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India Herald
VOL. 24 • NO. 35 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents
Anupam Kher cheers the crowd with upbeat speech
Actor Anupam Kher presents the Lifetime Achievement Award given by Hindus of Greater Sushma Pallod ties a ‘rakhi’ to Anupam Kher to mark Raksha Bandhan. Houston to Ramesh Bhutada, left, and Beth Kulkarni, right. Photos by BIJAY DIXIT. temples in Shimla and said By SESHADRI KUMAR Acclaimed actor Anupam the ambience in the grand Kher won the hearts and minds hall reminded him of Mathura of hundreds of Houstonians by and Vrindavan. He had not narrating bits and pieces of his seen such a profusion of color own life with wit and humor. His anywhere else in the world, he hour long motivational speech said, a glowing testimony to laced with profound thoughts the organizers and the Houston easily captured the attention of Hindus who chose to attend the the audience assembled at the event. To feel free is to forgive George R. Brown Convention Center on Aug. 25 to celebrate people was his first gem as the community wide annual taught in Hindu scriptures. Janmashtami, hosted by After graphically describing how a family of 14 lived in an Hindus of Greater Houston. Anupam Kher recalled 8 by 10 unit apartment, Kher his childhood experiences of See JANMASHTAMI Page 2 October 20, Stafford Center. Sarod virtuosos Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Aiyaan Ali Bangash. IAA and Padmavibhushan Amjad Ali Khan dedicate this concert to the 150th birth year celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.
IAA Fall Offerings Indo American Associtaion proudly announces the Fall offerings of its 2018 season. Tickets for all events are available online at iaahouston.com or by phone 832.231.3086. Saturday Sept. 29, Stafford Center. INDIE ROUTES - Bridging the Generation Gap. The vibrant contemporary band will blow you away with their rendition of Sufi, Folk, Bollywood, and Indie Pop music. Saturday Oct. 20, Stafford Center. Sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan with Amaan Ali Bangash and Aiyaan Ali Bangash. Sunday Nov. 4, Stafford Center. MIRZA GHALIB - Andaaz e Bayaan Aur. Written, directed, and narrated by Prithvi Theater regulars Salim Arif and Lubna Salim, the theatrical/musical pays tribute to Ghalib with live music reminiscing homage to the great poet by K.L. Saigal, Suraiya, Talat Mehmood, Iqbal Bano, Mehdi Hassan, Wali Mohammed, and Jagjit Singh. Saturday Nov 10, MATCH. English play IKTARA. Diverse and different, we are all connected by one string - Iktara. Generously supported by the Mayor’s City Initiative Grant.
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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
JANMASHTAMI From Page 1 spelled out another compelling fact of life: when you are poor, the cheapest thing is happiness. Then, Kher dwelt elaborately on the concept of failure and success in all walks of life. Failure is an event and a person does not fail, he said. He also categorically disapproved of parents who perennially pressure their children to be at the top of the class. “There are different ways to learn life and I always celebrated failures,” Kher said. He was never a bright student academically nor was he an accomplished actor in his childhood. In fact, his first school play in the fifth standard was a flop, according to Kher, but his father presented him with a bunch of wild flowers and said it was not for failing, but for trying. When you celebrate failure, it takes out the fear of failure, Kher said. “My gyan (knowledge) is based on my life experiences” he said and he humorously narrated his botched role in William Shakespeare’s play - The Merchant of Venice. He started learning English in the fifth grade. Kher urged parents to make their children face life’s experiences and challenges so that the children can feel and learn from them. After graduating from the National School of Drama with a gold medal, he came to Bombay to try his luck in acting, but had to sleep at the railway station like a homeless person. He never give up and with his parents and grandparents’ encouragement, succeeded and today was on a big stage addressing thousands of people. Kher had some advice for the younger generation as well. Respect your parents and grandparents and don’t treat them like a piece of furniture. Be comfortable with who you are and never get scared of messing up. Look at life from a comical point of view and “live life” to the fullest because every moment is important. Kher’s speech was not merely full of morals or dos and don’ts. He talked about hunger, not of a poor man, but hunger to make the nation great. He alluded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to take the
country forward in this context and reiterated the need to do good for the nation. “People love me not because I am an actor, but for the love I show for the country,” Kher concluded. Sanjay Jajoo served as a lively Emcee while HGH President Partha Krishnaswamy appealed for funds for Kerala flood relief. Sewa International has collected $250,000 from generous Houstonians for relief work. Earlier, after a ceremonial procession, and opening of the attractive booths set up by the local temples and community organizations, a costume contest was held for children of all ages. Winners of the costume contests were: Group A: First - Kridhay Laddha, Second–Stavya, ThirdRiya Agrawal and Vansh Sarda with Juhi Bhutada Group B: First -Avik Sudeep, Second - Agrima Gupta, Third Ramon Soni with Nikunj Lohiya Group C: First -Saumya Gupta, Second - Neson & Suhas, Third Purti Ravi Two Houstonians were recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award - CEO of Star Pipes Ramesh Bhutada and Beth Kulkarni. A well-known philanthropist, Bhutada who has served the community unstintingly with his time, effort and resources said he was humbled to receive the award and reiterated Anupam Kher’s words on encouraging and “recognizing our children for trying.” The Akhil Chopra Unsung Heroes Award was presented to Richa Dixit, Manish Khatri and Nisha Bhatia. Event Chair Girish Naik observed that this celebration was very special to him because two iconic personalities who he “always looked up to for inspiration and guidance – Ramesh Bhutada and Beth Kulkarni were receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.” Sangita Bhutada’s stunning and vibrant Rangoli – the year’s theme being “makhan chor.” First time attendee and IMAGH Secretary Saeed Pathan said that the Janmashtami celebrations and the atmosphere brought back wonderful childhood memories of the festival in India. The event was possible due
The Global Organization for Divinity’s display of Lord Krishna’s birth scene inside a prison won the first place for outstanding booths.
to the generosity of its major donors: Jugal Malani, Ramesh Bhutada, Swapnil Agarwal, Rahul Mehta, Tilak Agarwal, Arun Verma and Vijay Pallod. Members of the Young Hindus of Greater Houston (YHGH) also contributed substantially to the
smooth execution of the event. YHGH President Raj Salhotra stated “The 2018 Janmashtami celebration showcased Houston’s wonderful tradition of diversity. It was wonderful to witness the outpouring of support from Houston’s youth. We are excited
to work with youth from across the city to build an organization that represents Hindus from all backgrounds.” HGH officials and volunteers sported a special saffron colored vest, specially procured from India by Gopal Agarwal.
Baby Krishna costume contest participants at the Janmashtami celebration on Aug. 25 at George R. Brown Convention center, Houston. Photo by BIJAY DIXIT.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 3
NEWS
Bollywood Blast
Bollywood Blast, the brainchild of the visionary, late Anil Kumar, started 13 years ago, and he predicted that it will one day become the most popular Indian presentation at the Miller Outdoor Theater. Bollywood Blast has been imitated, cloned, copied, but still remains the first of its kind in Houston, and indeed a trailblazer, and a trendsetter, in every sense of the word. This year, in a special tribute
to Miller Outdoor Theatre’s 95th Anniversary, Samskriti will be presenting Agni Entertainment of Austin in “Om Shanti.” Through colorful songs, sets, and characters, Om Shanti tells the story of Om, a court dancer madly in love with the princess, Shanti, in a land called Bollywood, whose soul was song and dance until everything changed. Director/producer Prakash Mohandas says of the production, “This grand musical will be unlike
anything Texas has seen, a production infused with all the wonders of Bollywood—lights, costumes, dance, music and melodrama playfully revealing a saga on stage: of celebration, friendship, hope, love, life, after-life, revenge, and more.” Agni Entertainment’s prime focus is the production, promotion and distribution of independent film and theatre projects. Agni also aims to spread its wings into the arenas of media management and entertainment news. Its goal is to establish the missing links in the south Asian arts industry outside of Asia and eventually create a thriving, stand-alone industry in countries outside the Asian sub-continent. Prakash Mohandas, founder and CEO of Agni Entertainment, is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, actor, dancer, and musician and is also the founder of Agni Dance Company and Agni Foundation for the Arts based in Austin, TX. His other theatrical works include Lanka, Strings of time, Disco Deewane and the Big Fat Indian Wedding. Prakash has also made a series of short and feature length films. BOLLYWOOD BLAST has been made possible by a grant from the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, and will take place on Labor Day Sunday, September 2, 8.15 PM. Admission is FREE, as also Parking. For ‘free’ tickets to the reserved seating area, visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com or call 832-2759658.
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Indian Music Society of Houston Presents
HIndustani Vocal by Smt. Manjiri Asnare Kelkar (Disciple of Pandit M.T. Mhaiskar and Pandit Madhusudan Kanetkar)
Manjiri Asnare Kelkar Sanjay Deshpande on Tabla
DATE: Saturday, SEPTEMBER 8 TIME: 5 P.M. VENUE: Cullen Hall, University of St. Thomas, 3901 Yoakum Blvd., Houston
Suyog Kundalkar on Harmonium
www.IMSHOUSTON.Net For Information, Call Govind Shetty @ 713-922-2501
PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
COMMUNITY
All set for World Hindu Congress in Chicago
Coordinators and volunteers at a meeting in Chicago
By MANU SHAH In a little over a week from now, the windy city of Chicago will welcome some of the most influential global voices for the 2nd World Hindu Congress (WHC) – a three day conference from Sept. 7-9, to connect, confer and deliberate how Hindus around the world can raise their profile, find their voice and create a consequential positive impact on the world stage. The globally focused event will draw 250 thought leaders and 2200 delegates from over 50 countries. A brainchild of IITian Swami Vigyananand, the landmark event is considered the “largest gathering of Hindu leaders to date.” Registrations were closed two months ago due to the phenomenal response. His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a message in the inaugural session. The three day event will feature Plenary and Valedictory sessions and seven parallel conferences on Economy, Education, Media, Women participation, Hindu organizations, Youth and Politics. The end goal is to understand the challenges facing Hindus globally and collaborate on possible solutions. Economic Conference: CSuite business leaders, economists, successful entrepreneurs, and innovators will come together to inspire and encourage greater wealth creation and wealth surplus – the only way, as Program Coordinator Mukesh Aghi puts it, to empower people and overcome problems such as poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy. Eminent speakers like CEO Emerson Electric Ed Monser, CMO FedEx Raj Subramaniam, VP Walmart Dan Bryant and Columbia University Professor Arvind Panagariya, will hold forth on India’s economic trajectory, business potential in India and entrepreneurship. Sessions will also showcase top tier corporate leaders and encourage interaction with them to ignite ideas, innovation and knowledge growth. Delegates can discuss policy and trade issues and how these can be resolved by the business community. Youth Conference: Strengthening Hindu identity, encouraging young Hindu entrepreneurship, addressing professions where Hindus are underrepresented, changing media narratives about Hindu Dharma and Hindu Human Rights and Political RepresentaSee WHC, Page 6
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 5
COMMUNITY
ShreeKrithi students present summer concert
The ShreeKrithi School of Music held its summer concert featuring young and upcoming musicians at the Destiny Entertainment Center in Stafford on Aug. 19. Children, as young as seven, learned Bollywood music on various instruments and played with such perfection so much so it was like a mini A.R. Rehman live in concert. ShreeKrithi has adult students as well who have a passion for Bollywood music and some of them, including senior citizens, performed on stage. Introducing a new element, some adult singers presented ‘A cappella’ music and earned thunderous applause. Chief Guest Prabha Bala, one of the founders of the Classical Arts Society of Houston, pointed out that ShriKrithi brought both the South Indian Carnatic music and the north Indian Hindustani music on the same stage so that the audience could enjoy both the genres. Founder-director Mahalakshmi Krishnan and full time faculty and music composer Sandeep Kumrouth trained young members in various instruments to play Bollywood music. They also help their students learn, perform, compose, and record music. The school successfully taps the potential of each student, explores his or her skills and brings out the best in them. ShreeKrithi’s mission, is to provide an enriched and nurturing learning environment that will help its students get ahead in the field of music. The purpose of the school is to impart high quality learning in music, through exceptional training, and innovative techniques. The goal is to instill confidence, and encourage creativity for students of all ages. For more information visit Shreekrithi.com or call 713-5945844.
Students of ShreeKrithi School of Music flanked by Sandeep Kumrouth, left, and Maha Krishnan, right.
Adult students who participated in the music program with Sandeep Kumrouth and Maha Krishnan.
BAPS Charities help plant 300,000 trees BAPS Charities celebrates a three-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) through its Walk Green initiative, a series of walkathons hosted by BAPS Charities across North America. Beginning in 2016, BAPS Charities coordinated efforts with TNC to raise funds for the Plant a Billion Trees initiative, and on August 24, 2018, presented the final gift of $166,000 to TNC executives and program leadership in Chino Hills, California. BAPS Charities volunteers and donors provided a total of 300,000 trees to TNC, made possible by $431,000 in total funds raised over three years by 23,000 walkers at 76 cities across the nation. TNC staff and leaders attended several of these walks, educating walkers about the importance of environmental protection and the urgent need for all people to become active stewards of the environment. BAPS Charities volunteers and Board members presented The Nature Conservancy’s Chris Topik, Director of Plant a Billion Trees; Maria Fisher, Donor Stewardship Officer; and Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager with the check which was followed by a tree-planting ceremony. “Tree planting and reforestation are the most rewarding ways to improve wildlife habitats and cities, foster clean and abundant waters, and mitigate carbon emissions that cause climate change,” Chris noted during his visit to Chino Hills, “Thanks to the contribution of BAPS Charities volunteers we’ve been able to replant longleaf pine trees in the southern U.S., which have a natural resilience to catastrophic storms, but only 3% of this once
common forest-type remains. Your support also planted thousands of shortleaf pine trees in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley where the land has witnessed mass deforestation due to agricultural overdevelopment. These newly planted trees create opportunities for carbon sequestration and improve lives.” Erin Daly participated in the event for her third year in a row and remarked, “BAPS Charities volunteers have engaged the next generation of children and young people in passionate ownership of environmental stewardship, unlike any other organization I have seen.” Over the last six months, BAPS Charities hosted their annual walkathons across North America. This year’s national partner and beneficiary, the Nature Conservancy, continues a partnership between BAPS Charities and the Conservancy from 2016. Walkers from all age groups joined together in the spirit of service and community support to make each walk a great success. The Nature Conservancy’s efforts focus on protecting habitats and preserving biodiversity across the world. In addition to targeted conservation efforts, The Nature Conservancy also invests in research related to conservation and climate change to drive their international efforts. “Participating in the BAPS Charities Walkathon is a tradition for my family, Walk Green is a focused effort to make a measurable impact in the world. Every year we come together and use the opportunity to support the causes that BAPS Charities carefully selects,” said 19-yearold Rucha Modi.
BAPS Charities donates $166,000 to The Nature Conservancy which will help plant a billion trees by 2025 and 300,000 trees in the last three years. With a commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, the continued partnership between The Nature Conservancy and BAPS Charities is only natural. BAPS Charities’ mission supports five programmatic areas: environmental protection, health, education, youth development, and disaster relief. “BAPS Charities activities reinforce the importance of serving others, raising awareness about important causes, and this year, protecting the planet through practice is important to my family and me,” said Katha Patel, a participant in the day’s activities. The Nature Conservancy and BAPS Charities representatives BAPS Charities leverages plant a tree. community walks as opportunities to instill a spirit of service and action around sustainabil- and lighting fixtures, droughtand commitment to preserva- ity and conservation, becoming resistant trees and plants, as well as the use of AstroTurf to limit tion and environmental respon- owners rather than bystanders. water use. This culture of enviMore widely in its operations, sibility in community members. ronmental responsibility is at the BAPS Charities participates Through participation in events core of BAPS Charities’ work in energy effi ciency planning and fundraising activities like and culture in promoting natural through prioritizing the use of Walkathons, participants are acharmony. solar power, effi cient fi ber optics tively engaged in conversations
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 6
COMMUNITY
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WHC From Page 4 tion are the ďŹ ve core issues that will form the crux of the Youth conference. Coordinators Parth Parihar and Amruta Houde believe this conference has tremendous opportunities for global engagement between young Hindus and the opportunity to reďŹ&#x201A;ect on the perspectives of renowned Hindus around the world, perspectives that people â&#x20AC;&#x153;would not normally have access to.â&#x20AC;? Prominent speakers include Trinidad Archery champion Prashaanta Singh, Member of Parliament of Norway Himanshu Gulati, founder and CEO of 3one4Capital Siddarth Pai and founder and CEO of Biomenta Research Nisha Holla. Womensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Increasing the Role of Women in Hindu Resurgence and Renaissanceâ&#x20AC;? is the stated goal of this conference. Inspiring case studies, the Role of Women in Shaping Society, Entrepreneurship and Micro Savings, Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Value based Education and Policy Making, RedeďŹ ning the Role of Hindu Women, Socio Cultural issues and Contemporary Challenges are some of the topics that will take center stage. Accelerating the conversation are prominent women speakers like Chandrika Tandon, Dr. Anuradha Gokhale, Dr. Meena Chandavarkar, Dr. Vindya Vasini, Prof. Madhu Kishwar, Ms. Alaka Inamdhar, Dr. Uma Vaidya, and Padmshri Shital Mahajan. Coordinators Manju Tiwari and Rama Rathna anticipate that the conference will broaden the network of Hindu women across the globe and help start a dialogue about the way forward. Political Conference: The Political Conference will provide a connecting platform for the global Hindu diaspora that is politically active and allow political aspirants among the younger generation to interface with seniors leaders and in the process ďŹ nd mentors. Panelists will discuss: Reasserting a strong Hindu Political Voice, Expanding and Cultivating Political Leadership, Collective Strategies to Address Adverse and Complex Political Environments, Strategy for Protecting Hindu Human Rights and Empowering the Next Generation of Political Leaders. Notable panelists include Vice President of Suriname Ashwin Adhin, National Federation Party of Fiji member Biman Prasad and Member National Assembly SA Santosh Kalyan.
Media Conference: Various aspects of the media landscape from print to social mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unprecedented reach, accurate presentation about Hindus, media analysis, its responsibilities and technology will also be highlighted. According to Coordinators Vikas Deshpande and Sushil Pandit, this is vital as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hindu community gets branded because of how we are portrayed in the media either intentionally or unintentionally.â&#x20AC;? Key speakers include noted actor Anupam Kher, Editor, Columnist, Anchor Rohit Sardana, Founder of Shaktitva Project Neha Srivastava and writer and columnist Sunanda Vashisht. Educational conference: Organized by the Hindu Education Board and Coordinator Nachiketa Tiwari, the fundamental goal is to bring together educationists, academicians, publishers, students and policy makers to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the ďŹ eld of education including access to quality, innovative, aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable education, the academic study of Hindu Dharma, society and dharmic values based education. Speakers include USCD Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran, Chancellor VIT University G. Viswanathan, Swami Mitrananda from Chinmaya University and Ram Subramanian from IIT Mumbai. Hindu Organizational Conference: Conducted by the Hindu Organizations, Temples and Associations Forum, the goal, according to Coordinators Guna Magesan, Ami Patel and Sanjay Tripathi, is to bring together a vast array of Hindu organizations, temples, associations, and institutions serving Hindu societies to share best practices, experiences, and forge a strong, united and organized Hindu society for the beneďŹ t of humanity in general, and Hindu society in particular. Prominent speakers include Bharat Seva Ashram Sangh President Swami Purnatmananda, Art of Living Foundation Head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Chinmaya Mission Worldwide Head Swami Swaroopananda and All World Gayatri Pariwar Head Dr. Pranav Pandya. A new element is the Hindu GPS (Global Poster Session) which will display over 55 Poster Presentations during the conference. The posters, Coordinators Dr. Jai Bansal and Dr. Chandra Reddy explain, will feature inspirational stories, Hindu organizations, ancient connections between India and other Asian societies and social service opportunities in India and in the communities we live in. To learn more about the 2018 World Hindu Congress, visit http:// whc.2018worldhinducongress.org
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 • PAGE 7
PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 9
COMMUNITY
Above, Srisanvita Sridhar, left, Dr. Siva Bodagala, J. Janardhanan, Akash Srikanth, Reshmi Nair and Alpa Shah belt out a concluding medley.
Summer melodies
Suresh Shenoy sings a Kannada film song. Rajan Radhakrishnan of Madras Pavilion with Friends of Texas organized a multilingual musical treat called “Summer melodies” to benefit the renovation project of Sri Meenakshi Temple Kalyana Mandapam. The program was held on Aug. 26 and the singers included Rajan Radhakrishnan, Alpa Shah, Dr. Siva Bodagala, Reshmi Nair, Srilakshmi, Suresh Shenoy, Srisanvita Sridhar, Akash Srikanth, Jonathan Janardahnan and Ganesh Rajamani. Local singers presented songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. Rajan Radhakrishnan recalled his association with the temple and the Kalyanamandapam in particular where even before Madras Pavilion was first established in Houston, they began preparing Masala Dosas at the temple site. And subsequently, the mutual cooperation between the temple and restaurant continued to this day. The 20-year-old marriage hall is set for renovation and expansion at an estimated cost of $500,000. As a part of the fundraising, donations of $1,000 each have been received in the name of youth members. The temple exceeded the target of pledges from 75 youth.
Rajan Radhakrishnan, left, with co-singers, receives a token of appreciation from Sri Meenakshi Temple Society Chair Dr. Padmini Ranganathan, third from right.
PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
NEWS Houston Indian Community remembers Atal Behari Vajpayee Bharat Ratna Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India was paid glowing tributes as a great reformer, administrator, philosopher poet, visionary and a “ruler of hearts” at a Shraddhanjali Sabha (Homage Meeting) at India House in Houston on Tuesday, Aug 21st. Organized by the Overseas Friends of the BJP (OFBJP) Houston chapter, the event was attended by a large number of community leaders and common folks alike. Sewa International Houston chapter president Gitesh Desai emceed the program and said that Atalji was AjatShatru, a friend of everybody and always went above and beyond party lines. He liberally borrowed from Atal ji’s poems throughout the program to bring out the philosopher poet attribute of the great leader. The program started with Preetu Dave’s soulful rendition of “Vande Mataram” and the audience joined in. A 10 minute video covering 25 stories from Atal ji’s life was then shown. Ramesh Shah, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardee spoke about his long association with Atalji and emphasized that he cared for every Indian citizen, believed in one nation, one people, one culture for India. Atalji extended support for the Indian diaspora to keep in touch with their roots and their ancestral family and friends in India. He ended on a hopeful note that Atalji’s work and words will keep inspiring millions of swayamsevaks in all walks of life. Puneet Shah, a young OFBJP karyakarta, rendered the “Hindu Tan Man, Hindu Jeevan” a poem by Atalji. This poem details the philosophy Atal ji followed in his life. Dr. Anupam Ray, Consul General of India in Houston, remembered Vajpayee fondly through his 1996 inspirational speech in Parliament “The pursuit of power will never cease; Governments will come & go; Political parties will rise and fall; but the Nation is above all; Democracy is above all”. “Vajpayee Ji was extraordinarily gracious, never made you feel he was superior, had the ability to take everyone along and establish a connection with you. He changed the face of India, what we are seeing today was his foresight. Today, we believe we can do anything - aspire to be rich and powerful based on what we have done but when he became PM during the worst financial crisis, things were different. He was a man of decency, brought decency into politics and brought all under one umbrella”, Dr. Ray added. Charudatt Malasure, from the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Sampark team, delivered a poem he wrote eulogizing Atalji’s efforts and influence. Recalling Vajpayee’s famous lines, “Andhakar chathayga, suraj niklega and kamal khilega”, Jugal Malani, President of India House in Houston, said Vajpayee was a great orator and first non-congress premier to complete his five years. Ramesh Bhutada, VP HSS and a reputed philanthropist shared vivid memories of Atalji’s visit to Houston and the way he put others at ease in his presence. Hasu Patel, president of IAPAC and SIMA, paid his tributes while outlining Atal ji’s life history and Nisha Mirani, president of ICC, pointed out the great unifying quality of Atal ji in her tribute. Amit Misra, a noted lawyer and HSS National Director of Communications, spoke warmly about the long association his family had with Atal ji, going back to 1953 when Atal ji contested an election for the first time. He spoke about Atal ji’s contributions towards organizing the society by following the RSS ideology. Sharmishtha Shahi beautifully rendered the bhajan “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” towards the close of the program. Achalesh Amar, OFBJP Houston Coordinator, delivered the vote of thanks and said, “An era has ended with his demise as Atalji was instrumental in mainstreaming BJP and was the perfect combination of wit, wisdom and perseverance”. Arun Sharma, HSS Southwest Zone Director, recited the Shanti mantra “Om Purnamadah Purnamidam…” to conclude the meeting as the audience offered floral tributes to Atal ji on their way out.
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 11
COMMUNITY
Surangan’s annual student appreciation day
By SANCHALI BASU The Surangan Music School celebrated its annual program at the HDBS Sur Auditorium on August 12th 2018. After months of rigorous rehearsals, students got to showcase their talent on a platform which boosted their confidence and brought the Surangan family closer. Kudos to the energetic, melodious, talented teacher, and founder Rupa Ghosh in accomplishing the herculean task of training the young talents, who are mostly born and brought up in the US. The program was inaugurated with the lamp lighting ceremony by community leaders, Dr. Hannan Khan, President of BASGH, Shah Haleem, President of BAH, Sujit Sengupta,
Vice President of HDBS and Debleena Banerji, President of TSH. Emcee Mila Sengupta, welcomed the audience with a brief introduction of the school. The first half of the program was titled, “Aalor Anandaloke Panchakabi” signifying the message of enlightenment through the propagation of happiness by the 5 stalwart poets of Bengal, namely Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Dwijendralal Ray, Rajanikanta Sen and Atulprasad Sen. The script-based program was narrated by Biplab Samadder in his smooth, soothing and baritone voice. Solo and group songs accompanied by Raja Banga, Niranjan Roy and Barun Choudhury on the tabla,
Biplab Samadder on the violin, Vikram Banga on percussion, and Bidyut Ghosh on the mandira were interspersed with solo and group dances. The dancers ranged from considerably young artistes to more mature, skilled ones, and brought color and life to the music program. Rupa, with the help of her husband Pradip Ghosh was successful in putting together this program with a large contingent of 92 participants. What makes Rupa’s students very special is that, not only is their pronunciation of the Bengali lyrics impeccable, they also play the harmonium while singing. Group and solo dances were choreographed by Supradipta Datta, Silvia Faruque and Shown Sarkar, and performed
beautifully by Polin, Nusaiba, Tithi, Shanta, Shown, Shinjini, Ananya, Sanchali, and a number of other youngsters. This year’s annual program was made special by the presence of Bangladesh’s pride, renowned exponent of Rabindra Sangeet and recipient of Ekushey Padak award - Kaderi Kibria. He was felicitated with a plaque and “uttoriyo”. He was invited to award certificates to the students of the school and participants. Finally Kaderi took the stage and Rupa accompanied him in some of the songs. He enthralled the audience with his rendition of not so popular, but rich Rabindra Sangeet numbers mixing them up with some popular ones. He spiced up
the musical performance with tidbits of anecdotes related to some of his songs and shared his experiences with his Gurus Debabrata Biswas and Chinmoy Chatterjee. He also sang some “Harano Diner Gaan” (old Bengali songs). Rupa ended the program with a vote of thanks to all participants. Surangan family deserves high accolades for presenting yet another excellent program showcasing the gems of Bengali cultural creativity. The journey that Rupa has undertaken will undoubtedly carry the torch of Bengali cultural heritage to the newer generations growing up far from their place of origin.
PAGE 12 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
COMMUNITY Swami Mukundananda bestows spiritual bliss on Houstonians Houstonians braved the traďŹ&#x192;c and adjusted their summer schedules to attend Swami Mukundanandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs at India House and the Hindu Worship Temple. Swamiji, as he is aďŹ&#x20AC;ectionately called by his followers, is a world-renowned teacher of Spirituality, Yoga & Meditation. His academic background includes degrees in Engineering and Management from prestigious institutes in India; The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and The Indian Institute of Management (IIM). However, his spiritual calling was so intense that he renounced his promising professional career to take sanyas at the young age of 23. Swamiji is a senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj and the founder of JKYog - a non-proďŹ t organization dedicated to the spiritual, mental and physical wellness of humankind. During the ďŹ rst week-long program at India House from Aug. 4-10, Swamiji presented a Life Transformation Program (LTP) for the holistic well-being of body, mind and soul. This program is a combination of yoga, meditation and intellectual discourses by Swami Mukundananda. Swamiji explained the 7 Divine Laws for Happiness and FulďŹ llment in great detail covering one Divine Law each day. The participants listened to Swamiji with rapt attention and participated in every activity with great vigor. Some of the remarks shared by the participants at the India House program are: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lectures are so profound and powerful that it forces you to examine your own priorities, values, beliefs, habits, etc. with total honesty and humility.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swamiji leads listeners step by step towards an understanding of how to remove obstacles to your progress and how to make the necessary changes in your life.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swamiji explains diďŹ&#x192;cult concepts with simplicity, accuracy, wit and humor.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;His techniques are based on Vedic scriptures, but he makes the process of life transformation so easy and practical.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;He literally moves you to transform yourself.â&#x20AC;? Swamiji treated Houstonians to a second week of spiritual joy at the Hindu Worship Temple from Aug 11-17 sponsored by Shri Sita Ram Foundation, USA. The focus this time was on the Ram Katha Rahasya. Swamiji is a master story-teller; delving into the depths to reveal the spiritual gems hidden within the Ramayan. The audience were led on an enchanted journey by Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s narration of the divine pastimes of Lord Ram. Swamiji easily held the attention of a diverse audience ranging from children to the elderly; evoking laughter as well as tears from his listeners. Throughout the 7-day program, the listeners were taught the essence of spirituality covered in the nectar of the Ram Katha. The audience appreciated the uniqueness of Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ram Katha and were saddened when the program concluded on the last day. Houstonians were grateful for Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful programs and eagerly await Swami Mukundanandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next visit to Houston on Sept 21 and Sept 22. For more details, visit JKYog.org/events or call 281-630-5982 or 832-377-6070.
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 13
RELIGION
Grand yagna offered at Meenakshi Temple
fruits were offered to the agni. Kudos to the Temple Board under the chairmanship of Dr Padmini Nathan and the entire Religious Activities Committee team of volunteers lead by
Sheila Sriram for the meticulous preparation and execution. The priests led by Sri Manicka Bhattar did a phenomenal job. The Silpis (artisans) led by Ramanathan did most outstanding
work, building the large homa kundam, installing the tents, beautifully decorating them and many other tasks. —By M.K. Sriram
Invoking and worshipping the women power... It is said that in the present age known as Kali Yuga, worshipping Goddess Chandi and Lord Ganesha are of great importance. In the Hindu pantheon, Goddess Chandi is the most powerful Divine Universal Mother. She is the combination of the Goddess triumvirate – Mahakali or Durga, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswathy. Like the God Rudra, she has two forms. In Her fierce form, she destroys the evil demons, whereas in Her resplendent and benevolent form she is most loving and compassionate. It was a most remarkable weekend at Sri Meenakshi Temple as the Nava Chandi Maha Homam was conducted in a very grand manner. This is a very elaborate puja consisting of many rituals as ordained by the scriptures, requiring highly learned priests with special skills and knowledge. The eminent MTS priests were joined by other distinguished priests to conduct this great yagna and homam from Thursday Aug 16th till Sunday Aug 19th. All proceeds from this event went towards the Kalyana Mandapam Renovation Project. Hundreds of devotees attended every session each day and were completely immersed in the puja and mesmerized by the chanting of the mantras and various vedic hymns. The main aspect of the puja is the recital of the Devi Mahatmyam. Among all the sacred texts that laud the glory of the Mother, Devi Mahatmyam is considered to be extremely auspicious and powerful. Devi Mahatmyam, or the Glory of the Goddess, describes the victory of the Devi Chandi over the asuras Madhu-Kaitabha, Mahishasura and ShumbhaNishumbha. Though the Devi Mahatmy-
am consisting of 13 chapters is part of Markandeya Purana, it is not merely treated as a purana, but is considered a fullfledged scripture by itself. The yagasala where the slokas were recited became flooded with waves of vibration, purifying the entire area, invoking the presence of the Supreme Devi. The greatness of the Devi Mahatmyam is extensively explained in several ancient texts. The Devi Mahatmyam has the ability to grant the fruits according to the upasana (worship). At one level, the Devi Mahatmyam chronicles the battle between the Devi and the asuras. At another level it deals with the battle of life. At yet another level it deals with the inner battle between the divine and the demoniac forces within the human psyche. Several rituals were performed during the course of the four days, such as Ganapathy Homam, Navagraha Homam, Sri Lalitha Sahasranama Parayanam (recital), Sri Lalitha Sahasranama Homam, Devi Mahatmyam Parayanam and pujas for 64 Bhairavas and 64 Yoginis. Married couples (dhampathis) performed puja to Sumangalis. Pujas were also performed for Kanya girls and Bhairavar boys. It is believed that Goddess Chandi is invoked in these various forms. The grand finale on August 19th was the Maha Chandi Homam performed simultaneously by nine priests on a specially constructed enormous homa kundam. A very large gathering of over 500 devotees witnessed probably the biggest and most elaborate yagna of their lifetime. The supreme power of the Maha Devi was experienced by everybody. At the end of each of the 13 chapters, vastram and
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 15
SANATAN SHIV SHAKTI MANDIR OF HOUSTON INC. 6640 HarwinDr, Houston, TX 77036 Website : www.shivshaktimandir.org - Email : shivshaktimandir45@yahoo.com
or follow as on https://www.facebook.com/Sanatan-Shiv-Shakti-Mandir-Houston A Hearty Invitation to all Hindu Devotees to celebrate Shravan Maas STARTS -August 11th. 2018 to September 09th 2018 ||Om Namah Shivay|| 1st.- Monday – August 13 , 2018 – KERI MANORATH DARSHAN 2nd.- Monday – August 20 ,2018 - GANGAVIHAR DHARSHAN 3rd. -Monday – August 27 , 2018 –SHIVAVIAVAH DARSHAN 4th.- Monday – September 03 ,2018 –SRAVAN-BADH0 DARSHAN SHRAVANA AMAVASYA MAHAPOOJA –September 09,2018 Sunday
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PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
NEWS
AAPI Urges US to expedite H-1B, J-1 Visa for Physicians (New York, NY: August 19) “As the rapidly approaching start date for all GME programs, we at AAPI want to urge the US administration to expedite review of pending H-1B/J-1 Visa applications by non-U.S. International Medical Graduates (IMGs), who have been accepted to postgraduate training programs in order to avoid unnecessary delays,” said Dr. Naresh Parikh, President of AAPI, during a Media Greet & Meet event. He, joined by the senior leadership of AAPI, presented a Citation to the Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty. The Citation acknowledged that there is a projected increase in the total number of office visits to primary care physicians from a base of 462 million in 2008 to 565 million in 2025, due to aging of the US population as well as the average number of visits to primary care physicians projected to increase, resulting in higher demands and reduced supply of physicians, pointing that the US will be short by more than 90,000 physicians by 2020 and 130,000 physicians by 2025. In his key note address, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty said, “You have excelled in your fields of medicine, and thus make significant contributions through hard work, commitment and dedication to your profession and the people you are committed to serve.” While conveying his greetings and best wishes to AAPI leaders for the success of the convention and Global Healthcare Summit, Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty described the fast-growing health sector, particularly the pharmaceutic industry in India. Ambassador Chakravorty lauded the efforts of AAPI, particularly for the free clinics across India, and urged AAPI to work with the government of India to coordinate the efforts for maximum impact. The Ambassador earlier appealed for help the victims of the flood victims in Kerala. In his Presidential address, Dr. Parikh, who was elected unopposed in every election leading to his current leadership of national SAAPI, stated that American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic Medical Association in the nation, representing the interests of over 100,000 physicians, Fellows and Residents in the United States, while working closely with the Lawmakers individually, regionally and nationally through our AAPI Legislative Day on Capitol Hill, have consistently supported a comprehensive immigration reform. Dr. Parikh pointed out that in order to meet the growth in demand and shortage of physicians, the US has looked up to
the highly trained and qualified physicians from other countries to meet our growing demand for physicians to meet our nation’s healthcare needs. In this context, AAPI has joined other Medical Association in the country in urging the US to expedite and reduce/eliminate the hurdles for speedy process of the applicants seeking H-1B visa. The J-1 visa to qualified physicians, enabling these foreign-trained physicians to serve our nation’s healthcare needs. Dr. Parikh lauded the efforts of Dr. Anjana Sammadder, Treasurer of AAPI, in leading the initiative in bringing to the forefront the issue of expedited Visa process for physicians from abroad, who want to serve in this country. In her remarks, Dr. Anjana assured that she will work towards ensuring financial stability to AAPI, and to work with the team to make AAPI strong, successful and stable.” Dr. Parikh said,his top priorities in the upcoming year will be to enhance membership, enabling AAPI members to recognize the many benefits of being members of AAPI, this attracting new members and sustaining those who are already members of AAPI. Bringing in financial stability to the organization is a major thrust for the new team, he said. Strengthening the many projects and programs in India and the United States, while taking on new initiatives and coordinating individual efforts to maximize results are some of the other plan s, he told the audience. Dr. Suresh Reddy, PresidentElect of AAPI, in his passionate address, praised the leadership of Dr. Naresh Parikh. “I am so fortunate to be able to work under Dr. Parikh,” he said. He highlighted the importance of enabling the 2nd generation Indian Americans and help them realize their dreams. “AAPI is very strong,” he said and he along with the new team under Dr. Parikh will work together to enhance the image and bring stability to this noble organization. Dr. Gautam Samadder, the immediate past President of AAPI, urged the new leadership of AAPI to stand united and help make “our voices heard” in the corridors of power. In his brief remarks, Dr. In his felicitation remarks, Dr. Ajay Lodha, the immediate past president of AAPI, praised the leadership of Dr. Parikh. “Under the leadership of D. Naresh Parikh and his team, AAPI has been brought to new heights,” he said. Dr. Kusum Punjabi lauded the efforts of AAPI leadership, encouraging young generation of Indian Americans and helping them realize their dreams. She along with Dr. Raj Bhayani was the Emcees at the event. In
his brief remarks, Dr. Bhayani, highlighted the fact that Indian-Americans constitute less than one percent of the country’s population, but they account for nine percent of the American doctors and physicians. “The overrepresentation of Indians in these fields (engineering, IT and medicine) is striking – in practical terms, one out of seven doctors is likely to be of Indian Heritage. They provide medical care to over 40 million of US population.” Dr. Raj Bhayani welcomed the AAPI delegates and the media persons to the press conference, while Dr. Suresh Reddy proposed vote of thanks. Dr. Shashi Shah, past BOT chairman introduced the Dr. Naresh Parikh to the audience. Shree Saini, Miss India USA was a special guest at the event. Earlier, during the day, AAPI members attended an outstanding Leadership Conference, addressed by renowned speakers with a working lunch and
was followed by a Conference from 10 am to 5.30 pm. The Leadership conference agenda focused on: Self Management, Team Building Skills; And Addressing Challenges in today. On August 19th, AAPI joined the India Day Parade with a multi-color float spreading the message of health and wellness at the largest India Day Parade in New York City, organized by the Federation
of Indian Americans. “AAPI takes special pride in saluting our beloved tricolor. Let us recall with pride the great sacrifice of our freedom fighters, whose undying love for India secured us our freedom,” Dr. Parikh said, as the float carrying AAPI leaders overflew with delegates from across the nation.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Notice is hereby given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of Goldie Mann, Deceased, were issued on August 15, 2018, in Cause No. 468762, pending in the Probate Court No. 1, Harris County, Texas, to Carl Mann. All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them to the undersigned within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. Carl Mann Independent Executor of the Estate of Goldie Mann 5511 Redstart Houston, Texas 77096 832-729-2222 Dated the 20th day of August, 2018.
Poet Varavara Rao arrested for alleged conspiracy to assassinate PM Modi Hyderabad-based revolutionary writer Varavara Rao was arrested by Pune police in Hyderabad
on Tuesday, following raids on his flat in the city in a case relating to alleged conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Special teams of Pune police, assisted by their local Telangana counterparts, also raided the flat of a senior journalist K.V. Kurmanath and T. Kranthi, a photographer in Hyderabad. Mr. Kurmanath is Mr. Rao’s son-in-law. They both live in separate flats of Himasai apartment building in Ashoknagar. Accompanied by local police, the Pune police came to the apartment building in Ashoknagar in Hyderabad around 7 a.m. Dividing into two teams, they began searching the flats of the writer and the journalist. Their mobile phones were taken over by the police. Another team raided the house of Mr. Kranthi at Nagole on eastern part of Hyderabad. The police ensured that no papers or documents were taken out from the two flats by occupants of other flats while the searches were on. As word about the ‘raids’ spread, members of different associations turned up at the apartment complex. Organisations like Telangana Praja Front circulated text and video messages through social media platforms condemning the raid. Displaying placards, they raised slogans describing the raids as an “attempt to suppress democratic voices questioning Modi.” “The Pune police sought our assistance. We sent some women police constables to assist in the searches,” Hyderabad Central zone DCP Vishwa Prasad told The Hindu. While no official announcement was made by any Pune police officials on the raids and the arrest of Mr. Rao, sources in Telangana police said they were given to understand that Mr. Rao was already made an accused in the case relating to “plan to kill Modi.” “They came here with a search warrant and followed due proceedings,” an intelligence officer said. Some documents were reportedly seized from Mr.Rao’s flat. No cases were registered against Mr. Kurmanath and Mr. Kranthi. Pune police thoroughly searched their residences for several hours and reportedly seized some electronic gadgets from them. Mumbai/Panaji - The Pune Police on Tuesday raided the premises of human rights activists in Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana and Goa and arrested activists Vernon Gonsalves in Mumbai, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj in Haryana, and poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad. Sources said raids were conducted at the homes of Mr. Rao’s daughter in Hyderabad, Mr. Navlakha and Ms. Bhardwaj’s homes in Delhi and Haryana respectively, and professor Anand Teltumbde’s house in Goa. In Mumbai, the homes of Arun Ferreira and Susan Abraham were raided. Sources said the raids began around 6 a.m. at Mr. Ferreira’s Thane residence and the Andheri homes of Mr. Gonsalves and Ms. Abraham. Mr. Gonsalves is a human rights lawyer and activist. Mr. Gonsalves and Mr. Ferreira were earlier accused of Naxalite connections, but were acquitted of related charges. Ms. Abraham is a civil liberties lawyer and is part of the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR). The court rejected the transit remand of Gautam Navlakha, sought by the Delhi Police (Special Cell) SWAT team. Mr. Navlakha moved the Delhi High Court soon after the police obtained orders from the local court. Earlier, the police seized laptop, mobile phones and disk drives from the residence of Mr. Navlakha. In Jharkhand, Father Stan Swamy’s school-cum-residential premises was raided by the Jharkhand police. The premises is inside a military cantonment in Bagaicha area in Namkum, which is one of administrative blocks in Ranchi. Father Swamy runs a school for Adivasi children and a technical training institute. Locals said he has not been taken into custody. Mr. Rao was arrested by the Pune police in Hyderabad, following raids on his flat in the city in a case relating to an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Rao was taken to the Nampally Court in the city. Special teams of the Pune police, assisted by their local Telangana counterparts, also raided the flat of senior journalist K.V. Kurmanath and T. Kranthi, a photographer in Hyderabad. Mr. Kurmanath is Mr. Rao’s son-in-law. They both live in separate flats in Himasai apartment building in
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 17
NEWS
Indians 3rd-largest group affected by UK’s immigration scandal Indians have emerged as the third-largest group affected by the UK’s ‘Windrush’ immigration scandal involving Commonwealth nationals being wrongly denied their citizenship rights in Britain. The ‘Windrush’ scandal is an immigration scandal concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation and in many cases wrongly deported from the UK by the authorities. “The ‘Windrush’ generation refers to citizens of former British colonies who arrived before 1973, when the rights of such Commonwealth citizens to live and work in Britain were substantially curtailed,” according to Rob McNeil, Deputy Director of the Migration Observatory. “While a large proportion of them were of Jamaican or Caribbean descent, they also included Indians and other South Asians,” McNeil said. As many as 102 Indians were provided documentation to formalise their rights to live and work in the UK by an emergency ‘Taskforce’ set up to deal with cases of Commonwealth nationals who arrived in the UK before immigration rules became more stringent in 1973, according to the latest figures released by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid to Par-
liament’s Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) on Tuesday. While the majority of the 2,272 migrants’ cases dealt with by the ‘Taskforce’ came from Caribbean countries Jamaica (1,093) and Barbados (213), India at 102 came in third followed by Grenada (88) and Trinidad and Tobago (86), with 690 cases classed as “Others”. Of the 102, a total of 69 Indians were granted their documentation under the ‘Windrush Scheme’, which ensures that members of this generation, their children born in the UK and those who arrived in the UK as minors are able to apply for citizenship free of charge. “The experiences faced by some members of the ‘Windrush’ generation are completely unacceptable and I am committed to righting the wrongs of the past,” said Javid, who was born to Pakistani-origin parents in the UK. He also committed to making a formal apology to 18 members of the ‘Windrush’ generation from the Caribbean, who it is believed could have been wrongfully removed or detained. He said: “I would like to personally apologise to those identified in our review and am committed to providing them with the support and compensation they deserve.
Indian-origin executive settles charges with SEC An Indian-origin executive has settled charges with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for overstating the company’s subscriber base, while another Indian-origin person was charged for making similar misrepresentations. Hari Ravichandran, 42 former chief executive of web hosting company Endurance International Group Holdings and former chief financial officer Waruna Ellawala knowingly provided inflated subscriber figures for the Massachusetts-based online marketing company, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said. Ravichandran, a resident of Boston, had founded Endurance in 1997 and served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors. The SEC also filed a complaint in US District Court in Massachusetts alleging that former Constant Contact CFO Harpreet Grewal, 51, hid its slowing customer growth from investors and inflated its publicly reported subscriber numbers. Constant Contact became a subsidiary of Endurance after it was acquired by it in 2016. Constant Contact sold email marketing and other online marketing tools to customers primarily through subscription arrangements. SEC said Grewal defrauded Constant Contact’s investors concerning the number of paying customers for the company’s products and services, which was a key metric disclosed by Constant Contact to its investors. The SEC filed a settled enforcement action in June against Endurance and Constant Contact in which Endurance agreed to pay an USD 8 million penalty. In the latest action, Ravichandran and Ellawala agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying them and pay USD 1.38 million and USD 34,000 respectively in disgorgement, interest, and penalties. They also agreed to cease and desist from further violations of various antifraud, reporting, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the federal securities laws. “For companies who provide subscription-based services, size and growth of subscriber base can be critical metrics,” said Paul Levenson, Director of the SEC’s Boston Regional Office. “Investors depend on the integrity of management in reporting such figures, which commonly fall outside the scope of formal audits. Holding senior executives accountable for failures of oversight as well as outright manipulation of such metrics is vital to protecting our markets.”
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Art Museum Kannappan Art Museum will be open for public Tuesday 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM, Saturday 10AM to 2 PM, Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Address: 2341 N. Galveston Ave, Pearland, TX 77581. Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (oďŹ&#x20AC; Hwy 6 bet. Bellaire & Westpark). Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-423-8541. Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire oďŹ&#x20AC; Hwy 6). 281752-0100. Brahma Kumaris The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Center is open 7 days a week. The center oďŹ&#x20AC;ers free Raja Yoga Meditation classes: MonFri @ 6:00-6:45am and 7-8 pm, Sat-Sun @ 7:00-8:30am, 10 am-2 pm. Visiting hours are Sat-Sun @ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact us at (832) 379-8888, houston@bktexas.com, or bktexas.com to sign-up for classes. All Raja Yoga Meditation teachers at the Houston center are samarpit and have 15+ years of teaching experience. Chinmaya Mission BUY
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Summer schedule Both BalaVihar and adult classes will remain closed from May 27th to September 8th. Classes will resume on Sunday, September 9th. New member registration for Bala Vihar will be conducted in Chinmaya Smrti Hall on SUNDAY, August 12th from 2 PM to 5 PM and August 19th from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon. Detailed information will be provided at the time of registration. No registrations will be done for Bala Vihar during September 2018. For more information: Visit www.chinmayahouston.org or call Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, VSGH (oďŹ&#x192;cial Branch Center of Ramakrishna Math, Belur), 14809 Lindita Dr. (77083), has lectures & talks on every Sunday 11 am - 12 pm, followed by Arati & Prasad; Bhagwad Gita Class on Tuesdays, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm; and Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna on Thursdays, 11 am - 12 pm. Rev. Sw. Atmarupanandaji, the Resident Monk, gives all classes, lectures & talks. Ramnaam Sankirtan is on 1st Saturdays 6 pm - 7 pm. Please visit www.houstonvedanta. org or call 281- 988-7211. Jain Society Jain Society of Houston (JSH) located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063 is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM with Aarti at 6 PM every weekday, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. Jain Society of Houston invites Jain scholars all year round. Jain Center invites Scholar Shri Champakbhai for lectures on August 31 through September 2. OLD
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Champakbhai will teach essentials of Jain religion as in Nav Tatva, Samayik Darshan, 14 Gunasthanaks of atmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progression to the ultimate salvation, Moksha, 18 Papashthanaks, and more. In addition, Jain Center will celebrate Paryushan Parv from September 6 to September 14, 2018 inviting all. Mahavir Janm Kalyanak will be celebrated on Sunday, September 9, and Samvatsari Day pratikraman shall be held at around 4:30 PM at the temple. JSH has invited the Jain Scholar Dr. Tej Sahebji from India as Paryushana Guest. Please come and listen to Dr. Tej Sahebji in morning and evening lectures at the temple each day of the Paryushana. For all details please call Jain Center at 713 789 2338 or visit www.jainsocietyhouston.org for calendar of events and other detailed information. Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies. Heartfulness Meditation Heartfulness Meditation is a practical technique of tuning inwards to experience our higher selves. Meditation with someone who has the capacity of yogic transmission can help you explore the Heartfulness practice more deeply. There are no charges for this, and we invite you to experience the unique beneďŹ ts of this transmission. Workshops on Heartfulness relaxation and meditation are held weekly throughout Houston. Web: www.heartfulness. org; Email: houston.heartfulness@ gmail.com. Cell: 713-929-0040. Hare Krishna Dham Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30 a.m, 7 a.m, 8.30 a.m, 12 noon, 4.30 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 p.m. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com Houston Namadwaar A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gopa Kuteeramâ&#x20AC;? childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity). Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036.
Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma). Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166. Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603. Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., StaďŹ&#x20AC;ord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English. For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757. Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 713729-8994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us Preksha Meditation JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts weekly Meditation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions inside its unique Pyramid hall under the auspicious guidance of Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji who are stationed at Houston Center this year. It also runs special events and programs like I-Choose, Meditation Camps and Gyanshala program for children ages 4-14 yrs. JVB is located at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston 77082. Every Tuesday, 9:30am-11:30am, Samaniji has pravachan for all adults interested in learning about Jainism. Every Wednesday there is Swadhyay class from 7-8pm and meditation from 8-9pm. Every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only. Every Saturday, there is Yoga Class from 9-10am and Meditation from 1010.30am. Ist & 3rd Sundays, there is Gyanshala Classes for Kids ages 4-14yrs. from 10-12:15pm followed by Lunch. Visit www. jvbhouston.org or send email at info@jvbhouston.org for more details. Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; www.DivyaProducts.com. Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM
Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-451-8238. Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar. Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. We urge you to make a special eďŹ&#x20AC;ort to join our Sunday services regularly with your family & friends. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by delicious prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am. Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oďŹ&#x20AC;er Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org. Swaminarayan Temple Hindu Satsang at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, under Shree NarNarayan Dev Gadi kalupur. Opens daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Daily aarti at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday sabha from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. followed by aarti at 7 p.m. and Maha-Prasad (free dinner). www.issotx.org. (281) 530-2565. Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha West Indian Religious Organization called Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Branch # 377 is located at 26100 Tina Lane, Katy, TX 77494. Durga Mata Pooja is held every Friday from 7 pm to 9.30 pm. Contact Ram Sharma @ 713-4129985. Gandhi Library Mahatma Gandhi Library Book Club: Meets 2nd Sunday of each month; 12:30 PM at Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 13475 Schiller Rd. Join the discussion of the great manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autobiography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Call Manish Wani 713-829-6979. Sant Nirankari Mission Sant Nirankari Mission holds its weekly spiritual congregation on every Sunday at India House 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by community meals. All are welcome. For further information, call Raj Bhala at (281) 980-2825.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 • PAGE 19
NEWS India’s first manned space mission to send 3 people
India’s first manned space flight - Gaganyaan - is expected to send three persons, including a woman, into the space for seven days and the spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km. Giving details of the programme at a press conference here, Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said GSLV Mk III, the three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload capability. He said two unmanned Gaganyaan missions will be undertaken prior to sending humans. As per ISRO schedule, the first and second unmanned flights would be sent in orbit within 30 and 36 months beginning from August 2018 respectively, while the third and the first human spacecraft would be placed in orbit within 40 months -- end of December 2021 or January 2022. With a mass of seven tons, the Gaganyaan system module is named by the ISRO as Orbital Module -- a combination of service module and crew module. The crew module in which the three astronauts will leave for space will be made of 3.7 metre diameter and seven metre height. “The total programme is expected to be completed before 2022, with the first unmanned flight within 30 months. The mission will aim to send a three-person crew to space for a period of seven days. Two men and one woman would be the part of the crew members. The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km. The programme is expected to cost less than Rs 10,000 crore,” Singh said. The Gaganyaan mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address. He had said that by 2022 or even before that, some of the young boys and girls will unfurl the Tricolour in space. Sing said the complex programme will truly be a national endeavour with the participation of ISRO, academia, industry as well as other government and private agencies as stake holders. “The mission will make India the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission,” Singh said. To accelerate the programme, ISRO may consider seeking collaborations with space agencies from friendly countries and advanced space programmes, he said. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said the project is in progress since 2004 and it would be completed before 75th Independence Day in 2022. “Under the Gaganyaan schedule, three flights will be sent in orbit. Of the three, there will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight. The human spaceflight will take 16 minutes to reach the orbit where it will stay for five to seven days. After de-boost, the Orbital Module will take 36 minutes to splash down in Arabian Sea. The crew module will be recovered within 15-20 days,” Sivan said. Describing the benefit of the Gaganyaan, Sivan said: “It will
enhance science and technology levels of the country, help in national project involving other institutes, academia and industry and improve industrial growth. It will also inspire youth to take challenge in science and technology, additional human resource development and provide way for the international collaboration and policies.” “It will also help in providing employment to 15,000 people. Of them 861 will be from ISRO, 1,366 from national agencies and 11,050 from industries.”
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