India in New York - November 7, 2014 by India Abroad

SPECIAL

CRICKET

LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA

BEING AASIF MANDVI

SACHIN TENDULKAR’S EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS www.rediff.com (Nasdaq: REDF)

VOL. XVIII NO. 20

India in New York A GUIDE TO EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM INDIA ABROAD FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014

BURGLAR ALERT New Jersey home invasions target desis

PARESH GANDHI

India in New York

Community

INDIA IN NEW YORK is published every Friday by India Abroad Publications, Inc. 42 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004.

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

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Prasad Srinivasan reelected unopposed in Connecticut GEORGE JOSEPH

onnecticut State Representative Dr Prasad Srinivasan has been re-elected for a third term to the State House. Srinivasan, a Republican, was unopposed in the contest. His opponents were ‘scared’ to put up a candidate against Srinivasan, a medical doctor who has a proven track record for serving all people in the state, per his supporters. Even Democrats supported his candidacy, they said. Srinivasan started an aggressive campaign early on — in June. He went to meet people at corner shops and bus stations and knocked on many doors. “It all made loud and clear that I was not taking any chances or sitting idle,” Srinivasan said. “With an extra push in campaign, I could create doubts in the minds of possible opponents.” The state is traditionally Democratic, but he expects the Republican gubernatorial candidate Connecticut State Representative Dr Prasad Srinivasan, right, with the Trailblazer Award from the Thomas C Foley might defeat incum- South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut in 2012. Left is activist Valarie Kaur, and at center is attorbent Governor Dannel Malloy. ney Rachana Bhowmik In the state senate too, the difference between the Democrats and taking an active role in politics, even though its members Republican might narrow once more Republicans win. While the State House will still be controlled by the Democrats, more excel in all other areas. “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited New York, Republicans winning ensures they have more say in the proone could see the power of the community and the caliber of ceedings. The Democrats have 100 representatives in the many individuals. But they are not seen in the public life in House; Republicans have 51. the US, where policies are made which affects us all,” he said. Srinivsasan said he was extremely happy with what he He still practices medicine, though h works fewer hours. achieved in the assembly in the last four years. “I could balance my different roles in life. I have not seen it “When so many Democrats come to me to appreciate my as a problem,” he said. work I feel touched,” he said. “I did not work in a partisan In the next term, he said, his focus will be on improving the manner but for all, for the right causes for the people,” he said. business climate in the state, and improving health care. He Srinivasan called the legislation to revamp emergency medsaid he would welcome the repeal of the Affordable Care Act ical services a major achievement. The EMS system was govby a Republican administration. erned by a 50-year-old law that gave the state government Srinivasan won from the 31st District in Glastonbury for the authority over it, and town leaderships felt slighted that they first time after trouncing the two-time Democratic incumbent. had no say in the matter. Srinivasan introduced a bill to give In private practice he treats adult and pediatric patients with control of the EMS system to towns with the state government overseeing the process. Srinivasan garnered bipartisan support allergies and has been serving the Hartford area for more than 30 years. for the bill, despite opposition from ambulance companies. A graduate of Baroda Medical College, Srinivasan came to In his first term, he challenged the leadership of both parties the US in 1975 and did his pediatric residency at Brookdale when he successfully fought against a bill that would have made it easy to sue doctors. He mobilized the medical commu- Hospital in Brooklyn, New York and fellowship in allergy and immunology at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. nity and approached each legislator to defeat the bill. He is actively involved with the American Association of He had called it “my shining moment in the legislature.” Physicians of Indian Origin and has served as regional direcSrinivasan started his second term in the State House by winning the Legislator of the Year award from the Connecticut tor, treasurer, and secretary. He is one of the ‘pillars’ of the Connecticut Valley Hindu College of Emergency Physicians. Temple Society. His wife Kala is a musician and teacher. Their He considers his efforts to prevent a hike in the water son Sashank is a physician at Harvard Medical School, and charges as another major achievement. their daughter Anusha is a financial professional. He said he is worried that the Indian community is not

Community

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Banad N Viswanath, cardiologist TCS and desi TV pioneer, dies employee in New D Jersey jail for alleged sex with minor GEORGE JOSEPH

A CORRESPONDENT

wo weeks after he came to the United States to work for Tata Consultancy Service as an information technology professional, Sajin Suresh was imprisoned in New Jersey September 22 on sexual assault and other charges. The police say they caught Suresh, 28, engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year-old girl in her home. His bail has been set for $150,000, and there is no one to post 10 percent of it so Suresh remains in jail. According to the police in Hawthorne, New Jersey, Suresh and the victim met in an online chat room and arranged to meet through text messages. This was the first time they had met, Captain Jeff Vanderhook told the local media. A neighbor called the police, who reported that a suspicious person entered a home shortly after 1 pm, September 22. Police arrived soon and through the window officers saw Suresh and the victim engaging in a sexual act. When the victim answered the door, Suresh allegedly tried to flee through a first-floor bedroom window. Officers stationed outside the house arrested him after he tried to climb out the window, Vanderhook said. No one else was at home at the time. Suresh is charged with sexual assault, sexual contact, luring and enticing of a minor on the Internet, endangering the welfare of a minor, and possession of child pornography. Recently activists from the Justice For All forum under Thomas Koovallur met him at the Passaic County Jail after his family from India requested for help. Suresh told them that he did not know the girl is a minor. Suresh has no family or friends in the US.

r Banad N Viswanath, cardiologist and a pioneer of Indian television in the United States, died in New York October 30. He was 77. The funeral was held in Flushing, Queens, November 1 and a puja ceremony is scheduled for November 9 at the Flushing Hindu Temple. In 1976, he launched Vision of Asia, the first Indian-American TV show in the US, which was broadcast Sunday mornings. Hosted by his wife Sathya in the early days, Vision of Asia remained the only South Asian TV program in the US for years, and is still broadcast every Sunday morning. As the viewers grew, he launched ITV Gold, the first full-time, 24hour Indian cable channel in 1986. It carries news and cultural events from India and the Diapora along with mainstream news and items. ITV has subscribers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Texas, North Carolina, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC on the Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and RCN Cable platforms. In 2002, Dr Viswanath launched the Asian FM radio channel.

He immigrated to the US from Bangalore in 1962 and trained at Baylor University Hospital under the legendary Dr Denton Cooley in Houston. Dr Viswanath was a member of the cardiology team that performed the first successful heart transplant surgery in the US. He supported several nonprofit, religious and humanitarian institutions. He raised funds for relief efforts and public interest causes such as the earthquake in Gujarat, flood relief efforts in Guyana, aid to victims of ethnic, religious, and racial violence, and the 9/11 attacks. He received several awards including the Ellis Island Award. He also got a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and the New York Governor’s award for Outstanding Asian American. In a distinguished medical career spanning more than five decades, Dr Viswanath practiced until the very end, working six Dr Banad N Viswanath days a week. He is survived by Sathya, his wife for 52 years, three sons — Deepak, a businessman, Dilip, a cardiologist, and Dev, an attorney — and eight grandchildren. The Global Citizen Forum founded by billionaire philanthropist Dr Bhupendra Kumar Modi (in hat) organized a session at the United Nations last week on the theme of creating a unified world. Representatives of UN missions, diplomats, heads of UN-affiliated nongovernmental organizations, and business representatives attended the event. ‘Individuals and organizations need to align their activities to achieve the greater good of humanity. Only then can we effectively resolve local and global problems,’ Modi said. Ozi Amanat, executive director, GCF, underlined the need for promoting collaboration among nations to ensure a peaceful future.

Cover Story

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Masked gunmen break into four desi homes in New Jersey, Arthur J Pais reports. Photographs Paresh Gandhi

s the masked, armed men woke up his elder sisters, marched them down to the kitchen and tied their hands and legs while ordering them to lie down next to the parents, their 3-year-old brother thought they were playing a game. The kid even pulled out his Halloween toys and began playing with one of the robbers. His father, who had told the family members to lie down quietly, wanted the boy to be quiet. But as the toddler began to wave a foam sword at the intruders playfully, one of the robbers gestured that it was okay. “They did not tie him down, they did not restrain him,” Singh said. Singh was recalling the family’s ordeal at their home in Edison, New Jersey, two days after the burglary. Theirs was the fourth house — all middle class and upper middle class families — to be robbed by masked men in less than 10 days in and around Edison. ‘We don’t know who the perpetrators are,’ announced a local TV anchor, ‘but we know all the victims have something common — They are Asian Indians.’ Singh, a self-employed information technology consultant, said his wife had gone to the garbage bin around 10.30 in the night through the backdoor, and the gunmen accosted her and shoved her back into the house. Singh was watching TV with the youngest of their three children on his lap. “I heard some commotion,” he said. “And then they were right inside our home. One had a gun at my throat. As they were tying us up, they wanted to know where we kept our jewelry and cash.” ‘Sleep by your momma,’ one of the intruders told the daughters. The girls, Singh said, “understood what was happening and they made no noise, asked no questions. We are very proud of them “ His heart sank for a moment when the eldest of his children cried out for her brother who was freely moving around, but that crisis also passed quickly. Singh said he prayed for the safety of his wife and children. “I pray but I am not big on going to temples and doing the rituals. I believe God is in our hearts,” he said, still looking shaken three days after the ordeal. His eyes were swollen and there was weariness on his face. “I said to my family, let us do as they are asking us. Let us not talk.” Later he would tell his young daughters, “They were not bad people but what they did was wrong. They were not here to harm us; they only wanted our money and jewelry.” He does not believe it was a hate crime, or anything like what the young gang of Dot Busters did over three decades ago, serially attacking South Asians in New Jersey towns and cities close to New York. “This was a crime of opportunity, I think,” Singh said. “They were looking to burgle homes and they found an opportunity here.” Unlike many burgled houses, his house was well lit with Diwali bulbs. The burglary was over in about 25 minutes as the men disappeared with jewelry and cash, but not before ran-

Indians on burglars’ radar

Rajesh Singh and his home in Edison.

sacking Singh’s bedroom and living room looking for more cash, and destroying all the phones. “I struggled for a few minutes, freed myself, took a few minutes to calm myself and used my laptop to call a friend in Philadelphia who in turn called 911 there and they alerted the Edison police,” Singh said. He said he got concerned when the local police took

some 20 minutes to arrive at their home. The Federal Bureau of Investigation followed soon. Singh called his family and friends in Kolkata a day after

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Cover Story

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Indians on burglars’ radar f

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the attack and assured them they were safe. “I did not want them to get the news from the media and get disturbed, worried,” he added. The Singh home is in a corner of a quiet street, miles from the bustling Indian markets, grocery shops and real estate firms. It is a well-appointed home but far less affluent and far less costly than many homes around, most of them owned by Indian immigrants. “We have been here for eight years in this house,” said Singh’s wife, a homemaker. “We thought it was a very secure and quiet neighborhood. It still is but for this incident. We used to keep our doors open and go for late evening walks in summer.” She suffered back injuries during the heist and has appointments with doctors through the month. Singh will fortify his house and will have an alarm system, but he does not want his family to be paranoid and forget that there are good people all around and they The Indian market in Edison. belong to different ethnic groups and nationalities. tions others in the neighborhood could take was to keep FBI have joined the Old Bridge and South Plainfield He keeps telling his daughters that the burglars were some light outside their homes. police departments in ‘aggressively tracking suspects in “good by heart but did wrong things.” “True, our house was robbed despite the Diwali lights,” the armed burglaries,’ a local newspaper wrote, ‘but are But he is upset over some things. “If the police had he said. “But I think we can reduce the risk of someone arrived in a few minutes, they might even been able to nab not disclosing whether the same suspects participated in hiding in the garden or bushes around the property by each of the late-night home invasions.’ these men,” he said. having a few bulbs. It doesn’t cost much money.” Singh said that among some of the inexpensive precauAs he went to the police station to lodge a formal complaint, his family was welcomed in by a neighbor and spent the night there. “The police and FBI were here for hours,” he said. He also said some of his Indian neighbors were a bit thoughtless. One had told the mainstream media that Indians liked to keep gold in their homes during the fesof community policing — to vigorously does not belong to the neighborhood and tival season and they would take out their promote the Neighborhood Watch con- the person is doing something suspicious, ARTHUR J PAIS jewelry to visit temples and attend festivicept… Edison should also revisit the idea we ought to call the authorities.” He said sometimes cultural practices ties. “Now, would you want future burglars his series of violent home inva- of creating a fully-functioning North or even the professionals to get ideas — sions, which has now apparent- Edison police substation. This may be an could alert burglars. “Many of us keep the footwear outside and look out for Indian families during the ly touched the Edison commu- expensive idea, but one of local governnext festival season?” nity, is very disturbing to me,” said ment’s primary functions is to ensure the front door of our homes,” he said. ‘When burglars do not see the footwear, Just a day before the Singh home was Edison Councilwoman Sapana Shah, public safety.” robbed, Middlesex County Prosecutor Edison police are canvassing surround- they may assume no one is at home.” who also has her law firm in the New “Having alarms and lights in the front Andrew C Carey, South Plainfield Police Jersey town. “If the perpetrators are ing neighborhoods to investigate the inciDepartment Chief James Parker and Old indeed targeting the Asian community I dent and to give advice on how to protect yard and back of the house could also reduce the risks of home invasion,” he Bridge Police Chief William Volkert had would want them prosecuted under New their homes, the Star Ledger reported announced that families of Indian descent Many Indian Americans, including S V added Jersey’s hate crime statutes.” Indian homes might be targeted because appear to be the targets of home invasions. Community leaders also spoke of pre- Poondi, attorney and leader of Indian The police haven’t disclosed how much ventive measures and an attempt to hold Merchants Association in Edison, say they of stereotypes about their relative afflucash, electronics and jewelry was stolen. a townhall meeting with law enforce- have requested a town hall-style meeting ence, members of the community say, the And the other three families who have ment agencies including the police, the with public officials and police in the com- Star Ledger wrote. Criminals might also believe that been robbed haven’t given their stories to prosecutor’s offices and community rep- ing weeks to discuss ways to increase pubthe press, remaining anonymous. lic confidence and educate residents on Indians are ‘down-to-earth and quiet’ peoresentatives. ple who are unlikely to speak out, Peter “They are still shell-shocked,” a commuShah has suggested more Neighborhood home safety measures. nity leader said. “They thought such things “We will certainly welcome non-South Kothari, Indian-American community Watch Groups and better liaison between happen only in big cities and to very Asian residents for the meeting,” Poondi leader in Middlesex County, told the Indian Americans and the police. wealthy people.” “I know some immigrants have very said. “The burglaries concern us, and newspaper. “We are not going to stay quiet,” Kothari Even the Singhs have been told by the negative images of the police that started tomorrow the robbers may target another told India in New York. “There are crimipolice not to reveal too many details of back home,” she said. “But we must learn community.” their robbery. He said the burglaries seem well nals who have similar attitude when they to trust the officials. We cannot do everyviolate our temples, write graffiti on build“They do not want the burglars to planned. thing on our own.” know what we have observed of them,” “Surely someone or the other must have ings owned by Indians and at times use Edison, she added, “has a few active Singh added. Neighborhood Watch groups, but I urge seen some people studying the neighbor- racist language at us. We will stand up for The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s our police department — in the interest hood,” he said. “If we see someone who our rights.” Office, the New Jersey State Police and the

‘We must learn to trust the officials’

“T

Special

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

ÂIt was a matter of time before we had Ebola patientsÊ

P RAJENDRAN

The control room at Bellevue. Inset, Dr Ramanathan Raju.

P Rajendran meets Dr Ramanathan Raju, who leads New York City’s fight against the disease

r Ramanathan Raju is entrusted with making Ebola a manageable problem in New York City. For the present though, despite some false alarms, he has had to deal with just one patient — Dr Craig Spencer, 33, a physician who returned from Guinea. Dr Raju, who has this onerous responsibility because he is the president and chief executive officer of New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation, returned to the city after a two-year stint in Chicago, where he was chief executive officer, Cook County Health and Hospital System. Before he left for Chicago, he was vice-president, HHC. Dr Raju says work began on dealing with a potential Ebola threat right when it began spreading in Africa.

rom without, Bellevue Hospital does not look like the nerve center of New York’s response to Ebola. Yes, there is a TV crew outside, pointing lights and camera at a newscaster with a plastic sheen. The building looks like just another squat glass and steel edifice with utilitarian gray pillars before the entrance. But, while flat in front, the behind is scooped into a shallow semicircle, the ends clipped to the sides and top of the main building, a more formidable brick and mortar structure. Between the pavilion and the main building is the atrium, among other things home to the information desk beside which is a poster asking those who have been at risk of Ebola in the past 21 days to report to the desk — in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali and Arabic.

“We trained all the nurses and doctors and everybody else on wearing the personal protection equipment — how to put it on, how to take it off,” Dr Raju says. “We conducted some drills to make sure people are able to do that.” When training was done, the staff was tested by some ‘secret shoppers’ (based on the testers sent out by stores to evaluate their staff) — people who mimicked the symptoms of Ebola. All 19 such testers were successfully isolated once they listed their symptoms. Also instituted was a ‘buddy system,’ in which the staff checked each other to ensure that they were taking the proper precautions, with people watching to instruct the staff on how to wear them. Dr Raju has strong credentials for the job. He earned his medical degree and then his master’s degree in surgery at Madras Medical College, in 1976 and 1979, respectively. Dr Raju says the dangers and limits of the headline-making disease have to be understood. “Ebola is a very serious disease and also difficult to catch,” he says, reiterating the argument many doctors and health officials have already made: That the disease only spreads if the infected person shows symptoms and one’s broken skin or mucous membranes com in contact with bodily fluids in some fashion. Dr Raju says the virus dies out fast in dry conditions, but is easy to clean — even household bleach will kill it. He suggests that to avoid infection people should wash their hands often (“Always a good thing”). Dr Raju also thinks that taking a flu shot will help. Some of the symptoms of flu — fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness — are the same as that of Ebola and could see the unfortunate and terrified patient carted off in a Hazmat suit to an isolated room in Bellevue Hospital. As Dr Raju summarized it: “You have to come in contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic patients.” Of course, though he did not say it, you could also hobnob with droopy, bleeding fruit bats or pigs in sub-Saharan Africa and manage the same thing.

“Three months ago we began preparing,” says Dr Raju, who has made Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital his base of operations for the project. It is one of eight hospitals in New York State where Ebola can be treated. “New York is a global city. JFK (airport) is here,” he says. “We knew it was a matter of time before we had Ebola patients. So, we started preparing all our emergency rooms to be able to identify possible Ebola cases, immediately isolate them, and then evaluate them.” The team worked on a disciplined response.

The nerve center

P Rajendran visits Bellevue Hospital Farther within is a control room of sorts, which monitors the state of the hospital’s sole Ebola patient, Dr Craig Spencer, keeps up with reports about the virus, and plans for future action. Every four hours, starting at 8 am, the heads of various sections involved come together there before Boyd Dixon, the emergency preparedness director, says Dr Ramanathan Raju, the president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, adding, “It’s like a SWAT team.”

The hospital is one of eight in New York state designated to treat Ebola, and Bellevue has four such single-bed rooms set aside, says Dr Raju. There’s all the training in new protocols involved, and with 900 nurses trained in the correct way to wear the protective suits, which have to be discarded after use. With just three trials, the number of suits gone through are 27,000, he says. There are already 25-27 nurses dealing with the hospital’s sole Ebola patient for the moment. There are other doctors, EMT

workers, health inspectors and police personnel working on this — all factors pushing up the cost. And then there are the labs, where the blood of suspected victims are sent. It takes but 6-8 hours for the viral RNA to be used to create DNA, then markers to be used to identify patches that would only be produced by Ebola RNA, and then the DNA is copied many times over so that the effect is magnified — and doubt eliminated. Dr Raju and other team members have also been involved in constant outreach efforts — with community groups, at places of worship, and news and other outlets that

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Special

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

‘The challenge we face is when Ebola returns again’

Left, the atrium at Bellevue Hospital, which is home to the Ebola information desk.

Below, Dr Jay Varma, left, deputy commissioner, health, New York City, at a news conference after Morgan Dixon, fiancée of Dr Criag Spencer, arrived in New York, October 25. Spencer —who was treating Ebola patients in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders, returned to the US October 17 and was diagnosed with the virus — is the hospital’s sole Ebola patient. Dixon is self-quarantining in her apartment for 21 days.

GEORGE JOSEPH

P RAJENDRAN

The nerve center can help get the word out. And while the team is aware that there are some areas with higher concentrations of people from the countries affected more by Ebola, such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Congo, it wants to avoid the danger of profiling, and thus stigmatizing a community. Dr Raju is all for New York’s open approach to letting in those returning from countries where the disease has been seen. He says that while efforts should be made to contain and eliminate the Ebola outbreak in West Africa stopping volunteers from going over would be counterproductive. He agrees that while the disease does not jump from per-

CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS

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son to person without the contact of bodily fluids, there is a risk from infected meat from affected countries — one article in Nature has claimed that the disease does traverse the air gap between infected pigs and non-human primates, but not between non-human primates. Given the strict controls on meat from abroad, Dr Raju says, there is no risk to the American population. A New York City Health department official hands out information on Ebola outside a school near Bronx apartment building, October 27.

Fighting Ebola N

amed after a river in Zaire near which an outbreak occurred in 1976, the threadlike Ebola virus is about 800 nanometers long and, like other viruses, has opportunistically evolved to use the victim’s own cells to create copies of itself.

MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS

It has no DNA and so relies on RNA, whcih codes for just seven proteins to create copies of itself once it is past a cell’s defenses. When the virus attacks macrophages (a kind of white blood cell) and the inner lining of blood vessels, the immune reaction,

r Robert C Gallo, the world renowned virologist who co-discovered HIV, thinks the Ebola crisis will “burn out” like previous Ebola epidemics. In an email to India abroad, he said, “Yes, this one is worse, it could go longer than prior Ebola outbreaks, but this epidemic will likely fade away. The challenge we face is when Ebola returns again, but in bursts that we cannot predict.” He said he viewed the disease as more a “public health, economic (infrastructure), education and training problem as opposed to a scientific challenge.” “Certainly, hospitals need to have protocol on how to handle Ebola patients,” he said. “We need good diagnostics available in countries where this is an episodic problem — which is not limited to West Africa. There are multiple vaccines already available against Ebola, but the setback today is that these vaccines were not licensed and ‘put to the test’ or we would have been there already with effective vaccines. If pharmaceutical companies won’t make this happen, then it is incumbent upon world governments to move forward the technology and biomedical breakthroughs by having successful vaccines licensed and available. Maybe they will do that now.” Gallo’s Global Virus Network, co-founded with William Hall of Ireland and the late Reinhard Kurth of Germany, has been on the frontlines of addressing the Ebola epidemic, as the non-profit organization was created to have a role in outbreaks. He continued, “I believe Ebola is not so complex in terms of the science and the vaccine should be fairly straight forward as already a considerable amount is known about the virus. There are at least 7 experts from the GVN from the US, South Africa, Germany and Italy actively involved in developing and testing therapeutics and vaccines, and in providing authoritative information to journalists and policymakers worldwide.”

inflammation and damage results in bleeding. The victim usually dies of low blood pressure and fluid loss. There is no vaccination but the virus cannot survive very long in the open air unless conditions are very favorable. It loses viability in a few hours in the open though it can survive indefinitely at 70ºCentigrade, a temperature that is not sustainable even in the polar regions. The CDC’s suggestions about precautions to take are: w Practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids.

w Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment). w Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola. w Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals. w Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The US embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities. w After you return, monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical care immediately if you develop Ebola symptoms.

Special

PHOTOGRAPHS: PARESH GANDHI

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As Aasif Mandvi read passages from his book No Land’s Man, Goldspot’s Siddhartha Khosla and a friend provided nostalgic songs in between the reading.

Aasif Mandvi, in his words Arthur J Pais attends the launch of the actor’s memoir, No Land’s Man

‘M

y father moved our family to the United States because of a word,’ Aasif Mandvi is reading from his memoir No Land’s Man at the book launch in New York, November 3. ‘It was a word whose meaning fascinated him. It was a singularly American word, a fat word, a word that could only be spoken with decadent pride. That word was... Brunch!’ Now he is switching on to his father, saying it in a slight singsong tone. ‘“The beauty of America,’” he would say, “is they have so much food, that between breakfast and lunch they have to stop and eat again.”’ The audience at the Aicon art gallery in Manhattan are laughing their guts out. So

are Mandvi’s father Hakim Mandviwala and sister Shabnam. They have come from Tampa, Florida, where Mumbai-born Aasif spent many years in high school and college, having moved with his family from Bradford in England at age 16. There is more laughter to come. Mandvi writes about how his father got T-shirts made with the logo International House of Patel and gave to every one in the family to wear when they visited the International House of Pancakes (IHOP). Even his parents who were visiting from India had to wear the shirts. The senior Mandviwala

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Mandvi with Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.

Special

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

PHOTOGRAPHS: PARESH GANDHI

Mandvi, right, with Ajit Balakrishnan, publisher, India Abroad and India in New York, and founder, chairman and CEO Rediff.com; and writer Renu Balakrishnan.

Aasif Mandvi had the audience at Aicon art gallery in Manhattan, including his father Hakim Mandviwala, laughing out loud.

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hoped the shirts would be seen as a sign of loyalty to IHOP and would secure the family a discount. There were a few discounts but for Aasif, who had to wrestle with his identity crisis and the spread of pimples, there was nothing but embarrassment. As he reads more funny stories from his book, the audience roars. Aroon Shivadasani, the head of the IndoAmerican Arts Council that hosted the event as part of a literary conference which officially kicks off November 7 in New York — featuring Salman Rushdie interviewed by Professor Akeel Bilgrami, director, South Asia Institute, Columbia University — looks on with a broad smile. Mandvi, famous for playing a Muslim correspondent in the hit Daily Show devised by Jon Stewart, is also an Obie-winning writer and actor, for the autobiographical play Sakina’s Restaurant. He has played small roles in over 30 films and major parts in such like Airbender. He is writing and producing The Brink, an HBO series in which he he’ll star with Jack Black and Tim Robbins. He has also quite a bit of success in New York theater. He was a wily peddler in the musical Oklahoma! Last year he played the lead, Amir, in Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer-winning Disgraced at a Lincoln Center theater in New York. Mandvi read several passages from his book; Goldspot’s frontman Siddhartha Khosla and a friend guitarist provided nostalgic songs in between the readings. One of them concerns Khosla’s mother, who after having sent him to India to be brought up by his grandmother, sends him a tape full of songs. Anything Mandvi read got a warm welcome. Among other things, he described the brunch that made his father very happy. ‘A stack of pancakes eight inches high with five kinds of syrup: Maple, caramel, chocolate, honey, and strawberry. Eggs any style. Biscuits lathered in whipped butter. Muffins, hash browns, and as much coffee as you could drink. Orange, grapefruit, and

Aasif Mandvi, in his words tomato juice. French toast and a side of extra crispy turkey bacon and/or sausage (because, after all, we were Muslims). All for a measly $7.95.’ ‘Brunch au Akbar,’ he adds, reading from the book. The book has many poignant and a few sad passages — of his childhood in England, where he was called Curry Pot by fellow students; his early years in New York as an actor, doing commercials and forced by circumstances to play stereotypical Indian with a heavy accent. The sad truth was that though he grew up very familiar with his parents’ Indian accent, he did not have one and it was not Veteran actress Madhur Jaffrey and her husband Sanford Allen with Mandvi.

easy for him to fake a desi accent. But he learnt to “patanking,” he later tells India Abroad. “Patanking is a word that actress Sakina Jaffrey first introduced to me and soon the desi actors were using it in the early ’90s, in New York,” he remembered. “Patanki-ing was basically the sound of mimicking an Indian accent to a non-Indian ear. It was like, you know….you bobble your head and you go, patank… patank… patank… patank… patank. And so we would always come back from auditions and ask one other… did they ask you to patank? What is meant was a disembodied accent of an Indian caricature that was devoid of any humanity or any context. The ad makers would just ask you to come in, put a turban on, and do an accent. They would ask me if I knew to charm snakes. These were what a lot of my experiences as a young actor in New York were when I first got here.’” At the end of the reading, he is asked by a reader what was it to write the memoir compared to his other work. Mandi says when he was working on Sakina’s Restaurant he would play the scenes in front of an audience, mostly friends and family members, and then write and tweak the stage play. Writing the memoir was a solitary exercise compared to writing a play, though he would call friends from time to time and read out the passages. Some of them were in the middle of child birth, he adds, smiling, and they were not too pleased being disturbed. Some got so hassled that they are not talking to me anymore, he continues, with mirth. He has been at work on the book for about three years, he says. Another reader wants to know if his family has read No Land’s Man. Mandvi’s mother Fatima died a few years ago, he asid, adding that his father and sister have read the book. His father was like, what is the big fuss, who wants to read stories about me? I don’t care for them myself, he tells his son. But there is pride in Hakim Mandviwala’s eyes when he looks at his son. And when a reader asks Mandviwala to sign the book, he beams and hugs the reader.

Bollywood INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

hah Rukh Khan celebrated his 49th birthday November 2 with the media, and the many fans who had gathered outside his home, Mannat, in Mumbai. After cutting his birthday cake, he spent an hour chatting with the media.

‘I AM PROUD THAT I AM AN OUTSIDER AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SURVIVE FOR SO LONG’

How have you spent your day so far? I came back from work from Jaipur and slept well. Now I am feeling good. I will celebrate with my children. I was playing with AbRam. This year my film Happy New Year has done well, so there’s a double celebration. Sometimes when my films don’t do well, I get sad. You have turned 49. What are your thoughts? I don’t understand age at all. Physically, I feel better and work-wise also I have more energy. From tomorrow, I will starting working on my film Fan. I don’t know what one is supposed to feel as one gets older. Is one supposed to get fatter, or is one supposed to have less energy? I don’t know. The more I grow, the younger I feel. I can go to the rooftop and pray that may everyone gets a life like Shah Rukh Khan because my name has been a brand now. And I am not showing off. How has your birthday celebrations changed over the years? Initially, there were seven-eight mediapersons, who would celebrate birthdays with us. But in the coming years, I have been celit. I have a long way to go. I am proud that I am an outsider and have been able to ebrating with all of you. That’s very humbling. How do you choose your films? survive for so long in a place that has been very loving but Every year I think the next year will be not the same. Professionally, there has always been a dichotomy. also quite harsh. Next year, I will turn 50. Every year, the love increases. Should I do a commercial viable film? If I don’t, there Will we ever see you in a biopic, playing yourself ? And for that, the police and my neighbours get disturbed, have been lots of instances when I am told not to do offIt is awkward to think that I am somebody important so I am sorry for that. beat films because people look forward to my happy and that I should play the role. I don’t think my personal Do you remember your birthdays during your younger blockbuster films. When I do, they ask why aren’t you life is so important that there should be a story on it. years in Delhi? doing more intense movies? There are big guys like Amitabh Bachchan, Kishore I never celebrated my birthday in Delhi. In school, I Each film takes time. I would like to strike a balance as Kumar, Lata Mangeshker and Dilip Kumar... You can would take Parle-G toffees or Samosas or sandwiches and an actor and do two films a year. Sometimes, I feel I write a story on their lives; it will be more interesting. I distribute them. should be more involved as an actor and there are others am too small a person to write a story about and to cast in You had a birthday party last night. days when I feel I should be more involved Last night, for the first time, my chilas a star. And I am greedy and I want to do dren Aryan and Suhana attended my both. So that dichotomy continues. birthday party with their friends. There When I did Happy New Year, I had a was a Halloween party too. I felt so shoulder injury. Now that I am healthy, I proud because both of them were taking want to do two films a year. But not at the good care of the guests. My children are same time because it would be unfair to very well-behaved and honest. That’s everyone. the biggest gift. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is going to They used to give me cards before but complete 1,000 weeks very soon. How will that has stopped. I guess that’s the best you celebrate it? relationship I have because I work for When I spoke to Kajol two-three days ago, them and do not expect anything in she said they have an edited footage of 20 return. minutes. They may have an interview with A director friend asked me in the party that edited version. last night, how I get my best high. My It’s more than a film actually. When I best high is when I’m with my children. meet girls and boys today, they say they Both Aryan and AbRam have done have gotten married because of Dilwale cameos in your films. When will we get to Dulhania Le Jayenge. There is so much see your daughter Suhana in a cameo? love for the film, and so much to learn from Suhana is very shy. I have always said it. Running for 1,000 weeks is a milestone. that she is the only one who wants to be I think it is the second-longest running film an actor. And I hope she does. in the world, after a Chinese film, if I am But first, she needs to complete her not mistaken. Yes, there will be celebraeducation. tions. I am sure Yash Raj Films will do You achieved stardom without a godfaPHOTOGRAPHS: PRADEEP BANDEKAR something for the film. ther in the industry. Snapshots from the celebrations outside Shah Rukh Khan’s house in Mumbai, November 2.

Shah Rukh Khan chats with the media on his 49th birthday. Rajul Hegde listens in

Bollywood

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

‘His son had become a composer after all, and one now chased by producers. But while finding peace in one quarter, he had lost it in another.’ Sathya Saran chronicles The Musical World of S D Burman in Sun Mere Bandhu Re

S D Burman, right, with singer-actor Kishore Kumar.

he father-son duo of Sachin Dev Burman and Rahul Dev Burman have made such beautiful music, they are hugely popular even today. Author Sathya Saran chronicles S D Burman’s life in a book called Sun Mere Bandhu Re: The Musical World of S D Burman, and captures his inner and outer worlds. In this excerpt from the book, she details R D Burman’s — fondly called Pancham — rise to fame, and his father’s deep loneliness when his son stepped out of his shadow to carve out his own future:

was right, he thought, as he sat listening to the radio. The song came clear and loud over the air waves, and he smiled when he imagined his beloved Asha singing it, swaying slightly, as she articulated the words to the tune with her characteristic zest and gusto. They had come to him with the film, Dev and his assistant. And he had refused. Point Blank. Take Pancham, he had said, smiling, but firm as a rock. Nothing would make him change his mind, and no, he would not hold the boy’s hand or peer over his notations to see if he was doing the right thing. And now, the song was a rage. It was pure; it held the spirit of the film. He smiled and eased his slight body into the easy chair as his eyes took in a flower caught at the point of blooming. Like Pancham, he thought. The boy’s time had come. Dum maro dum Mit jaye gham Bolo subah shaam Hare Krishna Hare Raam It would be an exercise for music buffs and S D fans to imagine how the song would have shaped up in the maestro’s hands. If Dev Anand had had his way, S D Burman would indeed have spun out the tune, giving it possibly, knowing the setting, a north-eastern or pahadi flavor. There was no reason for Dev to imagine that his most trusted composer would turn down his request. He had amazing powers of persuasion, Dev did; besides, his ebullience and energy were boundless and infectious. He was still drunk on the success of Johny Mera Naam, which quite eclipsed the failure of his first production. And riding the wave of this success, he crafted the idea of a film that would be as sensational in theme as it would be offbeat. The 1970s was the era of the flower children. Drug addiction was sweeping through colleges and schools, and dropouts were leaving the cloistered security of their homes to exhale in the freedom of smoke-filled drug dens. Always quick with responses to social issues, Dev Anand launched Hare Rama Hare Krishna, with a brother-sister theme at its centre, and a love angle thrown in for good measure. There was enough scope for good music, as in all Dev’s films. And the double thrust would give the composer enough variety to play around with. Despite media reports to the contrary, it was not Dev who chose Pancham for the film’s musical score, but S D Burman who decided his son would handle the film. For one, the elder Burman disapproved of drugs and the filming of such scenes. He was not sure of its impact. Besides, he felt someone younger would be more in tune with the kind

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S D Burman’s proudest moment SMM AUSAJA

Bollywood INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

f PAGE 11

of scene Dev would shoot and be able to fit the music in better. H Q Chowdhury reports in his book that in a personal interview with him, Dev Anand spoke about the fact that he did request S D Burman to at least score the softer, more folk-based songs for the film, leaving the younger hippie numbers to Pancham. But S D Burman, worried about the fact that his gifted son’s career was not really flying as high as it should, and was floundering around like a kite with no wind to lift it off, suggested that Pancham should handle the film on his own. Maybe the disappointment with Prem Pujari and his understanding of Dev Anand’s limited abilities as a director were at the back of his mind too, but in handing the entire

what his father had done; a spool unwinding its thread of music through generations. Maybe his son will also be a musician, he thinks; then, in his sleep, he smiles. The vision of a child on his lap, crumpling his spotless dhuti, comes uninvited. He watches the scene as if distanced from it, yet his heart swells. The child jumps off and sits on the ground. He sees himself approaching, up the step, to the door, and stopping as he hears the sound of the tabla. Who could be playing, he wonders as he pushes open the door. The child sits cross-legged, his small back ramrod straight, his eyes shut as his fingers, small and still plump, and his wrist encased in puppy fat, drum on the tabla. He laughs, and runs across to pick the boy up. Again, watching the scene his heart swells. S D Burman, left, with his son Pancham.

S D Burman’s proudest moment SMM AUSAJA

film to his son, the maestro must have had only one thought in mind. He knew Pancham could handle all aspects with brilliance. He knew his son’s measure of talent. History proved him right. The title song, shot on a young, fresh Zeenat Aman, who burst into the viewers’ consciousness with her role as Dev Anand’s hippie sister and would in future films change the way heroines dressed and looked, was a runaway hit. Adopted as an anthem by the youth of that time, the song gained cult status. If Teesri Manzil had seemed a flash in the pan, Hare Rama proved beyond doubt that Pancham was a kite who would threaten his own father’s space in the sky with daring and impunity. For the father, it was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, his son was finding his own space. But on the other, he must have sensed that he would be left to manage a lot more on his own, with the boy who had first started assisting him as a teenager in Pyaasa no longer by his side in the studio. Yet there was still time. The father would still have teachings that would stand the son in good measure. And add wind beneath his wings. *** He dreams of being father to his son. Of taking forward

Unspoken desires, his lips mumble, and the child vanishes, the scene dissolves. Restless now, he cannot sleep. Thoughts crowd into his head, jostling each other like they were riding an overflowing train to the land of grief. And his heart contracts. He must seek recourse in happier thoughts. Far away the sound of the song comes to him, uncurling into his consciousness, a smoke of memory with its own set of images. Only a few months ago, he had been creating the song... sat listening to the boy trying to shape it. Lata standing by, as Pancham played out the tune. A bhajan, it was sweet and melodic. But he had been disturbed; it was too staid, too pat. Something had to make it different, or it would be just another song. The boy could do better than this! It was perhaps his last real lesson. The re-tuning of the song ‘Bada natkhat hai re’ that was now swirling around the room he lay in. ‘Listen, can you hear that?’ Meera’s voice floated in from the room, but he did not quite hear it, nor notice the marked pride in her voice. If he had, he might have stopped to wonder if the same pride bordered her voice when she spoke of his music to others. But his mind was elsewhere. He was caught in the bubble

of memory. His sitting with Pancham. His telling him to change the song. The song being filmed on Sharmila, who was chasing a playful child, not her own. The director had wanted a bhajan. It would remind the audience of the love of Yashodha for the infant Krishna, who was not born from her womb, but was still her son. The relationship in the film was similar. The child saw Sharmila as his mother, though she was not. The boy had created the bhajan all right. But he, the father, was not happy with what he heard. No, it would not do. He had told his son so. Where is the emotion in the song, where is the mother’s love, the overflowing of unconditional love, the laughter at his mischief, the worry over his future. All of it should spill out of the song in layers, as the tune unfolds. He had said as much, and the boy and the director had listened with gravity. Going a step further, he had taken the tune and embellished it with twists… a shift here and there, an emphasis on a word, and suddenly the song was alive. It was no longer a bhajan, but so much more. It would cause women to sigh and weep, and also take the story forward. He had watched Pancham’s face light up as the song was played in its changed form. It was his tune all right, but changed masterfully! He had patted the boy on his shoulder and left the room. Amar Prem, that is the love a father has for his son, regardless of who he is, what he does, what he becomes in life. His son had become a composer after all, and one now chased by producers. But while finding peace in one quarter, he had lost it in another. Jet was not a home any more. The room across his was empty, there were no sounds floating through the door. The music hall was silent when he was silent, there was no Pancham trying out his tune, or playing his instruments. The last time, the boy had sat with a glass of liquid, swirling it, swirling the spoon in it, listening to the sound of the liquid against the glass. He had taken a comb and run it against the glass. He had watched indulgently and a bit mystified by the boy’s strange obsession with sounds. Now, everything was silent. Meera broke into his mood. ‘What music, what a song,’ she said, as she entered, wiping her hands on the edge of her sari. ‘You should be proud of the boy.’ He sat up. Proud he was, but this emptiness... ‘I am,’ he responded, ‘I am.’ And he lay down on his bed, and turned to face the wall. Every living creature does the same, he consoled himself. It is nature’s way. How often had he looked out of his window to see the birds being taught to fly? Small sorties, then larger circles, then out into the sky. How patiently the parent would teach, lead, follow, keeping an eye out for a marauding hawk or kite. Within a week, the nest would be empty, the little ones would have flown away, maybe to make nest of their own, have their own babies to teach. Each generation must make its own nests, he mused, but the heat behind his closed lids would not cool. I have to come to terms with this, he said, the boy is only a road’s length away. And visits often. Besides, he is doing what I dreamt of for him, making good music and earning a big name. How proud he had been, when coming across some young people during his walk he had overheard them saying he was the composer R D Burman’s father. Today, more listeners tuned in to Pancham than to him; if there was ever a contest on popularity, the boy would win. There was joy in that. But he was lonely. There was no denying that. Or getting away from it, either. Excerpted from the book Sun Mere Bandhu Re: The Musical World of SD Burman, by Sathya Saran, HarperCollins India, with the publisher’s permission.

Bollywood

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Ranveer, who camouflaged his bald look for Bajirao Mastani under a stetson, with Parineeti.

From left, Arjun Kapoor, Govinda, Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra and Ali Zafar at a promotion for the upcoming Kill Dill.

ALL THAT GLITTERS

A PEEK INTO THE WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GLITZIEST TINSEL TOWN EVENTS

Ashish Sharma with wife Archana Taide at the Indian Television Awards in Mumbai.

From left, actors Simone Singh, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Dilip Joshi and Karan Tacker.

PHOTOGRAPHS: PRADEEP BANDEKAR

India in New York November 7, 2014

Master of Indian Music

Kaushiki Chakrabarty Don’t miss this virtuoso with her extraordinary interpretation of North and South Indian vocal traditions in a rare New York appearance.

Friday, November 14 at 7p.m. Tickets start at $40. BRING THE KIDS FOR $1. Your ticket includes Museum admission on the day of the event. Prices subject to change.

Tickets on sale now metmuseum.org/tickets, call 212.570.3949, or visit our Great Hall Box Office

“the next big thing in Hindustani classical music” —Tehelka Magazine

Presented in collaboration with World Music Institute. This concert is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection, on view October 28, 2014—January 25, 2015. The exhibition is made possible by Cartier. Photo © Kaushiki Arts Pvt Ltd.

MassMutual Honors Diwali and Business Tradition of Chopda Pujan

ANNOUNCEMENT

No-Cost Seminars Help Business Owners Secure Their Futures and Protect the Next Generation.

Almost three million Asian Indians in the United States celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, on Oct. 23. For the more than 300,000 Asian-Indian owned firms* in the U.S., the holiday takes on an added dimension, as the celebration marks the beginning of a new business year. To help business owners prepare for the New Year ahead, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is offering a series of free, no-obligation business seminars in five cities across the country this Diwali. In a special Diwali ritual for businesses known as Chopda Pujan, new account books are opened and blessed. Business owners use this time to reflect on the past year while looking ahead to new opportunities for prosperity and wealth. It is said the goddess of wealth, known as Lakshmi, visits the homes of devotees on this day, and lamps light the way to welcome her. A MassMutual study** found that although 77 percent of Asian Indian business owners believe financial planning for their business is very important, only 43 percent are concerned about who will run their businesses if they or another owner leaves, becomes disabled or dies; only 46 percent have a formal retirement plan. “Entrepreneurial businesses are vital to our growing economic recovery, so it is concerning that so many business owners seem to be sacrificing their own and their family’s financial future,” says Nimesh Trivedi, Asian-Indian

MassMutual, Edison New Jersey.

Market lead at MassMutual. “With help, business owners can look past the seemingly overwhelming day-to-day demands of running their businesses and establish and meet their long-term financial goals.” To help Asian Indian business owners open their new books this Diwali and plan for a prosperous new year, MassMutual is offering a series of free video-based seminars featuring stories shared by real business owners. The vignettes explore critical business planning topics, such as passing ownership on from one generation to the next, preparing for the unexpected, the death of an owner, retaining key employees, and proper estate and retirement planning. Seminars addressing these topics critical to Asian Indian business owners were presented in the following cities across the country this Diwali:

MassMutual sponsored Atlanta Diwali Event" (GAPI) • Houston, Oct. 14 • Atlanta: Oct. 18 • San Jose, Calif.: Oct. 24 • Edison, N.J.: Oct. 29 The Seminar in Chicago has been scheduled for

November 6, 2014 For more information on the multi-city business owner seminar tour, contact Nimesh Trivedi, 413.744.1244. For more information on planning for your businesses’ and families’ financial futures, visit massmutual.com/asianindian About MassMutual Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyowners consistently since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its founda-

tion, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term. MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. - ### -

*2007 Survey of Business Owners Summaries of Findings, U.S. Census Bureau. This information is the most current data available. **MassMutual’s Business Owner Perspectives: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy, conducted by GfK Custom Research North America for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), 2011.

India in New York November 7, 2014

Opens Friday November 7 NEW YORK:

AMC Empire 25 (Manhattan, NY) 234 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, Tel: (212) 398-2597 www.amctheatres.com Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas (Jamaica, NY), 15902, Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432, Tel: (866) 228-5676, www.showcasecinemas.com AMC Loews Roosevelt Field 8 (Manhattan, NY), Roosevelt Field Mall, 630 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530, Tel: (516) 741-4008 www.amctheatres.com

Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas (long Island, NY),1001, Broad Hollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735, Tel: (800) 315-4000, www.showcasecinemas.com

Regal Commerce Center 18 2399 Route 1 South, North Brunswick, NJ 08902, Tel: 732-940-8361 www.regmovies.com

Bombay 1 Cinema (Flushing, NY) 68-25 Fresh Meadows Lane, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365, Tel: 718-358-2929 www.bombaytheatre.com

Regal Burlington 20 250 Bromley Blvd, Burlington, NJ 08016, Tel: (609) 239-3598, www.regmovies.com

NEW JERSEY: Columbia Park Cinema Stadium 12 3125 John F.Kennedy Blvd. North Bergen, NJ 07047, Tel: 201-865-6133 , www.columbiaparkcinemas.com Movie City 8 (Edison, NJ) 1655 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820 Tel: 732-548-2300

AMC Loews Newport Centre 11 30-300 Mall Drive West, Jersey City, NJ 07310, Tel: 201-626-3528 www.amctheatres.com AMC Loews New Brunswick 18 17 US Route 1 South, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1561, Tel: 732-846-2275 www.amctheatres.com

AMC Loews Wayne 14 67 Willowbrook Blvd, Wayne, NJ 07470, Tel: 973-890-0508, www.amctheatres.com

CONNECTICUT: Showcase Cinemas Buckland Hills (Connecticut), 99, Redstone Road, Manchester, CT 06045. Tel: (860) 646-9800 www.showcasecinemas.com

PENNSYLVANIA: AMC Loews Waterfront 22 (Pittsburgh, PA), 300 Waterfront Drive W, Homestead, PA 15120, Tel: 412-462-6550 www.amctheatres.com Regal Marketplace @ Oaks Stadium 24 (Oaks, PA), 180- Mill Road, Oaks, PA 19456 www.regmovies.com

Bollywood

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan celebrates her birthday November 1.

ctor Sadashiv Amrapurkar, who was being treated for a lung infection in Mumbai, passed away November 3. He was 64. His last rites were performed in his native place in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district November 4, family sources said. Amrapurkar is best remembered for his performances in Ardh Satya and the portrayal of a ruthless eunuch in Sadak. Sadashiv Amrapurkar in Sadak, one of his most lengendary roles.

Anil Kapoor at an event in Mumbai last week.

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

How much will Anil Kapoor reveal?

nil Kapoor is finally getting down to giving time to veteran film journalist Khalid Mohamed to write his biography. “It’s been long due,” Anil Kapoor says. “It isn’t the writer’s fault. Khalid is a dear friend. He has been working on the book on my life for some time now. But I have not been able to sit with him and talk to him as subject to a biographer. I am finally getting down to giving time to the book on my life in November.” Would it be the tell-all type of chronicle? “I won’t lie in the biography, but I won’t say anything that would hurt anyone close to me,” he adds. — Subhash K Jha

Sadashiv Amrapurkar passes away

New year, new film for Ash

Dengue lands Rishi Kapoor in hospital

ishi Kapoor was hospitalized October 29 after he contracted dengue and malaria, according to a spokesperson of Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital. Before being discharged, the actor told Pinkvilla, ‘I am feeling fine, no weakness, no nausea, no loss of appetite. The diseases, he added, had become a way of life in Mumbai: “How does a Mumbaiyite escape them? We learn to accept it as a part of your life. Television actors tell me they’re constantly under attack by mosquitoes while shooting in Film City and Goregaon. Every day they are attacked by mosquitoes after 6 pm. How can you be a part of Mumbai and expect to escape mosquitoes.’

Hrithik Roshan and Susaanne Khan.

ctor Hrithik Roshan and his estranged wife Sussanne Khan were granted divorce by a court in Mumbai November 1. The couple, who tied the knot 14 years ago, had approached the court in April and filed an application for separation by mutual consent. The couple agreed to sharing the custody of their two sons — Hrehaan and Hridhaan.

Sandeep Singh

The split is final

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

uch has been written about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s next film. But the actress opened up about it on her 41st birthday November 1. “Yes, now I have something valid to talk about,” she told the media. “Since last two years, all I said was that I was discussing scripts. But all mothers would agree with me when I say that we don’t understand time passing by. I love investing time with Aaradhya. Time has really flown by!” She finally picked director Sanjay Gupta’s Jazbaa. She said, “He wanted to start work in December, but I preferred January as I wanted to prepare and plan for the role. It’s a very interesting team coming together. I have okayed a few more films, but I will announce them with those directors.” Though the film is being viewed as her comeback vehicle, Ash said, “I have always worked in movies and didn’t even feel the timeout. I have always been advertising, facing cameras, going to the studios. But yes, I have been very excited to tell a story on celluloid. It’s going to be busy year; I will have a lot of work, personally and professionally. I never felt I took any break.” — Patcy N

After Dhyan Chand

fter the success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Kom, Bollywood is jumping on the sports biopic bandwagon. Filmmaker Karan Johar has already announced plans to produce a film on hockey legend Dhyan Chand and now actress Chitrangada Singh has LAXMI NEGI decide to turn producer with a film on hockey player Sandeep Singh. In a country where cricket overshadows almost every other sport, this is a trend we like.

Aseem in Dharamsala

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Movies, mountains, magic D

haramsala is a foodie’s town with a range of trendy cafés that offer free wifi, cappuccinos and a wide array of sandwiches. Among my favorite is Moon Peak Café that is favorite with expats and tourists, where one can have a breakfast of three-egg omelet with Provence vegetables and lunch of Himachali thali. It is a comfortable space, where the guests are encouraged to sit with their laptops as they sip Masala Chai. On Sunday afternoon I took an auto rickshaw to Jogiwara Road, about 10 minutes from McLeod Ganj towards the main town of Dharamsala. There I stopped over for a late lunch at Café Illiterati — a stunning bookstore plus restaurant overlooking a mountain range. Café Illiterati is a rare eatery where customers can eat food surrounded by world famous books. It is a comfortable space, quiet, beautifully designed. I loved the serene atmosphere as I ate a cheese sandwich with a cup of coffee. The Himachali thali at Moon Peak Cafe

Rajat Kapoor and Hansal Mehta at the Dharamsala International Film Festival.

haramsala is a heavenly place. A perfect vacation spot surrounded by mountains, this small town in Himachal Pradesh brings a mix of tourists, Indians as well as foreigners, who make visit for the location’s spiritual touch. The Dalai Lama and thousands of his Tibetans followers make their home in McLeod Ganj, a suburb located in Upper Dharamsala. Last weekend I visited Dharamsala for a film festival held in the midst of shops selling Buddhist trinkets, cafés that serve chocolate pancakes and open sandwiches for breakfast, and centers that teach Hindi, Ayurvedic and Tibetan massage techniques to foreigners who come for an extended period of time. The Dharamsala International Film Festival was started by two local filmmakers — Ritu Sarin and her Tibetan husband, Tenzing Sonam — who wanted to bring quality world cinema to their small town. Dharamsala has no tradition of movie theaters, although the PVR chain is about to open a multiplex soon. With faster Internet speed, people resort to downloading films online. So it was really impressive to see soldout screenings of a wide range of films such as The Square, that examines the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt, the Marathi film Court, which is getting a lot of notice at major festivals, and Liar’s Dice, India’s official entry for the foreign language Oscar race. It was equally impressive to note that many of festival attendees had traveled from other cities in India — Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, and some all the

way from Bangalore — making it a long weekend — the festival runs from Thursday to Sunday — with films and also time to relax. Besides the screenings there were panel discussions and master classes. I moderated a panel discussion on India’s new indie cinema with four National Award-winning directors — Rajat Kapoor, Hansal Mehta, Umesh Kulkarni and the Bengali filmmaker who now goes by the name Q. We talked about the challenges the filmmakers face, from raising money to finding an audience. And in the midst of the struggles, sometimes good luck shines on the filmmakers. Kapoor found his producer/ financier for his latest film Ankhon Dekhi on Twitter. Manish Mundra, a businessman with interests in Africa, approached Kapoor on Twitter and offered to finance his film. A day later I also moderated a conversation with Kapoor where he talked about his career — acting in films, plays and his most important passion, writing screenplays and directing films. One of Kapoor’s earliest works was in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. He was recommended for the role of an uncle with a dark past by Naseeruddin Shah. When Kapoor saw the finished film he was very uncomfortable. “He was the worst of the worst kind,” Kapoor said of his character, a pedophile. “And I had a three-year-old daughter.” But fortunately for Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai opened around the same time. His good uncle role in that film helped balance the negative character he had played in Monsoon Wedding.

Cafe Illiterati.

Special

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

ÂINDIANS HAVE AN APPETITE FOR ROMANCEÊ

Micahel Hoffman at the premiere in Mumbai. PRADEEP BANDEKAR

A scene from The Best of Me.

In a conversation with Paloma Sharma, director Michael Hoffman talks about what took him to India and why he wants to keep going back

ith films like Soapdish, The Last Station and One Fine Day to his credit, Michael Hoffman is no stranger to the genre of romance. He is, however, a stranger to India as he travels east with his latest feature, The Best of Me, to seek an audience that, in his words, loves love. Not bothered about what the critics in the west have said about The Best of Me, based on a Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, Hoffman claims that he makes films for the audience only. Did you read the book before you decided to adapt it or did the studio approach you with a script? There was a script that existed. I then read the book. Another writer came in, took another pass at it and then I did a draft before we shot. Were Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden your first choice for the roles of Amanda and Dawson? There was lots of conversation in the beginning about different people, but it was pretty early on that Michelle was cast. I always knew that for the role of Amanda you need to have somebody who the audience will really trust. I don’t know if it will be so in India, but in America I think there’s that tendency. With Amanda, she’s married and contemplating an affair with James, and even though we understand that this is the love of her life, some of the audience might be a little judgmental about that. So it’s really important that whoever plays Amanda is an everywoman and that you really trust her. I think Michelle has that quality. In addition to that, she’s a marvelous, marvelous actress who can travel anywhere emotionally. So I have tons of respect for her as a storyteller and as

an artist. As for James, he came on later. I’m sure you know that Paul Walker was cast in the movie initially. What a lovely human being he was and it’s terribly sad what happened but I could not be happier about James’s work. He’s incredibly generous, intelligent. You know, it’s very hard to play a character who is passive and the Dawson character has to sit and wait and then find a moment when he can offer up his love again because obviously Amanda has a lot going on in her life. There’s a lot of conflict because, obviously, he’s a good man. I think James exudes that goodness and in addition to that, I think he’s just very, very beautiful. Have you watched any Bollywood films? I think I’ve got to see Happy New Year but people have told me that I would like Haider. If you had to remake The Best of Me in Hindi, which two Bollywood stars would you cast? I can’t say. I’m not smart enough to be able to answer that question, I apologize. But by the next time we talk, I will be able to answer that question well. Do you plan to do a Hindi film or a musical sometime? I’d like to do a musical. I mean, I almost did Hairspray and strangely, I’ve just been sent two musicals. I can’t tell you what they are. All I can say is that they’re American musicals. But I’d love to do a musical and I’m going to. I’m making a commitment sitting right here, right now to learn more

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan in Mumbai.

Had you read the novel before or did you read it after you got the script? Michelle Monaghan: I actually didn’t read it at all. I read the script and asked Nicholas and Michael Hoffman if I should read it. They said it wasn’t necessary and they were very supportive of the screenplay as it was. What did you think the first time you read the script? Michelle: Well, I really liked the script. I’ve never done a love story before so I loved the idea to be able to do that for the first time, to just have something be very romantic and classic. James Marsden: Like Michelle said, it was this really interesting story about this couple that has been apart for 20 years, looking back at this fractured relationship. It was an interesting role to play. In these types of films it’s nice to just get in there and have it be all about the acting and not about the special effects or any of the other ornamental things. Speaking of special effects, you are best known in India as Cyclops from the X-Men series. Are you worried about whether the Indian audience will accept you as a romantic hero? Michelle: (laughs) That was my concern as well. James: I don’t really worry about it. What I take from that is that I’m happy that there are people who know who I am and that they’re fans. You always want people to enjoy your work. So it was really nice to be a part of the X-Men movies. I’m very proud of them. It’s a great group of people. But yeah, I understand it. If I wasn’t me, then I probably thinking the same way. ‘Oh look, it’s the guy from XMen.’ James, you’ve played Lon Hammond, Jr in The Notebook, which was another adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, so did you consciously choose to do The Best of Me? James: I’m not planning any more at the moment but... I don’t know. I’d hate to overstay my welcome in these types of movies. But I wouldn’t rule anything out. Have any Bollywood producers or directors approached the two of you? Michelle: Not yet. James: But we haven’t been here very long, so... Are you open to doing a Bollywood film? James: I’m open to really anything. I’ve learned not to speak in absolutes. Michelle: He can sing, though. So that’s... James: Is that a prerequisite? (To Michelle) You can sing too. Michelle: No, I cannot sing. But thank you for saying that. You have to be able to dance.

Michelle: I’ve had no problem, and I’ve had a lot of it. So it’s been alright in my book. James: I haven’t had a proper meal yet. My flight got in very late last night. So I’m looking forward to lunch and then I’ll let you know! So what’s your favorite dish? Michelle: Well, I had something only yesterday. I can’t remember the name but it was so good. It was chickpeas. But they were fried really quickly and made really spicy. Oh my gosh, it was so good! I’ve never had that before. I loved that. I also love anything with chicken or lamb that’s really spicy. Hollywood actors rarely come to India to promote their films. So what brings the two of you here? Michelle: Well, there’s this amazing collaboration between B4U and Relativity. It’s a unique opportunity for them, in terms of broadening cinema for India with American films and vice versa; and personally, I’ve never been to India. So it was a really amazing opportunity to come to India and experience this city, the culture, the food. It’s been wonderful. Have you been to India before? James: This is my first trip. Sadly it’s going to be a short visit. I wish I could stay longer and see more. (To Michelle) You got here early. Michelle: I did, I got here three days ago. So it’s been really nice. But we’re going to head home tomorrow night. If you did have the time to go sightseeing, what would you like to see? James: I would like to see somebody who knows the city and take me somewhere I need to go. I would just want to find someone who knows where to take you. I’d say, “I’m up for anything. Just show me.” You’re doing a film on a story written by the God of all hopeless romantics. In your personal lives, are you... James: (to Michelle) You take this one. ...hopeless romantics as well or are you more practical in love? Michelle: I’d say I’m a little bit of both. I think I’m pretty romantic. But I’m pretty pragmatic as well. James: There’s romance in pragmatism. Michelle: There is! I have both feet on the ground but (laughs) they’re both in really red slippers. James: It’s like saying that I don’t believe in love at first sight but... I’m probably a romantic in the same way. We’re just slowly realizing how much of a carbon copy we are of each other. Your film is called The Best of Me, so what is the best part of the two of you? Michelle: I think I can speak for James as well when I say that we both have a really good sense of humor. I think we both have a lot of fun, which is probably why we enjoyed

‘I wish I could stay longer and see more’

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

ames Marsden, best known to Indian audiences as Scott Summers/Cyclops from the X-Men series, and Michelle Monaghan, of Made of Honor fame, were in Mumbai recently to promote Michael Hoffman’s adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks’s novel, The Best of Me. They chat about the film, India, and more.

Paloma Sharma has a fun conversation with Hollywood stars Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden, who were in India to promote their new film The Best Of Me. James: Really? (To Michelle) Then you’re more qualified than I am. So have you managed to learn any Hindi words yet? Together: No. James: I was reading something online last night, though. Just some general terms. Michelle: The only words that I know are the ones I’ve seen on a menu. Like aloo is potato. James: (laughs) Aloo Gobi. Smart. How has your experience with Indian food been?

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ÂINDIANS HAVE AN APPETITE FOR ROMANCEÊ f

PAGE 18

about Bollywood cinema, go talk to my friend, Gurinder Chadha. She’s been trying to educate me for years. You’ve directed an overwhelming number of films in the romance genre. I guess so, yeah. So what makes The Best of Me stand out? It’s emotional. It’s really emotional, and what makes it stand out to me is that when I sit and I see how the audience responds to it emotionally. We don’t see a lot of Hollywood actors and directors coming to India to promote their movies. What makes you such an exception? I’ve never been to India before but I know that the Indian audience has been very supportive of these Nicholas Sparks movies before, so I guess it was time. I want to come here more often and spend more time here. It’s such an important market. It seems like Indians have an appetite for romance. So if there’s one place in the world where you’re going to go to find an audience who really loves love, then maybe this is the place. I hear you’re not here for too long. But if you had the chance to go sightseeing, where would you like to go? The place that I would go first is Varanasi. From what people have told me, it seems to be a very powerful place. It would be a life changing experience. I’d love to go to Rajasthan. I had a

chance to go on tour with the Rajasthan Royals a few years ago and I’d like to do that, because I love cricket. I actually comment on a cricket show in England. I’ve lived there for 15 years. That would explain it. There’s so many places. I’d love to go to Kerala. I’d love to go to Goa. I’d like to go to Delhi. I’d like to go to Agra. There are so many places. I think I need to come back but I need to stay for a couple of months. You were saying that Indians have responded well to other Nicholas Sparks films... I was in a bookstore yesterday and there were more stacks of Nicholas Sparks’s books than I’d ever seen anywhere else. ...He does have a massive fan following in India. But his critics say his books are formulaic and predictable. Were you worried about that? No, I wasn’t. It was a genre movie so I think you owe a certain something to the genre because you owe a certain something to the audience. You’re making this movie for an audience, not for some critics. So I’m not engaged in a critical debate about this movie because I don’t think that most critics would really want to look at it as it is. They’re really rather dismiss it as a ‘been there, done there’. So going into it, unlike many movies I’ve made, it just isn’t my concern. My concern is the audience. You directed George Clooney in One Fine Day and he got married recently. Were you there for the wedding? No, I wasn’t there for the wedding. But I saw George not that long ago and we had

A scene from Michael Hoffman’s One Fine Day. lunch together. He’s always been this incredibly gracious, supportive, lovely guy. He’s a great actor and I love his politics. Of all the actors in the world, I think he uses his fame incredibly well. I really admire that about him. What is the one thing that you’ve really liked about India and what is the one thing that you haven’t liked at all, until now? There’s nothing that I haven’t liked. The warmth and the generosity that I’ve felt just in the street is what really impressed me. Everybody told me that Mumbai would be sort of overwhelming as a city, you know, because it’s so huge and they said that my senses would be overwhelmed. But I haven’t really found that. It’s just all warmth and friendliness, just sitting and talking to people. People here are very, very approachable. They want to engage. I like it.

I’m sure it’s not the easiest place in the world to live. I can imagine, with the traffic and everything, but I am yet to find anything I don’t like. Are there any behind-the-scenes anecdotes you’d like to share? One thing I remember is the oil rig we shot at. It will appear to be in the middle of the ocean because of the magic of CGI but it was actually kind of connected to the shore. It was a school for teaching oil workers and there was an old guy who would cook for the workers at the school. Every day he would come out the back and he would dump whatever was left from lunch over the side. He called, like one calls out to animals, and these four alligators would just kind of emerge and he would throw them the food. He knew them all by name and he had a conversation every day. This was in Morgan City, Louisiana.

‘I wish I could stay longer and see more’ f

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making the movie together so much; and since it’s a really emotional movie, I think that aspect is really important. James: I think the same. I think Michelle possesses this really wonderful capacity to enjoy — be it food or culture or life — and I always like being around those types of people. I like to think that I am that kind of person as well. Are there any behind the scenes secrets you could share with us? Michelle: He’s a really good guitar player! So did you go about strumming your guitar on set? James: Well, it is a Nicholas Sparks movie. (laughs). So there are some things that need to be in place. No, they just had a guitar backstage and I was bored, so I was

James Marsden with fans at Mumbai airport.

just fooling around. What’s your dream role? If you could play anyone, anywhere, doing anything, what would you choose? Michelle: You know, (turns to James) you’ve probably heard me say this a thousand times. But I really want to do stage. Something contemporary, with an ensemble cast. But I really love the idea of doing something live. It is completely frightening to me, but that is what I love. James: (to Michelle) Any role specifically? Michelle: No, no, just something contemporary. James: I think it’s less about the specific role or project, but it’s definitely theatre. It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Michelle: Wanna do it together? (laughs) We’ll just hold each other’s hand. James: We’ll do a A Street Car Named Desire or a Tennessee Williams thing. But it will definitely be a challenge.

Food

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Low on cal, high on taste Post Diwali, it’s time to detox with these low-calorie recipes Chicken Stew with Yogurt INGREDIENTS 1 kg chicken 100 gm yogurt or dahi 2 onions, chopped 1 tbsp garlic, chopped 1 tbsp ginger paste 1 potato, halved 2 slices of raw papaya Salt 1 tsp green chilly paste 2-3 dry red chillies Whole garam masala (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves) 1 tsp clarified butter or ghee A pinch of garam masala powder METHOD Clean and wash the chicken. Marinate for an hour with ginger, garlic, green chilly paste and dahi. Add salt too. Heat a little oil and lightly sauté the

Moong Dal Chaat INGREDIENTS ½ cup split yellow gram or moong dal ½ cup carrot, grated ¼ cup cranberries 2 tbsp onions, chopped ¼ cup raw green mango, chopped 1 tbsp mint or pudina leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped 4 tsp lemon juice ¼ cup olives 2 tsp green chillies, finely chopped 1 tsp chat masala Salt to taste METHOD Clean, wash and soak the moong dal in enough water for 2 hours (it can be soaked overnight too) and drain well. Add 2 cups of water, drained moong dal and salt in a pan and cook on medium heat till dal is three-fourth done, stirring occasionally. Make sure that each grain is separate. Strain the dal and keep aside to cool for 10 minutes. Mix all the ingredients, including the moong dal, in a large bowl and toss well. Serve immediately. —Shailja Gonsalves

Soy Nuggets in Garlic Sauce INGREDIENTS 1 cup soy nuggets, uncooked ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped in 1-inch squares ½ cup onion, chopped in 1-inch square 1 tbsp garlic, finely minced 1 tsp ginger, finely minced 1 tsp oil 2-4 dry red chillies (use broken if you like it hot or use whole if you just need a smoky flavor) ¾ tsp sugar or honey 1½ tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp corn flour, dissolved in 2 tbsp water (if you like your sauce thicker, use 1 tbsp of flour dissolved in 3 tbsp water) ½ tsp salt or as per taste ¼ tsp black pepper or as per taste ½ tsp distilled vinegar 5 cups (4+1) water METHOD Boil 4 cups of water in a

saucepan. Add uncooked soy nuggets and turn off heat. Let the nuggets soak in hot water for 15 minutes till they double in size. Uncover and strain. Wash under cold running water. Squeeze water out. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan. Lower heat. Add red chillies, garlic and ginger. Sauté on low till garlic turns golden. Add chopped bell pepper and onion. Sauté on medium heat for 3-4 min. Add soy nuggets. Sauté for another minute. Add soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to the diluted corn flour mix. Add this mixture. Lower heat. Add 1 cup of water, salt and black pepper. Bring it to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes covered. Serve it as a starter or with steamed brown rice. —Sonal Gupta

potato and raw papaya with a pinch of salt. Set aside. In the same pan add a bit of ghee (if required), bay leaves and whole garam masala and let it splutter. Add chopped onion with a pinch of salt and sugar and fry till golden brown. Add the marinated chicken. Mix well. Add chopped red chillies too. Stir occasionally for a minute and then add 2 cups of water. Add more water if you it soupy. Add the fried potato and papaya too. Cook covered on low heat till the chicken and vegetables are done. Adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat and sprinkle garam masala powder. Add a spoonful of ghee if you want some extra flavor. Keep covered for 10 minutes. Serve with Roti. —Jayati Saha

The Week That Was INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

61 killed as suicide bomber strikes near India-Pak border

At least 61 people — including 10 women and eight children — died and 200 people were injured as a suicide bomber struck near Pakistan’s border with India at Wagah, November 1. Three terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred when a large number of people were returning after attending the flag-lowering ceremony at the border. The young bomber, later identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, used about 40 pounds of explosives.

Pakistani rangers, right, and Indian Border Security Force officers lower their national flags during a daily parade at the Pakistan-India joint check-post at Wagah border, near Lahore, November 3.

MOHSIN RAZA/REUTERS

Bangalore becomes Bengaluru, officially

Fresh elections in Delhi, in grip of communal tension

The federal Indian cabinet November 4 approved Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung’s report recommending the dissolution of the Delhi state assembly, paving the way for fresh elections. Meanwhile, Communal tension was brewing in Bawana in northwest Delhi as a Hindu mahapanchayat led by a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator declared that no Muharram procession would be allowed there even as some other Hindu residents vowed to lead the Muslim procession to preserve harmony. The Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party accused the BJP of fomenting communal trouble as election campaign, and drew parallels with Uttar Pradesh.

Union Carbide chief during Bhopal gas leak dies

Warren M Anderson, Union Carbide chairman during the Bhopal gas leak that killed thousands of people in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, died October 29 at a

Florida nursing home. He was 92. Anderson visited Bhopal four days after the disaster and had been arrested, but left the country after securing bail and never faced justice.

50 million bribe to reopen bars in Kerala?

The Kerala government sought an investigation into the allegation that K M Mani, state finance minister, had demanded a bribe to reopen the bars shut down in the state. Biju Ramesh, who is the working president, Kerala Bar Owners Association, as well as a bar owner, has alleged that Mani had taken Rs 10 million ($166,670) and demanded Rs 50 million ($833,330).

Chinese submarines in Lanka worry India

India raised deep concerns over warming relations between China and Sri Lanka. Lanka, which had allowed a Chinese submarine to dock at the Colombo port in September, welcomed another Chinese submarine recently.

Son posts photos of police officer father’s abuse of power

A series of photographs that showed alleged abuse of power by Shakeel Beig, deputy inspector general of police, Jammu and Kashmir, went viral after Beig’s son posted them on Instagram. One photograph shows a man — presumably a policeman — helping Beig into his shoes. The caption says, ‘Real king – My Dad!! Last time he put his shoes himself was almost 15 years ago #BossLife #King xx.’ The Jammu and Kashmir director general of police has ordered an enquiry.

Twelve Karnataka cities were rechristened by the state government with effect from November 1, which is Karnataka Rajyotsav (state formation day). Banagalore became Bengaluru. The other cities with name changes are Mangalore (Mangaluru), Mysore (Mysuru), Bellary (Ballari), Bijapur (Vijayapura), Belgaum (Belagavi), Chikmagalur (Chikkamagaluru), Gulbarga (Kalaburagi), Hospet (Hosapete), Shimoga (Shivamogga), Hubli (Hubballi), and Tumkur (Tumkuru).

Trinamool leader accuses party leaders of extortion Tapan Chatterjee, a Trinamool Congress legislator said leaders of his party were extorting money from businessmen in Bardhman, West Bengal, NDTV reported.

Naxal leader accused of killing 136 cops arrested

Naxal leader Hemant Mandavi alias Bijja, who killed 76 Central Reserve Police Force men in the forests of Mukrana in Chhattisgarh in 2010, was arrested November 3. He is also responsible for killing 136 cops in five years.

RSS cancels minister’s speech after his late arrival Indian Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh was not allowed to address a session at a three-day camp of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Uttar Pradesh November 2 as he arrived late at the venue.

Congress party splits in Tamil Nadu

Worried with the functioning of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu, G K Vasan, former Union shipping minister, November 3 announced his decision to leave it and launch a new one. He said the name of the party and the flag would be unveiled soon. The state had witnessed a major split in the party in 1996 too.

CAG doesn’t have to ‘get into headlines:’ Jaitley

Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has asked the Comptroller and Auditor General not to sensationalize its reports. ‘Auditor should be conscious of the fact that he is reviewing a decision that has already been taken. Have the fair procedures been followed? He doesn’t have to sensationalize. He doesn’t have to get into the headlines,’ he said. The CAG’s sensational disclosures about alleged govern-

A man helps Shakeel Beig put on his shoes; a securityman doubles up as a caddie for Beig’s son; and a man holds an umbrella for the DIG.

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The Week That Was

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

f PAGE 22 ment scams during the United Progressive Alliance’s term in power arguably contributed much to the public perception about the UPA.

Vadra pulled up by CAG, loses cool at journalist

Government: Unwed mothers must specify if they were raped

REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI

Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, made windfall gains of $7.3 million from land deals as the then ruling Congress party governments in Haryana and in New Delhi looked the other way, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India alleged last week. Meanwhile, Vadra lost his cool at a journalist who asked him about the shady land deals. ‘Are you serious?’ he thundered repeatedly, before trying to get his security personnel to delete the footage from the reporter’s cameraman.

If an unwed mother applies for a passport for her child, she will have to declare how she conceived and if she was raped, the Indian government told the Bombay high court October 30. Advocate Purnima Bhatia, appearing for the ministry of external affairs, made the statement during the hearing of a petition by a woman challenging the passport authority’s refusal to include her step-father’s name in her passport. One judge asked Bhatia what happens in the case of unwed mothers.

Delhi Imam invites Sharif, but not Modi

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, has invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff for his son’s anointment as the next Shahi Imam. Bukhari did not invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘as Muslims have not forgiven him for the Gujarat riots.’

Tax evasion case: Qureshi exchanged messages with CBI chiefs

In its ongoing eight month-long probe against Kanpurbased meat exporter Moin Qureshi for alleged tax evasion, the income tax department has submitted a report to the Supreme Court that claims Qureshi sent a trail of messages to then Central Bureau of Investigation director A P Singh — which the investigating agency believes were coded messages — as well as current Director Ranjit Sinha.

Two civilians killed in Army firing in J&K

Two civilians were killed and two others injured in army firing in Budgam district of Kashmir November 3 when they did not stop their vehicle at check points. The Indian Army has ordered an inquiry into the case.

Kiss Day, a protest against moral policing in Kerala

A much-hyped ‘Kiss of Love’ event in Kochi — announced after ‘moral police’ goons vandalized a coffee shop in Kozhikode, Kerala, October 23, for encouraging ‘immoral behavior’ — failed to take off November 2. The police detained the organizers and sympathizers even before they could reach the venue of the symbolic protest. Reports said the police used their sticks on the crowd and injured some.

Now, Bengal government woos Tata

Partha Chatterjee, West Bengal’s education minister and spokesperson for the ruling Trinamool Congress party, October 29 said Tata Motors was welcome to return to its abandoned Nano car factory in Singur. The Trinamul Congress’s agitations against land acquisition for industry — and specifically in Singur and Nandigram — had catapulted it to power in the last state elections.

Arrests for ‘loving’ Cyclone Hudhud

A law student in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh was arrested for posting ‘I love Hudhud’ on Facebook and saying it was nature’s revenge against ‘betrayers’. Another man in Hyderabad was arrested on similar charges.

Cell phones, Western culture responsible for rapes: UP police

According to the Uttar Pradesh police, the reasons for the increase in the number of rape cases in the state are indecent attire, girls using cell phones, Western culture, vulgar advertisements, and population growth. This is what the UP police said in response to a Right to Information query about sexual assaults in the state. The state recorded a 55 percent rise in rape cases last year.

Maharashtra: Dalit’s body cut into 40 pieces

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, takes part in a run for unity to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary in New Delhi, October 31. 377 of the Indian Penal Code — that effectively criminalizes homosexuality — after his wife caught him with another man on camera.

Nonveg leading IIT, IIM students astray, declares trader; ministry takes note

After a grain trader from Katni, Madhya Pradesh, wrote to India’s human resource development ministry declaring that non-vegetarian food being served in canteens at the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management were leading students astray, making them ‘sadden their parents,’ the ministry has asked institutions to look into the demand for separate vegetarian canteens.

Nanavati-Mehta Commission to submit Godhra report

The Nanavati-Mehta Commission said it had completed its probe into the 2002 Godhra train carnage and was likely to submit its final report this week. The commission has had 24 extensions in its tenure of 12 years.

Calling the triple murder of a Dalit family in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district a well-planned act, a fact-finding report published by the Dalit Atyachar Virodhi Kruti Samiti said the body of the youngest of three members was chopped into 40 pieces with an electric saw and dumped in a nearby well and bore-well. The murders happened October 20, and though the relatives have named suspects no arrest has been made.

Burglars dig 125-foot tunnel to rob bank

Six Bajrang Dal activists were arrested for allegedly assaulting a store owner in Mangaluru October 27 while he was escorting one of his women employees home. The victim, a Muslim, was allegedly accused of being a ‘love jihadist’ (a term coined by Hindu right-wing extremists for what they call an Islamic conspiracy to woo Hindu girls).

Court slams Indian government over Ganga pollution

Muslim employer assaulted for dropping Hindu employee home

Another school rape in Bengaluru

A six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in a school in Bengaluru, October 28. The principal and director of the school were arrested three days later. In the wake of an increase in number of such cases, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah warned the management of the schools involved of revoking grants and filing criminal cases against them if they violate guidelines for safety of children. Meanwhile, A software engineer in the city was charged with Section

In a sensational heist, burglars broke into the Punjab National Bank’s Gohana branch in Sonipat, Haryana, and stole cash, jewelry and other valuables worth millions from 90 lockers. The robbers had dug a 125-foot tunnel to reach the locker room. The police claimed October 30 that they had cracked the case. The main accused was found dead inside his car while three of the four other suspects were arrested.

The Supreme Court October 29 pulled up the Indian government and state pollution control boards for not taking action against polluting industries on the banks of the Ganga. ‘Yours is a story of complete failure, frustration and disaster,’ the court said, and asked the National Green Tribunal to monitor and act against polluting industrial units.

Student alleges torture by Maharashtra police

In a letter from his cell in Nagpur jail, a Jawaharlal Nehru University student — whom the Maharashtra police had arrested last year for alleged Maoist links — has accused the police of torturing him in custody, The Hindu reported.

Sports INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 7, 2014

The headlines that hurt Sachin

HOWARD BURDITT/REUTERS

n his autobiography, Sachin Tendulkar has also recollected how disappointed the Indian team was after the shocking first round exit from the 2007 World Cup, and how he was hurt when people questioned the players’ commitment. ‘The media had every right to criticize us for failing, but to say we were not focused on the job was not fair,’ Sachin Tendulkar writes. ‘We had failed to fulfill the expectations of the fans, but that did not mean we should be labeled traitors. At times the reaction was surprisingly hostile and some of the players were worried about their safety.’ Tendulkar says the thought of retirement did cross his mind after the 2007 Cup debacle but family and friends insisted that he should carry on. ‘Headlines like Endulkar hurt deeply,’ he writes. ‘After eighteen years in international cricket, it was tough to see things come to this and retirement crossed my mind. My family and friends like Sanjay Nayak did all they could to cheer me up and after a week I decided to do something about it. I started to do some running, to try to sweat the World Cup out of my head.’ A file photo of Sachin Tendulkar, right, speaking with then team coach Greg Chappell during a practice session.

Tendulkar drops bomb: Chappell plotted ‘coup’ before 2007 World Cup

India and not send him with the team to the World Cup. n his autobiography Playing it My Way, which hits Senior players could take control of the side and keep the bookstores November 6, Sachin Tendulkar says that team together, Tendulkar had suggested to the board. then India coach Greg Chappell made a shocking sug‘That is not what happened, of course, and the 2007 gestion — for Tendulkar to take over captaincy of the campaign ended in disaster’, he writes in the book, Indian cricket team from Rahul Dravid months before the excerpts of which were made available exclusively to the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. Press Trust of India by publishers Hachette India. The master batsman is scathing in his criticism of India’s 2007 World Cup campaign ended in a fiasco with Chappell, who was India’s coach from 2005 to 2007, the team winning only one of the three group matches describing him as a ‘ringmaster who imposed his ideas on against lowly Bermuda, and losing to Bangladesh and Sri the players without showing any signs of being concerned about whether they felt comfortable or not.’ Elaborating on the coach’s bid to replace Dravid, Tendulkar writes, ‘Just months before the World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay, and suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid. Anjali (Tendulkar’s wife), who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that “together, we could control Indian cricket for year,” and that he would help me in taking over the reins of the side.’ Tendulkar adds, ‘I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket’s biggest tournament just months away.’ Tendulkar says he rejected Chappell’s proposition outright. ‘He stayed for a couple of hours, trying to convince me before finally leaving.’ So disgusted was Tendulkar with Chappell’s suggestion that a few days after the episode, he writes, he PRASHANTH VISHWANATHAN/REUTERS suggested to the Board of Control for Cricket in India A file picture of India's then captain Rahul Dravid, left, and coach Greg that the best option would be to keep Chappell back in Chappell attending a news conference in February 2007.

Lanka. Lashing out at Chappell, Tendulkar says the Australian must take a lot of responsibility for the mess resulting from India’s performance in the World Cup. ‘I don’t think I would be far off the mark if I said that most of us felt that the Indian cricket was going nowhere under Chappell,’ he writes. Chappell was publicly questioning ‘our commitment and instead of asking us to take fresh guard, was making matters worse’, Tendulkar writes in the book, which is coauthored by Boria Majumdar. ‘I also remember that every time India won, Greg could be seen leading the team to the hotel or into the team bus, but every time India lost he would thrust the players in front.’ Tendulkar says several senior players were relieved to see Chappell go, ‘which was hardly surprising because, for reasons hard to comprehend, he had not treated them fairly.’ Tendulkar calls the coach’s attitude towards Sourav Ganguly ‘astonishing.’ ‘Chappell is on record as saying that he may have got the job because of Sourav but that did not mean he was going to do favors to Sourav for the rest of his life,’ Tendulkar writes. ‘Frankly, Sourav is one of the best cricketers India has produced and he did not need favors from Chappell to be part of the team.’ Chappell denies Greg Chappell denied that he wanted Rahul Dravid removed as captain just before the 2007 World Cup. ‘The claims made in Sachin’s new book were brought to my attention earlier today,’ Chappell told cricket.com.au. ‘Whilst I don’t propose to get into a war of words, I can state quite clearly that during my time as Indian coach I never contemplated Sachin replacing Rahul Dravid as captain. I was therefore very surprised to read the claims made in the book.’ He added, ‘During those years, I only ever visited Sachin’s home once, and that was with our physiotherapist and assistant coach during Sachin’s rehabilitation from injury, at least 12 months earlier than what was reported in the book. We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon together but the subject of captaincy was never raised.’

India in New York November 7, 2014

IMMIGRATION NEWS EBOLA AND INADMISSIBILITY – PART II By Cyrus D. Mehta* and David A. Isaacson** (continued from last week’s article) An LPR who had been out of the United States for more than 180 days could potentially be in a more troubling situation. Under INA §101(a)(13)(C)(ii), an LPR who “has been absent from the United States for a continuous period in excess of 180 days” is not entitled to the statutory protection against being regarding as seeking admission, so such an LPR could be found inadmissible under INA 212(a)(1)(A)(i) if infected with Ebola. And although a waiver of such inadmissibility is available pursuant to section 212(g)(1) of the INA, that section requires for a waiver of 212(a)(1)(A)(i) inadmissibility that the waiver applicant have a qualifying relative of one of various sorts, unless he or she is a VAWA self-petitioner. So an LPR absent from the United States for more than 180 days who does not have a spouse, parent (if the LPR is unmarried), son, or daughter who is either a U.S. citizen, or an LPR, or someone who has been issued an immigrant visa, might not be allowed back into the United States after being infected with Ebola, having become an inadmissible applicant for admission and being ineligible for a 212(g)(1) waiver. We wonder whether such a loss of LPR status due to an infection would be constitutional, but we know that according to the Supreme Court, long-term absences from the United States can strip returning residents of some of their constitutional protections. The regrettable decision in Shaughnessy v. Mezei, 345 U.S. 2006 (1953), which upheld the refusal to admit a returning resident without a hearing and his resulting indefinite detention on Ellis Island, has never been overturned (though its practical effect with regard to the permissible length of detention under current statutes was limited by Clark v. Martinez, 543 U.S. 371 (2005)), and Mr. Mezei had lived in the U.S., apparently lawfully although before the INA of 1952 was enacted and the modern LPR status created, for many years before his 19-month absence. An LPR who is absent from the United States for more than 180 days and becomes infected with Ebola in the meantime may be at risk of becoming the modern Mezei. At the very least, however, the government should be held to the burden of showing such an LPR’s alleged medical inadmissibility by clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence, as in Woodby v. INS, 385 U.S. 276 (1966), just as LPRs alleged to be inadmissible on other bases have been found entitled to the protection of the Woodby standard in such cases as Ward v. Holder, 733 F.3d 601 (6th Cir. 2013). (The BIA in Matter of Rivens, 25 I&amp;N Dec. 623 (BIA 2011), has acknowledged that clear and convincing evidence is required to declare an LPR an applicant for admission under INA §101(a)(13)(C), although it reserved judgment on the question whether there is a difference for these purposes between clear and convincing evidence as mentioned in INA §240(c)(3)(A) and clear, unequivocal and convincing evidence as mentioned in Woodby.) As a practical matter, it is unlikely that any non-citizen found to be infected with Ebola would be turned away on the next flight home, or even paroled into the US for a removal proceeding, as this would expose others to the Ebola virus. He or she would be quarantined in a hospital and treated in the United States. If this person fully recovers, he or she should be found admissible. Otherwise, this person will unfortunately under the current state of medical advances in the treatment of Ebola most likely not be alive. While the United States should not be nonchalant about the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as Ebola, the question is whether screenings at airports are the right way to deal with the problem? Ebola can incubate in a person for up to 21 days before an infected person shows symptoms, as was the case with Mr. Duncan. It has recently come to light that Mr. Duncan’s treatment was less than satisfactory as he was discharged from the hospital when he had a high fever. There are very few passengers who fly into the United States each day from the three countries that are at the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Blocking off flights from these countries, due to political grandstanding, will hurt these countries’ economies even further, and will have an adverse impact on trade and investment. This will further hinder their efforts to stem Ebola, and one way to stem an epidemic is to keep people working and normal. In addition, perceived fears about who has Ebola can result in racial profiling of people of certain nationalities, resulting in wrongful denial of visas or admission into the United States. As a recent editorial in the Washington Post aptly stated, “The answer to Ebola is fighting it there, at the source, not at the U.S. border. No one is protected when a public health emergency is used for political grandstanding.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden sensibly told reporters, “Though we might wish we can seal ourselves off from the world, there are Americans who have the right of return and many other people that have the right to enter this country.” As The Economist noted in its recent article on the topic that Dr. Frieden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the infectious diseases component of the National Institutes of Health, have explained, “quarantining West Africa would be unwise. It would weaken governments, trap Americans and spur travellers to move in roundabout ways that make them harder to track.” Screening those who arrive in the United States for Ebola symptoms may be a helpful component of a broader anti-Ebola strategy if it is not taken too far, but we must be careful not to exclude from the United States people who show no real signs of being infected, and accord those who do appear to have been infected full due process to either contest or overcome inadmissibility. If the administration believes that screening those who arrive in the United States for Ebola symptoms may be a helpful component of a broader anti-Ebola strategy, it shoud not be taken too far. We must also be careful not to exclude from the United States people who show no real signs of being infected, and accord those who do appear to have been infected full due process to either contest or overcome inadmissibility. * Cyrus D. Mehta, a graduate of Cambridge University and Columbia Law School, is the Managing Member of Cyrus D. Mehta & Associates, PLLC in New York City. He is the current Chair of AILA’s Ethics Committee and former Chair of AILA’s Pro Bono Committee. He is also the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Council (2004–06) and Chair of the Committee on Immigration and Nationality Law (2000–03) of the New York City Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker and writer on various immigrationrelated issues, including on administrative remedies and ethics, and is also an adjunct associate professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches a course entitled “Immigration and Work.” Mr. Mehta received the AILA 2011 Michael Maggio Memorial Award for his outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field. ** David A. Isaacson is an Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Associates, P.L.L.C., where he practices primarily in the area of immigration and nationality law. David’s practice includes asylum cases, other removal proceedings such as those based on criminal convictions or denied applications for adjustment of status, and federal appellate litigation, as well as a variety of family-based and employment-based applications for both nonimmigrant visas and permanent residence. David also assists clients in citizenship matters and late legalization matters. He is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he served as a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Following law school, David clerked for the Honorable Leonard B. Sand of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then worked in the Litigation Department at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he devoted a significant amount of time to pro bono immigration matters. David is the author of Correcting Anomalies in the United States Law of Citizenship by Descent, 47 Ariz. L. Rev. 313 (2005), reprinted in 26 Immigr. & Nat'lity L. Rev. 515 (2006). He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, in the Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, and in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey, and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

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India in New York November 7, 2014 ANNOUNCEMENT

Viacom18 rings in the festive season with ‘Rishtey’ in US & Canada markets

Channel available to viewers on Dish and Dishworld in US and Rogers Cable in Canada

After its successful launch in the UK and India, Viacom18 and IndiaCast announce the launch of the Hindi general entertainment channel ‘Rishtey’ in the US and Canada. Adding the festive fervor for viewers in the region, Rishtey is now available to the US audiences on Dish and Dishworld on channel 699 and to Canada viewers on Rogers Cable on channel 924. As Viacom18’s second general entertainment channel, Rishtey is geared to offer an engaging mix of exciting shows, movies and entertainment from a wide spectrum of genres. With seven channels already available in North America, IndiaCast currently has a comprehensive portfolio of brands in the region that covers a wide range of enter-

tainment offerings. Rishtey is the eighth channel in the region and will be available on a paid subscription format. With the launch of the Rishtey on Dish and Dishworld, the channel will now be available to around 160K households in the US. Commenting on Rishtey’s foray into the US & Canada, Gaurav Gandhi – Group COO IndiaCast said, “US and Canada are the most important international markets for South Asian entertainment and we are delighted to launch our second Hindi entertainment channel, Rishtey, in this region. Our flagship brand Aapka COLORS has seen unprecedented success in the region over the last 4 years. With the launch

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