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Friday, October 11 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 41

Indo American erican News

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

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Oscars Pick at IFFH Seva for Education

From left: Award winners Roma Sur and Jessica McGaugh of The Golden Hour; Nandita and Parvathaneni Harish; Sutapa Ghosh; Charles Foster; Omana and Sam Abraham and actor Ajay Gehi standing in for The Good Road director Gyan Correa.

Photo: Krishna Giri

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Gandhi Remembered

Photo: Navin Mediwala

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See Details on Pg24

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COMMUNITY

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Asia Society Embraces Moviegoers in Fifth Year of Indian Film Festival

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: After screening its run of movies over the last four years at the Studio Movie Grill in City Centre, the Indian Film Festival of Houston shifted its venue this year to the Asia Society on Southmore in the Museum District. Both Festival Founder and Director Sutapa Ghosh and Asia Society Houston Chairman Charles Foster were at hand for the three day long festival (October 4 through 6) which concluded with Awards Ceremony this past Sunday, October 6.

Foster and Ghosh had expressed their delight at the alliance which brought another artistic event celebrating Asian culture to the Society’s minimalist but elegant building and exposed the art of Indian filmmaking (which is celebrating its 100th year) to those who appreciate Asian life. Out of a crowded filed of films submitted for the festival, seven made the cut and were screened in the Society’s Auditorium over the three days.

These selections were three feature films – Goynar Baksho (The Jewelry Box) by Aparna Sen, The Good Road by Gyan Correa and Celluloid by Kamaluddin Mohammed; two short films – Silvatein by Arati Raval Pandey and Afterglow

by Kaushal Oza and two documentaries – The Golden Hour by Jessica McGaugh and Roma Sur and When Hari Got Married by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.

The Awards Ceremony at the Society’s Auditorium was preceded by a VIP cocktail reception in the lobby area where over 120 guests and local celebrities mingled over appetizers catered by the Great W’kana Cafe, whose chef and owner, Sunil Srivastava was on hand to supervise his staff as they handed out quarter plates of delicacies to lined up guests.

The affair was decidedly less glamorous than the red carpet, black-tie and star-studded cere-

Actor Ajay Gehi of The Good Road (second from left) and his wife with Carolyn Farb (center) and other guests.

mony of last year. The chief guest, Calcutta-based director Aparna Sen, had to bow out at the last minute due to illness but the actor Ajay Gehi of The Good Road was on-hand, as was one of the festival’s perennial supporters, Houston socialite Carolyn Farb dressed, as usual, in resplendent finery and a colorful salwar-kameez.

Emceeing the event this year were KRIV TV Channel 26 long time news anchor Jose Grinan dressed in a aquamarine embroidered sherwani coupled with the much younger news reporter Rashi Vats who has moved two months ago to 26 from KBTX 3 in Bryan/ College Station. Vats is the daughter of long time Houstonian Raj Vats and was born in the Bayou City. The entire Vats clan, including Rashi’s fiancé Daniel Gotera who is a sports reporter for KHOU TV Channel 11, and his parents.

Grinan shared his depth of knowledge of the Houston scene to move the ceremony along through its paces, at times drifting into long narratives of his own personal experiences. Indian Consul General Parvathaneni Harish, who has been an ardent supporter of this year’s festival, spoke about the landmark shift in moving to

the Asia Society. He commented on the impact of the Indian cinema which “portrays life in India, not a caricature or stereotype”.

Ghosh expressed her thanks for the support of the festival-goers especially given the steep learning curve in her difficult year as Festival Director. “Now in its fifth year, my vision of the festival has become a reality,” she said. She acknowledged Foster’s support and added that “our mission is to build a first class festival for Houston”, though it is “challenging, often maddening, not easy, but the show must go on”. Ghosh disclosed that, starting next year, the festival would give out scholarships to students in mass communications and film.

As in previous years, performers from Rhythm India, the local dance company provided entertainment in three short numbers encompassing a medley of Bollywood songs, during breaks between the awards presentations, with Company Director Arzan Gonda dancing in the last one. The awards for best documentary went to The Golden Hour with directors Jessica McGaugh and Roma Sur onstage to accept.

Best Short Film went to Afterglow with Drew Wilson accepting

From left: Lily and Charles Foster, Omana Abraham, Mrs. Lam, Sam Abraham and Henry Lam at the reception.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

for the director Kaushal Oza who could not attend.

Best Feature Film went to The Good Road with Ajay Gehi accepting for director Gyan Correa.

Ghosh was delighted that the film had been nominated for the Oscars next year and Gehi encouraged everyone to lobby through social media and personal contacts for the film to win.

Other Awards presented were for Philanthropy, going to Sam and Omana Abraham who have stood by the growth of the festival since it began and for Leadership to

Charles Foster, who quipped that he may have won since his wife Lily had made 20 films in China years ago.

The ceremony and the evening ended with a raffle drawing for round-trip tickets on Etihad Airlines, the new upstart airline from Abu Dhabi, whose Dallas-Based Manager Ken Bapu made the presentations. By luck of the draw, IFFH Director Amey Prakash won two economy class tickets and Sutapa’s husband Atul won the business class ticket.

Sutapa Ghosh with Chef Sunil Srivastava with the appetizers served at the event.

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COMMUNITY

BY MALAY VYAS HOUSTON: Miracles do happen in the modern World. Wars can be won without a shot being fired, freedom can be acquired without animosity between the ruler and the ruled. Non-violence can be used as a weapon. These words were transformed into real life by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The sun indeed set on the British Empire because of one “half naked fakir” with his “lathi”.

No wonder, even 144 years after his birth, in places far away from his birthplace, his birthday is still celebrated with awe and respect, not just for a day but for an entire Month. On Sunday, October 6, the Mahatma Gandhi Library of Houston once gain successfully organized Gandhi Jayanti with 1000 Lights For Peace as a culmination of month long activities in memory of the Mahatma.

For more than 1500 Houstonians who gathered at Miller Outdoor Theatre and many more who took part in the month long celebration, Gandhi isn’t just a name, it’s a way of life. It was as if the sunshine of non-violence just won over the violent rain on Saturday night as the skies opened up to a beautiful evening on the Miller hill. Sesh Bala lead the Walk for Peace from Miller Outdoor Theater to the Gandhi Statue at 5 PM. After honoring the Mahatma by garlanding his picture and lighting up the authentic 1966 Olympic Torch. During their 5 kilometers (3.2 miles) walk through the Hermann Park, voting for peace with their feet and demonstrating that a life of peace is a daily steadfast commitment and a process requiring extreme patience of a person trying empty the ocean with a cup, they displayed signs of peace, truth and nonviolence, the Mahatma’s message being spread across Houston.

When the Gandhians returned to Miller Outdoor Theater, they were welcomed on the stage by melodious musical performance by the very talented Katy McMeans Junior High band conducted by

October 11, 2013

The Mahatma at Miller Outdoor : Gandhi Jayanti Celebrations in Houston

Walk for peace

George Liverman. The 8th annual 1000 lights for peace finale even began with the Mahatma’s philosophy of equality of religion with invocations from Acharya Suryanarayan Nanda of Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, Rabbi Steve Gross of Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism and Rev Daniel Dominguez from Christian Family Center and Spanish Bible Fellowship.

On stage, radio diva, Meena Datt was a very entertaining Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening and kept the program flowing. The show started off with students of Anjali School of Performing Arts dancing to “Raghupati Raghav Raja Raam” – one of Gandhiji’s favorite bhajans. This was followed by a dazzling speech by Rishika Sawale, the winner of the middle school speech competition. Consul General of India, Parvatheneni Harish, spoke about the ever-lasting legacy left by Gandhiji, adoringly called ‘Bapu’ – the Father of the nation.

Unity in Diversity being the theme and Bapu’s message, the cultural program that followed epitomized this as eloquently explained by the coordinators, Alpa Shah and Shefali Jhaveri. The opening

Photos: Navin Mediwala

sequence of the show starts with a boy, played by Tony Jha, and Gandhiji, played by Suresh Shah, who meet each other in the boy’s dream.

In the dream, Gandhiji explains to the curious boy the meaning of Truth, Non-violence, Love and Service. Alongside these simple but meaningful explanations, the crowd is taken on a tour of Bharat, India with dances from various regions, including Gujarati Garba by Natya Upasana Dance Academy, Kerala Folk Dance by Sunanda’s Performing Arts, Bengali Folk Medley by Piyal Sengupta and an upbeat Punjabi Folk Dance by Naach Houston.

Shreetika Singh, winner of the high school speech contest, then inspired the crowd by reciting her winning speech titled “Is Pen Mightier than Sword?” The special guest for the evening Helen Sharkey-Gebhard also addressed the crowd talking about the importance of listening to your inner voice.

Kiran Bhutada, Houston philanthropist, and Atul Kothari, founder of Mahatma Gandhi Library, presented the awards to the winners of various contests held by Mahatma Gandhi Library. 1000 Lights For Peace is culmination of month long activities beginning with

Consul General of India, Parvatheneni Harish

display of a photographic exhibition titled “Gandhi Darshan” at the Downtown Central Public Library for 3 weeks in September and for 2 weeks at Nolan Ryan Junior High School. The exhibit portraying the chronological lifetime of Gandhiji with actual photographs from that era was also displayed at Miller Outdoor Theatre and was enjoyed by many visitors.

The finale of the cultural program was a mesmerizing perfor-

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mance by all the groups coming together on stage with all the contestant winners and the Board of Directors of the Mahatma Gandhi Library. The spectacular evening concluded with the lighting of a candle by each person in the audience a pledge to observe peace in their own lives. The first candle was lit by Suresh Shah who dressed up as Gandhiji. As the 1500 plus candles lit up, the Miller outdoor theatre lit up in the evening sky and in the backdrop of the green hill, the atmosphere created was one of peace and tranquility. During the candle lighting ceremony, the onstage screen showed “The History of Non Violence” – the winner of multimedia contest for high schools.

The candles may have been put out soon after but Mahatma Gandhi’s message resonated strongly amongst the attendees and once more, the spirit of truth and non-violence prevails in this world in its better sense. The Mahatma Gandhi Library of Houston strives to continue to spread Bapu’s message and teachings to the city of Houston and the world beyond. “A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks.. he becomes” said the Mahatma… the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations inspired a lot of us to think and hence to become a true Gandhian.

Left: Atul Kothari, founder of Mahatma Gandhi Library with Helen Sharkey-Gebhard who was the special guest for the evening.

To view and learn more about 1000 Lights for Peace, visit www. gandhilibrary.org (Article inputs from Dr. Manish Wani)

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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October 11, 2013

Caught by the Acting Bug, Vats Lands in the HBO Sitcom “Eastbound & Down”

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Raj Vats caught the acting bug many years ago in 1998 just as he played his first stage role as a royal Indian Prince in Main Street Theatre’s production of Tom Stoppard’s 1995 play Indian Ink, in which yours truly also had an acting part. He was a stand-in for another local thespian, Pradeep Anand who had to drop out after two weeks of the 13-week long run. Vats managed to master the role in a week and step in quickly.

But the doors had flung open for the software engineer from Delhi and he had signed up with some local talent agency to get headshots and push his quest for acting roles through, though he didn’t leave his day job or entrepreneurial zeal that led him into other web-based business ventures. Vats continued to pursue his attraction to act, landing several small corporate training video roles and also cameo and side roles in occasional TV commercials. He also kept involved in local community events and organizations, notably the Indo American Political Action Committee.

This summer the mischievous, cherubic faced Vats who is quick with a smile and a one-liner was the only one selected from the Houston area to play a role in the 2013-2014 season of EastBound &

Raj Vats (right) as the next door Indian neighbor “Tel” with the star character Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) on HBO’s EastBound & Down sitcom.

Down, a sitcom on HBO. He plays the part of a sophisticated Indian neighbor “Tel” of the star character of the show “Kenny Powers” (Danny McBride), a rough and crude guy who has money but no class but is tolerated by his upscale neighbors. Kenny’s wild and loud ways add to the shock value and the comedy flows from it.

Vats says he “worked hard to get such roles that portray Indian in a positive role rather than as taxi drivers or convenience store clerks” because he sees that “if TV shows us as strong pillars of society then it helps all of our community”. “Perception is everything”, he adds.

With a little perseverance, Vats

was able to get an agent in Houston and now has agents also in Dallas, Austin and Los Angeles.

He dreams of being able to get into a sitcom with a long term commitment and spend half his time in LA and the rest in Houston.

The media bug seems to go long and deep in the Vats household.

Vats daughter, Rashi graduated from Texas Christian University in Dallas and went to work as a TV reporter. Two months ago, Rashi moved from KBTX 3 in Bryan/College Station to KRIV TV Channel 26 as a news reporter. Coincidentally, Rashi’s fiancé Daniel Gotera is a sports reporter for KHOU TV Channel 11.

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COMMUNITY

October 11, 2013

Enthralled by a Story Told in Classical Dance, Audience Pledges Support for Seva

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: For the second year in a row, the All India Movement for Seva, better known as AIM for Seva, has brought focus on its nationwide fundraising efforts through the exquisite story-telling technique of classical dance as choreographed by the young and talented Rukmini Vijayakumar. Last September, AIM-S presented Vijayakumar’s “Nayani” at the Stafford Civic Centre to rave reviews when the work the organization does was initially introduced to the community. This year, Vijayakumar’s dance company, Radha Kalpa, was again on a ten-city tour of the US to promote fundraising efforts, which have reportedly brought in $1 million nationwide.

Audiences in Houston were able to catch the tale of “Prabhavati” performed on stage at the Berry Center in the far northwest corner of the city last Friday, September 4 and show their appreciation for the work that the AIM-S organization is doing across India by donating over $130,000. In turn, they saw the latest production from Radha Kalpa, as it mixed elements of modern media and dance with the classical Bharatanatyam form to tell a tale in a 90-minute long program.

AIM-S is a charitable trust started in 2000 under the guidance of Swami Dayananda Saraswati to

The organizers of the AIM for Sewa fundraiser held last Friday night, October 4 before the event. From left: G.N. Prasad, Suma Mudan, Chandrashekar Ragunandan and Krishna Mudan.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

bring education and healthcare to rural India. The 83 year-old Swami, born as Natrajan and the eldest of four children, helped raise his younger brothers after the his father’s death. He went to a District School, later worked as a journalist and even aspired to become a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force before renouncing everything to follow a life of religious pursuit.

He became a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda and helped set up the Chinmaya Mission in Madurai.

In 1962, he was given Sanyasa by Swami Chinmayananda and given the name by which he is universally known now.

Swamiji went to the newly inaugurated Sandeepany Sadhanalaya of Chinmaya Mission in Bombay, and in 1971 developed a cur-

riculum to unfold the vision of the Vedanta to students through a 30month course. In 1979, his students asked him to establish a similar program at an ashram called Sandeepany West in Piercy, California, and later, in 1990 established the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in 1986.

AIM-S was founded by Swamiji as an initiative of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, with the vision of working for the welfare of the less privileged people of India through a network of seva (service) and caring. Its singular concept to make education available to children in tribal and rural areas through a free student home or chatralaya has become a national movement in 15 Indian states that will open its 100th facility early

The dancer and choreographer of the dance “Prabhavati”, Rukmini Vijayakumar introduced the cast after the end of the performance.

next year in Lucknow. Along with these, AIM-S assists 18 educational and 270 evening tuition centers in over 2,500 villages, making an impact on 80,000 families.

In the Houston area, Krishna and Suma Mudan have thrown themselves tirelessly since last year into the effort to bring recognition to the AIM-S program and raise money for the student home project. The Mudans are three-year transplants to Houston from Pennsylvania, where Krishna worked as an executive at KPMG and Suma worked at DeLoitte. Beckoned by the warmer weather here, they retired and set up their own consulting business in Houston and also embarked on spreading the word of the AIM-S. Krishna has worked

with AIM-S for 10 years and has been on the Board for three, and Suma, who has known Swamiji for 30 years, is the group’s General Counsel.

The Mudans have found equally energetic organizers in Chandrashekar Ragunandan (known as “CR”) and G. N. Prasad, both of whom, along with their families and friends, pulled together this year’s fundraiser last Friday. Every seat in the 500-seat auditorium at the Berry Center was sold and it was close to full to see the performance of “Prabhavati”.

The drama envisioned by Vijayakumar is adapted from a 16th century Telegu novel based on a story from the Mahabharat about a beautiful princess born and raised by the powerful asura (referring to demons) king Vajranabha. She is different from her clan, disapproving of their asuraic ways and turns down many suitors. One night Parvati Devi appears and hands her a painting of a man she foretells she will marry. Prabhavati falls in love with the painting of the handsome man, who happens to be the son, Pradyumna, of Lord Krishna. Vajranabha, through extreme penance is rewarded by Brahma by making his city impenetrable, and attacks Indra, the king of Gods, who in turn seeks help from Krishna. Krishna sends Pradyumna to marry Prabhavati and the defeat of

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COMMUNITY

October 11, 2013

5th Year of Durga Puja Celebrations at VSGH

BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: It was a beautiful autumn morning on Oct 5 and the day was perfect for the auspicious Durga Puja ceremony at the VSGH Center in Houston. The day reminded one of the grand Durga Puja festivities back home in Bengal and brought back nostalgic memories. This year, VSGH celebrated it with great aplomb and gaiety to commemorate its 10th anniversary. Swami Kripamayananda from the Vedanta Society of Toronto did the honor of performing the Puja.

The day began early in the morning with the transportation of the idol of Durga from the temple to the mandap to the beat of the dhak (drum) and kansar ghanta (small

gong). The idol was then decorated with garlands and accessories and the Puja ceremony began. The Consul General of India, P. Harish graced the occasion with his wife and daughter. The Puja was ably supported by the VSGH choir and was attended by 350 odd people.

It culminated with the beautiful aarati and Pushpanjali.

This was followed by the lunch Prasad and fundraising. Devotees got to enjoy a very pious and holy observation of the Puja. They turned out in their Sunday best and were all very supportive of the event.

This year’s added attraction was the cultural program in the evening. After the VSGH choir, there was an Odissi dance performance

of Naba Durga by the Kalaangan School of dance led by Supradipta Datta. The dance depicted the nine forms of Devi Durga and the dancers did full justice to the exceptional choreography.

Commemorating the centennial of Tagore’s publication of Gitanjali for which he won the Nobel Prize and the sesquicentennial of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, “Beyond Gitanjali” a multimedia presentation of Tagore’s song, poems and prose by invited artistes Prabuddha Raha and Maitreyee Chakraborty was the main featured attraction of the evening. The singers were ably accompanied by Raja Banga on the tabla, Biplab Samaddar on the violin, Alok Roy on the mandira and Sanchali Basu did the narration. The singers mesmerized the audience with a wide variety of Tagore songs from the Gitanjali and led the audience through Tagore’s spiritual journey towards Jivandevata (connection with the Eternal).

The second half of the evening began with the Laya of Shiva, a dance trio presented by Arpita Mukhopadhyay (Bharatnatyam), Piyal Sen Gupta (Odissi) and Keka Kar (Kathak). The dance was a beautiful tribute to Lord Shiva, the Laya Kara or the one who maintains rhythm in the world.

The evening ended with some more songs by the invited artistes including Swami Vivekananda’s favorite Mono chalo nijo niketane and Hindi translations of Rabindra sangeet.

Prabudhha Raha from Kolkata was very impressive in his song renditions and Maitreyee from Los Angeles enchanted everyone with her sweet melodious voice. The guru, the former and the shishya, the latter gelled to bring out the best in each other and thanked VSGH for inviting them to Houston. Maitreyee concluded the evening with the Durga stotra Sarvamangala mangalye.

The audience thronged the artistes to congratulate them on a great performance.

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COMMUNITY

October 11, 2013

A Congressional Intern Returns Effusive and Wiser

BY KRYSTAL ANN JOSEPH SUGAR LAND: I am a junior at St. Edward’s University in Austin and am majoring in International Business, with my eyes set on Law School. I have been actively involved in various organizations, both on campus and off campus, in various leadership positions. Last year this time I spent my summer studying abroad in France and then traveling around Europe for two months, an experience which was a life-changing.

Every summer, offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC are flooded with resumes of college students eager for an internship position that will expose them to the legislative process. This past summer, I had the privilege of interning for Congressman Al Green, (D) of the 9th Texas District, which is covers a large portion of Houston, and spent some time learning about the U.S. House of Represen-

Krystal Joseph with Us Congressman AL Green during her summer internship at his office in Washington, DC.

tatives. The internship has opened my eyes to new viewpoints and new walks of life.

I came into this program with a very open mind, and an eagerness to learn and left with a skill set I hope to apply effectively. Every day was a learning experience, not just in terms of public policy and politics, but also about knowing myself. I stayed at the George Washington University dorms for two months and learnt to get around on my own using public transport. I even experienced the Fourth of July celebrations and fireworks at the Mall.

The internship was a most memorable experience. I learnt about the legislative process first-hand, analyzed contemporary issues, like the Zimmerman case, Texas Voter ID laws, passing Proposition 8 and the Farm Bill; and interacted with influential members of Congress, like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and former Vice-Presidential nominee, Paul Ryan.

Congressman Al Green serves on the House Committee of Financial Services where he holds a ranking member position in the Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations. Observing the Sub-Committee in action was especially rewarding because I got to understand the in’s and outs of how decisions about fiscal issues are made in Congress.

I attended briefings and hearings; did administrative work; took constituent calls and handled constituent letters; compiled legislative data and did research for staff members and attended a series of keynote speakers. I even created a portfolio which included a community action plan essay on Youth Financial Literacy in the Houston community.

Everyone on Capitol Hill comes from a different walk of life, a different state, and a different Life journey and I was able to learning from what people had to say. I gained invaluable work experience on the Hill, lasting friendships and a new network. And from all this experience, I got an in-depth analysis of current issues, a more detailed briefing on the legislative process and the many other functions of a Congressional office. And most importantly, as everything good that happens takes time, I learned to be patient.

I hope to apply these lessons as motivation to help improve my own community. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and would like to thank the office of Congressman Al Green, my parents; the Youth Leadership Development Program and Indo-American Political Action Committee for helping me get this internship. The internship was a priceless experience which I will never forget.

AIM for Seva

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Vajranabha is inevitable.

Vijayakumar, with her chiseled, pretty features and lithe body is excellent in the role of Prabhavati, showing her skill as both a Bharatanatyam artiste and also an adept exponent of Western ballet (she graduated from the Boston Conservatory) and modern dance. She is also a model and actress, having acted in a Tamil and a Hindi movie. She uses all these skills to bring Prabhavati to life and is very well supported by the other members of the Radha Kalpa dance company as they enacted the seven-act play.

The performance began with a short speech by Krishna who acted as the emcee, followed by a melodious invocation by a teenage Lekha Yesantharao, exhibiting marvelous range and control in the vocals. A short video in English on AIM-S by Swamiji (who just celebrated his 83rd birthday) was followed by an explanation and statistics by Krishna why the AIM-S program worked. A follow-up video showed a testimonial from a young woman who was helped by AIM-S and received her PhD and later became a research scholar.

The evening closed out with Vijayakumar (her parents were in the audience too) introducing the cast and then a concluding video on AIM-S featuring the organization’s anthem, for which the audience was asked to stand.

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October 11, 2013

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ȱ Registration:ȱ8.30ȱAMȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱ Forȱmoreȱinformationȱcontact:ȱ ȱ ȱ EKG,ȱDental,ȱEyeȱCheck,ȱ EventȱCoordinatorȱPadmaȱGollaȱȱ ȱ Women’sȱWellnessȱCheck,ȱ ȱȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱpad.golla@gmail.comȱ ȱ Generalȱmedicalȱadviceȱȱ ȱ Alternateȱ ȱȱȱȱȱSrikanthȱVenugopalanȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ Bloodȱtests:ȱCompleteȱbloodȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱsrikanthvenu@hotmail.com countȱ&ȱchemistry/Lipidȱprofile HealthȱFairȱ Dr.ȱȱP.ȱVaduganathanȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ pvnathan2008@gmail.comȱ ȱ(Forȱfirstȱ50Ȭ100ȱ PoojaȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱRoopaȱBalaȱȱroopa@anbsystems.comȱ registrantsȱonly.ȱ ȱ Overnightȱfastingȱ CulturalȱProgramȱȱȱȱȱSwaroopaȱReddyȱroop7007@yahoo.comȱ recommendedȱforȱlipidȱprofile)ȱ ȱ Volunteersȱ PadmaȱGollaȱȱȱȱȱpad.golla@gmail.comȱ ȱ ȱ

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4:00ȱPMȱtoȱ8:30ȱPMȱ Train,ȱrockclimbing,ȱ ȱMechanicalȱbull,ȱpettingȱzoo,ȱ walkingȱmagicianȱ CULTURALȱPROGRAMȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ

3:00ȱPMȱtoȱ5:00ȱPMȱ

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Information 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. FOOD COURT Dosa, Idli, Vada & other South Indian specialties 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM COMPETITIONS Rangoli 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Kids Art Competition Closes at 3:00 PM

17130 McLean Road • Pearland, TX 77584 • Tel 281-489-0358 Ext 100 / 110 • Fax: 281-489-3540 www.meenakshi.org • Email: temple@meenakshi.org

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16

COMMUNITY S.N. Goenka - An Eternal Soul Passes On

October 11, 2013

BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: “May all beings be happy”“Sabka mangal ho”. Vipassana meditators have heard this compassionate phrase uttered by their teacher S.N. Goenka after every meditation session and discourse but the voice that set us on the path of Dhamma or Truth has been stilled. Goenkaji passed away peacefully at his residence in Mumbai on the 29 of September at the age of 90 and was laid to rest with full state honors. Though saddened, one also recalls his words that everything in Nature is transitory, impermanent or as he would say in Pali, “anicca, anicca, anicca.”

Vipassana is a form of meditation that was rediscovered by the Buddha 2600 years ago.

Goenkaji stumbled upon this technique by chance. He was a successful businessman in Burma but was plagued by severe migraines for which there was no cure. A friend suggested he try Vipassana with the acclaimed spiritual master Sayagji U Ba Khin. Goenkaji tried it and found not only the cure to his migraines but also the path to liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

In 1969, Goenkaji came to India to teach Vipassana. The response was phenomenal and soon he was holding camp after camp to teach this way of life to eager learners.

As the demand for these camps grew, he began to train teachers and establish Vipassana centers all over the world. Today there are more about 170 centers all over the world of which 75 are in India and 16 in the US. This technique was also taught to prison inmates and the transformation in them was astoundingly positive. In 2012, Goenkaji was conferred the Padma Bhushan for his tireless efforts at spreading dhamma and social work.

What Goenkaji offered was a nonsectarian, nonreligious method of meditation.

During the 10 day retreat, one worked with the breath (anapana) and later, on the subtle sensations that arise and pass away on the body. He explained that the evils of aversion, craving and ignorance that bind one to the cycle of birth and death can be overcome by following the precepts of sila (moral conduct), Samadhi (concentration) and panna (wisdom). He did not believe in conversions and often remarked that with Vipassana, the only conversion that takes place is from misery to happiness, from bondage to liberation.

Not surprisingly, his rationalism and meditation technique attracted people from all walks of life and faiths. According to Ramesh Bhutada, a firm believer in Vipas-

Dinkar Chheda at the prayer meeting held to offer Shradhanjali to Goenkaji.

sana meditation, Goenkaji can be credited with “introducing practical meditation to the western world.”

Following the news of Goenkaji’s death, Houston’s Open Forum radio talk show cohosted by Dinkar Chheda, Jagat Kamdar and Dr. Subodh Bhuchar held a one hour discussion on October 5, inviting both Vipassana teachers and practitioners to explain the technique and how they benefitted from it.

Karunakar Reddy and Bharati Chedda, two senior meditators explained that Vipassana is a way of observing the truth with equanimity by staying aware at all times.

One of the first callers was Swatantra Jain who described Vipassana as the “best thing that happened to him.” He explained how one works with the conscious mind, learns awareness and observes the impermanency of things in nature. To a question posed to him about how it is not possible for some people to take 10 days off for a meditation course due to work and family responsibilities, Swatantra Jain replied that it is a question of priorities. This technique can change your life, increase efficiency and bring happiness but some people would rather “spend six hours at a party but not six hours for

their soul.”

An interesting piece of information was given by one of the hosts who said that following the death of two ministers due to stress, the Maharashtra government passed a law stating that anyone who desired to do the Vipassana course would be granted paid leave!

The second caller was a Senior Vipassana teacher – Anita Kinra, who explained that Vipassana helps purify the mind, be present in every moment and removes negativity.

The mind, when calm, helps us make the right choices and “act rather than react.”

Vijay Pallod, a Vipassana meditator, was surprised that the demise of such a renowned

spiritual leader had not been covered by the local Indian newspapers of America as well as the mainstream papers of India. He also voiced the opinion that Goenkaji deserves the Nobel Prize for inspiring so many to walk on the path of truth or dhamma and creating peace and consciousness in the world.

Quoting Goenkaji, he said that “there can be no outer peace without inner peace” and this can be achieved by meditation.

Yet another caller, Ramesh Anand spoke about how meditation helps in the removal of old defilements (sankharas) while Bharati offered a simple yet illuminating example of the change that Vipassana can bring about.

She explained that anger changes breathing patterns. Practicing Vipassana regularly will teach one to observe the anger and breath and instead of exploding with anger, one will learn to keep calm. This brings peace and happiness not only to oneself but also to those around you.

A one hour prayer meeting was held at Keshav Smriti on October 6 to offer Shradhanjali to Goenkaji. A brief introduction about Goenkaji by Dr. Shankar Bhat was followed by meditation after which several practitioners came forward to recount their experiences with the technique and how it had benefitted them by improving their personal relationships and perspective on life.

Dinkar Chheda summed it up beautifully when he said that the “more I learn to experience, appreciate each moment, calm and peaceful I feel.”

The prayer meeting also offered an opportunity for meditators to interact with each other. A suggestion was made to hold a group sitting once a week at a more central location (the present one is held at Conroe, Houston) which was enthusiastically discussed.

For further information about Vipassana meditation or to find a center in the US, visit www.dhamma.org or www.pariyatti.org

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October 11, 2013

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10/4/13 12:08 PM

18 October 11, 2013 Let there be Light The decision to sever Telangana from Andhra Pradesh has awakened anxieties on both sides and, to an extent, the turbulence was foretold. All major players are mobilising sentiment as well as positioning themselves for the political reconfiguration.

Fasts have been undertaken by Jaganmohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu for the united Andhra cause, and several Andhra Pradesh leaders have resigned from the Congress. Protests have taken a violent turn and a strike by electricity employees impacted generation and transmission, leaving districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema without power, disrupting emergency services, threatening the entire southern grid.

Power supply was restored late on Monday night in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, only to be disrupted again around 1 pm on Tuesday. The Andhra Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation said power may be restored after 10 pm in the seven districts. According to reports, the power blackout has hit hospital services while airports in Seemandhra region were operating on backup systems. Train services were the worst hit because of power outage, forcing the East Coast Railway to either cancel or reschedule important trains.

Alarge part of the responsibility — and blame — for this disruption, however, must be owned by the Centre. The Union cabinet has provided only a bare sketch of the plan to divide the state, leaving crucial details to be announced by a group of ministers later. This opacity and stalling on detail has characterised the Telangana story in the four years since the division was first announced. Instead of evolving a pact that is mutually acceptable, to the extent possible, by consulting all those with stakes in the matter, the Centre simply announces its plan.

The group of ministers has been tasked with working out the specifics of a complicated and painful division — the sharing of water, revenue, power and Hyderabad. Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema worry that the water from the Krishna and Godavari passes through Telangana territory, now a rival state, and their claim over it may be contested. While it has the largest catchment areas of the two rivers, Telangana lacks the irrigation facilities to use it, and will need massive power inputs to do so. Hyderabad, accounting for over 70 per cent of the state’s revenues, is not only the seat of government, but also the commercial, educational and cultural hub, and a site on which industrialists and realtors have staked their fortunes. There are large insecurities about the fate of those investments. Sorting out these contentions will require great administrative and political skill, on par with the surgical precision needed to separate conjoined twins. But instead of listening to the clashing perspectives and trying to reconcile them, the Centre is seen to be imposing answers from afar.

In the run-up to the statehood announcement and after it too, the Centre has merely issued lofty proclamations. The UPA has looked arbitrary, not only in the declaration of a separate Telangana, but also in conceptualizing it.

Indian Express

EDITORIAL

The Toilet Wars

BY TAVLEEN SINGH Toilets became a big political issue last week. And, as a crusader for sanitation, I was more than delighted. Long may Narendra Modi and Jairam Ramesh spar over who first said toilets were more important than temples. And, let both our main political parties hasten to make a commitment that the first thing they will do after the next general election is guarantee that manual scavengers will be rescued from their hellish lives and rehabilitated. Those who expect these unfortunate beings to manually clean their filthy waste should be jailed. Next, there should be a nationwide campaign to make public defecation a criminal act and socially unacceptable.

Can we begin, though, by asking why Ramesh did not do these things as minister in charge for sanitation?

At this point I need to make a full disclosure. Ramesh is this column’s bete noire. For the reason that it is this man I personally blame for starting the economic downturn by using his tenure in the Ministry of Environment to bring back the licence raj.

So busy was he stopping major projects after thousands of crore rupees had been invested in them, that he did not notice that if he had made sanitation a crusade, he could have become a national hero. His picture could have graced the doors of shiny new toilets across the land and statues of him could have sprouted out of public urinals. He may even have been remembered by those who prefer temples to toilets because our sacred rivers could have become pure again, instead of being the sewers they are mainly because sanitation is something our political leaders prefer not to discuss.

On account of their silence, not only do Indians continue to ‘defecate everywhere’, as V S Naipaul famously pointed out four decades ago, but Indian children continue to die of diseases caused by this awful practice. Indian trains spread raw sewage across the fair face of our dear Bharat Mata because a hole in the ground is what they call a toilet.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi remind us constantly that the great achievement of their government in the past

India should build ‘toilets before temples’, Narendra Modi said in a pre-election speech to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh replied, “It is not conviction that has made Mr Narendra Modi say this. It is compulsion.”

decade has been that they have given people legal rights to education, jobs and cheap food grain. If only they had added the right to sanitation and clean water, our healthcare bills would have gone down dramatically and the motherland would look less like a continent-sized slum.

Tragic, is it not, that 66 years after gaining freedom from colonial rule, India is struggling to provide that most fundamental of human needs to her people: clean water. Modi pointed out in his mammoth rally in Delhi last Sunday that it was shameful that even

in the Prime Minister’s house generators were used to provide electricity because of the hopelessness of our power sector. He could have added that from the Prime Minister’s house to the wretched hovels of manual scavengers, we have an absence of clean water. The worst sufferers are the poor in whose name this government has spent a vast fortune on welfare schemes, that have nearly bankrupted India without obvious results. The next prime minister will have to deal with the horror of empty coffers.

Today, the poorest Indians have the right to cheap food grain, a hundred days of annual employment and the right to prevent their land from being acquired, but not the right to clean water. If this is not a bizarre idea of progress and development, it is hard to think what is. What is even more bizarre is the reality that none of our major political parties has meanwhile noticed the importance of such vital things as sanitation and clean water.

That is until last week, when Modi, so far charged with being a leader of the temple crowd, announced that he thought toilets were more important than temples.

This should have pleased the Congress’s leading lights. It should have made them feel more secure about India’s future, that they predict is doomed because of ‘saffron terror’, but it did not. Digvijaya Singh started tweeting hysterically in Hindi, English and in rhyme, and Ramesh asserted he said it first when he held additional charge of sanitation.

Let the crusade begin to change Indian defecation practices once and for all. Instead of promising laptops and cellphones, let the manifestos of our political parties make promises to rehabilitate manual scavengers, build toilets in every rural home and urban slum and bestow upon us the right to clean drinking water. These things could do more to transform our ancient land than almost anything else.

So long may our political leaders squabble over who first said toilets were more important than temples.

Long may state governments compete to build modern toilets and may the best toilet builders win in 2014.

Indian Express

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Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com

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COMMUNITY

Ram Leela: A Great Indian Epic Story, at Skeeter’s Stadium on Oct. 19

BY DR. NIK NIKAM Part 2: AYODHYA KAND: After Ram’s marriage, King Dashrath had made plans to crown Shri Ram as the next King of Ayodhya. On the eve of the coronation, Kaikeyi’s wicked maid servant Manthara, ignites jealousy in Kaikeyi’s mind and convinces her that her son Bharat should be made the King of Ayodhya. She reminds Kaikeyi of the two boons that King Dashrath had made to her when she had saved his life in a battle. Intoxicated by the evil plans of Manthara, Kaikeyi demands from King Dashrath: first, Bharat be made the King of Ayodhya, and second, send Ram to forest for fourteen years. Shri Ram faithfully and with absolute submission accepts his step-mother’s demands to respect his father’s promise. He decides to leave for the forest the next morning. Both Sita and Lakshman (a devout brother of Shri Ram) follow Shri Ram to the forest.

After Shri Ram’s departure, grief stricken King Dashrath passes away. Meanwhile, Bharat, who is on a visit to his maternal uncle, is summonsed back to Ayodhya.

Bharat, who is stunned by his mother Kaikeyi’s wicked plans, refuses to be crowned. He goes to the forest to meet Shri Ram and begs him to return to Ayodhya and accept the throne. Shri Ram respectfully refuses to return to Ayodhya until his exile is over. Bharat requests Shri Ram to give his sandals, so he could place them on the throne and rule the country on Shri Ram’s behalf until he returns.

ARANYA KAND: Shri Ram, Sita, and Lakshman travel southward along the banks of River Godavari. They establish a cottage in the Panchavati forest. Surpanakha, sister of Demon Ravan, spots Shri Ram in the forest. Infatuated by his beauty and grace, she tries to win his infatuation. Shri

Ram points to Lakshman and says he is single in the forest, and she tries to approach him. Lakshman says that he is only Shri Ram’s servant and she should pursue the Master. When Surpanakha tries to harm Sita, Lakshman chops off her nose and mutilates her face.

Enraged Surpanakha goes to her brother King Khar to punish the two brothers. King Khar attacks Panchavati and gets killed in the war. When Surpanakha demands that King Ravan take vengeance against the hermit brothers, Ravan demands Demon Mareech to entice Sita in the form of a golden deer. When Ram goes after the deer and kills the deer, the deer yells, “Oh! Sita. Oh! Lakshman!”

Assuming Shri Ram is in danger, Sita demands Lakshman to assist Shri Ram, despite his steadfast reluctance to leave her. At that moment, Demon Ravan appears as a sage, before Sita’s cottage and abducts her. On his way to Lanka in his aerial chariot, Ravan faces Jatayu, a bird which puts up a gallant fight to rescue Sita. Demon Ravan cuts one of his wings, and Jatayu falls to the ground. Meanwhile, when Shri Ram and Lakshman meet, they realize they have been deceived. As they search for Sita, they come across Jatayu, who tells them about Demon Ravan. During their search for Sita, they meet Shabari, a woman ascetic, who directs them to Sugriv and Hanuman.

LANKA KAND: Shri Ram and Lakshman, along with Hanuman, Sugriv, and the ape-men army, attack Lanka to rescue Sita from Demon Ravan. The apemen army builds a bridge across the sea to reach Lanka. There, Demon Ravan’s brother Vibhishan, a devout believer in Dharma, truth, and good deeds, rejects his brother’s actions and defects to Shri Ram’s camp and becomes a Shri Ram’s devotee. A brutal battle

erupts between the demons, lead

by Ravan and the ape-army lead

by Shri Ram and Lakshman. All Ravan’s sons are killed by Lakshman and Ram. Finally, Shri Ram kills Ravan and liberates Lanka and Sita. When Sita returns, Shri Ram instructs her to pass the Agni Pariksha (Fire Test) to prove her chastity. She accepts her Lord’s wish and passes the Fire Test. Shri Ram, Sita and Lakshman return to Ayodhya and Ram’s coronation is performed in a grand scale.

UTTAR KAND: The Uttar Kaand covers the final years of Shri Ram, Sita, and his brothers. Despite the Agni Pariksha performed by Sita, rumors about her purity continue to plague the city of Ayodhya. Bowing to public opinion, as a King, Shri Ram does not hinder or object when pregnant Sita decides to live in the forest for the rest of her life.

Sita comes to live incognito with Sage Valmiki in the forest, where she gives birth to twins: Luv and Kush. They grow-up to be as talented as their father, never knowing who their father is. They memorize the story of Sita and Ram as recited by Sage Valmiki to them.

They walk around Ayodhya singing the story of Ram and Sita, which grips the citizens of Ayodhya. King Shri Ram invites the twins to sing to the King’s Court.

Finally, here Shri Ram learns those two street children are his own.

The RAM LEELA-2013, a twohour stage play at the Skeeter’s Stadium, on October 19, will be directed by internationally acclaimed Dr. Rathna Kumar. It will be one of the highlights of Dusshera/Diwali Mela 2013.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

October 11, 2013

IACCGH Members Find New Ways to Showcase their Businesses

Photos: Bijay Dixit

HOUSTON: The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston prides itself in opening doors and providing access to its members not only at IACCGH events but also at events hosted by its resource partners. On Tuesday, September 24, 5 Chamber members had the opportunity to exhibit at the monthly “Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum” at the Houston Community College Southwest @ W. Loop South. The Chamber emailed its members offering them the opportunity to

exhibit at the breakfast and five chamber members displaying banners that stated they were “Proud members of the IACCGH” benefited from the opportunity as is evident from their testimonials.

“Wallis State Bank was honored to be part of the Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum on September 24. Our bank was being well represented and the experience was priceless. We met many potential clients and connected with other vendors for future partnering. We also met SBA

representatives at the event which will hopefully lead to future relations with the origination. We hope to be part of this prestigious event in the forthcoming years”.

Rajiv B Bhavsar, SVP/ Commercial Lending Officer, Wallis State Bank “We thank IACCGH for the opportunity for TechOne Centre to participate as an exhibitor at the Houston Business Procurement Forum. The event was rewarding to TechOne Centre. The “elevator pitch” by each of us for the entire audience generated interest and traffic to our tables. We made several contacts that are already leading to opportunities. We also had the opportunity to meet other exhibitors with whom we are building relationships and possible business. Thank you very much for this opportunity! Without the initiative and hard work of IACCGH, we would not have participated in this event and gained from the exposure”. CV Rao, President www.TechOneCentre.com “Thank you very much for providing us an opportunity to participate in “Greater Houston Procurement Forum” through IACCGH support and sponsorship we sincerely appreciate it. It was indeed great experience. We met a lot of potential new clients and have started talking with them about future business opportunity. I will keep you updated about our success but our attendance at event was worth the time and efforts”.

Rupesh Sanghavi , CEO, ErgodE Inc www.GoOutSource.com “As usual the Chamber works hard to help its members by using its connections and contacts to open new doors to business opportunities and I was able to meet many potential clients at the business procurement breakfast”.

Bijay Dixit, CEO, Unique Photo Images, uniquephotoimages.com, “As a new member of IACCGH we found the opportunity to showcase our products and services at the breakfast a great opportunity to expand our business. We thank IACCGH for doing this for its members”.

Nupur Kapadia, PNM Printing & Sign, Inc. www.pnmprinting.com To learn more about how IACCGH can help your business contact IACCGH President Pankaj Dhume at pankaj@dhume. com or Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia at jagdip@iaccgh.com

Read us online

www.indoamerican-news.com INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

21

22 October 11, 2013

COMMUNITY

Governor Quinn Proclaims Swami Vivekananda Day in Illinois

BY NAND KAPOOR CHICAGO: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed Saturday September 28, as Swami Vivekananda Day in Illinois to mark the celebration of 150 birth anniversary of this great spiritual leader who conquered America a century ago.

The Proclamation acknowledged, Swami Vivekananda was a great scholar and a person committed to make world a better place to live and creating the world without borders, was a great moral booster to State wide celebrations of his birth anniversary.

The Proclamation also stands in sharp contrast with the intolerance displayed by a group of people who allegedly sought to torpedo the Chicago celebrations by hook or crook means at their command.

A fly in ointment was also a conspicuous absence of Indian Consul General Dr Ausuf Sayeed from the celebration even while he had earlier confirmed his attendance to three office bearers of the Organizing Group. Twenty plus community organizations of Indian Americans and temples representing a huge segment of Indian community in Chicagoland had pooled their resources for the event.

It is alleged that efforts were made by interested group to derail Baba Ramdev coming to Chicago through subtle maneuvering that would either deny or delay his arrival to Chicaog via London . He

Lamp Lighting at Chicago Art Institute where Swami Vivekananda delivered historical address.

was delayed for nearly nine hours at the airport before clearance was given through intervention by an MP in UK Parliament. The huge delay, it is reported, is triggered by a sort of “Red Alert” that is usually marked for the person with terrorist connections or link. In a conversation, Baba said that he repeatedly made it clear to the Immigration authorities that he had nothing to hide nor was he carrying anything that could remotely get connected to terrorism. He had nothing but a Zola and his Langoti.

In USA, nothing happened although a smear campaign was unleashed that sought to link Swami’s Birth anniversary celebration with one religion or with one organization that had religious affiliation. In fact, this was not true as two dozen orga-

nizations pooled their resources together to host the celebrations.

The members of the Indian community were also surprised and piqued that Indian Consul General who had earlier promised to attend the celebrations at Meadows Club on Friday September 28 did not show up. This became a talk of the town as it was not easily explicable.

Talking to a correspondent, CG Dr Ausuf Sayeed sought to explain this away by saying that a visit of two Federal Ministers upset the applecart. When pointed out that the visits of Ministers or delegations are planned in advance and are not an eleventh hour affair, he said that this time the notice was sudden. Besides, participation by an India political figure gave a different color to the meet and hence, he chose to stay out.

To a question if deputing one of the Consuls would not have been appropriate, he said that nobody from the organizing group sought or suggested it. The consensus that the London Episode and the CG absence need to be pursued and investigated further so that the forces behind the incidents are exposed.

Meanwhile, the two days celebrations – September 28 at Meadows Club and the other on September 29 at Art Institute of Chicago and later on at Bartlett Jain templeturned out to be a huge success with a sizeable participation from first and second generation Indian Americans. The event at Meadows club attracted over 500 participants while that at Bartlett ( which was an all day affair) had an array of speakers from different organizations- social and religious who whole heartedly subscribed to the theme of World Without Borders.

Attendance was over 700. Even the lamp lighting ceremony at Chicago

Art Institute early in the morning was attended by 250 plus saints from across India and local elites.

The Chicago Art Institute event had special significance in that it was in the month of September 130 years ago Swami Vivekananda preached universal brotherhood and Vasudha Aive Kutumbak philosophy by addressing the huge gathering with a novel and unique salutation ‘My Brothers and Sisters of America.’

The event was live broadcast on Aaj Tak, Zee TV, TV Asia and a few other leading channels.

It was done for the first time and the credit should go to the organizing team led by Dr S Sheth, Harnedra Mangrola, Vinesh Virani, Vandana Jhingan, J Dibvenkar, Nirav Patel and others. All of them however, also acknowledged the “untiring efforts by Art Institute Officials like Robert Hudson and one of his colleagues Kevin Lunt.

Gathering at Chicago Art Institute.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

October 11, 2013

CRY Walk 2013 to Ensure Happy Childhood for Thousands of Children

Join CRY America’s 10th Walk for Child Rights scheduled in 15 cities across the USA HOUSTON: CRY, Child Rights and You America Inc (CRY America), a 501c3 non-profit organization announces its 10th Walk for Child Rights, which is being organized across 15 cities in the USA. The CRY Walk is an opportunity for people to show their support for the cause of Indian children, who are denied their basic rights to live, learn, grow and play.

CRY Walk 2013 is being held in New York, New Jersey, Houston, Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Seattle, Boston and several other cities till mid-November this year. The Houston event is happening on 20 October. The event comprises of 5k walk/run, fun activities (Crafts, sketching, painting etc.) for children, a cricket competition for Adults, a picnic for families and snacks for everyone!

Speaking about the event, Shefali Sunderlal, President, CRY America said, “We invite everyone (children, parents and grandparents) to join our local city walks to ensure that underprivileged children realize their potential and their dreams”.

CRY America, over the past 10 years, has ensured lasting change in the lives 422,878 children living across 2,395 villages and slums through support to 64 projects in India and the USA. This was done by working with community groups to ensure that children went to school and not to work, that they received quality health care and issues of child marriage and girl child discrimination were addressed.

“This impact has been possible only because of the support received from 19,000 donors and 2000 volunteers. If we all come together and address children’s issues with a sense of urgency, then no child will remain illiterate, malnourished or exploited”, Sunderlal concluded.

CRY Walk 2013 is presented by Star TV and sponsored by Air India, TV Asia, Inome, Mera Sangeet and Vantive Inc. We thank all our sponsors for their generous support.

“Our participation in the CRY Walk this year is a reiteration of our social commitment to support

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a charity every year. Through its outstanding work in the US, CRY America makes a tremendous difference in the lives of deserving children; it is our privilege to be a part of this initiative,” said Rajan Singh, EVP of International Business for Star Network.

To join the CRYWalk 2013 in your city or to become a fundraiser, visit http://america.cry.org/cryevents/ walk/houston_walk_2013 .

About CRY America: CRY - Child Rights and You America Inc. (CRY America) is

a 501c3 non-profit organization that is driven by its vision of a just world in which all children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams. With the support of 19,000 donors and 2000 volunteers, CRY America has impacted the lives of 422,878 children living across 2,395 villages and slums through support to 64 Projects in India and the USA. For more information: visit http://america.cry.org

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Bhaen ki Sukki Sabzi(Sauteed Lotus Root)

The dish of bhaen (lotus root) is probably unique to the Punjab; in some places it is also known as kamal di dandi. In India, the vegetable is available during most parts of the year and can be made dry – as in this recipe – or curried. These days, in India, you can even find snackbags of fried spicy thin lotus root chips.

The lotus is a divine symbol in Hinduism and many other Asian cultures, representing purity and non-attachment. Vishnu and Lakshmi are often portrayed on a pink lotus, and the Goddess Sarasvati is portrayed on a white lotus. Ganga and Ganesh are also often depicted with lotus flowers as their seats. In politics, the BJP uses the lotus as its symbol and in the civilian award Padma Sri, the word Padma means lotus.

The lotus root is found underwater and can grow to a length of four feet. It is reddish brown with a white interior that is lacey, and has a texture that is slightly crunchy and mildly sweet. The lotus root is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, thiamin. Riboflavin, vitamin B5, phosphorus, copper and manganese and is low in saturated fat. The Indian variety is smaller and tastier than the Chinese variety which is bigger but also more porous and less crunchy which makes the dish come out slightly mushier.

This recipe is for stuffed lotus root but can be modified for sliced lotus root in which case you do not have to boil the pieces but simply sauté them in the karai (wok). Some people cook the roots in the pressure cooker, but I have found that this unnecessary and you also risk overcooking and getting a very tender, mushy dish that falls apart. I will share the recipe for curried lotus root later.

Ingredients: • 500 gm bhaen (lotus roots) • ¼ cup tael (olive oil or veg etable oil) • Filling masala mix: 1 tsp na mak (salt), 1 tsp mirch (red peper), 1 tsp amchoor (green mango powder), ½ tsp haldi (turmeric powder), 2 tsp dha nia (coriander powder), ½ tsp garam masala

Ingredients for curry masala: • 1 large pyaaz (onion) – peeled and chopped • 4 cloves of lasan (garlic) peeled and chopped • 1 medium adrak (ginger)peeled and chopped • 1 medium tamater (tomato) – chopped or 1 teaspoon tomato paste • ½ cup water Directions: 1. Cut off the ends of each stalk and with a potato peeler, peel the outer skin of the lotus root. Cut into twoinch long pieces and rinse thoroughly in cold water to clean out any clumps of dirt that are trapped within the tubular areas.

2. Place the pieces in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. When the lotus root pieces are a little tender, turn the heat off and drain the water.

Let the pieces sit for a little while to cool down.

3. Take each piece and cut a slit lengthwise but not too deep and set aside.

4. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the masala mix; then take a pinch and stuff the mix into the slits and set the filled pieces aside.

5. Heat the oil in a karai or wok and add the curry masala spices and water except the tomato and brown

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it a little. When roasted and the smell of the pieces starts to come through, add the chopped tomato and brown a little more till it becomes a paste.

Be careful not to overcook or dry the paste out.

6. Now add the stuffed pieces of lotus root. Stir carefully to coat the pieces, cover and cook over low heat for ten minutes. Do not open the cover as the lotus root will cook in its own steam.

Stirring gently occasionally to make sure the curry masala does not stick or start to burn.

7. When the pieces are tender, turn the heat off and let it sit covered for ten minutes. This goes well with hot rotis, but it since it is a dry dish, another dish with curry sauce makes a good complement.

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

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

October 11, 2013

Movie Review : Besharam

BY SARIT RAY MUMBAI: An accurate way to describe Besharam would be to call it the cinematic equivalent of a dinner made with leftovers. There is a bit of everything, nothing is exactly fresh, and in the end you’re left wondering if it was wise to have chucked it all in together. Except, in this case, it isn’t home-cooked food, but a meal you must pay for.

Within the first half hour, before there is a semblance of a plot, you’re served three songand-dance routines. Part of this is the hero’s regressive, ’90s Bollywood-style flirting method, where the much-stalked heroine, after being pissed off right through the

first half, suddenly falls in love.

There’s also the kind of stylised, gravity-defying action sequence that Abhinav Singh Kashyap used brilliantly in Dabangg. But in this confused mess, oddly released on a Wednesday (Gandhi Jayanti) to pull in maximum crowds, it feels like a lazy addition meant to cash in on past accolades.

Babli (Ranbir Kapoor), we’re told, is a car thief of some repute, yet he manages to have half of the Delhi polizce force chase after him the first time we see him pull off a heist. He’s sought out

by Bheem Singh Chandel (Jaaved Jaaferi), the ridiculously gruffvoiced hawala king of Chan-

digarh. Our hero, of course, is more concerned with wooing his lady love, Tara (Pallavi Sharda).

So he must re-steal a car he stole from her and give to Chandel.

The harebrained story is just an excuse for the much-promised shamelessness. Yet, here too, Kashyap seems unsure if he wants to pander to conservative sensibilities or offend them. The romance between the lead pair is restricted to tepid kisses on the forehead, though Ranbir’s butt crack gets to make its Bollywood debut.

Ranbir is a hugely talented actor. Yet, face contortions and chest hair notwithstanding, he fails to pull off crass.

The film’s saving grace is the other Kapoors — Rishi (as inspector Chulbul) and Neetu (playing head constable Bulbul) have tremendous chemistry; Chulbul’s version of ‘Badtameez Dil’ and a Gadar-inspired scene involving a tube-well are extremely funny.

-Hindustan Times

Besharam, a senseless saga of shamelessness

25

24 Deserves all Awards: Kunal Kohli

MUMBAI: So far only two episodes of Anil Kapoor’s maiden TV show 24 have unfolded on the small screen and it was enough to impress filmmaker Kunal Kohli who feels that the suspense thriller deserves all the awards.

Kohli, who directed movies like Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, Hum Tum and Fanaa, also believes that it is time to revamp television, which is dominated by saas-bahu sagas.

“24 has me hooked. Deserves all the awards this year, except best jaithani-devrani. Re-tweet if you

agree that Indian TV needs a major re-haul,” Kohli posted on Twitter.

He had previously tweeted about the show, saying: “24 is new dawn on Indian television.”

24, the Indian version of the popular US suspense thriller of the same name, went on air Friday on Colors. The show stars Anil as Jai Singh Rathod, the Indian version of Jack Bauer. He is joined by the likes of Tisca Chopra, Anupam Kher and Mandira Bedi in the cast. Well-known actress Shabana Azmi will also be seen in a cameo in the show.

Kohli, whose last directorial venture was Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra-starrer love saga Teri Meri Kahaani, has also raised questions about the preferences of television audiences. “I don’t believe Indian audiences only want to see shows about family sagas.

Why then are only those made? It’s like a national epidemic,” he wrote.

-Hindustan Times

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FDA Plans Surprise Inspections at Indian Drug Units

MUMBAI: India’s growing importance as a hub of copycat medicine producers and rising compliance problems in local factories serving the American market have prompted the US drug regulator to consider starting surprise inspections in the country.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to follow in India the same system of facility inspections that it follows in the US and other developed countries, including an aggressive surveillance and surprise inspections of manufacturing sites, according to two people aware of the development. Both declined to be named.

“India has become a priority location for the FDA as it houses the largest number of FDA-approved drug manufacturing plants outside the US and

it is also emerging as the largest exporter of generic drugs to that country,” one of the people said.

Albinus D’Sa, deputy director of FDA’s India office, did not respond to queries emailed on 3 October.

“The US regulator, since it has set up an local office in 2009, has been doing site inspections with very short notice. But with more people and infrastructure in various locations, they can (now) manage these quite frequently,” said Dilip G. Shah, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, a lobby group of Indian pharma firms.

In the past nine months, the US regulator has expanded its inspection team in India from 12 to 19, and opened two more offices, in Hyderabad and Mumbai, in addition to its first office in New Delhi.

Until now, FDA’s inspections of Indian pharma plants have always been with prior notice. The surprise checks are being considered because of instances of fabrication of documents and human error in Indian manufacturing units, the two people cited above added.

“The local industry has been trying to comply with the requirements as it can’t afford to take risks with the US market. But still, issues can happen as human errors are possible always,” Shah added.

The FDA had inducted people with expertise in crime detection and investigation in its team, said the first person cited earlier.

“The FDA has also outsourced such work to consultancy firms led by former officials from the (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and such investigation agen-

cies,” added this person, who works in the Indian pharma industry.

Units of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd and Wockhardt Ltd were in 2009 and 2013, respectively, barred from exporting to the US. In the recent past, units of Lupin Ltd, Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Aurobindo Pharma Ltd and Strides Arcolabs Ltd have received warning letters from the FDA. Lupin said the issue was resolved in 2010.

India is home to 135 FDA-approved manufacturing units and its Rs.1.1 trillion drug industry, which largely makes generics, exported around Rs.40,000 crore of drugs in 2012, 30% of this value being exported to the US alone, according to the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India.

The FDA banned two exportoriented manufacturing plants of Ranbaxy at Poanta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Dewas in Madhya Pradesh in 2009. In Ranbaxy’s case, the FDA found not only serious violations in complying with good manufacturing practices, but also data integrity issues.

The company was also at the receiving end of the US regulator’s action regarding the functioning of its third manufacturing site at Mohali in Punjab, in September.

In May, Ranbaxy paid a fine of $500 million to the US department of justice after it pleaded guilty on the data integrity issue.

Mumbai-based Wockhardt also faced similar action in June re-

garding the functioning of its export unit at Aurangabad. These companies are currently in the process of resolving the shortcomings in manufacturing compliance.

“We have initiated the remedial measures to resolve the compliance issue at Aurangabad,” a Wockhardt executive said on Thursday. “Leading consultants have been hired to help in the corrective measures.”

The official declined to be named.

“At this point, I would like to assure you that the issues that were raised by the US FDA in 2012 have been addressed and we have taken stringent steps to ensure that we meet all US FDA concerns,” Ranbaxy managing director and chief executive officer Arun Sawhney said by email. “It is important to take cognisance of the fact that since the last inspection by the US FDA at Mohali in 2012, Ranbaxy has strengthened its management, manufacturing and monitoring systems and processes to ensure quality and compliance in all areas.”

“The root cause of compliance issues in the Indian units is often linked to human elements, including the culture and the attitude of the people at the facilities and in the senior management (of the companies involved),” said Ajaz Hussain, a former head of the compliance cell at FDA, and currently a consultant to pharma companies in the US on quality issues.

-Livemint.com

Read us online at www.indoamerican-news.com

127

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

28 October 11, 2013

FESTIVALS

Importance of Dussehra Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami, Dasara, or Dashain) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is a gazetted holiday in India, which is marked on the 10th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Ashvin (Ashwayuja), according to the Hindu calendar.

What do people do?

Many people of the Hindu faith observe Dussehra through special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples. They also hold outdoor fairs (melas) and large parades with effigies of Ravana (a mythical king of ancient Sri Lanka). The effigies are burnt on bonfires in the evening. Dussehra is the culmination of the Navaratri festival.

There are many local celebrations in some areas in India that can last for up to 10 days. Local events include: Performances of the Ramlila (a short version of the epic Ramayana) in Northern India. A large festival and procession including the goddess Chamundeshwari on a throne mounted on elephants in the town of Mysore in the state of Karnataka. The blessing of household and workrelated tools, such as books, computers, cooking pans and vehicles in the state of Karnataka.

The preparation of special foods, including luchi (deep fried flat bread) and alur dom (deep fried spiced potato snacks), in Bengal.

Many Hindus also believe that it is lucky to start a new venture, project or journey on Dussehra.

They may also exchange gifts of leaves from the Shami tree (Prosopis spicigera) as a symbol of the story of the Pandavas brothers’ exile in the Mahabharata stories.

What special events occur on MahaNavami, the ninth day?

Books, musical instruments, equipment and tools are placed before Goddess Sarasvati for blessings, seeking Her gifts of talent, ability and inspiration. This rite, called Ayudha (weapon or tool) Puja, began when the kings of ancient India

had their weapons blessed. Today any tool of one’s trade may be consecrated: craftsmen’s tools, books, offices, vehicles, computers, even iPhones! Devotees reflect on their skills, strengths, goals and needs. A key rite of passage for children ages three to five is performed on this day.

Called vidyarambha, “beginning of learning,” it marks the start of a child’s formal education.

Are there group festivities?

In the evenings, devotees gather to dance in halls and public squares. The Garba, Gujarat’s popular folk dance, is a vigorous dance performed in circles while twirling, jumping, flailing the arms, clapping rhythmically and stepping in sync. In the Dandiya-Ras, sticks are part of the choreography.

Dancing is a community expression of joy and togetherness.

Public life Government offices, post offices and banks are closed in India on Dussehra. Stores and other businesses and organizations may be closed or have reduced opening

Dussehra will be celebrated on Monday, October 14

hours. Those wishing to use public transport on the day may need to contact the local transport authorities to check on timetables.

Background Dussehra celebrates the Hindu god Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana and the triumph of good over evil. The epic Ra-

mayana tells the mythical story of the Lord Rama who wins the lovely Sita for his wife, only to have her carried off by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

Ravana plays an important role in the Ramayana. Ravana had a sister known as Shoorpanakha.

She fell in love with the brothers Rama and Lakshamana and wanted to marry one of them.

Lakshamana refused to marry her and Rama could not as he was already married to Sita.

Shoorpanakha threatened to kill Sita, so that she could marry Rama. This angered Lakshamana who cut off Shoorpanakha’s nose and ears. Ravana then kidnapped Sita to avenge his sister’s injuries. Rama and Lakshamana later fought a battle to rescue Sita. The monkey god Hanuman and a huge army of monkeys helped them.

The Mahabharata is another series of Hindu myths that play a role in the Dussehra festival.

The Pandavas were five brothers who fought evil forces with a set of distinctive weapons. They

abandoned their weapons and went into exile for one year. They hid their weapons in a Shami tree and found them at the same place when they returned from exile.

They then worshipped the tree before going to a battle, which they won. This epic is also commemorated during Dussehra. time and date.com

Eid al-Adha in United States

This year Eid al-Adha, will be celebrated on Tuesday, October 15.

Many Muslims in the United States observe Eid-al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, each year. This festival commemorates Ibrahim’s (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son to God. This festival also marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

What do people do?

Many Muslims in the United States celebrate Eid al-Adha with prayers and social gatherings. The Eid al-Adha services can attract thousands of Muslims in various places. Many Muslims of many heritages, including North Africa, Pakistan, India, Eastern Europe, wear traditional clothes and share their national dishes. It is a time for prayer, sharing meals, handing out gifts and wishing one another well.

Eid al-Adha follows from the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, in which Muslims are required to make at least once in their lives. Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice because it traditionally includes the sacrifice of an animal permitted for food (eg. a lamb) as an act of thanksgiving for God’s mercy. Some Muslims seek out a farm where they can carry out the sacrifice, but many also send money to their native lands to help fund a sacrifice. Eid alAdha lasts for up to three days and is a time to seek mercy from God. Eid al-Adha is not a federal public holiday in the United States. However, some Islamic organizations may be closed or offer a reduced level of service and there may be some local traffic congestion around mosques.

Background Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates accomplishment. Eid al-Adha also serves as a reminder of when Ibrahim (Abraham) was willing to sacrifice his son to God, according to Islamic belief. The United States government issued postage stamps to commemorate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in previous years. These stamps aimed to highlight the business, educational and social contributions that Muslims made in the United States.

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October 11, 2013

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INDIA / PAKISTAN

October 11, 2013

Of Nine Nights in a Small Town…

BY MALAY VYAS Its known that what Bhangra is to Punjab, Garba is to Gujarat.

Yet within Gujarat there are different styles of Garba – Dandia Raas, the dance with sticks is its famous cousin with the fame often attributed to ‘Disco Dandia’in Mumbai however, Garba in its traditional form involves hand claps and dance steps in a circle. Even within this realm, Garba steps are different in different towns.

Baroda, or Vadodara is regarded as the Garba capital of the word with its unique styles and singers that are almost legendary.

The first major commercial Garba venture in Baroda was set at the Nutan Bharat Club Growing in the 1970’s. Dr. Kalhans Patel, lent his deep voice to the Garba sung here and collaborated with the melodious voice of Shyamaben Patel. Together, they started Garba where the singer at an appropriate time would stop singing and the crowd would sing along. Notable Garba songs like “hoon to gai ti mele” and “hey raamaa, koi bachavo re” became famous at this venue.

Away from the hum-drum of commercial garba venues was the Fine Arts Faculty of the Maharaja Sayajirao University. Since the 1960’s when Garba celebrations here started on small scale, the students of Fine Arts faculty sang and played their own instruments.

The dancing style was very traditional and yet very appealing. As its popularity grew, because of its rustic nature, the faculty limited the participation to students and members only. Even today, the Garba here is organized on a noncommercial basis, there are no electronic instruments, no microphones and the style still remains very “gaamthi” or village-like.

In the late eighties, the Sandesaria Group of Companies launched “Maa Arki” Garba – a community based Navratri festival organized around the singing talent of Achal Mehta of the Rishabh Group – it was an instant hit with the college students from the MS University.

Achal’s melodious voice and the modern day Garbas he sang got people out of their homes dancing till 6 in the morning. Almost as a rival event, United Way of Vadodara then backed Atul Purohit of the Ritumbhara group as their main singler and started Navratri Celebrations at Vadodara’s famous

“Shiv-Mahal” – over the years, the venues changed but this event is still known as “United Way” Garba.

For people who moved away from Vadodara, every October, the heart would sink into memories from a distant past, of those nine nights when my hometown came to life. Starting with “teen taali” was just the warm up – Vadodara’s Garba dancers are famous for steps like “Dodhiyu” – literally translated as “One and a Half Step”, “dasiyu” – or the ten step, “bariyun” – the twelve step, “ramjaniyu” – which was more or less a free style Garba and ofcourse the now famous “Sanedo”.

Legend has it that Maa Arki Garba dancers invented a move that went forward 1 step and went back 32.

As I write this it is 12.36 AM in my town – a million miles from Baroda and twenty or so years ago, on a typical Navratri day, I would just have been warming up on ‘Tara Vina Shyaam…” at Maa Arki or “Ke Hove Hove” with Atul Purohit – yet lucky to be in Houston where there are more than a few Garba Venues to choose from every weekend.

Google Search “Atul Purohit”, “Achal Mehta” or “Paritosh Goswami” to see what I am talking about and if you cant remember names, just type in “Vadodara Garba”… the result will be as melodious as it was magical.

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Malala Favors Peaceful Dialogue with Taliban LONDON: Teenage Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who survived an assassination attempt after being shot by a Taliban gunman in Swat, says dialogue is the best way to fight militancy in Pakistan.

“The best way to solve problem and to fight against war is through dialogue, and is through peaceful way,” she said in an interview published by the BBC on Monday.

“But for me the best way to fight against terrorism and extremism is a simple thing – educate the next generation.”

She added that issues of terrorism are “not an issue for me, that’s the job of the government…and that’s also the job of America”.

Malala said it was important that theTalibandiscussedtheirdemands.

“They must do what they want through dialogue,” she said. “Killing people, torturing people and flogging people… it’s totally against Islam. They are misusing the name of Islam.”

The 16-year-old, whose continued fight for all children to go to school has made her a favorite for the Nobel Peace Prize this week, also expressed her desire of pursuing politics in the future.

“I will be a politician in my future. I want to change the future of my country and I want to make education compulsory,” Malala said in the interview.

“I hope that a day will come

when the people of Pakistan will be free, they will have their rights, there will be peace and every girl and every boy will be going to school,” she said.

Malala dismissed the continued threats against her life and repeated her desire to return to Pakistan from Britain, where she was flown for treatment after the attack in October and where she now goes to school.

“The bad thing in our society and in our country is that you always wait for someone else to come,” Malala said.

“If I’m saying that there is no-one who is doing anything for education, if I say there is no electricity, there is no natural gas, the schools are being blasted, and I’m saying no-one is doing this, why don’t I go for it, why don’t I do this?

“I believe that I will achieve this goal because Allah is with me, God is with me and he saved my life.”

Malala admitted Britain had been a culture shock, “especially for my mother because we had never seen that women would be that much free – they would go to any market, they would be going alone with no men, no brothers and fathers”.

She said: “I’m not becoming western, I’m still following my own culture, the Pashtun culture.”

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32 October 11, 2013

SPORTS

Wanted: An All Star Matchup for Champions League

Yuvraj Singh Returns for Australia T20, ODI

some all-star games were The Champions League able to attract as much as T20 final on Sunday was the 20 million unique housestuff of organisers and teleholds through the 1980s, vision executive’s dreams. and in basketball, the 2012 Two Indian teams in the fiall-star break received a 4.4 nal, a draw card scenario of US HH rating in metered Davids and Goliaths, with markets, which tied for secthe last hurrah “in coloured ond best in the history of clothing” for two of the bigthe event. Consider the fact gest names in Indian cricket. that in many ways these are Exactly what was needed to the most watched events pack the stadium and give in their respective seasons, television a chance to draw aside from the play-offs. maximum eyeballs.

The CLT20 all-star break Even though this is instais akin to revisiting a ‘festhrill T20 cricket, rarely do tival’ match or the single sporting scripts produce or double-wicket tournasuch a perfect orchestration ments that were often held of excitement, skill, thrill in India during the 70s and and nostalgia, certainly not 80s as part of a cricketer’s in the Champions League, ‘benefit’ event. Despite the an event that has the most scheduling and logistical prize money at stake in all challenges of organising cricket events outside the an all-star break - complete World Cup. The 2013 final with grumbling franchises was the best, most highand injury worries - it could profile finish in the tournabecome the fresh injecment’s five editions, but for tion of novelty and interest it to continue to be sustainneeded by the tournament. able and to shore up flagging TV ratings, the CLT20 Sachin Tendulkar is lifted by his teammates after Mumbai Indians’ 33-run win against Rajasthan Royals The break, if pushed and promoted, could provide a could do with a fresh set of in the Champions League final huge cash cow for the orbells and whistles next season.

1951 proved to be a resounding T20 teams from outside the sub- ganisers due to the many sponsorGiven that the biggest of Indian success and is now a league staple. continent are a largely unknown ship opportunities available.

The feasibility of implementstars is what gave the CLT20 legs Translated into cricket, this could commodity for the Indian televiing such an idea, according to Joy this year, the event could consider become a CLT20 feature, showcas- sion audience.

In fact, when the tournament first Bhattacharjya, Kolkata Knight borrowing from North American ing skills tests or a match between sports, the concept of an ‘all-star two ‘dream’ teams. The skills break premiered, its TRPs were massive- Riders’ advisor of content develbreak.’ could include demonstrations of ly under expectations, registering opment and management, depends The all-star break serves as a six-hitting, fast bowling and field- 1.06 (one TRP represents 1% of on bringing the broadcasters and popular, much-watched interreg- ing. T20s “cricketainment” com- viewers in the surveyed area in sponsors on board. “We need the num in the hectic calendar of most ponent has always been debated a given minute), compared to an right sponsors and people behind major American sports leagues over, but the all-star break will de- average TRP of 4.1 for the 2009 it in order to create a viable proplike the MLB, NFL, and NBA, tach itself from the ‘serious’ side of IPL. The next two seasons showed erty,” Bhattacharjya said. “If it is which provides a stage for the best the competition and in a real sense, a significant improvement, with something that is interactive and ratings rising to 1.44 and 1.64, but can be televised, then [a board like in the business to exhibit their su- be about sheer revelry. perior skillsets. The first all-star In order to get the public involved still lagged way behind the IPL’s the] BCCI would give permission.

But further than that, the franchisgame in baseball took place in and generate television interest, the figures of 4.7 and 3.5.

This is one main reason why es also need to buy into the con1933 because baseball wanted to all-star candidates can be drawn up have a “marquee” event to stay in by a committee with the final call sponsorship for the CLT20 has cept, along with the BCCI.” The CLT20 can be the first platstep with the World Expo taking being given to the fans. The actual largely been a revolving door of place in Chicago at the time. all-star contenders for both events sorts, with title sponsors exiting form for the “all-star” idea. If sucPro basketball’s all-star game could then be selected through and entering as quickly as they cessful, it can be transferred into was born following a scandal in channels such as email, texting or arrived/left. Revenues from TV the IPL. An all-star game provides rights are locked in for another the shock to the system for these 1949, involving collegiate play- online voting. ers manipulating results in order This could be a vital component five years but the advertisers are leagues, especially in the face of dwindling interest and TV ratings. to ally them with favourable gam- for the CLT20 to increase public not.

The television figures of all- It is an idea whose time may albling odds which saw the sport’s interest because, unlike the IPL, reputation dented and league at- where “an Indian team always star breaks in North America are ready have come.

Rohan Sharma is a sub-editor at tendances taking a severe hit. The wins”, CLT20 TRPs have been an indicator of the popularity of NBA’s first-ever all-star game in a struggle due to the fact that the the concept. In fact, in baseball, ESPNcricinfo

MUMBAI: Yuvraj Singh has made a comeback to India’s limited-overs squad for the Twenty20 and first three ODIs of the home series against Australia. There were four changes made to India’s last first-choice ODI squad, the one that won the Champions Trophy in England.

Yuvraj replaced opener M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik lost out to his Mumbai Indians team-mate Ambati Rayudu, the injured Irfan Pathan made way for Mohammed Shami, and Jaydev Unadkat’s leftarm seam was preferred to Umesh Yadav’s erratic-at-times pace.

“I am happy the selectors have reposed faith in me. Now, I have to deliver,” Yuvraj told Mid-Day, after news of his selection broke.

“My footwork and timing are alright. The bat swing is in order as well. That is why I got runs against the West Indies and New Zealand A teams. That gave me confidence.

Now, I have to capitalise on the opportunity.”

Yuvraj’s last ODI was against England in Dharamsala in January 2013. He was dropped from the squad for the Champions Trophy and did not feature in the Zimbabwe series either, when India had rested several first-choice players.

However, following a fitness programme in France, he has shown a return to top form in List A cricket.

A fit Yuvraj is seen as a bigger asset than Karthik. Karthik had a decent run in England and in Zimbabwe, but he failed to reach 50 in the tri-series in the West Indies.

In effect, Karthik has lost out to Rayudu, who scored 101 runs off 163 balls at an average of 50.5 against Zimbabwe.

Two other changes from the Champions Trophy squad mostly explain themselves. Vijay struggled in the West Indies, and Irfan is injured. Yadav, though, remains a curious case. He cannot have been considered unfit because he played the Challenger Trophy last week.

Batsmen Karthik, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, seamer Mohit and spinner Parvez Rasool missed out from the team that played Zimbabwe.

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INDIA

October 11, 2013

Congress Pitches for ESMA for Normalcy in Seemandhra Region

At 125, Wynberg-Allen School is Growing Stronger and Stronger

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT VERY few institutions can boast of a history going as far back as 125 years. Wynberg-Allen School in Mussoorie, India enjoys the distinction of such an hoary history going back to 1890. Its Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on Wednesday the 9th October with much fanfare and great deal of bonhomie amongst hundreds of its alumni who have come to Mussoorie from all parts of the world.

Its genesis goes back to 1887 when four Christian friends met in Kanpur and decided in the true Christian spirit of charity and compassion to set up a facility or home to look after the orphaned and destitute children of the European and Anglo-Indian communities that had by then grown sizably in the then United Provinces. It was given the name of Christian Training School and Orphanage and Mussoorie was chosen as its home.

That was the beginning of the legendary Wynberg-Allen School that this week completed 125 years of his eventful and meaningful life.

It made a humble beginning in 1890 in an old house called Rockville perched on a denselywooded hilltop called Jabarkhet with just two orphan-children.

Fortunately, for the infant school, its first caretaker (or principal), Mrs Burton West was a god-fearing woman of heroic stature with a heart of gold. She took no salary since this position was a mission of sorts for her. It was her courage and devotion alone that helped the school to successfully overcome those early hiccups.

Soon the number of children increased from two to six and then to 12. Dr. Condon, one of the four founders, too took a personal interest in those early years and visited the school once a week riding on horseback, and that helped a lot in sorting out those teething troubles. Then a fire occurred and the small population of pupils remained homeless for a few months until Abbotsford and Dunedin in the Castle Hill Estate in Landour were taken on rent. Soon thereafter, Wynberg, an expansive estate on the southern spur of Mussoorie, overlooking the Doon Valley and the Shivalik hills was bought with the then

Karan Singha

Leslie Tindale

princely donation of Rs. 20,000 from Poona-based HG Meakin.

Growing up years By 1894, the 6th standard was added to the school and number of children on its roll rose to 84 boarders and nine day-scholars. And then one day, the indomitable and courageous Mrs West died leaving everyone mourning. She had done her bit in putting the infant school on its feet. In due course, the other founders too died. But the school, to its good fortune, always found dependable and generous benefactors, and that enabled it to grow steadily and surely. Another disaster, a bigger one, was the severe earthquake of 1905 in Mussoorie that damaged a large number of buildings including Wynberg.

Again financial help came from an unexpected source when Maharaja of Vizianagram sent a generous gift. All these problems had

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made the school resilience and impervious and it took all these setbacks in its stride, and continued to grow from strength to strength.

India’s tryst with Independence Over all these 125 years, the school has bravely faced ‘good and bad days’, ‘ups and downs’ and ‘successes and failures’ but it nevertheless continued with courage and determination on its onward march. It successfully emerged unscathed through those horrible years of World War I and World War II. As India kept its tryst with independence on 15th August, 1947, the school too wholeheartedly embraced the new culture, yet steadfastly adhered to the bedrock of its Christian principles of charity and compassion. It also successfully filled up the gap when a large number of overseas missionaries, who had earlier constituted the core of its faculty, started

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going away. Their replacements were India-born teachers who too showed their utmost versatility and worked with as much dedication as their predecessors did. Happily, the demand for education in English medium schools dramatically went up with more and more parents wanting their children to be taught in such schools. It is essentially due to the contribution of these English medium schools that English today has become the most recognizable and understood language in the country.

The school is twice blessed The school is twice blessed in as much as all of the chairmen of the Wynberg Home Society were dedicated men of eminence and each had contributed in his own way to the growth of the school. Its current chairman Karan Singha, a senior police officer, enjoys an impeccable reputation and family lineage.

Wynberg-Allen has also been fortunate that it has always had the good fortune of getting some of the highly accomplished, qualified and much dedicated principals. The first Mrs. Burton-West did not boast of any academic qualifications but then she possessed in ample measure all such other qualities that were required at that time; her indomitable courage was infectious and her devotion all-pervasive. Of the 21 principals who had presided over the destiny of the school over all these years, five were women including the legendary Mrs. West.

Happily, almost all the later principals more than proved their mettle in many ways and thus helped in its continued growth.

The distinction of having the longest tenure belonged to Rev. WJ Biggs who remained at the helm of the school from 1940 to 1957.

The current principal Leslie Tindale has been in this hot seat for the past five years and his performance, by common consensus, has been outstanding. Fortuitously, it is also during his term that the school is celebrating its quasquicentennial anniversary.

Raj Kanwar is a Dehra Dunbased author and freelance journalist.

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the protests in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh, Congress on Wednesday made a strong pitch for invocation of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to bring normalcy, insisting at the same time that the decision on Telangana is “irreversible”.

Party spokesman P C Chacko, however, declined to give a time frame for formation of the new state when asked by reporters whether it would be formed before or after the Lok Sabha polls and whether a bill on the issue will be brought in the winter session of Parliament.

Conceding that the situation after the decision on Telangana has become “very complex”, he wanted leaders of all political parties to help create a congenial atmosphere for discussion and dialogue. He alleged that several parties including BJP and TDP were playing “opportunistic politics” on the issue.

Noting that it was the responsibility of the government to bring normalcy, Chacko said that if best efforts to ensure a dialogue fail, then strong action should be taken including invocation of Essential Services Maintenance Act so that common people do not suffer.

Asked whether President’s rule should be imposed on the state, he said that such a situation might come, but was not there at present. “Government of Andhra Pradesh may be finding it difficult, but it is in control.”

To a volley of questions on the attitude of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and whether he was a stumbling block for formation of the new state, he said, “There is scope for such an allegation, but not a fact... Differences we tolerate.”

Chacko also trashed statements of former Andhra DGP Dinesh Reddy critical of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on the statehood issue. “These are very wild allegations. Any responsible person should have made them when he was in charge. It is little irresponsible to make them after retirement.”

On Telangana, he said that the “CWC has taken the right decision at the right time. We still hold that view... All process has gone through. Some people did not dare to take such a decision. We mustered courage... It was a genuine demand.

-IndianExpress

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