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Friday, November 23, 2018 | Vol. 37, No. 46

Indo American erican News

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Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti

Dil Se Naach 2018

P4&5

Musical Concert

The Newly Opened

Alings!

@ Diwali Nite

P8

P6

MB Entertainment CEO Mousumi Banerjee (center) with Chandrika & Soumen at Diwali Nite on Saturday, November 10 at the NOAH’s Event Venue in Sugar Land.

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COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

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An Elegant Event Hosted at Louboutin in Saks Fifth Avenue to Benefit Pratham!

HOUSTON: On Thursday No-

vember 15, ABC 13’s Women of Distinction and 2018 Pratham Holiday Luncheon co-chairs Farida Abjani, Dr. Sippi Khurana, and Shawntell McWiliam hosted an elegant event at Saks Fifth Avenue. 10% of the proceeds for every Christian Louboutin purchase were donated to benefit Pratham, a non-profit focused on educating children and youth in India.

Shoppers previewed the enticing Spring/Summer 2019 collection while enjoying libations and light bites. Bags, accessories, and of course the signature Christian Louboutin red lacquered soled shoes were on display for the crowd. A special thanks to Brandon McClendon, personal stylist at the Fifth Avenue Club.

Pratham’s Annual Holiday Luncheon fundraiser will be held on Friday December 7 at 11:30AM at the Junior League of Houston. Attendees include dynamic civic-minded leaders from

the business community as well as individual philanthropists, all with a personal commitment to improving child literacy in India.

This year’s event will be hosted

by KHOU 11 news anchor, Rekha Muddaraj and will showcase a stunning fashion show by Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Luncheon benefits Pratham programs focused on empowering young women with vocational skills and entrepreneurship support giving them an opportunity to lift themselves, their families, and future generations out of poverty. With support from the Holiday Luncheon, Pratham has been able to grow its women focused skills program and till date has trained 6500 young women and provided over 1300 of them with support to start their own micro enterprise.

Established in 1995 to provide education to children in Mumbai slums, Pratham (which means “first” in Sanskrit) is one of the

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Vikas Bahl (left), Director of Development, Pratham USA; Shawntell Williams & Dr. Sippi Khurana, Co Chairs; Asha Dhume, President Pratham Houston; and Brendon McClendon, Personal stylist at Fifth Avenue Club.

largest and most successful nongovernmental education organizations in India. Since its inception, Pratham has transformed the lives of more than 58 million underserved children and youth across 21 of India’s 29 states. In addition, Pratham has equipped

100,000 youth with relevant job skills and entrepreneurship opportunities.

If you would like to support Pratham and attend the Holiday Luncheon, please contact Mani Surkari at mani@ prathamusa.org or visit www.

prathamusa.org.

Also please save the date for our next annual gala on April 20, 2019 where we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary by honoring Pratham USA Founder & Chairman Vijay Goradia.

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COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

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Down Memory Lane & Up on the Highway to the Future - Dil Se Naach 2018

HOUSTON: When you put to-

gether an amazing Artistic director in a state of the art theater with a master lighting director, sprinkle this mix with a talented dance crew you get a visual treat on stage with music and memories to last a life time. “Dil Se Naach- Yaadon Ki Baraat” was a show meant to take the audience down memory lane but what it ended up doing, is create memorable visions that will linger with the audience for a very long time.

Moksh Community Arts’ fifth production – DSN- Yaadon Ki Baraat (Berry Center, Nov 17, 8 pm) opened to a sold out audience, conceived and directed by Mahesh Mahbubani, choreographed by the amazing Naach Team, and performed by the talented dancers of Naach Houston. The production was supported by the Rungta Foundation, Shelina & Alnoor Malick, Indo American News, Bombay Pizza, DMMS Events and Realtor Sejal Shan.

The overture choreographed by Simran Kotak & Twinkle Khanna clearly marked the coming of a New Naach Generation, a vision realized by Mahbubani, through continual practice, sharing and passing down the dance legacy.

Act 1: Naach Universe a window into the Naach world, blending diverse dance styles with multiple cultures and sounds. The magic of lights, by Arif Memon & Stunning visuals created by Mahbubani accompanied by creative choreography transformed the stage. This act saw some modern hits such as “ChintaaTa” and “Jazba” taking on yesteryear classics like “HumKo AajKal Hai Intezaar”.

Act 2 : ‘Naya daur’ A tribute to the new generation, where traditional Bollywood meets modern contemporary styles, with ideas from young choreographers which are welcomed and implemented.

This Act featured the much applauded ‘Tareefaan’, choreographed by Anita Vyas, ‘Naah’ and ‘suit suit’ choreographed By

Kotak and Khanna.

The student act mesmerized the audiences with a remixed version of Desi Girl and Chammak Challo while Naach’s senior group stormed the stage with “Shola Jo Bhadke” bringing the house down with their young at heart performance. The generational contrast at Naach was evident as the Seniors followed by the 6-8-year-old elementary junior group on stage, dancing to “Pandeyji” from Dabang.

Act 3: Titled ‘Lamhe’ , created an emotional shift, celebrating romance in true contemporary style. Mahbubani’s strength lies in contemporary dance. His collaboration and mentorship with the Naach team, is clearly visible in their growth as choreographers through the visually stunning and

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to dancers who excelled over the years and are leaving for college.

Manav Rungta, Manasi Rungta, Simran Kotak and Deepa Elangovan were the recipients of the 2018 Dil Se Naach Awards.

Act 4 Finale: Yaadon Ki Baraat, took the dancers and the audience down memory lane with new remixes of “Dilbar”, the original “Le Gayee Le Gayee and current favorite “Zingaat”.

The curtain Call brought the evergreen seniors back again with a rendition of Shammi Kapoor classic “Badan Pe Sitaare” followed by other groups performing to “Dhinka Chika”, “Pallo Latke” “Dance Pe Chance “ & “1234 get on the dance floor” The Naach Performance team took on the stage to re-do one of their famous finale from six years ago “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte” still etched in memories of Naach fans from the Miller Outdoor Theater .

Naach Choreographers Anita Vyas, Brinda Patel, Karishma Mehta, Simran Kotak, Twinkle Khanna, Aishwarya Ravat – all under the leadership of Mahesh Mahbubani and Lighting by Arif Memon of DMMS events created this vibrant canvas of dance, lights and visual delight.

Photography by Navin Mediwala ,Videography By Yash Singh, event covered by Aaj TV USA.

lyrical performances on “jab se tere Naina”, “Khalbali ““ Lamhon ke daaman mein”. a very moving “Dil Diya Gallan” Student Act three opened with the seniors to a comically entertaining “Main Badhiya, Tu Badhiya” and concluding with “Ek Do Teen” bringing the audience to

Photos: Navin Mediwala

their feet.

Moksh Community Arts a trend setter in community outreach – like last year, Awards were given to key contributors in the creative fields. This year, based on the theme, awards were presented

Moksh Community Arts thanks Naach Houston for this amazing production and promises to continue the pursuit of its mission: “to create and provide performance platforms through community dance theater performances aimed at the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of adults and children”

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COMMUNITY A Reanimated Beginning for the Ever Blooming Alings Chinese Bistro

November 23, 2018

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA

SUGAR LAND: Alings – one

of the finest Chinese restaurants serving a wide range of IndoChinese cuisine, was launched in Houston 8 years back. Over the years, Alings grew to become one of the most sought after restaurants for those willing to get the best taste of Indo-Chinese food in the greater Houston area. They gained such visibility not just as a matter of fortune, but due to varied reasons such as their prudence in crafting the menu, palatability of the fare to suit the taste buds of the Indo-Chinese food lovers, besides the incredible service and a hospitable ambience. It is this detailing towards catering and hospitality, and most importantly the consistency in taste and food quality that had the people of Houston and surrounding areas coming back to Alings. The restaurant gained such fame that even today it is the first name that strikes when one thinks of Indo-Chinese food, be it to dine, food delivery or catering.

Magicians in the true sense, the chefs at Alings impeccably fuse the Indian ingredients with their in house Chinese sauces, thus crafting a marvelous dish that has a long lasting taste on the palate. The guests most of them being loyal to the restaurant, are easily recognized by the management. This gives the guests a homely feeling. As its equally important to know the likes and tastes of the guests, the chef humbly interacts with them. Not just that, the guests too welcome the chef’s presence and comfortably share their requests and feedback.

The owners have built such connect with the loyal guests at Alings that they know exactly how the customers like their dishes. They also take special requests for dishes not on the regular menu.

The newly opened restaurant

Custom blue light ceiling sculpture, sketched out by Danny Singh from Punditz Construction

Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray did the honors of cutting the ribbon.

Alings Team

With such a hospitable environment coupled with delectable fare, it was imperative for the restaurant to grow manifold. As Alings climbed up the ladder, it demanded a larger space to accommodate the ever-increasing number of guests. With mixed emotions, the management took a decision to move out of the old leased space for good. It was a big leap for them to purchase a huge property and build a sprawling new restaurant at a different location. It took the management a year to construct a sprawling restaurant. It was on Friday, November 9 when Alings finally lifted the curtains with pomp. The new location is located at 6542 US ALT-90,

Photos: Meedu Fotografy

Sugar Land, TX 77498.

The newly opened restaurant is enormous and exquisite and definitely worth the wait. They seem to have improvised on the menu, keeping their service intact. The interiors have been very thoughtfully designed keeping in mind the comfort of the guests at all times. The reception is mindfully tailored so as to provide a comfortable waiting experience for the guests. A wall with a huge emboss of Alings, is structured for the guests to take pictures and make their waiting time enjoyable. This has already become a trend in such a short span of their opening.

The dining area is huge and intricately done up. A dedicated bar space and patio are some of the attractions but what appeals the eye the most is the custom blue light ceiling sculpture, sketched out by Danny Singh from Punditz Construction who definitely deserves an applause. The new location is a massive 6500 square feet property, with a dining area big enough to cater to 200 guests at a time. Currently a small party hall to house around 35 people is available with an adjacent

Custom designed appetizers at the November 8, soft opening party.

banquet coming up within in a year, which will accommodate around 200 guests.

On the evening of November 8, a soft opening party was thrown at the new location. The guest list included the Who’s Who of the town, and in spite of it being a Thursday, people showed up in good numbers.

Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray did the honors of cutting the ribbon.

It was a fun evening where guests enjoyed the food, drinks, desserts and music right until

midnight. The highlight was the custom designed appetizers by the talented chefs at Alings. The management extended their gratitude towards the guests for showing their trust in Alings over the years.

Wishing Alings tremendous success in the coming years!

Website: https://alingschinese.com/ Address: 6542 US ALT-90, Sugar Land, TX 77498 Phone: (281) 242-0432

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 23, 2018

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COMMUNITY

A Dazzling Diwali Night with India’s Singing Sensations Chandrika

& Soumen!

BY VANSHIKA VIPIN VARMA

SUGAR

LAND: Diwali, the ancient ‘festival of lights’, is one of the most significant festivals in the Indian culture.

Lights, lamps, fireworks, food and music are all synonymous with Diwali. This year the five day celebratory period began on Monday, November 5 and concluded on Friday, November 9, with the main day for celebration being Wednesday, November 7.

Though people are all prepped up much before the festivities begin, the enthusiasm is seen even after. Diwali Nite 2018 was held to emblazon the illuminating festival on Saturday, November 10 in NOAH’s Event Venue in Sugar Land. MB Entertainment organized the event, and it was their second triumphant show post the Sameer & Dipalee concert held in September this year. Diwali Nite 2018 was a Live musical concert by Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Stars Chandrika & Soumen and a team of musicians from India.

Soumen Nandi, who hails from the eastern state of West Bengal, is a trained classical singer. He has been passionate about music from a the age of six. His victory at the regional Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee Bangla in 2008 was a stepping stone in his singing career and success followed him thereon.

He was amongst the three finalists in Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009. His fructuous performances helped him bag a number of playback singing opportunities in Bollywood and he was soon honored with

Photos: Murali Santhana

awards in this category. Soumen’s versatility in singing made him the most sought after performers on stage across the country.

He performed with industry gallants like Music Director Pritam, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Shankar Mahadevan, Abhjit Bhattacharya, Sanjay Chakraborty and the likes. His fan following grew all over the world and he

started getting invitations for performing in various countries including USA and Canada. He has also received accolades from seniors and professors in the arena of music for his spontaneity in Indian Classical Raga Music and chord chemistry.

Last but not the least, he has been chosen

by Zee TV to coach and guide the budding singers, on Indian music.

Chandrika Bhattacharya, yet another stellar singer from West Bengal, is also a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2017 finalist. Having grown up in an esthetic ambience filled with Rabindra Sangeet, and getting inspiration from her father who was an eminent singer and also from her mother, she took up classical singing at a very tender age of four. Her first solo performance on stage was at the age of fourteen and she has been continuing to perform across the country since then. She is an upcoming playback singer in Bengali Film Industry and has lent her voice to several TV serials as well.

Mousumi Banerjee, the CEO of MB Entertainment helps promote large and small-scale events in the likes of Concerts, Talent shows and Cultural shows across Houston. She has also been persistently

supporting non-profit organizations like India House, CRY, SEWA International and presently holds the position of a Director of Indo American Charity Foundation.

The event venue was charmingly bedecked as a bride, coinciding beautifully with the festive theme. The attendees were in for a lot of excitement and entertainment besides the concert itself. Some were seen flocking at the photography kiosk creatively done up by Bijay Dixit, while some others were patiently getting their faces painted.

Henna Shah was the host for the evening and she very beautifully commenced the show by greeting the audience, organizers and sponsors. Chandrika, the first performer, got the audiences groove to her dulcet voice. Her selection of songs for the evening was outstanding and her sweet voice made it amazingly soothing to the ears as she sang Silsila ye chahat ka, Lambi judai , Aaj jaane ki zid na Karo, Naam gum jayega, Dil cheez kya hai, Kuch to log kahege, Lag ja gale, Hame tumse pyaar kitna, Pinga, Mere dholna.

Soumen was the next to sweep the audiCONTINUED ON PAGE 14

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

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GCCRBC Holds 3rd Annual Blood Drive at SNC

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

HOUSTON:Onepitchencouraging

people to give blood is “a single donation can save up to three lives” and for most people it rings true enough to make their way to the Blood Center van. Two Sundays ago, on November 11 – which coincidentally was the 100th commemoration of the end of World War I – the pitch rang true for members of the congregation of the Sikh National Center.

The 20-acre SNC site has been the focus of most of the Sikh community’s efforts for the past 16 years as a master-planned center that would house a Gurdwara as well as a boarding school, auditorium, museum, library, pavilion and residence for priests. Purchase of the site and the phased construction of the main temple building has been funded by countless donation drives.

But now the end seems to be in sight as Gurdwara elders envision holding a huge celebration of Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary in 2019 in the new worship sanctuary.

Other buildings will be built in the future.

The 3rdAnnual Blood Drive by the SNC was held in the memory of Guru Nanak, whose birth anniversary is on November 23. Gurpurab celebrations will be held on Sunday, November 25. The collection van from the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center pulled

Sukhjeet Singh Brar giving blood in the Blood Center van on Sunday, November 11. The van stood outside the Sikh National Center interim gurdwara during its 3rd Annual Blood Drive.

up beside the basketball pavilion and the interim gurdwara which has been the focal point of Sunday prayer meetings for the past ten years.

Out of 15 people who attempted donation, 10 people donated. Jatinder S. Khehra and Kirandeep Khehra, Sukhjeet Singh Brar, Ranjit Singh Padda, Inderpal Singh, Harpreet S. Thabbal were among those who donated.

Blood collections are performed by the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center (www.giveblood.org) which encourages the donations in order to replenish the Houston Blood Bank that services area hospitals. To meet the needs of the area community, The Blood Center must collect about 800 donations every day and so it encourages individuals to Commit for Life, to give blood.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

HOUSTON: Arya Samaj Hous-

ton celebrated Diwali on Saturday, November 10, evening in a grand manner as a fitting tribute to its founder Maharshi Dayanand Sarasvati who breathed his last on the Diwali evening of 1883 - one light faded into oblivion to ignite millions of lights. The evening began with a Havan followed by a brief message from Acharya Surya Nanda. He mentioned the age-old tradition of Nava-Sasyeshti Yajnya when the new harvest was first offered to Agni (the fire) in

Havan to spread its nourishment to all the beings breathing air. The importance of bringing light in the homes of underprivileged was highlighted and that sense of nobility is possible if we dispel inner darkness by the light of wisdom - Tamaso Ma JyotirGamaya.

The children of the DAV Montessori School and the Sunday School (DAV Sanskriti School) presented an array of songs and dance to celebrate the festive occasion. Arya Samaj Houston takes pride in being bold enough to

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Diwali at Arya Samaj Houston

serve the community with the only Indian elementary school.

DAV Montessori & Elementary students Architha, Nirav and Shivani talked about the importance of the five-day celebration of Diwali and its celebrations in different parts of India. Sanskriti Sunday School was not to be left behind; its Eesha Kumar talked about Festivity of New Harvest, Dhruv Thacker on Tamaso Ma JyotirGamaya, and Aanya Pant on What Do I Enjoy Most in Diwali. DAV Montessori Preschool, KG and 1st grade students sang a melodious song: “Deepon ka tyohar Diwali”. DAV Elementary KG to 5th grade students recited the Taittiriyopanisad Mantras under the guidance of Acharya Surya Nandaji in complete unison with precise Sanskrit enunciation followed by a song “Aaj diye se diye jalakar

ghar jagmag kar jaayenge”.

The Sanskrit School dance was displayed by about 25 children in perfect harmony and it brought the sense of awe from all in audience, particularly because the children attend the school for mere two hours a week. The chorus song by the Sanskriti School has become the signature to sign off special events of Arya Samaj Houston.

The song Prabhuji, Daya Karo; Man men Aan Baso … touched everybody, tears reeling down several cheeks in the audience.

Little children rendering the song, accompanied by teachers and volunteers displayed pure virgin spirituality.

True to the holistic Vedic values imparted by Arya Samaj Houston and its two schools, there was much more in store besides spirituality. All in the audience, particu-

larly the children rushed outside of the main hall for another couple of hours of fun-filled Diwali Mela in open air with food stalls, play area, raffle, face painting and fireworks.

A new addition was the exhibition of art paintings recently made by the school children. All activities and food were prepared by the volunteers of Arya Samaj and its schools, logistic help provided by the youth wing of Arya Samaj called Arya Yuva Mandal (AYM).

The overall decoration was eye catching. As usual, the event that holds everyone until the last moment was display of fireworks.

ASGH can be reached at https:// www.facebook.com/AryaSamajOfGreaterHouston or aryasamajhouston.org -Acharya Dr. Harish Chandra Ved-Ratna

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

2019 Tiger Ball Kicks Off,

Celebrating Asia Society’s 40th Anniversary in Houston & Honoring Phoebe and Bobby Tudor

Honorees Phoebe and Bobby Tudor (right), with co-chairs Michelle Herrera, Y. Ping Sun, and David Leebron (left) at the Asia Society Texas Center’s Tiger Ball 2019 Kick-off hosted by Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron at Rice University Wiess House on Thursday, November 8.

Co-chairs and hosts David Leebron and Y. Ping Sun.

Durga and Sushila Agrawal Photos: Katy Anderson

Leela and Nat Krishnamurthy

H

OUSTON: The Who’s Who of Houston’s international scene gathered to kick off fundraising on November 8 for the 2019 Tiger Ball, which will celebrate Asia Society’s 40th anniversary in Houston and will pay homage to founding board member Barbara Bush.

The 2019 Tiger Ball will also celebrate honorees Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, longtime supporters of Houston’s arts and culture institutions.

Other pillars of Houston’s philanthropic scene will be at the helm of this year’s Ball, including the honorary co-

chairs, The Honorable and Mrs. Hushang Ansary, Maria and Neil Bush, and Molly and Jim Crownover, as well as the co-chairs Michelle and Hector Herrera and Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron.

The Kick-Off was held at Wiess House, the official Rice University presidential residence, hosted by Rice President David Leebron and First Lady Y. Ping Sun. City Kitchen catered the elaborate feast, which spanned several rooms and featured pork banh mi sliders, wonton tostadas, sesame glass noodle salad with grilled beef flank steak, banana leaf-wrapped striped bass, and several dessert offerings, including mango tapioca shooters, mocha cardamom brownies, and mini chai creme brulee tarts.

More than 150 gathered, including Sushila and Durga Agrawal, Eddie Allen, Nancy Allen, Muffet Blake, Diane Lokey Farb, Lily and Charles Foster, Barbara and David Gibbs, Ellen Gritz and Mickey

Rosenau, Duyen and Marc Nguyen, astronaut Soichi Noguchi, Davana and David Petree, Nathalie and Charles Roff, Ashok and Sheela Rao, David Ruiz, Sue and Randy Sim, Madeline and Brian Spector, Cyvia Wolff, and artists Ayomi Yoshida and Bidou Yamaguchi (she has an eponymously named installation on view through January 13 at Asia Society, and he had an exhibition in winter of 2014-15).

The Tiger Ball is Asia Society’s largest annual fundraiser and is one of Houston’s most prestigious society events, raising in excess of $1 million to support the organization’s educational and cultural programming. The tradition began in the 1990s and has grown over the years in both size and scope. This year’s gala, with Chevron as Presenting Sponsor, is scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2019, at the Center’s iconic home at 1370 Southmore at Caroline in the heart of the Houston Museum District.

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COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

A Dazzling Diwali Night CONTINUED FROM PAGE 08 ences away by their feet as he sang and performed on Soniyo, Naino ki mat suniyo, Ehsaan mera hai. His medley of songs like Phir le aaya dil, mein tenu samjhava, Khamoshiya, Har kisi ko nahi milta and Hum tere bin ab reh nahi sakte was a super-hit. He also beautifully sang a Bengali number and some of Kishore Kumar’s hit songs that got the audiences nostalgic.

The audiences were hopping and dancing away as he performed on Bachna e hasino. The delight was apparent amongst the audiences.

Chandrika & Soumen connected really well with the audience and honored the requests that poured in from them. Lipsmacking dinner was catered by Amar’s Indo-European Cuisine. The show went on until past midnight and the crowd was seen whirling and twirling away as the duo performed.

After the event Mousumi Banerjee stated, “Thanks a lot to everyone who attended the event. I hope I was able to bring the joy of the Diwali celebration through this event. We had nonstop entertainment and Soumen & Chandrika rocked the stage.

Thanks to all our Sponsors without whom the event would not have been successful. I love to host concerts and such events. Doing little things for the community and making them happy is what MB Entertainment is all about.

Looking forward to seeing you all in my future events. Stay tuned for updates”. Grand Sponsors for the event included Omar Saeed Khan & Chandani Mahant from Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, Gold Sponsor included Manyavar Mohey USA and Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston Energy Corridor, Supporting Sponsors included Shahid Usmani from Sterling McCall Toyota, Shonali Sreeram, Souvik Dutta and Salil Banerjee.

Media Partners included Sangeet Radio, IndoAmerican News, Voice of Asia, Radio Dabang 99.5, Shoba Joshi – Geetanjali Radio, Meena Datt, NTV Houston and Ticketing Partner Desi Window.

For more information about Mousumi Banerjee Entertainment and future events visit: www.facebook.com/MousumiBanerjee-2046130342332317/ or email: mousumib@yahoo.com or call 832-8415727.

For advertising in Indo-American News Contact:

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COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

15

TiE Houston’s Evening of Networking & Moderated Discussion: Artificial Intelligence ey. The audience was then given HOUSTON: On November 6, overview of the history of Artifian opportunity to ask any question TiE Houston presented Artificial Intelligence: Maturing to create opportunities for entrepreneurs at The Cannon Houston. While the term artificial intelligence is commonly known, there’s still so much mystery around the topic and it’s applications. They welcomed panelists Dr. Peter Torrione (CTO, CoVar Applied Techonologies, Inc.) and Dr. Zahra Timsah ( CoFounder and COO, Ward Medication Management) for an evening of networking and moderated discussion with Dr. Arun Pasrija (TiE Houston President).

There was a buzz in the room to get the conversation started. Some attendees came out of curiosity while others came to see how they might be missing an opportunity to integrate AI into their own business. Thankfully, the evening began with networking which allowed the guests to get immediate access to the speakers and ask in depth questions.

TiE Houston Executive Director, Ana Rojas Bastidas, began the evening by welcoming everyone and highlighting all of their upcoming events and updated on their TiE Young Entrepreneur program. Guests also got to hear from a representative from The Cannon Houston.

As the actual panel event began, Dr. Arun Pasrija gave a broad

cial Intelligence, how it began and just how far it has to go. He share how AI has infiltrated the daily conveniences of modern life but how infantile the technology can be with the most basic tasks.

Dr. Zahra Timsah shared her insight of how AI is being used in the healthcare industry. With 13 years of experience in healthcare and healthcare technology, Dr. Timsah specializes in oncology, geriatrics and pharmaceutical management. he holds an executive degree from MIT in Artificial Intelligence and has successfully developed AI platforms for multiple medical and drug-development purposes.

She is currently the Chief Operation Officer at Ward Medication Management with a mission to end medication-related harm through effective medication management.

The role of AI can be seen in the assisting of monotonous tasks, mining medical records, chatbots, treatments, image recognition, and drug creation. She believes that “As AI continues to improve and grow it will undoubtedly make an impact on healthcare. Understanding the need, advantages, and method of integration are key elements to its implementation.”

Next, Dr. Peter Torrione shared his lessons learned in deploying AI, how to avoid the pitfalls, and how to prosper. Pete has worked on

From left: Dr. Peter Torrione, Dr. Zahra Timsah, and Dr. Arun Pasrija.

machine learning, data analytics, and computer vision applications for almost 20 years. He received the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering for his work developing artificial intelligence algorithms to detect buried explosive threats for the U.S. Army. As an Associate Research Professor at Duke University, he lead a team of graduate students to bring cutting

edge machine learning to field deployed, mission critical systems.

Since then he has worked closely with subject matter experts in additive manufacturing, oil & gas (drilling, completions, and production), and remote sensing to develop state-of-the-art machine learning and computer vision technologies to improve safety, increase efficiency, and save mon-

they wished. The questions were aimed to understand what the implications of AI are for different industries and what they could do to stay ahead of the curve. AI has moments of great interest but Pete forewarned of the AI Winter that has plague the community for decades. There are still many unanswered questions and speculation on the future of AI but the event clearly shows the interest spans various industries and Houston’s entrepreneurs are determined to lead the way.

TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, and education. TiE has 56 chapters across 17 countries with 11,000 members and 2,800 charter members. Charter Members, who are successful entrepreneurs and/or business executives, make the pillars of each chapters.

They commit their time to help next generation of entrepreneurs - a “leveraged give back” which creates jobs, economic activities and wealth in the community.

Houston chapter has a strong and vibrant charter member community-helping meet’s TiE’s mission and making it a meaningful part of Houston’s start up eco system.

For more information on upcoming events visit www.houston. tie.org

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

16

November 23, 2018

POLITICS

Mid-Terms Draw in More South Asian and Many are Elected

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

H OUSTON:

This year’s election cycle saw another large crop of South Asian who ran for office – local, state, national or judiciary – even larger than those who contested for offices last time around in 2016.

Back then four Indo-Americans - all Democrats - won in the national elections: Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Rohit “Ro” Khanna from California and Pramila Jayapal of Washington in the US House of Representatives and Kamala Harris of California in the US Senate. They joined fellow Democrats Ami Bera of California who won re-election and Hindu-American Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. They joined Clockwise from top left: Ami Bera of California; Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois; Sheikh Rahman of Georgia; Ash Kalra of California; Josh Kaul of Harvinder “Harry” Wisconsin; Dr. Amish Shah of Arizona; Nima Kulkarni of Kentucky; Niraj Antani of Ohio; Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Ro Khanna of California.

Anand, who became According to the Asian Pacific to represent District 24 defeating is the State House’s youngest current Mayor of Laurel Hollow, New York defeated Brian Evans (R) for in 2007; Satish Hiremath, Mayor U.S. House Hawaii District 2; Ro American Institute for Congressional Republican David Alger Sr. Shah, representative and the first Indian of Oro Valley, Arizona in 2010; Khanna (D) with 72.8% or 78,790 Studies of the 147 Asian Americans was born and raised in Chicago. His American Republican elected to the Satyendra Singh Huja, became votes defeated Ron Cohen (R) for who ran for Federal and State seats, mother and father were engineering Ohio House. When Representative Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia U.S. House California District 17; 53 were in Hawaii, 23 in California students who immigrated from India Terry Blair unexpectedly died, in January 2012; Pradeep Gupta Ami Bera (D) garnering 54,097 and the rest across the country though in the 1960s. His father is Jain and Antani was chosen by the Mayor of South San Francisco votes (52.7%) to opponent Andrew this does not include those who ran for his mother is Hindu. He attended Montgomery County Republican in 2016.Nikki Haley, became Grant’s 48,597 for the California local judicial seats or other country NorthwesternUniversityinEvanston, party to replace Blair on the ballot.

Governor of South Carolina in 7th Congressional District; Raja or school board seats. According to Ill., and graduated cum laude with a Antani graduated from The Ohio 2011 and Bobby Jindal became Krishnamoorthi (D) won 124,908 or the APAICS list, 17 South Asians Bachelor of Arts in Economics. State University with a bachelor’s the Governor of Louisiana in 2008. 65.6% of the votes over his opponent, ran for office in the midterms and He graduated from Northwestern degree in political science. On This November, many of these another Indian-American Jitendra represents a positive development University Medical School. March 14, 2018 Niraj Antani made Ash Kalra was re-elected a headlines by suggesting that students incumbents won re-election quite “JD” Diganvker (R) an Uber driver for the community as a whole to share handily. Incumbent Tulsi Gabbard and entrepreneur of Schaumburg for power with the mainstream majority. DemocraticmemberoftheCalifornia who were over the age of 18 should Among those who won in StateAssembly, representing District be allowed to carry rifles to school.

(D) with 77.3% or 150,161 votes theIllinois8thCongressionalDistrict.

Sate House races were Nima 27 which encompasses parts of Joshua L. Kaul is the Democratic Kulkarni of Kentucky; Amish eastern San Jose. Kalra has also Attorney General-elect of Wisconsin Shah of Arizona; Ash Kalra of served as a member of the San running against incumbent California; Sheikh Rahman of Jose City Council in California, Republican Brad Schimel. Kaul is Georgia and Niraj Antani of Ohio. representing District 2. He was the son of Peg Lautenschlager and Others who ran were Jay Jalisi, first elected to the city council in Raj Kaul. His stepfather, Bill Rippl, Kumar Barve, Kris Valderrama 2008, and he was term limited was a police officer. He was raised of Maryland; Padma Kuppa of out of office in 2016. Kalra is the in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Kaul Michigan; Latha Mangipudi, first Indian-American to serve in graduated from Yale University Julie Radhakrishnan, Aboul the California State Legislature. as a double major in history and Sheikh Rahman is a Democratic economics and earned his Juris Khan of North Hampshire; Nasif Majeed, Jay Chaudhuri , Mujtaba member-elect for the Georgia State Doctor from Stanford Law School.

Mohammed of North Carolina; Senate to represent District 5. From 2007 through 2010, he worked Pramila Jayapal; Vandana Slatter Rahman won the general election on for the law firm Jenner & Block, and Manka Dhingra of Washington. November 6, 2018, after advancing and as a federal prosecutor in the Nima Kulkarni is a Democratic from the primary on May 22, 2018. U.S. Attorney’s office Baltimore member-elect for the Kentucky Rahman was a 2014 Democratic through 2014. He moved back to House of Representatives to candidate for District 20 of the Wisconsin and joined the law firm represent District 40 winning 74.2% Georgia State Senate. He was a 2012 Perkins Coie’s Madison office. or 8,619 votes to defeat Republican Democratic candidate for District As if to add an exclamation mark Joshua Neubert. She graduated from 150 of the Georgia House of to the shifting demographics that are Atherton High School and earned Representatives. Rahman, from producing SouthAsian leaders in US a bachelor’s and master’s degree Bangladesh, is the new state- politics. Democratic Senator Tim in business administration from senator elect from Gwinnett County. Kaine of Virginia focused part of his the University of Louisville and a Rahman was elected over the victory speech on Diwali, comparing J.D. from the University of District incumbent with 68 percent of the vote his election to the spirit of the Hindu of Columbia School of Law. Her and ran unopposed in November. festival. “Diwali is the celebration Niraj Antani is a 27-year-old of good over evil, the celebration of career experience includes working as the founder and managing incumbent Republican who won light over darkness, the celebration attorney of Indus Law Firm. 59.5% or 27,377 votes to defeat of understanding over ignorance,” Dr. Amish Shah, MD, MPH is Democrat Zach Dickerson in the he said, adding, “That’s what today a Democratic member-elect for the general election for Ohio House of is. That’s what we’re starting today.”

Arizona House of Representatives Representatives District 42. Antani INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

November 23, 2018

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Diwali Celebration at PMR, Katy!

BY AMEY WAKDE

KATY: Diwali is one of the largest

festivals celebrated across all cultures in India and Indian diaspora. It is a festival of lights that symbolizes inner spiritual victory over the dark ignorance. Pine Mill Ranch (PMR) had a grand Diwali celebration on 10th November 2018 at the Seven Lakes High School, Katy TX. The celebration was graced by the presence of more than 400+ people.

The entrance was decorated with Lord Ganesha’s beautiful idol. Multiple booths depicting herbal henna art, jewelry, toys, and food were keeping people busy. The celebration created an ever-lasting impression on people because of the hard work and creative enthusiasm of 50+ participants and volunteers who showed their dedication over the past three plus months in preparation for this grandeur.

This was the second successful year of PMR’s Diwali celebration. The key highlight of the entire program was the focus on encouraging and cultivating our future young leaders.

Kids from the age of 5 to age 12 exhibited amazing performances. The program started with honoring the key guests which included the Pine Mill Ranch HOA board of members

Mr. Daryl Brister and Mrs. Cowen from Keiko Davidson Elementary who is the owner of The Smilin’ Rylen Foundation (all net proceeds of the event 4000$ were donated to this foundation). Followed by this was the traditional Diya Lightning Ceremony depicting the significance of this festival henceforth followed by the United States of America’s National Anthem - “The Star Spangled Banner”. Middle school children took on the opportunity of not only compiling and hosting the event but also writing their own scripts. The kids aged 5-9 years, beautifully danced on a Bollywood themed songs. Their tiny hands and legs created such a cute and innocent expression; it left the entire audience with awe. This was immediately followed by even younger kids aged 3-4 years who put the stage on fire by their ramp walk in a wellorganized fashion show. Then came the kids who neither know Hindi nor did they had any musical background; and still beautifully managed to sing on the tune of a Bollywood song Karaoke. A very talented set of middle school children played their magic on various musical instruments in the tune of Indian songs.

This performance was followed by multiple dance performances by

young kids, Moms and even Dads.

Between various performances, there were raffles called out and event sponsors poured gifts to many raffle winners. As the performances ended a vote of thanks was given to all the cultural leads and those who helped make this program successful. The program was concluded with India’s national anthem. Post this, there was an open floor DJ where kids, moms and dads wonderfully shook some legs and showed their dance moves.

DJ A.J. wonderfully accompanied the participants.

Overall it was an everlasting mesmerizing experience. It also had an immense contribution in bringing forth the creative talents, zest and courage of the PMR youth that left the audience in awe.

We would like to thank all the platinum and gold sponsors for their generous donations. Pine Mill Ranch HOA, Dr. Teeth Dental Care - Katy, Kiddie Academy of Katy-West, Wealth Design Group LLC, Master Strokes Cricket Americas, Eye Level, JK A/C and Heating, Amiralli Dodhiya Agent with New York Life, India travel Express, Best in Class Education Center, Rasoi Katy, Tru India Restaurant, Desi Window, ibazaarkaty.com.

We would also like to thank the PMR Organizing Committee leads Palak Naik (Cultural Event Lead), Ashwini Wani (Sponsorship & Anchoring Team Lead), Iti Chhablani (Décor and Event Photography Lead), Natasha Garg (Treasurer Lead), Sree Bindu Gadde (Banner, Flyer and Entrance Photography Lead) and Rashmi Dharam (Venue and Volunteers Lead) for spearheading the overall PMR Diwali event and making it a memorable. We would also like to thank all the participants who exhibited wonderful performances through their dedication and enthusiasm.

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18

November 23, 2018 A Different Way to Fight

Do Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy have anything to offer us in the face of attacks by terrorists? Gandhi himself was deeply concerned with the question as to how non-violence could displace violence in political life. In his own day, he was faced with revolutionary nationalists who believed that imperial rule in India could best be fought through targeted violence against British officials and institutions. Gandhi was strong in his condemnation of such a strategy.

We can see this in his reaction to the assassination by an Indian student called Madan Lal Dhingra of a retired Indian civil servant, Sir Curzon Wyllie, when he came to speak to a group of Indian students in London in 1909. Gandhi was horrified by the killing. He stated that Dhingra acted in a cowardly manner, and that he had been “egged on by this ill-digested reading of worthless writing”. If the British left India because of such acts, murderers would become rulers.

Gandhi sought to provide a different way to fight British rule — namely through satyagraha. He argued that if the established nationalist leaders failed to provide a nonviolent outlet for the nationalist fervor of young Indians, they might well be attracted to violent methods. In other words, his form of protest would provide an outlet for radicalised Indians to protest against what Gandhi projected as the “terrorism” of the state as well as provide a counter to the violence of revolutionary nationalists. In a letter of 1919, he maintained that: “The growing generation will not be satisfied with petitions etc. Satyagraha is the only way, it seems to me, to stop terrorism.”

He wrote, similarly, in the same year: “If you do not provide the rising generation with an effective remedy against the excesses of authority, you will let loose the powers of vengeance and… violence will spread with a rapidity which all will deplore… In offering the remedy of satyagraha, I follow the spirit of our civilisation and present the young portion with a remedy of which he need never despair.”

Today, of course, we are in a very different political world.

Terrorist organisations are international in their reach, as we saw in Mumbai in 2008. Nonviolence in one country can hardly prevent such attacks. We don’t know how Gandhi might have reacted to such a situation. He was, however, always inventive in his responses — coming up with inspired new strategies in ever-shifting situations.

Nonviolent resistance has been seen in Pakistani politics, as, for example, in the movements against both Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf. Powerful and enduring nonviolent movements in both India and Pakistan — with a feeling of fraternity between both — would almost certainly go a long way in stopping such terrorism. At present, however, we are a long way from achieving any such outcome.

-- David Hardiman, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Warwick and author of Gandhi, in his times and ours -- Indian Express

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Packing: Now and Then

BY RUCHIR JOSHI When I was a kid in a family of three, there were clear roles demarcated for my mother, my father and myself, with additional walk-on parts for the people who worked in our house. My mother would prepare the food with the cook, the other staff member would wash and press the clothes before taking down the suitcases and the bistras (the bedrolls) from the store cupboards and cleaning them. I would then be told to make myself scarce while my mother went into rising panic and my father packed, logically and efficiently.

Somehow we would be in the car and at the station, well before the train left Howrah for Bombay. In the train, there would be a superficial unpacking, the food and sleeping clothes coming out, books, magazines and comics deployed for the one day sandwiched between the two nights that the train took to get us across the country. Early on the second morning, as the train wheeled though the tunnels in the Western Ghats, we would gather up our stuff and roll up the bistras.

Later, the packing became different and mostly for air travel. I had begun to pack my own suitcases and trunks while going to boarding school. Suddenly I was packing to go abroad to study and the ball game was differen. I watched other people pack and unpack and realised that the act of packing suitcases was as personal an act as putting your handwriting on paper.

In the categories, the first section would be for the chaotic packers.

These are the people who slam open their suitcases and then assault them with their clothes and effects.

In go the pants and shirts, losing their ironing as they hit the bottom of the bag. Caught up in the flurry of cloth are the more chunky objects: the shoes, the shaving equipment, the make-up bottles, the books and papers required for the trip, the chargers and the external hard drives.

Somehow all of this is stuffed into the bag before the travellers wrestle the thing shut.

The chaotic packers then straighten up and smack their hands in satisfaction. “When’s the taxi coming?” they say and sit down and switch on the TV so that they can be sure to be late for the flight.

Then there is the opposite category: the militarily meticulous packers.

These people usually start with making a list or several lists. Everything they plan to take on a trip is put down in logical detail.

Then the different kinds of material are arrayed according to category: socks here, bras there, liquids on one side, hard solids on another side, papers in neat stacks, and so on. Then the suitcases are opened and filled almost scientifically, as if the packers are reproducing a complicated mathematical equation.

When you see the finished suitcases, you feel as though the things were born like this and there is no possibility of them being packed any other way. The meticulous packers then shut the suitcases, stand next to the door and wait for the transport that will get them to the airport well in advance.

There is obviously also a difference between packing for a long trip and a short one, and the chaotic packers usually get away with their chaos if their journey is of a short duration.

The meticulous packers don’t have

to be quite so meticulous for short trips, but usually they are because of their wiring.

Somewhere between these two obvious extremes fall most of us. Over the last 25-odd years I have found myself packing for long intercontinental trips twice a year.

I therefore find it very difficult to pack for a short trip, a bit like a cook who has worked so long for a wedding caterer that he can no longer manage to cook for just two or three people.

For the longer trips I tend to be closer to the meticulous packers, while for the shorter trips I tend towards chaotic packing.

Even as I say this I find myself thinking of a friend who manages to be both extremes at the same time.

This guy, let’s call him T, flies so much that he is single-handedly responsible for 5% of total global warming. T goes on long trips and short ones, sometimes so close to each other that they form a sort of morse code of long and short dashes.

T makes lists, T lays everything out, and then, as if a demon has entered him, he starts to throw everything into the suitcase he has placed on his desk.

The jumbled jungle of stuff is still bouncing on itself when T literally jumps on the suitcase and shuts it before it has time to react.

Then he stands there, breathing hard as if he’s just won a hard game of football. I look at T and I remember my father also breathing sharply after he had shut a suitcase overstuffed by my mother.

It was a very different kind of breathing, just as those slow journeys were a very different kind of travel.

- The Hindu

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November 23, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS

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Newlyweds Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are in Mumbai

~IndianExpress.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Newlyweds Deepika Padukone

and Ranveer Singh are back in Mumbai after tying the knot on November 14 and 15 in Italy. The photos of the couple from the Mumbai airport have been doing the rounds on various fan pages. The actors even posed with some fans after landing at the airport.

Both Deepika and Ranveer were

seen dressed in ethnic clothes and matching glares at the Mumbai airport. The duo is getting ready to throw two receptions for their friends and family. The first reception will be held in Bengaluru on November 21 in The Leela Palace. While the second reception will be held in Mumbai on November 28 in The Grand Hyatt.

The DeepVeer wedding was a lav-

ish but intimate affair. The ceremonies took place in an Italian resort overlooking the picturesque Lake Como. It was attended by around 40 guests who were personally received by the couple with handwritten notes.

While the first wedding was done in Konkani style, the second wedding followed the North Indian tradition.

For the Konkani wedding, the best

South Indian chefs were flown in from India. The guest were later served food on banana leaves.

Ever since Deepika and Ranveer themselves took to social media to share photos from the wedding, their friends and family members have been posting pictures from the wedding as well, much to the delight of their fans.

IFFI to Pay Tributes to Sridevi, Shashi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna

Actor Sridevi, who died unex-

pectedly earlier this year, will be posthumously honoured at the 49th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Sridevi, who had an illustrious career spanning over four decades, died at the age of 55 due to accidental drowning in Dubai earlier this year.

The actor had famously inaugurated the Indian Panorama section of the festival last year in Goa. The organisers announced in a statement that Sridevi’s last feature Mom, for which she posthumously won the Best Actress award at the 65th National Film Awards, will be

screened at the film extravaganza.

They also announced that a retrospective of films of late actor Vinod Khanna will be showcased during the festival.

Khanna, one of the biggest stars of Hindi films in ’70s and ’80s, died on April 27 last year at the

age of 70 after battling cancer.

He was posthumously honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke award, Indian cinema’s highest honour, earlier this year.

The festival will showcase some of his best films such as Achanak, Lekin and Amar Akbar Anthony.

The Homages section of IFFI will honour actor Shashi Kapoor, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and director Kalpana Lajmi.

Kapoor’s film Vijeta will be presented at the festival and his son Kunal Kapoor, who played the lead role in the film, will be in attendance.

Karunanidhi’s National Award winning Tamil film Malaikkallan and Lajmi’s critically acclaimed feature Rudaali will also be screened at the festival.

IFFI, to be held from November 20 to 28 in Goa, will be showcasing 212 films this year. ~Indianexpress.com

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

Yami Gautam Nov 24, 1983

Arjun Rampal Nov 26, 1972

Esha Gupta Nov 28, 1988

Prateik Babbar Nov 28, 1986

20

SPORTS

November 23, 2018

World Cup: Mandhana, Spinners Demolish Australia

Four Indian Women Reach World Boxing Quarterfinals

BY AKSHAY GOPALAKRISHNAN

SOFIA, BULGARIA: A judging controversy couldn’t stop the Indian juggernaut from rolling with as many as eight pugilists reaching the quarterfinals in the ongoing AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships on Monday. Sonia Chahal (57 kg), Pinki Rani (51 kg) and Simranjit Kaur (64 kg) won their respective pre-quarterfinal bouts to place themselves just a step away from assuring a medal while Saweety Boora (75 kg) was the lone boxer Indian boxer to lose her bout on an eventful day.

MC Mary Kom (48 kg), Manisha Moun (54 kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69 kg) and Kachari Bhagyabati (81 kg) booked their quarterfinals on Sunday while Seema Poonia will directly begin her campaign at the last-eight stage on Tuesday against Xiaoli Yang of China.

Former champion L Sarita Devi (60 kg) was the second Indian boxer to bow out of the tournament in the pre-quarterfinals after losing to 2016 World Championship silver medallist Kellie Harrington of Ireland in a split 3-2 verdict on Sunday.

The best show for the Indians was in the 2006 edition at home when the country won 8 medals. The country won just two and one medal in the last two editions and this one may turn out to be the best in recent times.

The fifth day’s proceedings were, however, marred by a judging controversy when 2014 gold-medallist Stanimira Petrova of Bulgaria (57kg) accused the judges of “corruption” after losing her pre-quarterfinal to India’s Sonia Chahal.

The 21-year-old Sonia, daughter of a Haryana farmer, was trailing after the second round but recovered well in the final round to win the close bout on 3-2 split decision.

All the five judges gave 10-9 points in favour of the Indian in the third round and that sealed the win for the local hope.

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA (ESPN Crickinfo): India women 167 for 8 (Mandhana 83, Kaur 43, Perry 3-16, Gardner 2-25) beat Australia women 119 (Perry 39*, Patil 3-15, Radha 2-13) by 48 runs India’s spinners choked out a weakened Australian line-up with relentless accuracy to send them crashing to 119 all out, and a 48-run defeat in their final Group B game at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The win meant India finished atop the Group B table, undefeated after four games. They will now face the loser of West Indies v England on Sunday, while the winner takes on Australia in the semifinals.

The win was set up by Smriti Mandhana, whose belligerent 83 hauled India to a competitive 167 - their highest in T20Is against Australia after they had elected to bat. Known for her free-willed stroke-making, Mandhana capitalised on some erratic Australian bowling to set the foundation for a winning score.

Australia were hit hard by an injury to Alyssa Healy, the Player of the Match in their last three encounters.

Healy was involved in a nasty collision with Megan Schutt, as both bowler and keeper went for a catch in the 19th over of the Indian innings.

Healy seemed to cop a hard blow around her left shoulder as Schutt crashed into her before spilling the catch.

She went down immediately upon impact and was taken off the field, handing over the gloves to Beth Mooney. It was subsequently revealed that the wicketkeeper-batsman had suffered a mild concussion and wouldn’t take part in the chase.

Even with her absence, India needed to bring out their best game against the might of this Australian line-up.

Their chances always hung on how well their slower bowlers would be able to tie down the opposition. And sure enough, five of the six bowlers used by Harmanpreet Kaur, including herself, were spinners.

India trialled with pace just for one over first-up - the very first of the innings - and immediately Australia hit their groove, Mooney finding the boundary twice and pinching 11 off Arundhati Reddy. The message was clear: deny Australia pace and take

Smriti Mandhana crunches a pull to the boundary, Australia v India, Women’s World T20, Group B, Providence, November 17, 2018.

them out of their comfort zone.

Kaur heeded to it the very next over, bringing in Anuja Patil, the offspinner. It cost just three, further reinforcing the strategy. From there, India unsparingly kept the leash on.

When Villani pulled Deepti Sharma’s offbreak into the hands of deep midwicket at the start of the fifth over, it became clear that Australia were in a scrap against lack of pace. Mooney’s start was snuffed out next ball, when she was bowled around her legs.

The only time Australia found any momentum was against the easy pace of Reddy.As in her first, she was taken apart for a brace of boundaries in her second over, the last of the Powerplay, which also turned out to be her last.

The passage immediately after the Powerplay marked the worst of the slowdown. After Ashleigh Gardner launched Poonam Yadav for six over long-off in the ninth over, Australia went 34 balls without a boundary.

They also lost two wickets in the interim.

Radha Yadav, bowling from several yards behind the crease to slow it up even further, had Meg Lanning caught at deep midwicket when the Australian captain tried to force a sweep. And when Gardner was out, trying to clear long-off, to Poonam in the next over, the heart of Australia’s batting had been ripped out. Ellyse Perry dazzled with an unbeaten 39 thereafter, but with the rest of Aus-

tralia’s line-up crumbling in the face of a mounting required rate, their resistance ended in 19.4 overs.

These struggles were a far cry from how India had begun their own innings. Mandhana launched a boundary-laden assault that offset the early loss of Taniya Bhatia in no time.

Mandhana boldly stepped down the pitch to pace and moved sharply around the crease to make room when the bowlers tightened their lines. Australia fed her strengths with a generous mix of full and short balls, and Mandhana didn’t let a single one go unpunished.

The loss of Jemimah Rodrigues in the seventh over only eased some

of the load on Mandhana, as Kaur matched her aggression with some imperious hits of her own.

Known for her blazing starts but a tendency to not capitalise on them, Mandhana showed she was in for the long haul this time around, when she raised a fifty, off 31 balls, in the tenth over. The duo’s partnership was thrown a lifeline when Healy missed a stumping, with Kaur on 26.

Kimmince broke the stand at 68.

But Mandhana continued to strike them big and hard, in the process becoming the second-fastest Indian batsman, after Mithali Raj, to 1000 T20 international runs, as she put the game beyond Australia.

Kohli: ‘Show More Character’ in Australia MUMBAI: Virat Kohli, the India captain, expects individuals to step up and “show more character” during the Australia tour. He has laid special emphasis on the need for batsmen to bat together and the lower order to be “fearless.”

“We understand within the group what we need to work on.

It’s upto the individuals to take ownership of that responsibility and the things that are explained, that are laid out as expectations from team culture point of view,” Kohli said in Mumbai, on the eve of the team’s departure. “That can

only be achieved when individuals go and work on those things.

“There were a lot of things we sat down and discussed after England, [about] what went wrong. To be honest, we all felt there was not much that went wrong. Whatever was not right was very extreme also. We played good cricket, but the mistakes were also very extreme.

“Individuals need to take more responsibility, show more character in such situations and assess it, and then find a solution rather than thinking that the solution will appear from somewhere.”

JOB AVAILABLE

India’s Sonia Chahal (in blue) punches Stanimira Petrova of Bulgaria in the flyweight 57 kg category.

Positions available: 1) Full- time or part-time cashier / counter (must be able to speak English and understand Hindi) 2) Full-time kitchen help.

3) Full-time sales girl for Sari store (must be able to speak English and understand Hindi) Anyone interested in this opportunity, please contact Ramesh Lulla at 713-819-1820 after 2 pm or Aakash Lulla at 832-715-8328 after 2 pm INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 23, 2018

Can Central Banks Go Broke? A Question for India’s RBI NEW DELHI: Urjit Patel was barely two months into his job when he was pushed to execute the note ban.

He couldn’t resist then. But now he should, with all the arguments at his disposal.

An institution with money-printing powers should have no difficulty keeping the lights on. But could it continue to act effectively after depleting its net worth?

Former Bank of England policymaker Willem Buiter posed that question in early 2008, and it’s currently the biggest challenge facing his longtime research collaborator Urjit Patel, the Reserve Bank of India governor.

Under pressure to return surplus capital to a resource-strapped government, Patel should borrow an idea from Buiter’s paper to argue that very little of the central bank’s assets and liabilities are actually visible. For New Delhi to covet what’s in sight of the accountants would be like a ship’s captain deciding to go over a

Urjit Patel, the Reserve Bank of India governor, has big decisions ahead of him, relating to RBI’s monetary base.

small chunk of ocean ice, ignoring the risk of ramming into a submerged iceberg.

First, consider the counterargument. Chile, Mexico and Israel are examples of central banks that have discharged their mandates successfully despite weak capital positions.

Similarly, the market doesn’t approach the bloated finances of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is lever-

aged 106 times at present, or the Bank of Japan with anything resembling the trepidation it saves for overextended commercial banks or hedge funds.

The reason for that indifference, however, should form Patel’s first line of defence. The market doesn’t seem to care because of an invisible part of the central bank’s balance sheet. The RBI’s monetary base adds up to $363

billion, including currency in circulation and banks’ current-account deposits with it. This “high-powered money” is duly acknowledged as an RBI liability. However, its ability to borrow at zero interest at will — by printing money — is a source of profits not explicitly accounted for.

Suppose the RBI for some reason (inflation?) couldn’t print money and had to raise the same $363 billion by paying the sovereign’s three-month borrowing cost of 6.9%. That’s already a $25 billion hit in one year.

Add up the present value of all future profits from not having to pay interest on a $363 billion pile growing in line with the economy, and throw in the $25 billion saved this year. Were it to be accounted for, this profit from seigniorage would easily be the biggest asset on the Indian central bank’s balance sheet. Most of it would over time flow to the government as gains on Indian and foreign securities the RBI buys and sells. -- Indian Express

Reliance to Expand World’s Largest Oil-refining Complex MUMBAI: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd. is considering a plan to boost its oil-refining capacity by about half, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The proposed plant, to come up at the world’s biggest refining complex in Jamnagar, will be able to process as much as 30 million tons of crude a year, the people said asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. The company’s shares closed 2 percent higher in Mumbai, compared with 0.9 percent gain in the benchmark BSE Sensex index.

Asia’s richest man seeks to cement Reliance’s dominance in the world’s fastest-growing major oil consuming nation as rivals including Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., and Russia’s Rosneft PJSC acquire plants in India. Total SA and Royal Dutch Shell are also expanding into fuel

retailing in India. International Energy Agency expects India’s energy demand to more than double by 2040, making it the single largest source of global growth.

Reliance has begun discussions with global refinery process licencors and equipment vendors for the new refining train at the Jamnagar complex, the people said. The size of the plant planned by the company may cost $10 billion, they said.

Saudi Aramco and ADNOC signed agreements to invest in a proposed

60-million ton refinery complex on India’s west coast while Rosneft and partners acquired the country’s second-largest private oil processor.

Shell has restarted retailing gasoline and diesel in the country, while Total partnered the Adani Group to set up liquefied natural gas import terminals and fuel retailing business. Last year, BP Plc expanded its partnership with Reliance to retail auto fuels.

Demand for fuel in India and the Middle East will make the two regions bigger oil consumers than the

European Union by 2030, driven mainly by diesel for trucks and petrochemicals feedstock, according to the IEA. Reliance is looking to process the dirtiest and heaviest crude and may focus on producing feedstock for petrochemicals, the people said.

The expansion plan is still under discussion and hasn’t been finalized, the people said. A feasibility report is likely to be prepared by the end of next year, once the recently-expanded petrochemicals capacities stabilize, and Reliance is expected to make the final investment decision with an aim to start work in 2020, the people said.

The company had considered expanding its refining capacity in the in 2013-14 and sought environment approval for the project. Reliance didn’t move ahead with the plan as it focused on increasing chemicals capacities and building the telecom business. -- Indian Express

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May: Fair Chance for Indian ITs Post Brexit LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday vowed that Brexit would level the playing field for migrant workers in the UK, with migrants from the European Union (EU) no longer be able to jump the queue ahead of those from countries like India. Addressing the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference in London, she said the country’s post-Brexit immigration policy will be based on skills and talent rather than which country the immigrant comes from.

“Once we have left the EU, we will be fully in control of who comes here. It will no longer be the case that EU nationals, regardless of the skills or experience they have to offer, can jump the queue ahead of engineers from Sydney or software developers from Delhi,” she said in her speech.

“Instead of a system based on where a person is from, we will have one that is built around the talents and skills a person has to offer,” she said, adding that the core of the post-Brexit immigration system will be “skills based” rather than “quota based”.

Under the current EU freedom of movement rules, migrant workers from within the economic bloc are free to come in and find work in the UK, while workers from non-EU countries like India have to undergo strict visa application requirements.

The UK government has indicated that after Britain has formally left the EU, workers from any part of the world will be subjected to similar visa rules.

Theresa May’s speech came against the backdrop of rebel members of parliament plotting of a possible coup to oust her as leader of the party.

Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May.

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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November 23, 2018

SUDOKU Place a Number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Send us the correct answer before November 27, 2018.

Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com or mail to 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 212, Houston, TX 77036.

Send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published (for first three entrees only & 1 submission per month).

Solution Next Week

L��� W���’� SUDOKU S�������

L��� W���’� SUDOKU W������ 1) Kumud Athavale 2) Rajan Prasad 3) Shyam Shetty

PUZZLES / RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Some Indian comfort foods are universal as they are simple, taste good and are easy to make, like kadhi. Kadhi is also a great dish to eat with plain rice on a rainy, cold winter day like we have during this time of the year.

This is a repeat of a recipe but so appropriate for the Holidays ahead while watching football or movies at home.

PUNJABI BESAN DI KADHI (CHICKPEA FLOUR CURRY)

Kadhi is a dish that is made all over India with many variations. In some parts of India, they throw minced vegetables in the curry and eat it with boiled rice. Rajasthani and Gujurati kadhi is usually thinner and has a sweet taste. Sindhi kadhi uses imbli (tamarind pulp) to give it the sour taste.

The traditional Punjabi style kadhi is made with thick besan curry and has fried vegetable pakoras (fried fritters) in it with some yogurt to give it a sour taste. It is usually eaten with tandoori roti, paranthas and sometimes with rice.

Besan (roasted gram flour or garbanzo flour or chickpea flour) is a flour that is commonly used all over India to make pakoras, one of the most favorite and easy to make snacks which can be found at almost every street corner halwai or cooking vendor. The flour, when mixed with a few spices, adds zest as batter for vegetables and it is just a delight to eat hot pakoras – never mind that they are fried! Pakoras are, after all, Indian comfort food.

Besan is high in carbohydrates and somewhat high in protein but has no gluten, which makes it unsuitable for those trying to lose weight (especially when it is fried). Besan has many uses in cooking. You can make boondi (besan fried droplets) to put in dahi (yogurt) or to make laddus (sweet balls) – either fried dripped in syrup or those made of roasted, sweetened flour - or simply besan ki barfi (sweetened flat cake) or pooda (a flat bread) Punjabi kadhi tastes best when made with plain pakoras instead of those stuffed with vegetables in them Ingredients: • 2.5 cups besan (chickpea flour) • 1.5 cups of plain dahi (yogurt) • 3.5 cups of water • 1 tsp methi danna (funugreek seed) • A dash of amchoor (mango powder) if desired • Spices: namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), haldi (turmeric) and sukha dhania powder (dried coriander seed powder) Directions: 1. Mix 1.5 cups of besan, 1 cup yogurt and 3 cups of water well and keep to the side for 10 minutes.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients separately to make the pakoras in

step 3. Adjust quantities if you want more pakoras.

3. Heat the oil in a karahi (wok) and pour small portions of the mixture in lumps in order to make the pakoras.

The lumps will fluff up and when the pakoras are brown, take them out and place on a paper towel to soak the oil out.

4. In a saucepan, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the haldi, mirch and methi dana and stir till they are roasted. Add the mixture from step 1.

Stir continuously taking care that the mixture does not bubble and spit out.

If it does, then add a little cold water.

Make sure the kadhi is not thin, but remember that after it cools down, the curry will thicken.

5. Add the salt to taste and bring to boil the mixture for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to simmer. Be careful not to add too much salt because if the yogurt is a bit sour then you will not need much salt. If you like, add a little amchoor and you could almost do without the salt.

6. Add the pakoras to the curry and

let them soak for at least 20 minutes.

The pakoras will be softer the longer they are in the mixture. Let the mixture simmer over low heat and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. If it starts to stick then remove from heat.

7. Serve with hot roti or paranthas or steaming rice and pickle.

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 (since renamed Faisalabad) 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 early-nineties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

WEEK FOR A SORE BACK , U SE A HOT WATER BOTT LE WRAPPED IN A In the winter month BAG s, it is no

t uncommon to com or the flu. But what e down is even more comm through some exer on is pulling the ba with colds tio n, ck muscles so metimes even minor er makes the back m ones. The cold weat us cl es co nt hract and become te you aren’t dressed ns lead to excruciatinwarmly enough – and then a slightem– especially if g ovement can Apart from usin back pain that doesn’t go away soon . to the back helps aglobalms and analgesic creams, a little he t, es at applied pe ci al ly if it is done overnigh simple rubber hot wa t. You can use a ter bottle like the on (or 65 cents). Wra es sold in Indi it won’t slip out. Anp it in a cotton shopping bag and tiea for 60 rupees d the straps so pu t it on your lis to India, as they ar e over $15 each int to buy them on your next trip local stores here!

INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

November 23, 2018

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November 23, 2018

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