E newspaper08022013

Friday, August 02 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 31

Indo American erican News

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Ramadan Kareem Pandit Jasraj Iftar Celebrations around town

Performs in Houston

Stafford Center, July 24

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Bayou City Event Center, July 27

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Pandit Jasraj Vocal Concert – An Epitome of Musical Spirituality

BY SUNIL PANGARKAR HOUSTON: When a child is named in India, the parents name the child for what they feel the child represents to them or for what they want it to grow-up to. The concert on 26 July in Stafford Center was named by its organizers (Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston) as the “Epitome of Musical Spirituality” and it became a reality to the packed audience. I must say that as an insider, I would be lying if I said I was surprised by that result; but I would also be withholding truth if I told you that my jaws did not drop in astonishment, inspiration and admiration.

Why should I be astonished when I know that CICMH events over the last several years have a trade mark of being probably some of the most professionally organized events? Why should I be astonished when we were listening to none other than the legendary Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj, legendary Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri on Tabla and the Mewati Gharana torch bearers Pt. Suman Ghosh and Pta. Tripti Mukerjee? Call it the Taj Mahal effect. No amount of books, pictures, does justice to ones’ presence with the surreal. A work of superlative art form and the energy surrounding it has that effect.

Confluence of energetic work done by volunteers of the Saadhana Pariwar a Gurukul set up by Pandit Suman Ghosh 10 years ago, the wonderfully arranged sound & light and the picturesque stage set-up, a packed auditorium of music lovers and above all the purity of the genre displayed by the most senior Hindustani vocalist and his fellow musicians created that effect.

Inspiration can only be achieved by display of utmost perfection. Panditji is by far the embodiment of that quality. He is a superlative performer that can take a stage full of artists and the audience to a level where they may not have anticipated. Inspiration is a highly transferable feeling but it begins at the center of the stage and emanates to the surrounding, capturing all in its radiance.

Panditji started with a medium slow tempo 10 beat cycle composition in Raag Puriya.

It was a serene but befitting start and he later took it to the next level of energy with a faster tempo. Before the interval he left the audience soaking in the sweet sounds of Raag Khamaj Bahar. The display of the

Sangeet Martand Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj-ji in Concert, with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri on Tabla, Pt. Suman Ghosh and Pta. Tripti Mukherjee on Vocal Support, Amiya and Apurva Ghosh on Tanpura.

Photo: Narayan Swaminathan

flight of a Bhanwra on Kaliyan in that bandish had such an enchanting effect that the audience returned to the auditorium within 15 minutes in anticipation for more just like a bee comes to a sweet smelling flower. The returning audience was taken to a deeply thoughtful mood of Raag Malkauns followed by a great Tarana. Then finally, Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya, a bhajan based in Raag Bhimpalasi – what can I say!

The devotional energy packed by Panditji and all the supporting artists left the audience in a trance.

I could not help asking myself the question as to how has my Bade Guruji kept himself inspired by a single genre for last 60 plus years? The answer was there on the stage – he loves what he does. He loves the pure sounds of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri’s

dhir dhir kita on the tabla so he asked Swapanji to play those bols, during the concert without losing the flow. He challenged his disciples on the stage. He asked the audience to sing in chorus during a composition they know. He truly enjoys purity, creativity and performing with full engagement. That is not only the secret source of his own inspiration – but also a lesson one can take to every walk of life.

What can I say about my admiration? The grand conceptualization of the concert by my Guruji Pandit Suman Ghosh; The power of selfless work done by volunteers of the Saadhana Pariwar; The lovely speech given by the Chief Guest our Consul General P. Harish in Hindi; The supportive and respectful audience; The artists who traveled

from a long distances to give us this divine experience. But I reserve my highest admiration for the Khalifa of the Mewati Gharana – Padma Vibhushan Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj who at his age and despite some recent medical difficulties gave his absolute best to the Houston audience.

In the closing comments by Panditji for the 10 year celebratory concert of Saadhana Pariwar, he likened the development of his musical family to a “garden” created by Pt. Suman Ghosh in Houston and Pta. Tripti Mukerjee in New York and New Jersey. He expressed his fulfillment in seeing those gardens develop and get a chance to roam around in them when he visits the United States. To Houstonians he said “take care of Pt. Ghosh because he is anmol”.

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Iftar Dinner with Mayor Parker and a Delegation of Local Celebrities

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: It has become a tradition over the past seven years for the Mayor of Houston to hold a dinner to mark iftar, the breaking of the day-long fast by observant Muslims, on one evening during the month of Ramadan. At first, during Bill White’s time, it was held at the reflecting pool across from City Hall, with speeches and prayers from the landing above the steps and covered booths serving the dinner items.

Since then, the event has moved indoors and become more lavish and this year it was held at the Bayou City Event Center at 9401 Knight Road, just south of the Reliant Park complex. This year the Houston Sister Cities Association organized this event involving the Sister Cities of Abu Dhabi, Baku, Istanbul and Karachi and in collaboration with 30 other local organizations. The arrangements were for 1,500 people and included a dozen dinner items, with the must–have khir and baklava, catered by Tempura Restaurant over five buffet lines at each end of the enormous hall.

The program started just somewhat behind schedule, as the organizers waited for the guests to filter in. Some were caught by the unexpected heavy downpour that erupted just before the program got underway. Others just showed up at their own pace – a common problem with the desi crowd which is accustomed to less punctual and much later fare.

Still, as emcee Mona Khalil started off, she kept with the script and applauded the huge turnout, more expected than actual at past 7 pm, but the time to break fast was absolute and the event had to conclude before 8:19pm. Wajid Siddiqi recited a verse from the Koran to open the proceedings and then

Congressman Al Green presented a Certificate of recogntion of the event to the Houston Iftar Organizing Committee, accompanied by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and City Councilman Larry Green.

Photos : Jawahar Malhotra

Houston Mayor Annise Parker with Houston socialite, activist and author Joanne King Herring.

Mohammed Saeed Sheikh, Chairman of the Houston Iftar Organizing Committee made the welcome remarks.

Jamal Bafagih, Member of the Houston Iftar Organizing Committee recognized the dignitaries and sponsors.

Mohammed Saeed Sheikh, Chairman of the Houston Iftar Organizing Committee gave welcoming remarks and was followed up by

about the story of Moses and the power of fasting and the tradition as it is expressed in the JudeoChristian faiths. “Seeking God is mostly individual,” she said, “but also a communal experience”. She was followed by Dr. Molen Butt, Chairman of the Shifa Services Foundation who spoke about the essence of fasting.

There were brief speeches by

fellow Board member Jamal Bafagih who recognized the dozen local politicians and local celebrities who attended the program.

These included Lauren Santerre, of the Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston who spoke

Congressman Al Green, Sheriff Adrian Garcia and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee who marveled at the diversity of Houston. “This is a community that sees no color, only sees me,” she exclaimed. “It is a community that loves!”

Dr. Waleed Basyouni, VP of the Clear Lake Islamic Center gave CONTINUED ON PAGE

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ÅÆ

ÅÆ O Nanak! Sent (by the Primal Power - ਉਸ ਮਾਲਕ ਦੇ ਭੇਜੇ ਹੋਏ) we come (into this world), and when we are called back (from here), we depart and go. ||1||(sggs 1239).

O Nanak! Sent (by the Primal Power - ਉਸ ਮਾਲਕ ਦੇ ਭੇਜੇ ਹੋਏ) we come (into this world),

OBITUARY S. Harjeet Singh

Fridayand 26thwhen July,13we5:00 are PM called back (from here), we depart and go. ||1||(sggs 1239).

Start of Sri Akhand Paath Sahib at Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib (8819 Prairie Dr.Houston, TX 77064. Ph (713) 466-6538) Friday 26th July,13 5:00 PM Link for Map: Start of Sri Akhand Paath Sahib at Sikh Center thGurdwara Sahib (8819 Prairie Dr.Houston, TX 77064. Ph (713) 466-65 Saturday 27 July,13 Link for Map: Sri Akhand Paath Sahib will continue at Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib Saturday 27th July,13

Sunday 28th July,13 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Sri Akhand Paath Sahib will continue at Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib Funeral Services For Harjeet Singh, Will be heldPM at Winford 3:00 to 5:00Funeral PM Home, 8514 Tybor Drive Houston, TX 77074 Sunday 28th July,13 (713) 771-9999 (Gessner off 59 South) Link for Map: Funeral Services For Harjeet Singh, Will be held at Winford Funeral Home, 8514 Tybor Drive Houston, TX 77074 Sunday 28th July,13 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (713) 771-9999 (Gessner off 59 South) Link for Map: LAW OFFICES OF ZAINAB K. RIZVI Akhand Paath Sahib Bhog, Keertan and Antim Ardas for the peace of the departed Sunday 28th July,13 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM soul will be held at Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib, followed by Langar. _________________________________________________ Akhand Paath Sahib Bhog, Keertan and Antim Ardas for the peace of the departe DEDICATED DEPENDABLE In Grief : Amarjeet Kaur (Wife) (281) 855-2103 Res. & soul will be held at Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib, followed by Langar.

PERSONAL ATTENTION 21119 Twila Spring Dr.Houston, TX 77095 _________________________________________________ Surinderjit S. Harjeet Singh, a well known leader Singh of the (Son) Sikh Community, passed away on IMMIGRATION LAW In24,Grief : Amarjeet Kaur (Wife) (281) 855-2103 Res. July 2013 surrounded at home by his family.

He was 84 ½ yearsCell old and hailed Non Immigration and Immigrant Visa, Harsimran(Seema) Kaur (Daughter) 281-830-5396 from a very respectable family from Tarn Taran, Punjab, India.

He was elected 21119 Twila Spring Dr.Houston, TX 77095 Family & Employment Immigration.

Singh Galhotra ( Son In Law) 281-830-5203 Cell CommitunopposedHarjit to several terms as the President of the Tarn Taran Municipal Citizenship/Naturalization, Asylum,VAWA Surinderjit Singh (Son) tee. He was Managing Director of the Siri Guru Arjan Dev College Taran and Nini Kaur Koch (Daughter) CommitteeTarn was aHarsimran(Seema) member of the ShiromniKaur Akali (Daughter) Dal’s Parliament which nomi281-830-5396 Cell WILLS/TRUSTS ( Son Law) David nates the Akali Dal members whoKoch take part in In State and Central Government elecPower of Attorney, Estate Planning tionsHarjit in India.Singh Galhotra ( Son In Law) 281-830-5203 Cell S. Harjeet Singh immigrated to the US in 1978 and lived in Glen Ellyn, Illinois Nini Kaur Koch (Daughter) BUSINESS FORMATION (a suburb of Chicago) where he was elected President of the Gurdwara Sahib in Partnerships, LLC, LLP Kochin( 2005 Son toInstay Law) David Texas Palatine. He moved to Houston, near his daughter Seema

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and son-in-law Harjit Singh Galhotra, who own and operate Galson’s Auto and Body Shop.

He leaves behind his beloved wife Amarjit Kaur, son Surinderjit Singh (of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania), daughters Harsimran (Seema) and Nini Kaur (of Keystone, Colorado), several grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be missed by all near and dear ones.

(1928-2013) The funeral was held onHarjeet Sunday,Singh July 28, 2013 at the Winford Funeral Home, 8514 Tybor Drive, Houston. An Akhand Paath Sahib was began on Friday, July 26 at the Sikh Center Gurdwara Sahib at 8819 Prairie Dr., Houston, and concluded on July 28 with a Akhand Paath Sahib Bhog, Keertan and Antim Ardas for Peace of Singh (1928-2013) Harjeet the departed soul, followed

by Langar.

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Passion for Music Turns a Living Room into a Performance Hall

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA SUGAR LAND: Some people have a passion that drives them to work at both ends of the candle and all across the world looking for a way to claim it. Upma Shah realized long ago as a young woman in Bombay that her passion lay in music but she was astute enough to understand that her talent lay in making the path easier for budding performers to come forward.

After moving to this country with her husband Mukulesh, this energetic and undeflatable firebrand who was an attorney in her hometown of Bombay worked hard and raised a family. But the passion for music only grew inside her and seven years ago, she decided to take the plunge by inviting some friends and acquaintances to her home for a concert by a young talent whom she had met.

“It was a small place but we moved furniture around and got people settled in around a dais,” she smiled as she recalled her initial efforts. It was enough to capture the imagination of the people who came, as they came back for more informal music mehfils as Upma found other artistes from the local Houston area to perform.

“This is what I do. Music is my passion,” explained Upma Shah after a recent performance at her new and grand house on the waterfront in Sugar Land. “My purpose and aim is to promote local artists by giving them a stage. There are so many people who are talented in the Houston area, but who are not known for their talents because they do not have any venue or audience for which to perform.”

When the kids moved away to college and on their own, the Shahs moved to a larger home three years ago where they could indulge in their passion, as Mukulesh had also caught the fever. “He wasn’t so much into it before,” laughed Upma, “but now he even gives me suggestions on artistes and dates to hold the shows.”

With the new house, this is very much a case where the venue is her own home, in the living room which has floor to ceiling clear glass windows that open up to a fountain and the lake beyond. Over

The hostess of the monthly music program, Upama Shah thanked Anita Kulkarni for her versatile performance.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

80 people can sit on the plastic lawn chairs that are brought into the huge room which has a dais on one side and very little furniture so that it can easily be transformed into a performance hall. The Shahs do it all on a professional scale and the whole family – son and daughter included – share in the emails, coordination and communications.

And Upma has some very strict rules: while the program is going on there is no talking, moving, or going off to the bathroom. All the artistes are seated in the front row. And dinner happens only after all the show is over. “It’s very important to me that the artists are shown proper respect,” Upma continued, “for all the hard work and effort they put into their preparation.” She believes this is her way of giving back to the community in a unique way.

The Shahs have been helped along on this musical journey by the Prabhukots (father and son).

Trupti and Kiran Sheth have volunteered for the past few years in taking charge of the kitchen and all the food preparations. Upma knows that without the audience, helpers, and supporters her vision could not become a reality. “I truly believe that some sort of a divine power is working behind all of this,” she repeatedly said at the last concert on Sunday, July 21, “which motivates and encourages me to pursue this journey.”

That concert featured an artist – Anita Kulkarni – who has been a repeat performer at the Shah’s events. Anita is an architect and

a classical music singer who has perfected her talent in ragas over the years at the feet of her guru in India, where she spends half of her time. Her performance was without any instruments, save her voice and electronic beat synthesizers but she was able to captivate the audience with her range and delivery. She sang a medley of classical songs using different ragas and then delved into old Hindi movie classics and finally shared an upbeat track from her recent CD which is mostly a mix of modern Western and Indian classical styles.

After Anita’s performance, the man whom we have come to call “Houston’s Mohammed Rafi” –

Anita Kulkarni performed a medley of ragas, followed by a few popular classical Hindi film hits of yesteryear. She also played a classical raga fusion track from her CD Panorama.

The talented Surender Talwar, dubbed the “Mohammed Rafi” of Houston, performed songs from Hindi hits of yesteryear and gave a running dialogue of how they came into his repertoire.

Surender Talwar - serenaded the audience with a dozen of his selftaught songs from the movies of yesteryear. Talwar started each number by explaining the year it was that it caught his imagination and how he assimilated it into his life. It was a throwback in time that most in the audience heartily kept pace with and clapped along to, letting out a few whistles and yells too.

At the tail end of the show, a delightful segue brought everyone to

their feet as they wished my mother, Shakuntla Malhotra, a happy 85th birthday, which was the next day, as well as to Upma’s motherin-law who turned 92 a week later.

Everyone erupted in the “Happy Birthday” song and then, caught up in the moment, my mother sang a few Punjabi folk songs called “tappe”, joined in by the handful of Punjabis in the audience. All of this was even more music to the ears of the hostess whose passion led to these performances.

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Houstonian Lutfi Hassan at Business Round Table with President Obama WASHINGTON: Local prominent businessman Lutfi Hassan was invited to a round table discussion with the President Barack H. Obama recently on Thursday, July 11.

He was joined with 25 other business leaders from different industries for a debriefing by the President as well as discussion on a wide variety of issues.

Obama briefed the group on his administration’s stand on the several domestic policy issues relating to healthcare, jobs and the economy. He also addressed foreign policy and foreign trade issues that relate to the Middle East and Africa. The President then opened up the meeting for an frank and candid discussion on various topics allowing each one of the participants to speak freely what was on their minds and responded eloquently to their questions while welcoming suggestions.

Hassan complimented the President on his recent Africa tour and the announce-

ment thereafter on the various initiatives including the Power Africa with the allocation of $7 billion. He suggested a more aggressive involvement of the Commerce Department in promoting Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) firms particularly in the countries with emerging economies and robust growth.

Citing his own international business experience as well as the involvement in coordinating foreign trade missions as the Chairman of former Houston Mayor Brown’s Advisory Board for International Business Development, Hassan offered to offer his own first hand experience in helping to tweak the policy for the Trade Missions.

The President graciously accepted his offer and Hassan has since connected him with the policy makers at the Commerce Department and the Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC).

“It’s always a delight to see the President Houston businessman Lutfi Hassan meeting President Barack Obama at a business roundtable discussion on Thursday, July 11 at the White House.

Lutfi Hassan makes a point during the roundtable discussion with President Obama.

particularly when you are able to sit across the table for a couple of hours to discuss the issues that are important to our nation.” said

Hassan. “I am honored to be included in discussions at the highest level.”

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Iftar Dinner with Mayor Parker and a Delegation of Local Celebrities

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the message of Ramadan. And there were video messages from Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and President Barack Obama to congratulate all on the Ramadan season. Sayed Javaid Anwar, President & CEO of Midland Energy introduced Mayor Annise Parker, who strode onstage to give the Keynote Address. “This is an opportunity to celebrate Ramadan and also for those who want to build bridges,” she said, “and join tin breaking bread as a symbol of our commitment to each other.”

“In Houston, we live diversity each day,” exclaimed the Mayor.

She did not shy away from touching on the subject of terrorism by mentioning the Boston Bombings.

“We cannot pretend that these things don’t happen and shape how Islam is viewed,” she said.

“Terrorism is a mindless beast and destroys. The antidote to fear is knowledge: counter acts of violence with acts of love.”

As soon as the Mayor was done, Kemal Civelej, the Imam of the Turkish Center came onstage and made the Dua or invocation, followed by the Aadhan or call to prayers by Hafiz Imadul Hassan, which signaled to all the breaking of the fast, beginning with the

Emcee Mona Khalil guided the program along.

Wajid Siddiqi performed the opening verses from the Koran.

small box in front of all the guests containing grapes, strawberries and a samosa, washed down with bottles of juice and water. By then, the hall had filled substantially and the rush was on to the buffet lines.

A main celebrity who almost all the local politicians acknowledged was a special guest for the evening, Joanne King Herring Davis, the much admired Houston socialite, activist, former talk show host of the 15-year long “Joanne King Show” TV program and author.

The 84-year old Herring looked

superb in her pink outfit and was universally acknowledged, even

by Dewhurst in his video message, for her work in changing the world. In the 1980s, she played a role in helping US Rep. Charlie Wilson persuade the US to train and arm Mujahidin to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Herring has also been the roaming Ambassador for Pakistan in the 1980s and received many awards for her diplomatic efforts. Herring was much sought out by all for photo ops all evening and she gladly obliged.

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IACCGH Women Mean Business

Speakers of the event, Juuhi Ahuja(left) and Dr. Marie Goradia.

HOUSTON: On July 25 IACCGH hosted the second “IACCGH Women Mean Busi-

ness” series at member Abrahams Rug’s showroom on Woodway.

Pankaj Dhume, President,

Organizers, guests and speakers.

IACCGH welcomed everyone to the event.

Dr. Marie Goradia, in her keynote

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Photos: Bijay Dixit

address titled “The journey is more EXCITING than the destination” talked about her life in India, her

career and philanthropy. Early in life she realized that money alone cannot buy you happiness, strong connections with people make you happy. She also truly believed that she could do anything in life if she worked hard enough and got a good education. She was 1 of 200 people and 1 of 4 women selected from across India by The Bhabha Atomic Research Center to undergo training and soon she became a passionate scientist. After her PhD in Molecular Biology, she accepted a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship at Cold Spring Harbor Lab in New York. “For the next 2 years I was living in history. “Everyone who was anyone in Genetic Engineering came to Cold Spring harbor in the summer.”

Having worked with radioactive material and cancer viruses she gave up work when she became pregnant. She then read up all she could, did a course in Personal Financial Planning and started managing their family estate as her next career. She feels America, the most generous country in the world, taught her the joy of giving and she supports many charities in education, healthcare and entrepreneurship throughout the world with Pratham being the one she is most passionate about.

“I don’t know what the future has in store for me. All I know is that life is a precious gift and I will live it to the fullest and I hope you will too”.

Juuhi Ahuja, President & CEO of Wise Man Consulting followed with her address as a member showcase. In her remarks Juuhi said “For a success of any business, networking is the key. I believe if I am not networking, I am not working. Be part of a networking organization like the IACCGH.” Take calculated risks. Leaving your cushioned job will be the biggest risk you will take or if you are going to start your business, this is the first risk you will take. Don’t stop taking calculated risks. The survival and growth of the business depends on the risks you take.”

The sold out event was a great opportunity for women entrepreneurs and professionals to network. To quote one of the attendees Sangeet Pasrija “After attending the very first, very refreshing and invigorating IACCGH’s Women Mean Business session with Nandita Harish and Omana Abraham, I wasn’t going to miss the second one. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed both speakers, Dr. Marie Goradia and Juuhi Ahuja; their journey into their current profession and passion. Many ladies who were seeking networking found their mecca! The program each time was conducted in a very crisp professional manner with no time-consuming useless speeches etc. Ladies feel welcome and special when each is given 30 seconds of the precious time to introduce themselves.”

Nandita Harish graced the occasion with her presence.

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Janmastami, Appearance Day of Lord Sri Krishna HOUSTON: As Vasudeva stood perplexed with the divine newborn held tightly to his chest, the chains that held him broke and the heavy iron doors that barred any escape, swung open. The guards were snoring, and Vasudeva swiftly ran into the pouring rain, the baby Krishna now in a basket in his hands. As he neared the river Yamuna, who was in full spate, and wondered how to get to Nandaraja’s home as prophesized in a divine appearance by the Supreme, all of a sudden the path cleared and Ananta-Sesa (a manifestation of Krishna’s elder brother Balarama) protected them, and guided them to Nandaraja’s home, where again everyone was in deep slumber.

Vasudeva quietly exchanged Krishna for another newborn (a girl, who was actually Yogamaya) and returned to the prison-house, where things immediately went back to their original state, including his shackles and the massive iron doors.

When the evil Kamsa, brother of Devaki (and thus Vasudeva’s brother-in-law) swooped down to kill this child (who had been foretold to be the reason for his death) the child simply slipped out of his hands, laughed and said, Kamsa, your killer, the eighth child, is still alive! Kamsa’s rage knew no bounds and he set upon finding that elusive eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva, the child who would destroy him and his dark shadow that had held the hapless Mathura-vasis in thrall.

Thus begins the sublime and mesmerizing story of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, the advent of whom we celebrate as all over the world as Janmashtami, Gokulashtami, Krishnashtami, or Krishna Jayanti.

This is such a joyous and universally uniting festival that all of the world comes together to rejoice in the birth of the protector of saints and destroyer of demons. There are slight differences in how the various parts of India celebrate Janmashtami, but the unifying aspect is that of complete submission to the utter bliss that comes with chanting the names of

the Lord and in glorifying Him by hearing and reciting His delightful pastimes.

Most traditions call for fasting until midnight, when Krishna was born, and then performing aarti and rousing kirtan for His pleasure. In the northern part of India, especially Uttar Pradesh – where places such as Vrindavan, Gokul, and Mathura hold deep significance due to Krishna’s intimate association with them and because of the multitude of His pastimes that were enacted there - the festivities are especially pronounced.

In South India the event is generally known as called Gokulashtami and people draw tiny feet (imprints using a mixture of flour and water) that lead into the kitchen and other rooms from outside the residence, representing Krishna’s mischievous pastimes where he used to steal butter by smashing open the pots hung high from the rafters. As a recurring leitmotif of how this sweetest of festivals is celebrated, devotees cook sumptuous food (with a lot of sweets!) and offer to the Lord to express their love and devotion.

In Dwaraka (Gujarat), where Krishna founded His kingdom, devotees exemplify their uncompromising bhakti towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna by thronging Dwarakadhisha temple (also known as the Jagad Mandir).

In the great state of Maharashtra the dahi-handi (buttermilk-pot) event is not to be missed. Teams

of players come together to form a human pyramid and the person at the apex tries to break the pot open.

As one can see, the sheer joy and gaiety that characterize this festival is highly infectious and is universal in nature. Let us pray to the Supreme Lord Sri Hari, simply by chanting whose glorious names we can attain moksha – eternal liberation from this material world!

On Wed, Aug 28, 6:30pm Hare Krishna Dham, ISKCON Houston, will celebrate this grand occasion of Janmashtami festival with special aratis, Abhishek Bathing Ceremony of the Deities, Melodious kirtans and delicious prasadam.”

Every Houstonion looks forward to experiencing the Janmashtami celebrations at the Hare Krishna Dham, ISKCON Houston. Thousands of devotees eagerly wait in line for the special darshan and arati of the beautiful Sri Sri Radha NilaMadhava, the presiding Dieties, while enjoying the cultural activities and delicious prasadam.

Aparat from the celebrations on the actual day, Wed Aug 28, Hare Krishna Dham (1320 W 34th Street, Houston TX – 77018. www.iskconhouston.org , 713-686-4482), will also conduct a public celebration of the Janmashtami festival on Sun, Sep 1, from 5:30pm, with a bonanza of cultural activities, dramas and dances.

Join in the festivities this year and experience the joy of the Janmashtami Festival.”

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

August 02, 2013

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COMMUNITY

August 02, 2013

Local Organizations Host Iftaar; Mayor, City Officials Attend

BY PARTH DWIVEDI HOUSTON: Municipal and State representatives provided a notable presence at an iftaar celebration, held at Stafford Centre on Wednesday, July 24, where the tightly scheduled event showcased a portion of the 1,000strong community 1,000-strong.

As guests were arriving, a reserved Muslim participant, explained his support of this particular iftaar to me, “It’s a good thing because it will increase awareness in a ‘Bible-Belt’ state, where it’s needed,” he said, referring to the informal collection of states in the southeastern and south-central U.S. He had picked up on a key aspect of the event, which was organized by the Islamic Society of Greater Houston alongside 24 other organizations, as Radio Houston host and President of Myanmar American Chamber of Commerce, Rahman Moton pointed out that the dinner was meant to be inclusive of a multitude of demographics in order “to demonstrate peace and civility.”

A pamphlet that was circulated beforehand noted that Ramadan is as much an exercise in compassion, humility and retrospection, as it is in discipline, pointing out that America’s history of Islamic consideration goes as far back as 1805 when Thomas Jefferson observed

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett (center-right) and Harris County Justice of the Peace Russ Ridgway (far left) mix with community leaders.

ISGH President Hashim Badat addresses all in attendance to speak about the evening.

Photos: Parth Dwivedi

Ramadan during a visit to the White House of a Tunisian envoy.

Among the special guests present was Mayor Annise Parker, who lauded Houstonians’ spiritual and cultural diversity. Parker called for engagement on the part of the greater community, and

went on to say, “Let us not join tonight just to commemorate this year, but also lean on each other everyday of the coming years.”

Harris County’s own, Sherriff Adrian Garcia was present, joking about starting a cricket team and shaking hands with enthu-

siastic fans. Jokes aside, Garcia underscored his role to protect all of Harris County, rather than just a portion of it. In solidarity with the community, he assured, “If anyone wants to harm someone in Harris County, they’ll have to go through me, first.”

Texas House Representative Gene Wu, of District 137, which includes the Mahatma Gandhi District, echoed that sentiment.

Wu recounted a time when he saw fellow representatives leave the legislative chamber in protest upon the presence of an invited Imam, stating that he wanted to show the politically underrepresented Muslim community that, he and others like him, love them. He also stated that he will fight for their respect and recognition at the state level.

Amongst those who spoke were Taslim Siddiqui, president of PAGH, who expressed interest in bridging the Pakistani-U.S. culture gap; Hashim Badat, president of ISGH, who explained his intent to organize this event as a push toward diversification; Rev. Greg Han, faculty at St. Johns School; Rev. Kimberly Orr of Windsor Village United Methodist Church; Judge Ed Emmett, of Harris County; and Imam Isa Parada, Youth Coordinator of ISGH. Instrumental in coordination was

Fuad Cochinwala, Vice President of ISGH and chairperson of the evening’s organizing committee.

Notable guests included Consul General of Pakistan, Mohammad Aqil Nadeem; Consul General of Turkey, Cemalettin Aydyn; President of Interfaith Ministries, Elliot Gerhsenson; Executive Assistant Chief of HPD, Michael Dirden; Metro Chief of Police, Victor Rodriguez; Chief Service Officer for the City of Houston, Katherine Price; Division Manager for the City of Houston, Terence O’Neill; Justice of the peace for Harris County, Russ Ridgway; Mayor Pro Tempore and Councilmember for the City of Houston, Ed Gonzalez; Tax Assessor for Harris County, Mike Sullivan; and Council member for the City of Sugar Land, Harish Jajoo. Proclamations were also sent from the offices of Congressional representatives Sheila Jackson Lee, Al Green and Peter Olson.

Wrapping up the program and ushering in the evening prayer before breaking fast, Rahman Moton offered a vote of thanks, joking, “I am sorry if I have forgotten anyone.

I am just very hungry.” His joviality was typical of the evening, which seemed to indicate increasingly warm relations between the mainstream and Muslim communities.

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August 02, 2013

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EDITORIAL

Losing Currency

29th State, 30th to Come?

Grasping the nettle is not something that comes very easily to coalition governments. But the UPA has decided that painful though it may be, it will set the ball rolling in the creation of a Telangana state.

With its decision to grant this contentious statehood — this will be the 29th State in the Indian Union — it cannot have been unaware that it is in for a lot of flak.

The very fact that the demand has been there for the last 60 years shows how difficult this decision must have been, especially with general elections so close. In effect, the new Telangana state will be the same as the old Hyderabad state before it merged with the Andhra state in 1956.

As of now it seems that Hyderabad will be capital of both states till Andhra develops one of its own. There are still deep divisions and reservations on this issue and the challenge now is to manage all this. While Telangana state gets Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh will get the entire coastline with potential oil and gas and fisheries resources.

For the moment, the beefed up security in Andhra may keep the peace but this decision has offended a lot of people, not the least being a section within the Congress itself.

The Congress has blown hot and cold on this issue for some years now. After the Telangana Rashtra Samithi of K Chandrashekhar Rao was able to successfully revive the Telangana issue and indeed make it a confrontational one with the government, the Centre has been groping around for an answer.

Many students in Andhra have committed suicide for this cause and many have suffered grave reverses in their studies having lost up to a year, thanks to the agitations over this issue. The muchawaited Srikrishna Committee report was against the bifurcation of the state, rather it proposed greater autonomy to the Telangana region and greater resource allocation.

After having set up the Committee, the Centre seemed strangely reluctant to implement its recommendations. This might have been an easier option than the actual division of the state, which has now been decided on by the party.

Much of how this will play out lies in the manner in which it is implemented and the maturity of all the political parties concerned. If past example is anything to go by, we cannot expect that they will be guided by reason or the greater public good.

Rather as elections draw near, there will be every temptation to politicise this issue even more than it has already been.

The Centre must also now contend with similar demands from other states, the Gorkhaland demand has already been voiced, for bifurcation.

This is going to be a fractious and expensive proposition. Much of course will depend on the success or otherwise of the Telangana experiment. But having conceded on Telangana, the Centre has no choice but to ensure a fair hearing for similar demands from other states.

Hindustan Times

BY ILA PATNAIK

To shore up rupee, policy must boost domestic productivity, assure foreign investors The sharp decline in the value of the rupee in recent days has led to a clamor for the government to do something. But there are few easy options available. RBI intervention is likely to have limited impact in the face of the huge pressure on the rupee caused by global capital movements. Domestic interest rates cannot be raised to attract foreign inflows because of the decline in growth and investment in the country. Reducing imports though imposing restrictions on gold has had limited effect. The falling rupee is a consequence of global developments as well as a sign of longer-term features of the Indian economy. Addressing the symptoms, that is, the rupee fall, could give us short-term relief, but soon the same problems will surface again.

First, let us place the rupee decline in perspective. When we compare the slide of the rupee to the behaviou of other currencies in June, when the rupee depreciated sharply, it appears as if other emerging economy currencies depreciated less, while the rupee fell sharply. However, when we compare the rupee-dollar rate to other large emerging market (EM) economy currencies, like those of Brazil, South Africa, Korea or Turkey over a longer period, starting in January 2013, we find that most of those currencies had depreciated earlier, particularly between mid-February and mid-March, while the rupee had held up. The U.S. dollar trade weighted index shows similar trends. As a consequence, what appears to be a very sharp depreciation compared to other large EM currencies is not such a sharp depreciation. Indeed, if the rupee had not depreciated, it would have lost competitiveness against other currencies.

With high inflation continuing to plague the Indian economy, the recent depreciation has prevented the real exchange rate of the rupee from becoming overvalued. As long as inflation in India is higher, in the long run we are likely to get a nominal depreciation that would prevent real exchange rate appreciation. So if our

Addressing the symptoms, that is, the rupee fall, could give us short-term relief, but soon the same problems will surface again. cost of production is growing at 10 per cent while, say, for the sake of argument, the others are at zero, then after five years, do not expect that the rupee will remain at 60. It should be expected to depreciate. By how much will depend on capital flows to and from India. For instance, earlier in the year, foreign capital continued to flow into India and the rupee did not fall.

The short-run approach to reducing the pressure on the rupee has been to curb imports of gold to lower the current account deficit. Recent evidence suggests two trends. First, official imports of gold have declined. Second, gold smuggling has increased.

Government policies to reduce gold imports are aimed at official imports.

It is not clear why the government believes that a shift from official channels to smuggling will solve the question of the inflow of gold or its impact on the rupee. It might have the naïve faith that total gold imports will go down if restrictions are imposed, and the criminality it introduces into the system is a worthwhile price to pay for reducing the pressure on the rupee. But gold imports are a means of capital flight. If households do not have attractive assets to invest in, if real interest rates on bank deposits are low, if the real estate market is full of black money and scams, gold appears to be an attractive asset for households. Restrictions on gold have not made the rupee stronger.

Ultimately, a currency gets stron-

ger if the economy witnesses higher productivity growth than the rest of the world. During the months that we have been worried about the rupee depreciating, the Chinese yuan has been appreciating. In addition, domestic inflation in China is high and wages are rising. This offers India an opportunity to step in when China inevitably loses its share of foreign markets. But for this, India needs to remove hurdles to the growth of large-scale industry in toys, textiles, engineering goods, household appliances and various consumer durables. This will involve changes in the exit policy of industry, labor laws, policies on foreign direct investment, removal of the infinite obstacles to investment, improving infrastructure such as power, fuel, raw material supply, ports and airports. Addressing these can give us higher productivity growth, which in turn, would give us a strong rupee.

Until now, our approach has been to boost exports by making policies to help “exporters”. That approach needs to change towards policies that lead to an increase in domestic productivity. It is when firms become more productive that they start serving foreign markets. The challenge today is to create an environment in which more firms become productive.

Another element of the reform India needs to undertake urgently is to clean up its foreign investment framework. Today, the framework is so messy that even the government finds it hard to enforce its own rules.

The alphabet soup of FDI, FII, FPI, QFI and so forth has no clarity and the legal uncertainty in the system is so high that it manages to turn away even those investors who want to bring money into India.

The RBI must be complimented on seeing the problems of trying to implement a peg to the USD back in 2007-08 and moving to a floating exchange rate. Had Subbarao not been wise enough to do that, India would have faced a balance of payments crisis in trying to defend the rupee.

The writer, professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Delhi, is a consulting editor for The Indian Express.

Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS & PRODUCTION MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN MARKETING INTERN: PARTH DWIVEDI CORRESPONDENTS

HOUSTON: HAIDER KAZIM, MANU SHAH CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, INDIA: 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, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

LEGAL

August 02, 2013

Overtime Rights Cannot be Waived

BY AJAY CHOUDHARY HOUSTON: Overtime claims are becoming increasingly common. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most employees are required to be paid one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over forty in a week. Rights under the FLSA cannot be waived. For example, if an employee states that he gives up his right to overtime pay, such a statement is meaningless. An employee cannot give up his right to overtime pay.

An employee could, after submitting time sheets for two years that state that he worked forty hours each week, pursue an overtime claim by claiming that he actually worked more than forty hours some weeks and that he was pressured to not report his overtime hours. If an employee works during lunch, at home, or “off the clock,” the employee can pursue an overtime claim two years later even if the employee never reported his overtime hours.

If an employee is paid on a salary basis instead of on an hourly rate basis, that does not mean the employee is not entitled to receive overtime compensation. If an employee’s primary duty does not include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of sig-

nificance, there is a good chance that the employee will be entitled to overtime compensation for all hours worked over forty in a week.

The FLSA prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee who complains about not receiving overtime compensation. Employees who think that they might have an overtime claim against their current employer or former employer

should talk with an attorney.

Ajay Choudhary gives free consultations regarding any employment matter. He is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His phone number is (281) 888-7074. He is an attorney at Khemka & Choudhary, 8702 Westpark Drive, Houston, Texas 77063; www.kchoustonlaw.com.

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19

20 August 02, 2013 LEARN TO DRIVE TODAY!

COMMUNITY

Friends Helping Friends Annual Fundraiser Slated for August 25

Ganesh Anand Catering Services Pure Vegetarian South & North Indian Dishes.

Chaat & Snacks Contact Babulbhai: 832-891-1421 13180 West Park Dr. @ Synott Houston, TX 77082

Members of the Board of Friends Helping Friends with some guests at last year’s fundraiser. This year’s event will be held Sunday, August 25 at the same venue, Maggiano’s Italian Restaurant on Post Oak Blvd.

HOUSTON: Friends Helping Friends, a non-profit organization now in its 12th year, will hold its annual fundraiser on Sunday, August 25 at 6pm at Maggiano’s Italian restaurant on Post Oak Boulevard, which has become their standard location year after year for the event. About 300 people are expected to attend the event which allows FHF to fund many of their programs throughout the year.

As usual, a silent auction will be held with a number of items,

and according to Board member Panna Bhatia, it will “include a few surprises” in addition to the usual items, ranging from jewelry to wines to dresses and paintings.

Through the power of persuasion, networking and building relationships, FHF has been able to connect deserving individuals with many of healthcare providers and convince them to provide services pro-bono or at heavily reduced fees. Each Board member reaches out to the people they know, with

75% of the physicians in this informal “network” being Indian, and they are able to plead their cause well. Most of those who reach out to FHF come from outside the 610East loop in the South HoustonClear Lake-Galveston Bay area.

Every year FHF helps on an average 40 people with medical needs, 100 women with free mammograms and 10 families with funeral assistance. For further information about the fundraiser, contact Panna Bhatia at 281-300-6140.

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HOUSTON: Houston Community College Trustee Neeta Sane officially filed for re-election to continue to represent the constituents of HCC District Seven.

“It has been an incredible honor to represent the HCC students and the community. I am very grateful for the wonderful support and friendship I have received over the past six years.” said Sane.

In Neeta’s service on the HCC Board, she has worked to launch educational summits, scholarship programs and promoted policies that were essential to the growth and success of HCC. Despite dwindling state fund-

ing and a national economic recession, Trustee Sane helped HCC stay focused on getting things done with available resources.

Sane has also concentrated on improving academics, workforce training and institutional productivity.

Neeta’s plan is to continue to advocate for policies to enhance student success and to provide the facilities and resources necessary to meet the growing needs of HCC’s diverse student population and the community as a whole.

For more information, visit www.

NeetaSane.com or call 832-279-8601.

For advertising Call: 713.789.6397

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

BY MALAY VYAS HOUSTON: On December 22, 2012, Mahesh Mahbubani’s dream of a community based full time Bollywood dance and fitness studio came true when Naach Houston opened its studio at 2311 Williams Trace in Sugar Land. In six short months, the NAACH team has performed for social causes with non profits like Texana, Pratham and Daya as well graced the dance floor for corporate events for Fluor, KBR and AAHOA, just to name a few. Now NAACH is proud to announce its first independent production “The Show Must Go On – 2013”, at the Stafford Center, on August 22 at 7:00 pm.

Naach is not just another dance school, Naach is a thought, its an idea and it’s a dream so no wonder that Naach’s shows are not just another dance performance. It’s a story that weaves around the dancers as well as the audience. This time around, Mahesh’s artistic abilities are further enhanced by new young choreographers and over a hundred NAACH students of every age group.

The show is a celebration of life as a journey with a strong Bollywood influence. In the past 100 years, Bollywood has come a long way with different genres of dance & music permeating in Indian movies similarly “The Show Must Go On” encompasses different dance styles in a Bollywood landscape as we journey across various eras of Bollywood. Expect to get enthralled by variety of dance forms ranging from Hip Hop to Contemporary. Look forward to tapping your feet on songs from the times of Madhubala to Madhuri Dixit and don’t be surprised if you get to see some burlesque numbers. Naach is a celebration of life.. a life of color, vibrance and excitement. As is with life, The Show Must Go On With Naach.

Buy your tickets at www.naachhouston.com or sulekha.com

August 02, 2013

21

Naach Houston Presents The Show Must Go On 2013

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

22 August 02, 2013

INDIA

India’s New Mountain Strike Corps: Will it be a Reality or Illusion?

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT There have been in the recent past many instances of the Chinese making forays into the Indian Territory across the Indo-Tibetan border and the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Just on July 17, there were “incursions” by the Chinese in three widely separated regions, namely Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. These could not have been a matter of just ‘happenstance’. Obviously, these incursions must have been a part of some ‘method in the Chinese madness’. According to defence analyst Shamsher Singh there had been 40 such incursions since June 2013 alone and over 400 in the past five years.

“The Chinese have been making ‘forays’ into the Indian territory as a matter of habitual routine,” says another defence expert.

The issue of repeated Chinese ‘incursions’ is generally not an ‘open and shut’ case. The Chinese authorities glibly deny any transgressions whenever India protests. Their stock reply is that they have neither “intruded into any Indian territory nor violated the LAC”. India then often finds itself pushed into a tight corner since there has not been a mutually acceptable demarcation of the lengthy and generally uninhabited border areas. The Chinese also do not accept the sanctity of the McMahon Line that had been drawn up in 1914 as part of Simla Accord between Britain and Tibet.

Thus the belated decision on 17 July by Indian government’s cabinet committee on security (CCS) approving the raising of a mountain strike corps along the 3,225-kilometers long Himalayan border should be read in the above context, even though this

crucial decision took long time coming. This in-principle approval envisages constituting a mountain strike corps comprising nearly 50,000 soldiers. Its tab will run into over rupees 64,000 crore spread over seven years.

A long overdue decision The new strike corps will be India’s fourth; the three existing strike corps are generally deployed on Indo-Pakistan border and Line of Actual Control (LAC). Interestingly, Indian security experts now rank China as posing a greater danger and challenge than Pakistan.

Hence this long overdue decision.

How long has this decision been delayed? According to some security analysts, India should have started the process for raising a mountain strike corps soon after its humiliating defeat at the hands of the Chinese in October 1962.

But the successive governments over the following five decades remained blissfully somnolent, keeping their head buried ostrichlike in sand. Even when the army headquarters off and on submitted proposals akin to raising mountain strike corps, those were received with a yawn by the babus in the defence ministry. And if somehow one or two proposals managed to sieve through the bureaucratic filter of red tape in the South block, the mandarins in the finance ministry would happily scuttle them, if not for anything else, just to demonstrate their superior veto powers.

In recent years, the defence ministry, from time to time, had initiated proposals to set up a mountain strike corps and two independent brigades dedicated for the China border but these too got lost in New Delhi’s bureaucratic maze.

Newspapers’ speculations were then galore that the cabinet committee on security T:6” (CCS) was set to sanction the creation of a strike

corps, specifically intended for the Chinese border but all that proved illusory. At times even the defence ministry would ‘kill’ proposals like these at its own threshold where lowly babus would shamefacedly question the very raison d’être of these proposals. There was yet another proposal for raising a mountain strike corps to be based at Pannagarh in West Bengal; however, it was sent back to Chiefs of the Staff Committee with the ostensible object of bringing on board both the Navy and the Air Force as part of building a joint capability against China. It too was still born.

Where are the training facilities?

What does this latest much publicized decision about a mountain strike corps portend? The ‘in-principle’ approval is just what it says, ‘in-principle’ approval; nothing more, nothing less. It is still many, many miles away from the take off stage and could yet prove abortive, knowing what one does about the proverbial corridors of New Delhi’s South and North Blocks where files move at snail pace forward, backward, sideward and upward in an unending serpentine maze. If (and that is a big IF) and when this decision reaches the implementation stage, it will open a Pandora box of innumerable issues, one more knotty than the other, each capable of derailing the process.

Even conceding that the recruitment of 50,000 people will not be made in one go and will be spread over a few years, yet this will undoubtedly be a gargantuan job requiring the setting up of numerous recruitment teams and ensuring that the right kind of personnel are recruited. Mere recruitment will not end the problem. The next will be another equally gigantic exercise in setting up new training facilities and vastly expanding

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‘live’ border and Line of Actual Control (LAC). Even the strategically important Jammu-Srinagar Road is at the mercy of vagaries of nature and remains closed for several weeks in a year. In contrast, China is believed to have built a vast network of 58,000 kilometers of all-weather roads close to the border and even rail roads linking Tibet with the Chinese hinterland and would have no problem in rushing reinforcements of troops at short notice, if and when needed.

Indian army would also need a wide range of mountain artillery, anti-aircraft guns with associated hardware, state-of-art communication system and a variety of infantry hardware. Even, some deep strike capability with BrahMos missiles and Pinaka rocket systems will need to be acquired.

This is not all. The Indian Army, according to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, is understood to have shortlisted about 700 items to be procured by the end of 12thfiveyear plan. These, inter alia, include howitzers, infantry combat vehicles, main battle tanks and light tanks, trucks and light, attack and heavy-lift helicopters. The large shopping list will cost an estimated two trillion Indian rupees.

But all this is easier said than done. The Defence Procurement Procedures, even the latest one, is known for its proverbial checks and balances approach. In simple English, it means that everyone involved in the purchase process is deemed to be dishonest and that passing the buck is the name of the game. The result obviously will be either delayed procurement with resultant price escalation or no purchase or even re-invitation of tenders, or even worse a vigilance or CBI inquiry.

Yes, the Indian government has finally taken an in-principle decision on raising a new mountain strike corps; for this it needs to be congratulated. But like the path to heaven, the formation of this long awaited and overdue mountain strike corps will not be smooth.

T:4”

Game #

the existing training infrastructure.

Equally important will be recruitment of a few thousand officers for the new mountain strike corps. As it is, according to a 2010 defence ministry estimate, the Indian army was short of 12,500 officers when its sanctioned strength was around 46,500. At that time, the army headquarters had proposed an increase of 16,000 officers in its sanctioned strength. However, there is no magic wand, and the recruitment of much larger number of officers, even if spread over several years, will indeed be a Herculean task.

Three new IMAs will be needed But even if one could recruit a few thousand qualified and competent officers, training them will altogether a different ball game.

There are currently only three premier officers’ training academies in the country. They are the Indian Military Academy, the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Officers’ Training School (OTS).

It takes two to four years to train an officer and the existing infrastructure at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) is already bursting at its seams and would need to be substantially expanded if the intake of gentlemen cadets is to be increased. Though, the IMA has an expansive complex spread across 1400 lush green acres, it is, at best, equipped to train 1800 cadets at any given time. IMA had proposed last year an increase in its intake from the present 1800 to 2400 cadets. For training only 600 more cadets, IMA needed 2000 acres of additional land just about sufficient to meet the training requirements for a larger number of cadets. But the requirement of officers now, in the wake of the proposed new mountain strike corps, will be much larger for which at least three additional military academies of the size and standard of IMA, NDA and OTS will required to be established.

The missing infrastructure Since the new mountain strike corps will operate along the difficult and long mountainous border with China, it obviously will necessitate the construction of a network of roads, helipads, airdromes which unfortunately is conspicuously absent today. It is indeed a pity that the successive governments at the Centre over the past decades totally overlooked the necessity of infrastructural development of such crucial importance along this sensitive and very much

Raj Kanwar is a veteran Dehra Dun journalist and author. At 83, he writes regularly on local and current affairs.

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Arbi Wadi Curry (Eddoe Root & Lentil Dumpling Curry) Punjabis eat the root vegetable Arbi (eddoe root) in several ways but when made in a curry it gives competition to the aloo wadiyan curry dish that it resembles, but the taste is much better as the arbi is softer on the palette and soaks up the curry flavor well.

In the US, you usually find two types of arbis: the larger Chinese or Japanese type which are more fibrous and have a flatter taste than the Indian variety, which are smaller and softer. For best results, choose the medium sized roots.

Some recipes like arbi chaat require that the arbi be steamed or lightly boiled and then the hairy exterior skin can be pulled off. For this recipe, the arbi must be scrapped with a knife as the skin is thin and soft.

This dish requires wadiyan (sun dried lentil dumpling) and though I prefer the Amritsari variety, any large ones that you can find will do.

Just remember to brown the wadi so that the wadi will taste cooked otherwise it will give a raw lentil taste.

Ingredients: • 1 kg arbi (small to medium eddoe root) • 1 large size Amritsari wadi (sun dried lentil dumpling) • 2 tablespoon tael (vegetable or olive oil) • 2 cups pani (water) • 1 large pyaaz (onion) – peeled and chopped • 2 cloves of lasan (garlic) – peeled and chopped • 1 medium adrak (ginger) – peeled and chopped • 1 small tamater (tomato) or 1 teaspoon tomato paste • Spices (to taste): namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), dhania (ground coriander), garam masala

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Directions: 1. Peel the arbi then coat it with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then wash the arbi well and pat dry with a soft cloth.

2. Cut the arbi into half-inch pieces.

3. In a kadai (wok) or skillet, heat the oil, throw in the wadi and brown it on all sides. When lightly brown, take out and keep to the side.

4. In the remaining oil, throw in the onions, ginger and garlic and brown them while stirring . Turn the heat down to extreme low so as not to burn the spices and stir to mix thoroughly.

5. Throw in the cut arbi into the spices and mix to coat. Add the water and cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the water starts to boil, add the wadi and cover and reduce the heat to low and

6. Check to see if the arbi is cooked and soft but firm to the touch: if it gets too soft it will taste mushy. Sprinkle with garam masala and coriander before serving.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India 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 mid-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable Punjabi recipes.

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ENTERTAINMENT Movie Review: Ship of Theseus

BY SARIT RAY Ship Of Theseus, no doubt, an intellectual exercise, the sort festival films often indulge in. Yet, the narrative is lucid, and the stories are simple and deeply moving.

A blind photographer; an idealistic monk refusing treatment for liver cirrhosis; a stockbroker who seems to evaluate the world in profit-and-loss margins, and has just undergone a kidney transplant.

Their respective worlds are so disparate, they’d be unlikely to ever meet or cross paths.

Yet, debutant director Anand Gandhi manages to put them, well, in the same boat. “Where does the individual end and his environment begin?” the young lawyer Charwaka (Vinay Shukla) asks. Ship of Theseus explores such abstract, metaphysical ideas.

It is, no doubt, an intellectual

exercise, the sort festival films often indulge in. Yet, the narrative is lucid, and the stories are simple and deeply moving.

And it’s all captured in stunning frames, as colourful and evocative as varied in range from Mumbai’s cramped alleyways too narrow for well-fed men and their sedans, to solemn monks in white against an expansive view of the dusk along the city’s sea face.

Gandhi’s prior directorial experience is with shorts.

Here, too, he tells three stories.

The first is the sharpest that of the blind photographer Aliya Kamal (Aida El-Ashaf), who seeks moments through sound rather than sight. Her transformation and her epiphany is also the most ironic.

Next, we meet the monk Maitreya (Neeraj Kabi), who refuses treatment, and is willing to die

August 02, 2013 rather than sacrifice his ideology (he’s fighting a legal battle against pharmaceutical companies).

The third story is that of stockbroker Navin (Sohum Shah), who after being reassured that his kidney isn’t stolen from the poor man at the hospital, still takes up cudgels on his behalf.

Gandhi cleverly, if obliquely, ties the stories together through the conceit of Theseus’s Paradox if all the parts of Theseus’s ship were replaced, was it still the same ship? And if those parts were used to build a new ship, which was the real ship of Theseus?

Cleverness, however, comes with a propensity to show off.

So the dialogue is at times overwrought and unreal. At one point, a conversation between Charwaka and Maitreya is so contrived, they seem not so much individuals as on-screen mouthpieces for the director’s didacticism.

Maitreya’s story is also the most long-winded, and an illtimed interval (added for Indian audiences’ benefit, one imagines) does it no favours.

Yet the film truly impresses, as much for its assured direction as for its ability to make you think. Ship of Theseus is perhaps too far removed from the Bollywood mainstream to make a splash at the box office.

Yet, hopefully, when its young, talented crew goes on to other ships (with star casts and bigger budgets), it’ll take a bit of Theseus with them.

-Hindustan Times

25

Wedding Bells for Bipasha Basu and Harman Baweja?

NEW DELHI: It is the season of love in Bollywood. A few days back, we saw how Ranbir and Katrina are enjoying a romantic holiday in Spain, and now news of another pair of celebrity lovebirds relishing a romantic outing has reached our ears.

Bong bombshell Bipasha Basu and actor Harman Baweja are just back from holidaying on the beaches of Goa, and it turns out that the couple is very much in love.

An online entertainment daily reports that Bips has been all gaga over her new found love, and she is sure that she has finally found her Mr. Right.

Months back, Bipasha and Harman celebrated her birthday at a posh villa in Goa. And the duo was snapped along with friends

playing in a swimming pool.

The daily reports that Bipasha’s mother and sisters are very fond of Harman and even Harman’s sister and Bipasha are bonding big time to get closer.

The couple is still reluctant to announce publicly that they are indeed together. But given the fact that there relationship is going strong; the question remains - can we hear the wedding bells ringing in near future?

-Zeenews India

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PM Vows More Reforms to Boost Economy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who brainstormed with the country’s top industrialists, promised more reforms to take the economy out of the choppy waters.

NEW DELHI (TOI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who brainstormed with the country’s top industrialists, promised more reforms to take the economy out of the choppy waters.

Official sources said Singh also vowed to unveil an “actionable plan” within a month. The prime minister office tweeted that Singh had assured his council that the government will take new measures to boost growth and sentiment. The government acknowledged regulatory bottlenecks and said it would do its best to resolve the thorny issues.

Singh invited the captains of the industry to give suggestions to improve the economy and remove the mood of pessimism

that has unnecessarily spread in some quarters. Finance minister P Chidambaram and commerce minister Anand Sharma briefed the council on the government’s thoughts on the agenda.

While some industrialists expressed their concerns, some gave concrete suggestions on how to improve matters. The overall sentiment was on the need to bring back the mood, converting decisions to action and taking the country back to a growth path of 8% or more.

Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the prime minister, C Rangarajan said the policies were good when the going was good but there was nothing wrong with them. “Don’t ignore what the policies have achieved so far,”

Rangarajan was quoted as saying by officials. Bharti Enterprises chief Sunil Mittal said “Treat us as members of your team.”

“We have given suggestions in two categories, one for near term and one for longer run. For near term, we have suggested clearing of large projects and those projects which were cleared should now be executed,” Ficci president and HSBC India head Naina Lal Kidwai told reporters after the meeting that lasted over two and a half hours. “The PM has promised to come back (with government response)... It’s reassuring to see that the government is still committed,” said CII president Kris Gopalakrishnan.

Singh met his Council on Trade and Industry to discuss issues concerning the economy. The agenda focused on measures to correct the current account deficit; the slowdown of industrial growth and measures to revive it; depreciation of the rupee and its impact on trade and industry; skill development and development of industrial corridors. Industry leaders backed the ideas of a sovereign bond issue and reciprocal swap lines. They said focus should be as much on growth as on inclusion.

Some industry captains spoke about moratorium on loan repayment for delayed projects while others spoke of unveiling innovative measures to reduce gold imports through bonds and other instruments, a PMO statement said.

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Great Opportunity for India, US to Work Together: P. Chidambaram

WASHINGTON: (TOI) Making a passionate plea to the US and Indian businesses to work together for a prosperous society, finance minister P Chidambaram asked businesses of both the countries not to bring their business on the political table.

Delivering the key note address at the 38th annual leadership summit of the US India Business Council (USIBC), Chidambaram said here on Thursday that India, facing the challenge of elevating its large population from poverty, is building its economy brick by brick.

The finance minister said as a result of India’s economic reforms, a number of Indian companies have grown in size and stature and at times tend to compete with the US companies. This has resulted in competition between Indian and US businesses, he said.

Noting that business competition is the foundation of a free market and free economy, Chidambaram said business rivalries should not be brought to the political table.

“I therefore appeal to you there is great opportunity to wok together for the two countries,” he said in his speech.

“We are a country where we are building our economy brick by brick, and in that process we seek your help,” Chidambaram said in front of an audience that included executives, officials and lawmakers of both India and the US.

“We have a very young population which is hungry and aspirational. We have a talent pool which is largely untapped,” he said, adding, that there is need for the two countries to work together.

“We can do much better, if we work together. I sincerely hope that our meeting today and tomorrow and in the future would give us more and more opportunities to build prosperous society,” Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram is in Washington for the past three days, during which he has met top American executives, lawmakers and officials.

Raising India’s concern over the comprehensive immigration reform passed by the US Senate, Chidambaram said there needs to be an effort to disentangle it.

“I have spoken to officials, Senators and Congressmen (on our concerns on immigration bill).

They understated that,” he said.

Chidambaram strongly defended India’s policy on intellectual property, including compulsory license.

India, he said, is the largest country in the world that faces the challenge of eliminating poverty.

“We will do it. We have demonstrated our capacity to do it. Even after financial crisis, India’s growth has been impressive,” he said, adding that India paid the price in terms of high fiscal deficit, high inflation and high current account deficit.

“We would overcome them working with you. My appeal to you, my business friend in India and US, we have a common goal and great opportunity in eliminating this poverty,” said Chidambaram.

Chidambaram is scheduled to meet US treasury secretary Jack Lew on Friday, after which he will fly back to India.

127

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28 August 02, 2013 Ashes 2013: Australians in Fear of Losing 7th Test

BY BRYDON COVERDALE Old Trafford is not a place of cricketing miracles, for a miracle implies divine intervention. If Australia’s plans for this week are based on divine intervention, they’re in bigger trouble than anyone realised.

But Old Trafford is the venue of some extraordinary Ashes achievements, from Jim Laker’s 19-wicket Test to Shane Warne’s ball of the century, from Victor Trumper’s hundred before lunch on the first day in 1902 to Ian Botham’s tour de force in 1981. As Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath showed by clinging on in 2005, even its draws can astonish.

In short, strange things happen at Old Trafford. They might happen due to exceptional human talent and audacity, as in the case of Warne or Botham or Trumper. It might be the combination of circumstance and Michael Clarke crumples towards the ground after being struck on the body, England v Australia, 2nd the seizing of an opportunity, Investec Test, Lord’s, 4th day. as with Laker on a surface that was made for him. Or they may Marchant de Lange during an inShould England include Graeme whether they have the spinners happen because of sheer bloody- nings of 193 last week.

Swann and Monty Panesar, the to exploit the turning conditions. mindedness and fight, as in the Australia do not have a Warne, Australians could do worse than Nathan Lyon has bowled well in 2005 draw. The pitch might have nor a Botham, nor an artist like looking to Laker’s match for some the nets at Old Trafford and found rotated 90 degrees since then but Trumper. But a fighting draw is hints. The opener Colin McDon- some loop and dip as the Sussex Old Trafford still feels like a histo- of no use; they must find a match- ald top scored in both innings in game wore on, and his experience ry-making venue. winner somewhere in their squad. that game. His second-innings at Test level means he must play in Unfortunately for Australia, the At 2-0 down, they must be pre- 89 took five and a half hours. Of such an important match. history that appears most likely pared to take risks, and Warner course, the conditions were exAt 19, Ashton Agar has immense to be created over the next week could hardly be more of a risk- treme - McDonald described the potential, but he is still learning. is the equalling of a 125-year-old taker if his hobby was skydiving. pitch as like Bondi Beach in the Agar’s batting at Trent Bridge record, for not since 1888 have The Australians need to push him first innings and a mud-heap in the was as memorable as some of Australia lost seven consecutive out of the plane and see if his para- second, after heavy rain - and Aus- Old Trafford’s finest moments but Tests. The Lord’s defeat was their chute opens. If it doesn’t, they are tralia’s batsmen need not replicate he is primarily a bowler, and his sixth in a row, stretching back to no worse off for his crash landing his scoring rate. But they can take work with the ball needs improveChennai in February, which was than they are now. But if he gets it note of his advice on handling ment. Even on a spinning pitch, also the last Test in which an Aus- right, Warner will force the pres- challenging spin. the selectors should seriously contralian scored a century. That their sure back on England.

“It was necessary to apply all sider Jackson Bird ahead of Agar, sequence of losses has coincided That is not to say the team as a your concentration,” McDonald after Bird found swing and seam with such a triple-figure drought is whole should be reckless. The dry said of batting in that Test. “My at Hove and hit such accurate lines no coincidence. pitch already sported some bare technique was based around two that the pressure naturally built on If rectifying their batting issues patches two days before the Test, things. One was side-on play, and the batsmen. was a simple matter, Michael and a few cracks. It will spin as secondly, any ball that was pitched Whoever is chosen can create Clarke and Darren Lehmann the match wears on, if not from up you used your feet to get to. You their own individual piece of Old would have sorted things out al- the very start. Warner can be giv- had to largely play back against Trafford Ashes history. Otherwise ready. Even against a modest at- en licence but other batsmen must fairly prodigious offspin.”

- and barring divine intervention tack at Hove, the Australian bats- anchor the innings, Chris Rogers Use your feet when the ball is the Manchester Test of 2013 may men for the most part were unable and Michael Clarke among them. tossed up, play back to the quicker go down in the annals as Austo convert their encouraging starts They are the kind of men who balls, concentrate intensely - it tralia’s record-equalling seventh into hundreds. To that end, David naturally accumulate runs if they remains sound counsel. Whether straight defeat. Either way, it will Warner has to play at Old Trafford, bat time; Clarke has done it at Test Australia’s current batsmen have be worth watching. after mauling a South Africa A at- level and Rogers at length on the the required techniques and paBrydon Coverdale is an assistack featuring Kyle Abbott and first-class scene. tience is another issue. As is tant editor at ESPNcricinfo.

SPORTS

Fun with Zimbabwe

HARARE: India’s current tour of Zimbabwe has parallels with the visit to the southern African country for a tri-series in 2010 - a squad filled with newcomers led by a stand-in captain. Three years ago, that young India team had found the tri-series to be a taxing trek, losing three of four matches to crash out before the finals. This time around, though, it has been a casual stroll to a series victory, confirmed by an utterly one-sided third ODI which Zimbabwe lost by seven wickets.

Teams winning the toss have enjoyed a huge advantage in this series, and today was no different as Virat Kohli called correctly and watched his bowlers wipe out Zimbabwe for 183. Even reaching that meagre score reflected a recovery for Zimbabwe, who had been at 89 for 6 in the 23rd over, and had three tail-enders, who had shown little aptitude for batting, to come. Amit Mishra’s variations fetched him four wickets, and the chase was orchestrated by Kohli, who continues to find ODI cricket exceedingly easy.

The winter pitch at the Harare Sports Club has followed the same pattern in every match this series: assisting the seamers appreciably in the first hour before gradually easing up. Vusi Sibanda clearly hadn’t learnt that, though, charging out and attempting a wild heave in the first over itself, predictably edging a catch towards extra cover. After that Vinay Kumar strike, it was Mohammed Shami’s turn to break through, on his first ball, when he got Sikandar Raza to nick to the wicketkeeper.

With the ball hooping around, Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza survived a bunch of lbw calls and were routinely beaten but hung on.

Virat Kohli was among the runs again as India won a one-sided encounter.

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August 02, 2013

Telangana: How the 29th State Will be Formed Out of AP

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BY BHARTI JAIN NEW DELHI (TOI): With the CWC giving thumbs up to Telangana, the formal process for creation of India’s 29th state will get underway in earnest. Estimated to take a bare minimum of 122 days once the resolution for creation of the new state is passed by the Andhra Pradesh state legislature, the state reorganization proposal will have to be approved thrice by the Union Cabinet apart from being ratified by the state legislature and, finally, Parliament.

The first step would be a reference by the Union government to the state legislature to pass a resolution for formation of a separate state of Telangana. On the basis of this proposal, the Union home ministry will prepare a Cabinet note over the next seven days and submit it for approval. A Cabinet meeting will take up this note and form a Group of Ministers (GoM) - comprising the ministers of home affairs, finance, education, health, irrigation, power, environment and forest, railways, HRD, chemicals and fertilizers,

food and consumer affairs and labour — besides deputy chairman of Planning Commission - to examine the economic issues linked to creation of the new state. This GoM is likely to submit its recommendations in a 30-day timeframe.

The Union home ministry will study the GoM’s recommendations over the next 15 days and accordingly frame the Cabinet note, to be moved with draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill. The note will request the Union Cabinet to approve the draft Bill, recommend to the President to refer the Bill to the state legislature, ask the finance ministry to appoint an expert panel to recommend measures for smooth transition in terms of financial management and viability of the reorganized states and seek setting up of a dedicated unit in the Planning Commission to manage economic and financial factors in the rest of Andhra Pradesh. This unit will ensure multifaceted development of the region with the help of better financial management and adequate devolution of Central

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funds. The Cabinet approval for this is expected within seven days.

Over the next couple of days, the draft Bill — through the home minister and the prime minister — will be sent to the President, requesting him to refer it to the state legislature under Article 3 of the Constitution. The state legislature will have 30 days to consider the draft Bill and give its views, which will then be vetted by the law ministry over the next seven days.

The Cabinet note with the draft reorganization Bill — vetted by the law ministry — will be put up for approval and is expected to be cleared by the Cabinet in five days.

Once the draft organization Bill is approved by the Cabinet, a notice for its introduction in Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha will be given. This may take a couple of days. The consideration and passage of the Bill is expected over the next 15 days, followed by Presidential assent over the next two days. Thus, the process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to create a separate state of Telangana will be complete.

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Everybody is invited to join as per the following program. We wish to thank all our patrons, donors and volunteers who have been part of our growth. x Saturday, Aug 10, 6pm – 8 pm, followed by dinner and a Musical evening x Sunday, Aug 11, 10am – 12 noon, followed by lunch, 6pm – 8pm, followed by Cultural Program and dinner For more information please contact: Ashutosh Garg at ashutosh@heatflux.com, or Acharya Surya Nanda ji at 832-867-4126 or snnanda68@gmail.com

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Free Yoga Classes, Vedic Library, Book Store, Health Seminars, Upanishad Classes, Sanskrit Classes, Cultural Programs, Social Events.

D.A.V. Montessori School

Montessori curriculum enriched with Naitik Shiksha. Now registering for 2nd and 3rd grades.

Call Ms. Arti Khanna @ 281-759-3286 or davmontessori@gmail.com

D.A.V. Sanskriti School

Instruction in Hindi, Naitik Shiksha, Music, Public Speaking, Vedic Math & Yoga for students ages 5 to 18 years on Sundays. For School or AYM activities, call Sanjay Nayyar @ 713-668-2610.

Priest Services

For weddings, Nama-karan, Birthday, Griha-pravesh, Antim-sanskara & other services, please contact Acharya Surya Nanda ji @ 832-867-4126 or Acharya Praveen ji @ 281-896-7309.

14375 Schiller Road, Houston, TX 77082

www.aryasamajhouston.org

Phones:(281)752-0100, (281) 759-3286

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

32 August 02, 2013

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 02, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM