E newspaper11082013

Friday, November 08 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 45

Indo American erican News

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India Goes to Mars

Laser Drama Fantastic!

Fireworks Backdrop the Temple

P29

Movie Review

P5 P25

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY

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Sreepadam Celebrated its 10th Anniversary with “Aaradhana”

HOUSTON: On November 2, a full-capacity audience at the Stafford Civic Center celebrated the 10th anniversary of Sreepadam School of Arts with “Aaradhana – The Festivals of India.” The proceeds of the charitable fitprogram beneted “Embracing the World – Education for Everyone” – a U.N.-endorsed, Indian-based non-profit organization that provides educational services for the impoverished.

The acclaimed film & dance artist - Divya Unni led over 170 students from Sreepadam School of Arts in beautifully-colored groups representing India’s rivers. Using music, dance, and digital visual media, “Aaradhana” explored the diverse array of Indian festivals by focusing on the theme of religious devotion.

The dances covered festivals, including Bhogi & Pongal, Makara Vilakku, Shiva Rathri, Vishu. Guru Purnima, Thai Pooyam, Onam, Karthikai Deepam, Krishna Janmashtami, Navarathri, Diwali, Eid, Holi, and Christmas. The dances gave tribute to the richness of India’s cultural diversity through a versatile range of Indian dance styles, including classical, folk, and contemporary.

In the opening invocation item, the garland of swaras (or notes) and the technical build-

ing of steps (or adavus) presented the complexity and harmony of India’s cultural identity. “Shiva Rathri” depicted Ardhanarishvara - a composite androgynous form of Shiva and his consort Parvati - depicted as half male and half female - split down the middle.

The Ardhanarishvara represented the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies – the source of creation in the universe. “Guru Purnima” – the festival dedicated to teachers – was presented in the

Kuchipudi style.

The item astounded the audience with 15 dancers performing fast-paced footwork on the edges of a circular brass tray, with brass water pots delicately balanced on their heads.

D e m onstrating rituals devotees where seek forgiveness for past sins, “Thai Pooyam” presented Kavadi Attam - a dance performed during the ceremonial worship of Murugan. The Kavadi

Photos: Aswathy Talison (Reflection Media, Houston)

represented a physical burden for which the devotees implore help from their Lord. During “Krishna Janmashtami,” the Rasa Lilas of Vrindavan portrayed Krishna’s play with the gopis, but with a focus upon Radha’s intense love.

“Navrathri” - dedicated to the worship of goddess Shakthi - show-

cased three distinct forms: Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi. In “Eid al-Fitr” – the dance celebrated the rejuvenation of Islam by showing the strengthening of bonds seen between the devotees and God. “Christmas” commemorated the birth of Jesus Christ, showing how Christians all over the world cel-

ebrate the miracle of a manifestation of God in human form.

The event concluded with a vibrant finale that incorporated themes of devotion, patriotism, and transcendence of religious differences. The medley skillfully incorporated over 170 students in beautiful costumes and complex formations. With styles of classical, folk, semi-classical, and contemporary choreography, “Aaradhana” paid tribute to the richness and diversity of Indian dance, while serving as a means to bring awareness for the need for religious harmony. Very fittingly, the program not only met Sreepadam’s mission for its students to find connections to their cultural roots, but also served as a way for them to charitably serve those in need in Indian society. Sreepadam is still accepting any contributions towards “Embracing the World Education for Everyone.”

For further information regarding the charity, visit www. embracingtheworld.org.

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COMMUNITY

Gujarati Samaj Awards Ceremony Marks Year-end Diwali Party

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: The VPSS center on West Bellfort was decked out in a string of yellow lights for the Diwali season as the Gujarati Samaj of Houston celebrated inside in the main banquet hall with music and an awards ceremony this past Friday, November 1. The annual year-end event for the organization always brings out a large group of people and this year no exception as over 250 people attended the dinner and music program.

The event was the last for the 2013 Committee for the GSH which has been headed

by President Nisha Mirani and Vice-President Ajit Patel for the past two years with the unwavering support of the Board of Directors, Trustees and Executive team. The incoming Executive Committee members headed by President Ami Patel and Vice President Yogina Patel were introduced; they will take over the reins of the GSH from December 1.

Prior to dinner and the musical program, Mirani recognized Directors Dr. H.D. Patel, Dr. Kirit Desai and Dr. Pulin Pandya for their dedicated work for the Community Center project and presented them with plaques.

The Center is to be built on 11 acres of donated land at the corner of the West Beltway and West Bellfort.

Mirani thanked the donors, Amit Bhandari and Mukesh Turakia for their generous donation of the land. She also recognized and appreciated the support of other community organizations – the ICC, IHA, VPSS, BAPS Swami Narayan Temple and ISSO – for their continued support for the Samaj and for its landmark community center project.

Photos: Image N Motion Studio

the Gujarati Samaj. The sound and set direction was conducted by none other than the versatile and omnipresent Darshak Thacker of Krishna Sounds. The musical interlude was interspersed by audience participation and went on till way past midnight, just in time to herald the dawn of Diwali.

Many members of these organizations were present and several received appreciation awards for their service.

A buffet Gujarati vegetarian dinner was catered by the VPSS kitchen. And after dinner, a musical odyssey of mostly Hindi songs from Bollywood – both Oldies and new pop music – and some Gujarati numbers, with an occasional bhajan thrown in were performed by the Mumbai Masti group from that famed city by the Arabian Sea. The band - led by singers Sunny, Alka and Kalpesh - serenaded the audience as they sat through an extended set of music.

It’s the third time in as many years that the group has come to Houston to perform for

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COMMUNITY For the third year in a row, the drama, laser and fireworks Diwali show at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir made an outdoor sound and light show spectacle that pulsated in the air and glued over 2,000 spectators eyes to the drama that unfolded onstage. For those who hadn’t seen this before, it was a unique experience to see the mists of vapor seemingly floating on the beams of blue and red lasers shooting from the temple in the distance while the story of Bhakta Prahlad was told by a cast of thirty performers. Many more stage hands worked in the dark shadows of the open stage to place props in the right positions and a dozen or more technical guys worked the cameras to bring the story to two large screens on either side of the stage. Another dozen managed the lasers that painted the graphics – folded handed, a lotus, and the scrolling salutations (welcome, happy Diwali, happy New Year in English, Hindi and Gujarati) zip across the front façade of the Mandir 300 yards away. Behind the temple, fireworks erupted in synch with the storyline to show happiness, elation and victory. The whole production was, as one Mandir volunteer put it, “like you pushed a button and the whole storyline started from start to end”. This production only goes to show the immense, first-rate videographics capabilities that the BAPS audio visual crew has developed over the years. – Jawahar Malhotra STAFFORD: This past weekend flags were flying high and bright lights surrounded the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir reflecting this year’s Diwali program “Dhaja Farkavo”. Many have heard our parents and grandparents reminisce about their joyous experiences of Diwali. Most of them recall how homes and neighborhoods were lit with candles as well as the aroma of sweets being prepared and shared. Our parents also remember the many types of fireworks they enjoyed, the beautifully deco-

November 08, 2013

Traditional Diwali Drama Meets Modern Lasers and Pyrotechnics

rated homes and mandirs, and the days of celebration. Many of from the community experienced the festive ambiance as they attended the Diwali and New Year celebrations at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

While celebrating traditional festivals within one’s homeland is fairly commonplace, maintaining the practice in a distant land can be difficult but remains essential in passing on culture, meaning, importance, and traditions to future generations. For Hindus, Diwali presents one such opportunity to renew the rich traditions of their roots with great fanfare as well as a chance to reflect and introspect.

Realizing these important facts, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, inspires programs to celebrate Hindu festivals, such as Diwali, at BAPS centers worldwide.

The musical outdoor Diwali program incorporated fireworks and lasers while displaying the story of Bhakta Prahlad. By the end of the pro-

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gram everyone was energized from the fireworks and enlightened from the message that came out the story; God will prevail evil which reflects the foundation of Diwali, dispelling darkness with light.

Smita Trivedi from Sugarland said “it’s amazing to see this here in the US.” She added, “Every Diwali takes me back to my childhood in India but this is great because my own children get to experience the festivities.”

On the Hindu New Year, Monday, November 4, many of all ages were welcomed to take in the scene of the bright colors of the Rangoli and traditional colorful saris and salwar. Inside the Mandir, people witnessed Annakut, a diverse offering of vegetarian food before the murtis or sacred images. Excitedly, they pointed at the dishes they liked and expressed curiosity about the ones less familiar. The dedication and tireless efforts of the volunteers was evident in every aspect of the celebration. They offered prayer, expressed their wishes for the year ahead, and even had the opportunity to partake in the offerings.

Trivedi’s son, Ankur commented, “This past weekend has been memorable and educational. This Mandir, the celebration allows me to experience India here!”

Many left the premises of the mandir with immense pride for their rich heritage and impressions of the bright flames from the candles that marked the removal of darkness in the form of inner vices. The celebrations had served their intended purpose – to help the youth imbibe the true meaning behind Hindu festivals and create a sense of pride and belonging to their heritage.

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COMMUNITY

ASIE Wields Strength with Scholarship Awards at Year-end Diwali Party

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: It was an impressive array indeed as some of the heavy-weights among Indians in the engineering profession came to bestow monetary awards to those young engineers poised to make their own mark in promising careers yet to unfold.

It was doubly pleasing to the elders of the American Society of Indian Engineers who had started the organization in 1994, to see it gain the momentum to culminate a year of attention-grabbing activities with a Diwali party at India House, an event that they had never before considered.

Dinesh Shah, an engineer, real-estate developer and community activist laid the success of the ASIE’s year-long activities – they held at least four major events and a few smaller ones – squarely on the shoulders of outgoing President Vishal Merchant, whose term expires at the end of the year.

“I looked through my emails from the past few months and discovered that there were almost nineteen “firsts” that happened due to Vishal’s energetic efforts”, declared Shah as he rattled off the list one by one.

“His dedicated devotion has brought the ASIE success”, he said, holding up a piece of paper that spelled “Success” and added, “the U in it is you Vishal”! as the audience responded with huge applause.

The Diwali program was held last Friday, November 1 and started in the main hall after appetizers in the reception area. Saumya Rege, an architect and a local artist with a strong singing voice sang the invocation to Ganesh to bless the event.

Haley Matusek, a 12 year-old from Deer

Park Junior High was asked to step in as a last minute replacement to sing the American National Anthem. Despite losing her right-hand as a young child, she has been

Recognition of President, Vishal Merchant for Excellent Service.

dancing and singing competitively since she was six, and she sang her heart out to great appreciation. She was followed by the Indian Anthem sung by Rege and another local performer, Mahendra Korivi, a realtor and retired engineer.

Merchant wished the over 160 guests a happy Diwali, which is also known as a festival of Joy and Hope.”Tonight’s program is full of Joy and it also brings Hope”, said Merchant, “as we empower the future generation by awarding seven local engineering students of Indian Origin with scholarships”. He also thanked the program sponsors - Geotest Engineering, Doshi Engineering and Surveying, ADS Pipe, HDR and ARKK Engineers – for their unwavering support. Their Principals helped in making the awards presentations.

Setting the event in motion were four young girls – Nina Kilambi, Ishika Cividi, Arya Shankar and Leharika Chiriki – all students of Rupa Aranke, director of the

Nurpur School of Dance in Sugar Land setting off a festive note with a dance set to the song Radha Teri Chunri from the Bollywood movie Student of the Year.

The highlight of the evening was the scholarships that were awarded to the seven college students (see list), some in graduate school, who had won from a field of 35 who had applied for the one-time monetary scholarships. Each came to the stage to receive their awards from one of the sponsors, as Shouri Nandagiri, with the North Harris County Flood Control District played the awards emcee.

Merchant returned to stage to offer his thanks and reflect on his year-long presidency (new elections are slated for November 22). “I have always doubted my ability to deliver and couldn’t have been able function without the support of my team and buddy Raj Basavaraju”, began Merchant.

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ASIE Wields Strength with Scholarship Awards at Year-end Diwali Party CONTINUED FROM PAGE

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Merchant had joined ASIE in 2006, but had drifted away when he began his PhD at Lamar University, later rejoining as he returned to Houston to work. “It has been a great life experience and I have learnt a lot from my seniors, especially Dinesh Shah whom I was in touch with constantly”. He thanked his wife My for her patience and support as he slogged over organizing events at home after a full day’s work, A buffet dinner catered by Sankalp restaurant was served as Rege and Korivi entertained the guests with several songs from Hindi movies of yesteryear. This was followed up with a standup comedy routine by Dr. Saidas ”Sai” Ranade who has twice won an award for being one of Houston’s Funniest People. A chemical engineer by profession, Sai kidded that Merchant had called him the Optimum Choice “because it was the lowest cost option”. He kept the audience in stitches with his funny observations over Indian idiosyncrasies, mannerisms and

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use of English that causes many moments of confusion and amusement. Rege and Korivi closed out the evening with more songs that brought many a fond memory of India to the mind.

ASIE 2013 Scholarship Award Recipients

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Indian Consul Anil Matta Leaves for Mexico City concerns. He also made a point to hold gatherings, often over dinner at a local Indian restaurant, with key people of the community.

In appreciation of his outreach efforts, the ICC members felicitated him over dinner and President P.V. Patel declared that the community was losing a true friend.

They presented him with a bouquet, plaque and a glass encased white statue of Ganesh.

Matta had previously been

A few of the Trustees and the current Board members of the India Culture Center presented Anil Matta with a bouquet, plaque and a glass encased white statue of Ganesh. Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: It was an impromptu gathering of a few of the Trustees and the current Board members of the India Culture Center at Ashiana restaurant on the Westside this past Tuesday, November 5 to bid adios to the Consul Anil Matta of the Indian Consulate General.

Matta leaves on November 14 to take up his new assignment as Director of the Indian Culture Center, which is a part of the Indian

Embassy, in Mexico City.

Matta has been in Houston for three years to the day and has made many inroads in the Indian community here, ingraining himself in a way that few other previous Consuls have. After the present Consul General Parvathaneni Harish took over his post last year, Matta took over the task of rebuilding ties with the community that had been frayed over huge delays in visa processing and complaints of surly

posted to Havana, Cuba and his knowledge of Spanish held him in good stead to take on the post in Mexico City, which he will take on right away. He hopes to be joined there by his wife, Neeta, who is a vice-principal of a school in New Delhi and was never able to join him in Houston or even visit. He promised to stay in touch with the many friends he has made in the Bayou City.

Help Wanted Indian Consul Anil Matta thanked his hosts at the farewell dinner for him at Ashiana restaurant on Tuesday, November 5.

treatment by the staff at the previous processing center, Travisa.

Matta had also been a visible Indian official at many community events that Harish was unable to attend. But he had endeared himself with his friendliness and pleasant personality and assisted many a worried traveler with their visa

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COMMUNITY

November 08, 2013

10th International Mushaira / Kavi Sammelan

by Taqdees-e-Adab at India House

BY IBN-E-MUFTI HOUSTON: Last week the international Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan 2013 was observed in India House located at West Bellfort Avenue. Taqdees-e-Adab and All India Qaumi Ekta Committee were the sponsors of this First Ever Historical Maiden Mushaira of this kind.

Normally India has a history of Kavi Sammelan (Hindi Language Mushaira) and Urdu Language Mushaira. Taqdees-e-Adab became the first organization on USA to hold a event like this in Houston to promote love, peace, and unity among all the communi-

ties of USA. Mushaira started with its socialization at 7pm on October 26, followed by 9pm Dinner; and at 9:30 the Mushaira started. Ibn-e-Mufti – General Secretary of Taqdees-eAdab after consulting the President of Taqdees-e-Adab and AIQAC Fayyaz Khan started the Mushiara as Nazim-e-Mushaira.

After the short recitation of Quran, he recited a very beautiful Naat-e-Rasool (PBUH) and then as usual he started with local pride of the Houston. Tarannum Shabbir was the first poetess, followed by Dr. Khalid Rizvi with his humorous poetry, then Syed Ahmed Shah

Ghazali, Malick Sayeedi, Basit Jalili and Dr. Abida Haq recited their poetry respectively. A new poetess named Dr. Novjot Zoya was introduced by Taqdees-e-Adab that night. Her poetry was hailed by all classes sitting there. After that Neelofar Afshan, Asghar Naqvi, Hina Rizvi, Aasi Rizvi, Dr. Ghulam Sarwar, and Dr. Zafar Taqvi recited their poetry.

Though Respected Guests came late, but as soon as people heard that Munawar Rana has arrived, a new excitement was observed in the audience, they gave him a standing ovations. The Nazim-eMushaira recited his Ghazal and

was praised by the Chief Guest Munawar Rana, Khalid Khawja, Sarfaraz Abad, Arif Imam, and other respected Guests. At this moment Ibn-e-Mufti requested Noor Amrohvi of Dallas to do the Nizamat. He invited Dr. Kalim Zia of Mumbai to recite his kalaam and then immediately after that he invited Dr. Zubair Farooq, who is an Arab from UAE to recite his Urdu poetry and people were shocked and enjoyed his general and humorous poetry. Sarfaraz Abad and Khalid Khawja’s poetry was highly praised by the audience.

For Kavi Sammelan, Kavi Abhinav Shukla presented his Kalaam

and people of all communities liked his poetry. After that Kavitri Archana Panda came and her dialogue with a mother & daughter caught the attention right away.

Last Poet was the pride of India none other than Munawar Rana. He just conquered the audience and people just wanted to listen to him more and more. He recited his poetry for about 45 minutes and at the end all the audience gave him a standing ovation.

At 2AM this elegant, historical and memorable event came to an end.

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COMMUNITY

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Vir Joins Dean’s Advisory Council at Business School

HOUSTON: Atul Vir, a serial entrepreneur, inventor and community activist who has been a resident of the city for many years, has been invited to join the Dean’s Advisory Council at the School of Business Administration at the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) campus.

UHV offers courses leading to approximately 60 bachelors and master’s degree programs and concentrations in the schools of Art and Science, Business Administration, Education and Human Development. Classes are held in

Sugar Land, Katy, Victoria and online.

The School of Business Administration campus located in Sugar Land is included among Princeton Reviews Best Business Schools, offering BBA as well as Strategic MBA and Global MBA programs.

The role of the Deans Advisory Council is much like that of a Board of Directors. Members will advise the Dean as to the strategic direction of the School, and provide input regarding the curriculum in order to ensure the School’s programs are meeting the needs of

the business community. In addition, the Council members will bring a “real world” perspective to the table; helping to ensure the the school is producing highly knowledgeable and well-trained graduates with appropriate skill sets.

Vir is the President of Equator Advanced Appliances, a manufacturer of innovative household products with interests in the US, Canada, Europe, China and India.

He is also the Principal of ShangriLa Contemporary Art Foundation, an organization that promotes international art.

Navaragamalika Cultural Association

HOUSTON: Vagdevi School of Indian Music school founder Smt. Raja Rajeswari kalaga conducted her first Classical event at Sri Ashtalakshmi temple, under the banner of Navaragamalika Cultural Association on October 27.

The talented musicians in classical and semi classical and devotional music were invited from all over the Houston to perform in this classic event. The theme behind the event was to bring out the importance of the classical music which is the base for the entire fast beat or movie music as the classical music is the main root of the music hierarchy. This attempt is to make an effort of the social cause to bring the folks towards the main stream of the classical music and to experience the beauty of the live classical.

The event went successfully and the singers participated with unbe-

lievable enthusiasm and duration reached to four and half hours at a stretch with full strength of audience. Smt.Uma Medi, Smt.Sonali Tayi and the parents of Vagdevi

Music school students together coordinated with Smt Raja Rajeswari kalaga for its success.

All participants sang the variety of Thyagaraja, Annamayya renditions and different devotional songs.

NCA team announced that their next event is planned in Durga bari Temple Houston in the month of March, 2014.

Article by Raja Rajeswari kalaga.

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TCC Taped Ball Tournament : Cougars Winners, SLCC Runners up to a poor start losing a wicket in the first over. They kept loosing wickets at regular intervals and were 18-3 in fist 4 overs as opening bowlers Santosh and Abhishek maintained pressure through good line and length. Udesh was run out due to a mix-up and that did not help SLCC. Rajesh continued his great bowling form throughout the knock outs and took the very important wicket of Ranil just before the 10 over break. At the end of 10 overs, the score was 53-5. Cougars kept chipping away with wickets as required rate crept up to 10+.

All hopes of SLCC chase ended in the 14th over when Thilan fell to a brilliant running catch by Ashwin after scoring 18 runs. Santosh was the pick of the bowlers with

Cougars, the winning team with Cheif guest Krishna Shikaram.

HOUSTON: Cougars won the TCC Taped Ball Fall 2013 tournament defeating Sri Lanka Cricket Club (SLCC) by 38 wickets. It was a well-deserved win for Cougars who last won the tournament in 2008 and had ended up as runners up in 2010. The tournament was a highly competitive one featuring 15 participating teams. It was the third consecutive appearance in the final for SLCC. On a beautiful Saturday morning with excellent weather for cricket (26th Oct), Cougars won the toss and opted to bat first. Their openers Ashwin and Santosh gave a good start with a partnership of 51

Nanda Kumar, TCC Treasurer Anand Sampath and TCC cricket team members (Kiran, Swaroop and Manas). Jagadish Biradar, organizer for TCC Taped Ball tournament coordinated the presentation ceremony. Krishna was presented with a plaque by Nanda for his contribution to cricket in Houston.

Ashwin, the captain of Cougars was presented with the championship trophy and Udesh, the captain of SLCC was presented with the runners up trophy. The players of the winners and runners up received individual trophies. Man of the match for the finals was Ashwin from Cougars for a match winning performance of 60 runs and 2 important catches.

runs and scoring well over 6 runs per over. SLCC had to turn on to their spinners Gihan and Thilan.

Thilan got the first breakthrough having Santosh (14) caught and bowled. Ashwin was in great form leaving the good deliveries and punishing the bad deliveries by scoring boundaries all around the ground which helped Cougars reach 66-1 at ten overs break.

Ashwin and Karthik contributed to another good partnership of 52 runs for the second wicket. SLCC bowlers kept the batsmen in check and Cougars were not able to run away with the game even though they had wickets in hand. Ruben SLCC, the runners up team with Chief guest Krishna Shikaram.

came in and picked up a couple of wickets.

Swaroop changed all of that with a lovely cameo in the last 4 overs scoring 33 not out of 20 balls. Ashwin played a captain’s knock holding the innings from one end top scoring with 60 runs before getting out in 18th over. Cougars scored a strong total of 148-3 in 20 overs.

Gihan was the most economical bowler with spell of 4-0-18-0.

Cougars batting was helped by dropped catches by SLCC. Faced with a tough task of chasing a big total, SLCC got off

spell of 4-0-21-4 as SLCC were all out for 110 in 19 overs when Pavan took the last wicket starting wild celebrations amongst the Cougars team who became TCC champions after a gap of 5 years inspite of being one of the most consistent teams throughout last 3 years. The game had high quality umpiring from Jagadish from TCC and Ketan from Strikers. Cougars bowlers were supported by excellent fielding by the team and they took all the catches that came their way. Cougars had perfect game with the team clicking in batting, bowling and fielding.

The game was followed by a well-organized prize distribution ceremony arranged by TCC. The presentation party had Krishna Shikaram, Vice President for TCC as the chief guest, TCC President

Ashwin from Cougars won the Best Batsman trophy with 303 runs. Johnson from RCC won the Best Bowler trophy with 20 wickets. Aveg from Grady won the Best All Rounder trophy with 162 runs and 17 wickets. Trophies were also given to the man of the match for Semi Finals and Quarter Finals. Pavan from Cougars and Arjuna from SLCC were the recipients of the man of the match for Semi Finals. Subodh from Chargers, Abhishek from Cougars, Pervinder from Grady and Dushan from SLCC were the recipients of the man of the match for Quarter Finals. Thilan from SLCC was given a special award for scoring 94 not out in one of the first round matches.

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November 08, 2013

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Surangan Music School of Houston Celebrated Student Appreciation Day

HOUSTON: Surangan School of music, a pioneering contemporary Bengali musical school in greater Houston area, recently held their annual student appreciation day at Maharaja Banquet Hall, on October 18.

They have enthusiastically presented a wonderful musical evening to celebrate first ‘Student Appreciation Day with heart full of appreciations and galore. Surangan , is a classical and vocal music school, that trains next generation Bangladeshi and Indians in the Houston area, inspired by the commitment and passion of creating an original Bengali music school reflecting purity and authenticity.

The evening kicked off with a nice welcome speech by Rupa Ghosh, Eminent Tagore singer and founding director of Surangan Musical School , followed by a musical program participated by a total of 21 students of the school. Rupa is one of the popular and recognized Rabindra sangeet artists among Bengali community in greater Houston area. Rupa started her musical training under the guidance of Sri Nirmalendu chowdhury, Ustad Nirod baron Barua and Pandit Manash Chakra borty. She is a proud recipient of several prestigious awards including Sur-Saptak Bidwapith and gold medal from Bangladesh.

Students with colorful attire were all gathered by the side of the stage in a disciplined manner, presented a wonderful program with different Tagore and Nazrul’s songs like ‘sajer bodhua’, kothao amar, ami jar nupurer chondo” all got the huge applause.

The young singers were a delight to watch.

The first half of the celebration began with

individual and group performances of the students of Surangan. The rendition titled ‘Dui Hater Kaler Mondira Je’ marked beginning of the program. A number of Nazrul and Tagore songs fitting perfectly to the mood, came one by one to insinuate the audience. Meanwhile, founder director Rupa Ghosh handed over the Appreciation Certificates to students of the school and cake cutting took place .

A series of solo rendition of Nazrul and Tagore numbers were presented by Smita, Sedra, Tithi, Purnata, Puspita, Maisha, Arita, Tisha, Ahana, Polin, Naiza, Sharoni, Simmy, Shayon, Tiklu, Sohan, Rameen, Nubaid, Tinni, Banani, Jolly and others.

Dr. Raja Banga, director of Prana School of Music, an eminent musician of Katy along with his few disciples- Salil, Rishabh, Adhrit, Aditya and Vikramm mesmerized the audience by a Tabla Concert after the short break.

Jugolbandi by Biplab and Raja’s team in teen taal lahara took the crowd.

Program ended with Rupa Ghosh’s personal tribute to Tagore by awesome Tagore’s

Bharatanatyam Meets Ballet

“Ritu” - Experimenting with Indian and Western Dance Styles

BY SESH BALA HOUSTON: On October 19, at the Jewish Community Center Kaplan Theater in Houston, a collaborative production blending Western ballet and South Indian classical Bharatanatyam was staged to a packed auditorium.

“Ritu” depicted one woman’s emotional journey through the seasons. Dancer-choreographer Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan (Founder/Artistic Director, Silambam Houston) conceived and scripted the production, in collaboration with Joyce Beck (Director, Dancescape), aptly picking Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan’s “Ritu Raaga” and Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” as the framework musical pieces.

One wondered how such a blend would be accomplished. Would ballerinas pirouette into a jatiswaram? Would a Bharatanatyam alarippu glide into some allegro? “Ritu”

was none of these. It showcased both styles woven together depicting Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, reemerging into Spring, with distinct emotions and moods. The dancers retained the purity of their respective styles, with subtle, gentle journeys into each other’s styles, and additional sprinkles of folk, jazz, and raas. Lavanya herself performed beautifully expressive solo Bharatanatyam pieces, fully capturing the emotions of each season. The concluding Thillana was a very creative blend of both styles.

The music, which also included pieces from Hamsadhwani Fusion Band, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Swathi Thirunal, Kshetrayya and Subrahmanya Bharathi, was excellent, as also the lighting to match the two styles.

A blend of another kind will surely emerge in time. The ballet group reflected the diversity in Houston, with children from diverse backgrounds. Bharatanatyam, however, holds appeal principally for children of Indian origin. Such programs are a step in the right direction for enhancing interest in different art forms among children.

The young dancers and their teacher/choreographers Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan and Ms. Joyce Beck deserve rich congratulations on visualizing, producing and staging this successful experimental production.

renditions like “amare tumi oshesh korecho”. Rupa’s music leaves a soothing ef-

fect for the ears at the end of the show. Her voice, range and command over music and emotion in different style of Tagore songs were a treat to the audience. Raja Banga on Tabla, Biplob Samadder on violin and Aloke Roy on Mandira accompanied Rupa and her students on the stage all along.

Audience thoroughly enjoyed the evening with scrumptious dinner and mesmerizing music. The entire event was eloquently emceed by Rumana Chowdhury. Most of the family members were excited about the performances and were delighted to see their kids perform.

Article contributed by Jaya Ghosh.

INDIA CULTURE CENTER, HOUSTON (ICC) NOTICE 2013 India Culture Center, Houston (ICC) is requesting Nominations for ICC Board of Directors (7 positions for 2 year term) and Trustees (2 positions for 3 year term) 1. At-Large Board of Directors The nomination must be proposed, seconded and signed by paid members of ICC. The candidate must be a paid member of ICC as of AUGUST 31, 2013. The mailing address, phone number and e-mail addresses of all three (Nominee, Nominator and Seconder) must be provided in the nomination, signed by the nominee as well which should be faxed to the Chairman of the Election Committee and also mailed along with a non refundable processing fee of $25 to the address below and should reach by November 23, 2013. Postmark will not be considered.

Checks to be payable to ICC. Incomplete forms will not be considered. ICC By laws are available on www.icchouston.org Requirements and Qualifications A nominator can nominate only one candidate though he or she can second multiple nominations.

The elections for Board of Directors will be conducted on DECEMBER 15th, 2013 (Sunday) at 2 pm at India House, 8888 West Bellfort Houston, TX-77031. You can download the Forms from ICC website(www.icchouston.org) 2. Nominations for Trustees The nominations should be faxed and also should be mailed by any paid member of ICC for Trustee position and should reach the election Official no later than November 23, 2013. A simple form with your name and nominee names, address, phone number and e-mail address. The Trustee candidate should meet one of the following eligibility criteria. Person can nominate by member self, resume should be attached. a. Must be a Past President of ICC OR b. Must have had a distinguished record of past services to ICC, Partnering Organizations or Community at Large. Attach Resume to validate qualifications.

Requirements: * Only 6 nominees will be presented to the board of directors for consideration.

Committee will consider one past president and one person with distinguished record as written in the qualifications. Election Committee has right to accept or reject any or all nominees by majority vote of Committee.

Rejected nominees will be informed in advance.

For further information:

P V Patel, President 832-754-7596 Email: Dukeofnuke@mail.com Manisha Mehta, Secretary 832-876-2142 Email: Mgandhixyz@gmail.com

www.icchouston.org Mail completed and signed nomination to:Ashok Dhingra Member, Election Committee 10700 Rockley Rd Houston, TX 77099 Email: ashok@dhingra.com Fax: 281-496-0400

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COMMUNITY

BY BINDU YARLAGADDA HOUSTON: “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This quote perfectly suites Brian Greene, President and CEO of the Houston Food Bank, as his determined vision strives for the expansion in his organization and the overall well-being of individuals in need. On Saturday morning, October 12, the YLDP class of 2014 had the unique opportunity to meet with Brian Greene for a philanthropy session to learn about the mission and leadership behind the food bank.

Contrasting from a typical speech, Greene evoked a discussion amongst the students and interacted with them while actively addressing their thoughts and questions about leadership. The importance to maximize the impact of our role in the community and seek opportunities by constantly responding to them stood out to be the keypoints from Greene’s presentation.

Deservingly, the Houston Food Bank stands as the nation’s largest size Feeding America food bank. It provides and distributes several million nutritious meals each year to the hungry in addition to other living necessities. As philanthropy is defined to be the practice of giving time to help make life better for other people, Greene clearly developed that idea by leading the food bank While taking a tour, students were able to see the work that goes behind the services of the non-profit organization such as sorting and packaging. Volunteers are considered to be the engine of the food bank as hundreds of them spend countless hours there. Vibrant colors and structures apparent in the food bank make the environment amiable, comfortable, and fun.

By learning that the powerful combination of strong leadership and management serves as fundamental factor of success, I can easily state that this was an eventful experience to prepare my mind for the future and make a lasting difference in my surroundings.

November 08, 2013

17

YLDP Bridges Houston Food Bank

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18 November 08, 2013 Why Mars Matters Before India, five nations have launched Mars missions. So, is India trying to be an also-ran? Why is India trying to boldly go where many have gone before? The answers lie in India’s rightful ambitions to remain in the select league of space-faring nations, mankind’s unending quest for the unknown, and a bit of business.

Just because the previous Mars missions did not find anything conclusive about methane or water or other indicators of life doesn’t mean that the Indian mission may not find any. Critics had put forth a similar argument when India was preparing for Chandrayaan-1, but the moon mission found something even men who walked on moon could not: moisture in the polar region of moon.

The same logic works here. If the Indian mission finds methane or new patterns of deuterium that suggest early presence of water, it would change the way earthlings see Mars and other planets.

“Some say why spend Rs 460 crore on this mission. Such simple economics don’t work here. You never know if we may find something that’s worth much more than that figure,” says Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan.

Uncertainty, as much as curiosity, has been at the core of every scientific exploration. Isro satellites programme director Mylswamy Annadurai calls the Mars orbiter mission a logical progression of the moon mission. “We are relaxed and confident, but then anxiety is a human trait. People who ask what we are going to fi nd would understand that not finding something is also a fi nding, a discovery that something is not there,” he said.

Previous missions and groundbased calculations have found methane in Martian atmosphere, but none have been able to conclude if they definitely indicated early life. This is because methane could be of geological as well as biological origin.

Whatever the source, finding methane — which one of the five scientific instruments on board the Mars orbiter would try — would add considerably to research on the red planet. The Lyman alpha photometer, meanwhile, would be looking for abundance of deuterium and hydrogen in the Martian upper atmosphere, which are indicators of early possible existence of water.

Will the Mars mission do all this? Nobody knows for sure.

The Isro chairman is not apologetic when he says this mission is 85% a technology demonstration and the rest scientific quest.

This means that India has to demonstrate — however late it is — its interplanetary mission capabilities to retain its place in the spacefarers’ club.

“This is our first step in the field,” says Radhakrishnan. “We have to take this step before bigger steps.” He adds that only 21 of the 51 missions by the US and Russia/USSR have been successful.

“That speaks of how complex the mission is. Getting the orbiter to go around the Mars itself would be a mark of success.” Isro is confident of remaining in Mars orbit for about five months.

Times of India

EDITORIAL

India’s Citizens of Tomorrow

BY PRADEEP CHIBBER

What will happen to caste as India rapidly urbanises? This is one of the most intriguing, and significant, questions for Indian politics and society in the coming two to three decades.

In traditional India, the caste system was a social institution that provided a hierarchical ordering of castes in a geographic area. Upper castes had maximum privileges, and as one moved down the hierarchy, the bundle of rights became lighter. At the lowest level, the Dalits had virtually no rights, only obligations. Despite the inequities, most people ideologically internalised the system, as has historically been the case in all hierarchical societies. Of course, outright coercion also buttressed the system, especially if those lower down violated hierarchical norms.

Given the historically rooted denial of rights to lower orders, caste politics in democratic India has thus far primarily taken the form of sammaan ki rajniti (politics of dignity). All lower caste parties of India, initially in the south, later in the north, have had this as a master narrative of their politics, though there were others issues as well. Such politics has also taken retributive forms, as lower castes, using their numbers, have hit back after coming to power.

Will this mode of politics survive as India becomes increasingly urban?

In 1951, only five Indian cities had a population greater than 1 million each. By 2011, three cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata—had more than 10 million people each, and 53 cities had populations of more than one million each. By 2031, six cities are projected to cross the population threshold of 10 million. Depending on what measures are used and how rapid urbanisation is, India’s population, 32 per cent urban in 2011, could well be substantially over 40 per cent urban in 2031.

The face of party politics in urban India already looks different from that of rural India. In 2009, the two main national parties—the BJP and Congress — did better in urban areas than in rural ones. Of the 94 seats to the Lok Sabha in urban areas, the BJP and the Congress won about two-thirds of the seats and, in semi-urban areas, the two national parties won just over 70 per cent of the seats. In rural areas, however, the BJP and Congress did considerably less well. Regional parties did better.

Further support for the urban-rural voting dichotomy comes from the

The BJP and Congress received a majority of the vote in cities with a population greater than 1,00,000. If the pattern in 2009 is any indication, increasing urbanisation will lead to regional parties becoming less politically relevant in the coming two decades.

2009 National Election Studies. Those respondents who lived in cities were less likely to vote for regional parties than rural respondents. The BJP and Congress received a majority of the vote in cities with a population greater than 1,00,000 and in metropolitan areas. If the pattern in 2009 is any indication, increasing urbanisation will lead to regional parties becoming less politically relevant in the coming two decades, though this may not be uniform across the nation. We should underline that this is not a prediction for the 2014 elections, but one for the longer run.

Caste should become less salient in electoral politics for some other reasons as well. In most urban constituencies, the effective number of parties that compete is lower than in rural areas. On average, a third party gets a large share of the vote in rural constituencies. In urban India, only two parties are competitive in most constituencies.

Further, multiple castes live in proximity to each other in urban areas. From these two facts it follows that no party can win an election using simply caste appeal in urban areas. Parties will need to build cross-caste alliances.

It is not simply urbanisation that is introducing changes in the functioning of the caste system. Democratic politics, as M.N. Srinivas pointed out long ago, began to alter the nature of

caste domination. Domination in democratic India is ensured more through numbers and wealth or land ownership, less through ritual hierarchy and notions of pollution and purity.

A national survey carried out in 2002 asked respondents to identify the dominant jati (caste) in their areas and then asked why that jati dominated their area. This question was repeated in the 2013 tracker poll of CSDS and the findings are broadly similar.

Respondents who lived in urban areas were far less likely to be able to identify a dominant caste. City dwellers cannot identify the dominant caste in their area because it is simply more difficult to determine the numerical breakdown of caste in a large metropolitan area, when compared to a rural setting. Tellingly, the respondents, who did identify which castes were dominant, listed two major attributes of a dominant caste — population size and wealth. Ritual hierarchy was not evident in their mode of reasoning.

Does this mean cities will become sites of equality and liberation?

Ambedkar did believe this was likely to happen. He called villages a cesspool, advocating Dalit migration to cities.

It may be worth putting our analysis, and Ambedkar’s, in a comparative perspective. The sharp contrast between cities, where equal citizens live, and villages, where unequal subjects do, may well be true in the very long run. But we also know that some intermediate forms, quite durable, have often also accompanied the rise of cities. The late 19th century US not only witnessed a rapid emergence of cities, but also “machine politics”. New migrants often got linked to politicians in a transactional patron-client relationship: in exchange for votes, migrants got access to services. City politics in the late 19th and early 20th century US, as a result, became corrupt. Moreover, racial violence accompanied the migration of African Americans into northern cities and the American South saw the rise of highly racist politics and laws.

An urbanised India may not exactly re-live the Western experience, but it will share some of these properties.

Democratic battles for equal citizenship rights will have to be fought in urban India as well.

Chhibber is at the Travers Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley. He directs the India Initiative at the Watson Institute.

Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS & PRODUCTION MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN GRAPHIC DESIGN: AMITHA DEVIKRUPA CORRESPONDENTS

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COMMUNITY

BY ROMA NAYYAR & RHEA CHADHA HOUSTON: On Saturday November 2, crowds flocked to Arya Samaj Greater Houston to enjoy a fun filled evening and celebrate Deepavali with their friends and family. Everyone was personally greeted by tilak before proceeding to the Main Hall to watch the amazing program for the evening.

The hall was bedecked with lights, marigolds, and many other beautiful decorations, creating a festive setting for the ensuing events.

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the festival of lights and symbolizes the return of Shri Ram, Lakshman and Sita after a 14 year exile.

Lamps, or diyas, are lit all over India to mark the homecoming of Shri Ram and light up the path to guide him home. Firecrackers are also set off to welcome Ayodhya’s king home. Diwali is celebrated on the new moon of the month Kartik according to the Indian calendar and usually occurs late October or early November. Thousands of years ago, Diwali was a harvest festival but has since developed into the festival celebrated today.

The program was kicked off by the ceremonial Havan, which was followed by a discourse by Acharya Surya Nandaji, discussing the meaning of Diwali, its importance to Indian culture, its historical significance, and how it is celebrated all over India.

The insightful lecture was followed by melodious bhajans and

November 08, 2013

Diwali Celebrated at Arya Samaj

the start of the Diwali program put together by the children of DAV Montessori and Sanskriti Schools.

The first performance of the cultural program was a beautiful song by the children of DAV Montessori

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School which was taught to them

by Smritiji. She accompanied the children on the harmonium. This was followed by an enthralling dance performance by the DAVMS children, choreographed by their

dance teacher Sharmitha Sampath.

As an intermission to the great performances, awards were presented to the winners of the India Awareness Contest. The DAV Sanskriti School had an India Awareness Month during October, where the school’s curriculum was based on the history and culture of India. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners were called up on stage to receive awards, and the awards were presented to them by Shri Saroj Bala Nayyar.

After the awards were presented, the audience was entertained by two captivating songs performed by both the kids of DAVMS and DAVSS- Ramji ki Nikli Sawaari and Chanda Chumke Chum Chum. The cultural program ended on a high note with an energetic and spirited dance performance.

After the conclusion of the program, Acharyaji led the Main Hall in Aarti (prayer) and asked for

19

blessings from God for a prosperous and peaceful year ahead.

The weather was perfect at 70 degrees for an outdoor Diwali Mela.

Bright lights covered the Arya Samaj lawns with a magnificent glow. The highlight of the Mela was delicious fresh homemade Indian food prepared and served

by Arya Samaj volunteers. Members of Arya Samaj Youth Mandal were instrumental in making sure that the festivities were fun for all. They had many game stalls that attracted children of all ages.

Young children had an opportunity to Pin the flame on Diya, Spin the Wheel, Ring Toss into coke bottles, Knock out bowling pins, and then there were the crowd favorites, face painting and henna.

No Diwali celebration can be complete without fireworks! At 8:15 pm, the crowds enjoyed a spectacular professionally organized firework display. After the display children had an opportunity to set off some fireworks themselves. They enjoyed the sparklers, firepots, and the little snaps in a safe environment with Houston Fire Department’s fire truck standing by.

Diwali celebration at Arya Samaj brings families and friends together to illuminate the proud community spirit and cultural heritage of India. Like many years previously and many more to come, this year too, Diwali was celebrated at Arya Samaj with much enthusiasm and fanfare.

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20 November 08, 2013

INDIA

Noted Food Writer and Celebrity Chef, Tarla Dalal, Dies

LEARN TO DRIVE TODAY!

Posted on Tarla Dalal’s Facebook page is a message: “We would like to thank all of you for your support and affection through the years of Mrs Tarla Dalal’s career. She is no more with us as she expired in the early hours of this morning. We thank her for all the happiness that her talent has given to us and our families...”

Reacting to the news of her demise, masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor of ‘Khaana Khazana’ fame told PTI, “Tarla Dalal was the first person to popularise the art of cooking. It is a terrible loss.”

Dalal’s books have together sold over 3 million copies and it was due to her that kitchens across the country were exposed to new aromas, new flavours.

She packed her books with vegetarian recipes, curated by her, which included dishes from all the regions of India.

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sion reached most parts of India. She wrote more than 100 cook books and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.

India’s first masterchef, she made her way to people’s hearts by hosting cookery shows.

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HEALTH

November 08, 2013

21

Ready for Post-Diwali Detox?

After indulging in fried foods and sweets, it’s time to help the body to recover. Ditch processed foods and opt for fruits and vegetables and lean protein We spring clean our homes preDiwali and our bodies typically need the spring cleaning postDiwali, thanks to the relentless onslaught of festival food that’s mostly sweet, fried or both. It is common to feel guilty for having overeaten and then feel bogged down and bloated post the festive season. Cleansing your body with a detox diet helps give your body the time to recover from poor dietary choices and lack of exercise during the festive season. It also gives your energy levels a shot in the arm. Here’s how to go about it: Increase your water intake: Keep sipping water (Ayurveda recommends lukewarm water) throughout the day, consuming up to 2 litres. Don’t gulp down water hastily as you may swallow air, which, in turn, causes bloating.

Water helps the body to metabolize toxins better and flush them out. Start the day by sipping a tall glass of lukewarm water with a few drops of lemon juice in it.

Drink green tea: After water, the next best drink that will help you detox is green tea. It is rich in antioxidants catechins. A 2007 study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that chemicals in green tea can increase the production of detoxification enzymes in humans.

Choose natural and unrefined foods: Wholegrain, organic, all-natural are your keywords here. This means no sugar, no refined flour, no store-bought baked goods and surely no fizzy drinks. Avoid readymade masalas and all other packaged foods during this period. Fruits and vegetables provide a range of nutrients and fibre that help with the detoxification process.

If you have access to organic produce, by all means go for it, or if you have the means to grow-

ing it yourself, nothing like it.

Eating organic means your body has to work less to process the pesticides and other chemicals.

Add natural flavours: Make your meals more flavoursome by using ginger, garlic, citrus zest, cloves, cinnamon, chillies, black pepper and so on. These spices boost flavour of the food in a healthy way. Most Indian spices like turmeric, ginger, black pepper are known for their antioxidant and immunity-building properties.

Fill up on fibre: For any meal, choose ingredients with highfibre content. Fibre is the best natural detoxifying agent, sweeping down all the collected debris in the intestines. Two teaspoons of isabgol (psyllium husk) with a tall glass of water half an hour before breakfast helps in regularizing bowel movement. Choose wholewheat bread over white one. Play with interesting grains like cracked wheat, red unpolished rice, and various millets for creating variety in your meals.

Chew: Chewing the food helps it mix well with the saliva, making it alkaline, which is the body’s natural pH. Not chewing your food properly also means that it stays longer in your gut, fermenting in your intestine and causing indigestion and bloating.

What your menu should look like: Breakfast: Porridge made using any wholegrain with milk or soya milk and sweetened with a pinch of cinnamon, or fruits; yogurt with sugar-free all-natural granola, sprinkling of nuts/ sunflower or pumpkin seeds and honey; boiled egg with a sprinkling of black pepper and wholegrain toast; or sugar-free ragi (finger millet) flakes and milk.

Lunch and dinner: Mixed vegetable curry with brown rice; steamed fish or chicken with salad or wholegrains; millets pulao with cucumber-oniontomato raita; fresh greens salad in lemon-basil-olive oil dressing with wholegrain bread (see

below for salad recipes); or idlis and mixed vegetable sambhar.

Snacks: Few pieces of fruit, vegetable sticks with yogurt dip, sproutsfruit chaat, raw seeds or nuts.

Don’t look for weight loss during detox, as any loss will be mostly due to loss of excess water and not permanent. Also, going on only-fruits or -juices diet is not recommended as it leads to loss of muscle. Make sure you eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, but also include lean protein like fish, sprouts and tofu. Choose good fats like coldpressed coconut and olive oil from nuts and seeds, avocados, etc.

Asparagus, Cucumber, Pak Choi Salad

Ingredients 80g peas 100g pak choi 50g asparagus 30g almonds 1 tsp sesame seeds 1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil 60g cucumber 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil Salt to taste Method Blanch the peas and finely blend them to make a thick purée.

Blanch the asparagus and put in iced water. Gently heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan, chop the pak choi in four and sauté for a while. Place the puréed peas on a plate, put the pak choi, asparagus and sliced cucumber over it.

Garnish with toasted almonds and sesame seeds. Make a dressing by mixing together salt, sesame seeds, balsamic vinegar and sesame oil, and pour it over the salad.

-Livemint.com

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GUJARAT: Tourists searching for peace and simplicity can for the first time check in to Mahatma Gandhi’s most famous ashram in India.

But don’t expect modern comforts. And chastity is required.

For 1,000 rupees ($16) a night, tourists can sample the lifestyle of India’s famously ascetic independence leader by staying at the first ashram he established, set up in 1915 in the western state of Gujarat.

Guests at the ashram, which opened to holidaymakers earlier this month, can try their hand at spinning, visit local communities, pray and meditate, all while wearing khadi -- handwoven cloth -- during their stay.

But they must adhere to Gandhi’s 11 vows that he promoted including non-violence, no possessions, use of local goods, working for daily food, self restraint, including chastity, and control of diet.

And they are also encouraged to follow Gandhi’s austere daily routine, such as waking at 5am and undertaking domestic chores.

“The objective of this programme is to allow people to experience a sustainable lifestyle, to enjoy the simplicity of Gandhi, experience the virtue of Mahatma,” said Nischalavalamb Barot, a travel agent who helped develop the programme called “Live Gandhi for a While”.

“This might change perceptions of tourists towards life, society and our natural resources. This might also help tourists find peace and satisfac-

tion within,” Barot told AFP. Gandhi went to stay at the bungalow, now called Kochrab Ashram and then owned by a lawyer friend, after he returned to India from South Africa in 1915.

From this base, in a village on the outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad, he rejected material wealth and developed some of the ideas for which he became famous.

In one incident, he upset neighbours by inviting a low-caste man, a so-called “untouchable”, to come and live at the ashram as part of his campaign against India’s rigid and deeply ingrained caste system.

The ashram is managed by a nearby university called Gujarat Vidyapith, which Gandhi himself founded in 1920 to “liberate the Indian youths from the shackles of British colonial rule”.

The “Live with Gandhi” programme was launched on October 2 to coincide with the 144th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi. Tourists have not yet made bookings, but Barot stressed there were lots of inquiries.

India has plenty of museums and monuments to honour the country’s independence icon, whose personal philosophy and ideas are considered outdated by many in rapidly modernising India.

Known as Mahatma or Great Soul, Gandhi spearheaded a non-violent campaign against the British Raj that finally saw India gain its freedom from colonial rule in 1947.

Despite the many commemorations for Gandhi, Barot, who developed the programme with the university, said he hoped the ash-

ram offered something different.

“This is the first time that we are attempting to understand the value and principles of a sustainable life, which Gandhi believed in and practised,” said Barot, who operates a sustainable tourism agency.

However he stressed a stay at the ashram would not be an easy one.

“They will have to follow the vows that Gandhi himself followed in the ashram....

They will also wear the khadi throughout the programme.”

Gandhi spun his own cloth and encouraged others to follow suit. He considered this an important part of his anticolonial philosophy of self-reliance, known as “swadeshi”.

Khadi also became a symbol of how then India should base its economy -- on villagebased craft instead of industrially-produced cotton often imported from mills in Britain.

The idea is a far cry from modern-day India, which dismantled government control over its economy in the 1990s, and opened up India, a member of the G20, to foreign investment.

Sudarshan Iyengar, vice-chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith university that manages the ashram, said he was confident that opening it to tourists would help promote Gandhi’s ideals.

“This is a unique programme, which will actually bring change in society gradually at an individual level and hopefully we will witness a sustainable future.”

-Hindustantimes

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Pudine Ki Chatni (Mint Chutney) This is a condiment that Punjabis can’t claim as their own as it is made and eaten all over India as a sauce to dip savory appetizers like pakoras (fried vegetable fritters), samosas (fried stuffed dumplings), tikkas (pan roasted potato patties) and many more salt and spicy snacks. There are other types of chutneys too – like imbli (tamarind) and narial (coconut) which go with different snacks.

Chutneys are usually made of herbs and spices for seasoning which are ground together with some vinegar, lemon or tamarind juice to add the tanginess. Spices most commonly used include methi (fenugreek), dhania (coriander), jeera (cumin) and hing (asafoetida). If you really like another herb then you can try adding it and experiment with the taste.

There are many varieties of chutneys and their ways of preparation vary across the Indian SubContinent. Major Grey’s Chutney, an Anglicized variety which is sweet and spicy with raisins, mango, vinegar, lime juice, onion and tamarind, is popular in the UK and the US and was reputedly created by a 19th-century British Army officer who served in Colonial India.

Now the concept of chutney (even salsa can be considered a type of chutney) has spread across the world and has been changed to suit local needs. In parts of the Caribbean – Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname – there is even a type of dance music called chutney music which is a mixture of calypso, cadence and Indian musical instruments like the dholak, tabla and dhantal.

Here some people – and especially restaurants - add yogurt to bring some tanginess, but it makes the chutney appear light green and too much can make the chutney very thin. Proper chutney should be a thin paste, good enough for dipping. I have discovered that the avocado helps to keep the water in mint chutney from running. All the ingredients are natural and help in digestion.

Ingredients: • 2 medium bunches of pudina (mint) – the Indian variety has a stronger taste • 2 medium bunches of dhania (coriander) • 2 medium bunches of niajboh (basil).

Also called pabri or jungli tulsi • 2 small hari Shimla mirch (green bell pepper) • 2 medium hari mirch (green pepper). Green jalapenos can be used too • 1 small clump of adrak (ginger) • 1 large piyaaz (onion) – peeled and chopped • 1 small avocado (this helps the consistency) • 1 tsp chinni (sugar) • 1 tbsp amchoor (dried mango powder).

Added for tanginess • Spices to taste: 1 tsp namak (salt), 1 tsp mirch (red pepper) Directions: 1. Wash all the herbs well in running water to get all the dirt and soil out. Remove the stalks from the mint, coriander and basil.

2. Peel the ginger, onions and avocado; cut these

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and the bell pepper and green pepper into small quarters and set aside.

Place all the green herbs, ginger and onion in an electric blender and set to puree, making sure that ingredients mix well.

Now add the salt, pepper and amchoor to taste and mix in the blender again.

Add the avocado and run in the blender again.

Pour the chutney into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator before serving.

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

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ENTERTAINMENT

November 08, 2013

Movie Review : Krrish 3

BY ANUPAMA CHOPRA Rating: ***1/2 MUMBAI (HT): Spare a thought for the Indian superhero.

Unlike his Western counterparts – Batman, Superman, Iron Man – our guy can’t be dark or brooding.

There is no room in his narrative for irony or angst. Not only does he have to save the world, he also has to sing and dance. He has to propagate family values, convinc-

ingly overact in thundering melodrama, defeat a villain who, like most villains in Bollywood, laughs a lot and he must cater to and eventually seduce an audience that has grown up without a superhero comic book culture. And he must do all this on a fraction of the budget that Hollywood superheroes enjoy.

It’s a damn hard job and nobody does it better than Hrithik Roshan.

He’s earnest, righteous and dropdead gorgeous.

And when you see him in that black mask, standing guard over Mumbai, you can’t help but cheer out loud. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan deserves a round of applause for giving us a homegrown superhero.

Krrish 3 is ambitious and exciting.

Sadly, it’s also derivative, clumsy, convoluted and far too long.

The two main flaws are the story and the music. Five writers have been credited with the screenplay

of the film, including Rakesh Roshan. Clearly, too many cooks spoiled the broth because the narrative is clunky and over-wrought.

In the second half, the energy deflates considerably because there is just too much going on, including an unintentionally comical love angle and a dream song. One of the big themes here is that each one of us has the potential to be a superhero but it isn’t organically woven into the story. It’s pasted on with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

And dialogues like “Jahan crisis hai, wahan Krrish hai” don’t help.

You will also need to overlook the many product placements and the blatant efforts at merchandising – don’t miss the Krrish bracelet.

The action is terrific but the special effects range from tacky to impressive. As do the many villains. I enjoyed Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut but the rest, including Antman and Frogman, have zero personality. The film ultimately belongs to Hrithik, who is especially endearing as Rohit, Krrish’s child-like father.

Krrish 3 isn’t a patch on the best superhero films made in Hollywood but it is a step forward for Bollywood. Somewhere in the future of this franchise, the superhero concept and the requirements of mainstream Hindi movies will merge seamlessly. Until then, cut the Roshans some slack and enjoy.

25

SET Asia HD Launches on DISH and DishWorld IPTV NEW YORK: Sony Entertainment Television Asia is proud to announce that it is now available in 1080i high definition on DISH and DishWorld IPTV. Jaideep Janakiram, SVP of International Business – Head of North America, “Sony Entertainment Network has always embraced excellence in content and quality, going HD is another step in that direction. SET Asia will continue to keep its viewers in the entertainment forefront, and I am sure that our consumers will enjoy the enhanced viewer experience.”

Sruta Vootukuru, Director of Programming – DISH, “DISH is the leading provider of HD international content to viewers in the U.S., and we are pleased to add SET Asia HD to this impressive lineup. We remain committed to offering the best programming options to our nation’s South Asian communities interested in high-definition entertainment from their home countries.”

Viewers can enjoy their favorite SET Asia programming in true HD, including Kaun Banega Crorepati, Desh Ki Beti Nandini, Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi, Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana and World Television Premier blockbusters.

SET Asia HD is available on both platforms at no additional

cost to subscribers. Satellite customers can tune in on HD channel 9663; subscribers who do not have an HD receiver can only access SET Asia in standard definition on channel 695.

About Sony Entertainment Television Asia: Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia. SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries. The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows.

Besides SET Asia, SEN also has four other leading channels, as part of its bouquet: MAX, India’s #1 premier movies and special events channel, SAB, the only dedicated comedy channel, MIX, the recently launched Hindi Film Music channel and Aath, the only dedicated Bengali Movie channel.

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TVs, Mobile Phones Spearhead Shift in Rural India

NEW DELHI: Chanderi, a small town of 40,000 people in the Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, is best known for its weavers. A decade ago, the inhabitants would spend their evenings in the town square, chatting. There was little else to do. Such gatherings are rare now, says Quaiser Jehan Qureshi, a local school teacher.

Instead, residents now spend their evenings watching TV or surfing the Internet In September, Shyam Saran, a 35-year old lacquer maker from Samode, a village in Rajasthan’s Chomu region bought a Panasonic laptop computer while on a routine visit to Delhi.

“I don’t know how to use it, but since the kids are growing up, it is useful to them,” says Saran, who lives in a comfortable two-storied house with 19 other members of an extended family, and makes a modest living selling bangles.

Apart from the laptop, the family owns four television sets, eight mobile phones, and an old batteryoperated radio set that comes in handy during extended power cuts.

Like Chanderi and Samode, much of India’s hinterland has gone through a major transforma-

tion, reflected in the latest round of consumption data put out by the National Sample Survey Office. It shows that spending on non-food products such as durable goods, fuel, clothing, footwear and other miscellaneous services increased from 36.8% in 1993-94 to 50.4% in 2011-12.

For the first time, more than 50% of the increased rural spending is on non-food products and services— and mobile phones and television sets (and monthly mobile and cable TV bills) top the list.

“Mobile hai sabse bada badlaav (mobiles are the biggest change),” says Shashi Lal Kumar, 30, a resident of Bihar’s Motihari who, aptly enough, works as the caretaker of a telecom tower that provides wireless connectivity to the region. “You’ll find mobile phones with everyone around here. We have more mobile phones than people here,” adds Kumar who owns four mobile phones himself.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, as of June, India had 873 million mobile connections. Of these, 522 million were in urban areas, with the remaining 351 million in rural areas. There are 46 million active

Internet users in rural India, according to an i-Cube report, titled Internet in Rural India, published by lobby group Internet and Mobile Association of India and IMRB, a market research firm.

Even if both numbers are to be discounted—India measures mobile connections, not active subscribers, and the definition of an active Internet user is one who has accessed the Internet at least once in the past month—they are still likely to be significant.

It is telling that the first major nonfood purchase of most households is either a television or a mobile phone, in that order. Still, this shouldn’t surprise anyone, says Osama Manzar, director of DEF, who is also an occasional columnist for Mint. “Entertainment is the strongest need, especially among young people in rural areas.”

Increasing traffic between rural and urban India, made possible by better road connectivity, has amplified this need, according to Raj Kumar Jha, manager, knowledge insights, at Geometry Global, part of advertising and public relations firm WPP Plc. “If you look at the census, there is a big belly of population between the age group of 18-45. This is the earning and then spending bunch, they are exposed to modern gadgets and lifestyles, they are mobile to visit towns and cities and come back to villages and bring back a lot of information.”

According to the 2011 census, there are 316.5 million people in the age group referred to by Jha in rural India. Some of them travel to larger towns, even metropolitan cities, to study, and many others, to work.

And although rural consumers buy mobile phones largely for communication, they are increasingly viewing these devices as their “window to the world”, ac-

cording to Anupam Vasudev, chief marketing officer of wireless service provider Aircel Ltd. “Mobile has made entertainment personal and the rural consumer values it a lot. Earlier, consumption of entertainment was a community-based exercise which has now become distinctive and personal; it’s like having a voice of your own. They have access to everything that the urban consumer has. The only difference perhaps would be in the scale of which they receive it,” said N. Rajaram, chief executive officer for data services at Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s largest telecom provider.

Both Rajaram and Vasudev speak of the importance of video content on mobile phones in rural areas.

“Penetration of mobile is higher than conventional media in most rural markets. With the evolution of the mobile device in rural India, from a simple communication device to a complex one which offers entertainment, banking and information, the opportunities are endless for both consumers and marketers,” said Abhiroop C., head of media services at Unilever (South Asia), which earns a sizeable portion of its revenue from India’s villages and small towns.

Indeed, half of the 12 million downloads from Airtel’s new video store launched in May are from rural areas. And local vendors do good business selling SD cards with content usually culled (illegally) from Bollywood.

“Video breaks the barrier of literacy,” says Rajaram. “The minute it becomes vernacular, it goes viral.”

The average spend on such mobile entertainment is Rs.50-100, according to Jha. Take Qureshi, the school teacher at Chanderi. She now uses an Intex phone she bought five

months ago to watch movies or entertain her 18-month-old son with episodes of Chhota Bheem, a popular TV cartoon show.

Or take Raghav Mahto, a mechanic in Bihar’s Mansoorpur village. He watches movies and music videos on YouTube. Mansoorpur sees power cuts of around five hours a day, and young men huddled around a mobile phone on street corners, watching music videos, is a common sight.

Low-cost phones such as Celkon, China Mobiles, Intex and KTouch are popular in rural markets, says Manu Sharma, general manager, mobile products, Samsung Electronics Co. Pvt. Ltd. SD cards are a popular way to store and share content, adds Sharma, but many of the devices are socalled feature phones. “A whole new ecosystem needs to evolve for them to be able to use smartphones and Internet to its full potential,” he says. “The effort from our side is to bring down costs. Besides that, language is the biggest barrier.”

There are no language problems with television, though.

The advent of satellite TV connections has accelerated the spread of television in rural India. Dish TV India Ltd has 11 million connections, of which nearly half are in rural India. Tata Sky Ltd has 11.5 million subscribers. The company did not respond to queries on the percentage of rural subscribers.

And rural viewers aren’t just content to watch the free-to-air channels.

“Nowadays, I feel they are moving towards paid packages and want to watch channels like Life OK, Colors etc. You see, television doesn’t qualify only as entertainment for them, it is their source for fashion, news, religious content etc,” says Geometry Global’s Jha. -Livemint.com

127

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28 November 08, 2013 Preview: India vs. West Indies with Sachin in Spotlight

BY ABHISHEK PUROHIT

KOLKOTA (ESPN Cricinfo): Match facts Wednesday-Sunday, November 6-10, 2013 Big Picture Darren Sammy and his men will take a look at the farewell euphoria in Kolkata and wonder if there’s some karmic connection between West Indies and Sachin Tendulkar. ‘When will he get his 100th international hundred?’ was the refrain the last time West Indies toured India in late 2011.

Tendulkar came close twice in that three-Test series, making 76 in a successful chase in Delhi and falling six runs short of the mark to the disappointment of hometown Mumbai.

That Wankhede match was only the second time a Test had been drawn with the scores level, India managing a single off the last ball of the game when two were needed. West Indies may have lost that 2011 series 0-2, but they had a 100-plus first-innings lead in Delhi which they blew, and were a wicket away from a win at the end in Mumbai.

It is important to revisit all this to remind ourselves that two teams played cricket - exciting cricket then, during that long clamour for the landmark. And, regardless of how or why this series came to be, two teams are going to play cricket now, during the retirement.

West Indies may have one of the worst overseas records over the past decade or so, but they have batsmen such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo who have thrived in Indian conditions in the past. They have bowlers of extreme pace in Kemar Roach and Tino Best. They have capable spinners in Shane Shillingford and Veerasammy Permaul. And they have a captain who is as unassuming as some of the young Indian stars aren’t.

MS Dhoni and his men haven’t played any Tests since sweeping Australia 4-0 at home in March.

They are about to embark on a succession of overseas tours starting with South Africa next month.

They have an opener who, for all his world-conquering limited-

bowlers.

Team news The absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who has played all of five Tests, in a home series has disturbed the team combination so much that Rohit Sharma and Amit Mishra are competing for one spot. If Dhoni goes for a fifth bowler, Mishra will play his first Test since August 2011. If Dhoni goes for the sixth batsman, Rohit may edge out Ajinkya Rahane with his part-time offspin. If that happens, he would have played 108 ODIs before finally making his Test debut, easily the record.

India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Rohit Sharma/Ajinkya Rahane/Amit Mishra, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Umesh Yadav/Ishant Sharma/Mohammed Shami Even without missing Jadeja, West Indies are facing a similar predicament. In 2011, they played three specialist bowlers - two quicks and one spinner. This time, Sammy says one needs two spinners in India, which could mean a toss-up between Narsingh Deonarine and Veerasammy Permaul.

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine/Veerasammy Permaul, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), A Sachin Tendulkar cut-out is placed at the Eden Gardens entrance, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Shane Kolkata.

Shillingford, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 overs form, is only one Test in- eye-catching performance after Tino Best nings old. The other one hasn’t another. Four ODI hundreds to go Pitch and conditions been among the runs recently. with that pulverising 187 on Test Eden Gardens’ chief groundsTheir No. 5 could likely become debut against Australia in Mohali. man, Prabir Mukherjee, has promNo. 4 after this series; they have Nearly eight months have passed ised “a good, firm, even-bouncing been trying to find No. 6 since the since that innings, and Dhawan’s wicket” but a day before the game, end of 2008. Their fast-bowling form has kept pace in limited- Sammy said it already “looks unit is so unpredictable they are overs formats. What will he have like a fourth-day pitch”. While considering a debutant when they for us in his second Test?

Mukherjee and Dhoni aren’t exhave someone who has played as In 2011, Darren Bravo made actly friends, it is Sammy’s verdict many as 51 Tests. There is a lot two big hundreds in Kolkata and that may excite the India captain, to think about for Dhoni, even Mumbai to tally over 400 runs for who has said in the past he wants against West Indies and even as the series, by far the best West In- Indian Test pitches to turn from the goodbye carnival carries on. dies batsman on that trip. He likes day one. Peak temperature is exIn the spotlight batting on the subcontinent; his pected to hover around 30 C. No If it hasn’t already been, 2013 other two Test hundreds have been rain is expected during the match, may yet be declared the year of scored in Bangladesh. He can be but the moisture previous downShikhar Dhawan, for appearing as soft with his hands in dealing pours have left behind in the soil out of the blue and producing one with spin as he can be hard on fast may slow down the pitch.

SPORTS

Pak, SA in ODI Spree SHARJAH: What was orginally a five-match series, has suddenly mutated into something much more. On the eve of the third ODI, the South African and Pakistan boards announced another series between the two, starting mere days after this one ends. Three more ODIs and two more T20s will take the number of limitedovers matches played between the two teams to 12 in a month.

That probably means the pressure of the current series has been somewhat lifted because of the marathon contest it has become.

That news is probably more welcomed by South Africa, whose limited-overs batsmen have failed to adapt to the UAE conditions.

Though they will have Hashim Amla back for the remainder of the tour, which should add some stability, their middle-order worries are likely to remain. With Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez all continuing to cause problems..

A similar appraisal could be made of Pakistan’s line-up, who have also been faltering in the middle. Umar Amin and Umar Akmal are yet to make meaningful contributions. In their case though, it is pace, rather than spin, that has got the better of them.

Both bowling attacks continue to impress, marking a change from the usual high-scoring gluts that this format can produce. But even that novelty is likely to soon wear off as the teams are going to be playing against each other till the end of the month.

Shahid Afridi in his delivery stride during a practice session, Abu Dhabi, November 5.

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November 08, 2013

Unnao ‘Treasure’ Report was Tampered with

BY GULAM JEELANI A Geological Survey of India (GSI) report that became the basis for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to start the ‘gold hunt’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district was tampered with, according to experts from the geophysics division of GSI’s Lucknow centre.

The hunt for about a 1,000 tonnes of gold, which a seer told officials lies buried at Raja Rao Ram Baksh Singh Fort, started on October 18.

A team of experts from the GSI’s Lucknow centre, who prepared the original report, said they neither mentioned gold nor recommended an excavation.

They, however, said their report mentioned about the presence of conductive material. According to them, all metals are conductors, but not all conductors are metals. A conductive material could well be a mixture of clay and brine (high concentrated salt water) which is quite common on the river banks.

“Our report only mentioned conductive material,” said A Sundaramoorthy, former GSI directorgeneral who retired on October 31.

He added that the original report did not recommend excavations either.

Another senior GSI official of Lucknow centre said no technique

on this planet could specify about the presence of metals. “Gold is out of question,” said the official, who didn’t wish to be named.

He also said that superintending geophysicist SK Mishra, who led a 12-member team at the site, has been struggling in his efforts to convince the higher officials that his team’s report has been modified. He has even informed about the ‘different’ reports to Lok Nath Singh, who heads the geophysics division of GSI in Lucknow.

Defending the involvement of government agencies in the project, the culture ministry had earlier stated that the mines ministry received the report of the preliminary GSI investigations on October 8, which mentioned “prominent non-magnetic anomalous zone,” that indicated possible non-conducting metallic contents or alloys at 5-20 meters below the surface and suggested excavation.

“On the basis of the report it was decided by ASI to undertake excavations to try to determine the nature of the reported deposits,” the ministry statement had claimed.

The senior GSI official told HT that the original report, sent to the government after a survey at the site on October 3 and 4, had only

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suggested the presence of conductive material under the earth near the fort ruins on the banks of river Ganga. He added that the report “was modified for sure after it was sent from Lucknow office”.

From the Lucknow office, as is the norm, the report was sent to the Kolkata-based headquarters of GSI where from it was forwarded to the Union ministry of mines, GSI’s parent ministry. He added that even the Ground Penetrating Radar Survey (GPRS), as mentioned in the final report already in public domain, was not carried out at the site as the apparatus for the technique was with some other scientist of the division on an official tour to Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir).

Interestingly, the ASI has never officially admitted it was digging for gold. On Monday, however, when HT contacted PK Mishra, superintending archaeologist of ASI (Lucknow circle), he said: “We do not know about the tampering. We started our work on the basis of the GSI findings.”

The GSI officials, who worked on the findings, said they are at a loss for words over the developments. “We do not know who changed the report,” said another official. “Our limited survey was not intended to draw any specific conclusions. A normal GSI survey would have taken at least four to five weeks rather than the two days over which the GSI carried out its study,” he added.

The new GSI director-general, SC Rath, however, refused to comment on the matter.

The search for gold in the 19th century fort has so far yielded shards, broken glass bangles and toys among other things.

As mystery continues to shroud what lies beneath the ground, the signs of ‘treasure’ remains elusive even as the ASI is all set to resume its excavation after Diwali break on Tuesday.

-Hindustantimes

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Isro to Launch India’s Maiden Mars Mission

BY VANITA SRIVASTAVA SRIHARIKOTA, ANDHRA PRADESH (HT): India will take its next major step forward in the space programme, after the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, when scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launch their maiden mission to Mars on Tuesday, at 2:38pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

PSLV-C25, the 25th mission of PSLV and fifth in the XL configuration, will carry the 1,337 kg Mars Orbiter Satellite into a 250 km X 23,500 km elliptical orbit. The cost of the mission is Rs. 450 crore.

The 56 hours 30 minute countdown for the launch started on Sunday at 6.08am.

The coasting phase between the third stage (PS3) burn-out and the fourth-stage (PS4) ignition is longer for this mission. The total flight duration before the Orbiter is injected is nearly 40 minutes. This

is longer than the average time of 20 minutes for earlier spacecrafts.

“There are several technological and scientific challenges in this mission. This is India’s first interplanetary mission. We had to calibrate our hardware to withstand a territory not experienced before,” Isro chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan said.

Comment: Mars Orbiter Mission is an incredibly lowbudget mission The spacecraft will move from the Earth’s sphere of influence and go to the heliocentric (sun-centric) orbit on December 1, 2013 at 12:42pm.

It will remain in the trans-Martian orbit for nearly 300 days before finally entering the Mars orbit on September 24, 2014. It will then have to be re-oriented and slowed down to enter the Martian orbit or else it will vanish.

The Orbiter has five indigenously-designed payloads to carry different scientific experiments once it reaches the Martian atmosphere.

The Methane Sensor is specifically designed to measure methane and map its sources on Mars.

The Mars-men: Indian scientists who made Mars Orbiter Mission possible Science and faith: Ahead of Mars mission, temple run goes hand in hand with rocket science One of the main objectives of this mission is to develop technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.

The launch window for the MOM mission is from October 28, 2013 to November 19, 2013.

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