June 2016

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june 2016 • vol. 30 , no. 3 • www. indiacurrents.com

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The Audacity of My Secularism

A

t a dinner recently, the conversation drifted to the politics of religion in India. A friend, who relocated to India about a decade ago, scoffed at the idea of secularism. He called it “appeasement politics,” a political creed that has resulted in the marginalization of the majority in India.

Furthermore, as a personal belief system, he implied that secularism had an intellectual stranglehold on faith. Secular people, he opined, often seem embarrassed by their own religious roots, and were given to critically examining their own religion, but unwilling to consider other religions in a similar manner.

For most of my life, I’ve believed that secularism means respect and tolerance for all faiths and people of all faiths. My friend’s version of secularism seemed to be a subversion of my beliefs. So I began to think about what secularism means to me.

My father was a secular atheist and my mother is a practicing Hindu. I grew up in Christian boarding schools from the age of four and was taught catechism as part of the school curriculum.

Despite my formal religious instruction, I clung to my father’s secular atheism as the answer to religious and social intolerance. But it also came with a certain lack of belonging—a passport to a citizenship of non-participation.

Barack Obama, in his book, The Audacity of Hope, talks about growing up secular, much like I did. His mother was a secular humanist. “In her mind, a working knowledge of the world’s greatest religions was a necessary part of any well-rounded education. In our household the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology.”

Obama’s father was a Muslim who became an atheist. His stepfather was a Muslim, who became a skeptic. While growing up in Indonesia, Obama studied in a Catholic school as well as a Muslim school, where the “meaning of the muezzin’s call to evening prayer” was part of the curriculum. Later as a young man he embraced Christianity because, as he puts it, he wanted to belong to a particular community of faith that had a mandate for social change. In spite of his religious af-

filiation, Obama has frequently spoken in favor of secularism, “[In America] we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”

In my case, Christianity was what I was formally taught, Hinduism was what I culturally and socially assimilated, and secularism is what became my moral guiding light.

When my children were young, I realized that I had an obligation to show them the value of community faith participation. I had to offer my children the choice to believe. So I recruited my mother to help us understand and perform the practice of Hinduism. And I, too, put the Gita and the Koran on the same shelf for easy access.

Most importantly, I wanted to teach my children that belonging to a minority religion carries particular responsibilities as well as particular inconveniences.

Here in America, the exoticism of Hinduism will always be disconcerting. As

immigrants from India, whether we accept Hinduism or not, we are likely to be called upon to explain its practice and philosophy, even as members of other faiths from India.

I believe that it’s important to engage with religion in real and academic ways before choosing to attach or detach from it.

The important distinction to keep in mind is that to be non-Hindu is not to be against Hindus. And to be Hindu does not carry any disrespect to other religions.

Likewise, to be a non-Christian is not “unchristian.”

This is my version of secularism.

Indeed, it is easier to be an atheist and secular than to be Hindu and secular. But secularism is not a religious agent. Just as morality is not the birthright of any religion.

Secularism is about equal consideration. And, secularism has helped define the moral moments of my life with and without religion.

Jaya Padmanabhan, Editor

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INDIA CURRENTS June 2016 • vol 32 • no 3

PERSPECTIVES

West Coast Edition

LIFESTYLE

3 | EDITORIAL The Audacity of My Secularism

By Jaya Padmanabhan

www.indiacurrents.com

29 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA Five Effective Ways to Flirt on a First Date

By Jasbina Ahluwalia

Find us on

8 | ORDERS WITHOUT ORDERS Speaking of Freedom of Speech

By Atanu Dey 14 | COMMENTARY H8ers Gonna H8

By Rangaprabhu Parthasarathy 24| PERSPECTIVE Responding to the ’Rump

By Gayatri Subramaniam 26| POLITICAL OPINION The Violent Revolution

By Arpit Mehta

42 | ESSAY Silky Dresses

By Christine Joy Abella 44 | MUSIC What America Sounds Like

By Priya Das

16 | Breaking Barriers Many Indian Americans have overcome barriers to claim success in their professional lives.

28 | CURRENT AFFAIRS Why Are Indian Diplomats So Risk Averse?

By Vijay Rajvaidya 39 | YOUTH Feminism to a College Male

By Sumit Pareek 58 | VIEWPOINT Beyond Borders

By Padma Mani

By Vinay Kolhatkar

40 | History The Indomitable Begum Hazrat Mahal

By Aarti Johri

52| Travel Meandering through Mexico

By Neelanjana Gautam

100 | ON INGLISH Not a Techwallah

By Kalpana Mohan 102 | THE LAST WORD The United States of Minorities

By Sarita Sarvate

47 | BOOKS Reviews of Sophia and Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-eight Nights

By Jeanne E. Fredriksen, Rajesh C. Oza 70 | Q&A Mallika Chopra on parenting, meditation and her famous dad

By Geetika Pathania Jain 90 | HEALTHY LIFE Hypertension—the Silent Killer

By Padma Srinivasan 96 | RECIPES Peach Mitha Dahi

By Jagruti Vedamati 98 | DEAR DOCTOR Feeling Overwhelmed by Work and Motherhood

By Alzak Amlani

DEPARTMENTS

37 | Films Reviews of Azhar and Baaghi

By Aniruddh Chawda

6 | Letters to the Editor 32 | Popular Articles 30 | Ask a Lawyer 31 | Visa Dates

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72 | Cultural Calendar

82 | Spiritual Calendar 4 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

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letters to the editor Subjective Prejudices

Vamsee Juluri on the subjective prejudices of California academics finding an outlet in textbooks makes perfect sense.

However we have to admit our own inability to present our views in a convincing manner. The names India and Indus have come down to us from the times of the Greek occupation of the Punjab. It was essentially a geographical description of the river and lands beyond it. It extended sometimes even beyond the subcontinent to the islands further east. The name took on a political hue when at the time of the British engineered partition of India, Jawaharlal Nehru decided to retain it for his part of the country in preference to Muhammad Jinnah’s view that the two nations be called Pakistan and Hindustan in which case both the states could have preserved their common heritage. The name “South Asia” now serves to perpetuate the divisions of historical India. Further if the term Hinduism refers to the collection of beliefs and practices of the Hindus, the people of Hind or India, why would it not be applicable to ancient Hindus as well?

Srinivas Chari, Camarillo, CA

Communal Voting

Roshn Marwah, in his article (“The Ethnic Equation,” India Currents, May 2016), seems to advocate block voting by the Indian American community so that Indian American candidates win elections.

It is pure communalism to suggest that I should exclusively vote for a candidate with a name like Bhatia, Nageswaran, Goswami, or Singh just because I hail from the same part of the world as the candidate. Block voting based on one’s ethnic background is an insult to the democratic process in which one is expected to vote for a candidate solely based on the candidate’s credentials, experience, and promise.

Hem Chaudhuri, email

Poverty and India

Atanu Dey’s analysis was thought provoking (“A Misplaced Sense of Pride,” India Currents, May 2016). Often, people take pride over the performance of NRIs particularly in the United States and other western countries. It is good that the author has reminded us that there are 6 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

NRIs in the Gulf countries who are not as comfortable as their counterparts in the western world. Many of them have come to work here in inhospitable conditions, after borrowing money or selling their parental properties or their agriculture lands.

But this has been the story over the years.

Human beings move from less developed areas to more developed areas and that is the picture emerging when we look at the floating population in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Benguluru or even Ludhiana.

The end result is that some areas remain undeveloped or underdeveloped and this is the reason why India’s villages and smaller towns are looking deserted and some of them even forgotten. The author has appropriately ended the analysis by observing that it is time for Mr. Modi to stop congratulating NRIs abroad and work hard to bring rural India out of poverty.

Let India become a land of opporunities so that we stop chest thumping over the NRI syndrome.

Suresh Mandan, CA Atanu Dey’s article (“A Misplaced Sense of Pride,” India Currents, May 2016) rightly places the blame on the successive governments in India.

However, let us examine the economic status of India in 1947, which came into being as an amalgamation of over five hundred princely states and territories directly ruled by the British. As the current Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor pointed out in his last year’s Oxford debate, India’s share of the world economy which was 23% at the time of the arrival of the British was reduced to 3% when they left. As a result India was left with a large base of the population that was poor. It is also im-

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portant to note that India choosing to be a democracy could not let the government order a redistribution of wealth, unlike countries like China.

Regarding the misplaced sense of pride that Atanu Dey refers to, pride in the extraordinary achievements of thousands of Indian professionals and entrepreneurs cannot be denied whether it was in India or overseas. Even as Prime Minister Modi congratulated the Indian diaspora in his speeches, there must have been a tug in his heart for the conditions of the poor in India just as Dr. Dey felt. Still, the government administrations in India can not escape the responsibility of not having done more to alleviate the utter poverty in the country.

Nagaraja Rao, Fremont, CA The die-hard nature of the Indian (or is it South Asian) psyche underlies two articles of different perspectives and tenor in the May 2016 issue of India Currents. In a lighter vein, Gauri Sirur (“Are You Really Saving Those Seats?”) describes the experience of finding a seat in a cinema hall screening a Hindi movie. At Indian music concerts held in the Bay Area, the writer has observed a flaring of tempers and high pitched arguments over “towel” reserved seats. The reservation is involuntary in some cases to provide for the eventuality of late coming friends and relatives!

Atanu Dey in his article (“A Misplaced Sense of Pride”) is angry at India’s failure in providing opportunities and encouraging entrepreneurs. The underlying Indian trait seems to be “finding fault” with others and the system, and a troubling subconscious guilt.

The following points are missed by Dey: i) The government is an elected body and if people “voted with their feet,” who is to be blamed? ii) The remittances of the hard-working labor force in the Middle East far exceeds the money sent home by NRIs from the United States or other industrialized nations. iii) The highly successful India-educated elites ride on a well-established system, which was already in place and for which they carry no credit. iv) Many NRIs in the United States are U.S. citizens, and possess an OCI or PIO card, and have no qualms in using their old Indian ration cards on their visits to India!

Arun Sekar, Retired Professor, Morgan Hill

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 7

order without orders

Speaking of Freedom of Speech

By Atanu Dey

M

any of my Indian American friends, generally a well-informed group, are often surprised to learn that their resident Indian cousins don’t have the kind of freedom of speech they routinely enjoy in the United States. They assume quite reasonably that in India too, just like in the United States—both celebrated as exemplars of robust democracies—there are constitutional guarantees against governmental restrictions on the freedom of speech and the press. This is unfortunately not so.

Some time ago, while discussing the details of the content the editorial staff of an Indian newspaper would expect in a column, I was told that I was free to write about anything I wanted. But I was cautioned to stay clear of any criticism of the powers that be. Not just in general terms, I was told not to find fault with two specific politicians in power, whom I cannot name here for obvious reasons (privacy being only one of them.)

That happens in India but will not happen in the United States. Here’s why.

The difference arises from the constitutions of the two. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (the first of 10 items that is the U.S. “Bill of Rights”) states, in part, that “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” The important bit is that the U.S. Constitution does not grant freedom of speech because that freedom is not for it to grant or withhold. The freedom of speech exists prior to the constitution; the amendment merely recognizes that fact by explicitly prohibiting any law that may tamper with it.

As it happens, the First Amendment to the Indian constitution, introduced by Mr J. Nehru in 1950 also, among other matters, deals with freedom of speech and of the press. There are two major distinctions, though. First, I cannot quote the Indian amendment in its entirety here. The

8 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

In short, you may speak or write admiringly about the emperor’s new clothes but you cannot point out that perhaps the emperor is naked.

United States First amendment is only 45 words long and is in plain English; the Indian counterpart is around 1,750 words of impenetrable legalese.

Second, the Indian amendment grants the right to free speech. What the constitution grants, the constitution can also take away. In the finer details it says in essence that Indians are free to speak or write whatever they wish—provided the government agrees with it.

In short, you may speak or write admiringly about the emperor’s new clothes but you cannot point out that perhaps the emperor is naked. In fact, you are tacitly urged by the emperor to write encomiums on the brilliance of his attire.

You may ask, what does “tacitly urged” mean here? It means that when money speaks, you don’t need to. The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has a very, very large budget.

(Why India has to have what amounts to a ministry of government propaganda is a matter for another day.) Currently, it’s about Rs. 4,000 crores, or about US$ 600 million, a year. That’s the central budget; I presume the states have their own I&B budgets. Part of that humongous amount is spent on government advertisements in newspapers. Ruling politicians have the power to financially ruin any newspaper by withholding ads.

Even cognitively challenged people—

and people who run newspapers are not stupid—know which side the bread is buttered, if you get my drift. But even if you lay that carrot aside (pardon the mixed metaphor), you have to mind that heavy stick. There are literally thousands of pages of rules and regulations that apply to all kinds of organizations, including publishing. No one really knows everything about what they are but it is quite easy to run afoul of some regulation or the other, if an inquiry was to be initiated against any business.

Publishing anything that the government is likely to take serious offense to is akin to publishing an invitation to officialdom to please come and shut down the business on some pretext or the other; and also to audit the accounts; and to get an income tax raid done on your home immediately; and file a few cases against your business, which the courts will take decades to settle.

The freedom of speech and of the press form part of the foundation of a free society. The other rights such as the right to choose who shall be entrusted with governance—democracy and all that —are rendered meaningless if one is ignorant about the deeds and misdeeds of those who govern. The search for good governance is bound to be fruitless if one has to do it blindfolded, which is what it amounts to when people lack the freedom to examine the government critically, fearlessly and frankly.

Perhaps Indians need to fight and win some real freedom, and not just be satisfied with dubious nominal freedoms that are granted only provisionally and exercised rarely for fear of government reprisals. n Atanu Dey, Ph.D., is an economist. His blog “Atanu Dey on India’s Development” is at deeshaa.org. Connect on twitter @atanudey.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 9

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commentary

H8ers Gonna H8 Is it surprising to see boorish behavior get rewarded?

By Rangaprabhu Parthasarathy

T

he jerk of today seems to have all the reasons to be one. The more the hate, the easier it is to justify (or not) the boorish behavior. Jerkdom has been embraced because it is rather cool and hip.

The legend goes that Steve Jobs was a Australian cricket team; Photo credit: Youtube Steve Jobs; Photo: WikiCommons Elon Musk; Photo: WikiCommons jerk to some of his employees and was downdriving greater productivity from teams.

United States of America. He has been right rude and insensitive. While some saw Recently, Martin Shkreli, the ex-CEO outright nasty to fellow contestants and it as his obsession for detail, others saw of Turing Pharmaceuticals was in the news the press. He has thrived by being as rude him simply as a prodigious jerk. because Martin bought the rights to a lifeas a man can possibly be. And yet, he has Yet, his management style and vision saving drug and jacked up the price of it. a 50% chance at being the most powerful have been universally praised. Chances When people requested him to reconsider man in the world, come November. If this are, if you are reading this digitally, it is on his decision, he took to Twitter to openly does not show how the world rewards a an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac. Over a billion mock everyone and played up his jerk cred. jerk, nothing else will. people across the world swear by Apple Today, he is out on bail after being charged A few years ago, I used to work with products, which were born out of one man for securities fraud yet continues to flaunt one such jerk who openly insulted our being a pain in the neck to get things done his behavior with no sense of regret or boss, a woman, because he was uncomexactly the way he wanted it done. His remorse. fortable working for her and because he way or the highway.

In cricket, the Australian team is nofelt he was passed over in favor of her. As Elon Musk once told GQ magazine torious for their on-field sledging antics a result, my boss was forced to do extra that “the one time I met Steve Jobs, he and “do whatever it takes to win” attitude. hours and late nights to compensate for was kind of a jerk.” This was when he was The Aussies don’t have very many friends my colleague. This continued for months compared to Steve Jobs. in cricketing circles. They have been called and in the end, the jerk quit for a much In Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon racist and bullies. Yet, they boast the best better and higher paying job while my Musk, the founder of Tesla and Space record in cricket in the past three decades ex-boss continues to stay in a similar job, X—a darling of Silicon Valley comes across and continue to churn out talent that albeit with a little less stress. The jerk won. as an eccentric genius who could also be embraces the Australian way. While talent I know, I know. We were all taught a stubborn jerk. In the book, Vance deand discipline have been critical to their to be nice to one another. We preach the scribes how Musk is boorish and cold in extraordinary success, their aggressive jerksame to our kids. We were taught to help his professional and his personal life. like behavior on field has also been a everyone. To be nice and polite. Yet, here Firing a long time assistant is easy for contributor. we are. A dwindling minority in a world him. His wife realises the marriage is over No conversation about successful jerks where the jerks seem to have it all. when her credit card is canceled. Past emis possible without the mention of the bigSo should we change our colors and ployees share horror stories of how rude gest one of them all, the presumed Repubembrace the inner jerk in us? Or do we and outright insensitive Musk can be. lican nominee for the President of United stay the course? n Yet, he is rightfully considered by many States, Donald Trump. Trump has made a as one of the greatest technological visionkilling by being the biggest jerk in town. aries amongst us today. The Jerk Leader He has taunted and ridiculed immigrants, Rangaprabhu Parthasarathy is a tech enthuhas come to be seen as a badge of honor by women, Democrats and every possible siast and blogs on various topics from parentmany and as the best way of managing and segment of the diaspora that makes the ing to shopping: rangaprabhu.com.

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cover

Breaking Barriers

By Vinay Kolhatkar Do Indian immigrants face workplace discrimination even if they speak English like a native? Not in Silicon Valley.

M

ontreal, 1989—Mukul Pandya, thirty-one, dark hair, affable demeanor, was a journalist based in India. Visiting Montreal to cover an event, he and his wife, Hema, also a journalist, intended to uncover a few stories in the United States on their way back, when illness struck.

Fevers above 103°F can cause confusion, even hallucinations. Mukul’s temperature was running at 104°F, but his hazy mind thought of money—it was running out. Constrained to $500 each by foreign exchange regulations, and with

16 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

no medical insurance, the illness was now a calamity.

“It’s malaria,” the Canadian doctor said, and prescribed Quinine. Hema never left his side, but neither did the fever.

Mukul thought of his sister who lived in New Jersey.

“It’s typhoid,” said the doctor in New Jersey. This doctor was right. In New Jersey, two weeks went by before the previously-misdiagnosed Mukul got to his feet.

Gnawing away at the bacteria invaders, the antibiotics and the pathology tests had also nibbled away the precious few dol-

lars. Mukul forced himself to focus—the mental switch clicked to freelance work, but nothing turned up. Finally, one kindly editor gave him a scribble.

He clutched at it like a drowning man to a piece of wood in a sea of uncertainty.

On this wood that had long become paper, there was a name. And a phone number. *** Los Angeles, 2004—Vera Mindy Cho-

kalingam, aka Mindy Kaling, was hired at the age of 24 as a writer on The Office. She was the only woman in a staff of eight,

and the only Indian American. Later, she

went on to create the critically acclaimed The Mindy Project, a romantic comedy featuring the character Mindy Kuhel Lahiri, a romantically frustrated gynecologist.

Mindy had planned on playing the role of Mindy in The Mindy Project, but she was told that she didn’t quite look the part. What part, you ask? The part where she plays herself. A thinner self.

***

Frankfurt, 1972—Charu Khopkar, then twenty-nine, landed in Frankfurt, with his wife, Alka, who had earned a scholarship to study German at Frankfurt University. Both had been educated at English-language convent schools in Bombay, India. Despite the odd incidents of “The apartment just got rented,” “They always get the best seats,” “When are you going back?” and “You are not here permanently, are you?” they stayed.

For ten years.

When their first child was born, they thought of moving to an English-speaking country, and Australia happened to be advertising for immigrants up in Germany. By then, Charu was also armed with a four-year full-time master’s degree in economics from Frankfurt University. *** Sydney, 2015—I have driven to Charu and Alka’s home. It’s in a narrow street in Sydney’s south. Signature upper-middleclass area—tall gum trees outline the street on both sides, the sidewalks are neat, the grass trimmed. The aging trees bend over the bitumen below, creating a tranquil, leafy canopy that keeps most cars in the shade.

The house is a picture postcard of suburban bliss—a well maintained grassy front lawn, an attached brick double garage, its white doors adorned with a green pattern matching the green of the fence and of the rain gutters on the roof.

French windows with striped green canvas awnings are everywhere. No need to ring the doorbell, a Golden Retriever and a Labrador announce my arrival.

Charu and I sit at a long, narrow dining table with coffee. We talk for almost three hours. Charu is wistful as he remembers the early days.

“When I was new to Australia, a German company advertised through CES [Commonwealth Employment Service] for a representative with German experience and German qualifications, but resi-

dent in Australia. Liaison was required between Germany and Australia. CES sent them my CV [curriculum vitae].”

“I got a call for an interview. I was excited.”

“The interviewer was a middleaged German. We spoke initially in English, and then in German. He asked about what I did in Germany. It all went smoothly.”

“When I inquired with CES about the outcome, I was told that they were looking for an Australian-born person.”

That was a reminiscence from 1982.

Scoring an interview is still hard for many. Australian National University researchers sent over 4,000 fictional resumes to employers in response to job advertisements. In all cases, they submitted a CV showing that the candidate had attended high school in Australia. Despite that, not only did minority groups suffer discrimination, but Italian names suffered much less than the Chinese and Middle-Eastern fictional names. Worse, the higher jobs and those that required customer contact (such as wait staff) suffered more than say, data-entry operators.

In academic parlance, this is called the glass gate—if the gate providing an entry—to an elite university, a profession, to firms at the better end of town—is unfairly shut—then the groundwork for a ceiling is already laid. If someone is jumpstarted at a managerial level, like Rupert Murdoch’s preordained sons, they are on a glass escalator.

Who’s on That Escalator?

The recent CEO honor roll of multinational corporations in the West bears witness to immigrants on glass escalators. In Asia alone, there live 4.4 billion of the world’s 7.4 billion people. The CEOs were discovered exclusively in the Anglophone world after an ostensibly “global” search. Just how global is this search? I asked this question of several executives at leading headhunting firms by email, and I have yet to receive a single reply. Is this guilt admitted by omission?

Anecdotal evidence suggests the following score—Spotlight on executives with extensive work experience in the English-speaking West: 100 watts, Asia/ Middle East/ South America: 0 watts—it’s rather dark in there.

Indian-American writer, entrepreneur, and researcher Vivek Wadhwa says when

Charu Khopkar with his wife Alka

If someone is jumpstarted at a managerial level, like Rupert Murdoch’s preordained sons, they are on a glass escalator. he came to the United States as a child in the ’60s, classmates asked him whether he charmed snakes. Much later in life, a venture capitalist told our snake charmer that the reason he wouldn’t fund his company was that “your people don’t make good CEOs.” Says Wadhwa, “My blood still boils when I think about this.”

But Wadhwa sees the silver lining. “[An] uncomfortable experience provides incredible motivation to do whatever it takes to succeed, as I can tell you from personal experience.”

He reported in 2012 that Indians had founded more startups than the next four groups (from Britain, China, Taiwan, and Japan) combined.

Four of the largest technology firms in the world—Google, Microsoft, Nokia, and Adobe Systems—appointed Asianborn, overseas-educated immigrants as their CEOs. Many others have become successful entrepreneurs. Silicon Valley innovates, in more ways than one.

But Silicon Valley aside, according to research reported to the U.S. Glass Ceiling Commission, white males are more likely to get the benefit of a glass escalator. Deprived of better assignments and mentors, career-enhancing moves omitted—these are the invisible glass walls—the neglect by omission of a people with no connections.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 17

What’s Wrong With My Voice?

I want to jump inside this glass behemoth—feel its shape, breathe its air, and smell its insides. It is not an accusatory quest. To tame a beast, we must first understand its nature.

I am not a detached explorer.

You can walk in from the main entrance of this bank every day of the week, and you still never stop noticing the large, arched windows and the Sidney Poitier enormous columns of green marble with brass tops in the main banking chamber, one of the largest in the world. At first, Arnold SchwarzenegI went in first into a fourth-floor office, rather large sized for a middle- ger got rejected a lot in Hollevel manager. My supervisor, Lalit (not lywood because of his Austrian his real name), wasn’t there. I sat across his desk on the visitor’s side, solemn, accent. But when the films bestaring out the window to my right, came successful, it became a wondering why I was being summoned.

Lalit appeared with customary delay to strong point, his calling card. indicate how busy and rushed he was. this … you deserve better. You are clever, Like upper-crust city bankers, Lalit technically adept. It would be better … flaunts tailored suits and brand-name better for you if you neutralize your acshirts and ties. He drives a BMW and cent.” boasts of an affluent-suburb address.

I am silent. The words are stoking Lalit is not super rich. He bought a my rising displeasure but the penny has high-mileage three-year old car and rents. dropped that his heart is pure. Perhaps He tries to speak with a posh accent, mistaken, but pure of intent. My gaze but his subcontinental origins slip out shifts, first to the sunlight filtering through every now and then, like cleavage showthe window and then downward to the ing through a loose kimono. Aware and floor under the table between us. I notice self-conscious, he repeatedly closes the kia pointy sparkle, like a small torchlight mono, jittery and uneasy about how flimsy beam—how long does it take every mornhis cover is. ing for him to get his shoes shining like He speaks in trivialities, until I lose that? patience.

“You can stop any time. Why not try it “So what are we here about?” I ask. out?” He is persistent.

“Umm … there’s a course I want you I nod to that. He smiles. to consider doing. It will be good for “On one condition,” I say, “will you you.” join me? Don’t you need it as well?”

“What kind of course?”

Touché. There is a stunned silence as He fidgets and squirms. the boobs have fallen out again.

“It will be worthwhile. The company Later, I hear similar stories. will pay for it.”

Puzzled, I decide to call Carlos, the “Yes, but what exactly are we talking most multi-ethnic person I know. about?”

I remember vividly the day I first met He is adjusting his fancy tie.

Carlos four years ago on a film set. Sydney “Err … you will be working with a Film School is housed behind a two-story, voice coach. She comes highly …” warehouse-like structure, next to a load“What’s wrong with my voice? I just ing dock. The lower level is painted pink, did a presentation to over a hundred perhaps to hide the rust on the metallic roll people that was very well received.” I feel down doors. indignant. My ire must be at large—he has He was seated behind a large wooden picked it up in the air, his demeanor has desk, sporting a jacket on a summery day, noticeably softened. looking cool as though underneath a whir“It was, indeed. But … how do I say 18 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

ring fan.

Carlos Sivalingam is five foot three, dark-skinned, a fraction stout, and immensely articulate—he has a fascinating theory of why so many Australian movies never feature ethnic identities. To get the call for an audition, you have to first look the part.

Carlos tells me he is half Malaysian, half Sri Lankan. He is in his forties, and he wants to become a day-job actor, as in make those irregular checks frequent enough to not need a full-time job. My jaw drops—the odds against him making it are spectacularly high. I marvel at the audacity of his resolve.

He is eloquently aware of the gravity of the challenge—“I am the wrong shape, size, and color,” he says.

I met Carlos again recently. He lives by himself in a terrace flat in an inner-city suburb in Sydney and invites me in enthusiastically. The living room is homely—the furniture is old but well-kept, sunrays stream through the windows stained more by age than artwork.

I find out more about him—born in Malaysia, he went to school in New Zealand, and to high school in Perth. But meningitis as a child left him with an inability to concentrate for long periods.

Learning lines must be twice as hard.

“Accents and looks are overrated by acting coaches and managers,” he says, “look at Sidney Poitier. He never got rid of his Caribbean accent. At first, Arnold Schwarzenegger got rejected a lot in Hollywood because of his Austrian accent.

But when the films became successful, it became a strong point, his calling card.

I think the audience loves to see a good performer performing. It becomes about the performance. They are drawn into it.

They go with it.”

Carlos, you are a sage. Excited, on the way back, I head straight to the library.

It’s All About the Accent

In 2013, Laura Huang (University of Pennsylvania) and two others proposed that the glass-ceiling bias impeding immigrants is manifested in a bias against those speaking with non-native accents, the strongest signal of immigrant status—detected quickly and apparent almost continuously.

Huang’s team quotes other researchers who contend that a non-native accent is

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 19

20 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

distinct from language fluency or competence. So they controlled for communication clarity. Two experiments were set up.

A diverse (by race, gender etc.) group of 179 students assessed four candidates by listening to a job interview audio, but each student only assessed one candidate. The four candidates were: a White Caucasian American and a Japanese-American, both speaking with a native (American) accent, and a Japanese and a Russian, both of whom had been in the United States only for five years, and spoke with a non-native accent.

The resumes, gender, and the dialog were identical. In the second experiment, the same candidates were assessed similarly by a large group of MBA students, but they requested venture capital funding, as minorities frustrated by the glass ceiling will often look to start their own venture as a means of getting ahead.

While assessing all four candidates as “comparable” for communication skill, collaborative skill, intelligence, confidence, and attractiveness (they were shown a photo), the respondents assessed the two nativeaccented men as having significantly higher political skill (the ability to influence others).

There was no pronounced difference between the locally raised Japanese-American and the European-descent white American.

The researchers inferred that accent alone mattered, at least in that experiment.

But there are other claims. A University of New Mexico paper reports that “foreignborn whites with poor language and communication skills do not face problems in promotion and mobility,” and that “language capital is not required of foreign-born whites.”

Indeed, The Corminator, Belgian (foreign-born white) Mathias Cormann, has the physique and accent reminiscent of the Terminator, but he always talks at a hundred miles an hour, like he is about to miss a flight. It has not stopped him from becoming the Australian Minister for Finance. He even survived a political coup while backing the loser.

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

“One has to be careful not to overplay the race card. It’s a bad tendency to cry race each time things don’t happen the way we would want them to”—that’s the advice from Carlos.

Sidney Poitier left behind his parents and Bahamas home at fifteen to join his elder

brother in Miami. Upset by the racism in the South, he decided to try his luck in New York. When he arrived in Harlem, he was barely sixteen with only a few dollars left in his pocket, having been robbed along the way. Do the math, as the Americans say: he had no education; he was black; he had no money; he didn’t know a soul; and it was 1943.

He slept in bus stations until he could afford a rented room. He lied about his age to join the army, which he did to escape the New York winter—heating bills he could not afford.

The army was not his calling. He feigned insanity to secure a medical discharge.

Feigned? The audacity of what followed was insane.

He auditioned for the American Negro Theater, but the theater director ridiculed his Caribbean accent and poor reading skills.

Incensed by the rejection, the young man resolved to become an actor, if only to prove his detractor wrong.

He read newspapers between shifts as a dishwasher, listened to the radio for hours on end—repeating every word to modify his accent—and offered to serve as a janitor in exchange for taking acting classes. Resolution and Resilience, you were Sidney. The rest is history.

In 1967, a mere twenty-four years later, guess who came to dinner and broke every taboo in the Hollywood canon? Yes, we know.

Resolution and Resilience

In an NPR interview Mindy Kaling, said: “Everyone wants to be mythologized in a great way ... I’d rather be Odysseus than someone who was handed everything.”

Now that—that is resolution.

But Mindy was born in Massachusetts; the mountain to climb would perhaps have been twice as high if she had been an immigrant who spoke with a “wrong” accent.

A coalition of sixty-four community associations of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, and Korean organizations alleged in its lawsuit against Harvard University that: “Harvard University is racist. They use race as a criteria to deny admission to many deserving AsianAmericans.”

The court documents filed November 17, 2014 assert that the university is “engaging in a campaign of invidious discrimination by strictly limiting the number of Asian Americans it will admit each year and by

Minoti Apte

engaging in racial balancing year after year.”

When the U.S. Supreme Court blessed the minority affirmation action programs for university admissions by allowing them to take race into account, it didn’t count on one thing—if a minority outperforms the dominant majority on merit criteria, quotas will hurt them.

We await the Court’s resolution, but our resilience must be Poitier-like.

T

he day is March 4, 2015. Inside the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament House, Minoti Apte—a young-looking fifty something, ethnic with short hair— stands on stage displaying a mixed bag of emotions—pride, a quiet satisfaction in her achievements, and a few nerves. Also on stage, newly-elected NSW Premier Mike Baird is about to open an envelope. The moment reminds Minoti of the Oscars. She is on a shortlist with three other women. They stand with her, all in a line.

The audience is on edge. Baird tears open the envelope and reads out, “And the winner is … Minoti Apte.” A thunderous applause follows.

Minoti Apte, distinguished researcher in pancreatic cancer at UNSW, has just won the NSW Woman of the Year award. UNSW has also named a new back-to-medical-researchfor-working-mothers scholarship after her.

Minoti attended an English-languageconvent school in India and became a medical doctor, immigrating to Australia in 1982 with her husband. She fell into research by accident, and ended up finding her calling.

She says neither she nor her husband ever suffered a single adverse reaction.

“I guess my skill set is insular. It’s technical and intellectual. I appreciate that immigrants who aspire to sales or managerial positions may be in a different position.

Academia was very multinational even back

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 21

“... I’d rather be Odysseus than someone who was handed everything.”–Mindy Kaling on NPR then,” Minoti cautions.

“Not only do professionally qualified Indians speak English fluently, I think we write well; I write a lot better than native English speakers in Australia,” she adds, proudly.

Pride and Prejudice

Minoti stresses local qualifications, language, and collaboration, but indignation rises in her the minute I suggest name changing as an additional strategy.

“What about only a nickname, not a name change by deed poll, to make a difficult name easier?” I have hit a raw nerve.

I backpedal to be congenial again.

“Only if the name is unusually difficult.

I make it a point to learn how to say my Chinese students’ names. Some people make no effort at all. We should not be that subservient.”

His pride hurt, Charu had jumped feverishly at the same thing—“I would draw the line at name changing. That would be tantamount to the well-known misguided attempts to ‘breed out the color’ from the First Australians.”

But Ragda Ali could wait no more.

She had two years of experience in sales and a vocational qualification in marketing. After many applications, even for jobs requiring no experience, never earned a callback, she changed her name legally to Gabriella Hannah, applied for the same jobs, and got a call 30 minutes later. Sales job, sexy name—you do the math.

Montreal-based Veena Gokhale, who worked as a journalist with an Englishlanguage daily in Bombay, India, immigrated to Canada over twenty years ago, only to be told that “getting into media for a first-generation immigrant was an impossibility.”

However, immigrants who have qualifications and experience from the Anglophone world (the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, NZ, and South Africa), find it much easier to land jobs, and even do so at a level commensurate with their experience.

“Systemic racism when it comes to finding work here,” was Veena’s response when asked to describe “the most shock-

22 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

ing thing she had experienced as an immigrant.”

And Fortune Favors the Resilient

Rejected by the German company, Charu found his career niche in the NSW public sector, where “there are good procedures to address discrimination.” He succeeded in being promoted to the NSW Public Sector Senior Executive Service from the lowest grade (twelve grades in all) within five years—this, despite his ethnic name, appearance, accent, and age (starting at the ripe old age of thirty-nine).

Veena ended up as an English-language author of a fictional work published by a Toronto-based literary press, fulfilling a long-cherished dream she had held since age eight, when she wrote her first short story.

In 2014, Mindy Kaling described herself to a graduating class of Harvard Law School as an “American of Indian origin whose parents were raised in India, met in Africa, and moved to America, and now I am the star and creator of my own network television program.”

New Jersey, 1989–

George Taber was the name on the scribble. George had worked for Time Magazine for 23 years, most recently as world editor, then launched a local business paper. His phone rang—some just-arrived-in-America journalist called Mukul Pandya introduced himself. Following his principle that any journalist deserved at least one shot at writing a story, George asked Mukul to write about New Jersey’s largest thrift, which had just declared a loss.

Mukul didn’t know anything about

thrifts or S&Ls, the American names for building societies. Mukul called a professor of real estate and finance, who guided him through why S&Ls were in deep trouble.

Still weak from his bout with typhoid, Mukul took seven hours to write a 1,000-word story. But George liked it—and sponsored him for a work visa. Mukul was hired. Soon, freelancer became staff writer.

New to America, Mukul didn’t even know how to drive—for two months, George drove by his house to pick him up, even gave him some driving lessons, cosigned a bank loan so that Mukul and Hema could buy their first car, and took Mukul to his first baseball game.

In 1998, when Mukul was offered a position at Wharton, he was paralyzed by loyalty, until George told him to take the job.

Philadelphia, 2015

Mukul, now the Editor-in-chief of the business journal of the prestigious Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, invites George, now a full-time author, to speak at the journal’s board meeting about his latest book, Chasing Gold.

Mukul, his voice breaking, delivers a long, heartfelt tribute—“a mentor who impacts the course of your life profoundly,” and “the reason I am here is because twenty-five years ago, George Taber took a chance on an unknown …”

Mukul hugs George. A few tears are shed. The crowd brings down the house.

Let it be said once more—Fortune favors the resilient. n This article was first published in the international literary and arts magazine, The Missing Slate.

Vinay Kolhatkar is the author of A Sharia London (2016), a literary thriller about a forbidden love that draws the Mafia into fighting radical Islam, and The Frankenstein Candidate (2013), a political thriller about a billionaire who runs in a U.S. presidential election as an independent. Vinay, who studied screenwriting extensively, likes to merge screen techniques such as cliffhanger scene endings and sub-textual dialogue, with character transformation and literary prose, to accomplish a cinematic novel. Vinay obtained a masters in journalism with High Distinction from UNSW. He is also a columnist at The Savvy Street.

OW EYEBR ING D THRE$A 00

5

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 23

perspective

Responding to the ’Rump

By Gayatri Subramaniam

R

ecently, I walked in after work and listened to the answering machine at home (I’ll admit I’m a troglodyte with a landline). I was paying scant attention until this came on: “This is Donald Trump and I need your help to make America great again. California has a closed presidential primary. In order for your vote to count, you must be registered to vote as a Republican. Visit donaldjtrump.com for information on changing your party affiliation so you can vote in the Republican primary. Time is short and every vote counts. I want your vote and I want to make America great again.”

WHAT! Who gave the man my number? After I had finished frothing at the mouth for a bit, I thought he might like to hear from me. After all, he left a number to call. *** Hey Donald Trump, this is Gayatri Subramaniam. I’m not even into politics, but I have a few things to say to you.

So you think you will “make America great again?” Actually, it’s been pretty decent the last eight years, with a dignified President who has made America look good again in the international community. It’s going to be a shock to my system if you get elected and I have to wake up to your daily shenanigans. You see, you seem to be stuck intellectually in that self-centered, narcissistic, adolescent-boy stage—you think that size matters, and that all the young women around you are flirting with you and want you. You operate with the same filters that many 13-year-old boys do, throwing out the first thought that comes to your head without any consideration for truth, validity or consequences.

To be honest, I can’t stand your attitude towards women. There are a few in your life—daughters and a wife (ahem, and a couple of ex-wives to boot). You 24 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

Don

aldjt

speak of them as if they were your property. I suspect you would take it as a compliment if someone hit on your wife, and you’ve said outright that if you weren’t related, you’d date your daughter. Maybe you think it is funny (God, I hope you think it is funny, because if you were serious, we need a different conversation!)

But I grew up in a country where “eveteasing” was a daily irritation for most of us—men calling out to us and bothering us, degrading us with looks and words.

So I am distressingly familiar with your ilk, and I don’t take lightly the courage to stand up to men like you, or the responsibility to teach my daughters that they belong to no one, and they deserve respect.

You’ve forgotten about the feminist movement, Donald. It was ’uuuuuge, remember? We’ve come a long way in defining our place in the workforce and in the world. But then you, potentially a future world leader, come along and reduce women to a “nice piece of ass.” So that’s the great America that your children will inherit?

Now let’s talk about your xenopho-

rump

.com

bia. Recently, I’ve been working with small groups of elementary-age girls to empower them to be strong, independent thinkers. We dedicated some time last week to their greatest hopes and worries.

Guess what … we spent the entire session discussing the fear many of them have that their families will not be welcomed in this country anymore, thanks to you.

Some of their families hail from Central and South America and they know about your wall. Sleep well in your walled mansion, Donald. Don’t worry about the little 5th graders who are afraid to sleep because their recurring nightmares are about losing their families and their homes. Don’t let your conscience keep you up because you casually labeled a whole lot of people, you never met, as rapists and drug lords.

Maybe I should have sympathy for you. We inherit many things from our families, not just our genes. It seems you come by the racism honestly. Woody Guthrie reportedly penned these lyrics about your father’s Beach Haven public housing project that discriminated against non-White renters.

I suppose Old Man Trump knows Just how much Racial Hate he stirred up In the bloodpot of human hearts When he drawed That color line Here at his Eighteen hundred family project We are not responsible for our fathers’ sins, but someone who wants to be leader of the free world should be evolved enough to challenge old ideas, and embrace change, not fear it.

I think you entered the Presidential race for a lark. And then the unthinkable happened and you went farther than you thought you would. Now your ego won’t let you back out. Like a child who is surprised that he elicited a laugh and starts to overdo his silly behavior, you found unexpected support for all the crass and hateful things you have said, and you’re now forced to come up with more of it.

But it’s not child’s play, Donald. And it’s not a reality show that we can turn off.

When I first arrived in the United States in 1984, I attended school in a small town in Massachusetts. During Reagan’s re-election, I knew little about United States politics and didn’t fully realize that student and faculty opinions in a very liberal, all-women’s college in a Democratic state were hardly representative of the views of the rest of the nation. Over the years, I learned a lot about the parties and found that leaders like Ford and Carter could be friends despite their party allegiances.

Then the George W. Bush years brought the threat of being called “unpatriotic” if you did not fit a certain mold.

It made me uncomfortable that only the voice of assent was allowed, but you bring a whole new level of vitriol to politics, and I’m not uncomfortable anymore. I’m terrified. n

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Gayatri Subramaniam is a pre-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Silicon Valley.

She moonlights as a writer when the whim strikes her.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 25

political opinion

The Violent Revolution

By Arpit Mehta

“T

hose who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable,” said John F. Kennedy in 1962. Both the Republican and the Democratic parties have shown the truth of this adage during the 2016 primary season.

At the Nevada Democratic Party convention on May 14, 2016, Bernie Sanders’ supporters resorted to violent behavior, devolving to death threats made against the chairwoman, Roberta Lange. The reasoning? They were upset with the allocation of delegates who favored Hillary Clinton over Sanders. This is nothing new, of course, except to those recently drawn in by the rhetoric of revolution put forth by the Sanders campaign. In 2008, when Barack Obama ended up with 66% of the superdelegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton quickly conceded, throwing her support behind the future President Obama. Yet Sanders’ supporters are unwilling to accept the long-standing traditions of the party, insisting instead that the rules be changed mid-game.

This wasn’t the first time violence has been employed to make a statement in the 2016 election season. In April, I witnessed the rioting after a Donald Trump rally in Costa Mesa, California.

The Trump campaign had announced and promoted a rally at the Pacific Amphitheater just two days before the event, hoping to secure the much-needed Californian delegates and to avoid a contested convention.

The Undocumented Narrative

The short time-frame was also meant to circumvent mass protesting from undocumented immigrants as well as their supporters.

Over the course of his campaign, Donald Trump has made sophomoric accusations regularly. Some of the grossest generalizations he has made have been regarding undocumented immigrants, portraying them as criminals responsible for being generally violent, drug traffick26 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

ers, and carriers of infectious diseases. It should not be surprising, then, that people who have crossed the border in hopes for a better future would be offended by such remarks.

California, much like the nearby border states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, houses a significant number of undocumented immigrants. Well aware of the general response to his rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, Trump brought Jamiel Shaw on stage to share his tragic story before thousands of people.

In 2008, Shaw’s son was murdered by an undocumented immigrant who had recently been released from prison. Arrested for weapons charges and assaulting of an officer, he was allegedly on hold for deportation, but within a day of his early release, Pedro Espinoza shot and killed Jamiel Shaw, Jr. execution-style.

For many in the audience who had grown up around the underdeveloped and crime-rampant areas of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties, this was a powerful story to connect with.

Outside the Amphitheater, long before Jamiel Shaw shared his story on stage, protestors had shown up in large numbers to oppose the Trump rally. The Democratic Party of Orange County organized the protest on Facebook, declaring they did “not believe that there [was] any room for racism, sexism, religious bigotry, disregard for international law, violence, or any other such phenomena in [American] political discourse.” While they clearly asked participants not to obstruct traffic and reminded them that this was aimed as a peaceful protest, blatant disregard for rules is quite common when tempers flare.

Uncivil Disturbance

The two blocks on Fair Drive that house the entrances to the Amphitheater’s parking lots were gridlocked. Parking spaces were filled by protestors’ vehicles to make it cumbersome for attendees.

The crosswalks were filled by protestors and attendees alike. A corner gas station was used as a staging ground by mostly

Hispanic crowds waving Mexican flags and holding up signs with either vulgarity aimed at Trump (such as “F**k Trump” and “Dump the Trump”) or “Bernie 2016,” amongst others. The chaos was disturbing.

Once the rally let out, arguments erupted between protestors and supporters. In a captured video, a car with passengers inside was rocked by protestors while insults and objects were hurled at them. Things escalated quickly and violence became the loudest sound of the disenfranchised. It was when police cars and SUVs became the objects of misdirected violence that the riot gear was donned and brought out.

Overzealousness

Only an hour prior to this display, a presidential hopeful reiterated the violent tendencies of undocumented immigrants before a crowd of thousands of registered voters, voters who then walked out to observe violence at the hands of the very people group resenting that mischaracterization. The taxpaying residents, homeowners, and businesses of Costa Mesa were left holding the bill for all the damage left in the wake of rash decision-making.

Similarly, Nevada voters are unlikely to forget the reactionary Bernie supporters who incited violence when he didn’t receive the delegates they had hoped for.

There is no denying that the system lacks uniformity and that change is required to make it more democratic. However, insisting that all the rules be changed because one’s desired candidate is not being favored is impetuous at best. Resorting to violence to such an end is even worse, especially when the candidate in question runs on a platform of peace and love. n Arpit Mehta is a portrait and wedding photographer, as well as a media specialist and consultant to creatives. His passion for writing stems from his desire to better understand the world from a philosophical and logical perspective, which leads him to focus on topics in the fields of politics, economics, spirituality, and technology. He lives in Orange County, CA.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 27

my take

Why Are Indian Diplomats So Risk Averse?

By Vijay Rajvaidya

P

resident Eisenhower once offered a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to India in 1955. Though the offer was informal, it opened an opportunity for India to sit among world powers and be counted.

However, the offer was rejected by the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

It’s hard to find fault with Nehru’s decision because he had a vision of India emerging as a world leader of non-aligned nations. Therefore, a seat on the Security Council seemed less rewarding. However, a mere seven years later, Nehru’s world collapsed when China attacked India in October of 1962.

A lot has happened since then and India is trying desperately to get on the UNSC, and not succeeding.

If you believe in the adage that history repeats itself, we are at that juncture again.

India hasn’t ever had a friendlier United States Secretary of Defense than the current incumbent Ashton Carter. United States is trying to protect its interests in Asia against resurgent China and seeking India as a partner in its Asia Pivot policy in securing Asia from the aggressive People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The situation has offered a unique opportunity for India to, once again, get out of the isolation it placed itself in, and to reclaim its position in the world. The problem is that members of the Indian political leadership, intelligentsia and bureaucracy seem to have doubts.

Many of these doubters have accepted living under the shadow of China. A. K. Antony, a Member of Parliament and previously Minister of Defense, who rarely speaks up in Parliament was vocal against India signing the LAMOA (Logistic Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) as well as two other accompanying agreements with the United States.

He had an expansive argument. Antony says that because the Indian Navy 28 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

Barack Obama chairs a Security Council meeting; A Wikipedia image

The Indian intelligentsia is led by old socialists ...

Status quo is their religion and any creative foreign policy scares the wits out of them. doesn’t operate in open seas, it doesn’t need to engage with the United States Navy.

This, to me, sounds bizarre because it was Antony himself who made sure that the Indian Navy didn’t gain the capability of becoming a blue water navy.

The Indian intelligentsia is led by old socialists who still see a flicker of life in the dead horse of Non-alignment. They are comfortable with the humiliation their Chinese comrades heap upon them. Status quo is their religion and any creative foreign policy scares the wits out of them.

The last bastion of Indian stagnation is its inept bureaucracy. The country continues to function only because there are a few sincere and capable officers who strive to do their work diligently, like Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the current Foreign Secretary.

The last government was led by a superannuated bureaucrat and run by mediocre middle level bureaucrats.

Many Indian diplomats seem to be risk averse. We cannot expect India to make any bold diplomatic moves without taking risks.

India is at a cross roads. If it doesn’t break the shackles of stagnant foreign policy, the next opportunity may not knock at its door again. China is blocking India’s entry to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the UNSC. It’s time to up the ante if the current diplomacy in South China Sea doesn’t succeed. There is nothing wrong in borrowing a leaf from China’s Silk Road policy and build a road from Guwahati to Da Nang in Vietnam via Mandalay and Laos.

Even Anthony may like it if he can watch the Indian Navy operating in the South China Sea from the coast, albeit the Vietnamese coast. n Vijay Rajvaidya is Managing Director of India Currents.

relationship diva

Five Effective Ways to Flirt on a First Date

By Jasbina Ahluwalia

T

he chances of being asked out on a second date by a guy you like on a first date are exponentially greater if you are skilled in getting your message of wanting another date across during the first date itself. Below are five effective ways to flirt on a first date you’re genuinely enjoying: i) Smile Frequently. Everyone loves a warm smile, so make sure you show off your pearly whites. Of course, this doesn’t mean sitting across from your date smiling like a Cheshire cat. It does mean, however, to show you’re genuinely happy. Smile frequently throughout your date, as this communicates the fact that you are having a good time. ii) Laugh Often. Again, the idea is to have fun on your first date. This will increase the chances of a second date.

Laughing is a big part of this equation.

Be careful with this tip, though. Excessive

laughing, especially at something that isn’t that funny, will seem like you are trying too hard. However, don’t hesitate to share your real laugh when something is amusing enough to merit a chuckle. iii) Touch Occasionally. At some point during your date, touch your man.

A light touch on his hand or a brush of your hand across his knee is all that is necessary. You can also do a half-hug when first meeting. Combine them all to create an overall successful first date. iv) Compliment Him. Don’t go overboard, but at some point make sure you compliment your date. This will show him you are into him, that you admire him, and you want to get to know him better. I would recommend complimenting something he did versus his physical appearance. A guy will know if you are just giving him empty praise, so make it genuine.

v) Imply You Are Open For More.

You should ensure he knows you want to go out again. Don’t be too pushy about it, though. You don’t have to pin him down on your next date, time or place. However, you can mention how you like doing a certain activity then casually say something to imply you would like him to go along with you next time you do it.

In short, if you enjoyed the company on your first date and look forward to a second, don’t hesitate to communicate your interest in your date. n

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.

Planting A Garden With Weak Roots

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 29

ask a lawyer

Changes in Spousal Support Order

By Madan Ahluwalia

Q A

What are the conditions under which a spousal support order can be changed?

Spousal support, also called alimony, is an amount payable on a monthly basis. It is based on several factors including length of marriage, income and (certain allowable) expenses, age, health, education and standard of living of the parties. Once a spousal support amount is put in place, it can be changed only upon a “change in circumstances.� Until the order is changed, it remains in effect and the order must be complied with or there are serious negative consequences.

A spousal support order can take many forms. It could be for a certain time only; or for a certain amount for a certain period of time; or the receiving party could be required to meet certain conditions such as vocational rehabilitation or concrete ef-

30 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

forts toward seeking work, etc.

Change in circumstances is usually rather difficult to prove. These include if the paying spouse can demonstrate a significant change in the financial circumstances of one or both spouses, such as the involuntary loss of a job or an illness or disability that prevents the paying spouse from working or the the remarriage of the supported spouse. If a change is in order, do not wait to file a request with the court to change the existing spousal order. Waiting will cost money and cause grief.

Sometimes people wait because they feel they can negotiate with each other directly, but, believe me, most of the time, it does not yield results. Or they do not want to spend money on attorneys or engage in the legal process again.

Once the request with the court is filed, it locks in the date. The judge, in

most cases, sets a spousal support order from the date on which the request is filed with the court. Judges, generally, do not determine spousal orders retroactively.

Noncompliance with the order can lead to a contempt charge and action.

Contempt action is quasi-criminal in nature and will result in fine, jail time or both. A disgruntled spouse can wait, pretend to not care, and cause a lot of trouble for you.

When in doubt, you must take timely action and seek legal advice and request the court to make a decision. Do not procrastinate. There is no such time as the present time. n Madan Ahluwalia, Esq. practices Family and Immigration Law in San Jose, CA. He has been a lawyer since 1995. 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 Cox & Kings Global Services Pvt. Ltd. Call 1-866-978-0055, email enquiriesusa@ckgs.com or visit www.in.ckgs.us for more information.

T

June 2016

his column carries final action 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 June 2016.

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.

FAMILY PREFERENCE VISA DATES Preference Dates for India 1st Jan 15, 2009 2A Nov 08, 2014 2B Oct 22, 2009 3rd Dec 01, 2004 4th Jan 01, 2001 NOTE: F2A numbers subject to percountry limit are available to applicants beginning with priority dates beginning Sep 01, 2014 and earlier than Nov 08, 2014.

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films

Chops in the Backwaters

By Aniruddh Chawda

BAAGHI. Director: Sabbir Khan. Players: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Sudheer Babu, Sunil Grover, Shifuji Bharadwaj, Sanjay Mishra. Music: Meet Bros, Pritam.

Hindi with Eng. sub-tit. Theatrical release (UTV)

M

ovie stars with famous movie star fathers have had a spotty record in Hindi movies. After the initial entry fanfare and inside connections, eventually the son must carry his own water. Abhishek Bachchan (son of Amitabh Bachchan), Tusshar Kapoor (Jeetendra), Vivek Oberoi (Suresh Oberoi) are examples of younger actors who did not have the same success as their more renowned fathers. Perhaps as an exception to the rule, Jackie Shroff ’s son Tiger Shroff had a sensational debut with Heropanti (2014). In hopes of repeating that success, that same team (producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Khan and younger Shroff) return with Baaghi. Romantically viable and also action-packed all the way into tomorrow, Baaghi’s convincing signature will likely help overcome the odds to make Tiger Shroff a successful star.

Lifting off in Kerala, Sia (Kapoor), the vivacious daughter of two-bit filmmaker P.P. Khurrana (Grover), gets kidnapped and is siphoned off to Bangkok.

Khurrana decides that the only man that can rescue Sia from her sinister, strongarming kidnapper Raghav (Sudheer) is Ronny (Shroff), the buffed, wayward recluse pining away in the backwaters of Kerala. Flashed back to when Ronny and Sia first met on a fateful, rainy train trip, a ground work has already been laid for a high-noon style duel of wits and brawn pitting Raghav’s off-radar guntoting army of goons in Bangkok against lone-wolf Ronny.

Outwardly credited to Sanjeev Datta for writing credits, the plot bears uncanny resemblance to Telugu language entry Varsham (2004). Or for that mat-

ter, the additional resemblance to both the Indonesian entry The Raid: Redemption (2011) as well as the Bruce Willis Hollywood hit Die Hard (1988). But we are not exactly keeping score here so we won’t go there. We are too busy soaking up Shroff ’s martial arts chop to size down Raghav’s band of perps in a bloody trail all the way from Kerala to Thailand.

Raghav’s father is played by Bharadwaj. His full title is Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bhardwaj and he is the world’s foremost authority on death-defying “Varam Kalaripayattu” and “Marmah” schools of Indian martial arts. The highly respected Bharadwaj has trained commandos for the Indian army for years.

In an eye-opening role—he can actually deliver lines—as Raghav’s father who runs a martial arts school in Kerala, it is an absolute treat to see this master instill discipline into new recruits, including Ronny after he reluctantly accepts that his run-away freight train raw energy will need channeling if he has any chance of entering Raghav’s high-rise lair in Bangkok to rescue Sia. The dual settings in Bangkok and Kerala may seem to be incongruent. Perish the thought. The Kerala exteriors with their lush, monsoon-soaked coast line dotted by lighthouses and longer-thanlong dugout boats navigating shallow water ways are superbly countered by urban Bangkok vistas of gritty high-rises. The brisk pace and taut editing, especially during the action sequences—bloody in some scenes to showcase the carnage—add to guilty pleasure viewing.

Even within a limited acting range,

Shroff ’s muscular stance, cloudy, troubled eyes, and midnight black tresses coupled with top rate action choreography make Shroff refreshingly watchable. For producers who may find action starts like Hrithik Roshan or Akshay Kumar too pricey, Shroff may provide an approachable alternative. Kapoor has her own strings of hits (Aashique 2, Ek Villain, Haider, ABCD 2) to back her up and has a pretty solid footing in Baaghi as well.

Arijit Singh may be the most popular playback singer in Hindi movies at the moment. After a huge break-out in Aashique 2, the Bengal-born singer has landed some of the most prestigious songs, thanks not only to a vocal range suitable for current male leads, but also his association with industry-fixture music director Pritam Chakraborty. Singh’s “Girl I Need You” (with Meet Bros providing the music) stands out here, along with “Sab Tera” an Armaan Malik-Shraddha Kapoor duet and “Cham Cham,” from Meet Bros and Monali Thakur. “Cham Cham” is an upbeat tune that works as both a rain dance and foot stomping party song. This is carefree music on the go in a new-fangled movie making style for a movie with legs. n EQ: A

June 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 37

A Pitch Too Far AZHAR. Director: Tony D’Souza. Players: Emraan Hashmi, Nargis Fakhri, Prachi Desai, Lara Dutta. Music: Amaal Malik, Pritam. Hindi with Eng. sub-tit. Theatrical release (Sony)

T

he allegations of match-fixing that erupted in the world of cricket in the last decade also implicated a handful of names from South Asian international test teams from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. The implication of Mohammad Azharuddin, the famed Indian cricket team captain at the time, shocked fans of Indian cricket all over the globe. In D’Souza’s Azhar, a semi-fictionalized re-tooling of real life news stories about the ensuing scandal, dramatic license is the name of the real game. Even though D’Souza gazes on the story through rose-tinted field binoculars, there is sufficient astute insight into the life of both, the gifted player, and his conflicted inner persona, to keep the viewer hooked.

The breaking story of possible matchrigging that ensnared Azharuddin, Azhar for short, pointed to his possible links with some high profile London bookies. As if a famous cricket player and match-fixing in the same sentence were not enough to keep the story in the front lines, Azharuddin being romantically linked with budding movie star Sangeeta (Tridev) Bijlani was like kerosene to a blazing hot news story. For the tabloids, the seemingly unending drip of supposedly lurid corruption details—including secret recordings, leaked conversations and possible taints from a virtual who’s who of international cricket—promised a sensational bonanza.

Sailing the currents between fact and fiction—not to mention contractual blessings from the real life Azharuddin himself—writer Rajat Arora’s story follows large touch points in Azhar’s life, from his Andhra Pradesh childhood to his two wives and his rise to the pinnacle of his profession. Even though there are re-enactments of supposed after hour hush-hush deals in locker rooms, where 38 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

narrative is strongest is the complex relationship Azharuddin had with the two women in his life, his arranged-marriage wife Naureen (Desai) and the more showy fling with Bijlani (Fakhri). True to his profession, Azharuddin maintains a secular outlook and, mercifully, only plays the “Muslim card” against the on-field taunts from an overwhelmingly Muslim team from Pakistan.

The highly enterprising motherdaughter producer team of Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, the wife and daughter, respectively, of veteran actor Jeetendra, keenly allow elbow room for the two women in Azhar’s life—the dutiful (and beautiful) homemaker Naureen and the outgoing (and beautiful) movie star. Their script voices reveal unexpected vulnerabilities to the double-edged dangers of being at both the mercy and demands of a professional athlete. Desai as Naureen nails the reticent homemaker while Fakhri’s Bijlani is a dynamic charmer whose glitzy exterior shields a much softer core.

There is also strong performance from Dutta as Meera, a smart, well-coiffed and level-headed London-based attorney called in by the prosecution. Meera’s non-linear approach to the case—she is an avid fan of Azharuddin the cricket players even as she sticks to her legal briefs intent on proving his guilt in court—adds a delicious twist to what would otherwise be a clear cut case of finger-pointing from behind-the-scenes

players in test cricket.

Hashmi is often dismissed as a performer most notorious for his onscreen lip-locks in an industry where kissing is still a weakest-link taboo. In a pleasant turn, Hashmi finesses the title role. His Azhar is fond of luxury—which gives ammo to his corruption-obsessed courtroom opponents. He is insecure—mostly about upstarts like a then-unknown rookie named Sachin Tendulkar making inroads on the scoreboard. The lifetime ban of Azhar from his beloved sport looms like a gauntlet that would shatter his dreams and his future for sure. Most of all, he is a gifted athlete not completely prepared for the pressures of idol worship and celebrity culture in a cricket-crazed nation.

The retro-1989 look to Rakesh Singh’s cinematography gives the sets a timestamped yet fresh appeal while the brimming, ethnically vibrant setting in Hyderabad has whiffs of exotic biryani practically permeating the cinema hall.

The setting, meanwhile, accentuates the noteworthy ensemble soundtrack, especially Arijit Singh’s “Itni Si Baat Hai” and Armaan Malik’s “Bol Do Na Zara” as tandem heart felt tunes with slow rhyme and groove. While the performers truly gel, these ancillary elements also give D’Souza’s movie added pitch both on and off the field. n EQ: B+ Globe trekker, aesthete, photographer, ski bum, film buff, and commentator, Aniruddh Chawda writes from Milwaukee.

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youth

Feminism to a College Male

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or most of my life, I had not been exposed to feminism in a concrete way. When I was younger, I didn’t have an opinion about it because the idea seemed irrelevant to me, since I had not experienced gender-based inequality.

Now, I think about how foolish I was. Feminism is not primarily about advancing women’s rights; the movement is about equality. It is a very complex and contextualized concept, so defining it is difficult.

Regardless, I have learned that men are not as involved in feminism as they should be. And even when men believe in gender equality, there may only be a handful of this set who publicly act on these beliefs. If there is continual disregard for the rights of women and minorities, then successive generations will not adopt a more accepting attitude towards others.

As generations sprout and wither, positive ideologies need to be perpetuated through conversation.

In my family, my mother was the only source of influence on feminism.

Feminism was not explained, but in the way that she conducted her life, it was implied. My brother and I acknowledged that women were regarded with traditional respect, and my mother delivered a short retort anytime we breached any form of respect. I came to understood the true nuances of feminism when I went to college.

College made me aware of many different viewpoints. When I started to meet people, both men and women, majoring in women’s studies, championing their passions in feminism, and discussing gender inequality, I learned that feminism was a global initiative. In a conversation with a mentor, I was told that considering gender equality is a characteristic that can define masculinity. One cannot show true signs of perspective and wisdom without considering feminism. The intrinsic understanding of equality does not suffice because the world needs to see empathy in action.

By Sumit Pareek

A Creative Commons Image

Family roles and power have shifted greatly since ancient times. In the medieval era, it was acceptable and admirable if a women were a housewife. Even at present, the father is often the sole breadwinner while the mother takes on the responsibility of rearing children. In the past, life was simpler, so relationships were simpler. After technological booms and human rights movements, relationships have become more complex.

One of the biggest issues with gender inequality is intersectionality, which describes how discrimination affects different categories of people. This kind of discrimination can be explained by the income gap. In 1973, women made 57% of the money that white men made in the same job. In 2013, this statistic increased to 78%. Gender inequality is even more unacceptable when women of minority races are considered. Based on studies done in 2014 out of all races, Asian-American women earned 90% of the income that a white male would have, but African American women only earned 64%. This even varies by state and gets worse when we consider age.

I have been hearing about women

making 78 cents for every dollar that they should be able to earn, and I’ve always wondered why. According to the American Association of University Women, even after considering factors like family responsibilities and education, there is a seven percent gap that defies explanation. To any human being, this should be a matter of great concern.

Despite how seemingly difficult it is for women to earn the same as men, what will I do if my future wife makes more money than I do? In a society where masculinity can be stereotypically categorized by a man’s income, would I be concerned? And I do believe that I would not. After all, a difference in income does not equate to a power differential. In such a case, I would think of ways to remove any preconceived notions or disconnects that occur between a husband and wife. Both of us would need to anticipate personal or emotional conflicts that may arise from our relationship. For instance, male ego, insecurity, and family obligations are significant factors that can harm relationships. Cooking meals, taking care of children, and working a job are responsibilities that should be shared, regardless of a difference in salary. Even as a student, I know this as a fundamental concept that marriage should be founded upon.

Feminism is more than just a stand for social justice; I consider it a mission to stand for minorities. Just as much as other civil rights movements like #BlackLivesMatter, feminism is and should be hashtagged.

Of course, I cannot speak for every man about what feminism should mean; that would be generalizing, which is culturally insensitive. However, I do know that feminism in my life has a sense of progressive thinking that is more aligned with youth in the 21st century. n Sumit Pareek is a junior at Penn State University. He is an intern at India Currents.

June 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 39

history

The Indomitable Begum Hazrat Mahal 1820–1879

By Aarti Johri

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egum Hazrat Mahal was the last of the official queens of the kingdom of Avadh, or “Oudh” as known to the British imperialists, a large province in northern India.

While the details of her birth and family are unclear, it is certain that Begum Hazrat Mahal was not of royal lineage. She is believed to have been a courtesan in the court of the last king of Avadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, starting as a dancing girl named “Mahak-Pari” or fragrant fairy. The Nawab, besotted with the young girl, married her by means of the Shiite tradition of “mutah” marriage or “temporary marriage of pleasure.” It was a convenient method by which the Nawabs could add to their harems, and not technically stray from their marriages.

Mahak-Pari, as she was initially known, gave birth to a male child named Mirza Birgis Qadr Bahadur, and was elevated to the title of Hazrat Mahal Saheba, commonly known as Begum Hazrat Mahal.

Transforming from a courtesan—a Pari (fairy)—to a Mahal (a royal queen) was rare, and the good fortune of bearing a male child combined with the right maneuvers in harem politics likely helped the young woman.

In 1856, the administrators of the East India Company annexed the kingdom of Avadh, by means of the infamous Doctrine of Lapse. The British coveted this territory as a great resource for cotton and indigo, and appalled by the debauchery of the Avadh court and its gross mismanagement of revenue, preferred to govern the region directly with a more “conventional” administration.

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta, and the unhappy king left with a few of his wives, and without most of his large harem, including his “secondary” wives. Begum Hazrat Mahal did not accompany the deposed king, continuing to reside in Lucknow with her young son.

When the Mutiny of 1857 broke out, Avadh was one of the major areas of rebel40 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

A Wikipedia Commons image

lion as several recruits of the army were from Avadh. People were unhappy about the annexation, the deposition of their king, and the religious insensitivity of the British. The rebels needed a leader to further their cause.

Begum Hazrat Mahal rose to the occasion to help the rebels defend Lucknow against the British troops. To the surprise of her adversaries, she reorganized the army with better co-ordination between the three units of the cavalry, artillery, and infantry. Many times, she rode at the head of the army on an elephant to encourage the soldiers against the advancing British troops.

As in other places, the Indian rebels could not hold out for long against the larger number of British troops, and the queen’s advisors asked the Begum to leave Lucknow in March 1858. She fled to the countryside, continuing her hostilities against the British by issuing orders while in hiding.

On November 1, 1858, Queen Victoria issued a proclamation whose intent was to end the Mutiny, pacify the religious sentiments of the Indians, and formally transfer control of the British territories

in India from the East India Company to the British Crown. Begum Hazrat Mahal issued a counter-proclamation in which she argued against every claim of Queen Victoria.

The Begum reminded the Indians that several previous treaties had been violated, that princely heads had either been pensioned or killed, and property worth millions of rupees seized. If the British intent was honorable, why did the British Queen not “restore our country to us when our people wish it?” asked the bold and shrewd Begum. She questioned Queen Victoria’s claim to religious noninterference: “…to destroy Hindoo and Mussulman temples on pretence of making roads to build churches—to send clergymen into streets and alleys to preach the Christian religion—to institute English schools, and to pay a monthly stipend for learning the English sciences, while the places of worship of Hindoos and Mussulmans are to this day entirely neglected; with all this how can the people believe that religion will not be interfered with?”

Begum Hazrat Mahal forewarned the Indians that their future prospects appeared limited under British rule. “It is worthy of a little reflection, that they have promised no better employment for Hindoostanees than making roads and digging canals.” The Begum’s words were rather prophetic. For decades after 1857, Indians pushed files under British bureaucracy and worked as laborers for the British government in India and overseas.

Begum Hazrat Mahal eventually sought asylum in the kingdom of Nepal, where she lived for the rest of her life. The British administration initially negotiated with her, assuring her a safe return and the possibility of a pension. The Begum, distrusting the British, refused—most likely because British retribution in the immediate aftermath of the rebellion was extremely harsh. While both Hindu and Muslim rebels were ruthlessly punished,

Begum Hazrat Mahal leading the ArmyBattle of Alam Bagh, Lucknow.

Backcover of The Oudh Nights: Tales of Nawab Wazirs, Kings and Begums of Lucknow. by AP Bhatnagar. Shubhi Publications, India, 2005.

there was fear that the Muslims would rise against the British (and Christian power) because it was a hitherto Muslim power that was being displaced, and the repercussions in former-Muslim strongholds such as Lucknow and Delhi were particularly extreme. After their initial negotiations failed, the British labeled the Begum as a woman of “savage disposition.”

Begum Hazrat Mahal has remained a relatively minor figure in Indian history.

Her legacy and her heirs were inadequately honored in the centenary celebrations of the Mutiny held at Lucknow post-Indian independence. Her great-grandsons protested against this oversight by the Indian government, which led Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to order an inquiry into her place of burial. Her grave was discovered near Kathmandu, Nepal, in very poor condition. At this point, a park in Lucknow was named after her to commemorate her memory—this park has very recently been renamed—and later a postage stamp was issued in her honor.

Begum Hazrat Mahal’s legacy was diminished in the changed landscape of India post-1857. Her humble beginnings as a courtesan made her an inadequate role model.

The courtesans at the zenith of Lucknow’s court were no petty “nautch-girls” as described by the Victorian sensibilities of the colonists. They were sophisticated women, well versed in the arts of dance,

Kamat.com

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in his Zenana (female quarters)

“Portraits of the Nawabs: Images from the Lucknow Court 1775-1856” by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones published in Marg : A Magazine for the Arts.

music, and poetry. Their association with the courts made them extremely wealthy and nineteenth-century British records indicate that they were in the highest income-tax bracket before 1857. While the British derided the courtesans, and the culture they espoused, they did not hesitate to tax them on their “ill-earned” wealth. During the Mutiny, the courtesans monetarily supported the rebels, and their homes became rebel hideouts and secret meeting-venues.

Yet, this courtesan culture, the associated decadence and “debauchery” became a source of embarrassment for late-nineteenth-century Indian nationalists, social reformers, and the emerging middle-class English-educated “elite.” Indian nationalists believed that it was decadence and indolence that had helped the British uproot power in the princely states. A strong, respectable people hoping for self-rule needed to identify with respectable women and men, and a former courtesan-turnedwarrior-queen did not fit this idealized image.

A strong and resolute woman, the Begum never gave in to the British, while her husband—a good man and an artist at heart, but weak in resolution—continued to live off the generous pension he received, always short of money, and therefore always acquiescing to the British.

Several years after the Mutiny, a British painter visited Begum Hazrat Mahal, in

Kathmandu, to paint a portrait of her son, Birgis Qadr. As he worked on his task, the painter ventured to ask her whether she would consider returning to Lucknow.

Given the fact that much time had elapsed since 1857, the British regime was willing to forgive her and pay her a pension. Her residence in India would be proof of the British paternalistic spirit of forgiveness.

Their condition, however, was that she would not be allowed a lavish lifestyle with a large retinue of servants. Perhaps, surprised by, or suspicious of the offer, but more likely annoyed at the continued interference in her life, the Begum refused the gesture, stating, with true Avadhi andaaz (style) “of what use will be the salary, if I am not to spend it upon the servants?”

Begum Hazrat Mahal was buried in a simple grave in the grounds of a mosque she built. Ironically she named it Hindustani Masjid, after the beloved homeland she had left behind, for whose sovereignty she had fought, and in which she has largely been forgotten. n Aarti Johri is a tech-professional turned history buff. This is an extract from her thesis for the Stanford MLA degree. Her articles have been published in the San Jose Mercury News, Stanford’s Tangents Magazine, and others. She serves on the board of SACHI (Society for the Art and Cultural Heritage of India).

June 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 41

essay

Silky Dresses

By Christine Joy Abella • Growing Up Asian in America

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he twins are identical, but their fashion styles beg otherwise. At school, they look different, unique: Lhamo has long hair and wears bright cardigans, proud of a chic, international look; Kunsang has mid-length hair and wears large sweaters, easily rocking a tomboy look. It is easy to figure out who is who with one glance. But they have one thing in common: they never wear dresses.

For seven years, they were never seen in dresses at school. It seemed as though their wardrobes only consisted of t-shirts, converse, and skinny jeans. However, as February drew near, I was proven wrong.

They took a picture of themselves wearing bright green and yellow gowns, smiling—but the gowns were neither strapless nor backless, barely resembling a cocktail.

Instead, the dresses reminded me of Japanese kimonos, the sleeves not as long but the fabric silky with intricate, delicate patterns that hugged them. It was so foreign yet mystical.

My curiosity told me to ask them about the outfits the following day. “They’re called chupas,” they responded. “They’re traditional Tibetan dresses. We’ve started wearing them weekly because we are teaching kids about Tibet on Sundays.”

Intrigued, I continued to inquire about their teachings and Tibetan celebrations until class began, and soon, this became a daily routine. As I listened to them explain Losar, their frequent celebrations, and Tibet’s struggle for independence, it dawned on me: they were clinging on to whatever remained of their culture in this American society. They were embracing their mother tongue, they were embracing the stories of their homeland, and they were embracing their identities. And I was not.

Unlike them, I am an immigrant who left Asia in the early 2000s. Unlike them, I am always surrounded by fellow Filipinos.

42 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

inspire me to cling onto my heritage and to thoroughly embrace my background and community; self-identifying as Asian is not enough.

Being honored with gold is generally a rewarding challenge to continue to keep moving forward and to never stop despite obstacles. For Lhamo and Kunsang, it is the promise to continue to influence this generation and the generations that will follow, and to never let their culture die when other people have done otherwise.

This is a responsibility I—we—will help them accomplish.for the happiness of the other. n Growing Up Asian in America provides a unique platform for young people to creatively explore and celebrate being both Asian or Pacific Islander and American.

The Tibetan dress Chupa

A Pinterest image

Unlike them, I learned about my home country’s history during freshman year because it was part of the Humanities curriculum. Yet they were the ones actively contributing and connecting to their ethnic community, attempting to become fluent in Tibetan to do so, whereas I, on the other hand, could barely speak in Tagalog because I feared criticism from proficient speakers. Ignorant, so ignorant, I allowed myself to be.

These twins refuse to let Tibet be forgotten, exemplifying their dignity. They will not let a crucial component of their identities fade. That is why they must be honored. Their dedication and mindsets

Every year, almost one thousand Bay Area students in grades kindergarten through 12 submit artwork, essays, poems and videos on a single theme, competing for over $20,000 in cash and prizes. It encourages young Asian Americans to take pride in their identities, and helps others understand the varied experiences of our youth growing up in the Bay Area’s diverse communities.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the program, the Asian Pacific Fund asked youth to reflect on their roots. A variety of themes came up in the students’ works including personal stories of sacrifices made by immigrant grandparents and parents, the struggle to maintain one’s cultural identity, and the lessons learned from each family’s journey. Many students expressed deep appreciation for the courage of elders and ancestors.

This essay was a winner in the 9th to 12 grade category. Christine Joy Abella is in the 12th grade.

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June 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 43

music

What America Sounds Like The music of Aki Kumar and Aireene Espiritu

By Priya Das

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alent “that wouldn’t otherwise be heard” is what Jim Pugh, founder of Little Village Foundation, looks for and then goes about promoting. “It’s like pebbles on the beach. You pick up one and it’s beautiful, but when you hold four together the commonality emerges.

It’s breathtaking, and the bigger picture of what America really sounds like leaps out at you,” he says on his blog.

Every year, Village promotes a few hitherto unknown artists—this year features two South Asians, Aki Kumar and Aireene Espiritu.

Kumar gave up a career in software to create a music genre which Pugh called “Muddy meets Mumbai,” singing 1960s Bollywood songs in blues or jazz tones.

The album has popular Hindi numbers such as “Jaanu Meri Jaan,” “Badan Pe Sitaare,” “Baar Baar Dekho,” and “Chala Jaata Hoon.” They sound different, rendered in Kumar’s voice that has an American country twang. While non-Indian audiences have been appreciating these, what’s more interesting is Aki’s take on the blues.

In “Home is Prison” and “Going to Bombay,” Kumar certainly sounds more in his own groove and one hopes that he commits to this sub-genre in the future, perhaps singing them in Hindi.

I asked Kumar a few questions about his music.

IC: Why the blues?

AK: I didn’t find the blues, the blues found me. If you talk to any real blues lover, they will tell you that there is something so compelling and undeniable about this music that you have no choice but to fall in love with it. The same happened to me. My journey into the blues was through American Rock ’n‘ Roll—mostly music from the 50s and 60s—which I took a strong liking to in my late teens.

IC: Do you consider Bollywood from 195060 to be “Blueswood?”

44 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

5 to full time musician?

AK: When I started dabbling in the blues harmonica, it was nothing more than a hobby. I would occasionally play with my colleagues or friends who were just looking to get together and have fun. As time went on, I improved as a musician and a performer. I found myself collaborating with many local blues musicians, attending jams and even performing my own shows. I was leading a very fulfilling but sometimes strenuous double life—software engineer during the day, blues musician at night. In the last few years, especially, it became very obvious that I had a true passion for the blues and that if I didn’t pursue it wholeheartedly, I would be denying myself the opportunity of a lifetime.

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Aki Kumar

AK: Haha, not “Blueswood” in the pure sense but, yes. If you listen to Bollywood music from the era, you will find that blues, swing, jazz, Rock ’n‘ Roll had a huge influence on it. I suppose those Bollywood music directors and artists were just trying to stay hip and keep up with musical trends in the West.

IC: Who has been your favorite audience—city and profile/ethnicity?

AK: That is very tough to say, because I have had a great time performing all over the world to some incredibly loving and receptive audiences. I recently wrapped up a short tour of Finland with Chicago blues guitarist Rockin’ Johnny and I must say I had such a good time performing to the blues lovin’ crowds there that I’m eager to go back again, soon!

IC: How did you make the jump from 9 to

hilippines originated Espiritu, on the other hand, has always been on the move—she literally lives out of her car.

Pugh was reminded of the reigning blues queen Sugar Pie DeSanto (who is part Filipino) and doing a tribute was the original idea behind the album “Back Where I Belong.” However, it became much more than that, encompassing Espiritu’s whole style, which in her own words, is an “umbrella of Americana—a mix of country, blues, bluegrass, gospel, and folk,” and some Filipino folk songs. I asked Espiritu about her musical journey.

IC: How would you describe your own discovery of a musical identity?

AE: I remember the first time I became obsessed with a song. I was 10.

Shortly after we moved to the United States, we lived with my aunt and her family for a couple of years. I found a cassette tape in their basement and put it on out of curiosity. The first song played and I found myself playing it over and over. I would think about the song during the day, the

different layers, simultaneous notes and looked forward to coming home to repeat play again. The song was Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” I knew then that I wanted to play music.

IC: The album has some Filipino tracks: How did that come about?

AE: At family gatherings, my uncles, aunts, mom, would sing and dance. I never sang along, just enjoyed watching everyone and listening. I thought someday I’d like to record them playing these Filipino songs. “Bayan Ko” (My Country) is a patriotic song about yearning to be free.

“Oras Na” (It’s Time) is about conquering fear and following your heart. “Dukha” (Poor) is about being poor.

IC: Do you visit the Philippines often, what do you seek in those visits?

AE: I try to go almost every year ever since my grandmother moved back in 2009. She’s in her 90s so time is precious. I love going to the province where she lives, disconnected to technology and just “be.” Up until last year there was no internet, no cell phone service. So my fam-

2015 would be the year I’d settle down, but the year came and went and I never felt the longing to have my own place again. I like spending time with friends in different places and meeting new ones, collecting their stories, visiting new places, landscapes, and cultures. On the flip side, it’s also exhausting constantly planning schedules, loading and unloading my things which includes my kitchen, instruments, office, clothes. Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses and I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. I imagine eventually I’ll want a place again, but I don’t see it anytime soon.

Aireene Espiritu

ily hang out in the living room and share stories of growing up in the province. We would wake up at 4 a.m. and wait for the man on a bicycle to pass through town with freshly baked hot pan de sal (Filipino bread), have meriendas (snacks, appetizers, desserts). Family, food, and stories.

That’s what I look forward to.

IC: Would you rather continue living the life of a traveler—does that provide the canvas or the colors for your music?

AE: For now, yes, I prefer to be traveling. Last year I told myself that maybe

n Kumar and Espiritu will play at the The Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, on June 9. The albums are set for release on July 15. More info at thefreight.org and littlevillagefoundation.com/ Priya Das is an enthusiastic follower of world music and avidly tracks intersecting points between folk, classical, jazz and other genres.

June 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 45

46 | INDIA CURRENTS |West Coast Edition | June 2016

books

The Princess Doth Protest

By Jeanne E. Fredriksen SOPHIA–Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary by Anita Anand. New York: Bloomsbury USA bloomsbury.com. anitaanand.com. 432 pages.

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xhumed from obscurity, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876-1948) is celebrated in Anita Anand’s ambitious but often-didactic biography, Sophia–Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary.

The youngest daughter of Maharajah Duleep Singh—robbed of his kingdom when he was a child and brought to England at age 15—and the granddaughter of the “Lion of Punjab,” Maharajah Ranjit Singh, Sophia was born and raised in exiled English comfort and royal lavishness.

Because of her exotic heritage and because her godmother was Queen Victoria, Sophia was internationally known as one of the “Duleep Singh Princesses.” Her life as a socialite was fulfilling but only insofar as party-going, wearing the latest Paris fashions, and raising champion show dogs; she was never considered marriageable because of the color of her skin.

Nevertheless, she was her own woman, boldly devoted to the new rage of cycling, photography, and, to her family’s dismay, smoking. For all the pleasure Sophia experienced in English society, though, it is clear she lived with equal parts of loneliness and depression that receded when a sibling required her help or companionship.

One British newspaper called her a “thoroughly English girl,” yet she was always searching for purpose in life to seal the society-imposed gaps. Allowed to visit India for the first time in 1903, she saw “poverty and depravation on a scale that overwhelmed her. Also, she came face to face with all that her family had lost.” The realism that kills the debutante gives birth to the revolutionary, and Sophia would never be a carefree socialite again.

Back in England, Sophia focuses her

energy on promoting awareness of and fundraising in aid of the lascars—Indian sailors who were stranded on the English coast and abused by their employer, the East India Company. Three years later, Sophia returns to India at which time her political views begin to find definition.

As political turbulence grows in India, the princess befriends activists Sarla Devi Choudrani, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Sophia goes back to England in 1907 with a renewed passion to agitate and act.

Sophia steps wholeheartedly into the women’s suffragette movement, most notably by spearheading firm personal protests against paying taxes because she had no representation. She sits with suffragette leaders at rallies, sells the movement’s newspaper on the street, chants slogans at meetings, and lends her presence to help women gain their voting rights. Unlike her compatriots who suffer indignities at the hands of the police, Sophia is never arrested despite the Political and Secret Department of the India Office having kept a dossier on her activities since before she was ten years old.

Even as she grew older, she continued to lead. During World War I, she undertook the role of nurse to wounded Indian soldiers who fought on the Western front.

During World War II, she moved to the English countryside for safety and sheltered a family of children, something she reveled in as she had no children of her own.

The highlights of the book lie firmly in Sophia’s letters to her sisters and to the India Office as well as her personal diary, her father’s letters, and newspaper clippings. In her own hand, Sophia’s concerns, fears, and joys reveal her voice on matters both pressing and dear. Anand’s research is impressive, but she reports rather than rejuvenates. Still, the subject itself is lively enough.

Although the book can be as dry as a

textbook, without Anand’s interest and her primary sources, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and her contributions to the world would remain buried in the manner which British officials had wished it to be. It is a shame that last year’s film titled Suffragette made no mention of this plucky and influential woman who helped shape that period of time when women began to stand tall and break free of some of the constraints under which they were forced to exist. n Jeanne E. Fredriksen lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where she is the managing editor of a monthly newspaper and is a Books for Youth reviewer for Booklist magazine, a publication of the American Library Association. Between assignments, she writes fiction, hunts for the perfect Bloody Mary, and heads to the beach as often as she can.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 47

books

Gods, Jinns, People, Wars, and Existential Bewilderment

By Rajesh C. Oza

TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT NIGHTS. By Salman Rushdie. Hamish Hamilton by Penguin Books India, 2015. 286 pages

Y

es, the title of this review says it all: Salman Rushdie’s latest novel is about people finding their way away from God, courtesy of a “War of the Worlds” between dark and light jinns (genies) with magical powers; since this is another fiction from Rushdie’s brilliant world of magical realism, his ordinary humans play a pedestrian role of characters lost in an age of fear and unreason.

And, yes, for those who count while they read, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights add up to 1,001 days and nights. As with his more modern literary allusion to Harry Potter’s heroic journey, there is nothing subtle about the author’s homage to Scheherazade’s tales.

Right up front, Rushdie writes, “There was a Persian book called Hazar Afsaneh, or One Thousand Stories, which had been translated into Arabic.

In the Arabic version there were fewer than one thousand stories but the action was spread over one thousand nights, or, because round numbers were ugly, one thousand and one night more.” Because of this reader’s love of numbers, the palindromic 1001 becomes a philosophic set of questions: Do we end where we started, with nothingness in between, with life being a gift that our Gods give and take, standing tall like two 1’s? Or is there no god, and round and round we go like a couple of zeros from pillar to post, from womb to tomb, from ashes to ashes? Or can faith accommodate the god-less and the god-believing, enabling each of us to make what we will of the 1s and 0s that 48 | INDIA CURRENTS |West Coast Edition | June 2016

make up our digital and analog lives?

The story-teller asks and answers the above questions in his own wildly inventive and wacky way, but the stories are a bit clumsy and seem hastily stitched together.

His opening chapter is titled “The Children of Ibn Rushd,” reminding one of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children; but the chapter, like the book, is less about the semi-autobiographic Rushd (a philosopher “formally discredited and disgraced on account of his liberal ideas, which were unacceptable to the … Berber fanatics”) and more about the love of his life, Dunia (“a jinnia … known as the Lightning Princess on account of her mastery over the thunderbolt”), and about Rushd and Dunia’s melting-pot children who, under Dunia’s leadership, will fight the War of the Worlds

that populates the remaining chapters.

The war is also a battle of words, of ideas, a reconciliation of “‘reason,’ ‘logic’ and ‘science’ with the words ‘God,’ ‘faith’ and ‘Qur’an.’” Rushd is on the side of reason, logic, and science; and his arch foe, Ghazali, believes that in “God’s universe the only law is what God wills.”

The thematic engine that drives the rest of the novel is Ghazali’s belief that “fear drives men to God” and Rushd’s “plea for a world ruled by reason, tolerance, magnanimity, knowledge and restraint.” Dunia and four dark jinns play out this conflict. The actual war between the jinn leaders is not altogether interesting; and the stories about the foot soldiers who are Rushd and Dunia’s descendants are only slightly more interesting in this lumpy novel. Foot soldiers may be a bit of an odd phrase for these oddballs, for after lightning storm, they all seem to float above the ground; like the “human balloons” in Rene Magritte’s painting Golconda, “They rise!

They rise!” Rushdie calls these oddballs “Dunia’s raggle-taggle brigade [of] gardeners and accountants and murderesses.”

They really should have no chance against the dark jinns. And because they are not altogether sympathetic, they shouldn’t have much of a chance with the reader. But for this reader, they become a faint echo of J. K. Rowling’s Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

So in the end we find ourselves rooting for the good guys, for light to defeat darkness, good over evil, and all that.

Mr. Geronimo is the gardener, our Harry Potter. The accountant (Jimmy Kapoor as a Natraj-dancing-Ron) and the murderess (Teresa Saca as a scary Hermione) are along for the ride. Mr. Geronimo is the most compelling; perhaps because Dunia falls for him, the reader looks for something special. And the something

special, is what has always been special about Rushdie’s writing: the sense of loss and displacement, and the desire for “solid ground beneath his feet” for the immigrant. Perhaps like Rushdie himself, and certainly like many of the diaspora, Mr. Geronimo misses his Bombay while making his home in New York: “He wished he had never been detached from the place he was born, wished his feet had remained planted on that beloved ground, wished he could have been happy all his life in those childhood streets, and grown into an old man there… but then he would never have met his wife.”

One really wonders what Dunia sees in Mr. Geronimo except for a vague outline of the long-deceased Ibn Rushd; and what does Mr. Geronimo see in Dunia except a wistful memory of his wife? Perhaps Rushdie is right that “at the beginning of all love there is a private treaty each of the lovers makes with himself or herself, an agreement to set aside what is wrong with the other for the sake of what is right.”

The same type of contract is made between reader and writer. Thus though I find quite a few “wrongs” in this novel, I set them aside for the “rights.” These rights come more in the form of hard-earned knowledge rather than narrative flight, character development, or the magnificent plot development that are the entertaining engine driving each page of Rowling’s novels. Indeed, what I will take away from Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights are not 1,001 unforgettable stories, but rather two memorable epiphanies that Rushdie uses to make his argument against religion and for love: “A child understands nothing, and clings to faith because it lacks knowledge.

The battle between reason and superstition may be seen as mankind’s long adolescence, and the triumph of reason will be its coming of age.”

“In the end, rage, no matter how profoundly justified, destroys the enraged. Just as we are created anew by what we love, so we are reduced and unmade by what we hate.” n For Neo (aka Aryaman), who at the age of nine can approximate the number of pages of all Harry Potter books, give or take a baker’s dozen (with three right to the exact page count).

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travel

Meandering Through Mexico

By Neelanjana Gautam

M

exico. A country I have always been fascinated with. My earliest memory of anything remotely “Mexico” can be traced back to the days I was growing up in India—the FIFA World Cup that used to get us all heated up once every four years. I still remember the way all four of us (my parents and sister, and I) rooted passionately for our soccer playing Mexican boys. It often didn’t matter when the matches rolled well past midnight. On many an occasion, decibels soared in the event of a penalty shoot out. Fiery, frantic, flamboyant. That was then; and now, after more than a couple of decades, thanks to a travel-happy husband, Mexico casts the most bewitching glance at us as our flight descends on to the tarmac.

Mayan ruins, Aztec art, Spanish cathedrals—magical, colorful, breathtaking.

Present day Mexico is a rich cultural potpourri of heritage, history, and traditions with a bold dash of modernism. Glowing seductively, Mexico invites travelers to explore a country beyond the notorious

us a run-through of how this square is so pivotal to understanding the Mexico of today.

We began at the shrine of Guadalupe, which fell en route to Teotihuacán. We were excited to climb up the widely spaced stairway to the shrine. The atmosphere inside was festive, colorful and thrumming with Mariachi sounds, the signature music of the land.

Next stop, the modern Basilica, a green and grand structure. The place teemed with people. Frank told us the story about the Day of the Virgin of the Guadalupe. Legend has it that a man named Juan Diego encountered the Virgin Mary twice in Mexico City, on December 9 and December 12 in 1531. Mary told Juan to ask a bishop to build a

headlines it is so infamous for.

We first set our eyes on the Three Cultures Square, a confluence of architectural evidence on Mayan, Aztec and Spanish influence. Frank, our tour advisor, knew his territory and its history too. He gave

church on Tepeyac Hill.

However, the bishop needed proof of Juan’s encounter with Mary and asked for a miracle. Juan went back to the hill and Pyramid of the Sun found roses in a spot where there were previously cacti. Juan returned with the roses and showed them to the bishop and also revealed an image on his cloak of the Lady of Guadalupe. The bishop was convinced of the miracle and

Soaking in the Heritage

52 | INDIA CURRENTS |West Coast Edition | June 2016

Pole flying dance performed as a tribute to the rain gods

built a church in honor of the event.

Every year a Catholic feast is held from December 9 to December 12 to celebrate this belief—thousands of Catholics partake in the fiesta, from all over the world, in traditional costumes and finery, making it a prominent religious festival. The image of Mary, believed to be authentic, is mounted high on the church wall making it a haven for pilgrims. There lives Virgen Morena, in all her luminous glory.

Land of the Ancient Gods

We got into the car afterward, whizzing past suburban stretches that reminded me of scenes of rural India. We were going to see the mysterious pyramids—Las Pirámides del Sol y la Luna (the Pyramids

of the Sun and the Moon) located in the spectacular pre-Hispanic ruins of Teotihuacán, 50 km (31 miles) northeast of Mexico City. We were pretty excited. A middle-aged Russian couple joined us on the trip. We traded travel tales.

We stopped at a boutique styled restaurant, where we were amused to discover that Frank had left us in the hands of “Miss America,” who gave us a quick account of

tions.

T h e s e pyramids are unlike the ones in Egypt.

There are no chambers.

They are solid structures, some coming

A roadside restaurant in Puebla

alive with wall paintings. One could still climb to the top of the pyramids, as they did thousands of years ago, to appease the masters of the universe!

Down below, at the roadside, people were selling handicrafts. We bought a bow and an arrow with a few pesos. I went on a quest for a white sombrero. There were a variety of other colors, none that I fancied. I finally picked up a black one. The line of shops on both sides of the entrance looked like an exhibit, a fair of sorts. We walked for miles, and only stopped when our limbs gave up.

Music and Worship

the place in a thick Spanish accent. Lying around were some indigenous sculptures and artifacts from the local factory. Miss America explained the origins of the cactus and its extracts. She was a funky host as she entertained us with tequila shots.

Post lunch we arrived at a city built around the 1st century A.D. It was ancient and seemed rooted in the past.

In about 1300 A.D., the Aztecs discovered the abandoned city. They named the place Teotihuacán, or the “place where gods were born.” Walking around a place so enormous in its span and legacy felt strangely nostalgic. It was as if we had all been witness to a historical flashback, one that was built on the premise of surviving through the odds and challenges of subsequent genera-

The following morning we started off for Puebla—a twohour drive from the capital.

The blazing sun was overhead when we got down at the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

A fascinating pole flying dance caught our attention as soon as we arrived. Danza de los Voladores—a Mesoamerican ritual, performed as a tribute to the rain gods.

Five men climbed a tall pole attached with ropes, and once on top they huddled and played flutes and drums, lending a mystical tone to the surroundings. Slowly they swirled around and made a dancing descent to the ground. The performance was lovely, and photogenic.

From there we stepped our way up to the Our Lady of Remedios, a beautiful church atop a mountain with stunning views. It was probably not a good day to

see the distant volcanic fumes, though we went with much anticipation.

Finding God in the Details

Cholula is a city of churches—colonial cathedrals showcasing dazzling baroque.

We stepped into a few of them, and found ourselves staring at resplendent designs, elegant sculptures, and magnificent wall paintings. What a way to conceive art as religion! Beautiful, thought provoking.

Puebla couldn’t have been more familiar. It had all the buzz of a town in India.

A busy, bustling city with pretty alleys. I fell in love with Talavera pottery—a hugely prominent feature in Puebla. There were many heavily ornate churches around with overwhelming baroque art. We were dazzled by the designs. The church of Santo Domingo, in particular, was considered in its time to be the eighth wonder of the world.

There is so much to discover about Mexico that a trip again, in the future, only seems necessary. Strolling around the Zócalo in Mexico City, we discovered an easy-going lifestyle, and forgot all our fears as we watched people buying, selling, haggling, laughing and making conversation in a language we didn’t quite understand.

But we sure did feel the vibe. The vibe that told us so much about the people and the place. Vibrant, stylish, artistic and earthy. No surprise, Frida Kahlo, one of the most beautiful artists of all times, was born here. n Neelanjana Gautam is a passionate writer with experience writing and publishing stories for both print and the web. She loves journeys and enjoys popular culture. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 53

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viewpoint

Beyond Borders

By Padma Mani

A

fter almost half a century, I am reminded of a young girl in tears, trying to hide her face in the folds of her mother’s flowing silk sari. On the street, urchins were making fun of her mother who spoke a different language and dressed differently. This little girl was ashamed of herself and of her mother who didn’t belong. That little girl was me.

Today I am ashamed not of myself, but of many, many others who differentiate between human beings. I feel sorry for those who build narrow walls around themselves, refusing to appreciate the culture, civilization and ways of life of others. I do not blame them, for I know they have not had the sometimes bitter experience that I have had.

My experiences have taught me how empowering it is to open myself to other cultures. I was educated in Kerala where the spoken language is Malayalam, different from my mother tongue, Tamil. So I had to learn a new language and I did, proficiently enough to become a writer in this language. I enjoyed its literary beauty just as I did the immortal works written in Tamil.

It was when I was taught Shakespeare in school by an English lady, I felt awe when I realized the striking similarities in thought expressed by Tamil writers and English writers, born on opposite sides of the globe.

Later, I had to live and work in Madhya Pradesh, where the spoken language is Hindi, India’s national language. The customs, food, and culture were foreign to me at my new home. I learned to absorb and to like the new culture I was exposed to.

I remember the stone I felt in my heart when I heard of Kennedy’s assassination.

I was just a teenager at the time. It’s the 58 | INDIA CURRENTS |West Coast Edition | June 2016

A Creative Commons image

same stone I felt when I heard Mahathma Gandhi was shot, over the radio. The world mourned Gandhi’s death. I can still remember my English teacher teaching us, “Oh! Captain, My Captain” from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. She said Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi were lucky; both died immediately after victory came to their causes. “Don’t grieve,” she said. “There is no better time to die.” I’m reminded of another great leader and follower of Gandhi—Reverend Martin Luther King who died by a cruel hand. What mysterious, unifying principles exist in the death of these great leaders? Where are the borders?

When I read books of Eastern and Western philosophers, I cannot stop wondering at the unity of thought expressed by these great men. Nor do I fail to notice the striking resemblances of certain foods, dances and native medicines and even landscapes of Mexico to the country where I was born.

I relish Western classical music just as I do Hindustani. I learned Karnatik music, but I equally enjoy rock music, though not hard rock, yet.

I am not treated always as I want to be. I am ridiculed, ignored, or treated

shabbily because I look different. I know my accent is funny because I was taught by the British.

I’m often asked if I am Arabic. During Khomeini’s time, I was thought to be Iranian. Other times I am shouted at as Gandhi. This, I know, is out of sheer ignorance. But I feel elated when someone says “adios” to me, or when someone thinks my last name sounds Armenian.

A colleague of mine once expressed her feeling that passports should not have nationalities on them since we are all citizens of the world. I know the complications this idea might present in practice, but I am drawn by the unifying idea of one world where everybody belongs.

I cannot even for a moment forget the fact this country, this melting pot of all cultures, is the closest example of “one world” we have. The Statue of Liberty is not just words but a way of life.

Few people have had the opportunity to experience and appreciate unity in diversity. I am indeed thankful to feel mature enough to smash the narrow wall that is around me. I do not need to hide in my fear of my differences. Maybe when we inhabit the moon, we will all be stamped “Earthians.” n Padma Mani has taught math at a high school in San Jose for 30 years. She received the Teacher of the Year, as well as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards in 2015.

Many of her students are below the poverty line. Initially she would get angry at their low study skills, but as she got to know her students better, she realized that what they needed was compassion and patience. Though she still faces a lot of challenges, she manages competently, even at her age of 80+.

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“Events are Free, All are Welcome” June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 59

60 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

KALANJALI SUMMER FESTIVAL 2016 Celebrating 41 Years of Indian Dance in California ARANGETRAMS

Saturday, June 4 at 3:30pm Nikita Mohapatra Veteran's Memorial Theatre 203 E. 14th St., Davis arangetram.nikita@gmail.com (530) 400 3947

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62 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 63

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Phone: (562) 924-2294 64 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

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ACADEMY OF KATHAK DANCE Classes offered at La Habra Heights, Whittier, Cerritos, Yorba Linda ( Classes can potentially be offered in your area - inquiries welcome)

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Head of Kathak Department (Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, London, UK)

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Bharata Natyam Folk Dances Classes: Duarte,Cerritos, Riverside,Chino Hills

Paulomi Pandit Recipient of Post Diploma from

Kalakshetra, India paulomi@rangashree.com www.rangashree.com

626-590-5547 June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 65

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Choreography & Nattuvangam: Indumathy Ganesh Nattuvangam: Akshaya Ganesh Vocal: Manasa Suresh Mridangam: Ravindrabharathi Sridharan Violin: Vikram Ragukumar For more information contact: Phone: 860-40-NILLA | Email: nillanatyam@gmail.com www.nldance.com

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q&a

Meditate. Repeat.

Mallika Chopra on parenting, meditation, and her famous dad, Deepak Chopra

By Geetika Pathania Jain

M

allika Chopra (MC)—mom, entrepreneur, speaker and author of Living with Intent: my Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy—talks to Geetika Pathania Jain (GPJ) about life-work balance and the influence of her famous last name.

GPJ: Which Indian woman do you admire the most and why? Sorry, but you can’t say your mom.

MC: I can’t say my mom? That’s too bad, because I do say my mom and I’ll tell you why. I do admire my mother because I come from a family where my dad, Deepak Chopra, is obviously in the limelight and has made a huge impression on the world with his work, but my mom is the anchor of everything in our family, for me as well as our extended family and my dad’s community.

As someone who’s a mom and an entrepreneur, trying to figure out balance, and often feeling guilty about not being somewhere, or not doing something, the thing that I love about my mother is that she is so confident and proud about being a mother and a nurturing figure.

GPJ: You mention balance. Does your book try to address the competing claims that our families and our work have on us? What do you think about desi women balancing work and family and Sheryl Sandburg’s book Lean In? MC: My big takeaway from Lean In was for us to nurture our voices and to speak up more. I have been extremely fortunate to have a spouse who helps me out.

I credit his mother, Neelam Mandal, who is a feminist in many ways, for raising a son who helps out at home. He is involved with his children, with his homelife and he has a flexible schedule. Not everyone is that fortunate. So many of my friends are divorced and are managing their children alone, and I am talking about Indians as well as non-Indians.

GPJ: Do you remember ever remember

70 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

seeing your dad, Deepak Chopra, doing the dishes?

MC: No. My dad didn’t. My father worked 24/7, seven days a week, first as a doctor and then as a writer and speaker. He was constantly on the road. I still feel that my parents had an equal relationship, though. Equality is not defined by who does the dishes. My parents figured out their balance. In healthy relationships, you do figure out your balance, and it’s not about getting stuck on a task list of who’s doing what.

GPJ: There’s a lot of pressure on our kids to be successful. What advice do you have for parents who are trying to bring up balanced and somewhat normal kids who do well in life but don’t necessarily have to be poster children?

MC: I do believe that first we have to define what success means for each of us. Is success going to a certain college or working for a certain tech company? Or is success having meaningful relationships, having a healthy lifestyle, having a connection to spirit, however you might define that.

Some questions that my father asked my brother and I when were children: Who am I? What do I want? How can I serve? And what am I grateful for? I think asking these questions and really thinking deeply about the answers could help us have more purpose.

As parents, we lead by example, not just words. Our kids are constantly watching us and if we want them to have more balance, and a greater sense of purpose, then we need to have that in our own lives as well.

GPJ: Some people have been a little concerned about how yoga and meditation are taken out of the context of a spiritual practice and commercialized and packaged as products which are bought and sold like any other commodity. Any response to that and to your fam-

Mallika Chopra

ily’s role in that?

MC: I believe that if you can provide people with tools that can improve their lives, that’s a fantastic thing. I’m thrilled that meditation has become so in vogue these days. I know so many people are meditating—they might do it on an app, they might go on a retreat to the Himalayas. Or they might just look for something local in their community.

What I respect about what my father has done is that he has maintained the history and wisdom of these traditions and adapted them for modern times.

GPJ: Yoga is being taught in some schools and there are people both of the Christian right as well as the Hindu right who believe that that is inappropriate for very different reasons. Any thoughts?

MC: We don’t need to get stuck on where these traditions are from, or a certain way of doing it, but ask the question: are these helping? Are they helping our children? Are they helping us? And if so, trying to adapt them to the current culture. n Geetika Pathania Jain is a frequent contributor to India Currents. She teaches hatha yoga at Worlds Yoga Saratoga, www.worldsyoga. com and is grateful for Deepak Chopra’s books and movies.

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June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 71

events JUNE

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events Edited by: Mona Shah List your event for FREE! JULY issue deadline: Monday, June 20 To list your event in the Calendar, go to www.indiacurrents.com and click on List Your Event

Check us out on

special dates Father’s Day

June 19

Ramadan Begins

June 6

Ratha Yatra

July 6

U.S. Independence Day

July 4

Eid ul Fitr

July 5

CULTURAL CALENDER

June

1 Wednesday

Dreamland—Solo Art Show by Bhavna Misra. Ends June 16. Orga-

nized by Red Rock Cafe. 10 a.m. Art Wall, 201 Castro St., Mountain View. Free.

(650) 967-4473. www.redrockcoffee.org.

Puja and Piety: Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Art from the Indian Subcontinent. This presentation is the

first in North America to celebrate the diversity of South Asian art by examining the relationship between aesthetic expression and the devotional practice in the three native religions of the Indian 72 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

Krithika Rajagopalan performs in Omkaar—Festival of Indian Classical Dance, June 26, by Jyothi Kala Mandir in Fremont.

subcontinent of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Ends Aug. 28. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. www.sbma.net.

June

2 Thursday

Hindustani Vocal Ensemble Recital. UC Davis students taught by Rita Sahai perform. Organized by UC Davis.

events

What’s hot this month

FESTIVAL

A

s part of the 38th Annual San Fancisco Ethnic Dance Festival, 32 Bay Area dance companies will take to the stage, presenting dance and music from around the world.

Led by Artistic Director, Srividya Eashwar, Xpressions Dance will perform Jai Jai Maharashtra—A Tribute to Maharashtra. Exploring India’s state of Maharashtra, with it’s rural Indian-Aryan Marathi people that have a history of more than two millennia. Their dances are Maha-

DANCE

O

riginally premiered in 2001, Incarnations—Stories of Good over Evil is an exploration of the masterpiece Dwadasha Stotra, a poetic text written

by Saint Aananda Tirtha over 700 years ago. Lord Vishnu advances through ten incarnations in order to uphold righteousness at various stages in human evolution.

Choreographed by Malathi Iyengar, Artistic Director of Rangoli Dance Company, the dancers and audience alike take a journey through Vishnu’s forms of a fish, tortoise, boar, man, lion, and beyond to restore dharma or the righteous path. Kalki, the

tenth avatar or incarnation, is yet to come. The centerpiece of the performance celebrates the sentiment bhakti, the eternal search and love for the divine, by the human soul.

Rangoli dancers employ vibrant footwork, complex movements, intricate hand gestures, and facial expressions to tell these stories and bring characters to life. This is a perfect opportunity to experience the brilliant power of bharatanatyam. n Saturday, June 25, 8 p.m.

Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Avenue, Venice. Tickets: $35 https://rangoli2016.eventbrite. com. Rangoli.org.

rashtra’s cultural treasures. Jai Jai Maharashtra presents four devotional folk dances from the state, with joyful exuberance.

Dance styles being presented by Xpressions team of 27 senior dancers include Dindi, Gondhal, Jogva and Lezim. n San Fancisco Ethnic Dance Festival, June 3-19. http://worldartswest.org/main/home.asp.

Xpressions performs: Weekend 3 @ Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco. Saturday, June 18, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday, June 19, 4 p.m. Tickets: $33, $48, sfethnicdancefestival.org.

SUFI QAWWALI

S

ufi Qawwali group Fanna-Fi-Allah’s tour begins in the Bay area June 17-19, offering audiences a glimpse inside a rich and vibrant Sufi culture that embodies religious tolerance, devotion and mysticism.

Qawwali music celebrates the great Sufi mystics of old, and relishes in the love of the June 17: Pacific Cultural Centre, Santa Cruz; June 18: Subud Hall, Divine through poetry. n Sebastapol; June 19 Berkeley. www. fanna-fi-allah.com.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 73

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

Kalanjali Dance School Arangretrams: (l to r) Tharshana Prakash, July 2; Nikita Mohapatra, June 4; Shreya & Priya Kareti, June 26; Kaneeka Shenoy, June 12; Rushika Gauri Patel, June 26, at various locations in the Bay Area.

12-1 p.m. Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Old Davis Road., Davis. Free. (510) 847-2020, (530) 754-2787. osmjmusic2@comcast.net. arts.ucdavis.edu/ hindustani-vocal-ensemble, www.mondaviarts.org, ritasahai.com.

June

4 Saturday

Bay Area Book Festival. A literary extravaganza with over a dozen indoor and outdoor venues, hundreds of authors will give keynotes or appear in interviews or on panels to discuss their work. Ends June 5. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Downtown Berkeley’s Arts District, Berkeley. www.baybookfest.org.

Karnatik Vocal Arangetram by Janani Sai Sridharan. Student of

Jayashree Varadarajan, Artistic Director of Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandir School of Fine Arts. Accompanied by Rangashree Varadarajan (violin )and Sathya Ramesh (mridangam). Organized by Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandir School of Fine Arts.

74 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

2 p.m. Jain Center of Northern California, 722 South Main St., Milpitas . Free. (408) 250-1954, (408) 257-4441, (408) 2501497. saiom108@sbcglobal.net, ucsridharan@gmail.com, jananisai7@gmail.com.

Bharatanatya Arangetram of Nikita Mohapatra. Student of the late KP

org, www.sulekha.com/SwarSudha, www.

Tickethungama.com/SwarSudha.

Sangeet Vocal Concert by Prabuddha Raha. Bengali and popular Hindi

Bollywood songs. 6-8 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. $10. (415) 668-1559. culturalfellowship@sbcglobal.net. www.culturalintegrationfellowship.org.

Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, Artistic Directors and Founders of Kalanjali. Accompanied by musicians from India led by KP Yesodha and mridangist, KP Rameshbabu. Organized by Kalanjali.

3:30 p.m. Veterans’ Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th St., Davis . Free. (530) 400-3947. arangetram.nikita@gmail.com. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

June

Maitra Jivache—A concert with Pt. Hridhaynath Mangeshkar and Saleel Kulkarni. Organized by Swar

June

Sudha. 6 p.m. Sunnyvale Temple Auditorium, 450 E Persian Drive., Sunnyvale. $25, $35 (Preferred), $50 (VIP). (408) 4618390, (510) 579-8211, (213) 304-3553. swarsudha@swarsudha.org. www.swarsudha.

5 Sunday

Gujarat Gaurav Divas. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

India Community Center, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. www.icc.org.

10 Friday

Agni and Underactive Thyroid. A talk by Ashok Jethanandani. The concept of agni in ayurveda gives us a holistic understanding of metabolism. In this talk we will discuss the importance of a

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

balanced agni for health. How does agni relate to metabolism, thyroid function, and hypothyroidism? What are some common mistakes that result in a sluggish metabolism? You will learn simple ayurvedic remedies for regulating appetite and improving digestion. Organized by Classical Ayurveda. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas.

Free, but please pre-register. (408) 472-9705. www.indiacc.org/ayurveda.

Ramayana!—A Play. Mount Madonna

School’s 38th annual play featuring a cast of nearly 200 students, traditional costumes and dancing, live music, and special effects, including a fierce dragon.

Ends June 11. Organized by Mount Madonna School. 7-10 p.m. Mexican Heritage Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose . $40-$55. (408) 847-2717. www.mountmadonnaschool.org/ramayana.

June

11 Saturday

Spring India Day 2016. A India in-

spired event on the main streets of America. Performances, unique/ethnic shopping and food. Organized by WomenNow TV. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Union Square, 333 Post St., San Francisco. Free. (650) 440-9905, (410) 744-2243, (510) 364-4271. sas@womennow.tv, naina@womennow.tv. www.facebook. com/events/1681516698803180/, www. womennow.tv.

Curry Concert—Vocals by R Suryaprakash. South Indian musicians follow

a particular bani or style. Some of the legendary banis include Ariyakudi Bani (ARI Bani), Madurai Mani Iyer bani (MMI bani) and Semmangudi bani (SSI bani).

Surya is the third generation following the MMI bani. They follow a sarva laghu (mathematically non complicated) style of presentation which can be appreciated by both the novice and the ardent listener.

Accompanied by Arun Ramamurthy (violin) and Vinod Venkataraman (mridangam). Organized by The Music Circle.

2 p.m. San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel. Sustaining Members, free, dinner: $8; general $35 (in-

Rasika Sudarshan’s arangretram, June 19, in Fremont

cludes dinner); basic member $25 (includes dinner); Student with valid ID $13 (includes dinner). www.musiccircle.org.

Meeting the Masters—Hindustani Music Concert. By vocalist Sandip

Ghosh. Accompanied by Abhijit Banerjee on tabla and Gopal Marathe on harmonium. Organized by Pasadena Conservatory of Music. 7 p.m. Pasadena Conservatory of Music Auditorium, 100 North Hill Ave., Pasadena. $20 General, $10 students with valid ID. (626) 788-2553. music@pasadenaconservatory.org. meetingthemasters.bpt. me.

Aruna Sairam—Music and Beyond. Classical vocalist Padmashri

Aruna Sairam. Accompanied by M Rajeev (violin), Sai Giridhar (mridanjam), Ravi Balasubramaniam (ghatam) and Aamani Mynampati (tempura). Organized by Ojai Music Festival. 8-10:30 p.m. Libbey Bowl, 210 S Signal St., Ojai. $15 for lawn; $40-$150 seats. (805) 646-2053, (805) 646-2094. info@ojaifestival.org, boxoffice@ ojaifestival.org. www.OjaiFestival.org.

June

12 Sunday

Ramayana!—A Play. Mount Madonna School’s 38th annual play featuring a cast of nearly 200 students, traditional costumes and dancing, live music, and special effects – including a fierce dragon.

Organized by Mount Madonna School.

2-5 p.m. Mexican Heritage Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. $40-$55. (408) 847-2717. leighann.clifton@mountmadonna.org. www.mountmadonnaschool.org/ ramayana.

Hindustani Music Concert. Featuring Pandit Jasraj accompanied by Padit Swapan Chaudhary on tabla. Organized

by Sanskriti Inc. 2:45-7 p.m. Amador Theatre, 1155 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton. $100, $75, $50, $40, $30. (408) 206-3435. millyroy@aol.com. www.sanskriti.org.

Bharatanatya Arangetram of Kaneeka Shenoy. Student of the late

KP Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, Artistic Directors and Founders of Kalanjali. Organized by Kalanjali. Del Valle Theater, 1963 Tice Blvd., Walnut Creek. Free. (408) 621-5930. v.shenoy@ comcast.net. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

Hindustani Music Concert. R. Suryaprakash (vocal), Sruti Sarathy (violin), June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 75

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

Kala Vandana Dance Company Arangretrams: L-R Anamika Kannan, June 18 ; Shanaya Mullan, July 2 ; Maya Pai, June 25 ; Jhanvi Pillai, June 26 ; Folkfest Regional Folk Dances of India, July 3, , at various locations in the Bay Area.

Shriram Brahmanandam (mridangam) and A. Mahadevan (morsing). Organized

by South India Fine Arts. CET-SOTO Theater, 701 Vine St., San Jose. www.southindiafinearts.org.

June

15 Wednesday

India and China: This Century’s Rising Powers. How should the US

engage with India and China in the future? Join World Affairs for a conversation with Anja Manuel, co-founder and principal of RiceHadleyGates, LLC, who will offer insights into how the US should work with China and India to face the twenty-first century’s global challenges.

6:30-7:45 p.m. World Affairs Council Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. Members free; Non-member $20; student $7. (415) 293-4600. www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1615?org=819&lvl=1 00&ite=1282&lea=15889&ctr=0&par= 1&trk=#.V0TTpWawfBR.

76 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

June

17 Friday

Sufi Music Night with Fanna-FiAllah Qawwali. 7 p.m. Pacific Cultural

Center, 1307 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz. $20. (530) 798-8273. tahirqawwal@gmail. com. www.fanna-fi-allah.com.

Gurukulam—Intimate Look at Students and Their Teacher as They Explore Bhagavad Gita. Creating a

vivid and sensual film experience, immersing the viewer in an otherworldly but immediate atmosphere of spiritual contemplation. The film follows a group of students and their teacher as they confront fundamental questions about the nature of reality and self-identity at a remote forest ashram in southern India.

Daily rituals are woven together connecting the natural and spiritual worlds in moments of surprising revelation and comic contradiction. Deeply observational and experiential, Gurukulam evokes the presence of the place and a tactile sense of the sacred. Kabuki Theater in San Francisco

and Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley. www.gurukulamfilm.com.

Music and Meditation Medley with Maestro Shashank Subramanyam.

A flute concert to experience the essence of Karnatik ragas and the joy of our true nature under the maestro’s magical prowess. Organized by India Community Center and the Heartfulness Institute.

India Community Center, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $20. www.indiacc.org/Music_Meditation.

June

18 Saturday

65th Anniversary Celebration of Cultural Integration Fellowship.

This year CIF will host a dinner to honor Sudarshan Kapoor for his outstanding contributions in building a culture of peace and non-violence at home and around the world. Kapoor is professor emeritus and former founding director of the Peace and Conflict Studies program at California State University, Fresno.

events Kapoor worked in the post independence Gandhian Sarvodaya Movement as a chief organizer in Punjab, India, and is a founding member of several peace and civic organizations in Fresno. 6:309:30 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. $85. (415) 668-1559. culturalfellowship@sbcglobal.net. culturalintegrationfellowship.org.

WomenNow Dilli Haat Food Festival. Transporting you to the magical

world of Indian art and heritage presented through a fascinating panorama of craft, cuisine and cultural activities. Organized

by WomenNow TV. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. Free. (650) 440-9905, (408) 744-2243, (510) 364-4271. sas@womennow.tv, naina@womennow.tv. www.facebook. com/events/809974365779922/, www. womennow.tv.

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events fanna-fi-allah.com.

June

19 Sunday

Gandhari, In Search of Light—A Solo Performance by Aishveryaa Nidhi. Gandhari is no more deaf, mute

and blind. She blindfolded herself not out of devotion for her husband but as a protest to arbitrary male power and dynasty politics. It was not Gandhariwho chose to block sunlight out of her life; it

was us who turned a blind eye and deaf ear to a woman’s pain, a wife’s pleas and a mother’s cries. She was born a princess, but was forced to marry a blind man, Dhritarashtra, who was much older to her. She was blessed with a boon but who knew that would become a disastrous bane. Gandhari is the most tragic character in Indian epic Mahabharata. 3:30 p.m.

Theatre Asylum, International House (Main Space), 6500 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3810, www.aishveryaanidhi.com/gandhari.

Kalanjali Summer Festival. Cel-

ebrating their 41st year of training new artists in dance. Students of the Kalanjali branch in Sacramento perform a program of bharatanatyam. All levels, from very young children to polished dancers soon performing their arangetrams will showcase their talent and achievement. They will dance to the music by artists from India, led by KP Yesodha and mridangist, KP Rameshbabu. Organized by Kalanjali. 2 p.m. Rosemont High School Theater, 9594 Kiefer Ave., Sacramento. Free. (510) 526-2183. kkunhiraman@aol.com, kalanjaliusa@aol.com, katherine.kalanjali@gmail. com. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Anamika Kannan. Student of Sundara

Swaminathan, Artistic Director, Kala Vandana Dance Company. Accompanied by musicians from Chennai. Organized

by Kala Vandana Dance Company. 4 p.m. Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. Free. www. kalavandana.org, www.facebook.com/kalavandana.

Sufi Music Night with Fanna-FiAllah Qawwali. 7:30 p.m. Subud Center,

123 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $27. (707) 824-1155. tahirqawwal@gmail.comi. www.

Nilla Sivakumar’s arangretram, June 26, in Dublin June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 77

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events College, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont. Free.

(510) 604-2175, (510) 623-8230. rasikadance2016@gmail.com. www.nldance.com.

Sufi Qawwali Concert with FannaFi-Allah. Offers audiences a glimpse

inside a rich and vibrant Sufi culture that embodies religious tolerance, devotion and mysticism. Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. $25. fanna-fi-allah.com.

June

25 Saturday

Gandhari, In Search of Light-—A Solo Performance by Aishveryaa Nidhi. Gandhari is no more deaf, mute

and blind. She blindfolded herself not out of devotion for her husband but as a protest to arbitrary male power and dynasty politics. It was not Gandhariwho chose to block sunlight out of her life; it was us who turned a blind eye and deaf ear to a Gandhari, In Search of Light, A solo performance woman’s pain, a wife’s pleas and a mothby Aishveryaa Nidhi, June 19, 25-26, in Los er’s cries. She was born a princess, but was Angeles forced to marry a blind man, Dhritarashtra, who was much older to her. She was blessed with a boon but who knew that Kalanjali Summer Festival. Celwould become a disastrous bane. Gandebrating their 41st year of training new hari is the most tragic character in Indian artists in dance. Students of the Kalanjali epic Mahabharata. Ends June 26. Theatre branch in Sacramento perform a program Asylum, International House (Main Space), of Bharatanatyam. All levels, from very 6500 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. www. young children to polished dancers soon hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3810, www.aishvperforming their arangetrams will showeryaanidhi.com/gandhari. case their talent and achievement. They will dance to the music by artists from Karnatik Vocal Concert. Keerthana India, led by KP Yesodha and mridangist, Sankar (vocal), accompanied by Sruti KP Rameshbabu. Organized by KalanSarathy on violin and Amit Ranganathan jali. 2 p.m. Del Valle Theater, 1963 Tice mridangam. Organized by SR Fine Arts.

Blvd., Walnut Creek. Free. (510) 526 2183.

2:15-4:45 p.m. Community Of Infinite katherine.kalanjali@gmail.com. kalanjalidSpirit, 1540 Hick’s Ave., San Jose. Free. ancesofindia.com.

(408) 569-0860. dirsrfa@gmail.com. www. srfinearts.info.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Rasika Sudarshan. Student of Indumathy

Ganesh, Artistic Director of Nrithyollasa Dance Academy. Accompanied by Indumathy Ganesh (choreography and nattuvangam), Vidya Iyer (nattuvangam), Sindhu Natarajan (vocal), Aditya Ganesh (mridangam), Sandhya Srinath (violin). Organized by Nrithyollasa Dance Academy. 4 p.m. Jackson Theater, Ohlone 78 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

Sri Subramanyaya Namaste— A Musical Tribute Celebrating the Birth Centenary of Sattur A.G.Subramaniam. Nadalaya students

along with Artistic Directors Shanthi Shriram and Shriram Brahmanandam will take you on a journey into the life and memories of the maestro, accompanied by Divya Ramanchandran (violin), Arun Shriram

(mridangam), and Ganesh Ramanarayan (kanjira). Organized by Nadalaya School of Music. 3-5:30 p.m. Shirdi Sai Parivar auditorium, 1221 California Circle, Milpitas. Free. www.facebook.com/NadalayaSchoolofMusic/.

Bharatanatya Arangetram of Shreya & Priya Kareti. Students

of the late KP Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, Artistic Directors and Founders of Kalanjali. 3:30 p.m.

Benvenuti Performing Arts Center, 4600 Blackrock Drive, Sacramento. Free. (408) 219-9513. shreyapriyadance@gmail.com. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Maya Pai. Student of Sundara Swami-

nathan, Artistic Director, Kala Vandana Dance Company. Accompanied by musicians from Chennai. Organized by Kala Vandana Dance Company. 4 p.m. Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. Free. www.kalavandana.org, www.facebook.com/kalavandana.

Incarnations—Stories of Good Over Evil. An exploration of the

masterpiece Dwadasha Stotra, a poetic text written by Saint Aananda Tirtha over 700 years ago. Rangoli Dancers employ vibrant foot-work, complex movements, intricate hand gestures, and facial expressions to tell these stories and bring characters to life. Organized by Rangoli Dance Company. 8-9:15 p.m.

Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice. $35. (818) 788-6860. malathisiyengar@ gmail.com. www.eventbrite.com/e/electriclodge-presents-rangoli-dance-companyincarnations-stories-of-good-over-evil-tickets-19958473331, rangoli.org.

Indian Jazz Journey with George Brooks. Tenor sax sage George Brooks

reunites with violinist Kala Ramnath.

The music draws from Indian ragas and rhythmic patterns, supported by a rhythm section that includes Macarthur Fellowship grantee and percussionist Dafnis Prieto. Organized by Stanford Jazz Workshop. 8-10 p.m. Dinkelspiel Auditorium, 471 Lagunita Drive., Stanford

events

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

Indian Jazz Journey with George Brooks and Kala Ramnath, June 25, at Stanford.

. $15, $25, $35. (650) 725-2787. info@ stanfordjazz.org. stanfordjazz.org/more-info/ india-jazz-with-george-brooks-featuringkala-ramnath/.

June

26 Sunday

Sevathon 2016. Over 5,000 walkers, runners and yoga enthusiasts raise money for any of the 100+ participating non-profit partners of their choice. These partners consist of passionate people who work tirelessly to effect change, whether in the Bay Area or on the other side of the planet. The day long race features a professionally timed 5K, 10K, half marathon and a marathon of Surya Namaskars (sun salutation) which are a series of yoga

poses performed in continuous flow. You pick your race and what non-profit you are raising funds for. 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Area Green East, 349 W. St. John St., San Jose. www.sevathon.org.

The Truth Behind College Admissions. Learn what it takes to get into the

colleges of your choice. Update on College Admissions Landscape, New SAT, PSAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests (SAT 2s), APs. The UC System, Public vs. Private Colleges. College Essays and Applications. Organized by Insight Education. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Cupertino Community Hall, 10350 Torre Ave., Cupertino. (408) 2525050. purvi.ruparel@insight-education.net. insightcollege.com, insight-education.net.

Silver Jubilee Family Picnic—SoCal PAN IIT Alumni Association. This

year’s picnic offers a host of attractions for the alumni families and friends throughout the afternoon. Organized by Pan IIT alumni association. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Camp Liberty, 19211 Studebaker Road, Cerritos . IITs, IISc, spouse/guest $25, children (6-14) $20, current students (IIT, IISc, ISM Alumnus, School Students) $20, children under 6, free. (323) 712-5924, (909) 5241452, (310) 968-6899. vikedila@hotmail. com, arunkiri@gmail.com, smita.bagla@ gmail.com. www.eventbrite.com/e/silverjubilee-family-picnic-socal-pan-iit-alumniassociation-tickets-24759619689.

Bharatanatya Arangetram of Rushika Gauri Patel. Student of the late

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 79

events KP Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, Artistic Directors and Founders of Kalanjali. Organized by Kalanjali. 3:30 p.m. Del Valle Theater, 1963 Tice Blvd., Walnut Creek . Free. (925) 309-4111. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Janhavi Pillai. Student of Sundara Swami-

nathan, Artistic Director, Kala Vandana Dance Company. Accompanied by musicians from Chennai. Organized by Kala Vandana Dance Company. 4 p.m. Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. Free. www.kalavandana.org, www.facebook.com/kalavandana.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Nilla Sivakumar. Student of Indumathy

Ganesh, Artistic Director of Nrithyollasa Dance Academy. Accompanied by Indumathy Ganesh (choreography and nattuvangam), Akshaya Ganesh (nattuvangam), Manasa Suresh (vocal), Ravindrabarathi Sridharan (mridangam). Organized by Nrithyollasa Dance Academy. 4 p.m.

Dublin High School, Center for Performing Arts and Education, 8151 Village Parkway, Dublin. Free. (860) 40-NILLA, (510) 623-8230. nillanatyam@gmail.com, info@ nldance.com. www.nldance.com.

Bharatanatya Rangapravesha of Neha Simha. Student of Naina Shastri,

Artistic Director, Ushanjali School of Dance. Accompanied by a live orchestra with Naina Shastri (choreography and nattuvanga), Chandrika Pai (vocal), Balaji Mahadevan (mridangam), Susheela Narasimhan (violin) and Prasanna Rajan (flute). 4 p.m. Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, 10550 Albion Road., San Ramon. Free. (408) 981 6518, (925) 389 4026. nehadance.2016@gmail.com, ushanjali2008@gmail.com. www.ushanjali.com.

Omkaar—Festival of Indian Classical Dance. Jyoti Rout was inspired by the idea of bringing together a musical festival/concert to celebrate the beauty arts in one event that marks the union of creativity. The meaning of the word Omkaar symbolizes ‘singularity,’ which

80 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

California’s Best Guide to Indian Events perfectly embodies the spirit behind the festival. This year’s performing artists are: Ratikanta Mahapatra (Odishi), Jyoti Rout (Odishi), Krithika Rajagoplan (Bharatnatyam). Also Presenting: Nirmala Madhava with PAMPA Dance Academy (Kathak), Samidha Satyam with Sanskaar Dance School (Kuchipudi) and Jyoti Kala Mandir (Odishi). Organized by Jyoti Kala Mandir. 4 p.m. Ohlone College Smith Center, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont. www. facebook.com/events/1730364677204856/.

July

2 Saturday

Bharatanatya Arangetram of Tharshana Prakash. Student of the late KP

Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, Artistic Directors and Founders of Kalanjali. Organized by Kalanjali. 2 p.m.

Del Valle Theater, 1963 Tice Blvd., Walnut Creek. Free. (510) 526-2183. kkunhiraman@aol.com. kalanjalidancesofindia.com.

Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Shanaya Mullan. Student of Sundara

Swaminathan, Artistic Director, Kala Vandana Dance Company. Accompanied by musicians from Chennai. Organized

by Kala Vandana Dance Company. 4 p.m. Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. Free. www. kalavandana.org, www.facebook.com/kalavandana.

July

3 Sunday

July

12 Tuesday

Preventing and Reversing Diabetes.

A talk on ayurveda by Ashok Jethanandani. Have your blood glucose levels been creeping up in your annual tests? Are your triglycerides elevated? Have you added inches of fat around your waist? All of these may be clues to the same metabolic dysfunction that can be corrected by addressing the underlying causes. We will discuss dietary choices that can reverse the progression, and ayurvedic herbal medicines that help restore balance of health.

5:30-7 p.m. Berryessa Library, 3355 Noble Ave., San Jose . Free. (408) 472-9705. www. classical-ayurveda.com.

July

13 Wednesday

Preventing and Reversing Diabetes.

A talk on ayurveda by Ashok Jethanandani. Have your blood glucose levels been creeping up in your annual tests? Are your triglycerides elevated? Have you added inches of fat around your waist? All of these may be clues to the same metabolic dysfunction that can be corrected by addressing the underlying causes. We will discuss dietary choices that can reverse the progression, and ayurvedic herbal medicines that help restore balance of health.

1:30-3 p.m. Tully Library, 880 Tully Road, San Jose . Free. (408) 472-9705. www. classical-ayurveda.com.

Folkfest—Regional Folk Dances of India. A glimpse into the festivities and

folk dance traditions from all regions of India. From the far-east of India with a tribal Naga dance to the far south of India to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and more, with their traditional folk dances. Presented by Sundara Swaminathan, Artistic Director of Kala Vandana Dance Company. Accompanied by live orchestra from Chennai. Organized by Kala Vandana Dance Company. 4 p.m. Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose.

General $20, reserved $30, sponsor $50. www.kalavandana.org, www.facebook.com/ kalavandana.

For more events, check out https://www.indiacurrents.com/events/selections/northern-california/ cultural-events/

© Copyright 2016 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited.

recommends

Antara Asthaayi: Tale of a Kathaka

By Priya Das

T

he show promises to be both, a tribute to Pandit Chitresh Das by Antara Bharadwaj, one of the lead dancers in his company and a glimpse into her own evolving personality as a performer. The title is representative of this and was inspired by Hindustani music terminology: Antara is the second verse, a follow-on from the main piece. Asthaayi is the initial phrase of a composition.

“The other aspect of the title is Tale of a Kathaka, which means the tale of the story-teller and that is the raison d’etre for Enacte’s involvement,” says Vinita Belani, Artistic Director of Enacte Arts. The show is a 90 minute presentation featuring other well known artists as well: Ben Kunin on sarod, Salar Nader on tabla, Rajib Karmakar on sitar, and Pankaj Mishra on sarangi. For Usha Srinivasan, founder of Sangam Arts, this was an added motivation to promote the show.

Bharadwaj will be presenting a famous but rarely seen piece that was first presented by Das at the 1984 Olympics, called, simply, Taraana in raag Hindol-Teen taal. He then re-invented it in a cycle of 12.5 beats, or saadey-baara-maatra, which has been presented just once.

Bharadwaj elaborates in an interview with India Currents.

IC: What makes the Saadey-BaaraMaatra Taraana so special?

AB: It’s special to the world because after Panditji performed it in the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts in 2010, for the Company’s 40th anniversary, it’s never been seen. It’s special to me because I was his vocal accompanist on that piece, the only. So in a sense, I feel like it is his heritage that I will be sharing. I feel enormously blessed.

IC: Do you see yourself, as a dancer or as a story-teller? And who are you day-to-day?

AB: Most definitely, story-teller. I use both my chosen mediums to do that—film

and dance. Art mimics Life…right now, my life is evolving. Used to be, I lived out of 2 suitcases for weeks shooting a movie.

Now I cannot travel where the story takes me. Dance is a jewel that was handed to be, and there are only tens of jewelers or dancers in this world. So dance is bigger part of my life now. Being a mother is also a big part of my life..I realized that Indian kids growing up here cannot really learn Hindi because they cannot relate to the way it’s taught…so I just came up with a way that I think makes more sense to my own son. It’s called The Hinglish Channel, and it’s on Youtube.

IC: How do you weave the fine line between choreography and execution? Is one the reflection of the other or does execution have its own wings?

AB: I am inspired by music, first and foremost. When I hear a song, I react instinctively—I see a music video, complete with costumes, shots, story. When it comes to execution, I explore deeper.

I delve into character- What is she going through? What has made her who she is at that time? After that, it’s a matter of dancing like that person.

IC: One of the items features Deewani Mastani, a Bollywood number. Why did you choose this piece?

AB: For any of my performances, I always ask myself, what can I, as a kathak artist and as a kathaka, bring to this piece?

What I saw in Deewani Mastani was the potential to develop the character... I see Mastani as a crazy woman, somebody who let’s say, colored a bit outside the lines, but at the same time, did realize that there are lines. Independent, but with tehzeeb (decorum)…her passion was not a liability to Bajirao, rather, he was empowered with her by his side. That complex slice of human emotions is what I want to present through dance.

IC: You perform both in India as well as the United States. Where is kathak today in the Bay Area, vis-a-via India?

AB: I think there are promising nextgen artists in both, this gives me hope.

Will kathak ever be mainstream? Probably not. As classical dancers, we just have to accept that, and not compete with it. I see technology as a way to make inroads into new audiences, people who would otherwise never get a chance to experience tradition get to do so via the public domain…on the flip side, it’s become harder to promote classical dancing, since it has to be done in a few mins- nobody has the patience to watch for longer than that. This is so different from what it used to be, when an artist was given the luxury of getting into the zone and then mehfils would go one for hours!

Bharadwaj is also the dance director in Enacte and Sangam’s ambitious September dance-theater presentation of the Sufi poem, The Conference of The Birds, which showcases more than thirty dancers representing ten countries. n Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m., Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. Tickets: mvcpa.com Presented by Enacte Arts and Sangam Arts.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 81

SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH

June

1 Wednesday

Atmotsava. Meditation, readings by

Nome from devotional texts, chanting of stotrams, bhajans, learning to recite in Sanskrit and Tamil followed by prasad.

7:30-10 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. com. satramana.org/web/events/atmotsava/, satramana.org/web/bhagavan-sri-ramanamaharshi/, satramana.org/web/sat-temple/ sri-sadisvara-mandiram/.

June

3 Friday

Ribhu Gita. Silent meditation, read-

ing and commentary by Nome from the book, Ribhu Gita. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 4257287. sat@cruzio.com. satramana.org/web/ events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/ boundless-wisdom/.

Balaji Matha Temple Anniversary.

Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5. 6:30 p.m.-Mahalakshmi Abhishekam and 108 Kalasha Aradhana Pooja on June 3; 108 Kalasha Aradhana Pooja at 3:00 p.m. on June 4 followed by Kalasha Abhishekam and cultural program performance by Habib Khan. Balaji Temple, 5004 N. First St., San Jose. (408) 203-1036, (408) 956-9050. balajitemple1@gmail.com. www. balajitemple.net.

June

4 Saturday

Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas. Sundara Kanda is

Hanumanji’s story of making his heroic leap to Lanka to find mata Sita. This chant is known to bring peace to the family. The chant will be accompanied by melodies by Ram Saxena. 2:30 p.m.

Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@ pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org.

32nd Anniversary Celebration of Badarikashrama, June 19, in San Leandro

June

5 Sunday

Creating World Unity Through Yoga Meditation. Sunday Service.In

NorCal— 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.

In SoCal—Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. (619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. Organized

by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and

dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio.com. satramana.org/ web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/ events/calendar/.

Sri Bhagavad Gita Talk and Kirtan

by Suman and Sargam Shah. Fol-

lowed 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.

June

8 Wednesday

Atmotsava. Meditation, readings by

Nome from devotional texts, chanting of stotrams, bhajans, learning to recite in Sanskrit and Tamil followed by prasad.

7:30-10 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. com. satramana.org/web/events/atmotsava/, satramana.org/web/bhagavan-sri-ramanamaharshi/, satramana.org/web/sat-temple/ sri-sadisvara-mandiram/.

June

10 Friday

Meditation. Self-inquiry meditation instruction by Nome, silent meditation, dialogues. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz . Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@ cruzio.com. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/meditation/.

June

11 Saturday

Meditation and Music. With Kamlesh Patel, Heartfulness Meditation guide and Shashank Subramanyam, Grammy nominated flute maestro. Organized by Heartfulness Institute. 4-7 p.m. Sanatan Dharma Temple (Matiya Patidar Center), Auditorium, 15311 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk.

Free. (949) 346-1679. orangecounty.ca@ heartfulness.org. conference.heartfulnessinstitute.org/register/.

June

12 Sunday

How Even-Mindedness Leads to God-Awareness. Sunday Service.In NorCal— SRF Center Sacramento, 4513

North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos.

82 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

(408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www. yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times.

In SoCal—Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego.

(619) 295-0170. Call temples for times.

Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse

and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana.

10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. com. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.

Lecture on The Evolution of an Integral Model of Education: Sri Aurobindo, Haridas Chaudhuri and Ken Wilber. 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. culturalfellowship@sbcglobal.net. www. culturalintegrationfellowship.org.

Sri Ramanama Sankirtana and Meditation with Satsang by Swami Omkarananda. The Sunday Service will

be 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.

Heartfulness Meditation Conference. With comedian and inspirational

speaker Kyle Cease, Google’s Chief Evangelist Brand Marketing, Gopi Kallayil, and USC’s Dean of Religious Life, Varun Soni. Guided meditation by Kamlesh D. Patel. Organized by Heartfulness Institute. 2-4:30 p.m. Bovard Auditorium at University of Southern California, 3551 Trousdale Pkwy., Los Angeles. Free. (949) 346-1679. orangecounty.ca@heartfulness. org. conference.heartfulnessinstitute.org/

register/.

June

15 Wednesday

Atmotsava. Meditation, readings by

Nome from devotional texts, chanting of stotrams, bhajans, learning to recite in Sanskrit and Tamil followed by prasad.

7:30-10 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. com. satramana.org/web/events/atmotsava/, satramana.org/web/bhagavan-sri-ramanamaharshi/, satramana.org/web/sat-temple/ sri-sadisvara-mandiram/.

June

17 Friday

Ramana Darshanam. Silent medita-

tion, reading and commentary by Nome from the book. Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@ cruzio.com. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/ramanadarshanam/.

June

18 Saturday

In SoCal—Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego.

(619) 295-0170. Call temples for times.

Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse

and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana.

10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. com. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.

32nd Anniversary Celebration of Badarikashrama. This Sunday service

32nd Anniversary Celebration of Badarikashrama. This anniversary

celebration of Badarikashrama marks 32 years of service to the community. The two day function begins with a day of cultural activities featuring some of the top artists in the Bay Area. Shanti Sriram and students perform Karnatik Vocals, Jyoti Rout and students and Sima Chakraborty and students in a odissi dance performance. Anupama Chandratreya and students will conclude the cultural activities with Hindustani vocals. A spiritual discourse will be offered by Swami Vedanandaji from the San Francisco Vedanta Society. Followed by aarati and mahaprasad. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free.

(510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org.

June

Service.In NorCal— 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.

19 Sunday

God’s Nature in the Father. Sunday

marks the second day of the anniversary celebration. The program will begin with a concert by Rita Sahai and her Vasundara Choir. Followed by a 108 Samuhika Sri Satyanarayana puja and katha led by Swami Omkaranandaji. Concluding with aarati and mahaprasad (lunch). 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. badarikashrama.org.

June

22 Wednesday

Atmotsava. Meditation, readings by Nome from devotional texts, chanting of stotrams, bhajans, learning to recite in Sanskrit and Tamil followed by prasad.

7:30-10 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz.

Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio.com. satramana.org/web/events/atmotsava/,

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 83

satramana.org/web/bhagavan-sri-ramanamaharshi/.

June

24 Friday

Meditation. Self-inquiry meditation instruction by Nome, silent meditation, dialogues. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@ cruzio.com. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/meditation/.

June

25 Saturday

Stotras and Bhajans Workshop for Kids. Learn Sanskrit stotras, upbeat

bhajans and easy dhuns in a fun and interactive learning environment. By Aks and Lakshmi with guest artist Padmini Chandrashekar. Organized by Eclipse Nirvana.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Gardenia Room (Room 105-106), ICC Milpitas, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $75. (240) 370-4268, (404) 210-9918. workshops@eclipse-nirvana.com. www.eclipse-nirvana.com.

June

26 Sunday

Sri Mrityunjaya Japa and Homa.

Devotees will chant the Mrityunjaya mantra, a praise to Lord Siva. Mantra Japa is a very practical sadhana (spiritual practice) for connection with the divine.

Ram Saxena will lead the chanting with melodies. Following the japa will be a Mrityunjaya homa. 9 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro.

Free. (510) 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www.badarikashrama.org.

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

E-mail: panditravi@comcast.net 84 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

Is Peace Possible in Today’s World?

Sunday Service.In NorCal— 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.

In SoCal—Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, Stotras and Bhajans workshop for kids by Aks & Lakshmi, June 25, in Milpitas 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, GlenSri Akhanda Ramayana (Sri Ramdale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, acharita Manasa) of Goswami Tul142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) sidas. Biannual singing of the complete 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Sri Ramacharita Manasa of Goswami Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San DiTulsidas. Singers are often needed for the ego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. late evening and early morning recita(619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. tions. Places for resting during the singing Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. and prasad are provided. Ends July 4. www.yogananda-srf.org.

9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse 278-2444. badarik@pacbell.net. www. and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and badarikashrama.org.

Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, July Sunday and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana.

10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Lecture on Inflammatory Body, Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Calm Mind: The Role of the Mind Cruz . Free. (831) 425-7287. sat@cruzio. and Breath in Living with Physical com. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, Ailments. Practice breathing meditation satramana.org/web/events/calendar/. together with Connie Hills. 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Cultural Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., Lecture on Integral Yoga and San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. culturalHaridas Chaudhuri. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. fellowship@sbcglobal.net. culturalintegraCultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 tionfellowship.org.

Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. culturalfellowship@sbcglobal.net. www. culturalintegrationfellowship.org. © Copyright 2016 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited.

July Sunday

10

3

ö XI m;;F;e n;m;/ All kinds of Hindu traditional Pujas and homas 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 Shasthry 880 E. Fremont Ave., #302 Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Home (408) 245-5443 Cell (925) 209-7637 Kabalikarpaga@hotmail.com

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

Email: balushastri87@gmail.com

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 85

GLORIOUS SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST J

esus Christ is coming back again to this world as "the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords" to judge Nations with HIS righteousness, to be with HIS people who have accepted Christ into their hearts & lived/living a life acceptable to Christ, having their names written in "the Book of Life" & to live with them forever. For the Lord Jesus Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we, who are alive and remain, shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

No one knows the day & hour when Jesus Christ will come back, not even the angels of heaven, but only the Father God in heaven.

The day of Christ coming also called as "the Day of the Lord" will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Nevertheless we, according to HIS promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Jesus Christ coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY words will by no means pass away”

What will happen to people who are left behind during Christ Second coming?

Who will not be with Christ forever?

For people whose names are written in "the Book of Life" it will be a glorious day & for others it will be a day of destruction. The Lord will consume with the breath of HIS mouth and destroy with the brightness of HIS coming.

What will be the signs before Second coming of Christ & of the end age?

After coming of Christ, Satan will be bound for 1000 years. Saints of God will rule with Christ during these 1000 years. There will be no death and everyone will live happy with joy & peace, since the Prince of Peace will rule them. After 1000 years of Christ reign, satan will be released to see the reign of Christ with righteousness. Satan will go around nations deceiving people one more time and gather few folks to fight against HIS saints. God will send fire and devour them. Satan will be sent to hell forever.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Only people whose sins are cleansed by the Blood of Christ, lived/living righteous life before Christ & have their names written in "the Book of Life" will inherit the Kingdom of God or to be with HIM forever. The Bible says in 1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, Rom 1:29-32, Rev 21:8, Rev 14:9-11 that the unrighteous people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Many will be deceived during last days saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end will not come immediately. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Many will be persecuted, beaten, killed, offended, betrayed and hated for Christ sake even by parents, brothers, relatives, friends and children. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the entire world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation

1000 years of Christ reign

The Great White Throne Judgment

After casting Satan into the Lake of fire (hell), Christ will judge the dead & the Nations with HIS Righteousness. If anyone’s name is not found in “the Book of Life”, then they will be cast into the Lake of fire. Whomsoever name is found in “the Book of Life” will have eternal life with Christ in New Heaven, New Earth & New Jerusalem. There is no death, no sorrow, no crying & no pain.

Now how can I redeem this Gift of Salvation in my life, so I can be with Christ forever?

All we have to do is to believe Jesus, accept HIM into your heart, ask HIM to cleanse your sins by HIS precious blood & live a life acceptable to Christ every day from now on. (Repeat this simple prayer - Prayer means talking to God in your heart)

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, and then know that its desolation is near. Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place where it ought not, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Jesus predicts the destruction of Temple of God to his disciples saying, “The days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down”. For in those days there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of creation of this world. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved.

Lord Jesus, Thank you for coming into this world for me and my sins. I truly accept you just as I am. Come into my heart; cleanse me and my sins with your precious Blood. Be in my heart forever and help me to live and lead a Holy life like you. I also invite YOU & Your Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me the Joy, Peace, Happiness, Deliverance from sins, bondages and sickness forever. Thank you for giving me the assurance of being with me forever. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, there will be signs like the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see

If you have truly meant this prayer, then you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart & your name will be written in “the Book of Life”. HE will be with you forever. HE will not leave you nor forsake you. If you need prayers or would like to know more about Jesus, then you can visit nearby Christian churches who believes in Trinity (The Father God, Lord Jesus Christ & The Holy Spirit) or email us at : info@christforworld.org

86 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

events

Om Sri Mathre Namaha

Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center

SRI LAKSHMI GANAPATHI TEMPLE 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose, CA 95111

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

(408) 226-3600 • www.vvgc.org or siliconvalleyhindutemple.com

Thursday June 2 : At 6.00 pm, Pradosham, Shiva Sri Rudra abhisheka aarati and manthra pushpa nd

Friday June 3 : At 5.00 pm, Sri Bhuwaneswari / Sri Lalitha devi abhisheka kritika vratha Sri Valli deva sena sametha, Sri Subramanya abhisheka continued with Sri Lalitha sahasra nama chanting, aarati and manthra pushpa rd

Saturday June 4th: Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi center 13th anniversary function. Afternoon at 2.00 pm, Sarva Devata homa and Nava Graha homa / Sri Saneeswara Graha homa continued with Sri Nava

Graha / Sri Saneeswara Graha abhisheka aarati and manthra pushpa At 4.00 pm, Sri Venkateswara abhisheka continued with Sri Vishnu sahasra nama chanting, aarati and manthra pushpa continued with music concert by Sri Guhan Venkataraman veena / vocal and party. All are welcome to participate with family

Friday June 10th: At 8.00 pm, Sukla Shashti, Sri Valli deva sena sametha, Sri Subramanya sahasra nama archana Friday June 17th: At 4.00 pm, Sri Bhuwaneswari / Sri Lalitha devi abhisheka continued with Sri Lalitha sahasra nama chanting

At 5.00 pm, Pradosham, Shiva Sri Rudra abhisheka aarati and manthra pushpa

Sunday June 19th: At 2.00 pm, Pournami vratha Sri Sathya Narayana swamy pooja / vratha. All are welcome to participate with family Thursday June 23rd: At 5.00 pm, Sri Sankata Hara chathurthi At 5.00 pm, Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi homa / Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi abhisheka 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 E. Fremont Ave., #302, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 — Home: (408)

GANESH SHASTHRY 245-5443 / Cell: (925) 209-7637 E-mail: srikalahatheeswara@yahoo.com June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 87

Attend these free talks

by Dr. Ashok Jethanandani

Preventing and Reversing Diabetes Tuesday, July 12 at 5:30 pm

Berryessa Library, 3355 Noble Ave, San Jose

Wednesday, July 13 at 1:30 pm Tully Library, 880 Tully Rd, San Jose

Saturday, July 16 at 2:00 pm

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Thursday, July 21 at 6:00 pm

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Tuesday, July 26 at 5:30 pm

Edenvale Library, 101 Branham Ln E, SJ

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at Joyce Ellington Library, 491 E Empire St

Wednesday, August 17 at 6:30 pm

at Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave Info: (408) 472-9705

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88 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 27 Years of Excellence

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All Services Are Free And Confidential Email: helpline@narika.org June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 89

healthy life

Hypertension- The Silent Killer

By Padma Srinivasan

H

ypertension, or high blood pressure, is blood pressure greater than 140/90. It is critical to diagnose and treat this adequately because it can remain without symptoms and cause a stroke, heart failure, heart attack, aneurysm, kidney disease and vision loss. It is one of the most common conditions treated in a doctor’s office, yet it is under-diagnosed and uncontrolled in over half the patients with serious consequences. The goal is to treat it with a blood pressure (BP) of less than 140/90 or even 120/ 80 if the patient can tolerate it.

It is important to have an annual blood pressure check for adults, but if there is a strong family history of hypertension, or if the blood pressure is close to upper limits of normal, then more frequently. Pre-hypertension is a term given to BP that is 120-139 / 80-89 and indicates a possibility of progression to hypertension.

When I see a patient whose BP is mildly elevated for the first time in the office, I recheck the BP, and instruct the patient on life style changes for controlling it and ask him/her to return in 1-2 weeks for recheck. I also ask the patient to check their BP at home and bring the record to the office. For home use an aneroid or digital BP apparatus with the cuff that fits around the upper arm is best. Occasionally the home apparatus should be brought to the clinic to verify proper functioning.

Correct measurement of BP is key.

Patient should be seated quietly for a few minutes. The correct cuff size must be used as a regular cuff can give higher readings on a large person. The inflatable bladder in the cuff should encircle 80% of the arm, so larger persons will need a larger cuff. The arm should be supported while checking the BP. If high blood pressure is confirmed, I do a full physical exam focusing on target organs such as eye, kidney and 90 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

heart to detect any damage, blood and urine tests to detect other risk factors like diabetes or high cholesterol, and an EKG. Both arms are checked, and if the BP difference between the two sides is greater than 15 mm, I look for vascular disease. In elderly patients and if someone complains of dizziness, I check a standing BP after 1-2 minutes to ensure the BP does not fall too much upon standing as this can lead to falls.

Blood pressure is not static and changes throughout the day with the highest readings in the early mornings, progressively declining in the afternoon and evening, and reaching the lowest readings during sleep. BP can be checked morning and evening at home and sometimes medication can be given in divided doses for optimal BP control.

There are a large variety of drugs to treat hypertension and they are effective and well tolerated by most people. The selection of a drug frequently depends on the presence of co-morbid conditions like diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease.

Two or more medications may be needed to control BP. Diuretics or “water pills “ are common first line agents that are time

tested and effective but they can exacerbate gout.

It is key to educate patients about their medicines. Patients should inform their doctor of all medications, so duplicate or outdated medicines can be weeded out and medications should be monitored on a regular basis.

Life style changes are key for controlling established hypertension. Obesity is a major risk factor and losing even 10 pounds can lower systolic pressure (the top number) by 5 mm. Reducing salt intake is vital for controlling hypertension.

Total daily intake of salt in older individuals and in hypertensive people should be about two thirds of a level teaspoon of salt or 1500 mg of sodium. Canned and processed foods have a high salt content.

It is important to read the label for sodium “per serving” in processed foods. Many of the packaged Indian foods sold in stores, although convenient, have very high sodium content and have up to half the day’s sodium allowance in a single small serving.

Wash canned products such as beans to reduce salt content. Other high salt foods in common use are soups, salad dressings, pickles, soy sauce, cheeses, bagels and

breads. Even if a product says “low sodium” it may still contain too much sodium, so it is important to read and understand the nutrition labels.

Exercise improves cardiovascular fitness, reduces weight, reduces blood sugar, and improves blood pressure. Moderate exercise like brisk walking for 30 minutes a day can help reduce blood pressure independent of weight loss.

Meditation, relaxation and deep breathing can alleviate stress and help with BP control.

Alcohol consumption may best be avoided since it adds calories and makes losing weight more difficult. A can of beer or 5 ounces of wine daily can pack 12-15 pounds a year. Even light beer has over 100 calories in a can. Moderate or heavy drinking can lead to severe elevations in BP. It is also important to control other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, elevated lipids, and to quit smoking.

Isolated systolic hypertension is a condition which occurs in the elderly when only the top number or systolic BP is elevated due to stiffening of the large blood vessels, but it carries all the same cardiovascular risks, so has to be treated adequately.

Sometimes, BP may not be controlled even on multiple medications and is described as “Re-sistant Hypertension.” Frequently the cause is excess salt intake, missing medication doses, sleep apnea, obesity, decongestant use such as in cold medicine, pain medications called nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen, too much alcohol consumption, and stress. If these causes of resistant blood pressure are ruled out, and BP remains high on multiple medications, referral to a specialist for further diagnosis and treatment is warranted.

Decades ago I used to see patients with massive cerebral hemorrhages, and many with bleeding and edema in their eyes from blood pressure crises. Fortunately they are less common now, but we still need to be vigorous in finding and treating this “silent killer.” n

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Padma Srinivasan is a physician practicing in the East Bay, and is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Besides medicine her other interests are Indian classical fine arts and traveling.

June 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 91

92 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

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recipes

Of Earthen Pots Peach Mitha Dahi / Mishti Doi / Bhapa Doi

By Jagruti Vedamati

W

hen I hear the words “mitha dahi” or sweetened yogurt, I remember dainty little earthen pots with inviting dark beige yogurt served at, what I consider, one of the most pious places on earth—The Puri Jagannath temple.

I recall the quaint little shop by the temple serving the most luscious dessert I have ever tasted, replete with flavors that are blended with a sense of peace, a fresh smelling air and the earthy taste of the clay pot.

Those are primarily the very reasons I have been so hesitant to try replicating the dish at home.

Traditionally, in India, sugar is caramelized and then milk is added in. This mixture is then simmered over a low flame till a thick, creamier mixture is obtained.

Once done, it is poured into earthen pots and left to ferment overnight.

Although, that utter creaminess of the

S

Last weekend we had friends over for dinner and I had prepared mitha dahi for them. I served the dessert with sliced peaches, and the mere combination of colors impressed my guests.

But when I mentioned the name mitha dahi they found it less impressive. As, very rightly, put by our friend—for a decadent dessert, mitha dahi sounds somewhat underwhelming.

If I were to hear mitha dahi without previously having tasted it, I would imagine a dessert with sugar dissolved in yogurt. So we came up with names that probably work better like “shahi yogurt,” “peach-khand” ... Although even those names don’t do full justice to a dessert that is rich, decadent and creamy in texture. n earthen-pot yogurt still beats the modern version any day; the recipe here comes really close.

Jagruti Vedamati is a post-doctoral student at Stanford University.

~Peach Mitha Dahi~

teamed peach yogurt with a hint of cardamom exudes a distinct earthy aroma that makes the flavors marvellously unique. This is a quick three-ingredient dessert for those last minute cooks.

Ingredients 1 cup full fat yogurt 1 can of condensed milk 1 can of evaporated milk 1 tsp crushed cardamoms 2 chopped medium sized peaches 1 tsp pistachio crumbles Method Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a mix96 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

ing bowl, stir in the yogurt, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Sprinkle in the crushed cardamoms and the chopped peaches and mix well.

Pour the mixture into small greased baking dishes and place them in a large roasting pan.

Pour water into the roasting pan (about 1 inch upto the sides of the bowls).

Make sure not to splash water into the yogurt bowls while transferring to the oven.

Note: I used earthen bakeware to bake and the yogurt had that earthiness flavor that is so typical of mitha dahi. I would recommend using earthen bakeware if you have it. Otherwise any other bakeware will

work fine.

Place the roasting pan at the center of the oven and bake for 30 mins. After 30 minutes, the mixture should look set at the top. Take out the baked yogurt from the oven and leave it on the counter to cool.

Once cooled, refrigerate the yogurt. It sets further when cold.

Serve with sliced peaches and pistachio crumble. n Variations Substitute other seasonal fruits for the peaches or use homemade jam or jelly along with the fruits.

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dear doctor

Feeling Overwhelmed by Work and Motherhood

By Alzak Amlani

Q

My husband has started traveling for work this year and we have two young children and I work part time. It seems my responsibilities have doubled and I often feel overwhelmed. Although I am competent at my tasks, I still worry that something will go wrong and things will fall apart. This causes me a lot of anxiety, which affects my sleep, ability to concentrate and enjoy time with my children as well as focus at work. Are there ways to deal with these pressures and feel more grounded and confident?

A

Sounds like you have a fair amount of insight into your struggles. Although you sound competent in your various responsibilities, it’s a lot to hold together by yourself, when your husband is away. Is there a way you can increase support, especially while he is away?

Of course, other adult family members in the area would be ideal.

There are various ways to feel more centered and less frazzled. Having a simple meditation practice is very helpful. Create a quiet space in your room where you can sit, especially in the mornings for a 15–30 minutes. You can simply start by noticing your breath or repeating a word that is calming for you, such as peace, spacious, or aware.

Walking or sitting in nature is a powerful way of nurturing yourself and feeling connected to the environment. Find a tree, pond or mountain that you are drawn to and focus on it while you notice its effect on your body sensations. Do you notice changes in breathing, tingling, warmth, coolness, tension or relaxation? After a few days of such a practice, you will have more access to an awareness that is less anxious and more grounded.

Feeling overwhelmed has to do with the tasks in front of us. The mind cre-

ates an image that is often negative. Then resistance, fear and feelings of being overwhelmed follow. By examining our experiences closely, it is possible to break the familiar mental patterning to make room for new experiences.

Bringing curiosity and awareness to what we are feeling itself has a freeing quality to our feelings. We identify a lot less with our worries and more with our capabilities. This is more expansive and present and less based on the past. Again, notice what’s happening in your body as you perform these inquiries. As your mind changes, you feel more grounded, which will allow more energy to flow within you. n Alzak Amlani, Ph.D., is a counseling psychologist of Indian descent in the Bay Area. 650-325-8393. Visit www.wholenesstherapy.com

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On Inglish

Not a Techwallah

By Kalpana Mohan

wallah, noun. < a person in charge of, employed at, or concerned with a particular thing (used in combination):a book wallah; a ticket wallah < 1770-80 < Hindi -wālā suffix of relation

A

you graduate, can s he graduated with a ... how easy it was to be strung along by “the you“As ask yourselves to live as double major in computer science and cog- system,” first by parents and then by college, if you had eleven days left?”

Sheryl Sandberg, chief opnitive science a few weeks ago, and then later by the demands of work ... erating officer of Facebook, our son made it clear to us that asked of students gathered at unlike his father and some of Berkeley’s California Memohis own ingenious classmates rial Stadium on the day of commencement. A cavalry of at Berkeley, he was not the typical techwallah. He enjoyed proparents listened to her from the bleachers. Behind the stage, gramming and problem solving, he said, but for reasons both the fir-lined hills poked into the dull bleak skies. Sandberg personal and philosophical he didn’t quite see himself joining the talked, between sniffles, about the special moments of life tech industry. Furthermore, he worried that he was not one of that often tended to slip through the crevices of an ordinary those Silicon Valleywallahs at his core. I, too, realized that none of day. the meanings given to the Hindi affix “wallah,” as described in the One year and thirteen days after the sudden death of her Hobson-Jobson Anglo-Indian dictionary, would apply to my son, husband, Sandberg had been learning to show gratitude for especially as the word related to the high tech industry: “agent, the things that were going right. She urged the graduates doer, keeper, man, inhabitant, master, lord, possessor, owner.” to be thankful. “My hope for you is that you can find that In the days leading to his graduation, I was barraged by quesgratitude—not just on the good days, like today, but on the tions about where he would be working after college. I shrugged hard ones, when you will really need it.” them off: “He’s still figuring it out,” I said. Our son had made up As the graduation ceremony wound to a close, my his mind to not interview for a job in the industry, much to his husband received a note from an acquaintance at a reputed father’s chagrin. He had pursued lucrative internships during the valley company. Would our son consider an interview with previous summers. Those had made him question his goals. his team, he asked.

He sent me a recent column in The Daily Californian by one My husband has not been able to understand why his Jason Chen, a Berkeley graduating senior, as further explanation to son thought so long and hard about pursuing a job in the his mode of thinking. “All the people in my life—my parents, my technology industry. The path was clear. A degree in comteachers, my peers—are just workers on an assembly line, which puter science from an institution like Berkeley was a ticket is supposed to slowly sculpt me into a finished product: ready for to a cushy job in the Silicon Valley. What on earth was there nine-to-fives, board meetings and dreadful commutes.” I saw how to think about beyond that, he wondered.

Chen was feeling the pressure that my son felt of becoming, say, Later, during lunch, my husband showed the note about a drone akin to Mumbai’s “dubbawallahs” who were supremely a potential job interview to our boy. efficient cogs in the wheel of the gritty city’s meal delivery system.

“But in the summer I’ll be busy with my last two My son said that Chen’s column reflected his own struggles to courses.” discover his calling. He realized also how—unlike many classmates His dad persisted. “But what about fall? What about with financial constraints—he was fortunate. He had the luxury after that?” of being able to take a break to ponder. What people didn’t often Outside, the swags of fog had unfurled to reveal an azure see, he explained, was how easy it was to be strung along by “the blue sky. The California sun splashed the pavement. Inside system,” first by parents and then by college, and then later by the cafe, our new graduate dipped his corn chip into the the demands of work and then, further along, by one’s family and guacamole, then dunked it into the salsa and crunched it all then, even later, by the comfort and reassurance of a particular between his teeth. He looked squarely at kind of lifestyle promised by a specific career. Sooner or later, my his father. “Dad, we’ll see.” n son observed, people found themselves at a crossroads where they were unhappy. Therefore, instead of letting himself be sucked into Kalpana Mohan writes from California’s Silithe system right upon graduation, he simply wished to apply the con Valley. To read more about her, go to http:// brakes and reflect a little, while working on projects that interested kalpanamohan.com. him.

100 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

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the last word

The United States of Minorities

By Sarita Sarvate

W

general election. hen a Filipina friend told me that her relatives and So what now? friends were voting for Donald Trump, I was dumbIt is clearly too late to pick a better candidate. But it is not struck. I knew they voted for John McCain in 2008 too late to do what we can to help Hillary win. Yes, I know, I and Mitt Romney in 2012. The rationale then was that the am making an about-face here. But I would rather have Hillary Republicans would strengthen the military, which their family in the White House than a psychopath. members belonged to. That was a flimsy enough excuse, but And the only way we can win the presidency is by unitnow the Filipinos are voting for Trump. In fact, Gel ing all the minorities in a coalition against the Donald.

Santos Relos, the anchor of The Filipino Channel’s If all the ethnic groups really listened to the Donald’s “Balitang America” published an article last year The truth is, words, if, instead of putting their faith in his promtitled “Donald Trump Gains Votes Among Republicans hate ise to lower their taxes, like the Indian-American Conservative Filipinos” in the Asian Journal. group is doing, they scrutinized what he really But I still can’t believe that they are voting Hillary more than is—a dangerous man who cannot be allowed to for Trump the ignoramus! Trump the racthey dislike Donald put his finger on the trigger—we will perhaps ist! Trump the misogynist! Trump the white save not only America but all of humanity. supremacist! Trump the narcissist! Trump the Trump; they will do And what should Hillary do to improve her bully! Trump the fascist! anything to destroy chances in the general election? She should find Most often you hear Trump supporters her soul; discover her true voice. She should get in give cliched excuses, like, “He tells it like it is,” her. touch with her convictions. Jon Stewart suggested as or “He will run government like a business.” Or much in a recent interview. I will go one step further and worse yet, “Republicans oppose gay marriage.” say that Hillary should admit her past mistakes.

Recently, an Indian-American PAC was formed to supA good way to begin will be by facing the Donald’s latest port Trump. The backers of this PAC see similarities between accusations, namely, that Hillary was an enabler of Bill’s infideliDonald Trump and Narendra Modi. ties. She might not have been an enabler, but she was certainly a That is why, when so many liberals tell me that “The Donald defender of her husband, first labeling the rumors about Monica only got votes from middle aged white men,” that “he has no Lewinsky as “a vast right wing conspiracy,” and later telling a chance in the general election,” that “he got very few votes in friend that “Lewinsky was a narcissistic loony tunes.” Even as the primaries,” I laugh. I cannot believe the ability of liberals for recently as 2014, when Diane Sawyer asked her about Lewinsuch wishful thinking. sky, Hillary’s tone was unforgiving and defensive. Some words All along, I have been saying, “Watch my words, the Repubof sympathy for Monica’s youthful indiscretion are in order. As lican Party is going to get behind Trump.” But liberals have been are some gestures of derision of Bill’s exploitation of the young fantasizing, first about a contested convention, and then about woman’s naiveté. the Republican leadership’s abandonment of Trump.

The media will no doubt continue to offer Donald Trump The truth is, Republicans hate Hillary more than they dislike free coverage. All we minorities can do is remember that HitDonald Trump; they will do anything to destroy her. She is a ler, too, came to power in Germany under not too dissimilar weak candidate in any case; her unfavorability rating is almost circumstances. as high as that of the Donald; 55% versus 65%. And as for We must therefore unite to defeat Trump. We must believe the skeletons in her closet, she can perhaps outdo Trump who that America’s strength lies in its ethnic diversity. If the Indiandoesn’t get defensive about his past.

Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans joined with the Which makes me wish that the Democratic Party hadn’t let African-Americans in a coalition, Donald Trump will have no the Clintons control it. That the party establishment had the chance of winning the general election. courage to go against the political dynasty and come up with I will contribute to any movement which aims to do just a candidate like Elizabeth Warren or Kirsten Gillibrand. That it that. n had chosen a fresh face, someone who could inspire, who didn’t have so much baggage, who was not seen as corrupt or hawkish Sarita Sarvate (www.saritasarvate.com) has pubor hypocritical, who could take the Democratic Party in a new lished commentaries for New America Media, direction. Most of all, I wish it had selected someone who was KQED FM, San Jose Mercury News, the a real feminist, as opposed to an alleged one.

Oakland Tribune, and many nationwide publiOf course Bernie is still running. But he is not getting the cations. nomination, nor does he have a realistic chance of winning the 102 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | June 2016

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