India Herald011619

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India Herald

VOL. 25 • NO. 3 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Showri Nandagiri takes over as president of ASIE

Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla presents credentials to President Trump

Ambassador of India to the United States Harsh Vardhan Shringla presented his credentials on Jan. 11 to the U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval office of the White House.

President Trump warmly welcomed Ambassador Shringla to Washington and wished him every success in his high responsibilities as India’s Ambassador to the United States.

The President fondly recalled his friendship with Prime Minister Modi and his recent telephone conversation with the Prime Minister.

He highlighted the broad range of strategic interests and fundamental democratic values shared between our two countries.

Ambassador Shringla in his remarks conveyed warm greetings from the President and the Prime Minister of India to President Trump and the First Lady.

Showri Nandagiri, president of the American Society of Indian Shringla also added that Engineers and Architects presents a memento in appreciation to India was greatly encouraged the outgoing president Sai Gowthami Asam. See Page 2. by the President’s strong Photo by NAVIN MEDIWALA personal commitment to

Oral History Project features Jugal Malani

Shringla take the India-US strategic partnership forward.

Shringla assured President Trump of his commitment to expand key pillars of the bilateral relationship including economic relations and trade ties, defence and security, energy, science and technology and global issues, among others.

Shringla is a career diplomat and a member of the Indian Foreign Service since 1984.

In the course of a diplomatic career spanning 35 years, Shringla has held a variety of

positions in New Delhi and abroad. He has served as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh and Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand. He has also served in France (UNESCO); USA (UN, New York); Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City); Israel and South Africa (Durban).

Shringla has served in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Joint Secretary (Director General) responsible for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives.

Shringla has graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and has worked in the Corporate and Public Sectors in India prior to joining the Indian Foreign Service.

He has pursued courses and published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora and India-Bangladesh relations.

Ambassador Shringla speaks French, Vietnamese and Nepalese apart from English and Indian languages. He is married to Hemal Shringla and has one son.

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

COMMUNITY The American Society of Indian Engineers and Architects in Houston, which is celebrating its silver jubilee this year, inducted the board of directors for 2019 and recognized the 2018 board members and executive council at a ceremony held on Jan. 10 at India House.

Harris County’s 313 Juvenile District Court Judge Natalia Oakes administered the oath of office to the new board members. Outgoing president of ASIE Sai Gowthami Asam passed on the gavel to the new president Showri Nandagiri.

Asam, in her remarks highlighted the growth of ASIE into a mature, professional organization, with good standing among other mainstream professional organizations of engineers and architects in the U.S. During her tenure as ASIE president, Asam sought to achieve diversity of membership in experience and gender in ASIE and she accomplished that goal.

She found ASIE during a casual Google search and ventured to join the organization.

She never thought she would become the president of the organization. She was a lone woman on the board and she had no mentor. But, she had women professional speakers address the ASIE and also involved other woman engineers and architects to join the society and take on leadership roles. For instance, in 2018 Chaitanya Gampa was the secretary and Archana Sharma was the programs committee chair.

After a brief account of the accomplishments in 2018, Asam recognized scholarship recipient Neha Sahai, who is doing BS in Architecture at the Rice University. This was followed by the recognition of the 2018 Board of Directors and Advisory Council. Young member committee chair Vishakha Kaushik and student member representative Anusha Kistapuram were also recognized.

Showri Nandagiri, in his remarks, said he was pleased and humbled to head the ASIE during its silver jubilee year.

“I have seen it grow, since its establishment in 1984 and pleased to see its progress to where it is today. It is gratifying

New ASIE officers inducted

Sirish Madichetti, left, Sekhar Ambadapudi, Vishakha Kaushik, Archana Sharma – Secretary, Showri Nandagiri – President, Chaitanya Gampa - Vice President, Chetan Vyas – Treasurer, Apoorv Kumar, and Raghu Veturi.

Right, Showri Nandagiri, left, Chaitanya Gampa, Sai Gowthami Asam, Judge Natalie Oakes, (receiving a memento) Archana Sharma and Chetan Vyas.

Photos by NAVIN MEDIWALA. to see the mature organization on par with many professional organizations.”

Alluding to outgoing president Asam, Nandagiri said it would not be easy to step into her shoes and a lot of work needs to be done even to come close to her.

“The silver jubilee year will have to be a year to remember and it is a challenge. With dedicated members of the board, we will plan and execute an outstanding silver jubilee celebration, he said.

2019 Board of Directors : Showri Nandagiri – President, Chaitanya Gampa - Vice President, Chetan Vyas – Treasurer, Archana Sharma – Secretary, Sirish Madichetti, Sekhar Ambadapudi, Apoorv Kumar, Raghu Veturi, Vishakha Kaushik Right: 2019 Advisory Council: Naresh Kolli – Chair, Bhavana Patel, Virinder (Ben) Bansal, Sai Gowthami Asam and Raj Tanwani.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 3

OBITUARY Dr. John Mendelsohn (1936-2019)

Dr. John Mendelsohn, a pioneering scientist and the architect behind MD Anderson Cancer Center’s emergence as the nation’s No. 1 cancer hospital, died on Jan. 7. He was 82. Mendelsohn succumbed to glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, late Monday night at his home in Houston. He had been diagnosed with the disease 15 months ago. Mendelsohn served as president of MD Anderson from 1996 to 2011, the time of the institution’s greatest growth. A molecular biologist, he also conducted some of the earliest research in targeted therapy, a type of treatment that more precisely identifies and attacks cancer cells.

In memory of John Mendelsohn

By DR. DURGA AGRAWAL Dr. John Mendelsohn was advisor to India House and the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.

Dr. John Mendelsohn was our very close friend who supported Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Hosuton from the very beginning at the request of Dr. Malcolm Gillis, President of Rice University.

IACCGH Board Members and I as Founding President with the help from Dr. Gillis convinced John to partner with Tata Cancer in India. Melissa in his office told me that he enjoyed going for lunch with friends. All of us are going to miss him.

I was just thinking this morning about calling his office to schedule a lunch with him before I received the accompanying message from Dr. Pisters, President of MD Anderson.

Dr. Mendelsohn was a pioneer in embracing alternative medicines and yoga at MD Anderson. John’s vision helped make yoga a household name across the US and World Wide.

The Integrative Medicine Department headed by Dr. Lorenzo Cohen that he started has helped so many patients at MD Anderson. It was so successful that other institutions such as Harvard and Stanford started research on alternative medicines. MD Anderson was the first to receive a $5 million yoga research grant.

Director of SVYASA in India was the yoga teacher of Prime Minister Modi. After PM Modi heard how MD Anderson did research on Yoga, he requested in the United Nations for June 5th to be International Yoga Day. I credit John’s vision for making that happen.

Sushila and I traveled with John, Anne and Sen Pathak to India. We have wonderful memories of him from the trips and other meetings.

Visit Google Playstore or Apple store and download free India Herald App (IH) today.

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by Rajeev Gadgil, Seshadri Kumar & Salim Sindhi India Herald (USPS Periodical 017-699) is published every Wednesday by India Herald, Inc. for a subscription rate of $25 per year. Periodical postage paid at Houston and Sugar Land, Texas. POST MASTER: Send address changes to India Herald, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Texas 77487 Publisher & Editor: Seshadri Kumar www.india-herald.com; email:editor@india-herald.com India Herald assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on information included herein. ©India Herald. All rights reserved.

MD Anderson marks the end of an era as we mourn the passing of a giant in medicine and oncology, John Mendelsohn, M.D., president emeritus of MD Anderson. With fondness and gratitude, we remember John as a friend, a servant leader, a physician-scientist, a humanitarian, a colleague, a community leader, and a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

A visionary in every respect, John set the bar high. In addition to effectively leading the institution as its third president, he was an internationally acclaimed scientist whose research helped pioneer a new field of cancer therapy. The strides made under his tenure as president, from 1996 to 2011, were nothing short of remarkable. Yet while leading the institution through an era of breathtaking growth, John never lost sight of the importance of each patient. He encouraged us to approach every patient not as a case but as an individual with feelings and families.

Above all, he warned we must never lose the “caring” incorporated into our core values under his leadership.

Soon after joining MD Anderson, John earned a reputation for his tireless efforts to strengthen our research-driven patient care and prevention services. He was the architect behind advancing what we now describe as personalized cancer medicine, including the concepts of individualized therapy based on the molecular mutations of patients’ own tumors.

He led the institution in building a strong translational

research program and expanded MD Anderson’s reach across the world, promoting research partnerships and teaching affiliations with institutions in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America.

During the Mendelsohn era, MD Anderson quadrupled in budget and tripled in space, doubled its staff and patients served, and experienced an almost tenfold increase in private philanthropy. His tenure saw the opening of the Lowry and Peggy Mays Clinic, a 320bed addition on top of the Alkek Hospital, the T. Boone Pickens Academic Tower, the Proton Therapy Center and a 126-room expansion of the Rotary House International Hotel.

John also oversaw the creation of the Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment in the Dan L. Duncan Building.

Many of you were instrumental in the success of the South Campus Research Initiative, which supported the launch of one of John’s top priorities, the Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer. The McCombs Institute continues to foster collaboration among basic and clinical researchers from multiple departments and different disciplines.

Under his watch, MD Anderson consistently received more research grants from the National Cancer Institute and conducted more clinical trials to evaluate new treatments than any other institution, became a degree-granting institution in biomedical sciences and allied

health disciplines and, during his last five years as president, ranked as the top cancer hospital in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” survey.

John and his wife, Anne, inspired us as strong and visible supporters of not only MD Anderson but also the entire Houston community. Through their dedication to such organizations as the Houston Symphony and Teach for America, they engendered extraordinary pride and deep respect for our institution.

In recognition, MD Anderson dedicated the John Mendelsohn Faculty Center in February 2012. The Anne and John Mendelsohn Chair in Cancer Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center was established by a $1 million endowment funded through philanthropy.

John leaves an incredible legacy that will endure for generations to come. The institution will post a news release shortly, at www.mdanderson. org/newsroom, detailing his vast accomplishments and contributions. Personally, I will be forever indebted for the wisdom and guidance he shared with me during the first year of my presidency. He was a role model and an inspiration, to me and to so many. He has left an indelible mark on this world, and he will be forever remembered and greatly missed.

Peter WT Pisters, MD, MHCM President The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

VIEWS Jugal Malani in Indo-American Oral History project Jugal Malani, a long-time Houstonian and successful entrepreneur, was born in Bidar in the state of Karnataka, India.

Bidar is a historic city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka bordering the states of Maharashtra and Telangana in southern India. Bidar is a picturesque city with an ancient fort, palaces, temples, mosques, Gurudwara and famous for its Bidri art.

Jugal Malani received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Karnataka University and briefly worked in the Birla group in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, before joining their family business in Kolkata. In 1981 he moved to Houston, Texas to join his sister and brother-in-law and work for the small business they started. Houston was much smaller then but was suffering from one of its worst recessions with layoffs and foreclosures. The slow economy didn’t deter Jugal from growing the family business. He helped the business grow and in three-four years became a partner in the family business.

In the first 17 years he played a leadership role and increased

revenues from $1M to $40M, while his brother-in-law was pursuing another business endeavor. Eventually these two companies merged and Jugal left the company and sold his 30% ownership.

It was a new beginning for Jugal but a decisive moment as to whether to start a new business endeavor in the same field he had worked for in the last 17 years or do something completely new. His mother guided him with her wise words to venture into a new business that was different from the business his brother-in-law had started so as not to create competition among family members. Jugal thus founded a new business, Unique Industrial Product Company, with his business partner Pradeep Gupta and slowly grew the new company from scratch. Now after 20 years the company has 150 employees and increasing growth and revenues.

Since 1981, Jugal has been living in Houston with his wife Raj and raised their two children Pankaj and Nikita. Pankaj graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and is now leading the company his father founded. Nikita is a success-

ful pediatric neurologist in the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Both their children are married, and the Malanis are proud grandparents.

Jugal and his family play a prominent role in the Indian community in Houston and have been key contributors to Hindu temples, organizations and religious celebrations such as Holi, Janmashtami and Diwali in the Houston areas. He is a strong believer in the philosophy of “giving back to the

community” and credits his brotherin-law for this valuable lesson.

In mainstream Houston, he played a role in building an Indian section in the Museum of Modern Arts and establishing the Asia Society. Jugal Malani is presently the President of India House Inc. an IndoAmerican community center serving all Houstonians.

Jugal Malani’s full video interview has been preserved in the digital archives of the Houston Public Library which can be viewed by clicking on the web link: http://digital.

houstonlibrary.net/oral-history/ MALANI-59.php.

The Indo-American Oral History Project is an undertaking of the Foundation for India Studies (FIS) being done in partnership with Houston Community College (HCC) and Houston Public Library (HPL).

All narratives and recollections of the first generation Indian immigrants who came from India and settled in Houston area in the early 60’s, 70’s and 80’s will be permanently stored in the digital archives of HPL for the benefit of future generations and researchers and historians.

Interviews are conducted on a first-come first served basis.

Qualified candidates interested to participate in this Legacy project may contact: KRISHNA VAVILALA 713-795-5169 or Email: KVAVILALA1@ GMAIL.COM, to schedule an interview.

To advertise in India Herald Email editor@india-herald.com or call 281-799-9459.

Something to ponder...

By CHANDNI KAMNANI Our origin is Bharat, Hum Hai Hindustani (Indian), Hamari Rastra Bhasha (National Language) is Hindi, but do we talk in our language?

It was one of those evenings in the festive months on September – October. I was in the company of a bunch of people from India. Everyone looked lovely, dressed up in beautiful colored Indian outfits. One gentleman actually played a video on his phone. It was a segment from a Hindi movie and lasted for a few minutes.

After watching the video, some friends started discussing the movie, which was pretty normal. But guess what, all their statements and discussions were in English. Of course we are used to speaking in English; yes of course it’s much easier to converse in English because this is the language we speak at home with our spouses and our children, right?

Have you wondered why?

Don’t we know how to speak in Hindi?

With a drink in my hand, I made my way to a second group of friends. Hey! Hi! Where have you been, yaar? You look lovely! How are the kids? Hey I like your sari, yaar! You know this time I picked up the latest one by Manish Malhotra. Did you see the superb Lehnga that Priyanka and Deepika wore for their wedding? Loved their jewelry too. Of course yaar, and why not, they are celebrities. Hey, did you hear about so and so….and the rest I will leave to your imagination.

But did you notice something – not a word in Hindi besides “yaar”, forget a sentence or a conversation.

Are we ashamed of speaking in our language, or have we forgotten all about it? We love our Indian outfits because they look bright and colorful. We want the latest ones to show off. We celebrate our Indian festivals. We love to dance on Indian music. And of course don’t forget our Indian food that we enjoy the most due to its variety and flavors.

Even though we have come here and adopted this as our new world, we maintain our ties with our country in the form of our food, clothing, festivals, music, movies and friends, then why not our national language?

Till next time – Jai Hind.

For comments, please email me at ckamnani@hotmail.com

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 219 • PAGE 5

NEWS

Conference on Indic chronology

Houston-based Indian History Awareness And Research (IHAR) is collaborating with Indira Gandhi National Centre For Arts (IGNCA) headquartered in New Delhi to organize a unique conference on Indic chronology in February 2019.

By SAHANA SINGH To comprehend chronology is to comprehend context. In our personal lives, the chronological unfolding of events shapes our decisions and destinations. On a national and global scale too, the sequencing of events greatly determines the trajectory of civilizations.

The IHAR-IGNCA inaugural Conference on Indic Chronology to be held in Delhi from February 22 to 24, 2019 is thematically designed to establish the centrality of chronology in building a tenable Indic narrative.

The event will bring together a broad array of institutions, scholars and intellectuals who will use an Indic framework to present chronological perspectives in multiple disciplines such as education, genetics, astronomy, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, archaeology, town planning, sanitation, economics and more.

Typically, historical narratives have been framed in the context of wars and invasions.

However, the IHAR-IGNCA conference aims to go beyond the temporal dimension to encompass traditions, culture, and knowledge systems in order to present a holistic picture of the Indic civilization.

One of the biggest obsacles in the way of understanding Indian history has been the nonIndic lenses that have been applied to its narratives.

Indic Itihaasa consisting of the Puranas, epics and various traditional sources in Sanskrit and other Indian languages have been largely disregarded despite being rich sources of data.

The reigns of many Indic dynasties have been forceďŹ tted into timelines dictated

by Biblical narratives, thereby leading to enormous errors in chronology.

A superďŹ cial understanding of Indian languages and ethos has led to misrepresentation of many Indic texts, which has often been called out by traditional scholars but has been largely ignored in academic discourse.

Houston-based IHAR has been working hard to bring to light evidence-based narratives that have been glossed over by the mainstream scholars of history and social sciences. It is exposing the shaky assumptions on which many historical constructs are based.

IHAR scholars are authors, professors, physicians, engineers, social scientists, media-

persons – all with diverse interests and backgrounds that make its collective vision multidimensional.

Rooted to the historical and cultural ethos of India, IHAR aims to be a resource to the public, scholars, academic institutions, activists and policy makers.

IGNCA is an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, committed to bring out the holistic vision of Indian arts through a wide range of qualitative multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, publication and dissemination programs.

The inaugural IHAR-IGNCA conference aims to not only generate a body of high-quality papers and lectures which will be compiled for future reference but to also pave the way

for regional conferences in Indian languages.

Today, there are many Indic scholars working in silos with little support from the government or academia.

It is hoped that this conference and its future stagings will draw out such scholars from the remotest corners of India and enable them to showcase their work as well as collaborate with others to advance research.

There is only one country in the world whose national motto is Satyameva Jayate or “Truth Alone Triumphs.� While other countries have held liberty, equality, trust in God and love for Allah as their motto, only India has held truth as its highest ideal.

The grand narrative of the Indian civilization can only be strengthened by drawing out

the truth hidden in the scores of traditional texts that have been carefully handed down the generations, by using the myriad disciplines of knowledge available, and by harnessing the power of modern technology and communication.

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PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

NEWS Seven of the 48 Marshall Scholar winners for 2019 are of Indian descent

Mallika Mallika Balakrishnan of Agnes Scott College, Akshayaa Chittibabu of the University of Connecticut, Deepti Kannan and Aneesh Pappu of Stanford University, Radha Mastandrea of MIT, Vaibhav Mohanty of Harvard University, and Shomik Verma of Duke University will receive paid scholarships to continue their graduate studies in the U.K. Previous Marshall Scholars include university presidents, six Pulitzer Prize winners, one Nobel Laureate, fourteen MacArthur Fellows, two Academy-Award nominees, two Supreme Court Justices and a NASA Astronaut.

The Marshall Scholarship is named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarship Program began in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude to the people of the United States for the assistance that the UK received after World War II under the Marshall Plan. Since that time, it has remained uniquely positioned among national Scholarships for its prestige and scope: offering talented young Americans the chance to study any academic subject at UK universities of their choice for up to 3 years.

“My warmest congratulations to the new generation of Marshall Scholars, who make up the largest intake in the history of the Scholarship”, said Sir Kim Darroch, British Ambassador to the United States.

“This class embodies the qualities that bind our two countries: a spirit of collaboration, an intellectual curiosity and a commitment to education and diversity. The British Government is proud to welcome these scholars to their studies in the UK. The Scholarship program has never been stronger and is a wonderful demonstration of the strength of our transatlantic bond.”

Winners were selected following a rigorous and highcompetitive selection process that drew over 1,000 applications from top undergraduate students representing institutions across the United States.

The program is principally funded by the British Government, but also benefits from generous support through partnership arrangements with world-leading British academ-

ic institutions, allowing winners to pursue graduate degrees in almost any academic subject at any university in the UK. “We’re thrilled that Mallika has been selected as a Marshall Scholar. Her selection in the program showcases the value of committing to global learning and the importance of leadership development. Mallika is truly exemplifying the spirit of SUMMIT by leading everywhere,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. The 2019 class will take up their studies at institutions across the UK beginning in September next year. Mallika plans to pursue a Master of Letters in Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and a Master of Arts in International Political Economy: Critical Theories, Issues, and Conflicts at the University of York.

gated the reasons why rural Indian women disproportionately die from cervical cancer, a disease considered highly preventable in the United States and other First World countries.

Her research was an eyeopener for her: “I sincerely believed that delivering education about the importance of screening was enough to change this reality. Working with the women shattered that perception … It became apparent to me that healthcare delivery wasn’t enough; deep systemic change needed to come with it. The right to [good] health was repeatedly robbed from the poor, who were forced to sacrifice long-term well-being for short-term survival.”

This, and other experiences working within diverse communities here and abroad, has stoked Chittibabu’s desire to help disadvantaged populations attain quality health care.

With a dual major in biological sciences and sociology, she ultimately intends to pursue a career in public service as a physician and policymaker.

Two Stanford seniors – Deepti Kannan, who is studying engineering physics, and Aneesh Pappu, who is studying symbolic systems – will head to England next year as 2019 Marshall Scholars.

Akshayaa Akshayaa Chittibabu , a resident of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is also a STEM Scholar in UConn’s Honors Program, a 2018 Truman Scholar, a 2018 UN Foundation Global Health Fellow, a 2018 Washington Leadership Program Scholar, a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, a 2016 Holster Scholar, and a UConn New England Scholar.

She was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior.

She says a couple of different things were instrumental in her decision to apply for the Marshall Scholarship: “I am dedicated to being a public servant in the future, and I appreciate the public service history of the scholarship,” she says.

“I appreciate the public service history of the scholarship … and the scholarship’s foundations in gratitude and service really resonate with my Hindu faith and the kind of leader I’d like to be.

“The Marshall Plan aligns with my belief system of helping others unconditionally with the intention of building a better world,” Chittibabu adds, “and the scholarship’s foundations in gratitude and service really resonate with my Hindu faith and the kind of leader I’d like to be.”

She went on to describe living in her father’s childhood village in rural Tamil Nadu, India, in the summer of 2016.

During that time, she investi-

Center.”

Kannan is working on her honors thesis, “Physical Modeling of Chromatin with Heterogeneous Nucleosome Spacings,” in the Spakowitz Research Group of Andrew Spakowitz, an associate professor of chemical engineering and of materials science and engineering. The lab is engaged in projects that address fundamental chemical and physical processes that underlie a range of key biological mysteries and cutting-edge materials applications.

Kannan is a co-author of several journal articles, including “Immune Oncology, Immune Responsiveness and the Theory of Everything,” published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in June 2018.

At Stanford, Kannan is the co-founder and co-president of Physics Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities at Stanford, a group whose twofold mission is to promote diversity in physics by uniting and uplifting minority voices, and to provide opportunities for personal, academic and career development. She also served as the vice president of internal affairs for the Stanford Society of Women Engineers.

She has also performed as an alto singer with Stanford University Singers, a select concert choir that performs a broad range of Western classical music, and Stanford Harmonics, a student a cappella group that performs indie and alternative rock.

tors – in his hometown and at Stanford – for their support throughout the years.

“I couldn’t imagine having an opportunity like this without all of the people who have cheered me on from day one,” he said. “I’m especially grateful to the staff of the Overseas Resource Center at Stanford for the incredible support they gave me during the scholarship application process.”

At Stanford, Pappu served as a computer science research assistant in the laboratory of Vijay Pande, a professor of structural biology and computer science. Pappu is a co-author of several journal articles with the Pande Lab, including “MoleculeNet: A Benchmark for Molecular Machine Learning,” published in Chemical Science in January 2018.

Pappu served as a resident computer consultant in Twain House, a first-year residence hall, from August 2017 to June 2018. In addition to teaching an introductory course on computing, he organized programs on emotional and mental health. He was also a member of Stanford Basmati Raas, a co-ed, 16-member Indian dance team that competes across the country in a form of dance known as Garba Raas.

Currently, Pappu is a counselor and the nonprofit fundraising coordinator of the Stanford chapter of Camp Kesem, a weeklong summer camp and year-round community for children whose parents have or have had cancer.

Deepti Deepti Kannan, 21, of Saratoga, California, is an honors student in engineering physics.

As a Marshall Scholar, Kannan hopes to pursue a Master of Philosophy by research degree in chemistry, followed by a Master of Advanced Study degree in Part III of the Mathematical Tripos – both at the University of Cambridge in England.

In her Marshall application, Kannan said the degrees will train her in two complementary approaches to solving problems in theoretical biophysics – simulation and theory.

“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for biophysics at Cambridge while also engaging in the university’s rich choral tradition,” she said. “Above all, I want to thank the mentors, family and friends who supported me through the application process, especially John Pearson and Diane Murk from the Bechtel International

Radha

Aneesh Aneesh Pappu, 21, of Pullman, Washington, is studying symbolic systems, a major that encompasses computer science, philosophy, linguistics and psychology.)

As a Marshall Scholar, Pappu hopes to pursue a Master of Science degree in comparative social policy at the University of Oxford, and a Master of Philosophy degree in machine learning and machine intelligence at the University of Cambridge. Through the degree programs he aims to explore how to create fair and ethical information technologies.

Pappu said he was grateful to family, friends and men-

Radha Mastandrea is an MIT senior double-majoring in physics and mathematics.

She is headed to Cambridge, where she will study theoretical and experimental physics before returning to the U.S. to undertake a PhD in high-energy particle physics. She aims for a career in academia as a researcher and an advocate for open data.

As an undergraduate researcher with Professor Jesse Thaler at the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics, Mastandrea has been using machine learning to analyze a trove of open data from the CERN Large Hadron Collider to gain insight on quarks and gluons.

See SCHOLARS, Page

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 7

NEWS Scholars From Page 6 Mastandrea has also conducted research on galaxy spectral emission data with Professor Michael McDonald at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, and neutrinoless double beta decays with Professor Lindley Winslow at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science.

During a summer internship at Caltech, she researched black holes with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory Scientific Collaboration.

Mastandrea is committed to championing women in physics.

As president of MIT’s Undergraduate Women in Physics, she has established connections between undergraduates and older role models to showcase women’s accomplishments in the physics field. She has mentored local high school girls by leading physics exploration days on the MIT campus, and she helped write the MIT physics department’s first community values statement to foster a culture of respect and support.

Mastandrea is also co-captain of MIT Bhangra and has taught bhangra dance classes to members of the local community.

Vaibhav Mohanty (b. 1998) is a composer, arranger, pianist, saxophonist, and music theorist from Charleston, South Carolina studying at Harvard University.

His compositions span classical, world, and jazz domains and are performed across the United States and internationally. His compositions have been awarded and acclaimed at the national and international level.

Vaibhav

Shomik

Mohanty, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in theoretical physics at Oxford, said the Marshall scholarship will start him down the road to becoming not just a physicianscientist, but one with a deep understanding of the physics that underlie biological processes — and how to harness them for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.

Mohanty, a Quincy House resident and concentrator in chemistry and physics with a secondary concentration in music and a joint master’s degree in theoretical chemistry, said that in many ways both physics and chemistry can inform on important biological questions in medicine. As an example, he pointed to the development of MRI technology.

First developed by physicists, MRI was later adopted by chemists interested in exploring the structure and interactions between atoms in various materials. It wasn’t until later, he said, that the technology’s diagnostic potential

was fully realized.

At the University of Oxford, Vaibhav Mohanty wants to learn to take “methods from theoretical and computational physics and apply them to biological systems and medical problems.”

Today, Mohanty said, new technologies may be developed that can offer similar insights on processes such as protein folding, DNA and RNA folding, and more.

He said his goal is to not only be part of the conversation in developing those tools, but also to understand how they can be applied to key biological processes.

A composer, pianist, and saxophonist, Mohanty is looking forward to collaborating with both scientists and musicians, and joining the musical community at Oxford and in London.

“I’ve tried to make my training broad and deep enough, and grounded in fundamental science … because a major goal for me is interdisciplinary work,” he

said. “Whether it’s applying math and physics to understand musical chord structures or taking the principles of diffusion physics and applying them to medical imaging, I like to think that disciplinary boundaries are artificial and are beginning to blur.”

Shomik Verma is studying mechanical engineering, with minors in energy engineering and mathematics. He is involved in energy research and has been working for the past three semesters in the Thermodynamics and Sustainable Energy Laboratory with Nico Hotz, assistant professor of the practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science.

Verma has previously been selected for a Goldwater Scholarship and a Udall Scholarship. Faculty have chosen Verma to be both a Grand Challenge Scholar and a Pratt Fellow, honors that offer extensive lab experience. He was also elected to Tau Beta Pi and serves as co-president of Pi Tau Sigma.

For his Pratt fellowship, Verma is working with solar thermal energy for hydrogen production and has applied this knowledge as co-president and technical lead of the Duke Electric Vehicles team, building a hydrogen fuel cell car and leading a Duke student team to a Guinness World Record for the most efficient human-carrying vehicle ever built.

The Duke Electric Vehicles team also received top prizes at the 2018 Shell Vehicle Eco-Marathon: first place in both the Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Battery Electric Prototype categories, as well as a Technical Innovation Award for their supercapacitor storage sys-

tem.

Verma is also president of the Duke Energy Club, through which he has worked with Duke’s Energy Initiative to create three new assistantships for students to do energy research with faculty. He’s also copresident of the Duke Smart Home, a living-learning community where residents live in a LEED platinum building and work on technological solutions to sustainability issues. In addition, Verma has been involved with Duke’s Solar Spring Break program that takes undergraduates to underserved communities to install solar panels.

Skilled in playing an Indian classical drum called the tabla, Verma has worked to increase the visibility of Duke’s South Asian music group, Sangeet, on campus.

This effort led to their first-ever performance in Duke Chapel during a Diwali service in fall of 2017.

Fascinated by the potential of renewable energy technologies to radically reduce human impact on the environment, Verma will join the lab of lecturer Rachel Evans at Cambridge University to pursue his near-term objective of developing novel materials that increase the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells.

“When I first received the call that I was selected as a Marshall Scholar, I was in utter disbelief,” Verma said. “I had to check my phone’s call history several times to make sure I didn’t dream the whole thing! I’m so thankful for the support of my family, friends and advisers, and I’m beyond excited to spend the next two years in the UK working on developing the next generation of solar technology.”

“49 “44Years Years Visit www. India-herald.com.

and Counting, Providing Services Email: 1970-2019 1970 - 2014 To Generations editor@india-herald.com of Businesses and Professionals Around The World”

PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

NEWS

Yoga for health event in Houston area Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) Houston Chapter invites everyone to participateâ€? in the 12th annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathonâ€? or “Surya Namaskar Yajnaâ€?. “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathonâ€? or “Surya Namaskar Yajnaâ€? is planned Houston wide across 5 dierent locations- Sugar Land, Katy, WoodLands, PearLand and Student Center South. Event details can be found here: https://drive. google.com/ďŹ le/d/1LuUYdwI_iYjwkvylJRhtUckW5OjoQMrL/ view?usp=sharing Sugar Land event will be at Sugar Land Town Square (2711, Town Center Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77479) on Saturday, January 26 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This is a free event. Free parking is available at all locations and everyone is requested to bring their own yoga mat.

HSS Houston Chapter cordially invites families & friends, community groups, Yoga centers, students, and individuals to learn and participate in Health for Humanity Yogathon. This program is open to people of all ages, gender, and races and does not involve the worship of any deity.

The 16-day event, also known as “Surya Namaskar Yajnaâ€? or Salutation to Sun, involving a series of 10 yogic postures, aims to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind, and spirit. The salutation integrates simple Yoga postures in 10-steps that, along with easy breathing technique, can provide immense health beneďŹ ts to both the body and the mind.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) initiated this health awareness project in 2006. Since its inception, participants from 40 states actively took part via various Yoga Centers. Community organizations, schools, and colleges regardless of individual faiths and beliefs have participated and collectively performed over 4 million Surya Namaskars. Community leaders and many elected oďŹƒcials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the beneďŹ ts of an overall healthy lifestyle.

The Health for Humanity Yogathon aims to bring a sense of self-discipline in all of our lives by enabling one to connect with and internalize that habit of self-discipline. This initiates the process of living a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit http://www.hssus.org/sny or email to virendra.vyas@gmail.com or call 510-9444-469.

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The Least of These set for release on Feb. 1

From L to R: Stephen Baldwin as Graham Staines, Sharman Joshi as Manav Banerjee and Shari Rigby as Gladys Staines.

THESE tells this true-life story through the eyes of a ďŹ ctional, young journalist, Manav Banerjee (Joshi), who moves with his pregnant wife to Orissa in hopes of a better life.

When speculation mounts that Staines (Baldwin) is illegally proselytizing leprosy patients, Manav agrees to investigate under cover for the newspaper.

What Manav ďŹ nds is a series of revelations that are diďŹƒcult to fathom and even harder to explain, forcing him to make a choice between his own ambition and the truth.

In the end, his actions spark a tragic event that is felt around the world. “THE LEAST OF THESE beautifully illustrates the power of love, hope and forgiveness to overcome hate,� said ExecuTo commemorate the 20th on Friday, February 1, 2019, in tive Producer Victor Abraham. “It is the very edict of the comanniversary of the true-life theaters around the U.S. Starring Sharman Joshi (3 mandment to love your neighstory of Graham Staines’ missionary work for the leper com- IDIOTS), Stephen Baldwin bor as you love yourself.�

Director Aneesh Daniel said, munity in India, Dallas-based (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) “It is the nature of the parable Skypass Entertainment an- and Shari Rigby (OCTOBER that said what you have done nounces the release of its debut BABY), the ďŹ lm revolves to the least of these, you have ďŹ lm, THE LEAST OF THESE, around the tragic incident that done to me also. Graham cared shocked the world in 1999, for the lepers because he was when Australian missionary caring for Christ.

Gladys forGraham Staines met his unexgave the accused because she pected fate while serving the was demonstrating that love. leper population in India.

Shot on location near Hyder- Simple yet complex.� abad, India, THE LEAST OF

To advertise in India Herald email editor@india-herald.com call 281-799-9459 (cell)

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 9

Namadwaar Utsav

HARDIK VYAS Youngest Astrologer in North America Vaastu & Gem Stone Consultant; Hindu Priest for all Pujas & Marriages Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Gujarati & Marathi Astrologer Hardik Vyas, a famous young face in Vedic Astrology from India is in Houston. Call for guidance on Health, Wealth, Education, Career, Business, Property, Love & Passion, Marriage & Compatibility, Horoscope-Making, Child Problem, Luck & Fortune, Peace & Prosperity, Karma & Economic success.

Vaastu Shastra is an ancient science. Fix an appointment for personal visit to your home, plot, business/office, shop, factory, or hotel. Gain peace of mind and prosperity by doing little changes as per Vaastu Shastra. Simple, Easy, Scientific & Affordable solutions/remedies to overcome problems in your Horoscope and Vaastu.

Astrology & Vaastu Shastra are Science of Nature, and are not related with any religion, caste, or community. It is an Occult Science and gift of nature for the welfare of the people.

Listen to Hardik Vyas live on 1320 AM Shoba Joshi’s Geetanajali Radio

E-mail: askfuture@hotmail.com Ph: 832-298-9950 www.toaskfuture.com Pandharpur yatra MANVEL Houston Namadwaar & Global Organization for Divinity (G.O.D.)’s 11th annual Srimad Bhagavata Utsav was held from Dec. 24th to 30th, 2018 at New Life Plaza in Manvel, Texas.

It was a unique, joyful divine celebration of the Lord, conducted with the blessings of His Holiness Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, and a celebration like no other that had to be experienced to be appreciated.

The Utsav also included a rare event, Sri Dasamam Shatakratu - where over 100 devotees came together for 2 days to read the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana that elucidates on Lord Krishna’s leelas. Smt. Shobha Parasuram from Atlanta led this Shatakratu that was held on Dec 28 and 29.

Along with hundreds of Houston devotees, several dev-

See UTSAV, Page 10

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Houston Community

FREE EVENT

HINDU SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH Houston Chapter Invites Everyone to Participate In

HEALTH FOR HUMANITY YOGATHON Cinco Ranch Library, Katy

January 19, 2019

10:30 am - 3:30 pm

The Recreation Center, Rob Fleming Park

January 26, 2019

7:30 am – 11:30 am

Sugar Land Town Square

January 26, 2019

9 am - 11 am

Sri Meenakshi Temple, Pearland

January 26, 2019

4 pm - 6 pm

Student Center South, Ball Room 210

February 2nd 2019

9 am - 11 am

2620 Commercial Center Blvd, Katy, TX 77494 6464 Creekside Forest Dr The Woodlands, TX 77389 15958 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX, 77479 17130 McLean Rd, Pearland, TX 77584 4455 University Dr, Houston, TX 77204

Free Parking

Free Booths Promoting Yoga & Healthy Lifestyle Available To Sponsor or Organize a Booth Contact: Viren Vyas (510)-944-4469 | virendra.vyas@gmail.com

Please Bring Your Own YOGA MAT

Surya Namaskar Yajna (SNY) - January 12 - January 27, 2019

For more information, visit http://www.hssus.org/sny

PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

COMMUNITY

Playing “Holi with butter�

Utsav From Page 10 otees from all around USA, Canada, as well as India, came all the way to Houston to attend this Shatakratu and the Namadwaar Utsav.

Srimad Bhagavatam Katha was also rendered in the mornings by Smt. Shobha ji, summarizing the parayanam chapters, and in the evenings by Sri Sriram Ramanujam of Houston, who elucidated on the Navayogi Upakhyanam from the 11th Canto of Srimad Bhaga-

vatam.

Other special events during this Utsav included a “Varkari Dindi� Yatra where devotees dressed up as Marathi pilgrims and sang Lord Vittala’s Name, Marathi abhangs and Sri Swamiji’s songs on Lord Panduranga as they danced

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their way to ‘Pandharpur’ for Lord Panduranga’s darshan; the “Vennai Thazhi Utsav, where devotees in Houston were transported to Gokula as everyone played ‘butter holi’ with the Lord and His friends.

Daily Utsav events included Tiruppavai recital, Srimad Bhagavata Saptaha parayanam, Srimad Bhagavata Katha, Ashtapadi bhajans in the afternoon led by children of the Krishna’s Cottage Youth Sampradaya Bhajan Program, evening cultural performances and sangeetha seva. There were vocal music oerings by Smt. Vidhu Vijay, Smt. Prashanthi Srinivasan and Kum. Ananya Sriramsankar, Veena recitals by Sisters Sumedha and Dhanya Jayaraman from NJ, accompanied by Houston’s Naga Srinidhi Kuruvada on mridangam, and Kum. Shweta Srinivasan from Edmonton, Canada. One evening was a special seva for the Divine Couple, Namadwaar deities Sri Premika Varadan-Sri Madhuri Sakhi (Lord KrishnaRadha Devi), with a captivating Bharatanatyam dance performance by Smt. Meenakshi Venkataraman of Houston.

Another special sangeetha seva was rendered by young star singer Kum. Shilpa Sadagopan accompanied by Vishnu Sadagopan, who presented a number of beautiful compositions on Lord Krishna to the Divine Couple during their prewedding festivities.

There were also palki processions of the Lord on many days. In the morning He rode majestically on the elephant one day (yaanai vahanam), on Kamadhenu on another to the singing of kirtans, and on Garuda vahanam on another day to the chanting of pasurams

from the Divya Prabandham glorifying His Divine Name.

Janavasam (the pre-wedding baaraat) was another highlight event with ďŹ reworks, apt kirtans and the fun exchanging of garlands between the Divine Groom and the Bride. Children of the Krishna’s Cottage Youth Band also performed.

The next morning was the concluding grand ďŹ nale of the Utsav with the Radha Kalyanam - the Divine Wedding.

Special abhishekam was performed for the Divine Couple.

Sampradaya bhajans with Thodayamangalam and Ashtapadis were then rendered led by the young bhagavatas of Krishna’s Cottage group and the wedding of the Divine Couple was conducted grandly in the Bhagavata Dharma sampradaya manner. After the wedding, the newly-wedded Divine Couple was taken out on a procession in a special palanquin beautifully decorated with mirrors, to the singing of Meera bhajans.

The Utsav was then concluded with an Anjaneya Utsav honoring Sri Hanumanji with prayers that we should ever celebrate the Lord and keep His Name on our lips.

The event was brought together seamlessly by numerous volunteers from all around the Greater Houston Area who all served Bhagavan and Guru selessly in so many dierent ways throughout the week-long event. Visitors from out of town also pitched and served happily alongside local devotees.

This annual celebration is held every year during Christmas week. For more information about Global Organization for Divinity and Houston Namadwaar, please visit www. houston.godivinity.org.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 11

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PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

COMMUNITY Visiting Tamil spiritual leader lends support to Tamil chair His Holiness Maruthasala Adikalar from Perur Adheenam, near Coimbatore, India, was received with traditional honors on January 12, 2019 at Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland.

The visiting Saivite spiritual leader, spoke eloquently in support of Houston Tamil Studies Chair (HTSC) at the University of Houston.

The function was co-sponsored by HTSC, Meenakshi temple(MTS) and Bharathi Kalai Manram (BKM). MTS Chairman Dr. Padmini Nathan and BKM President Priya Chandru attended the event.

HTSC’s President Sockalingam Sam Kannappan welcomed the gathering.

Tupil Narasiman, VicePresident of Finance presented the details of the formation of HTSC.

Fundraising coordinator Dr. SG. Appan said that contributions are coming in at a record level.

Treasurer Dr. Naa Ganesan introduced the speaker.

Vice-President of grants, Dr. Thiruvengadam proposed vote of Thanks. HTSC Secretary A. Perumal coordinated the event.

Adikalar presented books to MTS Vice-Chairman Dhani Kannan and Board member Malathi Sundar for Meenakshi Temple library.

Indian community is growing at an ever-increasing pace in the city of Houston.

Many youth from Indian and Asian background are attending both undergraduate and graduate programs in various disciplines at University of Houston.

University of Houston has accepted a proposal to set up

Leaders of community organizations supporting the Tamil chair, with the visiting head of Perur Adheenam. a “Houston Tamil Studies Chair” with the focus being on Research & Teaching of Tamil.

HTSC is a non-profit orga-

nization with IRS 501(c)(3) approval set up specifically to collect funds for the establishment of the Tamil Chair.

For further information, please contact sam.kannappan@gmail.com.

Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston Inc. 6640 Harwin Dr, Houston, TX 77036 Website : www.shivshaktimandir.org - Email : shivshaktimandir45@yahoo.com

A Hearty Invitation to all Hindu Devotees on the occasion of the celebration of Shakambhari Purnima-Mataji’s Annakut Mahotsav Devotees may bring Annakut Samagri before 12pm.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 13

NEWS

Tamil Nadu’s biryani binge keeps cash registers ringing

Bollywood stars call on Modi

Prime Minister Modi with actors, directors and producers from the Hindi film industry in New Delhi on Jan. 10.

The growing Tamil appetite for biryani has kept cash registers jingling across the State, with a fourfold increase in the number of restaurants serving the rice and meat (or vegetables) favourite.

According to analysts who track the industry, the organised biryani business in the State is pegged at ₹1,500 crore per year while the unorganised segment records a healthy ₹4,000 crore per year.

Currently, there are over 300 brands including well-known names — Anjappar, Buhari, Junior Kuppanna, Aasife Biryani, Dindigul Thalappakatti and Behrouz— that comprise the organised segment.

Players in the organized space do an average business of ₹25 lakh per month which translates into ₹3 crore per annum per outlet.

The cost of a serving of biryani at these restaurants ranges from a modest ₹180 for the vegetarian variant to ₹600 or more for the fully loaded non-vegetarian delicacy.

For every pocket In the unorganized sector, costs range from as low as ₹50 to ₹120 per serving. Those operating in this category typically churn out around 10-15 kilos of biryani per day.

(A kilo of biryani would serve 8-10 persons on an average).

Restaurants in this space also offer smaller quantities like a ‘half biryani’ (priced at ₹70 to Rs 90) and ‘quarter biryani’ (priced at ₹40- ₹60).

Sathish D. Nagasamy, managing director of the Dindigul Thalappakatti chain, one of the early players in the biryani space, said, “This is a huge market and the demand is high.

Even if another 100 shops come up, the demand will only go up.”

His kitchens turnout over 4,000 kg of biryani every day.

“More than 40,000 people consume biryani from our outlets across Tamil Nadu,” he said, adding, “There is a huge space for vegetarian biryani, a market which remains untapped.”

Aasife Biriyani, another big player, sells over 30,000 servings per day across its restaurants in the State. P.J. Dilip Kumar, Director- Marketing, Aasife Biriyani Pvt Ltd, said, “This is one food item which makes you feel complete — it fills your stomach. It’s cost effective too. You end up paying ₹170 for a vegetarian meal, if you add another ₹20 you can have a vegetarian biryani.”

A market analyst said while the biryani sector has immense potential, the fact that the major players are family-run businesses is a major hurdle to expansion. “Decision making is a key issue. But things are slowly changing with the next generation coming into business,” he said. “Even if there is a slight variation in taste you will end up losing customers. It is also a highly labour-intensive business,” he added. — The Hindu

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Bollywood stars such as Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan landed in the capital city on Thursday for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting came weeks after Bollywood producers met him and discussed issues faced by the industry, which led to the reduction in GST on film tickets.

“There is a meeting happening with the PM today with people from the film industry, including

actors,” sources close to the development told PTI. The insider, however, did not disclose the agenda of the meeting.

The delegation, a mix of directors and actors, was organised by filmmaker Karan Johar, the source added.

The line-up from Bollywood also included directors Rohit Shetty and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, producers Ekta Kapoor and Mahaveer Jain, actors Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann

Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Sidharth Malhotra.

The inclusion of Bhatt, Pednekar, Tiwari and Kapoor is signficant, as the December 19 meeting with the PM drew flak on social media for not having any female representation on the panel.

Actors-producers Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Sidharth Roy Kapur, Ritesh Sidhwani and others were censured by Internet users for not including any women on the panel.

PAGE 14 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

NEWS

India’s new affirmative action program

By MANOJ LADWA India’s new and much fairer affirmative action programme has unnerved Modi’s opponents, just when they thought they had the wind in their sails, writes India Inc.’s Founder & CEO, Manoj Ladwa.

In what is arguably its boldest move to ensure education and prosperity for every Indian, the Narendra Modi government has enacted a law to provide 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to people who fall below an income threshold of Rs 800,00 ($11,500) per annum and a landholding threshold of five acres.

Why do I consider this a ground-breaking achievement?

Let me explain…

The historical context India has, since its Independence in 1947, reserved government jobs and seats in educational institutions for citizens belonging to the economically deprived so-called “lower castes”. The idea behind this affirmative action was to ensure the uplift of people, almost a quarter of India’s population, who have faced discrimination and social exclusion on ac-

count of their birth.

Over time, this reservation (or quota in India’s political parlance) was extended to the Other Backward Castes – the intermediate castes between the lowest strata of the caste hierarchy and the so-called upper castes.

In the 1990s, following a massive caste-based political and social movement, the Supreme Court of India capped the quotas for various castes at 50 per cent of the total pie (of government jobs and educational seats).

The need for a relook The success of this affirmative action programme and the resulting empowerment of many historically disadvantaged castes has fuelled, from time to time, a backlash from the upper castes who felt the quotas were denying them a fair chance of gaining employment or seats in educational institutions.

Then, the rising levels of prosperity and education in some previously disadvantaged castes created a so-called “creamy layer,” it is alleged, who have cornered all the benefits of reservation for a rela-

tively small handful of influential community members.

Meanwhile, the poor among the general category citizens – estimated to be around 20 per cent of India’s population, or about 260 million people – have continued to languish.

The antidote The 10 per cent quota seeks to address this constituency by conceding a long-held demand for reservations.

In the tradition of the best democracies around the world, the Modi government has taken cognisance of the voice travelling up from the ground.

The US has in many states, an affirmative action programme for minorities. Many other countries have similar legislation to protect and empower communities that have, for one reason or the other, lagged behind.

Why this is a game changer India is on the cusp of a major industrial and technological revolution, where its development is expected to leapfrog several generations of technology.

The Modi government’s flagship Skill India programme is helping to ensure that In-

dian industry and society has an adequate pipeline of skilled personnel to cope with the challenges of growth and development.

This new initiative will ensure that those who are being left behind in this march towards a better future get an equal opportunity to participate in and partake of this progress.

In that sense, it is possibly the most democratic and egalitarian exercise undertaken by any government since Independence.

Why? Because, it promises to empower very poor or lower middle class Indian – regardless of caste or religion.

Opposition speaks in two voices India’s Opposition parties led by the Congress have adopted a very duplicitous stand on the new law. They have supported it in Parliament as its near unanimous passage through both houses of Parliament has shown.

But they’re nervous that this could hand Modi a massive, even winning, advantage barely a hundred days before the General Elections in May. The upper castes, a tradi-

tional BJP vote bank, have shown signs of unrest because of several pro-Dalit (the lowest caste) measures enacted by the Modi government. This is believed to a major reason for the BJP’s defeat in recently concluded state elections.

This new legislation on reservations is expected to assuage their worries and assure them that their interests are also safe under the Modi government. And that is leading to the outpouring of doublespeak by the Opposition.

But that is the least of the Modi government’s worries.

Far from being a political stunt, as is being claimed by the Opposition and a section of analysts in India, this new reservation policy is perfectly in tune with the Modi government’s famous credo of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (Development for all). But over the coming years, the challenge will be to ensure India’s economic growth story ensures robust job creation, and ultimately, in my view, that all forms of affirmative action become irrelevant.

(Manoj Ladwa is the Founder and CEO of India Inc. Group. @manojladwa.)

India hits the top spot in South Asia for ease of doing business India has made considerable strides on the ease of ‘Doing Business’ with a strong reform agenda, writes the World Bank expert behind the rankings.

The last four years have seen India make tremendous strides on the ease of doing business, as measured by the World Bank Group’s ‘Doing Business’ report. India has climbed to a global rank of 77, out of 190, in the latest report and was also recognised as a top improver for a second consecutive year, a distinction achieved by only nine other countries in the past eight or so years. The country’s success in the global ranking benchmark is underpinned by its absolute progress towards international best practice, as measured by the Doing Business Score. India’s overall score has significantly improved to 67.23, from 54.58 four years ago.

Since 2014, when India initiated its business reform programme and was ranked 5th amongst its South Asian neighbours and last among the BRICS, India is now in 1st place in South Asia and 3rd among the BRICS. The country’s successes in reducing bureaucratic hurdles for domestic small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are commendable, especially given India’s demographic characteristics and the challenge of creating jobs for over 325 million people aged 15 to 20 years.

Enabling entrepreneurship, which allows people to become self-employed and create jobs for others, is, thus, particularly important for India. However,

an enabling regulatory environment that facilitates business start-ups and their growth is vital. Research shows that creating a regulatory milieu that enables private enterprise, especially small firms, to function and be creative has a large positive impact on job creation and is, therefore, good for the economy. It is in this spirit that the ‘Doing Business’ report shines a spotlight on some critical regulatory constraints affecting SMEs in 190 economies around the globe, including India.

The areas of business regulation covered by the report’s 10 indicators are: Starting a Business; Dealing with Construction Permits; Getting Electricity; Registering Property; Getting Credit; Protecting Minority Investors; Paying Taxes; Trading Across Borders; Enforcing Contracts; and Resolving Insolvency. A major advantage of ‘Doing Business’ is the comparability of data across the world’s economies.

However, there are many other factors that are equally or more important to a wellfunctioning business environment, such as macroeconomic stability or the availability of a skilled workforce, which ‘Doing Business’ does not cover.

Therefore, policy-makers wishing to implement regulatory reforms can use the report as a starting point for identifying necessary reforms but should by no means stop at what is measured by the report.

Despite the report’s limitations, governments around the world have embraced the value

of ‘Doing Business’. Over the past decade, more than 70 governments, including India, have established regulatory reform committees that use the ‘Doing Business’ indicators to improve their business climate.

During the past year, India carried out six business reforms, bringing to a total of 20 the number of reforms implemented in the last four years.

The reforms of the past year included making Starting a Business easier by fully integrating multiple application forms into a general incorporation form. India also replaced the value added tax with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for which the registration process is faster in both Delhi and Mumbai, the two cities measured by the Doing Business report. In addition, Mumbai abolished the practice of site inspections for registering companies under the Shops and Establishments Act. As a result, the time to start a business has been halved to 16 days, from 30 days.

With streamlining of processes, India made it faster and less expensive to obtain a construction permit. It also improved building quality control by introducing decennial liability and insurance. The cost for completing all procedures to build a warehouse has been slashed to 5.4 per cent of the warehouse value, from 23.2 per cent earlier, while the total time needed for obtaining a permit has been reduced to 95 days, from 144 days. India’s continued effort to make Dealing with Construction Permits easier has

this year catapulted the country to a global rank of 52, from 181 last year.

Getting Electricity was made cheaper and faster in Delhi with the cost for low voltage connections reduced by more than 30 per cent of the income per capita, while the time needed was reduced to 31 days, from 39 days.

India made Paying Taxes easier by merging diverse sales taxes into a single General Sales Tax (GST). This is another area in which reforms have been carried out for a third consecutive year.

And, importing and exporting was made more efficient, also for a third consecutive year. The latest reform initiatives included electronic submission of documents and upgrading of port infrastructure.

As a result, the time needed for exporters to comply with documentation requirements was reduced to 14 hours, from 38 hours.

India performs well in the area of Getting Credit. This year, the country further strengthened access to credit by amending its insolvency law to give secured creditors absolute priority over other claims in insolvency proceedings. The country’s global rank in getting Credit improved to 22 this year.

India also performs particularly well in the area of Protecting Minority Investors, with a global rank of 7, and scoring a perfect 10 in the index measuring shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions.

The sustained effort towards

business regulatory reform, begun in 2014, needs to continue in the coming years to address the areas of continuing weakness. For example, India lags in areas such as Enforcing Contracts (with a global ranking of 163) and Registering Property (166). It takes 69 days and costs about 8 per cent of the property value to register a property, compared to 20 days and 4.2 per cent among highincome OECD economies.

And, it takes 1,445 days for a company to resolve a commercial dispute through a local first-instance court, almost 3 times more than the 582 days needed in high-income OECD economies.

This year, ‘Doing Business’ examined the relationship between efficient design and poor implementation of rules to understand why some reforms succeed while others fail. The data show that across economies there is a significant positive association between the availability of training programs for public officials and streamlined business regulation. One case study from this year’s report finds that training is associated with lower border and documentary compliance times, easing the movement of goods across borders. It notes that India has supported its ambitious reform agenda by providing regular training to both customs officials and private sector agents, as well as by establishing Customs Clearance Facilitation Committees which bring together actors involved in international trade at regular meetings.(India.Inc.)

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 15

NEWS

Narendra Modi slams Kerala’s ruling, Opposition fronts over Sabarimala “We know that the Communists do not respect India’s culture, history and spirituality,” Mr. Modi said at a public meeting in Kollam.

Coming down heavily on both the ruling and Opposition fronts in Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 15 said the position taken by the LDF in the Sabarimala issue will go down in history as the most shameful behaviour by any party or government. “For the past few months the entire nation has been discussing Sabarimala. We know the communists do not respect Indian history, culture and spirituality. But nobody expected such hatred,” he said inaugurating a public rally of BJP workers from Kollam, Alappuzha and Mavelikkara constituencies in Kollam.

He added that Congress, with their multiple stands, is no better. “They will have one position in parliament and a different one in Pathanamthitta. I challenge the UDF to clearly state their stand on the issue. Your doublespeak has been exposed.”

Mr. Modi added that the BJP’s stand in the issue had always been very clear. “If there has been any party at the forefront standing with Kerala and its culture, it’s the BJP. For us the people of Kerala and their aspirations are not a matter of convenience, but our conviction,” he said.

Mr. Modi also alleged that that despite Congress making tall claims about gender justice and social justice, their actions have been exactly the opposite. “The NDA government has been working towards abolishing triple talaq and the communists and the Congress are opposing it. Triple talaq is grave injustice done to women, but driven by vote bank politics they are supporting it. The female population in Kerala should ask the LDF and the UDF why are they supporting this practice,” he

said.

Commenting on the economic reservation bill he said, “Few days ago, our government had the historic opportunity to pass a legislation that gives 10% reser-

vation to poor people from the general category. We believe that every Indian of any caste, creed and community deserves equal opportunity. And the only MPs who opposed it belongs to the

IUML, the second largest partner of the UDF.” Calling the UDF and the LDF two sides of the same coin the Prime Minister added both the fronts are the same when it comes to corruption, casteism and communalism.

“In political violence and in damaging Kerala’s cultural fabric they are the same,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CPMI(M) has responded to the Prime Minister’s speech with a tweet, “Shameful that Modi attacked the LDF Govt for

implementing Supreme Court’s order on #Sabarimala while inaugurating a project in Kollam in Kerala.

Modi should read the Indian constitution which he is sworn to uphold rather than Manusmriti or RSS oath! (sic)”. In another tweet the party said: “And Modi should stop giving lectures on culture and history.

Modi, Your culture is Hitler’s culture! Don’t disturb God’s Own Country by your hate! (sic).”

PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

NEWS Don’t deny candidates right to wear hijab, carry kirpan: DMC to Govt departments Witnessing several complaints from the members of the minority community, the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) has asked the Delhi Government departments to allow minorities to wear dresses and carry articles as per their religious beliefs when appearing in recruitment and academic tests.

Following the commission’s order, the General Administration Department (GAD) has recently issued a circular to all principal secretaries and heads of department to take “appropriate action” on the dress code for minority students and candidates appearing in examinations.

The Commission has directed all the government departments and educational institutions to “meticulously observe” its dress code order. If anyone fails to do, the commission will take serious legal action against them.

“The order was issued after receiving a series of complaints from members of minority communities that they faced difficulties when appearing in such examinations and were forced to take off their articles of faith,” said a senior official of DMC. “Muslim women cannot be denied their religious right to wear Hijab (headscarf). They must also be allowed to wear full-sleeve shirts. The Sikhs are allowed to carry Kirpan (dagger) of reasonable length as per Indian Constitution’s Article 25,” stated the order.

A notice was also issued by the commission to the University Grants Commission (UGC) taking up the issue of a Jamia Millia Islamia student being allegedly not allowed to appear in the UGC-NET examination for wearing Hijab (headscarf).

The order noted that while the security precautions are very much required during examinations, it should not harm the interests of the minority’s students and candidates.

“Where certain security arrangements and frisking are required, candidates must be clearly informed in advance that they have to present themselves at the frisking point, say half an hour.

The frisking staff is fully within its rights to check Hijab of Muslim women and allow them in after making sure security requirements have been met,” said the order further.

White House deputy spokesman Raj Shah leaves Raj Shah, an Indian-origin top spokesman in the White House press office, has left US President Donald Trump’s administration to join an arm of a lobbying firm, becoming the latest of several senior officials to quit in recent months.

Shah, 34, White House deputy spokesman and a former researcher at the Republican National Committee, was in the administration since president Trump took office in January 2017.

His portfolio recently included helping prepare Justice Brett M Kavanaugh for his Senate confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court.

Shah will lead the Media Group, the press wing of Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with offices in Florida and Washington, The New York Times reported.

He will work with Jamie Rubin, a Democrat who was a spokesman for Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, the report said, quoting the officials.

His departure comes as the White House press and communications teams have been depleted. Several aides have moved on to roles at government agencies or have left the Trump administration entirely.

Shah was born in 1984 to Indian parents of Gujarati origin. His parents moved to Chicago in 1970s and then moved to Connecticut where he was born and raised.

Shah joined the White House right from the day the Trump administration took charge. He

was made the Deputy Communications Director at the White House. Previously, he was director of Opposition Research in the Republican National Committee.

Shah is the latest in a number of top officials to leave the Trump administration.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 17

NEWS Gukesh becomes country’s youngest Grandmaster

India’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh. For the record, Gukesh reached the landmark at the age of 12 years, seven months and 17 days.

After running out of time in his desperate bid to break the longstanding record of Sergey Karjakin of being the world’s youngest Grandmaster, D. Gukesh completed the formalities to be the sport’s youngest Grandmaster, at present.

On the auspicious day of Pongal, a harvest festival celebrated predominantly in his native state of Tamil Nadu, the 12-year-old defeated Dinesh Sharma in the ninth round of the Delhi International Open Grandmasters chess tournament for his third and final GM norm.

The country’s 59th GM is also the youngest after breaking the record of state-mate R. Praggnanandhaa set in June last year.

For the record, Gukesh reached the landmark at the age of 12 years, seven months and 17 days. Praggnanandhaa did it in 12 years, 10 months and 13 days. Karjakin’s record, set in 2002, stays intact at 12 years and seven months.

On the all-time list of youngest GMs, Gukesh now holds the second place. Parimarjan Negi, in 2006, and Praggnanandhaa last year, also held similar distinction.

Five years after taking the sport, the 2006-born Gukesh became an International Master in March last year. In April, he attained his first GM-norm by finishing third in the Bangkok Open and added a second in December, in the Orbis 2 round-robin tournament at Paracin, Serbia.

“I’m very happy,” almost whispered the Chennai-boy after completing the formalities of becoming a Grandmaster. “During today’s game, I felt a bit of pressure (knowing that a victory would be enough) but soon I felt fine.”

Gukesh, who became the World under-12 champion in November last, narrowly missed breaking Karjakin’s record by just half-a-point in the Sunway Sitges International tournament in Barcelona in December. In the following week, he took live rating past the stipulated 2500-mark in the recently-concluded event in Mumbai.

Initially coached by M. S. Bhaskar, Gukesh has since trained under several others. Son of an ENT specialist Dr. Rajnikanth and Dr. Padma Kumari, Gukesh was quick to acknowledge the contributions of his trainers Vijay Anand, GM in-waiting and Commonwealth champion P. Karthikeyan and his present coach GM Vishnu Prasanna. He was quick to add the name of his mentaltrainer Krishna Prasad to the list.

Padma, visibly emotional after her son’s record-making feat, praised her husband for devoting “365 days a year for Gukesh’s chess.” She said, “He sacrificed his career for Gukesh and remains his pillar of support. For the past five years, he has spent all his time planning every tournament for Gukesh, booking his tickets and room. He only thinks of Gukesh’s chess. So the whole credit should go to my husband. He will be here (from Chennai) on Wednesday.

“We both wanted Gukesh to become a professional chess player. About five years ago, when he took up chess seriously, we didn’t think of any record. We didn’t imagine he would become a GM in five years.”

She went on to point out Gukesh’s “dedication, hard work and love for the game” as the reasons for his rapid strides in chess.

Indeed, with young turks like Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and Gukesh, among others, making the chess world sit up and take note, the future of Indian chess looks very bright.

ISRO starts Human Space Flight centre Gaganyaan, India’s mission to send astronauts to space, is slated to happen before December 2021.

Gaganyaan, the great Indian human leap to space by 2022, will soon get cracking under a new Human Space Flight Centre and a dedicated team around five months after it was first unveiled. A team of 800 to 900 people is to be deployed over time to carry it out.

Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday named Unnikrishnan Nair, who led its Advanced Space Transportation Programme at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, as the man to steer it - as also the director of the new centre. Dr. Nair has already been involved in this work for a few years as director, Human Space Flight Project. ISRO.R.Hutton, who has helmed the PSLV light lift vehicle programme, also from Thiruvananthapuram, is the project director in that set-up.

K.Sivan, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space announced the new set-up soon after forming it.

A handful of deputy directors each for the centre and the project have also been picked.

“Gaganyaan is our highest priority now. We have put

in a management structure to realise it. The Human Space Flight Centre [based in Bengaluru] will carry out all activities related to the human programme. Under it will function the Gaganyaan Project.”

Dr. Sivan explained, “All work related to the mission will formally begin now,” including the schedule, blueprint of various tasks, astronaut selection with the Indian Air Force and systems based on the project report.

He told The Hindu that the nodal Human Space Programme Office set up six months back under V.R.Lalithambika would continue to coordinate mission affairs at the headquarters here, Antariksh Bhavan.

ISRO has projected to the government a manpower requirement of 861 including 761 to be appointed in addition to the routine annual hirings. However, they would be recruited in stages.

ISRO’s own Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, which produces around 100 space engineers each year, will be a primary source of talent, said a senior official “The year 2019 has started

with a big bang with Gaganyaan getting the government’s approval and budget for putting threre astronauts in space for seven days,” Dr. Sivan said.

The astronauts will orbit Earth from an orbit 400 km away.

The project, according to him, will be a major turning point for ISRO, expanding its activities beyond engineering activities of launchers and satellites - and into the realm of developing and handling technologies to sustain humans in space.

“The HSPC will work full steam now. We must select the astronauts, train them, create and ensure livable conditions in space for them bring them back safely and later rehabilitate them in their routine,” Dr. Sivan said.

The heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV MarkIII - which got operational in November after its second successive flight in a row, must be suitably certified or human-rated. It will have two non-crew flights in December 2020 and July 2021.

The actual flight with crew is targeted to happen by December 2021 - to meet the Prime Minister’s goal of August 2022, India’s 75th year of Independence.

India could have put an astronaut in space in 2015 had the original plan for the human spaceflight programme worked out, former ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair has said.

Mr. Madhavan Nair, who headed the space agency from 2003 to 2009, attributed the delay to political factors and the changed priorities of the subsequent ISRO management.

“But it’s never too late.

ISRO now has a strong chairman in K. Sivan. The human spaceflight mission will be a turning point in the Indian space programme,” he told The Hindu on Friday, responding to ISRO’s formal announcement that it plans to put three Indians in space in December 2021.

According to Madhavan Nair, it was in 2005 that ISRO decided that it was time to think beyond the grand vision of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

“Dr. Sarabhai wanted India to achieve self-reliance in satellite building, launch vehicle technology and, more importantly, ensure that the common man benefited from these technologies. We took a review in 2005. The question was, what next?” recalls Mr. Nair. he human spaceflight pro-

gramme was a natural choice as a target for the future, he said.

“Human access to space had become very important for various reasons.

One, ISRO had improved in terms of launch vehicle technology. Second, if we are to send humans to the Moon and Mars, we have to make a beginning,” he said.

In 2008, ISRO prepared a project report and submitted it to Space Commission. The same year, a small team was formed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to study various aspects of spaceflight and the technologies that such a venture called for. It was headed by S. Unnikrishnan Nair, who was appointed project director, Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP). The

team consisted of 10 to 12 people.

“In 2009, the Planning Commission gave the green light for the programme.

“In 2009, the plan was to have the mission in six years.

So by 2015, we would have been flying in earth orbit. But unfortunately due to various political factors and probably, the attitude of the subsequent management in ISRO it was put in cold storage,” he said.

Former ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair rues delay in human spaceflight plan

PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

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.

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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 Sunday satsangs for adults, youth, and children. A unique Bala Vihar program for each grade, from PreK to Grade 12. Satsangs in two sessions between 8:35 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. - 1p.m. Bala Vihar students can take shloka, bhajan and orchestra classes or language classes for Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, and Gujarati. Chinmaya Mission is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77498. New members may visit the welcome desk between 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Please visit www. chinmayahouston.org or contact Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 for more information.

Jeeyar Educational Trust Translate knowledge into action classes every Sunday at 10:15 a.m to 12 p.m. at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, 10098 Synott Road, Sugar Land, Tx 77498. Call 785 550 3621 or 832-334-9163. Visit www. ashtalakshmi.org for registration.

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; OLD

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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, is located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063. Key tenets of Jainism are: Non-violence - Ahimsa, Philanthropy with multicity in views â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anekantvad, No possessiveness - Aparigrah, Right Knowledge -- Samyak Gyan, Right Path â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Samyak Darshan, and Right Conduct â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Samyak Charitrya. JSH has Jain Pathshala Classed for students of all ages each Sunday starting at 10:15 AM. The center is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. 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, engage-

ment 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: 713-7298994 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, 9:30am11:30am, 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 10-10.30am. 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. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by 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, JANUARY 16, 2019 • PAGE 19

PAGE 20 â&#x20AC;¢ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;¢ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

Spring Branch Family Dentistry,P.A. 1111, Gessner, Suite B Houston, Texas 77055 (713) 461-8050 (713) 461-4747 WeWe Speak English, Hindi & Gujarati speak English & Gujarati CONVENIENT HOURS Monday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 pm Tuesday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7 pm Wednesday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 pm Thursday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7 pm Friday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 pm Saturday: 9 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 pm (Closed one Saturday a month) '

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