E newspaper 12082017

Friday, December 08, 2017 | Vol. 36, No. 48

Indo American News

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Hindi Poetry by Local Kavis

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Outgoing National International Hindi Association President Swapan Dhairyawan was presented with a token of appreciation and a white shawl by, from left, program emcee Meera Kapur, ICC President Falguni Gandhi, IHA Houston cofounder Sangeeta Pasrija and IHA President Dr. K.D. Upadhya.

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Pratham Supports Entrepreneurship for Women P3

Pratham Houston Board of Directors along with Keynote Speaker Gabriella Rowe and Co-Chair Susan Boggio at the Pratham Holiday Luncheon & Fashion Show on Friday, December 1 at The Junior League of Houston.

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December 08, 2017

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COMMUNITY

December 08, 2017

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Glitz, Glamour & Philanthropy @ Pratham Holiday Luncheon & Fashion Show!

From left: Ash Shah, President, Pratham Houston; Asha Dhume, President Elect, Pratham Houston; Dr. Sapna Singh; Dr. Marie Goradia, Board members, Pratham Houston.

Fashion show by Ghungat showcasing the Shalimar Collection.

Photos: Deborah Wallace, Barfield Photography

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA

HOUSTON:

Fashion, Fun & Philanthropy- these were the three flavors that spiced up the afternoon, last Friday, December 1. The Junior League of Houston witnessed the intriguing, glitzy and benevolent Pratham Holiday Luncheon & Fashion Show 2017. Established in 1995, Pratham is one of the largest and most successful non-governmental education organizations in India, that aims at providing education to children in India. Pratham USA is a volunteer-driven organization with 14 chapters across the United States that raises awareness and mobilizes financial resources for the work in India. Each year, Pratham Houston organizes two events that help raise funds, The Gala and The Luncheon, which are the talk of the town, days before and after they take place. And the reason for this popularity is multi-fold, and you will agree as you read further.

The luncheon started with a social hour, where the enthusiastic guests showed up, dressed in glamorous holiday spirits. The main hall soon got packed with these delighted guests. The Master of Ceremonies- Rekha Muddaraj, TV anchor for KHOU 11 News, welcomed everyone and shared some details about Pratham.

Bimla and Swatantra Jain, Treasurer and National Board member, Pratham USA.

She mentioned that Pratham provides quality education across 20 states in India. She also stated that Pratham’s effective and low cost methodology, collaborations with government, local communities, parents, local teachers and volunteers, has helped them immensely in achieving their mission. Rekha then welcomed Ash Shah, Pratham’s President and supporter for the last 11 years, who has served on the Houston Executive and advisory board and has been the Houston chapter president for the last 2 years.

In his welcome note, Ash Shah mentioned that this event is special to him as his two-year presidency comes to an end, sharing his last presidential speech. He said that the funds raised in the Luncheon, will be donated for offering vocational skill training to young women. He also shared details about Pratham’s meth-

Rekha Muddaraj, TV Anchor, KHOU 11 News

odology, and described Pratham as a comprehensive mentoring organization. He said, “Pratham helps young women realize their dreams about entrepreneurship by financing their micro enterprising like beauty salons”. Ash mentioned that various chapters in USA raise over 30 million dollars annually, for different Pratham initiatives in India, and that has in turn helped over 50 million children and youth over the last two decades. Audiences were astounded to know that the average annual cost to educate a child is just $25. Ash closed his speech by saying, “ I have enjoyed my two year term a lot, and I am blessed to be around such amazing people, generous donors and an incredible team. I am overjoyed and emotional about passing the torch to the next president, Asha Dhume”. He then thanked the national board members in attendance Swatantra Jain, Dr. Marie Goradia, all other board members, along with

From left: Asheet Yagnik, Pratham Houston Board member; Pankaj Dhume; Asha Dhume, President Elect, Pratham Houston; Harish Katharani; Madhusudan Desai; Swatantra Jain, Treasurer & National Board member, Pratham USA.

From left: Swatantra Jain, Treasurer and National Board member, Pratham USA; Leena Shah, Co-Chair, Houston Luncheon; Ash Shah, President, Pratham Houston; Brigitte Kalai.

the events co-chairs Susan Boggio, Dr. Sippi Khurana, his wife Leena Shah and the entire Pratham Houston team. Complimenting this solid speech, a video featuring Pratham Board members sharing their belief in Pratham and the importance of education was played.

Leena Shah, event co-chair, then introduced the keynote speaker of the event, Gabriella Rowe, Head of School at The Village School.

Gabriella Rowe, moved to Houston in the summer of 2014,

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ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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December 08, 2017

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COMMUNITY

December 08, 2017

Jigs & Shimmers, Illusion & Enchantment @ Infusion 2017

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA

STAFFORD: Last Saturday, De-

cember 2, was quite unconventional and offbeat, as the much-anticipated Infusion 2017-A Magical Musical Bollywood Spectacular was held in full vigor and galore at the St. Joseph’s Auditorium.

Infused Performing Arts has been entertaining audiences since the beginning of their musical journey, way back in 2009. The lovely couple, founders and choreographers- Tina Bose-Kumar & Kiron Kumar started Infused Performing Arts out of their sheer passion and dedication for promoting the rich Indian culture to students and audiences around USA. In just six years, Infused Performing Arts has grown immensely, with their studios across Houston, Sugar Land, Stafford & Pearland.

This year’s mega-event, the seventh annual production from Infused Performing Arts, was a free event for the public. It was based on a Magical Bollywood Musical and a Bollywood interpretation of Grease. Chief Guest Allen Owen, the Mayor of Missouri City, welcomed all and shared his experiences of the Hurricane Harvey, and the relief work that has been done for the last three months. He thanked Infused Performing Arts for raising funds at the show and donating them to his Harvey Relief fund.

The terrific duo Tina-BoseKumar & Kiron Kumar choreographed and directed this spectacular affair. And it was nothing short of a star-studded Bollywood night, except that the stars here were the Infused Performing Arts Dance Company, students and the professional Belly Dancers, Miriam Amaya and Jenaan. As evening set in, some electrifying performances showed up, and these included various forms of dance that were complimented with opulent costumes, some extraordinary magical illusions, and some exceedingly remarkable stunts. Infused Performing Arts

has been known for wooing their audiences by serving them an enchanting display of dance, infused with magic. And this show definitely had these sensational spices that flowed consistently across all their memorable performances.

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The opening act of Bahubali theme dance stunned everyone when Tina Bose magically appeared out of an empty box.

While belly dancers Miriam and Jenaan, and the men from Dance Co. soared temperatures across the hall with their Manohari performance, Piya More and Bom Diggy club flaunted some modern twirls and sways on jazz and hiphop elements. An edge-of-the-seat act was exhibited by Swalla Jathi Mix when Miriam did a tricky sword balancing, while some mind-blowing Kuchipudi performance was being displayed on a plate. Next in

Photos: Murali Santhana

row was a cute little performance that featured some bubbly girls of various ages, spinning and whirling away to the popular numbers, BreakUp Song, Udi Jaye, Gulaabi, and the classic Ek Do Teen. Armed with props, pots, streamers, and cartwheels, while these girls charmed everyone with their cute acts, the boys were full of zeal and energy with their acrobatic somersaults and more, on Dishoom, Cutipie, and Disco Disco. It seemed like a competing performance, when some senior girls barged in

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again and seized the audiences with their breath-taking fan dance, performed on the famous Kehna hi kya. Their energy was an absolute match with the boys’ and their lifts and splits on Girls like to Swing were testimony to that.

Like always, the finale’s of Infused Performing Arts is so magnanimous that it gets the entire audiences up on their seats. And no, it is not only for a standing ovation, but also for participation in shaking their legs. And the finale on this day was no less. All the 175 performers up on stage swaying away to glory on Jimiki Kamal and Oh Ho Ho surely brought the house down. This level of an exhilarating and intoxicating performance can always be experienced with Tina and Kiron’s team. The finale act featured an epic rendition of what seemed straight out of a Bollywood movie. The antagonist (Keith Larue) locked the hero (Kiron) in a box, up on stage, but he magically vanished out of thin air. The next moment he was seen entering the hall on a motorcycle, with the heroine (Tina). And the surprise did not end there, the box that had Kiron in it, now had Keith locked inside. This perplexing act excited the audiences so much that the entire hall was roaring with thunderous applauds. The marvelous show had scripts and dialogues by Kiron Kumar and Yaksha Bhatt, while the gleam and blaze; the lighting was under the supervision of Balu Madhu and Suman Mangu. Stage managers who supported the act were Swetha Nelankanti, Haya Panjwani, Bhavana Gollapudi, Sadhana Gollapudi, and Sathvika Karungati. After the awe-inspiring show, elated Tina and Kiron, mentioned that they are thankful to the audience for supporting their shows in all these years. They also made a special mention about the parents who have trusted and supported these two with their children.

The shows of Infused Performing Arts are always looked forward to and their next distinguished staging will be the Rockets vs. OKC Halftime performance on April 7, 2018.

To participate, Infused Performing Arts is conducting auditions for experienced dancers aged 7 & above, to perform for halftime.

Please get in touch by visiting www.infusedperformingarts.com or calling 724-638-7338.

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Betwixt the Twists & Turns of the Rhymes in Hindi Poetry

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

SUGAR

LAND: It was two nights before puran mashi – the full moon – and in this crowd of people who had come to listen to Hindi poetry, it was only fitting that dinner be served on the outside deck of Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land, by the edge of the lake and in the bright moonlight on the cool Friday night of December 1.

It was enough to have the poet in you come brimming out.

Soon enough, after the gajjar halwa (carrot pudding), twelve poets took turns to caress the ears with soothing sonnets, limericks couplets and verses in Hindi. All of them were local although one – Dr. Nausha Asrar – has a distinctive style of delivery peppered with humorous anecdotes that he has presented in many international mushairas (symposiums). But the one who got the evening going was Houston’s own witty poet, Fateh Ali Chatur, who delivered a hilarious poem on the meeting at a stop light between a street vendor in India and a motorist, which left everyone in stitches.

Together, and with a hall full of admirers, the poets and the organizers of the International Hindi Association’s sixth annual Kavi Sammelan (A Gathering of Poets) held their two hour program. It

After the Kavi Sammelan, the Hindi poets and members of the IHA and ICC gathered together.

Photos: Sanjay Sohini, Nik Nikam, and Jawahar Malhotra

The Kavi Sammelan started with dinner on the outdoor deck at Madras Pavilion under a moonlit night.

brings local poets to present their own poems or recite those that they love, in an event held almost entirely in Hindi. It also gives the audience which has been surrounded by English most of their days, to once again be immersed in the predominant language of India, and some strain to catch up with phrases and words that they have long since not used.

Coordinating and emceeing the event was Meera Kapur, who welcomed the audience in surprisingly complicated Hindi and noted that 35 poets had presented in the six years that the program has been

HINDU WORSHIP SOCIETY

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conducted, with 12 alone today.

The program kicked off with a song by 12 year-old Eesha Dhairyawan, daughter of IHA Houston Chapter co-founder Swapan Dhairyawan, who sang a lilting Hindi song.

Besides Chatur and Asrar, the other poets who presented their creations were, Saroj Gupta, Dr. Harendra Chahar, Alka Raj, Sangeeta Pasrija, Pravina Kadakia, Sadia Ahmad, Dr. Suresh Moonat, Dr. Sudha Goyal, Dr. Sarita Mehta and Meghna Banerjee. Gupta said she wrote the poem on the return flight from India and Raj, a newcomer to the event, presented four poems.

The India Culture Center has been a partner with the group in promoting its programs, and in fact, many of the ICC’s Directors are also on the Board of the IHA. ICC President Falguni Gandhi spoke of that relationship and IHA President Dr. K.D. Upadhya noted how the dormant organization had been resurrected in 2008 by another co-founder, Sangeeta Pasrija. He spoke of the four programs that the IHA had conducted this year and outlined a few programs upcoming in 2018.

Updahya also noted with regret that Swapan Dhairyawan was retiring from the group – as well as his role as the national president of the IHA - to take on the position of President of the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, and presented him with a token of appreciation and draped him with a white shawl.

MATA JI KI CHOWKI on January 1, 2018 from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Grand Patrons ($1100) Rita & Bal Sareen Family Diana & Narin Sehgal Family

Hindu Worship Society invites all HWS devotees and the community to join in singing Mata Behnts at the MATA JI KI CHOWKI on Monday, January 1st, 2018 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm Sheel & Balram Thakral will be joined by other devotees singing in glory of Mata Ji Please contact the following for sponsorship or participation information: Bal Sareen 337-540-6001 | Rajinder Soni 832-640-5952 Nisha Bhatia 713-306-9725 | Pandit Ji 832-278-0100 Diana & Narin Sehgal of Bombay Brasserie have very kindly agreed to provide the dinner prasad for all the attendees.

For more information regarding food and prasad contributions please contact: Neena Kapoor 713-822-3632 Pramod Barnwal 281-415-3909 Madhu Tiwari 281- 758-5954

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Hindu Worship Society www.hwstemple.org | Facebook: @hwstemple

Patrons & Sponsors ($501 & $251) Kirti & Devki Agarwal Family Saroj & Vishwa Bahl Family Vanita & Vijay Bhagi Family Kiran & Ramesh Garg Family Aruna & Ravi Goel Family Radha & Ram Gupta Family Sudesh & Bhisham Gupta Family Neena & Rakesh Kapoor Family Manju & Madan Mangal Family Surita & Satish Malhotra Family Shakun Parti Family Rama & Navin Patni Family Vijay & Suresh Sachdev Family Poonam & Raj Sehgal Family Dipi & Raj Sethi Family Jaya & Prabhat Sharma Family Vimla & Pramod Sharma Family Meera & Rajinder Soni Family |

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COMMUNITY

Club 24 Plus Celebrates the Holiday Season with Games, Gift Exchange

Club 24 Plus President Pradeep Gupta welcomes members and guests to the HoIday Brunch at Ciao Bello Italian restaurant as Kiran Gupta (far left) and Social Chair Savita Rao look on. Ladies attending the Holiday Brunch gathered for a group photo (right).

Photos: Bijay Dixit

BY PRAMOD KULKARNI

HOUSTON: The holiday season

is an opportunity to dress up in your fineries and indulge in fine food, libations, and fun with friends. One of the best such occations in Houston is Club 24 Plus Holiday Brunch Club members gathered last Sunday afternoon, Dec. 3, at Ciao Bello Italian restaurant in the Galleria area. Many members brought their children and other immediate family members. Before lunch, the group enjoyed a hilarious drawing game and a White Elephant gift exchange.

Club 24 Plus President Pradeep Gupta welcomed club members and their guests and thanked all his committee chairs and officers, including

Ash and Leena Shah (left) and Madhavi Kavadi attempt to draw a Holiday scene on a paper plate held on top of their heads. Group photo (right) shows Mary Grace Landrum, Prabha Garg, Dammi and Jagdip Ahluwalia, Judge Michael Landrum, Elsie and Venu Rao, Ashok Garg and Sam Abraham.

Ashok Garg, Founder-Member and Nominations Chair; Savita Rao, Social; Alpa Shah, Signature Events;

Manisha Gandhi, Outreach; Vandana Prakash, Communications; Prakash Roopani, Treasurer, and his

wife Kiran. Gupta also introduced Manisha Gandhi as the new club president for 2018.

Featured upcoming events include the Valentine’s Day party in February.

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A Fundraiser to Support Free Healthcare for the Masses

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Indian Deputy Consul Surendra Adhana commented on growth in India’s healthcare sector

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

STAFFORD: Several years ago,

at the same venue, the Indian Doctors Charity Clinic and the Indian Doctors Club (now Association) came together to support their flag-

Program emcee Nozer Buchia (left) and auctioneer Subodh Bhuchar drummed up bids

ship undertaking, the free clinic in Bellaire that serves the masses in need. The clinic has sputtered on, despite shortages in volunteers, a shoestring budget and the retirement of its key physician Dr. K.T. Shah who often cobbled together donations through his own mail-

in appeals, though it has never had a shortage of paCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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Glitz, Glamour & Philanthropy @ Pratham Holiday Luncheon & Fashion Show!

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 from New York City. After she started her work at The Village School, the school grew from 1400 students to 1700 students in one year. Her first meeting with Pratham was through some parents, and soon she became a part of this organization. From her various accomplishments, she has held a Readathon at the school and raised funds for Pratham. Gabriella spoke very passionately about the importance and power of education for children and its impact on their future, which in turn is the future of our world. She stated that Pratham is the biggest and the most important global educational effort. She congratulated the team at Pratham and applauded the remarkable work that has been done globally. Susan Boggia, the event co-chair then presented a token of appreciation to Gabriella Rowe, who had just wowed the audience with her high-octane and impressive speech.

The uplifting and energetic flow of the gala flowed into yet another powerful and inspirational mode, with a video of Radha. Radha, a small town girl from Gwalior, In-

dia, had a troubled child marriage and went through severe domestic violence. The torture from her husband and in-laws traumatized her so much that she considered committing suicide. Fortunately, she happened to connect with the PACE program initiated

by Pratham and with the help of Pratham, her resilience, courage, and the burning desire to fight for her rights, she is a successful entrepreneur today. Pratham trained her in a beauty salon center and Radha now runs her own business.

This emotional video was truly a testimony to the noble cause and journey of Pratham. This soul-stirring segment was transformed into a light-hearted and cheerful spirit as some palatable and scrumptious lunch was served. Ash Shah came up back on stage to conduct the donation pledge drive. As he encouraged everyone to donate he cited some examples of the importance of donations. The Luncheon raised nearly $175,000, of which 10% of the amount raised shall be donated to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Harvey Relief Fund.

The aura completely altered as the spectacular fashion show was exhibited. Indeed, everyone was

so looking forward to this extravaganza. Ghungat presented the remarkable pageant, and designers Shaveta & Anuj displayed their recently launched Shalimar collection. Ghungat offers a wide range of traditional Indian wedding style clothing, and these talented designers had some stunning design on display this afternoon. Their eyecatching splendid designs were complimented by Simran Rihal’s graceful choreography.

As the phenomenal event was coming to an end, Asha Dhume, President Elect gave her vote of thanks. She thanked everyone and mentioned, “It has been a wonderful experience working with Ash Shah and I am honored and excited to start my term as the next President of the Pratham Houston chapter”. She announced the dates for the next two events; Pratham Gala on May 12, 2018 and Pratham Holiday Luncheon on December 7, 2018.

It was undeniably an afternoon of style and philanthropy, a phenomenon that will be cherished.

Visit www.prathamusa.org or email at info@prathamusa.org for more details.

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COMMUNITY

ICC Votes in Eight Directors, Executive Committee Elections Jan 7

The ICC Board and the Election Committee at India House with the newly installed Directors at the election held on Sunday, December 3.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

HOUSTON:

If all elections could be this amicable, there certainly wouldn’t be much to argue about and things could go much more smoothly!

As a member of the Election Committee for the India Culture Center, I had the duty of fielding all the nominations and ensuring there were no mistakes in that process. My other Committee members were Girish Pandya and Sam Merchant and the three of us conducted the election of upto nine Directors this past Sunday, December 3 at India House. A room full of ICC members, Directors and Trustees were present for the hour long process, following which the ICC held its General Body meeting.

This year, as last year, there were eight seats available for Directors for two-year terms and one for a one-year term, and two vacancies for three-year Trustee positions

and one for two years. The ICC started advertising the election a month earlier and during that time, seven nominations were received for Directors and two for Trustees.

ICC President Falguni Gandhi opened up the meeting with a rundown of the long list of activities that the group had organized and participated in throughout the year. For the past few years, to follow its motto of being a communitywide umbrella organization, the ICC has made sure that some of its Directors are present at most Indian community event in the Metroplex, which makes for an impressive list indeed. The group is now preparing for one of its flagship events: the celebration of India’s Republic Day on January 20 at the Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road.

The names of the seven who were nominated were read out and verified and all but two – Ajt Patel and Harshad Patel - were present and, as there wasn’t any

opposition, there was no need for an election. One nomination was solicited from the floor and Nagar Raj agreed to be become a Director and he gave a short description of his community involvement and professional career. In addition to these three, the other newly elected Directors are Santosh Verma, Nirmala Patel, Nisha Mirani, Pramod Bengani and Dr. K.D. Upadhya. Two nominations for Trustees have been received for Praful Gandhi and Charlie Patel but these will be voted on during the Executive Committee election on January 7, 2018.

Following the election, Trustee Swapan Dhariyawan gave a report of the finances, a position that he will relinquish as he transitions to President of the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston next year. Many lamented his loss, but Dhariyawan, who has been an ardent supporter of the ICC, promised to help wherever he could.

A Fundraiser to Support Free Healthcare for the Masses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 tients looking for free treatment.

There has seemingly always been an acceptance of the important role the clinic plays in the healthcare fabric of the Bayou City and many benefactors have continuously come along to help with the annual operating budget.

Notably, earlier this year, a donation by Swatantra Jain, a generous philanthropist who has supported many charitable causes citywide, and a generous working relationship by ophthalmologist Dr. Ravi Chandru made a new eye care exams at the clinic a reality.

Through the years that the clinic has been at its Bellaire location, K.C. Mehta has been a constant supporter with good business acumen, and its biggest cheerleader, has been able to shepherd the finances of the IDCC along. “The patient load has been constant at 1,200 a year,” Mehta explained, “and the operating budget is $60,000 or roughly $50 per pa-

tient per year, which is a very low number.”

But as the entire operating budget has to come from donations, Mehta has taken on the challenge of raising the IDCC’s profile and raising funds wherever possible to that it can continue to offer completely free medical attention to the needy, Towards that end, Mehta and his team organized a fundraiser this past Saturday, at the Old Stafford Civic Centre for about 350 people that featured dinner and entertainment.

The event was ably emceed by Nozer Buchia who explained why IDCC was so important to the community. There was an auction of half a dozen items that was conducted by Dr. Subodh Bhuchar who has made a name for himself doing these for many other charities and he was able to goad several people to bid. In addition there was a pledge drive, with names of those who submitted called out on stage. All told, with the support of major sponsors, Mehta estimates

that $45,000 was raised, after expenses, which exceeds the goal he had of $25,000.

The program also featured Surendra Adhana, the Indian Deputy Consul who spoke about the growth in the Indian healthcare sector that was supposed to grow seven to eightfold in the next 10 to 15 years. Mehta spoke about the history of the IDCC and its impact on the community and emphasized the eye clinic run by Dr. Chandru.

The program then moved to the featured entertainment by the Hemang Thakkar Group which consisted of five musicians, including Anis Chandani, the talented flutist and keyboard artist from Los Angeles; Payel Mitra and Salil Bhadekar, a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner from Houston, another female singer and of course, the flamboyant Hemang himself, who is a total entertainer. Their show, which had a huge decibel level that drove out some people prematurely, lasted till 11pm after dinner which was catered by Bombay Brasserie.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

December 08, 2017

17

An Ocean of Cheer at the Samunder Club Holiday Bash!

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

HOUSTON: In the ever expanding

universe of organizations that serve the Indian community in the Houston Metroplex, it is surprising that there is still a group that has not been in the limelight but still has been quietly working away for the past 24 years.

Founded in 1993 by a small band of former mariners of Indian origin, the aptly named Samunder (for Ocean) Club of Houston, the group has since grown to 125 like-minded members whose roster includes more Captains than a Navy’s squadron! Most have formerly worked in the Indian Merchant Marines and commanded vessels across the seas before settling in the Houston area where they have put down roots and raised families.

The SCH is the largest organization of marine professionals of Indian origin, involved in various roles in the vibrant oil and gas industry in the US Gulf region. The members are engaged in exploration, deep water drilling, seismology, geotechnical, DP vessels, ocean engineering, ship management, ship yards/dry-docks, ship owners, vetting and inspections, chartering and brokerage.

SCH believes in sharing its vast collective bank of expertise with Houston’s oil and gas industry by organizing technical presentations and seminars. One of its aims is to impart this knowledge and experi-

President Capt. Pradeep Talan (center right) and Capt. Janak Lotey, Secretary present awards of appreciation to Keka Kar (left) and her husband Capt. Jeet Kar. Photo: Solace Media, www.solace.media

ence – free of cost - to future generations and they do so by giving lectures and presentations in Houston area Middle Schools, High Schools and at maritime academies like Texas A&M Galveston. They work very closely with the West Gulf Maritime Association on maritime issues and are also very active in the student outreach programs along with industry participants like the Port of Houston and Houston Pilots and Maritime schools.

Every year the SCH also holds regular social events for their members, like a summer picnic and golf outings, a formal Foundation Day dinner and a Holiday Season party, which was held this past Saturday for the second year at the Signature

Manor at 6968 Howell Sugarland in Houston. The cheerfulness of the season was captured in the decorations – with guests posing for portraits by the Christmas Tree – and the liveliness of the program which featured dances by three young performers from Sunanda Nair’s School of Performing Arts. The evening featured exotic appetizers and dinner by Nirmanz Food Boutique and music by a DJ who goaded the party goers with dance music till the wee hours.

Apart from recognizing over a dozen of their major sponsors, which of course were mostly maritime related, the event allowed the SCH to recognize its biggest sponsor “Capt.

Prasad” and also Executive Committee member Jayant Roy Choudhury

Felicitating the Past President Capt. Joe Lobo (in hat) for his service to the Samunder Club are, from left, current President Capt. Pradeep Talan: Capt. Janak Lotey, Secretary; Raman Dhar EC member; Capt.

Adil Mistry, EC member and Capt. Anand Nair, Vice President. Photo: Solace Media, www.solace.media

From left, Capt. Anand Nair; Capt. Pradeep Talan; Capt. Jeet Kar; Raman Dhar; Harsha Lanka and Capt. Sumit Gosh.

Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

who has tirelessly worked during the year on all the technical seminars and representation of the club. They also felicitated one of their own, Capt. Jeet Kar and his wife the talented artist Keka Kar for their endeavors to give back to society to fight against childhood cancers.

In a major for the SCH, its Presi-

dent Pradeep Talan announced that, in 2018, the organization will launch a Samunder Maritime Scholarship.

Additionally, SCH recognized the Houston International Seafarers Centre by making a small contribution to the group which takes care of seaman visiting Houston from around the world.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18 December 08, 2017

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY What to Make of Dakhani?

Moving Ahead on US-India Ties

BY KARTHIK VENKATESH

S

M

uch mutual appreciation was on display as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to US President Donald Trump, headlined the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 in Hyderabad. While Ivanka was all praise for Modi’s leadership and asserted that India now had a true friend in the White House, Modi affirmed that the summit connected America’s Silicon Valley with Hyderabad and urged global entrepreneurs to make and invest in India.

There’s no denying that it was a smart move by Modi to invite Ivanka to represent the American delegation at this year’s GES. Given that she is said to have the US president’s ear, New Delhi can use this channel to boost bilateral relations with Washington. Modi has done his strategic math and rightly come to the conclusion that in the current geopolitical scenario, with an assertive China seemingly hell-bent on blocking India’s rise even as it grows to superpower status, India needs support from the US and the West.

Economic issues aside, one of the biggest common concerns between the two countries today is the terrorism threat emanating from Pakistan. So far the Trump administration has indicated it is seized of the issue. From recalibrating the American strategy in Afghanistan where Trump has done away with deadlines for troop withdrawal to calling for the rearrest of recently released Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan, the current Washington dispensation seems to have moved closer to New Delhi’s position on terrorism.

While Indian and American strategic interests do appear to be syncing in the Indo-Pacific and South Asian regions, the US president’s protectionist approach to trade and services could brake bilateral momentum. Trump the businessman is aware of – and counts on – global supply chains as the most efficient way of doing business, aiding prosperity in all countries through which they flow. Much depends on whether Trump the politician chooses to block this awareness when it comes to India-US ties.

-- Times of India

hould languages be treated as works of art that need to be preserved in their pristine form? Should they kept far from the public lest they be “polluted” and the creation marred?

Or are they living, thriving entities that change, evolve, gather, discard and thus, grow? Language purists and grammar Nazis would perhaps have something to say in support of the former view. Language teachers burdened by the checking of everworsening answer scripts by successive generations of students are perhaps bound to agree with them.

But linguists—those whose business is to “know” the way of languages— are bound to disagree. They are likely to point out how all languages are bound to change and evolve. And when languages travel to new territories, change is inevitable.

When the famous comedian, Mehmood first brought this tongue to national notice in the mid-sixties in movies like Gumnaam, many were curious about this peculiar lingo.

Dakhani (or Deccani) Urdu was the name proffered, much to the annoyance of the Urdu cognoscenti. They were miffed at having to append “Urdu” to this appalling (in their view) tongue with its peculiar intonation, choice of words and sentence construction. Indeed, the tongue did seem a world away from the effete, affected ways of Urdu speakers in Delhi and Lucknow.

The Progressive Writers’ Movement in the 1940s had also refused to consider Dakhani Urdu as a language worthy of attention and had neglected to pay attention to writings emerging from this milieu.

To put it simply, Dakhani is the language of the Deccan, a version of Urdu/Hindi spoken across a swathe of peninsular India—Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and in small pockets in Kerala. While Urdu/Hindi forms the base of this language, in terms of its vocabulary, it draws from its northern progenitors and also from the languages of the peninsula. In Telangana and Andhra, it borrows Telugu words; in Karnataka, Kannada words; in Maharashtra from Marathi, and so on. It

is the first language of many (not all) Muslims in the region and co-exists with standard Hindi/Urdu as well as the region’s other vernaculars.

Given its Urdu/Hindi underpinnings, to trace the origin of this tongue, one would have to trace the coming of Hindawi (Hindi’s earlier name of sorts)/Urdu to peninsular India. Ashraf Rafi, in his paper “Dakhni Literature: History, Culture and Linguistic Exchanges”, dates this back to Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s time, when he moved the capital to Daulatabad (in modern-day Maharashtra) in 1327 and also ordered the people of Delhi to move to the new capital.

Others have deemed it likely that Malik Kafur’s Deccan forays, a couple of decades before Tughlaq, had already brought some Hindawi/ Urdu speakers to this region. In any case, a result of these incursions, a population that spoke this northern tongue came to be in the Deccan.

Even though Tughlaq later changed his mind and moved the capital back to Delhi, the language remained.

In time, it interacted with the other tongues of the region and began to change. Over the next century, Dakhani, as this tongue came to be called, began evolving independently from its northern counterpart.

Towards the end of Tughlaq’s rule, his southern dominions asserted their independence and in 1347, Hasan Bahamani became the ruler at Gulbarga.

The establishment of the Bahamani Sultanate in the areas that comprised southern Maharashtra, northern Karnataka and parts of Telangana, established this tongue in the regi Sufi saint and scholar Khwaja Banda Nawaj (1321-1422), who moved to Gulbarga in 1398 on the invitation of the local ruler, composed a Sufi tract, Miraj-al Ashiqin in Dakhani.

He was the first Sufi to use this vernacular, which was later used by many other Sufi saints of the region in later centuries.

Another early work was Fakhr-I Din Nizami’s Kadam Rao, Padam Rao, said to have been composed around 1420-1430 CE. While full of words derived from many South Indian languages and also Sanskrit, the syntax of the poem is clearly Urdu. Other Sufis, like Shah Miranji

Shams al-Ushshaq (d. 1499) and his successors, also used Dakhani.

After Aurangzeb’s time, the Mughal viceroy Asif Jah I declared his sovereignty in 1724 and created his own dynasty. Hyderabad, the capital of this new kingdom which comprised areas in present-day Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana, became Dakhani’s recognized centre.

Over the next few centuries, Dakhani evolved a distinct literature which shared important similarities with the Urdu literature of northern India even as it accommodated important differences. Muhammad Kuli Kutub Shah (1571-1611), Wali Dakhani (1668-1741) and a number of others contributed to creating a distinct Dakhani canon.

After independence, the position of Urdu vis-à-vis Hindi has noticeably altered, mostly to Urdu’s disadvantage. This has adversely affected the development of the language in India. In the case of Dakhani, with the demise of the Hyderabad princely state and the formation of Andhra Pradesh (now Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) with more emphasis on Telugu, it too has struggled to keep its head above water.

The old northern disdain for Dakhani hasn’t helped its cause either.

Still, it has continued to produce fine literature, especially in the humorous tradition as manifested in the poetry of Sulaiman Khateeb and Ghouse Mohiuddin Ahmed, also known as Khamakha. Three films made in the last decade, Angrez (parts 1 and 2) and Hyderabad Nawabs have reignited interest in the language.

Among the finest attempts to document Dakhani and give the language its true place, beyond the Mehmoodinfluenced view of it as mere comic relief, is a recent documentary (yet unfinished) entitled A Tongue Untied: The Story of Dakhani by Mumbai-based filmmaker Gautam Pemmaraju.

At its core, Dakhani is a unique amalgam of northern and southern flavours, and a truly representative product of the Subcontinent’s linguistic diversity.

Karthik Venkatesh is an editor with a publishing firm and a freelance writer.

-- Live Mint

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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY/DIASPORA

December 08, 2017

19

Dia Mirza Appointed as UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India

MUMBAI, INDIA: Former Miss

Asia Pacific, actor, producer, entrepreneur and environmentalist, Dia Mirza, was today appointed as UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India.

A long-standing supporter of environmental conservation, Dia will take up the role to add more weight to her work on raising awareness of and seeking solutions to environmental issues that the world, and India in particular, faces.

“I feel honoured and inspired by this opportunity to work with UN Environment to protect the environment and promote sustainable development,” said Dia. “Environmental issues will be the defining challenge of this era, and I am committed to helping the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador to do everything I can to provide a better future.

“Together, we will continue working towards conservation of nature, tackling climate change and inspiring people to live more sustainably.”

Dia is a committed voice for change, and has contributed her efforts in the field of social change, conservation and environment. She has been the face of many pivotal environmental campaigns across India, and has worked towards the conservation of wildlife.

Dia Mirza

As a Goodwill Ambassador, Dia will work with the United Nations to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection and climate change.

“I am delighted to have Dia join UN Environment as a Goodwill Ambassador,” said UN Environment head, Erik Solheim. “India faces many challenges, in particular the air pollution that is choking many of its cities. Dia’s influence can help to turn the situation around and create

a healthy future for Indians and their environment.”

UN Environment is running many global campaigns, which are having a huge impact by reaching millions of people to change behavior. #BreatheLife is a major campaign on air quality, which is particularly relevant to India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a partner in the campaign, one in nine deaths globally are caused by air pollution. WHO figures show that half of the 20 most-polluted cities in the world are in India. #WildforLife seeks to build support for the protection of endangered species across the globe, including the Bengal Tiger. #CleanSeas is aimed at reducing the massive amount of marine pollution across the globe, drawing inspiration from people such as India’s Afroz Shah, who has been running the world’s longest-running beach cleanup at Versova Beach, Mumbai.

Dia has joined other accomplished and dedicated past and present UN Goodwill Ambassadors, including UN Environment’s Li Binging, Gisele Bündchen and Don Cheadle, and others such as Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Katy Perry and Emma Watson.

-unenvironment.org

Sherin Mathews Showed Signs of Abuse: Doctor

HOUSTON: Sherin Mathews, a

3-year-old Indian girl who was found dead in a culvert after being reported missing by her foster father, had a series of broken bones and injuries in various stages of healing, a doctor testified before the court.

Sherin, reported missing on October 7, was found dead in a culvert about 1 km from her home in suburban Dallas on October 22. Her autopsy report is still awaited.

She was adopted by the IndianAmerican couple, Wesley and Sini Mathews, from an orphanage in India last year. Her adoptive parents lost custody of their biological child after Sherin went missing.

Her parents appeared before a court yesterday for a long Child Protective Services (CPS) custody hearing about their biological daughter, currently living with relatives in the Houston-area.

Wesley was brought to the courthouse in a van. He is expected to either surrender his parental rights for his 3- year-old daughter or have them terminated by the state.

Sini, who aims to regain custody of her biological daughter sought right to visit her.

Sini took to the witness stand first, but invoked her fifth amendment right not to incriminate herself many times during questioning. One exception came when she was asked if she is trained a nurse -- to which she responded, “yes”.

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to from 2.30pm to 3.30pm When Wesley took the stand, he opted to invoke his fifth amendment right as well and answered no questions pertaining to Sherin’s death or disappearance.

Prosecution pressed Sini about the previous CPS involvement, alleging Sherin earlier had a broken femur, elbow and tibia, but she did not confirm the allegations.

The prosecution called to the stand a pediatrician and child abuse expert, Susan Dakil of Referral and Evaluation of At Risk Children Clinic, who testified that the injuries were visible in various X-ray scans taken in September 2016 and February 2017. Dakil said the scans suggest the injuries were inflicted after Sherin was adopted from India.

The X-rays from February showed that fractures in Sherin’s tibia and femur were in different stages of healing, WFAA reported.

The pattern of injuries led Dakil to believe that Sherin was injured on

separate occasions, but she could not say when they occurred. The doctor filed a report with Child Protective Services after seeing the X-rays, the station reported.

The hearing, which ended for the week, will resume on Tuesday. Two more witnesses are scheduled to take the stand. Sherin Mathews had a series of broken bones and injuries, a doctor testified before the court.

Mathews, reported missing on October 7, was found dead on October 22. Her foster father was arrested and charged with felony injury to a child, Sini, who is behind bars on child endangerment charges, had her bond reduced from $250,000 to $100,000 on Monday.

Wesley was arrested and charged with felony injury to a child, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. He is still in the Dallas County jail on a $1 million bond.

-timesofindia.com

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20 December 08, 2017

FOODIES

7 Types of Foodies You’ll Find at Indian Weddings 5. The diet conscious 2. The gobblers Are you one of these?

This variety of people can be seen This might sound unbelievable, but Think of Indian weddings and all you can imagine is colours, celebrations and lots of food. From Indian to continental, the wedding evening is all about a wide variety of foods and beverages available for FREE, and we Indians have a certain kind of obsession with everything free.

It doesn’t matter if you are from the groom’s side or the bride’s side; as long as there’s good food, everyone is satisfied. Here, we have tried to explore the different types of foodies you can find at every Indian wedding.

From big-time gobblers to sophisticated diet conscious ones, the list includes a tasteful range of foodies that we all can connect with. So, if you are one of these or know anyone who reminds you of these kind of foodies, share this with them.

1. The chaat/golgappa lovers This variety of foodies can be seen everywhere in life. They just can’t get enough of this savory and tangy section of Indian street food. If they find a chaat or golgappa counter at a wedding, they scream with excitement as if they have found their long lost love. Interestingly, the scene at the chaat corner is amusing with the crowd guiding the boy at the counter to serve the best.

at every counter because they never leave it. They sincerely make sure to taste and comment on every dish available at the counter. They eat as if doomsday is round the corner and their capacity to eat will surely surprise you.

there are people who follow their diets even when they attend weddings. The best place to spot them is the salad counter. They might be sipping juices, eating fruits or flaunting their fitness routine to others, but they choose to stay away from the heavy, fried and the yummy desi food.

3. The snackers This bunch of foodies are best at tracking the waiters and finding what they are serving. For them, the main course is too heavy to go for; they prefer to munch on only snacks over some mocktails or juices. The manchurian balls, pakodas, tikkas and rolls are their companions for the evening.

6. The drink lovers At every Indian wedding, you will find a bunch of people for whom it is all about drinks and dance. The most important thing for them is the bar counter and varieties of cocktails being served. Ask them the reason for this obsession and pat comes the reply, “mere yaar ki shaadi hai.”

4. The paneer lovers Then, there are people whose first and last love is ‘Paneer’. For them, dal, kofta and mix-veg are run-of-themill and the real hero of the menu is matar paneer or kadhai paneer. The best way to cheer-up such people is to say ‘paneer’ and a bright smile can be noticed on their face quite easily.

7. The ice cream/dessert lovers How can we forget the sweet dish and the dessert obsessed people? The corner counter of gulab jamun and ice cream is their real Bae. What’s more, they don’t hesitate to mix these two delicacies together and relish the unique flavour.

-recipes.timesofindia.com

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BEAUTY

December 08, 2017

12 Winter Beauty Mistakes Lingering in a Hot Shower

When it’s ten below outside, it’s tempting to turn your morning shower into a half-hour steam-a-thon. But after about 15 minutes, all that heat begins to compromise your skin’s lipid layer, a complex of fatty acids that holds in precious moisture. Turn down the heat as much as you can— or at least shorten your shower time.

The Wrong Cleanser Since drying soap lather is even worse for your lipid barrier than hot water, avoid soap-based facial cleansers. “In the winter, when there isn’t as much moisture in the air, absolutely everyone needs a nonfoaming cleanser,” says Miami dermatologist Leslie Baumann.

Applying Foundation to Flaky Skin No foundation, no matter how great the formula, looks good on dry skin— in fact, it will just highlight trouble. To keep the skin smooth, exfoliate regularly with a scrub containing gentle beads, and switch to (or add) a rich night cream. Try St. Ives Fresh Skin Moisturizing Olive Scrub and Clarins HydraQuench Rich Cream.

Then choose a moisturizing foundation with a dewy or satin (rather than matte) finish—avoid anything powdery. Another great option is tinted moisturizer, because it’s so sheer and never looks caked-on.

The Wrong Lip Balm It’s no secret that your lips get more chapped in the winter, but not

all balms are created equal: The most important thing is to use one that is viscous, not waxy, so the ingredients penetrate fissures. Stay away from anything with lanolin (especially if you have eczema or supersensitive skin), and, since fragrance is the number-one skin allergen, avoid anything that’s heavily scented or tastes like your favorite candy.

Skipping SPF “The sun’s rays still exist in winter—your skin will still absorb them and be slowly damaged over time,” says New York City dermatologist Ariel Ostad. “Even if you’re only outside for a total of 30 minutes, five times per week—such as walking to work or taking a lunch break—over a year, that adds up to 7,800 minutes in the sun.” To make sun protection easy, choose a daytime moisturizer with broad-spectrum protection (UVA and UVB) and at least SPF 30.

Neglecting Your Hands One more reason to wear gloves: Forgetting to do so “can lead to painfully cracked fingertips and peeling nails,” says Catharine Lisa Kauffman, a dermatologist in Washington, D.C. Other hand tips: Since antibacterial hand soaps can be drying, use a mild, creamy one instead, rinse well with lukewarm water, and reapply hand cream every time. Once a week, rub cuticle oil into and around nails to keep them hydrated.

Frosty Lids The weather may be frosty—but

your eyelids shouldn’t be. This time of year, frosted shadow can make your skin look washed-out (or make you look like an ice princess, and not in a good way). Instead, makeup artist Dick Page suggests metallic periwinkle blue and bronze shades as surprising winter choices.

Rough Feet Sandpaper feet don’t exactly say, “Let’s cuddle.” Not to mention that neglecting your feet all winter just makes it more difficult to whip them into shape for spring. As maintenance, get a pedicure at least every six weeks—or even better, follow this foot-softening routine once a week: Soak your feet in warm, soapy water for 15 minutes, then buff the soles with a foot file such as Tweezerman Pedro Callus Stone. To soften and help seal cracks, slick on an ointment, such as Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment or Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair Ointment; then wear cotton socks while you sleep.

Overbronzing The Jersey Shore girls sure love to pile on the bronzer. For those of us who prefer a more natural glow, try a body lotion with a low dose of the self-tanning ingredient DHA, such as Dove Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer. If you really want to apply full-on self-tanner.

For your face, beware of using your summer bronzer, or the result will look as ridiculous as a bikini in a blizzard. Instead, pick one that’s no more than one shade darker than your skin tone. Blend it over the apples of the cheeks using a big round brush, then top it off with pink or rose blush.

Hat Head Our mother told us to wear a hat in winter—and now style experts say the same. To prevent a hat from messing up your hair, “make sure hair is totally dry first—if it’s even slightly damp, it will dry flattened-out under the hat,” says hairstylist Garren, owner of the Garren New York

21

salon. Prevent dents in long hair by gathering it into a loop and tucking it under the cap. To maintain volume in hair that’s shoulder-length or longer, part it on the opposite side from where you normally do, then flip it back after you take the hat off. And for short hair, as soon as you remove your hat, put a little styling cream or even just water on your fingers, and run them over and under the roots to rough them up.

Not Waterproofing Makeup Waterproof formulas may seem like a summer-only thing, but when it’s particularly windy or biting outside, regular eye makeup can end up running down your cheeks if you tear up. Switch to waterproof mascara and eyeliner, and use a cream shadow topped with a powder of the same color. And if you find that your foundation or blush tends to rub off on your coat or scarf, set it with a little translucent pressed powder before you head out the door.

Ho-Hum Lips Dark lipstick isn’t mandatory the second the temperature dips. The new bright lip colors for spring happen to look great in the winter, as long as you choose a sheer formula. For medium to dark skin, try a stop-sign red like Yves Saint Laurent Gloss Volupte Stick in #3 or a coral shade such as L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipcolour in Volcanic. If you have fair skin, try a blue-red like Maybelline New York Moisture Extreme Lipcolor in Cherry Rain or a hot pink hue like Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick in Backstage Pink.

-allure.com

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22 December 08, 2017

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes F

Subzi Pulao (Vegetable Pilaf)

or many people – especially the young who are just starting out in life – who tire of making simple dishes and want to add a little extra flavor, this recipe is a variation on making plain rice and can be made with not that much more effort. The results can be very encouraging as this Subzi Pulao can be a meal in itself, which is presented here again with more details!

Chawal (rice) is a staple grain that has spread all across the globe, just as wheat (gehun), makki (corn) and bajra (millet). All over the world, Indian Basmati chawal is very well regarded for its aromatic flavor and long, hardy grains that don’t become mushy when cooked. Chawal is a basic ingredient in many Indian cuisines, irrespective of which part of the country you come from. But for special occasions like weddings, rice is usually prepared as a pulao, which can include vegetables or various meats.

The sacred Hindu text Mahabharata mentions rice and other ingredients cooked together and the word pulao or pallao is used in ancient Sanskrit works. Pulao is a method of cooking adopted from the Persians who have been credited for the first known recipe in the tenth-century. Pulao is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth. In some cases, the rice may become brown depending on the use of onions, a balance of spices and meat or vegetables, depending on the local cuisine.

Variations of pulao – also called pilaf in many countries - can be found in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, East Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. It is one of the oldest dishes that has existed in parts of Central Asia. Biryani is another variation of a dish cooked with layers of rice and meat or vegetables and with more spices, and was introduced to India by the Mughals. Interestingly, the word pulao (PU-lao) means dragon in Mandarin and refers to the small dragon that appears as a decoration on Chinese bells.

Among Punjabis, pulao is usually cooked at special occasions, but it does not have to be complicated to make. I have seen, though, that many people do not know how to make this dish easily, without much effort,

so I hope this recipe will help them.

For best results, use the aromatic Basmati rice.

Ingredients: • 2 cups chawal (rice).

• 1/2 cup mutter (peas) • 1/2 cup phul gobi (cauliflower) • 1/2 cup aloo (potatoes) • 1/2 cup gajjar (carrots) • 1 large pyaaz (onion) • 2 tbsp olive oil or any other oil you prefer • 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) (can be omitted, if desired) • 2 illachi (cardamom) • 1 stick daal chini (cinnamon) • 4 loong (cloves) • 4.5 cups pani (water) • Namak (salt) to taste Directions: 1. Soak the rice for 10 minutes in cold water.

2. Peel the onion and cut into thin slices. Wash the vegetables and cut them into medium pieces.

3. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot and place the sliced onions and cumin in it, stirring till they are slightly

brown. Add the vegetables, add ½ cup water and stir till slightly brown.

If you use frozen vegetables, then there’s no need to add the water.

4. Add 4 cups of water and let the mixture come to a boil, stirring occasionally.

5. Drain the rice; crack open the cardamom, break the cinnamon into four pieces and throw these in the boiling water along with the cloves.

Add salt to taste.

6. When the water has boiled again, turn the heat down to simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for 15 minutes over very low heat.

7. Check if the rice is soft (it should not be mushy) and with a pointy knife or fork, make sure that it isn’t sticking to the bottom but do not stir.

8. When done, turn the heat off, keep the cover on and let the pulao stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with other dishes and yogurt or raita.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the oldfashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her late-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi vegetarian recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

W

EEK SOME TIPS TO A DD FLAVOR TO FOOD FOR THOSE ON A SALT FREE DIE T If you are on a salt-fre e diet

as I am, then everyd of eating a meal th ay you face the pros at is not satisfying pect beca have long been accu stomed to. I have lo use it lacks the taste that you ng struggled to add for my taste buds an som d after many trials and errors have deve e variety alternatives to mak loped some e my meals tasty.

The chief strategy is to replace “salt” with to food. There are se “bitter” which adds ve tan gurt, green mango po ral ingredients that do that, like slightly giness wder, paprika (thou bitter yogh rye, mustard, garlic and white vinegar (u a little spicy), onion powder, sed sparingly). Ther foods which are na tura e ar gourd) which can als lly bitter like methi (fenugreek) and ka e other rela (bitter o be used in powde r fo finally, tomatoes ca n often add bitternes rm to sprinkle on dishes. And s when added to a dish.

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December 08, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS

23

Firangi: This Kapil Sharma and Ishita Dutta Starrer is Mildly Engaging Last seen on the big screen, a blushing Sargi (Dutta). The

elders, who may or may not be his betters. Very different from the crass Kapil Sharma of the comedy nights, which he clearly wants to put behind himself.

But the trouble with this mildly engaging film, with a solid supporting cast, is that it is far too long.

Sharma is serviceable as a young Punjabi munda, making eyes at

setting, meant to be the 1920s, is all created on set, but you do initially manage to ignore the carefully crafted mud huts, because the language spoken is real, the gidda is homespun; as are the costumes.

The greedy whitey (Sonnenblick) is not half bad, even if he sounds more American than Brit, and there’s some fun to be had with Mishra camping it up as the local ruler with a large harem, and a haughty daughter who claims she went to Oxford, no less.

But it goes on and on. And on.

Post interval, it slows down and begins to grate, even when the inawe-of-the-`firangi’-hero comes to his own proud ‘desi’ roots.

-indianexpress.com

Director Shekhar Kapur is Helming the Bruce Lee Biopic Titled Little Dragon

V

eteran director Shekhar Kapur said the script of the biopic on iconic Chinese-American star, Bruce Lee, is a work in progress.

The 71-year-old filmmaker has signed up to co-write and direct the film titled, Little Dragon, his first China project. “We are working on the script,” Shekhar said, adding that the first script draft was written by Bruce’s daughter, Shannon Lee. Little Dragon is being planned as an official U S – China co-production, with several Chinese companies expected to co-finance and co-produce the film. The feature film will chronicle Bruce’s early life before he left Hong Kong for Hol-

Veteran

lywood and went on to become an icon and Kung-Fu movie master in the 1970s. Shekhar also believes Indian films have a big market in China.

“I used to say Indian films will

definitely be very popular in China and yes, they are. Dangal has proved what I said,” he told PTI, after completing his chief judge assignment at the 28th Singapore International Film Festival yester-

Shashi Kapoor Dies at 79

actor Shashi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai on Monday.

He was 79.

“Shashi Kapoor expired at 5.20 pm on December 4 at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai,” said Dr Ram Narain, Executive director of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

The Bollywood legend was admitted to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri on Sunday night, reportedly, for a chest infection treatment.

The actor struggled with the condition even in 2014, post his bypass surgery.

Shashi Kapoor is survived by

daughter Sanjana Kapoor and his two sons Kunal and Karan.

Son of Prithviraj Kapoor and brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, Shashi debuted with the 1961 film Dharmputra. He went on to appear in 116 Hindi films. He was honoured with the the Padma Bhushan

day. Aamir Khan’s Dangal or Let’s Wrestle, Dad raked in more than USD 93.3 million within a month, when it released in China in May this year.

Shekhar’s said his ambitious project, “Paani” is ready for takeoff again and awaits investors’ commitment. He said the film will have new artistes as those who worked in the film, including Sushant Singh Rajput, were much older than the age of actors required for the roles.

Shekhar, who worked on the film for 15 years, conceded “Paani” is an expensive project and would cost about USD 30 million. The director said he is dedicated to the

Dharmendra

December 08, 1935

Happy Birthday

Kapil Sharma was playing footsie with multiple women, in what was an alleged sex comedy.

This time around, he takes himself off to the past, at a time when India was under the British, with wily rajas trying to wriggle out of paying tax, and a bunch of villagers trying to outsmart the ‘goras’.

Yes, you saw this in Lagaan’. In this redux version, Sharma plays Manga, a jobless fellow with a disarming smile, who is good pals with a bright-eyed ‘tangewala’ (Inamulhaq), romances a blushing ‘gaon ki gori’, and, yes, beats the evil guys at their own game.

The leading man, also the producer, fashions a nice fit for himself: a family-oriented, familyfriendly man, respectful to his

Dino Morea

December 09, 1975

Diya Mirza

December 09, 1981

Dilip Kumar

December 11, 1922

Rajinikanth

December 12, 1950

art of filmmaking. “Every morning when I wake up, I say to myself I should be working more,” he added.

-indianexpress.com

by the Government of India in 2011.

In 2015, he was bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, making him the third member of the Kapoor clan to receive the honour, after dad Prithviraj Kapoor and brother Raj Kapoor. Shashi and his wife Jennifer Kendal established the Prithvi Theatre in November 1978 in Mumbai.

Jennifer died of cancer in 1984.

-indianexpress.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

24 December 08, 2017 3rd Test: SL’s Dhananjaya, Roshen Deny India 2-0

BY KARTHIK KRISHNASWAMY

N

EW DELHI: (ESPN Cricinfo): India 536 for 7 dec (Kohli 243, Vijay 155, Sandakan 4-167) and 246 for 5 dec (Dhawan 67) drew with Sri Lanka 373 (Chandimal 164, Mathews 111, Ashwin 3-90, Ishant 3-98) and 299 for 5 (Dhananjaya 119 retired hurt, Roshen 74*, Jadeja 3-81) If their two most experienced batsmen led Sri Lanka’s first-innings fight, their fifth-day heroes were two newer faces. Dhananjaya de Silva scored his third hundred in only his 11th Test, and Roshen Silva made an unbeaten 74 on debut, their efforts leading Sri Lanka to a fighting draw at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

It was a heartening result, given that Sri Lanka came here right after suffering their worst-ever defeat in the second Test in Nagpur. Neither Dhananjaya nor Roshen played that game, and their displays here may have made fans back home wonder why the former isn’t yet a settled member of Sri Lanka’s top order and why it took 103 first-class games for the latter to convince the selectors of his ability.

India took only two wickets on the fifth day, of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, their two firstinnings centurions. They never once picked up two wickets back-to-back: Chandimal and Dhananjaya added 112, Dhananjaya and Roshen 58 before the former retired hurt, and Roshen and Niroshan Dickwella an unbroken 94.

It was a reflection of how well Sri Lanka batted, but also of how little help there was for either seam or spin on one of the most benign fifth-day tracks seen in India in recent times.

With five overs left for tea, India were given a small opening when Dhananjaya walked off the field, having struggled through most of the second session with a thigh injury that inhibited his footwork and running between the wickets. They took the second new ball in the last over before tea, and began the final session hoping it would give them some muchcraved-for bite and bounce.

But Roshen, whose nimble feet and unhurried manner were reminiscent of Sri Lanka’s current batting coach Thilan Samaraweera, was just as as-

Roshen Silva turns the ball fine down the leg side, India v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Delhi, 5th day, December 6, 2017

sured against India’s quicks as he had against their spinners. A Mohammed Shami lifter hit him on the gloves and he inside edged Ishant Sharma into his box, but otherwise he wasn’t troubled, as he ignored anything wide of off stump and ducked or swayed to avoid the short ones. India brought back spin, and Roshen immediately brought up his fifty, stepping out and driving Ravindra Jadeja to the cover

boundary.

India had a greater chance of dismissing the impulsive Niroshan Dickwella at the other end, and the wicketkeeper-batsman, playing all his shots despite the match situation, gave them one clear-cut chance with the final hour looming. Stepping out of his crease to Jadeja, he missed one that hit the rough outside his off stump but refused to turn. The ball

beat Wriddhiman Saha too, and thudded into his chest rather than settle in his gloves.

Dickwella kept playing his shots, which led to a couple of hairy moments - a missed sweep out of the rough off Jadeja, a top-edged sweep off R Ashwin - but nothing resulting in a chance, and the players eventually shook hands with 35 minutes left of the last hour.

The Ashes: Starc, Hazlewood Rip England for 2-0 day began with England 178 claimed the key wicket of Root, who BRISBANE: Australia 8 for 442 runsThefrom victory with six wickets did not add a run to his overnight score

dec (Marsh 126*, Paine 57, Khawaja 53, Overton 3-105) and 138 (Anderson 5-43) beat England 227 (Overton 41*, Lyon 4-60, Starc 3-49) and 233 (Root 67, Starc 5-88) by 120 runs England arrived at Adelaide Oval on the fifth day knowing that hope springs eternal, or at least until Joe Root gets out. And so England’s hope sprung for only 17 deliveries. By the time the day was three overs old, Josh Hazlewood had dismissed Root and Chris Woakes, and within two hours Australia had won the Test and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. At least the England fans who had awoken in the small hours back home in anticipation of a tense final day could get some sleep.

in hand. They added only 57 to their overnight total for the loss of all six of those wickets. That England even fought back into this match, that they entered the final day with any sort of hope whatsoever, was a surprise in itself. But if Australia officially won the Test on the fifth afternoon, in reality England had lost it on the first two days, when they sent Australia in and saw them make 442.

It left England needing their alltime highest successful chase to win this match, and the final day began badly when Woakes edged behind off Hazlewood from the second ball - Snicko confirming his fate despite a review. In Hazlewood’s next over he

of 67. On a surface that had been good for batting all match, a ball finally stayed a touch low and kissed the toe of Root’s bat on the way through to Tim Paine.

From then on it was only a matter of time, and not even much of that.

Moeen Ali was trapped lbw trying to sweep Nathan Lyon on 2, and the rest of the damage arrived with the new ball. Mitchell Starc curled the very first delivery with the new pink Kookaburra in to the pads of Craig Overton, who was lbw for 7; Stuart Broad edged behind off Starc for 8; and the result was confirmed when Jonny Bairstow chopped on against Starc for 36.

SPORTS

Ashok Daniel is First Indian to Complete Tor des Géants

ABERDEEN: “If you do not suffer,

it is not the Tor.” Temporarily etched in the snow somewhere along the route, the message is everything that the Tor des Géants race stands for. Signs like these provide a bit of inspiration to all those who brave the tribulation.

When Ashok Daniel, 26, crossed the finish line on 16 September, he not only earned the tag of a “Géant”, or “giant”, for the mammoth endeavour, but also became the first Indian to finish the epic race.

Epic, because there are few footraces that are so demanding. The 330 km loop runs through the Aosta Valley in north Italy and must be completed within 150 hours—essentially, less than a week. This translates to running around 53 km a day.

But this is a course that climbs along ridges and slopes, through passes and cols—and to a maximum altitude of 3,300 m—before dropping down to the valley, only to climb yet again.

Until a decade ago, Chennai-based Daniel would have admired a race such as this from the comfort of his couch. But when he faced a Herculean task that afflicts the best of us, he decided to put on his running shoes.

“I was around 90 kg (in 2007) and brought it down to 58 kg in the next six months. I’ve been doing ultras (distances longer than a marathons, which are 42 km) for the last five years—the first, a 100-miler in Scotland called the West Highland Way,” Daniel says. Rain made the surface slippery, and wind-chill sometimes saw temperatures dipping to minus 12 degrees Celsius at night.

Daniel completed the loop in 147 hours, 41 minutes and 49 seconds.

Only around 55% of 860-odd competitors finished the gruelling race.

Ashok Daniel completed the 330km Tor des Géants trail in September.

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December 08, 2017

25

Infosys Selects Capgemini’s

Fitch Reduces India’s Growth Estimate for FY18 to 6.7% from 6.9% Salil Parikh as its New CEO BENGALURU: Salil Satish NEW DELHI: Global rating firm improved with continued progress on Parekh, who lost out to Vishal Sikka Fitch Ratings has cut India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2018 (FY18) to 6.7 per cent from its earlier projection of 6.9 per cent in September, saying that the rebound in the economy was “weaker than expected”.

“The Indian economy picked up in the September quarter, with GDP growing by 6.3 per cent year-onyear, up from 5.7 per cent in the June quarter. However, the rebound was weaker than we expected, and we have reduced our growth forecast for the fiscal year to end-March 2018 (FY18) to 6.7 per cent,” Fitch said in its latest ‘Global Economic Outlook’.

The cut in GDP growth estimate by Fitch has come after US rating firm Moody’s upgraded India’s sovereign rating for the first time in 13 years recently, saying growth prospects have

economic and institutional reforms.

Standard & Poor’s, however, retained India’s sovereign rating, pointing out certain parameters which, if India improves, may lead to an upgrade.

Fitch also slashed the FY19 forecast to 7.3 per cent from 7.4 per cent. “Growth has repeatedly disappointed in recent quarters, although this has partly reflected one-off factors including the demonetisation programme of November 2016 and disruptions related to the implementation of the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax in July 2017,” Fitch said on Monday.

Fitch said it expects GDP growth to pick up in the next two years. “Gradual implementation of the structural reform agenda is expected to contribute to higher growth, as will higher real disposable income. Recent moves by the government should help support the growth outlook and enhance busi-

ness confidence,” it said.

First, a two-year large bank recapitalisation plan (worth Rs 2.1 lakh crore or 1.4 per cent of GDP) for state banks was announced, it said. “The details are not clear yet, but the package is likely to help ad-

dress the capital shortages that have hindered the banks’ lending capacity.

Second, the government unveiled a road construction plan (worth Rs 6.9 lakh crore). This may encourage the investment growth outlook,” Fitch said.

-- Indian Express

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali to Diversify into Solar Power Industry NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Baba Just like it identified the opporRamdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, the consumer goods products upstart, is poised to diversify into solar power equipment manufacturing.

“Getting into solar is in line with the swadeshi movement. With solar, each household in India can have power supply, and we are here to make that happen,” Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved, said in an interview.

This will be the company’s first exposure to the infrastructure sector and comes after its runaway success in consumer products.

Patanjali Ayurved, which was set up in 2006, has grown at a stunning pace, increasing its revenue more than fivefold to Rs10,561 crore in the year to 31 March from Rs2,006 crore in 2014-15; it aims to cross Rs20,000-25,000 crore in sales by 31 March 2018.

tunity to compete with established multinational packaged consumer goods companies, Patanjali is seeing a opening for itself in solar equipment manufacturing.

The government is considering a 30% capital subsidy as part of a new solar manufacturing policy.

India is working to improve its per capita power consumption of around 1,200 kilowatt hours (kWh), among the lowest in the world. Alongside, it is also proposing a “rent a roof” policy to support its ambitious plan of generating 40 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2022.

“The government has been working on the solar industry, and even offering sops. We will manufacture solar panels in India without compromising the quality. But we are not going to get into the price war with the Chinese solar panels,” Balkrishna added.

Mint reported on 7 September that

poor-quality Chinese solar modules, rejected by developers, were being sold in the domestic market at a discount. Solar modules or panels account for nearly 60% of a solar power project’s cost.

For China’s solar panel manufacturing industry, with an estimated

the last time Infosys Ltd was hunting for a new chief executive in 2014, has now been tasked with leading the company a little over four months after Sikka’s acrimonious exit, with chairman Nandan Nilekani and the board putting their faith on an industry veteran of nearly three decades.

The appointment of Parekh, who is a top executive at global IT services giant Capgemini, marks the second time that Infosys has chosen an outsider to helm the company, after being run by its founders for the better part of its first three decades of existence.

Yet, unlike with Sikka, Infosys has also played it safe by naming Parekh, who unlike Sikka, comes with plenty of experience in negotiating multi-million dollar outsourcing deals, which are staple for Infosys and its peers such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Wipro Ltd and USbased Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. Sikka, on the other hand, came into Infosys in 2014 with the reputation of a strong products and technology leader, but with virtually no experience in the outsourcing industry.

Parekh’s appointment drew immediate praise from Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, who had a bitter and public fallout with the previous board of Infosys and Sikka during the months preceding his ouster.

Unlike Sikka, Parekh is not flashy or gregarious and is considered to be more amenable to the founders of the company, according to two executives.

capacity of around 70GW per year, the US and India are major markets.

Patanjali acquired Advance Navigation and Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a manufacturer of navigation aid equipment, earlier this year.

-- Live Mint

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