India in New York - July 4, 2014

THEATER AYAD AKHTAR TAKES CENTER STAGE COMMUNITY DIWALI DIVIDES IN MILLBURN, NEW JERSEY

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VOL. XVIII NO.2

India in New York A GUIDE TO EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM INDIA ABROAD FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014

Meet Soham Daga, Congressional Gold Medal winner

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

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Decision on Diwali holiday angers many in Millburn, New Jersey GEORGE JOSEPH

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decision about religious holidays by the Board of Education in Millburn Township, New Jersey, has sparked controversy.

A few months ago the sizeable Hindu community in the upscale township, noted for the quality of its schools, petitioned the board to grant a holiday for Diwali. They presented a petition supported by 500 adults from 250 families living in the township.

Rather than taking a decision on the request, the nine-member board last week voted 6-3 for a new policy — to take a ballot on the issue of all religious holidays.

Good Friday and the Jewish Rosh Hashanah are already school holidays.

But in the new scheme of things, Christians and Jews have to submit a petition and vote in the ballot. Every three years, the board will review the numbers and take a fresh decision.

“This is an insensitive decision dividing the communities,” said Dr Jyoti Sharma, who — along with attorney Padmaja Chinta — has been at the forefront of the fight for a Diwali holiday.

“We asked to add Diwali as a holiday and never asked to remove the existing ones. The Hindus in Millburn-Short Hills have been working for the past eight months to get Diwali added to the school calendar. The board has finally responded with a proposal which we strongly believe will divide our community.”

According to the new policy communities have to submit a petition signed by

500 adult district residents of voting age, requesting closing of school on a specific day because significant number of students will be absent on that day.

After validation of the signatures on the petition, the board will set up an online ballot during the 2014-2015 school year.

Each family will have one vote for each of their children registered as a student in the district.

If the results indicate that the percentage of anticipated absence is expected to exceed 15 percent of the student population on a particular day, the board would determine whether there is a need to close schools on that day.

Even after the ballot, the final decision

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Mayor’s Cup Cricket shows the sport is revving up in NYC

SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER

A game in progress.

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he Mayor’s Cup Cricket All Star game showcased New York City high schools’ best cricketing talent at the Van Cortland Park Parade Ground, June 21.

The Queens All Stars, representing public schools from the borough, bagged the trophy — for the third time — playing against Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan All-stars. The latter were all out for 91; Queens scored 94 for four in 7.4 overs.

The Queens All Stars included Imran Fakir, Mohammed Hossain, Gourav Jasal Rajinder Singh, while the BBM All Stars included Aritra Nirmal, Chand Singh, Mahful Uddin, Pradeep Baidya and Suriya Baskar.

“We found out that cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in New York City and there is a large population that follows it,” Jeff Mohl, vice president, sports marketing, NYC & Company (that organizes the event annually), told India in New York.

“There are a significant number of adult leagues, and… I think New York is the only city in the country that has a high school cricket league. We realized that players were playing but they are not getting enough recognition.”

While there are quite a few cricket fields in Queens, the numbers are fewer in Manhattan and Staten Island. When talented high school players are spotted from Staten Island, they are allowed to play although there are no teams from the borough.

“There are a lot more people playing cricket these days in New York than people realize there are and we have very good facilities for laying cricket,” Mohl said.

Sam Sooppersaud, cricket coach for the New Comers High

School in Long Island City, Queens, felt cricket is catching the fancy of Americans.

“There are better cricketing infrastructure and facilities than even some six, seven years ago,” said Sooppersaud, who played first class cricket in Guyana. “The popularity of cricket in Queens has to do also with the fact there is a very large population of immigrants from cricket-playing nations.”

Mohl felt the interest ranged beyond immigrants.

“We had some American families who have never played cricket or watched it on television, but they came in to support cricket,” Mohl said. “Like in soccer we were way behind the international community and it took us a few decades to reach where it is today. Personally, there is no reason for me to believe that cricket one day would not enjoy the same level of popularity.”

Community

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Former Jersey City deputy mayor and lifelong community activist dies home,” remembered New York-based community leader Dilip Chakrabarti. “I was impressed by his personality, I knew he was different from us.”

“During those days, it was very hard to find even an odd job. Luckily I had a job which paid $2.40/hour, others did not have. Monoda told all of us that you have education and it is only a matter of time till you find a job that you deserve. So, don’t despair. What struck me was his optimism and emphasis on hard work.”

Sen eventually became the director of the Office of Aging after joining the Jersey City Mayor’s Office, and was deputy mayor of Jersey City. He received numerous awards, and in Jersey City’s Indian market a road has been named Mono Sen Plaza.

He also received the New Jersey governor’s award for excellence in human

SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER

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ommunity activist Monoranjan ‘Mono’ Sen, noted for his philanthropy and passion for community work, died last week.

Sen, a long time resident of Jersey City where he settled after coming to the United States in 1970, died of age related complications at Pine Valley Nursing Home, Spring Valley, New York. He was 89.

He is survived by two children and five grandchildren. His wife Monika died some four years ago.

An economist by training, Sen was a member of the Indian Economic Service before immigrating to the US. Many fondly recalled their memoMonoranjan ‘Mono’ Sen ries and association with Sen, who took up causes dear to the community. rights activities.

During the mid-1980s Dotbusters hate attacks against Sen also served as census adviser to Mayor Thomas Indian women in Jersey City, Sen was at the forefront of Smith and as commissioner of senior affairs under Mayor organizing rallies and protests.

Gerald McCann.

“I met him in December of 1976 in his Jersey City

f PAGE 2 will rest with the board.

The Millburn School District has five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school under it, with almost 5,000 children enrolled in them.

“Basically,” Sharma said, “they are asking to get a petition signed by 500 people to add Diwali on the ballot and then get votes from parents of 15 percent of the student population.”

The Chinese also want a holiday for the Lunar New Year. The Hindu and Chinese communities constitute about 10 percent each of the school population.

Since there are about 5,000 students, each community should get about 750 votes of parents of the students to reach the 15 percent threshold.

Sharma said there are about 400 Hindu families in the township and more are moving there because of the schools and the large Hindu community, though the taxes are very high.

“Though we have a large presence in the township, it does not mean that from every family children are going to school,” Sharma said. “Some are already graduated and moved on, some have not enrolled yet. It is difficult to reach the threshold of 15 percent at any point. Moreover, each community may have to prove their eligibility every three years.”

Decision on Diwali holiday angers many in Millburn, New Jersey The board says people from other communities too can vote for Hindus and vice versa. But it may not be practical, Padmaja Chinta felt. It is much easier if the schools count the number of students from each community rather than go for a ballot.

On the nine-member board, Westfall-Kwong, Dr Rupali Wadhwa and Raymond Wong voted against the policy revision. Wong, whose wife is of Indian origin, said he celebrates Diwali with family and recognizes its importance.

During the meeting Jeffrey Waters, the board president, reportedly said the holiday closing decision was among the most challenging he had to make during his two terms on the board.

Regina Truitt, board program chairwoman, too said the decision was one of the toughest she had to make. She said significant absenteeism was the only valid reason for closing schools and the 15 percent threshold was decided after consulting with teachers, students, and members of the administration.

Westfall-Kwong said the proposal set the bar too high.

Wadhwa, the only Indian American on the board, did not reply to calls and e-mails from India in New York.

During the deliberations, she said, she was glad that the proposal included a mention about cultural diversity. The policy revision, she was quoted as saying by local media, apparently was decided based on the personal observances of committee members rather than community input.

She said it was unfair that the 250 Hindu families who already signed a petition have to do the same again.

She said it was never the intention of those supporting Diwali to revoke already existing school holidays and called this unfair to those observing these holidays.

When the Hindus asked for a Diwali holiday, the board asked them to explain its significance and provide proof that a majority of Hindus celebrate it, which the community did.

The significance of Diwali was debated and discussed in every board meeting for the past eight months.

The community has fulfilled the board’s requirements, Sharma and Chinta said.

During the public discussion, Jack Ouyong, president of the MillburnShort Hills Chinese Association, said the proposed policy change was dividing the community by pitting one holiday against another.

Jhumpa Lahiri to teach at Princeton ARTHUR J PAIS

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ovelist Jhumpa Lahiri, who left New York with her husband and two children for Rome, Italy, a few years ago, will join the Princeton University faculty July 1,

2015.

Lahiri has been appointed professor of creative writing and will teach workshops in fiction and translation, the university said.

Her family is full of teachers and researchers. Her mother was a school teacher in Rhode Island and her sister Simanti is a political science professor in Alabama.

Lahiri’s collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. Her 2013 novel The Lowland was a National Book Award finalist. The Lowland has just been published in paperback.

Lahiri is a writer in residence at John Cabot University in Rome, and held the same position at Vassar and Baruch colleges in New York. She has also taught at Boston University.

‘Jhumpa Lahiri is one of our era’s most distinguished writers,’ Susan Wheeler, director of Princeton’s Program in Creative Writing, said.

‘She will be a tremendous teacher to our undergraduates, who have the opportunity to study with writers who not only have received National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and other top fellowships, but are noted for their thoughtful dedication to teaching young writers.’

‘We are delighted that students will have the opportunity to study with her, as with all our faculty, in small workshop classes of under ten students and, as seniors, to be mentored one-on-one as they write their equivalent of a first book.’

Members of the Creative Writing faculty include writers Jeffrey Eugenides, Chang-rae Lee, Paul Muldoon, Joyce Carol Oates, James Richardson, Tracy K Smith, and Edmund White, among others.

Through the program’s courses, students have the opportunity to pursue original work at both beginning and advanced levels in fiction, poetry, screenwriting and translation under the guidance of these practicing, award-winning writers, the school said.

Each year two dozen seniors work with a member of the faculty on a creative writing thesis, such as a novel, screenplay, or a collection of short stories, poems, or translations.

Michael Cadden, chair, Lewis Center, said, ‘It’s thrilling to welcome Jhumpa Lahiri to Princeton’s Lewis Center. Writers of very different kinds universally agree that she is one of the world’s great storytellers. She will add the luster of her work and her considerable teaching skills to what is already the country’s leading undergraduate program in creative writing.’

Community

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

GEORGE JOSEPH

Former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma arrives with his wife Rosemary at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse, February 4.

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he family of Mathew Martoma, the former SAC portfolio manager convicted of insider trading, last week came to the Federation of Malayalee Associations of Americas convention, held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to seek support.

Martoma, 39, has three young children and his wife Dr Rosemary has never practiced medicine in the US, the family pointed out.

If the judge imposes a fine and restitution of the amount of bonus Martoma got working for SAC Capital, the family will be ruined and the young children will suffer, the family pleaded.

United States Attorney Preet Bharara’s office has recommended a jail term not less than eight years for Martoma.

In February, a federal jury convicted Martoma for helping SAC generate profits and avoid losses totaling $275 million in 2008. He is one of eight people who once worked at SAC to either be convicted of or to plead guilty to insider trading.

After the cases, the billionaire investor Steven A Cohen renamed his firm Point72 Asset Management, days before a federal judge accepted SAC’s guilty plea on insider trading charges.

Martoma, who worked for Cohen for just four years, potentially could receive the stiffest sentence yet in the federal government’s multi-year crackdown on insider trading in the $3 trillion hedge fund industry, according to The New York Times. In theory, he could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison.

Miss India USA Monica Gill crowned Miss India Worldwide

Monica Gill, left, is crowned by Nehal Bhogaita KEITH BEDFORD/REUTERS

Martoma’s family urges community support So far the 11 years given to Raj Rajaratnam, the co-founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund, is the longest sentence anyone convicted by the investigation has received. He was convicted of 14 counts of insider trading — more than Martoma’s three criminal charges. But the illicit trading

by Rajaratnam generated about $63 million, compared with the $275 million in illegal profits and avoided losses for Martoma, the Times noted.

Judge Paul G Gardephe of the United States District Court in Manhattan will pronounce the judgment July 28.

US Representative Jim Himes, fifth from left, with Ashok Nichani, Ravi Ahuja, Varghese Ninan, Dr Anil Diwan, Shailesh Naik, Zal Massani, T T Bhat, Meera Banta, Sanjay Santhanam, Viresh Sharma, Shelly Nichani and Dr Thomas Abraham at a reception in Stamford, Connecticut, June 26. Dr Abraham co-hosted the fundraiser for Congressman Himes's re-election.

GEORGE JOSEPH

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iss India USA Monica Gill was crowned the 23rd Miss India Worldwide in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, June 20.

“It was phenomenal! I had a blast,” Gill, 24, told India in New York in an e-mail. “The best part was that I got to see my family. I live in India currently so I hadn’t seen my parents for four months. They surprised me there.”

Gill was crowned by outgoing Miss India Worldwide Nehal Bhogaita. The first runner-up was Cynferth Turrian of Switzerland and the second runner-up was Priya D’Silva of Bahrain.

The pageant was organized by the New York-based India Festivals Committee headed by Dharmatma Saran, in association with Emirates Vision Events of UAE headed by John Matthew.

Judges included cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia, fashion designer Rohit Verma, astrologer Sundeep Koachar, and Saran.

“My dad stood up and put his hands in the air as soon as my name was called,” Gill said. “My brother ran up on stage and gave me a hug. He’s 10 years old so he got really into the competitive spirit. Every time I would look over to where my parents were sitting I could see him clutching my mom’s hand. It was lovely.”

Gill, from Millbury, Massachusetts, graduated from Amherst College, Boston, with a major in biology. She has been working as a clinical research associate at a biotech pharmaceutical company and as a journalist for a local newspaper. She recently moved to Mumbai to study acting.

“Bollywood isn’t the most easiest industry to enter,” Gill admitted. “All I can do is prepare the best I can and hope for the best.”

She is also a published author. She has written a chapter for the book, Gender Politics of Representation. Women’s studies was her minor in college.

Her dad Malkit Singh Gill is a retired engineer, her mother works for Bank of America.

“To win pageants, girls should have confidence,” Monica Gill said. “Confidence matters.”

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India in New York July 4, 2014

IMMIGRATION NEWS

JULY 2014 IMMIGRATION UPDATE

By Cyrus D. Mehta* White House Announces Immigration Reform Efforts, Response to Increase in Unaccompanied Children, Families President Barack Obama announced on June 30, 2014, that because House Speaker John Boehner has told him that Republicans in the House of Representatives will not pursue immigration reform legislation this year, he has directed Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to identify administrative actions that can be taken "to try to fix as much of the immigration system as possible." He said he does not "prefer taking administrative action," and that he takes executive action "only when we have a serious problem…and Congress chooses to do nothing."

Noting that "there are enough Republicans and Democrats in the House to pass an immigration bill today," President Obama said he had "held off on pressuring them for a long time to give [House Speaker John] Boehner the space he needed to get his fellow Republicans on board" with immigration reform legislation.

President Obama also sent a letter on June 30 to congressional leaders asking that they "work with me to address the urgent humanitarian challenge on the border, and support the immigration and Border Patrol agents who already apprehend and deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants every year." The letter notes, among other things, that the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are deploying additional enforcement resources, including immigration judges, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys, and asylum officers, "to focus on individuals and adults traveling with children from Central America and entering without authorization."

Shelters have been opened at three military bases, according to reports. The letter states that the Obama administration will submit a related "formal detailed request when the Congress returns from recess."

Also, on June 20, President Obama directed DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate a government-wide response to the increase in unaccompanied children entering the United States from Central America. A White House fact sheet said the first priority "is to manage the urgent humanitarian situation by making sure these children are housed, fed, and receive any necessary medical treatment." The fact sheet notes that the United States will also increase enforcement and partner with "our Central American counterparts in three key areas: combating gang violence and strengthening citizen security, spurring economic development, and improving capacity to receive and reintegrate returned families and children."

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, "We're going to open up some additional detention facilities that can accommodate adults that show up on the border with their children. And we're going to deploy some additional resources to work through their immigration cases more quickly, so they're not held in that detention facility for a long time, and hopefully [will] be quickly returned to their home countr[ies]." He blamed much of the influx on misinformation intentionally "propagated by criminal syndicates in Central America."

In Guatemala, Vice President Joe Biden recently met with regional leaders to address the increase in unaccompanied children and adults coming with their children to the United States and to discuss efforts "to address the underlying security and economic issues that cause migration."

The Obama administration announced the following related efforts: • The U.S. government will provide $9.6 million in additional support to Central American governments for receiving and reintegrating their repatriated citizens. "This funding will enable El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to make substantial investments in their existing repatriation centers, provide training to immigration officials on migrant care, and increase the capacity of these governments and nongovernmental organizations to provide expanded services to returned migrants."

• In Guatemala, the United States is launching a new $40 million U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) program over five years to improve citizen security. "This program will work in some of the most violent communities to reduce the risk factors for youth involvement in gangs and address factors driving migration to the United States."

• In El Salvador, the United States is initiating a new $25 million Crime and Violence Prevention USAID program over five years that will establish 77 youth outreach centers in addition to the 30 already in existence. "These will continue to offer services to at-risk youth who are susceptible to gang recruitment and potential migration."

• In Honduras, under the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), the United States will provide $18.5 million to support community policing and law enforcement efforts to confront gangs and other sources of crime. In addition, USAID will build on an existing initiative to support 40 youth outreach centers by soon announcing a substantial new Crime and Violence Prevention program.

• USAID is calling for proposals to support new public-private partnerships through the Global Development Alliance to increase economic and educational opportunities for at-risk youth in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

• The United States also plans to provide $161.5 million this year for CARSI programs "that are critical to enabling Central American countries to respond to the region’s most pressing security and governance challenges. On an ongoing basis, the United States is providing almost $130 million in ongoing bilateral assistance to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala for a variety of programs related to health, education, climate change, economic growth, military cooperation, and democracy assistance.

• The United States is collaborating on campaigns to help potential migrants understand the significant danger of relying on human smuggling networks and to reinforce that recently arriving children and individuals are not eligible for programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and earned citizenship provisions in comprehensive immigration reform currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress.

• The Department of Justice and DHS are taking additional steps to enhance enforcement and removal proceedings. This includes increasing detention of individuals and adults who bring their children with them and handling immigration court hearings "as quickly and efficiently as possible while also protecting those who are seeking asylum." The fact sheet says this will allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to return unlawful migrants from Central America to their home countries more quickly.

• The fact sheet notes that in FY 2013, ICE removed 47,769 undocumented individuals who came to the United States from Guatemala, 37,049 from Honduras, and 21,602 from El Salvador. This represents approximately 29% of all ICE removals.

The White House fact sheet is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-unaccompanied-childrencentral-america. A June 30, 2014, press release is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/30/president-obama-speaks-immigration-reform.

A transcript of President Obama's June 30 remarks is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/30/remarks-president-border-security-and-immigration-reform. President Obama's letter to Speaker Boehner is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/30/letter-president-efforts-address-humanitarian-situation-rio-grande-valle. A transcript of White House Press Secretary Earnest's June 20 remarks is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/press-briefing-principal-deputy-press-secretary-josh-earnest-62014.

DHS Announces DACA Renewal Process The first Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) approvals will begin to expire in September 2014. To avoid a lapse in the period of deferral and employment authorization, individuals must file renewal requests before the expiration of their current period of DACA. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages requestors to submit their renewal requests approximately 120 days (four months) before their current periods of deferred action expire.

On June 5, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the process for individuals to renew enrollment in DACA. USCIS has updated the related form to allow individuals previously enrolled in DACA to renew their deferral for a period of two years.

As of June 5, USCIS has begun accepting renewal requests.

USCIS will also continue to accept requests for DACA from individuals who have not previously sought to access the program. As of April 2014, more than 560,000 people have enrolled in DACA. Those who have not continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, are ineligible for DACA. Individuals may request DACA renewal if they continue to meet the initial criteria and: • Did not depart the United States on or after August 15, 2012, without advance parole; • Have continuously resided in the United States since they submitted their most recent DACA request that was approved; and • Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor or three or more misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

Enrollees may begin the renewal process by filing the new version of Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; Form I-765, "Application for Employment Authorization; and the I-765 Worksheet. There is a $465 filing and biometrics (fingerprints and photo) fee for filing the I-765. As with an initial request, USCIS will conduct a background check when processing DACA renewals.

USCIS will host national and local DACA informational sessions. For information on DACA engagements, see http://www.uscis.gov/outreach. Additional information will be forthcoming. Local engagement listings are available at http://www.uscis.gov/outreach/upcominglocal-engagements/upcoming-local-engagements-your-area.

USCIS's announcement is available at http://www.uscis.gov/news/secretary-johnson-announces-process-daca-renewal. To learn more about the renewal process or requesting initial consideration of DACA, see http://www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals. The new I-821D is available at http://www.uscis.gov/i-821d.

Initial guidelines for DACA are available in the 2012 memorandum at http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/s1-exercising-prosecutorial-discretion-individuals-who-came-to-us-as-children.pdf.

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Cover Story

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Sohum Daga, second from right, with, from left, his grandfather Tansukh Raj Daga, father Manoj Daga and grandmother.

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oham Daga, 17, received the Congressional Award Gold Medal — the United States Congress’ highest award for youth — from United States Representative Grace Meng (New York, Democrat) at a Capitol Hill ceremony, last week.

Sohum, who recently graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, will go to Princeton University in the fall.

To earn the Congressional Award Gold

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WHIZ KID WITH A HEART OF GOLD Soham Daga honored with Congressional Award Gold Medal.

Aziz Haniffa reports

Cover Story

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

WHIZ KID WITH A HEART OF GOLD

er, is originally from Chennai.

“As parents we are very proud that Soham has not only made strong academic and extra curricular progress, but also developed strong Indian and religious values of respect, non-violence, integrity and humility,” the Dagas said. “His efforts towards achieving the Congressional Gold Medal has made him a better human being and inculcated in him a desire to serve the community.”

Sohum said that at Princeton he would major in operational research and financial engineering, which incorporated all of his love for statistics, computer science, and economics.

“I have always been interested in these subjects and research and this was why I entered the Intel Science competition with the kind of project I did,” he added. “I have been immersed in this area for quite a while and I want to be in it in the future as well.”

In addition to earning the Congressional honor, Sohum was a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science competition — dubbed as the junior Nobel. He was also honored by the Society of Science. Sohum participated in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair earlier this year where he won the first prize for global statistics and third prize for social science and economics research.

He used data from Google Trends to develop a new model to predict the likelihood of mortgage delinquency.

Soham reminisced about his weeklong stay in DC during the Intel Science Contest finals in March and his meeting with President Obama.

“It was an absolutely extraordinary experience. President Obama said, ‘Hi, what’s your name, where are you from?’ And we talked for a couple of minutes,” Sohum recalled. “And, the week itself was quite extraordinary — we met a lot of people, explored DC and had great food.”

f PAGE 6 Medal, individuals must spend two years or more completing at least 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of both personal development and physical fitness activities, and a four-night expedition or exploration.

For his personal development, Sohum engaged in policy debate and became captain of his high school policy debate team.

To maintain his physical fitness, he pursued his fervor for cycling and swimming.

For his expedition, Sohum embarked on a six-day hike on the Appalachian Trail with his father Manoj Daga.

‘Soham is an exceptional young man who worked tirelessly to help others and achieve very challenging goals,’ Meng said during the award ceremony. ‘I’m proud of Soham for earning this huge honor, and it’s a privilege to congratulate him.’

Sohum — who lives in Meng’s district in Forest Hills, New York — fulfilled his community service by volunteering for Boy Scouts service projects in New York City, particularly in the borough of Queens. He cleaned parks, churches, senior citizen facilities, and public schools. He also helped install and maintain landscaping. In addition, he spent a summer serving communities in India by organizing medical camps and teaching students.

He told India In New York that he was “thrilled and ecstatic” to have won the award.

‘Soham is an exceptional young man who worked tirelessly to help others and achieve very challenging goals,’ United States Representative Grace Meng

Sohum Daga with United States Representatives Grace Meng and Joe Crowley.

“I was always interested in community service. My grandfather, Tansukh Raj Daga, is a huge advocate of it and I picked it up from him,” Sohum said.

He added that he was “elated” that his grandparents from India were visiting the US and were able to attend the Capitol Hill ceremony.

Sohum said he had been involved in community service and volunteering activities “for years — even before the 9th grade.”

He said that a friend who graduated from college had received the Congressional Gold Medal Award and told him about it.

“I looked at it and found it was structured in a manner that was all about the things I had already been doing. So, it was great and it further motivated me to do the things I was doing and participate in the program,” Sohum added. “It was life changing because

I was able to interact with so many different people and I had so many mentors who were guiding me on the way. It was a wonderful experience because it helped me grown in multiple ways — it made me more physically fit and volunteering in New York was such a rich experience, which I really enjoyed.”

Sohum said the debating part of the program had also helped him “become a more proficient speaker” and honed his communication skills.

“The weeklong trek with my dad was a great bonding moment. So, it was a great experience. Before embarking on college, I wanted to have one meaningful experience with my dad,” he said.

His father, who hails from Kolkata, is a recruiter of labor for a business processing company, and mother Pragya, a homemak-

‘It was an extraordinary experience.

President Obama said, “Hi, what’s your name, where are you from?” And we talked for a couple of minutes.’

— Sohum Daga on meeting the President during his visit to Washington, DC for the Intel Science Contest finals

Theater

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

From left, Tala Ashe, Bernard White, Nadine Malouf and Greg Keller in The Who & The What

Faith and fault lines Pulitzer-winner Ayad Akhtar’s new play strikes at the root of fundamentalism, finds Arthur J Pais

A

fzal, an immigrant from Pakistan who became a wealthy businessman in Atlanta owing nearly one third of the cab business in the city, is a widower with two Americanized adult daughters — Zarina, a Harvard grad, and Mahwish, the lesser accomplished of the two.

Afzal, who lost his wife to cancer, is a devout Muslim who is devoted to his daughters. He can also be wily and scheming; he creates a Muslim dating service account in Zarina’s name and then sets out to grill prospective suitors. How much do you make, he asks one man during their first encounter.

It is a comedic but serious turn in The Who and What, the new play by Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Disgraced. It is having a limited run through July 27 at one of the Lincoln Center theaters.

This man Eli (Greg Keller), who has responded to the fake advertisement, is a white American convert to Islam, and the

ERIN BAIANO

leader of a mosque.

When Zarina comes to know her father’s interference in her life, she is annoyed But she still goes out on a date with Eli after Afzal begs her to go on dates for ‘your lying and manipulative father.’

Reluctantly, she gets into discussing her long in work novel about the Prophet Mohammad and the questions she has been raising about many things attributed to him and the assumptions of many traditions including the veil.

Afzal has no idea about this novel; he has been thinking that the dozen biographies of Mohammad that Zarina has reflect her devotion.

We slowly learn that Zarina has been suffering from writer’s block, caused partly by her break-up with a Christian man — at her father’s insistence — as the unseen person had refused to become a Muslim.

In a surprising twist, Zarina decides to marry Eli; we see them happily married and the novel completed.

When Eli finds out what the novel is about, he is dismayed, but the real hell breaks loose when it accidentally falls into

Afzal’s hands. Not only is Afzal incensed by this ‘tale of the veil,’ and sexual situations in the book, he fears for Zarina’s safety.

‘In Pakistan, she would be killed for this,’ he tells her, later adding, ‘You think they can’t hurt you here?’

He not only insists that Zarina destroy the manuscript, but also scolds the mildmannered Eli for not taking his wife to task for her headstrong behavior. He insists that Eli ‘break her’.

Zarina refuses to disown or destroy the novel. And when it is published, the estrangement becomes stronger as the father loses much of his business because his property is attacked and threats are made against the family.

We watch with animated suspense how Eli is negotiating his progressive ideas through all this, and Akhtar gives us quite a few surprising situations before revealing Eli’s mindset.

In the end, just when some reconciliation seems to be coming, we see the father praying — upon hearing that Zarina is expecting her first baby — that Allah be merciful to the grandson and he not be

punished for his mother’s ‘sins.’

Just then, Akhtar injects a dramatic and moving plot turn, making this crisply directed play at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater and directed by Kimberly Senior (who also directed the hit Disgraced), a major winner.

The four-character play is served well by its actors, especially by Bernard White, a Sri Lankan who has been seen in many plays as an Indian. There are times he has to be patronizing; there are occasions he has to be commanding. He brings out the pathos in his role very nicely.

White gives a sympathetic performance for a man who seems to be full of patriarchal misogyny and who often employs emotional blackmail. What makes him human is that while he is offended and shocked by his daughter’s ideas, his deep love for her leads him to worry for her safety.

After all, said a reviewer, Salman

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Faith and fault lines f PAGE 8

playing in a theater with just about 125 seats, and the intimacy of the theater heightens the show’s impact. It deserves to go to a larger theater, but not a 1,000-seat regular Broadway theater. And it deserves to run for a long time not only in New York but anywhere in the world where fundamentalists will not hold it to ransom.

The Who & The What through July 27 Claire Towe Theater, 150 W 65th Street New York Call (212) 239-6200

Rushdie spent decades in hiding for a book that wasn’t nearly so suggestive in his novel The Satanic Verses.

As the scholarly, stubborn and fiercely honest Zarina, Nadine Malouf is commanding. She can also be tender in certain scenes and a picture of contentment in her early stages of marriage.

As her younger sister who has her share of hypocrisy and double standards, Tala Ashe is also pretty good.

The two sisters guard each other’s secrets but then comes a time when their insecurities push them into betraying each other, and both actresses excel in portraying this conflict.

If you had expected the kind of fireworks that made Disgraced such an explosive evening of theater just last year, you may be in for a major surprise.

For here is a scorching, often startling and highly reflective piece of work that strikes at the root of fundamentalism and unquestioning dogmas and customs in Islam — and by extension in any religion. .

The Who & The What is ERIN BAIANO Nadine Malouf in The Who & The What

A hint of Rushdie

S

alman Rushdie might not have seen The Who & The What as yet — or at least he has not commented on it — but Ayad Akhtar has been asked about him in recent weeks.

An off-Broadway magazine asked Akhtar if the idea of Zarina writing a book that shocks the entire community was inspired Rushdie and The Satanic Verses.

‘Yeah, I guess, in a way,’ Akhtar said. ‘The thing that I would distinguish from The Satanic Verses is that there’s a lot more love and belonging to the tradition that Zarina has than I think Rushdie has ever felt. That’s not a knock to Rushdie — I admire and adore Rushdie. I just don’t think he’s ever felt he was speaking to the Muslim world or community. I think that’s the distinction. I think Zarina is trying to question the tradition from inside, rather than stepping out and saying, “This is all bullshit and this is why,” if that makes sense. I don’t think her book would be any less negatively received than The Satanic Verses. If there were an actual book like this, I don’t think people would appreciate it very much.’

— Arthur J Pais

One of the brightest sparks in American theater

A

part from Pulitzer finalist playwright Rajiv Joseph and writer and actor Aasif Mandvi (whose one-person show Sakina’s Restaurant won an Obie over 15 years ago), Ayad Akhtar is one of the very few playwrights of South Asian origin who have made a mark in American theater.

The timing of Akhtar’s new play The Who & The What — which coincides with the 25th anniversary of death threats against Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses —could be a coincidence but we can’t think that this deeply felt, stirring, humanistic and humane play, which questions a great deal in the Koran, was conDAVE KOTINSKY/GETTY IMAGES ceived just yesterday. It must have Ayad Akhtar, right, is awarded the Pulitzer, May 30, 2013 in New York City. been brewing in the mind of New York-born Akhtar, 43, for a long the limits of scripture. Then there’s his mother’s time. ‘This play would start riots in some countries best friend, Mina, who arrives in Milwaukee runeven though it’s a very loving play ultimately,’ Akhtar has said in an interview, ‘and, in an odd way, ning away from a terrible marriage in Pakistan and who reinterprets the Koran for modern times. very respectful. So many Muslims will not agree Hayat initially follows Mina’s lead, but then turns to with what I’m doing and others will’.

Akhtar has said he got the idea for his new play in a more conservative version of Islam after Mina begins dating a Jewish man. the back of a taxi cab when an advertisement for ‘The book is an investigation of the conflict Kiss Me Kate, Cole Porter’s musical adaptation of between differing points of view as they play out in The Taming of the Shrew, flashed on the backseat the evolving consciousness of this preteen boy in television screen.

America,’ says Akhtar who calls himself a cultural Akhtar said he wondered ‘What is the obsession Muslim deeply influenced by Sufi masters. with The Taming of the Shrew that folks have? The Disgraced is about a successful New York lawyer gender politics in that play don’t really speak to the whose dinner party spins out of control amid a contemporary gender politics at work in the culheated discussion of identity and religion in the ture.’ post-9/11 America.

Then he realized there is a culture in which It had its world premiere at Chicago’s American extremely conservative ideas about men and women Theater Company in 2012 and then ran at Lincoln still resonate, and he was very familiar with that culture. Power struggle is one of the key elements in Center Theater’s Claire Tow Theater, starring Aasif Mandvi. The Broadway edition has Hari Dhillon, the new play, at times providing comic relief. who played the lead in London, and Gretchen Mol, Akhtar, who is also an occasional actor (The War Within movie which he scripted and acted in a lead, whose film credits include Rounders.

Akhtar, son of physicians who migrated to playing a would-be terrorist), is one of the busiest America from Pakistan, spent over a decade in names in theater today.

Milwaukee with his family before studying at Though he takes time off to do a TV film occaBrown and Columbia universities. sionally — he played in 2011 the White House He says he wrote several plays and even a novel financial wiz Neel Kashkari in the HBO film Too that went no where till he realized he was not minBig to Fail — writing for theater and writing fiction ing his own life and the experiences around it. is his first love.

He also wrote ‘fragments of plays’, he says, and He’s reworking his play The Invisible Hand for screenplays, but was still ignoring the golden rule – the New York Theater Workshop this fall, and his write what you know, per the British newspaper The play Disgraced, which was an off-Broadway hit and Guardian. ‘In my early 30s, I started to realize I was well received in London, hits Broadway in was avoiding something on a personal level,’ he told September. the newspaper. ‘but also as a writer. I was in denial This winter, he’s due in Berlin to finish writing about who I was, and was trying to be someone another book, following his autobiographical novel, who I was not….All I did metaphorically was to American Dervish. turn and look over my shoulder at what I was run‘Oh, and there’s a play about Wall Street he’s just ning away from. And at that moment there was an finished,’ The Associated Press reported. explosion of creativity.’

American Dervish presents what it means to be Muslim in America. There’s young Hayat’s father, a — Arthur J Pais secular humanist who doesn’t want to be bound by

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Bollywood INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Siddharth Malhotra tells Sonil Dedhia why he is not afraid to take risks so early in his career

ÂI am here to perform and not just for glamorÊ S

iddharth Malhotra has broken out of the romantic hero mold with his latest film, Ek Villain, which released June 27.

In the film he plays a character with grey shades.

The actor says initially he was worried about taking on the challenge, but he wanted to show his critics that he was more than just a good looking hero.

After two hits and the positive response to Ek Villain, do you think you have cemented your position in the industry?

I have made a good beginning. I made an interesting choice. Some people warned me not to do Ek Villain as it was a risky proposition. They didn’t think I could pull off this role.

Have you found the trade-off between stardom and losing anonymity?

I am still getting used to stardom. It’s a great place to be in.

I don’t come from a film background so I am grateful to everyone who loves my work.

At the same time, I am trying to get immune to the gossip and the link-up rumours that are written about me. There are times when I have to explain things to my friends and family. I guess that’s the flip side of stardom.

With Ek Villain, you have managed to break your chocolate boy image.

Yes, there is an image people have of me, that I did only sweet boy roles.

With Ek Villain, I got the opportunity to break

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f PAGE 10 out from this image. It is a way of answering my critics; to tell them I am here to perform and not just for glamour.

I kept hearing that I would not be able to shout, yell and do action. I hope people like me in my new avatar.

Isn’t it risky to do a film like Ek Villain so early in your career?

At this stage of my career, playing a negative character and doing a film in the thriller genre was an exciting decision for me.

I didn’t have any reference for my character. It was exciting but at the same time, I was nervous that people might not accept me in Ek Villain.

But as an actor, it was creatively very satisfying. I don’t know if the film will be successful or not.

The promos have been accepted, so I think there is some expectation from the film.

What was your experience of working with Riteish Deshmukh?

Riteish has been in the industry for quite some time now, but Ek Villain was a new twist for him too.

He has never done something like this before. He normally does entertaining and comical roles.

Both Riteish and I are playing negative characters, but I am louder in my actions. Compared to my character, Riteish’s character is unassuming.

He brought in a sense of relaxation on the sets.

Were you nervous working with a senior co-star?

No, not nervous but to get into my character I would do a lot of things that Riteish might have found very stupid (laughs).

Since I am playing an aggressive character, I would pump myself up by doing push ups before a shot to warm up and all the time I would read and rehearse my lines. But he never complained.

In fact, Mohit was also very serious on the sets so Riteish would help by lightening the mood.

How did you prepare for the role? Did you any reference points?

I didn’t have any reference points. Films like Shah Rukh Khan’s Darr or Sanjay Dutt’s Khalnayak, which I had seen in my growing up days, subconsciously became reference points.

Although Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt played negative characters, they were likeable.

Ek Villain is different, but I did derive some inspiration from those films.

Earlier, my character was very loud and a complete bhai (gangster). Later, we decided to tone it down.

ÂI am here to perform and not just for glamorÊ I worked on my look and decided to keep the stubble with some tattoos. My character in the film doesn’t speak too much so I had to convey a lot through my expressions.

I pushed my limits as an actor for Ek Villain.

Is there a dark side to your personality?

Every person has a dark side. I was born and brought up in Delhi and played a lot of sports. I used to play rugby, which requires a lot of physical strength. The game requires you to get aggressive. I think that helped me to play my character.

Who is that ek villain that you hate the most?

The whole journey of coming from Delhi to Mumbai

and struggling to survive in the industry, the producers who rejected me and some who gave me films that never started (laughs).

Even getting a house in Mumbai is a big task. People reject you for wrong reasons, even if you have the money.

They have an issue because you are an actor.

Mumbai city is a villain if you come from outside. But the city has given me a lot and I am happy to stay here.

You are unhappy with rumours linking you romantically. Do you need to clarify things to your parents?

Yes, at times. The link-up rumours affect my parents.

They are written so convincingly that anyone will start believing them.

There are times when my parents have called me and said, ‘Acha beta aaj tumhare bare main padha ki koi heroine ke saath tumhara affair hai’ (Today we have read that you are having an affair with some heroine).

They are going through the same training session as I am.

You have constantly denied rumours of being involved with Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor and Izabelle Leite. Are you single?

I am single and don’t have an affair with any of my co-stars.

I’m very fond of Shraddha and Alia and we bond well.

Our off-screen chemistry helps us work better on screen.

During the making of Student of the Year, I did hang out with Alia. In the same way, Shraddha and I spent time during the making of Ek Villain. I hope people stop reading between the lines.

There was also news about a tiff between Varun Dhawan and you.

Yes, Varun and I had a huge laugh when we read it. People just pit Varun and me against each other to create rumours.

In fact, we tried to fight over the phone but we simply couldn’t do it. We tried to abuse each

other, but it didn’t work.

We have been friends even before we started doing films.

We can pick up the phone at any time and share our problems. I don’t think we can ever fight.

You are doing a film with Akshay Kumar.

It’s not official. We have not announced the cast as yet so I can’t talk about it.

It will be interesting if Akshay is a part of the film. It is an exciting script and it has a lot of scope for two characters.

The film is about mixed martial arts and fighting. I will have to start training for it soon.

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Bollywood INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

ALL THAT GLITTERS

PHOTOGRAPHS: PRADEEP BANDEKAR

Singer Shaan arrives at an event organized by the Bollywood music fraternity to pay tribute to the late music composer R D Burman on his 75th birth anniversary.

A PEEK INTO THE WEEK’S GLITZIEST TINSEL TOWN EVENTS

Musician Jatin Pandit and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Singer Sonu Nigam pens his tribute.

Udit Narayan with his wife.

Percussionist Taufiq Qureshi and Wajid of the music director duo Sajid-Wajid.

Singers Kunal Ganjawala and Javed Ali.

Sajid Khan’s Humshakals may have been panned by the critics, but the film is doing well at the box office. The makers celebrated the success with a party in Mumbai.

Right, director Sajid Khan.

Above, actress Esha Gupta, one of the leading ladies of the film.

Below, actors Ram Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh share a light moment.

Bollywood

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ACTING LESSONS FROM

PARINEETI CHOPRA

P

arineeti Chopra will mentor struggling actors in the upcoming Zee TV show Cinestars Ki Khoj, which provides struggling actors a platform to showcase their talent.

The winners will be given a ticket to Bollywood.

Ayushmann Khurana will also join them during the audition phase.

The judges of the show are actress Sonali Bendre and Dhoom 3 director Vijay Krishna Acharya.

Parineeti said her insights and experience in Bollywood would prove helpful for new comers.

“I am on the show for only two weeks, as a guest. I will tell the aspiring actors what they could have done if they were on the sets. It will really help them,” she added.

“They don’t know how shooting happens on the sets, with lights, camera, mic etc. From my personal experience, I am going to tell them the nuances. But I can’t teach them because I am not experienced enough.”

Parineeti recalled how she got into Bollywood two years ago.

She started out as an aspiring investment banker after completing her studies in England, but since the 2008 recession made jobs in banking scarce, she came to India and applied to Yash Raj Productions as a public relations executive.

“After one-and-a-half years I thought of giving acting a shot. The good thing is I did not struggle. I got my first film, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, easily,” she said. “I have a backup plan.

Everybody should have a backup plan. I am a

banker. The day people get bored of me and don’t want to watch my films, I will go back to banking.”

She advised aspiring actors to be practical.

“Don’t leave your job without getting an acting offer,” Parineeti said. “Very few people in the industry are lucky to get a film without much struggle and be successful. If you aspire to be an actor, go ahead. But do have a backup plan because you can’t predict your future in the industry.”

Parineeti said she was happy that she had mentors like filmmaker Manish Sharma and producer Aditya Chopra.

Asked on how she manages to stay so grounded, the actress joked, “My weight. I am very heavy. I can’t fly.”

Does she think it will be easier for aspiring actors to get a foothold in the industry if they have a backing, like she had from her cousin Priyanka Chopra?

“I think for many people it could have been, but in my case it didn’t happen. Because I was working already in Yash Raj Films, and I was supported by Aditya Chopra and Manish Sharma. It had nothing to do with being Priyanka’s sister or anything,” she said.

Parineeti believes age doesn’t matter in Bollywood.

“There could be someone as young as Alia Bhatt who started at the age of 17 and actress Rekha, who is still acting,” she said. “Looks, luck or talent don’t matter.”

— Rajul Hegde

The name is Rani, Rani Mukerji ani Mukherji, who got married to film producer Aditya Chopra in a very private ceremony in Italy this April, R opened up about her marriage at the trailer launch of her

PRADEEP BANDEKAR

Rani Mukerji at the trailer launch of Mardaani.

upcoming film Mardaani.

“I know many people are upset that I got married at a far away destination, but I had no say in it,” she said. My husband took me, and I couldn’t say anything to him. I had no choice.”

The actress added that she had not changed her name after marriage.

“You can call me Rani like you have been calling me. My name hasn’t changed. My name in film titles will be Rani Mukerji. I love my name and all my fans know me by that name. In my personal life, when I admit children to school, I will have to change my surname,” she said.

Rani added that marriage had hardly changed her husband — known to be a reclusive man, who shies away from the media.

“We are always together. We go out together. As a person, he made a conscious decision to concentrate more on his work rather then being seen, and I don’t think marriage has changed that decision,” she said. “Marriage does not make you a different person; it is just an extension. I am sure he will want to maintain his privacy. As long as he is visible to me, I am very happy.

Now that she is the wife of a powerful producer, surely she has more power?

“Once you marry a man, you get a lot of power in the household. But apart from that, I can’t say anything. I have power in the kitchen,” was Rani’s reply.

— Patcy N

Tiger Shroff ’s tribute to Michael Jackson fter the success of his debut film, A Heropanti, Tiger

Shroff is bringing out a music video dedicated to his idol Michael Jackson.

According to the Mumbai Mirror Tiger, with some of his friends, has remixed the song Whistle Baja from Heropanti and Billy Jean from Jackson’s album Thriller.

The music video has been directed by one of Tiger’s friends and will be released online in the first week of July as a tribute to the King of Pop.

‘MJ is my inspiration, he’s the reason I started dancing. The idea has been with me for several years but it’s only now that I feel ready to go ahead with it,’ Tiger told Mirror.

‘I can never be as good as MJ, but as a mimic I think I do a pretty good job of it.’

Tiger who is producing the video is eager to see how his fans react to it.

‘A lot of them have written to me asking for something like this,’ he added. ‘I’m now putting my own money in it.’

Bollywood

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John Abraham in Force.

fter Force, director Nishikant Kamat has teamed up with John Abraham A once again. The filmmaker is excited about

The Force of John and Nishikant

the action sequences in the upcoming film.

“I have done one kind of action in Force. Doing the same thing would be repetitive. We’re taking the action to another level in Rocky Handsome. Here, the stunts would be very stylized, almost choreographed,” Nishikant tells India in New York.

He says he needed to shoot John’s action scenes in a controlled studio atmosphere: “That’s why I’m shooting in Hyderabad. I am shooting a fight sequence on a slippery steam-filled road.”

Though Nishikant is not divulging details, it is learnt that John’s stunts will be in the style that the South Korean actor Won Bin had adopted in The Man From Nowhere, the film which Rocky Handsome adapts.

“It is a very lose adaptation,” says Nishikant. “We are moulding and contemporizing the original. There is no point in doing a remake unless you take the original to another level.”

Shruti Haasan has been cast as John’s wife.

Nishikant will be shooting till the end of July.

— Subhash K Jha

SRK undergoes surgery

hah Rukh Khan underS went a successful eye surgery June 24.

The actor tweeted, ‘A big thank you to Dr. Burjor Banaji & his lovely wife for doing my surgery. It’s so good, that now I can read even between the lines.’

‘This is a joke... so some of u don’t react to as an anti alcohol group. Now that I don’t need glasses I will drink straight from the bottle,’ he added.

Dhanush to do one Hindi, one Tamil film a year

Raanjhanaa last year. But he is not going to pick one over the other. He now plans to do only one film each in Tamil and Hindi every year.

‘I want to deliver the best,’ he was quoted as saying. ‘I want to devote my time completely to one film. Right now I don’t feel I am doing justice to any film, and I gave it a lot of thought.’

He has several Tamil films in hand at the moment, but plans to finish them this year: ‘Right now I am doing one Hindi film, which is directed by R Balki, and wrapping up a couple of Tamil films. Also, I am starting two more Tamil films this year.’

But from 2015, he adds, ‘I will do one each (in Hindi and Tamil), that is the only practical thing that can be done.’

Dhanush in Raanjhanaa.

Author Chetan Bhagat, who has written the screenplay for Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez starrer Kick, has fun on the sets of the film.

He tweeted this picture saying, ‘Needed makeup tips. Guess who helped out. One of my fav pics with Kick Chick.’

Jacqueline quickly replied: ‘@chetan_bhagat you are such a diva!!’

COURTESY: TWITTER.COM/CHETAN_BHAGAT

hanush, a National Award winning Tamil actor, made an D impressive debut in Bollywood with

Food

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

SOCCER FEAST PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY: CHEF KUNAL KAPUR

Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur shares quick-fix recipes for the World Cup season with Rajul Hegde For Pesto 1 cup basil leaves 2 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted 2 garlic cloves Salt to taste ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated Bread slices as required

250 gm chicken, minced 1 tbsp garlic, chopped 3 tbsp carrot, finely chopped 3 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp pepper powder 1 egg ½ cup rice (small, thin grain) Oil for greasing Salt to taste

Pesto Hummus with Crispy Bread No of portions: 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups chickpeas, boiled 4 garlic cloves ¼ cup lemon juice Salt to taste 2 tbsp tahini A pinch of red chilli powder 3tbsp, virgin olive oil

Focaccia slices 6 nos (regular bread if focaccia is not available)

Method

Cut the sides of the bread. Using the rolling pin slightly flatten the soft bread.

Line a muffin mould with the sliced bread. Push the bread to the corners of the mould.

Place these moulds in a preheated oven for 2 mins at 180ºF. Remove and keep aside. Now mix together milk, egg, cheese, thyme, pepper, salt, chopped bell peppers and baby corn.

Using a spoon fill the bread with this mixture. Now in a preheated oven bake the quiche at 180ºF for 12 mins.

Remove and serve immediately.

Method

Wash and soak the rice for two hours.

Drain the water and keep aside.

Place the chicken mince in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients well and divide it into equal-sized balls.

Roll these balls in the soaked raw rice and carefully place these small porcupines on a greased plate.

Get the steamer ready and steam these on high heat for 15 minutes.

Remove and serve these cute chicken porcupines with soy sauce on the side.

Ingredients 1 cup cheese, grated Salt to taste Pepper to taste 1 sprig of thyme ½ cup peppers, chopped ¼ cup baby corn, chopped

Ingredients

Apply salt and lemon juice to the fish.

Keep aside 2-3 mins. Now add green chillies to kasundhi and dip the fish slices in it.

Immediately roll the fish in flour, nicely pat it so that the flour coats the fish evenly.

Now break eggs in a bowl and lightly whisk them.

Dip the fish in the eggs and then roll the fish in bread crumbs.

Heat oil and deep fry the fish in hot oil. Serve hot with kasundhi.

No of portions: 4 Prep time: 15 minutes

Blend the boiled chickpeas with garlic, lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and tahini into a fine paste.

Serves: 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Method

Crostini of Cherry Tomato and Olives

Method

Chicken Porcupine

2 eggs 2 cups bread crumbs Oil for frying

Desi Style Fried Fish Separately in a blender add basil, garlic, salt, olive oil and pine nuts.

Make into a coarse paste.

Remove and add grated cheese.

Combine hummus with pesto and mix well.

Pour on top olive oil and serve with crispy bread.

Bread Quiche No of portions: 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients 4 bread slices 1 egg ½ cup milk

No of portions: 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

8 fish slices 2 tbsp lemon juice Salt to taste 2 tsp green chilli, chopped 5 tbsp kasundhi (mustard paste) Flour for dipping

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ cup olives, sliced 1 tsp garlic, chopped 20 cherry tomatoes Few basil leaves 1 cup parmesan cheese, flaked (use any hard cheese if not parmesan) Salt to taste Pepper to taste

Method

Slice the cherry tomato.

Chop up the basil leaves.

In a bowl combine olives, chopped garlic, basil leaves and olive oil.

Toast the bread till crisp.

Remove and spoon the olive and tomato topping on this crisp bread.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese.

Celebrity chef and judge of Master Chef India Season 1, 2 and 3, Kunal Kapur recently launched his first cookbook — A Chef in Every Home.

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Special INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Left, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, actors Deepti Naval and Rajat Kapoor, and filmmakers Govind Nihalani and Amol Gupte.

Above, Deepti Naval closes the festival while actress Shilpa Shukla looks on.

Bringing world cinema to the land of high passes Snapshots from Patcy N’s Ladakh Film Festival diary.

Photographs: Reuben N V

T

he third edition of the three-day Ladakh Film Festival kicked off June 27 with Rangbhoomi, Kamal Swaroop’s documentary on Dadasaheb Phalke. The film traces Phalke’s journey to Benaras when he gave up films for theater.

Other festival highlights included the Asian premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bollywood — The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.

The festival featured 19 films in the competition section, out of which eight were feature films and the rest documentaries and shorts from different parts of the world.

In the non-competitive level, 67 films were screened at different venues in Ladakh.

The jury consisted of Indian director, cinematographer Govind Nihalani, who has been associated with LIFF since its inception, and two international judges — Maxine Williamson, head, Asia Pacific screen awards; and Klaus Eder, secretary, International Federation of Film critics.

This is Maxine’s first visit to India even though she has worked in quite a few Indian films. “Leh has the laidback Australian lifestyle like back home. It’s relaxing and lovely,” she said.

Maxine is a huge fan of Anurag Kashyap and Ritesh Batra’s films. She said she was also very excited about Marathi cinema.

Klaus has attended quite a few Indian film festivals in Delhi, Mumbai, West Bengal and Kerala. This is his first visit to Ladakh, and he loved every moment of it.

“The best part is that the Ladakh people can watch films that they could not see otherwise. I’m very curious to see how the public will react,” he said. “I have been to many film festivals. At the Cannes Film Festival, you see major art films from Europe and America, and just a couple

Jury members Klaus Eder and Maxine Williamson announce the winners.

from Asia. When I came here, I learned that there are film production houses in Ladakh and so many Ladakhi films have been made here that no one in the world knows about. I want to watch these films. I haven’t watched them yet because they are not in the competition.”

Klaus said he had had the pleasure of meeting the late legend Satyajit Ray. “I am very interested in Bengali cinema,” he added.

Nihalani said it was not easy to attract films for a festival that was only three years old: “There are logistical problems. This year, the films are limited in number, but are interesting because of the themes they tackle. They are humanitarian, technically well ahead of its times.

Tribute to a legend

The festival also paid tribute to late veteran actor Farooque Shaikh, who passed away following a heart attack in December last year.

The tribute was kicked off with a small collage of his work from memorable films like Chashme Buddoor, Katha, Bazaar, Umrao Jaan and his first film, Garam Hawa.

Deepti Naval, who starred opposite Shaikh in many of his films paid tribute to him.

‘Every time I have to speak about Farooque Shaikh, I am at a loss for words. He was such an endearing person and a wonderful actor. He never acted; he lived the part. I have done nine films and two television serials with him,’ she said. ‘Everybody knows about our rapport on screen, we had great camaraderie as co-stars, which is rare to find.’

Naval, who attended the film fest for the first time, said, ‘This is the best venue to hold a film festival. I feel there should be a lot of local participation as well.

PAGE 17 g

Special

‘I don’t make films for box-office success’

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Anurag Kashyap tells Patcy N about his new film Ugly and his run-in with the Indian Censor Board

A

Things are changing rapidly.

Everything is judged on the basis of how much money it has made, it is a scary place to be in, and 2012. look what money is doing to peoHe subsequently went back to prople. moting promising new writers by proDo you think Ugly will be a sucducing films like Vasan Bala’s Peddlers, cess?

Bengali filmmaker Q’s Tasher Desh, I don’t make films for box-office Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox and success. If I think like that, I will Hansal Mehta’s National award-winnot be able to make a film. My ning Shahid. whole idea is to make a film the Two years on, he is back in the direcbest way I can and make it at the tor’s chair. least possible cost.

Ugly, his latest film is a psychologiEven my most expensive film — cal thriller that is centred around a Bombay Velvet — is very less if child’s kidnapping and has been you compare it to the current screened at the Cannes and New York numbers of other films.

India Film Festivals.

We are done with the shooting While it is set to open in Indian theand editing for the film. The plan aters in September this year, it recentis to release it November 20. ly premiered at the Ladakh Can you tell us about your disInternational Film Festival. agreement with the Censor Board over them putting the ‘No Ugly, like your previous films, is Smoking’ logo in Ugly? dark. What attracts you to dark stoIf you see the film, in a very cruries? cial moment where Ronit Roy’s A film like Ugly awakens you. When character holds a cigarette in his people saw this film, the first thing hand, he doesn’t even light it. they did was call their children. The But they want to put a logo effect it had on them was very positive. there, it’s a distraction for the This film is very important to me as audience, why do you need a tickit comes from a very personal space er when the character is not even and fear. smoking? Anyway, I fought for it This is what I see around me all the to be removed and I lost. time in a world obsessed with gadgets Do you think if all the producers and money. and filmmakers came together in Are you concerned for your daughter support of removing these warnAaliya?

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap at the screening of Ugly ings from films, it would work?

What is the purest thing in the at the Ladakh International Film Festival.

I don’t think so. world? It is the relationship that you I don’t work in groups, I will fight my own battles, and deal share with your children and from that love stems the fear of with my own films. losing them.

What about the use of abusive language in the film?

What kind of research work went into this film?

I have asked for a strictly ‘A’ certificate. This film is not for I have researched a lot on this film. It is an ongoing process, children. sometimes when I am researching for one film, I discover a That said, the language I have used in the film is the kind of story for another. the language that is used in everyday life.

Can you give us an instance when that happened?

When will we see you making romantic films?

While working on Black Friday in 2006, I came across a For me Dev D and Bombay Velvet are romantic films. story that subsequently became one of the subplots in Ugly India’s idea of romantic films is false. with minor changes.

Why do you want me to make films like other filmmakers?

Ugly is based on three different real-life incidents that I I don’t have to prove anything; I am not looking at scoring merged to make one new story. These incidents occurred in box-office hits, I don’t want to outdo anyone. I want to do my Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh. own thing.

How do you think cinema and its various aspects have I just take responsibility for my films; I don’t want anyone to changed over the years? lose money on my film.

Today, a kid on the street wouldn’t know what cinema is but What next? he will be aware of a film’s box-office figures.

I have no idea.

When we were kids, we did not know how much Sholay had For now, I have Ugly, Bombay Velvet and a television serial earned, which film is good and which is not. Our parents (Yudh, starring Amitabh Bachchan). would tell us, ‘Don’t see this film. It’s not good for you.’

REUBEN N V

nurag Kashyap’s last directorial venture, the epic Gangs of Wasseypur, hit the marquee in

Bringing world cinema to the land of high passes f PAGE 16 I want lots of local audiences to come and see the films and discuss the films. This festival should be organised on a larger scale.’

Of winners and no shows

The festival concluded with some clear winners.

Kaafiron Ki Namaaz by two Mumbai-based youngsters, won four awards — Best Feature Film, Best Debutant Director and Best Screenplay (Ram Ramesh Sharma) and Best Actor (the late Chandraas Tiwari and Alok Chatrurvedi).

The second film to get the maximum awards was an Iranian film called Wet Letters.

It won Best Director for Marjan Ashrafizadeh, Best Actress for Masoumeh Ghasemipur and Best Cinematographer for Mohammad Rasouli.

The Best Documentary Award went to Cuban film Roque Dalton: Lets Shoot the Night.

The Best Short Film went to Prashant Vanjani film Villari.

A Grand Prize was awarded to Sri Lankan documentary White Van Stories and Venezuelan feature film The Return: Home Coming.

National award-winning filmmaker Shaji Karun was invited to give away the prizes.

The final day of the festival also had fun activities like fish planting, where fish were released in the Sindhu River by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Deepti Naval, Amole Gupte and Rajat Kapoor.

Films like Vikas Behl’s Queen, Deepti Naval’s Do Aane Ki Dhoop Aur Char Aane Ki Baarish, Amol Gupte’s Hawaa Hawaai, Transformers: Age Of Extinction and Rakeyesh Omprakash Mehra’s wife P S Bharathi’s Rubaru were also screened.

Rubaru, incidentally, is a documentary on the making of Mehra’s Rang De Basanti.

But in some ways the third edition of the LIFF was quite disappointing, as the local people did not participate at all.

The screenings barely had any audience. In fact, many screening had to be cancelled because the theaters ran empty.

The locals apparently were not even aware of the festival.

Out of the 67 films that were to be screened, only 15 were finally shown. Some shows were also cancelled due to technical reasons.

The Druk Padma Karpo Education Society organized a cultural show on the last evening, followed by a lavish dinner.

Although it was interesting, the students, who lived in the hostel, had to serve food till late at night even though they had a test the next day.

18

The Week That Was INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Trinamool lawmaker threatens rivals with rape

Rescue workers conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of the collapsed building on the outskirts of Chennai June 28.

A videotape surfaced last week, showing Trinamool Congress party Member of Parliament Tapas Pal threatening to get Communist Party of India-Marxist supporters raped as political retribution. It sparked an uproar and the Bengali movie star-turned-lawmaker’s wife apologized ‘to the people of the country for the comments made.’ The Trinamool has asked Pal to give an explanation for his remarks within 48 hours.

Minister’s mantra: Morals to prevent AIDS, ban sex education India’s new Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said culture was more important than condoms in controlling AIDS. Dr Vardhan told The New York Times that promoting condoms encouraged illicit sexual relationships. Dr Vardhan also stirred up another controversy by saying that sex education in schools should be banned.

In the ‘vision document’ for Delhi, which was posted on his Web site, he said, ‘So-called ‘sex education’ to be banned. Value education will be integrated with course content. Yoga should be made compulsory.’

After the issue blew up into a controversy, the minister denied having said that sex education should be banned.

Court refuses suit about Vodafone India’s Supreme Court July 1 refused to hear a public interest litigation seeking to direct the Indian government to recover $3.5 billion from UK telecom major Vodafone. The court, however, allowed the petitioner to file a fresh plea.

4 killed as Rajdhani Express derails in Bihar

28 people die in Chennai building collapse BABU/REUTERS

At least 28 people were killed and many trapped inside as an under-construction multistoried building collapsed in Chennai, June 28. National Disaster Response Force personnel pulled 23 people out alive from the rubble. Six people had been arrested in connection with the collapse.

Four passengers were killed and several others injured when a dozen bogies of the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed near Chhapra, Bihar, June 25.

Railway officials initially suspected sabotage by Maoists, and a Bihar policeman said his warning about an imminent Maoist attack was taken lightly by the railway officials. India’s The site of the pipeline burst in Andhra Pradesh, June 27.

Gas pipeline blast kills 15

REUTERS

A massive explosion in a government-owned gas pipeline in Andhra Pradesh killed at least 15 people and injured several others, June 27. The blast occurred at 5.30 am due to a gas leak in a pipeline owned by the Gas Authority of India Limited at Nagaram, around 347 miles from Hyderabad. Several people were burned alive in the fire with flames shooting up almost 60 feet along with thick smoke, a fire department official said.

home ministry and Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi ruled out the theory.

‘No trace of blast on the track or any other evidence suggesting sabotage has been found,’ Manjhi said.

Cooking gas, aviation fuel prices hiked In the first such increase in six months, the prices of non-subsidized cooking gas was July 1 hiked by Rs 16.50 per cylinder and that of jet fuel by over half-a-percent after international oil prices surged due to the ongoing Iraq crisis.

Meanwhile, 94 Indians flew out of Iraq June 30 after a ‘pro-active approach’ initiated by the Indian officials there that would see nearly 600 nationals leaving the war-hit country to safety this week.

Unable to afford pencil, notebook, Odisha schoolgirl commits suicide Jayanti Naik, 14, committed suicide in Odisha’s Ganjam district June 25 because her parents could not afford to pay for a notebook and pencils.

Jayanti’s father, a daily wage laborer, and mother, who works as a domestic help, said their daughter was a bright student and had been recently promoted to the seventh grade.

After the school reopened June 23, Jayanti had repeatedly asked her mother to buy stationery, but the couple did not have enough money.

Ganjam Collector Premchand Choudhury ordered an inquiry into the incident, which has again highlighted the failure of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan — a government-run program to provide free and compulsory education to all children between 6 to 14 years.

Sushma Swaraj ‘satisfied’ with Bangladesh visit India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made her first foreign tour, a two-day visit to Bangladesh, last week. In meetings with her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, key issues like visa simplification for certain categories as well as cooperation on supply of electricity from a Tripura-based power plant were discussed. Swaraj reportedly also spoke about the Land Boundary Agreement — aimed at redrawing the international boundary between India

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The Week That Was

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

f PAGE 18 and Bangladesh by exchanging enclaves along with population on either side and making the highly porous India-Bangladesh border more manageable — the proposed Teesta river water sharing deal between the two nations, and the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India.

Delhi court summons Sonia, Rahul Gandhi Congress party President Sonia Gandhi and her son, Congress party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, have been asked to appear in a Delhi court August 7 in a case that accuses them of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

The case was filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party;s Subramanian Swamy, who claims that the Gandhis broke the law to grab valuable properties in Delhi, including the office of the National Herald, a newspaper that was set up in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru. It shut down in 2008.

Delhi University standoff ends After a standoff with the University Grants Commission, Delhi University agreed to scrap the four-year undergraduate program — introduced last year — and revert to the three-year degree course.

Nearly 300,000 students had been caught in a row between the UGC and the university over the controversial program, as admissions to the university had been stalled.

No headway on black money stashed in Switzerland A day after news reports quoted an unnamed Swiss official as saying that the Swiss government had drawn up a list of Indians who had parked their money in Swiss banks and was ready to share it with New Delhi, India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley last week said his ministry had received no such communication from Swiss authorities. The Swiss ministry of finance also denied any such development.

VVIP helicopter deal: CBI questions M K Narayanan India’s Central Bureau of Investigation questioned West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan June 27 as a ‘witness’ in connection with the VVIP AgustaWestland helicopter scam.

Narayanan, former Indian national security adviser, was asked to appear before CBI officers to record his statement in connection with the deal as he was part of the group which had discussed the tender procedures before the purchase of the helicopters, CBI sources told the Press Trust of India.

Rickshaw pullers wade through a flooded road after heavy rains in Guwahati, June 27.

The INS Kamorta.

India’s first indigenously built anti-submarine ship is ready India’s first indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare corvette, the INS Kamorta, is ready to be commissioned into the Indian Navy this month, defence officials said in Kolkata.

It will be the first warship armed with an indigenous rocket launcher for anti-submarine warfare.

Bus to Myanmar soon?

India may launch a weekly cross-border bus service between Imphal in Manipur and Mandalay in central Myanmar. According to The Hindustan Times, the service is likely to start from October and will cover a distance of 360 miles in about 14 hours. Currently there is no direct road link between India and Myanmar.

Swine flu back in Delhi With 14 more people testing positive for the H1N1 swine flu virus in Delhi June 21, the number of people infected with the disease in India rose to 215. The government said there was no reason to panic, and the situation was in control.

Gujarat chief minister announces 33% reservation for women in police Gujarat’s first woman Chief Minister Anandi Patel has announced a 33 percent reservation for women in the state police force.

‘It is necessary to empower women for their upliftment in society,’ she said. ‘My government has decided to provide 33 percent reservation to women in police recruitments.’

Amarnath Yatra begins Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir June 27 flagged off the first batch of 1,160 pilgrims from the Jammu base camp to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir.

Six killed in Guwahati floods

Movie star’s driver held on rape charges UTPAL BARUAH/REUTERS

Six people were killed in landslides triggered by flash floods and heavy rains in Guwahati, Assam, June 27. All the main thoroughfares and most areas in the city were flooded, disrupting daily life.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s driver was arrested June 26 for allegedly raping a minor who worked as a domestic help on the pretext of getting her a job at the actor’s residence.

According to The Times of India, Rajendra Gautam alias Pintu Mishra, 34, who has been working with the Khan family for seven years was arrested for raping the 17-year-old victim at a lodge in Thane district, which adjoins Mumbai.

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Sports INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

India embark on marathon tour of England

Indian players during a warm-up session in England.

TONY MARSHALL/GETTY IMAGES

HARESH PANDYA

M

uch is at stake, including pride, for Team India as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company embark on a marathon tour of England featuring five Tests, five one day internationals and a Twenty20 game through September.

Not since 1959 has an Indian team played a five-Test series in England. Any tour of England, long or short, is not without its own challenges, on and off the field, regardless of whether the home team is powerful or weak.

To conquer weather and other conditions, including slower and often unpredictable pitches, calls for more than just cricket talents.

The last time India toured England, in 2011, the team had come a cropper in all the four Tests despite having seasoned players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Chinks in the seemingly star-studded batting line-up were thoroughly exposed. Barring Dravid and to some extent Tendulkar, no Indian batsman could face the formidable English attack almost throughout the series.

The bowling, too, lost much of its sheen and sting after Zaheer Khan broke down with a leg injury on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s.

While Dhoni’s army is armed with two most potent weapons in Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara to succeed in England this time, it is crippled by the recent retirement of his tried and trusted soldiers — Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar.

Worse, except Dhoni, Gambhir and Ishant Sharma, no other member of the team has played a single Test in England.

The relatively young side, however, possesses some exceptionally talented players who, if they apply their minds and translate their potential into sterling performances, should be able to make up for India’s pathetic show in 2011.

Opener Murali Vijay has figured in 22 Tests but not yet

cemented his place in the team, and continues to remain unpredictable with the bat. He has the technique and temperament to shine in England.

With Gambhir returning to the team after a long lay-off and Shikhar Dhawan increasingly unreliable for his tendency to play irresponsible shots even in Test matches, there is a heavy responsibility on Vijay’s shoulders to lay the foundation for a good total by dropping anchor at the other end.

To recall Gambhir for the important tour of England is a wise decision. He is a champion batsman who has already proved his ability in all formats. Petty things like form, or lack of it, should hardly be a hindrance for players like him.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that Kohli and Pujara will make the most of the five Tests. They can enhance their reputation by essaying some brilliant, mammoth innings.

Another batsman whose success in England can be taken for granted is Ajinkya Rahane, who has never ceased to impress since his Test debut against Australia a year ago.

He was one of India’s few successes in South Africa and New Zealand.

For all his great talent and a couple of big innings in his six-Test career so far, Rohit Sharma gives the impression of being an enigma of sorts at the Test level. He will have to show more application and determination to succeed in England. While his approach is very positive, he must understand that patience at the crease has an important place in Test cricket.

Despite its inexperience and certain minus points, this very batting line-up, which has Dhoni at number 7, Ravindra Jadeja at number 8 and Ravichandran Ashwin at number 9, who are no pushovers with the bat, can pose serious threats to English bowlers. In order to compensate for India’s poor bowling, particularly in the pace department, they will have to play out of their skins.

Fast bowling is a major concern for this team, whose attack is spearheaded by someone like Ishant Sharma, who will struggle to get into any national team other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. And he has played 55 Tests,

which shows how bare the country’s pace bowling cupboard is.

Mohammed Shami should be our best bet in the Test series as far as fast bowling is concerned. He has the pace, variations and a cool mind. Shami has not done badly in his six-Test career, and the English conditions will suit him better than any other Indian medium-pacer.

This leaves us with Varun Aaron, Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey. While Aaron has played one Test, Singh and Pandey are yet to figure in any. They might get an opportunity or two in the five Tests, but only excessively optimistic cricket enthusiasts will expect too much from them.

So much has already been said and written about Umesh Yadav’s omission. The fact is he is not picked, and it is pointless debating whether he would have been a better choice or not, or whether he would have used the English conditions to his advantage.

Orthodox left-arm spinner Jadeja and off-break bowler Ashwin are in the process of becoming a lethal spin-bowling pair. Some of the English batsmen, yet to recover from the shock defeat in the Ashes battle in Australia, may find the duo too hot to handle when they bowl in tandem in helpful conditions.

Just like at home, on this tour too India’s chances of bowling out England twice will rest more on Jadeja and Ashwin than on Ishant Sharma, Shami and company.

Both Jadeja and Ashwin have it in them to run through this particular English batting line-up, which has no Kevin Pietersen, their best batsman against spinners.

It will be imperative for India’s seamers to make early inroads into the seemingly strong English batting order for the spinners to torture them further. A daunting task, but certainly not difficult.

But will the young Indian batsmen persistently stand up to Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and other English fast bowlers on wickets and in conditions tailor-made for them? India’s success, or failure, in the exhaustive five-Test series is likely to revolve around this key question.

Sports

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INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 4, 2014

Saina Nehwal O clinches Australian Open

lympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal produced a dominating performance to beat Spain’s Carolina Marin in the final and win the $750,000 Star Australian Super Series in Sydney June 29.

The sixth seeded Indian, who won the India Open Grand Prix Gold earlier this year, prevailed 21-18, 2111 in 43 minutes.

The 24-year-old Saina, who enjoyed a 1-0 head-tohead record against Marin going into the final match, logged the first point and then displayed deft net play to take a 5-2 lead in the opening game.

But the 21-year-old Marin was not one to give up easily and showed just why she is considered one of the feisty players on the circuit.

Marin narrowed the gap to 6-8, but seemed distinctly out of her comfort zone every time the Indian shuttler dragged her towards the net.

Saina went into the interval leading 11-7 after an intriguing rally, which ended with the Spaniard smashing the shuttle wide.

Marin raised her game after the break, but Saina was quick to counter-attack and returned smashes with intensity.

In between, Marin played some fine strokes but they were inconsistent as Saina made it 17-12 before sealing the opening game 21-18 after her world number 11 rival smashed one into the net 23 minutes into the match.

In the second game, Marin’s determination helped her take a 3-1 lead, but it was not too long before Saina regained control on the back of some wellplaced strokes from the baseline.

Perhaps, taking a cue from Marin, the Indian too let some emotion show as she clenched her fist and shouted ‘come on’ after every clinched point.

However, one of her shouts came about in the middle of a rally, prompting Marin to complain to the chair umpire, who merely asked her to continue.

The distraction didn’t do Marin any good as Saina raced to a 11-4 lead.

Dominating the proceedings, Saina produced some of her trademark smashes to race to a commanding lead before some moments of drama.

Leading 19-9, she challenged a line call that went against her but replays showed that the shuttle had landed wide. The Indian made another mistake while playing the next point as she buried an attempted smash into the net.

But she made amends quickly and clinched the title after Marin hit wide.

MATT KING/GETTY IMAGES

S

Saina Nehwal competes in the women’s singles final against Carolina Marin of Spain.

N Srinivasan is new International Cricket Council boss

uspended Indian cricket chief Narayanaswami Srinivasan was appointed the new International Cricket Council chairman at the council’s annual conference in Melbourne last week.

After his confirmation, Srinivasan — who was asked by India’s Supreme Court to step down as Board of Control for

Cricket in India chief so that a fair probe could be carried out into an illegal betting scandal involving his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in last year’s Indian Premier League — sought to dispel the notion that he was not the right choice to head the international body.

‘As far as I’m concerned, I have done nothing wrong,’ Srinivasan told reporters.

‘There is no wrongdoing on my part, and therefore my conscience is very clear that there is no taint on me. Whatever investigation is there will take its course, reports will come out. He (Meiyappan) has to defend himself in court. You have to wait until everything is clear at the end of the day.’

Srinivasan took over as the first

chairman of the ICC after its 52-member council approved a controversial revamp of the body’s administrative structure.

He said his immediate aim would be to ‘make cricket more interesting by making it more competitive, and this is where you will find in this new structure, there is a lot of emphasis on meritocracy.’

22

CLASSIFIEDS Matrimonial Bride

AGRAWAL parents invite alliance for physician daughter, 28yrs/5'6'', fair and slim, vegetarian, US citizen, Hematology Oncology fellow.

Pls respond with biodata & recent photos.

77alliance@gmail.com

PUNJABI parents (USA), seeking Punjabi boy age, 35-39, educated and clean shaven; for their USA citizen daughter, 1979/5’4”, never married. Pl respond with biodata/ recent picture to: luthra1983@gmail.com or (347) 938-3030

SEEKING suitable, US born professional, for a slim, beautiful US born Ph.D. daughter, 35/5’3”. Email biodata and recent photo to: summersrch614@gmail.com

Matrimonial Groom

HANDSOME Punjabi boys, 5’11”/1980 & 5’10”/1983, well-educated, USA citizens. Girl should be educated and from good family. Email biodata with recent picture to : luthra1983@gmail.com (347) 938-3030

Business / Finance Business For Sale

#INDIA EMPLOYMENT AGENCY

Estb 1982.

Bkkpr-A/C,Secy, data entry, Clerk, CSR,Import/Prod/ Merchandiser/designer, legal, chemist/pharmacist, lab tech, warehouse Mgr, sales/mktg, engineer, tvl agt. Interview in NYC by appt only.

(212) 564-0620

APPETIZER CHEF/ SERVER REQUIRED at Indian Restaurant in Long Island.

Excellent salary + accommodation.

Gary: (917) 208-4027

LOOKING FOR Tandooria & Waiter for restaurant in NJ. Accommodation available.

Call (201) 658-9797

RESTAURANT HELP: Cook, Tandoori Cook, Helper, Waiter. Call (716) 8370460. (716) 830-6432.

SALON D'ARTISTA needs eyebrows threader & hair stylist, Long Island, Deerpark.

Call Amal (917) 238-7945.

Household Help Wanted

CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR TRAVEL CONSULTANT International Travel & Hospitality Group require Inbound and Outbound Travel/Tour Consultants.

The candidates with 3-4 years retail travel consulting experience and knowledge of Sabre GDS may send their resume at: jdnyhrd@yahoo.com CHEF NEEDED Competitive salary Taj, Leela, Oberoi, ITC Experience preferred.

Mastery of North/ South/ Tandoor. Located in Wisconsin.

Call (414) 581-3784 Send resume to: skpholdings@gmail.com

GUJARATI FAMILY IN OHIO Looking for household help to include:- cooking, cleaning, light child care, laundry, errands. Couples welcome. Must be able to drive and live separately.

Offering competitive salary/ pay package with benefits. Please email contact info and biodata to: ohm.hospitality@ gmail.com

India in New York July 4, 2014 CLASSIFIED RATES

Job Wanted EXPERT in computers in Jackson Hts. Part-time service only. (646) 407-0008

Services / Miscellaneous REAL ESTATE Room For Rent

ELMHURST: Wanted a lady to share an apt.

Room available.(718) 651-9319.

Apartment/ House To Rent

UPSCALE 1 BR apartment.

Laundry, dishwasher, high end finishes. Walk to all. 30 minutes to NYC. Lovely water views. Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, NY. $1,650. Call (914) 484-4582.

BOX NUMBER ADS Please follow these steps while replying to any box number advertisement.

Seal your reply in an envelope (not exceeding 41/2”X91/2”) addressed to the box number and put this in another envelope, along with one loose 43¢ stamp:

“BOX REPLIES” India in New York 42 Broadway, Suite 1836 New York, NY 10004 Other advertisers can be contacted directly either by writing to the address or calling the telephone number given in the advertisement.

Regular ads: $2.00 per word; minimum 10 words. Box number $6.00 extra.

Display Classified The use of borders, different type or any graphics changes your classified advertisement to display classified. Rate $40 per column inch (column width 2”).

Can accommodate upto 25 words per column inch with no graphics.

Job Wanted If you are unemployed and looking for a job you may list a FREE advertisement under Job Wanted. Maximum 25 words including your name, address and telephone number.

Complete address and telephone number of the advertiser are required for India in New York’s records prior to publishing an advertisement.

Full remittance must accompany all advertisement orders.

All valid credit cards are acceptable.

CLOSING DATE: Monday for coming Friday’s issue. cancellation: Any advertisement cancelled before its publication will be charged a processing fee of $5.

India in New York reserves the right not to accept an advertiser’s order. No telephone order will be accepted. All ads are subject to editing.

House/Flat Sale/Lease:India

RESIDENTIAL lot for sale Bangalore, 5400 sqft Eagleton Golf resort.

Sureddy03@yahoo.com

FOR SPECIAL

INDIAN RESTAURANT for sale.

Please call (716) 830-6432.

Employment Help Wanted

PROFESSIONAL Dosa Chef, Helper & Indo-Chinese Chef needed immediately. (732) 986-7099 PART-TIME Cook wanted. Small Indian restaurant in Hell's kitchen/ Times Sq. needs a part-time cook.

(9 am to 1 pm.) Call (917) 438-8314/ (347) 837-4767.

RATES & DISCOUNTS PLEASE CALL 800.822.3532

Place your ad online www.indiaabroad.com/classifieds

India in New York July 4, 2014

Construction (General)

JAIN ACCOUNTING & TAX SERVICES

AJEET CONSTRUCTION

Tel: (718) 961-1726 (917) 607-4923

ACCOUNTING

AND

PREPARATION Businesses.

for

TAX

Individual,

Singh

&

Shah,

270-01 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde

Park,

NY

11040

(718) 343.4343.

Renovation, carpentry, roofing, concrete, plumbing, electrical, kitchens, bathrooms, doctor offices, stores, finished bsmts, tiling, flooring, siding, windows, exteriors, dormers, new homes. Fully insured NYC Lic # 0850530 Nass Lic # H18E0880000 Suff Lic # 32760-H

(718) 347-9118 / (C) (516) 924-2393

Computer/ IT service

WEB SITE DESIGN, Point of Sale System & Software, Computer Services.

Courier Services

Call: (347) 510-9393

120514AY

DEV M. KINI, MBA, CPA, CFP, Accounting, Financial

Auditing,

Planning,

21

West

PH.

(212)

947-6787;

(732) 322-4971.

HARISH

032715AY

HATHIWALA,

CPA

Specializing in Small Businesses, Accounting, Auditing, Income Tax, New Business Set up Service.

NYC

(212)

714-1988,

Architect

(201) 656-2000

ARCHITECTURAL Residential,

NJ 051515AY

WORK, Commercial,

Violation Removal, Filling, Permits, CO’s,

Fire

Sprinkler.

Astrology

SINGH (516) 932-8093

BRINDAVAN International

030615Y

DHAAM famed

astrologer

091914A

144 West 37 St., 4th Fl., New York, NY 10018

Tel. Nos.: (NYC) 212-575-8300 (LA) 187788EACNY www.EACny.com INDO

US

EXPRESS

Worldwide

Courier,

Forwarders, Delivery,

Freight

Competitive

Phone:

INC.,

Domestic

(212)

447

Rush Prices.

-

Video/Photo

Toll Free: 1 (800) 870-5845

SHRI

PHOTO

Professional

090514A

VIDEO

DJ: Video

filming, and music for your special occasions. Call Raja (516) 354-0909;

Wedding Service

SAI

PAAN

Jasmine

&

082914AY

GARLAND.

Gajara,

Merrigold

Acharya Laxmikant Sharma. Any

Garlands,

work possible by vedic pooja/right

Bananna

astrological

Bhanu Shetty (718) 446-6060,

(201) 420-6750/6259.

consultation 092614AY

Mandap, leaves

(732) 549-6465.

etc.

Tulsi,.

Call

112114AY

BEAUTY INSTITUTE

NY Flushing Beauty Institute NEW YORK STATE LICENCED BEAUTY SCHOOL • Cosmetology (Hairs) • Esthetics (Skin Care) • Nail Technology • Waxing

Knowledge is Power

WE PROVIDE THESE TUITIONS Nails, Skin Care, Cosmetology, Waxing

NURSE AIDE $589 EKG TECHNICIAN $399 PHLEBOTOMY TECHNICIAN $399 PHARMACY TECHNICIAN $749 EKG & PHLEBOTOMY $589 MEDICAL ASSISTANT $3500 Licensed by NYS Education Dept.

WE ACCEPT WORKFORCE VOUCHERS

Call: (718) 565-9500 (718) 406-9290/(718) 565-9501

5720;

Photography,

www.shriproductions.com

NY INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL CAREERS

• Open 7 Days • Easy Paymnet Plan • Job Placement Assistance • National and State Exams on premises

Eastern Air Couriers, Inc

Tax,

38th St., 9th Floor, NY 10018;

www.i2htech.com

0 060515AY

40-03 170th St., Flushing, NY 11358 RELIABLE • DEPENDABLE • PROFESSIONAL FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION • New Business Set-Ups • Payroll & Sales Tax Returns • Computerized Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Services • Tax Returns for: Individuals, Corporations, Partnerships, Proprietorships.

CALL ASHOK JAIN, EA, ABA

050815AY

Accountants / CPA

020615AY

BUSINESS/SERVICES DIRECTORY

YES! You Can.

23

36-09 Main St., 6 FL, Flushing, NY 11354

718.461.5252

TRAVEL

24

India in New York July 4, 2014

GURUPURNIMA CELEBRATION