E newspaper11152013

Friday, November 15 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 46

Indo American erican News

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

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COMMUNITY

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Grand Diwali and Govardhan Puja Celebrated at ISKCON

BY RAVINDER YERRAM HOUSTON: ISKCON of Houston, Hare Krishna Dham witnessed grand celebrations of Diwali and Govardhan Puja (New Year) during the past weekends. Festivities for Diwali began last Sunday and more than 1,000 guests started streaming in for the occasion to celebrate Diwali - Lord Ram’s arrival after conquering the evil.

The temple premises looked very festive and lively with splendid floral decorations. Main altar was decorated with 100s of diyas (lamps) and glittering crystal curtains forming a backdrop for the deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava and Sri Giriraj Govardhan, adorned in the finest purple and yellow colored outfits. The program embarked on the perfect note with ecstatic kirtan by HG RamaGiridhari Das and local youth group. An insightful and informative talk was given

by Her Grace Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership) on the significance of the Diwali and lights with pastimes of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna and set in a divine atmosphere for the evening. Devotees eagerly waiting in a tightly packed temple room were not disappointed when the curtains finally opened for a breathtaking darshan of the deities in a candlelit altar. The candlelight aarti accompanied by roaring kirtan, immersed everyone present in bliss.

A scrumptious vegetarian feast perfectly completed the evening.

The following day saw quite a congregation for the morning 4.30 am mangala aarti to ring in the festivities for Govardhan Puja and New Year. The highlight of the evening program was the much awaited Abhishek of the Giriraj Govardhan deity with various choice items accompanied by melodious kirtan and bhajans. A won-

Photos: K R Thejas & Nagalla Nagaraj

derful multimedia presentation on Govardhan Hill pastimes by HG Urmila Devi Dasi with beautiful

images was followed with everyone meditating on the Govardhan Hill.

The darshan of the deities on this day was very unique since large variety of food items were offered at the altar and the delicacies were then distributed out as prasadam for everyone to savor. At the end everyone was served with delicious feasting.

The extended celebration went on past Sunday evening included: a tarangam Kuchipudi performance with brass plate and water pot by Anjali Center student, a violin performance, bhajan and dance by sunday school children. HG Urmila Devi Dasi took everyone on a guided journey of Shyam Kund and Radha Kund in the holy dham of Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna

and Srimati Radharani performed many of their pastimes. The evening culminated with a parikrama of the Anna Kuta (Mountain of Food), made from umpteen vegetarian items. Cupcakes, cookies, laddoos, barfi, halava and more were all laid out to make huge Govardhan hill. Under the govardhan hill, Lord Krishna and attracted vraja vasis characters were arranged. A scrumptious vegetarian feast perfectly served for all guests in the evening.

As an added bonus, on these very auspicious days devotees had the opportunity to offer hand held ghee lamps lovingly to the Lord as part of the observance of Damodar vrata in this special month of Kartik. All in all, this festival of lights and Govardhan Puja at Houston of ISKCON brought to the community a very enjoyable spiritual extravaganza.

For further details visit Hare Krishna Dham Houston at 1320 W 34th St, Houston TX 77018 (713 686 4482) or http://www.iskconhouston.org.

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COMMUNITY

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Sold Out Diwali Mela Rocks Houston

BY MALAY VYAS HOUSTON: Sunil and Sandhya Thakkar raised the bar to new heights at the India.com Diwali Mela on Saturday November 9 at the Skeeters Stadium. Diwali in Houston will never be the same again. The entrance to the Constellation field was amazingly lit up with Diwali designs and laced with nostalgic Indian cars. Beautiful maidens welcomed guests with the traditional “tikas.” Gorgeour pink, orange, salmon, and yellow saris and chiffons draped stalls and sparkling lights lit up the Tara Energy Diwali Bazaar. Kids ran around playing tag through the Memorial Hermann Kid Zones, women stopped at the jewelry shack looking at bangles and outfits, and men lined up for food.

Families got together with an air of joy, celebration and anticipation in this packed stadium of about thousands. Looked like more than 15,000 people had crammed every part of the stadium. There was no room to move anywhere. It was totally packed and everyone was having fun. Tickets were completely sold out a week before the show and $10 tickets were being sold on Craigslist for $50.

Precisely at 6 pm, Sunil T opened the rocking stage show. UT Acapella group’s Rupal Mehta sang the US national anthem followed by the Indian national anthem by ten-year old Chloe Choudhury.

The Honorable Consul General of India, P Harish and his charming wife Nandita Harish gracefully lit up traditional diyas.

With the analogy of life, the Mela entertainment was a Journey aboard the India.com Masala Express through different destinations from Kashmir to Kunyakumari. Sunil T had the audience in laughter with his comedy routines on Punjabis, Gujuratis, Mumbaikers and South Indians. The up close comedy routines were a new flavor to the Diwali Mela this year

stall. The next stop was the fields of Punjab with the power-filled Rice Chowl Bhangra. It was about time for Chhole Bhature at Chowpatty Chaat or some Paneer Makhani at Bawarchi. Chugging along, guests reached the city of Nawabs - Lucknow – with kathak pieces by Shivangini Academy of Performing Arts.

At this point Sunil T introduced the Silver Sponsors of the Diwali Mela: Brij & Sunita Agarwal, Tilak & Manju Agarwal, Govind & Renu Agarwal, Jiten & Shalu Agarwal, Sanjay & Anjali Khanna, Harish & Shashi Jajoo, Sienna Plantation, Cross Creek Ranch, Amin Realty, Fiesta Marketplace, SKAI Foundation, Texas Jasmine, Alings Hakka, and One Step Diagnostic. Masala Express got a fuel boost when Maharaja Jewelers brought to the stage the star of the evening, the legend of Bollywood,

Photos: Ama Photography, Jason Joy, Meedu Photography and Image N Motion Studio.

and the audience loved it.

Ek Do Teen Dance academy presented the first stop - Kashmir with “Bhumro”. The cool evening breeze reminded us of the temperatures in Kashmir and guests warmed themselves with the great buzz at Haribhai Chaiwala’s tea

BAPPI LAHIRI. With signature Dark Glasses & Gold Ornaments around his neck - Bappi Da lit up the Constellation Field like a thousand Diwali Diyas. A wave of CONTINUED ON PAGE

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COMMUNITY

Ballet Shri Ram by IAA and Shriram Bhartiya Kalakendra, Delhi

BY HARI DAYAL HOUSTON: Indo-American Association (IAA) presented Ballet Shri Ram by Shriram Bhartiya Kalakendra, Delhi, on Friday November 8 at the Jones Hall in Houston’s Theater District. The production has done more than 3,000 performances around the globe, but this was the first time it played in Houston. IAA is proud to have brought this masterpiece to Houston in celebration of its twenty year journey of presenting cultural arts of India in the American context.

Shriram Bhartiya Kalakendra’s Ballet Shri Ram narrates the Ram Katha, the story of Ram, as found in Maharishi Valmiki’s Ramayan and the Ram Charit Manas of Goswami Tulsi Das. Ram is an integral part of the Hindu ethos; he is part of every breath we take. He is a paragon of virtuesthe maryada purshottam- and we aspire to emulate him.

Ram Katha or Ram Leela is presented in every village and town across India in one form or another. The Indian-Americans have understandably tried to preserve the tradition by presenting it in various styles and it adequately serves the spiritual purpose. What is unique about the Shri Ram presented by IAA is the synergy of arts and spirituality. This production, with a history of fifty six years, presents RAMAYAN as a ballet, as an art form!

Ballet Shri Ram at Jones Hall narrated in two hours the complete story of RAMAYAN- birth of Ram, education, Sita’s swayamvara, Dashrath’s desire to coronate Ram and Kaikayee’s plot to banish Ram to the forest for fourteen years, Dashrath’s death, Ram, Sita, and Lakshman finding abode in Panchwati,

Sita’s abduction by Ravan, Ram aided by Hanuman and his monkey army invading Ravan, killing of Ravan, Sita reunited with Ram, Ram’s return to Ayodhya after fourteen years in the forest, Ram’s coronation and establishment of Ram Rajya- a society with compassion and justice for all.

The audience was spellbound as the ballet played out scene by scene and the story unfolded. Of course, the story was told by the medium of soulful music and meticulously choreographed dances. To do justice to the variety of situations and moods of the story, the master choreographer Shashdharan Nair used so many different Indian dance styles- Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Mayurbhanj Chhau, Kallayari Pattam, and folk dances of various regions of India.

While all the dancers did a super job, the

Mayurbhanj Chhau sequences in combat scenes were breathtaking. And, choreographer Shashdharan Nair who played Ravan took the cake as a Kathakali dancer!

The Ballet Shri Ram was spiritually entertaining and a journey down the memory lane for the audience who grew up with RAMAYAN. For the younger audiences, specially targeted by IAA, it was fun, it was entertaining, and yes, it was educational. IAA feels it fulfilled its mission by presenting ballet Shri Ram and specially thanks the many Sponsors who financially supported the project.

IAA concludes its 2013 season by a very special Qawwali program ISHQ-e-HAQIQI (Love of God) on Saturday November 23.

For further details visit www.iaahouston. com, or call 281.648.0422.

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COMMUNITY

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Annise Parker Re-elected Houston Mayor

Rahman Moton with Mayor Annise Parker at the victory party.

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HOUSTON: Houston Mayor Annise Parker has been elected to a third and final term as the leader of the nation’s fourth largest city. Annise Parker got more than 57 percent of the votes.

Parker was first elected in 2009. She won her second term in 2011. Term limits prevent Parker from running for a fourth term.

During Parker’s administration, Houston has been named in surveys as one of the best cities to live in.

Parker gave her victory speech Tuesday night at the George R. Brown Convention Center and about 1000 people attended the victory celebration, most of city coun-

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All communites were present along with Mayor parker to celebrate the victory party.

From the South Asian community, Community Leaders and prominent persons also attended the party along with Rahman Moton (President) Myanmar American Chamber of Commerce.

Rahman Moton congratulates Mayor Parker for this victory on behalf of the South Asian community. See congratulatory ad on page 31.

HOUSTON: On November 5, Neeta Sane won her re-election race to HCC Trustee District VII, affirming her accomplishments and progress for student success. She thanks her supporters for their valuable commitment of time and talent that helped her get re-elected to the HCC Board. Neeta will be entering into her second six-year term to serve and represent all the constituents of HCC District VII. In moving HCC forward, Neeta is looking forward to maintaining the positive momentum and partnerships that she has built with the area school districts, industry partners and community members. She plans to continue to be instrumental in enhancing HCC’s academic and workforce programs focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers.

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COMMUNITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE

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nostalgia went around the stadium as he sang his superhits from the 1980’s. Bappi Da teased all ages with his recent “ Ooh La La. ” Masala Express’s next stop was Gujarat and Bollywood Shake’s traditionally dressed Dholi Tharo Dhol blended with Nagada Sang Dhol Baje. It was time for some authentic Gujarati street cuisine at Neeta’s Indian Cuisine. Sunanda Nair’s Performing Arts Center performed a visually appealing Kerala folk dance of the Gods. The Winners of the $1001 Keemat Rangoli Competition were ($501) Shraddha Bhutala, ($301) Rachana Butada, and ($201) Shreya and Terence.

The Rangoli masterpieces were displayed around the venue while the winning entry “Laxmi Pooja” adorned the entrance in front of the amazing Laxmi living statue.

The Hindus of Greater Houston presented “Maha Aarti” blessed by the Parade of Gods - courtesy of the Gujarat Samaj of Houston.

Sunil thanked Platinum Sponsors Maharaja Jewelers’ two beautiful families for their years of sponsorship of Hindu events. Following were the illustrious Gold Sponsors : Jugal Malani, Gopal Savjani, Keemat Grocers, Memorial Hermann, House of Spice, New York Life and Mercedes Benz.

Nearly 3000 lights were distributed amongst the attendees to make this a true “maha” aarti. Following this holy fire, Mercedes Benz of Sugarland presented the Bollywood Fire Dancers dancing to fiery instrumentals with incredible acrobatic moves.

Back on the Masala Express that crossed over into Maharashtra and arrived at Sunil T’s birthplace – Mumbai. While there were long

November 15, 2013

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Sold Out Diwali Mela Rocks Houston

lines at for spicy Mumbai street food like Wakana Café’s Pao Baji, Chowpatty Chaat’s bhel puri and Sagar’s Indo-Chinese, Naach Houston spiced up the stage with a cross section of dances ranging from Contemporary to Hip-hop and of course a scintillating Mumbai style “Dhating” Naach. From Mumbai, the journey continued to South India as families lined up for Madras Pavilion’s Idli and Dosa stalls and Infused Performing Arts performed the famous “Lungi Dance.” Infused’s drop of Magic presented the finale WOW factor.

The heavens opened as the New York Life Fireworks lit up the night sky to symbolize Diwali in its true sense. Blu Lounge provided the only respite from Indian food, a culturally close cuisine of delectable Thai dishes. And the weather had warmed up just enough to enjoy Kulfis and Ice Creams by Baloch Faloodas and Natura Treats. While the 60 foot stage rocked with 120 feet of intelligent lights, the concourse held

its share of surprise entertainment.

DJs, Dholis and Dancers erupted spontaneously in the crowds. A 9 foot tall blue Ram with a 5 foot bow stalked through a thousand photos!

And what a rocking finale concert by Bappi Lahiri! The stage was chock a block with people running in from their seats. Everyone wanted to be with Bappi Da, everyone wanted to be a part of this Diwali Dhamaka. Bappi Da rocked the stadium for the next forty-five minutes arriving to the climax of the show – Ooh La La accompanied by bhoombhat Naach Houston dancers led

by Mahesh Mahbubani. A trance developed over a dancing crowd all across the stadium. No one left till the very end and even little kids stayed up late - wide awake and fully energetic – in all of their happiness lay the success of the Diwali Mela. Surely, for them, Diwali will never be the same again.

Masala Radio’s Sunil and Sandhya Thakkar would like to thank Goddess Laxmi for the impeccable weather, over 500 volunteers, sponsors, and vendors, and its Event Management Group: Munira, Rinku, Ruchir, Shah, Ninad, Shreya, Krupa, Gaurav, Nimi, Charlie and Sara and the Stage

Management Team: Vikas, Bhavika, Sandeep, Sunny T, Maulik, Priti, Rupal, and Devangi. Masala Radio Jockeys also managed and participated in the stage entertainment: Preanka, Dilip, Rajoo, Priya Naina, Pankti, and Ina. Sunil was accompanied on the Dugouts for upclose comedy and dancing

by Sushil and Malav. Councourse entertainment included DJs Zee and Ramping, Dholis Sunny and Keval, and Dancers Meenu and Sonali. Bappi Lahiri gracious hosts Abhishek and Deep. Look forward to seeing you all at HOLI March 23, 2014.

SEE PHOTO COLLAGE ON PG 14 -15

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ੴ Congratulations on Guru Nanak Sahib ji’s 544th Birthday.

Program:  Seva by S. Sohan S. Kalkat & family, Phone # 281 - 955 – 7089  Aramb Sri Akhand Paath Sahib Friday, November 15th at 9:30 AM  Bhog: Sunday, November 17th at 9:30 AM, followed by Kirtan and Guru Ka Langar  Kirtan will began by 11:00 am:Hazuri Ragi Jatha of Gurdwara Sikh National Center by Bhai Makhan Singh Ji and Bhai Sarabjit Singh Ji followed by a guest speaker; Ragi Sukhdev Singh fromWinnipeg *Langar would be served all day Friday, Saturday and in the end on program on Sunday.We appeal to all Sikh Sangat in Houston and Texas to join in this Special Diwan and get Guru’s blessings.

Model Picture Architects: PGAL & Kohli (India)

Builder: Turner Construction

All Sewadaars of Sikh National Center Committee

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COMMUNITY

November 15, 2013

Sri Meenakshi Temple New, Unique, Granite Ganesh Temple

The New Granite Ganesh temple being constructed.

Meenakshi temple started with Ganesh Temple in 1979.

BY DR. VENUGOPAL MENON PEARLAND: Sri Meenakshi Temple is celebrating the renovation of its original Ganesh Temple with the newly constructed granite sanctum and facility. As dictated by the traditional religious mores of ‘Agama Sastras’, consecration and sanctification of the new ‘Sannidhi’ will be dedicated through the ritualistic grandeur of the Kumbabhishekam. The festivities are planned through a week of elaborate religious observance from November 22, with the grand finale on Friday, the 29.

It is the first traditional Hindu religious landmark in the Southwest United States. What started in 1977 as a humble dream for a small group of supporters has gradually blossomed into a magnificent complex meeting the religious needs of the vast, growing community. This is the first such temple outside India with Goddess Meenakshi as the main deity, constructed with guidance and assistance from the original Sri Meenakshi temple in Madurai, India.

Before the main temple was built, and as the conventional custom of

Hindu faith dictates, a small ‘Sannidhi’, sanctum for Lord Ganesha was consecrated, as shown in the picture, in 1979. Worshippers visiting the temple begin their ‘darshan’, offering obeisance at the Ganesh temple first, thus attesting to its sentimental significance.

The founders struggled very hard during the initial stages to raise funds, own a piece of land and construct a small Ganesh temple.

It was a modest, free standing sheltered sanctum where poojas were conducted by conversant, local volunteers as the devotees stood outside in the open and prayed.

The main temple was constructed in 1982 followed by the majestic and ornate ‘gopurams’ at the four entrances along with the traditional surrounding walls.

The Goddess Temple has become a sacred Indian monument in Pearland. To quote Texas Traveler “seeing a gleaming white Hindu temple rising from the grass in the middle of Texas cornfield is a thing to behold”, should give an impression of how it is perceived as an established landmark of the area.

The temple architect, Padmashree Muthiah Stapathi de-

signed the new project as instructed by our scriptural guidelines, and taking into consideration the needs of our growing devotee population. Ashok Mungara, our local architect has been in charge of the construction that should be completed and ready to be inaugurated at the Kumbabhishekam.

The new construction includes a Vimanam above the Sannidhi, sixteen Shodasa Ganapathy Pillars and a Gopuram at the entrance, all completely built in granite, following the classic customs of old Indian temples and enhancing and complementing the architectural magnificence of our main temple.

The granite brings in the splendor and majestic elegance of our historic temple traditions, while the skylights allow openness and a fabulous view of the pristine Vimanam from inside the hall, thus blending centuries old antiquity with modernity of the twenty-first century America.

The temple organization remains enormously proud and honorably privileged to invite the entire Houston community to come and be part of the momentous event.

Forthekumbabhishekam event details, visit www. meenakshi.org See ad on page 6.

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COMMUNITY Deepavali Celebrations at Durgabari

November 15, 2013

BY JAYA GHOSH HOUSTON: Houston’s enthusiastic Bengali community celebrated Kali Puja along with deepavali at Houston Durgabari on November 1 and 2, with great devotion and joy.

Kali Puja celebration is the second most important festival after Durga Puja among Bengalis all over the world and celebrated usually on the Amavasya or the no moon night in the Hindu month of Kartik /November. This date of Kali Puja coincides with Diwali.

Interestingly, on the occasion of Diwali, all India worships goddesses Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, while the Bengalis, Oriyas and Assamese celebrate Kali Puja by lighting lamps in honor of Goddess Kali. According to Hindu mythology Goddess Kali is the first of the ten incarnations of Goddess Durga. The image of Kali usually shows her foot on Lord Shiva’s chest, a severed head in one hand, her sword in the other and wearing a garland of skulls.

This year celebration of Deepavali and Kalipuja at Durgabari consists of two days of fun, food, fireworks and religious activities.

The dazzling diyas, magnificent lights, colorful rangolis, fantastic fireworks and beautiful music with charming ladies dressed with

gorgeous jewelry and sarees created a festival setting all over Durgabari. Under the able guidance of Subrata Dasgupta and his team of hardworking volunteers decorated the whole Durgabari compound with dazzling lights and artistic decorations brought an esthetic

look to the whole ambience of kali puja in Houston.

This year the festivities started with colorful cultural programs on Friday evening. Audience was entertained by two captivating programs performed by kids and

community members. A beautifully narrated play based on fairy tales ‘Alice in wonderland’, wonderfully enacted by the cute kids of our community awed everyone in the auditorium! Narrator and director Debleena and Raja Banga’s awesome voice expression added an extra beauty to the play. This was followed by a musical dance drama “samannoy’… unity through peace and harmony, beautifully presented by the local artists, kids and ladies entertained the crowd thoroughly.

Next day celebration started with puja in the morning with puspanjali, bhog, Arati, Prasad and lunch distribution. Kids enjoyed fireworks and haunted house in the evening. Dr. Bishnupada Goswami performed Kali puja maintaining all the rituals from Hawan, puspanjali, ceremonial bolidan to

bhog and Arati on Saturday evening. Devoted ladies in the temple kitchen prepared nice bhog for Ma Kali. After Puja, people enjoyed scrumptious dinner made fresh by the dedicated volunteer like Bani, Partha, Pradip, Rajiv and team.

People enjoyed the skit and a Bengali play ‘okal valentine’ performed by the community members after dinner. Although the play was a bit lengthy but audience enjoyed the acting and light humor in a festive mood. Pijush, Partha, Shantanu, Anindya, Abhijit, Nirmalya, Dibendu, Dipankar, Ron, Sudip,Mita,Dipayan,Koushik and others worked hard with lots of dedication to make this event successful. Under the able leadership of Soova Sen and Dipthbhas Sarkar this year kalipujo celebration brought all the goodness of light, eradicating the darkness of bad in our community.

Kali is worshiped as the Mother Goddess who is known to destroy all evil. In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil. The light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, which brings us closer to divinity.

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COMMUNITY

November 15, 2013

Wise Prize Laureate Dr. Madhav Chavan to Speak at the 2013 IIT Global Conference in Houston

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HOUSTON: Co-Founder and CEO of Pratham, Dr. Madhav Chavan, will be in Houston to speak at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) 2013 Global Conference “Sustainability, Technology, Energy, Education and Life Sciences/ Health,” happening on December 6-8, at the Hilton Americas.

Dr. Chavan, who is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious WISE Award in Education, will be participating in a panel discussion on issues facing K-12 education. A chemist by profession, Dr. Chavan has spent the past 20 years bringing attention to the systemic problem of education for India’s poor and innovating solutions in primary education that can be rapidly expanded to have maximum impact.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Chavan sharing his unique insights and experiences,” said Witty Bindra, Chair of the conference. “Dr. Chavan is a well-recognized name in the Indian diaspora. His attending the conference will bring a lot of value for the IITians and Houstonians in the audience.”

When asked about taking part in the panel Dr. Chavan responded, “Considering that I could not get into IIT, it is great to be participating in this conference! I am looking forward to exchanging thoughts and ideas related to India’s education scenario.”

“Providing excellent education

that is accessible to all members of the society is the “holy grail” of early and K-12 education in the US, India, and around the world,” said Shail Kumar, co-leader of the Education Program track for the conference. “Pratham has created a sustainable model that serves the under-served communities on a large scale. Having Dr. Chavan in the early and K-12 panel at the IIT 2013 Global Conference will make the discussion even more valuable and inspiring,” he added.

Joining Dr. Chavan on the panel are President of Pearson Education’s Science, Business & Technology Division, Paul F. Corey; Co-Founder of KIPP and Superintendent KIPP Houston, Mike Feinberg; and Executive Director of Ekal Vidyalaya, Ranjani Saigal. The panel will take place on Saturday, December 7, from 10:30-11:45 AM CST at the Hilton Americas and will be moderated

by University Provost, Dr. George McLendon.

For further information on the education panel, IIT Global Conference and how to participate, visit www.iit2013.org.

ABOUT PRATHAM Pratham was established in 1994 to provide pre-school education to underprivileged children in the city of Mumbai. Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay co-founded the organization with support from UNICEF and the Mumbai Munic-

ipal Corporation. Together, they built a grassroots team around a simple mission: “every child in school and learning well.” Today, Pratham is India’s largest nongovernmental organization in education, working in 20 states across India, reaching over 1.5 million children annually.

ABOUT PRATHAM USA Pratham USA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building awareness and raising resources for education reform in India. Pratham USA has chapters in 14 US cities, with supporters representing a range of individuals and organizations that share a strong personal commitment to improving child literacy. For more information, visit us at www. prathamusa.org.

Correction In the story “Indian Consul Anil Matta Leaves for Mexico City” in IAN dated November 8, 2013, we erroneously indicated that a few Trustees of the ICC were present at the farewell dinner. They in fact were not. It was also pointed out to us that this was not an ICC event though most of the people who attended were present and previous ICC Board members. We regret the error and inconvenience.

For advertising Call: Vanshika Vipin

713.789.NEWS (6397) Job Posting:

News Photographer/Live Truck Operator

KTRK-TV, the ABC O&O located in Houston, TX, has an opening for a News Photographer/Live Truck Operator. Candidates should have a minimum three years experience in all facets of television news photography including lighting, audio and editing, and show exceptional knowledge and creativity in these areas. Applicants should have a good eye for news photography, be able to work in the field unsupervised or with various reporters and be able to work in deadline situations. The ideal candidate will have experience or be able to operate a microwave live truck and must be able to lift and carry 30 lbs. of equipment. Must have a valid driver’s license and be flexible to any working shift assigned. Prior experience supporting digital platforms a plus.

All interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers. com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references.

Interested applicants should also send a resume tape sample of your news related work to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 149857BR on all materials submitted. No phone calls please, and no third parties.

KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

Job Posting:

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

KTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a full-time production assistant. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to begin a career in journalism.

In this position, you may have the opportunity to write and edit newscast scripts, work on the assignment desk, work on our digital platforms, sort scripts and run the teleprompter. Must be willing to work overnights, weekends, and holidays. College degree preferred.

The ideal candidate has experience gathering and writing news along with a good understanding of social media trends.

For consideration all interested applicants must apply on-line at: www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Please send writing samples to: Robin Freese, Executive Producer, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 143911BR on all materials submitted. No phone calls please, and no third parties.

KTRK-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

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.

For further details visit to www.setasia.tv

November 15, 2013

17

Metlife Introduces a New Look on Life Insurance Financial Leader Highlights Cash Value Life Insurance as a Valuable Asset for Consumers NEW YORK: At a time when families are faced with a difficult economy but increasingly looking for ways to achieve their financial goals, MetLife wants to remind consumers it is never too late to revisit their finances and protection plans. In order to aid customers in achieving their financial dreams, MetLife unveils new resources titled “A New Look on Life” to help customers explore the advantages of cash value life insurance products in diversifying financial portfolios, funding future expenses and building an additional source of funds.

“While many people understand the primary reason for purchasing life insurance is to protect loved ones in the event of untimely death, most do not realize the immediate financial advantages of a wellplanned and properly structured cash value life insurance policy,” said Paul Justin, Market Leader of MetLife of Southern California.

“With the release of our new resources, it is a great time to reassess and recognize the funds that grow in cash value life insurance policies can accumulate on a taxfavored basis. These funds also offer flexibility to pay for children’s college tuition, down payment on homes, family emergencies,

or simply complement savings from traditional retirement plans.”

MetLife has added three new enhanced offerings to its MetLife Promise Whole Life series of products: MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 10SM, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 20SM and MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 65SM. These new products offer three premium durations – 10 years, 20 years and to age 65 – after which no further payments will be required to keep a policy in force.

These new policies are further made flexible by optional riders to better cater to individual needs. These include riders that provide policy owners access to all or a portion of the available death benefit should the insured become terminally ill, acceleration of the policy’s death benefit which can be used to pay for ongoing care due to prolonged illness, and options that waive premiums should the insured become totally disabled for a continuous period of at least six months. (There may be an additional cost for optional riders. Age and state availability restrictions may apply.)

The available riders come as a response to changing consumer needs around life insurance. The guaranteed rate of return provided through whole life insurance has made it an increasingly attractive option for consumers, especially

during times of economic uncertainty. The MetLife Promise Whole Life enhancements build upon this advantage by offering guaranteed level premiums, guaranteed cash value and guaranteed death benefit.

“We encourage consumers to approach life insurance with a fresh new perspective, and explore MetLife riders that suit their specific needs,” continued Justin.

“In order to take full advantage of the financial benefits of cash value life insurance, consumers should consider planning and starting early. While cash value may accumulate slowly during the early years of the policy, it has the capability to become a significant source of funds for most customers by the time they retire.”

For more information on the new line of Promise Whole Life Series, access to Asian-language “A New Look on Life” materials, including a brochure and videos, or to find an agent available to provide free consultation, call 1-800-638-5433 or visit www.metlife.com/newlook.

MetLife, Inc. is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers.

Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18 November 15, 2013 A New Airport for Mumbai The Navi Mumbai airport project is finally poised to take off.

But government’s work is not yet done.

Mumbai has long been in urgent need of a second airport. The existing one is in the middle of the city, highly congested and witnesses the most delays among all global airports. Two years hence, landing in Mumbai will be messy, with the existing airspace insufficient to meet the growing traffic and more landings. It was 27 years ago that a committee under J.R.D. Tata advocated a second airport for the country’s business capital.

The former civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, had begun pitching for the Navi Mumbai airport in UPA 1.

Interestingly, two-thirds of the public land required for the project was already acquired by Cidco, the state government agency executing the new airport. But Patel’s efforts were stalled during UPA 2, with Jairam Ramesh holding the environment portfolio.

After a protracted battle between the ministries, the project was finally cleared by the environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee in November 2010. But land issues gained prominence in the interim, with project affected persons (PAPs) raising their demands. In the last three years, Cidco could not manage to acquire the balance one-third public land.

The state government’s decisions on Monday finally seem to have convinced the 5,000-odd PAPs to come on board and accept a substantially sweetened deal. Clearly, what has won them over, besides 22.5 per cent of the developed land and alternative land that is three times their existing residence and equity ownership in the new company, is the promise of employability prospects for their wards. Cidco plans to tie up with recruiters to impart vocational training to the young and provide them jobs.

But winning over the PAPs is just the beginning. The government — both at the state and the Centre — has to pursue the project with zeal since the first phase will take at least four to five years to be completed. More so, because the location of the project is peculiar and involves cutting a hillock, filling up marshy lands and even diverting a local river.

For Mumbai, which aspires to be an international financial centre, robust physical infrastructure is critical. Be it about travel within the city or outside it, Mumbai leaves a lot to be desired. It takes two hours to fly from Delhi to Mumbai and at least an hour to drive down from the airport to the city’s heart in south Mumbai.

The Navi Mumbai airport is a job only half done.

Indian Express

EDITORIAL

Walmart-ising Healthcare

BY SARITHA RAI A hospital chain applies economies of scale to bring down costs without compromising on quality.

In a Mysore suburb, three hours by road from Bangalore, is a tileroofed, low-rise building that looks like a giant barn. Built at breakneck speed with prefabricated modules and completed in a record 10 months, the structure is the recently opened, 200-bed multi-specialty hospital belonging to the Bangalore-headquartered Narayana Health chain.

The wards inside are vast, each housing a nursing station and 50 or so beds separated only by curtains.

There is no air conditioning in the hospital, except in the treatment rooms. Many of the patients who come to the hospital are rural folk or those covered by governmentsponsored insurance, who are not used to air-conditioning anyway.

The high ceilings and the tiled roof keep the wards cool while ample cross-ventilation helps circulate the air. The low-rise strategy helped the chain save on expensive foundation-laying and the need to instal lifts.

Going further on the cost saving, the hospital has roped in patients themselves. A programme has been designed to train patients’ relatives in the basics of patient management — periodically checking the pulse and temperature, giving medication on time, dressing the surgical wounds. That brings down the nursing staff requirement. It is a win-win for patients too. In contrast to hospitals that hand relatives a bagful of medicine and a series of instructions upon discharge, family members here are equipped to manage the patients once they are sent home.

Predictably, the prices for surgeries in Mysore are much lower than in the Bangalore hospital.

In a country where millions cannot afford quality healthcare, the Narayana Health Mysore unit seems the way forward. “It is the only healthcare model sustainable in our situation,” says Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health. The cardiologist says, “Patients are charged Rs 7 lakh for a heart surgery in Indian metros, which is absurd. How can this be sustainable?

The future is for all to see.”

Shetty, for long a pioneer of cheap, innovative healthcare, has

Clever strategies have gone a long way in making Narayana Health the world’s most economical healthcare service provider. The entrepreneur is now contemplating exporting the scrubs to overseas markets. been described as the Henry Ford of Indian healthcare. His hospital chain has been recognised for “Walmart-ising” healthcare. By applying economies of scale to drastically bring down costs, Shetty has created a no-frills hospital chain whose quality is comparable to international standards. The cardiac surgeon, once a doctor-oncall for Mother Teresa in Kolkata, is on a mission to pummel down heart surgery costs to a third of its current price — below Rs 50,000, which would make it more affordable to a big chunk of Indians.

Shetty’s Narayana Health has grown into a chain of 17 hospitals across India, with 13,000 beds. Its showpiece is the Narayana Health City in the suburbs of Bangalore, just a short distance from the city’s high-tech nerve centre, Electronics City. The complex has specialised hospitals for cardiac treatments, eye surgeries, orthopaedics and cancer. In the main block is a lobby that can sometimes resemble a busy airport departure lounge, and patients throng here from every cranny of India, neighbouring countries and even Africa. About two-thirds of these patients pay the full charge and the rest receive a discount. The poorest receive highly subsidised treatments or are funded by charities.

The model has been years in the making. For instance, at the heart hospital where Shetty himself is immersed in surgeries, the operation theatres work six days a week and are packed from dawn to dusk.

The chain adheres to the principles of mass production and the doctors follow a routine that shocks their Western medical practitioners. “But how can troops at war go home at five?” Shetty counters, dismissing the critics. The surgical procedures resemble a production line and the operating theatre has streamlined work processes. First, the staff ready the patient for the surgery. Junior surgeons make the incision and open up the chest while the senior surgeons appear only for the crucial part of the procedure in the OTs. Shetty’s initial plan was to build hospitals identical to the Mysore model in a dozen smaller Indian towns where rural populations too can be served. However, the plan has hit a snag. “India simply does not have enough trained specialists. We have to first fix our higher medical education challenge to facilitate a healthcare revolution,” he says.

Clever strategies have gone a long way in making Narayana Health the world’s most economical healthcare service provider.

Shetty himself is a tough negotiator when it comes to striking deals with equipment and consumables manufacturers, even convincing multinationals like GE Healthcare to supply medical equipment on his terms — on a pay-per-use basis rather than through outright purchase.

How the hospital chain moved away from the surgical scrubs to a one-time-use set made of imported material is a story in itself. The supplier of the scrubs, a global firm which has monopoly of the market, would not negotiate below Rs 5,000 per set. The hospital chain offered half that amount and when negotiations failed, Shetty went to a local clothing entrepreneur, got him to import the material and make the scrubs locally. The volumes were sizeable. The local entrepreneur was happy enough with the hospital chain’s long-term contract that he finalised the supply at Rs 900 a set. The entrepreneur is now contemplating exporting the scrubs to overseas markets. IE

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

HOUSTON: MALAY VYAS CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, INDIA: RAJ KANWAR ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036.

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

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 15, 2013

Kusum Sharma’s Ramleela Enthralls Audience

BY THARA NARSIMHAN HOUSTON: Sanatan Hindu Center congratulates Kusum Sharma and Kalakriti Performing Arts for yet another successful Ram Leela enactment 2013 production. The amazing performance included 150 participants.

A lot of effort and planning made this artistic presentation an entertainment for the eyes, mind and soul. The show was beautifully presented at Cullen Hall, University of Houston with amazing rich costumes, brilliant pyrotechnics, remarkable choice of characters and excellent turnout. It takes a lot of effort and extra hard work and Kusum Sharma’s passion for production showed off well.

One can witness the Ramayana any number of times, as it is the story of Divine Avatar born as human

being and the journey of life in the path of upholding Dharma or righteousness. Lord Rama is a symbol comfort with... of chivalry and virtue and in the words of Swami Vivekananda “the embodiment of truth, of morality,

in

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the ideal son, the ideal husband, vided their hall for practice sesand above all, the ideal king.” sions, Hindus of Greater Houston, A lamp lighting ceremony was Gaudiya Math, Indian Culture performed as an auspicious begin- Center and many others to bring ning. Chief Guest P. Harish, Con- Ramleela to Houston. This year sul General of India and his wife Shri Natraj School of dance, KaNandita Parvathaneni along with lakriti Performing Arts brought out event Sponsors, Donors and Hindu Ramleela with brand new episodes community leaders did the honors. and spectacular effects.Yes! RamPadmakant Khambati gave brief leela is Indian Culture, Myhtology introduction of the event as well and religion but in every scene elas introduced the dignitaries. Su- ements included story, acting, and nil Thakkar of Music masala wel- dances. Colossal Preproduction efcomed all on behalf of Kalakriti forts, props and costume preparaPerforming Arts. Kusum Sharma tion and several months of rehearssaid that she took pride in present- al went into the Ram Leela 2013 ing Ram Leela year after year as production. The celebration of a community event with participa- victory of good over evil was contion by over 100+ Houstonians. cluded with the traditional chantShe thanked all those who at- ing and group dance of “Hanuman tended and those who sponsored Chalisa” just like it happens even the event. Kusum Sharma’s Shri today in small villages of India Natraj School of Dance has been whenever Ram Leela is performed. conducting Ramleela since 2005 Ramleela 2014 will be comfort held Explore the world the inworld in comfort with... in Houston. Over the years ShriExplore at same location by KaNatraj has teamed up with many HOLESALERS ONSOLIDATORS FOR ALL MAJOR lakriti Performing Arts & organizations inHOLESALERS Houston includ Kusum Sharma’s Shri NaONSOLIDATORS FOR ALL MAJOR ing Sanatan Hindu center, Shri traj School on Oct 18th 2014.

AIRLINES Radha Krishna Temple who pro-

with possible language concerns.

Additionally, Sewa International is looking for supplies and used equipment for these sessions.

• Used plain T-Shirts which will be used for screen printing training • Used operational sewing machines which will be used to teach tailoring • Used working computers and laptops which will be used for computer literacy programs If you would like to volunteer or are interested in donating used t-shirts, computers or sewing machines, please contact Sewa at 281.909.SEWA or email Houston@sewausa.org.

You can also visit their website at www.sewahouston.org.

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Appeal for Donations and Volunteers to Support Refugee Empowerment Programs HOUSTON: More than 5000 refugees, legally admitted to the United States on humanitarian grounds, live in Houston.

Sewa International, a local nonprofit organization that, over the past five years, has worked towards empowering these refugee families, women and children, from Bhutan.

Sewa International operates vocational training and economic opportunity programs for these adults.

In the past Sewa volunteers have helped teach the people sewing, needlework, and screen printing. Currently Sewa International is conducting skill building sessions on t-shirt printing, tailoring, and computer literacy for refugee men and women.

Sewa International is looking for volunteers who can assist in teaching these skills to the refugees.

Skill building sessions are currently being held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m to 5 p.m at the Los Arcos apartment complex.

Volunteers will be able to work one on one with individuals to impart knowledge of useful skills which can empower these individuals. A translator will be on hand to assist

19

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20 November 15, 2013 LEARN TO DRIVE TODAY!

COMMUNITY

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HOUSTON: On the beautiful clear morning of Nov 9, Love to Share Foundation America (LTSFA) and Global Organization for Divinity’s third annual health fair – Life and Soul 2013 – was kicked off by the Honorable Mayors Delores Martin of Manvel and Tom Reid of Pearland, and Sheriff Deputies Dodd and Myriam who appreciated the organization’s efforts and the contributions of all the volunteers and sponsors.

State Representative Ed Thompson also visited the fair later and was overwhelmed to see the efforts of volunteers and vendors alike and spent a long time speaking with volunteers and the vendors encouraging them for more such fellowships in the future.

Close to 200 people attended this year’s free health fair. Flu shots sponsored by Texas Medical Association (Be Wise – Immunizesm) were administered to 100 people and 100 free helmets were given away as part of the ‘Hard Hats for Little Heads’ program. Free screenings for obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, airway disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, glaucoma, refractory errors and

heart disease were conducted.

This year’s health fair was marked by active participation of physicians/specialists – Dr. Hema Salvady (Rheumatologist), Dr. Jyoti Rao (Gastroenterologist), Dr. Deepa Vasudevan (faculty at UT Houston), Dr. Rekha Neela, Dr. Radha Arunkumar (faculty at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Rajan Kadakia (Cardiologist with South East Cardiology), Dr. Ghanshyam Patel (Ophthalmologist) and Physician and students from Texas Eye Institute.

Dr. Lakshmi Seshadri, internist, had a great attendance during her diabetes class and one of the cardiologists, Dr. Ramesh Patel from Universal Heart, gave a very informative class on heart health to the benefit of the participants.

Apart from individual donations, local businesses that were key sponsors for the event included Walgreens, HEB Plus pharmacy (Shadow Creek), Signature Kroger pharmacy (Shadow Creek), Manvel Pharmacy, Rite of Passage, Total Body Works, First Houston Home Health, Sleep Center at Kirby, Prestigious Rentals, The Burger Barn (Manvel), Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Shipley Do-

nuts (Silverlake CR 90), Domino’s (Silverlake CR 90), Olive Garden and Touch of Asia Grocers.

Over 30 volunteers dedicated their heart and soul to the event including Global Organization for Divinity volunteers, PISD and HISD junior high/high school students.

“A heartfelt thanks to each and every one for working so sincerely as one team to serve the community, which is so dear to LTSFA,” said Dr. Lekshmi Nair of Manvel, who spearheaded Life and Soul this year as well.

That Life and Soul 2013 was well received by the community was quite clear from the survey responses received at the end of the event. As the word spreads about its activities, LTSFA looks forward to reaching out to more and more community members with similar such future events.

The next Life and Soul Health Fair will be held on November 8, 2014.

Apart from this annual free health fair, LTSFA’s social initiatives across the United States include blood and bone marrow drives, food and clothing drives for the homeless, environmental drives, educational supply drives/donations for special-need schools, medical supply donations to deserving nonprofit organizations in the field and Leadership workshops for youth as well as for employees of professional organizations and businesses.

The next upcoming events of LTSFA are a Youth Leadership workshop for teens in Dallas on November 23, 2013 and in Houston (Manvel) on Dec 21, 2013 by renowned speaker M.K. Ramanujam.

For further information about the organization and its events, contact LTSFA at 281-402-6585 or contact@ lovetosharefoundation.org.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 15, 2013

21

Chinmaya Prabha Shines with Dipavali Prayers

The priest of Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya, Shri Ganeshji, Acharya Gaurang Nanavaty and Acharya Darshana Nanavaty perfoming Laksmi puja.

Photo: Nilesh Shah

BY PADMASHREE RAO HOUSTON: Lamps, Prayers, Dipavali wishes. Chinmaya Prabha Houston shone bright on November 3, when over 800 families gathered to celebrate the always-awaited grand Hindu festival of lights.

Every year, as the expanding Chinmaya family in Houston convenes in the festive atmosphere of Dipavali, the excited smiles and wishes, the vibrant colors, and the beautifully decorated lamps take on a pious hue.

The social and cultural charm of the popular Dipavali festival gets enhanced by the Chinmaya way of celebration – with the reflective and grateful spirit of puja.

The tradition of the Dipavali puja at Chinmaya Prabha has twin significance. Not only are the protective grace of Lord Maha Vishnu and the showering grace of Goddess Mahalakshmi invoked in an ardent puja, but the guiding grace of the Guru is revered and celebrated.

So, that bright morning, when young and old dressed in sparkling smiles and cheerful Indian clothes walked into Chinmaya Prabha carrying flowers, lamps and their own carefully decorated puja plates, the real essence of Dipavali readily filled the air.

Rows of devotees sat eagerly in the Smriti Hall, and the families overflowed into the adjacent Saraswati Nilayam to participate in the puja. On an elegantly set stage, the deities Lord Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi seemed powerfully alive, adorned with beautiful flower garlands. Matching their presence, the life-sized pratima of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda in the foyer of Chinmaya Prabha looked resplendent as the many lamps lit at his

feet signaled the right beginning to the event. Across the courtyard, the divine idols of the glorious Saumyakasi Sivalaya radiated the enlightening touch of Dipavali.

In his apt Dipavali message to the Chinmaya Houston family, Acharya Gaurang Nanavaty described Dipavali as a time for internal evaluation. Just as material profit accrues when assets are increased and liabilities are dropped, our spiritual life will have greater gains when we fill our lives with love, forgiveness, and other positive emotions, and empty our negativities. Positive, enriching qualities are the true wealth that Goddess Lakshmi bestows along with material prosperity to sincere aspirants. Thus, the Acharya emphasized that every one of the 108 names of Goddess Lakshmi in the ashtottara puja was truly valuable. Since Lakshmi stays where Lord Mahavishnu is invoked, the chanting of Vishnusahasranama (the 1000 names of the Lord Vishnu) during the auspicious time of Dipavali is very significant.

Further, Acharya Gaurangbhai highlighted how it is the grace of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda that illuminates every Dipavali at Chinmaya Prabha.

After the Acharya’s address laid

the contemplative foundation, the priest of Saumyakasi Sivalaya, Shri Ganeshji, conducted the Lakshmi Ashtottara puja as Acharya Gaurangbhai and Acharya Darshanaben Nanavaty officiated for the gathering. The Smriti Hall reverberated when all devotees chanted the Vishnu Sahasranama with great devotion.

When all the families arose after the puja to raise their arati plates in worship, the rows of waving lights made Dipavali 2013 arrive at Chinmaya Prabha. Then, in befitting conclusion, the families offered their individual pranams to Acharyas Gaurangbhai and Darshanben Nanavaty who have guided Chinmaya Mission Houston since 1987. To keep the spiritual flame burning bright in Chinmaya Prabha, the families also offered their Gurudakshina, giving thanks for the blessings of the Chinmaya Guru Parampara.

The spiritual sparkle of Dipavali at Chinmaya Prabha brightened the way for a prosperous new year ahead.

For further information about Chinmaya Mission Houston, visit www.chinmayahouston.org or contact Bharati Sutaria at 281-933-0233.

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22 November 15, 2013

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UK Appoints India-origin Ajay Sharma Envoy to Iran

BY PRASUN SONWALKAR Britain on Monday appointed Ajay Sharma, an Indian-origin diplomat with considerable experience of Iran and the region, as the nonresident Charge d’Affaires to Iran.

Official sources said Sharma, who was previously posted as the deputy head of mission in Teheran, is currently head of the Iran department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and will take up the appointment immediately.

The appointment was made amidst renewed efforts by the United States, Britain and others to forge a deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

Foreign Secretary William Hague had announced on 8 October that the UK and Iran had

agreed to appoint non-resident Chargés d’Affaires as an important step towards improving the bilateral relationship.

Sharma’s appointment will enable the UK to have more detailed and regular discussions with Iran on a range of issues, including conditions under which our Embassies could eventually be reopened. Mr Sharma will be based in the UK but will travel regularly to Iran, the sources said.

On his appointment, Sharma said: “I am delighted to take up this appointment at this important time in the UK’s relations with Iran. I am very much looking forward to renewing direct UK contact with the Iranian Government and society.

This is very much in the interests of

both our countries. I hope to make my first visit to Tehran as nonresident Chargé later this month.”

Updating parliament on recent negotiations on Iran, Hague today said the aim was to produce an interim first step agreement with Iran that could create the confidence and space to negotiate a comprehensive and final settlement.

He said, “The talks broke up without reaching that interim agreement, because some gaps between the parties remain. While I cannot go into the details of the discussions while the talks continue I can say that most of those gaps are now narrow, and many others were bridged altogether during the negotiations”.

-HindustanTimes

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BY RUHI BHASIN The 14 new names in the Congress list is a mixed bag of MLAs who lost in the 2008 elections and fresh faces which includes a Congress Youth president, a banker, chairman of a hospital and, interestingly, a former BJP party member who has been pitted against BJP’s chief minister candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan.

The Congress has decided to re-nominate several names who lost their seats in the 2008 elections based on the fact that their losing margins were very less, party sources said.

This includes Dr S C Vats, who was a member of the Delhi Metropolitan Council and was MLA from Shakur Basti seat in 2003.

Other candidates who have been re-nominated despite losing the

last Assembly elections are Ashok Kumar Jain from Delhi Cantt, who is an ex-mayor, Vijay Singh Lochav from Bijwasan and Bisham Sharma from Ghonda, both of whom had won two elections before losing in the 2008 polls.

Meanwhile, the new names in the list are Dr Naresh Kumar from Mundka. “He is a bank manager from Hiran Kudna and since he belongs to the Jat community, we are hoping that he does well in the Mundka Assembly constituency,’’ a source in the Congress said.

Amit Malik, who will be contesting from Kirari, is a Youth Congress president while Sushil Kumar Gupta, who has been working with the party for years and is a president of the Maharaja Agarsen Charitable Trust, Punjabi Bagh, and will be contesting from Moti Nagar.

Other names making it to the list are old party hands who have been given a ticket for the first time.

“There are many people who have been working for the party for 20 years. They have finally been given tickets this time,” a source said.

This includes sitting councillors and party block or district presidents.

For instance, Mirza Javed Ali, who is contesting from Matia Mahal, is the district president while Suender Kumar Setia from Hari Nagar and Naresh Kumar Gupta from Shalimar Bagh have been working for the party for years.

Meanwhile, Zakir Khan from Babarpur and Balzor Singh from Gokulpur are councillors. Interestingly, no seats have been given to family members of MLAs and MP.

-Indianexpress

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INDIA

November 15, 2013

23

Encounters of Kindness with Jawaharlal Nehru

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT As a rookie journalist in Dehra Dun in mid-1950s, RAJ KANWAR had the rare privilege of meeting Jawaharlal Nehru on many occasions. Now on his 124th birth anniversary Kanwar, in this nostalgic piece, recalls some of his meetings with Jawaharlal Nehru and says that “courtesy was Nehru’s innate trait, politeness his badge of honour and probity his religion.”

IN the good old days of mid1950s, there were just a handful of journalists in Dehra Dun. It was my good fortune to have had the rare privilege of having about half a dozen one-on-one meetings with Jawaharlal Nehru during his many visits to Dehra Dun. Nehru had nurtured a great fondness for the town and would undertake frequent visits here. He loved the sylvan surroundings of its Circuit House; he felt at home on its expansive grounds with rich foliage and backdrop of mountains.

My first meeting with Nehru My first meeting with him took place one winter morning in mid1950s. At the Circuit House, a couple of constables with lathis stood at the main gate, a few lolled about on the front verandah while some other sauntered inconspicuously

on the big lawns under the shades of giant trees. Ram Prasad, the allin-one ‘bearer’ there, accosted me and smiled, “Have you come to see Panditji?,” was his obvious question, and my reply was just a nod.

He pointed towards the lawn, and I saw Panditji strolling there. I felt scared, so close to the great man.

Unhurriedly, I approached Panditji and introduced myself as a stringer for The Statesman and The Indian Express. “But I have no news to give”. Panditji said some words to that effect. “Yes sir, I know and I have not come for news; I simply came to see you.”

Panditji smiled. I was tongue-tied, as I walked with him. I couldn’t find anything interesting or provocative to break the ice. As one much experienced, Panditji took the initiative to break the awkward silence and asked me what subjects did I study in the college? Then in a rush of words, I briefly gave my academic background and further told him that I was the President of the DAV College Students’ Union three years before. That made him pause in his steps; he smiled again, and looked intently at me. I kept pace with him for a few minutes and then took leave; Nehru’s parting sentence was, “come again whenever I am here”.

This implied invitation greatly encouraged and reassured me. I was in seventh heaven that day.

smiled as if to say, “You are yet too young to question my statement.”

On another occasion, I saw Nehru insisting that he must pay for his board and lodging for the duration of his stay at the Circuit House since he was on a private visit to Dehra Dun. The Writer Raj Kanwar and sister Kamla with Pandit Nehru then dison 14th November, 1959 at Circuit House, Dehra Dun. trict magistrate AP Dikshit Subsequently, I met Nehru whenever he visited Dehra Dun, tried his best to convince Nehru and even occasionally sent a sto- that he was the guest of the state ry or two about him. Once I pre- government but Nehru sternly resented him a copy of the Vanguard fused to accept the official hospiWeekly that I had started editing in tality. The DM then had no option which I had joined issue with Neh- but to submit to Nehru’s demand. ru on one of his controversial state- In contrast, both the politician ments. He read my story and then and the bureaucrat today con-

sider gratis hospitality as their birthright. What a pity, indeed!

What did I find so attractive and great in Pandit Nehru? Courtesy was one of his innate traits, politeness his badge of honour and probity his religion. I never even once saw him raise his voice; he even spoke softly with the bearers and the other staffers who waited on him. He had an amusing sense of humour I remember once a waiter named Moti Lal was deputed by Dehra Dun’s KWALITY Restaurant on Nehru’s duty at the Circuit House. Nehru did not find it funny that the waiter was his father’s namesake and heartily enjoyed the coincidence.

Now, on his 124th birth anniversary, I recall with a sense of loss and great deal of nostalgia those few encounters of kindness that I had had with Nehru. How I wish that I could have maintained and further developed my relations with Nehru but that was not to be, and I just remained his good acquaintance till his last days which too he had spent in Dehra Dun.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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

24 November 15, 2013

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PUZZLES / RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Shimla Mirch ki Sabzi (Sauteed Green Bell Pepper) Everyone wonders why we call bell peppers “Shimla Mirch” in India. Bell peppers were brought to Europe from Mexico by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century and later spread to Africa and Asia. In 1864 Shimla became the summer capital of British India and was part of the Punjab till 1966 when it became capital of Himachal Pradesh. Perhaps this vegetable was first grown in this lovely hill station area, which has a moderate climate, by the British and earned it the name “Shimla Mirch”. Another vegetable with perhaps a similar origin maybe long green beans, which are often called “France Bean” in north India.

Bell peppers are part of the Capsicum family but are the only ones that do not produce the spicy seeds of other peppers. Their color can be green, red, yellow or brown and the red ones are the sweetest. Bell peppers are full of vitamin C and antioxidants and are also rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus. The red peppers have nine times the amount of carotene of the green ones.

There are many ways to prepare Shimla Mirch and the one which stands out the best is stuffed with potatoes, a typical Punjabi dish that only tastes good when the potatoes are not mashed and have some other ingredients in it. I will give that recipe later.

The recipe below is another way to make Shimla Mirch and its best feature is that it can be made fast in 10 minutes – 5 minutes on high heat and 5 minutes on low heat - and is a tasty side dish that can be eaten with roti or paranthas. Some people even eat it with pasta. So, if you don’t have much time to cook, try this easy, fast and nutritious recipe.

Ingredients: • 4 medium Shimla Mirch

• • • •

(green bell peppers) 1 large piyaaz (onion) – peeled and sliced 2 tbsp tael (olive oil or vegetable oil) ½ tsp haldi(turmericpowder) Spices to taste: namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), lasan (garlic powder), garam masala, amchoor (mango powder)

Directions: 1. Wash the bell peppers and dry with a soft cloth.

Slice them and remove the seeds and the top stalks.

Cut them into small or medium pieces as you like.

2. In the kadai or wok, heat the oil over a medium flame.

Throw in the turmeric, onions and bell peppers, stir to mix. Cover and let it cook in its own steam for 5 minutes over high heat.

3. Take the cover off and check for tenderness. The bell pepper should not become too soft, but should stay

4.

slightly firm. Stir gently to make sure it doesn’t stick.

Remove the cover and add the salt and pepper to taste.

If desired, add the other spices too. Cook uncovered another 5 minutes on low heat. The dish is ready to eat.

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 15, 2013

Movie Review : Thor: The Dark World

BY REAGAN GAVIN RASQUINHA Story: Earth, Asgard and the universe are threatened with destruction by Malekith and the Dark Elves. When the Nine Realms converge and the Elves get their hands on the Aether, they’ll achieve their objective. Will our heroes stop them?

Review: Thor and his Viking gang get another big screen outing in a movie that

ticks all the right superhero checkboxes. A quick prologue tells the story of how Malekith (Eccleston), Algrim (Adewale) and the Elves were defeated ages ago

by Odin’s (Hopkins) father, Bor. Back then, Malekith was after the

Aether, a protoplasm-like substance that has the power to return the universe to a primordial state.

In the present day, when the Aether is released again on Earth, some of it enters Jane Foster’s (Portman) blood as it requires a host. This also gives Thor (Hemsworth) a great reason to go visit the Aether-host, Foster. The Aether’s reactivation awakens Malekith and the Elves from suspended animation and they once again set about on their

malevolent mission of intergalactic annihilation, starting with Asgard.

Odin tells Thor that an alignment of the Nine Realms, coupled with the Aether landing in the hands of the Elves, can spell disaster.

Thor soon realizes he needs Loki’s (Hiddleston) help. Loki, at his snarling, menacing best, is a far more potent threat this time around. In fact, if you want something beyond stud-god Thor’s alpha-male heroism, you will find Loki to be the only character with different shades.

The effects are amazing but the best moments are when Thor and Loki share screen space. Loki has the power to make you empathize with him, but is that just another one of his deceptive tricks?

Thor, Loki and whole Norse mythos is as complex as any school of mythology that was formed eons ago in days of old, when magic filled the air.

This movie is also about sibling rivalry as well as a long-distance love story with an intergalactic twist.

Don’t miss this one.

-Timesofindia

25

‘Krrish 3’ Reaps Gold in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu “Krrish 3” has reportedly registered the highest collection for a Hindi film in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by earning a total of Rs.14.53 crore in the first week.

“I don’t remember any dubbed Hindi film collecting Rs.14.53 crore in its first week in AP and TN. The collection was better in Andhra because the film had a solo release, while in Tamil Nadu it had limited theatrical release due to the release of three Tamil films,” trade analyst Trinath told IANS. In Tamil Nadu, Hrithik Roshan starrer “Krrish 3” had to compete with Ajith’s “Arrambam”, Karthi’s “All in All Azhaguraja” and Vishal’s “Pandiya Naadu”.

“Ajith-starrer ‘Arrambam’ covered maximum number of screens followed by Karthi’s film and ‘Pandiya Naadu’. But since ‘All in All Azhaguraja’ opened to bad reviews, ‘Krrish 3’ held its position throughout the first week,” he said.

Trinath believes the film will enjoy another week of

good run in Tamil Nadu.

“This is the first Friday of the year no Tamil film has released.

‘Arrambam’ and ‘Pandiya Naadu’ will continue to lead while ‘Krrish 3’ can enjoy another week of run at Tamil Nadu box-office. In Andhra, however, with three releases this week, we can expect some drop in the collections,” he added.

It’s not only the Hindi version of ‘Krrish 3’ that did well. Even the dubbed Telugu and Tamil versions of the film were received very well.

“The Telugu dubbed version was received far better than the Tamil version. Since there was not a single release in Andhra Pradesh last week but for Vishal’s Telugu dubbed version of ‘Pandiya Naadu’, audiences had to watch ‘Krrish 3’,” said Trinath.

“I was informed that the Telugu and Tamil versions together did a business of Rs.6.2 crore in the first week,” he added.

-Timesofindia

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Marks & Spencer Plans to Open 44 More Stores in India by 2016

BY SAPNA AGARWAL & ZAHRA KHAN MUMBAI: Marks & Spencer (M&S) on Monday said it expects to have 80 stores in India by 2016, making the country the largest international market by stores outside of the UK. Marc Bolland, chief executive of London-based Marks and Spencer Group Plc, said India is the retailer’s new “priority market” and a “key sourcing hub”.

“We also want to expand to attractive tier-II cities like Surat and Kanpur, and aim for more than 80 stores by 2016,” he said in an interview, adding, “China used to be the priority international market, but now that has changed.”

The company declined to give details of its investments plans.

The company runs its business in India through a 51:49 joint venture with Reliance Retail, owned

by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd, called Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt. Ltd. M&S said it will continue to work

closely with its Indian partner and does not plan to invest directly in the country. India last year allowed 100% foreign direct investment in single-brand retail. “Sometimes, corporations can be difficult, but this one (Reliance Retail) has been a great partner,” said Bolland.

The company said its India sales were up 28% in the first half of fiscal 2014, with double-digit growth across all stores. Apart from its growing store presence in the country, M&S has given a push to its local sourcing operations as well. Bolland did not disclose the revenue generated by the Indian subsidiary, but said going forward “the financial contribution will be much higher”.

M&S competes with local retailers such as Shoppers Stop Ltd and Dubai-based Landmark Group that runs the Lifestyle chain of stores.

It also competes with stand-alone brands Benetton India Pvt. Ltd and Tommy Hilfiger (the latter is present in India through a joint venture with Ahmedabad-based

Arvind Ltd). Japan’s Uniqlo and Sweden’s H&M are in the process of opening stores in the country.

M&S has always been aggressive about the Indian market and moved from a franchisee model to the joint venture model in 2008. In 2008, the British department store chain outlined plans to set up at least 50 stores in India by 2013, a target it could not meet, mainly because of an economic slowdown. Currently, M&S has 36 stores in India.

“We don’t focus on quantity, but on quality;we always look for good placing of our stores… and this time our strategy for India is different than it was three years ago,” said Bolland.

Devangshu Dutta, chief executive at Third Eyesight, a retail consulting firm, said M&S started cautiously in India with a franchisee model, but moved to the joint venture as it considers India a key market. Over the years, the retailer has started sourcing locally for domestic and global markets, and has lowered prices and widened the range of offerings to appeal to a larger number of consumers in India, Dutta said. As such, both Reliance and M&S have deep pockets and they can make the commitment to grow, he added.

M&S recently opened a flagship store in suburban Mumbai, a 35,000 sq. ft outlet with over five floors. “We require bigger stores

as we have a bigger catalogue, but we will also have more mid-sized stores going forward,” said Bolland.

“We have been cutting pricing, mainly backed by our sourcing capabilities, and have brought it down to mid-market level,” he said, adding, “33% of all M&S’s products sold around the globe are made in South Asia, while 64% of products sold in India are sourced from local suppliers”.

India’s organized apparel market accounts for $8 billion, or 20%, of the overall domestic apparel market, according to Technopak Advisors Pvt. Ltd, a retail consultancy.

“Most department retail chains in India are expanding and opening five or more stores per year depending on availability of real estate,” said Abhishek Ranganathan, vice-president (retail, real estate, institutional equity research), PhillipCapital (India) Pvt. Ltd. Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle are also expanding. Shoppers Stop has over 65 stores and plans to open 8-10 stores a year. Lifestyle, which has 45 stores, plans to open threefour stores this year, Kabir Lumba, managing director of the Landmark Group owned company, had said in a 1 September interview.

From 36 stores to 80 stores by 2016 is a fairly decent target for a market like India as getting quality real estate in the country is a challenge, said Harminder Sahni, managing director of Wazir Advisors, commenting on M&S’s growth trajectory. “We will not get the fresh food range to India, but we can think of getting the ambience food range,” he added.

The Times of India newspaper, in a report in March, had said M&S planned to launch its food retail business as well in India.

-Livemint

Pepsi to Invest Rs.33,000 Crore in India by 2020

BY SUNEERA TANDON NEW DELHI: PepsiCo Inc. said it will invest Rs.33,000 crore ($5.5 billion) by 2020 to more than double production capacity and develop infrastructure in India.

India remains an attractive, highpriority market for PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, chief executive officer of PepsiCo, said in a statement.

“We’ve built a highly successful business in India over the course of many years, and we believe we’ve only scratched the surface of the long-term growth opportunities that exist for PepsiCo and our partners,” she said.

PepsiCo and its bottling partners plan to more than double their production capacity in India by 2020, the company said.

It has 38 bottling plants in India apart from three food factories.

The company plans to expand into India’s rural markets, as it seeks to boost selling and delivery infrastructure throughout the country, with a particular focus on rural market expansion.

The investment comes an year after rival Coca-Cola Co. announced an investment of $5 billion in India over the next seven years to build capacity and shore up distribution.

Consumer goods companies have been boosting investments in India where a burgeoning middle class population is likely to spur consumption over the next decade.

Earlier this year, Unilever Plc announced that it will increase its stake in its Indian unit to 75% from 52.28% by spending as much as Rs.29,220 crore.

-Livemint

127

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

28 November 15, 2013

Shami’s Nine Give India Innings Victory Over WI

BY ABHISHEK PUROHIT KOLKOTA (ESPN Cricinfo): India 453 (Rohit 177, Ashwin 124, Shillingford 6-167) beat West Indies 234 (Samuels 65, Shami 4-71) and 168 (Shami 5-47) by an innings and 51 runs West Indies collapsed from 101 for 1 to 168 all out, plummeting to an innings defeat inside three days at Eden Gardens. R Ashwin, who completed his second Test hundred in the morning, made key incisions in the West Indies top order before Mohammed Shami blew the rest away with another controlled display of reverse swing. Shami took nine wickets in the game, the most by an India fast bowler on debut.

Six of them were bowled, all with the old ball.

Ashwin ended with five wickets to go with his hundred. The batting landmark came in the first session when he and debutant centurion Rohit Sharma stretched the lead past 200. West Indies had nearly halved the deficit for the loss of only Chris Gayle when they were demolished either side of tea by Ashwin and then Shami.

West Indies lost their last nine batsmen in 23.3 overs, a reflection of how quickly a Test can turn on the subcontinent with reverse swing and spin. West Indies would have been eyeing a decent lead when Kieran Powell and Darren Bravo put on 68 for the second wicket. The new ball did little and the spinners were toiling without too much bite and luck.

Powell took 31 deliveries to score his first run and on 7, became the third West Indies batsman in the game to be dropped off the luckless Pragyan Ojha. Gayle was beaten and edged outside off, but responded in the manner he knows, hitting seven fours in his 33. In exactly the same manner that Powell had thrown it away in the first innings, Gayle tried to pull Bhuvneshwar Kumar from way outside off, and top-edged to square leg.

Bravo and Powell could not match Gayle’s pace, but they also cut down on risk. Unless the spinners bowled too full or short, they defended carefully, mostly off the back foot. The turn was largely slow, but invariably one would

der batsman to fall in the thirties.

His partner Powell had gone to low bounce, but Bravo departed to extra lift. In the second over after tea, Ashwin got a wide one to kick, Bravo still went for the cut and could not keep it down. That was the one shot he had been eager to play in an otherwise cautious stay, and he fell by it.

Shami had developed some serious rhythm by now. Denesh Ramdin was again found short at No. 6, inside-edging a reversing short-ofa-length delivery to short leg. Darren Sammy following Ramdin has to be one of the weakest batting combinations in Test cricket. The West Indies captain tried to hang on, but soon had his middle stump uprooted by another reversing delivery. Like in the first innings, Shivnarine Chanderpaul watched the meltdown, his propensity to take a single off the first ball of an over with the tail only hastening the end.

The tail fell apart in no time, handing India their fifth successive win, and West Indies their first loss after six consecutive wins against New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It was a gutting end to the match for Shane Shillingford, who laboured through 55 overs to pick up six wickets.

Shillingford had lacked support from the second spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who could not trouble the batsmen. There was reverse available in the morning with a 16-overs old ball but unlike Shami, Tino Best had little control over it. To add to his limited batting, Sammy could not do anything with the ball.

Rohit and Ashwin looked set to make West Indies toil into the second session when umpire Richard Kettleborough ended Rohit’s inMohammed Shami took nine wickets, the most by an India fast nings on 177. He had padded up bowler on Test debut. to Permaul but replays showed the ball would have missed off stump. kick from the rough or stay low. the second time in the match, but Shillingford bowled Ashwin on To their credit, Bravo and Powell this time with help from umpire 124 to claim his fifth wicket, but Nigel Llong, who gave the bats- like his fellow bowlers, the West did not panic and try to hit out.

Playing back to spin was getting man lbw even though the revers- Indies batsmen failed to back their increasingly dangerous, though, ing inswinger was headed down offspinner’s efforts. and Powell found that out when the leg side. an Ashwin delivery pitched on A shocked West Indies went to Abhishek Purohit is a sub-editor a good length and hit him on the tea on 112 for 3 but the real panic at ESPNcricinfo shin with tea only two overs away. set in after the break. Bravo beMarlon Samuels fell to Shami for came the third West Indies top-or-

SPORTS

SA Takes ODI Series

ABU DHABI: South Africa 259 for 8 (Duminy 64, Irfan 3-46) beat Pakistan 191 (Tahir 4-53) by 68 runs.

South Africa’s batting improved to match their bowling effort and with both departments at a similar standard, took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Half-centuries from Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy helped South Africa post their first total over 250 in 11 innings before another impressive effort from their attack made sure Pakistan were just about out of the match before the batting Powerplay of their innings was over.

The last time Pakistan successfully chased a total of over 250 was more than two years and nine months ago, when they beat New Zealand in Napier. After the start Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez gave, it seemed that could change in Abu Dhabi. They posted 50 in 47 balls with 80% of the runs coming in boundaries but between them and Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir’s blitz, there was little else from a line-up which is prone to collapses.

South Africa had both their big names players back in the XI with Hashim Amla slotting in at the top of the order and Dale Steyn included as well. Amla made little difference, bowled for 10 by Mohammad Irfan, but Steyn struck the blow that turned the match.

Faf du Plessis steadied South Africa with a half-century from No. 3.

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November 15, 2013

Plan for Taliban Talks Shelved for Now: Nisar

BY RAJA ASGHAR ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly heard on Monday the government virtually shelving, for now, its plan to revive a disrupted peace effort with Taliban insurgents, ending a heated six-day debate without even endorsing a previous mandate in this regard given by an all-party conference.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan succeeded in soothing angry opposition lawmakers, so they came to the sitting without their condition of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s presence being met, but he appeared helpless on another key issue, saying no dialogue could make headway until the United States stopped drone strikes at suspected militant hideouts in the tribal belt.

He repeated his argument that a dialogue process initiated by the government as mandated by the Sept 9 APC had been “sabotaged” by a Nov 1 drone strike that killed the fugitive Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud. He said he had told leaders of parliamentary parties earlier in the day that “we have to review the situation for the next three to four weeks” before deciding what to do next.

Although he assured the house that “we have to pick up the piec-

es” in the face of what he called “broken paths”, he spoke of no remedy for drone attacks, which a government ally, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mehmood Achakzai, bluntly said were “beyond our power to stop” without an agreement among Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States.

Even an earlier threat by Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, to retaliate against the drone attacks by blocking Nato supplies passing through the PTIruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Nov 20 seemed to have become toothless as he told the house that his party would instead hold a “historic” protest against Nato supplies on that date, possibly in Peshawar.

The opposition parties had threatened on Friday that they would not attend the session on Monday if the prime minister did not come to the house to brief them about the situation after they felt frustrated with the interior minister who had left for a trip to the earthquake-hit Awaran district of Balochistan and Karachi with Mr Sharif instead of giving a promised winding up speech.

But they came back when the house started its sitting after a 105-minute delay, with Chaudhry Nisar regretting his Friday’s

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absence on the plea that he thought he would be required to wind up the debate on Monday.

Yet, some opposition lawmakers demanded that the prime minister come to the house, possibly on the last day of the session on Tuesday.

Unlike other parliamentary party leaders, Leader of Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah of the PPP refrained from responding to the minister’s long speech, which rejected allegations of delaying the APC-mandated process by recounting problems in what he called building “a foundation brick by brick” before it was “shattered” by the drone attack a day before three emissaries were to fly to the area to contact the Taliban leadership.

“There can be no headway in the next few days,” he said, referring to a “strong reaction from the other side” and the appointment of a new hard-line Taliban leader, Mullah Fazlullah.

He added: “It takes two hands to clap and not when there is talk of ‘dialogue, dialogue’ from this side and ‘refusal, refusal’ from there.”

Chaudhry Nisar referred to a “wide consensus” of all political parties on the need to continue the dialogue process, that drone attacks should stop and that whatever was decided should be unanimous, but his meeting with party leaders decided against passing a resolution in the face of several drafts.

However, Imran Khan complained of finding a “divided nation” after the APC consensus, although he invited all parties to join the PTI’s Nov 20 protest.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for continuing peace efforts and making new approaches to Taliban ranks to break the present deadlock, saying it was the test of politics to find “a way out if the path has been blocked by thorns, water or rocks”.

-Dawn.com

29

Chhattisgarh Elections: Voters Defy Maoists, 68% Turnout in 18 Seats

With 100,000 security personnel deployed for 2.9 million voters, the turnout was highest in the last decade. As many as 66.58% voters exercised their franchise in these 18 constituencies in the last state elections in 2008. The second and the final phase of voting for the 90-member House will be held on November 19. Counting is scheduled for December 8.

Typically, a good turnout is read as anti-government. Raman Singhled BJP government is seeking a third consecutive term in the state.

“This was historic. The voters came out despite the Maoist threat,” said state additional director general of police (anti-Maoist operation) RK Vij. The Maoists, however, did manage to strike. CRPF head constable BC Joseph was killed when the rebels opened fire on troopers near Nayanar polling booth in Dantewada district. “The polling party of the Nayanar station is missing following the encounter. A search is on,” Dantewada superintendent of police Narendra Khare said.

IED explosions prevented officers from reaching two polling stations. Security forces seized more than 10 bombs, including a

10-kg pipe bomb during searches.

The next big challenge would be to ensure safe return of the polling officers from remote parts, said deputy election commissioner R Balakrishnan.

Monday’s polling is politically significant as 12 of the 18 constituencies fall in the Bastar region, where the Congress got only one seat in 2008. The BJP’s performance in Bastar put it way ahead of the Congress as elsewhere the two parties were almost neck-to-neck.

CM Raman Singh’s constituency Rajnandgaon recorded 79% turnout, higher than 2008 elections and highest among the 18 segments. In 2008, the poll percentage was 76%.

An impressive 75% voting was reported from Jiram Ghati, where a Maoists ambush nearly wiped out the state Congress leadership in May. Rebel-hit areas of Kanker and Dantewada, too, recorded higher voting than the last time.

Bijapur and Konta were the only constituencies to record lower turnout than 2008. No voter turned up in around 50 booths in Bastar and 17 in Sukma owing to Maoist fear.

-Hindustantimes

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