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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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Friday, November 19 2010 | Vol. 29, No. 47

Indo American News

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Pamela Anderson in Big Boss Season 4 Hollywood Actress Pamela Anderson will appear in Big Boss 4. Pamela Anderson was seen in white sari, bangles, bindi and jhumkas, while entering Big Boss 4 last Tuesday. She is starring as guest in the Big Boss 4 House Series in India.

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JVB Preksha Presents epic Play with stunning Visuals

THIS WEEK

By Pramod KulKarni K Karni HOUSTON: Scenes from ancient India’s epic play, “NalDamayanti”, came alive last Saturday night at the University of Houston. The capacity audience at the UH Cullen Auditorium was stunned by colorful visuals and dramatic acting presented by the JVB Preksha Meditation Center as its annual fundraising event.

Story on Pg 4 A Sad Loss to the Houston Community

Damyanti (Sakshi Bahadur) is reunited with King Nal/Bahuk (Prateek Karkal), to the joy of her parents King Bhimrath (Ash Shah) and Queen Pushpawati (Mamta Mehta), while Prince Dadhiparn (Tejas Shah) looks on.

Detailed review and photos on Page 3.

rice Tests I-slate to Help rural Indian Kids HOUSTON: A partnership between Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Houston’s Rice University and an Indian nonprofit, Villages for Development and Learning Foundation (ViDAL), may allow some of the Indian children who attend schools without electricity to have access to one of the world’s most advanced electronic notepads.

“President Obama’s visit to India this week highlights Indian economic achievements, but India’s full economic potential will only be realized with sustainable, low-cost technologies that benefit all segments of the population,” said Krishna Palem, a Rice University professor who is leading an effort on three continents to create a low-cost, electronic version of the hand-held slates that millions of Indian children use in schools today.

Palem’s brainchild -- a device dubbed the I-slate -- is in development at the Institute of Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID) at NTU. The first prototypes of the I-slate, which were built at NTU this summer by a team that included three Rice undergraduates, are set to undergo their second round of tests in India

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R ic e U niv e r s ity com puter science professor Krishna Palem holds the I-Slate he designed to help Indian students in rural areas.

later this month.

Palem, who directs ISAID, said the I-slate is the first of a series of electronic notepads being built around a new class of green, power-stingy microchips that use a fraction of the electricity of today’s computer chips. Under development in partnership between ISAID and Switzerland’s Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, the chips will make it possible for the I-slate to run on solar power from panels similar to those used in hand-held calculators.

The I-slate began to take shape over the summer, and early prototypes were introduced in tests at a school near Hyderabad in early August.

“Children in Indian village schools are just like their peers anywhere in the world: eager to learn, tech savvy, and willing to try new pedagogical tools that engage their creative minds,”said Rajeswari Pingali, ViDAL president. “The I-slate can help bring the marvels of ICT into thousands of rural schools and contribute to an improved learning experience.”

A nonprofit based in Hyderabad, ViDAL is partnering with ISAID to test the first I-slates in Mohd Hussainpalli village, some 70 miles southwest of Hyderabad in a drought-prone area.

“There are many factors involved -- good nutrition, a good psychological environment, attentive teachers and appropriate learning and teaching tools. ViDAL is active in areas where we can make a difference, like nutrition and teaching tools. We believe the I-slate has great potential once its design caters to local needs and strengths,” Pingali added. continued on page

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70 Killed, 65 Injured in Building collapse

Story on Pg 12 Salman Rushdie to Visit Houston New book signing President Obama’s Candid Videographer, Arun Chaudhary is the First White House Video Reporter

Story on Pg 14 A Desi Wedding in a Ranch in the Rugged Hill Country Story on Pg 22 Extricating people from the rubble proved to be a tough time for the rescue workers as room had to be made for the cranes.

NEW DELHI: One more body was pulled out from the debris of the collapsed building on Thursday morning taking the death toll to 70, even as the exercise to remove the rubble continued for the third day.

The MCD has also asked the occupants of as many as 38 “dangerous” buildings in the East Delhi area to evacuate immediately after a survey it conducted in the area following directions from Delhi government.

Story on Pg 25 Telfair - Idyllic for Raising Families

Story on Pg 30 Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart with Coach Amit Shah: Learning to Win Gracefully

Full length Features, Interviews, Book, movie reviews PLUs more inside. Pick up a copy Today!

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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The 14-act play featured extravant sets and dedicated volunteer efforts of a vast array of actors and behind-the-stage talent

JVB Preksha’s “nal-damyanti”: epic Play of Love & compassion

JVB Preksha Meditation Center President Pramod Bengani offers a vote of thanks with samanijis (far right), board of directors, cast and the crew. Photo

by Navin Mediwala.

By Pramod KulKarni K Karni HOUSTON: I first heard about the epic story of Nal-Damayanti while resting as a child in the lap of my grandmother. The story came alive in living colors at the stage performance presented last Saturday night at the UH Cullen Auditorium.

Nala and Damayanti were lovers who overcame various obstacles to marry and live happily. Their story appears in the Mahabharata and in the Naiadhiyacarita, a poem written by the poet Shriharsha. According to JVB Preksha, “Nal Damayanti is a story of confidence, courage and character of Damayanti. It tells us that our own good deeds bring

good and evil begets misfortune.

We are the architects of our own destiny. Therefore, we should always stay positive, calm and tolerant in adverse situation.”

JVB Preksha presented the play in English for the benefit of children and non-Hindi speaking guests using a local cast of community volunteers directed by Hemant Bhavsar and Dilip Kapasi.

Nikhil Jain served as the producer.

Classical dances presented in the play were choreographed by Dr. Rathna Kumar. The play incorporated the teachings of Lord Mahavira, such as devotion to nonviolence.

After the play, an appreciation

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dinner cum reception was held for the cast, crew and their families at Madras Pavilion – Kirby. The cast and crew were appreciated for their performance, and ChairmanSwatantra Jain distributed individualized appreciation plaques to each of the cast members.

The JVB Preksha Meditation center envisions a blissful and peaceful society through Yoga, Preksha Meditation and Education of Non-violence. It is open for all.

For more information, visit www.jvbhouston.org or call the center at 281.596.9642. Upcoming programs include a Free 1 – Day Preksha Meditation Workshop on December 11th, 2010.

JVB Chairman Swatantra Jain (left) and Directors Alok Jain and Sampat Rampuria spoke at the event. Swatantra Jain said, “The epic story of Nal and Damyanti conveys a very powerful message, which is that life is full of surprises, good and bad times. Hardships are difficult to withstand. The question is how we choose to deal with them. Mr. Rampuria read the proclamation from Houston Mayor Annise Parker – declaring November 7th as “Anuvrat Day.” - a day to take small vows.

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Keshu Patel: A s sad Loss to the Houston community HOUSTON: Keshu Patel ,63 a community leader, an affable, warm, loving & deeply spiritual person passed away peacefully at his home on November 15th,2010.

Keshubhai as he was fondly called by the Houston community is survived by his wife Nirmala, sons Nayan & Rasesh; daughter in laws Sapna & Bhumika and a grand daughter Reanna.

Keshubhai was professionally an Electrical Engineer who did his Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tulsa in 1972. He came from a small town Unava, Gandhinagar in Gujarat India & graduated from SP University, BVM, at Vallabh Vidyanagar, with a BE in Electrical Engineering. He worked as a Project Manager with AMEC Paragon and was extremely dedicated to his profession. Keshubhai was a very devoted husband & a loving father to his family.

Right since his early days in the 70s in Tulsa, he was involved with the India Association and worked for community service. He was the President of the India Association in Tulsa in 1980. He volunteered as a Public Relations Liasion for BAPS in every city that he made home in the United States. In Orlando, Florida he was the Chairman of the Gujarati Samaj (1988).

In Cleveland, Ohio he dedicated his time as a Committee Member of the India Association.

Keshubhai made Houston his

home city in 1995 and carved a strumental in getting the Leaders special place in the heart of Hous- Conference launched in 2006 with tonians. His quick wit, caring various Inter organizations partouch, assuring smile & a tower- ticipating & deliberating on coming personality brought him very munity interexchange issues. This Leaders Conference has been an close to India Culture Center. He initially started at ICC as an Affiliate Member Director from BAPS but very soon proved his way to the Board at Large.

He was Vice President of ICC in 2008 and eventually in 2009 was elected to the prestigious post of President. He was instrumental in setting up the ICC Relief Fund in 2008 which was his strong desire. He worked closely with every major community organization in Houston. He was driven to humanitarian causes and worked very hard in the ef efforts of the Gujarat Earth- Late Shri. Keshu Patel quake in 2001 and Tsunami calamity during 2004. He was a Annual feat & a Signature Event tireless worker and yet very pas- of ICC since then. During his term sionate about music & dance. He as ICC President he got a chance spoke very highly about the In- to visit Washington DC & attend dian community and represented the dinner hosted by Ambassador the Indo American Community of India to US Ms. Meera Shankar at various seminars & delegations with Prime Minister Manmohan during his employment years as Singh.

He was a driving force for the well. He also volunteered his time during the years 2005 & 2006 as Gandhi District Committee tasked the Editor of Darpan, the monthly to negotiate with the City of magazine of Gujarati Samaj of Houston. He was enthusiastic in Houston. He was a keen listener attending the meetings and bringand observant of the happenings ing all the diverse parties together. within the community. He was in- His vision and support made the

dream a reality. The Mahatma Gandhi District (Hillcroft- Harwin area) was inaugurated in January 2010 by the Mayor of Houston and made global news. This will be his legacy to Houston and our community.

Some significant quotes from community leaders— It is an irreparable loss to the Greater Houston community, ICC & me personally. Keshubhai a man of brave spirit, full of energy & a noble soul.

This is a colossal loss to ICC whom he nurtured till his very end. His love which he shared with all of us & the message of service which he exemplified is unsurpassed.

- Swapan Dhairyawan, President ICC & a close confidant.

It is hard to believe! Words cannot even begin to express our sorrow. What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, we may not understand why you Keshubhai left this earth so soon. We begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget.

- Meera Kapur Chairman of Trustees, ICC Houston I found him upbeat always thanking Almighty with folded hands and inquired others’ well be-

ing and ICC’s future. A God fearing person who placed community service before any other duty. He will be remembered forever as a beacon of strength and a guiding light for the entire community. We will cherish the memories of his great contributions and try to follow his footsteps.

- Col Raj Bhalla, Director ICC It is sad and shocking to have someone so close, dear and community stalwart like Keshubhai ji leave us so suddenly for heavenly abode. We must accept God’s will and pray for the departed soul.

Bobby Singh President IndoAmerican Charity Foundation It so shocking and sad to know that our friend Keshubhai is no more and we pray to God to bless the family with strength and understanding to accept this huge loss.

- Jugal Malani President India House We will miss him terribly. We have lost an outstanding friend.

Our prayers are with the family.

- Thomas Abraham Council Member At Large Position 1 City of Sugar Land Our deepest condolences for the bereaved family and the whole ICC Family. We met him on several occasions over the past 1 year, and will always remember him as one of the key faces of ICC and the Indian community.

- Raja Banga President Tagore Society of Houston

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A noVemBer 19 , 2010 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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Consul General’s Condolence Message on Keshubhai’s Demise Chhaya and I, and my Consulate colleagues are distressed by the untimely demise of Keshubhai Patel. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers are with Nirmalabehn and her family in this tragic hour. Keshubhai was a very noble and friendly person, and an exemplary leader of India Culture Center (ICC) and the Indian community. All those who knew Keshubhai will deeply miss him and fondly remember him for his warmth, simplicity and dedicated community service. I had the previlege of Keshubhai’s friendship, guidance and support during the last two years, and we coperated closely on may activities, particularly when he was President, ICC. Chhaya and I were with Keshubhai and his family at their home the night before he passed away. We were overwhelmed when he momentarily became conscious and blessed us with his affectionate and serene smile that endeared him to anyone who met him. Dear Friend, you will live forever in our hearts!

- Sanjiv Arora, Consul General of India, Houston

Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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Rice University Tests Electronic I-Slate to Help Rural Indian Kids continued from page

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Rice undergraduates Lauren Pemberton and Shelby Reinhardt were first introduced to the project in a spring course on sustainable engineering, spent 10 weeks this summer at NTU writing a selfdirected mathematics teaching application for the first I-slate prototypes. In early August, Reinhardt and Pemberton accompanied Pingali and Vincent Mooney, ISAID’s chief I-slate hardware architect, to see how a class of 10- to 13-yearolds liked the new device.

“Most of these students have never used a computer or seen a video game, so we really didn’t know how they’d react to the Islate,” said Reinhardt, a junior chemical engineering major.

“They immediately picked up on the technology,” said Pemberton, a junior cognitive sciences major.

“They clearly didn’t like some of the things we expected to work really well, like the button placement, but they loved the scratchpad application which was added at the last minute.”

Social scientists and volunteers from ViDAL will work with Palem and Mooney’s ISAID team to refine both the I-slate hardware

In March 2009, the I-slate was chosen by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as one of seven technologies that “will have world-changing implications on the way humans interact with machines, the world and each other.”

The real feasibility of the I-Slate won’t be apparent till the pricing and availability is confirmed, as it is crucial for it to be cheap and reliable with easy access to service and spares.

World Bank statistics show that almost 40 percent of the country’s population is without electricity, while 60 percent of Indian firms Rice University junior Lauren Pemberton went to Andhra Pradesh to test and a large percentage of homes rely on captive or the I-slate with Indian students. back-up generation. This and teaching content. The team phasis on sustainability research,” shouldn’t come as a surprise plans to conduct a long-term test at said NTU President Su Guaning. as only four of our metros get Hussainpalli Government School “The research will not just help in steady power supply, with even to track the academic progress of the sustainability of our planet but the people living in the suburbs students who use the I-slate. the development of such sustain- around Mumbai suffering from “Developing an electronic note- able, low-cost technologies will regular power cuts. This is where pad that is green, requires very also help the poorer communities power dependent endeavours like little energy to operate and that in the world to close the digital di- Sakshat sound implausible in a could even run on solar energy in vide. It will be life-changing and it scenario where 580 million people future is in line with NTU’s em- will help to improve lives.” live without electricity.

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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OBITUARY Keshu Patel

July 3, 1947 November 15, 2010

Survived by wife Nirmala Patel, Sons Nayan & Rasesh; Daughter in- Laws Sapna & Bhumika, Grand Daughter Reanna, Brother Jashubhai Patel & Sister Shardaben Patel

Funeral / Vidhi & Cremation

Date: Thursday, November 18 Time: 11am (Funeral/Vidhi) 1.30pm - Cremation Place: Garden Oaks Funeral Home, 13430 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083 (On Bellaire Blvd in between Synott and Eldridge)

OBITUARY Srinivasa Bhatt was simply “Bappa” -Father -- to all who knew him.

Surrounded by his children and Manickam, his wife of 70 years, he died in his sleep early Monday morning in Houston from an aggressive cancer. He was 97.

Known in the Konkani community for his accurate astrological forecasts, he struck even casual observers with his sharp eye, calm demeanor and quiet confidence.

Srinivasa Bhatt was born in Kerala in 1913, the younger son of Damodara and Padmavati Bhatt.

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost.

When health is lost, something is lost.

But when character is lost, everything is lost,” he used to say.

He is survived by his wife, Manickam; three sons, Ashwin and Krishna of Houston and Rathan of Mobile, Ala., and their spouses; three daughters, Vijayi, Prabha and Sobha, all of Houston, and their spouses; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

The funeral service was held on Wednesday at Garden Oaks Funeral Home in Houston. Following a eulogy and viewing, his body was cremated.

Srinivasa Bhatt

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

A Mosque Building Boom

Muslim community leaders say plans for new facilities are a response to demand

By Zain Shauk HOUSTON (Chronicle): Forty years ago, the thought of granite counter tops, marble floors and indoor basketball gyms at Houston mosques seemed unthinkable.

But after decades of growth, the Muslim community is expanding and building new facilities at an unprecedented pace, with features and amenities that rival five-star hotels, leaders say.

Multimillion-dollar plans for major mosque expansions and constructions are moving forward throughout the Houston area, coming on the heels of recently finished developments.

A community in Katy is pushing forward its long-awaited plan to develop a $10 mil-

aware of the concern over construction of mosques and were quick to emphasize that the community’s plans for new facilities are a response to demand and not an attempt to conquer land in the name of Islam.

“We are all Americans,” said Dr. Aziz Siddiqui, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. “We’re not taking anything over.”

Most of the new or expanding facilities did not face resistance, except for the MAS Katy Center. The owner of land next to the mosque property held pig races on the lot on Fridays, the holiest day of the week for Muslims, after the center’s organizers came forward with a plan for the mosque. Eating pork is forbidden in Islam.

Sugar Land’s Maryam Masjid, whose prayer area can accommodate 1,300 people.

lion mosque, community center and school, and a group in Spring is working on a $10 million expansion at a recently built $2.5 million mosque.

Other plans on the horizon include an Islamic center on 10 acres in Pearland, a development that will total at least $1.1 million for the first of multiple construction phases.

Those and other developments are part of a national phenomenon of expansion of Muslim facilities, which has come at a time of intense opposition to mosques stoked by a controversy surrounding the planned $140 million Park51 community center project in New York City.

Nationwide, the number of mosques has surged 57 percent over the last 10 years, from 1,209 to 1,897, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Today, as Muslims begin celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of two major holidays, the Islamic Society of Greater Houston will not hold a central prayer service at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in part because of the increased accessibility of mosques and Islamic centers throughout the region.

Response to demand Muslim community leaders are keenly

As the Houston Muslim community has grown and matured, members have begun to demand more facilities, closer to their homes and in line with higher standards of quality than the hastily constructed and expanded mosques developed in recent decades, leaders said.

That is what drove a group of mainly HP employees and doctors in Spring and Cypress to build a facility there 14 years ago on 13 acres, said Ahmed Ahuja, secretary of the mosque and a program manager for HP. Now the mosque is expanding, with the steel frame of Masjid As-Salam’s new section extending out of the current prayer area and outlining a segment that will house a school, health clinic, community hall and other facilities once it is finished, he said.

Community is growing At least three new mosques opened this year in the Houston area and two are undergoing major expansions. Two new community centers, in Pearland and Katy, are in development.

A plan for a new Islamic center in the Cinco Ranch area is in the works, and there is interest in adding facilities near Atascocita, said Siddiqui, whose organization oversees continued on page

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stoRy of MahatMa Gandhi wheels of Independence are s w set in motion

The war in Europe was having an impact in India. The Congress Working Committee found itself unable to accept in its entirety Gandhi’s attitude to the war. In particular, they would not accept his view that the defence of India should not depend on the armed forces.

Congress leaders met several times in Gandhi’s room at Sevagram and talked of their desire to start some action. Finally a proposal was put forward that all provincial governments should join with the British authorities in the defence of India, but the British rejected the offer. Now read on.

In September 1940, a meeting of the All-India Congress Committee was held in Bombay.

There, as a protest against England’s utter indifference to India’s hopes, it was decided to launch individual civil disobedience against the authorities. It was also decided to hold meetings to protest against British imperialism. At that time such meetings were forbidden. Vinoba Bhave was the first to inaugurate individual satyagraha. He was arrested and so were hundreds of others who followed him. Nehru also was arrested. Within a few months over 30,000 Congressmen were put in jail.

Only Gandhi was not imprisoned. He devoted his time to spreading the gospel of truth and nonviolence. In December 1941 the government released all the satyagrahis. Then, in 1942, as the Japanese swept across the Pacific and went through Malaya and Burma, the British began to think of a settlement with India. Japan, it was feared, might even invade India. Even Gandhi began to feel that his pacifism might stand in the way of India’s future. So he made the proposal of a provisional government so that all the resources of India could be added to the government’s side in the struggle against the aggressors. But this proposal was ignored.

In March 1942 Churchill announced that the war cabinet had agreed on a plan for India and that Sir Stafford Cripps had agreed to go to India to find out whether the Indian leaders would accept the plan, and whether they would devote all their thought and energy to the defence of India against Japan.

Cripps arrived in Delhi on March 22. He met Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other important leaders.

Cripps promised greater freedom than what had been offered before.

He also offered complete freedom after the war, if India wanted it.

The leaders would perhaps have accepted this offer if it had come a year earlier, but now it was rejected. The Congress leaders did not want any compromise based on promises.

The British did not trust the

there were strikes and disorder.

Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy, blamed Gandhi for all the turmoil.

Gandhi had invited violence, he claimed. In a long series of letters to Lord Linlithgow, Gandhi tried to persuade him to retract this charge against him. Failing in this, Gandhi decided to undertake a fast as “an appeal to the Highest Tribunal” against the unjust charges.

Gandhi fasted for 21 days in February, 1943. It was a great ordeal, but he survived the fast. Kasturbai nursed him back to health, but her own health was failing. She suf suffered two heart attacks. Gandhi tried his best to save her, but Kasturbai grew worse. One day she died quietly in Gandhi’s arms.

A few weeks later Gandhi was taken seriously ill with malaria.

The Indian people demanded his immediate release and the authorities, believing that he was nearing death, released him. Gandhi was slowly restored to health.

The demand for Indian independence had now acquired worldwide interest. Apart from India’s own attitude, America and other countries started pressing Britain to grant freedom to India.

But Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not yield to any of these approaches. India had always been the jewel in the British crown, crucial to the Britain’s prosperity.

Churchill was the last man to think of giving up India. Two months after Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the Labour Party came into power in Britain and Clement Attlee became the Prime Minister.

After the defeat of Japan in August that year, the British government announced that they expected to grant self-rule to India as soon as her internal problems could be solved. This was indeed a victory for India and a victory for the principle of nonviolence. Britain agreed to a planned withdrawal from India in friendship and with no bitterness. All through his life Gandhi had worked for unity between Hindus and Muslims, without much success. There was a large section of nationalist Muslim in the Congress but leaders of the Muslim League were drifting further and further away. Gandhi was not the man to give up hope, however, and he pursued his efforts to bring about a settlement. On the other hand, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, was hostile to the idea of unity.

— To be continued

people of India sufficiently to give them any real power, and so the Indian leaders felt that they could not trust the British to hand over power after the war. In August 1942 the All-India Congress Committee met in Bombay, and was presided over by Maulana Azad.

Again the demand to set up a provisional government was made.

“We can no longer hold back our people from exercising their will,” Gandhi said. “Nor can we go on eternally submitting to the imperialist policies. The time has come for the English to go. Civil servants, army officers, government officers all of them should quit India.”

The “Quit India” resolution was drawn up and passed by the meeting for presentation to the government.

Nehru moved the resolution and Sardar Patel seconded it. The resolution also announced the starting of a mass struggle on the widest possible scale. Winding up the meeting, Gandhi said, “I have pledged to the Congress, and the Congress has pledged herself that she will do or die.” The government did not wait for the mass movement to begin. Overnight Gandhi was arrested, as were many other leaders in various parts of India. Gandhi was interned in the Aga Khan’s palace in Poona.

Mahadev Desai, Kasturba, Sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn were also taken there. But with the leaders in jail, India did not remain idle. ‘Do or die’ was taken up by the people. There were mass movements everywhere.

And there was a great outburst of violence throughout the country.

People started destroying government buildings and whatever else they considered to be symbols of British imperialism. Shortly after his detention in the Aga Khan’s palace Gandhi suffered a grievous bereavement.

Mahadev Desai, his faithful and able secretary, died of a heart attack. “Mahadev has lived up to the ‘do or die’ mantra,” Gandhi Writers are requested to limit their words to said. “This sacrifice 500 The deadline for advertising and articles will only hasten the is 5 pm on Tuesday of each week. For more day of India’s deliverinformation, Call 713-789-6397 or email us at: ance.” All over India indoamericannews@yahoo.com

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IIT High Tech education: chitra c divakaruni

By Chitra divaKaruni K Karuni HOUSTON (NYT): It would have been good if President Obama, who is endeavoring to strengthen American economy through ties with India, had visited one of the famed Indian Institute of Technology campuses during his trip there.

To regain an innovative edge, the U.S. should look at the Indian Institute of Technology system.

In the wake of a significant recession, plagued by partisan bickerings, America stands, as MIT president emeritus Charles Vest points out, an abysmal 27th among developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving science and engineering degrees.

We’re losing out on what Fareed Zakaria of Time magazine terms America’s best industry: higher education. To compete globally, we need to create homegrown workers better educated in technology and innovation. This is where

examining the Indian Institute of Technology system might offer some ideas.

Indian Institute of Technology centers (many established in the 1950s by the Indian government, and heavily subsidized by it) consistently produce graduates who are ranked among the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and innovators.

Ingredients of the experience include: a tough entrance exam that creates a meritocracy (“Nothing else counts,” said a graduate I spoke to. “Not your high school grades, not your extracurriculars, not whether your family attended IIT or donated crores to it”); continuously rigorous academic expectations that force students to work extremely hard, applying critical thinking and teamwork to survive; the need to maximize

resources and cooperate (students often share textbooks or research material and teach each other); mandatory campus living (the people in your hostel become your family). The result: a stellar global alumni network known for its achievements, for helping each other -- and for giving back.

Graduates have founded top companies, created numerous jobs, donated millions of dollars to their alma maters and financed many Indian (and U.S.) nonprofits.

The system is far from perfect.

Its high level of pressure sometimes causes students to crack.

The narrow focus on technology creates gaps in its graduates’ education. Women are severely underrepresented on its campuses. Still, there’s something for America to learn from these institutes (which, incidentally, were modeled on MIT) if we are to regain our innovative edge.

Chitra Divakaruni is the author, most recently, of “One Amazing Thing,” a novel. She teaches creative writing at the University of Houston.

Bank of Baroda Backs o out of Houston

HOUSTON: (HBJ)After filing paperwork to open a Houston branch, Mumbai, India-based Bank of Baroda has withdrawn its application, according to a Nov. 2 filing with the Texas Department of Banking.

Bank of Baroda is India’s thirdlargest bank. In February, it filed to establish a Houston branch, its second in the U.S., with plans to issue SBA loans to the local Indian-American community, we

well as providing international banking services.

The bank has 42 overseas branches and operates 17 retail banking subsidiaries, located primarily in Africa.

A mosque Building Boom in Houston

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one of the new facilities.

“The reason for it is just the Muslim community by and large in this country is growing,” said Mustafaa Carroll, executive director for the Texas office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Job opportunities in the Houston area have led to population growth in the Muslim community, which has included immigrants filling jobs at energy and information technology firms, community leaders said. Muslims across the nation are also more financially capable and educated and have more established communities than their immigrant parents did, said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Coun-

cil.

“Most of the mosques that were around in the last 20 years were basically rented-out spaces from industrial parks,” he said. “That’s basically what was manageable at the time and now that our parents’ generation is entering its retirement phase and has accumulated wealth there’s more money to build nicer and more functional centers.”

‘Running out of space’ The local projects are being funded by donations from the community. Among the Houston area expansions is Clear Lake Islamic Center, which opened in September 2009. The center will double in size to 20,000 square feet, with a planned expansion to include a fitness center and larger

community hall.

“We were running out of space, basically,” said Ibrahim Ezghair, administrator of the year-old center. A community near Hobby Airport opened a new mosque, Masjid Warithuddeen Mohammed, before Ramadan in August. That’s also when the largest mosque in the Houston area opened: the Maryam Islamic Center — New Territory, in Sugar Land. Its prayer area - capable of accommodating 1,300 men and women - is bigger than that of the largest mosque in the nation, the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich.

Siddiqui said there are more than 100 Muslim prayer spaces in the greater Houston area and there is a need for more.

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Dazzling Dipavali Celebrations at Chinmaya Prabha

By Vinod Sharma & Padmashree Rao HOUSTON: Dipavali at Chinmaya Prabha, Houston dazzled the Indian community as beautiful prayers blended with a procession of lights and culminated in spectacular fireworks. The festival marking the victory of good over evil, as symbolized in the Ravana Dahana was celebrated as a three day event.

On November 5th, Friday, the festival day of Dipavali, Chinmaya families participated in Astalaksmi Puja conducted by Sri Ganesh, the priest of Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya.

Invoking Goddess Laksmi in her eight fold glory, devotees prayed for the wealth of good qualities to illumine their lives and the world around.

The Dipavali festivities continued on Saturday, November 6th, as a record 1800 members of the CMH family gathered in the courtyard of Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya.

The temple courtyard beautifully decorated with strings of lights, the temple adorned with flower garlands and the temple deities glowing bright, all ushered joy in every heart. The place was filled with smiles, cheers and hugs as families and friends exchanged Dipavali greetings and wishes for a great New Year.

All this was but a hint of the treats that lay ahead. The main program began with an invocation and an introduction by Acarya

time to assemble in the temple courtyard again, this time around a 14 foot towering effigy of Ravana– a symbol of the negative tendencies lurking within us, which could be destroyed only by the grace of Lord Rama.

P e o p l e turned in personal notes 1800 participants carried a beautifully decorated lit praying that lamp in a unique diya procession around the temLord Rama ple, chanting ‘Om Namah Sivaya’. would help Sri Gaurangbhai Nanavaty who vanquish their shortcomings. explained Lord Rama’s rever- These notes were collected and ence for Lord Siva and how Lord placed beside the Ravana effigy as Rama performed the Siva puja af- all waited with bated breath for the ter defeating Ravana. Then, each arrival of Lord Rama, especially of the 1800 participants carried a children who grew excited by the beautifully decorated lit lamp in minute.

Then, heralded by the unique a unique diya procession around the temple, chanting ‘Om Namah horn of conch shells and the blarSivaya’. At the end of the proces- ing of trumpets, a procession of sion, the lamps were gently left to Lord Rama, Laksmana and Hanufloat in the pool surrounding the man emerged from the Sivalaya Sivalaya, creating a visual spec- and proceeded down the steps totacle that was both surreal and wards the Ravana effigy. Cheers of ‘Ramacandra ji ki jai’ filled the serene.

A sumptuous dinner, served with atmosphere as Ravana’s effigy loving efficiency by an army of burst into flames and brilliantly lit volunteers followed. Then, it was up the temple courtyard, radiating

warmth into the cool evening air.

Children and adults watched the Ravana Dahana in awe, a reminder of the victory of good over evil!

Everyone rejoiced with dancing to celebrate Rama’s victory with the rhythm of Garaba music and Dandiya Rasa. The final treat of the evening – a spectacular display of fireworks – was made even more memorable by the vibrant Hindustani music. The blues, greens, purples, pinks and gold burst, showered, screamed, scattered, jetted and bloomed in the full panoply of patterns as if choreographed to perfection in a celestial Siva tandavam.

The joy of that night evolved as a devout prayer again on November 7th, Sunday when the

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Chinmaya family gathered at the Smrti Hall with prayerful worship of Lord Ganesa, Goddess Laksmi and Lord Narayana. Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty reminded everyone to pray for both material and spiritual prosperity. As the chants of Sri Laksmi Astottara-sata-nama and Sri Visnu Sahasranama-stotram filled the hall, each one could feel the spiritual power of such a festival.

The traditional conclusion to this distinctive Dipavali came with a sincere celebration of respect and thanks to Acaryas Gaurangbhai and Darshanaben who have nurtured the Chinmaya Mission family in Houston. The glory of the numerous volunteers who gave of themselves with such joy and sincerity still shines as the highlight of this year’s Dipavali celebration at Chinmaya Mission Houston.

Like a platter of Dipavali sweets, every experience will be savored, bringing memories of India while creating new memories of light and true joy.

For more inforA procession of Lord Rama, Laksmana and mation on ChinmaHanuman emerged from the Sivalaya and pro- ya Mission Houston ceeded down the steps towards the Ravana and its activities viseffigy. Cheers of ‘Ramacandra ji ki jai’ filled it www.chinmayathe atmosphere as Ravana’s effigy burst into houston.org flames

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Luka & The Fire of Life: salman rushdie’s Latest Book release By aloK rai LONDON (Outlook): The notion of narration-as-creation has been much in the air these last decades: it is threads of narrative that bind communities, render possible the vast collectivities.

Nations are, it is argued, products of narration. Which plausible idea, incidentally, already contains the germ of the disturbing possibility of multiple and competing acts of narration—a sort of civil war of narratives which frequently spills

over into the uncivil kind.

Such considerations, however, are far removed from the world of Salman Rushdie’s celebration of story-telling, at least in Haroun and now, Luka and the Fire of Life. So Luka, who seeks to dismiss something as “just a story”, is reprimanded with jocular severity: “You of all boys should know that Man is the Storytelling Animal, and that in stories are his identity, his meaning and his lifeblood. Do rats tell tales? Do porpoises have

Author Salman Rushdie with his young son Luka, who inspired the book.

narrative purposes?” But things still aren’t the same in Luka’s world as they were in Haroun’s— and there is a hint here of that adult resonance which is such an engaging feature of Rushdie’s writing in this mode: “Things had changed in Kahani, and sadness was no longer the city’s principal export....

The demand for glumfish had fallen away, and people preferred to eat...foods available from the Cheery Orchard stores that were opening everywhere you looked.

People wanted to feel good even when there wasn’t that much to feel good about, and so the sadness factories had been shut down and turned into Obliviums, giant malls where everyone went to dance, shop, pretend and forget.”

Of course, not all the changes are quite so anaesthetic. In the twenty years since Haroun, much has happened to Mr R—not merely the fatwa, but also the transmogrification of the former postcolonial into the articulate legitimiser of the Bush crusade against “Islamofascism”— the “war on terror”, no less. There have also been a number of forgettable novels. But now, by way of a “gift” to his younger son, Rushdie has produced another work that recaptures the early magic. Luka and the Fire of Life is wonderful and one finds oneself wishing him many more sons—so that he can continue to produce more books like this one!

It’s enough to make one start believing in magic—but really, Salman the Terrible writing this warm, humane book?

The narrative trigger in Luka bears a certain superficial resemblance to the one in Haroun: the prodigious and overflowing stream of stories is in danger of being stopped, and the book consists of the adventures of Haroun in averting that danger so that the stream can continue to flow unhindered. In Luka, too, the clear and present danger is that of the flow of stories drying up—but the crucial difference here is

that the threat emanates not from a Malign Other turning off the tap of narrative, but from mortality itself: Rashid Khalifa, the Shah of Blah, storyteller supreme, is under imminent sentence of the Great Unmentionable, and the book consists of the adventures of his son Luka, who must get a-hold of the Fire of Life so that his father may be reprieved in (the nick of) time—and the customary narrative plenitude restored. But while both books end, appropriately, on an upbeat—clouds have no place on the sunny uplands of childhood— there is a sense in the later book that the shadow of mortality that has passed over it has only been deferred. There will be a time for such a word, too.

Meanwhile, however, a great deal of action, and adventure, and plain downright fun is to be had as Luka sets off on his quest for the Fire of Life, accompanied by—a fine touch—a dog called Bear, and and a bear called Dog. The matrix for Luka’s quest derives from the computer “games” that are, on the evidence of Rushdie’s clear expertise with this sort of thing, not confined to children. Thus, the quest proceeds through nine successive levels, and at each level, new characters and new adventures happen, with progressively higher levels of difficulty. Interestingly enough, among the enemies that Luka must overcome, the most formidable are not the fire-breathing, violent, Luka-chomping monsters but rather, the Aalim, the know-all Three Jos—Jo-Hua, Jo-Hai, and Jo-Aiga—the stern disciplinarians who must be subverted through the riotous anarchy of narrative. It is futile to try and summarise the energy and vivacity of the book.

But I must register my gratitude for the additional delights afforded to readers who are able to follow Rushdie’s multilingual punning— the land called Kahani and the river Silsila and, indeed, the dread Aalim! Rushdie’s Anglo readers don’t get the half of it.

SALMAN RUSHDIE to Visit Houston: The 2010-2011 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series— the 30th anniversary season— presents internationally acclaimed author Salman Rushdie on Friday, December 3, at 7:30 pm (doors open 6:45). Mr. Rushdie comes to Houston to share his new novel, Luka and the Fire of Life. The reading will be held at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana (please note new venue: this reading was originally scheduled to be held at the Cullen Theater, Wortham Center). Tickets are $5 general admission, available online at www.inprinthouston.org. or call 713-521-2026.

The reading will be followed by an on-stage interview, conducted

by Alexander Parsons, novelist and faculty member of the UH

Creative Writing Program, and a book sale and signing. Please note that Mr. Rushdie will only sign copies of his new book Luka and the Fire of Life.

Salman Rushdie, one of the most thought provoking writers of our

Hardcover by Random House, 240 pages On Sale: November 16, 2010 Price: $25.00

time, is the author of more than ten novels, including Midnight’s Children, winner of the Booker Prize, the Booker of Bookers, and the Best of the Booker; the controversial The Satanic Verses; The Moor’s Last Sigh; and others.

He has also published four works of non-fiction and a collection of short stories, and has edited two anthologies. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature, Rushdie was ranked 13th by the London Times on their list of “the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.”

He will read from his new novel, Luka and the Fire of Life, an absorbing fable and companion to his bestselling earlier work, Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Kirkus Review calls the novel, written for Rushdie’s younger son, “A celebration of storytelling . . . a colorful, kick-up-your-heels delight.” Booklist describes it as “a fast-paced adventure that combines supernatural whimsy with candid real-world attitude . . . the triumphant finale is a fantastic tribute to the rich interior world of the storyteller and the transformative power of his art.”

Now in its 30th year, the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series ranks among the country’s leading literary showcases. The Series is presented in association with the UH Creative Writing Program, the Alley Theatre, and Brazos Bookstore. The low admission cost of $5 has not changed in 30 years, thanks to generous underwriting support from The Brown Foundation, Inc. and Weatherford International, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, “which believes that a great nation deserves great art.”

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Katy Gideon Program Helps Kids

Katy Gideon has effective Reading, Writing and Math programs to help inspire kids give their best while approaching TAKS and preparing themselves for later grades where more solid reading and writing skills are required to become self sufficient.

KATY: A program that helps children catch up, keep up, and stay ahead. From New York to California, Gideon centers are providing the tools for academic success focusing on remedial, foundational or enrichment work.

The Katy Gideon program is designed to provide mastery learning in math, reading comprehension and effective writing skills.

Building confidence and developing focus step-by-step, Gideon centers create a solid foundation for all children pre-K to the 8th grade.

Highlights of Katy Gideon Program: Individual student attention, Teaching strategies for comprehension, solving math problems, Improving critical and logical thinking, Highly qualified, certified and professional teachers, Well structured curriculum Weekly booklets with daily homework are part of the program. Katy Gideon started in last November with 6 students and has 60 students as of today. Katy Gideon also focuses on TAKS test. Katy Gideon conducted “ Gideon TAKS benchmark” test this February. This helped students build their confidence for their real TAKS test in their school. Katy Gideon has

got 95% of the students secured 100% score in both Math & Reading.

Over 14 students have improved their writing skills having joined an affordable Effective Writing program launched September.

If your prereader has trouble learning his letter names and sounds or guesses at words instead of sounding them out, then the Gideon Learning to Read program is for you and your child. Beginning with the consonants, this program teaches not just letter recognition, but the sounds of the letters as well.

Learning to read means breaking the alphabetic code. Our Word Builder booklets provide a step-by-step program with ample practice that allows the student to combine phonetic sounds to decode words.

The Dolch sight words are included in this program. Since these words are studied in kindergarten and first grade, children who master them have a good foundation for beginning reading.

Websites: www.gideonmathandreading.com • www.KatyGideon.com

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His Job Is to Make Public Obama’s Candid Side

By Ashley Parker half historian and half propagan- Chaudhary said, explaining his have a greater understanding of WASHINGTON (NYT): Arun dist, shooting generally flattering fascination with private moments what the president is like personChaudhary is the White House’s photographs of the president that about to become public, like the ally and what the presidency is ultimate fly on the wall. are released into the world. And president’s greeting foreign lead- like as an institution,” Chaudhary Perpetually clad in New Balance since at least the time of Presi- ers just outside the Oval Office. said. “I’m hoping these moments sneakers and suits that are just dent Ronald Reagan, successive “Whether you are in the United I’ve saved and put out will even slightly askew, he dashes in and White Houses have understood Nations or a castle in Prague, any- have a richer and more historical out of meetings, from East Room the power of video, investing time thing can happen, and probably flavor.” news conferences to the Oval Of- and effort into creating images for will, in the hallway.”

For instance, the video he shot fice and back again, out through television to record.

The videos, which come out of of Mr. Obama and Elena Kagan, the South Portico and into the But Obama aides have gone a both the new media and the pho- making bad jokes right before he White House vegetable garden — step further, creating imagery and tography offices, can be as var- officially nominated her to the Suall while scrambling to blend into then filming it themselves, know- ied as Austan D. Goolsbee, a top preme Court? “What if that had the background and record nearly ing they can inject it into the me- economic adviser to the president, been L.B.J. and Thurgood Marevery moment with his video cam- dia bloodstream because of video- explaining the Bush-era tax cuts shall?” Chaudhary said. “In 20 era. sharing sites like YouTube and the with the help of a white board, years, that will be amazing.”

One recent Tuesday, he trained his lens on President Obama, who was admiring the paintings on the wall of the Green Room as he waited to speak at a community college summit meeting.

“Arun’s a very cool guy, though I have to tell him to get a haircut every once in a while,” Obama quipped, nodding over at Chaudhary before walking out to the stage.

Chaudhary is the official White House videographer and the first person to hold the job, a part documentarian, part White House-messagemachine post. He travels with the president on roughly two-thirds of his trips, documenting the behind-the-scenes occa- Arun Chaudhary is the first White House videographer, producing “West Wing Week” online. sions and public theat- Photo Credit: From left, Drew Angerer/The New York Times; Charles Dharapak/Associated Press; Evan Vucci/ Associated Press rics.

He pulls his video together into “West Wing Week,” a increased appetite for new media and a phone call between Obama Every video that comes out must signature production that comes and technology. and Gail O’Brien, a cancer survi- first be approved by the press ofout on the White House Web site “It’s about explaining issues and vor helped by the new health care fice, and while the White House every Friday and offers a pithy communicating the president’s legislation. says it is not trying to supplant the look at the president’s past week. positions and agenda in as many They are also carefully geared news media, the line can get blurry, Chaudhary, 35, serves as reporter ways as we can to make it acces- toward their audience — the new especially when news shows use and promoter, and last week, when sible to anyone who’s interested,” media shop might team up with what are essentially video news Democrats suffered crushing de- said Macon Phillips, the director WebMD, a health Web site, to pro- releases. The video of the call befeats in the midterms, was espe- of new media at the White House. mote an online chat with Kathleen tween Obama and the cancer surcially tough. Chaudhary stuck to The goal is twofold — to engage Sebelius, the health and human vivor found its way onto “The Rafairly innocuous clips — talk of the people who come to the White services secretary. chel Maddow Show” on MSNBC “bipartisan solutions” and how to House Web site looking for inforEven though Chaudhary got his and a segment of ABC’s “World “move the country forward” — mation about the administration, start shooting video for the cam- News With Diane Sawyer.” and never overtly mentioned the and more important, to lure people paign, he said he sees his job as “It is a little disconcerting to president’s self-described electoral who would not normally visit the documenting this administration think we’re going to have these “shellacking.” government’s home page. for history. tools that are so powerful in the The role of the White House “What’s interesting in life is the “When people in 20 years see hands of the people who also happhotographer is well known — transition between two things,” the work that I do, I hope they’ll pen to be the most powerful people

in the country,” said Nancy Scola, the associate editor of techPresident, a blog that covers technology and the federal government.

“The Obama administration has expanded the use of new media at the same time as it’s freezing out old media.”

Others say the White House is not doing enough. But fellow photographers and cameramen joke that you cannot take a picture of the president without Chaudhary somewhere in the shot.

Some videos are more successful than others, but Chaudhary’s “West Wing Week” is a brand name, especially among staff members in the building.

Chaudhary is a former New York University film instructor with an artsy bent, and his operation is a bit ragtag — just him, his camera and his laptop. For “West Wing Week,” he found inspiration in the “ ’60s New Wave French movie titles,” the retro government aesthetic (think green memoranda books), the old newsreels from the early 20th century, “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” (“for that sense of the vaudeville”) and “Arrested Development” (“for economy of narration”).

He loves what he calls “awkward foreign leader moments,” like when Obama tried to make small talk between the president of Chile and the prime minister of the Netherlands, only to discover the two had already met. But his videos also have a serious side, like his “Dispatches From Iraq” piece.

Because of the Presidential Records Act, every piece of video the White House shoots, even the outtakes, is saved on huge storage servers, and will eventually become part of the official record in the presidential library.

“The president could be having a conversation with Reggie about what types of cheese melt better on a sandwich, so it might be a little weird if you just hear that last part about the Muenster,” he said, referring to Obama’s personal assistant, Reggie Love.

But for Chaudhary, it is just part of a job that he is creating and redefining anew daily. “It’s tough being an artist making a living in this town,” he joked.

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SAGT Sponsors 4th Annual Sikh Day Parade in Houston

Sikh Day ParadeParticipants

By Dr. Tejendra Singh Gill HOUSTON: The resolution passed at the 3rd Sikh Day Parade for World Peace held in downtown Houston on October 17, 2009, has been implemented with the constitution of the Sikh Association of Gurdwaras in Texas (SAGT). After 7 months and 5 meetings of the delegates from across the State of Texas, the Sikh leadership decided to form the executive body to govern the affairs of SAGT, and sponsor the forthcoming 4th Sikh Day Parade for World Peace in Houston. At the November 5th meeting held at the Sikh National Center (SNC), Houston, Dr.Hardam Singh Azad, who chaired the session, pointedly asked the delegates what kind of structure they preferred for a viable and fully functional state level body.Amajority of the delegates, representing various Sikh Gurdwaras in the state favored an executive council consisting of one delegate from each of the 15 or

so established Gurdwaras in Texas.

A General Council consisting of an equal number of delegates was also approved. The meeting was held in a very peaceful atmosphere with perfect understanding among the delegates and the special invitees. Since the SAGT is a non-profit religious organization registered in the State of Texas, the administrative procedures and protocols have to be clearly defined and documented. The SAGT

By Laws, which had been drafted

by Dr.Kanwaljit Singh of SNC, were revised incorporating changes approved at the SAGT meetings held at Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. After fine tuning by the 3-member committee consisting of Dr.Kanwaljit Singh (SNC, Houston), Dr.Tejendra Singh Gill (GSSWH, Houston) and Rajinder Singh Bal (Dallas), the By Laws will be presented at the next SAGT meeting before being filed

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

Give and Take

Diplomacy is the art of letting other people achieve your ends.

Barack Obama’s visit seems to have achieved that with deals for American companies valued at approximately $15 billion, which will help create over 72,000 jobs back home.After his Democratic Party was drubbed at the midterm polls, creating jobs when unemployment is nearly 10 per cent is critical to political survival.

His appeals to Indian companies to invest in the United States of America and to buy US exports — India runs a trade surplus of roughly $7 billion — were the highlights of his public speeches and his discussions with the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, implying bilateral trade between the two countries could double to $100 billion in five years. The IT companies’ concerns over US government policies on outsourcing appear to have been given short shrift, as was the question of access to US markets.

True, Mr Obama made clear that the thorny issues surrounding technology transfer would be reviewed; he also announced the removal of several Indian defence labs and the department of space from the US blacklist that prevents the transfer of sensitive, dual-use technologies related to the nuclear energy industry. But the Indian business establishment is not too unhappy with the results. Has Mr Obama given too little in return? Maybe not.

Take outsourcing. Mr Obama’s healthcare bill, which is awaiting passage in the US Congress, will result in more contracts for India’s business process outsourcing industry. The National Association of Software and Services Companies is working on changing the politically-charged use of outsourcing to ‘global sourcing’, as with any supply chain.

The US Border Security Act that increased H1B visa fees also seeks to diversify the countries from which BPO services might be used by American companies; leading Indian IT companies are setting up shop in neighbouring countries (even China) and supply their services from outside India. What America exports are not commodities, but technology that Indian companies seeking to build India’s physical and energy infrastructure desperately need. Access to American technology and the lowering of barriers to it augur well for India’s ambitions of rapidly becoming a global economic power.

More American companies are shifting their manufacturing bases to India, most visibly in the automobile industry; GM’s production facilities may be leveraging the Indian consumer’s buying power, but they are also developing India as an export hub. What is happening in the auto sector could extend to aerospace in the next decade or so — recognition of India as a rising technology and manufacturing power.

Mark Twain said that the principle of give and take is the principle of diplomacy: give one and take ten. Perhaps, that is what India should do. Calcutta Telegraph

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Older But Not Richer

By Bhaskar Dutta

A second French Revolution seems to be just round the corner. As I write this, agitating mobs have virtually brought life in France to a standstill.

They are protesting against the French government’s decision to introduce reforms in their pension system, the main component of the reform being the proposal to increase the minimum eligible age for pensions from 60 to 62. Of course, large sections of the population hate President Sarkozy (the hate seems to be reciprocated) because his policies are considered too conservative. This may be the more important reason explaining the intensity of the opposition to the proposed change because pension reform is inevitable not just in France, but in all countries that have a welldeveloped social security system.

The inevitability of change is because of the rapidly changing age composition of populations across the world. Dramatic breakthroughs in medicine, combined with higher incomes and hence better nutrition, have been instrumental in significant increases in life expectancy. Lifestyle changes, particularly in the West, have also resulted in later marriages and hence lower birth rates. These two tendencies mean that the world’s population is ageing. Estimates made by the United Nations show that the proportion of the world’s population above 65 years will more than double by 2050, so that every one person in six will be ‘old’. Even developing countries will experience this large change. For instance, India’s over-65 population is expected to reach 12 per cent of the total population by 2025.

The increase in the old-age dependency ratio, which is defined as the number of over 65s to the population in the age group 15-64, will have profound consequences on national public finances and overall government policies. It is obvious that much of our spending is age-related. For instance, the larger the number of elderly members in a family, the greater is the proportion of expenditure on medicines and healthcare. Moreover, in most families, the younger members have to provide some income

A well-developed social security system is certainly one of the attractive features of advanced economies. So, over time, the pressure on public finances in developing countries will also become acute. support to the older members. The latter may have saved throughout their earning life, but retirement funds typically do not prove sufficient for all their needs.

What is true for representative families is true for the nation as a whole.

Countries will have to incur increasingly larger age-related expenditures in the form of significantly higher outlays on healthcare and pension support. One estimate suggests that the average cost of providing longterm care for the aged will increase by over 1.3 per cent of gross domestic product in the advanced economies.

This is in addition to the increased budgetary support required to support pension schemes. Some of the projections made of the funds necessary to support these schemes are truly mindboggling — as high as 15.8 per cent of GDP in Italy by 2032, and 16 per cent of GDP in France by 2040.

Some optimists argue that the increased spending on the elderly will be balanced by a corresponding reduction on the costs of educating the relatively smaller number of the young. Unfortunately, this does not quite square with the facts.

Economies are becoming increasingly knowledge-based and technology-intensive. For instance, even in relatively poor countries like India, most good schools will have large numbers of computers, much better scientific equipment than before. The implication is that there has been a

huge increase in the per capita cost of education. This is likely to wipe out any potential saving that could have been achieved because of the need to educate a smaller number of children.

Of course, there will be quite large differences across countries. The effect will be most pronounced in advanced economies and emerging market economies in Europe. These are the countries which have social security systems that provide a broad spectrum of benefits to its citizens, as well as a significantly worse demographic age profile. Conversely, countries like India hardly have any wide social security system covering all segments of the population. If current social institutions are preserved, then there will be correspondingly less pressure on government finances. However, presumably developing countries do want to emulate some of the better features of life in advanced countries. A well-developed social security system is certainly one of the most attractive features of advanced economies. So, over time, the pressure on public finances in developing countries will also become quite acute.

Of course, world incomes have grown appreciably in the past because of technological progress. There is no reason to believe that similar increases will not ease the pressures in the future. The greater the increase in national per capita incomes, the easier it is to provide for the aged.

Unfortunately, the magnitude of the future problem seems so severe that some appropriate policy responses seem inevitable. What are the feasible policy options?

One option is to scale back the amount of compensation. Of course, such a change cannot be implemented in the immediate future. Those whose pensions are sought to be reduced must be given sufficient time to ensure that they have made ample provisions for the future. This means increasing savings during the years of earning over a long period of time, and so the process must start long before people actually retire.

IndoAmerican News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Business Manager: Jawahar Malhotra Marketing Manager: Krishna Giri Community Reporter: Kalyani Giri Community Editor: Manasi Gokhale Administrative Manager: Vanshika Vipin Marketing & Food Reporter: Jacob David Production Manager: Hussain Mandviwala correspondents Chicago: Nand Kapoor ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

Hindu Students Association Suggests How America Can Be “Better Together”

WASHINGTON, DC: In 1964 the Civil Rights Movement forced Americans to answer the question: What if people of different races and skin colors came together to form a better America? Today, we face a similar question: What if people of different faiths, religious back-

Pallod, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), and Executive Branch President of HSA, joined 150 students from around the country in training sessions, while Mehta, a graduate student at University of Arizona (UA) and Chief Technology Officer of HSA, joined the staff and

ing taught them how to obtain support from the university and community at large. Thus, with an effective collaboration between the students, faculty and staff, a community service based interfaith movement can be launched.

The success of this event proves that with effective collaboration be-

Students, faculty and staff working in groups together to increase interfaith community service on campuses.

grounds and beliefs came together to form a better America? What if we learn to accept different faiths and work towards building a stronger community? What if we dispel ignorant myths to keep fear and irrationality at bay? By initiating crosscultural community service activities on college campuses, the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) aims to channel the passion and energy of young students to build a diverse, peaceful and better America along the lines of religious pluralism. Promoting seva (selfless community service) and interfaith dialogue have been two important goals of the Hindu Students Association (HSA). As members of HSA, Kushal Mehta and Kavita Pallod have always been looking to work with people from other faiths to promote community service. The Interfaith Youth Leadership Institute, an event sponsored by the White House and IFYC, and held in Washington, DC, gave them the perfect opportunity to represent the voice of Hindu students in a national movement.

faculty track of the event.

Though the Hindu American community is growing, the voice of young Hindus is not adequately represented in large national movements. HSA creates young Hindu leaders equipped with the necessary knowledge and leadership skills to represent the voice of young students, and to promote community service projects at both the intra-campus and inter-campus levels. HSA aims to raise awareness of Hindu traditions in order to build an American society that is more aware and reflective of the needs of young Hindus. Mehta and Pallod’s representation at the IFYC’s event accomplished this goal.

They were able to connect to religious leaders across the nation, while bringing home the training that will help them create interfaith service activities at their campuses.

The students’training sessions gave them the skills to create a service campaign at their campuses highlighting the tag line that we are “Better Together”, while the staff and faculty train-

tween the students, faculty and staff, a community service based interfaith movement can be launched from college campuses. An inspirational session hosted at the White House

by Eboo Patel, member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on FaithBased Neighborhood Partnerships and Executive Director of the IFYC, moved all the attendees to take the initiative home to their campuses.

While Pallod hopes to work with the Interfaith Dialogue Initiative at UT to create a multi-faith prayer space to launch interfaith activities, Mehta aims to start a community service based Hindu organization by working with the Interfaith Learning Center at UA. Mehta and Pallod are leading community service efforts to help the community at large by inspiring their peers at their college campuses. They are also working on creating crosscollege initiatives for interfaith based community service projects, thereby pushing for the interfaith movement that is sweeping college campuses.

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OPINION

Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

Harish Jajoo Declares His Candidacy for Sugar Land City Council District 4 SUGAR LAND: Harish Jajoo has announced his candidacy for Sugar Land City Council District 4. Jajoo has successfully managed public works for the City of Houston for twenty-nine years, and has been a community leader in Sugar Land and currently serves as Chair of the Infrastructure Planning Division of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce (FBCC), on the Sugar Land Planning & Zoning Commission, in the Sugar Land Exchange Club and as Chairman of the Board of the Indo-American Forum of Fort Bend (IAF).

A twenty-five year resident, Jajoo wants to continue to bring his experience in municipal management to benefit the community where he lives and has raised his family. Jajoo has a keen understanding of municipal government from agency coordination to budget management. He is proficient and experienced in infrastructure, intergovernmental agency coordination, city council operations, maximizing capital investments and interacting with citizens to explain how their money is being spent.

The election will be held on May 14, 2011.

Samarpanam Presents Akhilam Madhuram

By Mohan V Chari HOUSTON: Samarpanam, is a non-profit culture oriented organization registered in the state of Texas. It has been in the making for the past two years. The inaugural program sponsored by Samarpanam will be that of a Bharatha Natyam performance

by Rama Vaidyanathan on Sunday, 21st November 21 at 5:00 pm. The venue is the Kaplan Theater of the Jewish Community Center, Houston.

The President of Samarpanam is Ms Kanchan Kabad and she is assisted by a Board of Member-Directors, with Padmini Chari as the Artistic Director. Samarpanam invites interested people from the Houston community to become members of the organization. Initially it is intended to expose our teenagers to quality cultural programs by visiting artistes from all

over the world, both in Dance and Music. Subsequently, Samarpanam will endeavor to involve itself in promoting shared values and heritage of the Indo-American community, particularly among the younger generation. In the coming years, it is hoped that Samarpanam will sponsor cultural programs by talented youngsters from the community. Exposing them initially to professional artistes from India like Ms Rama Vaidyanathan in the inaugural program would thus be a rational step in that direction.

One of the top ranking exponents of Bharatanatyam, Rama Vaidyanathan is currently on a tour of Canada and the USA where she has been presenting “Akhilam Madhuram”.

The performance seeks to convey the mystic significance of Mathura and Brindavan. Houston is her last

stop before returning to India. Rama has trained extensively under the legendary Yamini Krishnamurty as well as the eminent Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. While steeped in the tradition of Bharatha Natyam, she brings her unique thought process and approach to dance through her own individual style. Rama has been performing professionally for the past two decades and is a dancer most sought after in India. She is the recipient of innumerous awards and commendations. The script, visualization, choreography and presentation of “Akhilam Madhuram” is the work of Rama Vaidyanathan and the music composition is by G.S Rajan.

The accompanying members of the orchestra are, Nattuvangam: K Sivakumar Flute: GS Rajan Vocal: Indu Nair Mridangam: Arun Kumar.

By Ashish Arora NEW YORK (NYT): At the vanguard of India’s economic growth have been software firms like TCS, Infosys and Wipro. How was a poor country able to compete internationally in a high-tech sector?

It’s true that India had a large pool of engineers, willing to work for low wages. But how did a country, with a per capita income of less than $500, produce so many engineers?

And why were other countries, better endowed with engineering talent, like the Philippines and Russia, unable to replicate what India managed?

India succeeded in software be-

cause of its entrepreneurs, and because India had opened up and connected to the world economy.

After a decade and half of miserable growth, India started to liberalize its economy in the mid 1980s, so that it was well prepared when the I.T. boom opened opportunity in the early 1990s. American multinationals played their part as well. Firms like Citigroup, Motorola and Texas Instruments showed that India had good software talent, and Indian software entrepreneurs seized the opportunity.

That a country where large-scale private enterprise had mostly consisted of exploiting profit opportunities

opened up by regulations could create so many entrepreneurs is remarkable. The software industry became a catalyst for economic growth. These entrepreneurs came from all parts of India and from the extended Indian diaspora in America.

India had become connected to the broader global economy (and especially the U.S.) in many ways.

India was connected through a common language, English; through economic liberalization in the 1990s that opened the country to foreign trade; the diaspora connected the nascent software industry to its clients in America and Western Europe.

Why India’s Software Firms Prosper

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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Sai Centers of Houston to Celebrate Sathya Sai Baba’s Birthday on 11/26 HOUSTON: The Sai centers of Houston, North and South are celebrating Sathya Sai Baba’s 85th birthday on Friday, November 26th at Houston Durga Bari Society, 13844 Schiller Road, Houston, Texas 77082 from 4:00pm-7:00pm followed by dinner Prasad. The evening is filled with several programs such as a musical dance drama on Baba’s life by Sai Spiritual Education children followed by young adult presentation on various service activities and devotional singing with Aarathi and cake cutting. The devotees of Sai Baba are enthusiastically preparing for the birthday celebrations and are welcoming friends, family and neighbors from the local community to join them on this auspicious occasion.

Sathya Sai Baba is one of the most revered spiritual teachers in the world today.

He is quietly transforming the world by reestablishing the eternal values of Truth (Sathya), Right Conduct (Dharma), Peace (Shanti), Love (Prema), and Nonviolence (Ahimsa) in everyday living.

Sathya Sai Baba’s followers regard Him as an incarnation of God in human form (Avatar).

Sathya Sai Baba was born on November 23,1926, in Puttaparthi, a remote village in the state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. He

is also known as Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Swami, Bhagawan, or simply as Baba to millions of people in the world. His followers come from all faiths and races and meet regularly for devotional singing, to study His teachings, and to engage in service activities in order to practice His message of Love and Peace to unite all mankind.

The purpose of a Sathya Sai Baba Center is to practice and exemplify the divine teachings of Sathya Sai Baba in order to encourage and assist people in leading genuinely spiritual lives. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that mankind is unique among all of God’s creation. Human beings are capable of recognizing that they emanate from God. We have the capacity to commune with God by turning inward. Ultimately, it is our destiny to merge with God. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that all religions are expressions of this same universal principle.

Devotees here in Houston meet at two locations in North and South parts of the town on Sundays from 3-5:30pm and have weekly activities such as Sai Spiritual Education classes for children, Meditation, Study Circle, Devotional Singing and Service Activities for all.

For more information, call Vinod Patel 281578-0424 or Raghu Amara 832-418-3842.

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SAGT Sponsors 4th Annual Sikh Day Parade in Houston 15

with the competent authority.

The SAGT meeting held recently in Houston reviewed significant progress made by the organization. The Coordinator, SAGT Coordination Committee (ad hoc), Hira Singh Chamdal (Breen Gurdwara, Houston), requested Dr.Kanwaljit Singh (SNC) to appraise the delegates with the latest updates incorporated into the By Laws, and provide an interpretation of the key elements critical to the functioning of the SAGT. Delegates from Dallas, Surinder Singh Gill and Rajinder Singh Bal expressed their pragmatic thoughts on the structure of the organization, which were received very well by the audience. Constructive suggestions came from delegates and special invitees on the issue of SAGT finances as well as designations of delegates. Although there was a general consensus on no specific title being given to the members of the executive body, Kulwant Singh Nagra (Beaumont) suggested that they should be called ‘Directors’. His argument was based on the normal practices followed in the corporate world where the officers have a certain title affixed to their position.

Some delegates favored assigning duties to the members of the executive body to match their expertise is a specific area. Ultimately, the decision on a non-hierarchical structure of the SAGT executive body was taken, although the delegates recognized the need for a division-oflabor within the organization. The concluding remarks with vote of thanks were given by Prof.

Sampuran Singh, President, Sikh Center, and the proceedings were video-taped by Jaswant Singh ‘Jassi’.

In an effort to bring all the Texas Sikh Gurdwaras under the umbrella, the SAGT decided to sponsor the 4th Sikh Day Parade for World Peace scheduled for November 27th in downtown Houston. As member of the SAGT, Coor Coordination Committee (ad hoc), Dr.Gill requested the delegates to go on record in favor of this ‘landmark’ decision, so that the event could be planned accordingly. The Sikh Day Parade for World Peace coincides with the birthday

(prakash purab) of the Founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and this year the Sikhs will celebrate the 541st birth anniversary. The Sikh Day Parade for World Peace was first held in the year 2007, and since then the participation and enthusiasm of the Sikh Community has been on the increase. The organizers of the parade are expecting more than 1000 people to come from the Greater Houston area, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Beaumont, Bay Town, Laredo and Galveston, and participate in this annual event. Like the previous years, the highlights of the parade will be floats reflecting Sikhs and Sikhism themes, the martial art troupe, and hymn singing Sikh preachers along with bands and banners. The organizing committee has been working non-stop since July of this year to obtain necessary permits from the City of Houston, and to finalize all other preparations needed at the Jones Plaza on the day of the event.

It is hoped that the parade will showcase the Sikhs and Sikhism for the benefit of non-Sikhs, and expose the children and youth to the Sikh socio-religious traditions.

The following members of the Sikh community in Texas participated in the November 6th deliberations; Dr.Harnek Singh Bains & Mrs.Lakhvinder Kaur Bains (Austin), Kulwant Singh Nagra (Beaumont), Surinder Singh Gill, Rajinder Singh Bal, Parminder Singh, Harjit Singh, Gurmail Singh Dhesi, Dr.Gurdarshan Singh Brar, Satpal Singh Serai, Daljit Singh (Dallas), Hira Singh Chamdal, Sarvjit Singh Mand, Avtar Singh Mann, Nachhatar Singh, Hardev Singh Mand, Aman Sidhu, Mohan Singh Grewal, Bakshish Joshan, Gurcharan Singh Dhaliwal, Dr.Kanwaljit Singh, Mrs. Surinder Kaur Pinglia, Bhai Amar Singh, Dr.Hardam Singh Azad, Prof.Sukhchain Singh, Prof.Sampuran Singh, Gurminder Singh, Satbir Singh, Akramjit Singh, Onkar Singh, Baljeet Singh, Jarnail Singh, Kashmir Singh, Kamaljit Singh Mann, Surinder Singh, Kawaljit Kaur, Harpal Singh, Sukhdarshan Singh Brar, Jaswant Singh ‘Jassi’, Rana Iqbal Singh, Naunihal Singh Brar, and Dr.Tejendra Singh Gill (Houston), and Balwinder Singh Dhillon & Mrs.Narinder Kaur Dhillon (San Antonio).

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

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A Desi Wedding at a Ranch in the Rugged Hill Country

By Jawahar Malhotra WIMBERLEY, TX: The horse was huge, white and as big as a Clydesdale, decked with an embroidered cloth, his hooves painted gold. He paced about with his pretty, darkhaired young handler in her orange salwar kameez, walking him with the reins. The crowd of guests stared, just beyond on the crushed limestone parking lot, transfixed on the groom in his fine embroidered sherwani and an orange turban with tails, Michael Dawson wasn’t nervous about getting on the horse; he had been around horses growing up on his father’s 2,400 acre ranch south of San Antonio. His mind was focused on getting up the slight incline to the mandap. And his baratis – his extended family and friends with deep roots in the heart of Texas – waited to be coaxed into a procession by the bride’s Indian side. As the dholuk player beat out a pulsating rhythm, they walked up the short distance, managing a faint, self-concious version – changing the light bulb - of the customary baratis dancing as Michael followed high on the white mare.

It was perfect Hill Country weather: blue, cloudless skies, a tinge of chill in the air warmed up by the low, bright arc of the Fall Sun. Finding the Skeet Shoot range had been an adventure; driving past the red barn across an unpaved road, that soon became a dry dirt path and then two grooves between tall prairie grass. Back at the limestone lodge, the bride’s desi extended family got ready in their

assigned cottages, even as a light vegetarian lunch was served. Others rushed to get the gold colonnaded mandap ready, on the slight rise of a hill with white folding chairs in semicircular rows.

The Red Corral Ranch has shifted from an operating ranch to a place for special occasions, but it had never before held an Indian wedding. Nestled in a dip among the hills on FM 2325, closer to Blanco than Wimberley, the ranch was the perfect place for Michael and his bride, Meera Dhingra to hold their destination wedding. The terrain is rugged with limestone characteristic of the Texas Hill Country and with stunted trees and knee-high yellow grass, dry from too many weeks without rain.

About 4 hours from Houston and an hour west of Austin on highway 290 and then down 281 to Blanco, this part of Texas is a favorite of vacationers criss-crossing the Hill Country to visit Fredericksburg, Lukenbach, Johnson City, Pedernales State Park and the lakes in the region, according to Bharat and Rita Patel who own and operate the Blanco Luxury Suite Motel, the newest and finest accommodations in the tiny town where the bride’s family had arranged accommodations for the rest of the guests.

And the nearly 100 guests were all there, the parents of the bride, Drs. Harimohan and Anjana Dhingra of Houston waiting eagerly at the hill for the barat to make its way up led by the groom’s parents, John and Debbie Dawson, he in black with a matching Stetson, she in an Indian

sari. To the refrains of the shehnai, the milni took place, and the bride arrived along a rose petal strewn path, dressed in a heavy, red embroidered lengha, top and dupatta. Pandit Dr. Madhu Godsay of Austin conducted the Indian marriage with wit and humor, translating the verses and as the seven pheras were over, proclaiming them the Meera-chel couple!

The night before, a slightly smaller group had participated in the mehndi at the main lodge, across from the huge oak tree wrapped in twinkling lights. After the wedding, the same oak gave shade for the appetizers and drinks on the lawn after the wedding, with peacocks idling off to the sides.

A tractor-pulled hayride took guests to the barn, about 1,200 feet up the next hill, which was decorated with strings of lights from the rafters, round tables and draped chairs on the tiled floor and propone gas radiant heaters keeping the wedding party warm.

After a buffet dinner catered by Taj Palace restaurant from Austin, and a few customary speeches, the country and western band – friends of the groom – played a medley of songs to dance to. Some went outside to the bonfire to roast marshmallows and trade stories. And at the stroke of 11, in the Indian tradition of going off to her home, the bride was whisked away with the groom in a vintage car, into the darkness of the hills.

The return trip down the road lit by the headlights, past a dip through the dry creek bed and upto the highway was eerie. Waiting at the stop sign,

Clockwise from top left: Michael Dawson arrives with the baratis on a horse; the newlyweds after the ceremony; the wedding was held in a mandap on a hill in the Red Corral Ranch in Wimberley.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

and looking to both sides, all you could see was pitch black darkness.

With a lunge and a prayer, you took

the turn and headed back to Blanco, following the reflector pads along the yellow centerline of the blacktop.

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Indo American News • Friday, November 19 , 2010

Older But Not Richer

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The more promising option is precisely the reform proposal that has resulted in the French agitation. The most prevalent form of pensions is the pay-as-you-go system in which payments to the retired persons are made out of the contributions made by current workers. Pushing back the age of retirement would help in several ways. First, this would increase the size of the national cake since the stock of the productive labour force would be larger. Second, this would mean that the number of people contributing to the pension kitty would be larger. Third, the number of people receiving pensions would also be smaller.

But why is this system fair? Why make the elderly work for an extra couple of years? The reason why at least some increase in the age of retirement is needed is that the overwhelming majority of people are today perfectly fit to work much longer. Indeed, life expectancy is so much higher today because people are in much better health and so are capable of working several more years.

‘Old age’ is a relative concept, relative to the times we are in. It is worth pointing out that Leonid Hurwicz, who shared the Nobel prize in economics in 2007, was academically active till the day he died — at the age of ninety.

The author is professor of economics, University of Warwick

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