IAN 032610 Business

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Friday, March 26 , 2010

www.indoamerican-news.com

Business IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Coherent Strategy and Execution What business management is all about his avid readers the principles of running a

By Jacob David Coherent Strategy and Execution: An Eye- successful business.

In an exclusive interview with Indo-Ameropening Parable, is a captivating tale about management in the upper ranks. Written by ican News, Ravi Kathuria (RK) offered us Houston based author, Ravi Gopaldas Kath- more insight on his new fictional piece: uria, CEO, Cohegic Corporation, he narrates JD: First, HINTEC is a great acronym in simple prose the basic tenets that holds crucial for the success of any company. for a corporation, is that made up?

RK: Yes, it is something I came up with. I As the title reads, it is a parable – a simple wanted to place story that illustrates my story in a business moral.

Houston where It has been said, I have enjoyed “There is strength living for more in unity,” and the than twenty new proprietary years. term “cohegic” JD: Why have coined by Kathuria you named the combines the two fiction an eyewords “strategic” opening parand “coherence” able? to drive home the RK: A parable point that busiimparts a moral. ness cannot be run My story is simif diverse/divisive ple, yet effecprinciples operate tive, it imparts within a corporaa business mortion. For business al – the moral enthusiasts, the of how to run parable is effective. your business Trent Wertheimer, successfully by top performing driving clarity sales executive, by the end of Chap- Ravi Kathuria, CEO, Cohegic Corporation is and coherence bringing new light to business management ter 1 becomes the that helps put personal differences aside and in the organizaCEO of the entire focus with clarity on the company mission at tion. The book makes simple corporation, oust- hand. points, but these ing Barry Elrod, former CEO who is starting to slack in per- simple points come together amazingly to deliver a powerful and eye-opening mesformance.

For Trent Wertheimer who now holds the sage.

JD: How is the vision tied to the mission reins of control, he faces immense pressure to live up to the expectations of Cedric, of a company? Should vision be singuthe founder of Hintec – Houston Business lar?

RK: Great question. In many companies, Intelligence Technologies, and in trying to rein in his team to work together to achieve these terms are often confused. Mission is a common objective. Surprisingly, it takes the purpose, the passion behind the compamore than just tactics to make this work. It ny. It rarely changes. Vision is the descripis a much different ball game than achiev- tion of a desired state in the future. Once a ing sales numbers when it comes to dealing company achieves its vision, it would dewith people on his team from various de- velop a new one. Vision does not have to partments. His reins of control start splitting be singular, it changes, while mission stays constant. hairs and tensions mount.

JD: How do goals tie in with the vision?

Ravi Kathuria focuses on core business RK: Goals are milestones to be achieved. principles. Trent Wertheimer, his failing protagonist is placed in a mire of daily busi- A company can break down its vision to ness problems. Being a perfectionist, a suc- yearly goals that can be reached and progcessful sales executive, a good husband to ress measured. Effective measurement of his wife, he now finds himself struggling to the goals reached is the criteria to reaching get the entire company to work together to the final vision.

JD: What is the Cohegic business methachieve a common objective. Modern day CEO’s will find a reflection of themselves in od you present for businesses?

RK: To succeed in business you have to Trent Wertheimer, or can easily place themselves in his shoes. Does Trent Wertheimer focus on five facets: 1. Spirit 2. Direction, need the reader to pity him? Certainly not! 3. Engine 4. Execution 5. Cohesion. Every It is a sink or swim kind of situation and aspect of your business will fit within one Ravi Kathuria brilliantly teaches his protagonist to swim and succeed whilst teaching continued on page 41 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

25

26

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

B U S I N E S S in d ia

Ashish Rajpal : The Man with the Mad Ideas

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

27

Pranab Launches India First Life Insurance

The founder-MD of iDiscoveri wants a million students to escape the rote method of our education system

By Veena Venugopal Now that I’ve got it in my head, I can’t wait,” says Ashish Rajpal, as he goes hunting for the second time in less than a minute to find the errant waiter who’s supposed to bring us our beers. We had started the meeting at 5pm at the coffee shop of the Park Plaza Hotel in Gurgaon, and since the sun was still up and neither of us wanted to be the first to ask for an alcoholic drink, we settled for cappuccinos. But at some point the 41-year-old iDiscoveri founder said, “The stories I can tell you after a couple of beers”—and that was cue enough. The shining sun notwithstanding, he hailed a waiter and we ordered our beers.

In the course of the evening, I realized that when Rajpal gets something into his head, it often leads to lifealtering consequences for him. As it did when after two years as a brand manager for Procter and Gamble’s Ariel detergent, he thought that working in the beer-brewing business in Russia would be a good career move.

Or when, at 30, as the worldwide marketing director of Group Danone, living in Paris—a stone’s throw from Champs-Élysées—and travelling the world, he got it into his head that he should return to India and do “something” in education. So he went to Harvard, studied about education, came back and initiated his attempt at changing Indian education by setting

up iDiscoveri.

But let’s start at the beginning.

“IgrewupinDelhi and spent my teenage years trekking in the mountains and that was my first contact with the other India.

That led to some kind of desire to do socially relevant stuff— for lack of a better terminology.

During college (economi c s hono u r s from Delhi University), I hung

Back to school: Rajpal’s decision to work in the field of education was the outcome of his experience as a parent.

around NGOs, doing internships in Uttarakhand. But I came from a background where I needed to get a job quickly, so this NGO romance didn’t last long,” he says.

An MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, in 1992 and a campus placement offer from P&G followed.

Two years later came the call from Moscow. Boris Yeltsin had taken charge and it was a tumultuous time in Russia. The Khemkas had set up Sun Brewing there and needed someone to run the business. “They took me for a titillation visit. In February 1994, when I was 25, I showed up in Moscow. It was -33 degrees Celsius. They took me by a propeller plane to Kursk on the Ukraine border and showed one of their plants. It was all very heady. I came back, called my mother and told her that I was moving to Russia. It was a rocky time— the bread queues were huge and you could see the old babushkas begging.

Everybody thought I was mad to go,” he says. He quickly married his girlfriend, Rachna, and they moved to Moscow. Mint

Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee with MoS, Mr. S.S. Palanimanickam and CMD, Bank of Baroda and Chairman, IndiaFirst Life Insurance, Mr. M. D. Mallya at the launch of ‘IndiaFirst Life Insurance’ in New Delhi on March 19. Photo: Ramesh Sharma

NEW DELHI: The State-run lenders Bank of Baroda (BoB), Andhra Bank and their British partner Legal & General on Friday announced the formal launch of their life insurance venture, IndiaFirst here.

IndiaFirst Life Insurance, which is the 23rd player in the sector, has an equity capital of Rs. 330 crore, and is headquartered in Mumbai. In this three-way joint venture, BoB holds 44 per cent, Andhra Bank has an equity stake of 30 per cent with the remaining 26 per cent being held by the British partner-the maximum permissible FDI limit in the sector.

After formally launching the operations of the youngest insurer, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “Insurance has huge market potential and insurance is a key area where we require more penetration and reach.”

In the financial services space, he said, “The insurance sector has immense opportunity to grow not in terms of just providing life insurance, but also in its contribution to overall economic growth, by augmenting savings.”

All factors are in place for the domestic life insurance industry to blossom in one of the fastest growing financial services markets in the world.“I hope this life insurance joint venture to penetrate in to hitherto uninsured areas in rural areas; it should also generate more business opportunities,” Mukherjee said.

Speaking about the new venture, Bank of Baroda chairman and managing director MD Mallya, who will also be the chairman of the insurance company, said the bank will be distributing insurance products through its 1,150 branches. Hindu

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

28

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

B U S I N E S S in d ia

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

The New Satyam: All Options on Sale are Open Satyam CEO, Achutuni Sreenivasa Murty, is now in the hot seat

By T V Mahalingam About a month after founder Ramalinga Raju’s exit, Satyam Computer Services has a new boss. Achutuni Sreenivasa Murty has been given the task of steering the IT major through the perfect storm. Wary customers, a demoralised workforce, lack of clarity on the company’s financial situation are just the tip of the iceberg. The ongoing probe threatens to throw up names of more employees involved in the fraud. Add to this the impact of the global recession on the Indian IT industry, and the magnitude of Murty’s task seems herculean.

Although relatively unknown, Murty knows a lot about Satyam and IT. After spending 12 years at TCS, he joined Satyam as Head of Delivery in 1993. In 1999, he moved to HR, before its mint-fresh board gave him the top job. In an email interview to TV Mahalingam, Murty explained how he plans to tackle the challenges ahead, though he refrained from commenting on some specifics like number of customers, the state of Rs 1,700 crore receivables and legal proceedings against Raju.

As CEO, what are your top five priorities in the immediate term?

My immediate priority is to initiate and continue with measures that will instil confidence in all our stakeholders—customers, associates, alliance partners, vendors, etc—and to ensure business continuity. The newly-constituted board has done an extraordinary job with these efforts in the past month, which continue to be a critical focus for Satyam.

Other priorities are to assess the company’s financial position, evaluate cost-rationalisation alternatives, evaluate long-term strategic options, assess and manage legal liabilities, and resume investments in identified areas.

What has been the nature of your interactions with customers so far? What is the action plan to restore customer confidence in the company?

Clearly, the scale and nature of events to which Satyam and its customers have been subjected are

financial challenges ahead.

Key January expenditures, including salaries and operational expenses (the cause for significant mediaspeculation), were addressed from our internal accruals.

Going forward, the organisation is confident that it will be able to manage stakeholder expectaAchutuni Sreenivasa Murty, CEO, Satyam Computer tions.

When will Services the accounts unusual and, in many ways, unprecbe re-stated? edented. Initially, there was disbelief Given that the company must reand discomfort, and understandably state accounts for the last few years, so. In the past 30 days, a phenom- the effort will take quite some time. enal turnaround has taken place. Our Painstaking work is under way to board is in place; funding has been ensure that it happens quickly, and secured; a CEO has been appointed; as accurately as possible. The teams and, most importantly, we have main- appointed to restate accounts will be tained constant, live and transparent assisted by special advisors—notably updates through the crisis.

Partho S Datta, former Finance DirecMany clients empathise with our tor, Murugappa Group. They bring situation, and have stood by us. They considerable company experience have given us confidence to perse- and an external perspective. With vere. Now that Satyam is regaining these appointments, Satyam now has stability, we expect things to only im- a roster of world-class talent at the prove. It is our turn to reassure clients helm of the company that is quite unat every opportunity. To that extent, like any other in the industry. our plans are realistic and focussed There is some confusion over the at the account level, thus ensuring company’s headcount. Is it 53,000, that each customer understands and as stated in your third-quarter appreciates our efforts. results?

At the same time, we are ensuring Internal validations give us every that deliverables are uninterrupted. reason to believe this number. HowIn many cases, customers have ex- ever, given our situation, we recogpressed a pleasant surprise that deliv- nise the importance of confirming erables have actually improved. that belief with an official statement, How are cash flows? which we will do soon after the audit At first glance, it appears we should is completed. be able to secure our operations with What steps has Satyam taken to monthly collections. However, given restore employee morale? that some vendor payments for NoWe’re in business-as-usual mode. vember and December must be ad- Plans for the next 30, 60 and 90 days dressed, the board has managed to are being developed secure a working capital loan of $130 Associates have shown tremenmillion. The loan, along with healthy dous resilience and have been a pilcollections from clients, will help the lar of strength throughout this crisis. company manage several short-term Morale among employees is high.

Associate attrition is well within control, and teams remain committed to clients and to one another. To ensure that morale stays high, we provide regular, clear and forthright communication via town hall-style meetings, webinars, a daily newsletter and email updates from other senior executives and me.

All of these are well-received, as they describe the organisation’s dayto-day progress, and refute wrong or misleading information that appears in various media outlets. We will continue to communicate, win business, provide exceptional customer service and value, and invest in our employees.

How does the company plan to tackle the class-action suits initiated in the US? Satyam is taking all necessary and prudent actions to address legal liabilities. We are confident that our exposure is limited. In addition to its long-standing US legal counsel, Latham and Watkins (which continues to advise Satyam on US regulatory matters), we have added Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz, a firm that specialises in class-action suits. Latham and Watkins have represented Satyam in the US for eight years, and will continue to support the company in its continuing dialogue with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

What’s the time period to identify a suitable buyer for Satyam?

Have you firmed up any criteria for choosing a buyer?

Our board and executive team have a fiduciary duty to consider all serious offers, and all options are being kept open. Satyam has a promising future, whether or not it remains an independent entity. The company has a world-class roster of clients. It enjoys remarkably strong relationships with its customers and suppliers. It has deep business, industry, process and technology competencies. Its staff is among the most professional and dedicated in the industry. Its board represents some of the best management talent available.

Do you see your appointment as a stop-gap measure before Satyam is acquired? What are your terms, in terms of tenure and mandate?

As clarified by the board, I have a full-time role. The organisation has been through a serious crisis, and my role is to help it get back on its feet.

Do you see the company ever returning to a business-as-usual mode?

We are in a business-as-usual mode.

Detailed plans for the next 30, 60 and 90 days are being developed.

When these plans are complete, we will share them with the appropriate audience. Meanwhile, our immediate priorities remain assuring and retaining associates and customers, prudently managing our finances and working on cost-optimisation measures. - Outlook

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDIA

Tata Nano is No More a No-No in Singur Several people who had once opposed the Tata factory in Singur, got deliveries of the Nano recently

By Romita Datta SINGUR, WEST BENGAL: Arun Das was once an activist belonging to the Trinamool Congress. The 55-year-old joined the party when it was formed in 1998. He quit because he didn’t agree with its opposition to the Tata Motors Ltd factory for the Nano in Singur.

The protests forced the car maker to move the factory to Sanand in Gujarat. When he left the party, Das booked a Nano despite being told by some people that “he would pay dearly” if he did so.

Das, who expects to receive his car next month, isn’t worried. “The Nano is no more a no-no in Singur,” he said.

A Tata dealer has started stocking Nanos in a yard close to the controversial factory site.

The local branch of State Bank of India had received over 30 loan applications for the Nano car and so far sanctioned seven, according to its manager P.K. Chandra.

In the 18 months since Tata Motors left Singur, things have changed.

Several people in Singur have applied for the Nano—some have even received the car recently—and many of them were those who had earlier opposed the factory, according to Das. “They now agree with me that we shouldn’t have opposed it.”

Bashir Mallick, a small trader and a Trinamool Congress activist from Rajarambati near Singur, supported the agitation against the factory, but now drives a Nano.

“We have nothing against the Nano,” said Rabindranath Bhattacharya, the Trinamool Congress’ legislator from Singur. “We opposed the forcible land acquisition.”

His reference is to the West Bengal government’s acquisition, sometimes forcibly, of land from farmers for the Tata Motors factory.

The Trinamool Congress, the traditional rival of the Left Front government in the state, adopted the cause of such farmers as its own and orches-

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

Javed Akhtar & Mani Shankar Aiyar Nominated as Rajya Sabha Members NEW DELHI: Lyricist and poet JavedAkhtar and the former Union Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, were among five persons who have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Ram Dayal Munda, former Vice-Chancellor of Ranchi University, who is also a tribal welfare activist and a regional music exponent; Bhalchandra Mungekar, an economist of repute and former Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University and a former Planning Commission member; and B. Jayashree, an eminent theatre person from Karnataka, are the three other eminent persons who have been nominated to the Council of States.

The new nominations have been made to fill the vacancies caused due to the retirement of nominated members. -Hindu

Holding area: Nano cars at the stockyard of Lexus Motors in Singur, West Bengal, barely 3km from Tata Motors’ abandoned factory site.

trated protests targeting Tata Motors and the state government.

Interestingly, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is now India’s rail minister. She inaugurated last week an auto hub at Shalimar railway yard on the outskirts of Kolkata. Soon after, 30 Nanos rolled into the yard after being unloaded from a train.

Tata Motors’ Kolkata dealer Lexus Motors Pvt. Ltd receives 40 Nanos a week from Pantnagar in Uttarakhand, where the cars are made in another Tata Motors factory.

The cars stocked in Singur are sold in West Bengal.

Lexus keeps the cars in a stockyard in Singur, barely 3km from the abandoned factory site.

While some protesters might have had a change of heart regarding the Nano, what hasn’t changed is the fate of those people who protested the state’s move to forcibly acquire their land by not accepting any compensation for it.

There were 2,156 such people who refused to accept cheques and they together own 243.66 acres of the land acquired for the factory, said Abdur Rezzak Mollah, West Bengal’s land and land reforms minister.

The state government has offered

the land—around 900 acres in all—to the railways, but Banerjee has said her ministry would only consider using it for a project if the state government returned at least 400 acres to the farmers who opposed the acquisition.

“The state government doesn’t want to get into this because of legal complexities,” said a state government official, who did not want to be identified given the controversies surrounding the factory site at Singur.

Though it recognizes that no project will be set up in Singur unless at least 250 acres is returned to the farmers, the state government has tried to wash its hands of this responsibility, according to this person.

Tata Motors, which was allotted 645 acres, has said it would vacate the land if compensated for the amount it invested in the factory; the state government estimates this at Rs300-500 crore. If Tata Motors vacates the plot, its component suppliers too would follow suit. They were given around 250 acres.

“Compensating Tata Motors isn’t going to be a problem for the railways, but it refuses to take the responsibility of returning land to farmers,” the state government official added. - Mint

29

Indo-American News

29 years in publication, chosen 1st among readers Thank you!

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

30

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

in d ia

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Terrorists Using Cell Numbers Indians Punished in Dubai for Lewd Texting of Innocents to Mask Messages MUMBAI: Mumbai police have managed to track down two or three websites that are used to send masked messages and are collaborating with IT experts to get to the bottom of the matter, reports V Narayan from TNN. Two cases on getting rude SMS from a number a person knows, going to police with a complaint and then finding out that the supposed sender is clueless about what happened, have been reported to Mumbai police in the past month.

Though the police officials are yet to track down the sender, they have managed to unearth a bizarre truth, that of the ‘masked SMS’. The user has to register on a website (for as little as $10) and can send text messages to and from any mobile number on the planet without being identified. “We have received two complaints in the last one month where the sender’s number was camouflaged,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria.

The masked SMS service is easy to operate. Giving TOI a demo, the IT expert logged on and sent this reporter an SMS from his colleague’s number with utmost ease.

Of course, the friend had no record of the said message in his outbox.

Senior Nasscom officials say these websites can be blocked but it’s a long process.

IT industry sources said, “It’s rare for the real miscreant to be caught

in such a situation because people might register under false identities and also commit credit card fraud to pay the small registration fee,” says IT expert Vijay Mukhi. If caught, can the culprit be charged under our laws? “Yes,” says Mukhi. “Section 66 A of the ITAct talks about sending offensive messages using any communication device, Section 66 C is the identity theft section and Section 66 D the cheating by impersonation section.” A pornographic message will be charged under Section 66 E, while Section 66 F is quoted in the case of cyber terrorism.

If proved, the offence of identity theft attracts a 3-year jail term plus a cash fine of upto Rs. 1 lakh in India. While there is a misuse of computer act that is invoked in such cases in the U.S., the law in India is still inadequate to handle such innovative mobile spoofing. “Based on our findings we will decide what action should be taken against these websites. If need be, we could pull them down as well,” he added.

Commenting on the action plan for this matter, Mukhi says, “Not immediately. As of now, one just has to be careful and cross-check the credibility of a message before filing a complaint.” He added that the need of the hour is to spread awareness about the problem. “Time was when wi-fi was misused but we’ve managed to tackle that. Camouflaging is a dangerous issue and must be dealt with seriously and immediately.”-SI

DUBAI: Three Indians, including two cabin crew of UAE’s Emirates Airline, have been sentenced to three-month in jail in connection with a case of exchanging “lewd” text messages, a media report said on Wednesday.

A 42-year-old flight attendant and a 47-year-old cabin services supervisor both unidentified - of Emirates Airline were convicted of “coercion to commit sin” after sending each other sexually themed SMS messages, the National newspaper reported court documents as saying.

The texts “fulfilled all the necessary angles of coercion to the commitment of sin,” the court said.

The pair, both Indian, were earlier sentenced to six months in prison and deportation by the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours in December. But the Appeals Court halved their jail sentences and scrapped the deportation orders last week.

There was not enough evidence to prove that the pair had extramarital relations, it added. The flight attendant’s 25-year-old sister was also convicted of

perjury and sentenced to three months and deportation by the lower court, the paper said, adding her deportation order was withdrawn on appeal.

The case came to light went the flight attendant’s husband filed a lawsuit against his wife in March 2009 claim-

ing that she was involved in an illicit relationship with the supervisor. The couple had been embroiled in a divorce battle since 2007, the paper said.

During the divorce proceedings, the court ordered Dubai’s telecommunications company Etisalat to produce copies of flight attendant’s text messages after the husband accused his wife of an affair.

Etisalat submitted them to the court in October 2008. Five months later, the flight attendant’s husband filed a criminal complaint against her, charging her with having an affair and saying her text messages were an insult to Islam, the paper said.

The attendant’s husband has since gained custody of the couple’s fouryear-old son after the divorce was finalised, it reported.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

www.indoamerican-news.com

Friday, March 26 , 2010

South Asia IndoAmerican News news of the south asian diaspora that matters

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

31

Tragic Fire on Kolkata’s Park Street Smoke and flames billowing out of a multi-storeyed building, where five leaped to their death and 14 others trapped in the inferno.

Pakistan Comes to Washington with a Long Shopping List WASHINGTON: Pakistan has submitted a wish list to Washington ahead of high-level talks this week, asking for pilotless drones and helicopters as well as economic and other aid, said US and Pakistani officials on Tuesday.

The 56-page document, set to be discussed in talks in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, covers a range of demands including a request for more help on water and energy as Pakistan struggles with daily power cuts across the country.

Speaking after talks with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his country’s civilian government and the military had a “very clear plan” for what needed to be done.

“We articulated that collectively, you know, what the Pakistani priorities are,” said Qureshi, who met Senator John Kerry, one of the authors of landmark legislation last year for a five-year, $7.5 billion aid package for Pakistan.

The Pentagon played Pakistan’s ambassador down the chance of any big to the United States, Huannouncement of fresh aid sain Haqqani, said Islamat the end of the talks this abad wanted to be certain week, saying the dialogue that its own security confocused on the bolstering cerns were addressed in long-term bilateral ties. the region.

“I would not look to this, A US defense official at the end of it, for there to said the comprehensive be some great announcedocument was seen as a ment about any hard items concrete sign of progress in that are being produced as bridging once gaping misUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Pakistan’s a result of the conversatrust between Washington Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. tions,” Geoff Morrell, Penand Pakistan, a key ally in tagon press secretary, told the US fight to topple al ington, much like India has, a request reporters. that has consistently been refused Qaeda and to stabilize neighboring “This is a dialogue designed to because of a fear of angering New Afghanistan. produce a better long-term strategic Delhi, an arch-rival of Islamabad.

It was also an indication that Islamrelationship between our two counA US official also pointed out that abad, whose delegation this week intries. This is not simply about asking discussions on a nuclear deal would cludes Army General Ashfaq Parvez and receiving items.” also require consensus approval from Kayani, was taking this week’s talks US officials said the Pentagon was the 46-nation Nuclear Suppliers in Washington seriously. reviewing the 56-page document Group (NSG) as well as US congresWashington has ramped up its milioutlining Islamabad’s needs, which sional approval, which had been a tary aid for Pakistan, and the Pentainclude items long publicly sought lengthy process with the Indians. gon announced in January plans to

by Pakistan.

Another area Pakistan wants to supply 12 unarmed “Shadow” drones Pakistan is also interested in a civil- cover in the talks this week is India’s to boost Pakistan’s surveillance opian nuclear arrangement with Wash- growing role in Afghanistan. erations.

The latest request is believed to repeat Pakistani pleas for “shoot-andkill” drones being used by the United States to target militants, closely-held technology that Washington is reluctant to share.

Earlier this year, Washington also approved the delivery of 18 F-16 fighter jets and a thousand laserguided bomb kits, a US defense official said.

Qureshi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jointly chair a day of meetings on Wednesday which will include security issues.

Qureshi said the goal was to have a “partnership” with the United States.“The dialogue that I am going to lead tomorrow is very important to bring about a qualitative difference in our relationship.”

US and Pakistani officials said there would likely be greater details given of security help for Pakistan, with timetables on when funds and equipment would be delivered, as well as specifics on water, agriculture and energy projects.

800 Universities, 35,000 Colleges by 2020 Prayer is asking from God Meditation is Listening to God To learn more about meditation, please join our weekly programs for free

Hindi Program: Every 1st and 3rd Saturday

English Program: Every Sunday

India House 8888 W Belfort St. Houston, TX 77031

University of St. Thomas (Robertson Hall, Rm 213) 3889 Yaokum Blvd.

Houston, TX 77006

Dhyan/Meditation: 11:00 am Satsang/Spiritual Discourse: 11:30 am Dhyan / Meditation: 10:00 am Question & Answer Session: 12:30 pm Satsang / Spiritual Discourse: 10:30 am Question & Answer Session: 11:30 Contact: am • Satnam or Daya Sharma: 713 261 7212 Contact: • Monesha or Sanjay Malhotra: •Dottie or Greg Williams: 713 686 0642 713 235 0133 • Daya Sharma: 713 261 7212, www.sos.org • Sanjay: 713 235 0133 www.sos.org

NEW DELHI: India will need at least 800 more universities and another 35,000 colleges in the next ten years to increase the percentage of students going for higher education from the present 12.4 per cent in the country, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said in New Delhi on Wednesday.

“India has about 480 university and about 22,000 colleges. If we were to increase that figure of 12 per cent to 30 per cent, we will need another 800 to a thousand universities in the next ten years. We will need another 35,000 colleges in the next ten years...We are still below 40 per cent which I think is critical,” he said.

Sibal was speaking at the first contact group meeting of Parliamentarians for Education of the UNESCO South Asia Cluster, in which delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka and other south Asian countries participated.

Highlighting the importance of human re-

source development, Sibal said, “When the global economy is doing well and the stock market is in the up swing, the developed nations share their prosperity with us.” But it is not the case when global economy is not doing well and the stock market is on decline, he said.

“And I think that if we in this part of the world recognise the facts, we will realise how important education is for a developing economy,” he said.

Sibal said the energy of a nation ultimately depends on its youth. “The energy of a nation does not depend on parliamentarians who are over 60 years, he said.

He said that in the 21st century, acquisition of physical or tangible assets will not be the wealth of any country but it will be the acquisition of intangible assets which are created not in the stock market but in the university system of nations.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

32

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

ART AS THERAPY

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

A Ray of Dancing Light

Mental illness is an isolating experience which shuts off those affected from experiencing the fun and laughter of everyday life. Kolkata Sanved is working to change that experience.

By Shoma Chatterji 15 March 2010 - Can dance have a therapeutic effect on the mentally ill? Is it an alternative form of cure for patients living under institutionalised care? Kolkata Sanved, an NGO, believes that though dance cannot substitute medicine and psychiatric treatment based on science, it can definitely supplement cure and help rehabilitation. Sohini Chakraborty, its founder-director, believes so.

She collaborated with Anjali, a human rights-based mental health organisation in conducting field research to determine the impact of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) on the mentally ill in two government hospitals in Kolkata - Lumbini Park and Pavlov Hospital. Support also came from Art Action which facilitated an exploratory research to assess the impact of DMT on people living with mental illness.

"Through time, dance has been used as an agent for healing the body, mind, emotions, spirit and community. The life of a patient in a psychiatric hospital is greatly enriched by opening their world to the creative source of dance movement and expression. Building relationships through the connections made in group rhythmic activities brings new sources of energy to those who are already suffering from some kind of mental challenge," says Bonnie Bernstein, a certified Dance Movement Therapist and Expressive Arts Therapist. She conducted two intensive, month-long, training workshops with Kolkata Sanved in 2008 and 2009.

"Ours is a pioneer organisation in DMT in South Asia. We use it to achieve psycho-social rehabilitation, counselling, empowerment, healing and a mode of expression for victims of violence and trafficking, marginalized people, people facing mental challenges and people suffering from HIV/AIDS," says Chakraborty. "Our work with the mentally ill is based on the realization that these people are ignored. They are rendered invisible and are stigmatized because of their challenged state. The general public does not know much about mental health or about the people who suffer mental illnesses. We have

therapeutic elements present in Indian dance forms to create a unique and holistic approach for dealing with psychological issues of trauma. They have taken some footwork from Kathak to trigger the release of anger, some bodily postures from Bharata Natyam to rethink the image of the body and its relation to space, and most importantly, stress on the importance of team work through incorporation of folk dance forms," says Chakraborty. Hand gestures are used for story telling while facial expressions open a window to human emotions. There is nothing like a 'wrong step' or 'right step' because the participants are trained to create movements “Once I was selecting dancers for a programme, one participant asked that are actually their responses me why she had been chosen. I had no answer. She stopped coming. I to experience. Flexibility of the realised that I should allow them to decide whether they would like to body, limbs and face are given participate in a programme and things improved considerably,” says free play. After initial training, Nipuna, a trainer. the participants are asked to act out their own stories through published a brief report of our proj- Kolkata Sanved helped transform ect, entitled Dance & Recovery. The rescued survivors of human traffick- dance movements and express their specific objective is to determine ing and social trauma victims through unspoken emotions.

"Once I was selecting dancers for the extent to which the participants DMT to become professional dance of the programme exhibit a change trainers. This transitional training a programme, one participant asked in their behaviour so that they can covered education, dance, verbal me why she had been chosen. I had be reintegrated into their family and therapy, dance movement training no answer. She stopped coming. This community," she adds. and a focus on bringing out each made me realise that I should allow "Once I was selecting dancers for woman's special gifts. These res- them to decide whether they would a programme, one participant asked cued girls are now trainers with KV like to participate in a programme and me why she had been chosen. I had and they earn their livelihood by things improved considerably," says no answer. She stopped coming. I imparting DMT to participants in Nipuna, a trainer. Another trainer said realised that I should allow them KV's various projects. These trainers that the training sessions taught her to decide whether they would like trained the patients in the DMT for more than she taught them.

"These classes helped me place my to participate in a programme and the Mentally ill programme. personal grief and anxieties in perthings improved considerably," says "We were surprised to discover Nipuna, a trainer. that though many who were near- spective. I realized that my problems • Health care in action normal and were prepared to get are a mere drop in the endless ocean • Dancing beyond boundaries back to their families, the families they are drowned in," she explained.

The project covered 27 partici- were not prepared to take them back. "This was the first time we were pants, eight women and 19 men Reasons given varied from fear of stepping into a different world. Our living with different kinds of mental relapse, consequent difficulties in earlier work was with children from illnesses. Their disorders included getting them re-admitted to the hos- shelter homes. I felt a great sense of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ma- pitals considering that this called for relief when the first day's class got jor depression and other severe and a court order, etc. The most tragic over. As I walked out of the hospital persistent disorders. The participants part is that the families were unwill- gates, I felt I had escaped. But slowly, were involved in the programme ing to take on the responsibility of a the relationship between trainer and within a time frame ranging between non-contributing family member," trainee became positive and emosix months and two years. They were explains Chakraborty. Most of them tionally charged. We understood that in-patients of the two hospitals for an have their roots in Kolkata while unlike the high energy of children, average period of four years begin- some have come from villages within here was a group that tired easily and forgot quickly, daily medication bening from one year to 14 years. the state.

In the first phase of its programme, "Our trainers have drawn on the ing one reason."

Some patients who were not a part of Anjalii's rehabilitation programme would come to class and talk to the participants and at times, even hit them. All this had to be managed and controlled by the trainers.

"Dance has made me humane.

It has made me agile and my foot ache has decreased. I can visualise my childhood vividly now," says a female participant. "When I perform in functions, I cry because I am reminded of home. But I am also better equipped to deal with grief because I know others too have had similar experiences," says a male participant.

Another male participant said that the dance classes had made him more intelligent. The classes have helped them make friends and share their concerns about their families back home with one another.

"Respondents can be temperamental. It is difficult to find out why someone is in a bad mood because the person cannot explain the reason.

One day, Rupa (a respondent) wanted to hit Mita (another respondent). But she actually wanted to hit someone else and hit Mita by mistake. This tendency of hitting has lessened to some extent after DMT. Even when it does happen, Rupa is willing to talk about it," says one trainer.

Another trainer said, "Mita would tug at our hands and disturb the class. She would sometimes just get up and leave in the middle. When I asked her to use her imagination, she would string unrelated visuals together. Now she does some exercises. She listens to what I say. She used to be very shy but is not that shy any more.

She would never bathe. Now, she bathes and also helps another inmate Preeti to bathe. She takes on more responsibilities.

Preeti, an introvert, began to place trust in Mita.Mitawouldoftengetintofightswith other respondents in the group, hit them and they would bring their complaints to me. I don't hear them complain about her anymore. She also talks more about her problems now."

"The participants of this study have, along with DMT, attended other therapy programmes like art, music, yoga, mime and gardening. Our study was not to establish the superiority of one form of therapy over another but to understand

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

continued on page

40

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

33

34

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

By Nishita Chugh

in d ian d iasp o ra

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

35

Fauza Singh: 99-Year-Old Marathon Man

LONDON (Outlook): Forrest Gump ran and ran. At first, he ran up to the end of the road, then across town, eventually criss-crossing the country for the next three years until one day he stopped running suddenly, turned around and walked back home. Fauja Singh hasn’t heard of Forrest Gump, the protagonist of Winston Groom’s eponymous novel, which was subsequently filmed in 1994. But he hasn’t stopped running, nor does he plan to—not even when he turns 99 on April 1.

Fauja is the world’s oldest marathon runner, sweating it out at most competitions in the United Kingdom.

A thin frame weighing 52 kgs, nearly 6 ft in height, with a flowing silver beard, sparkling black eyes set in a wrinkled face, a neatly tied turban on his head, watching a sprightly Fauja on the track is a bewitching sight—incredulous and inspiring.

His matchstick-like legs seem to belie his grit, but they carry him with ease, and not a step falls out of line. Bathed in sweat, and with a placid expression permanently etched on his face, he steams his way to the finish line.

Fauja has participated in innumerable competitions worldwide, his fame prompting then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to invite him to run in the inaugural Lahore Marathon in January 2005. He holds 12 Commonwealth, European and British records for his age-group, ran as one of the torch-bearers for the Athens Olym-

pics in 2004 and was chosen, in 2005, as the Official Starter of the second biggest marathon in the UK, held in Edinburgh.

His indefatigable spirit has won him a legion of fans. Impressed, sportwear giant Adidas chose Fauja to feature alongside David Beckham on its ‘Impossible is Nothing’ campaign.

From living in a small town, Bias Pind in Punjab, for most part of his life— where his only skill was growing sugarcane and wheat—to becoming the poster boy for a whole generation of marathon athletes, the story of Fauja’s life reads like fiction.

But the marathon man ascribes his tremendous feats to god. “It’s all scripted by the almighty, you do as he wishes. I am soldiering on, to his beckoning,” he says demurely in Punjabi, the only language he can read and speak in.

He came to live in the UK after he lost his wife and a son in quick succession over two decades ago, and moved in with another son in East London. Unable to cope with the bereavement and Nearly a 100 years old, Fauza Singh still has miles to go. loneliness of living in a foreign country, a desperate Fauja reaBut to become a marathon man lised he needed something that could required training. As luck would have alleviate his pain and infuse a sense it, Fauja happened to cross paths of purpose in his otherwise vapid with Harmander Singh, who had life. Before long, he rediscovered the narrowly missed representing the passion of his youth. Fauja started UK in 10,000 m in the 1980 Mosrunning. cow Olympics. Harmander was both

intrigued and impressed by his new protege. As he told Outlook, “Marathon is a punishing discipline and even the most youthful and physically fit cannot run for 26 miles if they haven’t followed a dedicated and challenging training regimen to first build their endurance.

Training Fauja to that level of strength was not only a challenge for me but for him as well.”

Mentored by Harmander Singh, Fauja went on to run in the London Marathon in 2000, his first, at the age of 89, clocking 6 hours and 54 minutes. Fauja recalls his London experience, “I didn’t feel tired at all and could go on running with everyone else. I found it peaceful as I could talk to god while running.”

Thereafter, it wasn’t just about completing marathons, but also about improving his timing. Sharpened further by his mentor, the nonagenarian went on to run the next five successive London marathons, gradually improving his time to 6 hours and two minutes. His personal best was in the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon—he hit the finish line in 5 hours and 40 minutes.

For Harmander, Fauja’s body is a

mystery. As Harmander says, “You will be surprised to know how little he eats. We have not given him any special diet. His body has inexplicably adapted to the demanding physical routine and we do not want to interfere with it.” At 99, which is three decades more than the UNdefined average life expectancy for Indians, Fauja’s fitness leaves most others around him dumbstruck. Says Nirmal Lotay, Harmander Singh’s deputy trainer, “He’s 180 per cent fitter than an average man of his age and has remarkably high bone densities in both his legs. He walks or runs 7-10 miles every day and has a training session with his coach once a week.”

The man of many marathons himself says he gave up meat and alcohol years ago and furnishes details of his daily menu. “I start my day with a cup of tea and a few pinni (a type of sweetmeat). For lunch, I like to have one chapatti with daal and vegetables.

But I always have ginger curry for dinner, which is the secret of my strength.”

For one whose personal philosophy has placed running close to godliness, money isn’t a consideration—he has donated every penny he raised running to various charities. “What will I do with the money? To be able to run at this age is a reward in itself.

God is watching me, please give this money to those who need it,” Fauja Singh says with humility. To be a successful marathon man, you need a big heart.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

36

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

INCOME TAX

G.K. PILLAI, M.com, M.B.A., C.P.A RAMESH PILLAI, C.P.A (713) 451-0363 • (713) 451-0366 (Fax) “Don’t get caught doing the taxes all alone!

We are here to help you. Allow us to be your CPA of Choice!”

To Get Professional Help in:

Income Tax, Accounting, Business Taxation, Estate & Trust Taxation,Certified Audit, Tax Planning Houston Office: 10100 East Freeway #203 Houston, TX 77029 (Near I-10 East @ Mercury) GKPillai46@yahoo.com

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

LEGAL

RAMESH PILLAI, M.B.A., C.P.A , JD ATTORNEY AT LAW

(713) 451-0362 • (713) 459-3364 Ramesh0815@yahoo.com To Get Professional Help in: Trust & Wills, Probate Incorporating a Business, Real Estate Transactions, Business Law, Purchase / Sale of Business, Family Petitions, US Citizenship, Uncontested Divorces & General Legal Matters

Stafford Office: 3219 S. Main Stafford, TX 77477 (Near Murphy @ Main)

• 832-277-0234

Electronic Filing and Fast Refund Available!

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

37

38

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

39

40

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

F OOD

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Zesty Lemon Rice, A Dish for the Hot Summer

By Deepa G. Joshi

Nothing is as refreshing as lemon in this scorching heat , even if the lemon is in the rice! Lemon rice is just the right recipe for these hot summer days.

The tangy lime juice peps up the humble rice. This is my mother-in –laws recipe (like all other south Indian recipes on this blog) and I love the way vegetables are added to the Lemon rice making it a wholesome meal by it. Here I have added green beans but I sometimes add capsicum too. Lemon Rice Recipe: 2 cups cooked rice, (add salt

A Ray of Dancing Light

continued from page

32

the contribution of DMT towards the healing and recovery of people suffering from mental illness. DMT has been able to knit together song and music, rhythm and imagination to result in dance. The programme has brought together the respondents as a group united through and in DMT. DMT has helped them recall moments of happiness they experienced in the past. They were then able to weave these memories into their own dance compositions and perform these in front of an invited audience. They have rediscovered their body and are cultivating a positive body image. They have also learnt to talk about their feelings and emotions with others within their group,” Chakraborty sums up, adding, “DMT is an on-going process. Once begun, it can never end.”

Mentalillnessisanisolatingexperience which shuts off those affected from experiencing the fun and laughter of everyday life. They live away from their families in institutions where emotions that enrich and sustain the mind are scarce. Life in a mental institution often offers less than the bare necessities essential for everyday living. Patients with different disorders are clubbed together, the severely ill with those under remission. The quality and quantity of food is below normal nutritional levels. Kolkata Sanved has beenabletobringinabright ray of happiness into this otherwise drak tunnel.-IT

while cooking the rice) Juice of 2 lemons (or as tart as you like) 1 cup chopped green beans 4-5 green chilles chopped 2-3 tsp Chana dal 7-8 curry leaves 2tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder 3-4 tsp oil oil Salt to taste Method: Heat oil in a pan/wok.

Add the mustard seeds Once they splutter add the chilliescurry leavesturmeric powderChana dal.

Add salt (remember the rice also has salt!)

Add the green beans, mix well, cover and cook for a few minutes.

Add this beans mixture to the cooked rice. Mix nicely till the

mixture coats the rice.

Add the lime juice, adjust the salt if required.

Serve immediately.

Lemon rice can be accompanied by some salad or rasam.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

B usiness inter v ie w

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

Coherent Strategy and Execution What business management is all about continued from page

25

of the company. It changes rarely once established. The spirit is made of the mission, core management philosophies and values of the organization. For example, Wal-Mart’s core philosophy is “low prices always.” They have to stand by their core philosophy as it is core to getting repeat business.

Direction is where the company is headed. Engine is the infrastructure you need to build in the organization to execute your direction. Execution is all the actions of the organization to achieve the strategic and operational goals. Cohesion is connecting and tying together the spirit, direction, engine and execution.

Understanding in detail, and focusing on these five facets as a system will drive the company to success.

JD: What is the purpose of this book? Who is your readership?

RK: This is a lesson in management and leadership.

Both experienced and aspiring leaders will find valuable insights in this parable. There are two facets to a leader – his/her personal behavior and relationship with people, and two, how they manage the business and its challenges. This book addresses both business and personal transformation.

JD: Is this fiction a result of what you see in companies daily?

RK: It is. I see interesting and conflicting behaviors where people are involved in any office, be it a corporate entity or a small business. In some offices, cohesion is very much absent. There is a lot of politics and finger pointing. This

behavior prevents the company from achieving its vision. .

JD: Has Cedric the founder of HINTEC made a mistake hiring Trent Wertheimer as CEO? RK: That is for the reader to decide. Cedric believes Trent Wertheimer can grow into the role.

In real life, there are CEO’s appointed who struggle with people

skills and are unsuccessful in conveying the vision to their staff. The entire organization suffers when it lacks a clear sense of purpose. It also creates politics and chaos.

JD: What must every company have?

RK: A crystal clear spirit, a well defined vision, and detailed planning on how to achieve it. Once this is conveyed, your people will set about doing tasks asked of them to reach this vision. Moreover, the

company must hold people accountable for collective success.

The leader of the company must focus on being a model of clarity.

There must be precise directions to help avoid misrepresentation and minimize errors. This will increase productivity.

JD: Who do you blame failure on – the CEO or the staff?

RK: That is an interesting question.

In most cases, it is a failure of the process. Most people whether they are on the front-lines or in management want the company to succeed.

If a company views failure as a breakdown of processes, and then systematically finds solutions that prevent such failures in the future, it will do very well. It will minimize people failures and give them the opportunity to succeed again.

Mr. Ravi Kathuria, thank you for sharing your ideas with us.

Jacob, it is my pleasure.

The book “Coherent Strategy and Execution” An Eye-Opening Parable is now available for purchase on www.amazon.com. The author Ravi Kathuria can be reached via his e-mail, ravi@cohegic.com.

More information about the book for CEO’s and aspiring businessleaders: Perfect Paperback: 322 pages Publisher: SeemaCorp; 1ST edition (2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 0982147503 ISBN-13: 978-0982147504

Send your comments to: indoamericannews @ yahoo.com Thank you!

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

41

42

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

traveling desi

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

It’s in the Natural Indian DNA to Jam Things Up

By Jawahar Malhotra NEW DELHI, 27 February, 2010: The Airbus from Dubai lands at 4 in the morning at Indira Gandhi International Airport and disgorges nearly 300 passengers into the sterile grey white marble cavity of the immigration hall. Across the front, ten immigration officers do what they usually do with the incoming: give them an impassive look, flick their fingers to beckon the next in line and the passport, all in one motion and proceed in their unfriendly, unsmiling way to pore over the pages. It is a mannerism that must surely be studied and perfected by immigration officers worldwide, some less than others.

The mass of passengers waits in single files behind each counter. At the Physically Challenged counter, my mother’s wheelchair is second in line and the porter has shoved our passports to the edge of the counter, signaling our priority position. In a matter of minutes, the line of wheelchairs has grown and in the narrow aisles, an Indian phenomenon starts to take form: the jam.

The baggage at the carrousel takes as long to start coming as the immigration official takes in deliberating over the passports. Forty minutes pass by and still three bags are missing. Baggage trolleys stack up behind each other and at the head of the flat belt; someone has taken off bags and laid them on the floor, blocking the approach. Those wanting to check push their empty trolleys along, as if it will definitely get filled on the way back and block the passageway for others to get out. It is the classic Indian trolley traffic jam. All want in; no one gets to go out.

At a traffic light, it is the middle of the afternoon, and all three lanes have vehicles: tiny Marutis, Suzukis, Tatas; a few large Toyotas, Mahendras, Mitsubishis. Cycle rickshaws, threewheeler Tempo vans, scooter rickshaws, motorbikes and cycles cram in between the spaces. A new red Delhi Metro bus sits like a huge monster and an overburdened multi-colored Tata truck with Jai Mata Di painted on its rear bumper takes its spot. The other sides have the same assortment and each is straining at the bit to get loose and go. A few decide to make a right turn and ease into the oncoming traffic. The ones behind rearrange to maneuver, as do the other sides, each

like a choreographed dance move, but no one is moving, just rumbling through the gears. Another Indian traffic jam is in the works.

Bid Bazaar in MSP mall in Gurgaon is crowded more than usual on this long Holi weekend. Couples – and the occasional kids – have descended to get the best of the sales.

BB has opened up another quarter of the second floor with appliances and an assortment of quick to assemble furniture. It is the Wall-Mart of the small scale. The narrow aisles are packed, especially in the household and groceries departments and the small grocery carts fill the floor space.

A large staff of store clerks stands by to help and stock the shelves. “Sir!” says a young female clerk as I stare at the deodorants. “$3.14 is too much,” I think as I convert the rupees. She grabs my hand and sprays it, waiting for me to sniff. Not wishing to be rude, I oblige. “This too, Sir,” exclaims the other and she sprays my other hand and I sniff it too. I smile and move on, but run right into a cart jam, all pointed in one direction from all sides and no one can move in any way.

I tip-toe, hold my basket high and exit sideways, pushing by a young woman and her 2 year-old. “Sorry!”

I blurt out, but she is annoyed.

It is most uncanny trait, this ability to create and run into a jam, like cows that are herded into a pen and unable to back pedal. It must be in the Indian DNA, written in primary line code, this penchant to rush in and leave only wiggle room to untangle a long annoying time later. Could arriving at the same place from all directions be due to different notion of orderliness, not the single file type so prevalent in the West? the Like Shiva’s Dance of Life, the warring parties bicker, collide, develop new

Shiv Sagar

uses for the language and release their pent-up rage and feelings. They arrive hardened and ready for battle … at the next jam.

It’s the almost-midnight Jet Airways flight to Hong Kong and there

is plenty of time to board. The shuttle bus picks up passengers – “Aagun toh annd deyo! (Let them come from the front),” shouts the driver to the ground staff. He weaves through the demarked traffic lines on the dimly

43

lit tarmac and stops in front of the plane, engines whining in preparation. Off come the passengers and rush the stairway from all directions.

No one can get through. It’s a jam! I roll my eyes!!

PURE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT Our Specialty Gujarati Surati THALI

• Great Family Dine-In Atmosphere Free Wi-Fi Available CALL US ! VISIT US TODAY! • Friendly management & waitstaff • Full Service Catering Available • Great Vegetarian food 6662 SW Fwy, Houston, TX 77074 (at Hillcroft by India Grocers)

713-977-0150

We do CATERING for all occasions serving GUJARATI, NORTH & SOUTH INDIAN food.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

44

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

entertainment

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

MYTHILI’S BEAUTY SALON

Bollywood Calling

Eyebrow threading $5.00 (Regular $7.00) Free arm waxing (with purchase of Full legs waxing) (with purchase of Full color or Hi lites) Free hair cut Email: mythilistouch@gmail.com • mythilisbeautysalon.com

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor applies the traditional tikka, a red mark, on the forehead of Akon at a news conference for the forthcoming movie “Ra.One” in Mumbai.

Akon is in Mumbai to record a song for “Ra.One”.

6453 Westheimer Rd, Houston TX 77057 Call: 713-972-1665

2

LOCATIONS

9515 Broadway st #119 Pearland TX 77584 Call: 281-997-0949

SHOBA JOSHI

ON AM 1320

Geetanjali Radio

Sat & Sun 2- 6 PM For your business ads Cell: 832-878-4338 | Tel: 281-265-3498 713-545-4749 Fax: 281-265-3498 | 713-932-8037 shobajoshi@hotmail.com

IndoAmerican Adof proof Only Texas Society Certified

Public Accountants

MD & ASSOCIATES, LLP

• A Full Service CPA Firm • Tax Return Planning and Preparation • Sales Tax and IRS Representation • Establish Corporation, Partnership and LLC • Bookkeeping, Financial Statements Preparation • Sales Tax & Payroll Tax Preparation, and Financing Assistance • Loan Packaging, Business Start Ups, • Business Plans & Valuation• Consulting and Financial Planning SWAPAN DHAIRYAWAN,CPA

ERIK MOOSA, CPA

www.mdassociatescpas.com

Members of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants & (TSCPAs) We believe in Commitment, Confidentiality, Prompt Service and Special Care

8303 SW FWY STE 570 HOUSTON TX 77074

TEL: 713-774-6533/6933

3030 LBJ FWY STE 300 DALLAS TX 75234

TEL. 214-722-7545

17319 Erinwood Center, Ste.D Spring, TX 77379

TEL. 281-251-2205

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

S P O RTS

Robin Uthappa’s Reincarnation through IPL

By Siddhartha taking turn, and the loss of Talya three wickets inside the first BANGALORE ten overs, Uthappa had to (Cricinfo): Robin stick on for longer. Not that Uthappa has had to the realisation had sunk in learn some harsh lesearly. sons since making his As instinct sometimes international debut. A tends to overpower strathard-hitting batsman, egy, Uthappa’s inclination he made a bright start to attack led him to attempt to his international an audacious reverse-slog career and, with the off Muttiah Muralitharan, advent of Twenty20, which was dropped. Uthapwas in favour with pa, amid a couple of digresthe Indian and the sions, remained largely IPL set-up. But issues steadfast to that plan, scorwith fitness, frequent ing three boundaries in the shuffling within the next six overs before takbatting order and ing off in timely fashion the accompanying in the penultimate over inconsistency cost off L Balaji. The first ball him. However, his was crisply driven for four successful contributhrough extra cover, but the tion to Royal Chalnext three underlined the lengers Bangalore’s influence he could have on winning start in the the fate of a game. Three IPL this year, marks sixes - two dispatched a delayed, yet signifiover long-on and the other cant, step towards reover midwicket - stretched affirming his role in the damage to 24 runs in the team. the over, and by then, as it Uthappa entered turned out during Chennai’s the third edition of abject reply, Banglore had the IPL with his repuenough on the board. tation in need of reIndia’s selectors haven’t pair. In South Africa picked him since July 2008 last year, following and Uthappa hasn’t been a transfer to Banga- obin Uthappa has changed the course of two games included in the 30-man lore from Mumbai in IPL 2010 in the space of an over. preliminary squad for the Indians, for whom he World Twenty20 in the Cahad been the secondribbean next month. While accomplished at dropping anchor, highest run-getter in the inaugural Uthappa is one of the aggressors. his Bangalore compatriots Manish version, Uthappa mustered an av- Against Kings XI Punjab, faced Pandey and R Vinay Kumar will erage of 15.90. Promoted to open with a target of 204, Uthappa had be anxiously waiting to hear the the batting, he suffered a series little time for assessment and at- announcement of the final squad of failures which refused to abate tacked from the outset. What Piy- of 15 on March 26, Uthappa has no even when he was dropped to ush Chawla and Yusuf Abdulla such immediate incentive. And unNo.3. He’s been fluid in the bat- suffered at his hands was meager like his two team-mates, his form ting order this year as well, but has in comparison to the treatment in domestic cricket hasn’t hit the notched up two match-winning meted out to Sreesanth, who was headlines either. In this IPL, howperformances. His US$800,000 smashed for three sixes and a four ever, he has set about resurrecting bid in the 2008 auction had much in an over which yielded 25. In the the faith in his ability which could to do with his potential as a game- space of six balls, Uthappa had cut yield the rewards he seeks. “I am changer. He has lived up to that bid the required rate from over 11 to just an ordinary player working this year, using his ability to find under 10. hard,” he said after his knock. His the boundary with brute power as He played a useful cameo timing, given that the chairman of well as crafty innovation while against Mumbai Indians, but the India’s selectors, Kris Srikkanth, managing to shift roles when plans performance against Chennai Su- is Chennai’s brand ambassador, have had to be altered. per Kings came under more chal- was near perfect.

In a line-up featuring Jacques lenging circumstances. On a track Siddhartha Talya is an editorial Kallis and Rahul Dravid, players conducive to fast bowling and assistant at Cricinfo.

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

45

Shahid Afridi is New Pak Captain

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board ended weeks of uncertainty, by appointing Shahid Afridi to lead the country’s campaign to defend the World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean from the end of next month. Afridi will once again take up the role he was given last year, after Younis Khan stepped away from the format, though he has for now only been handed the role for the duration of the tournament.

“It’s a challenge for me and I accept it,” Afridi said. “We are going to the West Indies with only one aim and that is to defend our title.”

The limit on the tenure appears to be a result of the disciplinary action Afridi has faced since he was found guilty of ball-tampering - biting the ball repeatedly in an ODI in Perth where he was captain. Until then, Pakistan had settled on Afridi as the Twenty20 captain till the World Cup and potentially as an ODI leader as well.

But after that incident Afridi’s stock fell considerably.

He was banned by the ICC for two T20Is, which led to Shoaib Malik taking over, albeit reluctantly. Then, the board slapped him with a Rs 3 million ($35,000) fine for the same incident, as well as placing him under probation for six months. Any further breaches, the message is clear, and punishment could be harsher.

The board took the unusual step

of announcing a 15-man squad for the tournament without naming a captain earlier this month. Since then, and despite his punishments, Afridi was the clear frontrunner among a limited pool of alternatives. He met the chairman Ijaz Butt once in that period. He is flying in to Lahore today, having collected a presidential award during the day in Karachi.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Salman Butt were thought to be in the running as well, but Afridi’s record in the format - he is among the most influential allround players in the world - and a naturally aggressive streak has made the choice an easier one.

Afridi has already led his country in three T20Is and won all of them, with little outward detriment to his own individual impact. The decision to announce the captain so late does leave open the charge, however, that neither captain nor coach - the recently-appointed Waqar Younis - had any say in the team they will be in charge of in the Caribbean.

Pakistan will be without the services of Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, both banned by the PCB, as well as the injured Sohail Tanvir. Afridi said their absences from the Caribbean campaign were unfortunate. “Rana, Malik and Tanvir could have been in my playing eleven because they had performed well in the past,” he said.

LONDON: Boosted by the utmost popularity of the club in India, Manchester United is all set to make its entry into the country.

Besides entering into a five-year deal, worth £12 million with the Indian mobile communications company Bharti Airtel on May 2009, United is planning a visit to India in 2012.

The club has launched a Manchester United cafe in India and coaches are traveling to the country to tap and train young talents who can help India to make it to the 2022 World Cup. Manchester United’s interest in India was triggered by the Bayern

Munich’s visit to Kolkata in May 2008, which saw a turn out 120,000 fans to cheer the Germans.

Noting the popularity of the IPL in accelerating sports advertising, Manchester United has a set of plans line up to utilize the clubs appeal in India.

“In Europe, 86 per cent of all sponsorship goes to sport. In India, that figure is just 10 per cent.

We expect that to change. Football is the second-most popular sport behind cricket in India and there is a huge English-speaking audience who actively watch football,”Casper Stylsvig, United’s sponsorship manager said.

Manchester United to Visit India

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

46

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

community connections

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Arya Samaj of Greater Houston 281-242-5000

Havan Satsang 10 AM - 12, discourse by Dr. Premchand Shridhar: 281-7520100 DAV Sanskriti school 10 AM - 12 - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. Shekhar Agrawal: 281-242-5000

MARCH 2010

27 Sat

BAPS Satsang Assembly accompanied by Santos from 4:30pm - 6:30pm followed by 281-765-BAPS (2277) arati and mahaprasad. 281-765-BAPS (2277)

Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 12noon, 4.30pm, 7pm, 9pm. See darshan live on www.iskconhouston.org. Sunday Festival: 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Located at 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.

Hindu Worship Society Temple

Priest – “Bhibhdutt Mishra Ji”. Open for Darshan all days, except Thursday, from 8am -10am & 5pm - 8pm. Sunday 11:30am to 1:30pm – Regular Puja, Religious discourses and Prasad. Website www.hwst.org

JVB Preksha Center

Regular weekly program of Yoga and meditation Mon-Thu 7.15pm to 8.15pm.

On Saturdays from 9.00am to 11.15am. Located at 14102 Schiller Rd.

281-596-9642

Sanatan Shiv Shakti Rudrabhiskek every Monday followed by Aarti and mahaprasad. 5645 HillMandir croft, #701 Houston TX 77036.

713-278-9099

Saumyakasi Sivalaya 281-568-1690

Temple hours: Mon - Fri: 8.30am-Noon, 5-8pm, Sat & Sun: 8.30am-2pm, 5-8pm, Aarti: Noon and 7.30pm, Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77478. www.saumyakasi.org, Bharati Sutaria: 281-568-1690

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple 281-498-2344

Daily Schedule: 7:30am – 9:30am -Suprabhatam, Sri Murthy Aaradhana, Tiruppa:vai Sevakalam, Theertha Ghosti, Balabhogam, 9:30am – 11am :Temple is open, 6:30am – 7pm, www.jetusahouston.org

Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram 713-344-1321

Satsang & spiritual discourses, Sun: 10.30 am.-12.30pm. with simultaneous prog. of Hindi, Sanskrit and Moral science for kids, dance classes for children and adults every Fri:8 pm, www.shrikripalukunj.org

Shri Radha Krishna Four Arti daily: 6:30am , 12 noon, 7pm & 9pm. Tuesday & Saturday 7:10pm.

Sunday Bhajan and Kritan at 6pm. Maha Arti 7pm, More information www.

Temple srkt.org Located at 11625 Beechnut Houston, TX 77072.

281-933-8100 Swaminarayan Mandir (ISSO) 281-530-2565 Vedanta Society

Darshan: Daily 7.30am-12.30pm, 4-8.30pm. Aarti: Daily 7.45am & 7pm. Hanumanji Aarti: Sat: 7.15pm. Rajbhog Thaal (No Darshan): 10.30-11am. Dinner Thaal 5.30-6pm. Located at 10080 Synott Rd, Sugar Land TX 77498.

5906 Cypress • Classes Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, 1st &3rd Sunday; Bhagavad-Gita, 2nd Sunday; on works of Swami Vivekananda, More information visit www.houstonvedanta.org

Give Your Religious Services a Facelift

Please note: The above section for Religious Services has been provided as a free service for many years. We are now updating this section to make it informative for our readers. To help provide this service on an ongoing weekly basis, we are making these listings available for a nominal annual charge. Give prominence to your religious services with a special block ad for an annual cost of only $150. That is only $2.88 per week. Paid Service listing starts Feb 2010. Thank you for your ongoing support.

28 Sun

31 Wed

5pm: Seeds of Hope: 14th Anniversary & Fundraiser Gala, DAYA Houston, Chateau Crystale, 713-981-7645, www.dayahouston.org, contact@dayahouston.org

11.30am: A Talk by Author Michael Lewis, Asia Society Texas Center, The Houston Club, sjones@houstonclub.org , Fritz Lanham: 713-229-2215

APRIL 2010

2

Fri

6pm: Annual Family Spiritual Camp, JVB Preksha Houston, Gordon Ranch, Pramod Bengani: 281-596-9642 7pm: Nasha 2010, Indian Students Association at the University of Houston, University of Houston, Vaidehi Bhatt: 832-692-8539

10

3pm: Jagadguru Srimad Vallabhacharya (Mahaprabhuji) Pragatyotsav, VPSS, VPSS Haveli, 281-5648777, www.vpsshaveli.org

15

11.30am: Wells Fargo Lecture Series on South Asia: IndiaUS. Can they Reinvest Partnership?, Asia Society Texas Center, The Houston Club, fritzl@asiasociety.org , Fritz Lanham: 713.439.0051 x17

21

6pm: Free Seminar on Osteoarthritis, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, 800-451-2006 Ext. 3335, www.managingosteoarthritis. com

24

7.30pm: Vaisakhi Celebration, Punjabi Society of Houston, Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston, Jasmeeta Singh: 713-858-8229

Sat

Thu

Wed

Sat

7.30pm: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert, Rehan Siddiqi, Arena Theatre, 877-786-1180

mAy 2010

1

February - May 2010

Sun

Wednesdays 7-8.30pm Henington Regional Library 832-393-1820

10am: Sri Ramanavami Celebration, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-489-0358, www.meenakshi.org

7pm: Jai Ho Jamnadas, Namaskaar Entertainment, Houston baptist University, 281-240-3333

Sat

Mondays & Thursdays 5.30-7.30pm Carnegie Neighborhood Library 832-393-1970

9am: Rama Navami Mela, Govindaji Gaudiya Matha, Abhiram Das: 713-870-7278

9pm: DJ Suketu Live in Houston, ABCD Houston, Stereo Live, Sunny Taj: 312-927-2946

Free Citizenship Classes

@ Houston Public Library

CURRENT EVENTS

5pm: Hindustani Vocal by Dr. Ashwini Bhide, Indian Music Society of Houston, Jones Hall, University of St. Thomas, 713-9222501, www.imshouston.org

Durga Bari Society Temple hours: Monday - Saturday: 9am- 11am and 4pm to 7pm; Sandhya Aarti 6.30pm. Sunday 9am- 7 pm. www.houstondurgabari.org, Champak 832-347-4003 Sadhu. • 13944 Schiller Road.

Hare Krishna Dham

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

2

22

6.30pm: Pratham Houston Gala 2010, Pratham USA, Westin Galleria, 713-774-9599, www.prathamusa.org 5.30pm: The Blue Mug- A Comedy Play, Media Circle and Art Promotions, Stafford Civic Center, Surender Talwar: 713-668-2948

Sat

8pm: Sukhwinder Singh Jai Ho, Hum Tum City, Arena theatre, www.humtumcity.com

SatSun

8-9.30am: Free Yoga Classes by Patanjali Yogpeeth Center, Arya Samaj, Anil: 281-579-9433

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

47

48

Indo American News • Friday, March 26 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 26 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM