April 13 Pages 1-36

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Friday, April 13 2012 | Vol. 31, No. 15

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Ek Sham

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba

Ke Naam

Ek, coming to Houston May 6 at the Old Stafford Civic Center, is thought to be first English-language musical on the life and times of Shirdi Sai Baba. Written by poet Usha Akella in only 35 days, Ek tells the story of a man who was thought to be a god

by Hindus alongside the story of the village where he made his home.

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The Indo American Charity Foundation opened up its fundraising activities for the year with a Walkathon at Lost Creek Park in Sugar Land.

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April 13, 2012

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The Rites of Spring Start with IACF’s Walkathon

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA SUGAR LAND: Like the first heralds of Spring, the Indo American Charity Foundation opened up its fundraising activities for the year with a Walkathon at Lost Creek Park in Sugar Land, a tradition for the charity group almost from its inception.

They couldn’t have asked for better weather as the Sun-soaked, crisp Saturday, April 9 with low humidity and just enough heat to allow a comfortable walk along the trails and playing fields of this park in Fort Bend county brought out many enthusiastic supporters of the event and the IACF. Among the crowd were members from other charities that the IACF supports, Sugar Land Councilman Harish Jajoo and political hopefuls K. P. George running for US Congress and Sonal Bhuchar running for State Representative.

Before setting out for the walk, Manisha Mehta and Sangeeta Pasrija warmed up the crowd with some stretching a la Bollywood style with filmi music pumping into the central court area and a few aerobic moves set to the rhythms.

That was just as much a hit as the walk itself, drawing in many onlookers who were at the park.

And then it was off to the two trails – a 1-mile and another 3 mile long -- of the park which is set along the banks of Oyster Creek.

When they got back to beverages and snacks, they could meet with Preanka Desai and her team from IPAWS at their booth where they had several dogs, which had been rescued from the county shelter, available for adoption.

Walkers also had a chance to

Registration Table with IACF Directors Young IACF table with donated toys collection and face painting.

meet with Dr. V. K. Mathur and his team who were doing a free health check clinic, and also register with the Bone Marrow donor booth.

And Dr. M. K. Shintri once again did his yoga headstand, an event that has elicited many to make donations for every minute that he maintained the position.

This year’s walkathon featured

the Young IACF, a new initiative to reach out to a younger, motivated group of desis who want to support IACF causes. Newly elected IACF Board Director Vanitha Pothuri headed the booth and its successful toy collection drive.

A light lunch catered by Udipi Café rounded out the event just before noon.

Health check desk with Dr. V. K. Mathur.

Dr. Shintri preparing to do headstand and raise funds.

Preanka Desai at the IPAWS booth

Participants enjoying food provided by Udipi Cafe.

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COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

This Desi Band Rocked and Raised Lot of Dough for Charity

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: For the past few years, an occasional concert or private event has shown that the desi community is just itching to get out of its mold of Bollywood or Classical music entertainment and get into unabashed Rock n’ Roll. The concert last Saturday evening, April 9 did just that and broke the myth that a bunch of local desis can’t put out a powerful enough set of songs to bring the house down.

The Rock for Charity concert held at the Cullen Auditorium at the University of Houston allowed the Indian Institute of Technology Alumni of Greater Houston to present The Horizon Fusion band to about 400 people who had never seen them perform on a large stage before and the audience wasn’t just desis. “We happy that there are lots of people from the mainstream here tonight too,” said IITAGH President Witty Bindra as he stepped out during the 30-minute intermission.

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The Houston Fusion Band performing classic rock n’ roll items at the Rock for Charity concert last Saturday, April 9.

As an organization, the IITAGH has recently took on a more organized and aggressive stance among the other community groups in the Bayou City, to focus on education, mentoring and networking. “This event allowed us to focus our sights on raising funds for the Indo American Charity Foundation and Child Rights and You,” said Bindra when he opened the event, “with the proceeds from ticket sales going equally to both.”

During intermission, the Indian Consul General Sanjeev Arora

UH Chancellor Meets President Obama

University of Houston (UH) Chancellor Renu Khator got a chance to tell the UH story to President Barack Obama during his recent visit to Houston.

Seen in the picture above: President Barack Obama, University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator, and her husband, Suresh Khator.

Photo: Courtesy of University of Houston

came onstage to congratulate the organizers and marvel at the energetic first half. “We have some very talented musicians here,” he said, “all performing for a wonderful cause.” He then presented oversized checks of $5,000 each (presumably the banks will accept these for deposit!) to IACF and CRY Board of Directors.

The concert was a 3-hour long tribute to classic rock favorites that took you back to the ‘70s and ‘80s and brought back memories of college days for many. But it also showed the lure of the genre on those in the audience who weren’t even born when these 30-year old hits came out.

All the nine musicians on stage – two on drums, 1 on keyboard, a percussionist and five guitarists – have day jobs but have committed themselves to the HFB and their range of songs shows that they play together often.

The first set started off with Hotel California, followed by a solo

by Dr. Subrata Ghosh, a neurosurgeon who plays mean drums, singing a song – Child - by Filipino artist Kanty Aquilar. After two more energetic songs, Mukul Singhee took up the piano and sang a great version of The Beatles “Let It Be” to much screamed support from the backrowers. The was followed

From left: Artist Neil Sen who made the auctioned painting, Indian Consul General Sanjeev Arora, band performer Mukhul Singhee and IITAGH President Witty Bindra during intermission.

by a spirited version of Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” with wonderful drum riffs at the end, and the set was closed out with Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”.

The second set was devoted to Pink Floyd, one of the premier rock bands of the era, and songs from their albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, with the title songs forming perfect bookends to the eight-song set. The children’s voices in the finale The Wall were sung by five teenage girls - the daughter of drummer Ghosh and her friends. The Pink Floyd set brought out the heavy singing and deep chords from the entire group and control over some of the more intricate pieces of rock music ever

penned. “This all seems so different from the music nowadays which is performance based,” said one person in the audience.

Part of the proceeds for the night came from an oil painting in red tones with black silhouettes made

by Neil Sen, a Houston artist, of the band playing together. It was displayed in the lobby and was auctioned off for over $800. Outside the building, snacks were catered by Kiran’s restaurant and complimentary wine and beverages were served before the event started.

The IITAGH can be reached through its President, Witty Bindra at 281-303-6319 or wittybindra@ yahoo.com

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April 13, 2012

The Story of Ek: The Life and Times of Shirdi Sai Baba

BY KANAKA SATHASIVAN HOUSTON: Ek, coming to Houston May 6, is thought to be first English-language musical on the life and times of Shirdi Sai Baba. Written by poet Usha Akella in only 35 days, Ek tells the story of a man who was thought to be a god by Hindus alongside the story of the village where he made his home.

As a young man, Sai Baba first appeared under a neem tree near the village of Shirdi. Many of the villagers were immediately drawn to him, including the local priest of the Kandobha temple Mhalsapati. After vanishing for some years, Sai Baba reappeared to make Shirdi his permanent home, taking up residence in a mosque that he called by the Hindu name of Dwarkamai.

While his early life is shrouded in mystery, his impact on the village of Shirdi in his later years is immeasurable. As a simple fakir, Sai Baba had no possessions, and begged for food and oil. Many considered him to be mad, mocking and harassing him. But his simple nature, kind façade, and inexplicable miracles eventually won over the entire village.

Ek depicts many of these key moments through the eyes of the

Baba on his rock, surrounded by devotees as he gives Hemadpant buttermilk to drink.

villagers who witnessed these historical events. The woman Bhayaji Bai, who fed Sai Baba as if he were her own son. The doubting oil sellers who refuse to give Sai Baba oil for his mosque, but are silenced when he manages to light his lamps with only water.

The title of the play, Ek, comes from one of Sai Baba’s most famous teachings: “Sabka Malik Ek,” meaning that one God rules all. Sai Baba preached & encouraging his followers to practice charity, forgiveness, and worship of God. The universality of his

teachings have endeared him to many people of different faiths all across the world and made Shirdi one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India.

Ek will be performed in Houston on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the Old Stafford Civic Center at 5pm. Ek is presented in Houston by Media Circle and Art Promotions.

For more information, contact Surendar Talwar at 713-668-2948.

Learn more about Ek and Shirdi Sai Baba online at www.ekmusical.org.

COMMUNITY

IKEA Helps Replant Trees at Spring Woods High HOUSTON: On April 16, IKEA Houston and Trees For Houston are partnering to help Houston recover from the devastating drought by planting trees around the campus of Spring Woods High School. The project is funded through IKEA Houston’s Life Improvement campaign, which encouraged supporters to text in

tal environmental improvement to the school campus and surrounding Spring Branch community.

The trees we plant will provide an important aesthetic enhancement, add desperately needed shade and its corresponding cooling component, and provide the means to begin removing pollution from our air. In addition, an educational

their vote. Trees For Houston and IKEA volunteers will plant 25, 15gallon trees at Spring Woods High School in the Spring Branch community.

This project will guarantee a vi-

seminar will be held at the school to teach the students the benefits of trees and how they impact the environment. This project will also include two years of maintenance to ensure the trees get a healthy start. Trees play a vital role in urban landscapes, and with help from partners like IKEA, Trees For Houston is able to increase the size and scope of Houston’s urban forest canopy.

Trees For Houston is a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting, protecting and promoting trees.

Since 1983, Trees For Houston has planted and distributed over 420,000 trees and seedlings. At the end of the 2010-2011 planting season, over 41,000 trees were planted all over the Houston area.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

Houston Desis: Moving Hearts and Minds

HOUSTON: Almost 20 riders of the Houston Desis cycling team are getting ready to complete the distance of almost 160 miles from Houston to Austin over the weekend of April 21-22 for the BP MS-150 bicycle tour. On Monday, April 16, riders, volunteers and sponsors will get together at Mayuri restaurant (5857 Westheimer, Houston, Tx 77057) from 6-8 pm to go over the logistics of the event.

The bicycle ride is a two-day event which starts at Rhodes Stadium in Katy and ends the first night in a tent city in La Grange.

One of the highlights of the trip is the overnight stay in La Grange, where the Houston Desis will have a large tent well stocked with food, and bedding for all their riders and volunteers. The team has arranged for massage therapists to help relieve the aches and pains of the first day’s ride. The second

the desi volunteers of all ages, who are the unsung heroes for the countless hours they put in to make the ride successful. The volunteer team is being coordinated under the able leadership of Madhu Munirathnam.

The team is counting on veteran volunteers Kumar and Alka Mulchandani who helped organize many of the past events.

The team efforts are made possible by the financial support of our sponsors. The principal sponsor of the team is the Methodist Transplant Program. The food to be served at La Grange is being catered by Mayuri and that at the finish line in Austin is being provided by Sarovar restaurant. The uniforms were designed by Career Uniforms, whose CEO Rupendra Radia continues to support the team in many different ways. Among the other sponsors are Pearland Heart Institute,

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Riders at MS-150 training ride at Chappell Hill on March 31. From left: Srini Kamana, Vineet Khilani, Vishal Shastri, Ramana Anantha, Rahul Popat, Arun Rao, Shrikar Anantha

day route is shorter but hillier, and ends in front of the state Capitol in Austin. Cheering thru Friday Only eem. Onefamily cuponand perfriends visit. come to the finish line to greet the tired riders, and join in a joyous celebration.

This is the sixth year in a row that the Houston Desis team has taken part in the annual event with almost 12,000 riders.

All riders make the commitment to defeat Multiple Sclerosis by biking the challenging course, and raising money for the cause.

The team prides itself on the involvement of youngsters as both riders and volunteers.

This year, the rookies on the team include 12-year old Shrikar Anantha, 13-year old Arun Rao, and 13-year old Rahul Popat.

The veteran riders on this team include 16year old Siddartha Kamana and 15-year old Nakul Rao, both of whom have done the MS-150 many times in the past.

The captains of the Houston Desis are Ramana Anantha and Srini Kamana. Supporting them is the third co-captain Vikram Raghu who has helped organize many training rides for the team, and get the team organized. Supporting the leadership team are

Clearlake Cardiology Associates, Coastal Tuesday, Wednesday and Cardiology, Clearlake Dental and EP Heart.

For the Houston Desi community, the MS-150 event has provided the chance for Thursday Only Present coupon to redeem. One cupon per visit. families and friends to unite together to do something great. Indeed, as team has trained together, cheered each other and helped each other, the Houston Desis team has become a family unit. As a Family, the Desis put an emphasis on safety, in the way they train, how they nourish themselves before rides, and following good practices during the ride. During the training rides, the team members have learnt to be mindful not only of their own safety, but also showed responsibility for ensuring the safety of other riders.

All are welcome to join the get together at Mayuri restaurant on April 16, enjoy some good food and learn more about the MS-150 event.

If you want to be part of this great adventure this year and beyond, visit www. houstondesis.com or contact Kotesh Rao by email at kkoteshrao@gmail.com or by phone at 713-515-9785. verage

Game on at India House!

Consulate General of India vs. India House

HOUSTON: It was the night of February 18 at the India House Annual Gala when Honorable Sanjiv Arora, Consul General of India, issued the challenge. On a beautiful spring Saturday, India House Board of Directors decided to answer the call. Players will be suited in all white, balls bouncing across lush green lawn, with laughter and cheers ringing in the spring breeze. Game on! On Sunday, April 29, India House will host a Festival Cricket Match between the Consulate General of India and India House Members. This friendly match of taped ball cricket will have teams consisting of amateur and professional players. It is a community event giving families an opportunity to lie back on the lawn of India House and enjoy the game. Spectators bring lawn chairs, sunglasses, and sun hats for a sunny afternoon of excitement. The match will begin at 11am and will be played on a 20 over basis.

“WE ONLY SERVE India House invites everyone in the community to join for the match to cheer both teams.

ZABIAH India House requests all members respond if interestedHALAL in being a player to represent India MEATS” House, to Yolanda Benoit at yolanda@indiahouseinc.org no later than April 16; there will be practice session before the game.

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COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

GYAN to Launch “Go Green” Initiative

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HOUSTON: Houston’s Hindu community will come together April 14 to discuss how their temples and congregations going green will result in new opportunities, more efficiency and therefore more financial savings to help the community share the benefits of an economically and environmentally healthy lifestyle.

The event, convened by the Green Yatra Action Network (GYAN) aims to mobilize

9:00am-12:30pm at India House. The event is free. Advance registration is required.

Guest speakers include a NASA scientist, conservation expert from the Houston Zoo, an international expert on climate change and renewable energy, representatives from Texas Interfaith Power & Light and Green Buildings. GYAN’s founding member temples will share plans outlining their green actions.

Hindu organizations to practice good environmental care in their worship and celebrations. Proposed action items include recycling, eliminating styrofoam products, green worship and celebrations, green buildings, temple gardens, environmental education, energy and water conservation.

Kusum Vyas, founder of GYAN, said, “Many individuals, communities and Hindu institutions believe that they should do something about environmental problems but find the challenge overwhelming; most do not know where to start.

Supported by Living Planet Foundation, a Texas based secular organization, GYAN has been nurtured to give roots and wings to a global Vedic response to the environmental crisis. It is focused on faith-based environmentalism which the United Nations Development Program describes as “the world’s largest civil society movement on climate change.”

“We see our role as a catalyst that will connect faith leaders, institutions and individuals from across the globe to develop a unified voice and be seen as beacons of good environmental care,” said Kusum Vyas.

The April 14 event will be held from

Top of the agenda on April 14 will be specific information on the potential for green projects to generate jobs, incomes, entrepreneurship and economic opportunities in major areas - energy efficiency and green buildings, renewable energy (solar, wind), rainwater harvesting, recycling, organic gardening, waste disposal and conservation.

“Recognizing our worship and celebrations as spiritual activities that have economic and environmental impacts - providing income for the local community, but also producing outputs that add to environmental degradation , we believe there are also opportunities that with good foresight can manifest into tangible benefits. At the end of the day, the ideally green community also has to enjoy strong and inclusive economic growth,” added Vyas.

While GYAN is rooted in Vedic tradition, it will actively engage all faith-based and secular entities on environmental issues through a free and non-binding membership committing to environmental action and advocacy.

For more information, call Kusum Vyas at 281-345-0931.

Navaratri Celebrations at the Radha Krishna Temple

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HOUSTON: On March 25, Navaratri was celebrated at the Radha Krishna Temple.

The three hundred people who were present made it an even more auspicious and spirited evening. The highlight of the evening was the performance by Akhila Ananth, a Bharatnatyam dancer from California.

For 25 years, Akhila has been learning, teaching, performing, and breathing Bharat Natyam and other dance forms. She completed her arangetram (solo dance debut) in 1997 and has since been a member of the Shakti Dance Company in Los Angeles, CA, through which she has toured North America and India. In 2009, she performed

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with Shakti, Viver Brasil, and Halau Keali’i O Nalani at the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Though she has learned other types of dance, this ancient South Indian classical dance form of her upbringing remains her passion. In her time away from dance, Akhila pursues a PhD in the departments of Criminology, Law and Society, and Women’s Studies at the University of Irvine, California.

She was felicitated by the SRK Temple Trustee Ram Sharma and by ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar on the occasion of Navaratri celebrations.

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COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

Spirituality, Humor, Grace: Hallmarks of Lavanya Ananth’s Recital

BY KALYANI GIRI HOUSTON: When a dancer presents a repertoire of her very personal favorites, could the performance be anything short of delightful? Lavanya Ananth, a prodigious young awardwinning Bharatha Natyam danseuse from Chennai, India, held in her consummate thrall a capacity audience at the Sirrom School of Dance on April 8, 2012.

The event Rasa, hosted by two local organizations Samarpanam and Silambam that promote and propagate Indian cultural arts in this city, was a scholarly and gracefully lyrical labor of love with each piece also demonstrating Ananth’s prowess as a choreographer of note. Adding luster to the program was an inordinately skilled orchestra from Chennai.

Artistic Directors of the host organizations Padmini Chari and Lavanya Rajagopalan welcomed and introduced the artists. The informal studio atmosphere saw Ananth early in the recital, effortlessly establishing a formidable triangle of forces between herself, the orchestra, and the audience.

With her lissome figure clad in a rich cream/orange/gold costume, Ananth began with Nrittanjali, in Ragamalika. The piece in two parts was a triumph of pure dance in impeccable rhythm followed by the Shiva Tandava Shloka that described the grandeur and sheer might of the meditating Lord Shiva atop Mount Kailash.

Replete with arresting movement

Lavanya Ananth

and abhinaya, the ancient shloka, believed to have been written by the demon king Ravana, praised Lord Shiva’s various attributes and ended on a philosophical note with Ravana meditating on the sacred Om Nama Shivaya mantra to attain salvation.

The humor-infused yet spiritually revelatory Chikkavane Ivanu, a Devar Nama composition by the poet saint Purandaradasa, was clearly an item close to Ananth’s heart. She imbued it with an almost palpable affection. Through an ample landscape of abhinaya, the song told of the perplexity with which the gopis viewed the divine child god Krishna. The heroine asks her friends if they really believed him to be a child. He is so

smart and wily that mere mortal hands fail to capture him, she says. He flirted with them and asked outrageous questions about procreation.

By turns distraught, confused, and amused, the gopis discuss Krishna, telling of his mischievous nature and oftentimes un-childlike risqué behavior. One gopi confesses that when he tried to touch her inappropriately, Krishna appeared to her as Lord Purandara Vittala, the deity of the village and a form of Lord Vishnu.

In the Maharaja Swati Tirunaal poem Itu Saahasamulu, Ananth presented an arresting study of a young maiden inexperienced in

matters of the heart, who is relentlessly pursued by an older man. She finds his attentions disturbing and is intimidated by his worldliness.

She naively tells her suitor, who turns out to be Lord Padmanabha Swami of Travancore, that she is still too young, and placates him with the promise that she will seek him out when she is older. The endearing piece with excerpts of elaborate storytelling, was set in the rare Raga Saindhavi. The next item Yaarukaagilum bhayama, proffered Ananth the perfect vehicle for conveying moods and emotions through facial expression.

Written in the Tamil language and set to Begada Raga, the song delineated a very proud, arrogant, and confident heroine who is the lover of the local king. Her relationship gives rise to much envy and gossip among other women in the community and the heroine asks her friend if she should be afraid. But she eventually reaches the decision to enjoy and celebrate her love for the king, and to ignore the jobless petty women who condemn her.

In the concluding item The Celestial Light of Being – Surya, the sun is worshipped as a deity in Hinduism. Ananth compared through descriptive gestures and skilled hypnotic movements, the

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journey of the sun that quells darkness by brightening the world with its brilliance. Similarly, the sun’s luminosity curbs mortal desires and awakens the source of light within mankind.

A disciple of luminaries in the exalted ilk of S. K. Rajarathnam Pillai, and Dr. K. J. Sarasa in the Vazhuvoor style of dance, Ananth also came under the expert tutelage of the doyen of abhinaya, Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan. A critically acclaimed dancer Ananth ranks among India’s dance-elite today, a status very tough to achieve in the competitive field of the arts. She is a recipient of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2007, among many other honors. Her gifted accompanists, virtuosos all, included nattuvanaar Kaushik Champakesan, mellifluous vocalist Murali Parthasarathy, violinist R. Kalaiarasanand, and mridangam vidwan M. S. Sukhi who also created some of the the music arrangements for the performance. Seated in the audience was Ananth’s older sister, also a gifted dancer, Houston-based medical doctor Shobana Chandrasekhar; back home in Chennai, the sisters often performed together.

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HMM Presents a Musical Feast and Remarkable Theater Experience HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) is a Houston based non-profit organization established in 1976 for the Maharashtrian community. HMM works to promote understanding and appreciation of Maharashtrian culture. HMM’s activities include celebration of traditional festivals, hosting plays, music concerts, conducting lectures and seminars, camping, etc. providing a platform for the local community to pursue artistic endeavors.

Hoston Maharshtra Mandal (HMM) presents two programs in April 2012- a musical feast and a theater experience!

Geet Ramayan (The Ramayana in Songs) written in Marathi by G. D. Madgulkar (popularly known as Ga. Di. Ma) is a collection of 56 songs which highlight the gist of the Ramayana and earned Madgulkar the title, Modern Valmiki.

Originally, Sudhir Phadke composed the music and sung these songs. Akashwani Pune (All India Radio, Pune) broadcast the first song Swaye Shri Ramprabhu Aikati on April 1, 1955 on the occa-

sion of Ram Navami. An extremely popular program of that era, Geet Ramayan, is a literary work translated into nine Indian languages - Assamese, Bengali, English, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Sindhi, Telugu and Oriya. It will be presented in Houston by Shridhar Phadke, son of Sudhir Phadke. Shridhar has composed music for many Hindi and Marathi films and has presented numerous shows of the Geet Ramayan around the world.

Wah Guru is an inspirational, award winning play starring Dilip Prabhavalkar, (one of the finest actors on the Indian stage), in the lead role as Prof. Sapre and Advait Dadarkar in the role of Pai, a student of Prof. Sapre. Other stars include Girija Katdare as Sudha Sapre and Poornima Talwalkar as Pai’s fiancée.

The play is based on the bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. The writer Chandrashekhar Phansalkar has commercially adapted the play, presenting to the audience, an engaging story of life’s small wonders, which soar above the inevitability of death.

Vijay Kenkre’s direction further strengthens and adds value to an already well-written and acclaimed script. Exploring the philosophical principles of life through an interesting narrative filled with fascinating characters, it’s a must-see for all theater enthusiasts.

Tickets for the Geet Ramayan on April 21 and Marathi natak, Wah Guru on April 29 are now on sale.

For more information on ticket pricing and to purchase tickets, visit www.hmmhouston.org

Chira Divakaruni and Rathna Kumar to Perform at Asia Society Texas Center’s First Look Festival

HOUSTON: As part of the cultural programs at the grand opening of the Asia Society Texas Center this coming weekend, the Chitra Divakaruni-Rathna Kumar duo will be seen in action once again, with Rathna dancing to Chitra’s readings from her poems and novels. Nearly ten years ago, these two local celebrities presented their unique collaboration for the first time for the Nuestra Pallabra at the Talento Bilingue de Houston, and it was an instant hit.

This was followed by a much appreciated presentation at the Houston International Festival in 2005, celebrating India, for Imprint, at a reading of Chitra’s book Shadowland, at Shangri La Art Gallery, with a powerful segment from Chitra’s The Palace of Illusions, describing Draupadi’s

Chitra Divakaruni

Rathna Kumar

traumatic experience at the hands of Duryodhana and Dussasana, and for schoolchildren at an after school program organized by the Asia Society.

This coming weekend, Chitra will be reading one of her poems and excerpts from her books, The Conch Bearer and The Palace of Illusions, with Rathna providing the visual component through dance and movement.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 15 from 2:30-2:55pm at Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX 77004.

HOUSTON: For the fifth year in a row, India Culture Center Houston (ICC) and International Hindi Association (IHA) bring the Annual Hasya Kavi Sammellan, an evening of humorous Hindi poetry to Houston. The team of poets include Gajendra Solanki, Dr Sarita Sharma and Sanjay Jhala.

Young and prominent, Gajendra Solanki , has written moving poems on the themes of National awareness and love for his country. Listeners the world over thoroughly enjoy Solanki’s recitations in his commanding yet melodious voice. He has been a member of Counsel Committee for the Indian Film Sensor Board. He has participated in over 2000 Kavi-Goshthis

(poets’ conferences). This is his fifth trip to USA and third to Houston.

Dr. Sarita Sharma, Ph.D in Hindi literature and queen of Ghazals, lives in Gaziabad, UP. Her writings have been published in many famous magazines and other print media. They have also been presented on National television channels and radio stations. She has been honored with several famous awards for her work on social issues. Listeners get arrested by her beautiful style of poetry recitation.

This is her first visit to the USA. Rajasthan’s pride, Sanjay Jhala is renown for his acting skills while delivering his humorous poems on stage. He has been writ-

ing and emceeing the New Year’s program on Doordarshan for many years and the famous show Aji, Oji, Sunoji on ETV. He acts in television serials and participates in numerous television programs.

Three of his satire collections are published and one novel is under publication. This is his first trip to the USA. Hasya Kavi Sammellan 2012 is on Sunday April 29 at India House at 5pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Students of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts will also be presenting classical, folk and contemporary dances at this event on Saturday, April 14, from 1:00-1:25 pm.

ICC Houston and IHA Present an Evening of Humorous Poetry

For more information and to reserve tickets, contact Sangeeta Pasrija at 281-788-9750 or Swapan Dhairyawan at 281-382-0348 or visit www.icchouston.org

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

Fiercely Independent! Get Your Kicks from Indie Flicks!

45th Anniversary for Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival The opening night film making directed by Sonia Fritz of Puerto

BY KALYANI GIRI HOUSTON: Break out the its world premiere at the festival Rico. Directors are planning to atchampagne, folks, it’s WorldFest- at 8:00pm is Smitty, starring Pe- tend 95% of this year’s premieres Houston International Film Fes- ter Fonda, Lou Gossett Jr., Mira at WorldFest. Several compelling tival’s 45th year of recognizing, Sorvino, and Lolita Davidovitch. documentaries include Awaken and honoring outstanding creative Directed by David M. Evans, the the Dragon, Austria’s daring Emexcellence in independent movie film was written and produced by pire Me, This Space Available and making. This year, the oldest inde- Micheal Baumgarten. A cham- Gotthard Schuh: A Sensual Vision pendent film festival in the world pagne after-party reception will be of the World by the renowned Swiss photographer from and the third largest the 1930s. WorldFest will film festival in North At AMC Studio 30, flags represent the 30+ nations continue with its annual America is as quirky, that participated in WorldFest 2011 Short Film Showcase, a diverse, spirited, and special review of 107 new as fiercely indepenshort and student films. dent as ever. With Local moviemaker and prodigious disparity, artistic director of Planet the festival will kick Funk, Shaun Welling, off with an art car pareturns with his newest rade, a spirited Mexiendeavor The Legend can mariachi band, of Dark Horse County and the sonorous wail featuring Olivia Chachi of Scottish bagpipes Gonzales. Other local at the AMC Studio filmmakers Trisha Ray 30 Theatres at 2949 Dunvale in Southwest Houston held at the Marriott Westchase Ho- and San Banarje from the Indo on April 13, 2012. With a packed tel, the official hotel of WorldFest. American community, will debut This year promises movie-lov- two of their new movies at Worldschedule of several movies playing on different screens, and ers a plethora of choices with 15 Fest. Produced by Ray and scriptdocumentaries and movie shorts, world premieres from 53 features, ed/directed by Banarje, the films with a liberal dash of symposiums the annual Italian Panorama with are Inside Out and Semper Fi, with crammed with authoritative talks a comedic flair; a triple whammy veteran actor Joe Estevez in a starby renowned filmmakers, the fes- from the Russian sector; an Israeli ring role in Inside Out. WorldFest Artistic and Program tival will run over ten days and Special Focus with director, Dani Menkin attending for his film Je Director, Kathleen Haney, told end on April 22.

“Forty-five years of celebrat- T’Aime, I Love you Terminal, and Indo American News that she was ing independent cinema…now even a film from Eritrea. Other thrilled to have such an excepthat’s a good long run!” enthused special highlights will be Henry tional line-up of independently WorldFest’s charismatic founder, Jaglom’s brand new film, Just 45 produced films.

“Each year, we are continually award-winning producer/director Minutes from Broadway and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 poignant closing film, America Hunter Todd.

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12 April 13, 2012

Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Creates History at Wembley Arena, London before 10,000 People

On a cloudy day there was sun shining only at one place in the UK and that was at the Wembley Arena. It was a rare sight to witness in recent years as since the last Temptations Tour in 2004 with the Bollywood heavy weights such as King and Badshah of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor and several others performed and this time round Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, single handedly packed the Wembley Arena to its maximum capacity of just over 10,000 people and over 2,000 people had to be turned back as there were no more tickets available as the show was sold out.

The International Promoters of the 2012 World Tour of Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Anwaar Chaudhry and Salman Ahmed of Portfolio Marketing and Events stated, “Mashallah it is a great sight to see that finally Khan is having the back up of professionals and this can be witnessed by the entire look of the event.

It was rare sight, when half way through after Khan performed a qawali, that the entire 10,000 plus audience stood up and was bowing to the maestro and in admiration and appreciation, RFAK along with his entire group stood up, it was a rare sight, the sound of joy and claps was unimaginable.

The 2012 World Tour began this Saturday in the USA when Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed in Fort Lauderdale.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will perform in Houston on Saturday, April 28 at 8.30pm at Arena Theater. The show will be brought to Houston by RS Rugs and Home in association with Star Promotion Inc. For more information, call 281-222-4500 or visit www.starpromotioninc.com

“It is the first book to capture the essence of Dance in the Indian Diaspora” Capturing 30 years of arts in the life of a community The keeper of memories The Arathi School of Indian Dance 30 years of service

COMMUNITY

DISH Launches Four South Indian Channels from SUN TV Network ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO: DISH Network L.L.C. (NASDAQ: DISH), the nation’s third largest pay-TV provider announced the launch of four more South Indian channels from SUN TV Network.

Adithya TV, Gemini Comedy, Kiran TV and SUN Music bolster DISH’s rank as the leader in international programming with more than 240 ethnic channels in 29 languages.

“We are a leader in delivering TV channels from across India to those in the U.S. seeking news, music and entertainment from their home country,” said Chris Kuelling, vice president of International Programming at DISH. “DISH currently offers 92 South Indian channels, and the launch of additional SUN TV Network programming shows our continued commitment to serve the South Indian community.”

With presence in more than 27 countries, SUN TV Network’s CEO K. Vijay Kumar said this partnership will allow the company to further expand its reach in the international market.

“Millions of people around the world watch SUN TV Network channels,” said Kumar. “DISH dominates the South Indian market in the U.S., and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our content to an even wider audience.”

Channel descriptions and DISH programming package availability are listed below.

Adithya TV: A Tamil channel with a lineup of rib-tickling comedy and call-in music request shows. Popular programs include “Anandam Anandame,” “Konjam Kapi Niraya Comedy,” “Kalakkal Comedy,” “Sarigama Padhani,” “Vaanga Sirikkalam,” “Jokaddi,” “Comedy Galata,” “Adra Sakka,” “Vaivittu Siringa,” “Sirikka Sirikka Sirippu,” “Jillinu Oru kadi” and “Idhu Thanda Sirippu.” Adithya TV is available on channel 693 in DISH’s Tamil Mosaic Pack and SUN Pack.

Gemini Comedy: A Telugu channel tailored to tickle the funny bone, Gemini Comedy broadcasts a variety of Telugu movies and comedy series including “Comedy Talkies,” “Kita Kitalu,” “Smile Raja Smile (with Rani’s),” “Kevvu Comedy,” “Navvandehe,” “Havva Ente Navva,” “Fun Bomb”

and “Appam Bappam.” Gemini Comedy is available on channel 591 in DISH’s Telugu Pack at no additional cost.

Kiran TV: A Malayalam music channel that features a variety of song sequences and films, such as “Kiran Morning,” “Kiran Wishes,” “Darling Darling,” “Ningalakku Areyamo” and “Kiran Classics.” Kiran TV is available on channel 593 in DISH’s Malayalam Mega Pack at no additional cost.

SUN Music: A dedicated Tamil music channel, SUN Music captures the essence of songbased sequences from a vast library of Tamil movies and features a variety of popular programming like “Hi Kutties,” “Anbe Anbe,” “Vaazhthalam Vaanga,” “Star Times,” “Ladies Choice” and “Yendrum Iniavai.” SUN Music is available on channel 692 in DISH’s Tamil Mosaic Pack and SUN Pack.

About DISH Network DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 13.967 million satellite TV customers, as of Dec. 31, 2011, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network’s subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. For more information, visit www.dish.com.

About SUN TV Network SUN TV Network, India’s largest media conglomerate, broadcasts a bouquet of 32 top-rated channels in four Indian languages.

Reaching more than 95 million households in India, SUN TV Network’s channels can also be viewed in 27 countries including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Be it news or entertainment, if it is happening south of Vindhyas, it’s on SUN TV Network.

TNF IDOL 2012 – Dallas Finalists

Arathi

Editor: Associate Editor: Assisted by:

“The book is really a keepsake”

Rajam Ramamurthy Nancy Noopur Satsangi Vedanti Upadyaya Priya Jagadeeswaran

Revathi Satyu, Pioneer Dance Guru

“It is an amazing review of Dance in the life of a community. Every dance student of Indian Dance particularly Bharathanatyam should read it” Ammu Devasthali, Philantrophist, Chair of the Leadership committee for the Center For The Arts at NMSU To order the book please e mail: ramamurthyrajam @aol.com or call (210)698-0023 Price $75 • Mailing cost varies depending on location ($4-5 within U.S.) Printed by: Verdon Graphics in San Antonio (210) 308-5552

DALLAS: The TNF IDOL 2012, Dallas finals were conducted on April 7t at Courtyard Theater, Plano. With 16 participants (9 Juniors & 7 Adults) entering the fray, and over 100 people in attendance, the show was a grand success.

The Show started with ‘Thamizh Thai Vazhthu’ by all the contestants , followed by Welcome speech by Geetha Subramaniam. Rajamani, the emcee of the event energized the audience by his speech and introduced the Judges. The Judging panel include Karthika Prasanth, Bala Murali (President IFAA) and Gopinath Shanmugam (IDOL Dallas Coordinator).

A variety of popular Tamil songs in Pathos and Folk rounds were sung by enthusiastic contestants, again showcasing the inherent talent of the local community. At the end of the Pathos Round, Dr. Padmini Ranganathan and Raj Thiagarajan from the Houston TNF 2012 Committee presented the convention promotional video and spoke to the wider audience about the upcoming Tamilnadu National Foundation Convention in May 2012 to gather more support from the community. The event was concluded with award ceremony to the winners and runners by Dr. Padmini Ranganathan and Kalai Nayagam (MTS president). Along the lines of the Junior Idol, the Adult Idol of Dallas will also compete against finalists from Houston, San Antonio and Austin for the TNF Idol Title and will be crowned at the three day grand gala – TNF 2012 Convention to be held during the Memorial Day weekend in May 2012.

TNF Adult Idol Dallas finalists are: Female: Sumithra Prabhu, Male: Ashok Krishnan TNF Junior Idol Dallas finalists are: Female : Divya Narayanan, Male : Ashvath Vijay

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY 45th Anniversary for Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival CONTINUED FROM PAGE

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amazed by what filmmakers are capable of doing in spite of incumbent challenges. The caliber of Indie films just keeps getting better and better,” said Haney. “Our work is very gratifying when we witness the cycles of growth in filmmakers who begin with a script, progress to a short and culminate with a feature length film coming back through the years at WorldFest.”

The festival offers so much more than film screenings. The entire movie making process from casting, cinematography, distribution, directing, producing, scripting, is addressed in a series of worldclass seminars conducted by experts in each field. All seminars will be held at the Marriott Westchase. WorldFest also offers competition in TV Production, Documentary, Corporate and Business Films, Student and Experimental, TV Commercials, Film and Video Production, Music Videos, New Media Interactive and Web Sites, Screenplays, Print and Radio.

There are 12 major categories and 200 sub-categories. In 2011, 4,300 category entries were received from 37 countries. No awards are given in any category unless the scores from the juries are high enough to place for honors. Winners are informed ahead of time and receive their awards at the banquet.

WorldFest is the springboard that launched the careers of film-

April 13, 2012

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VPSS Celebrates Ram Navami

From left: WorldFest Founder, Hunter Todd; Artistic and Program Director, Kathleen Haney with their daughter Katie-Lee Photos: Krishna Giri

making luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, Spike Lee, John Lee Hancock. Micheal Cimino, Gavin Hood, Randal Kleiser, Oliver Stone, and David Lynch. ! Few other festivals have such a “discovery” track record. WorldFest has emerged as the oldest continuous film festival management in the world with the same executive director, serving for 45 consecutive years. A few other festivals are older, but they have had as many as ten different directors. It is the oldest film festival in The South.

“We focus on a story well-told,” said Haney. “In the ten days of WorldFest we can do no more than 60 films a year. We feel that it is impossible to properly emphasize individual films when the festival screening schedule is too large.

We try to keep high standards and concentrate only on the very best new American and foreign independent films and honor those,” Haney added.

The festival also promotes cultural tourism for Houston, and helps develop film production in the region to add to the rich cultural fabric of the city.

WorldFest-Houston is sponsored by the State of Texas, City of Houston, HP, NASA, AMC Theaters, Houston Film Commission, Boxer Properties, Houston Yacht Club, Wagner Media, The Hotel Marriott Westchase, and the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA).

For a full program of events and show timings, or to book tickets in advance, visit www.worldfest.org.

The website also offers trailers of the feature films.

Above: Vallabh Vidya Mandir kids Dressed as Ram, Laxman, Sita and Bharat. Sahil, son of Ashish & Manisha as Ram, Keya,daughter of Saumil & Archana as Sita. Ishan, son of Bijal and Kacita as Lakshman, and Arch, son of Sanjay & Vicky as Bharat Right: Rulan Patel explained the importance of Ram Navami

WRITERS ....... TAKE NOTICE Writers are requested to limit their words to 500.

The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Tuesday of each week.

For more information, Call 713-789- NEWS (6397) or email us at: indoamericannews@yahoo.com

statefarm.com/southasian

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

14 April 13, 2012

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RELIGION

Vishu: New Year to Keralites and Many Others

Malayalees all over the world celebrate the Vishu as their new year.

Since the mother tongue of the Kerala people is Malayalam, other people call them malayalees. This celebration is as per Malayalam calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 of April. Some other Indian states also celebrate the same day as their new year. For Example: Tamil Nadu celebrates the same day as Tamil New Year and Bengalis celebrate the day as Bengali New Year.

The divine Vishukani is offered on this day. Generally Vishukani is offered to Guruvayoorappan or Lord Krishna. The Kani is a Malayalam word which means that which is seen first on this day. The women take a large dish made of bell-metal known as uruli, arrange in it a manuscript of palm-leaf called grantha, a gold ornament, a new cloth, some flowers from the Konna Tree called Cassia fistula, some coins in a silver cup, a split coconut,

a cucumber, some mangoes and a jack-fruit.

The two burning lamps are placed on either side of the dish with a chair facing it.

On Vishu Day family members are blindfolded and are taken to that place and then their blindfolds are removed to view Vishu Kani. They first of all look at the image of Gods, and then look at the yellow light of the lamps. Lastly they look at the kani in the yellow vessels. They believe that by doing this will bring good fortune in their lives. People wear new clothes and elders of the family distribute tokens of money called as Vishukkaineetam to the servants, tenants and children.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

April 13, 2012

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Need a Check-up??

Health Fair 9:00a.m.—2:oop.m.

Blood Drive 10:00a.m.-4:00 p.m.

8888 West Bellfort Houston, TX 77031

FREE  Medical Check-Ups

 Cholesterol, glucose, EKG, blood pressure, HIV  Health Education; have your questions answered by a medical expert or mental health professional  Immunizations  Blood Drive hosted by Universal Brotherhood (Sant NirankariMission)  Yoga Demonstration  Women’s Services  Mammography (limit to 30 people; must register prior to event; contact Yolanda Benoit)

CONTACT: India House (713) 929-1900 Tracy Spencer (713) 929-1907 Sheelu Keswani (281) 684-8250

21st April, 2012, 4-­‐7pm

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BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT HMMHOUSTON.ORG INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

16 April 13, 2012

PUNJABI SOCIETY OF HOUSTON

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13. Mr. and Mrs. Bedi 14. Mr. and Mrs Lamba 15. Mr. and Mrs Lakhari 16. Mr. and Mrs. Gill 17.Mr. and Mrs Pinder and Jag Gill

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY Prathishta Mahothsavam & Kumbhabhishekham:

April 13, 2012

17

Grand Celebrations at Hindu Temple of Woodlands

BY BETH KULKARNI WOODLANDS: Prathishta Mahothsavam and Kumbhabhishekham were celebrated as a major milestone by The Hindu Temple of The Woodlands (HTW) from April 6-8. The inauguration of Sri MahaLakshmi and RadhaKrishna were part of the festivities.

The temple was founded in 2005 with the vision of uniting Hindus in the Woodlands and surrounding areas, providing them a place for celebrations, cultural activities, and community service. The aim is to meet the needs of the first generation of Hindu-Americans, familiarize successive generations with Hindu traditions and to share this culture with the broader community.

Friday evening started off with prayers of invocation to Lord Vishwaksena and Lord Ganesha. The priest tied a rakhi on the wrists of the HTW Board members and their spouses, which signifies their promise to see the Prathishta Mahothsavam and Kumbhabhishekham to its proper conclusion. Dressed in colorful traditional outfits, young girls participated in an auspicious procession of lamps signifying the obliteration of darkness – literal darkness and figurative darkness caused by the ignorance of spiritual knowledge. A similar lamp procession was undertaken by the ladies, on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday, HTW’s priest M.M. Chakrapani Bhattar and the invited

dra Sacheti, together with the Board and Executive Committee, thank all who made this celebration a grand success.

The Hindu Temple of The Woodlands is located at 7601 S. Forestgate at Woodlands Parkway, The

Woodlands, TX 77382. The temple’s mission is to provide a platform for worship, meditation, education and community service.

For more information, visit www. woodlandshindutemple.org.

Pratham and GE Foundation Support Education for Young Women in Rural India

Sharad (left) and Beth Kulkarni and Lata and Sanjay Joshi (HTW President) carrying pots of sanctified water to use in Abhishekham of MahaLakshmi

visiting priests performed rituals prescribed in the Agamas (ancient scriptures) to transform the stone idols representing the Gods into divine deities. Many devotees were transported to the Vimana (dome) of the temple, either over Sri MahaLakshmi or over RadhaKrishna, to offer flowers and sanctified water as part of the Vimana Kalasha Pushabhishekam. Some offered ratnas (jewels) to the deities.

Seventy families performed the MahaLakshmi Puja on Saturday evening following the priest’s instructions.

The first Kalyanam (wedding) of MahaLakshmi and Srinivasan (Balaji) was held on Sunday evening.

Any Hindu function is not complete without food. For all three days, hundreds of people enjoyed delicious meals and snacks, as well as the pras-

ad. Most of the food was prepared by volunteers in the temple’s kitchen.

Friends and neighbors from a multi-religious background joined in the celebrations and enjoyed the cultural program of classical dances and bhajans. Everyone present had the opportunity of listening to discourses

by Acharya Gaurang Nanavaty of Chinmaya Mission Houston and Dr. Jayakumar S. Ammangudi of Arsha Vidya Satsanga, coordinator of the Shanti program for Aim for Seva on Sunday afternoon. The fundraising Grand prize 2012 was a Honda Accord and the Acharya announced the lucky winner’s name. The winner was drawn by the youngest member of the HTW. The HTW coordinators for this event, Rajendher Reddy and Shailen-

GE Foundation has committed over $1.6M in funds to Pratham’s innovative “Open School” program offering completion of secondary education and vocational skills to unemployed women and education reinforcement for younger children. In the last decade, the Indian government has done a great deal of work to ensure that over 97% children on the primary level are enrolled in schools. However, the poor quality of education largely attributed to sub-standard teaching remains a concern. Through this program, young adults will acquire secondary school certification, life skills, and/or basic employment readiness skills. In addition, the GE Foundation grant will provide a continuum for Pratham’s well-known Read India campaign, as these same young adults will teach and mentor at-risk elementary-age children between the ages of 3 to 14.

The GE Foundation has been supporting Pratham since 2005. “We are pleased to be working with Pratham on this two-pronged approach that enables young women to ‘earn’ their education and training as GE Fellows, and in turn enlists their support to advance primary grade students’ learning,” said GE Foundation President Bob Corcoran.

Dr. Madhav Chavan, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, said, “This is a new innovation in delivery of education for us and we are grateful to GE Foundation for continuing to support us strongly in our endeavors.”

Pratham Houston is hosting a fundraiser gala, titled “We are One World,” on Saturday, April 21 at 6pm at Hilton Americas, Downtown Houston. The keynote speaker for this event is Ajay Banga, President and CEO of MasterCard and a member of its board of directors. Pratham invites all Houstonians to participate in this gala and transform the lives of children—and thus, the future of the world.

To buy tickets, call the Pratham office at 713-774-9599. For more information, visit www.prathamusa.org

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18 April 13, 2012

The End of the World: 2012

What if the end of the world were near? What if 2012 is the final chapter, as is being reported or misreported, “according to the Linear Mesoamerican Long Calendar”?

Soothsayers have zeroed in on December 2012 as the time of apocalypse. Theories doing the rounds include the following: The planet could get sucked into a black hole or get smashed by a speeding asteroid; shifting galactic alignment might cause cataclysms, throwing everything out of kilter; human civilisation will come to an end with collective bad karma; tectonic plates could go berserk, causing irreparable damage, and there are more such scenarios being ‘foretold’- whether by calendar makers, scientists or ancient and modern oracle.

Then you have Kalki Bhagwan, the guru in south India, who says that the year 2012 would mark the end of Kali Yuga and the dawn of a new era, an improvement on the previous one. There could be a consciousness revolution that would lead to evolutionary enlightenment, paving the way for a new world order.

You can take your pick of perspective, theory or speculation, but it’s not very clear what is meant by ‘end of the world’. Let’s assume for a moment - even if it’s a mere mind game - that what is intended to be conveyed is that it is the human species that would get annihilated. That would certainly mean the world has ended - for us.

What if all other species except human beings survived the cataclysm, due to some kind of divine design or dispensation?

Let’s say you’re a bird. You flap your wings and fly out as usual and find that you don’t have to dodge those noisy flying machines any more.

You’re a chicken or goat; no more slaughter shivers down your spine. You’re an elephant that worked for a lumber company; no more weightlifting, nor chains! You’re a circus animal; now cagefree, no more tricks to perform at the crack of a whip.

You’re a tree; no more cringing at the approach of a freshly sharpened axe. You’re a flower; no slow death for you in a vase.

You’re a sensuous river, meandering across hills and dales; no more a receptacle of excrement, industrial effluents and chemical toxins. You’re fish; free of baits and nets. You’re a turtle; no more dodging those mechanised trawlers that scoop you up in their monstrous nets without those turtle excluder devices insisted upon by save-the-turtle activists.. You’re a silkworm; no more death by boiling.

You’re oxygen; no more choking on blasts from those belching furnaces and power plants. You’re a raindrop, free of acid. You’re a pure snowflake; no more sticky carbon that melts you down.

You’re the ocean; no more oil spills.

It’s the end of cacophony - leaving only sounds of birds chirping, waters gushing, surf breaking against shores, leaves rustling, wind whistling through trees, bees buzzing...and the pitter-patter of rain. You’re a glacier, no more retraction. The stars! Species can actually see them; there’s no more light pollution. Hey, Earth, you can breathe free now. It’s time to celebrate. Times of India

EDITORIAL

Your Maid as a Friend

BY SAGARIKA GHOSE It is urban India’s most unresolved relationship. A relationship that goes to the heart of the inequality that every affluent Indian unthinkingly accepts, a relationship on which even the values of the Constitution founder. The ‘servant’ exists in a realm which we dare not analyse too deeply for fear that the horrifying social tension that the institution embodies may threaten the comforts of cheap domestic labour.

The fact that the ‘servant’-employer relationship increasingly verges on mutual distrust, the fact that barely disguised class hostility now marks this uncertain living arrangement, the fact that brutal violence in proliferating cases embody yet another aspect of India’s million mutinies, these are issues the urban help employing classes, choose not to think about. The sight of a monied family feasting at a restaurant, with a quiet dusky teenager sitting a little apart with her face turned away from them, is something we are immune to, perhaps even a little envious of, that the family seems to have such docile dedicated staff.

The case of an allegedly 13year-old maid apparently locked in an apartment in Delhi’s Dwarka locality by a doctor couple, who went on a holiday, is yet another manifestation of the crisis in the relationship between ‘servant’ and employer.

The facts of the case are far from clear. The NGO which rescued the girl has painted a gory picture of a young woman brutalised, starved and locked in an apartment while her employers took off on an exotic vacation. Theirs is a morality of play of good and evil where a hapless innocent was tortured by urban upwardly professionals.

The doctors say that the girl is throwing a tantrum, that she was not locked in the apartment at all, that she is not 13 but 18 and that they are being framed by the girl’s backers. Where does the truth lie?

Only a proper police investigation will establish the facts. What is beyond doubt is that there was a

The link between domestic help and employer has indeed reached the breaking point. In March, an 11-year-old girl was rescued from an apartment in Noida with bruises on her body, apparently inflicted by her employers.

In February, a U.S. judge awarded nearly $1.5 million to an Indian maid for “slavery” by an Indian diplomat. complete breakdown of dialogue and understanding between the maid and her bosses.

The link between domestic help and employer has indeed reached the breaking point. In March, an 11-year-old girl was rescued from an apartment in Noida with bruises on her body, apparently inflicted by her employers. In February, a US judge awarded nearly $1.5 million to an Indian maid for “slavery” by an Indian diplomat.

In 1999, a 19-year-old working in the home of another Indian diplomat in Paris allegedly faced harassment.

Conversely, in 2007 a maid strangulated her 40-year-old employer in Delhi because the employer had objected to the maid talking to a neighborhood boy.

There have been numerous cases in which elderly employers have been violently attacked by domestic help. In the Aarushi Talwar murder case, while parents Nupur and Rajesh are facing the law courts, the relationships among the Talwars and the domestic staff, the murdered Hemraj, the compounder Krishna and others — Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal — remain mysterious. Did the Talwars try to frame their help? Or did the staff try to frame the Talwars?

In the Shiney Ahuja rape case, both sides told a radically different story. Supporters of the maid alleged sexual assault by the celebrity actor. The Ahujas maintain that they were being blackmailed and framed in an extortion racket.

Where does the truth lie? Is what comes out in the media the truth or a caricature?

Placement agencies, sometimes thinly disguised trafficking operators, bring hordes of young men and women from the interiors of West Bengal and Jharkhand into the homes of upwardly mobile urban Indians. Terms of employment are not codified, the fate of the domestic help hinges entirely on the disposition of her employer. Most newly-rich urban Indians, sadly, remain inherently elitist and caste conscious, the castes of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

Underlying the dizzying new urban lifestyles, a stark social inequality or even a class war may be brewing inside homes. When class superiority is asserted and used as an instrument of authority and control, then sometimes the victim has no other option but to rebel in fierce ways, either by crime, falsification or vendetta.

When dialogue and mutual understanding are not evolved, then the stage is set for nasty surprises.

Thus, the domestic work sector is in need of urgent reforms. The sector must be professionalised, made transparent and a modicum of dignity and respect must be enforced, by the State, resident welfare associations or even NGOs offering domestic staff. Most of all, the urban Indian employer must undergo a rapid mental transformation: domestic help is not born into servitude by karma, they are equal human beings without other opportunities. Their labour is cheap but it cannot be taken for granted.

The feudal mai-baap ethos is mercifully dead. In its place we have to create a new social contract based on constant interaction and understanding.

Sagarika Ghose is Deputy Editor, CNN-IBN.

Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI

EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS MANAGER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA MANAGING PARTNER: KRISHNA GIRI COMMUNITY REPORTER: KALYANI GIRI COMMUNITY EDITOR: MANASI GOKHALE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN GRAPHIC DESIGN: SAQIB RANA CORRESPONDENTS CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, UK: ASEEM KULKARNI NEW DELHI: RAJ KANWAR ®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

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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BY SHASHANK JAIN BELLVILLE: JVB Preksha Meditation Center, Houston conducted a 3-day and 2-night Family Retreat Camp at calm and scenic 66-acre facility Camp Woodmen, Bellville, TX from April 6 through April 8. The camp was attended by over 100 people including families from all over Texas – Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and the Houston metroplex.

This was the 12th Annual Family Camp conducted by JVB Preksha Meditation Center since the first one held in year 2001; the theme of this camp was inspired by Acharya Mahapragya’s recently released book Transform Yourself.

JVB President Vivek Jain initiated proceedings, along with JVB Board Member Alok Jain. Acharya Mahashraman’s disciples currently stationed in Houston- Samanijis Parimal Pragya ji and Amit Pragya ji lead an interactive program which included multiple lectures/presentations on achieving personal transformation. Samanijis’ guided participants through discourses on related topics like Nurture your soul, How to control your mind, transformation through mantra chanting and how hope can change our life. They used everyday examples in their presentations and delivered tips that can be utilized to transform oneself via a discourse titled on the topic. The audience appreciated situational examples that they could relate to their familial and daily lives; which led to thought provoking discussions and fructified ideas to overcome them.

Participants relaxed and meditated during various meditation sessions during the course of the day with focus on relaxation, and on increasing tolerance. Daily early morning Yoga sessions by the lake were literally

an icing on the cake. The retreat had concurrent special kids programs, where they focused on learning Yoga, Pranayam, and other creative activities. Some of the highlights of the children were interactive sessions on Preksha Meditation and How technology will transform our lives in the future conducted by Pramod Bengani and Nikhil Jain respectively.

All participants, especially kids participated in a cultural eve on Saturday night, which included knowledge snippets and skits performed by the kids. For the adults, 10 different participant teams were challenged to make presentations on various daily use items and relate them to family and relationships. Sunday morning featured special laughter yoga programs for adults and kids; everybody literally had a laughter filled morning.

Families also enjoyed the excellent recreational facilities at Camp Woodmen in the beautiful spring weather.

Unlimited paddle boating and canoeing had long wait times and kids and adults had a wholesome time.

All participants appreciated the great bouquet of programs, activities, and the way arrangements were handled professionally by the JVB team.

The Annual camp concluded with a two hour interactive discussion with

Samanijs’, where participants also shared their individual takeaways for the camp. Finally, JVB Vice President Sachin Jain expressed his thanks to all attendees, JVB volunteers and also thanked the board for their continued guidance.

Preksha Meditation is the practice of purifying our emotions, consciousness and realizing our own self. Meditation augurs attitudinal change, behavioral modification and integrated development of one’s personality.

Started in 1970, Preksha Meditation is the result of the untiring efforts of Ganadhipati Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya. Preksha Meditation is for everyone, irrespective of his or her race, religion, language, color, gender and belief. Preksha Meditation has proved a panacea for transmutation of thoughts, development of favorable emotions, positive thoughts and towards increasing the efficiency of body & mind.

JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Meditation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082.

For more information and for current and upcoming programs, visit www.JVBHouston.org or call 281.596.9642.

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INDIA

What Does India’s Poverty Line Actually Measure?

BY NIKHILA GILL & VIVEK DEHEJIA NEW DELHI (NYT): In India, even something as seemingly innocuous as a statistic can become a politically loaded football. So it was with the Indian Planning Commission’s recently released poverty measurements, which showed a big drop.

Immediately, the critics pounced, accusing the commission of changing the goalposts. One blogger even suggested that the government had “fudged” the numbers. Those claims turned out to be overblown. The Planning Commission could certainly have done a better job in explaining its new methodology, but it didn’t cook the books.

Given the furor, we at India Ink thought it would make sense to take a step back and figure out what the poverty line is actually supposed to measure. At its most basic, the poverty line is a statistical exercise, an attempt to track poverty over time and across states. It can be used to assess progress in the fight against poverty, a central plank of Indian governments’ economic policies since independence from British rule in 1947, as well as of multilateral donors such as the World Bank and bilateral lenders like U.S.A.I.D. This is how Surjit Bhalla, an economist and investment adviser, sees things. He is bemused by the fuss. “It is staggering that this exercise should be the subject of any debate at all,” he told us. “The important thing is to look at the section of population under the poverty line and how it has changed.” The purpose of the poverty line, in his view, should be to gauge how many people have crossed it.

If it’s merely a way to compare progress over time and space, it doesn’t much matter where the poverty line is drawn. Statisticians have a fancy name for this, “first-order stochastic dominance.” In plain English, it means that, no matter where you draw the line, Gujarat, for instance, will have a lower percentage of its people in poverty than Uttar Pradesh.

So why the controversy?

It’s because, over the years, the poverty line has increasingly been conceptualized as a “cut-off” – in other words, as an eligibility criterion for the government’s entitlementbased social welfare schemes. If you fall below it, you’re entitled to support; if you’re above it, you’re not.

That’s where it gets confusing, and politicized.

Now, where you set the cut-off isn’t just a statistical artifact, but an important policy decision, that affects whether millions of people are eligible, or not, for government support. If it’s set too high, and so most people in Gujarat are counted as poor along with just about everyone in Uttar Pradesh, the poverty line can’t be used to help direct government resources. As Arvind Panagariya, an international affairs professor at Columbia University, put it to us: “If the idea is to track the destitute and the poverty line is raised to 100 rupees [about $2] a day, who are we tracking? The top decile? Where’s the

A beggar asks for alms, sitting along the pathway leading to the Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai on Feb. 24. Photo: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

logic in that?” In other words, what’s the point of a poverty line that counts most people as poor?

Freighted with the added baggage of being an instrument of social policy, it becomes more important than ever to determine if the Planning Commission’s poverty line is sensible.

Mr. Panagariya has no doubts on this score. “India’s is a sensible poverty line. There is no hidden agenda. The Planning Commission is just doing its job,” he said.

To be sure, there are technical debates over whether the Planning Commission’s methodology accurately captures the consumption of the poor. Many economists are of the view that the surveys the government relies on underestimate a typical household’s consumption by about 50 percent. In other words, the poverty line of 29 rupees corresponds to an actual consumption level of 60 rupees, which basically matches the World Bank’s poverty line of $1.25 a day. While that sounds modest, it implies, if you do the math, that a household of five consumes about $2,000 a year.

Abhijit Banerjee, an economics professor at M.I.T. and co-author of the award-winning book “Poor Economics,” isn’t quite as sanguine.

He argues that the survey data doesn’t include consumption of the rich, whereas gross domestic product, as measured conventionally by the national accounts, does. He believes that the 50 percent claim may be an exaggeration and paints too rosy a picture of the poor’s actual consumption. He does concede that there

must be something wrong with the survey numbers, because the share of GDP of the households surveyed has been dropping every year, and is headed toward zero, which is implausible. The true figure, he suggests, lies somewhere in between, and we shouldn’t go to the “other extreme” of 50 percent.

If you find all of this confusing, you’re not alone. The branch of economics concerned with measurement is one of the most esoteric in the field, and taps into a statistics literature beyond the grasp of all except the most technically savvy. But the bottom line is: however you measure the poverty line, 30 percent of India’s population, or 350 million people, still live below it. So, is this statistical debate over whether the poverty line is too high or too low missing the real issue?

Jean Drèze, an economist and former member of the NationalAdvisory Council, certainly thinks so. “What is really shocking is not that the official poverty line is abysmally low, but that even with that abysmal benchmark, so many people are below it,” he told us. “The belated discovery that it is impossible to have a dignified life on the official poverty line draws our attention to the appalling living conditions of the Indian poor.” Taking a position diametrically opposed to Mr. Bhalla and Mr. Panagariya, Mr. Drèze argues, “The message about the terrifying nature of ‘hidden poverty’ in India has been somewhat lost in the din of the recent debate.” It seems that, when it comes to the emotive issue of measuring poverty and what it means, a number can’t just be a number.

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MOVIE REVIEWS

April 13, 2012

Housefull 2

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Asin, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh Directed by Sajid Khan

BY GAURAV MALANI In a scene towards the latter half of the film, Riteish Deshmukh uses a flowchart to explain who’s who, who’s posing as who and who’s being assumed as who in film. If this confuses you, that’s precisely what director Sajid Khan intends to do. If you can’t convince them, confuse them is what he believes in. At instances, his film makes you laugh out loud, and at other instances it’s so loud that you want to cry. So how’s the film in totality? Well you continue to remain confused about your conclusion!

Let’s talk about the upsides first.

This one is certainly less silly and slapstick than its predecessor. This means there are less slaps (literally), less tomfoolery and less noise! Akshay Kumar does a hilarious spin-off on yesteryear villain Ranjeet who holds the reprehensible record of playing rapist in maximum number of films. And Ranjeet actually brings the house down with his cameo in the climax where he successfully self-spoofs himself. For anyone who enjoyed Sajid Khan’s brand of sillyyet-crazy one-liners while he was still a TV host, there are plenty of them here that range from the stupid to side-splitting.

Now for the downside - the comedy is more animated (literally) - which means a crocodile bites the bum and a python crunches at crotch of our heroes. Since there are two brawny bodies (Akshay and John) playing the male leads, it’s mandatory that they first fight each other, then, together, fight the goons extensively and finally save a father figure from the falling chandelier. If the first part got a Queen of England replica in its climax, the sequel is substituted with a Prince Charles clone. And while interpreting his brand of humour from the small screen to the big screen, Sajid Khan forgets that unlike countdown shows, cinema calls for plot - which his first half is completely devoid of.

Ah, coming to the storyline (if you still insist), the first half is, more or less, exhausted with unnecessary buildup through lackadaisical love stories and fathers-of-bride (Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor) who want billionaire son-in-laws for their daughters. The original essence of the franchise - of filling a house with multiple characters which results into a comedy of errors - initiates only in the second half, as a dozen characters land up in one palatial mansion. Each one mistakes the other for someone

else and this comedy of mistaken identities isn’t much different from the prequel or its likes. In fact one song (Do You Love Me) is an exact imitation of the climactic number (Dil Pagal Hai) from the cult-comedy No Entry - Johnny Lever gets baffled with the cross-connected pairings here.

The narrative often seems lost between two extremes and opts for a middle-of-the-road settlement. Like despite its wacky sense of filmy humour, the movie gets unnecessarily melodramatic at times. For instance, after effectively pulling off a wicked womanizer character, you don’t expect Ranjeet to give a sermon on true love. Or you don’t anticipate that the

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venom-spewing stepbrothers would be seized by instant brotherly love in the climax. So just when you enjoy an element, its antidote kills the fun.

And if you noticed, I never ever ‘criticized’ about lack of logic, et al. That’s pardonable by now in the slapstick scheme of things, as far as the proceedings are funny. What I am talking about here is the basic grammar of the genre that gets jumbled up.

The most amusing act comes from beyond the dirty dozen characters.

It’s Johnny Lever who’s hilarious

21

and is especially in his elements in the climax. Akshay Kumar is a pro at such comic characters and pulls off his part with effortless ease. John Abraham struggles with, both, his comic timing and expressions and seems uncomfortable in the role.

Riteish Deshmukh is too good and his stuck-in-situation expressions are just priceless. Shreyas Talpade is good as long he lasts in his short-lived character. Amongst the senior actors, Mithun Chakravarthy gets the meatiest part and has strong screen presence.

Rishi Kapoor is lively but Randhir Kapoor appears exhausted. Boman Irani hams. The actresses have pretty much nothing to do than looking good. So Jacqueline Fernandes wins the race with her gorgeous looks and Shahazn Padamsee comes a close second. Asin does just about fine for herself. Zareen Khan is irritating and thankfully underutilized. Malaika Arora is regular. Ranjeet, by spoofing himself in a cameo, has perhaps played the most entertaining role of his career.

Housefull 2 is neither fully gratifying nor a house-of-horror like its prequel (or its equivalents).

Verdict: Above Average Times of India

Blood Money

Starring: Kunal Kemmu, Amrita Puri Directed by Vishal S. Mahadkar

BY NAMRATA JOSHI Blood Money feels like a rerun of Vishesh Films’ Jannat. Only, the backdrop of match-fixing is replaced by diamond trading, with a facile take on terrorism and arms dealing shoved in.

The story is much the same.

Set in Cape Town, with a brief stopover in Angola, it’s about how a young Indian man goes abroad to pursue his dreams and is corrupted. How he becomes captive to his ambition. The company he works for is a Hotel California-like trap, one he can enter but can’t ever leave. He can opt for either truth or happiness. He chooses the latter but does he really find that oh-so elusive contentment?

Cliches abound. The clingy, whiny Indian wife, who seems to have no life of her own, is the proverbial good woman, while a fair foreigner fits neatly in the straitjacket of the seductress. Some fairytale mumbo-jumbo is tossed in—how the young couple lives in a Hansel and Gretel-like dream house, unaware that there is a witch inside sullying the peace. There’s a sudden twist in the climax, more childish and sloppy than thrilling. By then, you don’t care anyway. Bright spot: Kunal Kemmu shows sincerity and effort, but Blood Money is much too insipid for him to register a strong impact.

Outtlook

4/5/12 2:03 PM

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

22 April 13, 2012

COMMUNITY

Sadhguru’s Message to Houston

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is a yogi, profound mystic of our times, and visionary humanitarian. His presence creates an extraordinary opportunity to break through limitations into one’s natural state of freedom, love and joy. Named one of “India’s 50 Most Powerful People” by India Today magazine, Sadhguru has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide, contributing to his vision of raising human consciousness.

We see your volunteers here sharing passionately about your upcoming trip to Houston and it’s creating quite a buzz in the city. What is this all about and what are you trying to create in the world?

Sadhguru: So one thing we have to realize as a generation of people is- for the very first time in the history of humanity we have the necessary resource, capability and technology to address every issue on the planet of nourishment, health, education, wellbeing, you name it. For the first time we are capable of that. The only thing that is missing is human consciousness and that is something that’s not been worked at. Everything is in place but the human being is not in place. So the whole effort is to raise human consciousness in such a way, to bring human beings to such a state of inclusiveness that the opportunity and possibility that we are as a generation of people doesn’t pass us. It’s my wish, it’s my intention that

we as a generation of people should not let this opportunity pass by. So the only thing that needs to happen is- if human beings get into the right space within themselves every other solution is right at hand.

Sadhguru, what is your message to all of us in Houston?

I am not a messenger. I don’t carry any message, I don’t carry any philosophy or teaching, nor have I come to give you a belief system or dogma.

My effort is to bring a technology for your wellbeing, Today there are various technologies to bring external wellbeing. Because of these technologies, human life has become more comfortable and convenient than ever before. As a generation of people, we are the most comfortable generation ever, but we

cannot say we are the most joyful generation, we cannot say we are the most peaceful generation or loving generation. Because we have taken care of the external technologies, we have not made use of the inner technologies.

So I am coming to Houston to offer this dimension in utmost purity and the way it works- technology for inner wellbeing. Technology essentially means doing things the way it works, not doing things the way you believe it is. Doing things the way it works. That is technology.

Technology is non-discriminatory.

You may be anybody. You may be a man, you may be a woman, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, whoever. You may be an American or an Indian. It doesn’t matter who you are, when it comes to technology, you just have

to learn how to do it and it works for you.

So right now you see millions of people busily engaged with their iPhones and iPads but I am asking you what about the ‘I’? This is the greatest gadget. This human being is the most sophisticated piece of machinery and technology. If you learn to empower this, if you learn to operate this in its full depth and dimension, you will live your life magically, not miserably. So this is my offer to everybody, not just in Houston but everybody anywhere in the world. It is time you learn to operate your wellbeing in a scientific manner not with all kinds of weird belief systems.

Sadhguru will be conducting a

3-day Inner Engineering Program in Houston fromMay 4-6 at the George R Brown Convention Center. Inner Engineering is a program gleaned from the yogic sciences that offers tools to rejuvenate and achieve health, peace, joy and success. This program includes guided meditations, interactive discussions, asanas and the transmission of the sacred Shambhavi Mahamudra, which is a powerful and purifying energy technique that incorporates the breath.

A free curtain-raiser event will take place Sunday April 15 at Princess (Pavani) Restaurant from 3-5:30pm.

To learn more, watch Sadhguru’s videos or experience a free guided meditation, visit www.BeBreatheBlossom.com or call 832-408-0663.

Job Available Part time position available for office manager for a Montessori School in Sugar Land .

The applicant must have Computer and Marketing skills in addition to childcare experience.

Telephone: 281- 937-9377 Email resumes to nswmontessori@gmail.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

April 13, 2012

Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston Launched

HOUSTON: For the last two years, a group of Indian Muslims have been very successfully organizing Eid Milan function at India House, under the ICC banner. They held a historic meeting on April 8, to formally launch their own organization, aptly called Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH).

The objective of IMAGH, is to Foster Harmony between Cultures, Communities, and Religions. The Association has been formed to provide a platform to develop and strengthen the Indian Muslim identity; to promote Indian Muslim Culture; to promote social and cultural responsibilities among the youth of the community; and promote and support educational opportunities to needy students.

To begin with, IMAGH will conduct two events this year. The first one will be the Eid Milan function at India House on September 1 in collaboration with India Culture Center. This signature event serves as an outreach to other communities and cultures. Eidi is distributed to children, traditional Eid dinner is served, and the work of various Muslim organizations in India is highlighted. (Last year the massive redevelopment of Bhindi Bazaar in Mumbi by the Dawoodi Bohra Community and the monumental work of Agha Khan Foundation in education and helping the poor was discussed.)

This year, the association will also work to organize Senior Citizens events, such as

picnics, movie days, card games and outings.

In the near future the association intends to make the welfare of Senior Citizens it’s major undertaking, together with providing guidance to the 18-25 age old group in education and career selection.

While the organization is working on finalizing the Bylaws and obtain 501c3 status, an adhoc committee has been formed, with Latafath Hussain as President, Karim Maknojia as Vice President, Mustafa Fatakdawala as Secretary and Rafi Ansar as Treasurer.

Dr. Maqbool Haq is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The other Directors are Moyeen Haque, Dr. Syed F Jafri, and Fakhruddin Sabir. Abeezer Tyebji is the Chairman of Board of Advisors. The Advisory Board consists of Col. Raj Bhalla, Swapan Dhairyawan, Koshi Thomas, Angeli Arjunani and Uma Mantravadi. Liakat Syed, Ammar Abuwala and Naseer Alam are the other founding members of IMAGH.

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23

OPINION PAKISTAN

24 April 13, 2012

Years After Acid Horror, Suicide Stirs Pakistan

N O OW PE N

BY DECLAN WALSH topic, the Oscar gave Pakistanis a welcome shot in Punjab Province; his father, Mustafa, is a forKARACHI (NYT): Fakhra Younas went of national pride, while focusing attention on a mer provincial governor; his first cousin Hina under the surgeon’s knife 38 times, hoping social ill.

Rabbani Khar is Pakistan’s foreign minister. In to repair the gruesome damage inflicted by a The death of Younas galvanized the Pakistani recent weeks, Khar appeared on television sevvengeful Pakistani man who had doused her news media. In Parliament, lawmakers vowed eral times to defend his reputation. “My hands face in acid a decade earlier, virtually melting to take action, while one political leader called are clean,” he said during one broadcast. her mouth, nose and ears.

The appearances won him little public sympafor a criminal investigation into the case to be The painful medical marathon took place in reopened. But legal experts were skeptical that thy, with critics saying that the case exemplified Rome, a distant city that offered how Pakistan’s rich freYounas refuge, the generosity quently evade justice. of strangers and a modicum of Yet there was a ringing healing. She found an outlet in contrast between the writing a memoir and making howls of condemnafearless public appearances. tion and the virtual But while Italian doctors silence that greeted worked on her facial scars, Younas after she was some wounds refused to attacked a decade ago. close.

And it raised a quesOn March 17, after a detion: When this clamor cade of pining for Pakistan, a has receded, will Pakicountry she loved even though stan’s next acid victims its justice system had failed stand a better chance of her terribly, Younas climbed obtaining justice? to the sixth-floor balcony of Deep-rooted social her apartment building in the prejudice and misogsouthern suburbs of Rome and yny were part of her jumped. She was reported to be story. Born to a hero33 years old. in-addicted mother on News of her death filtered Napier Road, Karaback to her home city, Karachi’s red-light district, chi. And by the time her cof- Ms. Younas before (left) and after she was disfigured in an acid attack that by puberty Younas fin arrived for burial, a storm she blamed on her then-husband Photo: Associated Press was a working “dancof outrage had been whipped ing girl” — a eupheup-one framed by a glittering mism for prostitute.

Hollywood success. would happen, because the man Younas long She had a son when she was a teenager. Then, On Feb. 28, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a Ka- accused of the attack, her ex-husband, Bilal in 1997, at 18, she achieved the vice girl’s verrachi filmmaker, won Pakistan’s first Academy Khar was acquitted at trial nine years ago. Un- sion of the Pakistani dream: she married a client, Award, for “Saving Face,” a documentary that like most men accused in acid attacks, Khar Bilal Khar, who came from the other side of focuses in gritty detail on victims of acid vio- comes from a wealthy, powerful background. the tracks. lence like Younas. Despite the film’s disturbing His family owns vast swaths of rich farmland But the marriage collapsed after three years, amid allegations of domestic violence, and Younas fled to her mother’s home on Napier Road. She was sleeping there in May 2000 when two men burst into the apartment; one cast a bottle of liquid over her face and chest.

Younas struggled and screamed, but it was too late: the acid fused her lips, melted her breasts and destroyed one eye. During a three-month stay in a hospital, she came close to death.

“She had two little holes for her nostrils, and her mouth was so melted that only a straw could (Monday thru Saturday) fit in,” said Tehmina Durrani, a prominent Lahore figure who championed the case. Durrani had her own reasons for tackling the Khars, she had divorced Bilal’s father, Mustafa, and had written a searing memoir of the marriage titled “My Feudal Lord.”

Khar went on the run, and was declared a with Free Beverage fugitive in early 2002. But when the trial started a year later, after Khar had been caught and (Ice Tea, or Fountain Drink) arrested, the case quickly crumbled. Although Dine in only four witnesses testified to seeing him enter Younas’s home the night of the attack, all later retracted their statements. Earlier, they had complained of intimidation by Khar, but the judge paid little notice, and in December 2003 he dismissed the case.

In one recent television interview, Khar described himself as the victim of a “media Buy one Entree get trial.” He pleaded for privacy to protect his three second Entree 1/2 off. daughters, who, he said, were facing awkward questions over the case at school.

“You should be considerate about that,” he chided the host. Younas was not present for the acquittal in 2003; she had left for Rome with her son, Noman. There, over a decade, she slowly rebuilt her life. The Italian government granted her political asylum; the city authorities offered her an apartment; and a Milan cosmetics company paid for her surgery.

Dr. Valerio Cervelli, a plastic surgeon who led 10928 Westheimer Road, Texas 77042 oswald968@hotmail.com the work, said it was difficult at first “because her lower lip was attached to her torso, she had

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Complicating matters, she ignored postoperative advice. “She was so headstrong, so independent,” he said.

Still, things improved: by the 38th operation, in early 2011, Younas could move her mouth and one eye. Her once strikingly beautiful face, although still charred, had regained some of its shape. She had learned Italian, befriended local traders and co-written a memoir, “Il Volto Cancellato,” or “The Erased Face,” which brought in some income.

She ventured outside fearlessly, armed only with a bawdy sense of humor ingrained on the streets of Karachi. But the grueling operations extracted a heavy physical and psychological toll, said Rachele Bonani, an aid worker who helped her. And, Bonani added, “she always wanted to go home.” But a return to Pakistan was out of the question for Younas, partly for security reasons: friends worried that her life would be in danger.

She vented her frustration at the local Pakistani Embassy. About two years ago, according to several accounts, Younas turned up, demanding to meet the ambassador. A heated confrontation developed during which “security was called,” a senior embassy employee said in an e-mail. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Younas was persuaded to leave the building voluntarily; Durrani insists that she was forcefully ejected by the Italian police, who later apologized.

“She gave up on justice,” Durrani said. “She gave up on the fact that she could ever come back. She knew how she would be treated.”

Since Younas’s death, those close to her have recalled signs of deep-rooted depression. Her son, Noman, said he was not surprised by the suicide, because she had tried twice before to kill herself.

“It was a bad time for her, because of a lot of things,” he said in a telephone interview. “I guess she had her reasons.” Now in his first year of high school, Noman, 15, is in the care of an Italian family. He says he does not intend to return to Pakistan.

Pakistani advocacy workers point to promising signs that future acid victims will be treated better. Legal reforms enacted last year mandate stiff penalties, including a minimum 14-year sentence and a one million rupee ($11,100) fine for attackers. A new Acid and Burn Crime Bill, due to come before Parliament soon, provides for better police investigations, trials and victim treatment. There will also be restrictions on the sale of acids.

Some experts, however, worry that a notoriously weak police force and lower-court system in Pakistan could undercut any legal revolution.

“It’s a systemic problem,” said Faisal Siddiqi, a lawyer who works with acid victi “Regardless of the laws you bring, if you are poor and a woman, you will not get justice from the courts in Pakistan.”

Younas never saw “Saving Face,” but was buoyed by the acclaim it received, friends said.

Obaid-Chinoy, the filmmaker, said: “The tragedy is that it took a film and a suicide to bring the problem of acid violence to the national consciousness. Sometimes it takes extremes for a nation to wake up to what’s wrong within its borders.

“Now I just hope that the man who is responsible for this will face justice,” she added. Despite the film’s success, Younas’s friends say it could not overcome her sense of isolation, heightened by the pain that the attacker who had stolen her beauty and crushed her life remained free.

“Had she been a politician’s daughter or a general’s daughter, then we would have seen what would have happened,” Durrani said. “But who was going to fight for a dancing girl?”

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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IndoAmerican News

Business IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Café Coffee Day Ups Top-End to Counter Starbucks’ Entry

BY RACHIT VATS MUMBAI (HT): Bangalorebased Café Coffee Day (CCD) is taking the battle to the enemy camp - before the enemy arrives.

It plans to scale up its premium coffee chain format Square to counter the entry of US major Starbucks in India. While prices would be marked up, the large size of the Square cafes aims to catch up with the US chain that wants to position itself at the top end.

Market sources say the joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks, which plans to invest Rs 400 crore and open 50 outlets by the end of 2012, is looking at outlets measuring 3,000 to 3,500 square feet.

VG Siddhartha, who owns the Amalgamated Bean Company that runs the Café Coffee Day chain of coffee shops, first opened Square three years ago and then went slow. As of now there are two Squares, one in Bangalore and one in Delhi and the company aims to scale up with at least one store each in the metros and key cities.

“Square is a tough format to expand,” said Ramakrishnan K, president, marketing, Café Coffee Day. “Typically it requires a 2,000 sq. ft. space and we need experts in terms of staff working there.”

“Between Lounge and the Square, the difference lies in the treatment,” said Ramakrishnan.

“The Square format is for the absolute coffee connoisseur. It is coffee snobbery and we don’t serve tea at Square.”

Square will also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“We control over 60% of the coffee chain business in India,” said Ramakrishnan. “We are in a position to negotiate rentals and have an advantage. In any case any new player entering India will only expand the market.”

The American coffee giant first tried to enter India in 2007 but plans failed. CCD on the other started operations in 1996 and has a total of 1,285 stores and plans to take it to 2,000 outlets by 2015.

Costas and Baristas have far less stores but are also looking at aggressive expansions. Lavazza, which owns the Barista coffee chain, has 160 stores and is looking at more than doubling the numbers by 2015.

CCD is also counting on building its franchisee across formats especially in religious spots. It has mapped the number of religious places across the country and will look at expanding presence there.

“Between verticals and formats we keep looking at opportunities for expansion,” said Ramakrishnan.

“We recently entered Patna and now have three stores in Bihar. Places of pilgrimage is emerging as a potential vertical.

We are looking at opportunities in religious places where people from large cities go.”

The other verticals where CCD is expanding include transport hubs, malls, multiplexes, highstreet, residential, premium institutions (such as hospitals and educational institutions), and highways.

CCD’s ambition is to retain the over 60% market share in the coffee business even as other players put in more investments towards expansion.

Soft Drink Beverage Makers Set for Summer War in $10 Billion Market

NEW DELHI (HT): With the mercury rising and the fizz getting louder, beverage makers are launching new products and campaigns with catchy taglines to grab a share of the $10 billion Indian marked, amid growing consumer base and fierce competition.

PepsiCo, which has started the new year with some product-centric innovations and big brand campaigns, has launched two new flavours of its soft drink Mirinda Orange Masala and Orange Mango.

“Through this unique local palette-led innovation, we expect to drive consumption frequency and penetration,” said Deepika Warrier, executive director, marketing, PepsiCo Beverages. “ We have launched innovative and consumerfocussed initiatives to drive consumption. We are also investing heavily in expanding distribution and have created a state of the art, segmented G2M strategy based on three filters - portfolio class, town class and outlet class,” Warrier added.

Warrier refused to comment on the ad spend, but said PepsiCo is spending on 360 degree campaigns designed around all their brands. The firm has also started a new campaign, Change the Game -- from cricket to football after the Indian team’s dismal show in England and Australia.

Other players have taken the health route to lure customers.

Cadbury India, part of US-based

Kraft Foods, has launched Tang Mango focussing on the drink’s nutritional value.

“Tang has yummy fruit flavours and is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals -- thereby balancing refreshing goodness for the kids,” said Narayan Sundararaman, director, powdered beverages, Gum and Candy, Kraft Foods.

The firm is also working on a range of flavours to suit local tastes.

“The focus will also be on sampling for consumer awareness and trial generation.”

The soft drinks industry in India is $10-billion-strong, and growing at 6-7% per annum, says the ministry of food processing industries. Yet, per capita consumption of in India is 5-6 bottles (same as Nepal’s) compared to Pakistan’s 17 and Sri Lanka’s 21.

Both players and industry watchers expect the market to explode in the years to come, given the country’s young demographics and rising affluence. They say new drinks in the industry - energy drinks, flavoured water, sports drink, mixture of dairy and juice - are all coming up because

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

people want them.

Also, there is a cultural shift. Consumers want to buy beverages rather than prepare these on their own.

And that’s why companies are working towards expanding the category and promoting them with nice packaging and subliminal advertising. The is also an effort at getting first-time consumers with lower price points, especially in rural areas.

Pepsi rival Coca-Cola has gone ahead to say that all its beverages are healthy and can be had as a part of a balanced lifestyle.

“All our beverages are healthy and can be had as a part of a balanced lifestyle. We continue to offer choices to our consumers in both sparkling as well as still category,” said a ColaCola spokesperson.

In the juices segment, the company recently launched the range of Minute Maid 100% juices which suitably complements our portfolio of juice drinks - Maaza, Minute Maid Pulpy Orange and Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh.

“From a consumer’s perspective, our strategy continues to be that of offering a range of products in different packs at varying price points, as per the occasion, brand, price, pack, and channel model,” the spokesperson said.

India figures among the Atlantabased multinational’s top 10 markets.

It has announced plans to invest $2 billion over the next five years starting 2012 to further capture the opportunity in the Indian non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink beverage market.

Home grown Rasna is up to setting up a subsidiary, Rasna Beverages, to make high margin ready-to-drink products like energy drinks, fortified water and premium fruit juices in collaboration with global firms.

28

OPINION

April 13, 2012

A Neighborly Visit from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari

BY B.RAMAN (Outlook) Understandable caution was the keynote of the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan at New Delhi on April 8, 2012. At the invitation of our Prime Minister, Mr Zardari had stopped over briefly in New Delhi for talks followed by lunch with Dr Manmohan Singh while on his way to Ajmer Sharif for prayers.

Being a Sindhi, Mr Zardari will have difficulty in ensuring that any initiative that he might take for better relations with India will have the endorsement of the Punjabi-dominated Army. While he has been able to consolidate his position as the President and fend off possible challenges from the Army to the Pakistan People’s Party led government in the centre, he cannot yet be confident that the Army will totally back any initiative that he might take for a qualitative improvement in Pakistan’s relations with India.

In India’s point of view, a qualitative improvement in the bilateral relations will be possible only if Pakistan gives up its policy of using terrorism as a weapon against India for its strategic objective of changing the status quo in Jammu & Kashmir and takes action against the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) for its involvement in the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai.

Since the policy of using terrorism and the LET against India was initiated by the Army and the LET

After the understandable caution over President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit, it is time for an informal visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Islamabad without linking it to any solution to any of the contentious issues

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari waves as his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (L) looks on upon their arrival at the airport in New Delhi April 8

acts under the sponsorship of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Mr Zardari, despite all his goodwill for India, will not be in a position to satisfy the Indian demands on the terrorism issue.

Dr Manmohan Singh has been equally cautious because he realises that he will not be able to sell any agreement to the Indian public opinion unless Pakistan gives satisfaction to India on the question of terrorism.

Any toning down of past Indian demands on terrorism will not be acceptable to Indian public opinion.

Thus, what we face is an Indian public mindset influenced by the

terrorism issue that is as rigid as the Pakistani Army mindset influenced by the Kashmir question. The two rigid mindsets will make it difficult for the two leaders to find a workable way forward despite whatever determination they may have to find a solution to the traditional issues of contention.

Any exercise to find a solution to the two substantive issues between the two countries-- Kashmir and terrorism-- is bound to hit barriers that will hinder forward movement. That is why the suggestions made from time to time to focus on other issues which will promote goodwill even while trying for ways of solving these difficult issues Trade is one such issue. We have successfully used trade as a confidence and goodwill building measure between India and China. Despite the lack of progress in finding a solution to our border dispute with China, we have succeeded in creating a steadily expanding comfort level between the two countries by focusing on trade and other contacts even while trying for a border solution.

It is gratifying that Pakistan, which was resistant to the idea of delinking trade from the Kashmir issue, is now inclined not tot make trade a hostage to the Kashmir issue. We have to think of other ways too of building goodwill and creating a greater comfort level that could ultimately facilitate a solution to the substantive issues.

The present lack of the necessary goodwill and comfort level between India and Pakistan is due to the paucity of contacts at various levels--people to people, political leaders to political leaders , Members of Parliament to MsP, Army to Army, Police to Police etc. Such contacts at the personal and institutional levels will go a long way in removing misperceptions and suspicions and creating a benign mindset shorn of the traditional rigidities.

Bilateral exchanges of visits with the objective not of finding a solution to the disputes in one go, but of creating greater goodwill and comfort level will go a long way in creating the necessary willingness to look for constructive ways of finding a solution to issues such as Kashmir and Pakistani sponsorship of terrorism.

It is keeping that in view that I have been advocating for over a year now a goodwill visit by our Prime Minister to Pakistan--even if it be for a few hours only-- without any prematurely ambitious objective of solving the differences over Kashmir and terrorism. It is for the same reason that I have been a strong advocate of other networks of contacts--particularly

military to military.

The visit of Mr Zardari was neither a success nor a failure if we look at it from the point of view of finding a solution to the contentious issues. The two leaders have been over-cautious in their approaches and reiterated at least in public the traditional stands on various issues.

Despite the continuing rigidities, the visit has contributed to a a little more relaxed perception of each other. It is important to build on this.

For this purpose, I reiterate my past suggestion for an informal visit by the Prime Minister to Islamabad without linking it to any solution to any of the contentious issues. I notice that political and public opinion in India has not reacted negatively to the initiative taken by the Prime Minister for converting a pilgrimage by the Pakistani President into a soft political visit too. It is gratifying that there are no indications of any negative reaction from the Pakistan Army too to this exercise in creating goodwill and mutual comfort.

We should not allow this benign mood in the two countries to dissipate due to continuing over-caution. Let the Prime Minister go to Pakistan as quickly as he can to build on this mood without setting for himself any difficult and presently unachievable objective. At the same time, I would urge the Prime Minister once again to give serious thought to the question of initiating military to military contacts between the two countries.

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Exposé by Indian Express that Shook the Country

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT An earth-shaking exposé in the Indian Express on April 4 saying that two key army units had clandestinely moved towards New Delhi late on the night of January 16 without notifying the ministry of defense, and thereby implying, without saying it in so many words, that their possible intention was to stage a coup d’état of sorts.

It was the day that the army chief, Gen. VK Singh had approached the Supreme Court on the controversial issue of his date of birth. This sen-

Another Week of Scams in India

sational story carried the byline of its hands-on editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta and two of its ace investigative reporters, Ritu Sarin and Pranab Dhal Samanta. Though most Indians would not even remotely imagine that the India’s non-politicized armed forces could ever do such a thing, many of its gullible readers really believed in its veracity, so plausible it read.

The Central government quickly reacted and rubbished the Indian Express news. Defense minister Antony described it as ‘absolutely baseless’.

Born 17 Years apart, Rahul and Bilawal Have Some Eerie Similarities

BY RAJ KANWAR Two young men, born 17 years apart in two neighboring countries, and sharing many personal tragedies and uncanny happenstances broke bread last Sunday at the 7 Race Course Road residence of Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. They were Rahul Gandhi and Bilawal Zardari Bhutto; it was their first ever meeting and the scions of the two ruling dynasties in India and Pakistan seemed to have struck an instant rapport.

Pakistan President Zardari, his son Bilawal with an entourage of over 40 were on a day-long pilgrimage to Ajmer’s historic dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. He broke journey in Delhi and was a guest at lunch at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s official residence. Rahul Gandhi was another guest and met Bilawal there.

Here are some very unusual similarities in their families’ lineage.

While Rahul’s great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was India’s first Prime Minister and one of its most outstanding statesmen, Bilawal great grandfather, Sir Shah Nawaz Khan Bhutto was the Prime Minister or Dewan of the erstwhile princely state of Junagarh in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

Further, both Indira Gandhi, Rahul’s grandmother, and his father Rajiv were India’s prime ministers.

Indira Gandhi held this post for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977; she also became the country’s Prime Minister for a fourth time after she emerged victorious

over the ragtag Janata Party in 1980’s general elections. On the other hand, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was Pakistan’s fourth president from 1971 to 1973.

After this Bhutto became Pakistan’s Prime Minister and continued for four years till 1977. Rajiv Gandhi at 40 was India’s youngest Prime Minister from 1984 to 1991.

Here are now some tragic eerie similarities. Rahul’s grandmother Indira Gandhi was assassinated in October 1984 by one of her Sikh bodyguards following the operation Blue Star. His father Rajiv too was killed by LTTE terrorists in May 21, 1991. Likewise, Bilawal’s grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979 on trumped up murder charges by the military dictatorship in Pakistan, his mother Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by unknown assassins on December 29, 2007. She was Prime Minister of Pakistan for two terms, from 1988 to 1990 and then from 1993 to 1996.

Another similarity is that the younger Bilawal is the president of Pakistan Peoples’ Party while Rahul is the secretary general of India’s Congress party. These two parties look up to them to provide an able leadership to their respective parties.

Both Rahul and Bilawal had studied in the United Kingdom; the former at Cambridge and the latter at the University of Oxford respectively.

Here the similarity ends. While Bilawal’s father Asif Ali Zardari became Pakistan’s President, Rahul’s mother Sonia Gandhi declined to occupy India’s prime minister’s gaddi and instead anointed Manmohan Singh for that exalted office.

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Calling the news as ‘alarmist’, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh poohpoohed the ‘persisting perception of a tussle between Gen. VK Singh and the defense minister AK Antony’.

He said that ‘such reports should not be taken at face value’, and added that ‘everyone must work to ensure the dignity of the chief of the army staff’.

Without denying the movement of the two units, the army said that these were ‘routine training exercises to check the effectiveness of mobilization as per ‘standard operating procedure’ of local formations. An army spokesman said that ‘almost all of their units carry out a number of such training at different times of the year’.

However, the most vociferous reaction came from army chief, Gen. Singh two days after its publication; he described the news as ‘absolutely stupid’ and added that unnecessary attempts were being made to ‘throw muck’ at the government and the army. Singh said it seems like ‘somebody’s mischief’ and added that he could not keep guessing who was playing the mischief or why it was being played.

The authors of this sensational ‘scoop’ were at pains to underscore two points: one, that they had taken as long as 11 weeks to establish the story and ‘the dramatic developments during those 18 very difficult hours on January 16/17’; two, that there was a ‘unanimity over Gen. Singh’s impeccable reputation as a professional soldier, earned over nearly 42 years of distinguished service’. Putting it simply, it appeared that the main thrust of this once-in-a-life scoop was intended to convey that army

had actually planned a coup, yet, at the same time it wanted to disapprove such an impression. That is why there was an explicit praise of Gen. Singh’s ‘impeccable reputation’.

Even the members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense remained unconvinced by the explanations proffered by the defense secretary the vice chiefs of the staff of the three services about what happened on that fateful night. Even though the position taken by the defense secretary and senior military officers were not convincing enough, yet the MPs didn’t have any option to accept at face value whatever was told. Two of the members did insist that the army chief Gen. Singh should appear before the committee to allay the fears caused by such an alarmist report.

Even the heat on this exposé had not cooled that the ‘beleaguered’ Manmohan Singh-led government got another bombshell from the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) lamenting and criticizing the utter lack of preparedness of the defense forces. This CAG report highlighted numerous deficiencies and gaps in India’s defense capability. The report that was submitted in December last year was much more detailed and critical than the letter of the army chief Gen. Singh on the same subject that had created so much sensation in political circles and media. Sample this sentence from the report, ‘artillery guns of modern technology could not be made available to the troops for over a decade for replacing the existing guns of obsolete technology of 1970 vintage. Acquisition of artillery guns included in the 10th Army Plan has not materialized till now”.

The report by CAG further said, ‘the abnormal delay in procurement of the new guns had not only impacted the operational preparedness of the army but also resulted in substantial cost overrun’.

On the heels of CAG’s disclosure, came another stunning criticism by the state CAG relating to scandals of Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra. In this yet to be tabled report in the state legislature, the state Comptroller and Auditor General has reportedly named 10 senior ministers who were beneficiaries of government largesse in matter of land allotments. The main butt of the criticism is a former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who is currently a union minister in Delhi. CAG has indicted him for using his political clout in getting land allotments at concessional rates for some of the trusts being run by the members of his family. The report is also critical of NCP leader and Maharashtra Public Works Department minister Chhagan Bhujbal who reportedly allotted large plots of land to a trust of which one of his nephews was a trustee.

With a scandal-a-day, both the media and the opposition political party have gone overboard in highlighting the scams. Almost all the news channels are holding discussions and debates on these subjects at which specialists and experts voice their conflicting news and opinions. At times, these discussions become irritably boring by the sameness of arguments.

As an observer of political scene in the country, I do feel pity for Prime Minister Singh for his inability to check this routine of scandal-a-day.

Singh himself seems to be overwhelmed and his helplessness has been further aggravated by his less than honest and less than efficient colleagues. I wonder when the run of this bad luck will come to a stop for this beleaguered government in New Delhi. It doesn’t mean that the discomfiture of this government is of any practical benefit to BJP, its most ‘loyal’ opposition, for it is itself in disarray due to internal dissensions at the central and the state levels.

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INDIA

April 13, 2012

India Likely to Grow at 6.1% in 2012: E&Y

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India is expected to grow at 6.1% in calendar year (CY) 2012, similar to the pace recorded in Q4 2011, the Ernst & Young’s quarterly Rapid Growth Markets Forecast (RGMF) released in Mumbai said.

Growth should be picking up in H2 2012, provided the global economy does not experience a further shock.

Over the medium term, we expect a strong recovery in investment, which will help lift overall GDP growth over 9% by 2014, it said.

“India’s domestic demand-driven growth model is acting as a catalyst for attracting foreign investments into the country. Although the ongoing global uncertainty may have prompted global investors to become more cautious, India’s inherent advantages and proven resilience to counter-act macroeconomic challenges generally outweighs these concerns,” Ernst & Young India Partner & India Markets Leader Farokh Balsara said.

According to the forecast, in India, the biggest development will be in the lower middle class with the number of households with disposable income of $5,000 to $15,000 rising to around 150 million in 2020 from just under 100 million now. In particular, this represents opportunities for companies in the developed economy such as US and Europe for investments.

While the purchasing managers Index (PMI) and car sales data in January and February of 2012 have

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Despite the decline in financial wealth in H2 2011 in many markets, demographic trends and rising real incomes over the medium term are set to underpin strong consumption.

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hinted at a stronger growth dynamic for India, the country will need to address rising inflation, which is still high. As per the forecast, the country’s central bank will not be in a position to cut interest rates until core inflation (excluding food) is on a clear downtrend and that may still be some months off-particularly as the economy actually has gained considerable momentum recently.

The wholesale price inflation should trend down through 2012 to about 5% in Q4, reflecting the lagged impact of the weaker economy and lower food prices, the forecast said.

While the global economy is still in an uncertain state and trade flows remain subdued, rapid-growth markets (RGMs) around the world are proving resilient. RGMs are expected to grow collectively at 5.3% this year, bouncing back to 6.3% in 2013, E&Y said.

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April 13, 2012

The Spires Spiral Down

31

The decline in one of the best universities in India has hastened in the last two years

BY SMRUTI KOPPIKAR (Outlook) The 155-year-old University of Mumbai, with its iconic Rajabai Tower and a roll-call of illustrious alumni, was once ranked in the top 500 universities of the world. Now, it could well be the subject of a doctoral thesis on how a premier intellectual institution was ruined. The accelerated decline in its academics and administration in the last couple of years has spawned a number of jokes; the cruellest of them revolves around the inability of vice-chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar to comprehend the complex delineation of the university’s decline.

Calls for Welukar’s resignation now span across the university senate, Maharashtra legislature, teachers’ unions and students’ organisations. The list of Welukar’s blunders gets longer by the day but overriding that is the shocking violation of conflict of interest norms—he serves as a board member in the Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL), which handled most of the processes related to examinations, processes that saw an unprecedented amount of bungling and gaffes. In other words, the V-C handed out work to a company he happens to be associated with. His nominee to the senate, Dr Ulhas Dixit, head of the statistics department, was extremely critical of the outsourcing of work to MKCL; after a series of outrageous gaffes, Dixit resigned this week.

The examination season from midMarch was marked by one goofup after another: errors in allotting exam centres; hall tickets that were supposed to be online could not be accessed till 24 hours before the start of an exam; exam centres were re-allotted to more than 2,100 students just hours before they took the first exam; the marketing & human resource management question paper of the third year BCom course was leaked widely on sms and mobile apps the previous day; a re-examination was ordered, and the exam now stands challenged by two students in the Bombay High Court; distance and open learning students of the BCom course got a “wrong” question paper in their exam in 19 centres.

Together, they marked a new low in the university’s decline and meant stressed-out students, angry and harassed parents, bewildered and directionless staff. Exams for the arts, science and engineering streams are yet to begin. Through this series of embarrassments, the V-C was all at sea; he in fact dismissed the question paper leak—which meant a reexam for 85,000-odd students—as a rumour. When senate members brought up these issues and sought his resignation at a meeting on March 29, Welukar summarily suspended seven of them. This, in turn, led to a ruckus in the legislature, forcing Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, in his capacity as chancellor, to summon higher education minister Rajesh Tope—in itself a rare turn of events.

Welukar did not take questions

The Rajabai tower of Mumbai university, once a pinnacle of quality education Photo: Apoorva Salkade

from Outlook but maintained that he was being unfairly targeted because he had sought to modernise the university. He had earlier stated that “politics and academics should not be mixed”—a comment that drew sneers from a large number of faculty, many of them better qualified than him, and conversant with the intense politicking that put him in the V-C’s chair in 2010.

After the chancellor’s rap, rules were tweaked to make hasty appointments. The statutory posts of pro-vice chancellor, registrar and controller

The two years Welukar has been V-C have seen major blunders in admission, exams, evaluation and revaluation of examinations—besides hundreds of posts down the hierarchy—have been lying vacant for close to two years, coinciding with Welukar’s controversial appointment as the V-C. These two years have also witnessed blunders in the admission process to junior colleges, evaluation and re-evaluation of answer papers, repeated discrepancies in the optical mark recognition (OMR) code system for exams.

The OMR, which involves darkening circles corresponding to the roll number, exam date, question paper code, subject code, seat number, language code, semester and section of paper code, is a complex system introduced last academic year; it drew complaints from lakhs of students and delayed exam results. This year, it threw the examination system itself into disarray. The OMR, hall tickets and exam centre assigning was largely handled by MKCL, something that Ulhas Dixit was staunchly critical of.

In his resignation letter to the V-C, Dixit wrote that he was “against jobs being outsourced to MKCL”, and against (hasty) implementation of the barcode and OMR code system.

The MKCL was asked to process hall tickets and assign exam centres

to commerce students but it created a huge mess; students were put through a lot of inconvenience. Dixit chaired a study on systems implementation last year and highlighted serious lacunae. Against this backdrop, the exam work this year should not have been assigned to MKCL again, says a top faculty member. “The situation has become so bad that I fear students’ careers will be adversely affected and some might go to any extent to vent their frustration,” Dixit says.

Faculty members put out a laundry list: no meetings with faculty on campus; diluting the process of registration for PhD; a college lecturer being recommended as Welukar’s nominee to the managing council against rules; wrongful constitution of the boards of study for various subjects and research recognition committees; referees being changed after adverse remarks on thesis of a well-connected candidate; many vacant endowment positions; the less-than-perfect functioning of the internal quality assurance cell and so on.

“The V-C was always regarded as an intellectual and cultural thought leader; it helped if he was also a good administrator, but there was the post of pro-VC for administrative purposes,” explains Dr Aroon Tikekar, a former editor and historian, who authored The Cloister’s Pale: A History of the University of Bombay.

“The present V-C is certainly not an intellectual; nor is he a good administrator as recent events show. His appointment is itself a mystery”.

The search committee, chaired by well-known sociologist Andre Beteille, had drawn up a list of five eminent academicians and had zeroed in on one of them in January 2010; Welukar was not in the list.

January 20 and 21 were fixed as dates for the final interview by the governor/chancellor but governor S.C. Jamir was replaced four days before the interview. Fearing foul play, he wrote to then CM Ashok Chavan. Outlook accessed a copy which reads: “I feel it my duty to point out nefarious activities of the vested interests... they are seeking escape routes and have resorted to unethical networking, contacting political leaders and NGOs (to) put pressure on the authority to reverse the process.”

Sure enough, Jamir’s successor appointed a new committee, chaired by Dr A. Kolaskar, a former associate of Welukar, which duly recommended him for the post.

Among those most vociferously demanding Welukar’s resignation now is the young Aaditya Thackeray, grandson of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who was all praise for Welukar when he gave in to Thackeray’s demand to ban Rohinton Mistry’s Such a Long Journey from the curriculum. A far cry from the halcyon days, says Tikekar, marked by the likes of V-C John Mathai who, in 1957, had refused to convene a special convocation session to confer an honorary DLitt on Jawaharlal Nehru.

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32

April 13, 2012

Gujarat Ode Killings: Court Convicts 23, Acquits 23

BY SAEED KHAN AHMEDABAD (TOI): A special court in Anand has pronounced its verdict in the Ode massacre case in connection with the post-Godhra riots, wherein 23 persons belonging to minority community were burnt to death.

The court has convicted 23 people in the case and has acquitted 23 for want of evidence. It will pronounce the quantum of punishment for the convicted persons on April 12.

An agitated mob of about 2,000 gathered near Pirawali Bhagol in the Ode town of Anand district on March 1, 2002 and set a house on fire in which a small group of Muslims had taken shelter. Altogether 23 persons, mostly women and children, were killed in the incident.

The same court also heard the case against 15 of these accused in connection with another incident that occurred the next day, in which an old person was killed. The special court hearing Ode massacre case today acquitted 14 persons in a murder case of one Ghulam Rasool Saiyed on March 2, 2002. The police lodged only one FIR for both the cases but two chargesheets were filed for which two separate trials were sought.

Since the victims of the Ode killings

Convicts in the 2002 Ode massacre case wave to their relatives from a police vehicle as they leave the special fast track court in Anand.

Photos: AFP & AP

were not content with the investigation carried out by Gujarat police, the case was taken up along with other major cases by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) before the Supreme Court which formed a special investigation team (SIT) to conduct further probe in the case.

After the investigation was over, special judge S Y Trivedi charged 47 persons with murder, conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder and destruction of evidence.

One undertrial passed away during the proceedings.

A red corner notice has been issued

against Hirubhai Patel, one of the two accused who have fled abroad. SIT had recommended discharge of one of the accused Arvind Satabhai.

During the trial, prosecution examined 158 witnesses, out of them 35 turned hostile. More than 160 documentary evidences were produced before the court by the SIT. After the hearing was over on March 21 last year, special judge Trivedi was transferred, and she resigned from judiciary the next month. Even the special prosecutor in the case also quit. The Gujarat high court appointed sessions judge P B Singh as special judge and senior advocate P N Parmar was selected by SIT as prosecutor in this case. Additional arguments on part of defense counsel ended in December last year.

One more case in Ode town is being probed by SIT, and the final verdict in this case is likely on April 16.

Out of the nine cases probed by the SIT, judgements have been pronounced in two cases, including the Godhra train burning incident where 11 people were awarded death sentence and 20 life imprisonment.

The second case was that of Sardarpura village in Mehsana district where 31 persons were awarded life term and 42 others were acquitted.

India, Qatar Sign Oil and Gas Exploration Pact NEW DELHI: India and Qatar on Monday, April 9, signed six agreements in diverse areas, including a pact on cooperation in oil and gas exploration.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on a range of issues, including boosting trade and investment as well as energy ties between the two countries.

Issues relating to the welfare of Indian workers in the Gulf country were also discussed.

After the talks, Petroleum Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and Qatar’s Energy Minister Mohammed Bin Saleh alSada signed a pact on establishing a cooperative framework to enhance bilateral cooperation in oil and gas.

The pact envisages cooperation in the areas of upstream and downstream oil and gas activities. It is expected to encourage and promote investment and cooperation between two ministries of oil and gas and

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani during signing of agreements in New Delhi Photo: Ramesh Sharma

through affiliated companies.

Qatar, which holds the world’s third-largest natural gas reserves after Russia and Iran, has an LNG (liquefied natural gas) export capacity of 77 million tonnes a year. India buys 7.5 million tonnes of LNG from Qatar under a long-term contract.

India imported 5.6 million tonnes of oil from Qatar in 2010-11 and is willing to increase the imports.

Three agreements were signed in the

fields of educational exchanges, cultural contacts and promoting tourism.

A memorandum of agreement was signed between the Reserve Bank of India and Qatar Central Bank. The pact will establish an arrangement for sharing of supervisory information and enhancing cooperation in the area of banking supervision. Another pact on exchange of experiences, information and expertise in the field of legal affairs was also signed.

SPORTS OPINION INDIA/PAKISTAN Hindus in Pakistan Angry, Helpless NEW DELHI (SI): Hindus in Pakistan are feeling “angry and helpless” after being targeted in a spate of incidents, including abductions and forced conversion of girls, says a leading rights activist and a Hindu leader.

“The Hindu community is not afraid...rather they feel helpless and angry,” said Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

She said there is “forcible conversion of young Hindu women” and kidnapping for ransom in Bal-

ochistan and Sindh provinces.

“A case of forced conversion went right up to the Supreme Court where the young woman said she wanted to go back with her family,” she added.

The human rights activist said Hindus are now demanding a legislation to end conversions.

According to an estimate, Hindus constitute around 5.5 percent of Pakistan’s over 170 million people.

Of them, over 90 percent live in Sindh while the rest are distributed in Punjab and Balochistan.

Some political parties and Hindu groups in Pakistan are upset over the kidnapping and conversion of Hindu girls in Sindh province and have taken to the streets.

The Human Rights Club, Young Hindu Forum, Minority Commission of Pakistan, Awami Jamhoori Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Hindu Council held a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club Sunday.

They alleged that a Hindu girl, Rinkal Kumari of Mirpur Mathelo

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 • WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

town, was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam. Another girl, Asha Kumari, was kidnapped from Jacobabad about a month back.

Pakistan Hindu Council patron Ramesh Kumar Vankwani told IANS on phone from Karachi that the environment is “unsafe” for Hindus. “Crimes against Hindus have gone up,” he said.

He said Gangaram Motiani, a Hindu and president of the Hinglaj Mata Shewa Mandli, was kidnapped in Bela area of Balochistan April 6. The incident took place ahead of one of the largest annual Hindu gatherings at the Hinglaj Mata temple.

Va n k w a n i noted the problem has intensified since 2007.

“Every year, we get about 50 reports of Hindu girls being converted,” he said and demanded a law to stop the forced conversions.

Hindus in Pakistan are facing a tough time.

Lakki Chand Garji, 82, who is the ‘maharaja’of the Kali Mata Mandir in Kalat town of Balochistan province and considered one of Pakistan’s most revered Hindu spiritual leaders, was kidnapped by a gang of armed men Dec 21, 2010.

Traders from the Hindu community have been targeted by kidnapping gangs. Three Hindu traders have been killed during attempted kidnappings in and around Quetta during the past three years.

In Pakistan’s Sindh province in November last year, three Hindu doctor brothers -- Ajit Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Naresh Kumar were gunned down.

Ram Singh Sodho, who was elected to the Sindh assembly in 2008 on a Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional (PML-F) reserved seat for minorities, fled to India and sent in his resignation to assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khoro, it was reported last year.

SPORTS

April 13, 2012

Pakistan’s IPL Participation Dependent on Bilateral Ties

BY SHRDA UGRA NEW DELHI (Cricinfo): The participation of Pakistan cricketers in the IPL is dependent on the resumption of India-Pakistan cricket ties, according to the IPL chairman and BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla. He was speaking to Geo News channel on Sunday, the day Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh held talks in New Delhi.

“No one is against Pakistan or Pakistani players in India, or else we would not have allowed Pakistani commentators or umpires in IPL 5,” Shukla said. “Everything is tied to the resumption of bilateral cricket ties between the two countries. Once that happens, I think everything will happen automatically. The IPL functions under the BCCI and when bilateral relations resume between the two boards, the IPL will also not be a problem for Pakistani players.”

Cricket relations between India and Pakistan are deadlocked at the moment, with the BCCI generally shifting the onus of resuming bilateral ties to the government. However, several reports following the meeting between the countries’ political leaders suggest that progress in cricketing relations depends on the two boards.

The Telegraph said that an “almost certain” November visit by the Indian prime minister to Pakistan would be the barometer of ties between the two countries.

Pakistan cricketers took part in the first IPL in 2008. However, the terrorist attack in Mumbai in November that year suspended bilateral cricket ties between the two countries and also, without any official announcement, the involvement of Pakistan’s cricketers in the IPL. Shukla said the two boards were in touch over the issue and that new PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had “made all the right moves to get the ball rolling”. “But until something definite happens it would not be proper for me to comment on when we can resume playing cricket again,” Shukla said.

The major obstacles to the resumption of bilateral ties, Shukla said, was India’s hectic international calendar and the security situation in Pakistan the country has not hosted a Test team following the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore.

“The hectic international schedule

of the Indian team is an issue and we have to see and find a slot for even the Pakistan team to tour India. Secondly, and more importantly, the PCB needs to do something and convince other cricket nations at the level of the International Cricket Council that it is safe and secure to play in Pakistan … they need to do more and get the support of leading nations like Australia, England and South Africa.”

Following Pakistan’s tour to India in 2007, it is India’s turn to tour Pakistan but Shukla made it clear that a series on neutral territory - where Pakistan have hosted four of their ‘home’ series since the Lahore attack - is not an option for the moment. “We feel that it is no use if both countries play at a neutral venue. It serves no purpose. If we play, it must be in each other’s countries. We have no problems touring Pakistan but first the PCB needs to win the confidence of the ICC and member boards.”

TheICC’sFutureToursProgramme

A Warm Homecoming

for

Yuvraj Cricketer Yuvraj Singh waves upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi. He is back in India after undergoing treatment for a malignant lung tumour in the U.S.

has several periods marked out for series between India and Pakistan, but doesn’t mention any details - a tentative number of games and which formats. The PCB has also been pushing for the inclusion of teams from Pakistan in the Champions League T20, where the previous winner received $2.5m. “Obviously we want our team to be there and play like other teams are,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “The decision to invite us is something that is in their [the organisers - India, Australia and South Africa] hands. We can’t force them. We had widely raised this issue on various forums but I believe the only difficultly we are facing is the bilateral ties with India and everything is connected with it.”

“Once the bilateral ties between Pakistan and India are revived, all these issues will automatically be resolved. So our priority is to revive Indo-Pak cricket.” The inaugural Champions League T20 was to be held in 2008 but was cancelled due to the Mumbai attacks.

Commenting on the possible involvement of Pakistan’s Twenty20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, in the 2012 edition of the Champions League, Shukla said, “If we [are talking] about the Champions League, then just wait and see for a few months. I don’t think we should be pessimistic about Indo-Pak bilateral relations, remain optimistic ... Pakistani players have special talents and everyone likes to see them play. But we need to be patient and wait for good things to happen.”

33

Indian Premier League 2012

Pollard Power Too Much for Rajasthan Mumbai Indians 197 for 6 (Pollard 64, Rayudu 47*) beat Rajasthan Royals 170 (Shah 76, Rahane 40, Munaf 4-28)

BY ABHISHEK PUROHIT MUMBAI (Cricinfo): The scoreboard might not tell you that but Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals gave IPL 2012 its first close highscoring game as Wankhede Stadium cheered.

The 27-run margin did not do justice to Rajasthan Royals for the way they went after an asking-rate of nearly ten an over against a quality bowling attack. This after Kieron Pollard had muscled his way to his highest IPL score and propelled Mumbai Indians to the highest total of this IPL season so far.

Pollard’s all-round performance, 64 off 33 deliveries and 4 for 44, left in the shade a dazzling innings of 76 off 42 from Owais Shah, which had rudely threatened to gatecrash what had shaped up to be Pollard’s night.

Till the end of the 14th over, as Shah kept peppering the on-side rope with boundaries, Royals had an almost even chance. But in a game where no bowler apart from him went for less than seven an over, Lasith Malinga uprooted Shah’s off stump with a yorker off the first ball of the 15th.

While Munaf Patel and Pollard ended with four wickets each, it was Malinga’s over that turned the game in Mumbai Indians’ favour. While Malinga stood out with figures of 4-013-2 in a match where 367 runs were scored, it was Pollard who towered above everyone with his all-round performance.

Pollard’s assault with the bat helped Mumbai Indians pull away from Rajasthan Royals after the visitors had clawed back with Brad Hogg’s two wickets in four balls. Pollard’s power also left an important innings from Ambati Rayudu in the shade.

Pollard came in after Hogg, on IPL debut, had dismissed Rohit Sharma and Richard Levi with fizzing leftarm legbreaks. By the time he was dismissed, Pollard had carted Royals’ attack with 64, and Mumbai Indians had rocketed from 68 to 164 in the space of 52 balls.

Kevon Cooper’s meeting with his Trinidad & Tobago team-mate was much awaited, but Pollard lofted his first ball from his fellow allrounder

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for six over long-on. Still, Royals had somehow managed to keep the expected torrent of runs down and Mumbai Indians were going around eight an over after 13.

Johan Botha came on in the 14th, and Pollard dispatched his first four balls for boundaries. Botha dragged the first delivery short, tossed the second one up and went wide of Pollard with the third. It made scarce difference to Pollard as he swung all three deliveries between deep midwicket and long-on. His power showed off the fourth ball as even a leading edge beat the sweeper to the deep extra cover rope.

Twenty-three runs came off that Botha over, and the pressure on Royals had increased significantly. Pollard threatened to do an encore of the Botha over in the 17th against Ankeet Chavan, hitting his first delivery so hard that it deflected off the non-striker’s stumps to the straight boundary even as umpire Aleem Dar barely got out of the way. The next two balls also disappeared for boundaries but Pollard found long-on off the last ball.

Harbhajan Singh ensured Mumbai Indians did not falter after Pollard’s departure and left Royals with a mountain to climb. Munaf removed Rahul Dravid and Shreevats Goswami off consecutive deliveries in the second over to make the ascent appear steeper.

Shah and Ajinkya Rahane, though, almost did a Pollard-and-Rayudu with an 82-run stand off 57. Rahane signalled the start of the fightback with a chipped four over mid-off and a six over deep midwicket in Munaf’s next over.

The equation came down to 64 needed off 36. Harbhajan had saved two overs of Malinga for the death.

He was forced to bring him on slightly earlier, but Malinga delivered immediately, Shah backing away too far outside leg to a yorker, which was right on off stump.

Botha followed in the same over, and though Cooper and Ashok Menaria tried, Pollard struck thrice in the 18th over to ensure the night would be only his.

34

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