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Friday, December 9 2011 | Vol. 30, No. 49

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With Dev Anand, there was this unspoken consensus, almost a surreal surety that death wouldn’t touch him.

His life, 88 years of immense artistic pride and deeply-felt commitment towards cinema, was a celebration of life in all its form.

In the end, a heart attack brought forth the inevitable.

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Fashioning the Future to Benefit Education

Annual Holiday Luncheon Draws Over $100,000 for Pratham’s Literacy Endeavors

By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: The much-vaunted annual holiday luncheon benefitting the non-profit literacy organization Pratham, drew a diverse fullhouse of philanthropic fashionistas that thronged the Junior League of Houston on December 2, 2011. The glitzy see-and-be-seen event Fashioning the Future, featuring a fashion show

by Saks Fifth Avenue, garnered over $100,000 to help further Pratham’s noble vision of every child in school and learning well. Chairing the luncheon were Asha Dhume, Marie Goradia, Medha Karve, and Rema Dhamodharan. Board Member Marie Goradia, whose husband Vijay introduced Pratham to this city twelve years ago, welcomed guests and told of Pratham’s literacy endeavors.

“There are 100 million illiterate children without a childhood, living in slums, with no food, clothes, and more importantly, no hope of ever believing that they could ever break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy,” said Goradia. “I strongly urge you to visit the balwadis of Pratham and see for yourselves the enthusiasm of the children that are experiencing the thrill of learning, of them daring to dream of a future,” Goradia said.

It takes a meager $25,00 to educate a child for one year, she added.

Pratham had to “think outside the box” and develop innovative programs that would enable children to learn math and comprehension of language in just six weeks, she said.

Pratham Board Members with Keynote Speaker Katherine Center

Pratham also offers vocational training to 18 – 30 year olds to give them opportunities to better their lot in life, added Goradia.

The organization is the largest in the world geared at ending childhood illiteracy, with chapters in India and the USA and works in 21 states in India with the cooperation of local communities, parents, and the government to create large scale educational reform in India. Through a series of programs geared to reach children from pre-school to vocational schooling, Pratham has already reached out and positively impacted the lives of over 34 million underprivileged children in India.

The Keynote Speaker for the afternoon was the celebrated au-

thor Katherine Center, who drew laughter as she told of her journey as a writer as early as in the 6th grade, when she had imaginatively spun a tale about a boy band that was trending at the time. A Vassar graduate whose books include Bright Side of Disaster and Everyone is Beautiful, Center told gatherees that she was fortunate to have had an education that gave her wings to soar and follow her dreams as a writer.

The fashion show by Saks Fifth Avenue featured seasonal couture, casual ensembles, and bold accessories by upper echelon designers.

Socialite and benefactress Latika Bathija was recognized for her unerring sense of style by Pratham and named Lady Dior Fashionista of the Month, a title that came

Host Committee Member Bimla Jain with Keynote Speaker for the luncheon, author Katherine Center.

Photos: Pratham

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Dior also provided goodie bags to all attendees.

A silent auction was set up in the foyer and guests got to bid on art by local artist Sangeeta Pasrija, and packages from Avante Laser and MediSpa, Barfield Photography, Touch of Elegance, and Asher Lily Vineyards, to name a few. All proceeds also benefitted Pratham’s literacy ventures.

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COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

5

shipra Avantica mehrotra s m represents r epresents U Us s at the Asia 21 y young Leaders summit s

NEW DELHI: Shipra Avantica Mehrotra, founder and artistic director of the Avantica Academy of Odissi Dance in Houston, Texas, is among the 150 next generation leaders from 30 countries in the Asia Pacific region who participated in the Asia Society’s sixth annual Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in New Delhi from November 18 to 20, 2011.

Mehrotra joins a multi-sectoral network of his peers, all under age 40, who engaged in discussions about “Worlds Apart Together: Shared Values for an Asia-Pacific Community.” The diversity of representation – from business, government, academia, media, civil society, and the arts - brings a wide range of perspectives to the discussions, which will explore issues such as developing a sustainable energy policy for Asia, whether corruption is hampering the region’s development, and whether food security should take precedence over civil rights, amongst others.

The Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit is part of a larger initiative designed to help emerging leaders from across the region to develop common approaches to meet its shared challenges. “The Asia 21 young leaders represent the future of the Asia-Pacific region. The work that this incredible community of leaders is doing today and will do in the future is laying a strong foundation for regional collaboration for decades to come,” said Asia Society Executive Vice President Jamie Metzl.

The Asia 21 Summit is supported by founding international sponsor Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “Bank of America is committed to making a positive impact on the social and cultural fabric of the society that we live and work in. As such, we are particularly pleased that the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit is being hosted in India this year,” said Kaku Nakhate, President and Country Head for India. “By partnering with global initiatives such as Asia 21, Bank of America can leverage its resources to encourage and support young leaders from across sectors, including social enterprise, non-profit, media, economic and arts, to enable a better and brighter future for business, politics, and civil society in Asia.”

Dancer, choreographer, and instructor Shipra Avantica Mehrotra is recognized today as a leading young exponent of Odissi, a classical Indian dance form. The New York Times recently described her performance at

the 2010 Erasing Borders dance festival in New York as “wholly poetic” and “the truest revelation of dance itself.” Mehrotra is a faculty member at the reknowned Anjali Center for Performing Arts, and founder of Avantica, a dance academy dedicated to Odissi’s tecnhique and style. In her continual pursuit of perfection, Mehrotra returns to India annually to train and perform.

As a performer-choreographer, Shipra wields technical virtuosity along with evocative abhinaya (expressive mime) to showcase the innate lyricism and theatricality of traditional Odissi, while revitalizing the dance form with contemporary perspectives. This balanced approach to Odissi has earned Mehrotra the opportunity to perform in several prestigious events and dance festivals across the world.

Mehrotra’s most distinguished accomplishments include consulting as a choregrapher to Hollywood director Terrence Mallick for his film ‘The New World’ (2005), solo performances (3rd International Odissi Festival, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, December 2006) and the India Blooms in Chicago festival (Chicago Opera Theatre, 2008).

Shipra was initiated into Odissi at a young age by Dr. Chitra Krishnamurti at the Nrityalaya School of Indian Classical Dance (Washington, DC). Early in her training, she had the privilege to attend workshops by the late legendary guru, Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, as

well as the late Padmashree Sanjukta Panigrahi. Shipra’s desire to pursue Odissi professionally led her to the prestigious Orissa Dance Academy in Orissa, India where she received advanced training under the guidance of the late founder and eminent guru Padmashree Gangadhar Pradhan and renowned dancer Srimati Aruna Mohanty.

Mehrotra holds a BA in Sociology from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and an MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Chicago (Chicago, IL). Since launching her professional career in 2008, Mehrotra has established herself as a tourde-force in the Houston classical Indian dance community.

Established by the Asia Society with support from Founding International Sponsor, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Asia 21 Summit is the pre-eminent gathering of Asia’s most dynamic young leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, from every sector including business, government, media, culture and civil society. To date, the network counts more than 700 of the most accomplished young leaders in the Asia-Pacific among its members, including businessmen, documentary filmmakers, environmental activists, human rights advocates, members of parliament, military personnel, performance artists, and social entrepreneurs.

expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Founded in 1956, the Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, DC. For more information, contact the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021.

For more information about the Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative, including details about previous conferences and Fellows, please visit www.AsiaSociety. org/Asia21.

About Asia Society The Asia Society is an international organization dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the Unit United States. It seeks to enhance dialogue, encourage creative Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $30 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036, tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.

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COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

A sublime s couple onstage; o creative and devoted every c e day

By Jawahar Malhotra IRVING, TX: The last time I saw them was onstage as the sublime, revered couple, Rama and Sita, resplendent in golden finery, surrounded by their court upon return to Ayodhya and receiving a long line of devotees at the Ram Leela play in early November.

Here they were in front of me, chatting over a vegetarian dinner in the city that will become their future home as Vipin Sharma (Rama) takes on a new software job. “For the past two years, I was commuting back to Houston every weekend,” he said of his northwest house off the 290 freeway where his wife Kusum (Sita) and two daughters, Tanya Rashi, 14 and Aashi, 9 live.

“And it was because we were quite settled there,” added Kusum, “and I was happy with the dance school that I started in 2004”, referring to the Shri Natraj School of Dance where she has about 50 students spread over four branches and at the main studio off Hwy 290. Now they had both decided that moving to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area made more sense, although Kusum will continue to commute alone on weekends to handle the dance school.

Ambitious as it may seem, Kusum radiates confidence and dedication to her calling. As a child, she became interested in

dance and Hindu rituals since her father owned and operated a temple in Kalkaji, a district in New Delhi famous for its mandir. And it was there that she performed in the Rama Leelas that are synonymous with Diwali, all the while learning both Bharat Natyam and Kathak classical dances.

Vipin, on the other hand, was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab and lived across the country as his father was in the Indian Railways.

Not as conversant in Punjabi as Kusum, he explained how he was a reluctant cast member in the first Rama Leela that Kusum staged in 2005 at the Radha Krishna Temple.

“It turned out that the actor performing Hanuman had a last minute conflict and couldn’t make it,” he said with a smile. “So I recruited him,” added Kusum with a laugh, “since he knew all the lines and story!” And from then on, Vipin, the accidental actor, participated in the last four Rama Leelas that Kusum has directed and choreographed, culminating in the visually stunning event held in the Cullen Auditorium at the University of Houston this year.

“The others were smaller by comparison, but when Dr. Arun Verma approached me to join hands and choreograph, direct – and act in the play on a bigger scale last year, the creative force in me couldn’t

Vipin and Kusum Sharma played the roles of Rama and Sita in the Rama Leela productions at the University of Houston last year and this past November. Kusum was the Executive Director, choreographer, props maker, talent search coordinator and general all-round manager of the play in conjunction with Dr. Arun Verma’s Shri Sita Ram Foundation. Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

turn him down,” explained Kusum.

Vipin and Kusum’s volunteer ef effort proved to be a tactical and logistics challenge from mid-July to mid-November beyond what either had imagined: 110 performers, getting costumes from Chandi Chowk, Delhi, shipping, (often carrying items onboard planes), getting materials, making props, finding actors, rehearsals, creating scenes, dances. “It was endless,” exclaimed Vipin. “Kusum prob-

ably spent over 700 hours each year putting the play together and taking time off from her dance schools.” Despite the hard work and working virtually voluntarily, Kusum rose to the challenge and added several novel ideas into this year’s Ram Leela – fire juggling acrobats, three Hanumans to play different scenes, Hanuman “flying” to Sri Lanka on a suspension cable to name a few – to great appreciation. Despite the move

to Dallas, Vipin and Kusum still want to be involved in the Rama Leela next year too, just as Kusum wants to continue her dance school here and is recruiting for the next semester. No doubt her students – and those who saw her Rama Leala production - are thrilled that she still intends to be part of the arts scene in the Bayou City. It will be interesting to see how her creative mind adds more elements to next year’s Ram Leela.

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

Indian Fans Paid to be excited r report completely False: Tom cruise c

(Huffington Post) Representatives for Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures vehemently rejected published reports that residents of Mumbai were paid to cheer and act excited for the cameras when the actor arrived in the Indian city on Saturday to promote his new movie.

“Tom Cruise is a massive star and attracts huge throngs of fans as he travels the world promoting ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,’” a spokesperson for Paramount said in a statement to The Huffington Post.

“The only people paid were performers who danced outside the venue. The idea that fans were paid to cheer is completely ludicrous and entirely false.”

A report in First Post Bollywood claimed that 200 or more extras were each given about 150 rupees -- the equivalent of $3 -and a free lunch to mimic enthusiasm for Cruise’s arrival in the city.

A source close to Cruise told The Huff Huffington Post that confusion over payments made to dancers who performed at the event may have given rise to the false reports. The source called the charge of fan-planting “ludicrous” and “insulting” to the actor’s In-

dian devotees, who greeted him for photos at every opportunity.

“Tom kaun? [Tom who?] I don’t know who he is or what he does,” an unnamed “artiste” told First Post Bollywood. “We were told to come here by 1pm today and wait for a foreign VIP to come out of the airport gate and scream and shout when he came. None of us know who Tom is. There was a buffet lunch also for us and we were paid Rs 150 for this job today. We do this for television shows and other such events where crowds are required.”

The Mumbai Mirror reported that Wizcraft, the company that organized Cruise’s trip to the country, had hired an outside agency to procure the fans to cheer at the airport. Wizcraft denied the claim, with one of the company’s directors telling the Mirror, “We are not aware of this. Your information is incorrect.”

Anil Kapoor, an Indian actor who co-stars alongside Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg in the film, released a statement saying, “Tom Cruise coming to my country for ‘Mission Impossible’ was an incredible event for the people of Mumbai.

I’ve never seen that level of pure enthusiasm.”

Cruise, now in Dubai, is in the midst of a 16-day promotional tour for the movie that has already hit Japan, Korea and India and will take him to Moscow, Germany, Madrid, London and Brazil.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

Balraj s singh Galhotra weds Kulpreet Kaur

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HOUSTON: This four-day long magical wedding took center stage during the Thanksgiving weekend when many family and friends could come from far and near.

Traditional festivities met their match in technology which is how the newlyweds met to begin with.

Balraj, 31 (who is universally known as Roger), the younger son of Harjit and Seema Galhotra, a native born Houstonian went online to a matchmaking site and his dreams became a reality when he connected with Kulpreet Kaur, 28, originally from Chandigarh, India. She is a graduate student completing a Masters degree in Law (specializing in intellectual property) from the Cardozo School of Law in New York.

But as the saying goes, matches are made in heaven… and their wedding was just divine.

Friends and relatives from both sides came from far and away to attend the joyous occasion which started with a Ladies Sangeet on Wednesday, November 23 with Mehndi the next day. The wedding (Anand Karaj) took place at The Sikh Center on the Friday, November 25 with Bhai Gurdarshan Singh and Bhai Sucha Singh who came from Washington DC to perform the ceremony.

The reception was held on November 26 at Marriot Westchase and was attended by 350 wedding guests. Since Harjit is an active member of the Sikh community and is presently serves as the Secretary of Sikh National Center, most prominent members of the community were present at the func-

tions. The youngest person, 2 ½ years old to perform at the reception was Balraj’s niece, Ravina Bani Galhotra (she is his brother Ravi-Inder and Rupinder’s daughter) who sang the song “Skyscraper”. (The Youtube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2Qty7sQE) It took quite a few parties to bring the events together. Theresa Cole Hubbs of Electric Karma International was the wedding planner. Nalini Kannan of Décor One did elaborate decorations at each of the places the events were held and Ajoy Bhattacharya of Gourmet India catered meals that were extraordinary and pleasing.

The parents and all members of the family really appreciate the work of the planners and those who participated in the wedNewly weds with parents Harjit & Seema Galhotra ding.

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COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

Houston celebrates c s sathya sai Baba’s Birthday s

By ritu raJu HOUSTON: Devotees in the United States find themselves doubly blessed over the Thanksgiving weekend, they not only join the nation in giving thanks for their many blessings but also celebrate the birthday of their guru, Sathya Sai Baba, with a memorable program comprising dance, drama, music, and group devotional singing.

This year’s celebration was no exception, with more than 475 people gathering in the auditorium of Durga Bari on Saturday November 26. Since the passing of Sathya Sai Baba earlier this year, for the first birthday celebration without His physical presence, it was important to reflect on His eternal message. After a dance by young children, the main event of the evening was presented—a grand play in which over 90 children from ages 6-16 participated.

A rich tapestry of color, costumes, music, and dance, the play addressed the question of putting Baba’s teachings into practice in our everyday lives. The play depicted how the six enemies of Right Action—ego, hatred, desire, anger, greed, and jealousy— can be eliminated and replaced with love and compassion.

Each scene of the play portrayed the manifestation and the subsequent eradication of one of the “undesirables” as these inner enemies may be called. The definition of divine love was shown beautifully through a story from Lord Krishna’s time. In this poignant illustration, Lord Krishna exhorts

Sage Narada to bring the dust from the feet of a true devotee to cure Him of a headache; however, this devotee would be condemned to perdition for sullying the Lord with the dust of his or her feet. Neither Narada, nor Rukmini or the other consorts, are willing to risk their spiritual future by doing this.

However, the rustic, devoted gopis offer the dust of their feet without even an iota of hesitation because they firmly believe that they are one with Krishna. The gopis exhibited unconditional love and selflessness. As Radha, the quintessential gopi, tells Narada, “In reality, there is no me, no we…He exists and thus we exist in Him. His joy is our joy.

He is everything. It is He who is the very dust of our feet!”

In another tale, an illiterate boatman who takes Lord Rama across a river demonstrates the importance of eliminating desires

and seeking only God. In another scene, an entertaining but touching story of a motherin-law and her recalcitrant daughters-in-law raised laughs while imparting a profound and thought-provoking message that love can conquer all.

Besides being entertaining, touching, and didactic, every scene in the play used Sathya Sai Baba’s quotes and inspiring stories to explicitly demonstrate practical techniques to incorporate spiritual values into our daily lives. The young thespians of the Sai Spiritual Education program delivered superb performances; what was even more touching was to see that these youngsters have imbibed the values they portrayed on stage and carry them off stage as well. The play also comprised excellent dances and melodious music; the dalliance of the gopis with Krishna was portrayed delightfully with a

9

beautiful dance. Equally apt and meaningful was the music that accompanied each scene.

The excellent props served to make the play even more remarkable; each scene was presented with a beautiful, fitting backdrop and striking accents that set the tone and mood effectively.

The program concluded with the robust vibrations from devotional group singing and universal prayers for peace and harmony. Mahaprasad was served to all attendees.

Houston area devotees meet at two locations in North and South parts of the town on Sundays from 3:00pm - 5:30pm. They engage in weekly activities that include Sai Spiritual Education classes for children, Meditation, Study Circle, and Devotional Singing.

For more information, visit www.saicenterofhouston.org.

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what if India and china w c collaborate?

BANGALORE (SI): “India, China bhai bhai,” a slogan that we hardly consider and think about acutely. How many of us have even thought of the two Asian giants coming together? If one is a hare, the other is a tortoise. The only thing that can unite them would be their common challenges. Otherwise the two fast-growing nations are often the topic of discussion for competition, comparisons and contrast. The amazing race between the two has always made us curious- what if the two economic power houses come together?

For centuries India and China maintained peace and were brotherly neighbors. But the intrusion of the colonial powers in 1914 drew the McMahon Line ruptured their peace and destroyed their tranquility. Both Nations were dragged to the battle field. Leaders of both nations declared war in 1962 which ended up India getting thrashed by China leaving behind deep psychological scars. As time passed, both countries had to repair themselves from war which got them busy fixing their crippled economies. But nothing was forgotten or forgiven. The line of McMahon still separates them as the fastest and second fastest economy but has not stopped them from resting their daggers.

A United Nations intelligence report titled Mapping the Global Future by 2020 mentions that the likely emergence of China and In-

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dia as new global players is similar to that of the rise of Germany in 19th century and United States in the 20th century. The rising powers will be great catalytic factors for the transformation of geopolitical landscape with impacts as powerful as the previous two centuries.

Large population, expanding military capabilities, promotion of high technologies and sustained high economic growth will be the foremost root reasons for rapid rise in economic and political power for both countries. China stands as a giant with an economy of $5 trillion whereas India stands at $1.25 trillion. India currently lags behind China on most economic measures but most economists believe India will also sustain high levels of economic growth.

Bottom line, what will happen when Asian giants collaborate?

1. The Melting Water towers: The Himalayas, home and birth place of Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra. For China, it is the mother of Mekong, Yellow and Yangtze rivers. Amazingly these high altitude glaciers take care of nearly 3 billion people or half of world’s population. The Earth Policy Institute has declared that the melting of these glaciers would be a massive threat to food security. China and India are co-victims of a lifethreatening ecological crisis. “In 2050 we will have 9 billion people and average income will be four times what it is today,” he said. “India and China have been able to feed their populations because they use water in an unsustainable way. That is no longer possible,” according to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN’s Millennium Project. Since Asia’s agricultural revolution, the amount of land under irrigation has tripled. But many parts of the continent have reached the limits of water supplies.

“The Ganges [in India] and the Yellow river [in China] no longer flow.

There is so much silting up and water extraction upstream they are pretty stagnant,” as quoted by The Guardian. So will they co-operate to solve the problem, or go to war over food and water?

2. The binding of energy assets: Both of Asia’s rising powers desperately need energy. China today imports roughly half its oil.

Consumption rose by 15 percent last year and is forecast to jump by an additional 9 percent this year.

By 2025, China will burn through 14.2 million barrels a day, double this year’s level, the U.S. Energy Dept. predicts. India’s oil imports are expected to rise to some 5 million barrels a day by 2020, from around 1.4 million barrels at present reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek. See the way China outwitted India in Myanmar’s Shwe gas project. In 2004, India’s gas authority won the bid; but China leaned hard on the military junta

to change the parameters, and wrested the deal. But of late, both countries are seeing plenty of merit in cartelising their purchases. China did not bid against India for Britain’s Imperial Energy, and India returned the favour by staying away from Syria’s Tanganyika Oil. Since China and India import 40 percent and 70 percent of their oil, respectively, the next step could be to pool their bids to maximise bargaining clout.

Both would also like to join hands to kill the extra charge of $1-2 per barrel of oil, called the ‘Asian Premium’.

3. The Hardware and Software

Coming together: When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited India last year, his first stop was not the poli tical capital New Delhi but the IT hub Bangalore. Addressing a crowd of 4,000 IT professionals, Zhu delighted those present by promoting a new era in Sino-Indian cooperation.

“You are No 1 in software. We are No 3 in hardware,” he said. “If we put these together, we are the world’s No 1.” It is no surprise that Asia’s giant neighbors would seek to combine each other’s reciprocal strengths in IT. According to a recent Forrester report, “How India, China Redefine the Tech World Order”, over the next five years markets in India and China will account for nearly 40 personal of all personal computers (PCs) and a significant share of all mobile telephones sold worldwide. Production sectors in both countries stand to gain enormously from this potential growth. China’s booming hardware sector - now among the strongest in the world. Chinese businesses have been slower to establish bases in India. The most significant investment so far comes from Huawei, a Chinese electronics manufacturer that, seeking to take advantage of India’s software talent, has established a researchand-development (R&D) institute in Bangalore. While in India both the production and consumption of consumer electronics are still relatively low, the country’s vast population and rising middle class make it a hugely important potential market.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

COMMUNITY

December 9, 2011

11

As As sGH GH Bids Farewell to Acharya Premchand shridhar s

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its weekly satsang every Sunday.

In addition to the ceremonial ‘havan’, these satsangs were enriched

by Acharyaji’s sermons covering various topics of spiritual and moral significance. Apart from the satsang, he helped expand the core programs of Arya Samaj through his evening classes on Geeta, Upanishads, Satyarth Prakash and other Hindu scriptures – all of which greatly benefited the Hindu community both within and outside of the Samaj. Above all, Acharya ji reached out to the hearts of every community member by helping perform the religious rituals for them on different occasions of personal and religious significance. In doing so, he went out of his way in committing his time and effort.

Acharya Shridhar ji’s contribution to the extended Hindu com-

munity of Houston and the US at large is noteworthy. He anchored the ‘Ved Sudha’ program on the radio network which helped spread the Vedic message to an extended audience. In addition, he represented the Hindus in discourses and discussions with other religious leaders whenever he was invited to speak on the core philosophy of Hindu religion. His very articulate communication style earned him the visiting faculty status at the Hindu University of America in Orlando. He has been representing ASGH at the annual sessions of Arya Pratinidhi Sabha and has been a regular speaker at the various Arya Samajs established in the other US cities.

Through his dedication and spiritual leadership, Acharya Shridhar ji has helped build and nurture the core foundation of ASGH – an institution which will be sustained for a long period of time and influence the future Hindu generations in the city. He and his equally devoted wife Shrimati Shanti Shridhar ji will be missed immensely by everyone at the Samaj. ASGH Managing Committee has scheduled farewell celebrations on Sunday, December 11 from 10AM to noon. Everybody is welcome to join the event and bid farewell .On the occasion Samaj members will extend heartfelt gratitude to both Acharya ji and his wife for their commitment and motivation in building this institution.

They will also be wished a very healthy and prosperous life ahead.

Fondren

HOUSTON: The word ‘acharya’ in sanskrit means a spiritual teacher who guides ‘acharan’ (meaning: conduct). An Acharya guides us on righteous conduct of life and steers us towards the path to blissful living. Acharya Premchand Shridhar ji, from Arya Samaj Greater Houston (ASGH), epitomizes this true meaning of ‘acharya’ through his indelible contributions to the ASGH community and to the extended Hindu society in Houston. After serving the community here for the last 12 years, he will be retiring and returning to India in Dec 2011.

Acharya ji has been a ‘‘pracharak’ (meaning: missionary) for Arya Samaj for the last 35 years.

He was inducted into the Vedic learnings during his growing years and over time, this became his mission for life. He is a devout scholar having earned himself four master degrees during his formal education and also a Ph.D in Hindu philosophy in which he authored the thesis titled “Philosophical Reflections in Rigvedic Legends”. Even today Acharya ji continues to engage in continuous self-study and in spreading the message of Vedas and Vedic culture through his numerous lectures, published articles and books.

During his 12 years stint at Arya Samaj in Houston, he has been the soul of this institution. Under his tutelage, the Arya Samaj hosted

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12 December 9, 2011

For India, o outsourcing does the Job at Home, Too

By ViKas K BaJaJ Kas NEW DELHI (NYT): Every three months, India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, meets with a special panel assigned the ambitious task of figuring out how to produce 500 million skilled workers over the next two decades.

The panel is a cross section of India’s power elite, including many of the usual figures like the education minister, the finance minister and the former chief executive of the country’s biggest software outsourcing company. Then there is a more curious choice: Manish Sabharwal.

Sabharwal runs TeamLease, a Bangalore-based agency that has created thousands of jobs by fielding temporary workers for companies in India that want to expand their work force while skirting India’s stringent labor laws, which businesses say discourage the hiring of permanent employees. Many labor leaders and leftleaning politicians accuse him of running the nation’s largest illegal business.

He does not completely disagree.

“We should not exist,” Sabharwal, a 40-year-old graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said about his company, which has 60,000 employees. “The genius of India is to allow us to exist.”

What Sabharwal calls “genius” others would call dysfunction, or at the very least, an elaborate workaround, or temporary fix.

India is known the world over as a prime innovator of outsourcing for foreign companies, which take advantage of its cheap, Englishspeaking labor force. Less well known is the extent to which Indian companies outsource their own jobs within their own country.

Walk into any of India’s shining new shopping malls that sell expensive brands, like Gucci and Satya Paul, and many of the store clerks, janitors and security guards will be on the payrolls of outsourcing companies, not those of the owners of the mall or stores in it, executives say.

The practice highlights a fundamental tension between India’s socialist past and a new freewheeling, private sector that is increas-

An agency in Bangalore offers classes to prepare people for temporary jobs with Indian companies. Photo: Ruth Fremson

ingly powering the economy while chafing at what many companies say are laws so protective of workers that they blunt hiring and stifle growth.

Sabharwal provides a backdoor way around the old system in a manner that is not without controversy. He fills thousands of jobs at a cost that allows many companies to continue to function, and even helps retrain India’s large population of young job seekers — half of Indians are 25 or younger — who are undereducated and ill prepared to enter the labor force.

In that highly competitive environment for jobs, Sabharwal supplies workers who are paid as little as half of what permanent employees earn and who usually receive few benefits. Though technically temporary, many of them keep their status at the same companies for years. In India’s nascent industrial hubs near New Delhi, autoworkers are increasingly protesting the use and treatment of the kind of contract workers Sabharwal supplies, who lack job security.

But the reason Sabharwal has thrived, he and others say, is because India needs him. The nation’s complex web of federal and state labor laws intended to protect permanent workers are so onerous that few employers want to hire them, they say.

Those laws cover virtually every aspect of employment — how workers are hired, what they are paid, how many hours they can

work and whether they can be fired. Factories employing 100 or more workers are not allowed to lay off employees without the government’s permission.

The laws are unevenly enforced, but many businesses still consider them so cumbersome that they find it worthwhile to have somebody else manage the “compliance issues,” which is why TeamLease also employs about 60 people in its regulatory division who do so.

“India, compared to even European countries, has more restrictive labor laws,” said Sean Dougherty, a senior adviser at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development who has studied India’s labor market.

Sabharwal has provided a way around what many see as those daunting obstacles to growth, at least for now. But even he argues that his workaround business model is not sufficient for India to bolster manufacturing — still just 16 percent of the economy — and to create new jobs for the 12 million people who enter the labor force every year.

He is among the first to acknowledge that many workers suffer because the workaround model does not itself create enough good jobs.

But it is offering an opportunity for growth where the old model does not.

“For business, labor laws are a thorn in the side, not a dagger in the heart,” Sabharwal said. “People who are hurt the most are people who need to get off farms, la-

bor market outsiders, people from small towns, the less educated, the less skilled.”

An Unlikely Entrepreneur TeamLease is not the business Sabharwal set out to open.

During the 1970s, when he and his family spent four years in Washington, a question kept nagging him: “Americans weren’t really smarter than us, but why were they richer than us?”

It was a timely question because India’s economy then was turning increasingly socialist and state-directed. Policy makers nationalized large banks, raised the highest tax rate to 97.5 percent and required factories with 300 or more workers to get government permission before layoffs, a threshold later reduced.

Sabharwal’s family of civil servants and teachers believed in India’s socialist policies. His father, who worked for a time at the Indian Embassy in Washington, was a solid member of the establishment.

“We had arguments about government versus private sector, growth versus facilities in the government,” his father, Mahendra, said.

The younger Sabharwal defended the private sector, which he argued was more effective than the government and the reason for America’s greater riches. He became convinced that he could have a bigger impact on India as an entrepreneur than by joining the civil service as his father had done. He wanted to start a business. But first, he said, he had to learn how a free-market economy worked. So, with his grandparents paying the tuition bill, he went to the Wharton School. “I wanted to go out and understand how business was done without regulatory connections,” he said.

At Wharton, professors and friends say, he worked with singleminded focus on a business plan — not for TeamLease, but for a private insurance company, India Life, which he hoped would take on the state monopoly. But back in India, policy makers were not yet willing to introduce competition in the insurance industry. He hit a brick wall.

Then one day an Indian manager

INDIA

at Siemens, the German company, complained to him about the tedium of processing payroll and benefits paperwork. Sabharwal decided to turn India Life into an outsourcing company to do that work.

In 2001, Hewitt, an American company, acquired India Life. A year later, Sabharwal and his partner, Ashok Reddy, started TeamLease to solve another frequent problem clients complained about: hiring and managing employees in the thicket of India’s complex labor laws.

Work in the New Economy Today, one of TeamLease’s biggest clients is Whirlpool, the American appliance maker. In 1997, a few years after Whirlpool arrived in India, it hired hundreds of salesmen and sent them to independent retail stores to sell washing machines, refrigerators and air-conditioners to middle-class Indians who had never bought such appliances before. But soon executives were overwhelmed trying to keep abreast of changes in labor laws and various minimum-wage rules in India’s 28 states.

So Whirlpool began outsourcing its sales staff, which has since grown to 1,850 people — first to a staffing agency called Adecco and later to TeamLease. Excluding 250 people who work at the company’s own stores, most of its sales workers are employed by TeamLease, which handles their wages, commissions, health care and retirement savings.

Indian executives at Whirlpool, which sells appliances in 130 countries, said India was perhaps one of only a few places where an outside company managed its sales staff.

“Having a guy on your payroll comes with a lot of responsibility,” said Hardesh Chojher, general manager of marketing at Whirlpool in India. “For example, each state has its minimum wage, which is revised every three months.”

Many employers in India rely on contract hiring agencies like TeamLease, though many are reluctant to say so publicly. Indeed, foreign companies that come to India often hire law firms and staffing agencies before hiring anyone else.

Nearly one-quarter of India’s industrial laborers worked on concontinued on page

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INDIA

December 9, 2011

outsourcing Giant Finds it must be c o client, too

continued from page

12

tracts in 2007, up from just 16 percent in 2000, according to government data. The share of temporary workers in India’s large services sector is believed to be even higher, though the government does not collect that data. Even government agencies increasingly rely on temporary employees.

Unlike in the United States, where temporary workers are rotated between job sites, in India contract workers often stay in some jobs for years. Arun Gour, 25, joined Whirlpool’s sales team as a contract worker about four years ago in Yamunanagar, a town 120 miles north of New Delhi. After smashing sales records, he was promoted this year to a job at Whirlpool’s Indian headquarters in Gurgaon, a booming city just south of New Delhi, where he collects and processes sales data from around the country.

Gour makes about 18,000 rupees, or $345, a month, a good salary by Indian standards, and he has access to a government-run retirement-savings plan and health insurance.

He said he hoped one day to be promoted onto Whirlpool’s payroll so he could earn more money and receive better benefits.

“I am very proud that I am providing for my family,” Gour said, speaking of his wife and mother, who still live in Yamunanagar.

“I have friends from college who are looking for work. Some of them have master’s degrees and they are earning 6,000 or 7,000 a month,” or about $115 to $134.

A Flawed System Not everyone is as happy. About 30 miles south of New Delhi along the dusty highway to Jaipur lies Manesar, one of India’s new industrial boomtowns. There, more than 100,000 workers — about 30 percent

of them on contracts — toil in the factories of Indian and multinational companies like Maruti Suzuki, Videocon, Mitsubishi and Honda.

In October, the Indian government proposed letting ailing factories lay off workers if they offered unemployment insurance.

But the provision would apply only to companies in a few new manufacturing zones.

Analysts say policy makers are unlikely to consider broader reforms in the next few years because there is a deadlock between advocates for change like Prime Minister Singh and lawmakers who believe that any weakening of laws would hurt workers.

In the meantime, many economists assert that India’s labor laws will continue to restrict the country’s job growth, at least in the formal sector. While that is bad news for India, it is a circumstance that continues to allow Sabharwal’s business to thrive. Last year it grew by 10,000 employees.

His company had $160 million in revenue last year and is growing about 20 percent a year, executives said. Last year, it acquired the Indian Institute of Job Training, which runs 120 centers that provide courses in English, bookkeeping, computer applications and other subjects. TeamLease also plans to build 22 community colleges in the western state of Gujarat.

Sabharwal said his business could grow even faster if the government changed the labor laws because that would create more jobs and increase demand for job training.

But he is not letting government inaction hold him back.

“If you wait for all the lights to be green in India,” he said, “you will never leave home.”

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

13

14 December 9, 2011

COMMUNITY

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi Backs r resolution on war w recruiting r

Open 7 days a week

The story thus far…For two years Gandhi traveled extensively in India and had talked at different places. His interest first centered on the problem of indentured labor where poor, ignorant laborers were enticed away from India to work in the British colonies. He disapproved of this system in South Africa, fought it there, and he wanted to see it abolished. Gandhi started a great agitation on this issue. As a result, the Government announced that the system of indentured labor would be stopped before July 31,1917. In Ahmedabad at textile mills, prices had gone up and the mill workers were demanding higher wages. The mill owners would not agree. Gandhi sympathized with the workers and launched a struggle and resorted to peaceful resistance. The workers proudly followed Gandhi and paraded the streets saying they would not go back to work until a settlement had been reached.

Days passed. The mill owners wouldn’t budge. The strikers were getting impatient for they were faced with starvation. Their discipline became weak. Gandhi feared that some workers would break their pledge and go back to work. That would be a great moral defeat. One morning he called the workers and told them that unless the mill workers held to their pledge, and reached a settlement, he would not eat. The workers were shocked.

“Not you, but we shall fast,” they said. “Please forgive us for our lapse; we shall remain faithful to our pledge.”

Gandhi did not want anybody else to fast. His fast was not against the mill owners, but against the lack of coordination and unity among the workers. The fast lasted only three days. It was powerful enough to influence the mill owners that they came to an agreement with the workers. Hardly was the mill workers’ strike over, when Gandhi had to plunge into the Kheda satyagraha struggle. The Kheda district of Gujarat was on the verge of a severe famine. Crop yield had been so low that the cultivators, especially the poor farmers, were

Gandhi had made his decision and he now set out to implement it. The response to recruit went was not in any way encouraging, but Gandhi was determined to carry out his mission. He held meetings. He issued leaflets asking people to enlist in the forces. His steady work began to bear fruit.

Many men were recruited and he hoped to get a bigger response as The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi is brought to you courtesy Mahatma Gandhi Library. www.gandhilibrary.org

unable to pay the revenue. But the government insisted that the yield had not been so bad and that the cultivators should pay the tax.

Gandhi saw the injustice advised the farmers to offer satyagraha by not paying their taxes. Leaders, like Vallabhbhai Patel, Shankarlal Banker, Mahadev Desai and others took an active part in this struggle.

There had been signs that the campaign might fizzle out, but after four months of struggle there was an honorable settlement. The government asked rich farmers to pay and granted relief to poor farmers.

The Kheda satyagraha marked the beginning of an awakening among the peasants of Gujarat, the beginning of their true political education. It gave to the educated public workers the chance to establish contact with the actual life of the peasants.

During this time the war had entered a critical phase. Britain and France were in a difficult position.

In the spring of 1917 Germany had inflicted crushing defeats on both the British and French troops in France. Russia’s war effort had broken down and the Revolution was threatening its Government.

Though America had entered the war, no American troops had yet reached the battlefront. The Vice-

roy of India, Lord Chelmsford, invited various Indian leaders to attend a War Conference. Gandhi was also invited. He accepted the invitation and went to Delhi. Gandhi was not happy that leaders like Tilak or the Ali brothers had not been invited to the conference, so he was un- willing to attend. After meeting the Viceroy, however, he went to the conference. The Viceroy was keen to get Gandhi’s support on military recruiting. Gandhi spoke only one sentence.

“With a full sense of my responsibility I beg to support the resolution.”

Gandhi had supported going to war! Many of his friends were taken aback. Some said, “You are a votary of ahimsa, how can you ask us to take up arms?” Others said, “What good has the government done to India to deserve our cooperation?”

Even some of his best friends could not understand how he could reconcile his war effort with his campaign for ahimsa. But Gandhi stuck to the belief he held at that time that “absolutely unconditional and wholehearted cooperation with the government by the educated Indians will bring India within sight of our goal of Swaraj as nothing else will.”

soon as the first batch had been sent. Gandhi nearly ruined his health during the recruiting campaign. He worked very hard. He could not take his food at regular times, nor could he take enough nourishment to keep up his energy.

He had an attack of dysentery. He refused to take medicine and his condition worsened. Friends tried their best to advise him but he was beyond all advice. He passed restless days and nights and he himself felt at times that he was near death’s door.

It took him a long time to regain his health, but before then news came that World War I was over.

Germany had been completely defeated. Friends and doctors advised him to go away for a change and recover his health. He went to Matheran, but the place did not suit him. He went to Poona, where a doctor was consulted. He advised him to take milk to rebuild his body, and prescribed some medicine. Gandhi took the medicine but he would not agree to take milk, for he had given up cow’s milk and buffalo’s milk. He was finally convinced to take goat’s milk.

Gandhi returned to Ahmedabad. He was recouping his health there when he read in the papers

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the Rowlatt Committee’s report had just been published. The committee recommended that for the maintenance of peace, the government could arrest any person without a warrant and detain him for any length of time without any trial or right to appeal. Thus, the law was a direct attack on the ordinary civil liberties of the people and a clear indication of the autocratic and barbarous tendencies of the British rule in India. These recommendations startled Gandhi.

He described them as “unjust, subversive of the principles of liberty and justice, and destructive of the elementary rights of individuals.”

Friends approached him for guidance. “Something must be done,” he said to them. “If the proposed measures are passed into law, we ought to offer satyagraha.”

Gandhi lamented the fact that he was in poor health. From his sick-bed he wrote articles for the Indian papers explaining that the proposed bill was an act of tyranny which no self-respecting people could submit to it. The only possible step against the government’s proposal, Gandhi thought, would be to launch a satyagraha movement in right earnest. A meeting of some of the leaders was called at the ashram and a satyagraha pledge was drafted. It was unanimously signed by everybody present.

Gandhi did not believe that the existing institutions could handle such a noble weapon, so a separate institution named Satyagraha Sabha was formed with headquarters in Bombay. There were agitations everywhere against the Rowlatt Committee’s report. But the government was determined to implement the Rowlatt recommendations and in 1919, the Rowlatt Bill was introduced. When the bill was debated in India’s Legislative Chamber, Gandhi attended as a visitor.

— To be Continued

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

December 9, 2011

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

15

COMMUNITY

16 December 9, 2011

Bringing in the new n y year with a new n wardrobe w

HOUSTON: With fashion trends changing quicker than the seasons, it may become a challenge keeping track of the newest and most up-to-date trends. This holiday season, we encourage you to try something new, and possibly re-create a new you by simply updating your closet! Whether you’re looking

The show promises to capture the newest American, Indian, and Pakistani trends for the year, 2012 and leave guests wanting to shop for more!

Entertaining the guests will be DJ AV who will be spinning live all day long. The 5,000 sq ft baloom and fashion show ramp will be elegantly decorated

by Creative Affairs

by Ollie. Our current clothing vendors include: Inara Saris, Nisha’s Collections, Afsheen Mehboob, Parinaz Boutique, Craft Clothing, and for the first time in Houston, Viranksi.

Jifs Jewels & More the leader in One Gram jewelry will have their collection on display. Other than updating your closet, if you’re looking to update your home’s interior décor, Amaya

by Renita Mater SBR Magazine’s Publisher Narmeen Lakhani with model, will be available to Karina Kravchenko Photo: Zia Ahmed inspire you to add a to start your New Year with a new wardrobe little exotic flair to any room in your house. or looking for a show stopping outfit for Since sweet treats are the perfect way to any your next event we’ve got the perfect place woman’s heart, cupcakes and other delicious for you to go to find just that and more! deserts will also be available for purchase by The crew at SBR Magazine has been pre- Sweet Joy Cupcakes & Treats. paring day and night for the next SBR MagOnce again, Zohra from Hooked on Henna azine Fashion Show and Expo which will will have her entire crew present to provide take place on December 11 at the Crown the hair and make up for the fashion show, Plaza River Oaks located on Kirby and 59. they will also be offering beauty services

on the day of the show including eye brow threading and henna tattoos. Frame Photography will be capturing the entire event on film, so be ready to smile for your close ups!

An exclusive fashion show displaying our vendor’s designs will kick off the exhibition at noon, and guests will be welcome to shop and browse for the rest of the afternoon.

“We strongly encourage everyone to get there on time; this fashion show is one that you don’t want to miss. In fact to motivate guests to get there early, the first 50 guests

Job Posting:

will walk away with a special gift, explained Narmeen, the publisher of SBR Magazine.

Speaking of gifts, SBR will also have a drawing for a flat screen TV. Every guest present will be entered in the drawing, and have the opportunity to be re-entered with every additional purchase made!

“This day is definitely dedicated to shopping and pampering. A free event the entire family can enjoy,” concluded Narmeen.

For more information, visit www.sbrmagazine.com or call 832-452-5044.

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

ENTERTAINMENT

December 9, 2011

dev anand: a a a an actor with Unmatched legacy l

17

Warm tributes have been paid to legendary Bollywood actor-director Dev Anand, who died in London at the age of 88 LONDON (HT) : Dev Anand, the ‘Evergreen Romantic Superstar’ of Indian cinema passed away on Saturday following cardiac arrest. He was 88.

Dev Anand was not keeping well for the last few days, family sources said. His son Sunil was with him when he breathed last.

Dev Anand made his debut as an actor in 1946 in “Hum Ek Hain”. By the time his “Ziddi” was released in 1947 he was a superstar and has never looked back.

Versatile Dev Anand has given countless hits like “ Paying Guest”, “Baazi”, “ Jewel Thief “, “CID”, “ Johny Mera Naam”, “ Amir Garib”, “Warrant”, “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” and “Des Pardes”.

For his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, Dev Anand was honoured with the prestigious the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2001 and ‘Dada Saheb Phalke Award’ in 2002.

He established his film production company ‘Navketan International Films’ in 1949 and has produced more than 35 movies.

Dev Anand has won two Filmfare Awards - India’s equivalent of the Oscars - in 1958 for his performance in the film “Kala Paani” (Black Water) and in 1966 for his performance in “Guide”.

“Guide” went on to win Filmfare Awards in five other categories including “Best Film” and “Best Director” and was sent as India’s entry for the Oscars in the foreign film category that year.

He co-produced the English Version of “Guide” with the Nobel Laureate Pearl S Buck (“The Good Earth”).

In 1993, he received a Filmfare “Lifetime Achievement Award” and in 1996 he received

a Screen Videocon “Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Of late he was involved in the direction of a new all American film Project “Song Of Life” - a musical love story which was to be shot in the United States.

He was to play the central character in the film which was to have a predominantly American star cast.

Dev Anand is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned film director Shekhar Kapur.

Indian Americans fondly remember the legend: The demise of veteran actor and filmmaker Dev Anand elicited expressions of shock and sadness from his Indian-American fans and those who knew him personally, with many terming his passing away as a “sad day” and an end to a generation in Indian cinema.

Sangeeta Singh, associate director in a Manhattan school, recalled that her first memories of the legendary actor were of his movies like Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

“After Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand’s death is another great loss for Indian cinema. He was a legend and people imitated him for him,” Singh told PTI. She fondly recalled Anand’s distinctive style, particularly his way of wearing his cap and scarf around the neck. His movies were “unparalleled and while they became a little eccentric later, they were always loved and respected”.

Filmmaker Deepa Mehta too paid tributes to the thespian and said “to your vibrancy and belief in immortality - well you will live on and

on and on.”

Vivek John, Senior Business Analyst at a global FMCG firm said the demise of Dev Anand marks “almost the end of a generation of actors and film makers who struggled to build the great Indian movie industry, which the modern film fraternity has taken for granted.”

“The optimism and stubbornness to act only as the lead despite criticisms until a few years ago, makes him a mysterious icon of optimism and self confidence that first generation Indian migrants to America can easily relate to, as it is the same that gave them the encouragement to chase their American dream and prosper,” he said.

The Indian Americans, who over the years came to know him personally, be it in New York – the city he loved the most – or Califor California where he made frequent visits because of Hollywood, remember him as a man “young in his outlook and full of energy”.

While not much is known about when he travelled to the United States for the first time, old timers remember his trip to the US after the release of his ward-winning movie Guide.

Waheeda Rahman in fact received the Best Actress Award

at the Chicago Film Festival for the English version of the movie Guide, recollects his family friend Kenya-born Indian-origin physician from Los Angeles, Pravin Syal.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

18 December 9, 2011 w a we are the web w

Kapil Sibal, Union minister for communications and information technology, caused great consternation when he declared his intention to scour the Web of “objectionable content”. He showed reporters choice examples of material that maligned Islam, the PM and Sonia Gandhi, among others, and insisted that companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc, make sure they conform to India’s “community standards” and weed this stuff out themselves. He also reportedly added that he didn’t mean automatic filters, he wanted human monitors. He announced these radical changes on his own, without even a pro forma public consultation on a matter that affects our freedoms so powerfully.

We know what Sibal means — there is plenty on the Web that is cruel and twisted. Online anonymity makes it easier to express our vilest thoughts, and say things we might never say in person. Even on foUnion Human Resource Development rums like Facebook Minister Kapil Sibal. File Photo: Rajeev Bhatt or Twitter, you can find mean, misogynist, untrue and blasphemous things. But the solution that Sibal proposes is far, far worse, and is the reflex of tyrannies and dictatorships. It also shows his fundamental misunderstanding of the Internet — that which cannot be censored, that which routes around all interference — and any attempt to censor it means practically killing it off. The Web is simply all of us, talking to each other. You can’t monitor it any more than you can monitor gossip, or climb inside minds and regulate private thoughts. People are, however, free to look away, or counter words and images with their own. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where this conversation occurs, already allow users to report offensive material or abuse — and it is impossible for them to referee all conversation and penalise the nasties. Not to mention the philosophical hurdles in identifying the offensive — what is gratuitous nudity or hate speech to you may be art and political expression to others. Of course, social media sites, now that they allow publishing and broadcasting in their fullest forms, will increasingly face the challenge of governments and regulators.

- Indian Express

EDITORIAL

The w wrong Bogeyman

By Anirudh BhA hAtt AttA ttAchA chAry AryA ryA In recent days, we’ve been getting more of the Washington cliché du jour, that relations between the US and Pakistan have reached “a new low”. Actually, these ties have reached so many new lows that they should be digging their way through to China. Mr Obvious is well employed, with phrases such as widening rifts and gulfs. So many protests have been lodged that they now require additional housing. Lawmakers are riled and threaten tough diplomacy. Or, as the Chinese news agency Xinhua inventively avers: “To say relations between Pakistan and Nato are on edge is an understatement.”

Effigies of American President Barack Obama have been burnt across cities in Pakistan. Matters are getting to a stage where Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority may soon outlaw using the words ‘hope’ and ‘change’ in text messages.

The latest flare-up comes courtesy the Nato air strikes that killed nearly two dozen Pakistani soldiers, though Afghan and American officials have claimed the strikes were in response to an attack originating from or near military bases in Pakistan. Obviously, something went very wrong. Something also went awry with Hussain Haqqani - no favourite of Pakistan’s Deep State, particularly the army and the ISI - who was dumped as ambassador to the US due to Memogate,

when he allegedly tried to warn America of an impending coup in Pakistan after Osama bin Laden’s execution in Abbottabad. At this rate, you could soon describe Pakistan as a State sponsor of error.

However, if you were to ask Washington’s policy gurus about the biggest national security crisis facing the US, the answer, almost always, will be a familiar four-letter word. If you guessed Iran, you win a coconut (or since the Obama administration is broke, an IOU for one).

Understand that presidential elections are due in November 2012. And if Iran does actually threaten a nation’s existence, it’s that of Israel. But the US presidential elections could hinge on how Florida votes. And the decisive swing voters in that southern state are pro-Israel.

A few hundred votes can be critical.

Remember the hanging chads of 2000, which allowed George W Bush to sneak a win over Al Gore?

America embarked on its Iraqi adventure ignoring Af-Pak in 2003. As we now know, it did so at its own peril. But it has a stocked toolbox to support Israel’s valid fears of a nuclear Iran: From sanctioning Iran’s central bank and covert sabotage of Iran’s nuclear and oil installations, to getting Nato muscle behind a Persian Spring. But packing up in Af-Pak will bite, hard.

Meanwhile, if you were to call Washington for an updated Pakistan strategy,

you’ll probably get an automated response: “Please hold while we get the next available representative who can answer your question.” Wait times for such queries, as we all know, could go on forever, unless you get disconnected.

But there’s already a disconnect from the reality of global threats. According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project survey in 2011, just 8% Pakistanis were confident that the US president could be trusted to do the right thing. However, 21% were willing to put their trust in Osama bin Laden, though that was before SEAL Team Six raided his porn stash in Abbottabad.

What should really get the attention of Americans is that 40% Pakistanis surveyed had confidence in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.

That’s close to the level of confidence Americans have in their own president, according to the latest Gallup poll.

As Chinese sage Confucius once said in a pre-Xinhua age, “When the wise man points at the moon, the idiot looks at the finger.”

Every presidential election cycle, the Iranian bogeyman crawls out from under the bed to scare the living daylights out of the candidates claiming to be ablest at answering that critical 3 am phone call.

But, really, it should be Pakistan keeping them awake all night.

- HT

Although the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh has survived the noconfidence motion in the State Legislative Assembly by 160 to 122 votes, this may actually see the deepening of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s political troubles. The survival margin might not seem small but sterner tests lie in wait outside the House. Sixteen Congress MLAs defied the party whip and voted for the motion; all of them owe allegiance to Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the seriously rich son of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. If the ruling party really presses for their disqualification from the Assembly, the government will face a most unwelcome prospect, a mini-Assembly-election. Already there are seven vacancies, six on account of resignations on the Telangana issue, and one caused by the death of a member. Chief Minister Reddy might discover that ensuring that legislators stayed in line is a lot easier than

winning people’s votes. The 16 MLAs who cast their lot with Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy would most likely welcome the opportunity to contest again as candidates of the YSR Congress floated by him.

After losing a string of by-elections in the Telangana region, the Congress looks in deep trouble in the State. While the major opposition parties, the Telugu Desam Party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, and the YSR Congress have little in common, they now find themselves on the same side thanks to the no-confidence motion moved by Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. A united front against the ruling party is nowhere in sight but these parties along with the Left might soon begin to see the benefits of synchronised action against a regime in disarray.

Post-YSR, the chief ministership of Andhra Pradesh has proved to be a crown of thorns. That the Congress managed to

live through the no-confidence motion is largely due to the support extended by the Praja Rajyam led by actor Chiranjeevi.

Although a merger of the two parties was announced, the ruling party does not appear to have kept its end of the bargain.

If things do not go according to plan, Chiranjeevi, whose followers are known to be disgruntled, will have every reason to rethink the merger agreement. What the noconfidence motion might have achieved for the Praja Rajyam is increased lever leverage. For the same reason, another ally, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, will take comfort from the way things went in the Assembly. A government that is being pulled in different directions by its own cadres and leaders on the Telangana issue might now come under increasing pressure from allies. Individually and collectively, other parties appear to have gained more from this floor test than the formal victor.

- The Hindu

losers Gain

IndoAmerican Indo Am 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 BuSineSS & reCreation: JaCoB david 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, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

INDIA

December 9, 2011

America’s r recent Grads, now ssought in India

By nehA eh thirA hirAni Ani (NYT) Born and raised in Minneapolis, Win Bennet traveled extensively with his parents growing up, part of a family that enjoyed exploring different cultures.

When he graduated from Brown University with a major in economics and international relations in 2009, the American job market was less than welcoming, to say the least — so he looked to India.

“India is a natural choice for a few reasons,” said Bennet, 24, who studied urban planning in Bangalore in his junior year.

“The Indian overseas diaspora is a very vibrant and welcoming community.” Also, he said, Indian professional networks with the West are large, deep and growing. “It was easy to explore opportunities and find a niche that fit my passion and skill set,” just by talking to family friends and acquaintances, he said.

Bennet landed a job as an analyst at ICICI, India’s largest private bank, and has lived in Mumbai for the past three years.

With the economy at home showing no signs of improving, an increasing number of recent graduates from the United States are job-hunting in India. Eager for the talent, Indian companies have responded by setting up recruiting programs overseas.

While the pay in India is usually much lower than a graduate would earn in America, a lower cost of living can mean a better quality of life. “The chance to travel the world and live in a colorful Asian democracy far outweighs salary considerations when you have just graduated,” Bennet.

Kunal Bahl, the co-founder of Snapdeal, an Indian e-commerce company, recently returned from a recruiting trip to the United States with stops at Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern and Stanford. “We don’t have a very old legacy of Internet technology in India, and for a company that is as fast-growing as us the talent pool quickly dries up,” said Bahl, 29, an engineer with a business degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

When Snapdeal’s team spread the word that they were planning a U.S. recruiting trip, they were surprised by the response: more than 2,000 resumes, 30 percent of them from people who were not of Indian descent. For many non-Indians, Bahl said, “It’s not that they are not getting jobs

19

IMMIGRATION

H-1B, TN, L and E VISAS, PERM LABOR, EB-2 I-140, Green Card and Appeals Rohit Bansal (left) with Kunal Bahl, co-founders of Snapdeal.com

there, but they are not getting the jobs they want.” So young American graduates “would rather come to India with all the resources available and get to do exciting things,” he said. He plans to return in the spring for another recruiting drive.

Indians who have lived abroad for

some time are also aggressively looking for work back home. “We do get a lot of C.V.’s from people abroad, especially Indians looking to come back to India,” says Hitesh Oberoi, chief executive of Naukri.com, a leading Indian job site.

“The number of Indians going abroad to study has increased significantly in the last few years, and they are potentially a great talent pool for companies here, especially start-ups,” he said.

Snapdeal is not alone in looking for fresh talent overseas; Mahindra & Mahindra is recruiting at the Wharton School at Penn along with Barclays and Royal

Bank of Scotland.At job fairs held in New Jersey and California recently, Indian companies included FlipKart, InfoTech Enterprises, Jindal Steel & Power and Tata Motors.

“In the recent past, a lot of Indians who have been living and working abroad have shown an interest in moving back to the country,” said Mekin Maheshwari, president of engineering at FlipKart, of the decision to participate in the job fair.

Universities have also noticed the trend.

Rajiv Dewan, a senior associate dean at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, said that about 20 percent of the school’s 400 graduates were now taking jobs in Asia, up from less than 10 percent five years ago. Of the nearly 40 Indians in the class, about 10 have taken jobs back home, where in the past only a handful would have done so, he said.,“In the past, if people come back they would be considered a failure,” Mr. Dewan said during a recent visit to India.

“Now, when people come back they feel that this is the best start for them.”

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

COMMUNITY BUSINESS

20 December 9, 2011

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By AninditA ninditA Ghose (Mint) He has little in common with Dom Pérignon, the 17th century French Benedictine monk widely acknowledged as the spiritual father of champagne. But Daniel Lalonde could be a born-again Pérignon, evangelizing the world over for the pale-gold sparkling wine like he does.

Pérignon was perfecting winemaking for the church; Lalonde is on a mission to perfect the brand’s luxury positioning as the president and CEO of Moët & Chandon, the world’s leading champagne house owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

In India a few days ahead of a globally synchronized event for the brand—charity auctions in 11 cities across the world to celebrate a 100-year-old champagne from the brand’s Grand Vintage Collection on 11/11/11 (11 November)—Lalonde can talk for hours on the history and heritage of champagne, how it should be paired (through a meal) and served (in a large glass, and not a flute).

During our meeting he watches intently, and with undisguised admiration, as the server at Le Cirque at The Leela Palace New Delhi pours out two glasses of Moët & Chandon— like one would regard their fouryear-old on a playground slide—but doesn’t go beyond a few sips over the next hour. A night earlier, he had hosted a dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla in Mumbai; he has a dinner to attend in Delhi right after this. He is well served by a bottle of sparkling water.

Lalonde, a Francophone Canadian who declares he’s most comfortable in “the middle of the Atlantic ocean”, joined Moët & Chandon in July 2010 with a mission to develop the brand’s international success. He has held several CEO positions within LVMH before this. First as CEO of LVMH Watch and Jewelry North America, which includes brands such as TAG Heuer, Christian Dior and De Beers LV. And then as president and CEO of Louis Vuitton North America, establishing it as the top luxury brand in North America. He has also lectured at prominent institutions, including the Harvard Business School and Columbia University.

“I’ve been building my experience in the luxury sector along the way,” says Lalonde, making a note of his special interest in wine and oenology.

An avid wine collector himself, he has over 200 vintage bottles tucked away in his private cellars in Paris and Champagne.

Lalonde is a native of Cornwall in Ontario, Canada, and he has straddled both sides of the Atlantic. Being bilingual in English and French has helped. After college in Ontario, where he studied math at the University of Waterloo, he did his MBA from Insead in France. His first foray in the luxury sector was with the startup espresso brand Nespresso in Lausanne, Switzerland (here, one must add that 48-year-old Lalonde bears a striking resemblance to George Cloo-

ney, Nespresso’s ambassador). He moved back to North America for his stints with LVMH’s fashion sectors in New York and now lives in Paris in the high-nosed 16th arrondissement, or district, home to old money and corporate moguls, with his Italian wife and three children.

Lalonde believes that to sell luxury one has to be intrinsically obsessed with one’s product. It’s evident that

he is caught up in the long history of his brand, and that the retelling of Pérignon’s story is the part he loves best. “Champagne is an artisanal product. My work starts with the story of Dom Pérignon, and I make sure it’s that way for my staff too. I tell them to pull out the anecdotes...people fall in love.” Lalonde knows how to make people fall in love. He’s the guru of romance-laced anecdotes, explaining that while champagne existed before Pérignon, he was the one who mastered the concept of assemblage, or pressing grapes from different vineyards separately, to give champagne its distinct character.

But most importantly, he gave champagne the effervescence we identify it with today.“He gave champagne its sparkle,” says Lalonde. “It wasn’t always a bubbly.”

Moët & Chandon’s estates include the Abbey of Hauteville, where Pérignon spent 47 years as a winemaker and where he is buried. Their most premium champagne, the cuvée de prestige, is named Dom Pérignon in deference.

Lalonde sits easily, with none of the stuffy body language one would expect of a 16th arrondissement resident. I ask him about the watch he’s wearing: a TAG Heuer Grand Car Carrera.

“This is one I helped design. It’s one

of my favourites. Easy to travel with: dress up, dress down,” he says.

While aware of the understated but persistent marketing that luxury brands warrant, Lalonde is a strong believer in product details. “It can’t only be about how you communicate your product. Luxury is fundamentally about the product itself. There’s an incredible amount of detail that goes into luxury goods...so yes, I try to get into the creative end every once in a while.”

With a predilection for oenology, Lalonde has his nose in the House’swines too. He spends about a week every month in Champagne, a couple of weeks at the head office in Paris and the rest of the time meeting consumers around the world.

Lalonde took over as CEO at a difficult time, just after the global recession. He has been responsible for several brand strategies, including creating new ways to drink champagne. The House just launched the first champagne designed to be served with ice cubes: The Ice Imperial is meant to be served at beach resorts and hot spots such as St Tropez and Miami, garnished with berries and cucumber.

Founded in 1743 by vintner Claude Moët, the company has history on its side. Napoleon was one of its earliest patrons. Over the years, the brand has practically created the celebratory gestures we associate with champagne today: the sabering of the bottle (this harks back to Napoleon), the christening of ships, its ubiquitousness in film award ceremonies and the triumphant spray of champagne after a sports victory are among the many. This year marks 10 years of Moët Hennessy India, which started distributing Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon in retail spots and restaurants in metros this year. Together, the two champagne brands of the House control 80% of the champagne market in India in terms of volume.

Lalonde’s trip also coincides with the imminent launch of Chandon, an indigenous sparkling wine that will be produced locally in Nashik, Maharashtra. The first bottles will be out in early 2013.

The brief that Lalonde has given himself is to leave the brand in better condition than when he took over.

“I’m only playing a small role in the history of a brand that goes back more than 250 years and one that will stay around for longer than I will...it’s a small chapter but I want it to be a significant one.”

Apart from the stories, what’s kept Moët & Chandon’s heritage alive are the vintage bottles that the Chef de Cave of the House tucks away every year. These are living champagnes, still developing in bottle in under underground cellars that run up to 20km at the estate. These are what are banked upon for special occasions such as the 11/11/11 charity auction.

Lalonde intends to start putting away more bottles from now on. “For my chapter in champagne history,” he says.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

December 9, 2011

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

21

COMMUNITY

22 December 9, 2011

Pratham Houston to stage s A Tryst with Destiny

HOUSTON: Pratham Houston will stage ‘A Tryst with Destiny’ on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at the Cullen Auditorium, University of Houston. Written by Amita Deepak Jha, the play is a historical docudrama based on the events of the freedom struggle (1919-1947) in India.

History is a creation of the past events; in fact it is several creations put together. There can be no single version of it. This play is one such version of history based on multiple historical documents, including the

British Raj in India.

The first act of the play establishes the first 15-20 years of the freedom struggle. The play begins with Gandhiji’s call for non-cooperation and Satyagraha in the face of the British oppressive laws like the notorious Rowlatt Act of 1919. Gandhiji urges people to be swadeshi, spin charkha and wear khadi, to break the British economic control on India.

The prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress and Swaraj party, such as Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mo-

and becomes angry with the Congress for not sharing power with the Muslims. He’s later appointed the leader of the Muslim League. The congress leaders face vexing issues of HinduMuslim conflicts, caste divisions, economic and social differences that plague the country and continue to push ahead and force the British to the negotiation table for allowing India to self govern.

The second act of the play depicts the period from 1937 to 1947 as the Congress wins elections in

autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru, the diaries of the personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi (in ten volumes

by Mahadev Desai), and the history of the Indian National Congress among many others. Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah were the main actors who propelled the drama that unfolded over 30 years and ended the

tilal Nehru and Pandit Malaviya, are uncertain of the feasibility of Gandhi ji’s approach of satyagrah and spinning to gain freedom. But the masses in India choose Gandhiji as their leader and take on mass civil disobedience. Jinnah, once an ardent supporter of the National Congress, disagrees with Gandhi ji’s approach

Upper Provinces, but Hindu- Muslim conflicts deepen and the power struggle between the Congress and the Muslim League intensifies. The politics and personalities of the major leaders as Gandhiji, Nehru, Maulana Azad and Jinnah collide with each other and the British. There are major riots and violence in the country, as

Jinnah calls for a hartal and “Direct Action” day- a call to Muslims to demand a separate nation of Pakistan.

Viceroy Wavell (1943-1946) and Sir Stafford Cripps, as delegates of the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, try to negotiate a peaceful settlement for a united India but fail. At that time, in 1946, Britain was under heavy debt due to the Second World War. Sir Winston Churchill the Prime minister of Britain, had stepped down,

and Prime Minister Attlee was in charge and wanted the British out of India. Lord Mountbatten arrived in March 1947 to wrap up the empire.

He decided that the division of the country was the only way for the British to transfer the power peacefully. However, it culminated in a forced violent migration of 15 million people becoming one of the bloodiest transfers of power and division of a country in human history.

Read us online: www.indoamerican-news.com

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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December 9, 2011

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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ENTERTAINMENT

24 December 9, 2011

Movie Review

By PrA rAteeksh AteekshA teekshA khot (Bollyspice) “Only three things work in the film industry,” says Balan’s character, ”Enter ”Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment.”

While many Bollywood movies have been exploiting this fact to the core with “entertainment” solely replacing content, Ekta Kapoor’s and Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture proves a point that you can serve both entertainment and good content together. And yes, if the promos have made an impression that this movie is all sex, then you couldn’t be more wrong. For the makers of this movie have definitely ensured that what you take home from this movie is a complete package.

Though the movie claims to be a fictionalized account, it isn’t difficult to see that it definitely is based on the 80’s south siren Silk Smitha’s life. Having run away from her home the night before her marriage, Reshma (Vidya Balan), has only one dream: to make it big in Kollywood (Tamil film industry). And she is ready to do anything to make it come true. However, what makes her different from other such aspirants is that she is totally unapologetic about it and that’s the first thing you love about her – her lack of hypocrisy. So whether it’s “tuning for playing the band” with aging South ‘Smashing’ Superstar Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah) who is her childhood crush and her current co-star or showcasing her plunging necklines- round girth – skimpy clothes- voluptuous figure to the front benchers, Reshma aka Silk never feels guilty. The adulation, the fame, the crazy fans and the loud cheering and whistles are like adrenalin to her – she lives on it. Never caring what the world has to say about her, she keeps on climbing the ladder of success purely on her attitude and oomph. And while there are men who lust for her, there are others who just hate her for her boldness. Film critics and women groups propagate against her; cerebral director Ebraham (Emraan Hashmi) who indirectly is responsible for the rise of Silk, can never accept “filth” like Silk to be a part of the industry. There are others like Surya, for whom she is a “dirty secret” – a part of the night, never to be revealed in broad daylight. While Silk keeps on mistaking Surya’s lust for love, his younger brother Ramakant (Tusshar Kapoor) an aspiring writer loves her dearly, but is too meek to accept her for what she is. Having suffered heartbreaks twice, Silk’s downfall starts when she starts caring for what the others have to say about her. Coupled with an arrogant attitude, drinking problem and a penchant for taking ‘pangas’, her decline is rapid… but the rest is a spoiler so I will stop here. Having made a successful movie together earlier (Once Upon A Time In Mumbai), Milan Luthria and Rajat Aroraa strike once again with a script that surely keeps you hooked. As far as direction goes Milan does complete justice to the script, however the screenplay does have a few drawbacks. The first half of the movie defi-

nitely scores over the latter as far as screenplay and execution go. Silk’s rise to fame in the first half is shown in a very peppy and must say in a pretty justified manner. Her downfall though seems a bit hurried and there are a few tracks which you feel Rajat should have elaborated more. The biggest plus point of this movie is that although the film chronicles the life story of a B-grade film actress, the sleaze and skin show never seem unnecessary or in your face – never once do you feel that it’s ugly and vulgar. True, that a major part of the first half goes in showing Silk’s heaving breasts and grinding hips and you feel that instead of getting a bit repetitive they could have elaborated more on her character and those of the others. Also an out of place romantic song between Vidya and Emraan drags the second half. But then in those 3 hours Rajat does manage to put forth a lot. Dialogues are one of the highlights of this movie.

Many may feel that it’s very over the top and loud but then remember, it’s the 80s! Thirty minutes into the movie and it becomes almost impossible to keep a track of these one-liners.

Whether it’s Shah openly admitting that “jab sharafat ke kapde utarte hain toh sabse jyaada mazaa shareefon ko hi data hai” or a fan who after a peck on the cheek tells Silk “Aapne toh start karke shod diya!”, Rajat has peppered his screenplay with enough wacky dialogues. The setting of the movie keeps in mind the era then and although a bit glossy, those Marti 800s, retro looks, Niharika Khan’s costumes for Silk, the portrayal of the industry then (when the

directors called the actresses “Baby”) all add to the look and feel of the movie. Akiv Ali’s editing is good, Bobby Singh’s cinematography is apt and Pony Prakash Raj’s choreography does justice to the era. Vishal-Shekhar do justice to the movie with songs that complement the feel of the film pretty well. Of course, the song that stands out is ‘Oh-La-La’ with its Himatwalastyle choreography with flowing lemons and wet sarees – it’s purely nostalgic.

A good screenplay needs to be complemented with great performances. This is where The Dirty Picture scores again. Naseer in his colorful clothes and dyed hair as the aged ‘One take” star who still plays the college boy and makes full use of his stardom is amazing to watch. True, his character is a caricature but then you end up laughing at his antics and loathing him for the way he treats Silk. Emraan Hashmi as the “serious” filmmaker who loathes the “commercial” kind of stuff Silk does but ends up doing exactly the same is fun to watch. It’s the Hashmi of Footpath, Kalyug and Jannat that you get to see after a long time. You wish he was a bit more cognizant about the kind of movies he does.

Tusshar Kapoor is the weakest of the three male leads. Though his character is supposed to be meek, you somehow have the feeling that he walked straight from Love U..Mr Kalakaar to The Dirty Picture. Anju Mahendroo as the film critic who never stops from writing negative about Silk but admires her nonetheless and Rajesh Sharma as the South Indian film producer/director have stereotypical roles but they

do justice nevertheless.

The star of the movie without any doubt is Vidya Balan. With a brilliant, power packed performance, she definitely stands out throughout the movie, shadowing even the story sometimes. The most courageous and outrageous character any actress has probably ever played, Vidya reinforces the fact that Ishqiya, Paa and No One Killed Jessica are not flukes. Whether is the dusky plain Jane, the hunter-hitting side artist, the starry eyed struggler, the rising Silk, the fading star or the heart broken woman, Balan plays a vivid spectra of characters throughout the movie and leaves you mesmerized with her performance.

So if it’s the baggy eyes, sagging cheeks and increasing girth in the second half or the vamp with those shockingly small costumes in the first, it’s Silk you see throughout the movie, never Vidya. Watch out for the scenes where she looks at the crowd cheering her first onscreen dance in the theatre with child-like joy or where she dances on top of a car and kisses Tusshar just to spoil Anju’s party and take her revenge on Naseer or whether it’s the last letter she writes to Emraan, Vidya shines out in every scene – and boy, does she shine out bright.

Once in a while comes a movie which dares to break the conventional decorum and bring something new to the audience especially something which the audience enjoys. In spite of some flaws The Dirty Picture manages to do just that. Take a bow Ms. Balan. You definitely are entertainment!

Aamir, Kiran get a son through IVF, surrogacy (TOI) On December 1, actor Aamir Khan and his filmmaker-wife, Kiran Rao welcomed their first-born son-but with a classy difference.

The couple, in an openness that is rare in the Indian society, announced that their son was born through surrogacy using the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) technique.

Their letter, which was released to the media on Monday, thanked miracles of science and read, “This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty.” The letter added that due to medical complications, “we were advised to have a baby through IVF-surrogacy, and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that all has gone well”. The couple didn’t mention whether their son was born in Mumbai or outside. They underwent treatment with Dr Firuza Parikh, who heads Jaslok Hospital’s IVF department.

On Monday, Dr Parikh told TOI, “This is an extremely happy moment for us. Kiran has gone through a lot and we are all excited for her. They underwent IVF-surrogacy treatment and they are the biological and genetic parents of the baby.” Family sources suggested that

Kiran Rao (38), who suffered a miscarriage last year, had uterine medical problems that necessitated a surrogacy.

The couple married in December 2005.

Aamir (46) has two other children from his first wife, Reena Dutta. On Monday, in a single sweep of words, the actor who is associated with some path-breaking films emerged as the poster-boy for IVF and surrogacy-terms that Indians in general have been too squeamish to discuss in the open. His ‘endorsement of sorts’ comes in a year of controversies surrounding surrogacy in Mumbai; babies born through it to foreigners were deemed ‘stateless’ because their parents’ country of origin didn’t recognize surrogacy. The medical fraternity believes that Aamir’s letter will change the public perception about IVF. Dr Indira Hinduja, who is officially credited with India’s first test-tube baby born in KEM Hospital 25 years ago, said, “It’s nice of Aamir Khan to talk about it. He is a top star and people may now no longer mind undergoing a surrogacy treatment and talking about it.”

Infertility specialist Dr Hrishikesh Pai said Aamir’s statement would bring surrogacy

into the mainstream of medicine. But, more important, he said, was that Aamir’s “speaking out” will help people accept the world of IVF. “I get calls from former patients saying they have recommended my centre to a friend or family member. In the same breath, they add that they don’t want this person to know that they themselves had undergone IVF treatment with me earlier. People are paranoid about being considered disadvantaged for seeking help in having a child.” Aamir’s endorsement could have both a positive and a negative impact, said infertility specialist Dr Aniruddha Malpani.

“Celebs play a big role in influencing societal attitudes and the fact that Aamir Khan has used surrogacy to have a baby and has issued a press release stating this publicly means that many other infertile couples will want to learn more about this option,” he said.

The bad impact, he said, is that surrogacy will now become more acceptable as a method of family building. “The danger is that many other infertile couples will follow blindly in his footsteps. Surrogacy can be misused, overused and abused,” added Dr Malpani.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

HOROSCOPE ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: With free-spirited Uranus retrograde in Aries This week, Uranus resumes forward motion, inviting you back to your throne.

Take charge without being domineering. This planetary shift could also awaken your slumbering independent spirit.

A friendship or partnership has been causing you a bit of strife. You could buddy up with a kindred spirit will be pleasurable and possibly even profitable. You will be successful in small business ventures.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 This week, Uranus resumes forward motion, rewarding you for all your detective work and your willingness to allow divine timing to take its course.

You can trust your inner guidance once again, as your gut feelings have been recalibrated with reality. A mentor could appear or even “Earth Angels,” people who help open doors that might formerly have been closed to you.

A lucrative offer could come your way, or an unexpected bonus. Do not allow personal life to mix in with your job.

GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: Your ability to connect with people has been erratic at best.

You see the clear benefits of belonging, but you dont have the desire to try. This week, Uranus resumes direct motion, bringing back the team player in you. Participation is your new keyword. There is an eclipse in your sign, bound to hit a very per personal note. You are a natural partner, however sometimes you ignore your own needs in your efforts to make other people happy. The eclipse wants you to right those wrongs, but don’t play the blame game. Engage your loved ones as your partners in the process.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: Working smarter, not harder, is the grand theme of the week.

Start researching and exploring software, gadgets, for improving your workflow. You spend some time plugging away at a tutorial or other online manual.

Adding a new technical skill could improve your income soon. This is a stellar week for networking, as Uranus is powering you forward in your career . Strike up a conversation with the CEO or board member. You have every reason to feel confident that you can make it on your own.

Know that these thoughts of fear are all in your head, don’t resist them. The sooner you feel, the sooner you’ll heal.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23: Think globally, Leo, and act it, too. Revolutionary Uranus powers forward in your house of travel and world affairs, beyond the confines of your local community. Start exploring opportunities for a pilgrimage, You don’t mind being the oddball; in fact, it appeals to your Leo desire to stand out and be special. You may discover that someone on Team Leo has not been totally honest with you, forgive and forget. You’ve accomplished something incredible, and it’s important to enjoy that as much as possible.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Hey, Virgo, you’re wired to be dutiful, but it’s up to you to set limits so that you don’t lose your mojo. Ask your partner for the help you need and divide up duties in a fair and equitable way.

This is true for single Virgos as well. You can get swept up in the role of office martyr or the favor-giving friend. The recipe for happiness is simple: less work, more play. Do some soul-searching: what are the things that have complicated your life to this point of unmanageability? An exciting

www.AstroStyle.com and unexpected job connection could arise, possibly through someone you meet in a social situation.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: A liberated view on love is coming your way, Uranus is the freespirited planet of innovation, and it wants you to question everything. Take time to think about what really works for you. You might actually get your “happily ever after” if you do. Be open to someone who challenges you intellectually, someone who isn’t afraid to fly his or her freak flag and stand for his or her ideals.

SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: While you enjoy being busy, you may be using work as an excuse for hiding out. You hate feeling vulnerable and often resist the initial icebreaker phase of making new friends.

Fill your fridge with healthy food. Indulge in a facial or a massage. Opportunity may come through the connections of a friend or someone you meet at a networking event.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: This week, the planet of social networking resumes forward motion, inviting you to step forth as the leader and figurehead of your entourage. Media attention could come your way, don’t shy away from opportunities like this. A creative project could benefit from the power of teamwork. While you prefer to work independently, you don’t have to give that up in order to join forces. Carve out individual terrain, and know that if you select responsible, self-motivated people, you won’t have to worry about them missing a deadline.

CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: This week, Uranus turns direct, helping you own your place wherever you go. Embrace the concept of “divine belonging,”. This is more of a psychological shift than anything. With your attunement towards propriety, you tend to worry too much about stepping on people’s toes. Making actual changes to your physical space could also be a hallmark of this week. Changes to your diet or fitness routine may be necessary. Your stress levels could reach a fever pitch if you don’t manage them.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19:You’ve felt as if people were not understanding, appreciating, or even respecting your needs, and as such you had to put up a higher than usual boundary to make your point. Beginning this week, start disassembling that wall you built.

Your ability to negotiate and navigate the nuances of working with other people improves dramatically. You don’t have to wait until you’ve hit your boiling point to express your needs. Rather than issuing edicts, remember the art of compromise.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: Money and freedom do not need to be mutually exclusive, Pisces. With liberated Uranus resuming forward motion in your income, you may discover opportunities to create breathing room in your work schedule. Telecommuting may an answer, and allows you to set more flexible hours. Working with the right group of people is also a crucial component to your happiness. Look for opportunities to connect with coworkers who you find inspiring and intellectually stimulating. If there’s an opportunity to shift to a new team, begin exploring that now. Socializing has a powerful impact on your career this week.

December 9, 2011

“MASALA WOK IS HOT. IT’S COOL, IT’S WOW” Dallas Morning News

“THIS WOK ROCKS WITH INDIAN AND CHINESE FLAVORS” SAYS THE GUIDE

LOCATION

10001 Westheimer Road. Houston, TX 77042 Phone: 713-784-8811 www.MasalaWok.com

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 9 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O