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Friday, December 27 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 52

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Indo American erican News

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

7457 Harwin Dr, Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036 713.789.NEWS (6397) • Fax: 713.789.6399 • indoamericannews@yahoo.com

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A Year of Successes

Happy New Year

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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December 27, 2013

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

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India House Medical Clinic is Now a Full Time Clinic Major Expansion of 900%

BY DR. VIRENDRA MATHUR HOUSTON: India House, a community center, the showcase of commitment of Indian-Americans of Greater Houston, finally started operations in 2008 after nearly 40 years of dreaming that such a center can indeed become a reality. Several community service programs got started like, education of young children with daily after school program to reinforce Math, Science and English; and special full day summer school for children in need of special coaching, Senior citizen’s meeting place for recreation, socialization and entertainment; health and fitness program with Yoga, children’s introduction to Cricket (taped ball); spiritual program like Geeta education and meditation classes, youngster’s cultural program like Dance classes, bringing children and seniors to digital era by computer classes; legal assistance for immigrants, new to the country and one of the special programs, very dear to my heart, the Charity Medical clinic.

We started with a relatively small facility of approximately 800 sq. feet under the leadership of Dr. Manish Rungta, operating only on Saturdays, but with huge ambition of eventually expanding it to serve a larger number of Houstonians. We have served not only the Indian-American community but the entire community, specially those of us who are financially challenged irrespective of color, race, religion, ethnicity, land of origin, immigration status or other factors. We never ask anyone about their health insurance policy or social security number or any other private information, just their contact information. The idea and the spirit behind this was our opportunity to give back to the community and this great country, something that we can, after enjoying the immense gifts, benefits and education that we received in this land of opportunity after migrating from our motherland.

The clinic was possible due to the voluntary service of more than 24 physicians of Indian-American origin and more than 12 members of other communities. Each one of them, took out precious time from their weekend Family time to serve

What an expansion it is, from approximately 800 sq. feet to 7500 sq. feet, close to 900 % expansion ! We are now looking forward to its inauguration and ribbon cutting on Friday, January 24th, 2014.

The new India House Sareen Clinic in partnership with Harris Health System will be able to provide complete health care to any and all Harris County residents. It will operate from Monday to Saturday, mostly all day and extended hours on some days, including 7.00 AM and 6.00 PM. Besides providing general health care that Family Practitioners and General Practitioners provide, all Laboratory Facilities will be available.

In addition to this, if any special test or special procedure or surgical procedure or hospitalization is necessary, all our clinic patients will be eligible to receive care at the main facilities of Harris Health System like Ben Taub Hospital.

No patient, insured or uninsured, will be refused care and the charges will be according to the rules of Harris Health System based those who needed health care.

We continued to work hard towards expansion and finally we were rewarded when the opportunity came in the form of great help and wonderful attitude and commitment of Harris County officials. We received inspiration, encouragement and guidance from our County Judge Mr. Ed Emmett, a great friend of India, Indians and Indian-Americans, Dr. Atul Varadhachary, former Chair of Strategic Planning Committee of Harris County Hospital District Board (now called Harris Health System) and former senior manager at McKinsey & Co., former President of Agennix Inc. and current President of Pratham, USA and many officials of Harris Health, specially Mr. George Masi, Senior Executive Vice President and C.O.O. and Mr. Brian Pitre, Director Facilities Management, at every step.

The dream has now become a reality due to our partnership with Harris Health System and with a very generous donation by great friends of India House, philanthropists and trustees of India House, the Sareen Family, Rita and Bal

Sareen, to modify our facility to accommodate the expanded clinic.

We also received large special do-

nations for this effort from Angela and Chowdary Yalamanchili and from family of Rajinder Soni.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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December 27, 2013

the InDo-aMerICan ChaMBer oF CoMMerCe oF Greater houSton WISheS You a happY neW Year as one of the early supporters of IaCCGh, BMC Software benefitted from its membership when the Chamber guided BMC in the year 2000 to consider India as a destination for global expansion. I had the distinct honor of leading this effort for BMC to evaluate, create and grow our successful India operations which required me to relocate to India. on my return to houston in 2010, I was invited back to join the Board of the Chamber and had the privilege of serving as president in 2013. With energy and education as the theme for the next two years, it gave me an opportunity to focus on the industry and sector that houston is most synonymous with. the Chamber had a very successful year.

I welcome incoming president for 2014, Sanjay ramabhadran and am confident that he will continue to deliver exceptional value to all our members. panKaj DhuMe, preSIDent

2014 InauGuraL IaCCGh netWorKInG reCeptIon january 8th, 2014, 6:30pm – 8:00pm, hess Club, 5430 Westheimer, houston, tX 77056 join us as we congratulate our founding president Dr. Durga agrawal on his appointment to the university of houston System Board of regents, meet the new board members and hear our plans for 2014. please rSVp by Friday january 3, 2014 to jagdip@iaccgh.com.

Call 832-746-8372 or email info@iaccgh.com if you have any questions/concerns. the event is sponsored by

IaCCGh 2013 BoarD oF DIreCtorS Allen Richards, Karen Francis, Swapan Dhairyawan (Treasurer), Jagdip Ahluwalia (Executive Director), Pankaj Dhume (President), Sanjay Ramabhadran (President Elect), Joya Shukla (Secretary), Ashok Garg, Nitin Kapadia, C. Aku Patel (camera shy: Ajit Thakur, Harish Katharani, Amod Bavare)

IaCCGh eVentS 2013 1/19 “the affordable Care act: Its Impact on Individuals and employers” Ken janda, pres., ChC Community outreach 1/22 “IaCCGh networking Works” Member networking reception 2/2

“american tax Laws as applicable to nrI’S” in partnership with GopIo 3/4 “refine Your plan, Grow Your Business” “the power of email Marketing” [Small Business outreach] 3/5 “Impact of the 2013 Indian Budget on Doing Business with/in India” [Community outreach] Webcast with Sanjay Grover and heetesh Veera, tax partners, ernst & Young, India 4/3 “Leadership and Business acumen” Keynote: Drayton McLane, jr. [Distinguished Lecture Series] 4/5 annual Doctors reception Welcoming Indian Doctors to MD anderson Gap Summit [Community outreach] 4/24 “Looking For Ways to expand Your Business?”

Keynote: Manuel Gonzalez & Mark Winchester “about Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Initiatives” Keynote: Sandra a. Louvier 5/1 “Women Mean Business” Series Keynote: nandita parvathaneni/omana abraham 6/12 “about hCC’s entrepreneurial programs” Keynote: Dr. Zachary r. hodges, president, hCC nW Campus 6/20 Clearing the Cloud for Business, panel: Dr. arun pasrija, Gaurav Khandelwal, pankaj Malani, Moderater: Sunil Shenoy 6/28 Women in Leadership: Mentoring program led by Francene Young 7/25 “Women Mean Business” Series featuring Dr. Marie Goradia/juuhi ahuja 7/26 Dialogue with Congressman pete olsen (by invitation only) 8/16 Chancellor Dr. renu Khator reception for Gala Sponsors 8/17 annual Gala & awards Banquet 9/24 IaCCGh members display at Greater houston procurement Breakfast 10/1 IaCCGh “networking Works” Small Business networking event 10/2 IaCCGh members at IaCCGh booth at hDSDC expo 10/22 Coffee with the Consuls, Keynote IaCCGh advisor p. harish with pankaj Dhume on panel 11/13 Women in Leadership Series in partnership with Shell “Mapping Your Future” Keynote: Latha ramchand, Dean of u of h Bauer College of Business 12/12 annual “tee-It up for Literacy” pratham IaCCGh Golf tournament

Major SupporterS GaLa unDerWrIter

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aBC 13 KtrK television | abraham rugs | ajit & Deepa thakur | ashoke & Sunanda nath | Dr. atul Varadhachary | BBVa Compass Bank | City of houston | Club 24 | Community health Choice | eii Valve Company | FosterQuan LLp | GhCVB | houston airport System | India Coffee house | Kindred hospital | MD & associates | MD anderson Cancer Center | Mahatma Gandhi District | Somesh Singh | Sugar Creek Montessori | Swatantra & Bimla jain | university of houston | university of St. thomas | Westmont hospitality GoLD MeMBerS

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Gala entertainment by NAACH Houston; Attire by Sari Sapne; Food by DAAWAT/Madras Pavilion; Photography by Bijay Dixit, Unique Photo Images; Linen and decor by Touch of Elegance; Design by Redwing Creative; Flowers by River Oaks Flower House; Souvenir by Ashita Murgai

onWarD anD upWarD 1535 West Loop South | Suite 200 | houston, tX 77027 | t: 713-624-7131 | e: info@iaccgh.com | iaccgh.com

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December 27, 2013 5 COMMUNITY Lights, Camera… Lets Naach!

BY MALAY VYAS SUGAR LAND: On December 21, Naach Houston celebrated the first anniversary of its own studio in Sugar Land. Known amongst the students as the “temple of dance” and “ a second home”, this studio has seen sweat and tears from Naach team members as 2013 alone brought over twenty shows including a major professional home production in the Summer.

Brain child of Artistic Director, Mahesh Mahbubani, the Naach Houston studio is one of the only full time Bollywood dance & fitness centers in the Houston area.

“It’s a place where creativity thrives”, says Mahesh proudly introducing his team of Choreographers including Star Gilani, Hasina Sadiwala, Shah Ahmed, Malika Ghei, Shailee Gandhi, Amita Batra , Anum Lalani and Anita Vyas.

“The success of Naach is the success of the community” is a firm belief that we practice at Naach.

“We dare our students to dream and then live that dream”, says a beaming Star Gilani, quoting Mahesh Mahbubani.

Dance is a form of communication and at Naach we enable its students to grow in confidence by guiding them to communicate expressively through dance. Sejal Shan, a member of Naach’s Adult Dance group put it very aptly “this is where I de-stress from work, dance helps me relax”. Prita Kapoor one of our pre teens students puts it well by quoting “ Naach is a place where I can be myself and make beautiful and lasting friendships.” Shah Ahmad looking at the food spread that was served after the show. Shah says that “We all are a family at Naach, Every item here is home cooked and brought in by the parents and students of Naach Houston, we have a massive pot luck for our anniversary”.

About a hundred students and parents gathered inside the studio

Indo American Chamber of Commerce Greater Houston.

Mahesh Mahbubani proudly hangs a picture of him getting a token of appreciation from the Texana board – “it was a very proud moment to see students with learning disabilities from Texana perform a Bollywood dance at the Texana Gala”, says Mahesh. “That’s my vision for Naach – to be a company of the community, where we reach out to everyone through creative aspects of dancing”, he adds.

Naach thanks all its sponsors, media partners and supporters and above all its students and parents who have made the first year a tremendous success.

The studio re-opens on January 6, with new classes and a new syllabus that runs parallel to the fort bend ISD holiday calendar, and Introducing Bombay Jam from the Mona Khan Company in California, an awesome Bollywood fitness class with customized mixed of the latest bollywood tracks, learn new moves, have fun and look and feel great , Register Online for the discount at www.naachhouston.com Until then Keep Calm & Do Naach!

For further information visit www.naachhouston.com

where Naach’s back stage technical group had arranged for detailed light affects and fog machines for an annual show that’s more about the dancers’ happiness versus being just a showcase. These are some of the most talented Bollywood dancers performing their best songs in their own backyard. Dance genres ranged from Contemporary to Bollywood to Hiphop.

In a year, Naach Houston has

been proud to be associated with a variety of non-profit organizations to do exclusive performances for Pratham, Daya , Texana, India house and

Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036., tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.

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COMMUNITY

With Projects All Across Texas, Shah Smith Builds an Impeccable Reputation

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: When Ajay Shah and Jerry Smith left their steady jobs at a well-regarded consulting firm twenty years ago it was a with more than a little trepidation. “I had been with them for 18 years and Jerry about 10”, Shah said as he recalled those days of 12 and 14 hour days. “We couldn’t have thought about it if it hadn’t been for our wives who could back us up with their full time jobs and the dependent healthcare insurance their employers offered”.

He looked around at the 130 guests who had come to the anniversary party of the combined namesake company, Shah Smith Associates, and smiled at what that initial jump into independent consulting had brought around so many years later. Many of the staff from the firm were there at the Colombe d’Or in Montrose with their significant other, to help celebrate the milestone anniversary over cocktails on Friday, December 13. Among them were some of the clients and architects who SSA has done business over the years and hold it in high esteem.

Smith, who had retired on December 31, 2008, dropped by with his wife Sandra. One of the oldest and finest engineers in business and a mentor to many in the Bayou City, the 91 year-old Harry Badger, who finally hung up his engineering hat earlier this year, came assisted by his son Bruce.

“Mr. Badger was in fact the third person

Ajay Shah with his wife Anju at the cocktail party celebrating his firm, Shah Smith Associates’ twentieth anniversary.

dhir Sahni of Llewellyn Davies Sahni; Dr. Vijayvergiya formerly of Geotest Engineers and Dr. Narender Gosain, a retired Sr. VP with Walter P. Moore structural engineers.

Among the memorable projects were the Life Sciences Research Building at Texas A&M University and the M.D. Anderson Administration Building at the Texas Medical Center. What cemented SSA’s reputation for proficient mechanical and electrical engineering was the Entergy District Cooling Plant built in 2000 which brings 30,000 tons of chilled water to Minute Maid Park and other downtown buildings and provides 80,000 ton hours of cooling storage – a first in downtown Houston. Many of the firm’s projects were shown on a timeline poster displayed in the entrance foyer.

Currently the firm is involved in the construction of the $550 million Jeannie Sealy Replacement Hospital for UTMB in Galveston. “The 50 year-old structure was in sad shape and Hurricane Ike just accelerated its demise”, said Shah His firm has also designed the new terminal B at San Antonio International Airport, opened just two years ago.

in our company”, explained Shah and later others joined as the young company picked up projects and made a reputation for itself.

Shah also remembers the support of other well-known Indian luminaries in the E&C business in Houston, like the architect Ran-

The principals in the Shah Smith Associates firm: Doug Belisle, Dr. Jeff Bolander, Eric Deitz, Ajay Shah, Scott Sevigny, Doug Garrison, Ricky Nietsche and Wes Stidham.

Photos except for the principals: Doug Barrow

Jerry Smith (left) and Ajay Shah (right) flank Jawahar Malhotra who has known both men for many years.

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COMMUNITY

With Projects All Across Texas, Shah Smith Builds an Impeccable Reputation

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December 27, 2013

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India House Medical Clinic is Now a Full Time Clinic Major Expansion of 900% CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Some of the employees and guests at the anniversary party held at the Colombe d’Or on December 12.

Shah attributes all the successes to the firm’s 65 employees, most of who are based in Houston, on the westside. Twelve work in the Austin office and another telecommutes from Denver. “We have always hired from the top universities in Texas – Texas A&M, UT, UH, Texas Tech”, he explained, adding that the firm paid very competitive salaries. This explains the low turnover for the firm, with many staff members there for at least 10 years. The other side of the equation is the repeat business - upto 80 percent – that the firm regularly picks up, “based solely

on our reputation for doing excellent design work”, added Shah.

After Jerry Smith’s retirement, Shah became the sole owner, but he quickly put into place a longterm succession and transition plan through which seven other key individuals in the firm’s evolution acquired ownership roles in 2010. These engineers – Doug Belisle, Dr. Jeff Bolander, Eric Deitz, Scott Sevigny, Doug Garrison, Ricky Nietsche and Wes Stidham – work with Shah to take the firm to the next generation of growth and evolution.

on insurance or family income of the uninsured people. While we will prefer prior appointment, we will try to accommodate even the walk-ins if feasible.

In addition to the India House Sareen Harris Health Clinic, we will continue to operate our original clinic at India House, and we will try to make it a clinic of specialists, as so many physician friends are greatly qualified in their specialties and no specialty is out of our reach. This will allow

patients to receive not only general care but also specialist’s opinion.

Our next expansion is being planned for this spring and with the partnership with University of Houston and very generous donation of Dr. Dennis Golden, we will start an Eye Clinic where we will be able to provide not only eye glasses but also specialized eye care of all kind. We are also working to establish partnership with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to offer cancer screening like Mam-

mograms and other tests.

We at India House are very happy and thrilled that we can now help not only our own community but everyone in Harris County in this special area and we know that health care occupies a very important place in our life for each and every person. We look forward to continued help and goodwill and financial support from the generous donors and well-wishers and community at large.

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COMMUNITY

December 27, 2013

White House Christmas Invitation Honors Indian Seniors

Lalit Chinoy, with his son Mitren, meeting President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House Christmas Party on Friday, December 20. Chinoy is pointing out to Mrs Obama “that actually she is the President”.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA WASHINGTON, DC: It was one of the most coveted of invitations during the Holidays and when Indian Seniors Citizen Association President Lalit Chinoy received the White House Christmas Invitation, he was honored and excited by the prospect. A jovial, bespectacled portly seventy-something year-old who has a penchant for telling one-liner jokes, Chinoy has dedicated himself to the task of moving the ISCA forward through sheer determination and example.

This was amply on display when he committed the organization to the first National Indian Senior Citizen’s Convention at the George Brown Convention Center.

It was at the convention that some people giving a talk on the Affordable Care Act noticed the importance of the Houston group.

“I guess they saw what we had to

offer”, said a jubilant Chinoy who wasted no time in responding affirmatively to the invite almost immediately, which was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“My son Mitren told me ‘Dad, I’ll take care of all the expenses’ and since my wife Chatur could not come, I called the White House to see if Mitren could”, explained Chinoy. “They said ‘Fine’ so we started packing”. It was also an opportunity for the ISCA to be recognized. “Never in 28 years had this happened to the ISCA”, said Chinoy.

Chinoy and his son made the two-day trip to Washington, DC, staying overnight at the home of some friends. After lots of security checks, they went into the White House and stood behind a roped off area in front of a decorated Christmas tree. There were a huge variety of hor d’ourves and drinks

President Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama by his side, addressed the guests from the podium before going down to shake hands and greet them.

for the over hundred people who attended that particular event. The Navy Band played holiday music and into this festive setting, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama entered from the stairs and went straight to the podium at 4 pm.

“President Obama gave a short ten-minute speech, joking in between”, remembered Chinoy of the memorable occasion. “He said that all the invited community leaders should keep up the good work of uniting the people.

The couple then walked down the front row shaking hands with people there and exchanging greetings, and since the Chinoys were in the front row they did so too.

“When Michelle Obama came to me, I just joked and told her that actually she was the President”, recalled Chinoy with a grin. “It seems she liked it and laughed and started patting my shoulder. I was lucky to shake hands with both of them”. After they had shaken hands, the Obamas walked quietly away.

“It was just such a memorable experience”, said an overjoyed Chinoy.

“I will remember it forever”!

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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December 27, 2013

COMMUNITY

Pankaj Malani Marries Avnie Patel

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Although the wedding is now just over two months old, people still stop and tell the married couple and their families what a spectacular event it was. Even though it was a destination wedding in Las Vegas, the bride and groom’s families left no stones unturned to make it feel like a traditional Indian family-style wedding with lots of the colors, fabrics, music and rituals that accompanied it. Three planeloads of guests descended on the Bellagio Hotel for a three-day long affair, which featured the groom coming on a decked out elephant with his barat.

And, although it was covered

thoroughly by accompanying reporters and the Las Vegas press, including the local TV stations, Jugal Malani, the groom’s father was only now finally able to finish off the lingering wedding affairs to speak to us for a minute regarding the second grand wedding he had to handle in less than twelve months, the first being of his daughter Nikita to Atman Shukla last New Year’s Eve (see IAN dated January 11, 2013).

Pankaj Malani, 33, has worked in his dad’s business, Unique Industrial Products in Sugar Land, for several years now. He graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with a Bachelor’s in Advertising and moved to New York

Pankaj and Avnie

to work with a start-up. After moving back to Houston, he got his Teacher’s Certification and taught 4th through 8th grade students in Houston area schools. He even did a brief stint teaching English in Argentina before coming back to join the family business.

Avnie, 29, received her Bachelor’s in Biology, also from UT Austin, and then got a Master’s Physician Assistant degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California and works as a physician’s assistant in Houston. Her parents Sulochana and Shanker Patel have been in the Houston area for many years.

The couple met through mutual

friends in October 2011 and had their first date at Uptown Sushi, which has become their favorite restaurant, and later became inseparable. After traveling together on several overseas trips, Pankaj popped the question on November 3, 2012 in a sleek Rolls Royce prepped and parked outside Uptown Sushi. They both decided on a destination wedding which would be as large as the ones for their siblings (Avnie’s sister Kinnary and Pankaj’s sister Nikita).

After the wedding the couple honeymooned in Maui before returning to Houston, which will be their home.

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COMMUNITY

December 27, 2013

Arsha Vidya Satsanga Celebrates Bhagavad Gita Jayanti

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HOUSTON: Arsha Vidya Satsanga (AVS) celebrated their fourth annual Bhagavad Gita Jayanti on Saturday, December 14 at Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir. Gita Jayanti is the birthday of Bhagavad-Gita, the sacred text of the Hindus. It is believed the immortal “Bhagavad Gita” was revealed to Arjuna (the Pandava prince) by Sri Krishna himself in the battlefield of Kurukshetra (in present day Haryana, India) a little over 5000 years ago. The text was written in third person, narrated by Sanjaya to the blind King Dhritarashtra as it transpired in the battlefield between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

Sanjaya was blessed by his Guru, Veda Vyasa, with the clairvoyance to view the events taking place on the battlefield.

Each year, during Gita Jayanti, along with several other activities, several chapters are recited as

a group. The program started off with a Puja to Lord Sri Krishna, Vyasa and invocations to Pujya Swami Dayananada Saraswati.

Few devotees further sanctified the atmosphere with melodious Bhajans. Over 30 devotees recited six chapters of Bhagavad Gita including the 10 yr. old Surabhi Kartick.

Surabhi has already memorized all the 18 chapters of the Gita. The highlight of the celebration was the giving away of the first AVS Award. Dr. Bharath Srinivasan became the recipient of the Arsha Vidya choodaamaNiH award of 2013. This award was instituted by Arsha Vidya Satsanga to recognize individuals of exceptional accomplishments in scholarship and leadership to Sanatana Dharma.

Dr. Bharath ji has mastery over a major portion of the Yajurveda including karma kanda. He spear-

heads projects such as reestablishment of Ayurvedic scriptures, and translation of Rajiv Malhotra’s books to Kannada. He is actively involved in serving the community through spiritual lectures, weekly Sanskrit classes, and writings to uplift and sustain Hindu dharma and Indian value system.

The program ended with an excellent presentation from the Houston based Bharatanatyam exponent, Aparna Subramaniam.

Aparna talked about basic concepts and historical perspectives of Naatya Shaastra. She demonstrated how bhakti can be invoked in dance form through Bharatanatyam.

Arsha Vidya Satsanga is a nonprofit organization inspired by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

Visit http://www.avshouston.org/ for further details on activities and upcoming events.

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December 27, 2013

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COMMUNITY

December 27, 2013

Nandita Berry Appointed Texas Secretary Of State

BY LINDSAY MCCANE Texas Governor Rick Perry has appointed a new secretary of state.

Nandita Berry, a Houston attorney, has been named for the position, and will replace John Steen, who will be stepping down after the first of the year. This is the third time that Perry has had to name a new secretary of state in slightly over a year.

Due to Berry’s immense accomplishments, Perry saw it fit for her

to be Steen’s replacement, making Berry the first Indian-American to be named the state’s chief elections officer. “Nandita Berry personifies what is possible through hard work and dedication in the State of Texas,” Perry said. “Arriving from India at the age of 21 with nothing but $200 to her name, she worked diligently to earn her law degree and has since become one of the most accomplished attorneys in the state. Her work eth-

ic, intelligence and wide array of experiences will serve her capably in her new duties as Secretary of State, and I look forward to working with her to keep Texas the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family.”

“I came to Texas in search of a better life and the limitless opportunities to be found across our great state,” Berry said. “Every day, I see Austin’s pioneering spirit alive in Texas, and this great honor proves once again Texas is the land of opportunity, both in the private sector and public service.”

Berry is the wife of conservative Houston radio talk-show host Michael Berry. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

-www.webpronews.com

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HEALTH

December 27, 2013

17

11 Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen

BY SOBIYA N. MOGHU (Part 2) : Weight loss diets or weight loss foods do not require a ‘special ingredient’, they constitute foods that you see every day in your Indian kitchens.

These weight loss foods can be eaten directly or consumed in combination meals that you eat daily. Some health enthusiasts avoid typical Indian dishes that are are creamy and submerged in ghee or butter, but you can opt for healthy cooking methods using these same India-centric ingredients found in every Indian kitchen.

These are weight loss foods common to Indian grocery markets and kitchens that can actually help you lose weight and gain health, using proper cooking methods.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #11 Turmeric A clear favourite in Indian kitchens, turmeric wins the day when we talk about spices that aid digestion and weight loss. Curcumin, a phenol found in turmeric helps keep fatty tissue at a minimum. Adding turmeric to your daily diet will help weight loss in the long run.

This weight loss food when used in the optimum dose is highly effective in soothing gastric inflammation and ulceration, which could be the key to developing new drugs against such stomach disorders, say Indian scientists.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #12 Raddish Like other types of vegetables, cooked raddish contains approximately 3 grams of fiber per half cup to help you stay full and satisfied. Raddish are considered as starchy vegetables, so it is recommended to be eaten in place of rice, bread or other starchy foods. They work best as weight loss foods.

Enjoy a crunchy raddish in your salad with chopped cucumber and tomatoes.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #13 Garlic Overweight people who sprinkled their food with the zero-calorie spice lost an average of 30 pounds in six months, compared to only a 2-pound loss in the control group. This much loved Indian ingredient is used widely in almost all recipes and gravies.

Allicin in garlic is considered effective for fighting high cholesterol, high insulin and unhealthy blood sugar levels. Additionally, garlic is a great appetite controller - perfect for healthy weight loss.

This weight loss food also help prevent various cancers, fight cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and respiratory problems. Garlic also helps fight various infections.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #14 Lentils Lentils is the fastest and easy to prepare food for mothers, while

being the most popular ingredient in Indian kitchens. These daals can reduce your chances of a heart attack, stabilise sugar count and help in weight loss.

Lentils are a bona fide belly flattener. They’re high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels. Eating them helps prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the abdominal area.

This weight loss food is perfect for diabetes patients and at the same time improve your iron level and source for vitamin B. It is not only a comfort food but also a good protein source vegetarians.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #15 Bananas According to HMU expert Arnav Sarkar, Bananas are part of a healthy diet, and should also be part of a fat loss diet, however no food by itself helps one to lose weight. To lose weight one has to create a caloric deficit i.e to burn more calories than what they consume in a day.

For most cases a caloric deficit of 10-15% works best and ones that create a greater caloric deficit generally causes more muscle loss rather than fat loss.

For starters bananas offer healthy carbs which give energy to be more active and feel great. It is also high in the mineral potassium which helps to lower blood pressure. The fiber content of bananas helps to control hunger much better for those who are trying to lose fat. And it has also been found to help students study better thanks to its supply of the vitamin B6.

Some more benefits of bananas - It has been found to help reduce depression due to its content of Tryptophan, the iron content in it helps those with anemia and it also helps to reduce constipation due to its fiber content.

Breakfast is the best time to have this fruit. You can chop bananas in a bowl, add milk and a few strawberries.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #16 Tomatoes This beautiful looking veggie works best in every Indian recipe and also as a weight loss food, every time you munch on a tomato, your body releases a hormone called cholecystokinin, which tightens the valve between your stomach and your intestine. As a result, CCK boosts feelings of fullness— making you less apt to overeat.

This weight loss food boosts your energy, stabilizes your blood sugar levels, controls your appetite, detoxifies your body and reduces cholesterol. Tomatoes are also low in calories, a plus for any dieter.

When using tomatoes in your dishes, avoid mixing thme with bread, pasta, potatoes or rice, as this combination can cause acidity.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #17 Olive oil Olive oil has healthy fat that increases satiety, taming your appetite. But that’s hardly its only slimming feature.

Olive oil contains antioxidant - polyphenols. They help the body in detoxify unbalanced molecules, otherwise called - free radicals. This weight loss oil is an excellent remedy for rheumatoid arthritis. Various published studies speak of these rheumatoid arthritis fighting properties.

Research shows it has antiinflammatory properties, and chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome.

Drizzle your salad with olive oil and you’ll increase the antioxidant power of your veggies, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition notes.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #18 Cabbage

This weight loss food is found on every continent, so you have no excuses to shy away from this green leafy ball. Cabbage is the ideal veggie for constipation, skin and eye disorders, aging, stomach ulcers and Alzheimer’s to name a few. Detox with patta ghobi; it is a good blood purifier as well.

It’s very low in calories and high in fiber. Add to that, cabbage is way low on the GL scale too. This weight loss veggie doesn’t just help you lose weight. is also a surprisingly excellent source of vitamin C, which some experts believe may reduce

the risk of developing diabetes.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #19 Eggs Eggs are a good source of vitamins, proteins and minerals.

Eggs are not only a great source of nutrition, but also very useful to help lose weight. When combining eggs with other dishes you will limit the consumption of complex carbohydrates in the body.

Egg itself is sufficient in helping in weight loss.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #20 Coffee The caffeine in coffee can raise your resting metabolic rate by about 15 percent, and the effect can last up to four hours— that adds up to 30 to 50 calories burned per day. Plus, people who sip 3 to 4 cups of regular or decaf coffee per day are 30 percent less prone to type 2 diabetes.

Weight Loss Foods in Every Indian Kitchen #21 Pears Pears deliver a dose of fiber (about 5.5 grams per mediumsized fruit), which helps keep you satisfied long after you eat them. But that’s not where their fat-fighting power ends.

A Brazilian research team found that a group of women who included pears in their diet each day lost more weight than the group who included oat cookies—even though the pears and the oat cookies had the same number of calories.

-Timesofindia

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18 December 27, 2013 Compromise is No Crime A revolution, said Mao Zedong, “is not a dinner party.” Nor is running a government. Mahatma Gandhi understood well the difference between leading a popular upsurge and heading a popular government. He chose to stay out of the latter, having accomplished the former.

In fact, Gandhiji went to the extent of virtually seeking the dissolution of his instrument of national mobilisation when he said, “India having attained political independence through means devised by the Indian National Congress, the Congress, in its present shape and form, that is, as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine, has outlived its use.”

In so saying, the Mahatma drew pointed attention to the difference between a “movement” and a “party of government”. It is the facilitation of this transition from one to the other that Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and all other Congress leaders in government enabled. This is the challenge before Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Can the party stop thinking and behaving like a “propaganda vehicle” and become a “party of governance” and of “government”?

The AAP has come forward with an 18-point charter on the basis of which it will accept outside support to form a government. There are two issues with this political manoeuvre.

First, coalition building requires compromise and cannot be on the basis of the demand for full acceptance of one’s unilateral wishes. Second, there are many demands in the list that an AAP government can go ahead and implement through administrative action without seeking legislative approval.

Among other demands, while the Delhi government can certainly end what the AAP dubs as “VIP culture” with respect to all its functionaries, how can the state government of Delhi impose its will on the Central government or other state governments, whose representatives live in and visit New Delhi?

The AAP’s demand for the “establishment of swaraj” in Delhi’s neighbourhoods sounds good in theory, but it is the kind of demand that requires detailing out so that the nation’s capital does not get further ghettoised into enclaves, mohallas and villages, and can evolve in an integrated manner.

Having stated what an AAP government would like to do in office, it is obligatory that the party also educates the public about the fiscal burden of implementing these promises. The AAP cannot be irresponsible like other populist parties that only tell the voters what subsidies and freebies they will offer once in power without specifying the cost of such commitments and the means of fiscal mobilisation. While both the BJP and the Congress saw a decline in their vote share, the AAP has been the rising star. It owes a duty to its supporters to form a government and see to what extent its promises can be realistically fulfilled. Sanjaya Baru in Indian Express

EDITORIAL

Open Season for All on Devyani

BY SUJATA ANANDAN I was wondering when someone would bring up the fact that India’s deputy consul general in New York, Devyani Khobragade is of Dalit origin – and right on cue it did not take very long for Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati who to play the gallery to reinforce her constituency just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the country.

Mayawati believes the UPA’s slow response to Devyani’s arrest in the United States was because she was a Dalit though there are many others who would suggest the opposite– that the government is acting unusually tough precisely because of her background. But neither Devyani nor her father Uttam Khbraade, a high profile IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre ever felt the need to emphaisise their origins in either Mr Khobragade’s long career in the state or even when Devyani first topped the MBBS exams nd then came through with flying colours at the civil services competition, Kohbragade was justifiably proud of his high achieving daughter and when she was in Paksitan had spoken to some of us about how well she had distinguished herself in her job. But Devyani’s not the first woman dalit IFS officer – speaker Meira Kumar was there before her – nor is she likely to be the last, so I don’t see any reason for the former UP chief minister to unnecessarily accord a caste colour to the contretemps.

Though I am pretty sure that officials in the United States might have been taken aback by the ferocity of India’s response to the humiliation that Devryani was put through, I think it is a bit silly for the saffron forces to target Dominos Pizza outlets or even for Yashwant Sinha to ask for the arrest of gay couples working at the American embassy in New Delhi because homosexuality has been recriminalised in India, It only shows us how poor the opposition’s intellect is in dealing with situations of such international ramifications and I am pleasantly stunned and surprised by the UPA’s responses in both the Devryani imbroglio and the outlawing of LGBTs by the Supreme court last week — even if it does seem like

It is open season for everyone, including the US district attorney who obviously has electoral ambitions of his own, visa-vis Devyani – now if the Americans believe she was exploiting her domestic help, I would like to know how many Indian employees at American consulates draw the minimum wage afforded to employees by their government. the closing elections have given the UPA a spine it did not have before.

I have also seen many responses of citizens as well as some media persons lamming Devyani for owning flats n the infamous Adarsh society but any child even should be able to work out the fact that she was not involved in any scam in obtaining the flats but perhaps benefitted by being just her father’s daughter.

Several IAS officers and politicians, including former BJP president Nitin Gadkari;s close associates. are said to own benami flats in he society and it is no doubt a scam of the greatest proportion possible that definitely needs diligence in its probe. But that does not make Devyani corrupt nor can one accuse her of human trafficking as some activists are now tending to do.

However, I will not be surprised if the saffron forces now escalate the war against American interests in India for that has always been their philosophy – they believe they arw

the custodians of everything Indians – and particularly Hindus eat, drink or wear. I remember some Bajrang Dal workers giving me some bizarre explanations several years ago of how insidious the Americans were being by opening such outlets in India – one of them even suggested that beef burgers were being used to mask poisoning by anthrax. When I asked how on earth that was possible, he said, they use infected animals to make the beef burgers and even suggested the animals were deliberately infected by the bacillus in order to kill off Indians. I checked – beef burgers were never on the mrnu of any of such outlets.

However, it is quite apparent that people like Pravin Togadia need no excuse to set the ball rolling against anything and everything they see as invading the Indian culture and Devyani’s arrest in New York comes as a godsend just before the Lok Sabha elections.

Nevertheless it seems it is open season for everyone, including the US district attorney who obviously has electoral ambitions of his own, vis-avis Devyani – now if the Americans believe she was exploiting her domestic help, I would like to know how many Indian employees at American consulates and information centres across India draw the minimum wage afforded to employees by their government. I have many friends in such places and while they earn substantial amounts including perks, I can be sure they are far below the minimum wages offered in the United States.

I believe they should fix that first before casting another stone at any Indian, Devyani or anybody else.

And the government of India would be bê better advised to press on that nerve to straighten out things between them rather than just removing some barricades or denying permssions to import foreign liquor. We have the ideal opportunity to hold the mirror up to th Americans and expose their hypocrisy.

As for Devyani, I am sure she is headed for a great political career back home even if Preey Barara does or not make it to the US Congress as he would have wished. Indian Express

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

TRAVEL

December 27, 2013

McLeodganj, Food for the Body and Soul

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BY NARAYANI GANESH Besides being the abode of the Dalai Lama in India, McLeodganj is replete with plenty of food for the soul as well as the body, says, Narayani Ganesh McLeodganj or Upper Dharamsala is synonymous with the Dalai Lama who has been living there in exile with his followers ever since he was forced to leave Tibet in 1959.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, this hill town in Himachal Pradesh is a veritable “Little Lhasa” festooned with multi-coloured prayer flags, its streets lined with food stalls selling momos and popcorn, Tibetan bread and green vegetables.

The marketplace with its two main streets and a temple in the centre is the lifeline of the place, shops displaying merchandise in geometric patterns, beckoning the visitor.

Hand-knit woollens, shoes, prayer bells, backpacks, pickles and chutneys, jewellery, car rentals and trekking gear at competitive prices - it’s a backpacker’s dream-come-true.

Tsuglag Khang or the Dalai Lama’s Temple (close to his residence) is visible from a distance with its white

awning and tent designed to shelter devotees who congregate here daily.

A woman is circumambulating the main enclosure with a sick dog in her arms, praying for recovery. Others prostrate themselves repeatedly, chanting prayers. Still others simply sit there, soaking in the calm and quiet.

“You must try the vegetarian food at the Namgyal Cafe in the temple precincts,” a friend had suggested and my daughter Maya I complied. We had to share the tofusprouts-veggie salad and cheese-spinach pizza, such was their generous size, and both were absolutely scrumptious. Even more interesting was the manager with his long, plaited hair and collection of international currencies displayed on the wall behind him.

The Norbulingka Institute, 8 km away in Sidhpur is a different world designed after the Dalai Lama’s summer palace in Lhasa, its aesthetically designed gardens and waterways, fountains and stone walls please the senses. The Institute nurtures Tibetan arts and crafts, language and culture.

We bought some of the products there and even toured the Losel Dolls

Museum that tells the story of Tibetan tradition and culture.

Close by was the Karmapa Gyuto Monastery, rising majestically against the Dhauladhar peaks, the current seat of the Karmapa Rinpoche of the Kargyud Lineage, with a Tantra School and beautiful gardens. A whole lot of puppies were frisking about on the lawns outside the main temple. A half day taxi tour took us around the main sights of McLeodganj and these include St John of the Wilderness Church where Lord Elgin lies buried, the Dal Lake, Tibetan Children’s village and school, the Bhagsunag Temple and waterfall and the breathtaking trekking route at Naddi, facing the gorgeous Dauladhar range of snow-capped mountains. McLeodganj is also a food lover’s paradise, with an exciting range of cuisine from Europe, Tibet, Bhutan, India and Japan at affordable prices.

It is the right place to relax. McLeodganj is the place to go to when you wish to do nothing, think nothing and say nothing.

-Timesofindis

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Besan di Pinniya (Gram Flour Sweet Balls) Pinniya are extremely popular in the Punjab during the cold weather months. It is very common to see people having one or two with their hot tea on a cold morning, or again with late afternoon tea. The ingredients in the pinniyas – sugar, oil, flour and nuts - provide a quick boost of energy in the cold weather.

Pinniya are also known as laddus in other parts of India, but the main difference is that pinnis are made of coarse flour, are harder and are much bigger in size than besan laddus which are usually soft to touch since they often have condensed milk added to them. Laddus are often sold outside temples as an offering to the Gods. Pinnis are considered as a snack and a quick desert.

When I was growing up in prePartitioned Pakistan, in the town of Lyallpur, it was quite common for the womenfolk to get together and make whole pipas (tall, square tin boxes) full of pinniyas to last through the whole winter. It is still a custom in many rural areas and among the middle class in the cities, but more and more are buying ready-made pinnis from the sweet confectioners. Some, like the Amritsari pinnis, are famous all across northwest India.

Pinnis usually have some dried fruit in them – almonds, pistachios or cantaloupe seeds – all after being roasted so as to keep their crunchiness. The almonds can be whole or in pieces; blanched or with the skin on, depending on the desired taste. It is much better to use powdered sugar than granular type so that it does not grate on the teeth while chewing. Avoid using any water while making the pinniyas as it will make them spoil quickly while in storage. For long life, store the pinnis in a dry place but not the fridge as they lose some of their original taste.

Ingredients: • 4 cups besan (coarse gram flour) • 2 cup peessi hui chinni (powdered sugar) • 1 cup tael (vegetable or olive oil) Ghee (clarified butter) may also be used

½ cup badam (almond) and piste (pistachios) whole or pieces. If desired, use blanched almonds.

Directions: 1. Pour the oil in a wok or kadai and warm for a few minutes over low heat.

into a ball about the 2 inches round. Place on a wax sheet in a large can and let it cool down.

2. Pour the besan in and stir continuously for about 10 minutes so that it does not start to burn.

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.

•

3. Add the almonds and pistachios, mix well and continue to stir over low heat to roast the mixture. When it is turns slightly brown, turn the heat off.

4.

When the mixture has cooled down for 10 minutes, then add the powdered sugar and mix well. If possible, knead the sugar in with your hands so that the powder does not form little balls.

5. Take a small handful of the mixture and roll on the palms

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ENTERTAINMENT

December 27, 2013

Movie Review : Dhoom-3

BY SRIJANA MITRA DAS Story:Chicagoishitbyamysterious thief targeting one bank - can Mumbai cop Jai Dixit catch the shadowy chor?

Review: Straight up, Dhoom 3 makes you laugh, gasp - even sniffle.

The most emotional of the Dhoom series yet, this is Aamir Khan’s show all the way. As revengeful circus star Sahir, whose father Iqbal (Shroff) dies after losing his beloved Great Indian Circus to a stony-hearted Chicago bank, Khan is terrific. The Dhoom series usually showcases brawn on bikes but in this one, mind meets machinery, Khan’s brain almost visibly ticking behind his eyes, calculating every second before he vrroooms off on a bike - across a wire

stretched high between buildings, beneath a mega-truck, even underwater.

Chicago forms a super backdrop for Sahir’s stunts, the grainy stone of its buildings the perfect texture against which those bikes purr past with velveteen growls. Scrawling ‘Teri aisi ki taisi’on its vaults and scattering the bank’s money across Chicago’s skies, Sahir makes the local police look as intelligent as turkeys.

But things change when Mumbai cop ACP Jai Dixit (Bachchan), with bike-and-babe-mad subordinate Ali (Chopra), arrive and figure out why and how - Sahir is breaking the bank.

Dhoom 3 rests on Khan’s magnetism, his actor’s eyes and jaw-line, his a b s

21

‘Dhoom: 3’ Collects Rs 36 cr on Opening Day, Beats ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Krrish 3’

playing a part too. But the film is powered by its action. With WOL (whistle-out-loud) moments, this is super-slick and on an extravagant scale, using Chicago’s skyscrapers like sexy statues arching into the sky.

Alongside, Dhoom 3 features the franchise’s tongue-in-cheek cheekiness, Ali, fida over blonde policewoman Victoria (as in ‘secret’), Jai telling him to focus not on Kamasutra but kaam.

As circus star Alia, Kaif provides soft romance, her fitness and innate grace redefining sexiness, making even potentially risque sequences - she lands her job following a speedy striptease - look delicately sensuous. Alia’s charming beauty stops our protagonist in his tracks - but for how long?

Clocking in at nearly three hours, Dhoom 3 is slightly extensive. But it holds advantages, the first, that sizzling Dhoom tune, all leather, boots and electric guitars, which straightens sagging scenes. The second - sharp performances by Khan, Bachchan (an underrated actor, whose ability to drawl languid lines with intense looks stands out) and Chopra, who sprinkles lightness and fun.And the third - Dhoom 3’s story with a twist wrapped around it, like the ribbon around a Christmas gift. Merrily unwrap - flying out of the Great Indian Circus, Dhoom 3 is great fun.

-Timesofindia

BY DIVYA GOYAL Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is a happy dad as his son Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘Dhoom: 3’ has in his own words had a ‘spellbindingo’ start.

Big B tweeted: “#Dhoom3 ...Taran Adarsh, trade aficionado, sms’s me .. all India collection for 1 day Friday : Rs 36.22 cr !! SPELLBINDINGO !!”

Taran Adaarsh further informed via Twitter: “#Dhoom3 shatters all previous records in Pakistan. Collects $ 210,000 [1.30 cr; PKR 2.23 cr] on Friday.” He added: “#Dhoom3 is the BIGGEST opener in UAE-GCC. Collects $ 1,279,000 [7.93 cr]. AWESOME!” ‘Dhoom 3’ review: Aamir Khan doesn’t have the sexy-badness

According to the film critic, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Dhoom:3’ is also the highest opening ever for a Bollywood film. Raking in a whopping Rs. 36.22 crores on its opening day the film beats Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’ (Rs 33.1 crore) and Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Krrish 3’ (Rs 35 crore).

Taran Adarsh tweeted: “#Dhoom3 emerges the BIGGEST non-holiday opener ever. Collects 30 cr+ [early est] on Friday. Hindi version only.

Dhoom macha diya indeed!”

The fact that the third film in Yash Raj Film’s ‘Dhoom’ series was the most anticipated film of the 2013, there a few more records to be shattered!

-Indianexpress

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V. Balakrishnan was the head of Infosys’s business process outsourcing unit and a favourite to become the company’s first non-founder chief executive after co-founder S.D. Shibulal retires in early 2015.

Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

BY ANIRBAN SEN & MIHIR DALAL BANGALORE: A top management exodus continued at Infosys Ltd on Friday with the resignation of V. Balakrishnan, head of its business process outsourcing (BPO) unit and a favourite to become the first non-founder chief executive officer (CEO) of India’s second largest software services provider.

Balakrishnan will leave the Bangalore-based company on 31 December. The head of Infosys BPO is the eighth top-level executive to exit since co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy returned from retirement in June to lead an organizational rehaul at the company and reverse a downtrend in its fortunes.

His departure raises concerns over succession planning at Infosys, where Balakrishnan had been seen as the frontrunner to become CEO after S.D. Shibulal, one of the founders, retires in March 2015 after he turns 60.

“This is obviously a very critical departure—Infosys right now is at an inflexion point,” said Peter Schumacher, founder of Germany-based

consulting firm Value Leadership Group, which advises companies on their European strategy. “All eyes are on Infosys right now. Questions are now being raised among certain clients about the process that Mr Murthy is pursuing—some time has passed since he took over, yet these departures come as a surprise.”

Balakrishnan, who will also resign from Infosys’s board, joined the company in 1991 and has previously served as its chief financial officer (CFO). His departure is the most significant top-level exit from Infosys since Ashok Vemuri quit in September to join smaller rival iGate Corp.

“Bala has been an early adopter and a keen anchor builder of Infosys,” Murthy said in a statement released by the company. “It is difficult to imagine Infosys without Bala’s passion, commitment and intellect. The board and every Infoscion thank Bala for his wonderful contribution and wish him great success in his future endeavours.”

“It was time for me to do something beyond Infosys. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, almost

a year,” Balakrishnan said in a telephone interview.

Murthy was not available to comment for this story.

“Bala, during his two decades of association with Infosys, has played a pivotal role in building the finance function and has been a key driver behind all of our achievements in areas of investor relations and corporate governance,” Shibulal said.

Infosys on Friday also made two new nominations to its board effectively immediately. Biocon Ltd chairperson and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw became an independent director and executive council member and consumer vertical head U.B. Pravin Rao a wholetime director.

Balakrishnan’s exit is significant because he was only among a handful of executives who was not a co-founder at Infosys and yet rose prominently through the ranks of the company.

Several other non-founder executives, with the exception of Europe head B.G. Srinivas, have now left Infosys within the span of a few years.

They include the likes of former CFO T.V. Mohandas Pai, former global sales heads Vemuri and Subhash Dhar, and former consulting head Stephen Pratt.

Balakrishnan’s exit raises questions on the next set of leaders that Murthy is hand-picking within to take the company forward once the founders retire. In a meeting with analysts recently, Murthy said that the company’s next CEO is likely to be from within the ranks of the company.

“The company believes it will be able to select its future CEO from a large pool of available senior managers,” US-based brokerage Cowen and Co. said in a note published on 13 December.

The latest development also raises the slight possibility of the Infosys board considering outside candidates as potential leaders to take over.

In April, Mint reported that the nominations committee of the board headed by Jeffrey Sean Lehman had started a hunt for the company’s next CEO, and some board members had wanted the search to include external candidates. The report cited two people directly familiar with the matter who didn’t want to be named.

Balakrishnan’s departure comes at a time when he has been becoming more active in ventures outside Infosys. He confirmed he would get involved in private equity ventures, including his recent investment in the Unitus Fund, and another fund where he is pooling his resources along with other information technology industry veterans such as former Wipro Ltd CEO Girish Paranjpe and Pai. Balakrishnan added that he did not plan to start a venture on his own immediately.

The fund that he is starting with Pai and Paranjpe targets funding executives from top companies such as Infosys and Wipro who want to start their own ventures. Recent examples of such executives include Dhar, who

started a company called Enterprise Nube.

A few weeks ago, Balakrishnan sold 100,000 Infosys shares worth Rs.33 crore, according to a filing on the stock exchange. He has since used those funds to back the abovementioned ventures.

“I have enjoyed every moment of my stint at Infosys and it was a great learning experience. While my heart will always be with Infosys, my mind wants to do something beyond Infosys. I thank all my colleagues who supported and encouraged me during my career at Infosys. I wish Infosys all the very best in its future endeavours,” Balakrishnan said in a statement.

CLSA Research, in a recent note to clients, had warned that the exits posed a risk to Infosys, Mint reported in November.

“Continuous churn and reallocation of responsibilities at the top do bring along the risk of undermining some of the good work done post Murthy’s return. A change in CEO scheduled in 18 months’ time could continue this top management flux,” said analyst Nimish Joshi in the note.

Other experts called the exit a “strange” move.

“This is very interesting and strange at the same time, as Murthy said last week that the next CEO will definitely be from within the organization, and had also confirmed that his son will be moving out of Infosys sooner than expected. Bala was the obvious choice for chief executive officer,” said Abhishek Shindadkar, an analyst at ICICI Securities Ltd. Infosys shares rose 1.1% to Rs.3,552.30 on BSE on Friday. The announcement was made after the close of trading in Mumbai.

Mihir Dalal in Bangalore and Zahra Khan in Mumbai contributed to this story.

-Livemint

127

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

24 December 27, 2013 India Snatches Draw from Jaws of Win & Defeat

BY FIRDOES MOONDA played on. Duminy was atIndia 280 (Kohli 119, tempting an expansive covPhilander 4-61) and 421 er drive but inside-edged to (Pujara 153, Kohli 96) turn the advantage India’s drew with South Africa way.

244 (Smith 68, Philander Vernon Philander and du 59, Ishant 4-79, Zaheer Plessis kept South Africa 4-88) and 450 for 7 (Du in it with a partnership of Plessis 134, De Villiers 35 off 49 balls. Their stand 103) was filled with tension as WANDERERS (ESMohammed Shami and IsPNCricinfo): First they hant continued to test them pulled off 438, the highest with deliveries that jagsuccessful chase in ODIs. ged back in or rose from a Today, faced with a target length. When they offered of 458 on a tricky Wananything short and wide, derers pitch, South Africa the result was a boundary. came within eight runs of With four overs left, breaking the world record the pendulum had swung for a chase in Test cricket.

South Africa’s way. PoAt the start of the fifth etically, the score was 438 day, South Africa needed and they needed 20 more 320 with eight wickets runs. They got four of those in hand, and a draw was when du Plessis flayed Zatheir more realistic goal. heer through midwicket.

But after losing two wickTwo balls later, du Plessis ets early on, Faf du Plescalled for a run after hitting sis and AB de Villiers, straight to mid-off. Ajinkya the protagonists of the Rahane’s direct hit found Adelaide escape, began a du Plessis, exhausted after partnership that swelled to the amount of time he had 205 and turned the game. spent at the crease, well They took South Africa to short of his ground. within 56 runs of victory.

Dale Steyn joined PhiBy the time both were Cheteshwar Pujara embraces Virat Kohli after lander, Morkel and Imran dismissed, South Africa scoring 222 runs in the second inning, South Tahir were padded up but Africa v India, 1st Test, Johannesburg, needed 16 runs, but with the shop had shut. Shami only Imran Tahir and the bowled an over of short tory. They showed immense painjured Morne Morkel to come, tience and composure on a pitch balls to Steyn, which he made no Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn with variable bounce and sizeable contact with to leave South Africa batted out 19 deliveries to secure cracks, wore down an Indian at- needing 16 off the last two overs. one of the game’s greatest draws.

Philander blocked out the penultack that tried everything and rode The two quicks were the last men the luck that came their way. timate over and Steyn left the first standing after what will be rememWhen the drinks came out in the two balls of the last over, to leave bered as one of the most exciting final session, MS Dhoni rallied South Africa needing boundaries last hours of Test cricket. It began his men in a huddle, South Africa off the last four balls. Steyn slogged with de Villiers and du Plessis at were in relative control, the light the third ball but missed and took a the crease, both having scored a was good and chase was on. For bye, Phulander heaved at the next hundred and South Africa needing two overs, du Plessis and de Vil- and missed before getting a single 66 off 15 overs to win. But then liers kept them on track. Against and then Steyn smashed the final India surged back into contention the run of play, de Villiers chopped delivery into the stands over longby removing both and JP Duminy one on from a back of a length Is- on but it meant nothing. in the next 12 overs, before it all hant Sharma delivery. India had Although intense, it was also an ended with Philander and Steyn the opening they wanted but plenty anti-climax after South Africa set choosing safety first despite how still to do. themselves up for a historic win close South Africa were.

JP Duminy, who scored a half- when in the morning, only a draw Du Plessis and de Villiers bat- century in South Africa’s chase of would have been on their minds ted together for a minute short of 414 in Perth, was next in. He took When du Plessis and de Villeirs four hours and faced 375 balls to a single to keep strike at the end of came together they locked in on take South Africa from 197 for 4 the over, drilled a straight drive for an Adelaide-esque approach of - when they still needed 261 runs four off the first ball of the next but spending as much time as possible to win - to being in sight of vic- three deliveries after that, he also at the crease, without worrying

about the scoreboard.

Their first 50 runs were scored mostly while on the defensive.

They took 115 balls and 40% of the runs came in singles to usher South Africa past lunch and towards the second new ball. Seventeen minutes into the second session, the new nut became available and MS Dhoni was ready to play his next hand.

Zaheer and Shami went searching for wickets and found movement but not success. Du Plessis was the first to bring up his 50, off 142 balls, when he pulled Shami through deep square leg. AB de Villiers followed suit, with the same shot of the same bowler but not before Ishant had induced the edge from both batsmen. The pitch played its part as well, as balls landing on the cracks reared off a length to put the batsmen in considerable discomfort, often looping over the slip cordon. Both de Villiers and du Plessis had to counter balls striking the shoulders of their bats, pushed those alarming moments in the backs of their minds and steadily pushed South Africa forward.

With that good fortune and plenty of fortitude, the partnership’s second 50 was scored in just 85 balls and the batsmen’s belief had grown.

They were not intimidated by Dhoni’s plan to suffocate them with close catchers surrounding the bat and the slower bowlers in operation. Du Plessis and de Villiers squeezed the singles, found boundaries when the seamers occasionally veered off their probing wicket to wicket lines. By tea, they had reached 331 for 4 and still needed 127 runs to win.

Dhoni had what seemed his last throw of the dice, when Zaheer bowled a spell after tea, even though Shami was the man who posed the biggest threat earlier today. Shami returned an hour later and things started to happen for India’s bowlers, who were was consistent, disciplined and tireless even though they, like South Africa, did not get the desired result.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent

SPORTS

Big ODI Win for Pak DUBAI -- Pakistan 326 for 5 (Hafeez 140*, Shehzad 81) beat Sri Lanka 213 (Dilshan 59, Gul 3-19) by 113 runs It was only a matter of time until Pakistan’s method yielded a heavy victory in the series. As their batsmen conformed to the blueprint they had laid down in the first two matches, Pakistan hit their second mammoth score in three innings, to sink Sri Lanka by 113 runs.

Mohammad Hafeez was again the architect of the victory, shifting from stable at the outset to sublime at the finish on his way to a careerbest 140 not out off 136 balls. He had hit only one four in his first 36 balls at the crease, but in a furious finish he walloped seven fours and a six off his last 26 balls, leading Pakistan’s plunder of 105 in the last 10 overs, and the team score to 326 for 5.

Tillakaratne Dilshan reclaimed fluency at the top of Sri Lanka’s innings to sail to his sixth score over fifty in the last eight ODI innings, but Umar Gul’s return after nine months mending his knee imbued a venomous edge to the Pakistan attack, particularly with the new ball. Gul struck twice in his second over to pin Sri Lanka down, and though the visitors threatened resurgence, no pair could resist Pakistan for long. They were bowled out in the 45th over, with the required run-rate having floated up to the early twenties.

M oha m m a d H a f e e z hit a n unbeaten 140, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, Sharjah, December 22, 2013

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

December 27, 2013

25

Pakistanis Across Board Want Peace with India: Imran Khan

If the Americans have decided on talks and if Pakistan has influence over the Afghan Taliban, then surely the Americans should use these Afghan Taliban for talks, says Khan. Photo: Rituparna Banerjee/ Mint

BY ELIZABETH ROCHE NEW DELHI: Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, is of the view that Pakistanis across the board want peace with India, especially after the fallout of the war in Afghanistan. Khan’s PTI emerged as the second biggest party in terms of votes in the May general election though it only sent 27 representatives to the 342-seat national assembly of Pakistan. In New Delhi for the 6-7 December Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Khan in an interview sought greater trade and economic links between India and Pakistan that will broaden the constituency and stakes for peace between the two hostile neighbours.

Edited excerpts.

You have said several times that there is no military solution to the

Kashmir dispute. Is that a view shared by all groups in Pakistan and especially by all institutions including the Pakistani army?

It is everyone after these nine years of the war on terror. The country is sick of the military.All of us are united now in Pakistan, all the political parties. The pro-war political parties are now in favour of dialogue to solve our terrorism issue. Everyone thinks its time to move on and have peaceful relations with India. And so that is where the military and the militancy comes in, that there is no military solution or solution through militancy in Kashmir. It’s through dialogue.

In your address at the leadership summit, you suggested an India-Pakistan joint civil nuclear plant monitored jointly by India and Pakistan.

Where did this idea come from?

We thought about it that what is the best confidence-building measure we could have, this is the ultimate to have a civil nuclear power generation plant on the border mutually manned by Pakistan and India. Half the energy goes to Pakistan, half the energy goes to India. We are thinking of how we can interlock each other so that we are forced to rather than be hostile, how can we have something that can benefit each other and which will lock us into trade and mutual progress.

You have accused the US of using Pakistan like tissue paper. Why is that?

Well, here is Pakistan supposed to be an ally of the US. Firstly it bombs us. No ally has ever been bombed by its own ally. It doesn’t trust us. It (the US) thinks that the (Pakistan) army is playing a double game; it sort of came and killed (al Qaeda ideologue) Osama bin Laden on our soil. It didn’t trust us, it didn’t give Pakistan the information to capture him, which it could have. It has conducted drone attacks in which civilians have been killed; the backlash has been on Pakistanis. Then finally, after nine years, when all the political parties get together and decide to have a dialogue with the Taliban, on the eve of the dialogue they kill Hakimullah Mehsud (then the head of the Pakistani Taliban). This is not the first time. It’s happened four times before.

Here is a country (Pakistan) that has given 50,000 lives to a war which was not ours. It was on American insistence that (former Pakistan president General Pervez) Musharraf sent the army—I blame Musharraf for it— into the tribal areas. Fifty thousand people dead every day and dying,

and after nine years, we want peace and they don’t allow it. It’s like they are using us like a hired gun, paying us to do their fighting. That’s not what friends do. I blame our government more for this than the American government. If we are prepared to be used like tissue paper, then others will use us.

But the reason for targeting the tribal areas is because the US believes that it’s a hideout for the Afghan Taliban as well as other groups it has branded as terrorists. You don’t agree?

Let me tell you this. In the Peshawar high court (this year), a Pakistan government official was asked to give details about how many foreign militants have been killed in the last five years by the drones. In Peshawar high court, he said 47. That is including the Afghan Talban and the al Qaeda. In the same time, 1,500 Pakistanis were killed, out of them were women and children. This is a report lying in the Peshawar high court.

What is your view of the Afghan Taliban? Can they be brought into the political mainstream through dialogue?

My point is that if the Americans have decided on talks and if Pakistan has influence over the Afghan Taliban, then surely the Americans should use these Afghan Taliban for talks. They should not be wanting to eliminate them. Because, if they are leaving in six months’ time, then surely they should be talking to them to have a broad-based government.

Otherwise, if they go and there is a civil war, it’s a nightmare scenario for us.

Your party has stopped some of the Nato supply lines to Afghanistan to

make a statement about drone attacks.

How long will this campaign go on?

Drones are counterproductive.

KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), our province, faced the fallout of the drone attacks. There are terrorist attacks in KPK. So, all over Pakistan, the people are anti-drone, but especially in KPK because of the amount it has suffered because of terrorism; there is a very sharp reaction against drone attacks.

Had we not stopped the Nato supplies, there was a danger that people would have taken the law into their own hands. As far as Pakistan is concerned, yes, we want very good relations with the US, but this is not the relationship that we want—that of a hired gun, they pay us to do their fighting. Pakistan is basically imploding in this war. Pakistan has taken a big hit in these nine years. And it’s time that Pakistan decided to resolve this issue through its own home-developed strategy than the US telling us when to talk and what to talk.

What’s the biggest challenge before Pakistan today? Is it extremism?

It’s not extremism, it’s this war on terrorism that is going on, this tribal area where our army is stuck fighting this Taliban. As long as that is going on, I am afraid we are not going to be able to fight poverty because there is no investment coming in, there is a flight of capital because of insecurity stemming from terrorism. And we don’t have money to spend on our human beings. So it’s connected. If you can have peace, you can then have investment and then you can have prosperity.

-Livemint

Kejriwal Picks his Team, but Embarrassed with Open Dissent

GHAZIABAD: Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday finalized his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others but was embarrassed with open dissent from a newly-elected MLA over his being kept out of the government.

The task of giving shape to the government was undertaken on a day deep divisions came to the fore in Congress over extending support to AAP in government formation. However,

late in the night Congress sources set at rest reports that moves were on to immediately withdraw the support.

Kejriwal, who is likely to be sworn in as chief minister on Thursday, sent to lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung a list of six ministers, including the names of Sisodia, a former journalist who won from Patparganj constituency, Rakhi Birla, the giant killer who defeated PWD minister Rajkumar Chouhan, Somnath Bharti (defeated

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women and child development minister Kiran Walia) Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain.

Disclosing this, Sisodia denied there was any dissent. He said picking up his team was the chief minister’s prerogative.

However, party sources said Vinod Kumar Binny, a two time corporator in the Delhi Municipal Corporation with Congress background, is sulking over his non-inclusion in the cabinet.

An upset Binny walked out of a meeting with Kejriwal at his residence and told the media that he would address a press conference on Wednesday that could embarrass the party.

The sources said efforts were on to pacify him in which leaders including Yogendra Yadav are said to be involved. Speculation is that he could be made the speaker whose role will be important in a fractious house.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal is under-

stood to have decided to pick up senior IAS officer, Rajendra Kumar as chief minister’s principal secretary.

Like Kejriwal, 47-year-old Kumar, at present higher education secretary, is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur.

Kumar met Kejriwal at his residence here. Chief secretary DM Spolia also met Kejriwal. They were described as courtesy calls. Birla, Bharti, Jain and Soni met Kejriwal.

-Timesofindia

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