E newspaper08072015

Friday, August 07 2015 | Vol. 34, No. 32

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Indo American erican News

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

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An Eid Milan for All!

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At the IMAGH Eid Milan held last weekend, from left, Dr. Maqbool Haq, Chairman BOD, IMAGH; Sunny Sharma, President, Sister Cities Project; Devon Anderson, Harris County District Attorney; Parvathaneni Harish, Indian Consul General; event emcee Dr. Samina Salim; Latafath Hussain, President IMAGH; Tyeb Shipchandler, oldest member of Club 65 and Abeezar Tyebji, Chairman of the IMAGH Board of Advisors.

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Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Arya Maha Sammelan

BY DR. HARISH CHANDRA HOUSTON: Yoga as taught by the great Sage Patanjali in his classic Yoga-Sutras (also called Yoga Darshana) emerged as the core action plan from the 25th Arya Maha Sammelan (Conference) organized by the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha America (APSA – coordinating body for all the Arya Samajes in the USA and Canada) hosted by the Arya Samaj Greater Houston (ASGH) July 30 to August 2.

More than 200 delegates from India, UK, Europe, Canada and several states of the USA participated. Scholarly presentations overwhelmingly supported the view that the Vedas consist

of true knowledge, both of matter and spirit, that was the basis of the clarion call of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati (1825-’83), the founder of Arya Samaj in 1875.

Eternal relevance of the Vedas makes it incumbent for everyone to bring its beautiful knowledge and legacy to every human being.

There is an urgent need for this knowledge in North America. It was further argued that the developed world is affluent and will appreciate the spiritual knowledge of the Vedas whereas the population elsewhere is struggling for basic material needs. One presentation after another listed the benefits that the people can obtain from Patanjali's prescription of Ashtanga Yoga, including Vedic learning and ability to manage their body and mind in perfect harmony with the nature.

Dr. Ramesh Gupta (Arya Samaj Garden State, New Jersey) went into details from a neuroscientist's perspective to list benefits of Dhyana and Samadhi through intricate functioning of brain. Almost every speaker borrowed at least one concept from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras to highlight its relevance in North America. The most talked about concepts were Yama and Niyama CONTINUED ON PAGE

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COMMUNITY

August 07, 2015

Eid Milan Celebration Highlights IMAGH’s Evolution as a Community Voice

BY ZAID HUSSAIN HOUSTON: Each year as it has grown from a nascent group barely six years ago, the Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston has made inroads towards its mission of fostering amity across cultures, communities, and religions.

This past Saturday evening, August 1, the IMAGH made it clear that it had reached its goal when it held its 6th Annual Eid Milan event at the Marriott Westchase hotel on the city’s westside.

Over 400 people attended the event and highlighting the diversity were a large delegation from the Hindus of Greater Houston,

From left: Sunny Sharma, Dr. Samina Salim, Devon Anderson, P. Harish, and Latafath Hussain.

Eid Milan Baby sitting Service

SAYA Members with Latafath & Abeezar

representatives of the InterFaith Ministries of Houston; the current leadership of the India Culture Center; and the presidents of the Ismaili, Bohra, and Ahmadiyya communities, as well as distinguished individuals from business, law enforcement and academia.

Chief among them was the Har-

ris County District Attorney, Devon Anderson, who brought along several other key people from her department.

During the social hour, volunteers of the South Asian Youth Alliance and its Seniors Club 65, both community service initiatives of IMAGH, worked the registra-

The Ladies of IMAGH

tion table. The event began with a warm welcome by Dr. Maqbool Haq, Chairman of the Board of Directors, who outlined the purpose of the Eid Milan and was followed up by a sermon by Imam Vazir Ali Wazir about who Muslims are and why they celebrate Eid. Grand Sponsor of the event was Sunny Sharma, the President of the Sister Cities Project and former District

Governor of 64 Rotary Clubs, who spoke of peace and unity between religions.

Chief Guest Anderson got a rousing ovation when she said that “law enforcement and Muslims have one thing in common a few bad apples have given both the institutions a bad name”. She added that just as terrorists do not represent the Muslim community,

a few bad prosecutors or police officers do not represent the majority of hard working and honest

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CONTINUED ON PAGE

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For photo collage, see page 12

August 07, 2015

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Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Arya Maha Sammelan CONTINUED FROM PAGE

COMMUNITY Independence Day Flag Hoisting

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(duties towards others and self, the first two limbs of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga) that should not come as a surprise because Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmcharya and Aparigraha are indeed universally accepted moral code of conduct. Dr. Rajinder Gandhi (Arya Samaj of New Jersey) presented a comprehensive study that explained the documented benefits of meditation in recent research papers from the Vedic perspective.

ASGH reacted to the widespread sentiments in a constructive way by announcing start of a 4- month course on Patanjali Meditation from Wed 26 August and Sat 29 August at its serene hall. True to the universality of the message, both the batches will be offered worldwide via webinar. Those interested can obtain details from www. centerforinnersciences.org/pm-houstonaug-2015.html. For any query, write to: cis.

usa@centerforinnersciences.org. The course is open to all irrespective of gender, age, national, religious or cultural origin.

There was a special flavor in the conference due to the rich cultural presentations from the pupils of DAV Montessori School and DAV Sanskriti School. These schools running in the premises of ASGH must have been greatly successful as indicated by a skid of great personalities presented by the alumni of these two schools who continue to stay connected, hooked and tuned to ASGH in the form of Arya Yuva Mandal (AYM - Arya Youth Group) even after graduating from the schools. Guests showered extensive praise for the volunteers of ASGH including youngsters of AYM. Devinder Mahajan humbly accepted the accolades from the APSA officers on behalf of the ASGH family.

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Consulate General of India Houston Flag Hoisting ceremony on India’s 69th Independence Day will be held on Saturday, 15 August, 2015 at 8:30 AM at Consul General’s Residence (5634 Briar Drive, Houston, TX 77056). Consul General Parvathaneni Harish will read President of India’s address on this occasion. Refreshments

will be served.

Indian nationals, members of the Indian American community, friends of India and their families along with children are cordially invited to the function. Participants are requested to assemble at Consul General’s Residence by 8.20 AM. Kindly bring a photo ID.

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Eid Milan Celebration Highlights IMAGH’s Evolution as a Community Voice CONTINUED FROM PAGE

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law enforcement officials, adding that the media should see how bad “stereotyping” can be. “IMAGH already does what I want to accomplish with the District Attorney’s office,” she lauded, “and that is community outreach”, through Club 65 and SAYA. A buffet dinner catered by Nirvana restaurant, for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, was a hit and one guest quipped that “they were going through both lines”! After dinner, the Consul General of India Parvathaneni Harish congratulated the guests for making the Eid Milan “a true reflection of India’s ‘Ganga, Jamuna, tahzeeb’, and applauded IMAGH for being a sponsor of the recently held successful International Yoga Day (see IAN, June 17, 2015), adding he was amazed that several Muslims volunteered to work, even though it fell during Ramadan and they were fasting!

This event was made special by the emcee, Dr. Samina Salim, whose razor-sharp wit and proficiency in English, Hindi, and Urdu truly wove the evening together.

IMAGH presented Ashma Moosa, a can-

cer survivor who has logged thousands of hours volunteering for the community, with the prestigious Community Service Award.

The evening was wrapped up with melodious geets and ghazals by the hugely talented Intezar Ahmed, and with guest singers Vishwakarma Raj and Uma Mantravadi.

Guests raved about the warm hospitality, delicious food, captivating entertainment, but most of all, the outreach of the Indian Muslim community prompting Venugopal Menon of the Hindus of Greater Houston to compliment them. “[IMAGH deserves] a great compliment for initiating a concept of camaraderie among factions,” he summed up, “for fostering a candid notion to bring in the similarities between ideologies as we all attempt to approach the Ultimate through our various versions of upbringing and established measures to convince all that our differences are trivial and inconsequential.”

For photo collage, see page 12

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COMMUNITY

August 07, 2015

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Prayer Meet at India House

Photos: Bijay Dixit

BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: In 2007, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam addressed a gathering of Houstonians under a makeshift tent at India House as the building was yet to be completed. He also planted the first sapling on the grounds which can be seen in front of the building. A second visit followed in 2011.

Four years later, on July 29, 2015, about 200 Houstonians met at the same India House for a condolence meeting to mark his demise and to share their heartfelt memories of his humility, simplicity and sincerity.

The event was initiated by Vijay Pallod and jointly organized by India House and India Culture Center, Houston.

Many in the audience had personally interacted with him from Indu Sharma who studied with him at the Madras Institute of Technology 60 years ago to IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia

who met him at Rashtrapati Bhavan with a team of delegates. The Executive Director recalled the grand edifice of the Presidential House and 11th President of India sitting in a corner of the room dressed in a simple khadi kurta, trousers and sandals.

Dr. Kalam left a deep impression on everyone who met him. Ashok Dhingra who hosted a lunch for him on his visit to Houston described him as “a man of short stature but the tallest among us as we will always look up to him.”

Dr. Sen Pathak had the honor of taking Dr. Kalam on a tour of MD Anderson. He recalled Dr. Kalam telling him to work for a cure for cancer that was affordable – “words that stayed with him all his life.” Today Dr. Pathak is working with alternative medicines in Ayurveda and Homeopathy to cure cancer.

A song by Hemant Bhavsar and Uday Shah from the movie Kabuliwallah – Ae Mere Pyare Watan

was aptly touching in describing this “son of India.”

India House General Manager Col. Vipin Kumar showed a short clip of Dr. Kalam talking about the launch of a satellite “which instead of going into space fell into the Bay of Bengal.” According to Dr. Kalam, his mentor Satish Dhawan taught him an invaluable lesson on how to handle both “failure and success.”

Deepti Ganji from the Consul General’s office in Houston described Dr. Kalam as “an inspiration and a guiding force for many” and quoted Prime Minister Modi’s description of Dr. Kalam as “having the honesty of a child, the exuberance of a teenager and the maturity of an adult.”

President of India House, Dr. Manish Rungta expressed his sadness at the death of a “great leader” and shared some of Dr. Kalam’s inspiring quotes. He stated that India House also strives to serve the citizens of India like Dr. Kalam did. Rinal Desai from BAPS and Swatantra Jain from Preksha CONTINUED ON PAGE

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IACCGH Distinguished Lecture Series with Chief of Police Charles McClelland

GAURI SIDDHIVINAYAK TEMPLE

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Shri Lakshmi Puja Hindu Wedding Markand Puja Engagement Shri Ganpati Puja Simant Laghu Rudra Vastu Shanti Mundan Sanskar Navchandi Puja Shanti Havan Shri Gayatri Havan Shri Satyanarayan Puja

BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: “Representing the dedicated men and women who keep the city safe”, Houston’s Chief of Police Charles McClelland was the Keynote Speaker at the Distinguished Lecture Series organized by IACCGH. The event, sponsored by Shell, was held on 29th July at Westin Oaks.

The Chief of Police was accompanied by Assistant Chief John Chen and Senior Police Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi.

IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia described the Chamber as an “inclusive Chamber,” and cited the number of organizations present in the room such as the Asian Chamber, MITDC, ALF, Anjuman e Shujaee, ASIE and other members and guests. He also thanked sponsors Shell for being “the backbone of several IACCGH events.”

A one minute silence was held to mark the death of the 11th President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

38 years of commitment to public service, to making a difference in the community helped Charles McClelland rise from

a patrol officer to his current position as Chief of Police. IACCGH President Ashok Garg introduced the Chief of Police by stating that “some men are better introduced by their actions” and Chief McClelland was known as “being fair with people, taking care of business and taking decisions quickly.”

In his address, the Chief stated that there are over 5000 police officers, about 14,000 surveillance support and an $800 million budget to keep Houston safe. Minorities make up about 53% of the police force and 70% of the support staff.

15% are women and 1200 officers are bilingual.

Admitting that “some days are better than others,” the Chief stated that despite all its challenges, Houston is one of the safest places in America. He also said that there is too much gun violence in society and minor drug offences must be handled differently than they are being done presently. He believes that rather than locking everyone that commits a crime, we must put more money into crime prevention, treatment, education and job training.

The Chief also pointed out that we as a society must question why

young minorities are dropping out of school, have a high unemployment rate and drug problems.

Minorities must be given the opportunities and the means to earn a livelihood and a second chance to reintegrate themselves in society.

The community engagement and community policing that’s been in place since the 80’s has ensured that Houston is not a “racially charged city like Ferguson or Baltimore.” HPD is striving to make the department more transparent and accountable in ways no other city or police agency is doing. Two and a half years ago, a hundred police officers were outfitted with cameras.

The decision was questioned at that time but proved right because of several incidents of police resorting to unnecessary force. Another first is a bus tour to take new cadets to inner city neighborhoods to understand ethnic and culturally diverse neighborhoods.

The Chief concluded by observing that there are many things “on our list to make sure we have a strong bond with the community we serve.”

Joanna Nolte from Shell thanked the Chief of Police for all that the Department does to “keep Houston safe.”

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6th Annual Eid Milan 2015

Saturday, August 1, 2015 5:30 PM Marriott Westchase Hotel 2900 Briar Park Drive

See article on page 4 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 07, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

August 07, 2015

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16 August 07, 2015 Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Prayer Meet at India House CONTINUED FROM PAGE

Fusion 2015

COMMUNITY

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Meditation Center also described Dr. Kalam as “a blend of science and spirituality” as he reached out to their respective spiritual teachers to understand the higher purpose of life.

Ghulam Zarkari of the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston also paid tribute to Dr. Kalam’s hard work and sincerity and recalled Dr. Kalam’s message to refrain from complaining about what we don’t have but work to resolve that. He concluded by reciting a beautiful Urdu couplet penned by Dr. Kalam.

VP of ICC, Harshadbhai Patel, Yogina Patel from the Gujarati Samaj and Raju from ASIE also paid tributes to Dr. Kalam.

Dr. Kalam passed away doing what he was passionate about – teaching and encouraging the youth of India to dream and reach greater heights. As Dr. Pathak put it – the best shraddhanjali we can offer “is to follow in his footsteps and work harder on his death anniversary.”

HOUSTON: Fusion 2015 is not just the talk of the town, but the entire Country is talking about it’s magnitude, the mega stars, the showmanship, and most of all, the Lavish no expense spared production.

Over the last few Months, Houston has become the center of attention, as it has been understood that Fusion 2015 will be launching its first, out of three show’s in the city. It has also been revealed that Houston will be the base/home for the superstars prior to the tour, the bollywood stars will be arriving with an entourage of 92 individuals, consisting of, directors, producers, coordinators, dancers, performers, makeup artists who will all be arriving from India few days prior the star studded tour.

Once the full Fusion 2015 team reaches Houston, that’s when it has been understood that the hard

work will begin, 40 percent of the rehearsals are to take place in Houston, every aspect of the star studded show is to be rehearsed and then re-rehearsed. “Akshay Kumar has openly announced that in this concert, he is looking for perfection, and not only is it close to his heart but also a celebration of him completing 25years in the Bollywood industry and wants this show to be memorable for everyone who attends” Fusion 2015 which has already been labeled as the Biggest Bollywood concert to be featured in the U.S.A, and show casing exceptional talent, with the biggest Bollywood names that include bollywood’s leading action manAkshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit the legend, the original beauty of bollywood, and dancing queen. The charismatic and confident Sonakshi Sinha, Prabhu Deva who has

taken the world with his dance routines, so much so that now has been established or gets referred as the Michael Jackson of South Asia. Chitrangada Singh noted for her grace, elegance and acting ability, Just to name a few of talent that is to dominate Houston on August 21. Fusion 2015 has been said to consist of a perfect blend of Glitz, Glamour, showbiz, action, bollywood stunts, dancing, acting and to top it all off, live interaction with the audience.

All this to be packaged and delivered on the night with backdrops, stages, visual effect, sequence lighting, state of the art Audio and the biggest expense, Four Humongous LED screens to be placed chronologically , giving the audience a Three Dimensional effect, with over 50 costume changes and a number of surprises have been

lined up especially so that Houston Fusion 2015 goes of with a bang!

It has been estimated to be costing Rehan Siddiqi $1.2 million.

When asked about the Financial commitmet of the show, Rehan replied simply by stating $1.2Million is one hell of a commitment but its also going to one “hell of show” , big star’s, big names, big productions, big teams and big dreams all come with a price, and the price is $1.2 million.

The man that has promised to bring this and much more to Houston is none other then Rehan Siddiqi, international promoter and a well known name in Texas and in the world of show biz, he is no stranger to the pressure, demands and expectations from such a Enormous, Star studded concert brings with it.

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STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

August 07, 2015

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The Story thus Far.....

Great Summer Project For children! Enter Mahatma Gandhi Week 2015 Essay, I-Tribute, Poster and Speech contests. Visit gandhilibrary.org for registration and more information. All school going children can participate! These contests are being organized to create higher awareness of the inspiring life and work of Mahatma Gandhi to promoteuniversalvalues of Truth, Non-Violence, Love and Service.

A separate institution named Satyagraha Sabha was formed with headquarters in Bombay. There were agitations everywhere against the Rowlatt Committee’s report. But the government was determined to implement the Rowlatt recommendations and in 1919, the Rowlatt Bill was introduced. When the bill was debated in India’s Legislative Chamber, Gandhi attended as a visitor.

In spite of the diehard opposition from nationalists, the Rowlatt bill became law. At this time, Gandhi got an invitation from activists in Madras to visit the city. He went there, though still weak, along with Mahadev Desai. That was Gandhi’s first meeting with another stalwart of India’s freedom struggle, C. Rajagopalachari, a man of towering intellect and firm convictions. A small conference of leaders was held and Gandhi explained to them the implications of the Rowalatt act. While these talks were being held news was received that the Rowlatt Bill had been published as an act.

It was also in Madras that Gandhi first conceived the idea of an all-India hartaal (strike) as the beginning of the satyagraha movement. The leaders at once took up the suggestion and gave much publicity to the forthcoming action. The date was first fixed for March 30, 1919, but was later changed to April 6. The masses had received only short notice for the hartaal, but it turned out to be most successful.

That was the first great awakening of India in her struggle towards independence.

Gandhi left Madras and went to Bombay to join in the hartaal there on April 6. Meanwhile in Delhi, Lahore, and Amritsar, the hartaal had been observed on March 30. In Delhi the police did not allow free movement to the demonstrators and firing by

police caused a number of casualties.

Gandhi was requested to go to Delhi and he replied that he would do so after the hartaal in Bombay on April 6. In Bombay the hartaal was a great success. All over India the hartaal was observed. Gandhi had asked the people again and again to be peaceful and not to be provoked to violence by the Government’s actions. In spite of this, violence broke out in many places. There were disturbances in Ahmedabad and also in the Punjab and he decided to go to these places to propagate nonviolence.

On the way to the Punjab he was arrested at a wayside station called Palwal and sent back to Bombay. The news of his arrest inflamed the entire population of Bombay. There was an enormous crowd awaiting his arrival there. When he reached Bombay he was set free. The crowd was getting impatient.

“Only you can control the crowds,” said a friend to Gandhi. “Come, I shall take you to the spot.”

The crowd greeted Gandhi with frenzied joy. A huge procession started but the police barred its progress.

A company of mounted police was ordered to charge the crowds. Piercing screams and cries from women and children filled the air as the horsemen plunged forward with lowered lances. People ran to escape the fury of the police.

Gandhi was shocked by the police brutality. He went and met the Commissioner. The official was boiling with rage. “We, the police, know better than you the effect of your preaching on the people. If we had not taken drastic measures the situation would have gone out of our hands. I have no doubt about your intentions, but the people do not understand them. They only follow their natural instincts.”

“The people are not violent by nature; they are peaceful,” countered Gandhi.

“You wanted to go to the Punjab,” said the Commissioner. “Do you know what is happening in Ahmedabad, the Punjab, and Delhi? You are responsible for all these disturbances.”

Gandhi was pained to hear of the

disturbances and said that he would certainly take the responsibility upon himself if he was convinced that it was his. Gandhi went to Ahmedabad.

On the way he learned in detail about the happenings there.

Ahmedabad was under martial law.

Apolice officer was waiting for him at the railway station to escort him to the Commissioner. This commissioner too was in a rage. Gandhi expressed his regret for the disturbances and promised complete cooperation in restoring peace. Gandhi then asked for permission to hold a public meeting on the grounds of the Sabarmati Ashram. The officer liked the idea.

At the meeting Gandhi announced with great sorrow the suspension of civil disobedience. He said he would fast for three days as a penance and he appealed to all the people to fast for one day. He asked those who were guilty of violence to confess their guilt. He expressed his regret at having started civil disobedience too early without giving sufficient training to the people.

“I have made a Himalayan miscalculation,” he said. Many people jeered at Gandhi for saying that.

Many of his friends and followers were furious at his stopping satyagraha. Gandhi then started teaching people the true meaning of satyagraha and how it should be conducted.

Through writing and speeches he wanted to drive home to the people the essence of his new creed.

In the Punjab the situation was very critical. It was true that there were disturbances on the part of the people, but the measures adopted by the Government to check the disturbances were too severe. The leaders were trying to keep the people peaceful, but the measures of repression taken by the authorities had few parallels in history. In Amritsar the people were not allowed to move about freely. A proclamation was issued forbidding all gatherings and meetings. Only a few had the chance to know about the proclamation, however, because it was not announced widely, and it was made only in English.

It was announced that a meeting was to be held in a garden called Jallianwala Bagh, to protest against the Government’s actions. General Dyer took no measures to prevent the meeting. He reached the place soon after the meeting began and he took with him armored cars and troops. Without giving any warning he ordered, “Fire till the bullets are finished.”

The garden was surrounded by walls and buildings and had only one exit. At the first shot the exit was jammed and there was no hope of escape for the crowd. There were between eight and ten thousand people attending the meeting. The soldiers fired 1600 rounds into that unarmed mass of people.

Once a park, Jallianwala Bagh was now a scene of the most brutal massacre of hundreds.

— To be continued

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18 August 07, 2015 Making Peace in Nagaland There is light at the end of the tunnel for India’s oldest insurgency. It will require more work to make it a new dawn.

Nagaland peace accord, Narendra Modi, naga insurgent group, Nalagand accord, Naga insurgency, NSCN(IM), Nagaland insurgency timeline, Nagaland news, Indian Express editorial, IE editorial The Framework Agreement signed by the government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland’s Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu-led faction offers an historic opportunity to bring to an end India’s oldest insurgency.

Negotiated in the greatest secrecy over the past six months by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s envoy, R.N. Ravi, the framework agreement promises recognition of the cultural identity of Naga tribes, without engaging in a redrawing of state frontiers that could have set off violence in Manipur.

There’s little doubt the accord will be assailed by rival Naga insurgent groups, like the S.S. Khaplang-led faction, which recently withdrew from a ceasefire with India. New Delhi and its Naga partners hope months of patient consensus-building, involving Nagaland’s powerful civil society groups and tribal organisations, will prove adequate to withstand the inevitable onslaught. In the long term, figures like Muivah should find political space within Nagaland — initiating a process of genuine democratisation. For Modi, this is a personal vindication: Having promised to address a problem whose resolution eluded so many of his predecessors, he has delivered on his word.

Light at the end of the tunnel, though, isn’t quite the same thing as a new dawn. It is important to recognise that the framework agreement is the former. For one, the Northeast’s recent history is littered with agreements with ethnic militia that have failed to yield peace. For every successful agreement, like the Mizoram Accord of 1986, there are several others, from Assam to Tripura, that failed to put an end to bloodshed. The reasons vary. Enriched by income from extortion, many of the Northeast’s insurgent groups have developed a vested interest in the status quo. Then, deals with one group have often set off new problems with embedded minorities in their territories, or created new categories of the disenfranchised. The Indian state itself, having arrived at a negotiated deal, made no real effort to put in place a mechanism for conflict management, let alone real governance.

Yet, there is real reason for hope this time round — and not because of a piece of paper. Naga society itself has evolved, developing real equities in India. Thousands of young people in the state now study and work elsewhere. Their concerns centre around fighting for equity in a giant nation, and are not confined to the ethnic-regional agendas that drove the political lives of their grandparents. Few would trade the opportunities on offer for the prospect of independence, devoted as they might be to their linguistic and cultural heritage. Indeed, India is witnessing the birth of a diasporic Northeast identity — forged, sadly, in the crucible of discrimination many face in the cities that are now their homes. Peacemaking is hard business, but every life Nagaland’s lost decades have claimed is a reason for all Indians to make the effort. Indian Express

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

Indian Global Brands for 21st Century

BY MAHESH LINGAREDDY The buzzword in the Indian corporate circles these days is “Make in India”, which is receiving a tremendous boost from the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. While much of the focus is on how India can emerge as a hub of “manufacturing”, there is no discussion about developing “products” and “global brands”.

Product centric innovation, development and sales is the key for creating higher value and drive demand for healthy manufacturing.

Over the last 15-20 years, while India has been focused on services, China though initially started with “manufacturing” but extended its focus to”products”. As a result, China is not only the “manufacturing” behemoth but also the home for many fast growing global technology brands like Lenovo, Huawei, Xiaomi, ZTE, Kingsoft, Alibaba, and Baidu spanning hardware, software and e-commerce. The demand for manufacturing is now driven by global companies like Apple and local companies like Xiaomi. India lags both in manufacturing and product companies but leads in services through likes of Infosys, TCS. As such, India should focus on both “manufacturing” and “products” companies. ”Make in India” shouldn’t be just about “manufacturing” but also be about designing, developing and selling various hardware and software products right here in India for India and the world.

In addition to manufacturing, India should emphasize on building “products” and “global brands” through component, device, system and software level innovations. India yet to produce a strong technology global brands like Samsung or Xiaomi or IBM. So where exactly do we stand in terms of local innovation and design for local markets? Take the cheaper smartphones that have flooded the Indian market for example. Many of the top Indian brands are simply importing Chinese-made handsets and labeling them with their logo and retailing them as an Indian product.

It may fetch them dividends in the beginning, but in the long run, that

It is time for India to rise up and innovate again at global scale. India is home to millionsof brilliant minds, who contribute their innovations to create value for many multinational companies from IBM to Intel to Microsoft to Google to Facebook.

strategy will not work for sure. We are already witnessing the influx of major Chinese brand smartphones in India.

For thousands of years, India is known for its great inventions and discoveries in the areas of agriculture, mathematics, sciences, medicine, infrastructure, transportation and military. Somehow, India lost its way over the last few centuries. It is time for India to rise up and innovate again at global scale. India is home to millionsof brilliant minds, who contribute their innovations to create value for many multinational companies from IBM to Intel to Microsoft to Google to Facebook. It is high timefor India to create IBM or Intel or Microsoft or Google or Boeings of the world leveraging its huge talent and market.

Of course, it is easier said than done.

There are many challenges in achieving this goal. India fundamentally lacks robust innovation infrastructure in terms of social appreciation for entrepreneurship, availability of risk capital, market maturity and conducive government policies. The idea of building or funding a company for 3 or 5 or 10 years without revenues and profitability is still a foreign concept for most of the entrepreneurs and investors in India. The ecosystem will have to evolve to enable the possibil-

ity of building the next Reliance or TATA or Samsung. We are not there yet compared to countries like China, Taiwan and of course US. While the private sector has insulated itself against risks by blindly following the global trends and focused on services and body shopping, the government has taken a laid back approach without showing any sense of urgency in creating the ecosystem to foster local product innovation.

That said, as an entrepreneur, I am an optimist and opportunist. There are definitely some encouraging trends. We have recently seen some great success stories in the area of e-commerce with companies like flipkart and snapdeal. India has become the hottest destination after China for investment in technology. Every global PE firm and early stage investor are eyeing potential Indian firms in e-retail, app-based business, e-commerce and online ventures for long-term investments.

At present, not many of these firms are even in the revenue generation cycle, but their valuation has already surpassed the revenue potential attracting hordes of investors. It means the world is looking at India as the next big opportunity for growth, particularly in technology-related business. India must take advantage of this and duplicate e-commerce success across all product segments from hardware to software to social media to apps.

Finally, India must pursue some unique methods such as leveraging the power of crowd innovation to accelerate the pace of innovation.

India has a huge opportunity to ride the momentum of Internet of Things (IoT) and Smarter Planet enabled by smart devices, big data systems, sensor networks and renewable energy.

There are going to be tons of opportunities, as all these smart devices talk to each other (M2M) and become more autonomous with integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics. This give huge opportunity for startups to innovate and disrupt the market with variety of products, platforms, and services.

The author is the co-founder of Soft Machines and serves as its Chief Executive Officer..

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Punjabi Mitthi Matthi (Punjabi Sweet Fried Crackers) The biscit wallah’s (snack confectioner) shop in the West Delhi enclave of Shiv Nagar is always jam packed with so many types of biscuits and snacks – mostly fried ones – that it is hard to leave without being tempted to buy small amounts of a variety of them. Unlike what we would find here, most of these are salted snacks, like papad (flat wafers); phul wadiyan (ready-to-fry dried dumplings); sewiyaan (thin fried chickpea flour sticks) and namak parre (fried flour wafer squares), though there are packets of biscuits too, from a bakery.

But the snacks that are most obvious are the matthis or fried crackers in huge jute cloth-lined wicker baskets, straight from the large kadai (cauldron) that is in the room next-door, where the cooks prepare them every day. There are super large thin ones with a little salt; the medium thick plain ones and those with ajwain (carom seeds) or jeera (cumin seeds) or kali mirch (black peppercorns) and one even folded in a triangle. And on a shelf, in a packet are the mitthi matthi (sweet fried crackers) for those who like them sweet!

Salty matthis are more in demand during the winter months when people will eat them over hot tea, sitting in the sun with a saunf (fennel seed), mustard oil and spices masala from the amb da achar (green mango pickle) jar or with mittha achar (sweet and sour vegetable pickle). But, for the evening or morning tea, the sweet variety is more popular!

Sweet matthis can easily be made at home out of wheat flour and a little maida (self-rising flour). The recipe is quite similar to the salty one, with the difference being in the way the sweetener is added. Because no baking powder is used, it is important to keep the dough medium hard otherwise the matthis will be wet inside and spoil quickly.

Ingredients : 2 cups atta (whole wheat flour) 1 cup maida (bleached, self-rising flour) 1/2 cup garam dahin (whole milk plain yogurt – warm, room temperature) 3/4 cup tael (olive oil is best) 1 cup chinni (sugar)

Directions: 1. In a large bowl, pour in the atta and maida and mix well. Pour in the

olive oil and knead the dough with your hand.

2. Pour in the warm yogurt into the sugar and mix well. Don’t use the yogurt directly from the refrigerator as the matthis will not puff up.

3. Add the sugar-yogurt mixture into the flour dough and knead it well.

Break off a small piece and make into 1 inch round balls and place the balls in a plate.

4. Take each ball and flatten it with a rolling pin till it is about 2.5 inches round. Contnue to flatten the rest of the balls.

5. In a kadai or wok, warm some oil over medium heat. When warm, gently slip the round patties into the oil and fry till they are golden but not very brown.

6. Take out of the oil and let the matthis rest on some paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

7. Once the matthis are cooled down, you can store them in a container with a tight lid. They will keep for many weeks.

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.

MAMA’S TIP OF THE WEEK THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT HEAT SETTING All too often, the inexperienced cook will try to make a dish quickly by turning the gas or electric stove up on high. Usually, they get preoccupied with other things and forget to mind the dish and it ends up getting burnt. But often, what they forget is that the timing and setting of the heat makes a big difference to the way the food cooks and tastes.

Some basic things to remember are that, when first starting to cook, bring the heat on high under the item is getting started. This helps to slightly sear the food and, if in a curry, will coat the other ingredients.

Then, midway, turn the heat to medium during the longer time when the food will get tender. Finally, turn the heat to low to allow the spices and other juices soak into the food. Lastly, turn the heat off and let the dish stay (covered or uncovered, depending on the food) for 2 to 3 minutes to let the final marinating happen before serving.

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ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

Movie Review: Drishyam

‘Drishyam’ sets us up for a couple of welcome things: a plot which piques our curiosity, and a leading man retracting from the brink. An unwelcome intruder disrupts the placid progression of a man devoted to his family, leading to a shocking event. Will their life ever be the same again?

Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) is a ‘fourth class fail’ self-made orphan who has climbed his way up to a modest little business of his own. He runs a cable outfit in a sleepy Goa village,

with the help of a young assistant, and watches films with an obsessive passion, often spending nights in front a screen. His pretty wife (Shriya Saran), and two bubbly daughters vie for his attention, and we see them do stuff that regular folk do: outings to nearby Panjim, joshing at the dinner table. Into this idyll walks in a brash teenage boy with an unconscionable demand, and ruin stares them in the face. The disappearance of the boy who turns out to be the son of top cop Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) and her wealthy businessman husband (Rajat Kapoor), and the investigation that follows makes up for the rest of the film. Vijay is under the scanner, the beady eye of corrupt sub-inspector Gaitonde (Kamlesh Sawant) fixed on him and his family. The premise is engrossing enough, and there is enough of a pay-off when things gather steam, but the film tries our patience in the languid build-up.

The second half is where ‘Drishyam’, and Ajay Devgn– both take time to get into their groove– come into their own, and we get an interesting view of the age-old theme of crime and punishment. How far can a man go to protect his family? Where does the line between right and wrong blur? And how does real-life and reellife feed off each other, and can the intersection throw up smart answers to near-unsolvable problems?

A clutch of films have trudged a similar path in the past year, most notably the Malayalam ‘Drishyam’, and the Tamil remake ‘Papanasam’, both written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. The Hindi remake, also called ‘Drishyam’, credits Joseph’s ‘original story’, even though its central conceit bears more than a passing resemblance to the super-popular Japanese thriller ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’. Both the formidable Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan, respectively, were terrific, the latter playing up a hyper-emotional core to the hilt, the former parlaying his knowing wryness as well as only he can. Ajay Devgn is a trifle stilted (the effect of those buffed-biceps pumped-up characters he has been playing in such awful tripe as ‘Action Jackson’ wearing off slowly?), but it is good to see him try on a ‘character’ for size after a long gap.

-IndianExpress.com

21

First Look: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt in Shaandaar

NEW DELHI: The Queen director is back. First look of Vikas Bahl's upcoming directrial venture Shaandaar has been revealed. In the poster, a messed up Alia, 22, can been seen dozing off with the 34-year-old actor on a bench amid rags surrounding them.

Shaandaar, a film to have destination wedding as its premise, marks Shahid's first movie post his wedding to Delhi-based girl Mira Rajput.

"Falling off to sleep, wake me up tomorrow #ShaandaarFirstLookTomorrow," Shahid posted on Twitter.

Alia wrote, "Sleeping.. DND till

tomorrow!!! #ShaandaarFirstLookTomorrow."

The teaser poster does not reveal much about the film but it indicates that the pair are romantically linked to each other as there were two heartshaped clouds in it.

Shaandaar is co-produced by Dharma Productions along with Phantom Films. The film’s first trailer is expected to be attatched with Karan Malhotra’s Brothers that stars Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez in the lead.

-HindustanTimes

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COMMUNITY

Community Prayer and Paying Homage to Late President Abdul Kalam at MTS

By Dr. P. Vaduganathan

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PEARLAND:Sri. Meenkashi Temple Society and Bharathi Kalai Manram arranged a special community prayer to pay homage to Late President of India Abdul Kalam.

MTS Secretary Srikanth initiated the program introducing priest Pavan Kumar who did a Shanthi prayer. MTS Chairman P. Vaduganathan welcome every one and talked about United Nations adopting Kalam's birth day as world students day. The honorary president of MTS Sam Kannappan talked about the President asking him to go and do something for his native village. The Consul General of India P. Harish and his wife Nandita Harish attended the event. P. Harish talked about his experiences while accompanying the late president and how he has motivated every one. Sri. Sridhar, Srinivasan , President of BKM, talked about the president as well the famous Indian music director M.S. Viswanathan who also passed away in the month of July. Narayanan, the MTS Vice chairman talked about how the president coming from a poor family rose to the highest office. The MTS visitor center was packed with about 75 people attending the event. Several students attended the event. Many talked about how they were inspired by the late president and the mellisal mannar ( King of melodies).

BY KAUSHIKI TEWARY HOUSTON: The Sewa International Houston chapter celebrated an important milestone on August 1, as the end of their summer programs for youth and college volunteers came to a close. Sewa hosted an end of summer gala to celebrate the summer graduates of the Get Inspired Houston (GIH) and Lead Houston internships, with the GIH internship offering college students an experience to intern and experience first hand the many opportunities involved in working in the non-profit scene in Houston and the Lead Houston internship offering a similar version catered towards high school students. GIH interns were able to work in a variety of areas from Children’s activity to PR to Grant writing. While Lead Houston focussed on developing socially conscious leadership in young adults.

Both internships were centered this summer around the Aspire Tutorials program run by Sewa that helps tutor and encourage educational development for refugee children in underdeveloped communities.

Sewa most recently won a $25,000 grant from State Farm to spur the growth of Aspire Tutorials and

MTS audience gathered to pay homage to the late President Abdul Kalam

Consul General of India P. Harish addressing audience, accompanied on stage by Sam Kannappan and Dr P. Vaduganathan.

Sewa International Celebrates its College and High School Summer Interns 2015

Sewa Team with the Summer Interns 2015

worked with its interns to open up its second Aspire Tutorials center in the San Marcos apartments. Interns also had the opportunity to work closely with children at the Aspire Tutorials branch in the Los Arcos apartments center which has operated successfully for over a year, with children coming frequently to get a better grip on their studies in math, english, sciences, and technological skills. Interns also had the opportunity to meet distinguished leaders in the community and hear inspirational stories about their fields of work and how they worked towards success in their respective fields and professions.

The gala celebrated the many accomplishments of the interns throughout the summer who not only volunteered their time and commitment to the Aspire Tutorials program,

but also partook in various leadership building activities and opportunities that helped them become more confident, giving, and responsible individuals.

Get Inspired Houston interns for 2015 were Vishak Vinod,Theja Anantsagar,Komal Luthra,Colin Thompson,Hermela W, Umang Thanki ,Meeta Garach, Akshata Joshi, Nina Bontha and Shree Deshpande Lead Houston Interns for 2015 were Meghna Gogineni, Amritaa Sriram, Prija Rana, Anoushka Giri, Sakshi Shah, Medha Chappidi and Arjun Luthra.

For further information email Kavita Tewary at educationhouston@sewausa.org

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Excess Capacity Starts to Worry Indian Car Makers Indian auto makers sold 3.22 million passenger vehicles in 2014-15 out of their annual capacity of 4.96 million, which is 65% of their overall capacity

BY AMRIT RAJ NEW DELHI: The head of India’s automobile lobby group is a worried man.

In several interactions with reporters over the past one year, Vikram Kirloskar, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), has flagged concerns on the country’s auto makers building new factories and adding production lines. The problem, he says, is that a prolonged economic slowdown has reduced demand, keeping a lot of the existing capacity idle. Yet, that has not stopped the companies from expanding capacity, hoping the market will pick up soon.

On 10 July, Kirloskar, who is also vice-chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd, rang the alarm bell.

“There is a lot of excess capacity across the board,” Kirloskar said at a press conference to release the industry’s June quarter sales numbers.

“Sales are down. We are not even close to our peak levels of 2012-13.

Any significant investment in capacity creation will take time as it becomes very difficult to make profits,” Kirloskar said.

The first signs of overcapacity

showed up soon.

On 29 July, a mere 20 days after Kirloskar raised his concerns, the world’s third largest auto maker, General Motors Co. (GM), said it will shut of one of its two factories in India, as it looks to consolidate its operations in the country. What it did not say is that GM India posted its biggest annual loss of Rs.3,847 crore in fiscal year 2014. Its accumulated losses have expanded to Rs.6,552 crore, which is roughly what it costs to set up a car factory in India.

In this context, Kirloskar’s statement has a larger narrative. Have the auto makers bitten off more than they can chew?

According to Siam data, Indian auto makers sold 3.22 million passenger vehicles in 2014-15 in the domestic and export markets, out of their annual capacity of 4.96 million, which is 65% of their overall capacity.

However, this percentage worsens if one takes out Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Hyundai Motor India Ltd and Honda Cars India Ltd, all of which utilize at least 80% of their capacity.

Exports accounted for 19% of the total passenger vehicles sold. Despite the low utilization, there is massive capacity expansion under way at

Maruti, Honda and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. Once that happens in the next two-three years (see chart), the total installed capacity will reach 6.9 million units: a situation worrying enough for Kirloskar.

According to forecasts from leading consultants such as EY, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG and IHS Automotive, the Indian passenger vehicle market will see 4.44-5.3 million sales annually by 2020. That still leaves around two million in excess capacity, which the auto makers will look to utilize via exports. But experts believe that will be a mammoth task.

For that matter, even the outlook for the domestic market is bleak. India’s passenger vehicle market expanded from 2.5 million units in 2010-11 to just 2.6 million at the end of 2014-15, and given the state of the economy, achieving five million in sales annually by 2020 will be a Herculean task.

After GM India, other auto makers, too, may have to take extreme steps, sooner or later.

Zeroing in on any particular company may be premature, but the reported financial health of some auto makers is worrisome.

Ford India Pvt. Ltd’s accumulated loss is more than Rs.2,000 crore even as it plans to invest $1 billion in Gujarat for a new vehicle assembly facility. Only three passenger vehicle companies—Maruti, Hyundai and Mahindra—are profitable.

“Quite a few guys have excess capacity today,” said Abdul Majeed, national automotive leader at PwC, a management consulting firm. “If they do not get their act together, they will have problems. If a company does not operate at 65% of its production capacity, it will incur huge losses as fixed costs and depreciation will

continue to rise.”

Majeed said that while Japanese and South Korean manufacturers have made deep inroads into the Indian market, the Europeans and Americans have not been able to do so.

“Time may be running out for them,” Majeed said.

Overcapacity is a global phenomenon and it may have just started to show up in India. China will have about 11.4 million vehicles’ worth of idle capacity by 2017, more than double that of European auto makers, according to data from JSC and Deloitte Consulting. From 2005 to 2006, long before GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and appealed for federal aid, US auto makers had excess capacity. They also had high fixed costs, including leases on factories and labour contracts that prevented them from laying off workers when demand dwindled.

The scenario is unlikely to be repeated in India, said Deepesh Rathore, co-founder and director, Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors, a Gurgaon-based consulting firm.

“GM is a different case. Their products could not match up to the expectations of Indian consumers,” Rathore said. “In my opinion, others are smarter and you cannot ignore the fact that only 17 out of 1,000 Indians own a car.”

Despite entering the Indian market in 1994, GM’s sales crossed 100,000 units only in 2010 and 2011, and dropped thereafter to 55,000 last year.

It has an installed capacity of 282,000 units, which it will scale down to 220,000 after its consolidation.

However, to increase vehicle penetration, India will have to focus on rapid economic growth, according to Majeed. According to him, reaching sales of five million units by 2020 will

be difficult if the economy does not pick up fast.

“We will not reach five million by 2020 if our GDP (gross domestic product) does not grow in the range of 7.5-8%,” Majeed said. “And I am talking about the old method of GDP calculation here, not the new one.”

India revised its method to calculate GDP growth in January. According to the new method, which has been questioned by many economists, the economy is expected to grow at 8% in the current financial year.

Analysts expect India to become the world’s third largest passenger vehicle market after China and the US by 2020.

Excess capacity has prompted Western car makers in India such as Ford and Volkswagen to boost exports and benefit from India’s low labour costs and economies of scale, apart from working to increase domestic sales.

But can exports compensate for the domestic slump and help auto makers utilize the idle capacity?

According to Pradeep Saxena, executive director, TNS Automotive, an auto consultant, it will not. “I am surprised that the industry has just 65% capacity utilization at present.

Why has not anybody spoken about it?” Saxena said. “Exports won’t compensate that much as even the global markets are not doing great.”

That, coupled with local currency fluctuations and political unrest in countries where Indian firms export may affect exports further, said Majeed.

But, the industry is working very hard, said Kirloskar.

“You got to trust us for that.”

There is no official forecast for car exports from India.

-Livemint.com

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24 August 07, 2015 Ashes: Ian Bell Guides England to 8-Wicket Win, 2-1 Lead

BY BRYDON COVERDALE England 281 (Root 63, Moeen 59, Bell 53, Lyon 3-36) and 124 for 2 (Bell 65*) beat Australia 136 (Rogers 52, Anderson 6-47) and 265 (Warner 77, Nevill 59, Starc 58, Finn 6-79) by 8 wickets Australia arrived on the third morning in Birmingham dreaming of a monumental comeback.

They left on the third afternoon still dreaming of one. It will have to come at Trent Bridge and The Oval, though. There were no lastminute surprises at Edgbaston, where Ian Bell’s second fifty of the match ensured a 2-1 series lead for England and snuffed out any hopes Australia raised during a tail-end fight that set England a target of 121.

It might still have proved tricky had a few top-order wickets fallen early. And England did lose both openers cheaply. But Bell realised that a handful of boundaries would be enough to place the pressure back on Australia, so he counterattacked. Five fours came from his first nine balls, all against Mitchell Starc. And when Michael Clarke dropped a sitter at slip from Bell’s 11th ball, all the wind was out of Australia’s sails.

It capped off a listless match for Clarke, who managed only 10 and 3 with the bat. There was little he could do as captain with such a small total to defend, but still it was odd that Mitchell Johnson, the man who roughed up England on the second mornings, was not handed the ball until the ninth over.

By then, England were already 47 for 1. From there it was just a matter of how much time. And a Test that had raced along for two days began to meander.

Cannabis lamps had been used to prepare the surface and typical of gateway drugs, the match soon appeared to be on speed. Day one brought 13 wickets, day two brought 14. Thirteen more on day three would have meant an Australian victory. But instead only five eventuated. Alastair Cook was bowled by a Starc outswinger for 7 and Adam Lyth was lbw to a Josh Hazlewood inswinger for 12, but that was all Australia managed.

Ian Bell made his second half-century off the match.

Lyth’s continued lack of form was one of the only negatives for England in this match, although the major one was the side strain sustained by James Anderson, which will keep him out of the next Test. But the positives were significant: Steven Finn’s return from the wilderness brought eight wickets for the match, and Bell’s move up the order to No.3 resulted in a fifty in each innings.

From his first ball, a clip through

midiwicket for four off a fullish Starc inswinger, Bell looked in touch. There was a majestic drive through cover point and another straight down the ground, and his half-century came with a glide to the third-man boundary from his 68th ball, also off Starc. Bell found good support from Joe Root, and between them they ensured an eight-wicket win, with Bell on 65 and Root on 38 after he struck the winning boundary.

That the match lasted until past the time of the scheduled tea break was thanks to the fight shown

by Starc and Peter Nevill before lunch. They each managed a halfcentury and Australia’s last three partnerships extended their advantage by 97 from the overnight lead of 23. Nevill and Starc did their best to make a game of it during a 64-run eighth-wicket stand.

Nevill had some nervy moments, edges and a near chop-on, and he should have been given out on 53 when he gloved behind off Stuart Broad; Chris Gaffaney did not pick up the contact and England had no reviews left. Nevill’s innings came to an end on 59 when he tickled a catch down the leg side off Steven Finn, who after his day two heroics finished with his best Test figures of 6 for 79.

Starc proved tough to remove and he later started to play his shots, going over the top when the spin of Moeen Ali and Root was introduced. Starc’s fifth Test halfcentury came with a six over longon from his 83rd ball, off the bowling of Moeen, and Australia could have been forgiven for dreaming of pushing their lead up towards 150, and perhaps beyond.

But Starc lost his partner Hazlewood (11) to a stunning one-handed catch at third slip from Root off Ben Stokes, and their 28-run partnership was over. Still, Nathan Lyon proved a capable ally for a further 20-run stand before Starc chipped a catch to extra cover off Moeen and was dismissed for 58.

It was too little, too late. All of Australia’s bottom five batsmen reached double figures in the second innings. Only one of the top six did - David Warner with 77.

Whatever XI is picked, they will need to recreate history. Only once in Ashes history has a team come from 2-1 down to claim the urn.

That was in 1936-37, when captain Don Bradman scored 212 in Adelaide and 169 in Melbourne to lead the fightback. Australia may need Steven Smith to return to his recent Bradmanesque touch to have any hope of repeating the feat.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo.

SPORTS

Afridi, Anwar Stun SL

COLOMBO: Pakistan 174 for 9 (Anwar 46, Afridi 45) beat Sri Lanka 172 for 7 (Kapugedera 48, Jayasuriya 40) by one wicket Anwar Ali, Pakistan’s No. 9 batsman, waltzed into the belly of a baying Premadasa with 66 required from 35 balls, and produced a cataclysmic 46 from 17 balls, to help prise stunning victory from the clutches of almost-certain defeat. He brought the chase of 173 to sudden life when he plundered two sixes and a four off debutant Shehan Jayasuriya in the 17th over, before treating Thisara Perera and Lasith Malinga with almost as much disdain to send Pakistan to within eight runs of victory.

Malinga had Anwar caught behind in the penultimate over, and another wicket would also fall two balls later, but Imad Wasim was on hand to provide the finish. Binura Fernando had the task of defending six runs in the final over, but Mohammad Irfan pinched a single first ball, then Wasim socked the next delivery over the wide longon rope to spark celebrations in the Pakistan camp.

Long before even Anwar’s innings, Pakistan appeared to be tumbling to a heavy loss at 40 for 5 in the eighth over. It had been Shahid Afridi’s brutal 22-ball 45 that lit the flame that Anwar stoked into the inferno that devoured Sri Lanka. The hosts have now lost all three series in this tour, though in mitigation, they were fielding six players with two T20 international caps or fewer, in this match.

Perhaps it was the inexperience that saw Pakistan gain a foothold in the match. Afridi kept making room against the spinners, but instead of darting it at his body, Siriwardana sent two balls at the stumps, which Afridi swung away for a four and a six to get his assault in motion, in the tenth over.

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