7 Simple Ways to Beat the Drought by Mahesh Singh
Can Miracles Be Mass-Produced? by Gaurav Rastogi
The Downward Dog at Yoga by Kalpana Mohan
INDIA CURRENTS Celebrating 29 Years of Excellence
The
lennials by Ritu Marwah
Tinder is just for hooking up Shaadi.com is for the parents Time for Dil Mil-ling?
may 2015 • vol. 29, no .2 • www. indiacurrents.com
Saving Mother facebook.com/IndiaCurrents twitter.com/IndiaCurrents Now published in three separate editions HEAD OFFICE 1885 Lundy Ave Ste 220, San Jose, CA 95131 Phone: (408) 324-0488 Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: info@indiacurrents.com www.indiacurrents.com Publisher: Vandana Kumar publisher@indiacurrents.com Managing Director: Vijay Rajvaidya md@indiacurrents.com Managing Editor: Geetika Pathania Jain mgeditor@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x226 Events Editor: Mona Shah events@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x224 Advertising Department ads@indiacurrents.com Northern California: (408) 324-0488 x 225 Southern California: (714) 523-8788 x 225 Sales Associate: Anu B anu@indiacurrents.com (408) 324-0488 x 222 Marketing Department Ritu Marwah ritu@indiacurrents.com Graphic Designer: Nghia Vuong
As Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself thinking of Nirupa Roy, the ever-giving celluloid mother who dominated my Bollywood-saturated childhood. In Amar Akbar Anthony, there is a scene where a blind Roy has been struck by a car, and her three sons, who represent the major religious communities of India, give her blood through direct transfusion. The sons are able to save their mother, Bharati. Bharati. As in Bharat Maata. Mother India. Saving Mother feels good. Which is probably why the government of Maharashtra has taken it upon itself to save the Bharatiya gai maata or Mother Indian cow. Again, it probably feels good to exert some regulatory muscle on her behalf and ban beef. There is rhetoric of saving mothers all over the place. The environmental movement is trying to save Mother Earth. We are told that we have been bad children, and plundered the gifts of our mother wantonly. We have been rapacious, over-consuming little tykes, sucking dry the source. Saving Mother Earth would feel good.
The reproductive rights movement is trying to save Purvi Patel. In Indiana, a jury sentenced Purvi Patel for twenty years in prison for feticide. Deborah Tuerkheimer, in an article titled “How Not to Protect Pregnant Women,” writes that “special victim status for fetuses sets a dangerous precedent.” (New York Times, April 13, 2015). Even though Purvi Patel might have been a “bad” mother, saving her would feel good. Sometimes, though, it’s a bit more complicated. Manil Suri points out in the New York Times (“A Ban on Beef is Not the Answer,” April 17, 2015) that the beef ban jeopardises the livelihood of Hindu dalits as well as those of other religious communities. In our rush to protect our icons of maternal selflessness, we have to be careful not to jeopardize the rights of others. So, on Mother’s Day, call your Mother. Send her flowers and chocolates. Make her a special breakfast. But, unless she specifically asks for this, feel free not to save her. Geetika Pathania Jain is Managing Editor of India Currrents Magazine.
WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU (Managed by IC New Ventures, LLC) 910 17th Street, NW, Ste# 215 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: (202) 709-7010 Fax: (240) 407-4470 Associate Publisher: Asif Ismail publisher-dc@indiacurrents.com (202) 709-7010 Cover Design: Nghia Vuong Cover Photo Credit: Ritu Marwah INDIA CURRENTS® (ISSN 0896-095X) is published monthly (except Dec/Jan, which is a combined issue) for $19.95 per year by India Currents, 1885 Lundy Ave., Ste 220, San Jose, CA 95131. Periodicals postage paid at San Jose, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to INDIA CURRENTS, 1885 LUNDY AVE, STE. 220, SAN JOSE, CA 95131 Information provided is accurate as of the date of going to press; India Currents is not responsible for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors. Advertising copy, logos, and artwork are the sole responsibility of individual advertisers, not of India Currents. Copyright © 2015 by India Currents All rights reserved. Fully indexed by Ethnic Newswatch
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 1
INDIA CURRENTS May 2015 • vol 29 • no 2
PERSPECTIVES 1 | EDITORIAL Saving Mother By Geetika Pathania Jain
Southern California Edition www.indiacurrents.com
LIFESTYLE
Find us on 33 | TAX TALK Should Business Owners Keep Their Own Books? By Rita Bhayani
6 | A THOUSAND WORDS The Waiting Game By Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan
34 | TRAVEL Leh—Under the Blue Sky By Sharmila Pal
8 | EDUCATION By Rita Sherma
36 | MUSIC A Texan Qawwali for Mahatma Gandhi By Priya Das
14 | FINANCE Real Estate By Rahul Varshneya
38 | RECIPES Khatta Dhokla By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff
What is Hindu Dharma?
17 | FEATURE 7 Simple Ways to Beat the Drought By Mahesh Singh 24 | PERSPECTIVE Finding Solace in the Digital Age By Pushpinder Lubana 26 | BUSINESS AIIB—China’s Coup
10 | Dil Mil-lennials Grabbing Cupid on the Go By Ritu Marwah
22 | Reflections Can Miracles be MassProduced? By Gaurav Rastogi
42 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA Cheating Relationships By Jasbina Ahluwalia 50 | HEALTHY LIFE Why Do We Have Allergies? Causes, Prevention and Treatment By Vijay Gupta 54 | DEAR DOCTOR Moving Towards Wholeness By Alzak Amlani
By P. Mahadevan 40 | VIEWPOINT The Best in Me By Sunita Upadhyayula 45 | ON INGLISH That Downward Dog at Yoga By Kalpana Mohan 52 | OPINION Yoga: Indian or American? By Sandip Roy 56 | THE LAST WORD A Magical Murder Mystery By Sarita Sarvate
2 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
28 | Films Reviews of Bowmkesh Bakshi and Unfreedom By Aniruddh Chawda
31 | Books Reviews of Fragments of Riversong and All My Noble Dreams By Divya Dubey, Tara Menon
DEPARTMENTS 4 | Letters to the Editor 9 | Popular Articles 20 | Ask a Lawyer 21 | Visa Dates
WHAT’S CURRENT 46 | Cultural Calendar 48 | Spiritual Calendar
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 3
letters to the editor
Net Neutrality
Geetika Jain in her editorial comments (India Currents, April 2015) sums up the key requirements put out by the FCC for maintaining net neutrality as called out by President Obama. In implementing these rules by the internet service providers(ISPs), there could be slips between the cups and the lips. A broad general requirement is that the net must be treated as a public utility. This allows varying price structures to be offered to consumers as in the case of say, electricity and water use by laundromats. However, the FCC rules prohibit “ paid prioritization” and encourages “innovation” in all fields of service in the internet. I believe these two requirements are incompatible. For instance, a Google Fibre network has been built in 34 cities in the US (chosen by market survey) offering transmission speeds of up to 1000 mega bps. The survey finds out who needs the service and who can pay. At this speed range, for example, a full length movie can be downloaded in just two minutes. A second set of cities for upgrade has been selected, including Salt Lake City, UT. It is speculated that pretty soon, ISPs like Comcast can provide twice that speed ( 2000Mbps). American ingenuity is competing and excelling, as always. Google Fibre services is protective of its rights and gets a customer agreement not to use any servers in their system. They sent out an April Fools message to their high speed customers on April 1 that if they are uncomfortable at high speeds, they could dial it back to 56Kbps. Enforcement of the FCC rules may turn out to be difficult since it is naïve to expect that the giant innovators or venture capitalists will walk away without their” pound of flesh.” Paid prioritization is the price to pay. P. Mahadevan, email
Guilty of Walking While Brown
The recent police brutality incident against Mr. Sureshbhai Patel (as mentioned in “Guilty of Walking While Brown” by R. Benedito Ferraro, in India Currents, March issue), naturally touches our emotions, but more importantly, it calls for cool-headed self-reflection. There are some changes to police procedures, that we can recommend to authorities in Madison, Alabama. And, there are some suggestions that Indian-Americans can consider, to protect themselves. Police officers should not accept reports of suspicious persons as fact. Doing so can make them approach suspects with bias and
4 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
disrespect, and end in violence. Training in diversity recognition and acceptance should be included by all police departments, with representation from minority communities. Being one of the minority communities, Indian Americans should take the initiative in bringing about changes in the communities they live in. They can invite the police chief in their city for a friendly meeting, to get to know each other, and discuss steps to build good relations. They can reach out to religious and community leaders, by inviting them to community events, and build relationships. They can find out if there are interfaith organizations in the vicinity, attend their events, and have representation in such organizations. They can also build relationships with city and county officials. Our community should also collaborate with other minority communities, in protesting racial and ethnic discrimination against any group. They should not remain silent when another community is being victimized. When the Muslim community was discussing “Muslim civil rights” at a meeting after 9/11, Jesse Jackson reminded them that his ancestors sacrificed and died for civil rights, and we have to stand up for civil rights for all, not just one community. Maneck Bhujwala, Huntington Beach, CA
Cowspiracy: the Sustainability Secret
It is puzzling why Governor Brown has given agriculture a free pass in mandating a 25% reduction in water usage by city dwellers. A similar cap should have been imposed on farmers who consume 80% of the available water. Almonds and pistachios are primarily grown for export and alfalfa hay is exported to China to help feed the country’s growing herd of dairy cows. According to The Pacific Institute, dairy and meat products account for a staggering 47%of Californians’ water footprint. Directors of the documentary, Cowspiracy: the Sustainability
SPEAK YOUR MIND!
Have a thought or opinion to share? Send us an original letter of up to 300 words, and include your name, address, and phone number. Letters are edited for clarity and brevity. Write India Currents Letters, 1885 Lundy Ave. Suite 220, San Jose 95131 or email letters@indiacurrents.com.
Secret argue that livestock is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution. Animal agriculture uses in excess of 34 trillion gallons of water compared to say, fracking, which consumes 100 billion gallons. A few more alarming statistics: one quarter pound hamburger requires over 660 gallons of water to produce (equivalent to two months of daily showers). US domestic water use amounts to 5% compared to 55 % for animal agriculture. One gallon of milk requires 1,000 gallons of water. Alarming statistics certain to curb your appetite for burgers and milk. Jagjit Singh, Los Altos, CA
Police Misconduct
What has become an all too familiar scene, another defenseless African-American, is gunned down by a white police officer. Without ordering an investigation, the North Charleston Police Department rushed to defend officer Michael Slager. But a video captured by a bystander showed Slager shot the victim, Walter Scott, in the back and casually walked over, handcuffed the dying man and then placed a taser next to his body in a botched effort to blame the victim. There is a deep racial malaise gripping the nation’s police departments and unless swift action is taken we can only expect more of the same. Jagjit Singh, Los Altos, CA
I Am India’ Daughter Too
Sarita Sarvate’s article “I am India’s Daughter, Too” (India Currents, April 2015) prompted me to write this letter. Gender inequality is ingrained in our sub-conscious and inherent in our culture and religion. We need to acknowledge this sub-conscious bias to get rid of inequality. There is a routine dialogue in Indian films, where the father says to his daughter, “Tumhara acchaa buraa hamse acchaa kaun soch saktaa hai.” (I know what’s best for you). The daughter succumbs to this emotional blackmail. Every educated father says to his daughter, “I will take into account your choice when you are to be married.” But if the girl brings her boyfriend home, the first reaction is “What is his religion or caste?” So gender inequality is deep rooted in our religion and, through it, in our sub-conscious. Worse, we are hypocritical about this. Unless we as a society acknowledge this hypocrisy, we will continue to carry this burden. Ram Prakash Saxena, Foster City, CA
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 5
a thousand words
The Waiting Game By Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan
I
a novel, Manu Joseph’s Serious Men. When the last page was over, had heard about it, of course. The all-consuming anxiety. The and thumb as I might, no other words came, I checked my email mounting fixation. The borderline, then full-fledged, obsession. again. Then I got up so as to go for a walk and clear my head, and The steady enervation of hope. Often associated with love. But found my way back to the business school café, where I sat facing for whatever reason, I hadn’t felt it quite so keenly before. Until, that away from the stream of café entrants. I looked often over my right is, it was one, then two weeks after I had expected to hear back from shoulder for the Search Committee Chair, who, I suspected, would the Search Committee with a decision on The Job. not dine here two days in a row. It was The Job, not exactly a dream job, but close enough. It was But I couldn’t be sure. the right place, right time job, the Kairos job, the one I wanted more I looked over my shoulder. than any other, the one that would make me work hard, maybe harder I checked my email again. than I’d ever worked before, but which would set everything else I had lost the ability to work, because I wasn’t sure what I was perfectly in motion. It would be the validating job. The life-affirming working toward. I had lost the ability to concentrate, because I was job. I really wanted it. checking my email all the time. My stomach was in permanent conAs the days passed, and then the weeks, and the program coorvulsion. My tinnitus, an ever-present buzzing in my left ear, intensidinator refused hour after hour to pick up her phone, I realized just fied. I was racked with self-doubt. Even worse than the self-doubt how badly I wanted it. The universe seemed intent on reminding me was the unflagging, unstoppable, tireless as well. On the Friday I expected to and wrenching hope. hear something, anything, I got a What was this thing, this awful junk call from a robot saying, “Con- Even worse than the self-doubt was hope, that had taken over my life? gratulations…”—it was one of those the unflagging, unstoppable, tireless In Serious Men, scientists Jana Namthroat-constricting moments—“ … bodri and Arvind Acharya exchange you have won a free trip to the and wrenching hope. notes on the subject. “In science, hope Bahamas.” is everything,” says Nambodri, a radio On Monday, three days after the astronomer who wants to find signals day I was sure I was going to hear from aliens in outer space. (which meant, of course, that now I had to hear), I got another call “Hope is a lapse in concentration,” responds Acharya, who befrom an unknown number, with an area code that started with “7,” so lieves microscopic aliens are constantly falling to Earth. even though my phone said Virginia, maybe it was Chicago, or a VirI looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary. Hope (n.): ginian on the Search Committee in Chicago? It was a wrong number. “desire combined with expectation.” To hope (v.): “to look (menBut for thirty seconds it was like Kay Ryan says: “what isn’t in / the tally) with expectation.” Looking was definitely my problem. Where envelope / just before / it isn’t.” previously I had prided myself on my hard-fought ability to be That day, my husband came by the library, where I was trying, and present, I now couldn’t stop looking into the Janus-faced future. failing, to work, to cheer me up. Let’s go to lunch, he said. We deAt night, I collapsed in exhaustion. For the first few hours of fitful cided on the business school café, somewhat out of the way, where, of sleep, I dreamt that I got the job. Then, the night would turn, and course, I spotted the Chair of the Search Committee, across the room, for the remaining hours until morning, I’d dream of losing the job his back to me, having lunch with someone I didn’t know (but tried, to below-average students from elementary school, who appeared furiously and foolishly, to locate on Google later). here as nocturnal rivals, in the odd way that specters from the past After hemming and hawing, and debating various opening lines, sometimes do. I awoke spent. with the anticipation and resentment of a thwarted lover, I installed Was no news good news or bad news? Was I deserving? Why was myself in a chaise outside the dining hall, hoping to catch The Chair I so selfishly consumed? I read the affecting words of a valiant young on his way out. First, I sat on a couch facing the stream of traffic neurosurgeon who had recently died of cancer. I was chastened. I exiting the café. Then, rethinking the position, and the aggressiveread the news. My concerns seemed smaller, less justifiable, but no ness of meeting his eyes (surely, it would look like I was waiting here less consuming. I tried to soldier on with writing and research, but for him), I moved to the opposite chair, so that I would see his back the temptation to refresh my email won out again. walking away from me, and could reasonably feign surprise at having What if I had to spend the rest of my life in this purgatory of met him here. lapsed concentration? And if, finally, I got the job, would I even I waited for over two hours. He was clearly deep in conversation. want it? n When he emerged, walking and talking briskly with his lunch mate, I didn’t have time to steady my nerves. He was gone. And with him, my answer. Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan is a doctoral candidate in On Tuesday, I called the program coordinator again. Twice. Had Rhetoric at UC Berkeley. She didn’t get the job. (So, she entirely stopped answering her phone? Was it my number, popproblem solved!) ping up on the caller ID? I emailed her. Then I checked my email. Then I checked it again, and again. And again. I forced myself to read 6 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
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education
What is Hindu Dharma? Why study it? By Rita D. Sherma
T
he word “Hindu” is not an easy term to define. The reason is that this ancient word coined by the Persians from the name of the river Sindhu, refers to: (1) a people; (2) a civilization with a history that is millennia old with roots lost in the mists of time; (3) an ancient culture which gave rise to its unique literature, dance, drama, festivals, cuisine, art, architecture, astronomy, music, poetry, and (4) a social and geo-political perspective, which it became increasingly identified with after the partition of India. In this multiplicity of narratives and definitions, the other meaning of “Hindu”—the one that refers to its transcendent aspect, to its meaning in terms of a wisdom system beyond place and time, a knowledge-structure for self-transformation and spiritual sustenance—has become lost in translation and transmission. Yet, it is this meaning that should matter most to those who live in the diaspora and will leave behind descendants in foreign lands far from the places and spaces that birthed the word “Hindu” and its manifold meanings. The first generation of Hindu non-resident Indians (NRIs) is of great significance. Their remarkable perseverance and productivity resulted in the swift rise of this community in financial, entrepreneurial, and educational rankings. Once established, they began a larger task of bequeathing to future generations not only a material endowment but a religious legacy. The result is visible in the nearly four hundred mandirs (temples) spread across the United States today. Billions of dollars have been poured into the construction and maintenance of temples. But has this massive effort been beneficial? To whom? And in what way? Mandirs do provide ritual, liturgical, and other vital services to the community; some also offer deeper teaching and training. Nevertheless, one question remains: “Has the first generation been successful in transmitting the values, applied ethics, highest principles, and deepest insights of Hindu Dharma (Hinduism) to the second and third generations?” The answer is clearly a resounding “no!” The lack of second and third generation Hindus in the temples displays silent testimony to this growing problem. 8 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
Throughout history, living in India allowed for the assimilation of dharma by absorption. Currently, the integration of Hindu Dharma by immersion has become more difficult especially for urban, educated middle classes in India. But it is simply impossible for generations of Hindus born in the USA. Hindu Dharma as poetry and pictures, narratives and festivals, pujas and piety is completely inadequate to the needs of the children and grandchildren of the first generation. The generation that so carefully supported their children in every other way is failing severely in providing their offspring with that which matters most—the strength of spirit that arises from a strong conviction in the power vested in Hindu spiritual knowledge and practice. Where can we fully explore the vastness of Hindu Dharma, its diversity of thought, richness of spiritual practices, freedom of theological choice, overarching principles that cut across denominations, the full range of its artistic and musical expressions? This breadth cannot be absorbed from a mandir or even a guru or acharya because their spiritual mandate (rightly) requires the preservation and teaching of a particular theological lineage. The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA (GTU), is the only Interreligious Graduate Consortium in America. With a reputation for academic excellence, and well over a thousand graduate students, GTU is the largest graduate program dedicated to the study of the World’s Religions in the USA. It is affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, through cross registration of courses, availability of UCB faculty
from various disciplines, and access to indepth language training for ancient and vernacular languages. The GTU recently announced a leading edge Hindu Studies Initiative with a Certificate and Master’s degree, due to a historic partnership with the Dharma Civilization Foundation (DCF). The DCF recently endowed the Thakkar Family-DCF Chair in Indic Civilization Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and is engaged in efforts to foster greater depth and quality of programs in Indic Studies. The GTU’s multidisciplinary Hindu Studies Initiative explores the rich diversity of Hindu Dharma from various lenses including that of ethics, ecology, theology, philosophy, art and symbolism, meditation and psychology, yoga and integrative medicine, and other important themes. Innovative projects in dharma and the natural sciences will also be underway. One can take courses and degree programs in Hindu Studies in many of America’s top universities. But such institutions, in general, do not have a mandate for the study of spiritual traditions as resources for human growth and planetary wellbeing. But theological schools—whether Buddhist, Christian, Jewish or other—operate under a different premise which is the reinterpretation of spiritual traditions for the betterment of humanity and the world. There are no Hindu theological schools in the American education system. Therefore, Hindu theology itself—the study of sacred texts, teachings, transformative practices, and the writings of Hindu theologians (mahacharyas) in order to seek the insights that powerfully engage the human condition—is conspicuous by its absence. The new Hindu Studies Initiative at the GTU is unique in this aspect because it has as its mission the exploration, reclamation, re-envisioning and deployment of the deepest theological principles and practices of Hindu Dharma towards the amendment of the major challenges of our time—both personal and planetary. n Rita D. Sherma, Ph.D. is Director of the Hindu Studies Initiative, and Associate Professor of Dharma Studies at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA.
India Currents is now available on the Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/IndiaCurrents/dp/B005LRAXNG Follow us at twitter.com/indiacurrents on facebook.com/IndiaCurrents Most Popular Articles Online April 2015 1) H-4: No More Waiting Ritu Marwah 2) I Am India’s Daughter Too Sarita Sarvate 3) Not Just Another Jute Bag Kalpana Mohan 4) Magic of Angkor Riz Mithani
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cover
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Millennials grab Cupid on the go By Ritu Marwah
I peered into the screen myopically. There were pictures of girls swishing backwards and forwards. My son’s finger moved at a demonic rate. “Look at this app, Amol.” He was in a meeting with his intern, an intern hired by my millennial son to experiment with the factors that went into snagging a date. “It’s a match!” flashed the screen.
“Y
our picture from your college days is getting more matches.” Amol had been experimenting with different photographs to see which one had a higher success rate. “What! I don’t like my picture from UCLA. I look too fat in that one.” The girls apparently disagreed, going for the rounder Disneque profile. While the intern was re-engineering the online dating profile, optimizing it for algorithmic love, sending kisses down the wire, however, turned out to be not so easy. Repeated use of the stock email response locked the app into loops. It came to the conclusion that a robot had created the profile and it shut out the user. Thus ended the very short internship. “Millennials are undermining tried-andtrue dating rituals,” lamented The New York Times’s writer Alex Williams. “Raised in the age of so-called hookup culture, millennials—who are reaching an age where they are
10 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
starting to think about settling down—are subverting the rules of courtship. Instead of dinner-and-a-movie, which seems as obsolete as a rotary phone, they rendezvous over phone texts, Facebook posts, instant messages and other “non-dates” subverting triedand-true dating rituals.” “It’s one step below a date, and one step above a high-five.”
“The new date is ‘hanging out.’” Denise Hewett, 24, an associate television producer in Manhattan, who is currently developing a show about this frustrating new romantic landscape, was told by a male friend: “I don’t like to take girls out. I like to have them join in on what I’m doing—going to an event, a concert.” The millennials or the generation born roughly between the year 1980 and year 2000 are also known as generation Y, generation we, and the Peter Pan generation. The oldest members of this generation are approaching age 34; the youngest are approaching adolescence. This generation now making their passage into adulthood are confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change, says Pew Research Center’s report that looks at the values, attitudes and experiences of America’s next generation: the Millennials. These young adult “are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding.” They have a phone strapped to them as an adjunct body part. They fall asleep texting and wake up with their finger on the smart phone button. In fact they live their lives in a world of online chatter. As per Experian, U.S. smartphone owners aged 18 to 24 send 2,022 texts per month on average—67 texts on a daily basis—and receive another 1,831. Pew found, “It’s not just their gadgets— it’s the way they’ve fused their social lives into them.” The smart phone is used less to make
Millennial love is in the air
A Creative Commons Image calls and more as a hook into the web of social networking and conducting their love lives. Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University suggests sixty-seven percent of American millennials and seventyfive percent of online Indian millennials say they’re in love. These “digital natives” are happy to announce it to the world, sharing their love on Facebook. Forty-one percent of American millennials who are in love update their Facebook status weekly. Sixty-one percent of Indian millennials in love say they update their status (at least) weekly. Millennials between the ages of 28-32 are more likely to report being in love than millennials ages 18-22. “Online websites and apps are the tools my generation uses to meet up,” explains my millennial son. Websites like OK Cupid and Coffee meets Bagel and apps like Dil Mil and Tinder match thousands of boys and girls. Grouper arranges a group date. Three men and three women meet at a restaurant in the hope that at least a couple of people in that combination will click. Coffee Meets Bagel sends members a “bagel” every day at noon, which is basically the pictures and profile of someone who fits the criteria that they had picked. If the bagels like each other, a private line is created where they can message each other. The fastest growing free dating app in the United States is Tinder. It has gamified the dating game. Users download the app on their iphones, sign in using their Facebook ids thus sharing their name, photos, age and sexual orientation with Tinder. They are immediately shown dozens of pictures of persons of their preferred sex. They can swipe right if they like what they see or swipe left if they don’t. According to Bloomberg Business Week: “Tinder is a pathologically addictive flirting-dating-hookup app.” The average Tinderer
checks the app 11 times per day, seven minutes at a time, thereby spending more than an hour a day “swiping” potential mates and chatting with matches in the app, according to Rosette Pambakian, vice president for corporate communications and branding at the app’s Los Angeles headquarter. The app makes 22 million “matches” per day, processing a staggering 1.5 billion “swipes” left and right daily. The company says it knows of 50 marriage proposals to date. Tinder is available in 24 languages with approximately 22-24 million users. It is estimated that Tinder will reach 50 million users by the end of 2016. According to CNN, Tinder is growing its user base in India by 1% per day and is a huge hit in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. The difference between the Indian online millennial and the US one is that Indian online millennials remain more traditional in as much as they are either single or married, says Peter Boatwright of the Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. In the U.S., living with a partner is higher than in India. There are many more in the U.S. who simply say they are “in a relationship.” Online millennials in India are having children earlier than are their U.S. counterparts as well. In a highly mobile world migration from India to the United States is swelling the ranks of the millennials in the US. Behavior and values mingle and create new dynamics.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 11
On one date, that was arranged online, a girl showed up for the date wearing a sari, surprising the 27 old Bay Area resident of South Asian descent. This generation has embraced the responsibility of arranging their marriage themselves. Dusting off their glasses, they are hitting the beauty parlors and the hairdressers. Clicking their pictures and making their profiles, they are fixing rendezvouses and meeting boys and girls on their own terms. “Because millennials don’t respect authority, they also don’t resent it. That’s why they’re the first teens who aren’t rebelling,” says The Times. MTV president Stephen Friedman, 43, who now includes parents in nearly all the channel’s reality shows says, “One of our research studies early on said that a lot of this audience outsources their superego to their parents. The most simple decision of should I do this or should I do that–our audience will check in with their parents.” They are mindful of their parents’ opinions. Dil Mile is an app specifically designed for the South Asian millennial. It aims to help every desi “20-something-year-old find someone who Mummy and Papa will approve of,” says Brown Girl magazine. 24-year-old Kamaljit (“K.J.”) Dhaliwal, who launched the app wants to help his brethren find someone “easier and faster.” K.J. worked in NYC and Philadelphia in the investment and trading industry before he moved to the Bay Area and closed angel funding valuing Dil Mil at 5 million USD. Inter-racial marriages are not frowned upon by these citizens of the flat world. However, Cameron Okeke, senior at the University of Chicago believes that the notion that their age group is the most “tolerant” generation should be taken in context. “I think that love may be blind, but I think relationships aren’t,” Cameron Okeke, senior at the University of Chicago said. “Relationships don’t just run off your love, they run off understanding and reasoning and compassion. I feel that we may be progressive cognitively, but we’re still programmed the same way, we’re still exposed to the same insecurities of different races and how they’re supposed to be,” Okeke said to the University of Illinois Daily. “Let’s have a look at online dating,” says Amne Alrifai, 20-something-year-old-Muslim-Lebanese-Australian-Daughter-of-Migrants scientist in her blog Unveiled Thought. “You realise you’re ready to find Mr. Right (or Mrs. Right—this is an equal opportunity blogsite). Your friends convince you to sign up to a dating website ... So how is matchmaking by your parents or their friends different? I … I can’t believe I’m actually saying this—but I think it’s exactly the same ... My 12 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
dad and I have our ups and downs, but he’s my hero and loves me so much and knows me so well. Having him as a bouncer for my heart is sounding like a great idea. Knowing that he’ll interrogate any potential suitors and ensure that the man I end up with comes from the top shelf and not from the bargain basket is pretty comforting.” “If my parents introduced me to a suitable boy,” says a Fremont twenty-four-year old resident not averse to being introduced, “it would take the work out of it for me.” Shuttled from activity to activity with no down time to just hang out, they didn’t learn the art of flirting and romancing. Ac-
cording to researchers at the University of Michigan, from 1981 to 1997, “free” or “unsupervised” time in the typical preteen’s day shrank by 37 percent. As they enter adulthood, smart phone in hand, they scan the room to see if “it’s a match.” “You’ve got mail” is so passé. n Ritu Marwah has pursued theater, writing, marketing, startup management, raising children, coaching debate and hiking. Ritu graduated from Delhi with a master’s degree in business, joined the Tata Group and worked in London for ten years.
Millennials are Crazy in Love at Home and Abroad
Pittsburgh, January 30, 2015 – They are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers and are less likely to get married than previous generations, but that doesn’t mean Millennials are afraid to use the “L-word.”
According to new data from the Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, 67% of American Millennials and 75% of Indian Millennials say they’re in love. And these “digital natives” are not shy about sharing their love on Facebook: · 41% of American Millennials who are in love update their Facebook status weekly. · But … 61% of Indian Millennials in love say they update their status (at least) weekly. · Meanwhile for those unlucky in love, only 34% of American Millennials and 44% of Indian Millennials not in love update their Facebook status weekly. · In both the United States and India, Millennials between the ages of 28-32 are more likely to report being in love than Millennials ages 18-22. “There is a lot of a discussion today about Millennials, relationships and marriage. This is an interesting look at what Millennials’ views are on romance,” said Peter Boatwright, codirector of the Integrated Innovation Institute. “Though just a glimpse into two cultures’ young adult population, it looks like they’re ‘feeling the love’.” The Integrated Innovation Institute’s Millennial Segmentation Study is a first-of-its-kind, ongoing study that takes an in-depth look at the values and behaviors of Millennials in order to better understand and prepare companies and others serving them. The study surveyed 2,000 men and women, ages 18-34, on a variety of topics including professional pursuits, financial habits and purchasing behaviors, health attitudes, beliefs about God and social media engagement, among others. Previous infographics illustrated Millennials’ attitudes toward love, religion and finances.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 13
finance
Ready to Play the Real Estate Game?
Where and how to look
T
he topic on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days is real estate. As the economy continues on the road to recovery, people are ready to make large discretionary purchases, which they were too scared to make earlier. In contrast to consumer staples (food, drink, gas), discretionary purchases are low to non-existent in recessionary times. Now, as the Federal Reserve has removed the word “extreme” from its “extreme patience” directive regarding its monetary policy strategy—investors, economists and the layman all agree that the United States is finally on the up and up. That being said, real estate is a highly complex investment requiring significant analysis of the market as well as some knowledge of economics and finance.
The Refinancing Effect
Our economy is perhaps the best it has been to enter into the real estate market. Although the market has been attractive in the form of low interest rates for some years now, people were still hesitant to invest a large amount of money in an illiquid asset class when the economy was uncertain. Current 30 year fixed mortgage interest rates are currently between 3.79-3.93% but are expected to increase in late-2015/early 2016. When interest rates were originally dropped, individuals took advantage and refinanced their mortgage. As years went by, that number dropped as the majority of homeowners were already sitting in a refinanced property—this drop off in refinancing is called the refinancing effect. Most of the time, the refinancing effect suggests that the percentage of homeowners will continue to taper off and never match the original first rush of refinancing. However, this was a unique recession (matched only by the original Great Depression of 1929), so it not too difficult to imagine that the recovery will be unique as well.
Low-Interest-Rate Environment
The Federal Reserve has never set and maintained such a low interest rate, and we might not see it for another 50 years. People are aware that interest rates might increase soon and (if they haven’t already) will refinance to lock in that attractive interest
14 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
By Rahul Varshneya
A Creative Commons Image by Scott Maxwell
rate. In short, we will see behavior that goes against the theory of the refinancing effect because there will be an uptick of homeowner refinancing on the tail end of this low-interestrate environment. Even though the economy is improving and homes are being sold, house prices have not increased significantly yet. During the 2008 recession, homes were being built quickly but not being sold at the same rate as pre-2008 time. Several years of poor sales resulted in a large inventory of unsold homes. Now with purchasing activity increasing again, developers are trying to unload their aging inventory. Supply and demand will not take effect until the existing inventory is fully exhausted.
Texas and California
Real estate rate theory is all well and good—it sets a framework of a thought process that allows an individual to be more informed about the current environment. However, let’s take a look at something more relevant, applicable and interesting than theory. There are several areas that are hot markets for real estate in the United States. The top two locations are Austin, Texas and Silicon Valley/Bay Area in California. The main theme that connects both locations is business. Silicon Valley is the most famous hub for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and financial services professionals. Any entrepreneur with an idea moves to Silicon Valley to make it big. Meanwhile,
established behemoths like Facebook, Twitter and Uber have significant presence in the Bay Area. Their incredible growth and associated hiring has raised real estate prices. The population effect is further compounded by the lack of housing supply in San Francisco, with current residential occupancy hovering around 99%. Access to San Francisco has become so prized that people are moving to surrounding cities such as Oakland, Berkeley and Marin (making them attractive alternatives to settle in for the future). Business inflow is also benefiting Austin, Texas. Austin is looking to become the next Silicon Valley. Austin and Texas in general are modeling themselves after the success of Silicon Valley. The state of Texas currently ranks #1 in business incentives, while Austin is highly conducive to early stage companies through the Austin Technology Incubator. Texas also boasts a low tax structure (no sales or corporate tax), lower housing and utility expenses drawing huge interest from companies. Ironically, its current low-housing-price environment is sure to change as businesses increase their presence in the state.
Right Time to Buy?
It might not seem like it, but there are a lot of factors that affect real estate sales and prices. With factors such as weather, time of year, business environment and supply can drastically alter the housing market in a specific location. San Francisco and Oakland are now more expensive than New York City because of real estate demand in the Bay Area. Before pursuing an investment in real estate, it is essential to understand what could and is affecting that investment—any one factor could make all the difference. n This article is the opinion of the author and is not shared by India Currents or any of its staff. All investors should conduct their independent analysis before taking any actions and should not make any decisions on the information provided in this article alone. Rahul Varshneya graduated from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University with a degree in finance and works in the tech industry as a financial analyst. If you have feedback or have a topic you would like addressed please contact Rahul at rahul89@gmail.com.
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feature
Beat the Drought Seven simple ways to fight the drought By Mahesh Singh
G
iven the serious water situation in California, strong measures are called for. The usual, and admittedly useful, measures, like switching off sprinklers, won’t be sufficient. Luckily, many of us from India have lived and survived through scarce water situations—try Delhi any summer! So, I thought I’d put together some ideas to see if they’d strike a chord. My recent trip to India also helped. Here, I share my wisdom:
1. Bathing is Overrated
Ask the French—they know! Heck, as kids, we knew too. There was value in body odor—especially during exam time! Unfortunately, somewhere, something—the archaic education system, overzealous, but misguided, parents, the discovery of lice in one’s hair or boils behind the ears—changed all that! Well, tough times or places call for tough measures. I remember watching a movie about people in India’s Thar Desert. They used to bathe once every week, so little was the water. If they could manage
Bucket baths are the way to go! Photo credit: Kartik Jain
it in that weather, we, who are in California, and but for California weather, would have moved en masse to Texas, could easily and wholeheartedly adopt that. If we could all
resolve to bathe every alternate day, that would bring down our bath-water consumption by 50% for most of us! And no one would notice. After all, none of my friends have mentioned anything to me? So that proves it, right? On second thoughts, don’t answer that. Moreover, when would all our deodorant supplies come in handy? And if needed, we could use stronger stuff—like baking soda.
2. Hit the Bucket
A Creative Commons Image
If and when you must bathe, use a bucket of water with a mug. Most people—well ,those from my generation or earlier—would relate to this. There is nothing more efficient than bathing with a bucket of water. Even if you used two buckets, it would still be more efficient than standing under the shower singing “Thande thande paani se” (cold showers) or some such Bollywood hit. Using a bucket can also be an occasion for great familial bonding. Whenever I visit my parents, sooner than later, my Dad turns on the little geyser which slowly starts filling up a bucket with hot water. Every two minutes, he reminds me to make sure the bucket does not overflow. When the bucket has filled up, Mom starts reminding me every three minutes to stop working and to go take a bath before the water gets cold. Each such interchange is accompanied by good-natured ribbing, along with exchange of views on such important topics such as
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 17
what we should cook for dinner, and such. If I am at my father-in-law’s place, he not only reminds me of the heating geyser but also threatens to charge me or my company should the geyser break down! Can you imagine a regular hot-water shower ever competing with that? That’s right. So, go buy a good-sized bucket from Home Depot—and start bonding! And if there’s any water left over, it can be put to good use—especially if you have a pet!
3. Stop Doing Laundry Every Week!
Simply put, we wash too many clothes too often for too long. This needs to stop! I have a simple guideline, based on personal experience and a keen observation of my college-mates, of how many times each garment must be worn before being deemed ready for a wash: • Shirts: 2 person-days—that is, a shirt must be worn at least for 2 (not-necessarilycontiguous) full days by 1 person before being put for washing. (If two people wear the same shirt, then each must wear for 1 full day ... ok, ok, just kidding!) • Jeans: 1 person-month, or thereabouts. And remember, we are talking of days when jeans are worn. So, if you wear a pair 3 days a week, it should go at least 2 months before being washed. • Trousers: 1 person-week. Yes, they can be worn 5-7 times before being washed. • Towels: At my in-laws’ place in Mumbai, towels are washed every day. I could not understand it, to say the least. After all, you use a towel to merely pat a recently washed and cleaned body dry. The towel is not dirty—it’s just wet! Put it out in the sun to
Eight Glasses of Water? Nah! Photo credit: Hotondo Hosei Nashi
dry—and it is as good as new. At least three to six person-months! • Underwear: Need I say more? Come on. Stop being squeamish. We are after all in the Wild West—where men are— well, men short of water, as are the women! Just use deodorants as needed. Supplement with talcum powder. If all else fails, use baking soda!
4. Dishes—Stop Rinsing!
In other words, stop rinsing before loading in the washer. This may be an Indian-American thing. I get blood pressure hearing the full blast of hot water from the kitchen faucet, as
men around the state rinse pots and pans before putting them in the dishwasher. (I also do it—but I control the flow to a trickle!) We believe American dishwashers are not up to snuff with dried-up Indian food sticking to the said pots and pans. (I suspect our wives have put us up to this so the Indian male can finally be seen scrubbing and cleaning, as a symbol of the complete domestication, er, emancipation!) Well, too bad. We have a drought on our hands, and this needs to stop at once! Option 1—load the stuff directly in the dishwasher. Option 2—fill sink with a little bit of warm water (no point filling it up and getting tempted to climb in it yourself!) and rinse all dishes, pots and pans using a brush—and load directly in the dishwasher. This is the good ol’ American way, I’m given to understand! Option 3—get a dog!
5. Eight Glasses of Water a Day? Nah!
Any more plates to lick?! I think my saliva is antiseptic. Photo credit: Amy Robertson 18 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
Drink water only when you are thirsty. Recent research suggests that the human body can do quite well without all that water. Also, if you believe the 8-glasses theory, you are likely to be drinking (plastic) bottled water—which leads to more waste—half-empty bottles left all over the place and plastic garbage that sits in the middle of the Pacific. Plus, the more you drink, the more you need to pee—and flush. Literally, water down the drain.
—or your over-plying young kids—blocking the bowl every now and then and wasting much more water clearing it up! If you really want to make a big difference, and have the space for it, consider installing a dry-toilet! During a 2012 camping trip, we were impressed by what you could do, given sufficient chemical, to cover sight and smell ... you get the picture. Just Google “dry-toilets” and you get a bunch of useful info. As you can see, a lot can be achieved if we just tighten our towels, pull up our socks, cover our noses—and just do it! I hope this has been helpful—I’d love to hear more such ideas that make a real dent in our water conservation efforts. n Dry Toilet Photo credit: A Creative Commons Image by Emmanuel Morin, Sustainable Sanitation Alliance
Water in food, caffeinated beverages and alcohol also count towards those 8 cups. You get the point, just drink wine or beer instead. OK, people, I jest, but please humor me when I say that drinking wine to help the drought is my idea of a win-win! But, if you do happen to pour yourself a cup of water, start by pouring only half. Research also suggests that we are all generally optimistic, “glass-half-full” kind of people— leaving around half-full cups of water, instead of drinking them fully.
flushes” and “transferable flushes.” Remember, it’s for a good cause. And it actually trains you to go on that cruise, should the bug bite you!! But, if you are too squeamish about that, other things are possible! Low-flush toilets might be the way to go. Stop using that 2-ply paper, so you reduce the chances of you
Mahesh Singh is co-founder, Sr. Vice President—Product, Digité, Inc. Over 25 years in Software and IT Consulting/ Services. Entrepreneur, father, husband. Enthusiastic about music, singing, cooking (have finally figured out how to make a mean biryani!), movies, outdoor activity—anything on water, hiking, running, cricket. I can be found on Twitter @maheshsingh and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/ in/singhmahesh
6. Washing Your Car? Really?
Just pretend you are in one of those muddy-car (Subaru or VW?) commercials— driving proudly around the town, drawing applause everywhere. If visibility drops to zero, just spray some Windex on the windscreen! Or you could organize regular “dirty-carart” competitions in the neighborhood and show that you care. But if you really must wash your car, get that bucket out and use that—in fact, it might still have some bath water left! Again, I will draw attention to an entire class of carcleaning young boys who clean cars around the metros in India—unseen, unsung—the only sign that they actually cleaned your car being those upturned wipers and barely any sign of any water! Trust me, you can stretch that bucket of water a lot!
7. Some Toilet Training!
No note such as this could be completed without raising a stink if it did not cover toilet habits—and changes needed there. You could really go out there—by pretending you are on a cruise in the Caribbean. And, the ship’s engine has conked out. Try and come up with “daily family flushing plans”—with features such as “carry-over
Dirty is the new clean. Photo credit: A Creative Commons Image by Oakley Originals.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 19
ask a lawyer
Pregnant? You Have Rights Q A
By Bobby Shukla I just found out I’m pregnant. What are my rights at work?
In California, pregnant women are given various protections at work which apply to employers with 5 or more employees. Employers must provide reasonable accommodation where necessary, including a transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position during the pregnancy. If you suffer from a disability due to pregnancy or related medical condition, your employer must provide up to four months disability leave under the Pregnancy Disability Leave law (PDL). You are entitled to such leave regardless of length of employment or whether you work full-time. The leave may also be taken intermittently and includes time off needed for prenatal care, severe morning sickness or doctor-ordered bed rest. Your employer must provide continued health care coverage during pregnancy disability leave.
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PDL also provides leave for a reasonable period of time for recovery from childbirth. The reasonable period is determined by your doctor and tends to be 6 weeks for regular delivery and 8 weeks for C-section. If you return from pregnancy disability leave within the four-month period allotted, you are guaranteed reinstatement into the same position. If the position is no longer available due to a layoff or site closure, the employer must offer a comparable available position. The law prohibits retaliation against women who take pregnancy disability leave. An employer may not refuse to return a woman to work who takes such leave if it prefers her temporary replacement or if during the leave, it identifies performance deficiencies that existed prior to her leave. Employers are also prohibited from forcing a pregnant woman to take leave when she has not requested leave. With regard to maternity leave, women may take up to 12 weeks of leave to care for
and bond with a child under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA.) Notably, to be eligible for leave under the CFRA, unlike with the pregnancy-related laws described above, your employer must have at least 50 employees and have employed you for at least a year. If eligible, you may take CFRA leave in addition to any pregnancy disability leave for which you qualify. Employers are not required to provide paid leave under PDL or CFRA, though you may qualify for income replacement under State Disability Insurance for disability leave and/or bonding with a baby. n Bobby Shukla practices employment law in San Francisco. (415) 986-1338. Disclaimer: The information provided here is generalized and not for purposes of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice regarding your particular circumstance.
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.
May 2015
T
his column carries priority dates and other transitional information as taken from the U.S. State Department’s Visa Bulletin. The information below is from the Visa Bulletin for May 2015. In the tables below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed. “Current” means that numbers are available for all qualified applicants. “Unavailable” means no numbers are available.
FAMILY PREFERENCE VISA DATES Preference Dates for India 1st Aug 15, 2007 2A Sept 01, 2013 2B Sept 15, 2008 3rd Feb 22, 2004 4th Aug 01, 2002 NOTE: F2A numbers subject to percountry limit are available to applicants with priority dates beginning Aug 08, 2013 and earlier than Sept 01, 2013.
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Preference Dates for India 1st Current 2nd April 15, 2008 3rd Jan 15, 2004 Other Jan 15, 2004 Workers 4th Current Certain Current Religious Workers 5th Current Targeted Employment Areas The Department of State has a recorded message with visa availability information at (202)485-7699, which is updated in the middle of each month. Source: http://travel. state.gov/content/visas/english/law-and-policy/ bulletin/2015/visa-bulletin-for-may-2015.html
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commentary
Can Miracles be Mass-Produced? By Gaurav Rastogi
A Creative Commons Image by Vintage Canadian Superman
H
ope and dreams are the dollars and change of the Silicon Valley. “Unicorns” was the name derisively given to startup companies with a Billion Dollar valuation, because they are all too rare and mostly fictional, but not a day goes by these days before someone sights another Unicorn, and the sightings of “Deca”horns (companies with $10Bn+ valuation) now considered as common as the corner Starbucks. Mass-produced miracles. *** In the Yoga system, there are things that are known, which we call gyaata, such as the time the Sun will rise tomorrow and that E = MC squared. These are already known to science and open to scientific inquiry. Then there are things that are not known today, but will be known given enough time, which we call agyaata. Our knowledge is expanding every second, and every minute we know things that we never knew before. The known universe is knowable, in time, and our science knows no bounds, because we will continue to extend the outer edge of science forever. But, there are limits; we will always have infinity. Even if we know all of infinity, another infinite will remain. Suppose
22 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
The Silicon Valley is Hindu at heart, always seeking the next miracle ... Isn’t that the heart of the entrepreneurial fervor in the Silicon Valley? A leap into the unknowable. A joyous, Thelma and Louise leap into the glorious unknowable. you wanted to know the depth of an ocean and sent down a one mile rope, but it didn’t touch the bottom. You send a two mile rope, and find it’s still short. Then you send a billion mile rope and it still comes short. What you’ve learnt for sure is that the ocean is deeper than a billion miles. Maybe it’s just an inch more than that rope, or maybe another billion miles. You send forth an infinitely long rope, and find some still remains beneath. There is something unknowable about this universe. This is what we know asagyeya, the unknowable. Science already stopped at
gyaata + agyaata, the known + unknown. This is the mystery whose depths science does not plumb, and can not plumb, however hard and long one tries. The real joy of life is in accepting this deep mystery. Knowing that this unknowable is not merely darkness past the edge of the knowable, but that it’s the light at the center of everything we see and act inside of. Even the most skilled machine maker cannot iron out this kink in the next iteration, because it’s at the heart of this playful existence. A game where there is no end-game, but where the playing itself is. This is the essential vitality of the dharmic thought that’s behind the eastern dharmas, especially Hinduism. It’s what we call leela, the playfulness. Once we accept the presence of this leela, life itself takes a new turn. The joy lasts forever, giving it a freshness that doesn’t decay, and a surprise that doesn’t reveal. Now pass the chutney, please. *** As children, we ask questions. Why do we stop asking questions as adults? Not because we adults already know, but because we have learnt that questions are uncomfortable. We know that our answers are provisional and fragile, ready to crumble at the next “why,” and so we answer louder and firmer,
a nebulous startup dream? Sign me up right now. Read Sci-fi books and dream of making these gizmos come to life? Come here, brother, and we will make something together. But who embraces mystery? The misfits, the crazy ones, the ones who do. The fathers of this Valley gave us the aphorism a couple generations ago: they said, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.” Staying foolish means to accept the limits of our knowledge, and to accept the mystery readily. Is that crazy, or what? *** In every temple of Shirdi Saibaba, a 19th century Hindu-Muslim mystic, there are inscriptions to the right and left of the Baba’s statue. To the left, it says, Shraddha and the right says Saburi. Saburi means to be patient and waitful, and Shraddha means to trust, to believe, and to have faith. But these poor English translations trivialize the powerful act. Shraddha is the mantra that echoes through this valley. It really means to act with courage, to act in a way that doesn’t worry about whether the action will lead to results and wealth, but to act because you know no other way to live. To leap. Not to leap while knowing that there will be a landing spot at the end of that jump. Not to leap while not knowing what’s at the other end of that jump. To leap because that’s the only way you know to live. Isn’t that the heart of the entrepreneurial fervor in the Silicon Valley? A leap into the unknowable. A joyous, Thelma and Louise leap into the glorious unknowable. How Hindu!? Here’s to Steve Jobs, who was the soundtrack for this ode to the crazy ones. Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. n Gaurav Rastogi contemplates The Mystery while talking an afternoon walk by the San Francisco Bay near his office. He plots a spiritual revolution and seeks others that walk this way. He tweets @alpharust and his professional bio is on LinkedIn.
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so the children know better than to ask some more. There be dragons, so ask no more foolish questions. The western thought pivots on the ideas of the infallibility of “Reason,” the primacy of science and the scientific method. All questions have answers that are known, or will be known in time. This gives the western thought a strong sense of being in control and being in-charge. Western religion and businesses are both products of this very rational thought. Modern businesses are built on a foundation of science and predictability. The rules of economics are infallible, or at least will be infallible once the experts all agree on them. Surprises are to be avoided at all costs, and companies work with a carefully orchestrated drama of legal, commercial and practical insurance. A choreographed machinery is the ideal of the modern corporation; the big business machine thrives on predictability, on uniformity, on conformity. A fully reasonable, predictable and conforming universe is fully deterministic. To keep both eyes on history, on a written book of rules, is to become a machine. The rules of physics are enforced with no exception, and we are just atomic or quantum bits bouncing around in a predictable machine computer. A clockwork universe has no space for fun, for joy, and for the sheer bliss of being. *** But it’s self-evidently not the case. We know we are not machines because we experience joy, we crave fun, and we occasionally see flashes of bliss. The Hindu religion is crazy that way. We have no definite answers, and no defining authorities to rely upon. You can follow Shankaracharya’s Advaita, or discard it. You could pray to the Elephant-headed god, or not. You could read the Bhagavad Gita for directions, or you could not. There are no set rules, but that doesn’t mean there’s chaos. There’s a dance with no rules, other than the improvisation that comes in gameplay. Call it the Lila of Krishna, or the dance of Shiva. All is improvised, all is play. The joy, bliss or ananda is not a residual vestige of poor design in this system, (the clock-maker’s kink to be removed in the next upgrade), but the seed and destiny of everything we see around. Everything vibrates to ananda. *** The Silicon Valley is Hindu at heart, always seeking the next miracle in the spirit of playful discovery. Walmart growing 3% in revenues is the result of a plan, but WhatsApp getting 600 million users is just a miracle. The Silicon Valley lives because it loves a good mystery. Quit my cushy job to pursue
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perspective
Finding Solace in the Digital Age My mother’s story
“W
hat would I have done without my iPad?” my mother says as she holds her iPad one evening. It’s been six months since she lost my father, her husband of 52 years, and a few months since she came to live in the United States, hoping to find solace with her children and grandchildren. Everything has changed—the air she breathes, the conversations she has, the people that surround her, and the culture she feels comfortable in. Everything—except her iPad. Or—let’s be honest—my father’s iPad. My father was 82 when he died and the one device he held until the end was an iPad. It was a gift on his 79th birthday and as he proudly boasted to his friends in the neighborhood park, probably the first iPad in Jalandhar (India) at the time. His generation of friends and neighbors were suitably impressed. What was even more impressive was his ease at being digitally connected to the world for someone from his generation. As a lawyer in the Indian Army, my father had had some access to a computer but this had been minimal, as legal casework was mostly handwritten. With its ultra-sleek feel, bright screen, and smudgy fingerprints, the iPad was a new, trusted friend that my father reached for many times during his long struggle with kidney failure. The news, email, photos, and music—there was wonder in knowing that this device did it all. He was a child again. Whenever Mother requested some time on the iPad so she could learn to use it, my father just happened to be in the middle of something extremely important. With his clumsy one-finger typing, Dad was soon posting on Facebook, emailing the latest bird pictures to the Audobon Society newsgroup he had joined, or sending birthday cards to his grandchildren in the United States. It was painful to watch him labor over an email for an hour typing with his one finger but the fact that he could listen to Beethoven or Shubha Mudgal while he did it, made it almost meditative. Most of his time was spent lying in bed or in the dialysis unit but the iPad gave him purpose and contentment despite the circumstances. Dad was dying. It was clear to all of us. He had bravely put up with multiple procedures, needles, IVs, and dialysis treatments 24 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
By Pushpinder Lubana
for two years, but the end was in sight. He asked the doctors about his options and was told that he would need dialysis every day. On hearing this, Dad decided to do two things about it. First, he began to write his memoir on the iPad. Every day, as he recovered between dialysis treatments, Dad typed for hours on the iPad. Then he made the second decision about his condition. He decided to stop all treatments and come home.
Sometimes, the iPad case smelled of him. At times, she could even smell India. The entries became more frequent but also more reflective of the decision he had made. His last entry was two days before he died. But this story is not about my father. It’s about my mother, his partner of five decades, who has known no other way of being other than with him. The context of Mother’s grief had shifted in a radical way, both emotionally and physically—from being surrounded by relatives pouring into the house in India, to living with her daughters and grandchildren in a small town in California. The unpacking and jetlag were barely over when she found herself alone in a house, with the family gone to work and school. The silence was unbearable. But Mother slowly found that she had a trusted friend to take her mind off her grief. The iPad—an old companion that connected
her to the partner, the culture, and the country she had left behind. Sometimes the iPad case smelled of him. At times, she could even smell India. The culture of mourning in India is tightly prescribed in terms of language, dress, rituals, food, and customs. In my mother’s generation, you typically wear simple, lightcolored clothing, and don’t eat meat or drink alcohol during the mourning period. In some communities, the mourning period lasts for 40 days and in others, for a year. In more traditional communities, widows stay away from celebrations, lest they bring bad luck to a new bride or a newborn. Friends and family visit the grieving household and often bring meals and offer support. Extended family take turns so as to not leave the grieving family alone. It’s a slow arduous process and all eyes are on the mourning family. But Mother’s mourning was different. As she navigated the gut-wrenching aspects of her grief in a new culture, Mother embraced the digital world in all of its anonymity and distractions. The iPad became a bridge to the life left behind and a transition into the life ahead in a new country. She began to use Father’s Facebook account and, somewhat to our unease, began to post comments from his account on birthdays and anniversaries. They had shared everything on that device. There had been no reason to hide passwords or the other minutiae of life from a partner of 52 years. It felt strange to see my father’s name pop up in our news feeds but we kept silent. For brief moments we could pretend that he was still around. It may be that Mother also felt closer to my father by posting on his behalf or reading news updates that he would have normally shared with her in conversation. She visited it as one would a bricks and stones memorial. There was lightness too. She was finding that playing scrabble with strangers on the iPad helped fill up time, watching NDTV news for the political happenings in India connected her to the country she had left behind, and emailing to her friends and family in India took her mind off the grief. The comfort in digital mindlessness helped keep her sanity in these first few months of being uprooted. She struggled to
navigate the transition from being part of the “parental unit,” as we sometimes teased my parents, to a houseguest? A reluctant immigrant? Widow? A digital citizen? Or, all of these? Ten months later and there has been a turning point. Grief comes and goes like the deep, dark waves of the ocean. But mother now knows that she is here to stay in her new life in the U.S. She steps out to find diversion in the company of others at the Senior Center in our town. Often, culture and language are no barriers because grief and solace are recognized and received in the eyes. She comes home sharing stories of others in her age group who are suffering from loss, illness, or displacement. Knitting and scrabble are beginning to interest her again. She has even decided not to use my father’s Facebook account and has finally got her own account. Every morning she gets up with a tiny glow in her heart, knowing that new friends await her at the Senior Center, while an old friend waits at home for her return. n
My mother after moving to the U.S.
Pushpinder Pelia Lubana is a content strategist/ consultant living in Menlo Park, CA. She’s interested in the connections between gender, culture, politics, and health. Connect with her at pushpinder.lubana@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter at @PushpinderL
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business
AIIB - China’s Coup A new economic era
T
he Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ( AIIB ) is the latest offspring of the twins conceptualized at the Bettonwoods conference by the U.S. in 1944: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). The mandate of these twin institutions had been to rebuild the rubble that was Western Europe during the second world war. The war in the western front was still raging, and ceasefire had not yet been declared. Both institutions were to be located in Washington DC. They were financed by the U.S., the only solvent, sovereign country with enough economic clout at the time. Both the institutions are working reasonably well now with most of the countries of the world as members. The banks were meant to save western Europe, primarily, and critics believe that Western countries have disproportionate voting rights. Still, there will be and there have been biases and shortfalls in such a large undertaking. It is not surprising that subsequent developments of such international banks have sprung up to focus their efforts to help Eastern nations, but still based on the models of the World Bank. The Asian Development bank ( ADB ) was the first in this category, established in 1966 and headquartered in Manila, Philippines. It is a regional bank, meant to provide grants, loans and development counseling. The U.S. and Japan are equal partners, with about 15% share each, followed by China and India at about 6% shares. The BRICS bank, representing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was formally inaugurated at Forteleza, Brazil, in July 2014. It will be headquartered in China and the first President, for a period of six years will be nominated by India. Progress has been slowed down in this project due to geo-poltical and geo-economic reasons, with Russia under sanctions, Brazil in recession and S. Africa due to internal squabbles. India is yet to nominate the first president even though funds have been allocated in the current year budget. The most recent and startling organization in this category is the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a brainchild of China. Calls for liberalizing the structure of 26 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
By P. Mahadevan
A Creative Commons Image
It is a master stroke of planning and execution that China has accomplished to make AIIB a reality. Credit is certainly due to them for what could only be called a coup. IMF and the WB to provide better service to the newly emerging countries of Asia have been around for a while, including one such in 2009, soon after President Obama took office. Very little, however, has happened due to built-in suspicions from way back, regional preferences and the like. In this context, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers stated that “the past month may be remembered as the moment when the U.S. lost its role as the underwriter of the global economic order.” (Financial Times, 4/6/15) As long as one of our major political parties is opposed to all trade agreements and the other is hesitant to fund international organizations, the US has no leverage to shape the global economic order. Having recognized that no initiative has been made for reform so far, we also openly started discouraging our allies from joining the organization. That attempt miserably failed. The AIIB, modeled on the WB, starts with $100 billion funding from the enormous forex reserves of China as seed money
to fund infrastructure projects primarily in Asia. These include roads, rail lines, bridges, airports and the like. China is the biggest shareholder, and non-Asians are limited to a total of 25% of the shares. In order to encourage global participation, China is adopting an open, non-authoritarian management structure, multi-national staff modeled on Britain. Also modeled on Britain, it appears, is the old dictum from Lord Palmerston: “we have no permanent friends or permanent enemies, but only permanent interests.” Mr. Jin Liqun, a former Chinese vice minister of finance was given the task of shepherding the membership together. He has been just named the President of AIIB. China stands to benefit in many ways from this initiative. Besides the return on cash investment, other opportunities open up as well. China can openly bid on global tenders to design and build developmental infrastructure.These benefits could be grouped under a “Kamadhenu” model of economics, after the Indian mythological bovine goddess Kamadhenu that keeps on giving and is a symbol of abundance. The investment model is the same that China adopted in funding the widening of the Panama Canal. The projected Nicaragua parallel canal is based on the same modus operandi. The number of members so far is over sixty. All major European countries have come in. So too the countries of the East. India is in the list. Surprisingly, Taiwan too. The oddest couple of countries who have joined, however, are Israel and Iran. The principle of “deductio-ad-absurdum” will quickly show that these two agree on at least one thing. AIIB is beneficial to both. It is a master stroke of planning and execution that China has accomplished to make AIIB a reality. Credit is certainly due to them for what could only be called a coup. n P. Mahadevan is a retired scientist with a Ph.D. in Atomic Physics from the University of London, England. His professional work includes basic and applied research and program management for the Dept. of Defense. He taught Physics at the Univ. of Kerala, at Thiruvananthapuram. He does very little now, very slowly.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 27
films
Gods of All Passions By Aniruddh Chawda
UNFREEDOM. Director: Raj Amit Kumar. Players: Victor Banerjee, Adil Hussain, Bhanu Uday, Preeti Gupta, Bhavani Lee. English and Hindi with Eng. sub-titles. (Dark Frames). Releasing May 29 (Dark Frames Studio). Extreme viewer discretion advised.
F
irst-time filmmaker Kumar’s debut work Unfreedom marches to the beat of a very different drum. Banned in Kumar’s native India by the national film censoring body on grounds that the film may “ignite unnatural passions,” Unfreedom aims for a highly provocative stance. Disturbingly powerful and violent, even numbingly so at times, Unfreedom tangles with gutwrenching social riddles about modern India as a dystopian playground for religiosity and homophobia carried out to fascist extremes. While the film is not great, the premise certainly scores big time. In one of two incongruent stories that Kumar’s script follows, there is Husain (Uday), a young Muslim man arriving in New York from India. He stands on the edge of the water and surveys the bestknown skyline in the world. Husain’s face, however, seems unmoved at the sight of the ultimate urban getaway, staring out instead as if seeing nothing but tall blank spaces. Husain’s mission: to track down one Professor Fareed (Banerjee), a renowned scholar whose teachings of a practical, moderate view of all religions, including Islam, poses a threat to Husain’s ideology. A dark force is about to descend again on these shores. On the other side of the world, Leela (Gupta), a beautiful woman in New Delhi, goes out on a date. The date is not with a brawny beau but with the outspoken and striking artist Sakhi (Lee). The two women meet. They snuggle. They celebrate life and their love for each other. Somewhere in the city, Leela’s father Devraj (Hussain), a ranking police inspector, is firmly, forcefully if necessary, ready to make sure that his daughter remains “unspoiled” by her lesbian identity. A dark force is about to descend on Leela and Sakhi’s surreptitious rendezvous. Kumar’s settings have a surreal feel. This is especially true in the depiction of India, which here has been transformed into a proto-police state that is increasingly limiting individual liberties, flagrantly disregarding
28 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
privacy rights and freedom of association. In this environ, the subcontinent is ripe for exploitation by the two common demons from India’s news headlines—religious fundamentalism threatening the world’s largest yet restive democracy and the rights of gays being trampled into the ground as a result of recent decisions by India’s highest judiciary. When viewed through this surreal prism, the violent content becomes slightly more palpable. The non-violent sexual content comes across as intensely private and unabashedly liberating, in sharp contrast to the violent sexual content which is suffocating at times. There are unimaginable brutalities carried out by Husain after he kidnaps Professor Fareed. On the other hand, Leela’s father may resort to similar violence. The persecution of lesbians brings to mind Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) while the misogyny carries shades of Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen (1994)—coincidentally, works that were also banned in India. In a somber, quirky twist, the most protracted of the several gory scenes also unintentionally bring to fore recent ISIS atrocities in the Middle East —even though the filming of Unfreedom was completed more than a year ago. Banerjee’s kidnap victim Fareed has a serene Buddha-like countenance. As a counterpoint, Uday’s Husain is a barbaric brute whose screen genesis is rooted in the likes of Hollywood entries Natural Born Killers
(1994) and Taxi Driver (1976). Gupta’s Leela, meanwhile, gradually hardens from a fidgety possible runaway to a steel-willed woman who will stand her ground no matter what. While Lee’s Sakhi goes from outspoken to a determined obstinacy, the real counterpoint to Gupta’s Leela is Hussain as Leela’s father Devraj, whose ingrained family values have him migrating from possible breadwinnercompromiser to Grand Inquisitor. In Kumar’s Unfreedom, absolute power percolates up to the virtual gods of all passions—be they radicalizing imams in faraway madrassas or institutional misogyny so entrenched and so threatened by the specter of giving a woman the same space to unfurl her privacy as they readily do for a man. These gods then stealthily direct the hand of a brutal jungle “justice” carried out in soft suburban afternoon light. Kumar gets kudos not for an uneven delivery but for conjuring up a scary, horrible place that thrives on little or no breathing room. Unfreedom offers a great premise in search of a great movie. And even though a self-selected “X–Rated” disclaimer would have been advisable, the bite of Kumar’s social commentary makes it worth seeing. n EQ: B+
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Clueless in Calcutta By Aniruddh Chawda DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY. Director: Anup Singh. Players: Irrfan Khan, Director: Dibakar Banerjee Players: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Divya Menon, Swastika Mukherjee,, Neeraj Kabi, Mark Bennington, Shivam. Music: Sneha Khanwalkar. Hindi with Eng. Sub-tit. Theatrical release (Yashraj)
H
ello Calcutta. Stop. We have a problem. Stop. It is 1942. Stop. War rages in nearby Burma. Stop. There are spies everywhere. Stop. The British spies want something. Stop. The Japanese spies may want the same thing. Stop. Danger lurks. Stop. All hope lost. Stop. Send help fast. Stop. Is Detective Byomkesh Bakshy available? Stop. He is? Stop. Survival chances vastly improved suddenly. Stop. The gifted Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandopaddhay followed in the great tradition of other gifted Bengali writers such as Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Devdas, Parineeta). Bandopaddhay’s lasting gift to detective fiction, thanks to a prolific output of stories from the 1930s to the 1960s, was the memorable sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi. Rejuvenated by Banerjee for the big screen as Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, the famed detective—um, he prefers “truth seeker” instead of the “D” word, if you don’t mind— now has a highly entertaining movie to add to his adventures. Against a backdrop of WWII intrigue and a fast-changing subcontinent on the verge of gaining independence, a boarding house in the Hooghly area in Calcutta becomes the vortex of strange goings on. Of the many sordid bachelors rooming here, the most noteworthy is one Byomkesh (Rajput), a collegian with a penchant for solving crimes. Byomkesh reluctantly agrees to help fellow campus bloke Ajit (Tiwari) search for Ajit’s missing father. Little do they know that the game is about to go afoot in a big way. Director Banerjee goes great distance not only in maintaining fidelity to Bandopaddhay’s characters but also in recreating a spot-on earthy, neo-gothic feel to a city
on the verge, as if this were a best-selling graphic novel brought to life. The lipstick is redder than blood. There are opium dens where hush-hush espionage is brokered under pungent, low-lit lamps. The sari blouses are full-cut and the dames’ fashions are frilly and yet ever so stylish. Byomkesh, meanwhile, now with Ajit as his side-kick, gets entangled with a plethora of fascinating period-specific fauna that help make the story gel even more. There is Anguri Devi (Mukherjee), a local icon and movie star with questionable connection to the rich mill owner Sukumar (Shivam), whose life may be in danger. There is Satyawati (Menon), Sukumar’s sister who may soon seek Byomkesh’s help. All this as an opium-fueled gang war is taking root, much to the consternation of the British keeper Commissioner Wilkie (Bennington), who is also concerned about Japanese spies infiltrating from the nearby Burma border. Rajput gets under Byomkesh’s skin in a memorable way. The haircut and dhotis are fun accoutrements from an era before
denim arrived on Indian shores. As Byomkesh’s compadre, Tiwari’s Ajit perfectly blends humor with ethos in facial expressions that are reminiscent of the brilliant selfdeprecating comedy of the late Deven Verma, who Tiwari slightly resembles. Mukherjee’s Anguri Devi is a torchy femme fatale with a swimsuit figure to match. It is only Menon’s Satyawati who could have been drawn a little sharper. Yashraj clearly expects this franchise to pay off, so much so that the studio has acquired rights to 30-plus Bandopaddhay stories. Indeed, Banerjee recently announced that a sequel is already on the drawing books. For Yashraj, this may not necessarily be about garnering boffo box office returns— although that would not be turned down—but getting their hands on a youth-friendly character that can be developed to change with the times. In a remarkable achievement, unlike most famous fictional detectives, Bandopaddhay nicely allowed Byomkesh to age over the many years that the stories were published. If there are parallels between Byomkesh and Sherlock Holmes, those too are intentional. After penning in some similarities in his earlier works, Bandopaddhay gradually distanced himself from that model. Banerjee, too, uses that character reference sparingly, including a return to Holmes-like tactic again in the big reveal in the finale. The big question mark is how Byomkesh will deal with his Moriarty-like nemesis—nearly invisible here—who is already hinting at future mischief even before this installment ends. We can’t wait! n EQ: A
Globe trekker, aesthete, photographer, ski bum, film buff, and commentator, Aniruddh Chawda writes from Milwaukee.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 29
30 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
books
Riversongs From The Bay of Bengal By Divya Dubey FRAGMENTS OF RIVERSONG by Farah Ghuznavi. 2013. Daily Star Books. 140 pages. $10.
B
angladesh is well known for a riverine topography. Given this significance of rivers to the life of its people, the title of Farah Ghuznavi’s collection of short stories, Fragments of Riversong, seems ideal. It creates an instant visual impression in the mind of the reader. The stories echo the simplicity of fellow Bangladeshi writer Mahmud Rahman’s style in his own collection, Killing the Water (2010) to some extent, but the writer’s emphatic feminist voice is audible from the beginning. Ghuznavi’s characters are predominantly women struggling to cope with their world at various stages of their lives—childhood, adolescence, womanhood, and widowhood. Relationships within the family, patriarchy and prejudices, encounters with sexual predators, oppression, violence, cruelty and malice, poverty and discrimination—familiar issues in all South Asian countries—play a crucial role in the plots. Stories such as “Getting There,” “Big Mother,” “Just One of the Gang,” “Escaping the Mirror” and “Waiting for the Storm” make the heaviest impact for different reasons. “Getting There,” the first story, throws Laila and her two young nieces, Aliya and Yasmin (her sister’s daughters) together during a journey from Chittagong to Dhaka by car after her sister’s accident. On the way, Laila remembers random episodes from her childhood: the difference in personality between her sister and herself—the former as docile as the latter was rebellious; their father’s draconian laws and his expectations of his daughters; his conviction that girls, whatever their age, should not travel the dangerously seductive route of making their own decisions. Now, years later, driving back home with the girls who are practically strangers to her, Laila makes a significant—and pleasant— discovery that might alter the course of her life yet again. “Big Mother” might have done well as a full-length novel, given its scope and the range of issues it raises through a family saga—from the spitefulness of a domineering, childless woman, to a child’s exposure to sexual abuse and guilt, to the status of minorities in the country, to a secret marriage with someone
from a different religion with an alien lifestyle, to coping with unexpected widowhood in secret, to hopes of liberation in a foreign land. The longer form would have provided the author greater space for manoeuvre. At least two of the stories delve deep into the psyche of schoolgirls and the years that shape their later lives. Both “Just One of the Gang” and “The Silver Lining” might be altered versions of incidents from Ghuznavi’s own schooldays. The voice is too personal and potent—jelling well with her little anecdotes and experiences on Facebook—to suggest otherwise, even though the stories themselves establish their universality through their themes and character prototypes. Ideas of class consciousness are sometimes juxtaposed against instances of friendship across race and religion. The innocence and lack of affectation in the narrative endear the narrator to the reader. “Escaping the Mirror” relates the story of the seven-year-old Dia from an affluent family, who falls victim to the unwelcome advances of Minhas, her parents’ trusted chauffeur, suffering the indignity quietly over several years. As in case of most families, her parents fail to detect the sinister happenings under their own roof: “Gradually, her behaviour began to change […] She was more reserved with others around her as well, only ever relaxing in the company of her parents and close friends. The changes were so incremental that nobody noticed; the warning signs were missed by the adults around her.” Many years later at home, instigated by
a “chance remark” by her father about the “crazy” Westerners, she blurts out the truth about her life and the reality of their own country. This story also resonates with another significant story, “ Two Four Six Eight” from the Indian author Lavanya Sankaran’s collection, The Red Carpet (2007), which unveils another ugly facet of child sexual abuse—that it is not only men who are always the culprits. “Waiting for the Storm”—the account of a beleaguered wife reaching her saturation point in the company of her overbearing spouse—carries shades of Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie. The reader craves for more. The most surprising package is perhaps “The Assessment”—a futuristic sci-fi tale centred on the world of “artificial intelligents” or AIs who come with a catch—an underlying possibility for evolutionary adaptation that was not foreseen in the original design. Pammie, the “humanoid robot” Jai buys against his wife’s wishes, apparently to assist her with childcare, eventually succeeds in turning her redundant in more ways than one. The dystopian view rings even more ominous considering possible scenarios in Time Future. Pe rh a p s t h e w e a ke s t l i n k i n t h i s concatenation of tales is “The Mosquito Net Confessions”—a rather lengthy chronicle of a diffident Diya heading for a field trip “a month into her new job at the Grameen Bank” with three Francophone Africans and a Bangladeshi-American for company, and her experiences that mould her into a different woman capable of weathering all storms. This story fails to capture the reader’s interest as much as the others. As an experienced development worker and social activist, Ghuznavi has been keenly involved in politics and social work, especially adult women’s right to education—operating in tandem with the British NGO Christian Aid, Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, and the United Nations. As she reveals on her website, her fiction was inspired by the various people she came across in the process—people illequipped to tell their own stories. Through this collection, therefore, she paints a vivid picture of present-day Bangladeshis and their most pressing concerns. n Divya Dubey is the publisher of Earthen Lamp Journal.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 31
Dreams of the Raj By Tara Menon ALL MY NOBLE DREAMS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS, by Gloria Whelan. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
G
loria Whelan, who won the National Book Award for Homeless Bird, a touching novel about a widowed Indian girl, is a children’s writer I have come to expect much from. Her novel, set in colonial India, Small Acts of Amazing Courage, featured a brazen English heroine called Rosalind. Whelan was unable to resist a sequel when she realized the story of Small Acts of Amazing Courage ended two years before the Prince of Wales visited Calcutta. In the first book, Rosalind attends a lecture by Mahatma Gandhi, which, along with her other defiant deeds, incenses her father (a Major in the British Army) to the point where he sends her to England to live with her two maternal aunts, Ethyl and Louise. In the sequel, All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens, Whelan dreams big ambitions for Rosalind—she gives her a crucial role during the Prince’s visit and makes her interact meaningfully with Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Prince of Wales, and even the King. The second novel allows readers already familiar with Rosalind to witness the continued blossoming of her boldness, and it embellishes the portraits of her father and aunts. In this book, the romantic interest with Max, a lieutenant in the British Army, becomes intriguing because there are other young men around Rosalind. Whelan makes the sequel easy to read and enjoyable even for those who haven’t read the precursor and gives them a taste for what went on by skillfully weaving in the information they missed. The novel opens with a breakfast scene in which, except for the mother who joins them a little later, the members of Rosalind’s family are present—her father, herself, and her two aunts, Aunt Louise and Aunt Ethyl. Rosalind’s Gandhi-hating father is horrified to discover from the newspaper that the Congress Party has announced a hartal (strike). As an officer in the British army, he has to impose order when there are strikes. A conversation ensues in which opinions are bandied about, replaying real-life confabulations that must have happened at English families’ breakfast tables in India. The father’s attitude represents the outlook of many Englishmen during that era. He doesn’t consider Indians “ready for freedom.” Aunt Ethyl agrees with him and thinks Indians are like children who don’t deserve independence. Aunt Louise
32 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
and her niece defend Indians. The friction between father and daughter at breakfast continues in later scenes, creating the kind of tension that aids the flow of the narrative. The mood at the breakfast table soon shifts, though, when the father slits open an envelope conveying the happy tidings that the Prince of Wales is coming to Calcutta and that his battalion will be part of the honor guard. Furthermore, the family receives an invitation to attend the festivities connected with the visit. British schools and mission schools close due to the hartal, but Rosalind, who runs a school attended only by boys, is allowed to keep hers open because of her loyalty toward India. She finds an innovative way to include a girl in the school’s lesson without alienating the boys. “My father would have been furious if he’d known of the school. First of all, I am helping out the strike, and then I am in the Indian section of town. Worst of all, he would think I was wasting great English literature on children whom he believed would grow up to have no better job than the carrying of jute bundles on their heads. But if all the while you were carrying the bundles you could say to yourself Shakespeare’s words,
as my father does, the carrying would not be so heavy. What would really surprise Father is that I also teach great writers in the Indian language, like the poet Tagore, who is my favorite.” Rosalind is friends with her ayah’s daughter, Isha, who is directly affected by the hartal. Her husband closed his stall to obey the National Congress Party’s strike directive. Later he will be arrested for attending a Congress meeting. Through Rosalind’s eyes we see Isha, “the greatest gift of all.” Isha taught her Hindi and it was at her home that she first ate poppadums and khichdi. We learn the ayah’s daughter was married at fifteen, had a miserable time initially with her mother-in-law, and that she has a baby boy and is expecting again. Isha has some bad news for Rosalind concerning a baby whose father sold him to a cruel man (he maimed children and made them beg for money) and whom the English girl saved by placing him in an orphanage. The father has a job and plans to take the boy back. Rosalind is horrified because the child will have to face the disadvantages of being an untouchable if he is brought up by his parents. Readers glimpse what life is like for dalits, who have to live separately from the other Hindus. Soon, Rosalind’s mother and aunts are swept up in the preparations for the parties in the prince’s honor. The girls at the English club are jealous and Rosalind fans their emotions, but she begins to realize that her excitement makes her like them whereas the prince’s visit has a different connotation for the Indian people. Max is now a journalist for Young India, a magazine started by Gandhi, and he entrusts her with an important mission—to ensure that a letter published in the journal gets to the Prince of Wales. Whelan entwines historical facts adeptly into the novel, making the authentic letter, actually published in Young India, central to the story. She imaginatively lets her invented
characters interact with famous historical figures. At one point, Lord Louis Mountbatten actually pretends Rosalind is his girlfriend. Readers will easily succumb to these authorial liberties and the situations her spunky heroine gets into that other girls can only dream about. The writer also includes a funny encounter between King George and Rosalind. The novel’s main plot is about whether the English girl can make a difference to the destiny of India by altering the attitude of either the Prince of Wales or King George. In order to accomplish this, she has to be brazen enough to get the letter delivered to the Prince of Wales. Her part in the fictional historical drama continues after she receives an invitation from England to present herself at King George’s court. Gandhi’s real-life letter, which is addressed to every Englishman in India, is appended to the novel and serves as a fitting conclusion to the reader’s immersion in history. In the missive, he appeals to the conscious of the English and talks about the injustices perpetuated by British rule. Though Whelan strives to give a balanced view of India, and even occasionally pays tribute to the country, she is not wholly successful in this endeavor. The setting of her story in colonial times and her choice of an English girl as a narrator, albeit an Indophile, tinges All My Noble Dreams and then What Happens with a slight colonial mentality. However, that said, it would be a difficult task for any writer to tell the kind of stories she does and not highlight the poverty, backwardness, caste divisions and other societal problems. Whelan is a master storyteller and the two novels about Rosalind stand as imaginatively executed historical fictional. Children who’d like to learn about the oppression of British rule, historical figures (especially Mahatma Gandhi), important movements like hartal in early twentieth century India, and the lifestyle of a privileged British family will be able to familiarize themselves with these subjects through Small Acts of Amazing Courage and All My Noble Dreams And Then What Happens in a way that nonfiction cannot accomplish. Fiction nurtures empathy and when children enter the minds of writers’ characters they get to experience what it felt like to live in a different time and place and learn to understand people better. It is certainly true of the two Rosalind novels, which will bring the historical period alive and leave the reader with vivid impressions. n Tara Menon is a freelance writer based in Lexington, M. Her fiction, poetry, and book reviews have been published in many magazines.
tax talk
Should Business Owners Keep Their Own Books? By Rita Bhayani
E
ntrepreneurs thrive on a DIY mentality: Do It Yourself, and don’t pay for anything new until you absolutely have to. It’s especially difficult to justify hiring financial help like a bookkeeper. With user-friendly software such as QuickBooks available, many business owners feel they should be able to do keep their records on their own, even as they wrestle with finding the time and wonder if they’re doing things correctly. Should you keep your own books? This is a similar question to the question often posed at tax time, whether small business owners should prepare their own tax return? My answer is yes—if you know what you’re doing, you’re comfortable doing it, and you have time to do it.
Considerations: Startup
If your business is a small startup, or a side business, you should keep your own books. You likely don’t have the money to outsource bookkeeping to someone else and frankly, you wouldn’t get much value out of having someone else do it.
Considerations: Growing Businesses and Beyond
A Creative Commons Image by Peter Baskervicle But for many small businesses, the growth of their business is going to put time constraints on the owner. There will be other priorities, and keeping the books will likely not be one of those priorities. That’s the point when the owner should look at outsourcing the bookkeeping to someone else. Knowledge is power, even when it comes to the small details. If you don’t have a bookkeeper, you’re probably not being as strategic as you could be in how you spend your money.
When to Hire a Staff Accountant
Websites for DIY bookkeeping software such as QuickBooks and Xero show faces of smiling business owners happily keeping their own books. It all looks so easy! But the reality is, your business will grow to a point where you’ll either: a) Start getting into things you don’t understand how to account for, or b) You’ll run out of time to keep up with the bookkeeping Of course, this isn’t true of all small businesses that grow. A consultant who works with a small number of large clients during the course of the year and who has few expenses beyond supplies and office expense can probably keep his or her own books in a simple spreadsheet indefinitely with no problems.
Many small entrepreneurs can probably stick to outsourcing accounting or bookkeeping services for quite some time. The typical service business can often outsource its chief financial officer tasks and bookkeeping until its revenues rises well above the $1 million mark—or until it has about 30 employees. Until then, most businesses usually don’t have enough work to keep a full-timer busy every day. n Rita Bhayani is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant practicing at Pleasanton, CA and she protects the clients from the IRS. The above article was compiled with the help of information from various sources. For more information, log on to www. ritacpa.net.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 33
travel
Leh—Under The Blue Sky Travelog of a lover By Sharmila Pal The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, Not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along. —Rumi
M
y dear Aakash: I am standing underneath a thousand prayer flags and an infinite brilliant deep blue sky. Tsemo Monastery never gets old for me. Today the wind is very strong, kicking up tall columns of dust and messing with my hair. I have climbed five hundred and fifty steep un-even “stairs” that have been cut along the side of the barren mountain to reach the main temple, where the six hundred year old colossal gold statue of Maitreya, The Future Buddha resides. This brick red Chamba Lhakhang (Maitreya Temple) was built by King Tragspa Bumde around 1430 AD. Apart from the Buddha, the monastery houses many ancient manuscripts and beautiful frescoes which depict stories from the life of the Buddha. Winded and out of breath, I am now resting on a sun-bleached crumbling wall with elaborate wooden balconies, watching thousands of prayer flags dance to the tunes of the wind. There is silence all around me. This balcony is the highest point of the fort, and it used to be a part of the former Dard Fortress, which dates all the way back to the 5th century. From up here, I can see the panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, the young bustling city of Leh in the valley below, the gently flowing Indus River in the distance, and the snowcapped peaks of Stok Kangri Range. As I look at the beautiful landscape around me, I travel back to the time when we first met each other here. On June 16, 2012, the wind brought me your scent. I climbed the entire set of stairs to reach the mountain top, where the two of us were destined to meet. We helped each other scramble over loose boulders and strategically placed wobbly wooden ladders to reach the highest point of the fort. Once we got there, the spectacular view of the mountains and the valleys left us wide-eyed and breathless. Ladakh—The Land of High Passes—laid open before our eyes. It seemed 34 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
The six hundred year old Tsemo Monastery overlooking the city of Leh from the mountain top.
as if we had ascended a medieval stone fortress, towering above the center of Ladakh. This is the highest point I had ever climbed in my life and the most isolated. It was from here that King Tashi Namgyal (1520–1540) managed to repel most of the Central Asian raiders, and built the Namgyal Tsemo fort on top of the Namgyal Peak in Leh. He also built the Tsemo Goenkhang (protector temple) here after his victory over an invading army from Yarkand (a region in Xinjiang Province, on the southern Silk Road) in 1532. At one point in history, the monastery served as the royal residence of the Namgyal dynasty, which still survives today in the Stok Palace. The tough climb had exhausted both of us. We shared a bottle of water that I carried and sat on the edge of the balcony, a cantilevered wooden framed passage that had its every inch covered with prayer flags. It was built for the purpose of paridakshana (circumambulation) for pilgrims and devotees. The yellow, red, and green, pieces of fabric handwritten with innumerable mantras and inscriptions, soared up high against the crystal blue sky and then came right back down to sweep us away from our feet. They, along
with the mountains and the sky, were the only witnesses to our presence. Ek pighale neelam sa behta ye sama, Neeli neeli si khamoshiyan (The moment flows like molten sapphire with a deep silence all around.) The setting sun’s oblique rays fell on the distant snow covered peaks and made them glow bright orange. And then, the sound of Azaan (the call to worship) reached us from the Jama Mosque in the heart of the Leh market below. Constructed during 16661667 A.D. as per an agreement between the ruler of Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal, and the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the mosque became a symbolic seal for the political and military protection that the Mughal Empire provided to the people of Ladakh. The muezzin’s ancient rich voice echoed and spoke with the heavens. It was a call meant for each of us to leave whatever we are busy doing and focus on the divine. Our hands found each other’s and we allowed ourselves to be drowned with the sound. Far below, lay the dusty sprawling city of Leh, which we had both found rigid and wanting. In 1974, after things quietened down between Pakistan, India, and China,
“I have climbed five hundred and fifty steep un-even “stairs” to reach the main temple, where the six hundred year old colossal gold statue of Maitreya—The Future Buddha—resides”
the Indian Government decided to open Ladakh for overland travel. Since then, Leh (the regional capital) has seen a steady boom in tourism. Every year there are more tourists (Indians and westerners) and more cars. Slowly the town is growing beyond recognition. The number of restaurants, stalls and shops—Tibetan refugees selling prayer wheels and turquoise and coral jewellery alongside savvy Kashmiri merchants offering pashminas: “fixed price, no bargaining” are increasing at an alarming rate. North of the city, fields which used to be full of barley are now bustling with building work as hotels, guesthouses and travel agencies spring up. At times, it is hard for me to believe that this region served as the crossroads of the ancient trade routes from South Asia and that until the end of the 19th century, mule trains carrying shawls and spices made the journey from Amritsar through Ladakh to Yarkand in China. But from up here on the monastery, it was a completely different perspective. The city looked so peaceful and pure and full of unbounded joy, where previously it had been so closed with walls that hid so much.
We looked at the hungry growing city in silence for as long as I can remember. And
Wall paintings from the Maitreyi Temple depicting tales about the Buddha’s life and teaching
then … we drew our breaths together and kissed each other deeply and soaked into each other’s fragrance. Our hearts and souls united and lost all boundaries. A gentle wind blew over us, whispering something to the prayer flags and rustling our hairs. Naa kahin hain zameen, Naa kahin asmaan Sarsarati huyi tehniyaan, paatiyan Jo keh rahi hai ki bus ek tum ho yahan (The earth and the sky have no boundaries, The whispering leaves on the branches whispered your existence to me.) And I whispered back, “I love you” to the sky, to the mountains, and to all the prayer flags that were dancing around me. My heart swelled with gratitude, and scattered the wind. I do not know what love is, nor do I know the meaning of existence, nor have any answers to life’s riddles. But here, among these mountains, sitting underneath a spotless blue sky, for just one moment, I feel that there is no need to ask any questions. Some say that love is a strange mysterious beauty that dwells only as a fleeting fragrance. What you and I share cannot continue once we leave this mountain. Do whatever you need to do to be happy in this life. I will always carry within me our beautiful memories and our souls will remain united, like the prayer flags that are always united with the wind—changing, fleeting, dancing, eternal. — Indus My Soul, the first time I saw you, my soul heard something from your Soul. When my heart drank water from your fountain It drowned within you, and the torrents snatched me away. And I knew someday, I shall find my soul again within you —Rumi n
Sharmila Pal spends her time between Seattle and Ladakh with her organisation Wheels Across India where she actively organises and leads low-impact, non-touristy backpacking trips. In her free time, she tutors students in science, math and english and continues writing travel memoirs. For the past four years, she has been backpacking and traveling through Ladakh, Rajasthan and South India. Her journey through India took her to many remote regions, and allowed her to experience some very beautiful and emotionally powerful moments with nature and people. These experiences are etched deeply in my mind. Through these letters she hopes to inspire people to travel and explore.
Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 35
music
A Texan Qawwali for Mahatma Gandhi By Priya Das
V
aishnava jana toh is known as Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan. It is commonly sung, instrumentally rendered, and danced to at various devotional or cross-cultural Indian gatherings. Sonny Mehta, founder of the Austin, Texas-based band Riyaaz Qawwali (Riyaaz) presented it in the Qawwali style and hasn’t looked back. The Huffington Post recently included it in its “Daily Meditations” column and featured the group, as did NPR. Qawwali is characterized by an intense Sufi undertone of attempting a communion with the Divine. This underpinning is what keeps Mehta inspired. “The music is unlike any other, due to the melodies and upbeat rhythmic cycles commonly used. Everything one hears in Qawwali can be addressed to a lover and to the Beloved. There are so many parts of this art … can be a life-long catalyst for inspiration.” Riyaaz’s most recent album called Ishq, was released in March and is a ghazal album highlighting evergreen poets Mirza Ghalib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Amir Khussrau, and a living poet, Tahir Faraz. The first album, Kashti, is available on iTunes. Listening to the group’s tracks through the years, it becomes apparent that they have continuously worked on perfecting their sound, with innovations of their own. Right off the bat, one notices the violin in the ensemble, uncommon in this genre. Riyaaz’s originality shines through in the selection of the songs themselves and in the creation of their Qawwali avatars. Inadequacies in tonal quality in a few of the early works are more than made up for in the sentiment, which arguably is the truer test of a qawwali. Vaishanava jana toh, for example, has notational improvisations that Sufiana lovers have come to expect, as does the bhajan, “Pyaare kanha bajaye bansuri.” The second volume of Ishq includes “Maye ni Maye,” a tribute to motherhood. Its folksy language is weaved through the fabric of chorus deliberation, intertwined with the tenacious rhythm and cycles of the qawwali style. The meditative quality that Riyaaz has been able to capture with every beat and syllable makes it remark36 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
Riyaaz Qawwalli
able. “Rone se aur ishq mein” brings home the Divine drama of Riyaaz’s qawwali starting with surrender, petulance, and despair: through Mehta’s crescendo, the poet speculates, “Tumhari berukhi par bhi lootadi zindagi humne; agar tum meherbaan hote, hamara haal kya hota?” (I spent a lifetime embracing your rejection; should you have reciprocated, I wonder what my condition would be?) The ethos and pathos of this music makes it challenging for practitioners and organizers alike. About the first, Mehta says, “Being able to reach our own goals and standards, practicing enough, learning enough about the music and the poetry—these are struggles for any artist … Two weekends every month, we take our individual practice and build a combined sound. [Qawwali] requires knowledge of lyrics that is deeper than just mere translations. Practices are spent on musical and linguistic growth.” Many in the ensemble have been trained classically, Western and Indian. Mehta himself was initiated into classical music by his grandfather, who would insist that he hold a note for long periods. After that, he pursued his training for 16 more years, with various teachers. He continues to cultivate his interest in Urdu and Punjabi poetry under the guidance of experts in the field. Mehta asserts: “Bringing Qawwali on to a professional performing stage is harder than you would think. The stage is heavily biased towards Bollywood, who consider us classical but classical music stages consider
us semi-classical. Quoting from a poem … dyar-e-ishq mein, apna makaam paida kar (Through the frontiers of love; stake your own claim).” His claim paid off, when in 2013, Riyaaz was chosen by prominent music composer Philip Glass for the presentation of “In The Spirit: Music from the World’s Great Traditions” at the Garrison Institute in New York City. Mehta proudly reminisces, “He picked four musicians from around the world. It was an exhilarating experience, with fantastic audience response. The best part was that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Saheb had performed his first U.S. concert at that venue!” Interestingly, Glass is very familiar with the Mahatma, having produced his own musical “Satyagraha” which premiered at The Metropolitan Opera in 2008. Khan needs no introduction; his performances are what made Sufi Qawwali popular in niche circles in the last two decades. Mehta is committed to expanding the borders of both, his musical medium of choice and geographical listenership. He is in talks with a television network regarding “The Riyaaz Experience.” It is planned as an 8-episode series that looks at Qawwali in the new homeland, collaborations with other art forms; including expert opinions from University of Texas and Harvard Universities. Of non-South Asian audiences, Mehta says, “We have fared well, because we try to break the art down into universal truths: love for the Beloved, inner search for the truth, harmony among one another. These audiences have given us the love that boosted us early on. A quote again: “Jab tak bika na tha, koi puuchta na tha, tune mujhe khareed kar anmol kar diya.” (When I was in the market, nobody valued me; you made a bid for me, and I became invaluable.)” Riyaaz’s second album, Ishq, will be available on iTunes in May. n Priya Das is an enthusiastic follower of world music and avidly tracks intersecting points between folk, classical, jazz, and other genres.
music
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Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 37
recipes
Khatta Dhoklas Make this variation on Khaman Dhoklas at home By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff
I
was raised in a small village where there were no restaurants, snack bars, chai shops or carts filled with tantalizing street food. When our family went to the nearby town, we, the kids, would be gawking at the variety of tempting street food. Being very health- conscious, my father would not let us buy anything because these snacks were deep-fried and were not stored in hygienic conditions. Occasionally, he would allow us to buy dhoklas—a spongy diamond shaped savory—that were kept in a closed glass case. They were a great treat at the time, but looking back, the home-made dhoklas prepared by my mother were superior. My mother prepared the white dhoklas,
Illustration by Serena Sacharoff also known as khatta (sour) dhoklas. The yellow dhoklas sold in snack shops are khaman dhoklas. The main difference between the two is that the white dhoklas are made from rice (or rice grits) and skinned urad beans, whereas the khaman dhoklas are made
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with rice (or rice grits), besan (garbanzo bean flour) and grated vegetables such as a summer squash or white radish. White dhoklas are quicker to make especially if you use rice grits (cream of rice) instead of rice as shown in this recipe. White dhoklas are generally not stir-fried after steaming, but a “vaghar” can be added (more on this later). Ready-made dhokla mix is available in Indian grocery stores. However, if you plan by soaking the dal overnight, dhokla is very easy to prepare from scratch. White dhokla is made in the following steps: First, the rice and urad dal are soaked overnight. (If you choose to use precooked rice grits or cream of rice instead of whole rice, you can skip this step.) The next day, both grains are ground and then fermented with sour yogurt or lemon juice. Then, the
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batter is flavored with spices and steamed. The steamed dhoklas are cut into small pieces and served with a freshly made sweet chutney. In Gujarat, dhokla batter was easily fermented with sour yogurt. But in my San Francisco kitchen, it is never warm enough for the batter to rise. So I add lemon juice to make my yogurt more sour and use additional lemon juice with baking soda to the batter right before steaming. Eno Fruit Salt (which is a combination of soda-bicarbonate and citric acid) sold in Indian specialty stores is used to make dhokla spongy and light. But the combination of baking powder and lemon juice works well to obtain similar results. To steam the dhokla, you will need to set up an apparatus as shown in the illustration. A wok or a large sauce pot with a tightly fitting lid is perfect for this purpose. I have come across recipes that cook dhokla in an oven (or even in a micro-wave oven). In my experience, the baked dhoklas turned out dried, dense and flat. The steamed dhoklas are always moist and light.
Khatta Dhokla
A Creative Commons Image by Redazadi
¼ cup urad dal (without skin) soaked in a cup of water overnight or for at least 6 hours ½ cup water to grind the dal with ½ cup sour yogurt whisked with ¾ cup water and juice of half lemon (about a tablespoon) ¾ cup cream of rice (or rice grits) ¾ teaspoon or to taste salt 1 hot green pepper such as jalapeno with seeds and inner veins removed ½ inch piece of grated fresh ginger root 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
½ -¾ teaspoon baking powder Juice of 1 or 1½ lemons (about 2 tablespoons) diluted with 2 tablespoons of water Additional water as needed to make the batter that is pourable Few pinches of cayenne powder First, rinse and soak the dal overnight or for at least six hours in a cup of water. Keep it covered and do not refrigerate. Next, drain the dal completely. Place dal in a jar of an electrical blender with ½ cup of water to make a puree that has a pourable consistency. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice and ¾ cup of water. Add the cream of rice (rice grits) and mix well using a fork. Next, add the pureed urad dal and salt. Mix the batter well, breaking lumps. Cover and allow this mixture to ferment for about 6 to 8 hours in a warm place in your kitchen. Meanwhile, prepare a coarse green paste of fresh hot pepper, ginger and cilantro using a mortar and pestle or a blender. This mixture does not have to be very fine, so you can simply use a rolling pin to crush the fresh herbs together. Set the green paste aside. Next, prepare the last ingredients going into the batter. In a small bowl, combine baking soda, lemon juice and water and whisk them together. Wait for the fizzle. Add this mixture immediately to the batter and mix well. Divide the batter into two parts and pour the batter into the pie plates. Add several dabs (about ½ teaspoon each) of the green paste on top of the batter. This will decorate and spice up the dhoklas. In addition, sprinkle just a few small pinches of cayenne pepper on top. Arrange a steaming apparatus as follows:
Fill a wok or a wide Dutch oven with two cups of water and place a vegetable steamer in it. Set one pie plate that is filled with batter carefully on the vegetable steamer and cover the wok or the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Heat over a medium flame and steam for 30 minutes until the batter is settled and when tested with a fork, it comes out clean. Remove the pie plate and allow the dhokla to cool. Add a cup of water into the bottom of the wok and position the next pie plate. Cover and steam the dhokla for about 20 minutes (the second batch takes less time to steam). When the khatta dhokla pies are cool, in about half an hour, the discs can be cut into small pieces. They are usually cut while in the pie plates, first into strips and then into small diamonds or triangles. The pieces can be removed from of the plates using a metal spatula. Khatta dhaoklas are now ready to be served with a mint chutney. (Recipe for mint chutney to follow.) For the optional third step, if you wish to put “vaghar” on the dhoklas, place two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, and when the seeds start to pop, pour this over the khatta dhokhla. Serve these dhoklas hot or at room temperature with a chutney (recipe below) or plain yogurt. Yet another variation is a dhokla sandwich with mint chutney ‘filling.” Skip the green paste in the batter, slice the khatta dhoklas horizontally and add the mint chutney between the “slices” of khatta dhoklas. Ta da!
Mint Chutney
1 cup fresh mint leaves, stems removed ½ cup chopped scallions, including most of their greens 1 tablespoon freshly grated gingerroot 1 or 2 hot chilies, seeds and veins removed, and chopped 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup plain yogurt, soy yogurt or soft tofu 3 tablespoons water Place all of the ingredients in the jar of a food processor or a blender and blend thoroughly. Chill until ready to serve. Any unused portion can be stored in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Mint chutney is an especially good dipping sauce for any appetizer, as mint is a good digestive aid. n Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, author of Flavors Of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine is a coowner of Other Avenues Food Cooperative in San Francisco. Serena Sacharoff is a chef, an illustrator and an art student.
Khatta Dhokla Sandwich Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 39
viewpoint
The Best In Me A tribute to all mothers on Mother’s Day By Sunita Upadhyayula
A Creative Commons Image by Vinoth Chandar
T
he chef in me wants to serve up your most favorite dishes, and swells with pride when you proclaim that I’m the best cook. The event planner in me strives to accommodate all your current fancies, throw the party you envisioned and sighs with relief when your face lights up. The financial planner in me tries to make sure you understand the value of money, and that you can afford to go to the college of your dreams. The photographer in me struggles to capture all the memories in the best light and preserve them for your walk down memory lane. The fashion designer in me (also doubling as hairstylist) loves to dress you up, groom you for the occasion and make sure you look your best. The friend in me loves the moments spent hanging out with you, is thrilled deep down that you shared your secret with me, and will honor the pinkie promise. The cheerleader in me is cheering for you 40 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
all the time, sometimes silently yet frantically, and sometimes a little too loudly. The critic in me somehow shows up right alongside the cheerleader, and will tell you that you can always do better than your best. The writer in me is right next to you to lend a hand when you need help with that book report or an opinion for that write up. The teacher in me just can’t wait to teach you all that I know, while simultaneously learning what I don’t know to keep up with you. The chauffeur in me whisks you from one place to another, while the manager in me keeps an eye on your calendar and deadlines. The artist in me somehow finds ways to live up to your expectations, (and can’t thank Google and YouTube enough) when you want me to help you with anything remotely creative. The doctor and the nurse in me are there in a hurry with magic kisses, band aids, reassurances, tissues and, if needed, medicine to
heal you; and will fret over you until you are healed and back to your normal self. The worrier in me is like the local TV channel’s newscaster, who while talking about a calamity in any part of the world wonders what it’d be like if it hit close to home. I’m just the same when I read not-so-good news. But the good news is that the warrior in me is ever ready to fight any battle for you to the end of the earth. The mother in me knows that all the above roles will someday fade away, but that I will remain your mother as long as I’m around. The good old myself in me just can’t believe that I’m capable of being all this. Had that old me known that I’d draw up a flying unicorn for you, no less, and make it actually look like one, I’d have tried harder to draw that frog in Biology. Had someone told the old me that I’d look at blood, scraped knees and cut fingers, and not pass out, I’d at least have thought about studying to be a doctor. If the old me had the faintest idea that I could survive without eight hours of sleep, maybe, just maybe, I’d have pulled an all night shift to study for those finals. Oh boy! If the old me had known that I’d find myself explaining permutations and combinations to you, I’d really have paid attention to that Math lecture. The truth is that sometimes, I’m amazed by myself just as much as I’m amazed by you. I learn something new for you, through you and yes, from you too. Let me tell you a secret: In the process, I learn something new about myself also. And that, my dear child, is a wonderful thing. So, thanks for bringing out the best in me! n Sunita Upadhyayula lives in the Bay Area.
Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 41
relationship diva
Cheating Relationships By Jasbina Ahluwalia
My brother just found out that his girlfriend has been cheating on him. In some ways, I’m not surprised, as she didn’t strike me as trustworthy. He’s enraged, and wants to confront her. Any suggestions?
A
I’m so sorry to hear that. Your brother may be enraged right now, and it can be helpful for him to take some time to process what’s happened and plan his confrontation. Three tips for him:
Be Mindful of Location
Be careful about where you decide to meet—and don’t give any hints that you know she cheated, as that may deter her from showing up. Generally, it’s best to avoid meeting in busier public places, as there’s a chance there will be some yelling, crying, or other highflying emotions. At the same time, meeting at your place or hers may also be a poor decision. It’s usually best to meet in a neutral location where there aren’t many people present.
Kathak
Make sure you’ve got a detailed game plan for your confrontation. Specific aspects of your game plan include: • The consequences of her infidelity (will you break up?) • The evidence you have that she cheated • How you think she’ll react (will she deny it or admit it?) While you can’t expect everything to go exactly as you planned, you should stick to your ideal game plan for the confrontation, especially what you decided in terms of the consequences. If you’re going to break up with her, make that clear and don’t let her persuade you otherwise. Don’t fall for promises like “it’ll never happen again” because people who cheat once tend to cheat multiple times. Why subject yourself to any more pain and betrayal?
DON’T Accept Excuses
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tions 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.
A lot of times, women who have cheated will try to turn the tables on the men they cheated on in an effort to make themselves feel less guilty or to justify their actions. For example, in response to your accusations of
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her cheating, she might try to say something along the lines of “Well, you never pay any attention to me!” At the end of the day, however, there’s no justifiable excuse for cheating, so don’t subject yourself to any of that. Get up and walk away if you have to, but don’t take those excuses seriously for a second. Finding out your girl is cheating on you can be devastating, but it’s better to find out now than later on down the road. After all, a woman who would cheat on you most likely isn’t worth your time, love, or continued affection. Keeping these tips in mind can help to make the process go a little more smoothly. Stop wasting your time on a dishonest person, move on with your life, and make more time for the things that make you happy. n
Have a Game Plan
(disciple of late Guru Bipin Singh)
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42 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
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44 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
On Inglish
That Downward Dog at Yoga By Kalpana Mohan
yoga [yoh-guh] noun, (sometimes initial capital letter) 1. a school of Hindu philosophy advocating a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.
O
ne misty morning a few years ago, at Jeeva Park, a stray dog decided to walk alongside me and my father. Jeeva Park is a crescent-shaped patch of green in the heart of India’s Chennai. One round of Jeeva Park is only a kilometer in length. Walkers march or ample for an hours to the sounds of the prayer bell by the Ganesha altar under the peepal tree at the center of the park. For a while that morning, the dog followed us and all the other walkers on the trail, tail between its legs, until it decided to sit and not stay still right in the middle of the daily yoga session happening on the raised platform in the middle of the park. I’m not sure how much the mongrel knew about the term “yoga” but I wished I could have made the creature understand that the Sanskrit word, meaning “yoking,” alluded to a “Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility” and that, as such, bumming around yoga practitioners who were perfecting their downward dog could unleash pebbles as well as curses upon him. During our next time around the walking track, Mr. Tail was back with us again, trotting elegantly past us, a twig between his teeth, as if he were Cruella de Vil bossing over a hundred dalmatians. After some more rounds on the track, however, the dog’s mind seemed to attain an altered state of consciousness. Presently, he held an Adidas sneaker in his snout and we discovered, in minutes, that it belonged to one of the peaceful yogis on the platform. If only Mr. Tail would have cared to listen, I’d have told him that yoga as exercise or alternative therapy had turned into an out-of-control modern phenomenon of the ancient Indian practice of hatha yoga that involved breathing, meditation, and a pantheon of bodily postures for health and relaxation. I’d have also told Mr. Tail that some time in the eighties, yoga got hijacked by the west, thus assuming an aggressive avatar that many yoga teachers in India didn’t even recommend anymore. I’d have also enlightened him on how the highest form was believed to be Raja yoga whose goal was spiritual purification and selfunderstanding leading to samadhi or union with the divine. The way yoga was practiced at Jeeva Park’s platform—especially when Mr. Tail was walking around with a yogi’s sneaker—it was doubtful anyone would achieve union with the divine, especially while one of the yogis was reflecting and hoping for the union of his or her shoe with its reflected self, its mate. If Mr. Tail could only read, I’d have told him to take in the Blackboard at the G. N. Chetty Road entrance to Jeeva Park where vegetable vendor, Poongodi, sold produce. I’d have told him to read the Blackboard every morning as he walked (and if he planned to continue walking with us, that is). I’d have told him how the Blackboard had a way of telling walkers something about how to live every day. One morning, the Blackboard informed us that “anger is one letter short of danger.” Another day it told walkers to “Listen to your heart because even though it’s on your left, it’s always right.” On that particular morning, however, when Mr. Tail was wagging his tail while eating a walking shoe, he should have read this suggestion from the Blackboard: “If you want to swim in the river, befriend the crocodile.” For instance, if Mr. Tail wanted to hang with the humans, he needed to learn to leave
their shoes alone. To be one of us, he would need to also elevate his tastes somewhat; he would certainly need to appreciate the seasons inside Jeeva Park. One couldn’t miss them. All through January, Margazhi thingal, sung by Bombay Sisters, blasted from speakers, its refrains whorling into the rising mist of a new year that trickled into February. Clandestine Valentines sat a foot apart between bushes, on whose stems March always planted flower frocks: pink rangoon, gardenia, hibiscus, frangipani, moonbeam, bougainvillea. Crows cawed, bulbuls chirped, mynas clicked while April’s heat dropped mangoes from branches. Handkerchiefs alighted from pockets as May brought broil and sweat sprays. Gulmohar trees tossed crimson filigrees against dusty sky from which kapok cotton floated down in June, lining leaves, walkways and benches. Olive-yellow neem fruit squirted under sneakers while July laid beds of red-orange gulmohar from wind-lashed rain. Curry leaf flowers congealed into purpleblack seeds just before thunder and lightning in August, when Lord Ganesha, the birthday god, sat under the peepal tree awash in sandalwood, turmeric, scented oil, fresh cow’s milk, holy ash, roses, mums and sacred Bermuda grass and by September, erect drumsticks, buxom papayas, wide thigh banana stems stood for sale at the park gate, just as October began to sparkle with Diwali season’s razzle-dazzle. Walkers prattled on about where-to-buy-what or how-to-make-what for Diwali. Soon, death sneaked in, a few weeks later as in November of the year I spent Diwali with my father, when the Blackboard regretted to announce the demise of so-and-so, a walker whose death was followed by the December season, Chennai’s smorgasbord of classical music and dance serving up mosquitoes on the side. Little did Mr. Tail understand the universal truth that while the yoga students were doing the “bridge,” lifting haunches and limbs while breathing in and breathing out in the hope of fighting depression or incontinence, all of us, Mr. Tail included, were inching one day closer to their last day on earth. On the morning Mr. Tail fled with the shoe, one of the yogis suddenly abandoned his yoga mat and his yoga pose and trooped over to where he had left his shoes and socks, figuring, perhaps, that while morning yoga was great and all, a good pair of sneakers was worth more than twelve blistering asanas and sixty sharp inhales of the cool morning air and he was not going to loose his sleep, his shoes and his peace of mind to a measly dog. Mr. Tail, sadly, was nowhere to be seen. But we all suspected that somewhere on G. N. Chetty Road or its environs, an Adidas sneaker waited, half-eaten, but very usable all the same. n Kalpana Mohan writes from Saratoga. To read more about her, go to http://kalpanamohan.org and http://saritorial.com. Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 45
events MAY
California’s Best Guide to Indian Events Edited by: Mona Shah List your event for FREE! JUNE issue deadline: Wednesday, May 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 Buddha Purnima
May 3
Mother’s Day
May 10
CULTURAL CALENDER
May
2 Saturday
A Story and A Song by Mamak Khadem. Eight virtuosic dancers under
the visionary direction of Aparna Sindhoor, S.M. Raju and Anil Natyaveda create a unique movement language inspired by bharatanatyam, martial arts (kalari payattu) and yoga with gravity defying aerial dance, song and dialogue. A Story and A Song is a tale of women, nature and love based on Kannada folklore, Native American tales, along with narratives of contemporary women. The result is a stunning theatrical experience. With music created by Karnatik and jazz musician, Prasanna. Organized by Navarasa Dance Theater. 7 p.m. Aratani Theatre, 244 South San Pedro St., Los Angeles. $20-$35. (213) 628-2725. www.festivalofsacredmusic.org/event/navarasa-and-mamakkhadem/.
46 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
Navarasa Dance Theater showcases dances inspired by South Indian and Native American tales, May 2
Evolution of Natya. A dance performance celebrating Kalapeetham’s 25 anniversary. A time travel through history of the evolution of bharatanatyam. Organized by Kalapeetham Foundation. 4-7 p.m. Thousand
Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks. $25 general, $100 VIP, $15 students/kids. (818) 892-4890, (601) 2509408, (805) 304-7114. KalapeethamFoundation@gmail.com. www.kalapeetham.com.
events May
California’s Best Guide to Indian Events
9 Saturday
Mother’s Day Celebration 2015.
Dinner and dancing to Bollywood songs. Includes dinner. Organized by Mehfil Entertainment. 6:30 p.m. Royal Delhi Palace, 22323 Sherman Way, Ste 11, Canoga Park. $35. (818) 992-0913, (818) 451-6195, (805) 522-6164. www.sulekha.com.
Shobana’s Krishna—Dance Drama.
Kerala born actress and danseuse Shobana Chandrakumar is back touring the United States with her latest grand dance musical. The English dialogued dance production promises a visually moving glimpse of one of Lord Vishnu’s popular avatars, as well as showcase some of the lesser known stories as well as memorable tales based on the deity’s life as told in the ancient mega saga, the Mahabharata. Organized by Organization of Hindu Malyalees. 6 p.m. Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. $150-$55. (714) 805-9880. www.itsmyseat.com/events/434385. html.
An Evening of Classical Ragas. Featuring Rajeev Taranath on sarode, accompanied by Abhiman Kaushal on tabla. Organized by Concerts at Meherabode. 7:30 p.m. Meherabode (Avatar Meher Baba Center of So. Calif.), 1214 S. Van Ness Ave., Los Angeles.
K.S. Chitra performs in Isayum Thendral, May 16
$20. (510) 548-2296, (310) 254-6860. meherabode.concerts@gmail.com, davidrisrael@ gmail.com. meherabode-concerts.blogspot.com, www.rajeevtaranath.com.
May
16 Saturday
with singers Padma Shri K.S. Chitra, Sri Krishna, Priya Himesh, and Vijay Prakash. Organized by Nandalala Mission USA. 5-7:30 p.m. Marsee Performing Center, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. General $25, Silver $50, Gold $100, Premier $250. (213) 2191970. www.nandalala.com.
17 Sunday
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert. Organized by Dylan Entertainment Rajeev Taranath performs, May 9
Hasya Kavi Sammelan and Songs.
Comic Arun Jemini, Ved Prakash and Ritu. Organized by Hasth Foundation. 4-7 p.m. Arcadia Community Center, 365 Campus Drive., Arcadia. $25-$45. (626) 445-8233.
Isayum Thendral—The Healing Breeze. Light music in several languages
May
Civic Center Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. $49-$250. (562) 860-1135, (909) 861-7074. www.ticketmaster.com.
and Tisha Entertainment. 6:30 p.m. Pasadena
June
7 Sunday
Jago Hindustani—A Program of Memorable Patriotic Songs. Organized
by The Shah Foundation. 6:30 p.m. Servite High School Auditorium, 1952 W. La Palma Ave., Anaheim . (562) 860-1135, (310) 7538990. krushmi@aol.com.
© Copyright 2015 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited.
Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 47
SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH
May
1 Friday
Satsang with Gopeshwari Devi. Kirtan and philosophy. Ends May 2. 7:30-9 p.m. Radha Govind Dham, 5530 Donna Ave., Tarzana. Free. (818) 825-8036. Gdidi@usbm. org. www.rgdla.org.
May
2 Saturday
Qualities of a Spiritual Seeker. Spiri-
tual discourse by Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha from the Tapovanam monastery in Kerala. He explains the subtle truths of Vedanta philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita in a rational and profound manner. Organized by Swamahiman Self Enquiry Life Fellowship. 4 p.m. Unity of Santa Barbara, 227 East Arrellaga St., Santa Barbara. Free. (909) 5436003. quest@swamahiman.org.
May
3 Sunday
What Is Love? Sunday Service. 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.
The Teachings of the Gita. Kirtan and
philosophy with Gopeshwari Devi. One week free program. Ends May 7. Organized by Radha Govind Dham. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Hindu Temple and Cultural Center, 21213 Devonshire, Chatsworth. Free. (818) 882-3649. Gdidi@ usbm.org. www.rgdla.org.
May
9 Saturday
The Art of Mind Management. Enlightening talks, yoga, and meditation with Swami Mukundanand. Ends May 15. Organized by JKYOG. 6-9 p.m. Pasasdena Hindu Temple, 676 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena . Free. (626) 755-4968. vishalkapoor82@gmail.com. www.jkyog.org.
May
10 Sunday
The Mother Aspect of God. Sunday Service. 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.
May
17 Sunday
Anchor Yourself in God. Sunday Service. 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.
May Art of Mind management with Swami Mukundanand, May 9-15 48 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
24 Sunday
Meet Mata Amritanandamayi, June 14
Sacred Literature: A World of Solace.
Sunday Service. 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.
May
31 Sunday
Why Our Loved Ones Die. Enlighten-
ing talks, yoga, and meditation with Swami Mukundanand. Ends May 15. Organized by JKYOG. 6-9 p.m. Pasasdena Hindu Temple, 676 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena. Free. (626) 755-4968. vishalkapoor82@gmail.com. www. jkyog.org.
June
14 Sunday
Meet Mata Amritanandamayi. Ends
June 18. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. amma.org/news/ammas-north-americansummer-tour-2015. Š Copyright 2015 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited. 
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Mayl 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 49
healthy life
Why Do We Have Allergies? Causes, Prevention and Treatment By Vijay Gupta
T
here are few references to hay fever in any medical literature before the 19th century. The first clear description of a case of hay fever was documented by Dr. John Bostock of London in 1819. In the early 20th century, hay fever, also called “seasonal allergic rhinitis,” was often viewed as a “fashionable” disease of the rich. In the 21st century, however, the prevalence of hay fever and other allergic diseases—allergic asthma, atopic eczema, and food allergies—has reached epidemic proportions. With the rising incidence of allergic diseases, many different theories (or models) of allergy have also evolved. These theories suggest many different approaches to the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.
IgE Model
According to Western medicine, allergies are caused by an excess of the Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in the blood. These antibodies bind tightly to allergic cells (called mast cells) in the skin, airways, and around blood vessels. The allergic cells get activated when the bound IgE recognizes an allergen, typically a protein such as dust mite, grass or ragweed pollen. These cells then release “allergy mediators” like histamines and leukotriene’s which cause many of the common allergy symptoms such as airway constriction in asthma, local inflammation in eczema, and increased mucus secretion in allergic rhinitis. Although the IgE model of allergy provides a good explanation of the proximate causes of allergy symptoms, it does not explain the root causes of allergy. For example, it is not clear why some people develop an excess of IgE antibodies and react abnormally to otherwise harmless natural substances (allergens) while other people don’t. Also, it does not explain why the prevalence of allergic diseases has risen so dramatically in modern times. 50 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
Hygiene Hypothesis
Another theory, called the “hygiene hypothesis,” which may take us closer to the root causes, arose from epidemiological evidence which shows that allergy rates (and autoimmune disease rates) are much higher among children born and raised in the extremely hygienic (germ-free) and “unnatural” environments that are more commonly found in developed countries. For example, during a Cesarean birth, the newborn is deprived of his life’s first and most crucial natural exposure to germs, namely, bacteria from his mother’s birth canal. (Note that the fetus is essentially germ-free when it leaves the amniotic sac). Similarly, many babies miss out on a variety of healthy germs when their office-going mothers are unable to breastfeed them for long. Furthermore, clean suburban homes provide a relatively germ-free living environment. Finally, modern practices like pasteurization of milk, sterilization of food,
and generous use of antibiotics and antimicrobials (such as antibacterial soap) continue to protect the children from most germs and infectious diseases. According to the hygiene hypothesis, this obsessive avoidance of germs interferes with the normal growth and development of a child’s immune system, and may be a major cause of the modern epidemic of allergic and autoimmune disorders.
Bucket Theory
Another theory, called the bucket theory posits that everybody has a virtual “bucket” in his body that holds all the allergens that the body ingests or inhales. As long as this bucket of allergens is not full, one does not experience significant allergy symptoms even when exposed to allergens. But after this bucket gets full, any further exposure to allergens starts causing allergy symptoms. An interesting implication of the bucket theory is that if you are allergic to, say, grass pollen and milk, and it is very hard to avoid exposure to grass pollen, you can reduce
your sensitivity to the pollen by reducing your consumption of milk. Note that the IgE model of allergy does not permit this type of trade-off among allergens.
Ayurvedic Model
The bucket theory can also be viewed as a simplified version of the Ayurvedic model of allergy. In the Ayurvedic model, you have a bucket that is filled by kapha dosha when you eat kapha-increasing foods. As your bucket of kapha dosha fills up and starts overflowing, you start experiencing the symptoms associated with excess kapha dosha such as symptoms of seasonal allergy. Although imbalances in the other two doshas (pitta and vata) can also contribute to some allergy symptoms, kapha dosha plays the dominant role during spring allergies. An important premise of the Ayurvedic model is that the root causes of allergy are not in the external environment, but within you. If you keep your doshas in balance through an appropriate ahaara-vihaara (diet and lifestyle), then the environmental triggers will not cause any allergy symptoms. Thus there is no need to go to great lengths to keep your beds, carpets, and furniture ultraclean, dust-free, and pollen-free; an approach that can be quite exhausting, and often impractical. Now which of these theories is right? Perhaps all of them are valid to a certain extent. There is some empirical evidence to support each of these theories, yet they all suggest rather different approaches to the prevention and treatment of allergies.
Allergy Prevention and Treatment Allergy Drugs
Under the Western or IgE model, the standard treatment is to use drugs to inhibit inflammatory allergy mediators (histamines, etc.) thereby preventing allergy symptoms like runny nose and sneezing. Common classes of allergy drugs include antihistamines (popular brand names: Claritin, Allegra), anti-leukotriene’s (Singulair) and corticosteroid nasal sprays (Flonase, Nasacort). The main problem with this approach is that these drugs don’t address the root causes of allergy, and, therefore, may become addictive. Moreover, they do have significant side effects. Over time, the drugs may become less effective and the side effects more pronounced.
Allergy Shots
An alternative approach that avoids these
drugs is called desensitization immunotherapy or allergy shots. Immunotherapy builds tolerance to allergens by gradually decreasing the IgE-dominated response. In this approach, sometimes called subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), the upper arm is injected with allergens like dust mites and pollens. These shots start with a small weekly dose of allergens which is gradually increased to a maintenance dose given every 2-4 weeks for 3-5 years. Eventually, the body becomes desensitized to these environmental allergens. However, it is difficult to predict how long this desensitization will last after you stop taking the shots. More recently (2014), the FDA has approved a version of immunotherapy that uses a sublingual allergen extract to treat pollen allergies. In this new approach, called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), only the first dose needs to be administered at the doctor’s office. All subsequent doses (one tablet a day) can be taken at home. Oralair is one of the approved drugs for SLIT. It contains a mixture of freeze-dried extracts from the pollens of several grasses.
Healthy Germs
Based on the hygiene hypothesis, it may be possible to prevent allergies in children by taking a strategic and more friendly approach towards germs, e.g., by proactively planning for a natural childbirth, by breastfeeding longer, and by minimizing the use of antibiotics and anti-microbials. Exposure to farms and cow sheds very early in life also helps, especially if the mother is exposed during pregnancy. If a Cesarean delivery becomes inevitable, wiping the face and body of the newborn with his mother’s birth-canal bacteria can partially restore his natural micro biota. Recent studies also suggest that certain
probiotics (taken orally) can be effective in treating allergic rhinitis.
Ayurvedic Remedies
The Ayurvedic approach offers a drugless strategy for the lifelong prevention and management of allergy symptoms. The basic idea is to “pacify” or reduce kapha dosha with appropriate adjustments to your diet and lifestyle. Avoid or minimize dairy foods, sweet and sour foods, and cold drinks while increasing pungent and bitter foods and spices such as bitter greens, garlic, ginger, green chilies, black pepper, and turmeric. Fasting and exercise also help in pacifying kapha. Some other Ayurvedic remedies for allergy include hot shower, sauna, neti (nasal cleaning) and nasya (nasal oil drops). More specific (personalized) diet and lifestyle guidance should be obtained from a vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor). In stubborn cases of spring allergy, a form of panchkarma called vamana (therapeutic emesis) may be used to rid the body of accumulated kapha dosha. However, vamana therapy should be undertaken only under the guidance of an experienced vaidya. Ultimately, most allergy sufferers realize that allergy is a chronic condition that may impact the quality of their life for the rest of their life. By addressing the root causes of their allergy, and by making practical and sustainable changes in their diet and lifestyle, they can prevent or minimize their allergy symptoms while avoiding long-term dependency on allergy drugs. n Vijay Gupta studies and writes about health issues from a consumer’s perspective. As a longtime allergy sufferer, he has tried most of the treatments described herein. Currently, he uses the Ayurvedic approach to prevent and treat his allergy symptoms.
May 2015 | Southern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 51
opinion
Yoga: Indian or American? The fight over yoga in the U.S. can tie us up in knots
“C
riss-cross applesauce.” That’s what a school in Encinitas, California, calls the padmasana or lotus position in its effort to make yoga sound more all-American. It worked. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling that the Encinitas school district could continue to offer yoga programmes to its students. It’s being hailed as great victory for yoga which it is. The court has basically told a group of paranoid parents that the yoga mat is not some red carpet laid out to usher Hinduism into American schools. And just because they learn to sit in a lotus position, these school children were not being indoctrinated into some exotic Eastern religion. The courts reassured the parents that not only was the programme “secular” and not about “advancing or inhibiting religion” but it was also now “a distinctly American cultural phenomenon” despite its Indian roots. The school superintendent hailed the original decision calling yoga “21st century P.E.” with “amazing” health benefits as if it was not thousands of years old. What would Shripad Naik, India’s cabinet minister for yoga make of that? Narendra Modi has made it quite clear that he’s putting the Indian back in yoga. He went to the UN and asked for an International Yoga Day. He set up a cabinet post. He told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria how he tells everyone to practice yoga. He is a bona fide yoga evangelist. And the Make in India PM wants there to be no question that yoga was Made in India not born out of immaculate conception in a Manhattan studio. And therein lies the problem of ownership. Could India claim yoga the way a region in France claims champagne and protects it from fizzy fascimiles elsewhere? For that to happen, writes Tanaya Basu in The Atlantic, Modi would need to secure a “geographical indication” which is a formal acknowledgement of a “location’s importance to a specific product.” But yoga, Basu writes “unlike champagne—which is made from grapes grown in a particular region with distinct weather conditions and soil content—yoga can’t be held in your hand.” While yoga indisputably comes from India, a headstand in Pune is not that different from one in San Francisco. And that says Sonia Katyal, law professor at Fordham University, “makes it a little harder to explain 52 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
By Sandip Roy
A Creative Commons Image by Sombilon Art how its Indian origins are always essential to the practice or characteristics of yoga today.” Replace India with Hinduism in this discussion and the “geographic indication” becomes even trickier. The Hindu American Foundation started the Take Yoga Back campaign after they noticed the Yoga Journal never linked yoga to Hinduism because it told them, “Hinduism has a lot of baggage.” The “Taking Back” idea sparked quite war of words between HAF’s Aseem Shukla and Deepak Chopra in Washington Post and then HAF’s Swaminathan Venkataraman and Meera Nanda in Open Magazine. Nanda argued that it was ludicrous to “draw an unbroken line connecting 21st century yogic postures with the nearly 2,000 year-old Yoga Sutras, and tie both to the supposedly 5,000 year-old Vedas.” HAF responded that “requiring everything Hindu be traceable back to Vedic times is ludicrous” and a driver behind the campaign was not just a Yoga Journal not mentioning the H-word but an attempt by some Christians to create a “Christian Yoga.” HAF’s Sheetal Shah also told The Atlantic that despite the name, it was not about taking yoga “back” from anyone. It was about acknowledging yoga’s Hindu roots instead of burying them under a sticky mat. HAF has had to think this through more thoroughly than some of the more gung ho Made in India acolytes who want to have
it both ways. They want their yoga to be Hindu-branded AND they are up in arms if a school is prevented from offering it. In this statement, HAF carefully threads the needle. “Under the First Amendment, public schools may offer yoga-based programs, such as asana-only programs, as part of their curriculum because asana alone is not yoga. Public schools should not offer programs that go beyond the instruction of asana and other physical components of yoga. As such, community groups are free to offer more comprehensive yoga programs during non-school hours using school facilities on the same basis as other community groups sponsoring religious and secular programs for youth.” The problem is the asana has been conflated with the larger concept of yoga and now it’s difficult to separate the part from the whole. That’s why a court has to step in. But neither is it easy to maintain that divide. Sharanjit Sandhu, a yoga instructor in San Francisco, told me that she realizes the value of chanting Om to get into the right side of the brain during yoga class but also understands that it would be problematic to do that in a school gymnasium in California. What is perhaps more concerning than Yoga Journal’s H-avoidance is an Indian American who confesses he learned more about shlokas in his yoga class led by a blonde instructor than from his immigrant parents. Middle and upper middle-class India has only recently rediscovered yoga and that rediscovery is linked to its booming commercial popularity in the West. Meanwhile ,a Catholic priest in Mumbai, Father Joseph Pereira teaches yoga around the world and calls its Christian opponents “God addicts.” “Yoga is not just a work out, it’s a work-in,” he tells Scroll.in. Now, the Encinitas school district calls our Lotus position “criss-cross applesauce.” And while the purist in me bristles at that appropriation, another part of me wonders why that’s so different from Bhavesh becoming Bob in California in order to make it in America. In that sense yoga too has become the classic immigrant story—born in India and remade in America. n Sandip Roy is author of “Don’t Let Him Know,” and an editor at Firstpost.com where the above essay orginally appeared.
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dear doctor
Moving Towards Wholeness By Alzak Amlani
Q
Recently, I was listening to a psychologist on the radio talking about making friends with the “split off ” parts of us. She was suggesting that maturing as a human being required that we deal with what we are afraid of or don’t want to admit to ourselves about our personality, desires or even the past. This makes sense to me conceptually. I am in my forties now and hiding who I really am to others or myself doesn’t feel so good. However, I don’t know how one actually becomes friendly with unfriendly parts of ourselves. I don’t like the fact that I despise certain people. I don’t want to accept my anger, criticism and laziness. In fact, I am afraid that if I do, these qualities will increase. It’s best that I keep them under check and be careful what I say. I am also afraid what others will think of me if I show them these “ugly” sides of myself.
A
This is a vital question as you go into mid-life, where the urge to be true to yourself, more authentic and whole naturally arises. Most of us fight it because of the reasons you mentioned and because of
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our need to be seen in a certain way. Family stability is often reliant on people holding up certain images and roles for each other. Some of this is necessary, especially for children. If they knew everything their parents struggled with, felt or thought, they would feel very insecure and be horrified. However, you are asking about making friends with your own self. This begins with recognizing that everyone has these “ugly” sides. Underneath our anger, fear, hatred, laziness and other qualities we dislike are more truer feelings and needs. Fear is a natural reaction to lack of appropriate support or danger or loss. Anger is a way for us to set limits, say no and find courage to speak against a violation. When we have been deeply hurt, rejected or betrayed by someone we depended on, we can feel powerless which can lead to hatred. Understanding deeper causes of our emotions helps us accept them more. Accepting doesn’t imply being mean or behaving in hurtful or destructive ways. It allows us to look at ourselves with some neutrality and
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empathy. This creates a ground for inquiry, which leads to understanding and choice. You can begin by having a conversation with your critic or your angry self. Pull up a chair and imagine a part of you sitting across you. These are questions you can ask: Tell me what you are so angry about? How long have you felt this way? What do you need from me or someone else right now? Sometimes its helpful to go back and forth between the two chairs, your anger and the inquirer can have a real dialogue together. This can be very powerful. Illuminating parts of ourselves that have been repressed or we are afraid of knowing and showing is the road to more choice and less shame. Being aware makes space for all of us to be more available and therefore move towards wholeness. 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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the last word
A Magical Murder Mystery By Sarita Sarvate
I
n an age when costume dramas filmed in exotic locations from her clients. No wonder Adnan was convicted. crowd the airwaves, it is hard to imagine a radio program As you can see, no one comes out well in this story, not even gripping the world. But that was what happened with Serial. Hae, who remains a shadowy figure, a victim who is easily disUntil Serial, a celebrity confessing a mea culpa to Terry Gross was missed. the height of broadcast radio. But Serial set a new bar. And it was The series made me meditate about the presumption of innot even a radio show, just a podcast. nocence. Adnan Syed was not proven guilty beyond a reasonable In January 1999, a seventeen-year-old Korean-American girl doubt, I firmly believe. named Hae Lee disappeared in Baltimore, Maryland. A month Yet, doubt lingers. later, her body was discovered in a park by a man whom Sara At first, like everyone else, I believed that Jay knew more than Koenig, Serial’s producer, calls Mr. S. It is clear that Mr. S, who what he was letting on; that perhaps someone else was also inhad a shady history of streaking, was tipped off about the location volved. But as the series progressed, I changed my mind. of the body. For one, Mr. S’s excuse that he needed to relieve You see, there were simply too many coincidences that himself ten minutes into the ride from his home to work stacked up against Adnan. Why did he buy a cell phone If just does not hold water—no pun intended—and sectwo days before the murder? Why, on the day of the you are in ond, the body was so well-hidden in the woods that murder, did he loan his cell phone and his car to Jay, a without knowing the burial site, it would have been [a] predicament, mere acquaintance he sometimes bought pot from? impossible for anyone to stumble upon it. Why did he not remember anything about that day, I must warn you that if you wish to continue, you need to have even after the police called him the same evening to spoilers follow. about Hae’s disappearance? Why did he write millions on hand to ask The police eliminated the usual suspects, inthe word “kill” on a note? Why did he tell several cluding Hae’s boyfriend, Don, who allegedly had hire the best law- eyewitnesses that he wanted a ride from Hae after a watertight alibi. But it was only when they got school? Why did the police believe an Africanyers and plant rea- American drug dealer over a golden boy with no an anonymous tip about the ex-boyfriend that they honed in on Adnan Syed, a seventeen-year sonable doubt in priorAtrecord? old Pakistani-American student. Still, there was the very least, it seems that both Jay and no physical evidence linking Adnan to Hae’s body. the minds of the Adnan were involved. Since they did not know What prompted his arrest were the calls made from what the other’s testimony was, they could not be jury. his cellphone, which led them to Jay Wilds, an Africanspecific about their whereabouts. In the end, Jay ratted American drug dealer. Jay told the cops that he had helped on Adnan, who could not come clean and betray his community. Adnan bury the body the evening of Hae’s disappearance; cell Why do I believe this? Because, unlike Koenig, I believe that tower records confirmed some of his story. Adnan could not repassion can be a powerful motivator. I do not buy that Adnan was member the events of the day and had no solid alibi for the time not upset when Hae jilted him to begin a relationship with Don. of the murder, which, based on the phone records, occurred durIn spite of his apparent nonchalance, I do not think that anyone ing the twenty-one minutes between end of school and Jay being can know exactly what went on inside his heart. shown Hae’s body in the trunk of her car. Serial will haunt me for years. The young girl in the story If all this is not dizzying enough, it turn out that Jay is an undied a premature death; the podcast will never be entertainment reliable narrator who keeps shifting the timeline of events as well for her family. as the location where he saw the body in the trunk. So is there anything we can learn from Serial? It is that that Regardless, Adnan is serving a sentence of life plus thirty if you are in the kind of predicament Adnan was in, you need to years. Why? Because his attorney lost the jury’s sympathy by have millions on hand to hire the best lawyers and plant reasonable acting too aggressively in the courtroom. She also ignored a letdoubt in the minds of the jury. And if you are a girl like Hae, you ter a student had written to Adnan, providing him with an alibi. need to be careful who you hang out with. n Racism played a part; the prosecution argued that he should be refused bail because he was a Pakistani who was a flight risk. Annan is in fact an American-born citizen. The police did not test Sarita Sarvate (www.saritasarvate.com) has pubHae’s rape kit, nor did they conduct DNA tests on objects found lished commentaries for New America Media, at the burial site. Adan’s statements sounded fishy, as if he were KQED FM, San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland in fact guilty. Later, his attorney was disbarred for stealing money Tribune, and many nationwide publitions.
56 | INDIA CURRENTS | Southern California | May 2015
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