E newspaper10182013

Friday, October 18 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 42

Indo American erican News

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Durga Bari Celebrates “Unity Through Respect” at Durga Puja

BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: Autumn is the season when every Bengali’s heart goes pitter patter in anticipation of the upcoming Durga Puja festivities, the biggest celebration of the year when Bengalis behave like Christians behave during Christmas. The spirit of camaraderie, brotherhood and friendly love is steeped in the air and every Bengali tries his best in whatever way possible to participate in these 5 days of activities. Although celebrated over 5 days back home in Bengal, in the US it is mostly curtailed to a weekend event in most cities.

Luckily, Houstonians are spoilt with the Durgabari being around for many, and get to celebrate the Durga Puja in the traditional way over 5 days. In the days when we did not have the Durgabari, Durga Puja was held at the Gandhi Community Center with a few hundred people attending over a weekend.

We have come a long way since then and now under the leadership of priest Dr. Bishnupada Goswami, Durga Puja is held on a grand scale at the Durga Bari every year.

This year the celebrations happened to coincide with the Bengali calendar tithi and festivities began on Sunday, October 6 with Mahalaya (invocation of the goddess), Anandamela (fund-raising for the temple with food stalls selling Bengali culinary delicacies and concert by Sayak Bandopadhyay). Sashthi was celebrated on Thursday, October 10 with Amantran and Adhibas and the evening entertainment was provided by an invited artiste from Kolkata, Jayati Chakrabarti who had a repertoire of Rabindra Sangeet, Atulprasad, Rajanikanto and modern songs to please the audience.

On October 11, 12 and 13, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami

of a Puja mandap in Bengal with beautiful Bengali women in their stunning sarees, handsome men in their crisp kurtas and dhotis, sari, jewelry, book stalls, the blowing of conch shells (shankha) and the rhythmic beats of the dhaak.

Thanks to the able leadership of Soovo Sen, Puja committee chair, the Bayou city was able to live up to this year’s theme “Unity through respect”. Rajiv Saha with his excellent disc jockeying kept the crowd informed, entertained with his great selection of songs and also got everyone to dance on several occasions. Most noteworthy, one could not miss the efficient use of scanning technology to scan registrants’ badges at the food lines and the delectable lip smacking food served at every meal.

Photos: Saurabh Sen Gupta

respectively were celebrated with Chandipath in the morning, Puja, Pushpanjali, Arati and Bhog lunch, and Sandhyarati in the evening.

Each day had its added attraction of evening cultural program, Anupam Roy being the featured artiste from Kolkata on Friday. He kept the younger generation going with his genre of Bengali modern rock songs.

On Saturday, Bollywood singer Jasraj Joshi of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa fame brought the house down with his renditions of popular Bollywood numbers from yesteryear to the present. He delivered Bengali Rabindra Sangeet to sufi medleys to the latest chart busters and came off the stage to the delight of the screaming, dancing audience, mingled with them and lapped up every bit of the adulation and fan-frenzy. He was very ably supported by the rest of the Lambada

band, the extremely talented Reshma (vocals), Rana (vocals, tabla), Manoj Pandya (guitar, only Indian alumnus of the Berkley College of music), and Mahesh Nimbalkar (drums/percussions).

On Sunday, October 13, Bijoya Dashami day is always bittersweet in the sense that there is sadness that the five days of celebrations are coming to an end and the Goddess will be immersed with the Naba Patrika and Bisarjan, but is also accompanied by Sindoor Khela (married women anointing one another with vermilion signifying the departure of the goddess to her in-laws’ abode) and distribution of sweets.

This year the number of registrants at the Puja outnumbered all the previous years and on Saturday there were over 2,000 people on the Durgabari grounds. The entire atmosphere was reminiscent

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Navratri Dhamaal by Gujarati Samaj of Houston

BY MALAY VYAS HOUSTON: October Fest for Indians is very much in vogue.

Starting with Navratri, the next two months take us across cooler climates and festive atmosphere.

The Sanskrit word Navaratri (loosely translated as nine nights) represents the celebration of nine forms of “Shakti devi”. The tenth day is called Vijayadashami or more popularly, Dusshera. As with many other Indian festivals, Navratri is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the country. In the east, it is well known as ‘Durga Puja’ while in the west, its Navaratri. People in Gujarat take part in community ‘Garba-Raas’ dances that go on late in the night.

In some parts of India, Navratri is considered to the set of nine nights that lead to the defeat of Ravana at the hands of Ram and hence Dusshera is celebrated by burning the effigy of Ravana. Elsewhere it’s the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasura. It’s a celebration of the victory of Good over Evil.

Garba, the traditional Gujarati dance is the center piece of Navratri celebrations globally.

Houston is no exception. The Gujarati Samaj of Houston has been instrumental in hosting Garba celebrations in the city for a number of years. Infact the growing popularity of Garba has led to more and more venues and organizations hosting festivities in different parts of the city. However, the Gujarati Samaj Garba has always been the most popular and hence the most sought after Garba event in all of Houston.

This year, the Gujarati Samaj of Houston celebrated Navratri by organizing Garba at three different venues. Aptly titled “Navratri Dhamaal 2013”, this event is the longest running event on the Houston Indian festival calendar, lasting for over ten days. This year, the celebrations started on October 5 at the George Brown Conven-

tion center. During the weekdays, Garba was hosted at the VPSS Haveli on West Bellfort. The second weekend of Navratri was at the Reliant Arena on 11 and 12 of October. An impressive crowd of more than 500 devotees attended Garba during the week days while on weekends, each night averaged about 5000 Houstonians enjoying the Garba. The Gujarati Samaj of Houston specially flew in special singers from India to sing at the Navratri festival.

Besides the Garba and Raas dances, the Gujarati Samaj of Houston also organized special competitions such as “best costume” – awarded to the best dressed male & female participants, “best garba performance” for kids and adults and a unique prize for the best decorated “arti” thaali.

The Garba dance form is performed in a circle around the idol or picture of Goddess Amba.

While at the VPSS Haveli, the Garba were more traditional, the weekend Navratri saw a mix of “teen taali” garba followed by “Eench” – which is a more traditional Garba. “Dandiya-Raas” is always popular as groups gather in pairs and move rhythmically to the dhol beats. Modern avatars of Garba include the ‘Ramjhanyu’ and “Sanedo” which can almost be defined as free style Garba.

Talking to Indo-American News on the event, Nisha Mirani thanked Jugal Malani and family for supporting the event whole-heartedly.

Nisha also commented “such an event, spread over a number of days, is always challenging to host and each and every member of my committee was very helpful in managing this event”. She singled out Ajit Patel, Vice President of Gujarati Samaj, for his outstanding efforts during the entire Navratri celebrations.

Ajit Patel and Nisha Mirani Photos: Image N Motion Studio

She also thanked Sapna Shah, the Secretary of Gujarati Samaj and

varatri.

executive members, Sanjay Chauhan, Amrish Patel, Kalpesh Rana, Bharat Thakkar, Rakesh Shah, Pankaj Patel, Smita Chawala and Harendra Hingu for their hard work that made this event a grand success. Sapna Shah and Smita Chawal also did a fabulous job as the “Arti” Coordinators for the entire event.

A new committee will take charge of the Gujarati Samaj of Houston starting November 15. Nisha Mirani wishes them all the best and the rest of us in Houston will look forward to more events from them in the coming year and eagerly await the next Na-

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COMMUNITY

October 18, 2013

Ramleela at Cullen Performance Hall on Oct 27

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HOUSTON: Indo-Americans in Houston are much awaiting for Oct 27, when the next grand Ramleela comes back to Houston to mark the start of the festive occasion leading to Diwali. Kusum Sharma, the executive director of Shri Natraj School of Dance will stage this show at Cullen performance hall, University of Houston. This is the fourth year such Ramleela will be held at this facility for audience who in the past year have numbered nearly 1500. In the pantheon of Hindu festivals, Diwali probably holds pride of place among Indians in Houston.

The festival of lights falls on November 3, this year.

Ramleela is a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Ram, ending up in a tenday battle between Lord Ram and Ravan, as described in the Hindu religious epic, the Ramayana. A tradition that originates from

the Indian subcontinent, the play is staged annually often over ten or more successive nights, during the auspicious period starting with the Dussehra festival. Usually the performances are timed to culminate on the festival of Vijayadashami day, that commemorates the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana. UNESCO proclaimed the tradition of Ramleela a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Kusum Sharma’s Shri Natraj School started the tradition of Ramleela in Houston in 2005, when they conducted the 1st Ramleela with all female performers including Shri Ram, Hanuman & Ravaan. Since then, each passing year Ramleela has become grandeur and high tech with addition of pyro technics and rigging to increase the visual appeal for the younger generation. This year Shri Natraj School in congregation with Kalakriti Performing Arts, a nonprofit organization, is bringing together a cast of 100 people and numerous props and brilliant costumes for the production, with new episodes, several complex elements added to the play: dances to enhance the story; a narrative projected on a back screen to allow the audience to follow the story. Ramleela 2013 promises to be more exciting and spectacular than ever this year. The chief guest of honor is Consul General of India P. Harish, with the well know Sunil T, from Masala Radio as master of ceremony.

Kusum Sharma expresses her heartiest appreciation to all the supporters, countless volunteers, 100 plus performers and sponsor that have supported the Ramleela in Houston over the years.

For further information and sponsorship contact Kusum Sharma at kusum@shrinatraj.com or visit www.ramleelahouton.org

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COMMUNITY

HOUSTON: The cooler temperatures of October often bring a sense of anticipation of festivals.

Most eagerly awaited amongst these is “Diwali” - the Festival of Lights. Think Diwali and your mind and heart fills up with light, sheer joy and nostalgia of past years. Every Diwali is a milestone of memories and a catalog of stories to be told year after year to families and friends.

Diwali also evokes the buzz of the market place, bazaars lit up with colorful lights, families buying new clothing, jewelry, snacks & sweets. By this time, if you aren’t smelling freshly cooked sweets or aren’t hearing sounds of fire crackers going off every evening, you are not in India!

It’s not just a festival; it’s a state of mind. For the last few years, Masala Radio brings Houston together as a family in the year’s biggest Indian celebration – Houston Diwali Mela, this year to be held on Saturday, November 9, 6-11PM at the Skeeters Stadium.

Masala Radio’s Houston Diwali Mela celebrates the vast diversity of regional Diwali celebrations through India.com’s “Masala Express” - a Bollywood Dance Journey through India, with comedy interludes by Sunil Thakkar and the Crazy Masala Radio Crew. Mercedes Benz of Sugarland presents sizzling Bollywood Fire Dancers.

Tara Energy Fashion & Food Bazaar will fulfill all your shopping needs complete with street foods provided by the most tantalizing ethnic restaurants. Maharaja Jewelers presents the headliner for the evening - Bollywood Icon and Disco King Bappi Lahiri. He will sing something for every generation, from introductory devotional songs, to his Retro Disco Hits, to his very current hit Oh La La. New York Life presents the mesmerizing finale of Fireworks set to upbeat Bollywood instrumentals.

Beyond the mind-blowing stage entertainment, witness traditional activities as soon as you enter the Festival of Lights.

Ethnically dressed women will greet guests with traditional Tilak ceremony, while a Living Statue of Laxmi Goddess of Wealth and an Indian Stilt Walker will formally welcome guests to the event. Dive into Indian culture, from the $1001 Keemat Grocers Rangoli Competition (Indian folk art design) to

October 18, 2013

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religious fervor of the Procession of Hindu Gods by Gujarati Samaj of Houston, followed by a 2501 diyas (candles) Maha Arti

by Hindus of Greater Houston.

Subhlaxmi Groceries will create a nostalgic Indian Bazaar with rare ethnic articles & statues imported specifically for this event. Memorial Herman Sugarland presents a fun Kids Zone with free Carousel, Mechanical Bull Ride, Laser Tag Maze and an inflatable Giant Obstacle Course along with an extensive playground.

So Houston, lets reunite and rekindle that Light in our Hearts, come together in celebration of the festival of festivals – DIWALI – at the Constellation Field, November 9. Doors open at 5PM for open seating with the show starting promptly at 6PM with the lighting of the traditional Diyas by Honorable P. Harish, Consul General of India. Eat, Meet, Greet and Get Entertained! Halo Re Halo!

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October 18, 2013

Navarathri - Celebrating the Feminine Divine at Sri Meenakshi Temple

This year’s Golu at MTS Kalyana Mandapam

BY RANJANA NARASIMAN PEARLAND: ‘This is the season to celebrate, divinity in the feminine form. Each year, during the month of October, starting on the new moon day and for nine nights, Devi, the Goddess manifestation of the ultimate Divinity, is celebrated in a variety of cultural ways all over India. The Hindu diaspora continues this tradition off the shores of India.

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society in Pearland, primarily a Shakthi temple, celebrates this event each year, South Indian style, by creating a colorful and spectacular display called the “Golu” of the multifarious manifestations of the divine..figurines of animal and human forms, the saints, temple deities representing the three predominant streams of worship, the Saiva, Vaishnava and Shakta, the various avataars, the dissolver Shiva and consort Durga, the preserver Vishnu and consort Lakshmi and the creator Brahma and consort Saraswathi. All representing the cyclical nature of the universe, from creation to sustenance to dissolution and back to creation

again. They are displayed on steps showing the different levels of manifestations of the one single divinity called BRAHMAN. On each of the nine nights of Navarathri, the “Golu” display provided a forum and background for the display of local and imported talents in the classical arts, music, dance, and the poetic narration of stories called Katha Kalakshepam.

The focus of this festival’s celebration is the feminine divine form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, symbolic of valor, wealth and wisdom, the three qualities in their purest forms, so desirable on earth, which we know in modern terms as security, economics and education, perhaps, to remind us of our duties of protecting the family, managing economics and striving for knowledge. Each of these feminine forms is devoted three days respectively, culminating in Saraswathi Pooja on the ninth night and Vijaya Dasami on the tenth day. Students are initiated into learning the art form of their choice on the tenth day.

Hundreds of devotees visited the temple to pray, perform and enjoy

Sri Viasalakshi ( Shakthi) with Ganesha and Murugan

during the week. The Friday of Navarathri (Navarathri Vellikizhamai) is the most auspicious for the Goddess, who, on this evening, blesses “Suvasinis”, the young girls, with gifts. In addition to the Golu, the procession deities take on different garbs to depict the many stories from the Puranas (the ancient story books) of the Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shaaktha streams of worship.

Sri Meenakshi Temple, with its primary deity as Goddess Meenakshi along with Lord Sundareshwarar and Lord Venkateshwarar, artistically displayed many tales such as that of Mahisasura Mardhini, VamanaAvataar, Krishna Avataar, M e e n a k s h i ’s Siva Pooja and many others.

Being a temple dedicated to Shakti, the Goddess form of Brahman, the very power that provides the energy needed for manifestation, this festival has become one of its three signature events.

Mahotsavam in spring, Navarathri in fall and Deepavali in winter.

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October 18, 2013

Turnaround Artist and Motivator Buchia Not Afraid to Talk About His Failures

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: One of the proudest awards that Nozer Buchia treasures is the one that he received after he finished talking about his latest book “Roadmap to Success” which he launched at the Zarathushti Heritage and Cultural Center on Sunday, October 6. Two of the people whom he coached a year ago presented him with a Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and it choked Buchia up.

The two men were special to Buchia as they are the President and Vice President of the Leadership Academy of the Carol Vance Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections Prison System located just north of Hwy. 90A and west of Hwy. 6 but they are also prisoners there. The CV Unit, named after the former Harris County District Attorney, is home to the first Christian faith-based prison program started in 1996. The Leadership Academy offers a chance for prisoners who will be released in two years to learn how to succeed on the outside.

“About 6 or 7 years ago, I met Tommy Dorset, the Director of the Academy and he invited me to attend the Business Plan Competition,” recalled Buchia about an event that is held at the Academy every six months. “After the competition I asked if I could address the 300 prisoners there for ten minutes”, he added. Instead, he spoke

Nozer Buchia with the two books that were onsale at the launch and book signing event at the Zoroastrian Association of Houston community center on Sunday, October 6.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

for an hour and received a standing ovation. “You are not defined by your past, you are prepared by it”, he told the group of prisoners.

The prisoners then circulated a petition to have Buchia come back and ever since then, he has done so every month or fortnight. He shares the message of hope that inspires the prisoners to be better prepared to re-enter a world that they have been away from for many years and succeed. “I help the carpenters and electricians to get their licenses and others with their business plan”, Buchia said.

“In fact, one of the videographers

at the Sunday presentation was an ex-felon of the unit”.

The message of hope and perseverance is what has earned Buchia the moniker of “Mr. Motivator” from the time he was just a young boy in Bombay interested in acting in plays. His lack of stage fright let him coach others to get over theirs and he coached them on their performances.

He took the knack and turned it into a calling by earning double Bachelors degrees, followed up with a degree from the Australian Institute of Management, an MBA from Davenport University in Michigan and a certificate from the National Institute of Training in Industrial Engineering.

He has been involved in many businesses - education, real estate, IT, business coach, and speaker – but has earned his wings in motivational speaking and as a turnaround artist in helping businesses return to growth and profits. He left India for Sydney, Australia in 1988 then moved seven years later to Michigan. After seven years

Nozer Buchia receiving the Distinguished Entrepreneur award from Barrim Clifton (left), President and Richard Singleton, Vice President of the Leadership Academy of the Carol Vance Unit.

there, and a two-year stint in Chicago, Buchia moved with his family, wife Persis and son Kyrus to Houston ten years ago. Since then, he has been immersed in producing Gujarati plays, helping businesses, motivational speaking and as a life coach.

The talk at the Center was for the launch of his second book, which he co-authored with Gurus of the speakers circuit, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Ken Blanchard.

The event was sponsored by the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce Houston Chapter and the Zoroastrian Association of Houston Library and drew around 200 people to the community’s 6,000 sf, 20 year-old center on 11 acres on West Airport near the West Beltway. Several members and founders of the Chamber were present, including co-founder Homi Davier, and President Zarir Sethna as well as Library Chair Aban Rustomji. Kyrus Buchia gave an emotional and hilarious introduction to his dad. The event ended with a panel discussion with Bill Sherrill, Jodie Jiles, Burton

Wolf, Eric Menesse and former Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace.

Buchia’s earlier book, “Why Entrepreneurs Really Fail” was released two years ago and contains some gems of insight, like a chapter entitled “The Silent Partner – the Entrepreneur’s Spouse” and another that lists the seven reasons entrepreneurs fail. He is often asked which is the chief reason, and always responds that it is a combination of all seven.

For Buchia, his first book is almost autobiographical as it talks about all the mistakes he made himself. “The biggest one was that I made everyone else a priority in my life, so I became an option”, he remarked. “Emotions have no part a business”, he added. His book is set to be published in India by Bloomsbury Publishing, with a launch roadshow set for later this year. “They loved my book because they said I was not afraid to speak about my failures, which they found very rare and unusual in a business book,” he explained.

Buchia confesses that he has always had a passion for growing people, working with nonperforming and under-performing companies and people and then turning them around and has been a strategic advisor for the last 35 years. He is prone to making the type of soundbites that stick in the mind of his audiences which explains why he has clients for public speaking here in the US, in India, Dubai and worldwide. “Leaders don’t create followers”, he said.

“Leaders create more leaders”.

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At

Sri Meenakshi Temple

Saturday, 26th October, 2013

From 9:00 AM to Midnight PROFESSIONAL FIREWORKS DISPLAY 8:45 P.M. (if no burn-ban)

LAXMI POOJA 7:00 PM Rathotsvam 8:00 PM

GARBA WITH LIVE MUSIC

Display of Utsav Murthis

After Fireworks 9:15 PM.

11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

NEW -Additional Parking in Front

Temple open till 9:30 PM

FREE HEALTH FAIR 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon Registration: 8.30 AM EKG, Dental, Eye Check, Women’s Wellness Check, General medical advice Blood tests: Complete blood count & chemistry/Lipid profile

For more information contact: Event Coordinator Padma Golla pad.golla@gmail.com

Alternate Health Fair

Srikanth Venugopalan srikanthvenu@hotmail.com Dr. P. Vaduganathan pvnathan2008@gmail.com

(For first 50-100 Pooja Roopa Bala roopa@anbsystems.com registrants only.

Overnight fasting Cultural Program Swaroopa Reddy roop7007@yahoo.com recommended for lipid profile) Volunteers Padma Golla pad.golla@gmail.com Cultural Program Rangoli &Art Comp Rajini R rajinirajendran@gmail.com

3:00 PM to 5:30 PM KIDS’ CARNIVAL

4:00 PM to 8:30 PM Train, rockclimbing, Mechanical bull, petting zoo, walking magician, moonwalk

BRAND NEW During Cultural Program Houston Grand Opera will perform a short excerpt from their upcoming opera, River of Light. The story, written by Houstonian Chitra Divakaruni, follows an inter-cultural family as they explore Diwali traditions in Houston.

BOOTHS Clothing, Precious Jewelry, Costume Jewelry, Books, Services, Specialties.

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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October 18, 2013

Happy Diwali and Happy New Year

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DIWALI SUNDAY, NOV 3 RD 2013

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7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Shakotsav Darshan

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October 18, 2013

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2013_Q2_Con2_Fall_FP_AI_FP_Hou_IAN_REV103_Final.indd 1

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10/4/13 10:50 AM

18 October 18, 2013 Legalize Crime Is the Indian polity becoming a Parliament of fouls? According to a TOI report, the figures for serious criminal charges are between 20 and 200 times higher among members of Parliament than among the general population at large.

What is it about Indian politics that makes it so conducive to criminal activity? Is it that it is largely the criminally inclined who are drawn to politics in India? Or is it that the country’s system of politics has become so tainted with illegality that even decent individuals soon find themselves corrupted?

Whatever the reason, India’s Parliament has increasingly come to resemble the local chapter of Mafia Inc. Those who backed the ordinance which sought to overturn the Supreme Court ruling that legislators sentenced for crimes carrying a sentence of two years or more in prison would lose their elected seats may have had a point. If all legislators so sentenced – a la Lalu Prasad – were to lose their seats, Parliament might well find itself so depopulated as to confront the country with a deficiency of democracy.

Pursuing this line of argument it could be reasoned that in order to safeguard our increasingly criminalised democracy, instead of making convicted legislators give up their seats, measures must be taken to ensure that sentenced MPs retain their seats, come what may. In order to do this, it would be necessary to override the SC ruling via a constitutional amendment requiring a two-third majority vote in Parliament.

Towards this laudable end, all political parties must in future field candidates with suitably impressive criminal credentials, and see to it that they get elected, by hook or by crook, quite literally. If voters in a particular constituency are so disobliging as to reject all the candidates because of their criminal records, a re-election fielding the same set of candidates should be held and a satisfactory result obtained by the tried-and-tested expedient of booth-capturing.

Eventually we would get a Parliament composed wholly of criminal elements. Such a Parliament could devise appropriate legislation to solve, once and for all, the vexatious problem of the criminalisation of politics. It would do this by using its supreme legislative authority to decriminalise not politics – not just an impossible task, but also an undesirable one, given the circumstances – but to decriminalise crime itself.

If crime, of all variety, were to be legitimised by parliamentary diktat, not just politics but all of society would at one stroke be made totally, 100% crime-free. Henceforth, state awards and honours would be bestowed on thugs, goons and scamsters who showed the most enterprise and ingenuity. Those displaying the reprehensible and anti-social traits of honesty and uprightness would be suitably punished for their errant ways.

Outlawry would be the order of the day, and dishonesty would not only be the best policy but the only policy. A Parliament full of MPs – Mafia Politicos – would ensure this. Criminals of India unite, you have nothing to lose but your crimes.

Jug Suraiya, Times of India

EDITORIAL

Welfare Haves and Have-Nots

BY JAITHIRTH RAO

The government seems determined to create a de-industrialised moonscape across India.

We have seen a spate of rights-based welfare schemes being started by our omniscient and honourable Sultanate in Delhi. I am sure I am getting the names of our new laws wrong. But, what’s in a name? Right to Poor Quality Education Act, Right to Carbohydrates Act, Right to Village Control over Forests and Mines Act are doubtless “welfare-inducive”.

Those of us who live far away from Delhi may lament that these laws will destroy our society. This may not happen in two or three years. But over 20 or 50 years, clientelist societies get there.

In the old BBC miniseries Smiley’s People, there is a scene in a de-industrialised landscape in Europe where a bunch of punk welfare recipients live. They are surly and aggressive and indulge in gratuitous violence, breaking up visitors’ cars and cannibalising. In V.S. Naipaul’s Magic Seeds, in his spare, unemotional style, he weaves the narrative of poorly educated single women in Britain responding to the perverse incentive provided by the state to keep having more children out of wedlock, children who in turn will be badly educated. When such welfare programmes were started, they were definitely well intentioned. But over time, they corrode the moral basis of society. Obviously, we need to help single mothers who are poor. But if we do it as a programme, we run the risk of the horror show that Naipaul presents.

I had a dream — possibly a nightmare — of India in 30 years. Half the population live in towns/ cities, are educated and work. The other half live in villages, are not educated, do not work — they live off welfare and subsidies. An internal visa system prohibits villagers from entering towns and cities. We tell them that they are being paid so that they do not get violent or revolt. When city dwellers visit villages as part of quaint tourism, they are accompanied by security forces. Our internal security budget, a prerequisite for ensuring that the poor remain where they are, consumes increasing amounts of money. Finally, everything falls apart.

Our stupidity is entirely self-inflicted.

Our state thinks of the poor as objects of charity, as if they have no agency of their own. In the latest government suggestions, they plan to use assets and other

I had a dream — possibly a nightmare — of India in 30 years.

Half the population live in towns/ cities, are educated and work. The other half live in villages, are not educated, do not work — they live off welfare and subsidies. criteria to define who is below the poverty line (BPL). Two suggestions are in play.

One, those who have toilets inside their homes will not be classified as BPL and hence will not get support under several welfare schemes. What do you think that does to the decision-making process of a poor family just about to build an internal toilet? Two, a family where any individual has a permanent account number with income tax authorities will be classified as non-BPL. What does this do to some family members who desire to earn more legitimately and become taxpayers? But their desires and aspirations as individuals do not count. They just belong to that amorphous mass of BPL families whom we fear.

We are shutting down mines and our few factories, convinced that these actions are pro-poor. We de-industrialise Coimbatore and Ludhiana, by forcing 16-18 hour power cuts on them, even before we have successful industrialisation.

Incidentally, while by no means the only one, power-cuts were a significant factor in de-industrialising West Bengal. Some 20 years ago, I had gone to pay a visit to Mr Dugar, who was my company’s landlord in Kolkata. After several generations of Dugars doing business in difficult terrains in Assam, he was busy selling his tea gardens in Assam and buying some

in Munnar. I congratulated him on the improvement of the power situation in Kolkata. “Dugar saab, ab to power cuts ka problem chala gaya hai, aapke Kalkatte mein.” He actually started crying.

“Rao saab, aisa mat kahiye. Kalkatte key sab kaarkhaane band ho gaye hain. Isi liye power ka problem kum ho gaya hai.

Yeh koi tareeka hai power cut ki samasya ko solve karne ka? Yeh to bahut hee bura hua hai.”As you look at the chunks of land all around Kolkata, Howrah, Sealdah, Garden Reach, where factories are shut, the equipment is rusting, grass is growing in areas that were earlier paved, one begins to understand Dugar. In the coming years, get prepared to see these sights in other parts of the country too. There is a saying: What Bengal thinks/ does today, the rest of India thinks/ does tomorrow.

We are determined to create a de-industrialised moonscape across India. All of India in 2035 could, and probably will, look like Bengal does today.

The writer is a Mumbai-based entrepreneur

Who Said It First?

BY COOMI KAPOOR Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh accused Narendra Modi of being a copycat, saying he stole his quote about toilets being more important than temples.

Modi made his remark on October 2 this year while Ramesh expressed the same sentiment back in October 2012, when he held charge of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

At that time, a number of BJP leaders had criticised Ramesh. “Modi has woken up 22 years later (a reference to the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition),” Ramesh crowed Actually, Modi had made the same remark even before Ramesh, in Amreli, Gujarat, in 2010. Addressing a large gathering, in order to emphasise the importance of development, Modi had stated that building of toilets must precede temple construction.

Amit Shah, then Modi’s MoS, Home, who was present, had not taken kindly to his leader’s remarks since he felt they offended Hindutva sentiment. He had staged a walkout in protest.

Indian Express

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October 18, 2013

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HOUSTON: Nepalese from the greater Houston area celebrated the 10 day festival of Dusshera at Taj Hall on Friday, October 11. The annual event was organized by the Nepalese Association of Houston (NAH). Dusshera, or “Dashain” as known in Nepali, is the greatest festival for Nepalese people that is celebrated for 10 days. Dashain commemorates a great victory of the gods over the wicked demons.

One of the victory stories told is the Ramayan, where lord Ram was able to defeat Ravana, the fiendish king of demons, only when goddess Durga was evoked. In yet polupar story related to Dahain, goddess Durga herself slayed Mahisasur bringing an end to the terror spread by the demon Mahisasur.

According to Dr. Rupak Rauniar, the general secretary of Nepalese Association, “Dashain is celebrated with great rejoice, and goddess Durga is worshiped throughout in Nepal and abroad, as the divine mother goddess.” Dr Rauniar further elaborated as per the core mission of NAH, celebrating Dahain in Houston with various cultural programs and events help to preserve our tradition, culture, and belief. The cultural program for the evening included recital of Durga Stuti or prayer, poems, folk dance performances, traditional songs, and other program that was performed by young children and adults. The event also recognized young Nepalese children for their academic and extra-curricular achievements. The event

was attended by over 300 guests.

President of the NAH, Madhukar Amatya commenced the program with Dashain Greetings. Delivering his welcome remarks, Amatya said that NAH was pleased to organize such cultural events in the city of Houston to exchange Dashain greetings and to wish good health, peace, happiness, and prosperity. 8 year old Shashank Shrestha from Clear Lake was recognized as the winner of children art competition during the event.

Similarly, Samir Rawal was recognized for his invaluable contribution to NAH and Nepalese community in Houston. The event was sponsored by Bank of America and other various small businesses owned or operated in Houston by Nepalese. Guests appreciated the lively environment in the hall, enjoyed Nepali dishes and danced to Nepali tunes. Foreign guests also danced with Nepali guests to enjoy Dashain festivity. Guests thanked the NAH for organizing such an enthusiastic and lively program to promote Nepali culture and solidarity among the people. The program lasted for about 6 hours.

To mark the 9th day of Dashain celebration, NAH also organized Maha-Navami puja on Sunday, October 13 at the Shri Krishna Pranami and Pashupatinath Temple located in the Richmond area.

The event included Durga prayers led by the two priests of the temple, Nau (or Nine) Kumari (or Kanya) puja, Vishwokarma Puja, and the Garba dance. The temple is a joint collaboration between the Gujarati community of Pranami faith and the Nepalese community. Dinkar Amatya, President of the temple committee, stressed the importance preserving the rich religion, culture, and tradition of India and Nepal by organizing such events at the temple. During the event, both Nepalese and the Gujarati guests at the temple participated in each other’s ritual to celebrate the great holy day of Maha-Navami.

HCC Trustee Neeta Sane Endorsed by Chronicle for Re-election

HOUSTON: Neeta Sane, who has been serving as a trustee of Houston Community College for the past six years, has received the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle for her re-election for HCC Trustee District VII. Several other entities, public officials and community members have also given their backing and endorsement in support of Neeta’s re-election and continued service to HCC and the community.

Over the past six years, Neeta has been instrumental in bringing educational and workforce training programs in the growing regions of the Greater Houston area.

Neeta Sane, Houston Community College Trustee – District VII

She also launched scholarship programs and initiated leadership summit for students. To enhance local partnerships, she held summits to facilitate dialogue with local school districts, industry partners and community members to align educational offerings with the job opportunities of 21st century.

People who reside in HCC District VII- Stafford, Missouri City and Alief can vote for Neeta Sane for HCC Trustee District VII. Early voting is from Oct.21 to Nov. 1 and the Election Day is Nov. 5, 2013. Voting locations are on www.NeetaSane.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

October 18, 2013

IMAGH Brings Meeting of Minds in Foster’s Historic Home

Dr. Maqbool Haq, Abeezar Tyebji, Yan Digilov, Dr. Moyeen Haque and Latafath Hussain at the high tea meeting held at the home of attorney Charles Foster and his wife Lily.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: The Indian Muslims Assoc. of Greater Houston met this past Sunday afternoon, October 13 for high tea at the home of immigration attorney Charles Foster, who is also the Chairman of the Asia Society, Houston.

Foster and his wife Lily opened up their 100 year-old on Courtlandt place in the Westmoreland Historic District for the meeting which was attended by about two dozen members and supporters of the organization. The tea was held in the mesh covered outdoor patio of the Foster’s home, which can only be accessed from a short connector just before the Southwest Freeway starts in Montrose.

IMAGH President Latafath Hussain has been on a tear for the past year trying to get the organization more exposure for its efforts in building a seniors’ group, called Club 65 chaired by Fakhruddin Sabir and also a likewise group for the younger generation headed by Dr. Moyeen Haque. Club 65 recently held a picnic for its members and more activities are planned.

Close to the heart of the IMAGH is the desire to build a seniors living facility and community center, which was outlined earlier this year when the Club held its first meetings. The thoughts have been further refined by Chairman of the Board of Advisors Abeezar Tyebji who showed the ideas with the help of a PowerPoint presentation in the foyer of the Foster’s home.

Dr. Maqbool Haq, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the IMAGH handed out honorary lifetime membership certifi-

The audience listened attentively in the foyer of the home.

cates to IMAGH to the Fosters, his partner Gordon Quan and his wife Sylvia and to Yan Digilov.

Tayebji has recruited the help of Yan Digilov, a young first generation Jewish immigrant who came to the US as a child with his parents as refugees from the Russian Caucuses region. He received his degrees in math and economics from Rice University but after being in the corporate world for a couple of years realized that his passion was in helping people and went to

work as the Chief Local Strategist at the Dharma Charitable Strategies. In this role, he explained how he has worked with disparate new immigrant groups to formulate a way for them to preserve their culture and cohesiveness. “The question for me is why you want to build a center,” he challenged the group, “and I can show you how”.

The event, which included people of different faiths and organization affiliations ended after a spirited exchange of ideas and discussion.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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India’s Raphael too is the God that Heals

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT What is RAPHAEL? What does it mean? In standard Hebrew, it is Rafael, meaning “A God who heals” or “God Heals” or even “God, Please Heal”. In brief, RAPHAEL is an archangel of Judaism and Christianity who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all kinds of healing miracles.

Here in Dehra Dun too, RAPHAEL is a local ‘god’ who, over the past 55 years, has been performing innumerable acts of healing and curing countless children, sick or intellectually challenged or disabled in different ways, some abandoned while others voluntarily admitted by their hapless and desperate parents.

RAPHAEL’s beginning was rather modest as were its legendary founders, Group Captain Leonard Cheshire and wife Sue Ryder. To begin with, a cluster of tents were set up by volunteers from India and Australia on an expansive 23acre jungle of tall Sal trees across the river bed from Mohini Road in Dalanwala. Originally, it was only intended to treat and cure leprosy (Hansen’s disease) patients and protect their children from catching the dreaded infection.

From a small sapling, it has grown over all these years into a giant Banyan tree, thanks to the untiring efforts of its founding parents and the later day trustees who, without exception, nurtured it with utmost devotion and tender care.

Today, RAPHAEL encompasses within its fold numerous activities and with over 100 staffers it caters to around 170 children and adults, and is one of the few non-profit entities in the country that religiously caters to the demanding needs of the hundreds of people afflicted with multiple disabilities.

In fact, “providing relief and succor to the sufferer is its very raison d’être,” says Air Marshal (Retd) Brijesh Jayal, the current chairman of RAPHAEL’s governing council. “Over these years, we have ‘Cured’ 110 leprosy patients. Forty of them are still living with us; three of them were in the very first batch that came here. We provide here a dignified living to such ‘Cured’ patients, who are not even welcome by their own families,” adds Jayal.

34 children now happily employed “Unfortunately, even the children of these ‘cured’ patients are treated as ‘outcastes’, and are not being accepted by the society.

These children even have had problems in their schools, but we at RAPHAEL with dogged perseverance have got them educated and even trained in different vocations and occupations. Seventeen daughters of the ‘Cured’ have become nurses; some of the other

BD Jayal

Lord Cheshire and Lady Sue Ryder

children have joined the army and hospitality industry, and they all seem to be doing well. Today, 34 of these children are usefully and gainfully employed in different parts of the country; they do feel an obligation of sorts towards Raphael and always trying to give something back to the society,” adds Brig (Retd) AAS Sinha, Raphael’s chief executive officer.

It nestles amidst lush green foliage Across Rispana Nadi on Mohini Road, the Raphael campus nestles amidst lush green foliage. Its quietude is somewhat illusory, since the 25-acre campus bustles with continuous and multifaceted activities that are carried out in its numerous sections.

There is a ‘Special Education Wing’ that works with ‘intellectually disabled children’; it is headed by an experienced psychologist and supported by a principal, coordinators, supervisors and support staff. Another wing known as Shiv Sadan is the abode of the ‘cured’ leprosy patients. Yet, another Wing called ‘Little White House’, houses the children of the ‘cured’ who attend regular schools in the city. A TB hospital is an important part of Raphael’s multifarious activities. It has an outdoor patient department (OPD); here the success rate is over 85 per cent. Its exclusive ward for drug-resistant TB patients is somewhat different; the treatment-period for such patients is 24 months and costs conservatively Rs. 80,000 per patient.

Raphael has successfully treated 19 such patients from its own resources during the past five years.

Raphael has staff strength of over 100 and caters on daily basis to all the needs of its 370 disabled children and adults; they include 135 children and adults on the rolls of ‘community-based rehabilitation programme’. It has an annual approximate budget of Rs. one crore.

It is a 100 per cent charitable organization and has had the privilege of being funded by numerous agencies and organizations. Some committed donations are received annually from Overseas Ryder Cheshire Foundation in Australia and New Zealand. The UK partially supports its TB programme. The government of India too chips in with grant-in-aid for specific projects. Additionally, many individuals and institutions in India and abroad too are generous donors.

Raphael has also devised some interesting schemes in order to attract donors. Its ‘sponsor a meal’ scheme introduced a few years ago has become very popular; if it is the birthday of your son, daughter or a grandchild or any anniversary, you could donate about Rs. 2500 that will meet the cost of a meal to about 170 residents and day scholars. Last week I grabbed this privilege with both hands and donated Rs. 10,000 for meals on behalf of four of us.

Raphael has, right from day one, been attracting volunteers both from India and abroad. They work, along with the Raphael staff, in the special school for the intellectually disabled children or in the rehabilitative workshop. At times, physiotherapists or speech or occupational therapists volunteer their services.

Raphael has logged many outstanding achievements in the past 10 years. A few months ago, it was declared as one of the top four NGOs in medium category (with revenue expenditure between Rs. one and five crores) by Resource Alliance Rockefeller Foundation and EdelGive Foundation. The National Trust had also declared it as the best NGO in India in 2011 for its work in the fields of autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities.

Air Marshal Jayal, who has been at its helm since 2004, is justifiably upbeat about the growth of Raphael in the numerous fields of its activities. This is much evident from the way Raphael has been successfully meeting its various obligations to the disabled. No wonder, hundreds of concerned world citizens are more than willing to extend their helping hand to Raphael.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Raj Kanwar is a Dehra Dun-based author and freelance journalist.

October 18, 2013

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Band Gobi Aur Mutter ki Sabzi (Sauteed Cabbage & Peas) Cabbage is a vegetable that is both quite inexpensive and has a lot of volume when cooked, which explains why it is so popular worldwide among the working class. It is a hardy vegetable that is closely related to broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts and grows in medium temperature in nitrogen rich soil, though some varieties grow in colder regions.

Cabbage has been cultivated for over 2,500 years and cabbage dishes are made all over the world. The Chinese pickle it; in Eastern Europe it is often boiled and cooked with meats; the Germans make sauerkraut from it and in the US, the most common use is making cole slaw served with barbeque.

There are several types of cabbages available, but the most common are the purple and the green ones.

The red one is best eaten pickled – I will provide the recipe later.

In India, cabbage is called band gobi or closed flower as opposed to phul gobi (literally open flower) for cauliflower. Although not as nutty flavored as cauliflower, cabbage is rich in vitamins K, C and Riboflavin as well as calcium and phosphorus. It helps clear the waste from the stomach, improves digestion and reduces constipation. In home remedies, cabbage is believed to help relief many ailments like warts, pneumonia, appendicitis and ulcers.

Many people do not like the taste of band gobi but when cooked with peas and/or waddian (dried lentil dumplings), this Punjabi dish is quite flavorful and I’m sure you will start to appreciate cabbage. The soft stalk, when peeled can even be eaten raw or chopped into a salad.

Ingredients: • I medium size green band gobi (cabbage) • 1.5 cups of frozen mutter (peas) • 2 tbsp tael (olive oil or vegetable oil) • 1 tsp sarson ke til (mustard seed)

• •

½ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) Spices to taste: 1 tsp namak (salt), 1 tsp mirch (red pepper), ½ tsp garam masala

Directions: 1. Cut off the any shredded or wilted leaves and then cut the head into four quarters. Now chop the quarters into smaller 1.5 inch pieces.

Cut out the hard center spine of the leaves and throw them away as they do not cook well.

2. Place the copped cabbage in a strainer and wash it in cold water and let it sit and drain for a while.

3. Warm the oil in a karai or wok over medium heat and add the turmeric and mustard seeds. When slightly roasted, throw in the chopped cabbage and mix well. Add the salt and pepper, stir, then cover and let it cook in its own steam for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Reduce the heat to low, remove the cover and check if the cabbage has become tender and is not crunchy.

Now add the peas, mix and cover

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5. Check if there is any water in the dish; if there is, then remove the cover and let the dish cook, stirring so that it does not stick. When there is no more water and the cabbage is tender, turn the heat off and let it sit half-covered for ten minutes.

6. Sprinkle with the garam masala before serving. This dish goes well with hot rotis or rice.

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

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ENTERTAINMENT

October 18, 2013

Movie Review : Boss

BY RENUKA VYAVAHARE Story: Satyakanth Shastri (Mithun) is the righteous father, who adores his ‘sanskari’ younger son but disowns the elder, as he resorts to violence to fight injustice. They part ways and the ethical but short-tempered son grows up to become Boss (Akshay Kumar) - a contract killer who learns to laugh in the face of adversity. Do they reunite?

Review: ‘Apne ko kya hai, apne ko toh bus paani nikalna hain’ is Boss Akshay’s punch line in the movie.

If you rephrase it a little with ‘Apne ko toh bus Akshay Kumar ka stunts

dekhna hai’, then Boss is a ‘kick-ass’ entertainer.After all, we all know who the Boss of action in Bollywood is.

A remake of 2010 Malayalam film, Pokkiri Raja, Boss is a formulaic action comedy. There are truckloads of stunts throughout and whatever falls in between constitutes the plot so don’t expect logic. It seems the action was probably chalked out before and the 70’s-like melodramatic story was inserted later as filler, which explains why most characters end up being silent spectators, once Akshay makes an entry. The very vicious ACP Ayushman Thakur (Ronit Roy, brilliant)

in particular gets easily outplayed by our Haryanvi hero. The romantic track between Shiv Pandit and Aditi Rao Hydari is terribly inconsequential.

To cut a long story short, Boss solely relies on Akshay’s star power and he carries the film on his shoulders with aplomb. It’s his dialoguebazi and filmygiri that make you smile, no matter how corny the oneliners. He climbs the walls at a lightning speed like a Spiderman, jumps over rooftops, trucks and makes his way in a crowded place by walking over the heads of his enemies. He makes gravity-defying stunts look believable. We particularly liked this elaborate chase sequence which looks like it’s been shot in one-take. From cracking of bones to the crunching of chanas that the villain munches on, the sound effects add to the intensity of the slowmo stunt scenes.

Mithun Chakraborty goes overboard with his preachy Nirupa Roy-esque character and is thus unintentionally funny. Ronit Roy has a superb presence. Sadly, he gets meagre footage.

Aditi Rao Hydari and Shiv Pandit are used as mere props.

-Timesofindia

25

Action and Dance in R... Rajkumar Took a Toll on Shahid Kapoor

MUMBAI: Shahid Kapoor says shooting action and dance sequences for R... Rajkumar was so tough that he injured himself while performing these.

“We were doing a lot of action, and before this film started he (director Prabhu Deva) looked at me and said, ‘Shahid, you are going to be really tired after the film, so take a long holiday’,” Shahid said.

“I didn’t take him seriously then, but when we were shooting the film, I realised how taxing it is going to be. There is a lot of action and dance in the film and literally, almost every part of my body was injured,” he added.

However, like everyone else

Shahid is also a great fan of Prabhu Deva’s dance and calls him a true genius when it comes to dancing.

“I must say that the way Prabhu sir choreographs and dances, being a dancer I can say it is amazing and I am a fan. I am really lucky to be choreographed by him,” the 32-year-old said.

“He is a genius in the true sense.

The attention to details he pays in dancing, the style of dance he has, the way he conceives things is so original and exciting,” he added.

R...Rajkumar, which also features Sonakshi Sinha is slated for a December 6 release.

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STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

India Trumps China for Brazil Offshore Block

NEW DELHI: India has trumped China in acquiring a stake in a deep offshore block in Brazil, with stateowned ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) jointly acquiring Brazil’s Petróleo Brasileiro SA’s (Petrobras) 35% stake in the BC-10 block in the Campos Basin for around $1.54 billion (around Rs.9,440 crore) along with Royal Dutch Shell Plc. “ONGC Videsh, through its affiliates, signed definitive agreements to acquire a 12% participating interest in Block BC-10, Campos Basin, Deep Offshore Brazil, as part of the sale of 35% share made by Petrobras,” Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) said in a statement on Monday.

Prior to the transaction, the stakes of Shell, Petrobras and OVL were 50%, 35% and 15%, respectively. The Brazilian firm entered an agreement with China’s Sinochem in August for offloading its 35% stake for $1.54 billion.

This led to Shell and OVL exercising their pre-emptive rights to secure the stake for which OVL’s share would be $529.03 million for its 12% stake. With this acquisition, OVL will have 27% stake in the Parque das Conchas block, the licence for which ends in December 2032.

This comes in the backdrop of Indian and Chinese firms involved in a race for securing resources overseas to fuel the growing demand

of their respective economies. An earlier attempt by OVL to buy ConocoPhillips’ 8.4% stake in Kazakhstan’s Kashagan offshore oil field was scuttled by China, with the Kazakhstan government exercising its rights to buy the shares on offer. It was later sold off to China.

“The acquisition of additional PI (participating interest) in the block is subject to approval of the Brazilian antitrust and regulatory authorities,” the statement said.

OVL has been ramping up its overseas portfolio. The development in Brazil comes in the backdrop of recent stake acquisitions in Mozambique’s Rovuma 1 offshore block, said to be the largest gas discovery off Africa’s east coast, with estimated recoverable reserves of 35-65 trillion cu. ft (tcf).

Overall, OVL has a portfolio of 32 assets across 16 countries. It invested $16.75 billion in acquiring these assets. The need for diversification of supplies is critical for India as it imports more than 80% of its energy requirements.

India, the world’s fourth largest energy-consuming nation, imports 80% of its crude oil and 25% of its natural gas requirements. It trails behind the US, China and Russia, accounting for 4.4% of the global energy consumption.

India’s energy demand is expected to more than double by 2035, from less than 700 million tonnes

of oil equivalent (mtoe) now to around 1,500 mtoe, according to the oil ministry’s estimates.

In a separate development, OVL won two onshore blocks of the 18 that were bid out by the Myanmar government for exploration. These blocks are B2 (Zebyutaung-Nandaw) and EP-3 (Thegon-Shwegu).

“Block B2, having an area of 16,995 sq. km, is located in Northern Myanmar, bordering the state of Manipur in India, and Block EP-3, having an area of 1,650 sq. km, is located in Central Myanmar,” ONGC said in the statement.

Mint reported about OVL’s successful bid on Saturday. OVL has a presence in resource-rich Myanmar with interest in five blocks and has invested $565 million in the country. Myanmar had received 75 expressions of interest for these 18 blocks and shortlisted 59 companies for final bids. A total of 31 foreign companies are working in Myanmar along with state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.

“The acquisitions of producing and exploratory assets reflect the success of the strategy adopted by the company to quickly add reserves/production through a balanced portfolio approach,” OVL chairman Sudhir Vasudeva said in the statement.

While OVL hopes to acquire 20 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of capacity in overseas assets by 2020, India’s efforts at energy security have been a mixed bag in the backdrop of faltering domestic production.

“OVL is currently producing 160 thousand barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas per day and has total oil and gas reserves of about 433 mtoe as on 31 March 2013,” according to the statement.

-Livemint

Air India: Set for Privatisation

Air India may be spending a lot of money on a splashy advertisement campaign on television channels to woo customers but the picture on the ground tells a very different story.

The airline was forced to cancel its Chennai-Singapore flight as a captain of another flight reported sick and the carrier diverted one pilot to run the other’s full flight.

“Sick reporting during weekends has become a regular affair,” moaned a senior AI official.

And this is serious when Chennai will soon be the base for AirAsia India, due to start operations.

Aviation minister Ajit Singh’s recent comments that privatising AI could be one of the last options left to save the bleeding national carrier has got strong backing from experts. While the minister’s comments raised a political storm many believe it is the politician-bureaucrat nexus that is making taxpayers repeatedly support a bleeding airline that once was India’s pride.

With losses of more than `7,500 crore in 2011-12 and accumulated losses exceeding `30,000 crore, the airline has outlived a 2010 report by Booz & Co said it was headed for a “point of no return.”

“The concept of national car-

rier is irrelevant and outdated. To keep running the airline at the cost of taxpayer’s money is ridiculous.

Privatisation looks inevitable,” said an aviation ministry official.

Experts say Air India should follow the footsteps of now-privatised state airlines such as British Airways, KLM,Alitalia and Lufthansa.

“With the carrier expected to post continued losses, we expected that the next government that takes office in 2014 will finally bite the bullet and commence the privatisation of AI, ” said a recent report by aviation consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

127

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FESTIVAL

Golu Festivities Around Town

Below are few experiences of our readers about their Golu celebrations.

Rahitha Ram

RAHITHA RAM KATY: Kolu or Golu in Tamil means Divine Presence. It’s an artistic display of dolls during the Navrathri feastival. Kolu is adorned with dolls – predominantly with that of the gods and goddesses depicting mythology. The dolls( mostly wooden but can also be made of plastic, metals these days) are placed on odd numbered steps made of wood/metal.

The underlying belief in arranging these Navratri dolls on the tier is to depict that Goddess Durga or Mahishasuramardini is sitting in her Golu, prior to the slaying of the demon Mahishasura. When people come to a person’s house to see the Kolu, usually they are given prasad (the offering given to God that day), kumkum and a small bag of gifts. These are only given to girls and married women.

“Golu for me is that time of the year when you set up the) house with beautiful dolls, decorate them ) with varied colors. As a growing up girl, Golu was a big deal in my ) placcomfort house, decoratingwith... the steps, ) hoping the dolls, eating sundal, ) ) ping houses, singing for them,

dressed in pavadais, was all part of tive season bring a spiritual and social experience. lots of joy to evCelebrating festivals, I believe eryones family, is a major part of accessing your Happy Navrathri! roots. Here is my Golu (picture ARCHANA above), trying to recreate those SHARMA times and starting our own tradiHOUSTON: tions to create our own memo- Golu is an exries. Happy Navarathri to you! hibition of dolls RADHA STAN that is typically SUGAR LAND: Navrathri seen in the homes Golu, a religious fervor celebrates of South Indian the path of victory of good over families during evil, the right over the wrong. Navaratri festival.

For me this festival brings out the If I ask my grandcreativity of all members of the mother what is family by show casing it in their the significance Golu step up. It always provided of golu, she would me an extraordinary visual experi- say in Tamil, ence viewing golu taking different “Sakshath paraArchana Sharma with her 22 months old daughter Laasya forms in different houses and tem- mathma ve namples. I have always loved to par- ma veetku vantake in the visits in my grand saris dutar” i.e. divine tils salad), singing/dancing etc... with parents who willingly bring to take sandal paste and kumkum goddess has arrived to our home Golu to me is nine days of pure new dolls every year to add to my and be honored by being given co- through the display of dolls. That fun with family and friends. I en- collection and my husband who conut, fruits, sweets, small mirror, is essentially what I have grown up joy every aspect - the creativity in helps me set it up every year, and kumkum, turmeric, comb, beetle believing in. Thinking about golu setting up the golu, cooking deli- even built custom-wooden fiveleaves with supari.

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LETTER

October 18, 2013

Open Letter to Sachin Tendulkar

BY MALAY VYAS Dear Tendulkar, A couple of weeks ago, a Texans player played with a bloody nose in a football game at Reliant Stadium but a few thousand cricket fans living in Houston remember the original bloody nose. We remembered you from the time you bled on Doordarshan. I had a black & white TV, so the blood actually appeared to be a dark spot on your white shirt. I believe this was in 1989, at Sialkot, playing Pakistan in your first test series. Waqar Younis’s bouncer hit your nose, you fell, you got up and hit the next ball for four. Even in the grainy reception from a terrace mounted antennae, your determination was easy to see. You were no ordinary sixteen year old. A few days later, in an unofficial limited overs game, you smote Abdul Qadir for 28 runs in an over, scoring 53 off 18 in a losing cause but you had arrived.

You recently announced a watershed event in history of Indian sports, your retirement. An announcement that replaced discussions over the US government shut down in South Asian households.

An announcement that overshadowed the cyclone in Orissa or the 2014 general elections. No one even murmured about India’s 72 run loss to Australia in the first ODI of the on going series. Everyone was left to think of life after Sachin. There is a generation of us adoring fans who grew up with you. Along came the “god of the off-side”, Saurav Ganguly; “the wall” Rahul Dravid and the “Very Very Special” Laxman but you, my friend, are you. Your batting was what made youngsters dream, your wicket was stuff that nightmares were made off.

The game virtually ended when you were back in the pavilion.

80% of Indians believe in 33,000 gods but 100% Indians believe in you. If we follow Cricket as a religion, you are the “god”. There’s no one else who deserves to wear the number 10 jersey in cricket but you… there’s Pele in Soccer and there’s you in Cricket. We were not surprised when Bradman thought that you reminded him of his days. From your first century at Perth, yes, that fighting 114 in a losing cause to your final over in Hero Cup semifinals, to your back to back tons in Sharjah to knock Australia over and your century against Kenya in 1999 Worldcup after your father’s demise, each ball, each stroke has been special. Your methodical demolition of Shane Warne and your way of counter-attacking fearsome fast bowlers from across the border was a shot in the arm for the Indian Cricket fan. You cannot imagine the pride we felt seeing you on the cover of the Time magazine.

If the 1990’s saw you rub shoulders with legends like Kapil Dev (yes, the Boost commercial on

TV), the 2000’s saw you mentoring the younger cricketers. For us, the 2003 World Cup was won when we beat Pakistan at Centurion, more importantly ‘that’ six over point off Shoaib Akhtar’s 100 mile per hour delivery on your way to 94. Your guiding light in the two finals of the 2007/2008 CAB Series finals against the might Australians led us to believe after the disappointment of the 2007 World Cup. And the dream came true in 2011. The World Cup was for you.

We’ve seen you struggle in the last few years but hope is one thing we cant let go off when we see you come out to bat. After November, you will be missing from the Indian team line up, a strange phenomenon seen first

time in 24 years. Some believe that BCCI has staged the West and some think that you should have retired earlier but then Cricket in India can be played a billion ways.

Life will not be the same but you will be at the forefront of sporting thoughts sometimes appearing verbally when a south Asian parent shouts out “Come on Sachin” to their kid at bat on a baseball field. Your straight drive will still be remembered as smooth as silk and that flick to midwicket off quickies like Akram, Donald or Gough will still ring out in the cricket world. Mr. Tendulkar, we wont be sad when you are gone but we will smile because you “happened” to the cricket world.

All the best for the years to come.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

31

32 October 18, 2013 India Succumbs to Australia’s Pace in First ODI

BY ABHISHEK PUROHIT PUNE (ESPN Cricinfo): Australia showed just why they have been so successful in ODIs in India, and just why India’s usual template of chasing anything their profligate bowlers concede often comes short against the visitors. Their batsmen powered their side over 300 on a slow and, at times, uneven pitch.

Their fast bowlers then extracted appreciable bite from the same pitch and used the short ball intelligently to finish the contest by the end of the batting Powerplay. Tellingly, India have never successfully chased 300-plus against Australia, and this was their 11th failed attempt, this time against a side lacking several first-choice players.

The only time India looked relatively comfortable was during the 71-run third-wicket partnership between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who was promoted to No 4 ahead of Yuvraj Singh. Shikhar Dhawan had gone early and Rohit Sharma had given away yet another start. The asking-rate was above seven an over, but the duo was keeping up with it. Raina has never hidden his ambition of batting up the order, but that will have to be backed by a curbing of his urge to go for the glory swipe over midwicket, a stroke that serves him well while finishing an innings. He’d seemed to have weathered the inevitable early short-ball test to motor to 39 before he tried the shot MS Dhoni was bowled by Clint McKay, India v Australia, 1st against James Faulkner and Pune, October 13, 2013. mishit to third man. India were 137 for 2 when Raina of full deliveries before squaring by Shane Watson. Three succesfell; they would crumble to 232. him up with a shortish one and in- sive short balls - the last of which Mitchell Johnson hadn’t played ducing a poke to the wicketkeeper. Kohli went to pull and missed the Rajkot T20 in which India Kohli looked the most solid of the were followed by a good length chased 200-plus. He took the first India batsmen and made the most delivery. Kohli played across new ball tonight and delivered runs for his side, playing with his the line and was trapped in front. a searing spell of extreme pace, usual limited-overs solidity. As he Ravindra Jadeja had raced hitting speeds over 150kph regu- went past fifty, Kohli seemed to be through his overs to deliver a miserlarly. He also took the key wicket hitting the cruise mode that he gets ly analysis of 10-0-35-1, but faced of Yuvraj, the architect of the Ra- in during big chases. His defence with varied fast bowling under jkot win who came in at Raina’s was as sure as his driving, but even pressure, he again came across as a fall, setting him up with a couple he was set up smartly, this time limited batsman. A mistimed slog

to mid-on ended his misery.

MS Dhoni, who had hung on grimly for a while, got the ball of the match from Clint McKay that pitched on good length and straightened past his defensive jab to uproot off stump. India were 196 for 7, and the Pune crowd had started exiting the stadium.

They had come to see their batsmen dominate, but it was the opposition’s that had set the tone in the afternoon.

Australia captain George Bailey built on a century opening stand even as wickets fell around him, and his lower order finished strongly.

Overwhelmingly favouring the on side, Bailey was always on the lookout for singles and twos and also quick to pull, sweep and cut, especially against the spinners.

He held the innings together, but became the seventh man to fall with the score on 264 in the 47th over. Just when it seemed Australia had lost all their steam, the lower order looted 38 off India’s seamers in the last three overs to push their side over the 300-mark.

Before their captain, Aaron Finch and Hughes took their time to get in and then accelerated to leave India looking flat. Finch, after his 89 in Rajkot, was looking in control with another powerful half-century before he mishit Yuvraj to long-off.

Finch played the cut intelligently given the lack of pace, preferring placement over power and often ODI, punishing Ishant Sharma either side of point. Hughes crunched several fours through the covers. Australia were galloping now but the breakthrough came for India immediately after the first drinks break, when Hughes nudged Jadeja to leg slip to fall for 47. Watson strode in and mishit his fourth delivery straight to long-on, but Bailey took over, providing his fast bowlers enough margin to do their job.

Abhishek Purohit is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo.

SPORTS

Pak Leads S. Africa ABU DHABI: Pakistan 263 for 3 (Manzoor 131*, Masood 75) lead South Africa 249 (Amla 118, Duminy 57, Irfan 3-44, Babar 3-89) by 14 runs Usually, a couple of hours into a Pakistan Test innings, Younis Khan is in the middle trying to rescue the team after the top order has floundered. In Abu Dhabi, he was relaxing in the pavilion, fiddling around with a camera while chatting with Junaid Khan. He could afford to joke around as Pakistan’s new opening pair, Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood, put on 135 runs, Pakistan’s first century stand for the first wicket since January 2012, back when they were making a mockery of England’s No. 1 ranking.

It is much too soon to talk of them making a mockery of the current No.1 side in the world, but Pakistan’s sixth opening combination in seven Tests put them on course for a healthy first-innings score. Manzoor went on to his maiden Test century, the first by a Pakistan opener against South Africa in a decade, to heap the pressure on Graeme Smith’s side.

Shan Masood gets on top of one, Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 2nd day, October 15, 2013.

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