India in New York - November 21, 2014

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VOL. XVIII NO. 22

India in New York A GUIDE TO EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM INDIA ABROAD FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

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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 21, 2014

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Karen Lukas honored for helping Rajasthan’s Merasi musicians emerge from the shadows GEORGE JOSEPH

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aren Lukas, who helped transform the lives of Merasis, a low caste musician community in Rajasthan, has been honored as a distinguished alumnus by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she graduated from in 1976.

Lukas was one of the three alumni honored by the college, which is the only state-run college in the United States. It has presented the distinguished alumnus award to only 18 people since its inception in 1873.

The Merasis sing at the temple of a local Hindu goddess named Bhatiyani, and perform at events like weddings and child-naming ceremonies. For generations, they have been marginalized because of caste discrimination, poverty, and illiteracy. They are also known as Manganiyars, which means beggars.

In 1992, a young man approached Lukas in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. She thought he wanted to sell her something, but Sarwar Khan, a Merasi drummer, said he wanted to practice his English.

Khan introduced Lukas to his community, and she was totally taken in by the richness of their indigenous art. Lukas and Khan decided to collaborate on an education and preservation initiative.

Lukas started to support the community financially, and soon Merasi music troupes were performing at American venues in productions such as the muchloved Manganiyar Seduction.

She also helped the community get micro-loans to start small businesses where the women and children made dolls, bags, embroidered textiles and other handicrafts.

In 2004, Lukas founded Folk Arts Rajasthan as a US-based nonprofit that funds the Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan, Khan’s nongovernmental organization in Jaisalmer.

Through her volunteer-driven organization, which she founded after quitting her decorative painting business, Lukas has helped the Merasis emerge from the shadows.

‘Spending nearly eight months in India in 1995,’ Lukas said at the award ceremony, ‘paved a path of art in service that has continued for two decades.’

A CORRESPONDENT

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t the second annual event of Jiva Performing Arts gala at the Congregation Rodeph Shalom in

Jiva gala stars Mira Nair

New York City November 6, filmmaker Mira Nair spoke about the importance of preserving tradition.

She shared her personal experiences of learning from elders.

Nair, who was awarded India Abroad Person of the Year in 2007 and the Indian civilian honor Padma Bhushan in 2012, announced that her award-winning film Monsoon Wedding will soon become a Broadway production.

Comedian Dan Nainan emceed the evening, which also had a concert featuring Jay Gandhi (flute), Nitin Mitta (tabla) and Bala Skandan (mridangam). It was followed by an excerpt of Jiva Dance’s latest Bharata Natyam production, Mayura: Blue Peacock.

The gala helped raise over $35,000 for Jiva, which promotes India’s performing arts. It was founded in 2007

by Skandan and her classical dancer wife Sonali.

‘We are so delighted that so many of our supporters and well-wishers came out to support the event,’ Sonali said. ‘It was a very exciting evening of beautiful performances and colorful people, and the highlight was the inspiring speech

by Mira Nair which helps to reinforce our vision — creativity without fear, with a deep respect for tradition.’

Community

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Martoma fails to avoid jail in insider trading case GEORGE JOSEPH

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three-judge appellate panel rejected Mathew Martoma’s petition to remain on bail pending a decision on his appeal against a nine-year sentence in the most lucrative insider trading scheme in United States history.

Earlier a single judge had allowed Martoma to remain free till a threejudge panel took a decision on bail. But Circuit Judges Rosemary S Pooler, Barrington D Parker, and Richard C Wesley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York ruled, November 12, that Martoma had ‘failed to show that the appeal ‘raises a substantial question of law or fact.’

The former portfolio manager for

GEORGE JOSEPH

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SAC Capital Advisors was scheduled to begin serving his prison term November 10, most likely at a federal prison near his home in Florida. After the appellate court denied the bail, the prosecution asked District Court Judge Paul Gardephe, who sentenced Martoma, to issue a new order for immediate incarceration, as the earlier date had passed.

‘The government respectfully submits that there is no basis to further delay the imposition of the Court’s September 8, 2014 sentence,’ the prosecution said in its petition. ‘The government has confirmed with the Bureau of Prisons that it is prepared to accept Martoma at his previously designated institution, as soon as Martoma is ordered to surrender by the Court.’

Martoma’s attorney Alexandra A E Shapiro asked the court to grant him time till November 18 to surrender, ‘so that he has this brief additional period of time to settle his affairs before his incarceration. In particular, Mr Martoma respectfully requests the Court’s permission to spend a few additional days with his wife and three young children, (ages 5, 7 and 9) in order to help prepare the children for the impending separation from their father.’

‘The bail ruling is not a verdict on the merits of his appeal, but given the court’s fast decision, it does not bode well for Mr. Martoma,’ The New York Times noted; a former federal prosecutor told the Times that bail pending appeal is often granted in such cases, barring extreme circumstances.

A snapshot from the event.

yesha Hakki, publisher of Bibi Magazine, hosted Mischief Night, a Halloween party in New York that raised money for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.

Hakki was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this summer. At the party, she implored people to get themselves tested for cancer symptoms.

“When I first got diagnosed, I think I was in denial,” she told India in New York. “I didn’t really realize the gravity of the situation. I just turned on auto-pilot and started going through the procedures without really thinking about it. It wasn’t until after the surgery when I saw the physical results of cancer, that it really hit me. However, through meditation, a support system and focus, I am trying to remain positive.”

Talking about the test, she said, “It’s a routine exam for both men and women, but it is so worth it. Treatment is hard and life changing and if it is in the latter stages, can mean the difference between life and death.”

The fundraiser was attended by over 100 costumed guests, some of whom were survivors themselves or had a family member affected with cancer. A breast cancerthemed photo exhibition by Jasmine Gonzalez was introduced by television anchor Joya Dass.

After being diagnosed, Hakki said, the first thing she did was to look for more information on the disease on the Internet. The majority of the research, she found, was from England.

Hakki said there weren’t enough support systems for South Asian-American cancer patients.

“It is amazing how prevalent this health condition is in our community, yet you only hear it about it in hushed tones,” she said.

‘Cancer is real, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence’ She outlined how her cancer was detected during a routine annual mammogram. “I had no external symptoms at all,” she said. “I couldn’t even feel a lump as the cells where deep against my chest wall.”

She added, “I will be free of cancer in a few months because they caught it early. I was lucky! I want people to realize through my example that cancer is real, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence.”

She noted that cancer is one of those things that affect everyone around you from family to friends.

“It has been hard on them, especially for my parents,” Hakki said. “I am trying to be strong so that they don’t get worried, but it is hard.”

She told people at the party to make wiser choices in food and household products. Hakki’s next project is to create awareness about early detection and healthy lifestyle choices.

At the event, which was managed by Sonia Dhaliwal, DJ Shilpa kept guests dancing. Cirque de Soliel singer Meetu Chilana joined musicians Samrat Chakrabarti, Ranjit Arapurakal, Shiv Puri and Konrad Payne for a performance. Dancer Gary Nesta Pine also performed.

PARESH GANDHI

Mathew Martoma exits the US District Court for the Southern District of New York following sentencing for insider trading, September 8.

Heart lab named for Samin Sharma

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he Mount Sinai Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in New York has been named ‘Dr Samin Kumar Sharma Family Foundation Cath Lab’ in honor of Dr Samin Sharma, who serves as its director of clinical and interventional cardiology.

“It is the proudest moment in my life by far,” said Sharma, one of the country’s top interventional cardiologists. “It is my dream come true to have my name to the place which I developed from 1,200 total procedures in 1990 to 18,200 procedures in 2013.”

Sharma raised $5 million, including $2million of his own, to set up an endowment for the lab.

His father Anandi Lal Sharma, 84, traveled from India for the celebration. And his son Raman Sharma, a second-year resident at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who is planning a career in cardiology, attended the ribbon-cutting.

Dr Sharma has also opened a hospital last year in his native Jaipur.

From left: Dr Samin K Sharma, Dr Valentin Fuster, and Anandi Lal Sharma.

Community Special

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay, left, and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan at the 9/11 Memorial, November 16.

Speaker sighting Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the Indian Parliament’s lower House, was in town Above and right, snapshots from Speaker Mahajan’s meetings with the IndianAmerican community in New Jersey.

MOHAMMED JAFFER/SNAPSINDIA

At the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Fords, New Jersey.

MOHAMMED JAFFER/SNAPSINDIA

PARESH GANDHI

MOHAMMED JAFFER/SNAPSINDIA

MOHAMMED JAFFER/SNAPSINDIA

Sumitra Mahajan, left, inaugurates the annual program of the Society of the Indo-American Engineering & Architects in New York, November 15. On right is Mihir Patel, the society president.

Cover Story

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

The IPL tournament has infused even more money and glamor into the game of cricket in India.

AGONY⁄ In a new low for Indian cricket, Supreme Court probe into the Indian Premier League tournament says top officials were into illegal betting.

While some were directly involved, others looked the other way

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arayanaswami Srinivasan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s president-inexile and chairman of the International Cricket Council, was November 17 cleared of charges of match-fixing and scuttling the probe into it that followed the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League, albeit with a slap on the wrist.

But the findings of the Justice Mudgal Committee have left ILP teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals exposed, as their respective officials, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, were indicted for illegal betting.

The three-member committee, in its report to India’s Supreme Court, indicted Srinivasan for not taking action against an unnamed player for violatRaj Kundra ing the Players’ Code of

Conduct — despite being aware of the violation.

The report, supplied to the parties in the case, only revealed the names of Meiyappan, Kundra, IPL CEO Sundar Raman, and Srinivasan.

Names of others, including cricketers, were not disclosed

as the per the apex court’s order.

The report confirmed that Meiyappan — who is Srinivasan’s son-in-law — was a team official (team principal) of Chennai Super Kings while Rajasthan Royals owner Kundra’s ‘infractions violated the BCCI/IPL Anti Corruption Code’.

Chennai and Rajasthan could be in trouble as a provision in the IPL Code N Srinivasan of Conduct says a team can be scrapped if any team official is found guilty of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ by betting or match-fixing.

The probe committee, headed by retired high court chief justice Mukul Mudgal, with Additional Solicitor General L Nageshwar Rao and senior advocate Nilay Dutta as

Gurunath Meiyappan

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Cover Story INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Rohit Pillai in action during his records-shattering knock, against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, November 13.

...AND ECSTASY

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ohit Sharma scripted history November 13, scoring a breathtaking 264, the highest individual total in a one day international cricket match, as India beat Sri Lanka by 153 runs in the fourth match of the series at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, taking a 4-0 lead.

With Rohit’s all-out assault on the Lankan bowling, India amassed a mammoth 404 for five while batting first. In reply, the visitors were dismissed for 251 in 43.1 overs.

Rohit’s whirlwind knock, off just 173 balls, bettered the previous record held by countryman Virender Sehwag, who smashed 219 against the West Indies at Indore in 2011.

Sharma also became the only player in world cricket to score two double hundreds in the 50-over format, having scored 209 against Australia in Bengaluru last November.

Rohit also broke Shikhar Dhawan’s List A record score of 248, scored against South Africa ‘A’ in Pretoria last year.

Sharma’s 173-ball knock was studded with 33 boundaries and nine sixes. The last 214 runs came off just 101 balls!

His 33 boundaries are the highest by an individual in

an ODI innings.

Rohit was lucky; he was dropped on his individual score of four when he slashed hard at a Shaminda Eranaga delivery and the resultant dolly was dropped at third-man by Thisara Perera.

The Eden Gardens hold a special place in Rohit’s heart as he scored a big hundred (177) on debut against the West Indies at the venue last year.

He also scored a T20 hundred (60-ball 109) at the Eden for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders two seasons back.

Rohit shared a 202-run stand with Kohli on way to his mammoth knock.

‘Today is the kind of day I can tell my kids I was there,’ Kohli said after the match. ‘I don’t think this record is getting broken anytime soon. I was glad I was batting with him. There was a time when Rohit will admit runs were not coming easily, and I just asked him to take his time. Once he gets to 70-80, he is almost unstoppable.’

Fittingly, Sharma received a ‘guard of honor’ from teammates, who stood on both sides outside the dressing room even as the spectators gave him a standing ovation.

The fifth and final match of the series was to be played in Ranchi, November 16.

'Best performer against Sri Lankans after Lord Ram' R

ohit Sharma is now 2nd best performer against Sri Lankans after Lord Ram. — Ajay Jadeja, former Indian cricketer

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ext target @ImRo45 a double hundred in IPL, just asking...anything possible! Incredible, still can’t believe.

— Anil Kumble, former Indian cricketer

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an’t believe @ImRo45 didn’t make a Triple century... #useless. So @ImRo45 has now scored 2 double ODI tons.... I couldn’t even get 1 ton.... #Useless. The last 50 ODI Matches @ECB_cricket have played, the Team have averaged 259.... @ImRo45 scored 264 on his own... #Justsaying.

— Michael Vaughan, former England captain

PAL PILLAI/ SPORTZPICS/ BCCI

Rohit Sharma notches up the highest individual score ever in a one-day international cricket match

Cover Story

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

His teammates gave Rohit Sharma a standing ovation.

'I probably need to work harder and from here on'

PAL PILLAI/ SPORTZPICS/ BCCI

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members, held that Meiyappan was involved in betting but not match-fixing.

It also questioned why the Rajasthan police abruptly ended an investigation into Kundra’s betting activities after the case was transferred from the Delhi police.

The committee found that Raman knew a bookie and was in touch him eight times in one season.

‘This individual (Sundar Raman) admitted knowing the contact of the bookies, but, however, claimed to be unaware of his connection with betting activities,’ the report said. ‘This individual also accepted that he had received information about individual 1 (Meiyappan) and individual 11 (Kundra) taking part in betting activities but was informed by the ICC-ACSU (ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit) chief

Agony…

that this was not actionable information.

This individual also accepted that this information was not conveyed to any other individual.’

On Srinivasan, the committee said: ‘This individual is not involved with match-fixing activity. This individual was not found to be involved in scuttling the investigations into match-fixing. This individual (Srinivasan) along with four other BCCI officials was aware of the violation of the Players Code of Conduct by individual 3, but no action was taken against individual 3 by any of the aforesaid officials who were aware of this infraction.’

On Meiyappan: ‘No material is available on record to show that this individual is

have had a break due to injury and I am not tired at all,’ Rohit Sharma said after becoming the highest scorer in a one day international cricket match. ‘I could have continued for another 50 overs.’

‘Once I got to 50, I had to convert it into a big score,’ he said. ‘Normally, I have an idea of the team total as it helps you to build an innings. We know that under lights with dew factor into consideration, 350 is not a safe score anymore at the Eden Gardens.’

He added, ‘It’s been a great venue for me as I got my hundred on Test debut at this venue. The crowd were cheering me right through.’

‘I still have a lot more to do,’ he said. ‘When I was young and wanted to play international cricket, I never thought this would happen. All the records happen along the way. I probably need to work harder and from here on — the expectation would be more. I feel I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders.’

He added, ‘Playing after two months from an injury layoff, I was feeling little out of place, I should accept that. I kept telling myself, no matter what, I need to stay there. I wanted to make this game special one for me and the team. Getting two double hundreds was really special.’

Rohit also gave credit to physio Vaibhav Daga for working overtime with him.

‘I am sure he (Daga) will be a really happy man today,’ he said. ‘It was a very difficult two months. I would like to thank him. For both of us, it was a big challenge. He really worked hard with me.’

Rohit only got to know he broke Sehwag’s record when he saw his teammates giving him a standing ovation.

‘The last time I scored 209 someone said you missed it by 10 runs,’ he said.

‘I was not looking at that while batting. I was little surprised and shocked seeing the teammates giving me the ovation then I realized I must have surpassed it. Most importantly I am happy to bat 50 overs. To bat till the last over is really pleasing for me.’

involved in match-fixing. Thus, the committee is of the view that due to the scientific evidence of voice matching and the testimony of security personnel recorded by the investigating team, the finding about the betting activities of individual 1 (Meiyappan) and the finding that he was a team official stand confirmed.’

The report went on to add that the probe confirmed that Meiyappan was a team official of a franchisee and was in close touch with ‘individual 2’, with whom he had frequent meetings in his hotel room.

The next Supreme Court hearing is November 24.

Indian cricket had hit a new low last year after former India pacer Shantakumaran

Sreesanth and his two other Rajasthan Royals colleagues — Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila — were found guilty of spotfixing in IPL 6.

The Supreme Court had appointed a three-member probe panel, led by retired judge Justice Mukul Mudgal, to investigate the betting and spot-fixing saga. The apex court-appointed panel replaced the BCCI’s own two-man probe panel, which had exonerated Meiyappan of any wrongdoing following, and that verdict was challenged in the courts.

The BCCI disciplinary committee banned Sreesanth and Chavan for life, while another Rajasthan player, Siddharth Trivedi, was barred for 12 months and his teammate Amit Singh for five years.

Chandila is the only one who has not received a sanction yet; he was the last of the players to get bail in the IPL spot-fixing case.

American Desi

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

It’s all about Mommy business She gave up her career when she became a mother.

Then, Savita Arora decided to leverage her experience to help other mothers.

Text, photograph: Paresh Gandhi

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ike many Indian brides, it was marriage that brought Savita Arora to the United States of America nearly a decade ago.

Her husband, Neeraj, had been recruited by financial services company Capital One after a campus interview at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

In India, Savita had been a marketing and public relations professional.

She had begun her career with the non-governmental organization, Forum of Financial Initiatives, which helps projects and initiatives in India find foreign and domestic investors.

Savita’s brief was to generate support, financial and otherwise, for the organization.

Without any prior experience, she organized two large scale events in Goa and Nepal, even securing a dinner opportunity with the king and queen of Nepal in the process.

The FFI experience made her realize that her strength lay in marketing and that she specialized in face-to-face interactions.

It also brought her a new job offer. Before long, she had signed with Amity, a wellknown private education institution in India.

In her role as director, corporate communications and marketing, she handled the branding and public relations campaign for the University.

“I learnt a lot by working for a philanthropist and visionary like Ashok K Chauhan, who was responsible for growing Amity from a single school to a University with over 100 institutes across the globe,” she says.

Working with Amity, Savita got another opportunity; one that she says she will always be thankful for.

Chauhan’s wife, Amita, headed a foundation for the girl child called Amitasha. Savita, who was asked to help promote the cause, came up with the concept of a music video that would feature Shubha Mudgal with the under-privileged girls who were aided by Amitasha.

The idea, says Savita, was to ride on the popularity of music videos then and it worked!

“More importantly,” she says, as she recalls those years in the early 2000s, “it gave the girls in Amitasha a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to sing and perform with a known artiste.”

Even after she moved to the United States, her association with Amity continued.

Moving to the US, however, to the beautiful suburb of Glen Allen near Richmond in Virginia, was a bit of a shock.

Savita, who was an avid Hollywood buff, had created a very different picture of the US in her mind. Reality quickly altered her perception.

Coming as she did from the bustling metropolis of Delhi, Glen Allen a big change. Savita once told her par-

ents, ‘I don’t see people, but I do see lots of cars so I’ve deduced that people do live here.”

Initially – the Aroras had shifted to the US in late 2004 -- Savita found herself spending more time in India than in the US, working with Amity and promoting the Bollywood movie, Sehar, which starred Pankaj Kapur and Arshad Warsi.

All this changed when she became pregnant with her first child. Savita decided she would be a hands-on mother.

Soon after their son was born, the Arora family moved to Los Angeles.

During her first week there, Savita witnessed a sight she still cannot forget. “A young couple was walking with a

puppy and their child. The mother was carrying the puppy and the child was on a leash,” she says, still sounding a tad shocked.

For the next few years, Savita focused on raising her boys (her second son was born three years later). “I realized I had come a long way from being someone who could not stand a baby crying near me, to being a dedicated mom who enjoyed every (well, almost every) moment of being a parent,” she grins.

Soon, it was time for the Aroras to move again. Neeraj had been offered a job with AIG Insurance. “The wonderful weather and sights of Los Angeles, which reminded me of Delhi - but with palm trees -- gave way to the intensity of New York in 2012,” she says.

One day, she says, her elder son, who was then five years old, mentioned how New York reminded him of India. “When I asked him how, he gave me three reasons,” she laughs.

“Too many people. It’s not very clean. Nobody follows the walk signs.”

By now, Savita was itching to get back to work. Communications had always been her forte and, as a mother, she felt “there is so much that the right communication can do to make parenting easier.”

Besides, says Savita, going online does not always help.

“For example,” she says, “I was not comfortable with the idea of having my baby sleep in a separate room. But that was okay according to the ‘Western’ ideology of parenting.”

Neither did she consider all “Eastern” philosophies “right.”

That’s when she decided to team with her friend, Smiti Sinha. The two mothers came up with 360Mommy, a platform that would connect like minded parents and allow them explore the answers to the simple and not-sosimple surprises of being a parent.

“Sharing experiences, exploring different philosophies, acknowledging (and even accepting) different cultures when it comes to raising your bundle of joy is a journey beyond compare. We want parents to be able to find solutions they can relate to and implement. 360Mommy will be a platform that will allow parents to find like minded networks and share their issues, experiences and advice,” she says.

She has simultaneously found the time to spearhead the marketing for the Bollywood film, Maximum, starring Arya Babbar and Neha Dhupia. She is also supporting a women’s group in India that provides shelter and work to those in need.

Savita says, “Human beings have been my textbooks. I am inspired by what the so-called common person is able to achieve. Nothing gives me more pleasure to be able to work with my inspirations and hopefully make their lives a little better.”

9

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India in New York November 21, 2014

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Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Happy Ending

ARTHUR J PAIS

M

an may be meant to stick to one woman, but Suparn Verma who is behind X, which kicked off the South Asian Film Festival in New York November 18, certainly thinks while we can debate over the issue of monogamy, there is no one way of making a film.

Verma, who has directed such films as Aatma, has woven a film — not an anthology — parts of which are directed by 10 filmmakers, most of them up and coming, with a “disparate style of filmmaking.” The directors include: Sudhish Kamath, Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, and Sandeep Mohan.

SAIFF, now in its 11th year, is the brain child of Shilen Amin, a cineaste and real estate star. “We have been reaching out to younger film makers and audience,” he said before the festival opening. “And a passionate set of volunteers. We joke — but God forbid — if some one falls sick during our screenings or events, help is at hand. Because there are so many doctors volunteering.”

The festival will show films from India and Pakistan through November 23.

Krishna D K and Raj Nidimoru, who began their film journey with the micro mini budget Flavors in America over a decade ago and went on to make Shor In The City and 99, are offering Happy Ending (November 20). It tells the story of Yudi (Saif Ali Khan), a writer, in a dilemma over finding inspiration and finding love. He meets Armaan (Govinda), a fading movie star who thinks getting a Hollywood script written Bollywood style could save his career. Yudi seems to be the answer, but then can there be a movie without complications? Enter Yudi’s ex-flame (Kalki Koechlin), who is convinced she is still in a relationship with him.

While the SAIFF center piece is Happy Ending, a big-name Bollywood film, the others are a testimony to the determination and courage from mainly emerging filmmakers.

In Srihari Sathe’s Marathi film Ek Hazarchi Note (November 19), a poor old woman in a village receives a largess of several Rs 1,000 notes from a politician during an election. She goes shopping to a nearby market with her neighbor, but unexpected twists of fate could change their lives.

In Rajesh S Jala’s film 23 Winters (November 21) we see a refugee from Kashmir who is schizophrenic, and glimpses of his

A treat from South Asia Ek Hazarchi Note

Titli

traumatic past which haunt his present. Nonetheless, the filmmaker shows his hopes are unvanquished.

In Titli (November 21), the youngest member of a violent carjacking brotherhood, plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business. His schemes are thwarted by his unruly brothers, who marry him off against his will. Soon, however, Titli finds an unlikely ally in his wife, Neelu. They form a pact to break the stranglehold of their family roots. The film’s director, Kanu Behl, who had co-written LSD with Dibakar Banerjee and has been garnering praise at film festivals for Titli, will be at a Q and A on the film at the screening.

In Jigarthanda (November 21), an aspiring short film director, Karthik, is turned down by a director at a reality show.

Around the time a commercial film producer likes Karthik’s work and assigns a gangster film to him. Karthik takes up the challenge, and, with the help of a college buddy, snoops around Madurai studying a gangster called Assault Sethu. Karthik tries every possible way to get close to Sethu, which leads to unexpected events and reversal of fortunes.

In Killa (November 22), while he is coping with the death of his father, 11-year-old Chinu moves to a small Konkan town from a big city because his mother has been transferred. He is alienated and reluctant to open up to his new neighbors in and his mother carries a burden of her own. How are they going to heal? The film is director Avinash Arun’s feature film debut and swept the Crystal Bear at Berlinale this year.

Dukhtar (Daughter, November 22) is a drama/thriller set in a remote region of Pakistan. A mother kidnaps her 10-year-old daughter to save her from being a child bride. Their escape triggers a relentless hunt. As their pursuers close in on them, mother and daughter meet a truck driver who sounds cynical and yet offers an unlikely hope. ‘Their destinies entwined, the trio embark on an epic journey through the stunning landscape of Pakistan where the quest for love and freedom comes with a price,’ said filmmaker Afia Serena Nathaniel who will be at the screening.

The festival closes on Sunday with Na Maloom Afraad, a comedy from Pakistan centering on three reckless but struggling souls, chasing their individual ambitions and desires.

They are brought together by one incident which makes their not-so-simple life a roller coaster ride of ironic twist and turns.

For more details about the films, short films and events, screening venues and tickets go to saiff.org.

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

“I

am very happy with my bald look,” says the energetic Ranveer Singh as he removes his hat to reveal his shaved head.

The actor’s new look is for his upcoming film — Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani.

The actor has decided to devote an entire year to the film and says if his risk works, the film could go down in history of Indian cinema. But that isn’t the only reason why the 29-year-old is chuffed.

For now, it’s all about Kill Dil, which released November 14, and in which he teams up with his icon Govinda for the first time.

You have shaved off your hair for Bajirao Mastani. How do you feel about that?

I was nervous on the way to my mundan, but once it was done, I felt very liberated. I started feeling like I was another character. It was supposed to happen much later, but I begged Mr Bhansali (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the director) to allow me to do it earlier because it allowed me to live with my bald look longer and help me get used to it.

I am very happy with my bald look.

Were you told by other people not to do it and take this big risk?

A lot of people told me, ‘How can you shave your head for Bajirao Mastani? How can you give more than one year for the shoot at this stage of your career?’

I told them that I was aware it was a huge commitment... first go bald, and then give a year’s time when you can make three films.

But I know if this works, ithihas bana dega (it will create history).

Is this the most extreme thing you have done to play a character?

I don’t know, but I like to play diverse characters and luckily I have been able to do so.

I should look and feel different as that’s my job. I don’t like actors who repeat themselves.

You get into a habit and then you know what you can expect from that actor.

For me it’s more exciting to watch actors who aren’t predictable. I would count it an achievement if people said that they weren’t watching Ranveer Singh on screen but watching a character.

Does the role start affecting your personal life?

Yes. As I said, I usually start living all my characters for real. I remember my father and I had gone out for dinner and he told me that I was behaving seriously. I mould myself to the character.

I have worked very hard for Bajirao’s character. I had to imbibe his body language, talking and walking style.

After all, he was a statesman. Ram Leela was just a warm up for Bajirao Mastani. This is a much more difficult character. I have to put my 100 percent into Bajirao’s role.

There’s a lot of talk about your looks in Kill Dil. I wasn’t sure about my looks in Kill Dil. I don’t have great facial features, especially my bulbous nose.

Normally, because of my moustache, my nose doesn’t look prominent. But Shaad wanted me to be clean shaven in this movie. He wanted me to look like a baby-faced assassin. He wanted me to soften up so I had to put on a little weight, which was difficult. Over a period of time, with me maintaining my fitness level, my metabolism has spiked so now it’s difficult to put on weight. When you put

O D T Ê N A C O N I C Ê ÂAL PA N A C A D N I V O G WHAT h goes g n i S r e e Ranv mode as y o b n a f into ses his he discus d idol childhoo ostar. c l i D l l i and K dhia Sonil De listens in

Snapshots from Kill Dil. on a little weight your face doesn’t look as hard… there’s a roundedness to your cheeks.

You said you don’t like actors who repeat themselves but your favorite actor Govinda has done the same thing for years.

(Thinks) I don’t think Govinda did the same thing. I think in the same zone Govinda gives you so many different flavors through his performance that he cannot be categorized.

Most of his films had him dancing, doing comedy, action sequences, and emotional drama so it was like a complete package.

I have seen some of his films more than 50 times. I have seen all his songs.

I don’t love all of his movies but I love him. He is an icon.

I am excited about Kill Dil because of him. He is so menacing in the film and he has done such a character for the first time in his career.

How was the experience of working with him?

That is sone pe suhaga (the icing on the cake) of Kill

Dil. He is a legend. No actor from yesteryear or the current lot can match his abilities. He is a genuine all-rounder. He is, according to me, one of the most talented actors to have ever graced the Indian screen and the most talented actor of his time.

I would rate Govinda amongst the best performers in the world like Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro…I’ll put Govinda up there. The fact of the matter is they can’t do what he can do. You give Govinda a director like Martin Scorsese and see what he can do. Govinda is a master class. I don’t know why he doesn’t do more films.

He is just mesmerizing.

When he comes on the sets he doesn’t know what you are shooting for that day and he doesn’t even care. He’ll come in his character; he will take his mark and go up to Shaad Ali (the director) and say, ‘Okay, so what are we shooting today?’

Shaad will explain the scene. He must have not given more than two takes in the entire film.

You won’t be able to take your eyes off Govinda in Kill Dil.

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

‘He had many dreams for cinema’ Bollywood pays tribute to Ravi Chopra

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

W

hat a lovely human being Raviji was! We worked together on three films; each one of them was memorable.

I shared a very close and warm rapport with the entire Chopra family. Raviji’s father Mr BR Chopra wanted to launch me as a heroine in Hindi cinema, but that couldn’t happen. However, I went on to do three films with their banner —The Burning Train, Baghban and Baabul.

Baghban was, by far, the most important film for me out of the three. In fact, I’d say it is one of the most important films of my career. It addressed the relationship between parents and children. I’ve seldom received as much feedback and praise for a film as I did for Baghban. It was the kind of rare cinema that changed lives.

Even if Raviji had not made any other film, he would still be remembered for this one forever. It is sad that he had to go in this way. He was very unwell in his last years.

I hope he has finally found peace.

Hema Malini

I

had the privilege of working with Raviji in Baghban where I played the daughter-in-law. He was the most happy-go-lucky and charming person. There was always a smile on his face! Shooting would go like a picnic with him. He taught me how to play Sudoku.

His passing away is a terrible loss.

Divya Dutta

F

ilmmaker Ravi Chopra succumbed to lung cancer in Mumbai November 12. He was 68.

Son of filmmaker B R Chopra, and nephew of Yash Chopra, Chopra has directed films like Zameer (1975),The Burning Train (1980), Mazdoor (1983), Dahleez (1986), Baghban (2003) and Baabul (2006).

He has also produced films like Bhoothnath and Bhoothnath Returns and made mythological television shows like the iconic Mahabharat.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

From top, actors Rani Mukerji, Juhi Chawla, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

R

avi had been indisposed for some time now. He had been suffering a great deal of pain. At least he is free of the pain now.

My heart reaches out to the family.

My first big break in Hindi cinema came with the Chopras’ Insaaf Ka Tarazu, which Ravi’s father, the great B R Chopra, directed.

By the time I worked in Insaaf Ka Tarazu with them, Ravi had already directed two films — Zameer with (Amitabh) Bachchansaab and the big multi-starrer The Burning Train.

Then I did another very important film of my career, Nikaah which BR saab directed.

Later, I worked with Ravi on Mazdoor (where I got to share screen space with the great Dilip Kumar for the first and last time), Aaj Ki Awaaz, which was a big hit, and Dahleez.

The last two films co-starred (the late) Smita Patil (Babbar’s wife), and we shot like one big family.

With Ravi Chopra I shared much more than a professional relationship. He was a good man, and his goodness was reflected in his cinema.

He had many dreams for the film industry and for cinema. Alas, illness and death snatched them all away.

Raj Babbar –As told to Subhash K Jha

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

From left, A K Hangal, Balraj Sahni, Badar Begum and Farooque Shaikh in Garm Hava.

Aseem Chhabra shares what the film means to him and his parents who had faced Partition

Actress Gita Siddharth, who played one of the central characters in the film, next to her picture on the movie’s poster.

‘To understand the real India one should definitely see Garm Hava’

I

n the history of Indian cinema there are few films that speak about the country, the nation that our founding fathers wanted to build and the ordinary citizens whose lives shaped India’s destiny.

And among those films M S Sathyu’s Garm Hava stands tall. Based on a short story by Ismat Chughtai, who was a master at capturing Muslim lives in her stories, and a screenplay by Kaifi Azmi and Shama Zaidi, the 1974 film is an iconic piece of work to understand post-independent India, much more so than Richard Attenborough’s slightly over-inflated Gandhi.

Garm Hava has been out of circulation for a long while, although a poor quality print was available on YouTube. So, it is remarkable that some very thoughtful business people have digitally restored the film. The new version was shown at the International Film Festival of India in Goa in 2012 and I had the opportunity to program it last year at the New York Indian Film Festival, as part of the celebrations to mark 100 years of Indian cinema.

Now the good people at PVR are giving Garm Hava a limited re-release. There are apparently only a few daily shows in Delhi, Mumbai Bengaluru, Pune, Allahabad and Lucknow, but it is essential for film lovers and students of India’s tryst with destiny to experience this poignant drama about Salim Mirza (played by Balraj Sahini) and his family.

There is so much goodness in Garm Hava — Sahini’s last and most gentle performance, and crowning jewel in his illustrious career as an actor, along with a very strong supporting cast: There is Shaukat Azmi (Shabana Azmi’s mother), the woman who holds her small family together despite devastating tragedies; a young and terribly handsome Farooque Shaikh, playing his first film role for which he was paid Rs 750 ($12 in today’s terms); a warm likable A K Hangal, and a charming Jalal Agha, whose selfish acts lead to deep sadness in the Mirza family.

Kaifi Azmi and Shama Zaidi’s script is also replete with humor — an old lady who refuses to leave her ancestral house, and a little boy who wonders if he will be able to fly kites in Pakistan, the new nation his parents plan to

take him to.

And then there is one of the best qawalis I have heard in my life; Maula Salim Chisti performed by Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi, in the dramatic setting of Fatehpur Sikri. The lyrics are powerful and heartbreaking, especially this line — Har Dard Humne Apna, Apne Se Hee Chupaya (Every Pain Of Mine, I Even Hid From Myself).

I have too many personal associations with Garm Hawa. I have seen the film at least four or five times. I loved the qawali so much that I spent many years trying to get a copy of it from HMV/SaReGaMa and music stores in Delhi and Mumbai. I now have an MP3 version of it on my laptop, thanks to the kind folks who restored the film.

The film was very important to my father and mother — both arrived in Delhi in 1947 as refugees after witnessing horrible tragedies of the Partition. Garm Hava re-asserted their faith in a secular India that Jawaharlal Nehru had promised and a destiny of the country they believed in.

And as a coincidence a few years ago my son did a paper on the film for a class he took on Islam in India up to the Partition — part of his undergraduate coursework at McGill University in Montreal.

Much of my own political understanding about the independent India that I was born in, and my strong belief that the Muslims who chose to stay back in the country, were partners in building the modern nation, along with other religious groups, was informed by Garm Hava. Salim Mirza’s family and the choice they make in the end of the film helped me relate to all of India’s minorities in a way that no other life experience would give me an opportunity to.

A couple of days ago filmmaker Hansal Mehta, director of last year’s critical hit Shahid tweeted, ‘Garm Hawa reinforces the need to understand our history rather than live in denial or even worse hang on to a distorted version of it.’

His words say it all. If one needs to understand the real India then one should definitely see Garm Hava.

From left, Actresses Divya Dutta and Raajeshwari Sachdev with Garm Hava director M S Sathyu.

Cinematographer Baba Azmi with actress wife Tanvi. Garm Hava was written by his father Kaifi Azmi (along with Shama Zaidi), and his mother Shaukat played Balraj Sahni’s spouse in the film.

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

ALL THAT GLITTERS

A PEEK INTO THE WEEK’S GLITZIEST TINSEL TOWN EVENTS

The party guest list represented the who’s who of Bollywood and probably a large chunk of Bollywood’s future. Seen here is filmmaker Rohan Sippy and his daughter.

From right, hosts Aishwarya Rai Bachchan — holding birthday girl Aaradhya — and Abhishek Bachchan at their daughter’s birthday party with former actress Tara Sharma Saluja, actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra.

TWITTER.COM/TARASHARMASALUJ

Filmmaker Kiran Rao arrived with her son Azad

PHOTOGRAPHS: PRADEEP BANDEKAR

Ace photographer Dabboo Ratnani came with his wife and children.

Actor couple Genelia D’Souza and Riteish Deshmukh, who are expecting their first child.

Hrithik Roshan arrives with sons Hrehaan and Hridaan (in the backseat).

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

At the movies with Megan From right, director Megan Mylan with actor Aamir Khan, in Mumbai, at the release of her latest documentary After My Garden Grows. It tells the story of a young girl in West Bengal named Monika Barman, seen here, second from left with her sister Kanika and nephew. Mylan had won an Oscar for another documentary set in India, Smile Pinki.

A

fter premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this year (India Abroad, January 31), Oscar winner Megan Mylan’s (Smile Pinki, Long Night’s Journey Into Day) new film, After My Garden Grows, made it to Indian audiences November 14, when the country celebrates Children’s Day. The 10-minute documentary is about Monika Barman, a teenager in rural West Bengal who avoided becoming a child bride by growing a rooftop vegetable garden and

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

From left, India’s Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launches Megan Mylan’s After My Garden Grows in New Delhi November 11. The film’s protagonist, Monika Barman, second from right, was also at the event.

making her family realize that she is an asset. It was made with a grant from the Sundance Film Institute in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, offered to five filmmakers to make films on poverty and hunger.

“We were so honored to kick off the film’s launch at a press meet with Minister Maneka Gandhi, and thrilled she recognized the important role storytelling has to play in social change.” Mylan told India Abroad on the day of the nine-city release.

“While it’s super exciting that the film is launching today across the country, I’m equally excited that our story will be heading out in the Women and Child Development Ministry Media vans to 100 key districts where they are focusing on adolescent girls empowerment.”

She added, “We have been really fortunate to have a cross section of influential Indians embrace the film and the conversation on early marriage and girls’ empowerment.”

Now breaking Indian television? e had barely recovered from Kim Kardashian’s attempt to ‘Break the Internet’ W (Check out Paper magazine, if you missed the

The best Sallu-SRK hug

hoopla), when another bit of KimK news came out of the left field. The star of reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians is all set to stir the Bigg Boss Kim 8 pot November 22.

Kardashian She will join the roster of international celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, when she enters the house.

However, reports did not confirm if she will enter as a contestant or a guest, nor was there any updates on the duration of her stay.

After English Vinglish fter her fantastic comeback in English Vinglish, Sridevi has returned to the sets A once again. This time in a Tamil film, which is

Text: Subhash K Jha; Photograph: Instagram/Arpita

This one is so adorable, it trumps all of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s Iftar hug-athons! SRK dropped by Galaxy apartments in Mumbai, where Salman Khan and his family reside, to attend his rival’s youngest sister Arpita’s sangeet ceremony. The bride-to-be, her star brother and SRK huddled in a warm hug to mark the happy occasion, and Arpita shared this picture on her Instagram feed.

The patch-up between SRK and Salman apparently represented a real patch-up.

“This was not just a camera-created camaraderie. This was a real patch up, and this time Shah Rukh and Salman have decided to let bygones be bygones. The reconciliation is for real this time,” a source told India in New York. “Sadly, no one clicked the happiest moment on Sunday evening when Salman and Shah Rukh broke into a dance at Arpita’s request.”

Arpita tied the knot with her Delhi-based beau Aayush Sharma in Hyderabad November 18.

Sridevi in English Vinglish.

being shot in Chennai.

The actress, who began her career in Tamil cinema at age four in M A Thirumugham’s devotional Thunaivan, recently tweeted, ‘Brings back so many memories of first day of shoot as a child actor. Thank you Chennai for all the love n warmth you have always given me. It feels great to be back.’

Aseem in Delhi

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

M

A bit of drama, and a classic

y cultural love affair with Delhi continued for the second week, as I went to see some more plays in the heart of the city.

First was the magical performance of Hamlet — The Clown Prince, directed by Hindi film industry personality Rajat Kapoor, with a wide array of actors from The Company Theatre.

The group has performed the play over 180 times around the

world and in many cities in India.

Atul Kumar, who runs the company, played Hamlet, a role that is sometimes also performed by Vinay Pathak.

In the play, a group of clowns in a nondescript location decide to perform William Shakespeare’s wellknown tragedy, but they add their own elements, dialogues and actions to the play.

‘Dialogues’ is perhaps not the right word, because while parts of the

play are in English, much of the spoken words are gibberish. But at all times, the audience can make sense of what is being said.

This Hamlet can be very funny, with the clowns making jokes — often rather mean spirited — at each other’s expense. So it is hard to believe that the audience was laughing out loud during a Hamlet performance. But the mood of the play can also switch to tragedy and pathos.

L

ast Friday I was at the American Center in Connaught Place, New Delhi, to watch a one-man show put up by New York-based actor Martin Moran and directed by Seth Barrish.

The play, The Tricky Part, is Moran’s autobiographical story from the time he was 12 years old and was molested by a camp counselor. The unfortunate relationship continued for a few years and only ended when the actor turned 15, and the counselor was sent to jail.

The Tricky Part is deeply sad, but Moran’s life was layered with complexities. Moran’s father was alcoholic and mostly absent during his teenage years. And so while Moran was uncomfortable with the sexual relationship he developed with the older man, there was also a father-son element in the connection between the two.

Moran also deals with his Catholic upbringing and at times brings a lot of humor in the play as he recalls the nuns at this school in a suburb of Denver.

The India segment of the play is produced by the actress Poorna Jagannathan, who was originally from US, but now lives in Mumbai.

Moran has performed the play a number of times in the US. It is a must-watch show.

Martin Moran

L

ast Sunday I went with two friends to watch a 40-year-old classic Indian film, Garm Hava, at the PVR Theater in Delhi’s Select Citywalk Mall. Garm Hava has been digitally restored and is getting a second life, a rare opportunity for Indian filmgoers.

India does not have a tradition of revival of old films.

Part of the problem is that prints of old films are in a poor state, and many have been lost due to poor storage conditions. Most producers only care about making A scene from Garm Hava money from the initial release of a film. They rarely consider their films as a work of art that should be preserved for future generations.

So it is heartening to see a film like Garm Hava — the story of one Muslim family that makes the decision to stay back in India after the creation of Pakistan — being re-released in India.

The limited release, with the backing of PVR chain, brought the film to only select cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, and Lucknow.

But it was so encouraging to see nearly 40 people in the theater who had bought tickets for an early afternoon show on Sunday. It was a small number, but a clear indication that there are people who would like to see old classics.

Special

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INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

I

have never been the kind to live my life as per American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy… no one consciously does. But, when you look back at your life, or at any one’s life, you realize we are stumbling our way through various stages of Maslow’s timeless pyramid.

Wondering why I am musing about this basic but very relevant life/economic theory?

Well, when I announced my intention to cycle 1,000 kilometers (621.4 miles) to raise awareness and money for a charitable foundation, it was met with a cocktail of reactions, ranging from the incredulous to the ridiculous.

Everyone believed I had definitely transcended beyond basic needs to a higher plane of consciousness in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs — towards self-actualization.

You could loosely interpret this as: ‘He has nothing better to do.’

Now that I am a few hours away from the flag-off, I am reminded about the stupefied reaction of a close relative: ‘Huh… really? But why?’

What started off as a casual discussion is now staring me in the face like an arm wrestler from across the table, all set to test my strength, my resolve and, above all, perhaps the limits of my foolhardiness.

What was I thinking? A 621.4-mile ride on Indian highways?!

For someone whose best distance has been 70-80 kilometers (43.5-49.7 miles), it is like thinking you can run a full marathon just because you can run behind your nephew’s toddler a few hours every week.

Now that I have extracted my fears from the depth of my gut and put them on the table for all to stare at, let me talk about the positives.

Firstly, I am finally done with being an armchair dogooder.

I always thought that outsourcing my benevolence by signing an occasional check for a cause here and a natural disaster there absolves me of taking action, of proving my ability to dedicate myself to a cause, a cause that extends beyond the well-being of my family and the immediate circle of my responsibilities.

Secondly, it has provided a much needed dose of motivation to my passion for cycling.

Third, and most importantly, it has given me a chance to test myself far beyond any boundaries I have ever pushed myself to earlier. This journey will either make me or break me… whatever the result be, I believe I will come out much stronger.

Lately, I have been meeting a lot of people to pitch the cause and ask them for personal contributions or corporate sponsorships. And there’s one question that everyone I meet asks, ‘Why did you choose this cause or this method of raising money?’

Frankly, I think it all comes down to what we call ‘the stars being aligned.’

It is a fact that we are all wired internally to give and share. What holds us back is the glue of inertia.

A few months ago, at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru, over a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, I met my inspiration — Thanmaya Bekkalale, founder of Iksha foundation.

Pedaling for

hope As expected, there is also a high instance of such cases (almost 92 percent) in Third World countries where around 80 percent of the afflicted children lose the battle due to late detection.

Mostly, when confronted with such mortifying data, we have one of two reactions.

One, consider them for what they are — facts. Write them off as an unfortunate circumstance someone else has to live through. Leave it to some higher power. At worst, leave it to the government. After all, what can an individual do?

Alternately, feel the passion of the person narrating those facts and latch on to that fleeting moment of genuine empathy before it slips into the stream of time forever.

I latched on.

It may seem Bollywoodish but, once I decided I was going to do this trip, it was like the universe was conspiring to make it happen.

I took on an ambitious target of raising Rs 1 million ($16,667) and I am within touching distance of that amount.

I have four commercial sponsor logos on my jersey; a Bollywood/Tollywood starlet has agreed to flag off the event from Mumbai; radio, press and television interviews have helped.

I have unknown people offering me (and my support crew) their houses to stay in overnight during the ride and possibly a very famous ex-cricketer to receive me at the end of the ride.

All this within two months of starting the effort... It feels like the book The Secret is playing itself out in my life.

And so November 14 I embarked on what looked like a very long and exciting 10-day sojourn on National Highway 47 from Mumbai to Bengaluru (Jasmeet aims to reach Bengaluru, November 23).

With Umeed, I took my first tentative steps to rise to the next level in Maslow’s triangle.

We are all wired internally to give and share, says Jasmeet Gandhi, who is on a cycling journey across India to raise money for children afflicted with eye cancer An information technology professional with a responsible day job, he and his friends run a foundation focused on providing medical aid to underprivileged kids affected by eye cancer. They make a meaningful impact in the lives of children who do not have access to primary healthcare.

Thanmaya is living example of someone who chose not to hide behind the convenient excuse of a ‘hectic lifestyle.’

The icing on the cake was our shared passion — cycling. One thing led to another and, before I knew it, Umeed — a 1,000 km (621.4 miles) ride to spread awareness and raise money about a disease that has very low awareness — was born.

It is a little known fact that Retinoblastoma or eye cancer, which is genetic in nature, affects children between the age of two months and five years. It starts within the retina of the eye and, if not detected early, can prove fatal.

The good part is that, unlike other cancers, Retinoblastoma does not require extensive lab tests. It can be detected in a physical examination and the cure rate is very high, almost 95 percent, if detected in time.

Food

18

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Changing a recipe doesn’t make it less of an heirloom, feels Monica Bhide, a food essayist. She shares some with Arthur J Pais

M

onica Bhide shot up as an innovative food essayist over a decade ago, just as America was becoming more hospitable to Indian cuisine, in the restaurants and large bookshops.

She stood out, thanks to her nononsense but well seasoned recipes, and her books Modern Spice Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen and Spice Is Right were warmly welcomed.

Modern Spice, which offers recipes for beguiling dishes like Tamarind-glazed Honey Shimp and Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Paneer, was recently reissued in paperback.

Bhide has said she felt a bit guilty that she had modified some of the recipes she had received from her grandmother and mother, but she later realized she was adapting them to her new milieu.

She has talked about her grandmother’s recipe for lentil soup, her mother’s variations to it and then her own.

‘As I smelled the aroma of garlic from the soup that I was stirring,’ she blogged, ‘it occurred to me that my soup today was in truth a reflection of my life here in the US, far away from India: Butternut squash, chicken stock instead of water and no cilantro as my hubby thinks it tastes soapy… It made me think about all the recipes I made and how in fact, I had begun to change them to reflect our way of living.’

She later added, ‘Changing a recipe, it turns out, doesn’t make it less of an heirloom — in fact, it only makes it more our own.’

Curry Leaf Bread

INGREDIENTS 4 cup all-purpose flour or maida 2 tbsp sugar 2 ¼ tsp rapid rise yeast 1 tsp table salt 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp cumin seeds, pounded 2 tbsp fresh curry leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp unsalted butter ¾ cup water (more if needed) ½ cup evaporated milk

Creating heirlooms in the kitchen

ing sheet. Pour any remaining marinade on top of the wings.

Broil the wings about 4 inches from the heat until cooked through, about 12 minutes on each side or until they begin to brown well.

Turn the wings once.

Serve sprinkled with chat masala.

Lentil Dumpling (Vada) in Yogurt Sauce

INGREDIENTS For the dumplings: 1 cup yellow lentils or moong dal, washed 1 green chilly 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled A pinch of asafetida Sea salt to taste 3 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying 4 cups warm water 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp red chilly powder For garnish: 2 tbsp tamarind or ginger chutney 2 tbsp coriander chutney (optional) For the yogurt sauce: 2 cup fat-free plain yogurt, preferably organic ¼ cup water ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp sugar or jaggery

Monica Bhide

METHOD Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Heat the butter, water and milk just until the butter melts. Allow to cool until warm to the touch.

Gradually, add the warm liquid Curry Leaf Bread

to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a soft but not sticky dough forms. You may not need all of the liquid but if the dough is too dry, add warm water, a tbsp at a time, until you get a soft dough. Knead it for about 5 minutes or until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough.

Keep it in a lightly greased bowl.

Cover with a damp towel for 45 to 60 minutes.

Knead again for a minute or two.

Shape and place in a greased loaf pan, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until dough is about an inch above top of the pan, 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack in the middle position. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from pan and cool.

Indian Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS 1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ½ tsp turmeric, ground ½ tsp cumin, ground 1 ½ tsp coriander, ground 2 tsp red chilly flakes 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 ½ tsp fenugreek leaves, dried and crushed 1 tsp dried mango powder 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 ½ tsp table salt ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground 2 ½ pounds chicken wings (about 20 wings), tips cut off Nonstick cooking spray Chat masala for garnishing METHOD In a large bowl, combine the cream, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilly flakes, lemon juice, fenugreek, mango powder, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.

Add the chicken wings and toss to thoroughly coat them. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours.

Turn on the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly. Place the wings on the bak-

METHOD Soak the moong dal in water for about 3 hours. Drain the dal. Grind together the dal, green chilly, ginger, asafetida and salt. Add a tbsp of water to make the blending easier, if necessary. Place the mixture in a bowl and whisk it to incorporate air into it.

Heat the oil in a wok. Drop a tsp of the dal mixture into the oil; if it rises to the top immediately, the oil is ready. Working in batches and not crowding the dumplings, place a tablespoon of the dal mixture in the oil and fry, turning, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain the dumplings on paper towels.

Repeat until all the dal mixture is used up.

Soak the dumplings in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the yogurt sauce, use a medium bowl to whisk the yogurt, water, salt, and sugar until smooth.

Drain the dumplings. Squeeze each one between the palms of your hands to remove excess water.

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, stirring frequently, until fragrant.

In a serving dish, arrange the dumplings in rows. Pour the yogurt sauce over the dumplings. Garnish with the cumin seeds, chilly powder, and the chutneys.

19

India in New York November 21, 2014

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20

The Week That Was INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Modi repeats Madison Square Garden Down Under

In what seemed almost like a repeat of his United States visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an estimated 20,000 Diaspora Indians in Sydney, which he visited after attending the G-20 summit in Brisbane, amid fan frenzy. He addressed the Australian Parliament, and called for closer bilateral security cooperation and a comprehensive global strategy to tackle terrorism. India and Australia signed five agreements — on social security, transfer of sentenced prisoners, combating narcotics trade, tourism, and arts and culture — and Modi promised visa on arrival for Australians. He and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott evidently hit it off well, each tweeting effusive praise of the other.

Haryana: Godman’s army clashes with police The veritable private army of a godman called Rampal in Haryana fired and threw stones at police personnel who had come to take him to court for a hearing in a contempt of court case. Rampal, who faces charges including being involved in murder conspiracy, had earlier failed to appear before the court, which had taken the Haryana state government to task for failing to produce the accused despite nonbailable warrants against him. Many people including journalists were injured in the violence at the Satlok Ashram in Hisar district, where Rampal was holed up.

Rajnath Singh’s uncertainty principle Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh November 15 said German quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg’s principle of uncertainty was based on the Vedas. Singh said that physicist Fritjof Capra had written in his book that Heisenberg got the fundamentals of his principle from a conversation over the Vedas with Rabindranath Tagore. Actually, Heisenberg met Tagore two years after proposing the uncertainty principle. And in his book, Tao of Physics, Capra mentions some connections between the principle and teachings of ancient Chinese philosopher of Zhuang Zhou, as well as India’s Upanishads.

No German in government schools,decides minister

State-run Kendriya Vidyalayas should not give students the option of German as a third language and instead teach them Sanskrit, Indian Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani has decided. The directive has put nearly 70,000 students in a bit of a fix because exams are around the corner.

RICK RYCROFT/POOL/REUTERS

Wi-Fi is free at Delhi’s Connaught Place Telecom company Tata Docomo and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation joined hands to provide Wi-Fi service to Connaught Place, a commercial hub of the capital. The first 20 minutes of the service will be

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, walks with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott as they leave House of Representatives chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, November 18.

free.

NIA arrests another suspect in Bardhaman blast case

The National Investigation Agency November 19 arrested a Myanmar national from Hyderabad in connection with the October 2 Bardhaman blast case. The suspect, identified as 21-yearold Khalid Mohammed, was said to have links with Tahreek-e-Taliban and is an

PAGE 21

Modi speaks in the House of Representatives. Right, Modi posts a selfie on Twitter, saying, ‘With my friend Tony Abbott at the MCG.’

DAVID GRAY/REUTERS

g

The Week That Was

21

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Chhattisgarh: Sterilization surgerry death toll rises to 13

f PAGE 20 Improvised Explosive Device expert. He was living in Telangana on the basis of fake identity documents.

Z-category security for Ramdev

India’s home ministry has sanctioned Zcategory security — the highest class of security cover, which has subgroups — for yoga guru Ramdev. He already enjoys such security in the state of Uttarakhand, but the federal security cover — in which 40 paramilitary personnel will guard him round the clock — was taken in view of intelligence inputs about threats to life.

Aligarh University’s ‘sexist’ move

Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah last week said there would be four times more boys in the university’s Maulana Azad Library if women were allowed in. His comments, made in response to the university’s Women’s College students asking for access to the library, sparked controversy.

Shah later said the ban on women was because of space constraints. Postgraduate women students, he said, had access to the library since its inception in 1960.

Tamil Nadu government disqualifies Jayalalithaa for 10 years

Thangjam Manorama was found dead with bullet injuries around her genital area, very near a police station, after she was picked up for questioning by the Assam Rifles. Her death had led to widespread protests against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur, with middle-aged women protesting naked in front of the Assam Rifles headquarters, with a banner that read, ‘Indian Army rape us.’

BJP wins trust vote in Maharashtra Assembly Indra Bai, mother of a deceased victim, mourns in her house at Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, November 14.

ANINDITO MUKHERJEE/REUTERS

The death toll in the botched up sterilization surgeries in a November 8 staterun family planning camp in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh rose to 13.

November 10, the state government organized another mass sterilization camp in Bilaspur, in which 26 operations were done in an hour. A woman died a day later, while 20 reported post-surgery complications.

The police November 12 arrested Dr R K Gupta, who allegedly carried out the operations. He accused the administration of framing him and blamed ‘poor quality’ medicines supplied by the state government for the tragedy. He said the he was under pressure to meet deadlines. He had operated on 83 women November 8.

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association and the Chhattisgarh Medical Officers’ Association November 18 came

A gazette notification issued last week by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanpal said former chief minister J Jayalalithaa has been disqualified from contesting elections for 10 years. The Srirangam constituency represented by her shall be deemed vacant from the date of her conviction, the notification added.

Jayalalithaa was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail in a case of wealth disproportionate to income by a special court in Bengaluru, September 27. She was later granted bail by the Supreme Court.

CAG slams Gujarat for poor implementation of sanitation campaign

The Comptroller Auditor General of India November 11 slammed the Gujarat government for poor implementation of the Total Sanitation Campaign from 2008 to 2013, under then chief minister Narendra Modi. A report submitted by the CAG to the state assembly said the grants for the projects were misused, municipal solid waste disposal was mismanaged, and more than 5,000 government primary schools were left without toilets.

It also found many primary schools functioning under trees and temporary shelters, deprived of adequate teachers.

Pune jail gets radio station

Pune’s 140-year-old Yerawada Central Prison November 11 launched its internal radio station, Radio YCP, which will be run by the inmates. The purpose is to give them

out in support of Dr Gupta and threatened to launch an ‘intense’ agitation by doctors from November 20 if he was not released.

Also, the husband of a Baiga tribe woman who died after the surgery alleged that health workers put pressure on them and also held out a promise of money for consenting to the operation.

By an order issued in the 1970s, Pahari Korva, Baiga, Abujhmaria, Birhor and Kamar tribes which live along the present-day Chhattisghar-Madhya Pradesh border cannot be targeted for sterilization due to their high mortality rate.

At least 18 women of Baiga tribe from Gaurela region, Singh told the Press Trust of India, were operated upon at the camps. The government had claimed that only two women from the tribe underwent the surgery.

their own space for expression, said jail superintendent Yogesh Desai.

Army sentences 7 of its own to life for killing civilians in J&K

The Indian Army November 13 sentenced seven of its men, including a colonel and a captain, to life imprisonment in the 2010 extrajudicial killings in Machil, Jammu and Kashmir. The soldiers had lured three civilians by promising them jobs and money, killed them near the Line of Control, and declared them as infiltrating terrorists killed in a gun battle with the army. The killings had triggered two months of unrest in the state, in which at least 124 young men were killed in the Kashmir valley.

Manipur girl was tortured before being shot dead: Report

The judicial inquiry report on the custodial death of a Manipuri girl in 2004 — which the state government handed over to the Supreme Court last week — said she was brutally and mercilessly tortured before being shot dead, presumably by the paramilitary Assam Rifles personnel. The report, never made public, was demanded by the court as part of a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation seeking probe into custodial deaths in the North East states.

The three-day Maharashtra Assembly session ended November 12 with the Bharatiya Janata Party winning the trust vote. The Shiv Sena voted against the Devendra Fadnavis government while the Nationalist Congress Party abstained.

There was no division of votes in the assembly and the minority BJP government got the speaker’s post with Haribhau Bagade being elected unanimously.

SC dismisses plea on naming India as Bharat The Supreme Court November 10 refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation which sought to direct the federal government to rename India as Bharat. The court told the petitioner, Niranjan Bhatwal, to approach the concerned authorities first with an appropriate representation.

Decision on Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka still to be taken

Denying the media reports that said the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa had ordered the release of the five Tamil Nadu fishermen sentenced to death for drug smuggling, the presidential spokesman said a decision was still to be taken and the president was considering various options such as commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment and send them to India to serve out the term, or pardon them.

Kashmir: Father of teen killed by army refuses compensation money

Mohammed Yousuf Bhatt, father of Faisal Yousuf, 13, who was killed when Indian Army troopers opened fire on a car in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district November 3, refused to take the compensation announced by the Indian Army. Bhatt said he was ready to give Rs 2 million ($32,399) — double of what the army offered as compensation — if the army would hand over to him the man who killed his son.

Bengal politician tries to commit suicide in jail

Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Kunal Ghosh, who was suspended in the Saradha Ponzi scam case, allegedly tried to commit suicide in the Presidency Correctional Home in West Bengal by consuming sleeping pills November 7. Ghosh had threatened to end his life if the Central Bureau of Investigation did not take any action against those involved in the scam.

22

Sports INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

STANLEY CHOU/GETTY IMAGES

Saina, Srikanth win China Open titles

I

ndia’s leading badminton player Saina Nehwal clinched the women’s singles title of the $700,000 China Open Super Series Premier while Kidambi Srikanth beat twotime Olympic champion Lin Dan to win the men’s singles title in Fuzhou, China, November 17.

Sixth-seeded Saina won her second Super Series title of the year by overcoming Japanese Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 22-20 in 42 minutes.

She totally dominated her World No. 35 opponent in the first game. At one point, the World No. 5 Indian took seven successive points to take a 15-7 advantage.

The 17-year-old Akane upped the ante in the second game, and Saina had to come out with her best to keep the Japanese’s points in check.

The Indian survived a scare when the unseeded Akane reached game point at 20-19. But Saina doused the lead and won the next two points to bag

her first China Open title.

She had also won the Australian Open Super Series in June and the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold in January.

Later in the day, Saina’s compatriot Srikanth stunned the five-time world champion Chinese 21-19, 21-17 in 46 minutes.

Srikanth had earlier said it was his childhood dream to play ‘Super’ Dan in a final, that too in his own backyard.

Srikanth, ranked No. 16 in the world, took off well and fast by going into a 9-4 lead in the first game.

The second game was a tighter affair. The Indian yongster matched the Chinese great stroke for stroke to take it to 15-all.

The 21-year-old Hyderabadi, just like the first game, came out with his best strokes just when it mattered most to clinch six of the next eight points and earn the biggest win of his career.

NILS MEILVANG/SCANPIX DENMARK/REUTERS

ANAND SALVAGES A DRAW IN GAME 7 AGAINST CARLSEN

F

ive-time world champion — but now challenger — Viswanathan Anand salvaged a draw in the seventh game of the world chess championship against world champion Magnus Carlsen in Sochi, Russia.

Recuperating from a double blunder in the previous game of the 12-game match, Anand did not show any signs of fatigue and matched Carlsen move for move in what was considered a grudge game.

According to the rules laid in, the Indian was facing a double white from Carlsen And was at his best in defense.

It was as theoretical as it could get in a world championship match. Carlsen went for the extensively analyzed Berlin defense with his white pieces.

Anand came up with a deeply analyzed sequence of moves, wherein he had worked out his way to equality.

Carlsen took control soon after, and the 122-move game turned out to be a draw.

Carlsen maintains his one-point lead over Anand, with five games remaining.

23

Sports

SRI LANKA VS INDIA, 5TH ODI

INDIA IN NEW YORK NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Sri Lanka 286-8 (50)

Niroshan Dickwella c Rayudu b Kulkarni 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan b Binny 35 Dinesh Chandimal c Rohit b Patel 5 Mahela Jayawardene c Rahane b Ashwin 32 *Angelo Mathews not out 139 Lahiru Thirimanne c Rayudu b Ashwin 52 Thisara Perera c Jadhav b Patel 6 Seekkuge Prasanna c Patel b Kulkarni 0 Ajantha Mendis c Karn b Kulkarni 0 Shaminda Eranga Lahiru Gamage Extras: 13 b:4 lb:2 nb:0 w:7 Total: 286-8 (50) | Curr. RR: 5.72 India: Dhawal Kulkarni 8-0-57-3-0-3-7.12, Stuart Binny 8-1-28-1-0-0-3.50, Akshar Patel 10-0-45-2-0-0-4.50, Ravichandran Ashwin 10-1-56-2-0-0-5.60, Karn Sharma 10-0-61-0-0-0-6.10, Ambati Rayudu 4-0-33-00-0-8.25, Powerplay: 1: 1-10 ovs, 2: 36-40 ovs

W

ith an unbeaten century by Virat Kohli, India completed a resounding 5-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka by winning the fifth and final One-day International by three wickets in Ranchi, November 17. India had won the fourth match of the series, beating Sri Lanka by 153 runs.

Opting to bat, Sri Lanka rode on their skipper Angelo Mathews’ unbeaten 116-ball 139 to put up a challenging 286 for eight.

Kohli (139) struck 12 fours and three sixes during his 126-ball captain’s knock.

A screaming Kohli sealed the issue by hitting Mendis for a six over long-on after completing his 21st century and the fourth this year.

India looked in firm control chasing the score as Kohli and Rayudu (59 from 69 balls) put on 136 runs for the third wicket, but the latter was unfortunately run out by the skipper triggering a mini collapse.

Lanka almost had the twist in the tale after Mendis (4-73) claimed the wickets of Stuart Binny and R Ashwin in successive deliveries as Kohli remained stranded at the other end.

The collapse that began with Rayudu’s wicket meant India lost five wickets for 81

Kohli’s unbeaten ton helps India sweep series

M

umbai City FC and FC Goa played out an action-packed goalless draw in the Hero Indian Super League clash after both the teams failed to score on many occasions at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai, November 17.

Delhi Dynamos extended their dismal run in the ISL as they lost by a solitary goal to Kerala Blasters to remain at the bottom of the table and put themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the semi-finals in New Delhi, November 16.

North East United FC and FC Pune City missed a lot of scoring opportunities as their ISL match ended in goalless draw in Guwahati, November 15.

Atletico de Kolkata played out a goalless draw against Chennaiyin FC to maintain their top spot in the ISL, in Kolkata, November 14.

FC Goa defeated hosts Delhi Dynamos 41 in a fixture between the two bottomplaced teams of the ISL at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, November 13.

Kerala Blasters couldn’t cash in on home advantage as they were played out a goalless draw with Mumbai City FC in an ISL home match in Kochi, November 12.

John Stiven Mendoza Valencia scored a second half equalizer to help Chennayin FC eke out a 1-1 draw against FC Pune City in a match, November 11.

runs but Kohli held his nerves and took on Mendis, stepping out to hit a big six and a four to turn the match in India’s favor.

Earlier, Lanka were struggling at 85-4 in 18.3 overs, when Mathews arrested the slide.

His 116-ball knock was laced with six fours and 10 sixes. He found a perfect ally in his deputy Lahiru Thirimanne, who made 52 off 76 balls with the help Cedric Hengbart of Kerala Blasters, left, heads the ball away from Mads Junker of the Delhi Dynamos, in New Delhi, November 16.

India 288-7 (48.4)

BCCI

of two fours and a six, in their 128-run partnership.

After hitting his first ODI century, Mathews gave Sri Lanka a brilliant chance in the match as he bowled Indian openers Ajinkya Rahane (2) and Rohit Sharma (9), who hit a worldrecord 264 in the previous match at Kolkata, with the score reading 14/2 in the fifth over. Mathews was adjudged the man of the match.

Ajinkya Rahane b Mathews 2 Rohit Sharma b Mathews 9 Ambati Rayudu run out (Eranga) 59 *Virat Kohli not out 139 Robin Uthappa c Mathews b Mendis 19 Kedar Jadhav b Mendis 20 Stuart Binny st Chandimal b Mendis 12 Ravichandran Ashwin lbw b Mendis 0 Akshar Patel not out 17 Karn Sharma Dhawal Kulkarni Extras: 11 b:4 lb:0 nb:0 w:7 Total: 288-7 (48.4) | Curr. RR: 5.92 Sri Lanka: *Angelo Mathews 7-1-33-2-0-0-4.71, Lahiru Gamage 4-0-25-0-0-1-6.25, Shaminda Eranga 7-0-45-0-0-2-6.43, Seekkuge Prasanna 10-0-42-0-0-14.20, Thisara Perera 3-0-20-0-0-1-6.67, Ajantha Mendis 9.4-0-73-4-0-0-7.55, Tillakaratne Dilshan 8-046-0-0-2-5.75 Powerplay: 1: 1-10 ovs, 2: 36-40 ovs

Delhi’s dismal run INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

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India in New York November 21, 2014