India Herald 042419

Web: www.india-herald.com • Editor@india-herald.com • Tel: 281-980-6746

20 Pages

India Herald

VOL. 25 • NO. 17 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Sonal Bhuchar (June 30,1960 - April 20, 2019)

By SESHADRI KUMAR Sonal Bhuchar, well known community leader in Fort Bend County, died on April 20 after battling cancer.

Sonal Bhuchar, 58, Sonal leaves behind her husband Subodh; her eldest daughter Sunaina Likhari and son-in-law Gaurav Likhari; her son Sameer Bhuchar; her youngest daughter Supriya Bhuchar; and her grandchildren Isha and Shyam Likhari.

The funeral service and viewing have been set for Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m. at the Sugar Land Mortuary, 1818 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land, Texas 77478.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to See SONAL, Page 2

Foundation stone laid for BAPS Hindu Mandir in UAE

Sonal Bhuchar Around 5,000 devotees and well-wishers including local officials, participated in the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, UAE on April 21. His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, senior sadhus and distinguished guests pour holy water on the foundation. The Shilanyas Ceremony, which is an ancient Vedic ritual performed to bless and sanctify the main foundation stones, signifies the beginning of the construction of the Mandir.

This Mandir will be “a spiritual oasis for global harmony in the middle of the desert.”

More on Page 6

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

COMMUNITY

HAF’s annual gala set for April 27 HOUSTON Advocacy means bringing the concerns of the Hindu American community straight to our elected representatives, says Rishi Bhutada, VP of Finance at Star Pipe Products in Houston.

As a Director on the Board of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) — the largest non-profit advocacy organization for Hindus in the United States, Bhutada also coordinates HAF’s Houston Chapter.

With HAF’s Annual Houston Gala coming up on Saturday, April 27th (6:30-9:30 p.m at India House, 8888 W Belfort Ave, Houston), he highlights what he and HAF see as the most important issues for Hindu Americans and how Hindus can continue to participate in American civic life.

Currently, the most pressing issue that Hindu Americans face in the US, Bhutada says, is the bullying of Hindu children in schools and an increase in hate crimes against Hindus.

One third of Hindu children say they’ve experienced being bullied in school because they were Hindu.

In a shocking statistic, one in eight of those children say their religion has been mocked or belittled by teachers themselves in front of the class.

Moreover, the latest FBI stats show there’s been a 17% increase in hate crimes against

Hindus in the past year alone.

“We have to work to counter these, both at the surface and root level, because both problems stem from ignorance and misinformation about Hinduism. A good amount of our work at HAF is directed towards removing this ignorance and correcting this misinformation, no matter where it takes place, Bhutada said.

In response to how Hindus can best engage in US politics, Bhutada noted that very often, members of our community donate to politicians and the most they get out of it is a photograph. According to him “we need to do much more than that. We need to engage politicians on our issues and make sure they deliver on their promises to the community. We can’t depend on one political side or the other. Both parties are obligated to represent us as Americans, and we should engage them as such.

At HAF we make a conscious effort to doing this, working with whoever is willing to take Hindu Americans’ issues seriously.”

Emphasizing the importance of advocacy for Hindu Americans, he added that Hindu Americans “can’t wait until tragedy strikes or injustice occurs or some policy negatively affects us and then reach out to our elected officials. Advocacy allows us to be proactive

in addressing issues, instead of just reacting when some dramatic event occurs. That way, we work on solving problems from the start, and are able to have a clear and consistent message about issues that are important to us as a community.”

In speaking of HAF’s role in representing the Hindu American community for nearly 16 years now and highlighting its accomplishments, Bhutada stressed on the fact that much more work remains to be done.

A lot of policy that affects the Hindu community is made in state capitols, far from Washington, DC. In order to tackle that, HAF needs more staff which requires an increased level of community support.

He called for the community to support the organization’s commitment and work by attending the HAF’s Annual Houston Gala on April 27.

The Keynote Speaker is Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya of “Catching the Sun.” General admissions tickets are $35 (kids under 13 can come for free with complimentary childcare for ages 5-12).

One can also sponsor or purchase an exclusive table for ten for $300.

For more information and tickets, visit, https://tinyurl. com/2019HAFHouston

Sonal From Page 1

the Fort Bend Education Fund, a cause very dear to Sonal’s heart, which will provide grant funding to the teachers and students of Fort Bend ISD. Sonal Bhuchar was a physical therapist by profession and had her own practice.

After her long association with the Fort Bend Education Foundation, Sonal was elected to the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees and she served as the board president as well.

Sonal’s contribution transcended the Indian-American community to the mainstream large. She was associated with the Indo American Charity Foundation and the Indian Doctors Club Auxiliary.

Sonal also served with Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Fort Bend Literacy Council, and the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation.

Sonal wanted to expand her community service to the political field too and she sought the Republican Party nomination for

the State Representative position in 2012.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Sonal Bhuchar to the OneStar National Service Commission for a three year term in 2015.

In a befitting manner, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce recognized Sonal recently with the Community Spirit Award.

Presenting the Community Spirit Award to Sonal Bhuchar, Malisha Patel, immediate Past Chair, Senior VP and CEO of Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, described Sonal as “a trailblazer, a giver, a pioneer, a leader, a legacy, and a force, all packaged into a caring and giving heart.”

“She embodies the soul, the essence, and the energy of the Fort Bend Chamber’s Community Spirit award,” Malisha Patel said.

On March 5, the City of Sugar Land presented her a certificate of recognition for her remarkable contributions to the greater Houston area and the state of Texas.

,QGLD +HUDOG

Established in 1995

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

Indian Music Society of Houston & Houston Maharashtra Mandal present musical journey Swar Anand by

Anand Bhate (Disciple of Late Bhimsen Joshi)

Bharat Kamath on Tabla

Anand Bhate

DATE: SATURDAY, May 4 TIME: 4-7 P.M. VENUE: Houston Durgabari Auditorium 13944 Schiller Road, Houston, TX 77082

Sudhir Nayak on Harmonium

HMM Members $20 Non Members $25 IMS: Members Free (Limit 2 per pass) Non members $25 Call Abhishek Bhat 806 281 7617 Govind Shetty@713-922-250

www.IMSHOUSTON.Net ww.hmmhouston.org

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 3

EARLY VOTING: APRIL 22ND - 30TH Naushad Kermally has consistently stood out in this campaign cycle to be honest and independent.

Naushad has the ideas, leader servant principles, and fresh enthusiasm needed in the coming years. Naushad is his own man - not beholden to any political party or group and will put your concerns and the concerns of the District 2 residents at the forefront of every decision. He is the most qualified candidate to represent District 2 on City Council.

—Harish Jajoo

ELECTION DAY: MAY 4TH LIVES IN SUGAR LAND Resident of Sugar Land for over 20 years Married 23 years Three children born and raised in Sugar Land WORKS IN SUGAR LAND 1998 started as an ER Nurse at Methodist Hospital Sugar Land Currently an Executive VP at a wireless company in Sugar Land SERVES IN SUGAR LAND

Former Sugar Land City Council Member Harish Jajoo introduces Kermally to the community at the Pallods’ residence.

I

wholeheartedly

endorse

Naushad Kermally for the Sugar Land City Council Dist.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend - Board of Directors City of Sugar Land - Sugar Land 101 Graduate City of Sugar Land - Citizens Police Academy Graduate City of Sugar Land - Ethics Review Board City of Sugar Land - Zoning Board of Adjustments City of Sugar Land - Task Force for Parks Bond Fort Bend Chamber Leadership Program Graduate Former Neighborhood Delegate

2 seat. He is a well-rounded personality and has diligently worked hard over the years to equip himself adequately to run for this office. I have no doubt that he will represent the interest of the entire community well.

—Vijay Pallod Indian community activist and a Telfair resident.

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Indian Music Society of Houston presents Hindustani Vocal Concert by

Omkar Dadarkar (Disciple of Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar)

Sanjay Deshpande on Tabla Disciple of Pt. Yogesh Samsi

Omkar Dadarkar

DATE: SATURDAY, April 27 TIME: 5 P.M. VENUE: Cullen Hall, University of St. Thomas 3910 Yoakum Blvd., Houston, TX 77006

Milind Kulkarni on Harmonium Disciple of Pandit Pramod Marathe

www.IMSHOUSTON.Net For Information, Call Govind Shetty @ 713-922-2501

PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

COMMUNITY

Forum : Understanding hate crimes and protecting places of worship

By MANU SHAH On 6th April, Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) hosted a first-of-its-kind Forum on “Understanding Hate Crimes and Protection of Places of Worship” for faith based and community leaders to learn how to prevent and respond to hate crimes against places of worship.

Facilitated by the United States Department of Justice Community Relations Services (CRS), it held presentations by representatives from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Harris County District Attorney’s office, FBI Houston Field Office, Department of Homeland Security and Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

About 40 faith based organizations attended the forum which was held at the Houston Durgabari Society.

The event touched on four issues: Hate Crimes Prosecutions Overview, Hate Crimes Statistics and Symbols of Hate, Preventing and Responding to Active Shooter Situations and a Panel Discussion on Protecting Places of Worship by Interfaith leaders.

A brain child of HGH Past President Partha Krishnaswamy, the forum sought to educate custodians, caretakers and members of temples, churches, synagogues, gurudwaras and mosques on tackling the uptick in hate crimes against places of worship.

Almost all the presenters pointed out that expressing hate, name calling and the display of offensive symbols, no matter how vile, are not in-andof-themselves criminal. The Constitution is bound to protect the rights of even those who indulge in hate speech. It has to rise to the level of a criminal act before law enforcement agen-

L to R – Sitting - Morris Grunill, Fort Bend Church; Dr. Zahra Jamal, Rice University; Rev Gregory Han, IMG –Interfaith; Jason Plotkin, Jewish representative; Shri Kedar Thakker, BAPS Mandir Admin; L to R – Standing - Vijay Pallod, Kim Milstead (Dept. of Justice), Harpeet Mocha (Dept. of Justice); Tara Narasimhan; Bhawna Luthra, Gopal Agarwal, Partha Krishnaswamy; Girish Naik; Sreemathy Ranga, and Raj Shah. highlighting the January 28th the event of a hate crime, the Reporting (UCR) Program FBI cies can take action.

Recent attacks against reli- 2017 attack on the Victoria Is- Department of Justice will and StopHoustonGangs. In a gious sites include the Tree of lamic Center, a mosque about not hesitate “to call it a hate recent report, Federal Bureau Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; 80 miles in Victoria, Texas. crime and make sure justice is of Investigation logged 7,175 hate crimes in 2017, a 17% inMother Emanuel African Residents around the center served.”

Bureau Chief-Special crease from the prior year that Methodist Episcopal church woke up to a fire that engulfed in Charleston, S.C.; Victoria the entire mosque and raged Crimes Harris County Dis- was caused by growing attacks Islamic Center, Victoria, Tex- for hours eventually burn- trict Attorney’s Office Ruben against racial and religious as, the Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh ing down the mosque to the R. Perez who works for Har- minorities. The number reptemple; and the Overland Park ground. It was emotionally ris County District Attorney resented the third consecutive devastating for its congrega- Kim Ogg also reiterated that year that hate crimes went up Jewish Center in Kansas.

A welcome address and tion but Khandelwal noted the their office was there to help and the biggest year-by-year prayer by members of Dur- outpouring of support from the and protect people and would increase in hate crimes since gabari Society Tapan Das and community. A prayer vigil was prosecute all cases of arson, 2001. Due to an increase in atPartha Chatterjee was followed attended not just by Muslims graffiti, theft, vandalism and tacks on Hindu temples and inby remarks from HGH Presi- but by other local communities aggravated assault on a place dividuals, the FBI began trackdent Thara Narasimhan who with churches and synagogues of worship. He encouraged the ing hate crimes against Hindus pointed out that there are 30 providing their premises for gathering to dial 911 as a first since 2013.

FBI Houston Supervisory consecrated temples in Hous- worship until the mosque was responder if they saw something that was out of the or- Special Agent Chris Johnton and one word common in rebuilt.

A squad of law enforcement dinary, or call CrimeStoppers son offered some broad based every one of our languages is agencies such as the ATF, FBI, with tips and speak up if they guidelines and resources on “Shanti” or Peace.

Moderator Harpreet Singh Victoria Fire and Police De- notice an overt display of hate securing places of worship Mocha and Kim Milstead, partment used “every single speech against a community or and how to survive an active shooter. Since 2014, 1016 hate both from the US Department law enforcement method and race on social media.

FBI Houston Supervisory crimes motivated by religious of Justice were instrumental in technology to crack the case.”

The perpetrator was charged Special Agent Tricia Sibley bias were reported and ocputting the program together.

Deputy Chief US Attorney with a hate crime that got him recommended two sites help- curred at churches, temples, Office of Southern District 24 years of prison time. This ful in understanding hate mosques, gurudwaras and synof Texas, Sharad Khandel- was the repeated assurance of- crimes, hate symbols and their agogues. wal kicked off the program by fered by Khandelwal that in incidence - Uniform Crime See FORUM, Page 10

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2019 • PAGE 5

PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

COMMUNITY

BAPS Mandir, spiritual oasis in UAE desert Marking a significant moment in the history of the UAE, around 5,000 devotees and well-wishers thronged to participate in and witness the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the BAPS Hindu Mandir.

Volunteers began to arrive at the site location as early as 6 a.m., with participants arriving at 8 a.m. The Shilanyas Ceremony, which is an ancient Vedic ritual performed to bless and sanctify the main foundation stones, commenced at 9 a.m. This ceremony signifies the beginning of the construction of the Mandir.

The Vedic ceremony was performed by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

The occasion was also graced with the presence of His Excellency Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development and Member of the Executive Council, His Excellency Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and His Excellency Dr Ahmad Bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills. Also present were His Excellency Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to UAE, Vipul, the Consul General of India, and Dr. B.R. Shetty, Chairman of Mandir Ltd. After laying the foundation stones in position, water from the three main holy rivers of India was showered on the stones by His Holiness and the distinguished guests.

The enthusiasm and devotion of all participants and volunteers was evident as they arrived for the Vedic ceremony.

Prior to the celebration assembly, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj and the Ministers unveiled a Gift of Gratitude, an intricate piece of artwork comprising a base made of pink sandstone – the stone that will be used for building the Mandir and metal fins of various sizes forming an image of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The artwork is a gift to The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on behalf of the Indian community in appreciation of the support of the rulers and people of the UAE. During the assembly, Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, a senior BAPS sadhu who is overseeing the construction of the Mandir in Abu Dhabi stated, “I would like to thank the King HH Khalifa Bin Zayad Al Nahyan and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and all rulers and leaders who have shown so much love and extended their complete support”. He added that this Mandir will be “a spiritual oasis for global harmony in the middle

of the desert.”

Indian Ambassador to the UAE His Excellency Navdeep Suri addressed the assembly, “It is an absolute honor to be in the midst of this journey which happens only once in a millennium.” He then read out a letter on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which said, “When complete, this Mandir will symbolize the universal human values, and spiritual ethos that form a shared heritage of both India and UAE….

UAE is celebrating the Year of Tolerance. This Mandir, is an expression by the United Arab Emirates, of their love, friendship and faith in India and the Indian community.”

His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili addressed the gathering: “It is my honour to stand here with you today to celebrate this day by laying the foundation of the Hindu Mandir. This constitutes a great relation between the two countries, nations and cultures.

Our presence here today shows the really strong relationship between the two nations. This Mandir reflects the greatness of tolerance.”

Dr. B.R. Shetty, Chairman of Mandir Ltd then thanked Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Nahyan, and Sheikh Zayed as well as the government and community for their wholehearted support of the Mandir.

In conclusion, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj blessed the assembly, “Right now, peace, love and harmony are all over this campus. We cannot buy peace with money or intelligence. Peace comes to those who love peace. May goodness and peace spread further from here.”

The event was meticulously planned by volunteers of all walks of life living within and outside of the UAE. Small children could be seen serving the community by meticulously organizing shoes, lady volunteers were helping with decorations, food distribution and ushering the public to the venue. Additionally, the contribution of youths from the UAE, US, UK and other countries illustrated the significance of this landmark community project and the spirit of service embedded within the BAPS fellowship.

After the conclusion of the ceremony and assembly, throughout the day over 17,000 devotees and well-wishers from numerous spiritual and social organizations, including Art of Living, Chinmaya Mission, Jain Samaj, Dubai Gurudwara, Brahma Kumaris, ISKCON, Ayappa Samaj, Tamil Samaj and all others, visited to offer their respects and devotion.

This historic event was attended by devotees, volunteers and well-wishers from India, USA, UK, Europe, Japan, Africa, China, South East Asia, Australia and many other countries.

(L to R) Dr. B.R. Shetty, Ambassador Navdeep Suri, H.E. Dr Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, H.E. Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, H.E. Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami on stage during the assembly.

An Artist’s impression of the proposed Mandir is in the backdrop.

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, senior sadhus and distinguished guests participate in the foundation stone ceremony.

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, H.E. Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, H.E. Dr Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi and H.E. Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi unveil the Gift of Gratitude Mandir Limited is a non- of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service. profit organization authorized Abu Dhabi.

His Holiness Mahant Swami The BAPS Swaminarayan by the Ministry of Community Development of the United Sanstha is a spiritual, volunteer- Maharaj (Swami KeshavjivanArab Emirates to collect, man- driven organization dedicated dasji) is the sixth and present age and disburse funds for the to improving society through spiritual guru of the BAPS construction and management individual growth by fostering Swaminarayan Sanstha.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 7

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 8

NEWS

Graduating YLDP students with the chief guest, India’s Consul-General Dr. Anupam Ray.

Youth Leadership Development Program holds graduation ceremony

Consul-general Dr. Anupam Ray, center, with the YLDP board of directors.

The Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) had another successful year with the graduating class of 2018-2019.

India’s Consul General in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, was the speaker and he was phenomenal in connecting with the students with historical events and leadership skills.

Youth Leadership Development Program of Houston is a nonprofit organization that helps school juniors and seniors from the Greater Houston Area, of Indo-American (India) origin to develop leadership skills and attributes through established successful local organizations, accomplished leaders and community service projects.

Its vision is to nurture emerging Indo-American Leaders to succeed in business, philanthropy, science, culture and government.

Admissions for the year 2019-2020 is available on our website: http://www.yldphouston.org/admissions.html Last date for the application is April 30,2019.

Sewa International Family Services Hot Line 832-900-9354

Earth day And the Kumbh Mela

Saturday, April 27 6:30-9:30 p.m.

India House | Houston Featuring award-winning film maker, Shalini Kantayya

Join us in Celebrating

Earth Day And hear about the

Kumbh Mela At the Hindu American FOundation’s

Annual Houston Gala!

Questions? Please contact Vinay Sarda: vsarda@gmail.com or (832) 723-1132 www.HAFsite.org

Purchase your tickets today! tinyurl.com/ 2019HAFHouston

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 9

COMMUNITY Musical tribute to Carnatic Music Icon D.K. Pattammal

Houston area musicians, teachers and students paid musical tribute to D.K. Pattammal on April 6 at the University of Houston’s Stubblefield Auditorium. Above, group led by Anuradha Subramanian.

Vocalist N. Vijay Siva, center, violinist R. K. Shriramkumar and mridangam artist J. Vaidyanathan in concert on April 7.

A star-studded team of topnotch Carnatic concert artists, vocalist N. Vijay Siva, violinist R. K. Shriramkumar and mridangam artist J. Vaidyanathan arrived in Houston at the Classical Arts Society (CAS) of Houston’s invitation and took the Carnatic music fraternity’s breath away on April 6 & 7, 2019.

The occasion was the CAS 2019 Spring Festival which was themed on DK Pattammal’s centenary.

The visiting artists are part of the “DKP-100” lead team in India comprising the DKP granddaughters Gayatri Sundaraman and Nithyasri Mahadevan and it organized events all year long to commemorate the birth centenary of India’s legendary Carnatic music icon, D. K. Pattammal (DKP). Classical Arts is privileged to be a part of the team’s global celebrants and that Sri R. K. Shriramkumar accepted the invitation to curate its festival as its Artistic Director.

On April 6, an outstanding musical tribute by Houston area musicians, teachers and students unfolded as a musical canvas that highlighted the unique DKP insignia at the University of Houston’s Stubblefield Auditorium.

Artistic Director R. K. Shriramkumar, with assistance from CAS Board member Chitra Dharmarajan, a disciple of DKP, presented a thoughtfully selected set of compositions popularized by DKP, in seven groupings highlighting the dif-

ferent aspects of music Pattammal was famous for.

Senior musician/teacher Anuradha Subramanian’s group rendered compositions in Tamizh, a language dear to DKP, Sridevi Josyula’s group presented famous compositions of Tyagaraja & Shyama Shastri, Chitra Dharmarajan’s group presented Muthuswamy Dikshitar Kritis, a DKP School specialty. As a student of Ambi Dikshitar, DKP traced a direct lineage to M. Dikshitar and was famous for her mastery of diction and slow tempo compositions. Rajarajeshwary Bhatt’s group songs included the captivating compositions of Sri Purandara Dasa and contemporary composers Jaya Chamaraja Wodayar, Narayana Teertha, and Vasudevachar. Kruthi Bhatt’s Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi (RTP) segment was specially included to acknowledge DKP as the Pallavi Pattammal admired for the DKP hallmark of a measured balance of manodharma in her performances.

The duo of violin & veena led

by Manjula Rao was to note DKP’s training in instrumental music. Wrapping up, group seven led by Jothi Venkatesan presented a rousing selection of patriotic songs portraying DKP’s famous role during India’s freedom struggle. DKP is fondly remembered for her soul-stirring renderings of Bharathiar songs and others that created patriotic fervor amongst the thousands who heard them.

See DKP, Page 10.

Group led by Jothi Venkatesan.

Group led by Sridevi Josyula

Group led by Chitra Dharmarajan.

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

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

Listen to Hardik Vyas live on 1320 AM Shoba Joshi’s Geetanajali Radio Prabha Bala, reight, felicitates Artistic director R.K. Shriramkumar, center; Anuradha Subramanian, left.

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PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS

DKP From Page 9

As each group presented its songs, a vivid picture of the life and musical contributions of D.K. Pattammal emerged.

There was not a dull moment during the nearly five- hour presentation with Shriramkumar at the podium and on his feet continually. Each of his erudite segment introductions was peppered with charming anecdotes and delineated a marvelous account of DKP, her life and music. Besides a wonderful narrative, Artistic Director Shriramkumar completely wowed the audience with his PowerPoint presentation which included over 162 extraordinary visuals perfectly synched to the music and illustrated the lyrics with unbelievable precision and detail! In terms of preparation, Shriramkumar has

Forum

From Page 4 While entering to a place of worship should be a welcoming experience, some easy security measures he suggested were: Invite local law enforcement personnel to your building during larger prayer services or meetings.

Other than the main access points, all other access points should be locked during services.

Fire alarm and sprinkler systems should be tested regularly Ushers can be the first line of defense. They should be positioned at the main access points and trained to spot “something that doesn’t add up” such as nervous behavior, excess clothing or constant adjusting of clothing.

Have ushers greet and talk to newcomers in the congregation Install surveillance cameras in conspicuous and inconspicuous places. The perception of surveillance could change someone’s behavior and help law enforcers apprehend the perpetrator.

74% of active shooters enter through the main access point. If you have only one camera, install it at the main access point.

Security cameras should employ good lighting.

In case of a suspicious item, do not touch or tamper with it. Dial 911 immediately.

In case of a threat by phone, do not hang up. If possible record the conversation, ask questions and write down the exact wording of the threat.

In case of a suspicious person, note down license plates, write

Rajarajeshwary Bhatt’s group songs included the captivating compositions. raised the bar high for the role stalwarts such as Semmangudi Sri Varalakshmi’ in ragam BiSrinivasa Iyer and statesmen lahari. These songs rendered in of Festival Artistic Directors.

N. Vijay Siva, the main con- R. Venkataraman, C Subrama- the same style of DKP remindcert artist from India, who sat niam and Maposi. Speaking ed the audience of the golden through the musical tribute with characteristic charm and concert days of the Indian icon from Houstonians, stated he humility DKP claimed to al- herself.

The highlight of the concert was impressed by the caliber ways remain a mere student at of the music presented and the the Sangita Sagaram despite her was the elaborate and complex reverence and good bhavam achievements and accolades. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi (RTP) with which it was rendered. He With those words, she defined set in the classic ragam Thodi delighted everyone by joining her exemplary persona and the which was also popularized by all the participants along with stage was set for an inspired DKP. The pallavi was in Tamil ‘Maamaramum Nizhalum KuyShriramkumar on stage to ren- concert.

The commemorative grand ilum’ and was set to complex der the DKP anthem for world finale concert by Vijay Siva Aadi thalam with varying tempeace -Shanti Nilava Vendum.

On April 7, the festival venue (vocal), R K Shriramkumar pos of three and five beats for changed to the Stratford High (violin) and J. Vaidyanathan each half of the cycle. DKP was School auditorium in Spring (mridangam) commenced with well known for her RTP’s and ISD. A beautiful garlanded por- a Tyagaraja composition ‘Rama was fondly known as ‘Pallavi trait of DKP adorned the stage in Neepai’ in ragam Kedaram, a Pattammal’. She was the first simple elegance. The program staple of D. K. Pattammal. To female vocalist who ventured opened with a brief video show- the audience’s delight, Vijay into complicated mathematical ing Pattammal receiving the Siva rendered several songs calculations for Ragam-Tanamprestigious Padma Vibhushan popularized by her like ‘Aru- Pallavi. Vijay Siva and his felaward from the President of In- marundoru’ in ragam Kambodi, low artists brought the essence dia and snippets of other events ‘Nadachi Nadachi’ in ragam of DKP’s caliber in their rendiin which she is honored by Karaharapriya, and ‘Kamakshi tion of this piece de resistance.

They concluded the concert with another famous DKP song, ‘Shanta Ahimsa Murthe’ on Mahatma Gandhi.

Classical Arts is deeply thankful to Vijay Siva, Shriramkumar, J.Vaidyanathan and the youngsters Vikneshwara and Kruthi Bhatt on the tanpuras, for rendering a memorable concert. It left the audience spellbound for almost three hours!

Appreciation for this excellent festival extended to the keepsake festival brochure prepared by Sesh Bala, which included a special message from the Artistic Director, for both its content and elegant appearance.

The Classical Arts Society thanks all its patrons for attending the CAS 2019 Spring Festival. It has been one of its best experience in its 25 years of musical offerings to the Houston area Carnatic Music fraternity.

dar Thakker – BAPS Mandir and Morris Grunill from the Fort Bend Church shared the security protocols they utilize to protect their place of worship.

Security is a high priority for the BAPS Mandir. Ketan Thakker stated that BAPS looked at security through 2 perspectives – IT and people perspective. Since they host several events a year which sometimes attract almost eight thousand people, they take precautionary steps such as installing several cameras that are monitored, invite law enforcement to temple events, have officers present but in the end, he emphasized that “human vigilance is best.”

The Fort Bend Church has a carefully thought out multilayered system of security. Members are first greeted by parking lot attendants, then greeters and ushers.

Security Officers are present on campus. During the week only one entrance is used except Sundays when all 6 entrances are used. An in house security committee meets once a year to review and revise security measures.

Other suggestions included conducting fire drills or exercises to make a quick departure from the space, “using proactive fellowship” to check out newcomers, monitoring social media for hate feeds, asking first time people to stand and be acknowledged, knowing the people in your immediate vicinity and “finally educate and create awareness without creating panic.”

The Hindu American Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group

based in Washington D.C., has been actively working for years with the Department of Justice, law enforcement, and legislators across the country to track and address bias motivated attacks on Hindus and other religious and ethnic minorities. HAF also requests help in tracking incidents of identity-based or bias-motivated intimidation, threats, harassment, and violence being experienced in our communities by filling out the Bias-Motivated Crime Data Collection Form, if they or someone they know has experienced or witnessed an incident. Contact HAF for assistance at info@hafsite.org or 201-223-8222.

FEMA had a grant program of $150,000 to enhance the security of religious centers that are at risk for hate crimes. Organizations can apply at https://www.fema.gov/ nonprofit-security-grant-program.

Other resources: Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) Visit justice.gov/crs Find your regional FBI office at fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices Learn about the FBI’s hate crime reporting process and statistics at fbi.gov/investigate/civilrights/hate-crimes Find hate crime data collection guidelines and a training manual at ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime-data-collection-guidelines-and-trainingmanual.pdf Protector Security Advisor Program provide voluntary security surveys and assessments of facilities. Visit dhs.gov/ sites/default/files/publications/PSAProgram-Fact-Sheet-05-15-508.pdf.

down descriptions of what the person looked like and what they did. Such evidence is critical for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute if necessary.

A case of vandalism, no matter how minor, must be reported. Follow up with the appropriate officer regularly on the progress of the case.

“See something, say something.” Call 911 if you spot suspicious behavior.

Develop a plan and educate members of the congregation on the plan In case of an Active shooting: In the wake of the 2012 shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek Wisconsin, Special Agent Johnson noted a dangerous trend in that the attacks are getting deadlier almost “as if the shooters are trying to outdo the previous shooting.”

A study of 160 active shooters in the US from 2000-2013 showed that 3.8% or 6 of them were at places of worship. 69% of the 160 incidents ended in 5 minutes or less. Law enforcement response time was 3 minutes and 67% of the incidents ended before the police arrived.

Some do’s and don’ts: In case of an active shooter, evacuees should leave all personal belongings behind.

Avoid using elevators and escalators to escape.

He recommended viewing a film on YouTube called “Run. Hide.

Fight. Surviving an Active shooter.” During an active shooting, the three basic response actions are Run, hide or fight. Individuals can

run away from the shooter, seek a secure place where they can hide or incapacitate the shooter with improvised weapons such as fire extinguishers or chairs. When hiding, silence electronic devices like cell phones, lock and barricade the door with heavy furniture, turn off lights and remain silent.

Provide first responders with a site plan including information about door and window locations as well as locks and access controls.

Commander Criminal Intelligence Division Houston Police Department M. Wyatt Martin clarified that the average response time after a 911 call is 5 minutes.

He also encouraged the gathering to call Stephen Daniel at 713-3083246 for a site security assessment and training in how to protect the place of worship.

Developing a strong relationship with the local commander is important in helping protect a place of worship. One can also text 911 now for emergencies while the non-emergency number is 713884-3131.

Officer Martin strongly suggested the need for a plan of action, a plan of evacuation and a security committee to create a security plan.

A good idea, when entering a public place, is to check out the exits on the property.

In a concluding panel discussion, representatives from Interfaith ministries – Rev. Gregory Han - IMG Interfaith, Dr. Zahra Jamal - Rice University, Jason Plotkin from the Synagogue, Ke-

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIl 24, 2019 • PAGE 11

NEWS Hoboken Mayor Ravi Singh Bhalla meets with Sikh community, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in Houston

Hoboken Mayor R.S. Bhalla meets with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. Photo - Derrick Leadon HOUSTON Ravi Singh Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, shared his uplifting life journey with a diverse audience of local business leaders, elected officials, and the Greater Houston Sikh community during a visit to the Bayou City this weekend.

Mayor Bhalla, a devout member of the Hoboken Sikh community, was elected the city’s 39th Mayor in November 2017 by focusing and promising to improve Hoboken’s quality of life in a fiscally responsible manner.

The soft-spoken Bhalla, a self-described introvert, spoke of overcoming racial and religious bias to earn his seat at the head of the table and has delivered results to his constituents.

As he described it, “At the end of the day, constituents are interested in authentic leaders who are bold, compassionate, will be straight with the voters and are willing to make some hard decisions for the benefit of entities they are elected to serve.”

Mayor Bhalla earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master of Science in Public Administration and Public Policy at the London School of Economics (L.S.E.), and a Juris Doctorate (J.D) from Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He is married to Bindya a human rights lawyer. The couple has two children, 11-year-old Arza Kaur and Shabegh who is six.

The Mayor’s luncheon visit was organized by the IndoAmerican Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) led by Swapan Dhairyawan and Jagdip Ahluwalia.

Among the events Bhalla attended included a Power Dialogue luncheon with Illinois’ Eighth District Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner personally welcomed his counterpart during an evening reception in River Oaks co-hosted by a diverse group of elected officials and community organizations including Interfaith Ministries and the Anti-Defamation League.

“I am honored to welcome City of Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla to the most diverse city in the nation,” Mayor Turner said. “[He] and I grew up on the shoulders of our parents who worked hard, played by the rules, and allowed us to dream big. They ensured we had the best and live the American promise.”

Bhalla said it was an honor to receive Mayor Turner’s warm welcome and expressed his thanks to the entire Indian and Sikh Community, “I am humbled and grateful for your support” of the trip.

On Sunday morning, Mayor Bhalla joined congregants at the Sikh Center of Houston, the oldest Gurudwara in the region.

During the services, Bhalla reminded them that Sikh values are American values and that service and faith were not in conflict with each other noting that America “allow(s) each one of us to be ourselves without compromising in our belief system and being resilient in service to others.”

This was followed by a Q/A with the congregation’s youth during Sunday school where he answered a wide range of questions about being the CEO of the City of Hoboken to his personal experience of bullying as he was growing up.

He also urged them to participate and demand to be heard and concluding by stating, “We need to think big but start small and work at the grassroots level first to hone our skills and then build on our experience and Rolodex to run for elected offices.”

Indo-American Chamber of Commerce president Swapan Dhairyawan, left, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Chicago area U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy, Mayor Ravi Singh Bhalla, IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia and Bobby Singh. Photo-BIJAY DIXIT.

Mayor Ravi Singh Bhalla meets with the Sikh community members in Houston.

Photo - Harlene Kaur

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PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS

Indian Radio Talk Show “Open Forum� continues to draw community support

By POOJA SALHOTRA It’s Saturday afternoon and radio show hosts Dinkar Chedda and Jagat Kamdar are at their weekly hangout spot – All Bengal Sweets on Hillcroft – sipping coee and sharing stories about the previous night.

On Friday evening, Chedda and Kamdar, along with their partner Subodh Bhuchar, were at the Zoroastrian Association of Houston, hosting their annual fundraiser. “The best advertisement was yesterday, and that’s also how we collect funds for the whole year,� says Kamdar. “We all three are a little too lazy to go after advertising. We don’t want to spend the time,� he adds before breaking into laughter with Chedda, who wholeheartedly agrees with the statement.

The trio ďŹ rst started their radio show, called Open Forum, twenty years ago, putting down money from their own pockets to reserve a one-hour time slot on Masala Radio 1110 AM. It was Chedda’s idea to start the show when he realized there was no Indian run radio program in Houston. At that

time, they had no idea whether the show, which they wanted to focus on current events, would be a success.

None of the three had radio or talk show experience.

Chedda was running a small business, Kamdar was a mechanical engineer and Bhuchar was, and still is, a practicing physician. Chedda and Kamdar have retired, though both remain busy – Chedda teaches meditation and Kamdar runs a medical practice.

Kamdar recalls meeting with Chedda over a Mexican lunch in 1998 to discuss his idea for the show. And he remembers hammering out the details with Chedda and Bhuchar later that year, again over lunch. “We just love to have lunch,�

Kamdar jokes as he begins describing a later lunch meeting with the Masala Radio executive team. “Nothing happens without lunch,� Chedda adds with a laugh.

Twenty years after those lunch meetings, the show is not only surviving, but its thriving. The show has hosted political ďŹ gures including India’s

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Dinkar Chheda, left, Jagat Kamdar, Vijay Pallod and Gitesh Desai during a show.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, sports stars like cricketers Kapil Dev and Farokh Engineer as well as prominent ďŹ gures in industries ranging from medicine to social justice. “Their network is so good, and they are so well-known in the South Asian community that whenever something of importance is going on in the community, people reach out to one of the three to say, ‘hey can this person come on the show’?â€? said Open Forum supporter Ramesh Anand. “It’s more that people are asking to be on the show than it is that the Open Forum guys are seeking people out.â€?

The trio’s sense of modesty extends to the show itself.

Rather than simply voicing their own opinions on a particular topic, the hosts are sure to include voices of people who might have dierent opinions.

And the segment is a call-in show, so people with conicting political views or varying religious backgrounds call in to share their opinions.

Even during this year’s Open Forum fundraiser, several people approached Chedda saying they wanted to be on the show. And the fundraiser itself was a testament to the show’s success – the Zoroastrian Center was nearly ďŹ lled to capacity, with roughly 300 attendees despite the hosts employing

zero advertising to promote the event.

The event kicked o with appetizers and drinks in the main lobby, where Chedda, Kamdar and Bhuchar mingled with guests.

Also stationed in the lobby was desi rock band RaTiO2 along with two young girls from Inspired and Ignited Minds Academy, an organization that focuses on teaching people to use their mind to the fullest capacity.

Through special trainings, the girls learned how to paint and even read while blindfolded. During the event, they each made a painting – one a landscape piece and the other depicting Lord Ganesh, that were later raed o.

The roughly $880 proceeds from the rae went to the nonproďŹ t Keep US Fed in Montgomery County. Each year, Open Forum hosts select a different non-proďŹ t to donate to.

Later in the evening, the attendees gathered in the main ballroom, where Bhuchar thanked his supporters and briey took a more serious tone, asking the room to pause for a moment of silence to pray for those dealing with chronic illness. Bhuchar’s wife Sonal was unable to attend the event due to illness. “It’s only when something hits you that you become real,â€? he said. “Whether you believe

in Allah, or you are a Sikh or a Hindu or a Christian, it doesn’t matter. When it comes down to reality, you realize what we all are.�

After the collective prayer, Bhuchar introduced comedian Zahid Dewji as someone who he’s “seen with his clothes on and without his clothes on.�

After an outpouring of laughter from the crowed, Bhuchar revealed “I’m his doctor, that’s why,� which was met with even more laughter.

A 31-year-old native New Yorker of East African/Indian descent, Zahid touched on topics ranging from the PakistanIndia conict, to the ďŹ nancial challenges of a stand-up career, to cultural appropriation.

Afterwards, guests enjoyed dinner from Mahesh Shah’s Madras Pavilion, and talented singer Hardik Jani rounded out the show with a musical performance.

As Chedda and Kamdar sipped coee the next day, reecting on the fundraiser and the show’s history, they were clearly awed by how far the show has come. “It was just a shot in the dark,â€? Kamdar said. “If it didn’t work, we were going to walk away after three months.â€? “We were wishing that it would go on, that was the dream,â€?

Chedda added. “But we had no idea how it would go.�

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 13

NEWS Bombings carried out in retaliation for Christchurch mosque attacks: Sri Lanka Minister ; Islamic State claims responsibility Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the coordinated bombings in Sri Lanka that killed 321 people and injured about 500, the group’s AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday.

The group did not give any evidence for its claim.

The Sri Lankan government has blamed National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) after seven suicide bombers struck at three churches and three hotels on Sunday.

Speaking at an emergency session of Parliament, State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said, “Preliminary investigation revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch.” Mr. Wijewardene has proposed banning the NTJ. However, the Islamic State’s claim does not mention the Christchurch shootings.

“A security source told Amaq agency the perpetrators of the attack targeting the citizens of [US-led] coalition countries and Christians in Sri Lanka were soldiers of the Islamic State,” AMAQ said.

As many as 50 people were killed and several injured when a white supremacist attacked two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 last.

Sri Lanka’s worst terror attack on Easter Sunday, targeting churches and luxury hotels, was carried out by local Islamic extremists in retaliation for the last March 15 mosque shootings at

Christchurch in New Zealand, State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said at an emergency session of Parliament on Tuesday, citing results of the initial probe.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch,” he said.

As many as 50 people were killed and several injured when a white supremacist attacked two mosques in Christchurch.

According to an intelligence memo sent to some government officials before the attack, a member of the Islamic extremist group blamed for the Sri Lanka attacks had posted “extremist content” on social media after the Christchurch shootings, Mr. Wijewardene said.

The government has blamed National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) after seven suicide bombers struck three churches and three hotels. Mr. Wijewardene has proposed banning the NTJ. The suicide bombers were all Sri Lankan citizens but the group is believed to have links with foreign terrorist networks.

Mr. Wijewardene said the death toll in the gruesome bombings had risen to 321, including 38 foreigners.

Ten Indians were among those killed.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe described the bombings as “global terrorism reaching Sri Lanka.“ Mr. Wickremesinghe, in his

A relative of a dead person breaks up during a burial of victims of the Easter Sunday bombings, at a cemetery near St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Colombo, on April 23, 2019.

Leader of the Opposition Ma- house where some of them lived. address to Parliament, said the Sri Lanka’s president gave the attacks were of a different nature hinda Rajapaksa said the govthan the political objectives of ernment had failed to ensure na- military a wider berth to detain and arrest suspects powers that the terrorist campaign, which Sri tional security.

“When I handed over the gov- were used during the 26-year Lanka faced until 2009 when the three-decade long conflict ended ernment, it was free of terrorism. civil war but withdrawn when it No such attack would have hap- ended in 2009. with the defeat of the LTTE. Police spokesman Ruwan Gu“The Muslim community is pened under my government,” against these attacks. There are he said, adding that the govern- nasekara said the death toll from only a few who are involved ment must step down if it could Sunday’s attacks rose to 310.

President Maithripala Sirisena in these attacks,” Mr. Wick- not guarantee public security.

As a state of emergency took has declared a day of mourning remesinghe said, adding that the international community had ex- effect Tuesday giving the Sri for Tuesday, a day after officials pressed solidarity with Sri Lanka Lankan military war-time pow- disclosed that warnings had been ers, police arrested 40 suspects, received weeks ago of the posover the blasts.

The government would deal including the driver of a van sibility of an attack by the radiwith the situation and end the allegedly used by the suicide cal Muslim group blamed for the threats from extremists, he said. bombers and the owner of a bloodshed.

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

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

PAGE 14 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

COMMUNITY

VT Seva celebrates Earth Day

Earth Day costume contestants

VT Seva Earth Day event volunteers and judges

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On Sunday April 21st the Houston Chapter of VT SEVA celebrated its second annual Earth Day Science Fair at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple.

Spearheaded by VT Seva Co-Branch Director Ms. Swetha Sirivolu, over 85 registrants enrolled to participate in this multifaceted program designed in a competitive format.

The fair was open to students from pre-school to 10th grade.

There was a costume contest for pre-school to 2nd grade students, tri-fold poster competition for 3rd through 8th grade, a power point demonstration for 9th and 10th grade high school students, and an impromptu speech contest on Earth Day-related topics. An esteemed panel of judges presided over the contest.

VT Seva focuses on promoting youth leadership and involvement in community service and philanthropic activities.

The VT Seva youth volunteer team assisted in program arrangements and some took to the stage as emcees for the Earth Day program.

The Earth Day program began with a poignant skit presented

by Prajna students. This was followed by the costume contest, a delight to the audience with a colorful display on a myriad of topics related to the Earth Day. An outstanding feature of the contest was that most costumes were made from recycled material. One of the most creative costumes was that of “Plastic Yamraj�, who, to the amazement of the audience, said “If you use plastic, I will take you to my world!�

During the impromptu speech contest, students boldly stood up to express their views on various Earth Day-related topics given by the judges.

This was followed by an awards ceremony with awards for each category presented by the event’s special guests, who then gave a message to the audience and complimented the youth for their commitment to such an important cause.

The Event Sponsors and Partners were recognized for their support of this program.

Under the able guidance of event lead Mrs. Swetha Sirivolu and her team comprised of Mr. Krishna Chokkarapu, Mrs. Swathi Suryawanshi, Mrs. Swetha Khade, Mr. Praveen Sirivolu, Mrs. Prasanna Vaishnava, Dr. Renu Tamirisa and Dr. Aparna Tamirisa, it took the work of numerous volunteers to make this event possible. The commitment of these volunteers was truly the key to the success of this event.

VT SEVA, spearheaded by His Holiness Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, has as one of its focus areas Environmental Awareness and Protection of Mother Earth.

As part of this, the VT SEVA Houston Earth Day event is an annual program and now looks forward to a great event in 2020! — By Ranganath Kandala

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 15

Hari Venkatachalam Hindu Students Association, Board of Directors

Succeed In Your Business

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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.”

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PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS

Poll talk in Delhi parks: Namo T-shirts, Pakistan, ‘jhadu’ and Congress

From Modi devotion to scepticism, praise for Balakot strikes to anti-national debates and minority fears, city parks are warming up to the poll heat On a sunny morning in central Delhi’s Lodi Gardens, two men in their fifties were seen sitting on an iron park-bench facing the Bada Gumbad (big dome), sporting similar Tshirts: one in yellow, the other in white.

As another morning walker, brandishing a short stick to ward off stray dogs, approached the bench, one of them asked: “Did you get the T-shirt? We had sent it through Lalaji.” “I wanted a round-neck one,” he replied and they got into a conversation. The T-shirts the two men on the bench were wearing read the same message in orange block letters: “MODI ONCE MORE”.

From groups animatedly forecasting poll verdicts to old men distributing ‘Modi T-shirts’ and political leaders campaigning for the polls, one can feel the election heat rising this summer in the city’s parks.

With Delhi heading for polls on May 12, The Hindu visited three parks — Lodi Gardens, Sanjay Jheel in east Delhi, and Priyadarshini Park in west Delhi — to lend an ear to the poll tattle.

More than 40 people were interviewed and needless to say, variedly interesting patterns emerged.

Many said they would choose “Narendra Modi” and not “BJP”. Strangely, the support-clan included those dissatisfied with the incumbent BJP MPs. Among the reasons they favoured Mr. Modi were “Balakot strike”, “action against Pakistan” and “national security”. A few also cited “stable government”.

Modi wave The two men sporting Modi T-shirts, though, were reluctant to talk realpolitik.

Vinod Singh, 52, sporting a round-neck T-shirt with a similar message was chatty. A retired accountant at a private company, Mr. Singh, who hails from Rishikesh, is a volunteer in BJP’s Delhi unit. “About 10 days ago, at gate number 4 [Lodi Gardens], a businessman distributed the T-shirts. I took three and gave two to people at the next red light,” he said.

Vanita Kaushal, 63, and her husband Vijay Sharma, 67, sitting on a bench close to Shish Gumbad said they supported Mr. Modi and were convinced he would again become the Prime Minister. “He held Pakistan in a stranglehold, so we will vote for him,” Mr. Sharma said as his wife kept nodding.

“If the opposition comes to power, it’ll be a mixed vegetable. Last time when gathbandhan happened, remember how [H.D.] Deve Gowda became the Prime Minister? He couldn’t even speak Hindi,” he said.

Mr. Sharma, a retired businessman, who is a pradhan in a nearby temple, said, “I’ll drop her [Vanita] home and go to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park near our house [in Jangpura]. We have a discussion with friends from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. A retired judge too comes there.”

Sporting a white and pink floral hat, Manmohan Kalra, 76, was discussing politics with his friend at gate number 3 of Lodi Gardens. “He had the courage to go inside Pakistan and launch a strike. He will surely win,” he said. Mr. Kalra wasn’t always a BJP supporter.

“When AAP was launched, I gave ₹1 lakh to [Arvind] Kejriwal, took him around the park and introduced him to everyone. There were photos of me standing next to him wearing a hat in newspapers,” said Mr. Kalra, who owned a four-star hotel in the city.

“We discuss politics here

and I’ve sat in three groups till now. I’m going to do yoga and we will discuss politics there also,” Mr. Kalra said, adding that they plan to conduct an opinion poll.

At the parking lot of Lodi Gardens, S.N. Garg, (55), an RSS worker since childhood, was engrossed in a discussion about an election-related meeting. When asked why he supports the BJP, Mr. Garg, who runs a garments shop in Kotla, said: “Hindus should be united and only the BJP can do it.”

He then continued to talk to his friend, “You know what, [former PM] Atal ji stayed at my marriage for three hours.

He was very close to my dad.”

Rajesh Kukriti, 64, a retired undersecretary from Petroleum Ministry, opined: “Indira Gandhi had launched the ‘garibi hatao’ campaign, but what happened? No one fulfils all promises, Modi also did not. But he is the best option and has an upper hand.”

The buzzwords keep repeating and linger in the air such as “strike”, “jhadu (AAP’s party symbol)”, “Pakistan”, “Modi”, “Congress”.

But as you move to the less affluent locales of Sanjay Jheel and Priyadarshini Park, the topic shifts to unemployment and GST. A group of four at Sanjay Jheel felt there was no workable alternative. “Vote for Modi, there is no other poll plank,” said Arjun Gupta, who runs an electronics shop in Pandav Nagar.

Sixty-two-year-old Vijay Naagar, who was also part of the group, said: “We are unhappy with MP Mahesh Giri [of BJP], but we will vote for Modi.”

For all the Balakot resonance, there were also those who questioned the ruling party’s claims. Forty-sevenyear-old Ashok Varma and his friends sitting on a parapet along Sanjay Lake said: “They

[BJP] should not tag anyone who question them as anti-national,” said Mr. Verma, who runs a business.

“Foreign media is saying that the strike did not happen.

Yesterday also there was news on BBC Hindi. A child from the madrasa was telling about it. If it happened, where is the proof?” Mohammad Nasruddin, (45), a newspaper vendor from Mandoli, chimed in.

“There is nationalism in everyone’s heart. We are Muslims, but that doesn’t mean we are not nationalistic. Because of the strike they will win, else they won’t,” he added.

“Is aadmi ko nehi dega. A Prime Minister should be for the whole nation, not for a group of people. He should be above common debates,” Mr. Ashok stressed.

Upender Kumar, 40, and Ajay Kumar, 41, resting on the grass at Sanjay Jheel said they would not vote for Mr. Modi. “If it [strike] killed 300 people then where is the proof?

Wouldn’t the families of these 300 make a hue and cry about it?” Mr. Ajay asked. “Of course, it [strike] has helped him. What else is he [Modi] saying in rallies? I’m from a village in Meerut and there, if people see something in TV [news], they believe ‘it has happened’,” Mr. Upender said.

Mr. Upender and Mr. Ajay said they had voted for AAP in the last Assembly election.“People know that Ke-

jriwal can’t become the Prime Minister. Even if he wins all seven seats, how is he going to get full statehood?” Mr. Upender asked.

Both reiterated that they won’t vote for the BJP, but reckoned that Modi will retain power. A group of businessmen in Priyadarshini Park, who were sharing a meme on Union Minister Smriti Irani, echoed his views. “Our motto is ‘Modi hatao’. We will vote for the Congress this time, but for the Assembly election, we will vote for jhadu. They have done good work in education and health,” said 60-year-old Inderjit Singh, who runs a garment store in Tilak Nagar.

Promises to keep “Vijay Goel was here and around 40 people listened to him,” said a morning walker at Sanjay Jheel. Mr. Goel also visited Lodi Gardens and was seen talking to people.

“The AAP candidate [Balbir Singh Jakhar], had come to the park last week. He was requesting for votes,” said Mr. Singh.

“Kuldeep Chahal, who is hoping to get a ticket from the BJP had also come here,” Mr. Upender told Mr. Ajay as they stood up to leave.

“I was exercising at the gym [in the park] and told him that the machine was broken. He said he will fix it in a week. But it has been 10 days and nothing has happened. I won’t forget it.”

—The Hindu

Andhra Pradesh elections 2019: NH-65 chokes as natives head back home for voting Choking traffic at the Madgulapally toll plaza on the Narketpally-Addanki State Highway as natives of Andhra Pradesh head back home to vote for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Rush hour on the NH-65 (Hyderabad-Vijayawada) in YadadriBhuvanagiri, Nalgonda and Suryapet district limits started as early as 8 a.m. on Wednesday, as natives of Andhra Pradesh headed back home for the election on April 11.

Traffic was bumper to bumper at 10 a.m. at the Panthangi toll plaza, the first gate to Andhra Pradesh on the highway. And vehicles were stranded for at least a kilometre, at several plazas, even as there was no waiver of toll fee, like during the Telangana State elections.

Cars and SUVs were in long queues as a few motorists claimed waiver, citing ‘3-minute waiting rule’. However, staff at Madgulapally plaza en route Miryalaguda expressed confusion over it.

A toll official said instructions were sought if any waivers are to be applied.

The traffic was unusually high, and such experience is only during long-weekends or the annual harvest festival Sankranthi in January.

“An average day traffic is anywhere between 12, 000 and 15, 000 vehicles. On special days, it would touch even 20,000,” he said.

The NH-65 in the old undivided Nalgonda district has four toll plazas enroute – Panthangi at Choutuppal, Korlapahad at Kethepally, Chillakallu and Keesara plazas at the exit of Suryapet near Kodad.

Another gate is between Nalgonda and Miryalaguda, near Madgulapally on the Narketpally-Addanki State highway, that connects to the Rayalaseema region.

The single-phase election in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday will decide candidates for 175 Assembly seats and 25 Parliamentary seats.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 • PAGE 17

NEWS Reading the early signs in Modi casts his vote in Gujarat, says ‘voter the 2019 Lok Sabha election ID’ is more powerful than ‘IED’ of terrorists The Nuffield studies of British general elections, an exercise initiated with the 1945 election, constitute the most authoritative enquiries of electoral politics.

Among the reasons it constitutes an invaluable guide to campaigns and shifting voting preferences is that the study is not undertaken with the benefit of hindsight. The very first volume of the ongoing series stressed the overriding importance of monitoring an election “in flight”.

The campaign of the 2019 general election in India is barely past the starting point, with just two of the seven rounds of campaigning over. There are parts of India where candidates have not been announced by the parties and negotiations for seat adjustments are still incomplete.

Under the circumstances, it may be grossly premature to identify dominant trends that cover all the country. Conclusions can at best be tentative and prone to constant revisions. Yet, some observations may be in order.

For a start, it would not be inaccurate to suggest that the optimism over a grand alliance of nearly all the major Opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party — an exercise that peaked with the huge show of strength by the West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, in Calcutta on January 19 — shows signs of petering out. It is not that impressive state-wise alliances against the BJP have not been forged. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, the National Democratic Alliance and the BJP in particular are confronted with the consolidation of forces ranged against Narendra Modi. The alliance in Tamil Nadu is particularly formidable, and all indications are that the NDA is definitely on the back foot in a state where, traditionally, the winner has been known to make a clean sweep of seats.

However, where the attempted grand alliance seems to be faltering is over any coherent narrative.

As the largest party in the Opposition, the Congress has combined its ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ war cry with the promise of Nyay. Yet, since the Congress is a factor in less than 150 seats — and is playing the role of a spoiler in other places it has put up candidates — its assault on Modi lacks depth and penetration. The federal front, once conceived by the leaders of regional parties hostile to the BJP but discomfited by the Congress, appears to be completely stillborn.

An earlier suggestion of a Common Minimum Programme that would bind the regional forces together was abandoned abruptly.

Consequently, there is the spectacle of the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir demanding a return to the pre-1953 status for the state, the Telugu Desam Party obsessing over electronic voting machines, the Aam Aadmi Party demanding an alliance with the

Congress in Delhi and Mamata Banerjee accusing the Congress and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of working in tandem.

Compared to Modi and the BJP president, Amit Shah, who are criss-crossing the country with a focused message of strong and incorruptible leadership and the promise of a New India, the Opposition’s narrative seems too varied and fractured.

Secondly, perhaps as a consequence of the Opposition speaking in just too many different voices, the political buzz in the country has undergone a significant shift.

In early-January, in the aftermath of the BJP’s defeat in the assembly elections in three important Hindi-speaking states, many had started writing Modi’s obituary, although there was less certainty about the alternative. However, of late, the bush telegraph has veered to the belief that Modi is heading for a second term, albeit without the BJP securing a majority on its own. Diplomatic circles in Delhi — not always all that reliable — certainly appear to have reconciled to another five years of Modi rule. There is also a mood of resignation and despondency in the anti-Modi intelligentsia that had been in the forefront of whipping up fears of impending fascism.

Thirdly, while crowds in public meetings and road shows are never any foolproof guarantee of voting intentions and the public mood, they do give some indications of which way the wind is blowing. The prime minister has been speaking almost uninterruptedly in public meetings since the beginning of February.

He has touched nearly every state and invariably drawn impressive crowds. However, in the past fortnight or so, more or less coinciding with the formal beginning of the campaign, the crowds appear to have multiplied exponentially.

More to the point, if his rallies in Mangalore, Aligarh and Siliguri, to take three isolated examples, are any indication, the frenzy that was often the hallmark of his 2002 and 2007 election rallies in Gujarat appear to be replicated in different parts of India. In short, Modimania seems to be escalating as the campaign develops.

Even sceptics are no longer talking of empty grounds and waning voter interest in a figure who has enjoyed sustained exposure for the past five years. In particular, the enthusiasm of the youth in Modi is still quite intense.

Since the Opposition doesn’t really have anyone who can match Modi’s all-India appeal, comparisons may not always be fruitful.

However, some preliminary observations may be in order. First, the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into formal politics may have cheered the faithful in the Congress but it hasn’t made a huge splash among voters. Despite the novelty of her appearances, she is hamstrung by indifferent Congress presence on

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his inked finger after casting his vote in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday April 23, 2019. The results are set to be declared on May 23, 2019. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji Appeals to people to come out in large numbers to vote in all the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that in a democracy, voter ID was more powerful than the terrorist’s IED (improvised explosive device).

He exhorted the people to exercise their franchise and participate in the democratic process.

He made the remark after voting in Ahmedabad on Tuesday when 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat went to the polls.

He compared voting to taking a holy dip in the Kumbh.

“It gives us a sense of purity.

India’s voters are clear who they want to vote for,” he said.

Meets his mother Before going to the polling booth in the Ranip area of the city, the Prime Minister visited his mother, Hiraba, at his brother’s residence in Koba.

His mother blessed him and offered him kansar, a Gujarati delicacy.

As Mr. Modi stepped out of his vehicle at the polling booth, the crowd burst into loud cheers and he greeted them with folded hands.

BJP president Amit Shah,

who arrived with his family, was waiting to receive him when he emerged from the booth after voting. The Prime Minister was seen playing with Mr. Shah’s granddaughter.

Mr. Shah is contesting the election from Gandhinagar constituency, replacing party patriarch L.K. Advani, 92.

Earlier, the Prime Minister took to the social media to exhort people to vote.

In a post on Twitter, he asked the people to come out in “record numbers” and vote in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election.

Gujarat is the home State of both the Prime Minister and Mr. Shah.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won all the 26 seats in the State.

the ground, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. Secondly — and this is a surprise — the public meetings of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh have not been terribly impressive. This may be a reason why Mayavati had to issue her controversial appeal for Muslim consolidation. In Karnataka, despite a formidable alliance on paper, the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance has lost ground owing to internal disarray and charges of rampant corruption.

Finally, judging by the disproportionate amount of time and energy Mamata Banerjee is expending on individual parliamentary constituencies, it would seem that

the Trinamul Congress is slightly wary of what in West Bengal is being referred to as an ‘undercurrent’ that could end up favouring the BJP despite its organizational weakness and inability to stand up to the high-handedness of the local administration.

The only exception to these trends is in Kerala and Tamil Nadu where the United Progressive Alliance and even Rahul Gandhi are riding high. In Tamil Nadu, there is fierce anti-incumbency that is hitting the rudderless, post-Jayalalithaa All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and in Kerala, the Left is reeling from the shock of losing a sizeable section of its Hindu vote.

Much of that vote may gravitate to the BJP which, however, is not in any competitive position in more than a handful of seats. In the three states that the Congress wrested from the BJP late last year, there has been a spectacular BJP comeback, mainly owing to the appeal of Modi.

As I said earlier, these are initial trends and the situation may change in the coming days. However, a reading of the tea leaves may indicate that India may be gearing up to deliver another conclusive verdict. Sonia Gandhi spoke of 2004 repeating itself 15 years later. As of now that doesn’t seem to be happening.

PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Sri Meenakshi Temple 28-Apr Sun 9:30 a.m.

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Ashirwad Classes for Kids in Katy Enrollments are open for Indian Heritage classes for Kids and Teens from 4 to 16 yrs. Class curriculum includes Yoga, Meditation, Sloka, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwad Githa, Sports Day, VEDIC Fair Presentations, Dance, Drama, Hindi & more. Contact : 281-995-0930 or AshirwadABlessing@gmail.com.

Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire oďŹ&#x20AC; Hwy 6). 281-752-0100.

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

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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.

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Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma).

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Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.

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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.

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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 281-

537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; www.DivyaProducts.com.

Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-451-8238.

Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar.

Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am.

Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oďŹ&#x20AC;er Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org.

Swaminarayan Temple Hindu Satsang at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, under Shree NarNarayan Dev Gadi kalupur.

Opens daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Daily aarti at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday sabha from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. followed by aarti at 7 p.m. and Maha-Prasad (free dinner). www.issotx.org. (281) 530-2565.

Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha West Indian Religious Organization called Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Branch # 377 is located at 26100 Tina Lane, Katy, TX 77494.

Durga Mata Pooja is held every Friday from 7 pm to 9.30 pm.

Contact Ram Sharma @ 713-4129985.

Gandhi Library Mahatma Gandhi Library Book Club: Meets 2nd Sunday of each month; 12:30 PM at Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 13475 Schiller Rd. Join the discussion of the great manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autobiography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Call Manish Wani 713-829-6979.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 • PAGE 19

VIEWS

Complex, behind the scene maneuvers shape local races

By SESHADRI KUMAR Early voting in local elections began Monday and in a couple of races, campaigning has taken some interesting turns.

In Sugar Land, Dist. 1 and Dist.4 city council races are straightforward, where the incumbents face challengers.

The challengers have to make a strong case for unseating the incumbents, and there seems to be nothing in particular that the incumbents could be blamed for.

Consequently, the chances of victory for the challengers hinge on the anti-incumbency sentiment.

Will that be strong enough to defeat the voters who prefer status quo?

I guess, likely not.

In Dist. 4, Greatwood is a new addition and a candidate from Greatwood is running.

Now, the three-cornered contest for Dist. 2 is perhaps a very complex race.

The candidates are Nabila Mansoor, a Muslim of Pakistani origin, born in Canada, Naushad Kermally, a Muslim of Indian origin, born in Uganda and David Gornet, an Anglo.

As has been noted before in these columns, race and religion happen to be dominant factors, particularly in Telfair and New Territory subdivisions, which make up a large section of Dist. 2.

Nabila Mansoor is backed by the Democratic Party and she has been endorsed by the Democratic Party nominee for Congressional Dist. 22, Sri Kulkarni.

Though Kulkarni lost to Republican Pete Olson, Hindu and Muslim voters predominantly supported Kulkarni last November.

The presence of two Muslim candidates poses a dilemma for the Indian Americans in general and Hindu Americans, who support Kulkarni.

Kulkarni’s overt support to Muslims has caused concern among some Hindus and some of them are openly supporting Kermally.

At the same time, Hindus who are supporting Kermally do not want to publicly acknowledge it.

Further, the labels Indian Americans and Hindus cannot be used interchangeably. Also, all Hindus are not Democrats either.

The bottom line here is that the permutation and combination of the voters’ mind is pretty complex and defies any formula.

The chances of Gornet winning straight are less because the Anglo voters are a minority in this district.

Voters not happy with either of the Muslim candidates may vote for Gornet and that number may not help him get past the 50 percent mark, to avoid a run-off election.

Telfair again plays somewhat of an infamous role in the Fort Bend ISD Position 3 race, where incumbent Jim Rice is facing two Hindus, Sam Popuri, from Telfair, and Ashish Agrawal from Riverstone, and Afshi Charania

Merchant, a Muslim, who belongs to the same denomination as Kermally, who is running for city council, also from Telfair.

Afshi Merchant was on the board of Telfair Homeowners Association for the past 3 years.

Telfair HOA has delegates from 23 neighborhoods and the delegates’ voting strength depends on the number of households in the neighborhood.

In other words, delegates from a dozen neighborhoods control the association.

Twelve delegates sent a petition to the board on March 20 seeking to remove Afshi Merchant from the board. The bylaws of Telfair association say that a board member can be removed with or without cause. On April 8, Afshi Merchant was voted out of the board.

In a letter to the community, Afshi said: “Upon hearing that a demand for my removal had been submitted, many residents asked the Board for the reason for my removal. Not only were they given no explanation, but the April 8th meeting barred any residents from attending and allowed no discussion for regarding my removal. I myself have asked for a reason and have received no response. The fact that the delegates who moved to oust me were unable or unwilling to provide a single reason for my removal speaks volumes.

“While this is blatantly unfair, I have diligently continued to work on my FBISD election campaign.

My removal is timely as most of the delegates who asked / voted for my removal support a candidate opposing me in the FBISD Position 3 election. In the face of this political gamesmanship, I have reaffirmed my vow to make the tough decisions to stand for what is fair, and am proud of my decision-making record as an HOA Board member.”

The delegates who sought Afshi’s removal from the board are supporters of Sam Popuri and they also support Nabila Mansoor for city council, if one goes by the yard signs, according to Afshi.

The board in a letter to the homeowners said the board “feels confident that all actions taken in connection with the special meeting and the vote for the removal were conducted in compliance with the association’s governing documents and upon the advice from the association’s attorney. Any threats and/or statements made to the board or voting delegates about potential disclosure of the way the voting delegates votes or any release of ballot information will not be tolerated.”

So why Afshi Merchant was removed from the board remains a mystery. Neither Sam Popuri nor the board spokesman has responded to this paper’s request for comment.

In Position 7, incumbent Dave Rosenthal is facing six other candidates.

A Home Educators’ group has endorsed Rosenthal and posted its

Sugar Land City Council Dist. 2 candidates David Gornet, Nabila Mansoor and Naushad Kermally endorsement on Facebook.

A couple of members of this group got an email allegedly from Monica Riley, one of the candidates, which reads in part: “Let the prophecy be fulfilled upon the release of your deceitful and malicious actions. Though has called thy prophet Monica to fulfill the Mission of God. Your words her are words against God who has called. If thou does not back away from this election, you shall endure His punishment...” And the biblical letter continues.

Monica was asked to confirm if she had sent such an email, but no response yet.

In Position 5, open seat, there are five candidates.

All the challengers in school board races have one or two personal grievances like unpopular

India House Houston

zoning of their children or perceived lack of transparency from the district officials. No credible issue has been alleged against the incumbents.

Could general accusation of lack of transparency and incompetence help one win the race? Obviously not.

In Position 5, candidates are running to make their contribution to children’s education and with no specific outstanding qualification exhibited by any of the candidates, I would vote for the 21-year-old Hightower High School graduate, who said she did not even know that a school board existed and that she wants to represent the interests of the students. She will be on the school board, with a clean slate of mind and no prejudices and preconceived notions.

Afshi Merchant Incidentally, though I live in Sugar Land, I am in Lamar CISD and cannot vote in the FBISD election.

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PAGE 20 â&#x20AC;¢ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;¢ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

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

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