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Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

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Friday, April 16 , 2010

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Radio Masti - A Talk Show is Born

By Jacob David

an intern at the Michael Berry Talk Radio want to start our own radio show.” So they fans in 2 weeks. “We are focused on keepat 740 KTRH. Observing Michael Berry started in earnest brainstorming for names. ing it light and engaging the listeners in a doing his show, dealing with controversial “It was a family event. My wife Mita and fun way, says Samrat. They are being ably issues, inspired him to do his own show. our daughter Sharmita, my son Samrat and assisted by Isha Bose who co-hosts the A few months later, when his father Shya- I drew names. At one point, we thought of show, Jimit Patel, who screens calls, and mal Bhat- n a m i n g t a c h a r y a it Samrelated his rat Radio passion of Show. Yet wanting to I was caustart a ra- tioned not dio show, to name it S a m r a t after any agreed. f a m i l y He set out member, to pipeline especially his dream after my into reali- s o n ’ s . ty with his What if it f a t h e r ’s did not do help. so well? Shyamal Then I B h a t - would be tacharya, u n h a p p y a Ben- with him gali from for the Kolkotta, rest of Radio Jockeys Samrat Bhattacharya and Isha Bose have fun doing Talk Radio. is a musimy life, “That’s what it is all about, fun and active participation,” Samrat Says. cian in his my advi- Radio Masti acknowledges team work. L-R: Shyamal Bhattacharya, Isha own right. sors said. Bose, Pashupati Kailasam, Jimit Patel. Seated: Samrat Bhattacharya. Samrat Bhattacharya. They both have their He has played on stage as a percussionist My son own reasons to start the radio show and presenting live shows along with the great came up with the name Radio Masti, and Pashupati Kailasam, a software engineer were thinking on the same parallels, until singer Mohammed Rafi, and in orchestras I pounced on that name - a perfect fit for who heard of the show and volunteered to one day they shared their ideas with each with Bhupen Hajarika, Habib Ali Moham- what we envisioned. We wanted to spread help out. Isha Bose started off in 2008 hosting other. Radio Masti is the product of that mad, Shakti Thakur, and Feroza Begum. vibrance through music and talk.” ‘Shyacommunication, between father and son, Coming to Houston, he indulged in entre- mal’ which means ‘Spring’ in Bengali and Pehli Dadkan. She is excited to be on the sharing their individual passion to reach preneurial activities starting two restaurants much like its meaning, he is a vibrant man team of Radio Masti and develop it as the show progresses. “A lot of time is required the community, albeit for different reasons. - Casa India in 1991 and Mita’s Mexican full of energy and zeal. Radio Masti has just finished two weeks to prepare for the show. Plus we appreciSamrat Bhattacharya has just turned 20 Restaurant in 1993 named after his loving and his dreams to reach the Houston com- wife. “ Our family has a line of musicians and while they are still exploring possibili- ate the feedback from the audience. That is munity have seen fruition. Just two weeks and I’ve noticed Samrat has had his sense ties, they have already capitalized on social crucial.” Isha says. Samrat concurs, “Our into the show, he is very comfortable at the of rhythm from age 1. Still I sent our kids media outreach. They have 94 Face Book continued on page 28 helm, talking his heart out to those who to be trained with Chancare to listen and give feedback. “I love to drakant Courtney for tabengage my audience with real live issues.” la and vocals with Pandit Suman Ghosh.” Shyamal he says. Samrat means “emperor,” his father Shya- has long been pondering mal has high hopes for his son and wishes how to carry his love for him life’s very best. Samrat, then, a student music in a broader sense in New York says he underwent profound reaching his community. philosophical changes of ideology, his mind To this end he successfeeding intensely on the mood of the coun- fully sponsored the Anup try and the economic recession the country Jalota show in 1991 at INDIVIDUAL & was in and is still going through. The winds the Stafford Civic CenGROUP of political change brought about a deep ter. He also continued TERM & yearning in his heart to relate to the com- performing live shows in WHOLE LIFE munity at large. All he needed was an av- Houston. Carrying muenue to reach out to the world at large. He sic by well known musiDENTAL was already active while a student, sharing cians across the airwaves DISABILITY his political views online through a daily became an idea where he record of blogs. Yet that seemed insuffi- started thinking on the LONG TERM CARE cient. He wanted to have his voice heard, lines of having a radio presenting solutions to challenging issues show. “I’ve seen Sunil being faced by the community. The imme- Thakkar go from ordidiate solution was to have a radio show of nary to spectacular doing his own. Coming to Houston he pursued his Music Masala Radio Sam Merchant a major in International Studies and mi- Show. I’ve played Tabla Reliance Business Solutions 3300 S.Gessner Rd, Ste 176, Houston, TX-77063 nor in Communications at the University at his events. Seeing his www.gorelianceusa.com of St. Thomas. He also went to work as enthusiasm made me HOUSTON: Radio Masti - “Some Music, Some Talk - Bole Toh Masti” their signature line, captures it all. Radio Masti is the brain child of Shyamal Bhattacharya and his son

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Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

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B U S I N E S S in d ia

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Adobe Launches Creative Suite 5 Master Collection

Sandeep Mehrotra, Director Sales, Adobe India, unveils the Adobe Creative Suite 5 master collection at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday. Photo: Paul Noronha

MUMBAI (PTI): Adobe Systems Incorporated on Monday announced the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection, a breakthrough release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. “The newly launched Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection’s breakthrough interactive design tools and omniture integration maximises

impact of creative content and businesses around digital workflows,” Adobe India’s Director-Sales, Sandeep Mehrotra, said. “CS5 was a highly anticipated release for the Indian market, home to a vibrant creative culture with the largest film industry in the world, one of the most awarded advertising industries, and including an evergrowing population of animation,

design, music, architecture, gaming, publishing and outsourcing industries,” he said. With the launch of CS5, Adobe aims to provide the tools and innovative workflows needed to heighten the creative experience, streamline processes and help India build successful businesses in this very important sector, Mr. Mehrotra said. Integrating online content and digital marketing optimisation capabilities for the first time, Creative Suite 5 Master Collection includes access to signature Omniture technologies, to capture, store and analyse information generated by web sites and other sources. Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection includes, in a single package, all of Adobe’s renowned Creative Suite tools, such as Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, Flash CS5 Professional, Dreamweaver CS5, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and After Effects CS5, he said. By coupling online business analytics with our creative tools we’re ensuring that publishers, designers and marketers can create, deliver and optimise beautiful, high-impact digital experiences across media and devices, he added.

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Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

Internet Makes Children Fat and Lazy BANGALORE: A recent study on 72, 845 schoolchildren aged 13 to 15 in 34 nations, World Health Organization (WHO) recently found out that nearly a third of Earth’s kids are not getting enough exercise, and the internet and video games are the cause of the problem. The study concluded that the kids these days are fat and lazy. Nearly a third of teenagers around the world are spending at least three hours a day glued to a screen, by playing games, watching TV, or surfing the net. That doesn’t mean growing up in a poor country allow kids to get more physical activity. They speculate that the problem may be caused by urbanization and access to TVs and cars. Kids were classified as sedentary, while kids that get at least one hour of exercise five or more days a week were classified as active. With these criteria, 25 percentage of boys and 15 percentage of girls are active, while 25 percentage of boys and 30 percentage of girls are sedentary. In fact, boys are more active than girls in 33 of the 34 nations studied. Zambia is the only country where the girls are more active than the boys. The least active girls in the world are in Egypt, where only 4 percentage are considered active.-SI

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Radio Masti - A Talk Show is Born continued from page

show is audience driven and we are motivated by their participation. There are three components to a radio show. The Radio Jockeys (RJ) Isha and me, are the face of the show, my dad and Jimit, who handle administrative functions are the hands of the show, our audience are our feet. Without audience listenership and participation, we can’t stand up or walk forward.” For a young RJ his age, his maturity level is higher and he will not commit the mistake of underestimating his competitors who have 24 hour and 12 hour radio stations. He realizes to succeed he has to engage his listeners in creative yet light conversation, yet take it in-depth when the need arises. “We have had good audience response for the last two weeks, we are encouraged and motivated by this.” Samrat says. Jimit Patel says “I am a good friend of Samrat’s. We have known each other for 5 years, met him through the model for UN as high schoolers. We are in-sync with the radio show’s direction and I love helping him live out his dream.” Jimit Patel communicates with Samrat using Skype Chat during the show giving him production directions to keep the

RJ on his feet. Shyamal Bhattacharya says “This is a long time passion and dream that has finally come true for us. We want not only our community to listen in to our show but perhaps the whole world, one day.” They have asked for an extension on the radio hours from its current 1 hour slot on weekends. The radio station manager has promised to expand their radio time in a few months. The show is geared towards a younger audience focusing on casual chat, current events like Film, Health, Society Talk, Student and Political views. Last week’s show discussed two ideas, “Which types of coffee are bad for you and which establishments serve them?” and “Where is a good place to meet your date or be hit upon by the opposite gender?” Possible places for ladies to be hit upon would be “a coffee shop, a movie theater or a temple” says Isha, the co-host who feels that ladies are more comfortable and relaxed in those situations. Isha has been developing her radio skills for the last two years, been a play actress in plays held by the Durga Bari Society. Her passions are teaching young kids plus debating on worthwhile

subjects, which collectively contribute to her talents, being Radio Masti’s co-host. While the Indian community dials in to see what’s new on Radio Masti, the RJs and the organizers have been planning from day one. It is all about engaging debates broken up with a mix of film songs, bouncing ideas back and forth, encouraging active listener participation. Commercial Talk Radio is new to the Indian community - there have been sporadic one hour talks on radio in the past, which were of a non-profit nature hosted by certain forums which have appealed to a limited interest group or age bracket. But nothing so liberating like what the audience would love to chat about has ever been done. Radio Masti has taken this new direction becoming a pioneer, setting a new trend. And they are now anchored on the community to act as their North Star to guide them in the right direction. Call in to participate. Visit: www.radiomastihouston. com or tune in: 1480 AM KLVL, Sat & Sun: 9 - 10 AM. info@radiomastihouston.com | 281-9839580

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Air India Signs $190 Million Deal for IT Infrastructure NEW DELHI (IANS): Air India announced a $190 million (Rs.855 crore) deal with aviation solutions provider SITA to upgrade its IT infrastructure which will enable it to join the Star Alliance. “It will enable us to align processes and systems to meet Star Alliance standards. Air India will then be able to leverage the complementary strengths and synergies of the single new carrier to the maximum, resulting in a more competitive, customer friendly and world class airline with significant improvement in our passenger yields,” saidArvind Jadhav, chairman of the National Aviation Company India Ltd (NACIL), which operates

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Air India. “The deal is valued at $190 million over ten years,” he said. Jadhav said the technology upgradation would help complete the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India. “SITA’s services will be used to deliver a single airline code to allow the seamless integration of the former domestic carrier Indian Airlines with Air India for the first time since they merged in August 2007,” he added. In addition, SITA will also implement an efficient online booking engine, departure control system, check-in and automated boarding control, baggage reconciliation system and a frequent flyer programme, the airlines said.

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OPINION

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

The Mind of the Middle Class

If a society has to function, it requires millions of selfless acts. This work is not the responsibility of government By Ramesh Ramanathan Some months ago, my mother-in-law brought home an old issue of a Gujarati magazine that contained a letter written by Harilal Gandhi to his father, Mahatma Gandhi. It was a painful note, full of the sorrow of a lost relationship caused by what the son believed was an overbearing father. Soon, the evening was consumed by the tantalizing subject of Gandhi. We were a motley group of old, middle-aged and young—but all middle-class urban Indians. Almost inevitably, debates about his family life resulted in rising temperatures. At one point, Swati (my wife) posed a question: “What if you were Gandhi’s closest adviser, and his choices were to either work for independence or be a great father and husband—he could only do justice to one of these. What advice would you give him?” An obvious question is: “Why can’t he do both?” But she deliberately left only two options to push the debate, and underscore the challenges in our choices. Most of the advice veered towards telling Gandhi to fight for independence, for differing reasons. One said that large- “What if you were Gandhi’s closest adviser, and his choices were to scale results demanded personal either work for independence or be a great father and husband—he sacrifice; another said that this could only do justice to one of these. What advice would you give was the price of greatness, not all him?” of us can lead the country. Imagine if we were living in Afghanistan, or for hours at the A few were of the opinion, quite emphatically, that family came first. “If each of us took care Iraq, or Palestine. Almost nobody there has any traffic lights in of our families, that is enough, isn’t it?” But we control over their personal lives. Children can- the dust and would not be an independent country, and mil- not go to schools. Often girls cannot step out of smoke directhouses. Boys get shot at, sometimes not coming ing vehicles, lions of lives would still not be free. It is a difficult question to answer. But the home. In many cases, they fight back, making taking burn debate opened up a different seam in the conver- tragic choices in the process. Women get raped, victims to hoslaw and order is missing. The social fabric is pital, and so on. sation, about the mind of the middle class. It is only human to think of our own needs, torn. In this situation, thinking only about one’s The list is endless. especially those of our family. After all, we family is a utopian dream. The problem If a society has to function, it requires milchoose to have children, and, therefore, have an obligation to them. But it is also important lions of selfless acts. It is like a never-ending is that this is carpet that is being woven, with each suc- hard to do, with to see the links to society at large.

cessive generation picking up the threads and doing their bit. Some societies are at an advanced stage, where the carpet is wellwoven already; others like Afghanistan have had their social carpets shredded, and have to start over again. This work is not the responsibility of government, it begins with the people first taking responsibility. If we admire other societies, we are admiring the work of millions of people, over scores of generations. We are admiring their social carpets. Despite all the weaknesses, our own carpet in India is far from threadbare. We are lucky to be living in a society that is shaped by thousands of large-hearted people. I have personally met many, both inside government and outside it. They are everywhere, and yet they are invisible. Helping street children, fighting for women’s issues, standing

all the responsibilities that we already have. And it gets harder in a fast-paced, market-driven economy. Everyone needs more money for the necessary things in life, children need to study harder to get ahead, there are parents and in-laws to take care of, the home, the help… The list is endless. It is hard to find time to do all this, and simultaneously pick up a thread to weave the fabric of society! While this argument is legitimate, I am reminded of Boniface Prabhu, a disabled Bangalore sportsman who, in a wheelchair, not only goes on to win the world special tennis championship, but also finds time and energy to start an academy for others like him. So the issue is one of “problem definition”, of starting points. The starting point has to change—that improving society is indeed a personal responsibility, not meant only for “other” people, whatever the source of their “otherness” may be. If this starting point moves, and each of us begins to see our empty space at the carpet, with the loose thread, we make a beginning. Motivating ourselves to get there and start weaving requires discipline and dedication, like everything else in life. There are still so many empty spaces at the Indian carpet. Going back to Gandhi, it strikes me that our debates are not really about him, but about each of us. The question, therefore, should be: “Why can’t we do both?”-Mint

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Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

MOVIES

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Merchant Ivory Returns Without Its Merchant

By John Anderson FEW hansom cabs have ever stopped at its door, or countesses swept through its lobby, but the luxury co-op on Manhattan’s East Side used to be the unofficial headquarters of Merchant Ivory Productions. “We all lived in the building on different floors,” said James Ivory. “Ruth and her husband lived on the seventh floor. I lived on the 12th, and Ismail lived on the 14th. All on the G line.” Mr. Ivory still lives there, as does the screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, when she isn’t in India. But the 14th floor lost its most famous tenant in 2005, when Ismail Merchant, Mr. Ivory’s longtime filmmaking partner, died during surgery for abdominal ulcers. And that’s meant a raft of new challenges for Merchant Ivory, a brand long synonymous with intelligent and sophisticated movies like “A Room With a View,” “Howards End” and “The Remains of the Day.” “He had a million friends and a million contacts and was very much liked, and that always helped,” Mr. Ivory said, over a recent breakfast near his apartment. “So we always got through our films O.K. He had a way of — how do you say it? — pulling the fat out of the fire.” Dressed for early spring in tweed jacket, scarf and jeans, Mr. Ivory spoke like someone who has had five years to grieve, and to pull things together. Which he has: “The City of Your Final Destination,” his latest, opens Friday, after years of financial uncertainty kept the movie from being completed. Set among the baroque survivors of a suicidal novelist and the naïve academic who wants to write his biography, it stars Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Omar Metwally. The screenplay (based on Peter Cameron’s novel) is by Ms. Jhabvala, who has written 21 scripts directed by either Mr. Merchant or Mr. Ivory, and hasn’t written for anyone else since 1988. The film’s costume designer (Carol Ramsey), editor (John David Allen) and production designer (Andrew Sanders) are all longtime Merchant Ivory collaborators. And Mr. Hopkins has starred in Mr. Ivory’s “Howards End,” “Surviving Picasso” and “The Remains of the Day.” But even if “City of Your Final Destination” is officially a Merchant Ivory Production, Mr. Merchant’s absence was keenly felt. “It’s a painful business,” Ms. Jhabvala said from India. “This is the first film Jim made without Ismail, and while having all those others around is fine, having Ismail gone is very difficult.” When asked, Mr. Ivory focused on the professional side of the loss. “Even after working with him for 40 years, I only really had a feeling for what he did after he wasn’t there anymore,

tackle Henry James, three of whose novels (“The Europeans,” “The Bostonians,” “The Golden Bowl”) have gotten the Merchant Ivory treatment. “I thought Jim had quite a lot in common with Henry James,” she said. “The elegance, for one thing; nobility, for another; extreme attention to people and relationships and the slow and patient way that Jim has, and that Henry James has.” And which Mr. Ivory also applies on the set. “He really places a lot of trust in the people he’s working with,” said Mr. Metwally, who was approached by Mr. Merchant and Mr. Ivory after they saw his the Tony-nominated Broadway performance in “16 Wounded.” “He’ll gather the suggestions of the artists he’s brought together and shape a scene from there.” Mr. Hopkins, reached in Los Angeles where he’s currently filming “Thor,” said he was glad to hear that “City of Your Final Destination” was finally opening. “Because, you know, they Foreground from left, Laura Linney, James Ivory and Hiroyuki Sanada shooting “The had a few difficulties especially at the beginning with money. I stayed out of that, but I think City of Your Final Destination,” in which the producer Ismail Merchant had a hand. James was rather sad and disappointed that it was such a tough go financially.” Two longtime Merchant Ivory and I had to do it,” Mr. Ivory said, and laughed. associates, Paul Bradley and Rich“Things I didn’t even know were going on.” ard Hawley, had assumed Mr. What Mr. Merchant did was allow Mr. Ivory Merchant’s producer duties, but to concentrate on actual filmmaking. “There the film got hung up between were times when I would dither over the casting promised bank loans and a budget and, fed up, he would go out on his own and that the banks and the completioncast certain parts,” said Mr. Ivory. “In this way bond company could agree on. I ended up with James Mason, Maggie Smith Merchant Ivory’s own resources and Judi Dench. Should I complain?” were used to begin production (in The upshot was a body of work that, despite 2006, on location in Argentina), a sumptuous public image (“elegantly dressed something Mr. Merchant had people getting in and out of carriages and stuff strenuously avoided before. like that”), is unified by nuanced human relaIt took more than a year to obtain tionships. “And that’s the fun of doing it,” Mr. new financing, so Mr. Ivory could Ivory said. “If that wasn’t there, who’d want to edit and otherwise finish the $8.3 do it? We get so many scripts — used to, anyway million film, which explains why — that are set in the past, and they’re rarely very a film that began four years ago is interesting. They don’t get into the personalities only arriving in theaters now. and characters of the people.” Despite the convoluted history, Born in 1928 in Berkeley, Calif., Mr. Ivory Mr. Ivory said, “City of Your Final grew up in Oregon, attended the University of Destination” is, in its essentials, Southern California film school, and was well of a piece with the pair’s earlier on his way to becoming a documentary filmwork. “Ismail helped me to find maker: his “Venice: Themes and Variations” the two main locations,” he said. (from 1957), scenes from which appear in “And when we were shooting in “Destination,” made what was then The New them, as we mostly were, I kept York Times’s annual list of noteworthy nonthe- Mr. Merchant, left, who died in 2005, with Mr. Ivory. remembering his presence there 18 months atrical films. But then Mr. Ivory, who had never before. He had stood where I was standing; he directed a narrative feature, met Mr. Merchant, had money. “What ‘The Householder’ made we put into had given this film his blessing, as it were; and who had never produced one, and they enlisted another first-timer, Ms. Jhabvala, to adapt her ‘Shakespeare Wallah,’ which was a critical suc- despite all that happened afterwards it has very novel “The Householder.” When Mr. Merchant cess,” Mr. Ivory said. “Then Fox gave us a film much turned out to be one of our films, quite sold the film to Columbia Pictures, Mr. Ivory to do, ‘The Guru,” and I was launched. I didn’t complete and quite ‘Merchant Ivory.’ Even if it’s the first of our films in which some of the said, he became the first U.S.C. grad to get a have to scratch my way up.” It was Ms. Jhabvala who suggested that they cast mostly wear T-shirts.”-NYT studio release. And Merchant Ivory suddenly

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A historic Decision, Secured Childhood

The recent legislation on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 is an instrument which could help in materialising many a child’s dream By Sumit Bhattacharjee It is the dream of every child to tuck the books in his or her school bag and walk to the school every morning. Whether, it is a walk through the maze of traffic or through the misty rice fields - urban or rural - rich or under privileged, it is the dream of every child to walk to the school every morning. The recent legislation on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act- 2009 is not only a brave move, especially in the face of the global economic meltdown, but also an instrument which could help in materialising many a child’s dream. An outlay of Rs. 15,000 crore for the year 2010-2011 for the purpose, clearly indicates the government’s resolve in implementing it. It is undeniably a historic decision and can be said to be complimenting the global Convention on the Rights of the Child, another iconic decision that was taken by the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989. It also highlights India’s concern for children and its commitment towards the Convention and UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The Convention was ratified by India in December 1992. Children had been a matter of concern since time immemorial. But the first global move to legalise certain rights for children was moved by the League of Nation in 1924 by adopting

The massive outlay clearly indicates the government’s resolve to implement the Act.

the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child. This was followed by the UN General Assembly passing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the UN adopting the

Rights of the Child in 1959 and finally the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In between and after, there were many supporting acts and protocols like International Covenants on Civil, Political, Economic, social and Cultural Rights, ILO’s historic article on minimum age of employment, International Year of the Child (1979) and additional protocols to the Convention on involvement of children in armed conflict and sale of child for prostitution and child pornography in 2000, only to ‘make a world fit for children’. This Act has its history embedded in the drafting of the Indian constitution at the time of Independence and more specifically to the Constitutional Amendment that included the Article 21A in the Indian constitution making Education a fundamental Right. It could not be implemented then, as the amendment called for a legislation to state the mode of implementation through a separate Bill. The rough draft of 2005 was opposed due to the mandatory provision of 25 per cent

reservation for disadvantaged children in private schools. After much deliberation it was approved by the cabinet in November 2008 and passed in 2009 and implemented from 1 April 2010. The implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act- 2009 clearly indicates that a child without education and freedom of expression cannot develop. Education is a universal dream and 6-14 years, as specified by the Act, is the age for transformative seeding of opportunity for every child. The very essence of the Act indicates that children are rights holder and not just objects of charity. The Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said that the Act would make elementary education free and compulsory to all and about 1 crore children from the under privileged sector would stand to benefit. But at the same time he noted that it was the responsibility of all stakeholders to enforce it. Apart from the three branches of the government- executive, parliamentary and judiciarythe other stakeholders would be the private sector, the media, religious leaders, the parents and the guardians and the NGOs. “The success of the Act depends on the sheer cooperation between the government and the above mentioned stake holders,” said the Director of Conduira Mohammed Abdullah. Conduira has adopted a school, B.B.V. High School, as part of its corporate social responsibility. As per the Act, private educational institutions should reserve 25 per cent of the seats for children from weaker section. It also specifies an element of fee reimbursement to the schools. The Act goes beyond just providing free and compulsory education to include quality education to all. “Well this would be the first challenge. Quality is an integral part of the Act and quality comes with infrastructure development. Infrastructure includes things like building, laboratories, basic amenities and libraries and as well as quality teachers. No amount of software and technology can replace teachers in flesh and blood. It is no doubt a landmark Act, but its success depends on its implementation.

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TECHNOLOGY

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Where a Cellphone is Still Cutting Edge

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By Anand Giridharadas What if, globally speaking, the iPad is not the next big thing? What if the next big thing is small, cheap and not American? America went into a frenzy last weekend with the iPad’s release. But even as hundreds of thousands here unwrap their iPads, another future entirely may be unfolding overseas on the cellphone. Forgotten in the American tumult is a global flowering of innovation on the simple cellphone. From Brazil to India to South Korea and even Afghanistan, people are seeking work via text message; borrowing, lending, and receiving salaries on cellphones; employing their phones as flashlights, televisions and radios. And many do all this for peanuts. In India, Reliance Communications sells handsets for less than $25, with one-cent-a-minute phone calls across India and one-cent text messages and no monthly charge — while earning fat profits. Compare that to iPad buyers in the United States, who pay $499 for the basic version, who might also have a $1,000-plus computer and a $100-plus smart cellphone, and who could pay $100 or more each month to connect these many devices to the ether. Not for the first time, America and much of the world are moving in different ways. America’s innovators, building for an ever-expanding bandwidth network, are spiraling toward fancier, costlier, more networkhungry and status-giving devices; meanwhile, their counterparts in developing nations are innovating to find ever more uses for cheap, basic cellphones. America does not share the world’s romance with the cellphone. Since returning last year from India, I have been struck by how often calls drop here and surprised that text-messaging, so vital to Indians, has yet to entrench itself in America, where so much messaging travels on the Internet. A recent report by the World Economic Forum and Insead, the French business school, concluded that Americans rank below 71 other nations in their level of cellphone penetration, even though they lead in other areas of connectivity. Some Americans are not connected at all. Millions of others are beyond the phone, so to speak: though they own

In Africa, the cellphone is giving birth to a new paradigm in money. Plastic cards have become the reigning instruments of payment in the West, but projects like PesaPal and M-Pesa in Kenya are working to make the cellphone the hub of personal finance. M-Pesa lets you convert cash into cellphone money at your local grocer, and this money can instantly be wired to anyone with a phone. These efforts arise from a shortage of bank accounts in Africa. But they create the possibility of peer-to-peer finance that could be At an electronics market in Lagos, Nigeria, useful even in wealthy cellphones appear in great profusion, as they countries — for exdo throughout poorer lands. ample, allowing small one and use it, they also own other businesses in rural areas to collect devices, and the phone is not be-all- money without credit-card systems. end-all. I called Western Union, the ColoBut it is from Kenya to Colombia rado-based money-transfer service, to South Africa — the kind of places to ask if I could send money to a that have built cellphone towers pre- mobile phone. “Basically, we do not cisely to leapfrog past the expense of have that kind of option right now,” building wired networks, which have the agent told me. An American comlinked Americans for a century. In pany, Obopay, does offer phone-tosuch places, cellphones are becoming phone payments. Its founder, Carol the truly universal technology. The Realini, got the idea when volunteernumber of mobile subscriptions in the ing in Africa. world is expected to pass five billion The phone has also moved to the this year, according to the Interna- center of community life in many tional Telecommunication Union, an places. In Africa, urban churches intergovernmental organization. That record sermons with cellphones, then would mean more human beings transmit them to villages to be retoday have access to a cellphone than played. In Iran and Moldova, phones the United Nations says have access helped to organize popular uprisings to a clean toilet. against authoritarian governments. And because it reaches so many In India, the cellphone is used in people, because it is always with citizen election monitoring, and in you, because it is cheap and sharable equipping voters, via text message, and easily repaired, the cellphone with information on candidates’ inhas opened a new frontier of global comes and criminal backgrounds. innovation. Recognizing the role of cellphones Babajob, in Bangalore, India, and in developing nations, the White Souktel, in the Palestinian territo- House last year made a point of ries, offer job-hunting services via releasing President Obama’s speech text message. Souktel allows users to the Muslim world, in Cairo, in 13 without Internet or fancy phones to languages over text message. It has register by texting information about made no similarly publicized gesture themselves. A user who then texts in in the United States, even though not “match me” will receive a listing of everyone has Internet access. (The jobs suitable to her, including phone administration proposes to remedy numbers to dial. continued on page 37

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opinion

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Why Can’t India have its Own ‘Patriotic Hackers’?

BANGALORE: Revelations by Canadian investigators that a cyber spy ring based in China specifically targeted India’s defence establishment are expected to set off a major cyber security overhaul by New Delhi. Privileged information suggests the Indian government could seriously consider creating the position of a cyber security czar whose mandate would be to fundamentally overhaul cyber security and bring the currently fragmented networks under a clearly defined structure. The overhaul will demand a whole new approach outside the bureaucratic confines considering that it necessarily requires tapping the cyber security community constituted by young professionals in their 20s and 30s. Since this community is used to working in a highly non-hierarchical environment with a great deal of personal freedom the government will have to use the office of the cyber security czar as its interface with the young professionals. Although cyber security had already been coming under government focus for some time now, a 10-month-long investigation by the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies, Canadian security firm SecDev Group and US-based cyber sleuthing organisation Shadowserver Foundation has added extra urgency to the task. The investigators have issued a report titled “Shadows in the Cloud: An investigation into cyber espionage 2.0” which highlights how India’s defence establishment was seriously penetrated by cyber attackers based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. The report exposes widespread penetration of computer systems at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, Indian diplomatic missions in Kabul, Moscow, Dubai and Abuja, Military Engineer Services, Military Educa-

tional Institutions, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, the National Maritime Foundation and some corporations. It is hard to quantify the damage the information obtained by the hackers can cause, but it could be potentially significant. The report has served to highlight serious flaws and vulnerabilities in India’s official information networks. Those who know how the systems work point to a “lack of discipline” in even seemingly trivial details such as senior government officials in sensitive positions still using email addresses on Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail. They say inasmuch as no email system can be made foolproof, these free accounts are

even less so. Even the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are known to be prone to systematic attacks. Apart from the inherent interest in India’s defence and other establishments because of its rise as a major power, there is also another reason why the country has emerged as an important target. Its position as home to large IT companies which are in turn repositories of vast global information also makes India particularly attractive to hackers. In a sense hacking India could lead to a great deal of diverse economic, financial, health and other forms of valuable intelligence. One of the primary mandates of any future cyber security czar would be to create a multilayered security system around its national assets in a manner that no single successful penetration would yield a treasure trove of information in one place. The cyber security czar could also be mandated to lay down standards and code of conduct for those in the government handling data of certain sensitive nature. Informed sources say the czar would report to the National Security Advisor and would often end up operating outside the traditional command and control structure of the Indian bureaucracy because of the kind of monitoring the office would be expected to do.

One specific approach that the Indian government might have to consider adopting relates to what in industry parlance are known as defensive and offensive hackers. While the former’s job would be to ensure strong defences against all attacks, that of the latter would be to actively be part of hackers worldwide who perform the role of flooding malware or malicious software codes used to infiltrate large systems. Such participation is crucial to pre-empting attacks. It is in this context that the Canadian investigation makes an interesting point. Under the section “Patriotic Hacking” the report says, “The PRC (People’s Republic of China) has a vibrant hacker community that has been tied to targeted attacks in the past and has been linked through informal channels to elements of the Chinese state, although the nature and extent of the connections remain unclear. One common theme regarding attribution relating to attacks emerging from the PRC concerns variations of privateering model in which the state authorizes private persons to perform attacks against enemies of the state.” Unlike China, which has developed a sizable community of defensive as well as offensive hackers, India has not even begun to evolve a cohesive approach to what cyber security experts regard as a decisive aspect of the information technology-driven world. Since the government cannot officially or even unofficially recruit these hackers, it will have to find creative ways to utilize their services and create enough indirect protections in the event some of them run afoul of law-enforcement agencies which may not know about their existence. This is clearly a grey area which many cyber security experts say is a necessary evil. It is conceivable that India may have to create its own version of “patriotic hackers” if it has to effectively thwart hacking attacks.-IANS

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technology

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Where a Cellphone is Still Cutting Edge continued from page

that by widening broadband access.) All of which suggests the presence of an innovation gap between the world’s richest societies and the poorest — not in device design so much as in usage. And there is a question about whether the United States, which gained so much from the Internet revolution, will similarly profit from the entry of billions more people from the developing world into a massive worldwide middle class — consumers now but not yet rich, with a simple cellphone and a less-is-more sensibility. Certainly, America’s innovative new devices may find important roles at home — perhaps in distributing news and books and entertainment, which have struggled to adapt to the digital age. That alone could make their invention revolutionary.

But is desire replacing need as the mother of American inventions? Will domestic demand for ever sleeker, faster, fancier devices make it harder for Americans to innovate for the vaster, less opulent world outside, still dominated by frugal wants? Perhaps. Ken Banks, a British entrepreneur who works in Africa and developed FrontlineSMS, a textmessaging service for aid groups, put it this way: “There’s often a tendency in the West to approach things the wrong way round, so we end up with solutions looking for a problem, or we build things just because we can.” Well, yes. Then again, the mobile phone itself began that way. In 1987, when Michael Douglas famously carried one in “Wall Street,” it was an exorbitant gadget for high rollers. Now it’s more common than a toilet.

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in d ia

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Sania Weds Shoaib Earlier than Scheduled Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and tennis player Sania Mirza during their wedding ceremony at Hotel Taj Krishna in Hyderabad.

By V.V.Subrahmanyam HYDERABAD (Hindu): The much-awaited wedding of tennis star Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik was performed at a five-star hotel around 1 p.m. as per Muslim customs on Monday, April 12, ahead of the earlier announced date of April 15. The nikah was performed in the presence of a select gathering comprising only the family members of the newly-wed couple.There was high drama as Sania left her posh Jubilee Hills residence accompanied by parents, Imran Mirza and Naseema Mirza, and sister Anam. A battery of camerapersons, from both print and electronic media, followed the bride’s vehicle till the venue, initially kept a secret for security reasons. A close relative of the Mirza family described

the 10-minute ceremony as a ‘very simple affair.’Sania’s family members and Shoaib’s close relatives, including his sisters and brothers-inlaw, attended the function, he told The Hindu. Keen to end speculation and avoid criticism, the families decided to advance the nikah. Sources said that the families steered clear of possible legal hurdles before going ahead with the ceremony by seeking necessary counsel. Shoaib’s passport was confiscated by the police after Hyderabadi woman Ayesha Siddiqui filed a complaint against the cricketer, claiming Shoaib had married her earlier. Police have not released the passport yet though the case against him has been withdrawn. The controversy over the cricketer’s first marriage ended after Shoaib ‘divorced’Ayesha following the intervention of community elders.

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Indo American News â&#x20AC;˘ Friday, April 16 , 2010

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Food Talk Straight Up

Isla Ixtapa Makes Great Vegetarian, Seafood & Caters Parties By Jacob David

When did you last take a vacation on a far off island? When did that vacation inspire you so much that you decide to name your restaurant business after an island of serenity? Sonia, the owner of Isla Ixtapa Restaurant did just that. She had heard only great things about the island of Ixtapa, a tiny island near Zihuatanejo in the Mexican State of Guerrero. Island Ixtapa is known as the hidden paradise. Very few people have actually heard about this tourist spot. Even fewer people actually visit this pristine island and its

tranquil city with its exotic fish, fruits and total freedom. It is an adventure in scuba diving and water sports that begins once you land on shore. It is also the spot for a perfect romantic getaway. Sonia wanted to bring all these feelings and especially the warmth of â&#x20AC;&#x153;tradition and family cultureâ&#x20AC;? she so fell in love with on the island to her restaurant - Isla Ixtapa. Isla Ixtapa is

a n out and out family restaurant. With a large dine-in room, a patio that can seat 25+ and an inner recess private party hall that can seat 15 - 50, the restaurant is geared to wine and dine families, couples and singles till late in the night every day. If you are lucky, you will catch a live band playing on their patio, or

a DJ belting out popular songs. The food is Mexican and Latin American cuisine. There are over 50 - 80 items on the menu with changes on the menu underway - new items are being included on the menu. Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vegetarian Pizza as it is popularly known is ordered in plenty and eaten with much gusto. Families love it more as an appetizer, with plenty of olives, tomatoes, and onions with melted cheese. Mexican food is prepared the traditional way with its accompaniments of home made salsas and dips. The menu has its special seafood section with dishes ranging from shrimp, lobster, crab, and the fresh catch for the day. The Tortilla Soup is another favorite that is made from scratch using authentic Mexican spices. The Chimichangas - a large deep fried burrito served on a bed of lettuce is actually filled with meat of your choice, with onions, tomatoes, topped off with guacamole, cheese, and cream. Chalupas, made of corn flour molded into a

bowl shape is filled with meat of your choice, topped with onions, tomatoes, guacamole, cheese and cream. These dishes are ordered as favorites for hungry families. Fish Tacos made with crunchy breaded tilapia filets laid atop soft tacos are delicious to the taste. It

Blue Margarita, Brownie Fudge Alamode, Fish Tacos, Veggie Pizza, and Chicken Enchiladas, a whole variety of delicious food waits for you daily at Isla Ixtapa Restaurant. Bring your

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could be very well a favorite with the younger crowds and kids. The management has a health conscious team who take care not to add too much sugar or salt for their diners, just to give them a healthy dining experience. Isla Ixtapa also prides itself in

Continued on page 41

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STRAIGHT UP FOOD TALK

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

Isla Ixtapa Does Vegetarian, Seafood, Catering

Continued from page 40

using only the freshest ingredients. “We do not use lard, any type of animal fat, or canned products to make our foods. We use fresh vegetables, meats, ingredients and spices.” Sonia says. Isla Ixtapa also does not use any pork or pork by products nor accompany them with beans. “We do not use chicken, beef or vegetable broth from cans like other restaurants do” she tells me. Fresh food is what makes Isla Ixtapa different. The restaurant has a wide patio out right as you enter with large palm structures made using steel sheets. Inside the restaurant are island and the sea motifs - cast in giant wrought iron on the wall - shapes of the sun shining brightly, a giant lobster, a large angel fish, a large sailboat, plus lots of angel fish swimming in the blue ceiling overlay. The colors used on the walls are bright and reminds you of a vacation long overdue. There are also 3 television sets at the restaurant that play sports and current event programs. The restaurant plays popular English tunes over the speakers as families enjoy their not so pricey lunch or dinner. The prices on the menu are reasonable. They serve a variety of margaritas and fabulous desserts. The blue margarita cocktail is guaranteed to quench your thirst and relax you, much like the mango margarita served in tall nar-

row glasses with crushed ice. The blue margarita cocktail is made with a generous shot of tequila, blue curacao, lime juice vigorously shaken with ice and poured into a salt rimmed glass topped with a wedge of green lime. The Brownie Alamode - three layers with delicious fudge, vanilla icecream, and whipped cream with a fine drizzle of chocolate syrup is a treat for the kids at heart. People love the food, the quality and taste that they are now ordering food for catering events. Isla Ixtapa caters to parties of up to 400 people. People also order take-out. There is also an added clientele who visit just for trying out the vegetarian items on the menu. The service is excellent. True, you do experience a wait time much like other restaurants as the kitchen prepares fresh food. The wait staff is attentive and obliging to see that you the customer are satisfied. If you feel it is not the right time for a vacation to the island of Ixtapa just yet, you can visit Isla Ixtapa Mexican restaurant for food that reflects the island’s tradition, culture and varied culinary tastes. When you go, go to relax and dine at leisure. Do not rush the experience. Isla Ixtapa is located at 12225 Westheimerºßw (between Kirkwood and Dairy Ashford) Houston, TX 77077, phone 832-379-1717

Recipe: Leg of Lamb How to make leg of lamb:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Make deep incisions all over the leg of lamb. Pour garlic slivers and herb sprigs into the incisions. Sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper over the leg. Let it marinade at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Place the leg of lamb on a rack set in a roasting pan. Cook it for about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let it stand for ten minutes. Cut into slices.

Wines that pair with Leg of Lamb:

Ingredients:

6 lb leg of Lamb (trimmed) 5 Garlic cloves (peeled and sliced) 20 small sprigs fresh Rosemary 20 small sprigs fresh Sage 1/4 cup Olive oil. Dried Apricots (optional) sliced Salt and Pepper according to taste.

• Red Wines from Bordeaux: Chateau Malbec 2005, Chateau d’Agassac, Chateau Giraud Cheval- Blanc, Domaine du Bouscat, Chateau de Birot • Merlot Wines from Washington: Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot, / Reserve, Canoe Ridge Merlot, Malbec Merlot, Chateau Sainte Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard Merlot • Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from California: Robert Mondavi, Onehope Wine, Robert Mondavi Solaire, Vineyard 29, Mettler Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

What would you like to read in our Food Talk Section? Let us know! indoamericannews@yahoo.com

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straight up F O O D T A L K

Indian Recipes Your Kids Will Love 1. Chicken Korma: A real chicken korma derives its taste from yogurt marinated chicken served in a smooth but chili spiced cream gravy. Chicken korma can be made with more tomato sauce or coconut milk for richness. Cumin and cloves are commonly used. Red pepper chili flakes and cardamom add extra kick. You can make chicken korma with other spices to taste. Instead of a deep garlic or onion infused sauce, the tang of yogurt gives the palate an extra kick. Adding other vegetables like peas or diced potatoes bring up the stew elements and weakens spices your children think are too prominent. 2. Satay: An Indian Satay is very similar to a Thai satay. The richness of the sauce seasons and refreshes the plain or saffron rice it’s usually served with. Satay is served on a communal tray for everyone to enjoy at the table. It’s great for a family style meal. Kids love eating the chicken off sticks and if a barbecue or grill is used they can help in the kitchen as well. Satay is very rich. There is a peanut and spice addition to a rich meat sauce. Keep rice and chapattis handy for dipping. Suspending spices in a smooth coconut milk sauce rich with a meat flavor from chicken or beef has a lot of impact. Kids bored with French fries and burgers will dig in. 3. Fish Curry: can be a seasonal treat when a Babulbhai small amount of very good cuts of fish can be had.

Let Spices Do the Talking: If your child has a delicate palate or is picky about what they consume, converting Indian dishes and recipes into “American” cooking might be the answer. The pairing of spices and textures, vegetables are the basis of cultural cooking differences. Indian cooking uses spices like saffron and curry to color and spice plain foods like rice, plain chicken, and leavened bread. Mustard and turmeric, curry nd cumin come into play. The accent is on the taste of the sauce. Many Western cooks do not come close to expanding the world of Indian fusion cooking taking place today. By applying Indian spice cooking to Western continental and comfort food, nutritional elements can be boosted while developing your child’s palate. Indian dishes look colorful and play to up to colors on the plate and on the table. Color appeal alone might get your kids to enjoy Indian food at home. Indian food is better than Western fast food hands down. Carrots, onions, every kind of vegetable adds color and flavor. By learning how to cook from dynamics of another culture, you can hand down nutritional and healthful eating habits to last a lifetime.

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Fish can be used as a spiced accent for rice. Fish curry accents the sharp flavor of any spice. But stewed fish can have a great flavor and add pure protein to a child’s diet. Any freshly cooked fish/rice dish is better for kids than pizza or hamburgers. 4. Tempura Vegetables: Stir fry vegetables are meant to have a crunchy texture with the fried batter. But properly cooked vegetables should have some snap still in them. Small portions of well spiced fresh vegetables lightly dipped in batter make vegetables fun for kids to eat. Kids eat battered veggies until they’re all gone, nothing to clear away. You can give the kids a choice of tomato based or yogurt sauces. Indian spiced sauces and batter ingredients punch up the flavor of vegetables and herbs. Yogurt sauces heighten the flavor with mint or dill cream variants. If your kids think vegetables are dull, serve them some batter dipped cauliflower or broccoli or zucchini. Don’t serve them with artificial sauces. 5. Basmati Rice: Chicken or meat fried rice is not exactly exotic anymore. But you can control the amount of sugary syrups and salt in your diet by learning to prepare healthy rice dishes at home. Instead of a mess of fries or instant mashed potatoes, cook up some flavorful and fibrous rice instead. Bits of spinach and red pepper make a colorful warm winter dish kids can reheat at will. 6. Carrot Soup: Like many soups based from vegetables this one works the classic tastes of pepper and garlic around a sharp and sweet vegetable like a carrot. But Indian carrot soup uses a milk base and can be thickened with cubed potatoes or instant mashed potato flakes. Chopped zucchini and onion round out the flavor but the dish is not heavy like a larger vegetable stew. Using celery and dill weed gives a botanical cast to any winter menu. Carrot soup makes a quick and healthy meal from ingredients

probably already in your kitchen right now. The absence of tomato allows the carrot taste to come through. Ginger can also be added to this dish to give it a better taste. 7. Swordfish with Chutney: Swordfish can be expensive. Mixing the texture and flavor of fish with the cool chutney contrasted with the hot pepper spice makes an interesting dish for kids to experience. Peeled and cubed mangoes can form the sauce or can be souped up in a coconut milk dressing. The kids can help grate the fresh coconut that goes on top with a spoon. 8. Kedgeree: This dish is basically rice and eggs with fish. This is a cold weather delight when kids are sick to death of bacon and eggs and skip cereal. Getting your kids healthy protein to start the day gives them energy for sports and natural vitamins for learning. Adding peas and onions to essentially cold boiled eggs and rice cooked in milk sauce makes a texture rich flavorful dish. Even a few bites has loads more nutritional value than boxed sugary cereal and wrapped snacks. 9. Aloo Gobi Ever try to get your kids to eat cauliflower and diced potatoes. Less fried than fries and less time intensive than baked potatoes. The kids may like it less than usually spicy but it can be seasoned to taste above normal levels of cayenne pepper. Made with ginger paste, coriander, and turmeric, it takes some bland fish or yogurt to counter the spiciness. 10. Rava Laddu: is a nice dessert kids can help make. Semolina flour sauced with a little sugar and oil makes a dough that included braised cashews. Cooked with sugar and milk, these can be made in advance and served in a hot basket for dessert. These can be great for snack time and are much less caloric than hot fudge sundae or slice of chocolate cake. Little cooks can help form the rolled balls in the kitchen after cooking. Credit: Chronicler, Associated Content

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By Vikas Bajaj HAIDER NAGAR: At first glance, the vegetable patches in this north Indian village look no different from the many small, spare farms that dot the country. But up close, visitors can see some curious experiments: insect traps made with reusable plastic bags; bamboo poles helping bitter gourd grow bigger and straighter; and seedlings germinating from plastic trays under a fine net. These are low-tech innovations, to be sure. But they are crucial to the goals of the benefactor — Wal-Mart — that supplied them. Two years after Wal-Mart came to India, it is trying to do to agriculture here what it has done to industries around the world: change business models by using its hyper-efficient practices to improve productivity and speed the flow of goods. Not everyone is happy about the company’s presence here. Many Indian activists and policy makers abhor big-box retailing, fearing that it will drive India’s millions of shopkeepers out of business. Some legislators are suspicious of the company’s motives. The government still does not allow Wal-Mart Stores and other foreign companies to sell directly to consumers. But Wal-Mart is persisting because its effort in India is critical to its global growth strategy. Confronted with saturated markets in the United States and other developed countries, the company needs to establish a bigger presence in emerging markets, like India, where modern stores make up just 5 percent of the country’s retail industry. Establishing good relations with farmers is a centerpiece of the company’s plans. Though Wal-Mart is pushing many of its traditional products in India, like clothes, electronics and home goods, perhaps none is as essential as food. Wal-Mart needs high-quality produce at low prices to draw customers in volume. The challenges are significant. Buying and transporting produce are difficult tasks because India has millions of small-scale farmers and an agriculture system riddled with middlemen. Here in Haider Nagar, in the bread basket state of Punjab, farmers who supply vegetables to Wal-Mart say

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

In India, Wal-Mart Goes to the Farm going to have access to the front end?” Right now Wal-Mart operates in India through a 50-50 joint venture with Bharti Enterprises, an Indian conglomerate that also owns the country’s largest cellphone company. Their partnership, known as Bharti WalMart, supplies retail stores that are fully owned by Bharti and runs a wholesale store that sells to shopkeepers, hotels and other businesses. Wal-Mart executives would not say how much money the company has

Factory workers sort produce for Bharti-Wal-Mart.

they like working with the company. It typically pays them 5 to 7 percent more than they earn from local wholesale markets, they said. And they do not have to pay to transport produce because Wal-Mart picks it up from their fields. Abdul Majid, who sells cucumbers to Wal-Mart, says his yields have risen about 25 percent since he started following farming advice about when to apply fertilizers and which kinds — more zinc, less potash — from the company and its partner, Bayer CropScience. Mohammad Haneef, a farmer in a nearby village, said he had sold to two other companies before WalMart, but one shut down and the other cheated him and paid him late. Wal-Mart is much better, he said, but its buyers are picky, taking the best vegetables and leaving him with inferior ones that he still must truck to wholesale markets. “You have to establish trust,” he said in Hindi. “Wal-Mart has been paying on time. We would just like them to buy more.” For Wal-Mart, establishing an agricultural beachhead in India will not be easy. Many Indian companies have abandoned or significantly scaled back efforts to run supermarkets. Some companies grew too quickly and flamed out. But many others were undone by the numerous Gordian knots that hold back Indian agriculture: laws limit who can buy farmers’ crops, 35 percent of fruits and vegetables are wasted because of

Shiv Sagar

Wal-Mart Farms in India

inefficient transportation and farmers earn too little to invest in their marginal farms. “Anybody who says they can revolutionize retail in this country in a short period of time” is overestimating their abilities, said R. Gopalakrishnan, executive director of the Tata Group and chairman of Rallis India, a company that makes fertilizers, seeds and pesticides. Wal-Mart is also limited by New Delhi’s ban on foreign-owned retail chains that prevent it from selling directly to Indian consumers. “Not having access to our own retail stores through our own investments is a serious impediment,” said Raj Jain, who heads Wal-Mart’s Indian operation. “How do you pay for that big back end if you are not

invested in India, but its operation is at the forefront of a second big push into emerging markets. In the 1990s, WalMart set up shop in China, Mexico and Brazil and now has hundreds of stores there. By comparison, Bharti Wal-Mart has just one wholesale store and will soon open two more. It employs 800 people in India, and hopes to have 5,000 in three years. In recent speeches, senior Indian leaders have suggested that they would like to remove restrictions on the retail industry to help reduce food prices, which were up 20 percent in January compared with a year earlier. Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cited the need “to take a firm view on opening up the retail trade.” But even as senior leaders speak of

more openness, regulators recently published a rule that would restrict wholesale companies like Bharti Wal-Mart from earning more than 25 percent of their revenue from sales to affiliated “group companies” — a term that is not clearly defined in the rules. A spokeswoman from Bharti Wal-Mart, Arti Singh, said the company was trying to find out what this meant. Last year, a committee in the Indian parliament said the government should not allow any more wholesale stores because companies like WalMart were using them as “camouflage for doing retail through back door.” The legislators also asserted that foreign companies would raise their initial low prices after they had driven small retailers out of business. Wal-Mart has not waited for policy makers to effect changes. It has spent the last two years building relationships with farmers and suppliers, and setting up its supply system. It is building a big distribution center outside New Delhi to supply Bharti stores, which are branded Easy Day, in and around the capital. Wal-Mart also has learned to adapt its operations to numerous challenges. For instance, because trucks move slowly on the country’s congested roads, WalMart’s fruit and vegetable distribution center near Haider Nagar supplies retail stores only within 200 kilometers (124 miles) to keep produce fresh. By comparison, similar Wal-Mart facilities in China supply stores as far away as 400 kilometers. But that means the company will have to set up more distribution centers with expensive power generators, making it more difficult to make money in India. Still, Mr. Jain, who previously worked for Whirlpool and Unilever, was optimistic. He said the company would add more farmers and stores in Punjab and neighboring Haryana State, then begin expanding further. This is “a controlled experiment,” he said. “It will take some time to make it sustainable and economically viable. Then once that happens, we need to take it to some other geographies and prove the model.”-NYT

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INDIA

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Looking Down at Your Feet By Hussain Mandviwala If you are entering an office, meeting a person or socializing in a restaurant, what is the first thing that you notice? Is it the hair, the clothes, the person's look or maybe the shoes. Shoes for some might be the last thing that comes to mind, but it is a very important part of style and personality. Some of us South Asian love buying shoes and some of us think it is not relevant - ask a man who is wearing dress pants, shirt and a pair of slippers, what fashion tragedy that is. People who do wear it that way find comfort in it, but to the others eye its a serious No-No. It is a killer blow to one's personality and style. I admit, that I have for the longest time had wore a pair of shoes that are disastrous, worn out, and unappealing. Recently, one of my friend pointed out that i needed to buy new ones because mine were just looking sloppy and I thought to myself shoes hmmm, so people do notice. Thinking about it, I recalled a wise man saying that two things should always be worn new - a turban/cap (if you wear one) and a pair of shoes, It speaks highly of a man's character. We South Asian have always underestimated the power of the shoes. A man's footwear can speak volumes about his true potential even before he opens his mouth. The first thing that most employers look out for are shoes, the secret to landing a successful job is not through a good resume, it is through the power of look. We South Asian men don't understand the power of shoes because we haven't tapped into

A man’s footwear can speak volumes about his true potential even before he opens his mouth. it. We resist it by saying, " I just want to be comfortable" and that's where the pant-shirt-slipper combination or colorless contrasts comes in, but what we need to know is that shoes is our ticket to ride and get where we want to go. So next time dear men pals, have a hard look right now at your shoes and wonder what is says about you. If it’s messy and sloppy, you are a sloppy and lazy fella but if it is in great condition, clean and right, you are just doing fine. As for me, I am one proud owner of a new pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction

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Turnaround of India State Could Serve as a Model By Lydia Polgreen PATNA: For decades the sprawling state of Bihar, flat and scorching as a griddle, was something between a punch line and a cautionary tale, the exact opposite of the high-tech, rapidly growing, rising global power India has sought to become. Criminals could count on the police for protection, not prosecution. Highwaymen ruled the shredded roads and kidnapping was one of the state’s most profitable businesses. Violence raged between Muslims and Hindus, between upper castes and lower castes. Its economy, peopled by impoverished subsistence farmers struggling through alternating floods and droughts, shriveled. Its government, led by politicians who used divisive identity politics to entrench their rule, was so corrupt that it required a newly coined phrase: the Jungle Raj. Students at a middle school on the outskirts of Patna in the Indian state of Bihar, in The name captured everything that was which school attendance has sharply increased.

Construction on the outskirts of Patna.

wrong with the old India — a combustible mix of crime, corruption and caste politics in a state crucible that stifled economic growth. So when Bihar announced earlier this year that it had notched an 11 percent average growth rate for the last five years, making it the second fastest-growing economy in the country, the news was greeted as a sign that even India’s most intractable corners of backwardness and misery were being transformed. “If even Bihar can change, then anywhere in India can change,” said Shaibal Gupta of the Asian Development Research Institute, an independent think tank here. “With good governance, good policy and law and order anything is possible.” Bihar’s turnaround illustrates how a handful of seemingly small changes can yield big results in India’s most impoverished and badly governed regions. It also demonstrates how crucial the governments of India’s 28 states, many of which are larger than most countries, will be

to India’s aspirations to superpower status. State governments are responsible for everything from schools to hospitals to policing to building and maintaining most roads. Failing states, especially large ones like Bihar and its troubled neighbor, Uttar Pradesh, could make or break those hopes. “Real change in India will come when we get the right kind of state level and local leadership — a forward-looking, modern and compassionate leadership that strengthens the foundations of our great republic,” Manmohan Singh, India’s Prime Minister, said in a speech to business leaders last November. Bihar is a textbook case of how leadership determines development. Lalu Prasad, a wily populist politician whose party peddles a message of lower caste empowerment, ran the state for 15 years from beneath a banyan tree. Under Mr. Prasad’s watch, criminal syndicates kidnapped, extorted and robbed with impunity, protected by political leaders, or in some cases led by politicians. Mr. Prasad’s government did little to improve the daily lives of Biharis. Its already dismal roads disintegrated into impassable tracks. Its schools crumbled; teachers did not show up for work. Its health centers were left unstaffed. Bihar had some of the country’s sickest, poorest and shortest-lived people in India, a dismal catalog for a state that in its glory days, a few

millennia ago, was home to one of South Asia’s most powerful empires and the place where the Buddha reached enlightenment. Despite this record Mr. Prasad was re-elected once, and then when forced to step aside in a corruption scandal, he appointed his wife as his stand-in. She was also re-elected. But in 2005 the current chief minister, Nitish Kumar, himself from a lower caste, cobbled together an uneasy but successful alliance of the wealthy upper caste that Mr. Prasad had exiled from power and the very lowest of the Dalits, or untouchables. He promised to dismantle Mr. Prasad’s Jungle Raj. “It was not a case of bad governance,” Mr. Kumar said in an interview. “Governance was completely absent from the state of Bihar.” When Mr. Kumar took over, he found government offices filled with dusty files and Remington typewriters. It was as if most of the 20th century had passed Bihar by. He tackled crime first. The order went down to the lowliest constable — the law was to be enforced, and criminals would be punished, no matter their political connections. Powerful men were arrested, many of them sitting members of Parliament and the state assembly. They were convicted quickly in fast-track courts. “That gave a clear signal that the law will prevail,” Mr. Kumar said. Next came schools and hospitals. More than 2.5 million school-age children were not attending classes; by 2010 that number was reduced to fewer than 800,000. Clinics that had been seeing 30 patients a month because they had no medicine or doctors were staffed up and restocked. By 2006, the patient load had increased tenfold. He loosened bureaucratic rules to move

important infrastructure projects along more quickly. Before, projects costing little more than $50,000 required cabinet-level approval, and piled up on the desks of senior officials as the fiscal year ticked away. Mr. Kumar raised that limit to $4.4 million, and billions of dollars in infrastructure have been built. This progress, and its limitations, is clearly on display in the villages of rural Bihar. Reaching the village of Pawna from the district capital, Ara, once took more than two hours, but today it is a 30-minute drive. Solar lights illuminate narrow lanes. The street market that used to shut promptly at sundown because of bandits now bustles late into the evening. The village has a new police station, more schools and new water pumps.But Gulab Chand Ram, a landless Dalit farmer in Pawna, said the government had done little to tackle the problems of the very poorest, those with nowhere to go on the new roads and nothing to steal. “It is paper talk,” he said of the reforms. “We farmers still lack land, we lack water.” The first layer of reforms have produced spectacular results, but more complex problems like changing feudal land laws to give land to people like Mr. Ram will be much trickier, analysts said. And Bihar’s growth, of course, is relative, and given its dismal state until recently, the smallest gains have outsized impact. Almost no private investment has come into Bihar despite the improvements. Gangotri Iron and Steel, a company manufacturing rebar to fuel the state’s construction boom, recently opened a plant in the town of Bihta on the outskirts of Patna. Umesh Sangarayam, the plant’s operations manager, said that while the law and order situation had improved, the absence of reliable electricity and the unpredictability of the state’s politics may be scaring investors away. “If the wrong people come into power in Bihar, you could be finished,” he said. Indeed, it is a testament to the enduring power of caste in India’s politics that Mr. Kumar, despite his achievements, will face a tough election battle later this year. His main opponent is likely to be Mr. Prasad, who dismisses Mr. Kumar’s success. “He cheated the people of Bihar,” he said, flanked by a phalanx of advisers who vigorously nodded at his every word and attended by a manservant whose only job appeared to be flicking mosquitoes away with a white towel. “I am committed to the poor people, the depressed people, the lower-caste people.” It is a message that cannot be discounted, Mr. Gupta said. “Identity politics is strong,” he said. “We hope that voters will choose development over caste. But in Bihar one never knows.”-NYT

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TRAVEL

Bee Doh Saat Soh Teen!

By Jawahar Malhotra NEW DELHI, 14 March, 2010: I live in West Delhi. Actually, it’s more like Southwest Delhi, but the Metro swings me through the west side like a fishing hook and you feel like you’re still a part of the West. The other main route is through a “gate” that no longer exists in the village of Dabri, which is slowly being dismantled for a large intersection. Its hell driving through that gate, like opposing armies fighting with an assortment of vehicles, heaving over broken, cobbled roads and huge potholes, kicking up dust and emitting angry toots and horns under a hot Sun. West Delhi is really a collection of villages that have ripened into a real estate developers dream and a resident’s nightmare. Remnants of the villages still exist and pop up in the micro culture there and the low society life. This is not unusual for Delhi in its sprawl all around the 18th century Lutyens masterplan for the New part and the walled in sections of the Old City. But, I’ve lived in West Delhi for over 30 years, ever since my father retired from the Indian Foreign Service.

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Bowlers and Batsmen Take To the Pitch

Exclusively On DIRECTV’s The 101 Network EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 9th, 2010 – DIRECTV is introducing viewers of The 101 Network to googlies and hat tricks with an exclusive preview of the satellite provider’s CricketTicket® HD service beginning April 17. Four Indian Premiere League Tournament matches, including the league’s third place play-off and final matches, will air on The 101 Network in HD. The 101 Network’s CricketTicket® event will kick-off with the IPL matches between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, April 17 at 10:30 a.m. ET. and the Delhi Daredevils against the Deccan Chargers on Sunday, April 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The third place play-off and final matches will air at the same times on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 respectively. DIRECTV is the exclusive U.S. home for all major international cricket events, including the ICC tournaments, IPL tournaments and Champions League Twenty20. CricketTicket® delivers an entire season of exciting matches from around the globe allowing cricket fans to follow their favorite teams without missing a match. CricketTicket is part of DIRECTV’s International programming platform and is available for $299.99 for the full season or 3 monthly payments of $100. Individual matches can also be purchased, á la carte pricing varies depending on the specific game. WorldDirect™ customers must first subscribe to DIRECTV BASIC CHOICE ($19.99/mo) or PREFFERED CHOICE ($38.99/mo) and one of the international programming packages or any DIRECTV base programming package ($29.99/mo or above). Customers can receive more information on the package by calling 1-800-378-4179 or by visiting www.directv. com/101.

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A typical shopping mall in Rajouri Garden on Delhi’s west side

We had a house in Rajouri Garden, which we had built in 1962, during a cruel, oppressingly hot summer when my mother, nani (maternal grandmother) and I would trudge an hour along dusty roads under a blacktop umbrella to reach the site. Years later, my father had added two stories when the others were still single. You could see our corner house from all sides. Technically, I have never really lived in Delhi and even now don’t live here at all, just 6 weeks out of a year. But since we sold our house in a wrenchingly emotional parting, we moved to the sky to the seventh floor of an apartment complex of four towers. It is safer, so we think, since there are guards at the gate, but they don’t even check when you drive through. And there is backup generator power, water that runs all day and filtered

water, though I have seen the sad condition of the filters. It’s a long way from the Old Delhi ancient district of Daryagunj – which means the plain of the river – hundreds of year old on the north side, a thriving bazaar and commercial center during the times of the Mughal Emperors. My nani lived there with an extended family of uncles and their children and grandchildren at the top floor or a 150 year-old three-story building with 15 foot ceilings. We would hate to climb up the dimly lit, steep, long dark wooden staircases, imagining demons and crooks behind each landing. But now, in this midrise Housing Complex called Sunny Valley, supposedly the area’s best, where there is definitely lots of sun, but not a valley in sight, in front of the elevated Metro

line and just a few minutes away from two stations, there is room to breathe the air of a newer New Delhi. It is the high rise apartment sub-city of Dwarka, named after the legendary city of yore which Lord Krishna once built, ruled, and then submerged like Atlantis, in west India near the Rann of Kutch. My father used to joke that our house number, V-47, stood for Victory in 1947, or Independence for India. In India, people know you by the location you live in. Galli 26. Plot 52. Sector 10. Flat D oblique 73 (D/73). Now, for the milkman, the ironing woman, the electrician, the dry cleaners, the bank clerk, the tailor and the maid, with an embarrassed smile and folded hands, they say, “Ji Babuji, aap to Bee Doh Saat Soh Teen ke hain” (Yes Sir, you’re from B2-703).

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India in Pictures

Contestants of Miss India 2010 pose for a photograph during a promotional event in Mumbai. Photo: PTI

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on the occasion of Baisaki during the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.

A policeman helps a handicapped pilgrim take bath on the occasion of Baisaki, in Haridwar.

Sikh pilgrims wave to their relatives as they leave to pay obeisance at Sikh shrines in Pakistan, at Amritsar railway station.

Women welcome PRP President Chiranjeevi on his arrival at Jeevakona in Tirupati. Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

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A R T & E N T E R T AIN M E N T

Rana Dasgupta Wins Commonwealth Best Book Award awards, is presented annually to reward the best Commonwealth fiction written in English by both established and new writers. The Prize, instituted in 1987 by the Commonwealth Foundation, covers the Commonwealth regions ofAfrica, the Caribbean and Canada, Europe, South Asia and South East Asia and Pacific. The eight winners that emerged from the regional judging were announced in March and were in Delhi for the final phase of the competition. “I cannot breathe,” said Ms. Guest after her win was announced. “This is so out of my realm of thought,” said the author of the best first book accepting her award. Meanwhile, Mr. Dasgupta who looked dapper in a black suit, Rana Dasgupta during an interview in March 2010, at his home in New Delhi. thanked his parents who he said Photo: Shanker Chakravarty supported his writings. Previous winners of the Prize include NEW DELHI: British-Indian author This Unbroken Sky and Pakistani author Vikram Chandra, Jhumpa Lahiri, MoDaniyal Mueenuddin’s In Other Rooms, Rana Dasgupta on Monday won the hammed Hanif, V.S. Naipaul, J.M. CoOther Wonders. Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for 2010 The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, etzee, Indra Sinha,Alice Munro and MarforhisepictaleSolosetinCommunistand post-Communist Bulgaria while Austra- oneoftheworld’smostprestigiousliterary garet Atwood among others.-PTI lian Glenda Guest’s Siddon Rock picked up the Best First Book prize at the award’s grand finale ceremony here. Mr. Dasgupta, whose book was earlier adjudged the best in the South Asia and Europe region, beat off stiff competition from the three other regions to win the £10,000 prize. Minister of State for External Affair Shashi Tharoor gave away the awards at theeventheldforthefirsttimeinDelhi,the venue for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in October. “I don’t see the Prize in any way as a celebration of colonialism or an acknowledgement of the historical past but surely as one that binds us together through language,” said Tharoor who was a recipeint of the prize around 20 years ago. The contenders, who lost out to Mr. Dasgupta in the race were South African author Marie Heese’s The Double Crown, Canadian writer Michael Crummey’s Galore and Samoan author Albert Wendt’s The Adventures of Vela. Similarly, Glenda Guest won the £5,000 prize seeing off competition from seven regional winners of the Best First Book from Africa, the Caribbean and Canada, South Asia-Europe, South East Asia-Pacific regions. The panel of judges that decided the overall winners included Chair of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Justice Nicholas Hasluck, Elinor Sisulu Antonia MacDonald Smythe Muneeza Shamsie Anne Brewster and Makarand Paranjpaye, the representative from India. Born in the U.K., 38-year old Mr. Dasgupta, whose first book Tokyo Cancelled was shortlisted for the 2005 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, has been based in Delhi for the last nine years. Solo is Mr. Dasgupta’s second book and is a story that encompasses a century of Communist and post-Communist regimes in Bulgaria, told from the perspective of a near centenarian man. Ms. Guest’s Siddon Rock won the award over other first timers -- Nigerian author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubeni’s I Do Not Come to You by Chance, Canadian debut novelist Shandi Mitchell’s Under

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Hollywood Studio to Remake Hindi Film ‘Lahore’ now be remade in Hollywood,” director Chauhan told PTI. “I have been requested to sell all the rights for remake of the film and yes there might be a possibility of myself directing the film again, with an all new international cast and crew, which will a big challenge and responsibility for me,” Chauhan said adding that his only condition is that there are no changes in the original script. Bollywood actors Shraddha Das along with ’Lahore’, based on kickAanaahad during the promotion of director boxing has won many Sanjay Puran Singh Chahan’s film ‘Lahore’ international awards and in Mumbai. was released last month. The director had roped in some NEW DELHI: Director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s Hindi film major Hollywood names like Wayne ‘Lahore’ has become the first Indian Sharpe for the background music, film to be approached by a major Tony Leung as action director, ‘AvaHollywood studio for a remake.Hol- tar’ vocalist Lisbeth Scott and Rob lywood Gang, the production house Miller as sports consultant. The film, released in India by behind hits like Gerard Butler starrer ‘300’ and Robert De Niro and Drew Warner Bros and produced by Sai Barrymore starrer ‘Everybody’s Om Film Pvt Ltd, is the story of Fine’, has approached Chauhan to Veerender Singh from India who acquire all the rights for the remake. wants to revenge the murder of his “We have been approached by kickboxer brother at the hands of Mr. Scott Carr, Director of Develop- Pakistani player Noor Mohammed. ment of Hollywood Gang Production He is a sportsperson, who has to win House. It is an honour for me and the kickboxing tournament for his my film that after having so much of nation, but more than this sport, it is accolade from all over, ‘Lahore’ will the revenge that drives him.

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s p o rt s

Mumbai Indians in Semifinals of IPL3 By Vijay Lokapally JAIPUR: The batsman dominated the bowler in the royal contest between two masters. A packed audience at the Sawai Man Singh stadium watched Rajasthan Royals suffer its first home loss in nine matches. They still relished it because the man who beat their team was their hero too. Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 89 carried Mumbai Indians to a convincing 37–run win and earned the side a place in the semifinals. Rajasthan Royals has complicated its course and must win its remaining two matches. Clinical batting A target of 175 was possible only due to Tendulkar’s clinical batting after Rajasthan elected to field. He made the most of a ‘life’, paced his knock tactically and produced a match-winning effort as only he can. The rest paled into oblivion and Shane Warne was a clear loser and his team a huge let down. The evening was lit up by the two masters as they renewed their rivalry and rekindled memories from their youthful days. Warne was in control until Tendulkar confronted him with his classy footwork and innovation at the crease. Warne is a champion at bowling to his field but thrice in an over Tendulkar embarrassed him with his deft placements. Two inside-out strokes, as Tendulkar stepped out imperiously

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his team’s victory over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

and a rasping cut took one’s breath away. Classy There was class written when the Indian whipped him off his pads once and then tapped him for a comfortable brace in front of the fielder at mid-on. There was nothing crass about Tendulkar’s batting and Warne too was full of guile, spinning the ball and tossing it too for variety. Tendulkar’s fifth half century of the

tournament was crafted in expected style and it was as valuable as any. The first six of the match came only in the 18th over from a typical Kieron Pollard blast off Dole, who later topscored for the Royals. And then Tendulkar added two more off Trivedi in the last over. Dole had messed up a top edge from Tendulkar off Siddharth Trivedi when the batsman was on 45. It cost Rajasthan dearly indeed. The master was the rightful ‘man-of-the-match’.

Sehwag is Wisden Cricketer of the Year Again NEW DELHI: Explosive Indian opener Virender Sehwag became ‘Wisden Cricketer of the Year’ for the second time in a row, beating off competition from England captain Andrew Strauss and Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan. The award, which was instituted in 2004, has Australian captain Ricky Ponting, spin wizard Shane Warne and talismanic English all-rounderAndrew Flintoff among its past winners. The 31-year-old Indian was picked for the honour

Virendra Sehwag

for a second successive year after scoring “more quickly than any specialist batsman in Tests or one-day internationals”, a website reported. Sehwag apart, English wicketkeeper Matt Prior, spinner Graeme Swann, batsman Graham Onions, pacer Stuart Broad and Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke were the ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’ chosen by the magazine. Sehwag averaged 70, with a strikerate of 108.9, in the Tests he played last year. In one-day internationals, Sehwag had a strike-rate of 136.5 while averaging 45. Strauss and Dilshan were also nominated by several correspondents who were consulted about this award but fell short of Sehwag.

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

India Wins Kabaddi World Cup LUDHIANA (TOI): Beating their arch-rivals Pakistan by a huge margin of 58-24, India on Monday won the first edition of the Kabaddi World Cup. The final of this 10-day tournament was played here at jam-packed floodlit Guru Nanak Stadium. Besides a glittering trophy, victorious Indian team received a cheque of Rs.1 crore whereas first Pakistan took home Rs.51 lakh. Earlier in the day, Canada outplayed Italy by a big margin of 66-22 and attained third spot in the tournament. Canada and Italy bagged cash prize of Rs.25 lakh and Rs.10 lakh respectively. Indian captain Mangat Singh Mangi was declared the best stopper and Canadian Kuljit Singh Malsihan was adjudged the best raider. Both were awarded a tractor each.

Besides winning this coveted cup, Indian team members had another reason to rejoice as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced that all would be given state government jobs. Badal said a formal decision would taken during the state cabinet meeting April 15. Enthused with the whopping response to Kabaddi World Cup, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced that the state will host an eight-nation Punjab Gold Cup hockey tournament this year. Various senior leaders of Punjab government had come to see the final match. Abhay and Ajay Chautala, senior leaders of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the main opposition party in Haryana, had also come to watch this match.

Force India Hopes to Shine in Shanghai NEW DELHI: Force India has not returned empty-handed from any of the first three races this season and drivers Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi expect the trend to continue when they hit the state-of-the-art Shanghai International Circuit for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. Sutil, who picked up his first points finish of the year in Malaysia with a fighting fifth place, is particularly optimistic because he feels the Shanghai layout suits the

Temperatures will be a bit cooler, but there is a long straight and you need to be very fast on that, and that’s what our car can do. “It has also the downforce required for the slow speed corners. My feeling is that we can perform well again in Shanghai,” elaborated the youngster.Liuzzi, who won points both in Bahrain and Australia before an engine failure marred his outing in Malaysia, said there was no reason why the team cannot stretch its point-

VJM03 to a tee. “The race in China will be a bit different but there are some similarities to Malaysia as well. The circuit layout is different, of course, but you need a good top speed, which we have, and you need a little bit of downforce for the mid sector, for the slow corners so I think it should suit our car really well,” Sutil said. After the sweltering heat in Malaysia, Sutil is looking forward to relatively cooler climes in Shanghai and the German expects both the Force India cars to do well, especially because of the long straights there.“It was encouraging in Malaysia, and also the last races in Bahrain and Australia. I think we can show a very similar performance in China.

scoring streak. “I have been in the simulator and we are pushing to bring updates to China as we want to be ready to score points again and not let our momentum slip,” he said.“For sure it’s one of the circuits that I like, and I’ve always had good results there. In fact my best result in F1 was at that circuit — in 2007 Sebastian Vettel and myself finished fourth and sixth for Toro Rosso,” he said. “It’s got a flow as a circuit and there are some technical corners, and it’s always a crazy race because there can be some different weather conditions. So overall I’m looking forward to it. More points are the aim and we can do it, for sure,” said the Italian.-Hindu

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c o mm u n i t y c o n n e c t i o n s

RELIGIOUS SERVICES 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

Every Sunday satsang assembly accompanied by Santo with inspirational BAPS 281-765-BAPS (2277) talks & devotional bhajans from 4:30pm - 6:30pm followed by arati and mahaprasad. 281-765-BAPS (2277), www.houston.baps.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

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

Foundation for India Studies Saturday, April 24, 2010 : Foundation for India Studies presents a Lecture by world renowned Indian American Physicist and author Padma Vibhushan Dr. E.C.G.Sudarshan on “Modern India’s Expanding Role In Science” at Madras Pavillion, 1620 Kensington Dr.,Sugarland, Tx. 77479 Social hour: 6.00p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Lecture and Q&A: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. followed by dinner. Admission $20/- includes dinner. Free parking • For Information: Call 713-795-5169 / 979-240-9496 / 713-743-4689 / 281-494-7656

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Houston 11620 Ormandy St. Houston, TX 77035 Balalaya Prathishttha celebrations - Poster Contest – Theme Mahabharata for children (Ages 6 – 18) from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM on Saturday, May 22, 2010 Costume Contest – Theme Mahabharata - For children ages 6 and under from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM followed by Mahabharata Quiz – Knowledge Contest for children (ages 6 – 18) from 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM For Details visit: www.guruvayurusa.org last day for registration is May 14, 2010.

Free Citizenship Classes @ Houston Public Library

February - May 2010

Mondays & Thursdays Wednesdays 7-8.30pm 5.30-7.30pm Carnegie Neighborhood Library Henington Regional Library 832-393-1820 832-393-1970

april 2010 16-18 Fri-Sun

17 Sat

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

CURRENT EVENTS

Annual Tyagaraja Utsavam, Sri Meenakshi Temple, 281-4890358, www.meenakshi.org 8am: 10th Annual Health Fair, BAPS Charities., BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 281-765-2277 8.30pm: Asha Bhosle Live in Concert, Star Promotions Inc., Arena Theatre, Rajender: 281-222-4500

17-19 Sat-Mon

24-25

IFest: The Houston International Festival, www.ifest.org

Sat-Sun

6.30pm: Seminar on Alternative Investments, JAYKAY Wealth Advisors Inc., Sugar Creek Country Club, 713-780-4575, jay@advisorusa.com

5.30pm: Chai Exchange, South Asian Chamber of Commerce, Westin Oaks Galleria, 832-660-2952, jeff@sacchouston.com

Tue

Wed

24 Sat

6pm: Free Seminar on Osteoarthritis, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, 800-451-2006 Ext. 3335, www.managingosteoarthritis.com 4pm: Phite Andhaaraache Jaale’: musical program by Shridhar Phadke, Houston Maharashtra Mandal, Cross Point Community Church, www.hmmhouston.org 6.30pm:Panchatantra and Shiva Shakti, Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center, Stafford Civic Center, 281-277-7401 7.30pm: Vaisakhi Celebration, Punjabi Society of Houston, Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston, Jasmeeta Singh: 713-858-8229 7.30pm: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert, Rehan Siddiqi, Arena Theatre, 713-545-4115

25 Sun

Noon-5pm: Bibi Bridal Show for the Luxurious South Asian Wedding, Hilton Americas, 713-992-4085

mAy 2010

Sat

6.30pm: Pratham Houston Gala 2010, Pratham USA, Westin Galleria, 713-774-9599, www.prathamusa.org

Sun

5.30pm: The Blue Mug- A Comedy Play, Media Circle and Art Promotions, Stafford Civic Center, Surender Talwar: 713-668-2948

Fri

7.30pm: Mera Gaon: Save a Mother’s 2nd Annual Gala, Ashford Oaks, veenakaul8@gmail.com, www.save-a-mother.org

Sat

5.30pm: Classical Concert with Pandit Shantilal Shah, Anjali Center, Raman: 281-630-6075

8pm: India Jaz Suites, Indo American Association, Wortham Center, 281-648-0422

Fri

22 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

Send event information to indoamericannews@yahoo.com Listings should be concise and occur within 15 days of submittal

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 16 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Blue Mug Is a Funny Anecdote, A Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

Enchanted Melody: Asha Bhosle Live in Concert in Houston This Saturday, Asha Bhosle who is best known as the greatest legendary all time singer is gearing up to perform in Houston at Arena Theater organized by Rajinder of Star Promotions; who have brought big bollywood banners like the Incredibles and many others to Houston. Asha Bhosle is considered as one of the most versatile South Asian singers - her range her range of songs includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, Rabindra Sangeets and Nazrul Geetis. She has sung in over 14 languages including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam. Bhosle is believed to have sung over 12,000 songs. Though her sister, Lata Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records during 1974-1991, for having sung the most songs in the world, reputed sources have introduced concerns to its veracity, claiming that the Guinness counts were exaggerated and Bhosle had recorded more songs than Mangeshkar. Bhosle herself pointed out that she had made the most recordings by any singer - 12,000. Joing Asha Bhosle is the commercial Hindi cinema playback singer Krishna Beura, who is popularly known as Krishna and is mostly known for his hit songs “Maula Mere” from the film Chak de India. Krishna Beura is popular for his Sufi singing style and can sing in 22 languages. Krishna is known for his very special (often uncommon) style which is very near

HOUSTON: The Blue Mug is creating quite a stir in Houston before it is even set to be staged, the play is buzzing around and that’s the least one could expect from a play that stars heavyweight actors like Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Sheeba Chadha, Konkana Sen Sharma and Munish Bhardwaj. And that it had already had successful innings in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Delhi, are adding to the hype. Tickets in India has been selling like hot cakes. As per media sources, the lucky ones who could lay their hands on the tickets to the show, which was held for two consecutive days at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, were jubilant. And sadly, those who missed the tickets were left whining. The excitement (in India) as per media sources among the theatre lovers was evident as they welcomed the starcast with a BIG round of applause. As a prelude to the drama, Sheeba announced, “We (The Company Theatre) first enacted this play about seven years ago.” Munish followed her saying, “The play is about ...,” seconded by Vinay, Rajat, and Ranvir, each expressing his loss of words to explain the theme. Then, Rajat quipped, “It’s about 75 mins long.” To the surprise of those who had no clue about the play, besides the stellar cast, Vinay declared that unlike the title ‘The Blue Mug’ suggested the play had no props. The play sans the props was all about the

Talented Singer Krishna Beura is also performing live at the concert. He is best known for his Sufi singing and is closest to singing like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

to legend ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Krishna also accepts that he has a tend towards Khan sahibs grant Sufi style. Krishna is famous among his fans for his mastery on high notes (tar -saptak) in singing and harkats as well as alaaps, he is one of the most Talented singers to hit High pitch notes with ease. The concert also features prominent singers like Sudesh Bhosle and illustrates the musical journey of R.D Burman. The show is scheduled to perform on April 17th at 8:30pm at Arena theater.

brilliance of natural flow of dialogues. Inspired by Dr Oliver Sack’s book on patients suffering from neurological disorders, “The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat”, the play was about getting nostalgic over memories — memories that evolved different emotions, memories of events that span a few moments but lasts forever. In the play, all the actors, except Konakana and Ranvir recount their personal experiences from the past. It was a complete laugh riot on stage, with actors splattering in English and Hindi peppered with Punjabi accent. Konkana and Ranvir, who played a doctor and a patient respectively, took the audience to a different emotional level with a poignant story of Joginder Chauhan played Ranvir, who had no memories post 1983. There was no storyline as such, but the audience thoroughly enjoyed the individual sequences. They made the audience laugh with the funny anecdotes which everybody could relate to. This play directed by Atul Kumar was presented as a part of the Ballantine’s leave an Impression. The Blue Mug is scheduled to be performed in Houston on May 2, 2010 at Stafford Civic Center. Psrt of the proceeds will benefit the Indian Doctors Association Charity Clinic. The Blue Mug is a presentation of Media Circle and Arts Promotions

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 16 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Indo American News • Friday, April 16 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 16 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM