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India Herald
VOL. 25 • NO. 19 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents
Groundbreaking held for Tagore Center Foundation
Top right, India’s Consul-General in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, symbolically breaks ground for the proposed Tagore Center Foundation at 3850 Ashburnham Drive, Houston, TX 77082 on May 4. He is flanked by TCF founder Asoke Deysarkar and Houston’s Dist. F Councilman, Dr. Steve Le. The Tagore Center complex is under construction on a 14.6 acre lot . TCF is being funded by the Deysarkar Family Trust Fund and founded due to the vision of Dr. Ruma Acharya-Deysarkar. See story on Page 3.
BAPS Charities Walk Green BAPS Charities Walk Green 2019 in Sugar Land was an event to raise funds for The Nature Conservancy, the Rose, Behind the Badge Charities, Stafford MSD Education Foundation, and Fort Bend Education Foundation. Generations of change makers from 6-year-old first-time fundraisers to senior citizens came together, with over 1950 members of the community participating in total. During the last four years, from 2016 to 2019, BAPS Charities Walkathons have helped plant a total of 361,000 trees. See Page 4.
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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 3
NEWS
Tagore Center takes shape in Houston
“Where my country’s greatness reigns before the Ocean space...� Tagore’s poem is inscribed on a monument at the Tagore Center site. By SESHADRI KUMAR India’s Consul-General in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, symbolically broke ground for the Tagore Center Foundation (TCF) at 3850 Ashburnham Drive, Houston, TX 77082 on May 4. The Tagore Center is under construction on a 14.6 acre lot. It is founded by Dr. Ruma Acharya-Deysarkar and Asoke Deysarkar and is being funded by the Deysarkar Family Trust Fund. The complex will house an Early Education Development Center and an Adult Education Center. It will also include a Visual Arts Center, a Performing Arts center and Open Air Auditorium, an Art Gallery and Fairgrounds. Its focus will be to bring awareness and implement the inspirational global vision and ideals of Rabindranath Tagore with regard to art, literature, philosophy, education, global socialization, understanding of diversity and empowerment to a broader international audience. Ruma Acharya, in her opening remarks said, “Our Mission is to organize, promote and popularize educational, cultural, social and intellectual events celebrating diversity, intercul-
tural harmony, raise awareness of the blend of Eastern and western culture and philosophy framed on Tagore’s concept of universal humanism, transcendental spirituality and a borderless world. Public programs to attract, educate and inspire diverse audiences will be the core to the activities of Tagore Center.â€? Dr. Asoke Deysarkar gave a brief outline on the history behind the project, Tagore’s relevance and his inuence on Mahatma Gandhi. Rabindranath Tagore (1861– 1941) is iconized as a poet and writer and recognized around the world as the ďŹ rst non-European to be awarded a Nobel Prize for literature. The variety, quality and quantity of his volume of works rightly identiďŹ ed him as a Renaissance man. Tagore wrote over two thousand poems; eight volumes of short stories; over two dozen plays; eight novels; and many books and essays on philosophy, religion, education and social topics. He composed more than two thousand songs, both the music and lyrics. Two of them became the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Tagore began drawing and painting at the age of sixty-three with no formal training. He has
Jayanta Bandyopadhyay, left, Houston City Councilman Dr. Steve Le, Dr. Ruma Acharya, Dr. Asoke Deysarkar, Consul-general Dr. Anupam Ray, Philamena Baird and Sanchali Basu at the groundbreaking ceremony. left behind nearly 2500 paintings and drawings, all done in the last ďŹ fteen years of his life and created a body of work that made him one of South Asia’s great modern painters The Tagore Center, with its vision to propagate Tagore’s concept of universalism, is well situated for this international city of Houston. Tagore’s compositions celebrate the joy of living and love towards every human being. He was a social reformer, patriot and above all, a great humanitarian and philosopher with visions of globalism of mankind during a time when the world was engulfed in two global wars in the ďŹ rst half of last century. “This is a dream come true,â€? Dr. Ray said about the Tagore Center. This cultural monument is valuable to binding the world’s largest and oldest democracies, he said. He also pointed out that Indians appreciate and admire what America stands for and do not envy America. The Indian Constitution borrows the ďŹ rst three words “WE the peopleâ€?— from the American constitution. He further added that Tagore always emphasized focusing on building a good community
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and prosperity will follow. Shanti Niketan, built by Tagore, was a precedent to a global village and the Tagore Center in Houston will be a Shanti Niketan. In their eagerness to give back to the community, Ruma and Asoke represent the best of Bengal and India. Philamena Baird, past chair-
woman of Houston Arts Alliance and advisory board member of TCF, in her remarks, said she was overwhelmed by Tagore’s biography. He represented humanity and dreamed of universal humanity. “We all are welcome here in the campus, without being judgmental.�
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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
NEWS
BAPS Charities Walk Green helps plant 61,000 trees
A moment of silence in memory of the victims of terror in Sri Lanka before the walkathon began. All news on nature isn’t bad. Looking at the enthusiasm and effort of BAPS Charities Walk Green 2019 participants, one can certainly say, there is hope. Ushma Prajapati of Pearland, Texas has been taking part in the Walk over the past several years. “On a daily basis we see the effects of overconsumption and waste on our environment. Participating in this walk is something that I can do, as a step in the right direction to raise funds to plant trees and bring awareness about our impact on the environment,” Prajapati, said. BAPS Charities Walk Green 2019 in Sugar Land, was an event to raise funds for The Nature Conservancy, the Rose, Behind the Badge Charities, Stafford MSD Education Foundation, and Fort Bend Education Foundation. This year, nationally, BAPS Charities supported The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to plant one billion trees by 2025 through their Plant a Billion Trees initiative. Generations of change makers from 6-year-old first-time fundraisers to senior citizens— came together, with over 1950 members of the community participating in total. As members of the Stafford and the greater Houston community at large, BAPS Charities also looked to support local charities focused on the health, education and safety of the community around them through the funds raised at this walk. “It’s amazing and heartwarming to see how much support has been generated for the walk and how much it has grown over the years,” said Nilkanth Patel, President, BAPS Charities. “This year over 23,000 walkers in over 76 cities in North America joined the walk to help us protect our environment – for our generation and for generations. The collective actions of the community have
helped The Nature Conservancy plant 61,000 additional trees in 2019. During the last four years, from 2016 to 2019, BAPS Charities Walkathons have helped plant a total of 361,000 trees.” “It means a lot to us that your support is made possible by the thousands of BAPS Charities volunteers who believe like we do, that a healthy planet is critical to building healthy communities where both nature and people can thrive,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy.” In addition to fostering a spirit of service across generations of participants to support a cause touching the world, BAPS Charities involved young adults in high school and college in business sponsorship initiatives. The youth participants worked to secure partnerships from local businesses to support the Walkathon efforts. Dhiru Patel, walk participant, said, “It was inspiring to see the involvement of the youth at this event. From not only raising funds and participating in the walk, but I saw them involved in the set up and the execution of the walk as well. Ensuring that the younger generation understands the importance of service and getting involved in their communities is a great accomplishment of BAPS Charities.” Shannon McNair, representing the Rose, a local beneficiary, said BAPS Charities is “a great organization helping not only the Rose, but other folks in the community. It takes all of us to make sure we’re healthy. I love the environmental message as well.” Yogin Patel, an event lead, said, “I thank all the sponsors, the individual fundraisers and all who came out this morning to take part in this walk. We greatly appreciate your support.” This year’s walk sponsors included SDB group, Amica
Properties, PS eyecare, Bio Urja, Bank of Texas, TIC Texas, Tara Engery, Pershant and Nidhika Mehta and many more. In addition to the annual Walkathon, BAPS Charities actively supports environmental sustainability efforts throughout the year through recycling projects, water conservation and utilizing solar power. BAPS Charities also organizes other humanitarian events throughout the year like Health Fair, Blood Donation Drive, Food Drive, and Children’s Health and Safety Day. The activities of BAPS Charities are centered on improving the quality of lives of individuals and their families. For additional information on BAPS Charities and its philanthropic activities, please visit www. bapscharities.org. BAPS Charities is a 501(c) (3) registered nonprofit international charity organization committed to sincerely serving the world by caring for individuals, families, and communities. It is affiliated with BAPS as an independent charity and social services arm. The 55,000 BAPS volunteers networked in over 3,300 centers around the world provide over 12 million volunteer-hours of service annually. Among social service charities, BAPS Charities is a wellrespected and trusted name. It has amassed over 50 years of firsthand experience in initiating, managing, and sustaining 160 humanitarian operations throughout the world in such diverse fields as: medical services, environmental services, community services, tribal services, and disaster relief services. For additional information on BAPS Charities and its international and local philanthropic activities, please visit www.bapscharities.org
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar address the Walkathaon participants.
Obituary: Dr. Sathish Cayenne Dr. Sathish Cayenne was born on April 30, 1966 in Kolar, India to Smt. Leela and Sri. Narasimha Murthy, the oldest of three children. After completing his medical training at the Bangalore Medical College, India, and residency at State University of New York in Stony Brook, he went on to establish himself as one of the most beloved Cardiologists in the Greater Houston area. He was an incredible cardiologist, both within the clinic and hospital, and was adored by both colleagues and patients alike, with whom he cultivated strong, long-term relationships with. A brilliant yet extraordinarily humble man, Dr. Cayenne carried equal grace, generosity, and attentiveness to those around him, whether as a father, son, brother, husband, friend, or physician. Dr. Cayenne experienced a life full of complexity and zeal, yet focused on engaging in and sharing only the goodness. He loved to travel, was a huge sports enthusiast, and enjoyed playing games with friends. Innately altruistic, he was a quiet, generous benefactor of various charities. A pillar of strength and positivity for all, he inspired countless lives. He dedicated himself to creating an environment filled with love, compassion and kindness. This is not only a great loss for his family, but also for the community at large.
He is survived by his wife, Smt. Chandra Kaipa, two sons, Samir and Sanal, his mother, and two sisters. Please keep Dr. Cayenne’s family, friends, and colleagues in your prayers. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 4th between 11 AM - 2 PM at First Church of Pearland. Memorial contributions can be made to an orphanage being built in India by Second Chance Network that will be named in honor of Dr. Cayenne. The link to donate is: https://second-chancenetwork.secured.atpay.com. After a life spent in service of others, may he rest in peace and remain in our hearts as inspiration to continue the legacy of benevolence he has left behind.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 5
NEWS
HAF gala highlights Earth Day By MANU SHAH Name the only organization which protects and advocates the rights of Hindu Americans in the US? What is Hindu American Foundation. (HAF) Sounds like a question on Jeopardy? HAF volunteers Sheetal Shah and Fred Stella took a leaf out of the quiz show format to convey HAF’s work and accomplishments to a packed hall of community leaders at its Gala on 27th April at India House. Titled “Jeoparody” the interactive session was highly effective in garnering responses from an enthusiastic audience and engaging their full attention. As the Gala coincided with Earth Day, HAF used the opportunity to spotlight our indiscriminate overuse of the Earth’s resources and the urgent need to incorporate sustainability and responsibility towards our planet – an inherent tenet of Hinduism. This was put into practice by using china instead of paper plates, silverware rather than plastic spoons and a delicious dinner that was 30% vegan. After the traditional lighting of the lamp by Ohio State Representative Niraj Antani and an invocation to the Gods by Shreyas, Emcee Rish Oberoi got the evening going briskly. HAF is celebrating 15 years of advocacy and has grown from a handful of volunteers to 12 full time staff members and dozens of volunteers across the country. Headquartered in Washington DC, the organization has come a long way from the days, as Fred Stella put it, when Congressmen would ask Hindus if “they were Shia Hindus or Sunni Hindus.” HAF primarily works in 3 areas: Education, Policy and Community. Its efforts have trained thousands of school teachers for the past five years so they can teach about Hinduism accurately and worked to bring about 100 changes in Social Studies textbooks in Texas
that dramatically improved the accuracy of Hinduism and Ancient India that children are learning. Its more recent achievements include the “Take Back Yoga” campaign which seeks to link yoga with its Hindu roots, the Shakti initiative – an online resource that highlights the contribution of Hindu women throughout history and a Diwali celebration on Capitol Hill cohosted last year which was attended by 25 elected officials. HAF has also held congressional briefings for the last three years to champion the rights of 300,000 H1B card holders and their families. Other initiatives involved partnering with Jewish groups to dispel misconceptions about the Hindu symbol of Swastika and highlighting unethical conversions of Hindus. These efforts serve more than one purpose: it counters misconceptions, raises awareness about Hinduism and Hindus and encourages the coming generations to take pride in their heritage. Keynote Speaker Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya of “Catching the Sun” whose work is deeply inspired by her world view of Hinduism, made an impassioned plea to save our water resources as “it is a life giving mother, a sacred substance rather than a commodity.” Citing statistics, she warned that 4 billion people will be without water by 2027 and the “wars of the next century will be over water.” Numerous studies, she added, are now proving that human and nonhuman life on Earth are connected in a web of life, “but Hinduism has said this in 400 BC.” In conclusion, she encouraged each one to play their role in protecting the environment. Ohio State Representative and the youngest Hindu American in office, Niraj Antani spoke of the “blank stares” he often received when he said he was Hindu. Citing a Pew poll that showed Hinduism to
HAF speakers Sheetal Shah (left) and Fred Stella present to the audience about HAF’s work. be the least known religion, he added that the perception of Hindus could go “either way at this tipping point.” It is imperative to create the right awareness about Hindus and Hinduism and even more important that “HAF exists.” This sentiment was also reiterated by Sri Kulkarni, who shared his experience of growing up in America, trying to “assimilate” and being disparaged for his Hindu beliefs. Sri is the first Hindu American candidate in Texas who was in the final race for the congressional seat against present incumbent Pete Olson. Krishna Parmar and Houston Chapter Lead Rishi Bhutada called for the community to support their “critical efforts in how we and our children are perceived in this country.” The appeal clearly touched a chord as donations poured in and the final tally was just a little shy of their target of $150,000. Rishi also thanked the Houston HAF team: Rahul and Lavannya Pandit, Vinay Sarda, Rishi Goswami, Arvind Chandrakantan and Bharat Pallod for their hard work in making the evening successful.
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Keynote speaker Shalini Kantayya talks about her films, with emcee Rish Oberoi. Photos by TAJAS SHAH/HAF.
HAF board member Rishi Bhutada talks to the audience about the importance of donating to HAF
PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
COMMUNITY
Texas teens present captivating concerts at Cleveland Aradhana By Dayton Rasikan, Karthikeyan Mahadevan, Vibha Srinidhi Thanks to the vision of Veeranavallur V. Sundaram of Cleveland, Ohio, the grand “Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival” has been drawing musicians and music lovers by the thousands since 1978. This year, the festival was held on 16th- 28th April in Cleveland State University with 5000+ attendees on the main day. US youngsters performing has become an enjoyable feature of this great North American Carnatic Music Festival. While the stalwarts take us through the established paths, the youngsters provide excitement with their authenticity, raw talent and certain innocence in their rendering which is always a pleasure to listen to. This was demonstrated by three teens from Texas, students of Vidushi Raja Rajeshwari Bhat, and their accompanying youth artists who gave hour-long concert performances at the festival. Apoorva Das
with great bhava in the kriti “Brovavamma” - the master piece by Syama Sastri. The soft brigas were aptly and delicately handled by Apoorva and was not confused with Bhairavi. Manji was followed by a brisk “Atukaradhani” in Manoranjani, an “apoorva krithi” from Apoorva. Sushmita and Myan found themselves coming across a kriti to match their high-speed skills and the accompaniment reminded us of his guru Sri T. R. Vaidyanathan. Kanada following Manoranjani was a very pleasurable journey. The raga rendering was compact and brought the essence of raga in a charming fashion. The “Mamava Sadha”, Swati Tirunal kriti was sung so well that the audience was mesmerized by the singing and by the accompaniment of Sushmita and Myan. Niraval around “kuru mae kucalam” was beautiful and kalpana swarams were rendered with such elegance and speed that created an atmosphere of sitting by a great river flowing quietly and smoothly. Both the accompanists did an excel-
Apoorva Das in concert The first concert on April 19th, 2019 was led by the young and talented Apoorva Das, accompanied by Sushmita Ravikumar on the violin and Myan Sudharsanan on mridangam. Apoorva started off the concert with the brisk kriti “Chala kallalaDu” in Arabhi. He rendered this kriti in the right mode with nuances that was sweet and soothing to hear. The charanam “Tallatandri” was rendered beautifully with Sushmita and Myan accompanying her. The kalpana and chitta swarams were rendered with the essence of Arabhi and reverberated with great layam. The softness of Sushmita on the violin was wonderful to listen to. Myan’s playing was outstanding for the swarams. He showed a great sense of the layam with appropriate outbursts when needed. It was an enjoyable experience when Apoorva brought out all the nuances of the raga
lent job in supporting Apoorva. Myan demonstrated his skills by bringing out few “gumuki prayogas” at the most appropriate places when playing for the kriti and also fast paced sol kattu’s which complimented and made the musical experience complete. Finally, there was an outstanding rendition of the thukada “Eppo Varuvaro” in Jonpuri. The music of Apoorva is of the “Naabhi Hrut kanta Rasana Nasaadhula” type with all the great vocal music originating from the navel (naabhi). She is a great upcoming artist and we yearn for longer concerts by her. The young trio gave us an unforgettable musical experience matching the ones we got from the more famed stalwarts during the Festival. It was great to see Cleveland Sundaram, Vidwans Nagai Murali, Vaikom Gopalakrishnan, Vidushi S. Sowmya, K.V. Gopalakrishnan (KVG) in the audience who enjoyed the short presentation of the young
Mayuri Srivaths and upcoming great artists. Mayuri Srivaths Mayuri Srivaths, a grade 8 student, gave a memorable one-hour vocal concert on April 25th, 2019. She was ably supported on the violin by Madhu Vadlamani of North Carolina and on Mridangam by Siva Mahadevan of Ontario, Canada, both college seniors. The effort put in by Mayuri in preparing for the concert showed in her composed and effortless singing of the 6 pieces she presented. Starting with varnam Arunodhayame in Bowli ragam, Adi thalam, she sang at a steady pace with violin and mridangam adding rich tones to her resonant voice. Next her alapana in Lathangi brought out the essential contours of the raga and the song Marivere Dikkeveru followed after Madhu’s version of Lathangi on violin. Siva played pleasingly to the song’s rhythmic structure with good combination of left- and right-side strokes. The swara exchanges with beautiful poruthams and korvais in kanda chapu talam by Mayuri and Madhu with rhythmic support from Siva kept the music energetic and captivating. Next came the presentation of the Papanasam Sivan krithi Adum Deivam Arulvai in majestic raga Kamboji, set to Adi Thalam. This raga and songs in it can be explored in great detail by stalwarts like Madurai Mani Iyer and enjoyed for hours by enraptured listeners. Mayuri’s brief yet zesty rendition left the audience wanting more. The main piece of the concert that followed was Thodi and the magnificent krithi Kaddhanuvariki. The beautiful Thyagaraja krithi was explored in detail by Mayuri, bringing forth the intricate nuances of the raga, especially during the elaborate alapana, exciting neraval and swara exchanges. The interplay between Mayuri, Madhu, and Siva during the manodharmam renditions were appealing and memorable, with their years of learning, practice and confidence showing in their engaging interactions.
Next Mayuri sang a bhakthi laden ragamalika-virutham “Akilandakoti Paripalaya Krishna”, devotional lyrics from “Sri Krishna Leela Tharangini” by Sri Narayana Theerthar, comprising of ragas Kedar Gowlai, Shanmukapriya, Valaji, Surutti. The artists concluded with a scintillating thillana in raga Desh. The blessings and appreciation of Cleveland Sundaram mama, senior carnatic stalwarts and upcoming artists in the audience nurtured their performance and provided the youngsters with further energy to sincerely pursue their musical careers. With the blessings of their guru and God, these young artists have many more years to embellish their skills, dive deeply into this fine art of Carnatic music, and continue to elevate their and the listener’s mood by divine music. Ahi Ajayan
Ahi, a 10th grade student gave a highly qualified concert on April 27th, 2019, along with her supportive team, Sanjay Sharma on Violin and Uzhavoor Babu on Mridangam. The concert and the musicianship this young artist showcased proved she has well imbibed the style of her Guru Vid. Suguna Varadachari. Ahi interestingly began her concert with a Tiruvarutpa - “Petra taai tanai” of Sri Ramalinga Swamigal in ragam Naadanaamakriya sung in Madhyama sruthi. The lyrical content of this Tiruvarutpa is high in emotion and the ragam chosen to sing this in did full justice to the lyrical aspect of it. The Violin artist gradually picked up well for the start and this was followed by a beauti-
ful composition of Sri Muthu Tandavar “Arar asai padar” in the same ragam. The Mridangam artist slowly flowed into the stream creating the pace for the rest of the concert. Then came a refreshing Raga-alapana for a not-so-easy Saranga handled with ease and confidence both by Ahi and Sanjay which had - Nee vaada negaana of Saint Thyagaraja with swarams challenging enough for a composition in Khanda chapu, ably handled. Another contrast, Koluvaiyunnaade in Devagaandhaari seemed a perfect selection before the main piece chosen for the evening. It was yet another composition of Saint Thyagaraja coming under the Lalgudi Pancharatnams - Devashri Tapasteerthapura nivaasa, in ragam Madhyamavathi set to Mishra chapu talam came in as the main piece. Detailed Raga-alapana by Ahi bringing in the aesthetics of the ragam and refined support by Sanjay as an accompanist and as a soloist later was commendable. As they emerged through the song, Babu kept up the pace right along with his majestic strokes. Improvisations on the line “Hridbhava” was the highlight handled with skill knitting the Swarams in pretty patterns, summing it up neatly with Kuraippu and Korvai.
Tani by Babu after this was short and neat keeping on mind the time left. The last item chosen was a Tiruppugazh Marukkulaaviya malaranai in Poorvikalyaani which was an apt choice to end her concert. Ahi made sure her concert list covered every aspect that is considered to be a list of high caliber and proved it on stage in the one-hour time given to her. Credit must be given to the Gurus of all the three artists and their dedication towards the art which helped them perform with such potential preparing them for bigger challenges and shaping them to be more promising.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 7
NEWS
Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard makes Houston stop By POOJA SALHOTRA Service before self. That’s what Americans hope for in an elected official, particularly the U.S. president. Yet, over and over, we seem left with self-serving politicians who fail to actively listen to and address the challenges most Americans face – issues like affordable healthcare, access to quality education, a fair criminal justice system and adequate wages. But those issues were the subject of discussion at She the People, a presidential forum focused on women of color that took place Wednesday, April 24 at Texas Southern University. Eight of the twenty Democratic candidates attended and spoke to an audience of over 1500 people, primarily women of color. Candidates answered questions from both event hosts — Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, and Joy Reid of MSNBC — as well as from audience members. At the end of their time on stage, each candidate addressed why women of color, a bloc that often feels neglected by politicians, should vote for them. While each candidate made compelling points, one candidate’s background seemed to stand out, particularly in an era of corrupt politics. That candidate is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, the first Hindu congress member, a war veteran and a woman. “The vision that our founders had for this country of a government of, by and for the people has been lost,” Gabbard said. “As a soldier, someone who understands in a very deep and personal way what it means to put service above self, […] I will bring that to the White House to make sure that that mission – the mission of the President, of the White House, and our nation’s capital is solely focused on how we can best serve the American people.” Gabbard, 38, grew up in a multicultural household in Hawaii. Her father is an active Catholic and is of Samoan and European ancestry while her mother is a practicing Hindu of German descent. Gabbard emphasized during her time on stage that this background exposed her to diverse perspectives that are needed in politics today. Gabbard began her political career early – at only 21 years old, she was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives, becoming the youngest legislator ever elected in Hawaii’s history and the youngest woman elected to a U.S. state legislature. In 2003, Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard, where she served for over sixteen years. She has been deployed to the Middle
East twice, to Iraq in 2005 and to Kuwait in 2008. That experience has helped define some of her key policy stances. After being on the ground in the Middle East, Gabbard has decried regime-change wars, a stance she reaffirmed at She the People. When asked about what type of foreign policy she would embrace, she noted that the U.S. needs to stop being “the police of the world” and instead should reallocate money towards domestic policies such as providing healthcare to all and improving infrastructure. In Syria specifically, Gabbard said, U.S. forces were originally deployed in order to help Kurdish forces defeat ISIS, but the U.S. government has since transitioned to fighting a regime change war in order to displace president Bashar al-Assad. That type of destructive war is one Gabbard does not support. With other issues, too, Gabbard espouses a domestic agenda, focused on strengthening the United States instead of fighting the enemy. When asked about the Mueller Report and Russia’s threat to voting rights, she recognized that any interference to voting should be taken seriously. But, rather than challenging Russia or trying to impeach Donald Trump, she pushed efforts to secure our voting process. Gabbard introduced legislation in 2018 called Securing Americas Election Act, which would do just that. That law would require all states to either uses paper ballots or to have a verifiable paper backup, ensuring that foreign hacks would not jeopardize our democracy. She said that legislation has not been taken up by committee or introduced on the house floor. “It is essential for us as voters that when we cast our votes we know our voices will be heard,” Gabbard said at the forum. “That’s what my bill does, and that’s what Congress needs to pass.” Among all the Democratic candidates who attended the forum, Gabbard seemed the most left centrist, espousing views that may appeal to conservatives as well. And although she has not yet made significant headway in the polls, those who do support her applaud her for speaking out on controversial topics and taking positions that her party may not typically embrace. Vijay Pallod, a Gabbard supporter who attended She the People, said he sees Gabbard as “unifier.” “She’s a brave person and will not hesitate to talk about controversial subjects,” Pallod said. Sheetal Mhatre, who also attended the forum, lauded
Tulsi Gabbard, right, at She the People presidential forum. Gabbard’s “open-mindedness, inclusivity and genuine personality.” “She is a perfect role model for young women,” Mhatre said.
India House Houston
“She’s a very upright person with high integrity,” added Jiten Agrawal, a Houstonian who supports Gabbard. “She stands for the issues, whatever she thinks is right,
irrespective of whether it falls on the conservative or liberal side. That’s why you’ll see a lot of conservatives supporting her as well.”
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PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
NEWS
The Grand Guruvayurappan Temple Annual Utsavam
By Biju K.Pillai The Sri Guruvayurappan temple festival rituals are performed with great grandeur impressing the temple community across the greater Houston area. The annual Festival of the Guruvayurappan Temple is scheduled from May 9 through May 18, 2019. The festival formally starts with the traditional flag hoisting ceremony on May 9th in the evening. Various classical programs are scheduled every day and on weekends, performers are lined up throughout the day and late evening. Prominent musicians and classical dancers from local art schools and neighboring cities will present their talents on the temple grounds during the festival days. Preceding the last day (May 17) of the festival, Kathakali, a highly developed art form that was born and nurtured in the temples of Kerala will be performed. In addition to cultural programs, many attractions are included in this year’s festival. The food stalls on the temple grounds will serve a variety of homemade authentic vegetarian food. There will be an opportunity for business booths on the temple premises. For details, contact the temple.The talented percussionists of the Pallavoor family (Sridharan and Sreekumar Marar) and temple staff Sreejith Marar (from the Pallavoor team) will present varieties of chenda melam all through the event. The distinct styles of melams are bound to capture the devotees’ attention and reverberate in the temple surroundings. The annual utsavam includes several important rituals estab-
lished at the ancient Guruvayur Temple of Kerala, India. Udayasthamana Pooja is one of the most popular offerings at the Guruvayur Temple in India (sponsorship requires early booking). Annadhanam sponsorship (offering food for visitors and devotees) is very popular and a sacred tradition during the Utsavam. Please call the temple for annadhanam sponsorship. The auspicious Utsav-bali, Sreebootha bali and Kalashabhishekam are part of the festival and key rituals. On the ninth day (May 17) of the festival, the palli vetta (royal hunt) ritual will be conducted with melam and ceremonial procession. The arattu ceremony (May 18), marking the culmination of the 10-day festival, will be held at the specially prepared arattu Kadavu on the temple premises. On this special day, Lord Sri Guruvayurappan is given a holy bath on the arattu kadav, which is a unique sight. The entire spiritual and ritualistic observations will be done under the direction and guidance of the temple Thantri (Vedic chief priest of the temple) Brahmasri Divakaran Namboothiri, the former chief priest of Guruvayur temple, India. For more information, visit www.guruvayurappanhouston. org (Address: 11620 Ormandy Street, Houston, 77035.) For details, contact the temple (713) 729- 8994, Sasidharan Nair (President) at 832-8600371, Suresh Pillai (Secretary) at 713-569-7920, Rema Sankar (Treasurer) at 404-680-9787 or Ajith Nair (Festival coordinator) at 832-713-1710.
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 9
COMMUNITY Krishna Leela – A devotional dance tribute
Dance and devotion, imagery and inspiration – the evening of March 31 at the Staord Civic Center, became memorable when the compositions of Shri Narsi Mehta, the great poet-saint revered as the Adi Kavi of Gujarat, came alive with music and mesmerizing movement. Aimed to be a fundraiser for Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya at Chinmaya Prabha, the event opened after invoking the blessings of God and the Chinmaya Guru Parampara. With a scroll that highlighted the contribution of Narsi Mehta to the realm of the highest love, Prema-Bhakti, the unique dance recital gave everyone the opportunity to reminisce the Leela – sportive episodes of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and glimpse at the deep spiritual import behind each of them. It was an oering of love caringly conceived for over two years by the producer-director couple, Anil and Rucha Sheth, both physicians and longtime sevaks of Chinmaya Mission Houston. The grace-ďŹ lled dance sequences that brought the uplifting emotions in the bhajans sung by Rucha Sheth and Nishad Mehta depicted the greatness of the poet-saint in two hours. Rathna Kumar, the internationally acclaimed Founder-Director of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, expertly choreographed the classical dances in the show. Neha Vyas, Juhi Vyas, and Avani Dave from the Chinmaya Mission Houston team trained the folk dancers beautifully. All the talented dancers presented a perfect blend of classical Bharatanatyam and the folk dances of Gujarat – Sanedo and Raas with smooth transitions. The storyline was dramatized by Hemant Bhavsar and his supporting crew. The show opened with the poet’s bhajan “Akhil Brahmandmaâ€? that portrayed the most exalted vision of the Lord who pervades the entire universe. Then, the joy of “Aajni Ghadiâ€? welcomed the omnipresent Lord in the most delightful avatar of Sri Krishna. “Jagne Jadhavaâ€? conveyed the bliss of a spiritual dawn. And, the audience delighted in the dances for “Jasoda Tara Kanudaneâ€? and “Jal Kamal Chhandiâ€? portraying the pranks of the darling Krishna. These divine episodes were interspersed with autobiographical episodes in Narsi Mehta’s life through the bhajans, “Giri Taletiâ€? and “Mari Hundiâ€? that highlighted the saint’s all-embracing conviction and deep faith. The beauty of Nature in the peak of monsoon burst forth in “Mehulo Gaje.â€? This was followed by the most notable “Vaishnavajanâ€? which inspired Mahatma Gandhiji with the proďŹ le of a perfect devotee. After that sublimity of devotion, the show concluded with a spell-binding Raas that transported the audience to the moonlight night of Vrindavan to experience the bliss of union with Lord Krishna! To keep the audience in raptured attention, an eye-catching vibrant LED screen with digitally vivid and apt images technically managed by Vijay Azhagiasingam awed the audience. Synchronizing with that, a pleasing background music, skilled dancers, and enthusiastic actors captured the essence of each bhajan. The detailed narration that preceded each dance enabled the non-Gujarati audience to gain a rich understanding of the Adi Kavi’s devotional and spiritual vision. Swami Shivatmananda of Chinmaya Mission Austin, a special guest of that evening who has conducted workshops on Sri Narsi Mehta, talked about the realm of timelessness that our saints inspired through their works of devotion. A awless stage management of the lights that danced in perfect rhythm to each performance, the audio and acoustics that were harmonious throughout the program, the props that aesthetically complemented the LED backdrop, the bright and beautiful costumes, and tasteful makeup – every aspect of the tribute to Narsi Mehta was indeed a worship oered by each participant in Krishna Leela! For more information about Chinmaya Mission Houston, Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya and its activities visit www.chinmayahouston.org, www.saumyakasi.org or call temple 281 568 1690 or Jay Deshmukh 832 541 0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233. By Padmashree Rao Photos by Jayesh Mistry and Rajesh Thatte
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PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 11
PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
COMMUNITY Javed Ali’s soulful voice takes the audience to cloud nine
Mousumi Banerjee of MB Entertainment and Houston’s radio icon Meena Datt at the meet and greet with Javed Ali, center. By SESHADRI KUMAR Javed Ali, a musical sensation of the day, with his soulstirring live performance at Stafford Center on May 3 took the audience to cloud nine. His Sufi devotional songs lulled the audience into a trance and his high-pitched, fast-paced, foot-tapping numbers had listeners literally dancing in their chairs. The romantic melodies brought the musical sojourn to a full circle. Humble, modest and somewhat shy, Javed Ali, who became a celebrity from anonymity, with his skillful voice that could sing in various styles and languages, connected with the audience with great aplomb. A prolific and versatile singer with a golden voice, Javed Ali learned music from his father Ustad Hamid Hussain, a qawwali singer. Later, he deemed Ustad Ghulam Ali as his guru so much so he changed his last name from Hussain to Ali. How many would know the chartbuster song “Kilimanjaro” was sung by Javed Ali in Tamil, Telugu & Hindi versions for the Rajinikanth starrer film “Enthiran” / “Robot” in 2010. Under A.R Rahman’s music direction, Javed Ali sang the soulful track ‘Jashn-e-Bahara’ in Jodha Akbar. The singer started his concert with this very song and went on to sing hits like Guzarish from Gajini, Tu jo mila from Bajrangi Bhaijaan even as the orchestra accompanying Javed Ali provided outstanding support. With his fitting voice, he paid tribute to Mohammad Rafi with the song “Tum jo mil gaye ho,” and dazzled the audience with a string of medleys, all based on Raag Yaman,—Abhi na jao chodhkar kar; Ranjish hi sahi; Tumko dekha; and Jagjit Singh’s Tum itna jo, to name a few. In the Sufi segment, he rendered the soothing numbers, Kun faya kun and Maula and switched to romance with singer Manisha and sang Tum tak from Ranjhana. The versatile singer con-
tinued with new and old hits like Dil ibadat, Chand Chupa, Chupke se, Ek din teri raho, Dar de dil and, Gulabi aankhen. He then presented his latest 2019 song from the movie Kalank- ara gaira and the finale was Nagada, Nagada from Jab We Met and Ali ho from Highway. Mousumi Banerjee, CEO of MB Entertainment Company and local promoter of the show, earned kudos and a feather in her cap, thanks to a successful Javed Ali show. Mousumi helps promote large and small-scale events such as Concerts, Talent shows and Cultural shows across Houston. She has also been supporting non-profit organizations like India House, CRY, SEWA International and Indo American Charity Foundation. Sponsors for the event included Omar Saeed from Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, Ashar Ali from MIR Builders, and John Verghese from Prompt Group of Companies. During a meet-and-greet with local community members earlier, Javed Ali was the very essence of humility. He commented on one distinct difference in playback singing today. There was a time, when by listening to a song, one could name the actor, as the singer always attempted to sing in the actor’s voice. Today’s singers’ playback for many actors and it is hard to identify the actor. And, conversely, the singer also remains anonymous unless the listener knows the singer. On the trend of remixes, Javed Ali, the classicist, not a puritan, came out. Re-mixes of old songs are good, but they can never be better than the original, he said. The meet and greet was emceed by Abiya Malhotra. The Javed Ali show was introduced by emcee Meena Datt. For more information about MB Entertainment and future events visit: www.facebook.com/Mousumi-Banerjee-2046130342332317/ or email: mousumib@yahoo.com or call 832-841-5727.
Rajinder Singh, left, of Star Promotions, National promoter Chakku Bhupatmi of Classic Productions, Javed Ali, Mousumi Banerjee of MB Entertainment, Swapnil Agarwal and John Verghese of Prompt Group of Companies. Photos by Murali Santhana
Javed Ali during his live performance at the Stafford Center on May 3.
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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 13
NEWS
Dr. H. R. Nagendra dedicates new S-VYASA yoga center to the Houston community
By MANU SHAH On 27th April, S-VYASA inaugurated its Yoga Center at the West Oaks Mall, in the presence of its Founder Dr. H. R. Nagendra, yoga teachers and students. The “phones in meditation mode” policy set the tone for the event and the Vedic chanting by Vishwarupa Nanjudappa and Srikhanta Parmeshwara further elevated the positive energy in the room. Emcee Suveena Guglani invited President of VYASA Houston Dr. Sudha Rajan to introduce the “NASA to VYASA” Chief Guest of Honor Dr. H.R. Nagendra. Dr. Nagendra is the Chancellor of the S-VYASA deemed University in Bengaluru and the “NASA to VYASA” is a reference to his stint at NASA. The Center was formally inaugurated in the traditional Indian way with the lighting of the lamp by Dr. Nagendra and the Guests of Honor. Dressed in his signature white shirt and dhoti, Padma Shri Dr. Nagendra, fondly known as Guruji, left a promising career abroad and joined his aunt Lakshmi Amma to serve and spread the practice of yoga. He is credited with bringing a scientific research dimension to the usefulness of yoga through many publications and led the formulation of the 35 minute yoga protocol which incorporates all the four streams of yoga – Karma, Gyana, Bhakti and Hatha yoga for the International Yoga Day. In his address, Guruji spoke of the great strides in yoga awareness and its practice, not only in India but around the world and credited this to his student - Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal interest and push in the project. Yoga, he pointed out, should not be a one day celebration but must be incorporated in the educational system to bring about a transformation in the nation. Yoga has now been made compulsory in the Teachers Training program and tremendous research is underway to understand how yoga can help in the prevention and improvement of cancer and diabetes. Based on Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, the University infrastructure and education delivery is considered on par with the IIT’s for yoga education. He also lauded the efforts of directors Vishwarupa Nanjudappa, Smitha Mallaiah and Board members Dr. Sudha Rajan, Prakash Morolia and Kirthi Jain who have been pivotal in carrying out the mission and vision of the organization. Longtime key contributors to the organization and yoga practitioners themselves, Dr. Durga and Sushila Agrawal,
Ramesh and Kiran Bhutada and Jugal and Raj Malani were felicitated for their generosity. Dr. Lorenzo Cohen and Alison Jefferies were also felicitated for their support and trailblazing research work in using yoga in different cancer populations and encouraging the practice of yoga at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. S-VYASA and MD Anderson have a MOU for yoga research for two decades. Smitha Mallaiah, Program Director proposed the formal vote of thanks. Dr. Manjunath Sharma, Director of Research, explained yoga’s benefits analyzed from studies carried out at the SVYASA lab at Bengaluru, India. Brain waves mapped during pranayama showed distinct structural changes such as an increased thickness of the cortex. SVYASA’s teachers also taught yoga to India’s research teams in Antarctica to weather the harsh conditions and the social isolation. On learning this, lab members of eight other countries also approached VYASA. The Institute has also been tapped by NASA to develop a yoga module for astronauts. Despite a packed schedule, Dr. Nagendra took time to answer a few questions. How did your journey in yoga begin? My uncle Seshadri taught me yoga when I was nine years old and I also started memorizing the Gita but it was only after I did my Masters that the whole transformation started. We were a group of people trying to understand the purpose of life. We started studying the Upanishads, Vedanta and started the practice also. Can you tell me something about Patanjali? Patanjali is, you can say, almost an incarnation – he is the master of masters, he is everything that can be achieved by Yoga. He was a highly developed individual and brought all the yoga traditions and put it into a mathematical precise language. What we know about Patanjali and what we see is hardly one percent of what he taught. The entire dimension of Vibhuti Pada, and Kaivalya Pada (two chapters in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra) are still not fully understood and so we are trying to do research in that direction. You once said that as a species “we’ve become gigantic on one hand and a pygmy on the other hand.” Please elaborate? Modern education makes your mind sharper, intelligent, creative but on the other hand calming, and silencing the mind is hardly taught. As a result, we’ve grown gigantic on one front and on the other side a
L to R: Kirthi Jain, Dr. Manjunath Sharma, Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Vishwarupa Nanjudappa, Smitha Mallaiah
Attendees at the opening pygmy – a big imbalance. This imbalance is the root cause for all the challenges we have. You mean like depression, anxiety, stress, addictions..? Yes. We have to bring the system back to a balance. It’s like trying to fly with one wing. That’s why yoga’s inclusion in the education system is very important. The modern education system has ruined us…. you may learn some yoga and do it for a few days but if you want to bring a transformation in society, it has to go into the education system. Patanjali says one must use the body to gain mastery over the mind? When you do the yogic postures, you must do it correctly. The definition of an asana is “sthira sukham asanam.” You must sit quietly, calmly without movement like a statue if you are sitting or standing. Any position you do, you must become steady. That’s the first
step. Then you stay for a longer time, then you should enjoy this process and this way Patanjali says the mind will get tuned to the infinite object like the vast blue sky or the ocean – “Ananta samapatti.” This is how you use the body as a tool to gain mastery over the mind. Why is gaining mastery over the breath so powerful? The breathing, prana and mind are connected… Patanjali says you start controlling the breathing which is easier, and the mind comes under control. If the mind is very haphazard, the breathing is also very shallow, unrhythmic. Once you start making the breathing uniform and controlled, the mind will also come under control. What would you say to someone who wants to start yoga but says they have no time? Are they busier than our Indian Prime Minister? He practices for 1 1/2 hours every day
without fail. The best asana? Shavasana – the corpse pose. Somebody asked me which is one practice in yoga which I want to do without fail and it will give me all the benefits and I said keep a smile on the face all the time – “santosha anutaka sukha labha.” Patanjali says if you are happy, contented and smiling - that’s the best yoga. What about surya namaskar? Surya namaskar is good, it combines all the different asanas. You can start off with 9, then increase to 27, then 108. The word “consciousness” has been cropping up more frequently. How does yoga help achieve this? Yoga’s objective is that…to reach the highest states of consciousness. Patanjali’s astanga yoga takes you to Samadhi. Samadhi takes you from this level of consciousness to a higher See YOGA, Page 14
PAGE 14 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
NEWS Yoga From page 13 level and you can keep going higher. This June 21 is the 5th International Day of Yoga. What kind of meaningful change do you think this will bring about in the world? The whole approach of yoga is to change ourselves. Unless we change, the world cannot change. How do you begin your day and what is your diet like? I sleep around 10-11 pm and get up around 2-2:30 am. For three hours, I do some asanas, pranayama, meditation, cleansing, upasanas or worship of the gods. Breakfast is normally a soup and some fruits, a little idli maybe, lunch is some chappati and dinner is some milk and fruits. In the afternoon, I rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. You were Modiji’s personal yoga trainer. What kind of student was he? Very regular. When we had the class, he used to call all the cabinet ministers in Gujarat. The class started at 6 am. I would go 10 minutes earlier to prepare everything. He would come 5 minutes early. The beauty of it was that because he
came 5 minutes early, all had to come early and they would not miss a single day. His time management is fantastic. Once he decides, he will do it. He practices for 1 1/2 hours every day. Can one practice yoga by following You Tube videos? A good teacher will also tell what you should not do, that’s very important. If you do just the way you want, you will have problems. You have to follow the directions properly. We also recommend that you must do Shavasana/Corpse pose in the end so if there are any imbalances, they will get corrected. Otherwise they will aggravate. You are a pioneer of cyclic meditation – a yoga technique that involves doing the poses in a slow conscious manner. The principles are there in the Upanishads, so I developed a module from them. It helps to calm the mind, brings balance and releases the superficial and deep stresses and it can take you to a very deep level. Five most beneficial yoga poses? Every pose has benefits. Vajrasan after lunch is very helpful for digestion, shavasana, some standing poses like ardha
Attendees at the openingCaption 1: Sitting: L to R: Suveena Guglani, Kirthi Jain, Vishwarupa Nanjudappa, Smitha Mallaiah, Brij Gopal Pallod, Jugal Malani, Shiv Das Agrawal. Standing: Dr. Manjunath Sharma, Alison Jeffries, Dr. Sudha Rajan, Raj Malani, Kiran Bhutada, Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Ramesh Bhutada, Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, Durga Agrawal, Sushila Agrawal, Kaushal Agrawal. kati chakrasan (Lateral bend pose), sarvangasana is good if you can do the sarvangasana – matsyasana (shoulder stand – fish pose) combination. Any particular direction one must face when doing yoga? It is good to face east. Your favorite book? I wrote a book on happiness called “Happiness Analysis.”
US to propose hike in H-1B application fee The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The United States administration is proposing a hike in the H-1B visa application fee to increase funding for the expansion of apprentice programmes that train American youths in technology related activities, Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta told lawmakers. Testifying before a Congressional committee on the annual budget of the Department of Labour for the fiscal year (FY) 2020 beginning October 1, 2019, Mr. Acosta, however, did not give details of the proposed increase and as to which categories of applicants it would be enforced on.But given the past experience, the Indian IT companies, which account for a large number of H-1B applications, are likely to face the additional financial burden because of this proposed increase. The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China Arguing that foreigners hurt American workers by competing for jobs and driving down wages, the Trump administration has tightened the noose around the H-1B visa programme.
The Seattle Times on Monday reported that last year immigration officials denied nearly one out of every four requests for new visas for skilled foreign workers. ‘’In FY 2020, the department’s budget includes $160 million to continue our expansion of apprenticeship programmes, along with a proposal to increase H-1B fee revenues to fund additional apprenticeship activities, Mr. Acosta said in his testimony on May 2 before the Senate Appropriations Committee — Subcommittee on Labour, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. He told lawmakers that last year the department launched the first-ever sector-based apprenticeship grant funding opportunity to invest $150 million to expand apprenticeships in those in-demand industry sectors most often filled by individuals on H-1B visas, such as information technology, health care and advanced manufacturing. This grant funding opportunity introduced an innovative approach: a 35 percent private sector match requirement. This brought the total investment to $202.5 million, $57.7 million coming from the private sector, he said. “As a result of this private sector match requirement, educators have a greater incentive to join with industry to ensure curricula address the needs of our ever-changing workplace, investing in the latest technologies and techniques, and
providing more in-demand opportunities for Americans, Mr. Acosta said. On July 18 last, the department announced $150 million in H-1B funds to support sector-based approaches to expanding apprenticeships on a national scale in key industry sectors. The focus is on industries reliant on H-1B visas. It aims at expanding apprenticeships and increase the level of apprenticeship activity among a range of new employers within these industries, particularly smalland medium-sized businesses. Mr. Acosta also told the lawmakers that the department had also made changes to the H-1B application forms to ensure greater transparency and better protect American workers from employers seeking to misuse the programme. In fiscal 2018, the department concluded 649 non-immigrant visa programme cases and found violations in 553 of those cases. In a news story, Breitbart News said that every year, more than 100,000 foreign workers were brought to the U.S. on the H-1B visa and allowed to stay for up to six years. There were about 650,000 H-1B visa foreign workers in the U.S. at any given moment, it added. “Let’s put our citizens first and protect U.S. workers and wages. Hard-working and highly-skilled American men and women share their stories about H-1B visa fraud and abuse,’’ Congressman Paul Gosar said.
In the Upanishads, it is called the Ananda Mimamsa. We all want to be happy. But what is happiness? Only when we understand, then we will become happy otherwise we go in the wrong direction. You do several things but you’re not happy. So the best thing is to understand what happiness is and practice that. I chant the verses.
Three simple things we can do to harmonize our lives? Moderation in food, moderation in activity and a nice smile on the face. VYASA-Houston offers courses for yoga instructors, yoga therapists and yoga therapy for various ailments. (For more information, visit www. vyasahouston.org or email vyasahouston@gmail.com
All extremists linked to Easter bombings killed or arrested, says Sri Lanka’s top cop A Sri Lankan Christian devotee prays outside the St. Anthony’s church after it was partially opened for the first time since Easter Sunday attacks, in Colombo on May 7, 2019. | Photo Credit: AP In a joint media interaction Sri Lanka’s military chiefs and acting IGP say all explosives have been seized and the country is now safe. All the Islamic extremists involved in the Easter suicide bombings are either killed or arrested, Sri Lankan police and military chiefs have claimed, assuring that the country is now safe and can get back to normalcy. The tri-forces commanders and the police chief, addressing a press conference on Monday night, said the security of the country following the April 21 bombings that left 257 people dead has been ensured with adequate measures and steps have been taken to implement a special security plan. Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana Wickremaratne said that all those directly linked to the attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels have been arrested or were killed. He also said that all the explosives believed to be linked to local Islamist outfit National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), blamed for the attacks, have been found. “All explosives possessed by the terrorist group has been seized. Almost everyone identified with the group have been arrested. Two of their bomb experts have died in the clashes. The police can happily announce that everyone with direct links have been either arrested or killed by now,” Mr. Wickremaratne said. Mr. Wickramaratne did not say how many people have been arrested over the bombings, but police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said that 73 people, including nine women, were arrested and being questioned by the CID and the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID). The police spokesman also said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) identified more than Rs. 140 million cash and other assets worth over Rs. 7 billion belonging to the NTJ. Though the Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the government blamed ISIS-linked local Islamist extremist group NTJ. Mr. Wickramaratne, who was named acting police chief last week after President Maithripala Sirisena suspended his predecessor over his failure to act on intelligence warnings about the attacks, said the country can now get back to normalcy with the lifting of curfews imposed after the attacks. The government reopened schools on Monday, but attendance dropped to below 10 per cent in many places with parents still fearing attacks.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 15
NEWS Gandhi should be honored with Congressional Gold Medal this year: US lawmaker Mahatma Gandhi, whose principles of non-violence inspired world leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, should be honoured this year with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the US, as the world commemorates his 150th birth anniversary, an influential American lawmaker has said. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York, who in September last year introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to posthumously present the Congressional Gold Medal to Gandhi in recognition of his promotion of nonviolence, said Gandhi has been a “truly inspirational leader, historic figure”. Gandhi was “transformational in so many ways” and an inspiration to all Americans and people across the world, Maloney said while addressing an audience at the Consulate General of India in New York at the event ‘Non Violence: A message of Lord Mahavir’ and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi organised by the International Ahimsa Foundation USA (IAF). She said Mandela and King both attributed their philosophy of non-violence and their leadership to Gandhi and both are recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal. “Already Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King have received the Medal. It’s only right that the inspirational leader for both of them was Mahatma Gandhi and so he should receive this award,” Maloney said. Maloney, who spearheaded efforts to have the US Postal Service issue the first Diwali Stamp, urged members of the Indian-American community to reach out to the Congress members and friends across the nation to co-sponsor the legislation to honour Gandhi with the Congressional medal. “We are working to get the Senate sponsor. We must pass it this year and honour his leadership and his gift to the world,” she said, adding that “we should all work together and have a day of National Service in this special year for
Gandhi and to remember him. “There is not enough that we can do to remember and say thank you to Gandhi for his life’s work, for his gift of non-violent ways of handling problems.” Gandhi brought independence to India with non-violence and recognising his contributions to values in America, Maloney said she introduced the bill last year to give him the greatest honour that can be bestowed by the US Congress on an individual. The medal will “honour his leadership” and his gift to the world of inspiring with his principles of non-violence. Addressing the gathering, which included leading IndianAmerican community members and leaders from the US politics, Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty said Gandhi himself was deeply influenced by the work and principle of civil disobedience of American poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, emulating it in his life. “Gandhi was deeply influenced by Thoreau and it shows in his life and work. Our freedom fighters were also deeply influenced by the American independence movement and the Constitution,” he said. Maloney added that India and the US, the world’s largest democracy and the oldest democracies, have several commonalities, share the same values and have been allies across the spectrum. Paying homage to the memory and teachings of Lord Mahavir, she said she was not aware that one of Mahavir’s most important message is ‘Live and let live.’ “This slogan is one of the most famous quotes in America,” she said. Also addressing the event Sunday were IAF President and Founder Neeta Jain, Samani Malay Pragyaji and Samani Neeti Pragyaji of the Jain Vishwa Bharti of North America, NYS Senator Kevin Thomas, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and IAF Vice President Raj Bhayani. The event also included cultural music and dance performances by children.
Sewa International Family Services Hot Line 832-900-9354
Financial highlights: Total revenue - $ 1,037,000, Funds transferred to Nethralaya - $ 1,010,000, Administrative overhead - under$ 10,000, and Fund raising expenses $ 45,000. Funds transferred to Nethralaya helped them perform 7,223 cataract surgeries, 2,059 major surgeries and conduct 103 tele - ophthalmology camps for the benefit of indigent patients. For more information contact President Leela Krishnamurthy at 832-654-9444.
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PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
NEWS Imtiaz Dharker could become England’s next Poet Laureate
Imtiaz (left) and her daughter Ayesha Dharker (Picture: Amit Roy, The Telegraph.) Here’s a question for the readers of The Telegraph to bring up this morning over Coffee House adda. What do the following have in common: John Dryden, William Wordsworth, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Cecil Day-Lewis, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and long-time Bombay girl Imtiaz Dharker? If reports in the British media on Sunday are any guide, Imtiaz, 65, is set for appointment as England’s next Poet Laureate for a 10-year stint, succeeding Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman to hold the post. The Queen makes the appointment on the advice of the Prime Minister. Theresa May had asked her culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, to conduct the search. According to The Sunday Times, London, a 15-strong search committee of “poetry experts” set up by Wright picked Imtiaz to succeed Duffy, whose term expires on April 30. Duffy, herself a member of the panel, had in the past praised Imtiaz for her “unique perspective in the diversity of English-language poetry”. “Whether Imtiaz Dharker writes of exile, childhood, politics or grief, her clear-eyed attention brings each subject dazzlingly into focus,” Duffy had said. “She makes it look easy, this clarity and economy, but it is her deft phrasing, wit and grace that create this immediacy.” On Sunday, Imtiaz would not comment and neither would her actress daughter Ayesha Dharker, whose journalist father Anil Dharker, Imtiaz’s first husband, now runs literary festivals in Mumbai. Imtiaz once said: “Britain has opened its heart to many kinds of poetry and made space for the unexpected voice.” There is not much money in the job — only £5,750 plus a “barrel of sherry”. But the post, which dates back to 1616, is prestigious and “there is an expectation that the holder will write verse for significant national occasions”. Tennyson, who was appointed by Queen Victoria to
be Poet Laureate and remained in the post for 42 years until his death in 1892, caught the national mood with a poem most children in India’s English-medium schools (but not in Britain) can recite by heart, The Charge of the Light Brigade. This was written in 1854, minutes after Tennyson had read a newspaper account of the British military disaster in the Crimea. If Imtiaz’s appointment is confirmed, she may well spot paparazzi to her right, paparazzi to her left and paparazzi in front of her as she celebrates the arrival of Meghan Markle’s first baby. Imtiaz was born in Lahore, where she lived for barely a few weeks, and grew up in Glasgow before shifting to what was then Bombay with her then husband Anil Dharker. On Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4, she joked: “I am a Pakistani-Scottish Calvinist Muslim, adopted by India and married into Wales…. Don’t try to put me in a box… I’m a cultural mongrel.” A friend told this newspaper on Sunday: “She is more Indian than anything else.” Imtiaz’s collections of poems on such subjects as religion, identity, culture and feminism have been published in Purdah (1989), Postcards from God (1997), I speak for the Devil (2001), The Terrorist at My Table (2006), Leaving Fingerprints (2009) and Over the Moon (2014). She received the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2014 from the monarch herself at Buckingham Palace. She appears frequently on the popular BBC Radio 4 programme, Poetry Please. Last year’s London Book Fair introduced a “Poet’s Corner”, with Imtiaz as its first occupant. Her second husband, Simon Powell, who founded the Poetry Live organisation, passed away in 2009. The Sunday Times said: “Dharker’s credentials could hardly be stronger. She already travels the length and breadth of the country for poetry recitals speaking to more than 25,000 students a year, her work appears on GCSE
ISIS chose Lanka to tell the world that it exists: Sirisena The Islamic State terror group chose Sri Lanka to stage a massive attack on Easter Sunday to tell the world that they exist, President Maithripala Sirisena said Monday, amid reports that the plot was hatched in war-torn Syria way back in 2017. More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels. The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation’s worst, but the government blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ). The government has banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts. Commenting on the claim of the ISIS that it carried out the attacks in Sri Lanka, President Sirisena said, “To be very honest, I am shocked and can’t understand why they chose Sri Lanka for this attack.” He said the ISIS chose Sri Lanka as a target because the terror group has lost the ability to confront the world’s powerful nations. “So they chose a country that had recently established peace to make the statement that ISIS still exist,” Sirisena told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday.
Days after the carnage, the elusive ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a propaganda video claimed the bombings in Sri Lanka was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group’s final bastion. The US-led Kurdish fighters took over the last pocket of land in Syria held by ISIS recently. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists who had gone to Syria to be trained by ISIS, had struck a deal in 2017 with the National Tauheed Jamaat Organisation to launch a fierce attack in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Mirror reported. This consensus has been reached between the NTJ led by Mohomad Saharan Hashim and the ISIS group at a location in Malwana, Biyagama, the paper quoted an intelligence report as saying in the Island newspaper. Following the deal, Hashim was hiding, using the internationally accepted defense strategies to escape the security forces, it said, quoting intelligence sources. Hashim did not use his mobile phone at all during this period, the report quoted intelligence sources as saying. During the BBC interview, President Srisena denied reports of a rift with Prime Minister Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe. Both leaders are under attack by the Opposition
for not acting on prior intelligence on the attack. But Sirisena said he was not to be blamed and refused to quit. “It’s clear that information had been received by those occupying top positions in the intelligence services. However, I was not apprised of this information. They neglected their duties, which is why I have taken action against them,” he said. “These persons have been removed from their offices and I have appointed a committee to investigate the matter,” he said, referring to the sacking of the defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and the police chief Pujith Jayasundara. “Nowhere in the world have heads of states resigned or relinquished their responsibilities after bomb blasts. I believe my duty right now is to take the necessary action to face this challenge,” Sirisena, who is at loggerheads with the prime minister for a long time, asserted. But president Sririsena dismissed reports of a rift with prime minister Wickremesinghe as “rumours”. “Contrary to the rumours, the prime minister and I do not have such serious issues to be cleared when it comes to action being taken with regards to matters relating to national security, political differences and issues are set aside,” he said.
Modi second most followed politician globally Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the second most-followed politician in the world with a social media audience of 110,912,648 million on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, a study by online visibility management and content marketing SaaS platform SEMrush said on Tuesday. The most-followed politician globally was former US President Barack Obama, who has 182,710,777 followers on his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. With almost 110 million followers worldwide, Modi has overtaken US President Donald Trump who has 96 million followers globally. However, Trump is the second-most followed politician on Twitter. “The popularity of our PM Narendra Modi is immense and the study finding depicting him as the 2nd most followed person globally after former US President Barack Obama is a culmination of this fact,” Fernando Angulo, Head of International Partnership, SEMrush, said in a statement. Congress party President Rahul Gandhi has accumulated 12 million followers from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Out of all the social media platforms, Twitter serves as the nest of the maximum number of active political audiences, both domestic and global, says the report by SEMrush. and A-level syllabuses and she is a former poet-in-residence at Cambridge University Library.” The culture department said an appointment had not yet been confirmed and that the Queen would take the final decision. Imtiaz’s last book, Over the Moon, which contains a poem about Mumbai, apparently clinched it for the selection panel: Mumbai? Kissmiss? Of course! Who is not knowing this, that after Happy Diwali
comes Merry Kissmiss! Impossible to miss, when allovermumbai, Matharpacady to A to Z Market, rooftops are dancing in chorus and alloversky is fully full with paper stars. Hear! Horns are telling at midnight on every street, Happy Happy Happy! We know very well to make good festival, and Saint Santa is our honoured guest in Taj Hotel. We are not forgetting. And allovermumbai allover-
sky is fully full with paper stars. See! Tree is shining and snow (cotton -wool but looks good, no?). Small child also face is shining, licking icing, this must be what snow tastes like under the paper stars. And allovermumbai alloversky is fully full with paper stars.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 17
NEWS
Chips at stake in the PepsiCo-farmers fight Who has infringed on rights under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001? The story so far: A David versus Goliath story has played out in Gujarat over the last month, with food and beverages giant PepsiCo dragging potato farmers to court for allegedly growing its registered potato variety used to make ‘Lays’ chips. Four small farmers from Sabarkantha district were sued ₹1.05 crore each, although they cite a law allowing them to grow and sell even registered plant varieties. Faced with growing social media outrage, boycott calls from farmers groups and condemnation from major political parties, the company finally agreed to withdraw cases after talks with the Gujarat government. When was the variety introduced? PepsiCo introduced, in 2009, the FC5 variety of potato that it uses to make its popular ‘Lays’ potato chips to India. The potato variety is grown by approximately 12,000 farmers who are a part of the company’s collaborative farming programme, wherein the company sells seeds to farmers and has an exclusive contract to buy back their produce. In 2016, the company registered the variety under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 (PPV&FRA). Finding that farmers who were not part of its collaborative farming programme were also growing and selling potatoes of this variety in Gujarat, PepsiCo filed rights infringement cases under the Act against some farmers in Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Aravalli districts in 2018 and 2019. Farmers allege that the company hired a private detective agency to pose as potential buyers, take secret video footage and collect samples from farmers’ fields without disclosing its real intent. What is the farmers’ stand? The ₹4.2 crore lawsuit against four small farmers in Sabarkantha district was heard by an Ahmedabad commercial court on April 9, and an ex-parte injunction ordered against the farmers. However, farmers’ rights groups across the country began a campaign against PepsiCo, requesting the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority to intervene in the case and bear the farmers’ legal costs using the National Gene Fund. At the April 26 hearing, the company offered an out-ofcourt settlement to the farmers on the condition that they give an undertaking not to grow the registered variety and surrender existing stocks or to join its collaborative farming programme.
Demanding an unconditional withdrawal of cases, farmers unions affiliated to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Left parties joined in boycott calls against PepsiCo products and stoked outrage on social media as well. In the midst of an election season in which agricultural issues are in the spotlight, senior political leaders from the Congress and BJP added their criticism. On April 27, the Gujarat government announced that it would back the farmers and join the legal case on their behalf, although it later indicated it was working toward an out-of-court settlement. Finally, on May 2, PepsiCo agreed to withdraw all nine cases after discussions with the government. What is the legal basis for the suit? Both PepsiCo and the farmers cite the same Act to support their opposing positions. The PPV&FRA was enacted in 2001 to comply with the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. PepsiCo based its suits on Section 64 of the Act dealing with infringements of the registered breeder’s rights and subsequent penalties. The farmers’ legal case depended on Section 39 of the Act, which allows the cultivator to “save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act” with the sole exception of branded seed. As this section begins with the words “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act…”, farmers claim their rights have precedence. Over the last decade, more than 3,600 plant varieties have been registered under the Act, with more than half of the registration certificates going to farmers themselves. This was the first case of infringement of rights under the Act, according to the central agency set up to implement the Act. Who are the stakeholders and what are the stakes? “The company is harassing us. I am not a crorepati, I cannot afford to pay these damages they want,” says Haribhai Patel, who owns four acres and was sued for ₹1.05 crore. He claims he bought potato seeds locally, and is within his rights to grow and sell any variety. Even PepsiCo supporters admit that they lost the perception battle by dragging small farmers to court for large sums in election season. However, some of the farmers sued in 2018 seem to be larger players with bigger stakes in the game. Fulchand Kachchhawa reportedly owns over 150 acres of land, as well as cold storage facilities, and is
a potato grower and trader selling much of his produce to ‘Balaji Wafers’, the major regional competitor of ‘Lays’ chips. It is alleged that he sells the registered variety of seeds to smaller farmers and buys their produce as well. It is unclear whether his activities would be protected under Section 39 of the PPV&FRA. PepsiCo says its collaborative farming programme and registered variety rights are under threat. While ‘Lays’ claims to be a leader in the country’s ₹5,500 crore potato chips mar-
ket, regional players are eating into the market share. Farmers rights groups such as the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture saw the issue as a test case on farmers rights in India under the WTO regime, and warned that a bad precedent could hurt farmers of other crops and endanger the country’s food sovereignty. What happens next? While farmers have claimed victory, they also demanded an apology from PepsiCo and plan to sue for compensation for
“harassment” by the company. They are also wary of any future government-facilitated negotiations on seed protection and the rights of breeders. Pepsico’s decision to withdraw the cases was “backed by an assurance from the government for a long term amicable settlement”, according to sources familiar with the development, who added that both the Gujarat government and the Centre were involved in that assurance for further talks. —The Hindu
Want to ban burqa then outlaw ‘ghunghat’ too, says Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar’s comment came in the wake of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece urging the Modi government to emulate Sri Lanka in banning the burqa on grounds of national security. Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar on Thursday said he was not averse to enacting a law banning the burqa if it was accompanied with a similar action against the ‘ghunghat’ system prevalent among women in Rajasthan. Akhtar’s comment came in the wake of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece on Wednesday urging the Modi government to emulate Sri Lanka in banning the burqa on grounds of national security. “If you want to bring a law banning burqa here (in India) and if it is someone’s view I
have no objection. But before the last phase of election in Rajasthan, this government should announce a ban on the practice of ‘ghunghat’ (covering of the face by Hindu women) in that State,” Akhtar told reporters here. “I feel that ‘ghunghat’ should go and the burqa should go. I will be happy,” he added. Speaking further on the issue, the Bollywood veteran said, “Brother, I have little knowledge of the burqa as there were working women in my family and I haven’t seen the practice at my home.” “Iraq is a very orthodox Muslim country but the women there do not cover their faces. The law in Sri Lanka (now), too, forbids face cover,” said the celebrated screenwriter, a
Padma Bhushan awardee. In the editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Sena had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s footsteps and ban the burqa and other face-covering garments in India considering the “threat” they pose to the nations security. Sri Lanka’s decision came in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in the island nation that killed over 250 people. As the editorial created a flutter and drew sharp reaction from various quarters, a senior Sena leader said the editorial was not the official stand of the party, which is an ally of the BJP.
PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
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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; 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 Bhaga-
vatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity). Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036. Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma). Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166. Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603. Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., StaďŹ&#x20AC;ord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English. For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757. Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 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.
INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 • PAGE 19
Hari Venkatachalam Hindu Students Association, Board of Directors
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PRESS RELEASE
rid TX of–your staffi ng problems and spend more April 6, 2017Get – AUSTIN, The Hindu Students Association (HSA) would like to regretfully announce that it will be Good Numbers = Good Decisions cancelling its annual Gateway Retreat for the 2017 year. HSA prides itself in building a strong network of young Hindu Americans, and it looks forward to organizing other events in the future that will link students from its various branches. HSA has been reorienting itself in recent months to doing more grassroots work. “We have been focusing more on accomplishing work on the local and branch level,” said Mrinalini Vijalapuram, National President of the Hindu Students Association. “We have been doing this through many different activities including interfaith events with other religious organizations, building community partnerships, and expanding into other campuses that don’t already have HSA branches.” While the cancellation of Gateway may come as a disappointment for many prospective attendees, HSA hopes to get feedback from students on other projects and events that interest its branch members. Currently, several projects, including developing HSA’s podcast series and releasing monthly articles that highlight the accomplishments of members from the various campuses have been the focus of the organization’s efforts. HSA welcomes student and community members to get involved in these activities to help further the goals of the organization. “It is important that we meet the needs of the campuses and communities we serve,” reiterated Ms. Vijalapuram. “We want to make sure that we are putting our attention on projects that will truly benefit them.” U.S. 90 A -***-
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