi Sunday, January 12, 2014 Sri Lakhsmi Ganapathi Homa/Sri Karavaigal Pin Chendru 28th Day Lakshmi Ganapathi Abhisheka Aarati Pasuram and Manthra Pushpa

healthy life

Morning Routine How to take care of yourself every day By Ashok Jethanandani

ust as a city dweller looks after his city; just as a charioteer maintains his chariot; so too should a wise man be vigilant in the care of his own body. Thus, Guru Punarvasu Atreya sums up the importance of a healthy daily regimen in Charaka Samhita, a 3,000-year-old treatise on Ayurveda. Lifestyles have changed considerably in the last three millennia. So a daily regimen recommended in Ayurvedic literature may seem dated now. On the other hand, it may serve as a reminder of what we have lost over time and may want to reclaim to take better care of ourselves. With that in mind, an abridged version of the Ayurvedic morning regimen is presented below.

Waking Up

A healthy person should wake up at Brahma muhurta, or at the crack of dawn. At this early peaceful hour the body and mind are well rested and refreshed. Also, waking up early gives one time to perform the morning rituals and get ready for the day.

Self Checkup

Do a quick checkup of yourself. Examine your face in the mirror. Ask yourself, “Do I feel well rested?” If you have had adequate sleep you would have woken up spontaneously without an alarm feeling refreshed. “Was the last meal well digested?” If not, you need some more sleep.

Evacuating Waste Matter

Now sit at the toilet to pass urine, flatus, and feces. Timely evacuation of waste matter alleviates constipation, abdominal distension, and a feeling of heaviness; and ultimately increases longevity. But remember that each individual has a different constitution and different bowel action. So if the urge to evacuate is not there,

110 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

n;g;rI n;g;rsy;ev; rq;sy;ev; rq;I y;q;; = sv;x;rIrsy; m;eQ;;v;I k&:ty;e{v;v;iht;;e B;v;et;< == Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthana, 5:103) Just as a city dweller looks after his city; just as a charioteer maintains his chariot; so too should a wise man be vigilant in the care of his own body.

don’t sit at the toilet for too long, and don’t try to force it. A healthy and regular diet and lifestyle will help you achieve a regular bowel routine.

Brushing Teeth

Twigs of trees like neem, karanja, and khadira, which are bitter, pungent, and astringent in taste are recommended in ayurveda for brushing teeth. Not only do they cleanse the mouth, they also remove any bad taste or odor, and balance the doshas. In modern times soft toothbrushes are available which are convenient for brushing teeth and gently massaging the gums, so we have stopped using twigs. Use toothpaste or toothpowder made from bitter, pungent, or astringent plants for better oral hygiene.

Cleaning the Tongue

Using a metal tongue cleaner (made of silver, copper, or stainless steel, and without any sharp edge that may cut the tongue) scrape the top surface of the tongue clean. This removes any deposit on the tongue, improves oral hygiene, eliminates bad breath, enhances relish for food, and gives a sense of lightness of body.

Gargling

Two types of gargling are described in ayurveda—gandusha and kavala. Gandusha is filling the mouth fully with a liquid and holding it. In kavala the mouth is filled only partially so that the liquid can be swished around. Do one of these gargles until the eyes start watering and the nose starts running. Phlegm or excess mucus may flow into the mouth. Then spit it out and take a fresh dose. Repeat a few times until the mouth feels light and clean. Gargling like this can be done with warm water daily.

Washing the Face

Splash cool water on your face. This prevents pitta disorders like nose bleeds, discoloration of skin, and boils, and improves vision. Or use lukewarm water to balance kapha and vata.

Drinking Water

Drinking water first thing in the morning has many benefits. It balances all the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha; and improves the digestive agni too. Warm water is particularly helpful for the throat, runny nose, cough, bodyache, and constipation; and for flushing the urinary tract.

Oil Massage

Next, apply warm oil on the skin and

massage gently along the direction of body hair. Massage the whole body, giving particular attention to the scalp, ears, and feet. This is called abhyanga. You may use sesame oil, or a medicated oil (mahanarayan taila, dhanvantara taila). Done regularly, abhyanga calms vata dosha, slows aging, and removes fatigue. It brings clarity of vision, good sleep and longevity. It nourishes the skin, makes it supple and reduces wrinkles. Abhyanga should not be done if there is indigestion, fever, increased kapha dosha or fat.

Udvartana

Those who have excess of kapha dosha or fat will benefit from a different body rub called udvartana. Take coarse dry powder of triphala, barley, or chickpea. Warm it to slightly more than body temperature. If your skin is dry, you may add some mustard oil or sesame oil. Now, rub the mixture on your skin on the arms, legs, and trunk against the direction of body hair for 15 minutes.

Exercise

Regular exercise is most important to maintain good health. Follow a routine that you enjoy. Walking is one of the best exercises. Yoga asana and pranayama strengthen both body and mind and prepare one for spiritual pursuits. You may choose to play your favorite sport, or do weights, swimming, jogging, martial arts, tai chi, or dance. When you exercise, pay attention to yourself—feel the muscles working, the flexibility of joints, your breath going in and out, the body warming up, and beads of sweat forming on your forehead. You may observe a feeling of exhilaration due to a rush of endorphins as you exert yourself. Exercise has many benefits. It tones the muscles, builds strength, improves agni, reduces fat, gives a feeling of lightness of body, and enhances one’s ability to undertake difficult tasks. How much should you exercise? Up to half of your endurance, according to ayurveda. Who should not exercise? If you are suffering from a vata or pitta ailment, you should avoid exercise. Don’t exercise for a couple of hours after a meal or if you have indigestion. Children and the elderly should not do heavy exercise.

Shower

After exercising, wait to cool down before taking a shower with warm water. Then rub yourself dry with a towel. This removes dirt, sweat, itching, fatigue, thirst, and any burning sensation. After a shower the digestive agni becomes stronger. A shower also enhances libido, strength, and longevity.

Clothes, Perfume, Ornaments, Gems

Apply naturally fragrant body lotion, or fragrance-free products. Similarly, applying a natural perfume (sandalwood, henna, khas) dispels odors, and promotes self-confidence and libido. Ornaments of precious metals, particularly gold, are auspicious. They may be studded with gems selected to counter the ill effects of planets.

Personal Grooming

Keep your nails clipped, and facial and body hair trimmed. Now you are ready for your morning meal. Diet is another important topic that we will discuss in detail later.

Try it Yourself

The ayurvedic morning regimen detailed above probably includes practices that you perform already. Yet, some may be unfamiliar to you. Choose one new practice that intrigues you most and try it out. Do it daily for three weeks. If you feel any adverse effect, it may not be suitable for you, and you should stop. Observe any changes in how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some changes may be subtle, but you may be surprised by the sense of wellbeing they bring to your life. Make the timeless wisdom of ayurveda work for you.n Ashok Jethanandani, B.A.M.S., and Silvia Müller, B.A.M.S., were classmates at the Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar. The concepts presented here are based on classical ayurveda texts. Illustrations are original works by Silvia Müller. Dr. Jethanandani practices ayurveda in San Jose, Calif. www.classicalayurveda.com.

112 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

ARD in 2013 xAceW llence for E vedic Ayur e Practic

Ayurveda Clinic Dr. Vivek Shanbhag, ND, MD (Ayu), BAMS, CYEd. • Ayurveda Doctor & Professor for over 30 years • Licensed Naturopathic Doctor for over 20 years. • Director, AYU Clinic & Academy, Seattle. 1989-2006 (17 yrs) • Chairman, Ayurveda Dept, Bastyr University, Seattle. 1991-96 • Head, Ayurveda Research Institute, Pune. 1985-88 Gayathri Shanbhag, MS • Professor & Consultant in Nutrition & Diet Therapy. • Over 20 years experience.

$100

Off on Init ial Consult 1 Hour BRING ation TH IS AD

• Ayurveda & Naturopathy Consultations • All Chronic & Acute Disease Treatment • Herbal & Nutritional Prescription • Pancha Karma Cleansing & Rejuvenation • Weight Management Program • Lectures, Workshops & Cooking Classes • Evening & Weekend Appointments • 3 Clinics: Mountain View, San Jose, Los Gatos

(408) 876-0636 • www.YogaAyurveda.org • drshanbhag@aol.com Compassionate and Personalized Primary Care Available in San Ramon Valley by

Sujatha Rajagopalan, M.D.

DIPLOMATE, AMERICAN BOARD OF INTERNAL MEDICINE

Most major insurances, HMOs and PPOs, John Muir and Medicare accepted Languages spoken include English, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi

OUR After hours on weekdays and Saturdays BRAND N LOCATIOEW will be accommodated on request N

(925) 361-5531

drrajagopalan.com

2301 Camino Real, Suite 110, San Ramon, CA 94583

Anuradha Reddy, MD BOARD CERTIFIED IN INTERNAL MEDICINE

10+ Years of Experience

Specialities: • Adult Medicine • Diabetes • Hypertension • Geriatric Medicine • Cardovascular Medicine Languages Spoken: English, Telugu, Kannada Affiliated with Mills Peninsula Medical Group & PAMF Most HMOs & PPOs Accepted. Also accepting Private Pay.

Participating Medicare Provider

NG PTI CE W C A NE TS! IEN PAT

(650) 347-0063 100 South Ellsworth Ave., Suite 700, San Mateo, CA 94401

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Ayurvedic [ Herbal ] Remedies 4 Wealthy Health

WRUDVED FOR HEART CARE

Call (408) 324-0488

INDIA CURRENTS

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

www.indiacurrents.com

Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

Wrudved a proprietary ayurvedic capsule manufactured as per the formula approved by Indian FDA helps to improve the myocardial perfusion and functional stability of the heart. An ideal remedy for coronary artery disease. Email: sales@4wealthyhealth.com

www.4WealthyHealth.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 113

ONGOING SPIRITUAL EVENTS Daily Laughter Yoga Club. Simple effective

yogic exercises with laughter therapy for perfect health and happiness and to reduce stress. Serra Park, Hollenbeck Roadd, Sunnyvale. Daily. 7 a.m.-8 a.m. Free. (408) 4901260. mkm.blr@gmail.com.

Vishnusahasranama. Daily, 12 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www. balajitemple.net.

Aarti. Daily, 8:30 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678

Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Satsang. Parama-

layam.org. info@yogalayam.org.

Sunday Worship Services. The service offers a nonsectarian message of hope, faith, and the essential harmony of the world’s religions, emphasising on self-realization, awakening to the inherent goodness of our spiritual nature and living in harmony with divine will. Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, 1146 University Ave., San Jose. Sundays, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. (408) 283-0221, x30. www.CSEcenter.org. Lecture on different religious traditions. The meditation hall is also open for those who wish to deepen their meditation practice. Organized by Cultural Integration Fellowship. 2650 Fulton St. San Francisco. Sundays, 9-11 a.m. (415) 626-2442. Yoga and Meditation. Sundays, 9:30-11 a.m. Premarpan Yoga and Wellness Center, Los Gatos. Free. (408) 406-8197. premarpan@ gmail.com. www.premarpan.com.

Nome on self-dnowledge and self-inquiry, recitation and readings from the Upanishads, recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita. Organized by Society of Abidance in Truth. Every Sunday, 10-11:30 a.m. 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. www.satramana. org.

Advaita Vedanta and the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Society of Abidance in Truth, 1834 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz. Sundays, 10 a.m.-12 noon. (831) 425-7287. www. SATRamana.org. Monthly Satsangs of Vaswani Mission of Bay Area. Includes video discourse tapes of Dada Jashan, reading of the Noori Granth, Gita path, bhajans, and shloka recitation. Fremont Hindu Temple, 3676 Delaware Dr., Fremont. Third Sundays, 10:30–11:45 a.m. (510) 796-4472, (408) 218-6364. prmlani3@ yahoo.co.in.

hamsa Nithyananda says, “Don’t add movements to your life, add life to your movements.” That is yoga. Patanjali is a great sage and inner world scientist from ancient India. He was the first person to systematize the oral yogic tradition and encode it in a concise form called Yoga Sutras, roughly over 2,000 years ago. Through these talks, he enables the flowering of yoga in you, so you can see a visible change in your very postures, ethical discipline and sensory perceptions. Program broadcast live from India, conducted by Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Organized by Life Bliss Foundation. Daily, 8-9:30 p.m. Nithyananda Vedic Temple, 513 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 263-6375. info.vedictemple@gmail.com. www.vedictemplebayarea.org.

panied by the divine and auspicious chants of Rudram and Chamakam we perform abhishekam (holy bath) to Lord Anandeshwara, Anandeshwari (Shiva and Parvathi), Shiva linga, Devi, Karthikeya and the Nava grahas using divine powder, sandalwood powder and turmeric. It is later followed by grand alankaram (dressing up) of the deities, naivedhyam, and Maha Aaarthi. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nithyananda Vedic Temple, 513 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 263-6375. info.vedictemple@gmail.com. www.vedictemplebayarea.org.

Community Gatherings include a short

Sunday

Sunday Service Sikh Temple, 2301 Ever-

alization Fellowship. SRF, 303 E. Main St, Los Gatos. Sundays, 11 a.m. (408) 252-5299.

Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY),

Abhishekam and Alankaram and Special Pujas to magnificent deities, accom-

green Ave, West Sacramento. Sundays, 10 a.m. (916) 371-9787.

plus physical exercises. We guide and initiate SKY meditation. We also provide Kayakalpam and Introspection courses. Sundays, 8-10 a.m. Sunnyvale-Sanadan Dharma Kendra,897 Kifer Road, Suite #1, Sunnyvale. Free. (510) 456-8953. sky.bayarea@yahoo.com. www. skybayarea.org.

1930 S Grant St, Stockton. Sundays, 10 a.m. (209) 946-9039.

Guru Gita Chant Siddha Yoga Medita-

Free. Open to all. (650) 218-4223. braroo@ gmail.com.

tion Ctr, 4115 Jacksol Dr., San Jose. Sundays, 8 a.m. (408) 559-1716.

Purification and Meditation Ananda Sangha, 2171 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. Sundays, 9 a.m.-9:45 a.m. (650) 323-3363. www.anandapaloalto.org.

Meditation and chanting. Yogalayam,

1717 Alcatraz Ave., Berkeley. Sundays, 9-10:30 a.m. (510) 655-3664. www.yoga114 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Sri Akhand Path Sahib Sikh Temple,

Sri Aurobindo Meditation and Study Group. Sundays, 11 a.m.-Noon. In Danville.

Jainism Classes for children 4 years and older. Organized by Jain Center of Northern Califorina. Jain Bhavan, 722 South Main St., Milpitas. First and third Sunday of every month. 10-11:30 a.m. $35 annually for members, $50 anually for non-members. (408) 517-0975, (408) 262-6042. www.jcnc. org. Satsang, silent meditation, discourse by

Sunday Services Self Realization Fellowship, Sacramento Center, 4513 North Ave, Sacramento. Sundays, 11 a.m. (916) 483-9614. talk with discussion, kirtan, puja, meditation, and treats. San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute, 770 Dolores St., San Francisco. Sundays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (415) 821-1117. www. integralyogasf.org.

Ramanama meditation and kirtan.

Organized by Badarikashrama. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave, San Leandro. Sundays, 11 a.m. (510) 278-2444. www. badarikashrama.org.

Sunday Service Organized by Self Re-

Sunday School for children 6-14 years

of age to give them a general knowledge of the universal truths of Vedanta, to acquaint them with the basic teachings of the major living religions, and to inspire reverence for the great religious teachers of the world. Organized by Vedanta Society of Northern California. Vedanta Society of Northern California, Old Temple, 2963 Webster St., San Francisco. Sundays, 11 a.m.-Noon. (415) 9222323. www.sfvedanta.org.

Zoroastrian Temple Arbab Zoroastrian Temple, 10468 Crothers Rd, San Jose. First Sundays, 12 p.m. (408) 365-0119. Nithya Dhyaan Meditation Satsang,

a powerful meditation technique to achieve physical and mental well-being. Organized by Life Bliss Foundation. Sundays, 3:30 p.m.

health

451 (Kung-Fu School), Los Coches St., Milpitas. Sunday Festival, an evening of bhajans, arati, discourses and Krishna prasadam. Organized by ISKCON. ISKCON, 951 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose. Sundays, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. (408) 559-3197.

Festival and Feast an evening of bhajans, Bhagavad Gita classes, aarti, kirtan, and prasad. Radha Krishna Temple, 2990 Union Ave, San Jose. Sundays, 5:30 p.m. (408) 5593197. Satsang. Kirtan, lecture, prasad distribu-

tion, and vegetarian feast. Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram, 2900 N Rodeo Gulch Rd, Soquel. Sundays, 6 p.m. Free. (408) 462-4712.

Meditation with devotional chanting and talk on yoga philosophy. Sivananda Yoga Center, 1200 Arguello Blvd., San Francisco, Sundays, 6 p.m. (415) 681 2731.

Satsang. Prayer, chanting meditation, lec-

ture series on devotional topic (Geeta, Bhagwatam, Brahma Sutra, Upnishads etc.), followed by arti and prasad. Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) Center-San Jose. Sundays, 6-7:15 p.m. 4940 Avenida de Carmen, Santa Clara. (408) 980-9953. www.JKPSanJose.org.

Women’s Sufi Gathering Discussion of Sufi principles, poetry, literature and meditation. Organized by International Association of Sufism. Berkeley venue to be announced. Sundays, 7 p.m. Free. (510) 849-5309. Devotional Meetings Programs includ-

ing prayer, chanting meditations, video discourse (Bhagvad Gita series), arti and homage. J.K.P. Sunnyvale Center, 955 Ponderosa Avenue #27, Sunyvale. Sundays, 7:30-8:45 p.m. (408) 738-1201. dk.taylor@sbcglobal.net

Sri Ram Amrith Vani and bhajans. Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. followed by Preeti Bhoj. Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www.sunnyvaletemple.org.

Bhajan, Kirtan, Sathsang or Puja.

Sundays, Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@ gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Monday Bhagavad Gita—The Song of God

with Kamala Lee, teaching the scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita. Organized by Integral Yoga Institute. Integral Yoga Institute, 770 Dolores St, San Francisco. Mondays, 6 p.m.7:30 p.m. $48. (415) 821-1117. www.inte-

Let us brighten your smile! • • • • •

Preventive Dentistry Cosmetic Dentistry Root canals & extractions Kids of all ages welcome Most PPO plans accepted

Mamta Desai DDS., Inc.

5145 Stevens Creek Blvd. #210, Santa Clara, CA 95051 •

FREE

Initial Exam*

*Excluding x-rays. With this ad.

(408) 246-1111

Harminder Singh

D.H.M.S, Homeopathic Consultant Member Natural Center for Homeopathy and California Homeopathic Medical Society, USA Served as a Homeopathic Medical Officer for the Punjab Government

HOMEOPATHICVIBES 940 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

(408) 737-7100

www.homeopathicvibes.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 115

gralyogasf.org.

Sri Rudrabhishekam Mondays, 6:30-8

p.m. Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www.sunnyvaletemple.org.

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati lead Sanskrit chanting, commentary and discussion of scriptures including Lalitha Trishati, Bhagavad Gita, Sundarakand, Chandi Path. Devi Mandir, 6:30 p.m. Live web broadcasts at www.shreemaa.org/ broadcasts (707) 966-2802.

Shiv Puja. 6 p.m. Bhajans with music, discourse, and arati. Vegetarian food served. Free. Shree Ram Mandir, 3401 Claus Rd., Modesto, CA 95355. mandir@modestotemple.org. (209) 551-9820. Rudrabhi Sheka. Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Tuesday Discourses on Sri Rudram. By Vijay

Kapoor. Half hour of chanting followed by explanation of meaning, based on books by

116 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Maheshananda of Dakshinamoorti Math. 7:30- 9 p.m. Jain Bhawan, 722 S. Main Street Milpitas. Free. arshavidyacenter.org, vijaykapoor@gmail.com.

Shri Appaji Meditation. Participate in

unique psychosomatic spiritual meditation techniques Shri Appaji has developed after years of in-depth analysis, research, and experiments. Group meditation, discourse sessions. Shri Appaji Meditation Center, Sunnyvale. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. (women only), 7:30 p.m. (men and women). $10/session, first Tuesday free. Registration required. (408) 7359025. shri_appaji@hotmail.com.

Jain Spiritual Lectures on topics such

as syadwad, anekantwad, nonviolence, forgiveness by samanijies from Jain Vishwa Bharati, Ladnun, Rajasthan. Jain Bhavan, 722 S. Main Street, Milpitas. Tuesdays, 8-9:30 p.m. Free. (408) 262-6242, (650) 207-8196. www.jcnc.org. hirensaraiya@hotmail.com.

Gakara Ganapathy Sahasranama

Hindu Community & Cultural Ctr, 1232 Arrowhead Ave, Livermore. Tuesdays. (925) 4496255. www.livermoretemple.org.

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda

Saraswati lead Sanskrit chanting, commentary and discussion of scriptures including Lalitha Trishati, Bhagavad Gita, Sundarakand, Chandi Path. Devi Mandir, 6:30 p.m. Live web broadcasts at www.shreemaa.org/ broadcasts. (707) 966-2802.

Sri Hanuman Puja. 6:30-8 p.m. Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www.sunnyvaletemple.org. Osho Meditations. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. at Amrithika, 248 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. Free. (650) 462-1980. www.amrithika.com. Hanuman Chalisa and Durga Pooja and Subramanya Strotam. Tuesdays,

7-8:30 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@ gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Chanting Hanuman Chalisa. Chanting of the powerful Hanuman Chalisa in a group grants the devotee protection from all harm and blesses him/her with health, wealth and prosperity. It is followed by special aarthi to Ram parivar (Ram, Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman). Transcripts of the Chalisa provided (in English, Hindi, and Tamil). Tuesdays, 8-9:30 p.m. Nithyananda Ve-

dic Temple, 513 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 263-6375. info.vedictemple@gmail.com. www.vedictemplebayarea.org.

health

Wednesday Yoga for Wellness. This class will offer tools to help manage stress, enhance the immune system, promote healthy digestion and sleep, and optimize the body’s own healing mechanisms, by using movement, breath, meditation, and sound in a supportive group setting. Wednesdays, 9-10:15 a.m. Yoga Shala, 330 Melville Ave, Palo Alto. $15. (650) 857-0226. dhurgareddy.nd@gmail.com. www.dhurgareddy.com. Worship Services include a burning bowl

ritual that supports each one in consciously letting go of that which no longer serves our highest good and inviting in that which does. Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, 1146 University Avenue, San Jose. Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. (408) 283-0221, x30. www.CSEcenter.org.

Bhagavad Gita Class An in-depth explo-

ration of the Bhagavad Gita, led by Vaisesika Dasa Adhikari. ISKCON, 951 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Free. (408) 5593197.

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati lead Sanskrit chanting, commentary and discussion of scriptures including Lalitha Trishati, Bhagavad Gita, Sundarakand, Chandi Path. Devi Mandir, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. Live web broadcasts at www.shreemaa.org/broadcasts (707) 966-2802.

Bhagavath Seva - Voluntary Service to

God. Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www. sunnyvaletemple.org.

Ramayana Katha Aranya Kand with pravachan by Shastriji. Vedic Dharma Samaj, Fremont Hindu Temple, 3676 Delaware Dr., Fremont. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. (510) 6590655. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, a discourse by Swami Prapannananda. Vedanta Society of Sacramento, 1337 Mission Ave., Carmichael. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. (916) 489-5137. www. vedantasacto.org. Mandukya Upanishad is a class by Pra-

pannananda on Vedanta scriptures. Vedanta Society of Sacramento, 1337 Mission Ave., Carmichael. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. (916) 4895137. www.vedantasacto.org. Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 117

Devotional Meetings including prayer, chanting meditations, video discourse (Bhagvad Gita series), arti and homage. J.K.P. Sunnyvale Center, 955 Ponderosa Avenue #27, Sunyvale. Wednesdays, 7:30-8:45 p.m. (408) 738-1201. dk.taylor@sbcglobal.net. Satsang. Prayer, chanting meditation, lecture series on devotional topic (Geeta, Bhagwatam, Brahma Sutra, Upnishads etc.), followed by arti and prasad. Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) Center-San Jose. Wednesdays 7:30-8:45 p.m. 4940 Avenida de Carmen, Santa Clara. (408) 980-9953. www. JKPSanJose.org. Sri Aurobindo Meditation and Study Group. Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. In

Danville. Free. Open to all. (650) 218-4223. braroo@gmail.com.

Meditation. Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Satsang Siddha Yoga Meditation Ctr, 4115 Jacksol Dr, San Jose. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. (408) 559-1716. Inspirational Service SRF, 303 E. Main

St, Los Gatos. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. (408) 2525299.

Zen Fitness Designed to reduce stress, pain, and weight. Thursdays, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Sunnyvale studio. Contact for location, (415) 203-9231, taoak@yahoo.com. Ancient Wisdom, Modern Mind,

Kirtan, an evening of chanting. Words

8-10 p.m. For location, call (408) 910-6052, (408) 578-5685.

Jain Swadhyay with an illuminating study

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati lead Sanskrit chanting, commen-

The Secret of the Self, introduction

to meditation and philosophy in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. Organized by Sri Sambha Sathashiva Vidya Peetham. Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Nine Star University of Health Sciences, 441 DeGuigne Drive, Suite 201, Sunnyvale. info@vidyapeetham.org. www. vidyapeetham.org.

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba haarathulu dhoop aarti. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple, 32B Rancho Dr., San Jose. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgv.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

118 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

and Sri Maha Lakshmi Puja. Fridays, 6:30-8 p.m., Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www.sunnyvaletemple.org.

Dada Bhagwan’s Satsang. Thursdays,

Thursday yoga class for people with mild to moderate anxiety as well as for those seeking to reduce anxiety in their lives. Teachers use movement, breath, meditation, and sound in a supportive group atmosphere. Organized by Healing Yoga Foundation of San Francisco. Thursdays, 4-5:15 p.m. 3620 Buchanan St, San Francisco. Donations. (415) 931-9642. admin@healingyoga.org. www.healingyoga.org/ schedule.html.

Sri Lalitha Sahasranama Parayanam

Sri Santhoshi Mata, Durga Devi Pooja and Lord Lakshmi Pooja.

chanting and learning of kirtans. Organized by Society of Abidance in Truth. 7:30-9:30 p.m. 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. www.satramana.org.

Yoga for Anxiety, an on-going, drop-in

mentary and discussion of scriptures including Lalitha Trishati, Bhagavad Gita, Sundarakand, Chandi Path. Devi Mandir, Fridays, 6:30 p.m. Live web broadcasts at www. shreemaa.org/broadcasts (707) 966-2802.

guided Kriya meditation led by Pratibha Gramann, longtime student of Sri Baba Hari Dass. Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. Shubhamayurveda Center, 3606 Thornton Ave., Fremont. rmg.pratibha@att.net.

of Jain scriptures Series continues on Samyag Tap, Samyag Gyan, Samyag Darshan and Samyag Charitra, with samanijies from Jain Vishwa Bharati, Ladnun, Rajasthan. Jain Bhawan, 722 S. Main Street, Milpitas. Thursdays, 8-9:30 p.m. Free. (408) 262-6242, (650) 207-8196. www.jcnc.org.

Atmotsava (Ramana Nama San-kirtanam), meditation, readings, devotional

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati lead Sanskrit chanting, com-

tary and discussion of scriptures including Lalitha Trishati, Bhagavad Gita, Sundarakand, Chandi Path. Devi Mandir, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Live web broadcasts at www.shreemaa.org/broadcasts (707) 966-2802.

Shirdi Sai Bhajans. Shirdi Sai Center,

897-B, E. Kifer Rd., Sunnyvale. Thursdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. (408) 705-7904. www.Shirdisaiparivaar.org.

Sri Sai baba Aarti and Bhajana.

Thursdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Friday Kirtan and chanting. Organized by Ananda Sangha. Ananda Sangha, 2171 El Camino (at College), Palo Alto. Fridays, 7:30-9:15 p.m. Free. Note: Only on the first Friday of the month, these sessions will be held at 240 Monroe Dr., Mountain View. (650) 323-3363. www. anandapaloalto.org.

Fridays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

provided. English as well as some Indian chants accompanied by harmonium and guitar. Every second and third Friday, 7:30 pm, Ananda, 2171 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, free (650) 323-3363, free www.anandapaloalto.org

Meditation, self-inquiry meditation instruction by Nome, silent meditation, and dialogues. Organized by Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT). Every first and third Friday of the month, 8 p.m. 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. www. satramana.org. Group Meditation with mantra chanting and lecture with Swami Pranavananda, a senior meditation teacher. His kirtan and music is lively and his talks are practical. Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, 1200 Arguello Blvd, San Francisco. Fridays, 8 p.m. (415) 681 2731, SanFrancisco@sivananda.org.

Bhajan Class for Children, ages 4-18.

Fridays, 8-9:30 p.m. Nithyananda Vedic Temple, 513 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 263-6375. info.vedictemple@gmail.com. www. vedictemplebayarea.org.

Saturday Srivenkateshwara Suprabhata and Vishnu Sahasranama Strotam. Satur-

days, 8-9 a.m. Balaji Temple, 678 Cypress Ave., Suunyvale. (408) 203-1036. Balajitemple1@ gmail.com. www.balajitemple.net.

Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY),

plus physical exercises. We guide and initiate SKY meditation. We also provide Kayakalpam and Introspection courses. Saturdays, 9 a.m. Fremont Temple. Free. (510) 456-8953. sky.bayarea@yahoo.com. www.skybayarea.org.

eN-Kriya for Kundalini Awakening.

eN-kriya is a 42-minute process involving intense pranayama (breathing techniques), mudras (yogic hand gestures), asanas (yoga poses), and meditations. At the individual level, one experiences: physical health and healing, emotional well-being, spiritual ripening through kundalini awakening, Levitation and high state of awareness. Enkriya doesn’t contain any religious rituals or beliefs and it doesn’t matter who you follow. Organized by Life Bliss Foundation. Program broadcast live from India. Two-way live connection. Conducted by Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Saturdays, 8-10 p.m. Nithyananda Vedic Temple, 513 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free. (408) 263-6375. info.vedictemple@gmail.com. www.vedictemplebayarea.org. www.nithyananda.org/en-kriya.

Gentle, Affordable, and Personalized Care

Nirmala Balachandra, D.D.S.

Children and Adults Dentistry * * * * * *

Emergency And New Patients Welcome Senior Citizen Discount Available Easy Access From 680, 280, And 101 We Accept All Major Insurance Plans State Of The Art Equipment And Sterilization Saturday And Sunday Appointments Available * Evening/Weekend Appointments Available

Our Services Include:

Gentle Ultrasonic Cleaning, Sealants, Mercury Free Fillings, Root Canals, Veneers, Crowns And Bridges, Surgical Extractions Including Wisdom Teeth, Panoramic X-rays, Zoom-2 In-office Bleaching, And Invisalign

(Very close to 680 on Montague Expressway)

Expires 01/31/14

(Regular $120)

GIFT CARD

For New Pateints after initial exams/ xrays/cleaning We take all PPO Plans

Expires 01/31/14

(Regular $499)

I can help

Planning to Start a Family ? • Complete Prenatal Care & Delivery • Fetal Monitoring & Ultrasounds • Most Major Insurance & HMO Plans Accepted (See website for details) • A Silicon Valley “TOP DOC” • Now Accepting Patients

Anjali S. Tate, MD

Adjacent to / and affiliated with Good Samaritan Hospital

2577 Samaritan Drive, Suite 810. San Jose, CA 95124

www.atatemd.com

Send your 600-800-word essay on disease prevention, exercise, ayurvedic cooking, or any other health-related topic to Mona Shah at events@indiacurrents.com.

Sri Venkateswara Suprabhata Seva

We are accepting original submissions that focus on health and wellness.

(408) 684-4122

www.drbalachandra.com

and Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Parayanam. Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m. Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 420-450 Persian Dr., Sunnyvale. (408) 734-4554, (408) 734-0775. www.sunnyvaletemple.org.

Share your stories on health with India Currents readers!

(Close to 101 & Capitol Expressway)

(408) 929-2002

Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s disciple, Vijay Kapoor. 9:30-11 a.m. Jain Bhawan, 722 S. Main Street Milpitas. Free. arshavidyacenter.org, vijaykapoor@gmail.com.

wati’s senior disciple, Sri Vijay Kapoor. 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Jain Bhawan, 722 S. Main Street Milpitas. Free. arshavidyacenter.org, vijaykapoor@gmail.com.

1569 Lexann Ave., #214 San Jose, CA 95121

995 Montague Expressway, #119 Milpitas, CA 95035

Introduction to Vedanta and Meditation. Based on the text Tattvabodha, by

Discourses on Vedanta for Advanced Students. By Swami Dayananda Saras-

Graduate of NY Univ. 1995 Total experience more than 15 years

Pacific

HOMEOPATHY

* Respiratory, Sinus or Ear Infections * Menstrual & Menopausal * Asthma, Allergies * Headaches & Migraines * Skin Conditions L IA SPEC ER ......and many more OFF ff o 15% l initia

tion

ulta

cons

Rina Valia LCEH

Obstetrics & Gynecology

(408) 358-1888

(408) 835-7420

rina@pacifichomeopathy.com 20445 Prospect Rd. #1, San Jose, CA 95129 www.pacifichomeopathy.com

Taking the Time to Care

Your Ad Here in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Vedanta Society of Sacramento, 1337 Mission Ave., Carmichael. Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. (916) 489-5137. www.veantasacto.org.

health

Merry Christmas

Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Literature, a discourse by Swami Prapannananda.

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 119

120 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 121

122 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com PRENATAL ULTRASOUND & 1ST TRIMESTER SCREENING Diagnostic Ultrasound Scanning For appointments call Harvinder

(408) 828-0909

Ready for Extreme Makeover?

SMILESAVERS DENTAL

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

We offer

* Examination and Cleaning * Cosmetic Dentistry, Bleaching, Bonding and Veneer * Instant whitening with Zoom * Root Canals * Full and Partial Dentures, Crown and Bridges * Dentistry for children

Dr. Lopa Shah, DDS 1214 Apollo Way, #402, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (Sneha restaurant and Namaste Plaza complex) Easy access from Central & Lawrence Expressway, 101, Close to Caltrain Lawrence Station)

JOHN D. STEPHENS MD, FACOG (USA) Lic # A029818

EVENING & WEEKEND

www.koalalabs.com

Appointments Available

jdskoalaster@gmail.com

220 South California Ave., Ste 106, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Most Insurance Accepted

SPECIAL OFFER ! Free initial consultation Free teeth whitening with Complete Exam, cleaning & xrays* * Some restrictions apply

(408) 737-0101 • www.smilesaversdental.com Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 123

124 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

dear doctor

Connecting Creatively By Alzak Amlani

I am part of a large extended family where some of us celebrate Christmas, others Diwali and others just want to go on vacation during the winter holidays. I enjoy all of it and tend to do different things at different times. The last couple of years I have been feeling lonely and not part of the festivities. I find the intense focus on celebration and shopping superficial. I would much rather have some quiet time together, doing things to help us get to know each other better. Yet, I don’t know how to introduce these ideas to my large family. Any suggestions?

You bring up a very meaningful concern and it sounds like your inner life wants space during this contemplative season. Even when we are with people we care about, if we are not connecting in a genuine or deeper way, we can feel lonely. Unfortunately, the holiday time has a lot of distractions to avoid the disconnection that families often feel or the conflicts that may be present underneath the surface. For some people even the intensity of feelings that arise during these times can be scary or

overwhelming, so they avoid them by going to parties and giving gifts, without really connecting in a more satisfying way. Changing patterns in a large, extended family is not easy. There will be a variety of needs, interests and motivations, especially with large age brackets and people celebrating different traditions or none at all. Start by connecting individually or in a small group with family who you feel are most open to sharing more personally. Even the questions, “What do you most like about the holiday season?” “What is most challenging and what would you like to do differently this season?” can open up some candid dialog and feelings. Then share your own concerns and ideas, even if they are not well-formed. In this way you can begin to go beneath the customary layer of small talk, politics or just hanging around eating and drinking. Families that do projects together and talk about them have a way of sharing themselves creatively. For example, if you just have some simple instruments—drums, bells, and rattles—you can teach a melody or two and create songs together. This can be as simple

as singing a couple of ragas together or a song that everyone knows. Have some paper and paint handy and ask people to draw their favorite winter scene. Then each person can go around and talk about what they painted. Haiku, the Japanese form of poetry is another quick, simple and meaningful way to express a theme and share it with others. This is not about performing or being the best. Rather these activities take people into a deeper space and build more intimacy without being too threatening. Be prepared for some family members to immediately reject any such ideas so they can watch TV, drink, or talk about politics. Best to let them be and enjoy yourself with those folks who want to try something different. n

Alzak Amlani, Ph.D., is a counseling psychologist of Indian descent in the Bay Area. 650-325-8393. Visit www. wholenesstherapy.com

Is a family member or loved one hurting you?

A domestic violence helpline for South Asian women Our services are free and strictly confidential Call us for information and support from someone who understands your culture.

We speak

Bangla •Farsi •Gujarati • Hindi • Kannada • Malayalam •Marathi • Nepali • Punjabi • Sinhala • Tamil • Telugu •Urdu

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 125

classifieds CLASSIFIED ADS: $10.00

$10 for 25 words or less, 30¢ per additional word. Phone numbers and P.O. Boxes count as one word.

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE:

To place a classified ad online, go to http:// www.indiacurrents.com/forms/placeclassified/ ANNOUNCEMENTS I AM LOOKING FOR A GOOD MATH TEACHER to teach math everyday from Monday - Thursday. The timings are from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Fremont, CA. If interested, please call (510) 754-9264. AKHIL BHARATIYA GANDHARVA Mahavidyalaya Mandal California Center. Registration is open for Sangeet Parichay to Madhyama Poorna in vocal, tabla and dance. For further details, please contact us at (408) 792-7014. LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST PROVIDES treatment for depression, grief, anxiety and marriage difficulties. Expert Psychological Assessment for immigration: Political Asylum, VAWA or Hardship Waivers. (510)402-4114 www.meembay.com. BEAUTY THREADING, FACIAL, HAIR, and full range of Shahnaz products. Khoobsurat Threading, 1014 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Contact Shefali (408) 8350097. KASHISH SALON - Threading, facial/waxing, Hair & Makeup, bridal and wedding studio. Two locations San Francisco (408) 219-0046, Santa Clara (408) 260-2676. CHILDCARE BEST INDIAN DAYCARE SINCE 1998 ON ONE ACRE ground near 280/85 Cupertino. Afterschool, preschool and infant programs. Freshly cooked vegetarian food. Best student/teacher ratio. www.balmandircupertino.com. (408) 737-0790. MOST TRUSTED INDIAN DAYCARE by loveable Marathi family in Cupertino. Contact (408) 792-7014 or visit www.gharkul126 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

indiacurrents.com daycare.com. CLASSES: DANCE CHHANDAM SCHOOL OF KATHAK DANCE. Classes held in Berkeley, Mountain View, San Francisco, San Bruno, San Rafael, and Union City. Beginning classes available in all locations. Call (415) 759-8060 or visit www.chhandam.org. CLASSES: MUSIC CLASSES OFFERED BY LAKSHMI C. SAXENA in San Jose. North Indian vocal music: classical, semi classical, light music like bhajans, geet, ghazals, film songs, instrumental music: harmonium, tabla. Also Hindi lessons. Available for performances. Call (408) 268-3651 or email Lsaxena99@ yahoo.com. ALI AKBAR COLLEGE OF MUSIC offers study in North Indian classical music. Four 8-week sessions a year are taught by master musicians. Classes are offered in vocal, instrumental and tabla. All are welcome. For more information please call (415) 4546264. CLASSES LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TEACH MATH from Mon to Thurs for 2.5 hours a day. Will be paid hourly. Please call (510) 754-9264. DE ANZA COLLEGE CUPERTINO, CA Learn Hindi, Earn 5 credits per quarter. Professor Nilu Gupta. guptanilu@fhda.edu. (510)713-2500. COUNSELING FREE PEER COUNSELING and support offered to South Asian women. Maitri has a live person handling phone calls 9am-1pm (Mon-Fri) and a voice message helpline at all other times. Are you having problems with your partner? Are you going through cultural adjustment problems? Call (408)4368398. Our South Asian female volunteers speak many South Asian languages. Toll free hotline 1(888) 8-MAITRI or go to maitri@ maitri.org. IS A FAMILY MEMBER HURTING YOU?

Contact Narika, a domestic violence hotline for South Asian women. Our services are free and strictly confidential. Call (800) 215-7308. EDUCATION VEDIC MATH AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT. Sharpen your mental math and problem solving skills. Calculate at lightning speed with amazing ease and accuracy. More information (408)931-1000, vedicmath@comcast.net. ENTERTAINMENT DJ MUSIC, LIVE AUDIO SYSTEM, weddings, receptions, birthdays, events, religious ceremonies, fund-raisers, graduations. Please call or text at (510) 366-3086 for more information or email at mohsaleem@ comcast.net. www.saafentertainment.com FOR SALE INSTRUMENTS - Greatest selection of North Indian instrumetns in the U.S. Ali Akbar College store sells the finest quality sitars, sarods, tanpuras, harmoniums, tablas, flutes, etc. Complete repair service. We ship anywhere in the U.S. 1554 4th San Rafael, CA 94901. Call (415) 454-0581. www.aac. org/shop. HELP WANTED ASSISTANT HOUSE MANAGER FLINT Center, Cupertino. Part-time evenings/weekends - $15/hr. Assist with all front of house operations: Usher supervision, customer service, first aid, volunteer training. No experience necessary - will train. Must be reliable, personable and motivated. Send letter of interduction with 2 references to: Flint Center, P.O. Box 1897 Cupertino,CA 95015. LOOKING FOR INDIAN COOK, TANDOORI chef, and dishwasher (full time). Looking for farmer to grow seasonal vegetables. Please call (650) 630-8588. INSURANCE AMILA INSURANCE SERVICES - Looking for a better deal on Auto Insurance? Call (408) 723-2100.

market place

Creations By Sam

ADVERTISE IN

Photography, Videography & DVD Productions FOR ALL OCCASIONS

INDIA CURRENTS

We use high quality HD Cameras to produce: Blue-Ray Disc & High Definition DVD

Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

IT WORKS!

Sameer Yagnik

(408) 605-1817 • (408) 972-2056 Email: sayagnik@yahoo.com

www.creationsbysam.com

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

“We would like to thank India Currents for the wonderful opportunity it has offered ‘Most Unique Parties & Ponies’ to meet and entertain the fun and friendly Indian families of the Bay Area.” - Mike & Sari Most Unique Parties & Ponies “ The ad looks superb. I also received a box of India Currents which flew faster than the hot samosas last weekend.” - N. Muralikrishnan Music Class on Demand “ You posted a full page ad for my show Eastern Structures Western Sounds. It was a great success and I want to thank you very much” - Saku Rodrigo Om Linga Perf. Arts I truly appreciate your coverage of the Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival... The advertisement in India Currents a played an important part in publicizing the event and making it the huge success it was” - Sheela Jayaram

Happy Merry & Christmas New Year CALL:

classifieds

SEETA BHANDARI - All Solutions Insurance Agency. More than a provider - a partner. (408) 225-4300. INSURANCE SPECIALIST Amar Sehgal. Most Competitive Rates and Friendly Services. (408) 298-2194. LEGAL ESTATE PLANNING AND ASSET Protection - Call Haresh Mirchandaney, Esq, of the HMA Law Group at (800) 756-1091, or email ham10@cornell.edu. Check out www. ThinkHmaLaw.com FREE LIVING TRUST SEMINARS. Presented by Attorney Robert P. Bergman. Learn about Living Trusts from an expert. Visit www.lawbob.com to register or call (408) 247-0444. DIVORCE ATTORNEY Madan Ahluwalia. Divorce, Alimony, Child Support, Child Custody, Property Division in Divorce. (888) 861-8436. MATRIMONIAL: FEMALE 1982 BORN 5’7” HINDU ENGINEER working in Canada; Seeking qualified USBased professionals. Innocent, issueless divorcee separated after 3 months. Slim, fair, beautiful, personable, humble, family-oriented professional. Has lived in Mumbai, Pune, Dallas. Frequent U.S. visitor, eligible for TN Visa 2014. Contact mfamily012@gmail. com or call (971) 238-4960. SEEKING AN EDUCATED INDIAN MALE, PREFERABLY Gujarati or South Indian aged 40-45. This is for a divorced Gujarati lady, 40 years old, slim, tall and fair. Would prefer someone without any attachments. Meetings possible in the month of May ’13. Email: rupij04@gmail.com. SEEKING A MATRIMONIAL alliance for your sister, daughter or a loved one? Place your ad here and reach 32,000 households. You may find the right person here in India Currents classifieds. To place your ad call (408) 324-0488. MATRIMONIAL: MALE

128 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com I AM A 54 YEAR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL male who is adventurous and very competitive. I’m looking for my best friend, partner, companion and soulmate who loves life and challenges. Email me at rumysoulmate@hotmail.com. SEEKING A MATRIMONIAL alliance for your brother, son or a loved one? Place your ad here and reach 32,000 households. You may find the right person here in India Currents classifieds! To place your ad call (408) 324-0488 today! ORGANIZATIONS PEOPLE INTERESTED IN CONCERT opportunities to show case their talent in South Indian Classical Music, please contact SR Fine Arts at (408)569-0860. REAL ESTATE AVAILABLE FOR RENT: AT KHARADI, NEAR Eon IT Zone, Pune, Maharashtra. Luxurious new 3BR and 3BA, airconditioned apartment with jacuzzi, two covered parking, pool, gym, playground, community hall, club house, 24x7 security, water and electricity. Phone (510) 445-1353 or email gkp2mp@yahoo.com. BUYING OR SELLING PROPERTY? Call an expert with over 22 years of experience, Harshad Shah (408) 238-1200. FIRST TIME HOME BUYER’S SPECIALIST. Foreclosures/REOs. Call Sue Bose (408) 835-3330. SERVICES EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SEEKING FUNDING for several film projects. Has an A-List cast attached. Be a part of the filmmaking. Contact: bstrambler@yahoo.com. PROFESSIONAL WRITER/EDITOR, Ph.D. Novels, memoirs, stories, screenplays, speeches, essays, personal statements, proposals, dissertations, desktop publishing. In person or online. Website (with a link to a TV interview): http://editor-writer.net. Paul Weisser, editinggg@gmail.com, (510) 710-2249.

AD OF THE MONTH I AM A 54 YEAR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL male who is adventurous and very competitive. I’m looking for my best friend, partner, companion and soulmate who loves life and challenges. Email me at rumysoulmate@hotmail.com.

MEGHNA HINDIA, A LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST (MFC52578) is now accepting new clients. She sees individuals, couples, and children. Visit www.meghnahindiamft.com for details. Email at meghnamft@gmail.com or call 650 279 9531. SERVICES! SERVICES! HAVE A SPECIAL service to offer to India Currents readers? Do you do catering, tailoring, repairs or cleaning? Advertise here in India Currents Classifieds for $10 only. Call (408) 3240488 today! SPIRITUAL GROWTH EAST COAST SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE CENTER: All spiritual needs - books, learning help, practices, counseling. Contact: Ma Yoga Shakti International Yoga Center of New York (718) 641-0402. TAILORING FOR ALL KINDS OF LADIES suits and any kind of alterations. Contact Jaswinder Kaur at (925) 232-3921 or indymanga@ hotmail.com. TUTORING PRIVATE TUTOR, children and adults, specializing in reading/writing/ELD, 25 years teaching experience, M.A. Columbia University. www.Tutor4Kidz.com or contact Laura (408) 253-0509.

Check out our Classifieds online at indiacurrents.com/classifieds/. Our ads are also seen by the readers of our digital issue: indiacurrents.com/articles/categories/ digital-magazines/

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 129

On Inglish

Step Into Our Verandah By Kalpana Mohan

verandah—noun (vuh-ran-duh)—a large, open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house; gallery.

he year we moved into our current home was the most difficult year of our lives. We set up our home at a time of deep uncertainty. Two close family members were battling a terminal illness. Our happiness at finding a place that met most of our requirements was marred by the sadness of our imminent loss. Our children were unhappy at deserting the only home they had known since birth. The stone floor in the new home didn’t have the bounce or the warmth of the wood in the old home. My husband complained about the two-car garage because “it wasn’t bigger than a loin cloth.” He informed every first-time visitor about the absence of a walk-in closet in the master bedroom of a home that had cost him his lifetime savings. I whined about how we now needed a bouncer to open and shut our massive Sub-zero fridge. Furthermore, the living room in our new home was so tiny that on first sight it was not obvious what in the world it was. Was it an anteroom at the doctor’s office or the beauty salon? Was it a coat closet? Or a newspaper reading room? Or a waiting room at an Amtrak station? Still, everyone who trooped in said, at least out of politeness, that the living room was a cozy and happy place. A warm place it was. It still is. The day I drove up to see the house, it was early March. Our white cherry blossom splashed the sky. The house lay in the center of a wide front yard with a circular driveway. It seemed to speak to me. Its broad porch was, in truth, a little verandah on which we could place a love bench and another chair if we ever wanted to. It whispered to me about a sprawling verandah of another time that now lived on only in memory and in photographs. The word verandah originated in the Sanskrit word varanda that meant portico or colonnade. It seems to have existed, independently, however, in Portuguese and in Spanish (vara, in Spanish, means rod or rail). A third meaning, the literal meaning, is “coming forward” and it is attributed to the Persian “baramada.” A verandah is a roofed open gallery or portico attached to the exterior of a building. In the India of the sixties, every bungalow opened into a verandah with a bench; its most prominent cultural significance was in the way it connected the house to nature and its surroundings. In my parents’ bungalow, the verandah was a glorious, welcoming space. When my father led me to a planetarium years later, I was not impressed. It was never that much different from standing in the middle of our verandah at night, right after dinner, when all of us, my father, my mother, my grandparents, my sister and I relaxed with all the lights off inside the house. In the dark warm night, cooled by the zephyr from the Bay of Bengal, I would step down from the verandah onto the courtyard, hold out my arms and look up at the infinite awning. I would pirouette until the sky swam rapidly over my head and I fell down. The skies glittered and sparkled with possibility. In the dark, conversation seemed to assume color. Our verandah was privy to secrets, gossip and laughter. It played sentinel to the foolishness, the romance and the eternal hope of our immediate and extended families in a life defeated on and off by disappointment. Cousins, aunts and uncles crossed our verandah and entered our home for countless things: to secure a job, to find a mate, 130 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

A Creative Commons Image

Origin: 1705–15; < Hindi baranda, baramda < Persian bar amada coming out < Portuguese varanda, Spanish baranda railing, balustrade

to buy a trousseau, to get treatment for an ailment or, simply, to chill. Some, like my father’s mother, came there to die. On long summer days my favorite spot was our mosaic bench on the verandah—it was eight feet long, two feet wide and about four inches thick in pink with white spots. I sat on it, leaning my head against the massive concrete pillar painted in red oxide, the design of an engineer who lived on North Usman Road. In 2004, the white colonnade of the home I saw took me back to the red oxide pillar of my memory. In the second I saw the home from my car, I wished to buy it. I prayed that my husband too would buy into the idea of living in it. When we finally moved in I had almost given up hope; my husband would not compromise on his expectations for over five years. If he were to spend the money, curb appeal was important. He wanted a home that people could look at from the road and walk into just as easily. He wanted nothing up in the hills—not that we had the money to afford one in the hills—and would consider nothing that would be a trek for us or for our visitors. His long list of other specifications frustrated me. It made realtors sigh and sweat. The first realtor stopped calling us after a few outings. Another realtor took us on. When we purchased the property one year later, she said she counted my husband among her critical conquests. Even though Carol had been in business for decades he had been her toughest customer—“a demanding client and a real tightwad but lovable all the same,” she said with a tight hug after we closed the deal. Our bungalow here in California faces a southerly direction, just like the one of my memories. It was built in 1963, right about the time I began running up and down the verandah of our old bungalow built in 1961. In a town not lit by streetlights, the same skies shimmer over another verandah in another time and another space sending the same message our way: it takes love, warmth, laughter and hope, infinite amounts of it, to make a home. n Kalpana Mohan writes from Saratoga. To read more about her, go to http://kalpanamohan.org and http://saritorial.com.

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 131

real estate . loans

Low Rate Loans Commercial & Residential No Point, No Fee

GIVE US A CHANCE TO BEAT ANY ADVERTISED RATE !

Many programs available including:

Business & FF&E Loans (Credit & Income Problem Welcome)

(408) 307-6331

Everest Realtors Client Satisfaction is our #1 Priority

* Homes - Buying & Selling * Rental Property Mgmt. * Invest. & 1031Exch. * Land * Loans New, Refi.

Phone:(408)-264-6565 Fax:(408)-265-2323 Cell :(408)-605-6355

6988 Claywood Way, San Jose, CA 95120-2209 Vilas Munshi Broker/Owner/Notary

Broker License #00522228 NMLS Lic. # 379559

www.EverestRealtors.com E-mail: VilasM@everestR.com

OUR 38 ANNIVERSARY 1975-2013! th

AVAILABLE PROGRAMS:

• • • •

POINT LOANS & OUT OF POCKET COST LOANS

We Ha Quick Qualification Many s Low Cost Loans Lender H-1 Visa Real Estate Loans Community Home Buyer’s Program and many more to suit your needs

SELLERS

Pay only

41/2 %

RECEIVE

Commission

FULL BROKERAGE SERVICES

Buyers Get up to ¾% Credit

Call:

Subhash Patadia (408) 531-0494 BAYVIEW RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE

Real Estate Broker. California Department of Real Estate

Email: patadia2001@yahoo.com

DRE# 01012652 NMLS# 306418

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

MULTI-FINANCIAL SERVICES Buying or Selling Property?

Call an expert with over 22 years of experience in real estate, book-keeping, and income tax before making this vital decision.

HARSHAD SHAH

(408) 238-1200 Fax (408) 238-1276

2690 S. White Road, Suite 245, San Jose, CA 95148

132 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

AD PROOF

Contact: VINOD PATEL Client FAX (408) 848-5815 Fax: PDF vgpatel52@gmail.com Please indicate any changes or corrections needed on this proof, and e-mail/fax it back to us. India Currents Fax: (408) 324-0477 Initials

Date

Ad is Correct Needs Changes DEREK NUNES P.O. Box 21285 San Jose, CA 95151 (408) 324-0488 / (714) 523-8788 FAX: (408) 324-0477

real estate . loans

CALL ME FOR YOUR HOME BUYING, SELLING AND MORTGAGE SERVICES • Experienced at finding the home that meets your requirements • Extensive knowledge of the Bay Area neighborhood with great selling skills. • Superior mortgage product knowledge • Well-researched advice to help you make an informed decision • Over 130 lenders to choose from • Quick and easy closing • High level of customer service satisfaction guaranteed. • References will be provided upon request.

Lakshmi Sathyanarayana NMLS ID - 238706 • DRE ID 01472095

Realtor/Mortgage Consultant Member of SCCAOR, NAR & CAR

1288 Kifer Road, Suite 208, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 408-212-8847 Direct:

Cellular: 408-839-4219 E-mail: Lakshmi.RealtorAndLoanAgent@gmail.com My website: www.RealtorAndLoanAgent.com Company website: www.Maxrealusa.com

HEALTHY REASONS TO REFINANCE • The rate of your 3-1, 5-1 or 7-1 ARM may be expiring in the next couple of years.

• You may want to consolidate your 1st and 2nd Mortgage into One Loan

• You may want the security of a Fixed Rate Loan • You want LOWER MONTHLY PAYMENTS • You want cash out for remodeling or Debt Consolidation •

We’ll take the hype out of interest rates and real estate financing!

Dreams Home” Email us: Joel.Ferrill@pvfloans.com • www.pvfloans.com

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 133

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: NGHIA VUONG, PRIYA POTAPRAGADA, DEREK NUDES, JAYA PADMANABHAN VIJAY RAJVAIDYA, VANDANA KUMAR, RAJ SINGH, MONA SHAH, AND ASIF ISMAIL It has been a privilege to share 2013 with you, our community of readers. Every month we take pride in producing a magazing that circulates new ideas, raises critical questions, and shares diverse perspectives on our envolving diaspora. We are grateful for your contributions and support and welcome your continued feedback in the coming year. Enjoy this special combined issue of India Currents for December 2013 and January 2014. The next India Currents issue will come out on February 1, and the next deadline for placing event listings and advertisements is January 20.

134 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

real estate . loans *Searching for Top Schools in the South Bay?*

Do You Have a Picture That Tells a Story?

We specialize in the great school district in Cupertino and surrounding cities. FREE SERVICES * Free Neighborhood Listing Finder sent direct via email* * Free List & tours of Bank Owned and Short Sale properties* * Free Home Market Evaluation report for homeowners, know the value in today's market.

WHY PAY RENT!!

Buy a home while prices and interest rates are at a low.

Kim Properties is family owned and has been serving the South bay since 1979. We know buying your dream home is the biggest purchase you will make, let us guide you to a success. We look forward serving you.

ROBERT VAN DEN BULKE

408-206-1064 Kim Properties RVanDenBulke@KimProperties.net www.CupertinoHomeInfo.com

1% BACK SELLER TO SO BUYERS R

(Certain

Restrict

ions Ap

LUCKY KITCHEN & BATH

LIC# 978638

GENERAL CONTRACTOR OVER • ROOM ADDITION • CUSTOM CABINET E 20 YEARS XPERIE NCE • DENTAL & DOCTOR’S OFFICE • CABINET REFACE & • PLUMBING / ELECTRIC / PAINTING REFINISH All work guaranteed at LOW PRICE and ON-TIME ONE STOP REMODELLING • FINEST CABINETRY Showroom: 752 Commercial Street, San Jose, CA 95112

ply)

India Currents invites readers to send in a picture and caption to publish in our magazine. We’ll pick the best picture every month and award a cash prize to the winning entry. Entries will be judged on the originality and creativity of the visual and the clarity and storytelling of the caption. So pick up that camera and click away.

Send the picture as a jpeg image to editor@indiacurrents.com with Subject: A Picture That Tells a Story. Deadline for entries: 10th of every month.

LICENCED, BONDED & INSURED

(408) 590-9071

sangle_51@yahoo.com • www.luckykitchenbath.com

Sang Le

REPRESENT BUYERS FOR NEW HOME SALES / NEW CONSTRUCTION / RESALE

FIRST TIME HOME BUYER SPECIALIST

Sue Bose

408-835-3330 • (510) 779-2673 • 1-877-RE-GURU-4U

MBA, CRS, GRI, Realtor

Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati & Bengali

Email: sue@bosehomes.com www.BoseHomes.com

Member, California Association of Realtors Member, National Association of Realtors Chair Elect for Sunnyvale/Cupertino District, Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR)

Friends on Canopy Road A Creative Commons Image

Agent, Referral Realty Lic #01379753 • 1601 S. De Anza Blvd., #150, Cupertino, CA 95014

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 135

Very Reasonable & Reliable Serving you in the Bay Area for 30+ years

Licence No: 554005

New Homes

2nd Stor

y Additio

Residential & Commercial SINCE 1989

Residential

• Custom House • 2nd Story Additions • Addition / Remodeling • Kitchen / Bath

Commercial

• Tenant Improvement • Dental Office • Veterinary Clinic • Airline Office • Restaurant

For FREE Estimates call DEVINDER S. CHANA at (510) 487-3254 or Cell (510) 376-9428 Email: dschana@chanaconstruction.com www.chanaconstruction.com

Restaurant

Kitchens

Patios

Baths

Rennovations

Palmdale Estates

INDIA CURRENTS GRAPHICS (408) 324-0488

We specialize in Indian Ceremonies & Receptions

• Two built-in mandaps in the garden • Indian Cuisine (Punjabi, South-Indian, Gujarati) For further information please call (925) 200-6900 e-mail: Veenaatpalmdale@mac.com • www.palmdaleestates.com 159 Washington Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539 PICTURE COURTESY

WEDDINGDOCUMENTARY.COM

136 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 137

viewfinder

Generation Gap! By Murali Vasudevan

r winne

ollowing Mom in her foot steps is not easy, as little Amita found out the hard way! This picture was taken during a sun rise hike on the sand dunes at Death Valley National Park. n

Murali Vasudevan works at Southern California Gas Company. He

is an avid photographer and enjoys hiking any time of the day. He can be reached at murali_v@verizon.net. To check out other entries and past winners go to http://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/categories/viewfinder/

India Currents invites readers to submit to this column. Send us a picture with caption and we’ll pick the best entry every month. There will be a cash prize awarded to the lucky entrant. Entries will be judged on the originality and creativity of the visual and the clarity and storytelling of the caption. So pick up that camera and click away. Send the picture as a jpeg image to editor@indiacurrents.com with Subject: A Picture That Tells a Story. Deadline for entries: 10th of every month. 138 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

media

Meet the New Ms. Marvel—A Female, Muslim, Pakistani Superhero By Emily Files • New America Media

ho are some of the first superheroes that come to your mind? Superman, Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk, Ironman, Captain America ... and what do they have in common? They’re all white dudes. Comic companies are trying to diversify their superhero ranks. There have been non-white characters, and even a few Muslim heros. Marvel Comics announced a new superhero comic book series featuring Kamala Khan: a Muslim, Pakistani 16-yearold who lives in New Jersey. She’ll be taking on the name of Ms. Marvel, after the former Ms. Marvel, who is now going by Captain Marvel. “We’ve had many diverse characters at Marvel,” said Sana Amanat. “But nobody at the forefront, on this scale.” Amanat is one of the editors who came up with the idea for Kamala Khan. It sprung from a conversation she had with a senior editor, Stephen Wacker. Amanat told a few anecdotes about growing up as a Pakistani Muslim in Jersey. “In the town that I grew up in, there weren’t many people who looked like me or who had my background,” Amanat said. “In different ways, not only in terms of me being Muslim or Pakistani, but just in terms of my personality and how my family was.” This gave Wacker an idea. He asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a superhero for all those girls that are growing up the way that you did?” Amanat recalled. They reached out to G. Willow Wilson, a comic book writer in Seattle who converted to Islam 10 years ago. Once Wilson was on board, Amanat and Wacker pitched the idea for Kamala Khan to the Marvel creative committee. “They green-lit it almost immediately,” Amanat said. Kamala Khan’s story involves her struggle to figure out who she is, while dealing

with the discovery of her superpowers. She’s a polymorph, which means she can shrink, grow, and shape shift. “We wanted to stay away from typically girly superpowers—things that sparkle, moving things with you mind, floating in the air,” Wilson said. “We wanted to give her something more physical, a little bit more unexpected.” Though Kamala Khan is Muslim, that’s not the central theme of the series, Amanat says it’s just one factor in who she is. “I don’t think I necessarily wanted this to be about religion at all,” Amanat said. “That’s just one aspect of who she is. It forms one piece of her identity.” Shelina Janmohamed, a Muslim author in London, was excited to learn about Marvel’s new series. She wrote an opinion piece for The Telegraph entitled “Hallelujah! Even Muslim women can now be superheroes.” “I really wish for my own sake that I’d had a superhero like Kamala Khan to try and help me make sense of angst,” Janmohamed said. “And just once in a while to come out of that geeky, angsty, slightly awkward teenage

phase and see that I, too, could be some kind of superhero.” Amanat says Marvel hopes to attract readers who may relate to Kamala Khan’s struggles and background. “I’ve got nieces and I’ve got nephews, and for them to look out into the landscape of pop culture and see versions of themselves … I think that will make them feel a little more comfortable in their own skin,” she said. Janmohamed said she has never read comic books before, but she’s planning on picking up this one when the first installment hits shelves in February, 2014. “I think they’ve done something very savvy in terms of business,” she said. “But also, they’ve made a very interesting social development.” n Emily Files is an intern at Public Radio International’s (PRI’s) “The World.” She is a journalism student at Emerson College. This article was first published on New America Media and PRI’s The World, News Report. Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 139

in the Northern California edition of India Currents for

00*

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Your Ad Here

*Discounted price per insertion based on advance purchase of three or more insertions. One time rate $90.

Call (408) 324-0488

Email: ads@indiacurrents.com

140 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

Farhad Razi Broker Associate, Realtor ®

BRE# 01444420

Planning to SELL, BUY or INVEST? Confidential Consultation & Analysis Schedule an Appointment Today! Your Satisfaction is my Success!

510-449-6096

www.RealtorRazi.com | RealtorRazi@gmail.com

Specializing in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

VALYA RAGU (VAL)

Consistent Top Producer • Residential Specialist CENTURION & GRAND MASTERS AWARD WINNER!! Where experience and knowledge makes a difference!

Wishing All Of You Happy Holidays & A Wonderful New Year! Specializing in Good School Areas!!! 23 Years+ of track record in Real Estate 2013 ERA Leader’s Circle Award r a e? g fo kin Hom Loo New alya! nd tV Bra ontac C

Expert knowledge of great school areas like Cupertino, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Mt.View, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Danville, San Ramon, Fremont.

VALYA RAGU (VAL) I can negotiate the right deal on the right home for you! Excellent References Available

TOLL FREE VOICE MAIL (888) VAL-RAGU

www.valyaragu.com DIRECT LINES 510.744-3537 • 408.438-8831 Affiliated with LEGACY REAL ESTATE & ASSOCIATES

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 141

AD INDEX ANNOUNCEMENTS 134 IC New Years Greeting ASTROLOGY 105 Pandit Anil Sharma 105 Pandit Krishna Kumar 107 Psychic Predictions BEAUTY 29 Apsara Aesthetics 27 Rita’s Beauty Salon 26 Shiva Beauty Salon, Inc. 27 Tieu Tho Beauty Salon BOOKS 79 Grove of the Sun 39 IC Katha Contest CAR SALES 41 Hardik Patel CLASSES: COMPUTERS 18 Amfasoft Corporation 14 Canvas Infotech 14 HS2 Academy 40 Scopus Consulting Group 25 Strategism CLASSES: DANCE 81 Bharathakala Kutiram 83 Chhandam School 81 Jayendra Kalakendra 81 Kalanjali Dances of India 81 Kalaawishkaar 81 Preetha Sheshadri 80 Savitha Sastry 81 Savitri Hari 81 Tarangini School CLASSES: LANGUAGE 17 Learn Spanish CLASSES: MUSIC 78 Ali Akbar College of Music 75 Dev Feldman 75 Habib Khan 75 Jeff Whittier 75 Madhuwanti Mirashi 75 Mousoomi Banerji 75 Peter Block 79 Rita Sahai 79 Shruthi Swara Laya 75 Sohini Sangeet CONST./REMODELLING 2 Best Tile 136 Chana Construction 4 Deco Kitchen Cabinet 135 Lucky Kitchen & Bath EDUCATION 25 Carnegie Mellon 19 Champion School 142 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

17 Choo Choo Train 21 Insight Education 17 Russian School of Math 18 Silicon Valley University 17 Stanford Prep ENTERTAINMENT 16 Gilroy Gardens 55 Kids Castle 7 Most Unique EVENTS 84 Abhinaya Dance Company 79 ICC New Year 55 San Jose Museum of Art 23 Sankara Nethralaya 84 Somya Bhatia 95 Nritya Sangam 86 Yuva Bharathi FABRICS 31 Elegant Drapery Concepts FINANCE 11 Wells Fargo 40 GCA Financials GROCERY 58 India Cash & Carry 51 Madras Groceries HEALTH 115 Alpha Dental Care 119 Anjali Tate, MD 113 Anuradha Reddy, MD 116 Archana Gulati, DDS 113 Ashok Jethanandani 113 Ayurveda Clinic 125 Bill Gray, M.D. 124 El Camino Hospital 115 Homeopathic Vibes 123 John D Stephens 117 Jyoti Sahdev 115 Mamta Desai, DDS 117 Meenakshi Bhargava PhD 119 Nirmala Balachandra, DDS 133 Pacific Homeopathy 123 Palo Alto Medical 129 Palo Alto Medical 122 Physicians Medical Group 27 Robert Lowen, M.D. 123 Smilesavers Dental 113 Sujatha Rajagopalan, MD INSURANCE 41 Amar Sehgal 41 Amila Insurance Services 41 Bindu Bhandari 42 Duabba Insurance Agency 5 G1G Go1 Global Corp 80 G1G Zain G1G Insurance 41 Global Health Ins Center

41 Manjit Singh 41 Mann Insurance Services 43 Rachel Payne 43 Robert Ju 41 Seeta Bhandari 9 Visitors Coverage 41 Visitors Medical Insurance LEGAL 35 Anand Judge 60 Anu Peshwaria 33 Arjun Verma 32 Aruna Venkidu Law Office 37 Bhatia & Co 35 Habbu & Park, Inc. 33 Indu Liladhar-Hathi 37 Kalara Law Firm 31 Karim Shawn Manji 33 Khorshed Alam, CPA 59 Mahesh Bajoria 37 Naresh Rajan 35 Raji Rajan 35 Robert Bergman 35 Roy Legal Group 37 Uma Subramanian LOANS 132 Vinod Patel PUBLIC SERVICE 48 CompareRemit 72 IW Group REAL ESTATE & LOANS 143 Nelli Vasan Bk Cov Ramesh Bhambhra 132 Subhash Patadia 132 Multi-Financial Services 141 Valya Ragu 133 Pacific Valley Financial 140 Access Mortgage Inc. 135 Sue Bose 133 Lakshmi Sathyanarayana 1 Rehman Farishta 131 Robson Homes 7 Prometheus Real Estate 135 Nila Patel Ins Bk Cov Nirmalya Modak 135 Kim Properties Ins Bk Cov Warren Myer Ins Frnt Cov Brigade Group 141 Yogesh Rane 140 Farhad Razi 7 Jeevan Zutshi RESTAURANTS 71 Chaat Bhavan 61 Chaat House 60 IC Lounge 55 Krishna Restaurant

61 Park Balluchi 62 Sneha Inc. SERVICES 123 Maitri 125 Narika SPIRITUAL GROWTH Arsha Vidya Center 101 Badarikashrama 107 Balu Shastri 85 Christ Church of India 107 Ganesh Sasthry 107 Grizzard Advertising 105 Hindu Heritage 109 Vaidica Vidhya Center 96 Lakshmi Ganapathi 107 Ravichandran Iyer 84 Shiva Murugan Temple TAX & ACCOUNTING 50 Bethishou & Company CPA 46 Bhatia & Co 47 Jessie Tax Services 47 Kent Tax & Business 49 Khorshed Alam, CPA 47 Multi-Financial Services 47 Olive Financial 46 Parveen Maheshwari, CPA 45 Ravi Tax Preparation 46 Sanjiv Gupta, CPA 47 Sugu Aria, CPA 43 Tushar Kumar TRAVEL 65 3S International Travel 69 Amber Travel 66 Amglo Travels 66 Deepak Travel 65 Expressway Travel 69 Nagina Travel 71 Narmadha Travels 66 Plaza Travel Line 66 Punjab Travel 66 Span Travels & Tours Inc. 64 Sunnyvale Travel 63 Travel Merchants 64 Trips & Travel 65 Universal Travel 65 Yaan Travels TV/MEDIA 74 SitaareeTV WEDDINGS 127 Creations By Sam 136 Palmdale Estates 127 Video & Photography NEXT DEADLINE: JANUARY 20

CALL (408) 324-0488 x 222 ads@indiacurrents.com

I THANK ALL MY CLIENTS IN THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, FOR MAKING THIS AD POSSIBLE



Season’s Greetings AND

BEST WISHES FOR THE

YEAR 2014!



THE SOLUTION-ORIENTED REALTOR

Recipient of

TOP SALESPERSON 93-02

NELLI VASAN

Top Agent

INDIVIDUAL DOUBLE CENTURIAN AWARDS

Toll Free 1-800-916-1422 Ext. 226 • Work (408) 997-9999 Home (408) 268-7985 • e-mail: NelliVasan@yahoo.com Affiliated with Ventura Barnett Properties

’97-’00

Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14 | www.indiacurrents.com | 143

the last word

Alice Munro’s Nobel—A Victory for Women

“I

By Sarita Sarvate

thought of you,” a friend called to say. “Oh yeah?” “When I heard the news about Alice Munro.” A strange stirring went across my body. It was not elation, but something deeper; a sense of being known. For, if you can summarize me in one sentence, it would be to say that I am a devotee of Alice Munro. Even though this devotion has been going on for thirty years, I have always thought of it as my little secret. For whenever I tell people that she is my favorite author, they always ask, “Who?” When I explain that she is a Canadian author of short stories about passionate, untraditional women, their faces go blanker, as if it could never be a worthy literary topic. Even after the announcement of this year’s Nobel Prize, I suspect most people do not know who Alice Munro is. Without the New Yorker magazine, I, too, would never have become aware of the existence of Alice Munro. The first story of hers that the magazine published was titled “Royal Beatings,” about a girl’s complicated relationship with her stepmother. The decision to publish was controversial because never before had a story about what we now call “child abuse” appeared in its pages. “Royal Beatings” and “The Albanian Virgin” just about cover the range of Munro’s Alice work. If I could ask one question of Alice Munro, it would be, “How Munro’s Nobel did you conceive the tale of the win is important Albanian Virgin?” “Inimitable” is an adjective because it has finally often used to describe writers. put the inner lives But it falls far short of Munro’s ability. Try as I may, I cannot of women explain the structure of her stories or why they work. They do not folcenter-stage. low the usual arc teachers are always proselytizing about; nor are her characters particularly sympathetic. She breaks all the rules and still comes away with such astonishing creations that whole lifetimes are condensed into one of her stories. If I close my eyes and think of Alice Munro, the one story that jumps into my mind is titled “The Jack Randa Hotel,” about a Canadian woman Gail whose lover leaves her to move to Australia with another woman. On a whim, Gail takes a plane Down Under, colors her hair, tracks her man to a street in Brisbane, and steals his mail. Posing as a distant relative, she begins to correspond with him. The reason I love the tale is because many women long to engage in adventures like this but never have the guts to do so. Or perhaps I like it because I did once follow my love Down Under. What is astonishing about Munro is not only her technique but also her idiosyncratic characters. They don’t wait for their men to show up; they literally follow them to the ends of the earth. Even though her heroines have artistic interests, their zest for love dominates everything. What is astonishing is that in a subtly feminist way her women do get what they want, and more. In a story titled “Simon’s Luck,” she describes a woman running away from the desperation of love. “She had driven all night until the sun came up behind her and she felt calm and clearheaded, as you do at such times. She went into the café and ordered coffee and fried eggs. She sat at the counter looking at the usual things there are behind café 144 | INDIA CURRENTS | Dec ‘13—Jan ‘14

counters—the coffeepots and the bright, probably stale, pieces of lemon and raspberry pie, the thick glass dishes they put ice cream or Jell-O in. It was those dishes that told her of her changed state. She could not have said she found them shapely, or eloquent, without mis-stating the case. All she could have said was that she saw them in a way that wouldn’t be possible to a person in any stage of love. She felt their solidity with a convalescent gratitude whose weight settled comfortably into her brains and feet. She realized then that she had come into this café without the least far-fetched idea of Simon, so it seemed the world had stopped being a stage where she might meet him, and gone back to being itself.” Never have I seen a woman’s inner landscape painted as beautifully as in this passage. The story has stayed with me, partly because we discover at the end that Simon did not leave the narrator, but failed to show up for their rendezvous because he was dead. Women all over the world should be shouting out Munro’s Nobel victory from the rooftops. Women writers are so underrated that it seems a miracle that an understated, un-hyped writer like Munro managed to win such a prestigious award. Her thumbnail sketches of complicated women often take my breath away. Take this passage from a story titled “Dulse.” “She had noticed something about herself on this trip to the Maritimes. It was that people were no longer interested in getting to know her. It wasn’t that she had created a stir before, but something had been there that she could rely on. She was forty-five and had been divorced for nine years. …... She hadn’t got fatter or thinner, her looks had not deteriorated in any alarming way, but nevertheless she had stopped being one sort of woman and had become another.” Alice Munro’s Nobel win is important because it has finally put the inner lives of women center-stage. The world has long last acknowledged that we do not have to read about women from muchhyped male authors like Jonathan Franzen and John Updike. That literature does not have to be about male wars and male deaths; it can and should be about what keeps women’s psyches alive. Over the decades, Munro’s stories have ventured from the familiar terrain of rural Ontario and its common people to riskier areas, like the portrayal of a young woman who witnesses the killing of her children at the hands of her controlling husband or the feminist tale of the nineteenth century Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya. Munro has honed her craft; and like aged wine, her portraits of women have matured. Shortly before the Nobel announcement, Munro announced her decision to stop writing and start living. I beg her to change her mind. I believe Munro owes us many more journeys into the inner continents of women like the French scientist Marie Curie, the Polish revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, and the biophysicist Rosalind Franklin, whose discovery of the structure of the DNA was never credited in her lifetime. A win for Alice Munro is not just a win for Canadian literature, it is a victory for women, their lives, and the literature they are capable of producing. n Sarita Sarvate (www.saritasarvate.com) has published commentaries for New America Media, KQED FM, San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, and many nationwide publications.

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS & & A HAPPY NEW YEAR A AHAPPY HAPPY NEW NEW YEAR! YEAR YEAR!

Low Mortgage Rates!

3.25% 3.316% APR 15 yr fixed. 45 day rate lock. Rates as of 9/10/13. Rates subject to change.

• 10% Down Purchase, No PMI • No point, No Fee Refinance Available • HARP Loans - No Equity Required • FHA Streamline Refinances

Warren Hitesh Myer (MS, MBA, IITB)

www.mloan.com

Over $500 MM Closed Mortgage expert since 1991

888-771-7714 • 408-657-7750 6472 Camden Av, Ste 206, San Jose, CA 95120

NMLS# 854352 • RE Broker - CA Dept of Real Estate #01163801

I bought this laptop with the money my parents saved using Mloan!

California’s

Home & Loan Team Serving All Your Real Estate Needs Under One Roof One Point Options

Zero Point Options

LOAN PROGRAM RATE APR* RATE APR*

Conforming<$417k 30 yr Fixed 4.000 4.140 15 yr Fixed 3.000 3.244 7/1 ARM 2.875 3.007 5/1 ARM 2.500 2.529 Conf - Jumbo $417K to $625.5K 30 yrs Fixed 4.125 4.254 15 yrs Fixed 3.250 3.473 10/1 ARM 3.625 3.750 5/1 ARM 2.500 2.625 Jumbo $625,501 to $3,000,000 30 yrs Fixed 4.250 4.369 5/1 ARM 2.500 2.609

4.125 3.250 3.000 2.625

4.181 3.348 3.054 2.802

4.250 3.375 4.875 2.750

4.295 3.452 3.919 2.792

4.500 4.534 2.750 2.781

NOTE: 1. Rates are for owner-occupied purchase. 2. Rates quoted based on 75LTV and FICO more than 740. 3. Rates for Jumbo loans vary with amount. * APR as of November 15, 2013. APR based on maximum loan amounts for various programs. Rates may vary daily. Purchase loans with 25 day close guarantee for completed loan application. Loans with Lender-Paid Credit are available that can vary with the loan amount. Please call for custom quotes. 180 day early closure fee and other restrictions may apply on all loans. Note: Rates quoted are for approved loans and are subject to change without notice. Additionally, there may be other restrictions that could apply in specific loan scenarios that could change the actual rates applicable. Rates provided as a general guideline only.

RAMESH BHAMBHRA

Our Specialty—No Points, No Cost Loans! Call For More Information

$ Care-Mor Home Loans Carefully Planned Mortgages

“Service Never Stops”

RAMESH BHAMBHRA Knowledge, Integrity, and Service with a Smile

Sinc5e 198

360 Kiely Blvd., Suite 235, San Jose, CA 95129 Bus. (408) 243-3155 ext. 201

1 (800) 4 BHAMBHRA • 1 (800) 424-2624 Approved Broker BRE #00896358 • NMLS#346147 • NMLS#346513