E newspaper08052016

Friday, August 05 2016 | Vol. 35, No. 32

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Indo American erican News

Movie Review

www.indoamerican-news.com Published weekly from Houston, TX

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Divine Presence in Houston P3

Anandmurti Gurumaa at VPSS Haveli, from July 28 to 31.

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Dr. Sunita Didi Chandak at India House, on July 26.

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Anandmurti Gurumaa in Houston, July 28 - 31 HOUSTON: Houston has been

blessed to become a site of Anandamurti Gurumaaji’s divine presence and her words of great wisdom after five years. The four days of amrit varsha with Gurumaaji were days of wonderful spiritual illumination. The fundamental theme of her discourses centered on the understanding the real nature of human self. She emphasized that human beings are already divine and are embodiment of bliss (ananda).

The recognition of the innate divinity is achieved by making the mind quiescent. On the second day, Gurumaa taught the preliminary meditation technique. It involved doing deep, slow breathing and attentively observing different parts of the body. These practices

had an amazing effect on many.

The mind which ordinarily is very unruly had come to be in a much more quiet state and in a more acute state of awareness.

One of the wonderful features of the amrit varsha was Gurumaaji’s explanation of complex ideas in ways that people can relate to in real life. Gurumaa pointed out that spirituality is not about seeking God in some far away land, but it is the path to know our very self and to live a fulfilling, blessed life.

Hence by putting off the quest for spiritual development, one is depriving oneself of deeper meaning and peace in life. Gurumaa provided penetrating arguments to show the limitedness of a life focused on wealth, success, and entertainment. She explained that the drive for success would in the long run

inculcate apathy and inhumaneness in a person since success also depends upon other people failing.

You also develop a dislike for a person who gets ahead of you and thus success oriented approach in life leads to disharmony with others. Moreover, if ultimately our identity is not constituted by the body and the mind, then success at the level of body and mind is barely an achievement. Today’s so called entertainment serves to accentuate material desires and has the effect of keeping a person tied to material things and bodily pleasures. This in turn weakens the ability to develop a focused mind since the mind is almost constantly in the state of longing, and subject to stress when it does not obtain the object of desire. Thus pursuit of wrong ideals distracts from the

purpose of self-realization.

Gurumaaji’s presentation included tips from Ayurveda regarding healthy dietary practices.

Thus, this amrit varsha was also an opportunity to learn about how to care for the body. An important highlight was Gurumaa’s discourse on death. She explained that until there are personal desires and attachments, one cannot escape the cycle of rebirth and that your karmas dictate who your parents will be and what kind of environment you will be born into. She stated that death is of the body but the real self (the atman) is unborn and eternal. Her exposition on the phenomenon of death was very powerful in alleviating the fear of death and in seeing death in a positive light.

Gurumaaji also possesses an in-

cisive sense of humor. There were many moments when the entire hall was resonating with laughter. The anecdotes that Gurumaa related served to show the consequences of attachments and other mental ailments in life and also to convey ideas of spiritual import.

Overall, this amrit varsha beautifully showed the relevance of spiritual ideas and yogic practices to our current lives. In the presence of Gurumaa’s radiant personality, the amrit varsha was the occasion for experiencing a powerful dose of spiritual energy and inspiration.

For information about Gurumaaji’s upcoming program in US or in India, please visit www.gurumaa.com.

About Anandamurti Gurumaa: It takes an extraordinary being to consummately conclude the extraordinary journey to truth. Anandmurti Gurumaa is one such rare

paragon of virtue and purity, an enlightened master. Moved by the pervasive plight of the masses, she has been bestowing upon people the greatest gift ever viz eradicating the root cause of all suffering. And she has been doing this relentlessly for over thirty years through innumerable discourses and meditation camps held in India and abroad. She is emphatically secular, declaring herself to be religion-less and bears no allegiance to any one particular religion. Everyone irrespective of their cultural and religious background and belief systems is welcomed. And yes, atheists are welcome too, for Gurumaa is a sound rationalist and never advocates unquestioning faith in anything or anyone. Her exhaustive know how of various paths of spirituality is indeed unparalleled. She has a comprehensive mastery and indepth knowledge of ancient scriptures including the Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita and the Gurbani, to name but a few! She effortlessly expounds on the teachings of a myriad of sages from different parts of India and oversees.

Essentially Gurumaa can adeptly guide any seeker, any aspirant, no matter which path he or she wants to follow. And herein lays the uniqueness of this splendid master. What’s more, the compassionate Philanthropist that she is, she spearheads a noble mission called Mission Shakti which is aimed at empowering girls and women. An awakened being, a rationalist, a visionary, that is Gurumaa, may mistakenly invoke an image of a person with an austere disposition.

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Being Positive… No Matter What!

HOUSTON:

Community members were fortunate to hear Dr. Sunita Didi Chandak speak about being positive… no matter what, on Tuesday July 26, at India House, .

Dr. Sunita ‘s talk was no ordinary lecture rather it was a two hours’ interactive workshop on how to see the positive in everything. This free event was organized by India House, Houston and was sponsored by their Trustees, Durga Agrawal and Jugal Malani.

Dr. Sunita is an MBA from Southern Adventist University, USA and a Ph.D. from Gujarat University.

She is recipient of international awards and has authored many books! She was honored with “Best Concept Academy Award” for her popular film on women empowerment- “Nareetva Darshan”. She has been Keynote and Guest Speaker in International Conferences.

There were many exercises which proved to the audience that we might think we are positive but in fact we are not. She showed the audience how we are controlled by our conditioning of mind by a simple exercise.

Dr. Sunita went on to explain to the attentive crowd that being positive is not only a choice, but it has to be a way of life. A simple game which involved reading the newspaper showed the participants, how we can find the positive in a negative situation. This would help us change our attitude toward all walks of our life.

To wrap up the session, the people got to see a spectacular 15 minutes video on how negativity affected a single droplet of water.

When surrounded by negativity the water molecules looked distressed and uneven. She further

Photos: Bijay Dixit

emphasized the need to be positive since our human bodies are made up of 60% water. Her advice for a healthy and happy life was meditation along with a positive outlook towards the future.

The evening ended with the attendees enjoying a satwik (No onions and no garlic) Indian meal, catered by Kurrywalah restaurant of Katy, and a buzz to stay positive no matter what life throws your way.

For updates on India House programs and activities please visit www.indiahouseinc.org

Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036., tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.

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IACCGH Hosts LinkedIn Seminar

BY MANU SHAH

HOUSTON:

On July 27, over 50 IACCGH members and guests attended a highly engaging and informative seminar titled “How to make your Business Grow Using LinkedIn.” Organized by the Chamber at Madras Pavilion, the seminar sought to explain how the use of LinkedIn – the world’s largest professional network could power their career or business. The seminar was presented by Siva Yenneti, Director at ITVibes, a Houston Web Design Company. (http://itvibes.com.)

In his opening remarks, Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia gave a brief outline about the Chamber and its scope of activities. Welcoming the guests, President Joya Shukla encouraged the gathering to spread the Chamber’s mission and community service programs and promised that they would take away something of value at the end of the seminar.

Siva commenced his presentation by emphasizing that in this technology driven world, businesses are increasingly relying on social media like LinkedIn to source services and attract the best talent. Stating that “sales pitches are boring and dead” he identified LinkedIn as one of the best tools to “showcase your products, your value proposition and your services.”

He also noted that LinkedIn members are 86% decision makers and a surefire way “to get past the gatekeeper to the top guy because success often depends on not what you know but who you know.”

Yet another major plus of joining LinkedIn is to leverage your connections because it “connects you not just to one person but their entire network too.” The one thing he did warn the gathering to refrain from doing was use LinkedIn as a sales tool. Instead, he advised them to use it to connect, engage and relate with people and “sales would happen as a byproduct.”

A free social media, a LinkedIn profile is easy to set up as its website walks you through the process of uploading your profile information. Based on this data, it instantly matches you to people you may know and simultaneously helps them find you. Siva also advised the gathering to upload a professional headshot picture, include recommendations from past bosses or colleagues and write a short personalized message when connecting with other LinkedIn users.

He also walked the audience through some of LinkedIn’s useful features such as Advanced Search and Connect, Profile Stats,

Photos: Bijay Dixit

Company Page, Sales Solutions, Center and Pulse. He also added that LinkedIn can run an ad about you for a cost and as a member of the Premier/Executive group, it lets you see who’s viewing your profile. However for LinkedIn to be effective, he stressed that it is important to update your status periodically, be consistent and visit it regularly with “posts, shares and comments.”

Siva, a Chamber member was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for his excellent presentation, involvement and support of the Chamber’s programs.

Rinku Bhandari, who recently stepped down as the Chief Marketing Officer at the Consulate General of India, Houston and is relocating to Dallas was also presented a plaque for her outstanding services and support to the community. The Chamber wished her well for all her future endeavors.

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MISSOURI CITY: Imagine 150 patrons

in sweltering humid 93 degree heat cuing up as early as 7:15 AM for a 10AM grand opening of….an Indian Grocery Store!! It was like Black Friday in July when Vishala celebrated the grand opening of its 4th location with Masala Radio, last Sunday, July 31. Vishala I HWY 6 flagship owners Virendra and Yogina Thakkar beamed with pride as Vishala 4 owners Jagrut & Gopi Thakker tried to maintain control of over capacity crowds that patiently waited for their “First Customer” prizes: at 10AM Canola Oil 32.5 lb for $9.99 plus a Silver Coin, at 11AM 20 lb Chakki Atta for $3.99 and 1 gram saffron, and at 12 noon $10 lb Kohinoor Basmati Rice for $2.99 plus gift hamper with Deep snacks and Brittania cookies. They were really in line to buy groceries at ridiculously low grand opening prices like Gud for only $5.99 (regularly $9.99). Meena Contractor said, he may as well have given it all away for free, and saved the 45-minute line at the register, the prices were so low!” Bindu Sheth said, “I used to make fun of my daughter standing in line for 40 minutes during the Fourth of July sale at Tory Birch outlet, yet here I was, doing it for groceries!”

Photos: Raghu Thakkar

Vishala and Masala Radio organized a series of entertainment and culinary tasting to keep the crowd distracted in line. Every 15 minutes the kids of all Vishala owners, sporting the same branded yellow polos as their parents, passed out cases of cold water, House of Spices pista and malai kulfi’s, Frooti Mango Drinks and other Cold Drinks. Masala Radio host Sunil T kept the crowd entertained with quirky filmi dialogues and dance contests.

Masala Entertainment’s Singer-Choreographer Henna Shah and Masti Entertainment’s Singer-DJ Ajay Chunchu kept the crowd dancing with Bollywood hits, dances, and live singing amid showers of confetti.

Patrons delighted in a variety of tasting, from Deep’s Sujata brand instant khaman dhoklas, freshy tossed with oil, mustard seeds and jalapenos, and Sujata instant mini idlis, Mitaas Snacks hot mix, and Quick Tea Instant Chai.

Other prizes included Cruise Guzs cruise ticket to Bipin Patel and airline tickets to Priti Shah. Chemmmanur Gold representative personally judged and distributed 12 Gold Coins to various winners including Rishita Shah, a high school dancer from Naach Houston. “I thought it was going to be a boring afternoon CONTINUED ON PAGE

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Isha Parupudi’s Incomparable Arangetram

BY SANCHALI BASU

HOUSTON: Isha Parupudi, a

sophomore at Clear Springs High School, captivated and mesmerized the audience at her recent spellbinding Bharatanatyam Arangetram, conducted by her guru Rathna Kumar, Founder-Director, Anjali Center for Performing Arts.

Beginning with Tridevastuti, an unusual invocation to three deities, Ganesha, Hanuman and Krishna, Isha then continued with a flawlessly executed Jatiswaram containing a series of intricate footwork patterns emphasizing technique. Nityakalyani proved to be a perfect Varnam for the expressive Isha. This elaborate and very strenuous dance told many stories about the greatness of the Goddess Devi and truly reflected the degree of expertise Isha has acquired, not only in the art form itself, but also in memorization and stamina. Isha did ample justice to the dance with her beautiful Abhinaya (facial expression) displaying subtle nuances of various emotions.

Brahma Kadigina Padamu, Annamacharya’s evocative description of Vishnu as Vamana and Sri Rama, was performed with immense depth and maturity, and Shambhu Natanam, Patanjali’s tribute to his beloved ShivaNataraja, revealed Isha’s excellent control over complex footwork and difficult poses which reminded one of South Indian temple sculptures. Thyagaraja’s Niravadhi Sukhada, depicting Sri Rama as the savior of Ahalya, the beloved of Sita and the builder of the bridge to Lanka, was followed by a beautifully rendered Tillana in 6 beats, bringing Isha’s recital to a glorious close. Isha’s passion for dance and perfection were reflected throughout, in each and every dance, and her ravishing smile and impeccable performance made one want it to go on for some more time. Little wonder that her Guru had taken such pains to choreograph all of Isha’s seven dances especially for her, keeping in mind her student’s superlative talent.

Enhancing Isha’s performance at every level were her Guru, Rathna Kumar (nattuvangam), two wonderful singers J. Ramesh and Arun Mahadevan, the bril-

liant N. K. Kesavan (percussion), melody king B. Muthukumar (flute), Abhishek Balakrishnan (violin), Madhavi Josyula (Ela talam), and Venugopal Josyula (lighting). Together, they created magic and transported the audience to a higher plane. Houston’s own Arun and Abhishek made us proud by their excellent performance. Venu’s lighting was, to put it simply, perfect. Dr. Arundhati Harati was the Mistress of Ceremonies. Gurusishya-orchestra - this was a three way match made in heaven, giving

a dancer, and also spoke about the extraordinary contribution of all the musicians, especially the incomparable trio from India, in raising the bar with each Arangetram.

Isha’s immensely expressive face, her mastery over technique, perfect stage presence, and excellent use of space, all added to one’s feeling that this was a professional

dance performance, and not merely a debut! Kudos to Isha for her fabulous performance, to her parents, Drs. Sreeram and Sailaja Parupudi, for giving the world such a beautiful dancer, to the guru for training her student so impeccably, and to the members of the orchestra for their divine music! the audience profound joy, both visually and aurally. While presenting Isha with a well deserved Diploma, Rathna Kumar described her many exemplary qualities as a student and

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Sri Meenakshi Temple Society Celebrated Aadi Sukravara Ashtalakshmi Deepa Puja

BY SARO ALAGAPPAN

PEARLAND:

Aadi Sukravara Ashtalakshmi Deepa Pooja was conducted at MTS on Friday, July 29 in a grand manner. More than 75 devotees participated in lighting the lamp and reciting the slokas which was a feast to the eyes.

The Fridays in the month of Aadi is very special for women in performing this pooja. It is believed that Goddess Shakthi doubles her power and worshipping her will help one to achieve what one needs. Ashtalakshmi represents the 8 goddesses of Wealth, Earth,

Learning, Love, Fame, Peace, Pleasure and Strength.

The month of Ashada (Tamil month of Aadi) is the fourth month of the Tamil Calendar, and the start of this month is the Dakshinayana punyakalam or the night time of Devas. Ashada Sukravara Lakshmi Puja and Vratam is observed on the Fridays of the month in many communities in South India including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In 2016, the Ashada Sukravara Lakshmi Vratam fell on July 8, July 15, July 22 and July 29. This Vratam also known as Shaaka Vrata is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Aadi is also the month where prayers and pujas are offered to seek the protection of many other powerful goddesses like Mariamman in Tamil Nadu. The month of Aadi is considered very auspicious to connect oneself to the power of the divine mother, Lakshmi. The heat of the sun reduces and the rains start during this month to replenish the rivers and streams, often to near full levels. Traditionally the names of Tamil months are named based

on the star that prevails during the full moon day or Pournami. In the month of Aadi full moon day happens during Aashada Nakshathiram, giving this month the name Aash Aadi (in north) / Aadi (in the south). Lighted lamps are used for puja to pray to the goddess for the wellbeing and the prosperity of the family.

The main temple was decorated with utsava Murthi of Perumal and Thayars. Huge silver lamps adorned with garlands were placed on stage representing the Ashtalakshmis. The floor was well coordinated with rows of lamps and pooja samagri for each devotee.

The women sat before the lamps and did the pooja following alongside with priests Sri Sridharan, Sri Pavan kumar, Sri Manicka Bhattar and Sri Parameswaran.

Many number of prasadams were brought in by the devotees and their families. Close to 200 people attended the event which ended with an extensive Deeparadhana to Goddess Meenakshi. The MTS staff and Board deserve our thanks for the tireless effort in the set up and arranging this beautiful event.

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TCC Taped Ball Professional Tournament Spring 2016, GenX Winners, Houston Titans Runners up

Winners GenX with Chief Guest Roshan Ngangom

Runners up Houston Titans with Chief Guest Roshan Ngangom

HOUSTON:

GenX CC won the TCC Taped Ball Professional League Spring 2016 tournament defeating Houston Titans by four wickets in a nail biting thriller game. It was a well-deserved win for GenX CC who have been playing TCC tournament from past 2.5 years and made it to the play offs for the first time and made it all the way. Houston Titans played TCC tournament for the first time and had a great tournament making it to the finals on debut. The Professional League tournament was a highly competitive one featuring 9 participating teams from Divn 2.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, GenX won the toss and opted to field first considering the wet conditions of pitch and outfield.

GenX bowlers used the wet conditions well and took 6 wickets in first 10 overs for a score of 55. As the pitch and the field dried out gradually, Houston Titans came back with sensible batting by rotating the strike and punishing loose balls to the boundaries. After early loss of wickets, Venu (19) and Vaibhav (27 not out) fought well to give a decent score to defend.

Pradeep from GenX bowled an excellent spell picking up 4 wickets.

Sujith bowled a tight line in the death overs to pick up 1 wicket.

At the end of 20 overs, Houston Titans were all out scoring 117 runs. For Houston Titans, Venu and Vaibhav were well supported

by Akshay (14), Sai (13) and Vikas (11). For GenX, Pradeep was well supported by Sujith, Naveen, Ramsai and Subbu who took 1 wicket each.

At the end of the first innings, GenX had an upper hand as 118 seemed to achievable on a dried up pitch and outfield. Houston Titans had different ideas, bowled a tight line and backed it up good fielding and made GenX to fight for each run. At the end of 10 overs, GenX were 45 runs for the loss of 1 wicket with Vasu out for 9 runs.

Rajesh who joined Sujith avoided any further loss of wickets. Required run rate was over 7 in 10 overs and GenX had wickets in hand making it an interesting last 10 overs. Rajesh tried to accelerate after the break and Rajesh got out for 12 runs. Naveen played a quick-fire cameo of 20 runs with 2 huge sixers to give the requirement momentum to GenX. At the end of 15th over and loss of two more wickets, 33 runs were required from 5 overs. It came down to 8 runs from the final over. When 4 runs were required from 3 balls, Pavan hit the no-ball to the boundary giving GenX the first trophy.

Sujith, who stayed not out scored a match winning 55 runs. For Houston Titans, Kaushal bowled great with 4 wickets and also took two good catches in deep. He was supported by Vaibhav and Venu The game had high quality umpiring from Rattlers and Spartans teams.

The game was followed by a well-organized prize distribution ceremony arranged by TCC. TCC Senior member Roshan Ngangom graced the occasion as chief guest. He was felicitated by TCC with a plaque for his contribution and support to cricket in Houston.

Jagadish Biradar, the organizer of the tournament coordinated the

presentation ceremony.

Rajesh Kopparthi, the captain of GenX cricket club was presented with the championship trophy and Venu Milkuri, the captain of Houston Titans was presented with the runners up trophy. Man of the match for the finals was Pradeep Voona from GenX for his crucial 4 wickets.

Sujith Pasupuleti from GenX won the Best Batsman trophy with 225 runs and Best Allrounder trophy with 225 runs and 8 wickets.

Nitesh Kosuri from Rangers team won the Best Bowler trophy with 15 wickets. Sujith from GenX and Vaibhav from Houston Titans were presented with Man of the Match for semifinals.

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with my parents at an Indian Grocery Store, but when I heard Nagada Sang Dhol Baje I just threw myself into the dance contest and won! I loved eating Pani Puri on the curb and washing it all down with a kulfi, it was the kind of fun I missed from India,” said Shah.

Guests delighted in selfies with an Indian Rikshaw and circa 1963 Fiat.

All four Vishala owners, including Vyomesh & Aarti Patel of Vishala 2 in Katy, and Sanjay and Deepa Patel of Vishala 3 on Westheimer were present for the auspicious time of the ribbon cutting ceremony by Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen along with Missouri City and Stafford Council Members and City of Sugar Land Council Member Harish Jajoo. Chief Celebrity Guest, South Indian Film Star Divya Unni glamorized the event. Mayor Owen said, “Well this is certainly the most colorful Grand Opening I have officiated in a long time! And I wish Mr. & Mrs Thakker all the good luck for their enterprise…”

Vishala 4 is open for business 7 days a week from 10am to 8:30pm at 2881 Dulles Avenue, Missouri City, 77459. Visit them online at vishalagrocerytx.com or call 281969-8606

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Ekal Vidyalaya’s Fund-Raising Success in 2016

BY PRAKASH WAGHMARE

HOUSTON: As India is emerging as an

economic power on the world stage, there is another contrarian reality by its side which is quite unsettling. Even in this technologically advance new millennium, there are tens of thousands rural-tribal areas in India, which are yet to be touched by the existential necessities and amenities, that we all routinely take for granted. Many of these areas seem frozen in time. There are no approachable roads nor basic educational or healthcare facilities within their reach. “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation”, has been supporting functional-literacy, healthcare, and integral development in such places, for past 27 years. As of now, there are 53,000 Ekal-schools (and counting), in almost 30 states throughout India, including in Nepal & JammuKashmir. For just $365, Ekal is able to provide education and healthcare training to a group of 30-40 children (termed as one Ekal school) for the entire year. The main objective of this social-venture is not only to eradicate illiteracy, but also, to empower these rural lives by providing sustainable village-based skills. ‘Ekal’ achieves this objective by raising funds, primarily in India and USA. Every year Ekal-USA, hosts a series of fund-raising concerts, between February and June, in all major U.S. metropolises by bringing well-known Artistes from India. In addition, the funds are also raised by direct appeals to consistent, major donors. In recently concluded fund-raising efforts, ‘Ekal’ hosted 62 concerts, all across U.S. through its satellite ‘Chapters’. According to Dr. Jawahar Taunk, Regional President of Florida, $400,000 was raised in his region alone.

Through concerts only, Ekal has raised more than $4 Million so far this year. In addition, for newly initiated ‘Endowment Fund’, $1 Million has been pledged by couple of generous donors in U.S. and Canada. A handful of entrepreneurs have also picked up their own specific projects based on necessities in certain areas. Inspired by Hon. PM Modi’s clarion call for ‘Clean-India’ campaign, Himanshu Shah of ‘Shah Capital’, has taken responsibility to make a cluster of villages ‘environmentally clean’ by devoting his personal resources. Moreover, considering 30% of total funds come into Ekal-coffer, each year, during November-December, Ekal is pretty confident to cross $7.5 Million mark, this year, just for USA alone. This is also a great tribute its 1,000 strong selfless dedicated volunteers in USA. This year ‘Ekal’ had invited two groups of artistes to headline its various events. One group was headed by ‘Rajdeep Chatterjee & Pallabi Roy Chowdhuri’ and another was headed by ‘Anand Vinod & Vibhavari Yadav’. All the concerts pulled record crowds everywhere confirming, once again, not only the popularity of the quality programming by Ekal, but also, people’s overwhelm-

ing support to this divine cause. All concerts were preceded by DVD-briefing on Ekal’s major activities and futuristic plans. During the concerts, the people were also treated to highly focus ‘Power-Point’ presentation that depicted Ekal’s historic progress from its inception, allocation of funds and the model for accountability, at every level. It is worth

noting that Ekal renders its services without any credence to caste, creed, religion and region and its overhead is in single digit.

Iconic CEO of ‘ZEETV’, Dr. Subhash Chandra’s induction as the Chairman of ‘Ekal Global’ has been a boon to “Ekal Abhiyan” in attracting major industrial houses and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, while

15

releasing Subhash Chandra’s autobiographical book, ‘ZEE Factor’, Hon.PM Modi also lauded Ekal’s awe-inspiring comprehensive rural work as a role model for other organizations to follow. Now, Students and young adults around the country are also gravitating to Ekal to play a key role in this ‘people’s movement’. Earlier this year, “Health Foundation for Rural India (‘HFRI’)”, a health wing of “Ekal Abhiyan” had taken a group of Medical student from USA to Indian villages under its ‘Internship Program’. The rationale behind it was, not only to acquaint them with unique healthcare problems in rural areas, but also, to groom them for selfless service for these neglected masses. Every month, new donors are coming on board to support Ekal as they realize that it is the largest grass-root NGO movement of its kind, globally undertaken by Indians and NRIs. Ekal is in dozen countries, including in some ‘Middle-East’ regions. For Details visit its web: www.ekal.org.

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18 August 05, 2016

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Assam at the Crossroads

Donald Trumped

Donald Trump has blustered his way to the Republican

primaries, clinching the nomination. Throughout his campaign, he has transgressed the boundaries of civil public discourse with his statements against Mexican immigrants to the US, Muslims and women. So far, it seemed that these attacks, rather than diminishing his popularity, only strengthened him. However, by attacking the parents of Humayun Khan, a US army captain who was killed in Iraq & awarded the Purple Heart,Trump may have created political storm he will find difficult to bluster his way out of.

Khizr Khan, Humayun’s father, immigrated to the US from Pakistan. Speaking in support for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention, he attacked Trump for asking that the US put a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. Trump responded by insinuating that Ghazala Khan, Humayun’s mother, “was not allowed to speak”. Since then, Ghazala has responded, saying that she did not speak about her son because of the emotional toll it would take and that Trump was “ignorant about Islam”.

None of this stopped Trump from tweeting against the couple while they were being interviewed by CNN. The attack on the family of a soldier killed in action has not gone down well. Members of his own party, led by Senator John McCain, have joined Democrats in denouncing Trump’s statement. Organisations representing veterans of the US armed forces have joined the chorus against Trump.

The vitriol Trump has spewed against senior leaders of his own party, like John McCain and Ted Cruz, makes it unlikely that they will form a united front behind him now.

And given his persona, Trump is unlikely to apologise for his statements. He might hope that he can use anti-Muslim sentiment among voters to talk his way out of this blunder.

Of course, that means pitting bigotry against a sense of national pride and patriotism — a battle Hillary would love to win.

Only Exotica

On July 25, eight Humbolt penguins got a new home

in Mumbai. The city’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan spent more than Rs 2 crore to acquire them from a South Korean zoo. The birds are native to the Pacific coast of South America. Their alienness is not lost on the zoo authorities who are sparing no effort to make them feel at home. They will be quarantined for three months in a 250 sq feet enclosure and then showcased in a 1,550 sq feet arena, which the zoo authorities claim will replicate features of the penguins’ natural homes in Chile and Peru.

The penguins feed on anchovies, sardines and krills, and nest in sand burrows or guano mounds. It is quite possible that the Humboldts too will draw large crowds.

But the educative potential of the endeavour is doubtful, in times of the internet.

-Indian Express

BY HIREN SARMA

T

his is Part 4 of a 4 part series on the current situation in Assam.

Does Assamese language have a future?

I recall reading somewhere that after hundred years, only about 150 languages will survive in the world. Shree Homen Borgohain, the most eminent intellectual in Assam, once wrote in Amar Asom, “the problem with the Assamese language has not come from others; it has come from the Assamese themselves. The new generation of Assamese, learning at the English medium schools, has lost touch with the Assamese language and the culture.”

This new fad has rooted so deep all across Assam that we will not have to wait hundred years for demise of the Assamese language.

I came across few schools like Jatiya Vidyalay (JV), Shreemonto Shankar Academy(SSA) etc. who have tried to maintain the Assamese language as a teaching medium in their schools.

When I say “Assamese language” here, I am talking about the capability of speaking, reading and writing Assamese, and not literary Assamese language. A couple of month back I was passing by a school called “Shemford” school. The owner of the school, young Diganta Dutta gave me about an hour explaining their efforts to maintain Assamese as a language in this all English medium national school.

There are many English medium schools in Assam, like Don Bosco, where the children are punished for speaking Assamese amongst themselves. No one is opposed to either English medium schools or teaching English as a language, but why should teaching the local language, in this case Assamese, create any problem?

Surprisingly, many parents in Assam have not either realized this problem or they have willfully refused to recognize it. We have heard many Assamese parents taking pride publicly that their children can speak only in Eng-

lish. I spoke at one of the Sahitya Sabha meetings in Jorhat and suggested that they should take the lead highlighting publicly the success stories of the schools like JV, SSA or Shemford for the ignorant parents to understand that the students from these schools can not only academically compete with the English medium schools like Don Bosco, Carmel etc.; but they can be proud of their Assamese heritage at the same time.

One other main reason for the parents’ lack of interest in sending their children to the Assamese medium schools is the systemic destruction of the Assamese medium Government schools over several decades. It started when the state ruling parties and their bureaucrats decided to interfere in selecting the teachers and the administration matters. The money transactions that started discretely several decades ago in appointing the school teachers has now become an open high stakes game.

The education quality in these Government schools has declined so much that the parents have started withdrawing their children from these schools.

Some of the English medium schools in Assam, either do not have a provision for teaching Assamese as a language or even if they have, it is optional. It is certainly true that knowing English is advantageous for the children to go out of state and pursue their studies. However, this cannot be a reason to drop out Assamese language completely from the

curriculum, as it has been proven time and again that both can coexist. In fact, the Government must be compelled to make the teaching of Assamese as a language mandatory in all schools of Assam.

I believe the following items should be implemented with immediate effect: 1.0 Bring out the Assamese medium State Government schools from the vicious clasp of the Government and its bureaucrats.

Improve the quality of their curriculum (the schools can follow the curriculum created by Jatiya Vidyalay) and improve the quality of teaching English language up to Grade 10. This is also applicable to all the 2.0 Make teaching of Assamese language compulsory in all English medium schools up to Grade 10.

3.0 Arrange teaching of Assamese language in all Kindergartens so that the kids can transition easily to primary schools where Assamese language will also be compulsory.

All the above recommendations must be implemented in ALL schools, irrespective of their mother tongues.

However, at the same time, if any school has sufficient (% to be determined) student enrollment whose mother tongue is not Assamese, provision shall be made to teach that language in the school up to Grade 10.

The data published in this series of articles are extracted from either published articles in Assam, the book from Utpol Borah and the internet. The readers may refer to the news recently published in April17 Daily Mail India; “Assam’s biggest election issue, illegal immigration, is not unfounded.

An India Today TV investigation has revealed how illegal migrants from Bangladesh have acquired the right documents to exercise their franchise in the electoral process.

The author is a retired Oil & Gas Project Development Manager in Houston, and also a fiction writer in Assamese language.

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August 05, 2016

19

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi - Part 10

The story thus far….Gandhi per-

mitted a lower caste family to reside at the ashram that he established at Ahmedabad. He met with much opposition. He also amazed and angered the British officers, upper-class Indians, and friends gathered at a foundation stone laying ceremony at Banaras University by speaking out against usage of the English language on the university premises that he deemed “sacred”.

The annual meeting of the Congress was held in December 1916 in Lucknow. The Congress was divided as there were the moderates and there were the extremists, but at Lucknow the Congress met without tension between the two wings. The President, Ambika Charan Mazumdar, spoke in terms of Swaraj, which previous leaders had demanded. A resolution was passed appealing to His Majesty’s Government and demanding that a definite step should be taken towards Indian self-government by granting the reforms contained in a referendum prepared by the All-India Congress Committee and adopted by the All-India Muslim League.

In Lucknow the Congress and the Muslim League came to an agreement. This was later known as the Lucknow Pact. For the sake of the unity of India the Congress conceded many points demanded by the Muslims. For two years Gandhi had traveled extensively in India and had talked at different places. He now wanted to start some work connected with labor. His interest first centered on the problem of indentured labor, the system under which poor, ignorant laborers were enticed away from India to work in the British colonies.

He disapproved of this system in South Africa, fought it there, and he wanted to see it abolished.

The Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, announced that His Majesty’s Government had agreed to abolish the system in due course. Gandhi, however, wanted a definite date before which the system would go.

Gandhi started a great agitation on this issue. He went to Bombay and consulted all the Indian leaders there.

They fixed May 31, 1917 as the last date for the abolition of indentured labor. He then went around the country to get support for this view. Meetings were held in important places. Everywhere there was a great response.

Even Gandhi admitted that he had not expected so much public support.

As a result of the agitation, the Government announced that the system of indentured labor would be stopped before July 31,1917. Then Gandhi had heard about an obnoxious system of agricultural labor prevailing in the Champaran district of Bihar, where the cultivators were forced by Europeans to grow indigo, a blue dye. This imposed on them great discomfort.

They could not grow the food they needed, nor did they receive adequate payment for the indigo.

Gandhi was told of this by an agriculturist from Bihar, Rajkumar Shukla. He requested Gandhi to go to the place and see the state of affairs

there. Gandhi was then attending the Congress meeting at Lucknow and he did not have time to go there. Rajkumar Shukla followed him about, begging him to come and help the hapless villagers in Champaran. Gandhi at last promised to visit the place after he had visited Calcutta.

Gandhi went to Champaran with Rajkumar in early 1917. On his arrival the District Magistrate served him with a notice saying that he was not to remain in the district of Champaran but must leave the place by the first available train. Gandhi disobeyed the order. He was summoned to appear before the court. The magistrate said that if Gandhi left immediately the charges would be dropped.

“This cannot be,” said Gandhi. “I came here to render humanitarian and national service. I shall make Champaran my home and work for the suffering people,” added Gandhi.

A large crowd of peasants gathered outside the court shouting slogans.

The magistrate and the police looked nervous.

Then Gandhi said, “I shall help you and calm these people if you let me speak to them.”

Gandhi appeared before the crowd and said, “You must show your faith in me and in my work by remaining quiet. The magistrate had the right to arrest me, because I disobeyed his order. If I am sent to jail, you must accept that as just. We must work peacefully. Any violent act will harm our cause.”

The crowd dispersed peacefully.

The police stared at Gandhi in admiration as he went inside the court.

Gandhi wrote about the incident later.

“That day in Champaran was an unforgettable event in my life ..... It is no exaggeration, but the literal truth, to say that in this meeting with the peasants, I was face to face with God, ahimsa and truth.”

The Government withdrew the case against Gandhi and allowed him to remain in the district. Gandhi stayed and studied the grievances of the peasants. He visited many villages. He cross-examined about 8,000 cultivators and recorded their statements. In this way he arrived at an exact understanding of their plight and the causes.

He came to the conclusion that the ignorance of the cultivators was one of the main reasons why the European planters could exploit them.

Gandhi set up voluntary organizations to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people.

They opened schools and taught the people how to improve sanitation.

The Government recognized Gandhi’s strength and devotion to just causes. They themselves then set up a committee to enquire into the grievances of the cultivators. They invited Gandhi to serve on that committee, and he agreed. The result was that within a few months the Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed. It gave great relief to the cultivators and land tenants. Gandhi could not stay longer in Bihar. There were calls from other places. Labor unrest was brewing in Ahmedabad and Gandhi was requested to help settle the dispute.

Gandhi hurried back to Ahmedabad. Before taking up the labor dispute Gandhi wanted to move his ashram. The Satyagraha Ashram was in a village near Ahmedabad, but the surrounding was not clean and plague had broken out. It had spread there from Ahmedabad.Arich merchant of Ahmedabad, wanted to buy alternative land for the ashram.

Gandhi went about with him looking for land and they chose a place on the bank of the Sabarmati river, near the Sabarmati Central Jail. The land was purchased and the famous Sabarmati Ashram was established.

In Ahmedabad there were many textile mills. Prices had gone up and the mill workers were demanding higher wages. The mill owners would not agree. Gandhi sympathized with the workers and took up their cause.

He launched a struggle and resorted to peaceful resistance. The workers proudly followed Gandhi and pledged their full support to him.

They paraded the streets with large banners, and said they would not go back to work until a settlement had been reached.

-To be Continued next week

Mahatma Gandhi Library, Inc. CITY-WIDE CONTESTS

Coloring Poster Speech iTribute Essay The contest are open to all children in the greater Houston Area. The winners of these contests will be recognized at the 1000 Lights for Peace, a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, on Sunday, October 2, 2016.

For more information and registration visit www.gandhilibrary.org

ALEXANDER P. MATHEWS, CPA For Services In:

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20 August 05, 2016

COMMUNITY

INCREDIBLE INDIA

By India Culture Center, Houston

HOUSTON: In Houston, for over 40 years,

India Culture Center ( ICC ) has been celebrating India’s INDEPENDENCE DAY. This year is no exception. This year too, ICC is inviting the Indian and American diaspora to celebrate together India’s Independence Day on August 20, at Stafford Civic Center, 10505 Cash Road, Stafford, TX 77477 Come one and all and celebrate together “Incredible India” by participating in cultural shows depicting India’s diversity and respecting its ethnicity with dancing and singing, essay contest and quizzes. It is a day of fun and frolic.

This year to challenge your intellect the theme is showcasing two unique contests. First is an ESSAY CONTEST especially for children of Indo- American heritage.

One coveted prize will be awarded to the BEST WRITER in each of the following 4 distinct age groups.

They are: 7-10, 11-14, 15-18, 19-22.

Participants should choose only ONE of the following topics...

TOPICS: 1. What does “ Independence Day” mean to you? (Choose US, July 4th or India, August 15), 2. Explain why Bollywood movies are popular all over the world?

3. How would you strengthen Indo-US relations?

CRITERIA: • Participants must be between the ages of 7 and 22.

• Participants must be of Indian-American Heritage.

• Participants must submit ONE PARAGRAPH of not more that 200 words.

• Participants must be present to receive the award on August 20, from 2-5pm at Stafford Center,10505 Cash Road, Stafford, TX 77477.

•Participants must submit the Registration Form and ESSAY together via email by Midnight 12pm, August 11 to: Parulfernandes1@gmail.com.

Late submissions will not be accepted. Judges decision will be final. All participants will receive Certificates for participation.

Please contact Parul Fernandes via email or phone at parulfernandes1@gmail. com or 713-662-3506/713-447-3705 if you have any questions.

Secondly, the “KNOW YOUR INDIA” Quiz will greet you at the door. Don’t forget to step by at the ICC BOOTH for that’s where the basket of quiz questions will be. Our ICC secretary Sohoni and Nirmalaben will assist you.

You will have several tries at answering quiz questions from the basket.

There will be 300 questions on topics like culture, music, films, history and geography of India. Each question will have 4 multiplechoice answers to choose from. These questions and answers will be set on a playing card size cards. These cards will be placed randomly in a box. The interested person can pick up any card from the box and answer the question correctly. If he/she answers question correctly, he/ she will get a chance to pick up the next card and this will go on till the question is answered incorrectly. Each answer will carry two points.

A black/white board at ICC booth will display the name of person who answers the maximum number of questions correctly. If somebody surpasses the points earned by the previous highest scorer, his name will be displayed and this will go on till end.

Small snacks, cookie pack or soda will be given to each participant.

Join us for a Fun-filling Independence Day!, A Cultural Bonanza with a variety of programs for young and old, a shoppers paradise of Indian jewelers and clothes, a food Court with delicious mouth-watering dishes, talent display and intellectual stimulation through quizzes and the essay contest on August 20, 2016.

Contact ICC President, Rajiv Bhavsar at 281-217-7330 or Event Chair Promod Bengani at 832-630-1398

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22 August 05, 2016

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COMMUNITY

August 05, 2016

Swami Mukundananda to Visit Houston

H

OUSTON: Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation. He is the founder of the unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul. He received His degrees in Engineering and Management from IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Kolkata). Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. He has inspired people around the world, on the path of Spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society and God-realization.

He has been invited to speak at Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle etc. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities like Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Kellogg and Duke University. He was also invited to speak at the world famous MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston, Texas. He will be addressing audience in an enthralling seven day series from August 20 – August 26, at India House, 8888 W. Bellfort Avenue, Houston, 77031. Program is free.

Prasadam served after program. Registration strongly recommended.

During the week-long program the first part of the session focuses on Yoga & Meditation.

The second part focuses on devotional chanting and spiritual discourses. Swamiji chants the sweetest bhajans that inspire devotional love and transport the consciousness to subliminal heights. His discourses clarify the deepest concepts of the Vedic scriptures, with humor and logic.

Program: Grow from Within to Succeed in Life, a Life Transformation Series by Swami Mukundananda Where & When: India House, 8888 W. Bellfort Avenue, Houston, 77031. From 4:30 – 7:30pm Saturday, Sunday (8/208/21). 6-9 pm Monday-Thursday (8/228/25). 7-9 pm Friday (8/26). The first hour will be Yoga & Meditation. The remaining part will focus on Spiritual Discourses & Devotional Chanting. Participants advised to bring their own yoga mats.

Contact & registration: 281-630-5982, 832-377-6070, 281-782-7345. Email: houstonjkyog@gmail.com. Registration recommended. Register at www.jkyog.org/events

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24 August 05, 2016

COMMUNITY

Hindu Heritage Youth Camp

BY TRISHA ASHAR

HOUSTON: It began with a single goal: to

promote the Hindu dharma.

Fast forward 32 years, and the annual Hindu Heritage Youth Camp (HHYC) not only continues to inspire young Hindus, but also engages its campers with activities such as Holi celebrations, sunrise yoga, and garba-raas.

This year, HHYC boasts a full camp of 205 campers split between two weeks: grades 8-12 camp from August 2-7, and grades 2-7 camp from August 9-14. Approximately 50 collegeaged counselors have devoted their summer to preparing for HHYC, along with returning director Arpan Amin and first-time director Veli Shah. Amin is the son of Hindu Heritage Youth Camp’s co-founder, Sharad Amin.

“The camp started with parents taking the lead back in 1985,” Sharad Amin said. “Adults were taking on educations, games, managing

the facility’s logistics and registration. After a few years, we started mentoring younger, college-aged students.

“Now, HHYC has become better by having counselors who have shown an understanding of Hindu culture and the goals of camp. By having a solid core group, camp has evolved with the times and changing needs.”

HHYC’s appeal lies in its ability to resonate with campers, as counselors teach Hindu values in a way that is more accessible than reading ancient Sanskrit texts, in addition to engaging campers with activities such as canoeing, archery and dodgeball.

“HHYC allows the youth of this day and age to connect with the years of rich culture and

values that Hinduism has to offer,” Shah said.

“We utilize our entire week of camp to show the children how enriching Hinduism can be and how applicable the values and morals gained from these lessons are! We hope that they can leave camp able to apply Hindu ideals to their everyday lives.”

2016 registration reached 90% capacity within one week, filling up faster than any of the previous 32 years.

“Apart from the sheer size, we split into two camps a few years ago,” Amin said. “While this was a seismic change at first, it allowed us to focus our activities towards a younger and an older age group. Now, we can focus on making our educations applicable to each individual child.”

To do this, the directors rely on coordinators that determine education themes, organized recreational games, and arts and crafts, among their other logistical responsibilities. Middle school coordinator Aadithya Srivastav not only ensures that camp activities run smoothly, but he also helps first-year counselors make the transition from camper to counselor.

“I want this year to be the year where the educations have a long lasting effect,” Srivastav said. “Many of the educations that I learned back when I was a middle school camper had a big effect on me and my fellow campers. I’m excited to be in the position now where I can make an impact on these kids at a very young and influential point in their lives.”

In addition to the hard work of counselors, coordinators, and their directors, HHYC relies on sponsorships from local businesses and volunteers from the community. Steering Committee member and former director Bharat Pallod handles intricacies outside of operations, including having doctors on hand and arranging buses to transport campers to the campsite.

“There are a couple ways to get involved,” Pallod said. “The best way to help is to sponsor a meal, whether that’s lunch or dinner. Additionally you can sponsor a camper, books, shirts work with us and we’ll create the opportunity.

Direct donations are also great and allow us to think bigger every year.”

Amin hopes that HHYC continues to evolve as it has done in years past, from counselors introducing new activities to volunteers implementing new environmentally friendly practices, sparking innovation as an entire organization from the top down.

“There’s not many opportunities you get in life to impact so many people’s lives at once, so at the beginning and conclusion of every camp I definitely love hearing stories of how kids went from being uncomfortable and scared the first day to not wanting to go home by the last day,” Amin said. “It definitely fills our hearts with a lot of joy. I feel like a kid again at camp every year.”

If you’re interested in sponsoring Hindu Heritage Youth Camp or volunteering for any part of the camp, go to HHYC’s website, hinducamp.com, for more information, or address direct inquiries to info@hinducamp.com

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COMMUNITY

August 05, 2016

25

Spiritual and Physical Benefit of Clapping Hands

BY KRISHAN GUPTA

HOUSTON: We clap our hands to

cheer, encourage someone for their good work or achievement, while singing songs, bhajans, and prayer at holy places. When we are happy we clap our hands to express joy and happiness, and encourage others. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also confirmed that clapping hands is one of the best exercises in daily activities.

Clapping is one of the ancient Yogasna (yoga poses) in our Hindu scriptures. There are 39 different acupressure points for almost all organs on our palm which are activated by clapping and this action improves your health slowly but effectively. So while clapping we are sending energies to all these points. If any organs has energy block it helps to release it so that inner organs may function in a better way.

Clap your hands every day after a meal. You will feel warmth and maybe even sweat on both your hands and feet. In order to get good results before clapping one should apply coconut or mustard oil on the palms so that it is absorbed in the body. Strike both hands against each other, right to left, keeping them straight facing each other and the arms a little loose.

Fingertips and the palm of each hand

should strike each other. Initially clap 200 to 300 times the first day and increase the speed from 50 to 100 claps a minute and duration to about 20 minutes. A healthy person, who wants to keep fit, should clap 1,500 times a day.

Clapping hands indicate active physical involvement; it breaks a person out of lethargy and helps the wandering mind to focus on and away from personal and worldly thoughts.

It also activates the emotional level by inducing the devotee to appreciate and attach his mind to the Bhakti (spiritual devotion) ritual. When we clap in the temple or in our house, mild heat is produced in the atmosphere which completely transforms and becomes pleasant. With this, the blood cells in our body get energy and our immunity improves.

Clapping acts by stimulating blood circulation and removing obstructions in the veins and arteries, including bad cholesterol. It helps to increase motor skills in children and improve their academic performance so that they can produce neat handwriting, write better and reduce spelling error.

Clapping stimulates receptors in the palm, circulates blood in our body and activates the sensations to the brain. There are sensory fields

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Clapping can boost your immunity because it strengthens the white blood cells which protect your body from many kinds of illnesses including heart conditions, hypertension, diabetes, depression, asthma, common cold, back, neck, joint pain headaches, insomnia, and hair loss. You will feel content, peaceful and happy throughout the day. So, Clap, walk and enjoy a healthy life.

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26 August 05, 2016

PUZZLES / RECIPES

SUDOKU

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Place a Number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Send us the correct answer before August 09, 2016.

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Send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published (for first three entrees only & 1 submission per month).

Hummus Punjabi Tarike Di (Hummus Punjabi Style) Directions:

Solution Next Week

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he beauty of North Indian cuisine is that it has adapted through the centuries to all the influences from foreign elements like the Greeks, Persians and Mongols who invaded and then settled in the region. So, several delectable dishes that we claim as Indian have their origins in other countries, like the gulab jamun (from the Persian words gol (flower) and ab (water)) which is derived from a Persian dish and jalebi which is an Arabic or Persian dish.

And this trend continued to recent history with Chinese, Portuguese, French, English and even Dutch foods which Indians have adapted in their own ways. More current trends in the large cities have led to greater consumption of Italian pastas and Mediterranean dishes like falafel and hummus, once again made to suit the Indian palate. Though people enjoy ready-to-serve versions of these at home, like Maggi noodles, not all are familiar with how to make them.

Hummus is one of these dishes whose primary ingredient – safayd chole (white garbanzos) is well known to Indians, yet it is never made at home. This recipe has a Punjabi twist to it, and the results are

very tasty.

India is the world’s largest producer of the kabuli variety of chole (chickpeas or garbanzo beans) which are also grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Chile. Chickpeas are high in protein, polyunsaturated fat, zinc, folate, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium. So hummus should be a familiar dish to Indians, but it should suit the Indian palate.

Though the traditional way of cooking chole is to soften them in a bowl of water and then boil them, this requires a lot of preparation and cooking time. For a small amount, and for this recipe, it’s more convenient to use pre-cooked canned chickpeas

1. Open the can and run the chole through a strainer and discard the water.

2. Do not add salt as the chole are already cooked in salted water.

3. Throw chole in a grinder and run for one minute.

4. Now add the lemon juice, olive oil and 3 tbsp of yogurt and then blend till it is smooth. If you want to make the hummus thinner, add another tbsp. of yogurt.

5. If desired, add the green chillies and coriander leaves at the same time as the other ingredients and blend in.

6. Scoop out of the blender, pour into a bowl and let it chill in the fridge before serving. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper on the top.

7. To store for upto five days, place in a jar with a screw-on top and leave in the fridge.

Ingredients: • • • • •

400 gm can of chole (chickpeas) 4 tbsp dahin (plain yogurt) 2 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup nimbu ras (lemon juice) Spices (to taste): namak (salt), hari mirch (green chillies), dhania (coriander) leaves

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 (since renamed Faisalabad), India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition. 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 some of her delectable recipes.

MAMA’S TI P OF THE W EEK

FOR FASTER RE SULTS, SOAK C HICKPEAS IN B OILED WATER Since chickpeas ar e such a

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hard bean, it that they will fluff up and get softer to is important to soak them overnigh t cook with. This cu time and usually yo ts down the prepar so u will boil them la at ion ter.

But sometimes pe ople will forget to do so and then they a pressure cooker have to resort to us to ing instances, if you fo make sure the chickpeas become pr op rget to soak them ov ernight, just place erly tender. In these water and you can the chickpeas in bo reduce the soaking iled time to an hour.

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August 05, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS

Dishoom: John, Varun Film Fails to Zip-zap-zoom

27

Katrina Kaif Romances Sidharth Malhotra in a Bikini in Baar Baar Dekho’s New Still

K

Varun Dhawan and John Abraham’s bro-time is matched by the comely female company they get in the shape of Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri.

Dishoom rejigs the buddy cop

movie, with John Abraham and Varun Dhawan being assigned to the “Case Of A Vanishing Indian Cricketer”.

The film is fashioned as a fastpaced caper. It’s got flash but the plot keeps stuttering and stops the film from really zip-zap-zooming.

And in the second half, it nose dives, meandering off in some Arabian Nights style fantasy space before remembering what it had set out to do.

It begins with promise. Matchwinning boy-in-blue Viraj Sharma (Saleem) disappears just a couple of days before a crucial match with Pakistan. Indian Special Task Force cop Kabir Shergill (Abraham) is parachuted into a Middle Eastern country, which is the site

of the crime. Local boy Junaid Ansari (Dhawan) partners with the visitor, and off they go, sleuthing.

The slit-eyed stony-faced experienced cop and the bumbling rookie is an old Hollywood cliché but can turn into fun in the hands of good actors and directors: here, Dhawan and Abraham display limited wares, the former in his young wide-eyed joe avatar, and the latter swathed in tight tees and a permanent frown, swaggering down sandy desert outposts and shadowy villains’dens. Both also get to shuck their shorts and show off their stuff in colourful briefs.

The boys have comely female company in the shape of the two gals, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri, the former with a few speaking scenes and an item number where she cavorts in the midst of leering

men, and the latter who’s around for purely decorative purposes.

Dishoom’s villains are a letdown, not even properly evil in a matching comic-book way. Neither Rahul Dev nor Akshaye Khanna have any menace: for fellows who keep threatening to off their victims, they are curiously minus impact.

And that’s what ails the film as a whole. It comes alive only in bits and pieces: Akshay Kumar’s cameo, for instance, as a poutingselfie-clicking man bun is a hoot.

Some of the Abraham-Dhawan bro-time is okay too, but borrows from the ‘Men In Black’ duo Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the way they, Kabir and Junaid, go about addressing each other, yes, K and J. - indianexpress.com

atrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Baar Baar Dekho has already created a lot of buzz with its party number ‘Kala Chashma’. But the trailer of the film is still awaited.

As it will be out ‘very soon’, the maker and the stars are ensuring that they keep the buzz going, and have now shared a new and hot look from the movie.

For the makers, Katrina’s eye-melting moves in ‘Kala Chashma’weren’t enough to break the internet, thus the new still which features Katrina and Sidharth in an intimate moment, sets the temperature soaring. Yes! the hotness has broke all bars with Kat posing with Sid in an orange bikini.

The film is co-produced by Karan Johar of Dharma Productions, Well, the actress who is all going busy with her updates after her recent Facebook debut, too took to share the image on her page saying: Thank you guys for all the love for Kala Chashma & Trailer coming soon… Sidharth Malhotra Baar Baar Dekho While the peppy dance number has already crossed 10 million mark, the fans do await to see more in the trailer and there after in the Nitya Mehra’s directorial which is slated to hit theaters on September 9. The reworked, retuned version of the yesteryear’s hit has Katrina and Sidharth grooving and we have already started practicing those dance steps.

The movie is a romantic drama and

this is quite evident with the drama and swag shown in the song ‘Kala Chasma’ and the romance which can be seen in this new image of the two actors.

- indianexpress.com

Happy Birthday

Genelia D’Souza August 05, 1987

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 05, 2016 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

28 August 05, 2016

Rain Helps West Indies AvoidSPORTS the Inevitable Defeat

BY ALAGAPPAN MUTHU

KINGSTON (ESPN Cricinfo):

India 500 for 9 decl. (Rahul 158, Rahane 108*, Chase 5-121) lead West Indies 196 by 304 runs A Test match can be a bit like a pup: great players can lead it wherever they want. This West Indian XI does not have great players. They have great triers.

Captain Jason Holder and coach Phil Simmons put the men on defence - understandable considering the opposition had a fat lead.

Their best efforts have taken the Test to a point where the weather can threaten what once looked a certain victory for India. A tropical storm has been forecast to hit the region on the fourth day with India declaring 304 runs ahead and West Indies yet to bat in the second innings.

Ajinkya Rahane found himself part of a pattern, one that has been central to India’s success on this tour of the Caribbean. They have batted eleven-and-a-half sessions in this series. And a set batsman had been out there most of the time. Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin began the trend in Antigua. It continued with KL Rahul on day two and Rahane on day three, who went on to score his seventh Test hundred. This is the eighth straight series that he has scored a score of at least 90 in.

India were not panicking about the weather. The mountains on the horizon were obscured by heavy cloud. The rain break came 10 overs after lunch and spirited 52 minutes out of the game. Offspinning allrounder Roston Chase took two wickets in two balls and had them eight down soon after play resumed. The run-scoring stayed sedate.

Virat Kohli, sipping a hot beverage in the dressing room, was still in his training gear. He was clearly not thinking about the declaration.

Perhaps Rahane approaching a Test century away from home had something to do with that. And with only Nos. 10 and 11 for company, he began to farm the strike.

This was where West Indies’ dis-

R Ashwin delivers to Jason Holder, West Indies v India, 1st Test, Antigua, 4th day, July 24, 2016.

KL Rahul steps out and smacks the ball, West Indies v India, 2nd Test, Kingston, 2nd day, July 31, 2016.

cipline paid off. They had given away only 142 runs in 46.1 overs.

They made India bat long for a lead they liked.

Rahane squirted an outside edge between slip and the wicketkeeper in the 170th over to reach his third hundred in four innings, captured on camera by the coach Anil Kumble and celebrated vigorously by his team-mates.

The locals at Sabina Park had something to cheer too when Chase induced a top edge from

Umesh Yadav to wrap up his first five-for in his second Test. With a high-arm action resembling Nathan Lyon, he got the ball to dip and bounce. Earlier, Amit Mishra failed to get to the pitch of one and was caught at short leg.

Seconds later Mohammed Shami was bowled playing down the wrong line. Chase wore a sheepish grin on day two when he conceded he hadn’t liked going without a wicket on debut. Now he was leading his team off.

While it will be debated if India needed to bat on after the first rain break, or if they batted on to let Rahane reach his hundred - he was 83 when the rain came down - the fact remains that India had now batted West Indies out of the match.

It remained to be seen if India would give enough time to register their first set of consecutive wins outside Asia since 2006, but they were assured they were not going to lose this one. Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

Misbah Laments Pakistan’s Continuing Exile EDGBASTON -- England will play their 500th Test on home soil this week. Unsurprisingly they are the first nation to reach that milestone. Yet, the fact they do so against Pakistan, a team virtually homeless since 2009, makes for a striking contrast.

Pakistan have played 151 Tests in their country but none since the Lahore Test in 2009, which was abandoned after the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus. Their nomadic lifestyle since has been

much-storied not least earlier in this series after their stunning victory at Lord’s.

Misbah-ul-Haq rarely gives much away the day before a Test.

When asked if he knew his team for Edgbaston he said “we are sure, no doubts” but refused to elaborate further. “Keep them guessing,” he said with a grin.

Yet when a question came about England’s milestone match at home and the stark difference in Pakistan’s situation he became

very animated, almost impassioned as he spoke about the risks to cricket in his homeland.

He fears for the next generation, with children being drawn away from the sport. That, of course, is not only a situation for Pakistan, but a vast number of countries trying to keep the young active.

However, Pakistan has the added difficulty of so much international cricket being lost to the country.

“The interest of the youth is really losing out to other sports.”

SPORTS

England’s 330 Run Win with Joe Root ‘s Attacks

MUMBAI: India will play two

T20I matches against West Indies in Florida later this month, BCCI president Anurag Thakur announced on Tuesday, after the board’s working committee meeting in Mumbai. The matches will be played on August 27 and 28 at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill.

Officials from both boards had meetings in Florida last week to discuss the staging of the matches at the conclusion of India’s ongoing four-Test series in the Caribbean. The ability to obtain US visas was the primary logistical hurdle before the boards but this was cleared after the BCCI submitted documents for its intended T20 squad to the US embassy in Jamaica, where the second Test is currently being played.

In a press release issued by the board, Thakur stated that the series would be developed into an annual event in the USA. “As part of our continuous efforts to reach out to new markets and audiences, I am very happy to announce that Team India will play two T20Is against the current world champions West Indies in the United States,” Thakur said.

“This will be a great opportunity for the cricket fans in America to watch the two champion sides in action. This will be developed into an annual cricketing event in the United States.”

The Central Broward Regional Park is the only ICC-certified ODI standard stadium facility in the USA and recently hosted six Caribbean Premier League matches between July 28 and 31.

The ground has previously hosted four T20Is - in 2010, New Zealand played two matches against Sri Lanka, and returned in 2012 for two games against West Indies.

The matches will be played on August 27 and 28 at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 05, 2016 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

August 05, 2016

The Cookie Crumbles: Mumbai’s Iconic Parle G Factory Shuts Shop after 87 Years

N

The Vile Parle unit of Parle G company was a Mumbai landmark and is now shutting down. Photo: Vidya Subramanian

MUMBAI: After Parle con-

firmed that its Parle biscuit factory, which has not been functioning for some time, will be shut forever, residents said they will miss the sweet smell of baking that would envelope the area when the factory fired its ovens.

Vile Parle residents said that as the family which own the biscuit company had taken the decision to shut down the factory, they had no opinion on whether the landmark factory should stay or go. “If our opinion was to be taken, this factory was our neighbour and we look at it as a heritage site,” said Seema Bajaj, resident of Vile Parle (East). “This aroma reminds us about the biscuit and wherever we get the vanilla fragrance, we always associate it with this factory.”

The 87-year-old facility made biscuits, cakes and candy bars, but as production shifted to other units across the country, the Vile Parle site has seen a drop in production capacity over the past few years. Located under a bridge at VS Khandekar Marg that divides Vile Parle into its west and east sections, the factory began producing candy in 1929 and began manufacturing biscuits 10 years later.

Some residents said that it was difficult to believe that the factory

will not function anymore. “Being born and brought up close to it, the aroma comes as a nostalgia, which takes me back to my school days when my friends and I used to go and stand at the bridge and observe trains pass by and to smell the vanilla fragrance,” said Kavita Thakkar, resident of Vile Parle (West).

“My family and I will miss waking up to that aroma since the factory is shutting down.” Another resident Saiprasad Patil said that the smell of baking biscuits was so alluring that as children, he and friends often plotted to sneak into the factory and steal biscuits. “When I travel across the country and tell anyone that I reside at Vile Parle, they immediately associate the area with its biscuit factory. The factory’s closing will be a great loss for us,” he said.

“I am shocked that the factory is going to shut down. My son’s school was located very close to the factory and every day I used to make it a point to reach 10 minutes before school got over just to get the scent of those freshly-made biscuits,” said Rintu Rathod, resident of Santacruz, who runs her own bakery.

“We planned to celebrate my son’s birthday this year by taking his classmates to the factory one last time before it shuts down.”

-hindustantimes.com

29

Railways Plans Rs 7,000 Crore Investment in North-east

EW DELHI: Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday flagged off Tripura Sundari Express, the first passenger train that will connect Agartala with New Delhi. The train will run once a week with a journey time of 47 hours.

The railways will invest more than Rs.7,000 crore in the current fiscal year to develop its network in the seven north-eastern states, Prabhu said, adding, in 2014-15, only Rs.2,702 crore was spent for this purpose.

At a function in Agartala, the minister also laid the foundation stone for a 15km rail link that will connect the capital of Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh.

If the facilities of the Chittagong port can be used, then trade and economy of both north-east India and Bangladesh will flourish, he said.

The minister added that India is keen to increase railway connectivity with Bangladesh.

The Agartala-Akhaura link will fa-

people relation,” Hoque said, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar had also agreed to help Bangladesh curb terrorism.

While lauding Bangladesh for cooperation and help in establishing the rail link, Prabhu said more options for connectivity with the country would be explored. Referring to the problem of land acquisition for railway projects, he said the Agartala-Akhaura link is planned as an elevated line to

A security personnel clicks a picture of the Tripura Sundari Express, a weekly train connecting Agartala and New Delhi, during the flag-off ceremony at the Agartala railway station on Sunday.

Initiatives for better connectivity in the region will result in all-round development in the north-east and gradually, the region will have the highest per capita income in the country, Prabhu said. The minister also announced plans to start an AgartalaKolkata train service.

“Increase of inter-state connectivity and connectivity between the region and the rest of the country are being given the highest priority. Available connectivity will boost the region’s economy,” Prabhu said.

cilitate trade and people-to-people ties. It is also expected to facilitate transit from Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh to Tripura and the north-east.

Bangladesh railway minister Mazibul Hoque, who attended the function, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced plans to revive all pre-1965 railway connectivity with India.

“We want very close connectivity between our two friends (India and Bangladesh) and closer people-to-

minimize land acquisition.

Prabhu said the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corp. (IRCTC) would be advised to explore the possibility of developing tourist packages including in the north-east and Bangladesh to connect more people to the region.

Acknowledging the current fuel crisis in the state because of its poor road connectivity, the minister said he had instructed officials to take steps to bring more fuel through railways.

-livemint.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 05, 2016 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

30 August 05, 2016

COMMUNITY

Britannia Announces Grand of Launch Premium Cake Rusk NEW YORK: Britannia International is

pleased to announce the launch of their latest delicious delight – the new Britannia Premium Cake Rusk. The product will be a new addition to an already hugely successful range of Rusks, currently comprised of Wheat and Milk Rusk variants. Cake Rusk, for the unaware, is a twice baked cake – thus allowing one to savor the scrumptious indulgence of cakes as well as the delicious crunch of rusks at the same time.

Britannia Premium Cake Rusk is a delicious medley of the finest wheat baked with the richness of fresh milk and eggs, providing the ultimate, tantalizing oven-fresh experience of authentic Cake Rusk in convenient, premium packaging.

With humble beginnings over a century ago, from a small house in central Calcutta and an intrepid baker meeting the exacting standards of English tea-time snacking for officers of the British Raj and their families, Britannia has grown to become the proud custodian of a long tradition of delectable baking that delights millions of consumers around the world. Brand Britannia is recognized as one of the most trusted, valuable and popular brands among consumers in several reputed surveys. Their relentless focus on quality and freshness has been endorsed by several prestigious accolades and won the unwavering favor of consumers through their extensive range of fresh, nutritious and flavor-

rich products that assure a superlative sensory experience with every product, every time.

“Britannia Premium Cake Rusk will be widely available across Indian groceries and promises to be yet another dearly loved, unforgettable product for South Asian customers across the USA, from the house of Britannia” said a spokesperson for Britannia Industries Ltd. This commitment to deliver better products to consumers everywhere, has also helped Britannia to grow by leaps and bounds away from home as well, across markets like - the MENA region, UK, Australia, Canada and the United States. The proud, new addition to the product stable – Britannia’s Premium Cake Rusk is an example of a product that has been exclusively developed for international markets.

About Britannia Industries Ltd Britannia Industries Limited is India’s lead-

ing food company and marketer of cookies, dairy products and bread. As per independent retail audit conducted by Nielsen in May 2015, Britannia is the market leader in the US$3.78 billion biscuit market. In the US several power

brands from the Britannia portfolio like “Good Day”, “Bourbon”, “Milk Rusk”, “Milk Bikis”, “Nice Time” are available across the country in stores carrying South Asian groceries.

Over the past year Britannia has added new and exciting brands like “Milk Bikis Cream”, “Chunkies” (luxurious chocolate chip cookies), “NutriChoice Heavens” (Healthy and delicious Oat Cookies), “Pure Magic Chocolush” (Premium center filled cookie), “Jim Jam”, “Muffils” (center filled cup-cakes)”, “Premium Bake Eggless Cake”, “Premium Bake Cake Rusk” and “Time Pass” (salted cracker) to its well-loved portfolio. In Addition to India & the United States, Britannia is also available in Canada, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Singapore.

BAZODEE In Conversation with Kabir Bedi

HOUSTON: BAZODEE - a new style Bol-

lywood musical with a distinctly Caribbean island flavor - releases in theaters nationwide this Friday, August 5. Legendary actor Kabir Bedi stars in this hotly anticipated film delivering a very different kind of role. He sat down to discuss his latest movie role in BAZODEE in this exclusive new interview: Tell us about your character Ram Panchouri in BAZODEE and his storyline.

Basically Ram is a guy who is an NRI like a lot of people, and he is living in the West Indies and his daughter is getting married to the son of an equally nice industrial family from England that is very well-to-do. But the truth is that I am deeply in debt so when my daughter decides to do things I wouldn’t want her to it really complicates life a lot. So it’s really the story of a man fighting for survival but yet dealing with his daughter’s heart going in a different way. It’s a film of fun, it’s Calypso, it’s Soca music, it’s the glory of the West Indies setting and of course Machel Montano’s incredible music that takes it to another level.

It’s a fun film to see for the family.

How was this character different from many of the other characters you’ve played in your extensive career?

It’s a lot different! It’s a lighter side of me, it’s a far more playful side of me. I mean I’ve

played an Asian pirate, and in the James Bond film Octopussy I fought Roger Moore throughout the film, I’ve played Shah Jahan on stage and on screen, so those are serious characters. This is a much more pop role.

Interestingly different!

What was it like filming in Trinidad & Tobago? Any specific things you enjoyed there?

I just loved the feeling of Trinidad & Tobago and the warmth of the people. There’s also the spectacular Maracas Beach out there where you have big shark sandwiches which are just incredible! And there is such a great music tradition there too so it’s a lovely place to be and to film and to meet people and get to know another country. It’s a country worth knowing! And Tobago reminds me of Goa from 30 or 40 years ago, really peaceful and beautiful beaches. Pigeon Point Beach was extremely beautiful to see there too.

What are some of the themes in BAZODEE that those in the Indian diaspora would be able to relate to?

It’s our story! It’s a story of people like us.

And therefore if you want your stories to be told you must see and support them and go out and see them. That’s part of the process.

I think it’s a film people will enjoy in the diaspora because it’s about them.

What are some of your favorite places in the U.S to visit?

I stayed in Los Angeles for 15 years in the 1970s and 80s and I certainly have a deep and abiding love for L.A. It was a wonderful place for me because when I did the series The Bold and the Beautiful, I got to know the cast and got to know all the subcultures there and the fans that surround that. You have the sea, you have the mountains, wide roads for driving, smooth cars to drive, it’s a creative community, I had an enormously productive time in L.A. And of course San Francisco too. I adore San Francisco, so much beauty.

Boston is where my sister is and I love going to the Northeast. New York I enjoy too.

Houston, Orlando, Miami, a lot of special places for me there!

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August 05, 2016

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