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Pratham Gala Raises $700,000 to Benefit Literacy in India Education A Powerful Weapon to Change the World
Pratham Houston President Sonu Anand receiving an award from Swatantra Jain, President elect. Photo: Jenny Antill
Performances make the PSH’s Vaisakhi a Hit!
By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: Over 600 from a cross section of this city’s diverse communities gathered at the Pratham Houston Gala 2011 and helped raise $700, 000 to benefit literacy in India. The event, held at the Westin Galleria on the evening of April 23, illumined the non-profit organization’s crucial role in arming millions of children in rural and urban areas of India with an education that would help them escape the grim cycle of poverty and exploitation. Pratham, a recent recipient of the
prestigious 2011 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was fêted for its innovative approach to education; the award comes with three-year $1,235,000 grant from the Skoll Foundation to create an institution dedicated to identifying, training, and nurturing leaders and managers who will continue to further Pratham programs and strengthen efforts in education in India. Pratham, started in the slums of Mumbai in 1994 by its prolific founder Madhav Chavan, operates under the dictum of every child in school and learning
Sathya Sai Baba Passes Away
well and has garnered a global support system of generous aficionados that embrace the organization’s vision. “I’m often asked why I became involved with Pratham and the reason is quite simple. Education is the greatest equalizer,” said Sonu Anand, President of Pratham Houston. “In 2007, I visited Pratham schools in Bhopal and was greatly inspired by these kids. They were all eager to become doctors, engineers, and teachers. A very vivacious continued on page
This Week Inside
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Ekal Vidyalaya Meets 1000 Schools Goal
(Right) Over 40 children performed the Gajda Wajda Punjab number. Top: the Rangla Punjab fashion show was eyecatching
Volunteers lift the casket containing the body of Indian religious leader Sathya Sai Baba for his last rites in the Prasanthi Nilayam and since the hall was still filling Ashram in Puttaparti, India, Wednesday, April 27. Thousands of By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: A few minutes into up, with many audience members tearful devotees, including top politicians, gathered Wednesday the opening acts of the Vaisakhi still trickling even 30 minutes after for the funeral of Baba, one of India’s best-known Hindu ascetics 2011 production, the onstage the- curtain call, many did not get a who was revered as a divine incarnation with miraculous healing powers. atrics ran into a technical hitch continued on page 3 more photos on page 14 Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29, 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
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Catching Up with Sanjaya Malakar
Pg 20
A Past Connected by the Indian Rairoads
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Dancers, Costumes Make the PSH’s Vaisakhi a Hit!
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chance to see the courage of a small, young 8 year-old stand his ground on stage and go through his lines. “Oye, sunno bhaiyo te baheno ….,” he said in a his young boy’s high pitched voice, but in strong, clear Punjabi, as he stood, clutching a mic in the darkness in front of the large projection screens that was showing a video clip on Bhagat Singh, a stalwart of the Indian Independence movement, while the spotlight still tried to find him. “Eh hai ek saheed di kahani …” Rajveer Singh Kindra, all four feet tall and dressed in a colorful pajama kurta, recited the deeds of Bhagat Singh in his short life, as a video clip from the namesake movie rolled, and implored the audience not to forget but to follow his spirit to fight against oppression. Two items later, one of the emcees, Manpreet Kaur, acknowledged the technical difficulties and mentioned the poise of Rajveer “for holding the audience as we worked things, out with a strong performance, just like his last year.” “We learnt at the last minute that Sarabjit Cheema was not going to sing at the start of the evening,” explained Jasmeeta Singh who once again this year coordinated the entertainment, “and we just couldn’t fill that 30 minute gap with over 140 kids in the program!” So, with an introduction by Punjabi Society of Houston’s President Manohar Singh Mann, it fell of Rajveer to play catch up. But while the show continued to have technical hitches in cueing the music and curtain calls that plagued the four-hour long show throughout the evening, the performances were wonderful to see for the exuberance and the well-rehearsed dance steps of the talent, even those of the young kids (over 40 on stage) who danced in a number called “Gajda wajda Punjab”. The creative use of the smoke machine and colorful lighting, along with the sparkling, sequined costumes and choice of lilting, often pulsating music made the performances easy and exciting to watch, and to take the mind off the glitches. Vaisakhi, the celebration of the Hindu New Year in many parts of India and Nepal, is especially important in the Punjab as the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh started the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib and gave it its distinctive form and order. It is also a day of festivities that follow the herald of Spring and the first harvests, and is depicted
in gusto with folk songs and dances, of which the bhangra is the most well-known and most athletic, depicting the plowing, sowing, weeding and reaping processes and finally celebration. But, with its vigorous moves and vibrant music, bhangra has transcended its humble folk dance origins and gone global, wherever the Sikh community has settled. The Vaisakhi celebration last Saturday evening, April 23, held at the University of Houston’s Cullen Auditorium on the Main Campus was a showpiece of the Battle of the Bhangra groups from the region. Groups like the Republic Bhangra of San Antonio, Dirty South Bhangra, Desi Divas, Bhangra Diyan Raniya, UH Nishani Bhangra and Bhangra Explosion filled a great part of the evening with their colorful costumes, athleticism, variety of dance moves and loud music with the foot-stomping drum beat – all in an attempt to upstage each other. Some of the performers boosted the others from the orchestra row seats. And not to be outdone, the Rangla Punjab Fashion Show featured the clothing lines by designer Mumtaz from Kemaya Boutique in Sugar Land and was choreographed by Nikki Dhokia in five segments neatly synched to the music and light, with a blend of theatre and dance rolled into it. An amusing dance number cut in between the bhangra groups featured Jasmeeta Singh, a talented dancer and choreographer herself, as a young Sikh man, complete with
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a turban, jeans and loafers, as he lives his native Punjab to go to Canada and his trials and tribulations there, eventually ending in A Happy Ending, the name of the piece! The show ended with a final dance, Dilli Diyan Mutiyaran featuring Jasmeeta Singh and her troupe and songs by Sarabjit Cheema who belted them out for two hours till past midnight, much to the delight of the audience. Still, equal credit for the event goes to the other choreographers Simran Soodan, Ruben and Amrita Bains, Deshmukh Singh, Anika, Preet Kaur, Simran Kaur and many more as well as the entire PSH Board and team of volunteers for bringing this yearly event to the over 1,400 people who attended the show this year. All the sponsors, like the UH Najde Punjabi Bhangra group and the Gold sponsors
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Clockwise from top: Over 40 children participated in the finale; choreographer Jasmeeta Singh performed along with the group; a dance group performed a delightful number; (from left) Jasmeeta Singh, PSH President Manohar Singh Mann and singer Sarabjit Cheema spoke before the program started.
Monty Singh of ReMax Realtors and Tara Energy, came together to show solidarity, and Sukhpreet Kaur wore herself out selling tickets to the show, sometimes delivering them too! Most heartening was the participation of such a large number of young kids and college age students who show a love for the bhangra music and Punjabi culture. Indo-American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $30 per year) by Indo-American News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036, tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-7896399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Indo-American News, 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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Moner Manush, a Film of Finer Sensibilities Stir Houston Crowd
By Jacob David HOUSTON: Moner Manush (Man of the Mind or Soul Man) was screened at Bollywood 6 Cinemas April 23, Saturday, to a full crowd. Goutam Ghose, director of the movie met with ardent fans and answered their questions right after the movie. The movie was screened by Tagore Society, Houston to celebrate the 150th birthday of the Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. It was a way of celebrating his legacy. Goutam Ghose, a director known for his interpretation of current social and political views has always made movies with a worthwhile theme. Moner Manush explores the 18th century countryside, the inner journey of a single man, Lalan, who becomes a self taught fakir. It is based after the novel after the same name, written by Sunil Gangopadhyay. Lalan’s ideas and legacy is said to have influenced Rabindranath Tagore’s works. Lalan Fakir, a nearly forgotten saint, whose simple life style and easy to follow ideology relayed through his folk songs, has charmed nearly every audience watching it on screen. The movie has won the coveted Golden Peacock award at the International film festival in Goa last year and received rave reviews. “The theme of this movie deals with Intolerance. People today are highly intolerant of religion, politics and culture. It has become an
Director Goutam Ghose Meets and Greets Audience at Premiere
impatient world, the one we are but acknowledges that the comple- est British ban was imposed on the living in today.” Goutam Ghose tion of man and woman is through act in Calcutta (now Kolkotta) in expressed in an exclusive inter- their unison of each other’s souls. 1798. The Bengali reformer Raja view with Indo American News. It is an inner exploration of two Rammohan Roy voiced out against To offset this intolerance, Gou- souls rather than the physical act Sati in 1812. Between 1829 to tam Ghose’s camera charms with itself. The film delves into deeper 1832, all of India came under the gentle undercurrents that exam- spiritual meanings, revealing lay- ban laid down by the British that ines the unassuming life of Lalan ers of human interaction, the sur- it was illegal to practice Sati. LaFakir. When asked by lan Fakir in a visiting press publithe movie is cist what his full name shown rescuing is and if he is Muslim a young womor Hindu, Lalan Fakir an from being gently explains, “My burnt alive. He name is Lalan, and I and his men think that is sufficient drive away the for me.” This straightBrahmin relaforward answer is tives who are soothing as the dreamy about to comriver waters that soothe mit the act, the the many shores of woman is in Bengal and Kolkotta. half a daze, in “Kolkotta is a land full actual fright of rivers and scenic Rima Gupta, Mrinal Chaudhuri, Board of Trustee, Goutam Ghose, of being burnt landscapes,” Director Director; Raja Banga, President, Tagore Society Houston; De- alive, yet beGoutam Ghose ex- bleena Banga, & Bhajendra Barman. Photo: Jacob David ing drawn into plains. Large expanses a mind conflict of water are as mystethat she someface of daily life being turmoiled rious and yet complex as life. All by the outward ripples of societal how has to fulfill her obligations the folksy songs are gentler than religious intolerance and political toward her dead husband and solullabies with rich meaning that re- upheavals. The plot examines the ciety. The teachings of Lalan Fakir veal the depth and simplicity with inward journey of man, Lalan, an changes her outlook that she has which life must be celebrated. La- 18th century mystic, who finds much to contribute to this world by lan Fakir is a man of saintly stature that the deepest calmness resides living than being burnt alive and who practices respecting women in the center of his soul. dead. A song goes off “Will there asserting that they are equal with The movie also touches upon the be another birth in this world?” man, a necessary half for man’s practice of Sati, a heinous act where signaling that her trauma of being fulfillment, a valuable gift given a woman voluntarily or through burnt alive is ended. by nature. He does not necessarily coercion immolated herself on her Lalan Fakir starts off as a simpreach mindless sexual freedom, husband’s funeral pyre. The earli- pleton singing folksy songs that
contain depth of meaning. While his wife chides him playfully that he is wasting his time, his songs slowly catch on. Soon the doctor of the village wants him to go along on a tour to regale him with songs. Lalan catches small pox, an infectious disease with no cure and is set afloat on the river by some beggar boys. He is then fed by a Muslim woman and her family. The compassion shown by her in treating him and getting him back to health changes his outlook. “If my caste were a thing, I’d burn it,” he says in a rage to his mother and villagers gathered outside his house on his return. They accuse him of having become defiled, having eaten food from strangers. Leaving his wife behind, he starts on a journey that reveals to him the wide expanse of the world that has no boundaries. Life is like the endless river that keeps meandering with no end in sight. The entire movie is a flashback as Prosenjit Chatterjee, playing the old Lalan Fakir, tells the story of his life exploits to a sketch artist Jyotirindranath Tagore on the boat played by Priyanshu Chatterjee. The film deals with the medium of songs to carry the story forward revealing the philosophies of life uncovered as days progress. Goutam Ghose’s efforts are laudable. The movie is now set to be released all over USA by the Reliance Group.
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Ekal Vidyalaya Meets Goal - 1000 Schools
The “Power of One” Gathers Momentum: Manoj Mishra and Nirupama Dey Keeps Crowd Lively! By Jacob David STAFFORD: Ekal Vidyalaya met its goal of raising funds to sponsor 1000 more free schools in India. Last Saturday, April 23, over 800 participants celebrated the melodious voices of Manoj Mishra and his music troupe, ac-
Ekal school with no electricity in Tamil Nadu, I began to wonder if all of the latest technology that my classroom offers is necessary for student achievement. I realized that it’s not the technology that allowed my students to grow tremendously in math and reading.
Jugal Malani, CEO, Unique Industrial, reads out the donors and the number of schools each sponsored that evening
companied by Nirupama Dey at the New Stafford Civic Center. After dinner, the crowd enjoyed the songs amidst donations, the program emceed by Sagar Desai who read out the goal of Ekal Vidyalaya for the evening was to fund another 1000 schools that evening. Manoj Mishra and Nirupama Dey, the Sa re ga ma pa challenge 2007 finalist; sang golden numbers of yesteryears, and mixed in Bhajans and Ghazals. By the end of the concert, the goal was reached. Fabulous job Houston! Ekal Vidyalaya started as a movement of having one teacher per village school. The idea was to bring literacy to the deepest and unreachable parts of India, the tribal and rural areas. Today over 34,343 schools cover the expanse of India providing free education to the poorest children. The schools have 498,489 boys, 463,996 girls all being taught by 33,580 teachers. More teachers are being added daily to this number at the 1,166 teacher training centers all across India. The curriculum focuses on providing basic literacy to all children so that they can become college worthy as they grow up. The teachers also pair up as health and hygeine counselors educating the parents and villagers. Ekal Vidyalaya’s goal is to eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2015. So far 9000 schools have been sponsored by several chapters in USA. Ekal is fulfilling Swami Vivekananda’s outlook “If the poor boy cannot come to education, then education must go to him.” The speaker of the event was a young 4th grade teacher from Ripley House, Mehul Shah. He has visited Ekal Schools and understood in-depth how teachers actually relate to students, “After visiting a highly-functioning
Instilling the value of education promoted their academic growth. When the students know that I believe in them, they believe in me. If we want to see India grow and prosper, we need to uplift the rural and remote areas. We need to emphasize the value of becoming a life-long learner.” Ekal has successfully achieved building a meaningful relationship between teacher and students. The power concept of one school per village making a sea of difference in educating children has indeed gathered momentum. Jugal and Raj Malani one of the grand sponsors, Unique Industrial Company, said, “The Ekal Vidayala Gala was a wonderful event this year due to the hard work and attention to detail from all the organizers. The singers Manoj and Nirupama put on a very entertaining program and kept the crowd involved, who thoroughly enjoyed it. The food from Bhojan was well-prepared and everyone had a great time. The fundraising event was a huge success as Ekal was able to raise generous donations to support 1,000 schools in India.” Ekal Vidyalaya’s concert event did more than just fund a generous cause. It helped people connect and network, right during the show. Many of the attendees reflected the same sentiment that they were able to have a fun evening out. Jay Master, a Marathon runner who sent an e-mail to Naren Chavda, one of Ekal’s many volunteers said, “I can’t write how thoughtful it was of you and Rameshbhai to think about my health and accommodate me with the safest place to sit. This kind of love and affection makes me fight this big “C” with every bit of energy and strength left in my body.” All throughout the program, the
children played a valuable role, teaming up as volunteers. What better way to raise funds for the poorest of children back home in India, than by children themselves! That is a brilliant concept in itself! The children walked to each seat giving out pledge cards that sought donations from the public to help fund schools. Charu Rao, was the leading young lady who coordinated the young volunteers. She was thrilled to be a part of this fund raising event, “It is my honor and privilege to do my little act of help for Ekal Vidayala. This year’s event went exceedingly smooth, all thanks to my team, the youth volunteers. It was such a pleasure to see them enthusiastically step up and volunteer. Their positive good mood kept the night refreshing and fun. The night was awe inspiring, which has actually motivated me to do more for this special charity ‘EKAL’. Thank you for everyone’s help, as it brought a smile to all our guests.” Ekal Vidyalaya (One School) is not stopping in its tracks, just at starting a grass roots movement in education alone. Now it has extended its reach by involving people and children to start a recycle and composting movement. It has branched out to teaching the benefits of hygeine and keeping good health. It has accessed locally available technologies to help the tribal people become self sufficient. Programs like Vermiculture, fruit tree plantation, animal husbandry, handicrafts and water management have been started to provide sustainable jobs for the population. Ekal has also combined forces with the local agencies and government bodies to use available programs to improve the social lives of the people. This is helping close the gap between the rich and the poor that is fast becoming a glaring disparity in India. To see how you can help from Houston, log on to,www. ekal.org/southwestregion
President Prakash Shah, Ekal Vidyalaya, with the youth volunteers
Manoj Mishra and Nirupama Dey commented that they felt glad to be a part of such a generous cause singing their hearts out to help educate the poorest kids in India Photos: Pratik Moulik
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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Pratham Gala Raises $700,000 to Benefit Literacy in India continued from page
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little girl Pooja, wanted to become a pilot. The light in their eyes and smiles on their faces was enough to keep one committed to working towards our goal,” Anand told the capacity audience at the gala. Primary education for one child for an entire year
of school costs $25,00. In addition Pratham has started several accelerated programs in science, technology, and English. Pratham since inception has touched the lives of over 40 million children across 21 of India’s 28 states, said Anand. She thanked Gala Chairs Medha Karve and Somesh
are low in cost and high in impact. The Read India program cultivates a love of reading and has become a nationwide movement reaching 34 million children across 19 states. Pratham has trained 448,000 volunteers and 605,000 teachers. About 700, 000 children in 16,000 villages tested by Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report has spurred the Indian government into recognizing the high level of learning that the organization offers. For more information, visit www. prathamusa.org or call (713) 774 9599.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker (L) and Ann Montgomery lighting the lamp at the Pratham Houston Gala Photos: Krishna Giri
Singh for an event well-executed, and recognized Honorary Gala Chairs John and Ann Montgomery who are Founder /CEO of Bridgeway Capital Foundation, and Bridgeway Board Member respectively, who have supported Pratham since 2008. A cocktail reception preceding the event saw many longtime and new supporters of Pratham thronging the foyer. The gala began with the traditional lighting of the lamps by Mayor of Houston Annise Parker and Ann Montgomery, who were invited onstage by Mistress and Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Meena Datt and Rishi Reddy. The event was replete with a fashion show with models strutting the runway in confections created by local designers in the ilk of Carmaa Boutique, M.A.B.Y. USA, Kohinoor Diamonds, Poshak Fashion and Style, and Ardhni. The live auction that followed had Dr. Subhodh Bhuchar wielding the auctioneer’s gavel that decided the fate of a Lladro figurine, weekend and four-day get-aways, Sonu Nigam concert tickets, catered dinners at upscale restaurants, dazzling jewelry, to name but a few. President Elect of Pratham, Swatantra Jain, outlined his plans for his year at the helm of the organization and pledged to keep the light trained on the underprivileged children of India through energetic and focused fundraising. The volunteer-driven Pratham programs
A model walks the ramp featuring Kohinoor Diamond Jewelry
Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
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Clements’ Gandhi Wins Regional Tennis Title
By Corey Roepken DEER PARK (Yourhoustonnews): Isha Gandhi arrived at the Region III-5A tennis tournament as one of the youngest and most inexperienced players. After performing like a veteran juggernaut the Clements High School sophomore left with a gold medal. Gandhi lost a total of nine games in four matches en route to the girls singles
Clements’ Isha Gandhi gets a hug from teammate Isabel Prado after Gandhi won the girls singles regional championship. Prado also qualified for the regional tournament. She and teammate David Saa went 1-1 in the mixed doubles draw. Photo: Patric Schneider
Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011 77
championship at Deer Park High School Wednesday. She won the championship match against Katy Taylor’s Erika Emerey, 6-0, 6-0. The Dulles girls doubles team of Mariam Zein and Courtney Yeung will join Gandhi at the state tournament in Austin May 9-10. Zein and Yeung finished second. Gandhi said she focused on being consistent during the first and second rounds Tuesday. In the semifinals and championship on Wednesday she went for her shots. She was in control the whole way against Emerey. “I felt really relaxed. I didn’t feel that much pressure at all,” Gandhi said. “I thought I would have so much pressure because it was the finals. I was just really calm for some reason.” Gandhi entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Clements junior Laura Cardno. Cardno lost an exhausting threeset match Wednesday morning in the semifinals. Cardno and Gandhi had high hopes of both qualifying for the state tournament, but that possibility got wiped away when one of them lost in the semifinals. Since both are underclassmen they will have a chance to do it again next season. In the meantime Gandhi sets her sights on this year’s state tournament. “I’m just going to up there and have fun,” she said. “Apparently that’s when I do my best.” The Dulles boys double team of Nick Van Bemmelen and Jeffrey Chan advanced with a straight sets victory then lost to the No. 4 seed in the second round.
Bhagwat Katha at Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram Pujniya Braj Banchary Ji, a senior most preacher of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj will deliver 3 lectures (in Hindi) on “RAAS-PANCHADHYAAYI”, the most crucial 5 chapters of Canto 10 of Shrimad Bhagvat Mahapuran. This program is being sponsored by Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram. Free entry. All are welcome. Please accept Mahaprasadam after each session of discourse. Venue: Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir, 13845 West Bellfort St., Sugarland, Texas 77498. Dates and time: Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 7- 8:30 pm. Sunday, May 8: 5-6:30 p.m. For more information please call Dr. Lisa Ghosh at 713-775-6588 or SKKA Ashram at 713-344-1321 or visit http://www.shrikripalukunj.org
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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36-Hour Fast to Protest Retroactive Rules, High Fees, and Bureaucratic Hurdles A News Release Indian-Americans across the United States are protesting recent Indian embassy rules that rupture diasporic connections to their homeland. Many will participate in a 36-hour silent fast on April 30. Protesters will carry banners, get signatures on a petition for the Prime Minister of India, and send letters to their US representatives. Community activists seek respect, accountability, and transparency from the Indian government with regard to processes dealing with the Indian diaspora and urge the Indian government to repeal the retroactive 2010 surrender certificate rule, investigate the fee charges and where possible, return monies unfairly collected. Furthermore, the activists are uncomfortable with the Indian government sequestering their passports for 6-months in order to issue an OCI-visa. (See online petition for more details.) On March 15, 2011, the Indian government ruled that US citizens applying for an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) lifetime visa must deposit their US passport
Fast Begins April 30
with the Indian consulate for the 6-month duration of the visa-processing. This rule prohibits free travel and creates overall security risks. Several months prior, on May 30, 2010, the Government of India had imposed a bureaucratic rule retroactively requiring a Surrender or Renunciation Certificate for naturalized US citizens to demonstrate that they are no longer citizens of India. The Indian government has collected millions of dollars in fees to cancel invalid Indian passports for naturalized US citizens. Even those naturalized US citizens whose Indian passports expired 20+ years ago had to pay a fee to “cancel” their old Indian passports. The surrender certificate rule has created chaos in the Indian embassy workings. Indian-Americans have stood in endless lines and missed multiple workdays simply to get a certificate indicating they have canceled their old (often expired) Indian passports. Since the surrender certificate is a prerequisite for any visas to India, many who were unable to navigate the
Indian bureaucracy missed family events and business opportunities. One woman from Houston missed an opportunity to visit her sister who was diagnosed with cancer. She finally got an emergency visa after her flight had departed. In the process, she lost almost $1,000 in fees and 3.5 workdays. Another lady from Atlanta had to cancel her flight because of inordinate delays in her 11-year old daughter’s surrender certification and visa processing. Thousands of decent, law-abiding Americans of India-origin are adversely affected including old and new immigrants, the elderly, businesspeople. Many Indian-Americans are afraid to complain, fearing reprisal. The April 30 protest locations include VPSS Haveli, Houston, TX; Sardar Patel Bhavan, Atlanta, GA; Hindu Temple, Tampa, FL; Mangal Mandir, Silverspring, MD; Devon St, Chicago, IL; Columbia, SC and Dallas, TX. People are asked to support the protest by joining the fast for a few hours, signing the online petition to the Prime Minister of India, and writing to their US representatives.
H-1B Workers with Pending Extension Pleas Can Stay: US Court
WASHINGTON (HT) : A US court has ruled that workers in the US on H-1B visas, which are coveted by Indian IT professionals, may not be arrested for “overstaying” when their visa extension applications are pending before US immigration authorities. In a recent ruling, a federal judge in Connecticut recognised that regulations allow H-1B employees to continue working for 240 days pending the adjudication of their extension applications and that “work authorisation is part and parcel of their authorisation to be in the country, not a separate matter”.
The ruling came following an argument in an amicus brief by American Immigration Council (AIC) and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). “Permitting the initiation of removal proceedings during this period would thus be unfair to employees and employers alike, according to the (court) decision,”
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Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
AIC said in a statement. The ruling is a victory for the rule of law and for common sense, said Melissa Crow, director of AIC’s Legal Action Centre. “If H-1B employees can continue working while extension applications on their behalf are pending, it defies logic to argue that they can be arrested, detained and removed without notice,” Crow said. In the case before the Connecticut judge, the plaintiff, a Lebanese national, was gainfully employed as a medical researcher when his employer requested an H-1B extension in early 2004, more than a month before his H-1B status expired. Though his employer paid a $1,000 fee for premium processing of the application, the government never adjudicated it and refused to respond to requests for information. Nearly seven months after the request was filed, immigration agents arrested the plaintiff for allegedly “overstaying” his initial period of admission. He was placed in removal proceedings and detained for nearly two months. In their amicus brief, AIC and AILA argued that current laws provide for work authorisation, while a timely-filed extension application pending necessarily authorises H-1B employees to remain in the US. Accordingly, they cannot be arrested solely for staying in the US while extension applications are being adjudicated.
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society
Srisanvitha Shridar- Aiming for Being Better than the Best was remarkable as this was sung in four ragas Saveri, Kalyani, Sahana and Panthuvarali. Srisanvitha brought out the beauty of the verses and the raga exceedingly well. The verses have great significance in Hindu religion and is an essential prayer composed by sage Vasishta,which bestows one with perpetual wealth. The Kalpana swaras that followed the Krithi was marvelous. Following this was kriti in fast tempo, a composition of Saint Tyagaraja Niravadhi Sukadha in Ravichandrika Raga. Saint Tyagaraja kriti in Raga Bilahari was chosen for the ragamtanam-pallavi which forms the central item of a Carnatic music concert. Srisanvitha excelled in an efficient and elaborate alapana of Raga Bilahari with ease and raga bhava. Neraval swaras were aptly presented.
Srisanvitha Sridhar (Center) is a 7th grader from Garcia middle school, Sugar Land and has been learning Carnatic music from the age of seven
Srisanvitha Sridhar is a 7th grader from Garcia middle school, Sugar Land and has been learning Carnatic music from the age of seven. Initially she received her training from Kalyani Ramani of South Brunswick, NJ followed by Parvathi Rao, Gurgaon, India and for the last 2 years from Rajarajeshwary Bhat of Swaralayam Arts Forum. She started the concert with traditional Varnam in Thodi ragam followed by Mahaganapathim in Nattai. A Swati Tirunal composition Pankaja Lochana was rendered in Kalyani Raga in praise of Lord Padmanabha of Trivandrum. The song Shankari Shankuru in Tisra Adi tala in Raga Saveri enthralled the audience. The krithi Siva,Siva Siva Ena Radha commenced with Vritham taken from Dharidriya Dahana Shiva Stotram-the first and last verse. The rendition of the Vritham
The basic purpose of neraval is the elaboration of a line or a selection of lines so as to bring out the underlying musical and lyrical beauty. It is important to note that usually experienced artistes venture into elaborate neraval. High credit has to be given to Rajarajeshwary Bhat who imparted the nuances of neraval to her young student who grasped it and preformed exceedingly well. The “Thukada”are the numbers that follow the main piece and they were interestingly chosen with Raga Yaman kalyani “Nachathu Nachathu” Hindi bhajan and “Janani Janani” in Raga Revathi. A beautiful Sai Bhajan was presented in Ahir Bhairavi concluding with Tillana in Poorvikalyani. Outstanding melodic accompaniment on the violin was provided by Vikram Murali, a senior graduating this year from Hightower
High school. Perfect and precise percussion on the Mridangam was provided by Mayavaram Siva. The concert stretched almost two hours with over hundred fifty attendees. Besides vocal Carnatic music Srisanvitha has been learning Bharatanatyam at Anjali Center for Performing Arts and violin from Mahesh Iyer at Pearland. Srisanvitha is active in school choir and has won several awards in various competitions including Carnatic vocal music. Srisanvitha also bagged prize in Harikatha in Thyagaraja Aaradhana at Cleveland, Ohio in 2010 and performed at the Houston Thyagaraja festival in 2010 and 2011. This year Harikatha on Atana Ragam Krithi”Bala Kanakamaya” composition of Saint Tyagaraja earned her a standing ovation for an outstanding performance. Swaralayam Arts forum presented Srisanvitha with a Certificate of Gruha sangeetam performance by Dr. Pattu Rajagopalan. Chief Guest of the evening Dr. Krishna Rajagopalan appreciated the performance and pointed out how important it is to give a platform and encourage young talent. Dr. Rathna Kumar is Srisanvitha’s dance teacher commented on her enthusiasm and perfection for learning the art. Joshua Feldpausch, Srisanvitha’s Choir teacher from Garcia Middle School added that she always aimed for being better than the best. She did achieve it in the Gruha Sangeetham Concert. Srisanvitha donated all the gifts that she received on her gruha sangeetam to Swaralayam Arts Forum as her modest contribution to the recent Japan Tsunami relief fund. Vidya and Shridar, parents of the very talented daughters Srisanvitha and Srividvatha thanked all those who attended and helped to make the event possible.
Houston Supports Anna Hazare
HOUSTON: In Support of Anna Hazare’s Hunger strike which started on April5th, A group of Indo-Americans and NRI’s in Houston,Texas USA, went on a Dawn to Dusk Fast on April 3rd with participattion of people from different walks of life and ages. This fast is undertaken by 18+ citizens at the prestigious Mahathma Gandi Statue in Herman Park and supported by 60+ people. This increased awareness among NRI community of the need to implement Jan Lok Pal Bill.The event started from 7 am in the morning and ended at 8 pm. There were discussions about the solutions and the need for action. Debates went on for the whole day. It was decided to continue working against corruption under 5thPillar www.5thPillar.org and involve all the concerned citizens of India. In addition, concerned citizens are comming together with social networks and websites at www. IndiaAgainstCorruption.org. These kind of activities will inspire many more people and get all the people together as a movement to force Indian government to implement Jan Lok Pal Bill which will curb corruption. Talking to the media, Raghava Solipuram and other fasting NRIs said, Freedom cannot prevail in a corrupt society and there cannot be different laws for different sections of people in a democratic country when it comes to corruption. There is a huge turnaround of youth who is ready to take our great nation forward with the blessings and support of Gandhians and other like minded people. The youngest to undertake the fast is 14 years old and the oldest is 78 years. Hyma, Praveen,Dinesh,Sandeep,Ramesh Shah, Nag,Prasad...... and others took part in the fasting. The fasting ended with a positive note by taking oath to get rid of corruption. The next action items would be approachig all the community organisations and spreading the word to become part of this movement. This is a Second Freedom movement for India where every Indian can live with dignity,respect and have justice and opportunity.
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HOUSTON: Musical talent is noticeable in children at a very young age. The innate creativity, ingenuity and artistic ability can be appreciably guided and developed by a good teacher who enhances and brings out their brilliance. In Carnatic music certain vocal cord exercises makes it music worthy, and in musical parlance it is known as” Sadhakam”. In Western terms it is known as voice culture. Anyone with determined effort can focus on bringing out the best and attain perfection by sadhakam. A combination of talent, creativity, artistic ability and Sadhakam was very prominent and diligently presented by Srisanvitha Shridar in Gruha Sangeetham Concert presented by Swaralayam Arts Forum at Anjali Center of Indian Performing Arts.
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IamENTERTAINMENT
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Last week, Stefano Langone went home on “American Idol’s” top 7 results show, joining the illustrious ranks of other seventhplace finishers like Jennifer Hudson, Kimberly Caldwell, Ace Young, Ryan Star, Kristy Lee Cook, Anoop Desai, and Tim Urban. But perhaps the most notorious seventh-place contestant is Season 6’s Sanjaya Malakar, who continues to be namechecked in the blogosphere and on E!’s “The Soup,” despite keeping a relatively low profile in the four years since his elimination. Even Josh Groban tweeted about Sanjaya recently, totally out of the blue. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. For those of you who were living under a rock in 2007, when Sanjaya dominated the airwaves, he was one of the most polarizing contestants in “Idol” history. He garnered the wrath of Simon Cowell (who threatened to quit if Sanjaya won) and some “Idol” fanatics (one of whom went on a hunger strike until he was voted off), while he gained the love and support of Vote For The Worst, infamous “crying girl” Ashley Ferl, and even Howard Stern. Thanks to his effusive personality and impressive head of hair, Sanjaya went a lot farther than many doubters expected, and he continues to remain in the public’sa consciousness. He even starred in a Funny Or Die video titled “I Am Art,” co-produced by Will Ferrell, in which he claimed he was really a graduate student
Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 201111
Catching Up With Sanjaya Malakar
named Bill Vendall who created “Sanjaya” as an art project for his thesis. Genius! But it turns out, Sanjaya is very real. So where is he now, in real life? Well, he’s kept pretty busy, if a little under the radar. His lush fauxhawk is long gone, but he’s still making music. In 2009, he released both an autobiography and EP with the title Dancing To The Music In My Head, the latter of which featured a love ballad about “walks along the beach,” a Bollywood-inspired world music track, and a revenge song, “Tell Me Who I Am,”that seemed to be directed right at “American Idol.” (“I don’t need your couch critiquing anymore,” Sanjaya snarled.) Last year, he released a Christmas disc, as well as the single “4 AM,” plus he made appearances on “Hell’s Kitchen” and the 300th episode of “The Soup.” This year, as his first professional theater venture, he joined the cast of the family-friendly off-Broadway musical Freckleface Strawberry, based on the children’s book by actress Julianne Moore. But his most high-profile post-”Idol” endeavors have been a starring role in a Nationwide Insurance com-
mercial (the same “Life Comes At You Fast” ad campaign that Kevin Federline shot a spot for) and his participation in the second season of “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here” alongside Janice Dickinson, two Baldwin brothers, and Speidi. Sanjaya came in fifth on that show, but he was totally robbed--
this was a reality competition that even Simon Cowell would agree Sanj deserved to win. Obviously Sanjaya-mania has died down a bit since Season 6, giving the now-grown-up contestant some time to reflect. Looking back, he understands why he received such harsh critiques at the time. Speaking by phone from New York, where he is currently wrapping up his off-Broadway run as well as recording and assembling a new band, he says: “Pretty much all my vocal train-
ing, I got on that show. It’s hard for me to go back and watch all my ‘Idol’ performances, because I see all those things that I learned that I shouldn’t do! Most of what the judges said was true, it was just said in a harsh way. But I value that so much, because that’s what made me grow.” He doesn’t even harbor any ill will towards his toughest critic, Simon, saying, “I really respect him, and I think he kind of taught me the most because he was so hard on me. He really helped me figure out how to fix all my bad habits.” It should be noted that Sanjaya was just a child--literally, he was barely 17--when he was on “Idol.” He muses: “The thing is, I think between 16 to maybe 22 or 23, you’re still growing and learning. So having to do that in public while you’re still young is...interesting.” It’s amazing he was able to come out of such a whirlwind unscathed, but luckily, he was on “Idol” back in the pre-Twitter era, and he therefore remained blissfully ignorant regarding his haters. “While it was happening, I was in such a bubble; we were pretty much cut off from the outside world. They tell you that you shouldn’t go on blog sites because people say all kinds of things and hearing all that kind of messes with
you. So I never knew what the outside world was saying until after I was off the show,” he explains. But Sanjaya sympathizes with the youngsters on “Idol” this season, with its lower age limit. “As soon as I heard [about the age limit being lowered to 15], I felt kind of uneasy about it,” he admits, “just because you can’t possibly know yourself when you’re 15! You’re growing and learning and going to school and gaining all these experiences, and then when you’re thrown into something like ‘American Idol,’ all thatstops. You have to make those compromises and decide, ‘What do I no longer want to be able to have in my childhood?’ Mentally, so much stuff is thrown at you and you’re put in situations where you’re totally stressed out and tired and anxious and nervous--and you still have to perform at your best! It’s crazy to me. But [Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, this season’s youngest remaining contestants] are great. When they develop, they’re going to be even better.” Speaking of developing, Sanjaya is still working on music, with a new single out in late May (just in time for the “Idol” finale) and a full album due by the year’s end. So what kind of music is dancing in Sanjaya’s head nowadays? “It’s R&B-influenced vocals with kind of funky...I don’t want to say hiphop, but it has a little bit of hip-hop influence,” he says. “It’s a nice fusion of funk and neo-soul.”
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OUT & ABOUT
Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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The Region’s Premier Epicurean Escape! - The Grand Wine & Food Affair 2011 HOUSTON - Are you ready for some festivity, fun and frivolity? This event brings together internationally acclaimed wineries and chefs, including Texan Superstars to create an unbelievable series of dining, wine tastings, an exciting bartending contest, grand tasting, a decadent outdoor Sienna Sip and Stroll, and an around the world Bistro Brunch. Join us Wednesday, April 27 – Sunday, May 1, 2011 to enjoy five unforgettable days of celebration. The Grand Wine & Food Affair is so joyously over the top, you will swear you never had so much fun! For detailed information, see the schedule of events below. Wednesday, April 27 Dining in the Heart of Sugar Land 16730 Creek Bend Drive – Sugar Land 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Reserved table for eight $1,200; Individual tickets $150 Dine alfresco in the heart of Sugar Land overlooking the horse shoe shaped Brooks Lake. Gourmet fare prepared by a collaboration of award winning chefs, overseen by the famed culinary genius of Joe Abuso, will be paired with the finest wines. Cigars and post dinner cocktails will complete this memorable experience. Thursday, April 28 On the Rocks Bartenders Contest presented by Top Shelf M-Lounge - 16305 Kensington Drive - Sugar Land - 6:30 - 9:00pm $35 Top Shelf presents On the Rocks Bartenders Contest featuring Double Gold Award winning AGV
400 Reposado Tequila. Rock star bartenders will compete for the top prize. Guests will enjoy samplings of the winning recipes, cocktail fare, and great fun! The winning recipe will be named the Official Cocktail of the Grand Food and Wine Affair. David Alan, AKA the Tipsy Texan, will serve as the host. Friday, April 29 Cabernets of Napa Valley with Guy Stout, MS Sugar Land M a r r i o t t To w n Square - Cane Room - 16090 City Walk – Sugar Land - 5:15 pm – 6:35pm $45 Guy Stout, Master Sommelier, presents a tasting of some of the greatest Cabernets of Napa Valley as a part of the Fred Parks Wine Series. The tasting will include wines from the different Mountain vineyards of Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Atlas Peak, as well as the appellations of Oakville, Rutherford and Calistoga. The Grand Tasting - Sugar Land Marriott Town Square – 16090 City Walk – Sugar Land - 7:00 – 9:30 PM - $125 The hottest ticket in town is set for the elegant ballroom of the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. It will host some of the most sought out wines in the world to be paired
with the talents and creations of delights and over 100 featured some of the country’s most highly wines. Cooking demonstrations recommended culinary superstars. by award winning chefs like Efisio Top chefs include Philippe Schmit Farris of Arcodoro, fine artisans, of the newly opened Philippe and scrumptious samplings from Restaurant + Lounge, Randy Evans restaurants like Ouisie’s Table, of Haven, Trevor White of The Branch Water Tavern, Fish City Oceanaire Seafood Room, Josh Grill and Mint Spice. Bernie’s Watkins of The Carillon in Austin, Burger Bus will have samplings and Jason Dady of The Lodge of their gourmet burgers and Restaurant in homemade fries. Live island sounds San Antonio. by the Tropical Steel Tones Band The Grand Wine Chefs Shanna and Salsa Cubana Orchestra add andBrian O’Hea to this & Food Affair tropical party. Don’t miss of Academe the Havana style bar where you can Maine Brasserie enjoy Zacapa rum and fine cigars. April 1, May 2011 and Tavern27 at - May Sunday, 1 Bistro Brunch at the Kennebunk Sugar Land Town Square - 11:00 Inn will return AM – 2:00 PM - $50 this year after An around the world bistro A Sugar - Houston their recentLand brunch that will feature specialty showcase on dishes, international ales and Food Network’s wines from major wine regions “Best Thing I of the world such as Italy, France, Ever Ate.” The Germany, Spain, Australia, South Grand Auction Africa, California, and many more! TheGrandWine&FoodAffair.com www.facebook.com/thegrandwineandfoodaffair will include The eclectic mix of Flamenco, large format Middle Eastern, Spanish, and wine bottles, dining experiences Western sounds of Moodafaruka and other wine related goodies and will complete this experience. benefits The Grand Wine & Food Plan your weekend and enjoy Affair Scholarship Endowment for a stay at the Sugar Land Marriott students attending the Conrad N. Town Square or the Hyatt Place. Hilton College of Restaurant and The three day VIP Grand Pass Hotel Management at the University includes The Grand Tasting, Friday, of Houston. April 29th; the Sienna Sip & Stroll, Saturday, April 30 Sienna Sip Saturday, April 30th; and the & Stroll - Sienna Springs Resort – around the world Bistro Brunch 7102 Sienna Ranch Road – Missouri on Sunday, May 1st. Visit www. City 1:00 – 4:00 PM - $60 TheGrandWineAndFoodAffair. Stroll through the “street festival” com or phone 713-SIP-WINE for atmosphere as you enjoy culinary details.
TrAdiTion
Sword Fight Erupts At NYC Sikh Temple NEW YORK ( HP): A brawl involving cricket bats and small swords at a Sikh temple in New York City has led to riot and assault charges against seven people. Police say the defendants interrupted prayer services at
the Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center in Queens on Sunday. They were arraigned Monday. Temple president Jamail Singh told the Daily News that the fight was instigated by a dissident group of followers who are opposed to opening up membership. The dispute is at the center of a lawsuit in state Supreme Court. Some of those arrested Sunday also were charged with disrupting a religious service.
Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
SOC I ETY
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Successful Cultural Program by SSJM
HOUSTON: Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir (SSJM) of Sugarland has been playing an active role in the community with their outreach and cultural programs to mark and celebrate various religious festivities. As a part of this initiative the SSJM in association with their Youth council successfully organized a cultural extravaganza on April 16 within their premises located at West Bellfot. The event was organized to commemorate the New Year as celebrated by South India. The four southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Maharashtra traditionally celebrate their New Year at the same time followed by the people of Tamil Nadu. This is one of the major festivals in southern India and is celebrated with fervor. SSJM organized the ceremonial prayers throughout the morning of April 16 which was followed by the Cultural event wherein the devotees showcased their exceptional talent to an enraptured crowd of over 600. Over 80 participants aged from 3 years through teens and beyond performed in various facets of entertainment ranging from Singing to dancing, rendition of Bhajans and Vedic chants. The show was hosted by Nithya Hari with elan that never let the crowd have a dull moment. All the performers enraptured the audience and wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they craved for more. Various dance schools in and around Houston, like Sunanda Nair’s School of Dance, Indrani Parthasarathy’s School of Performing arts, Nithya Hari’s Dancing Stars, Pallavi Juturi’s dance school. Some of the dance schools contributed to more than 5 performances in support of the event. The Tabla Concert organized by Mr. Chandra Gannavarapu, who teaches Tabla to interested kids at the SSJM facility on the weekends, received a rapturous ovation for the skill and talent of the performers. The tabla group was well supported by the melodious voice
of the 12 year old Akhila Mamandur who later sang some popular chartbusters and showcased her versatility. Subhash Gubba, Suman Mangu, Meena Peddi, sang with zest and helped turn the event into a grand success. The special segment of the Event was the Traditional walk choreographed by Chandana Thalatam which enthralled the audience and received tremendous applause for its innovativeness and novelty. Kids of various age from Aashirwad group chanted the ceremonial Ashtalakshmi Stotram to an appreciative audience. The event went on for four hours and also included various other activities like the Rangoli competition wherein the participants used various colors to fill form intricate designs. There was also the ‘Ugadhi Pachadi’ competition wherein the participants made the traditional dish and were judged based on the taste and presentation of the dish prepared. At the end of the event, SSJM in an effort to appreciate the efforts of the participants provided them with commemorative shields and certificates. This was a small token of their appreciation and an effort to encourage the talent in the participants and promised to provide a regular platform to showcase the multitude of talent to the Houston community. The certificates and prizes were distributed by the Chairman of SSJM, Mrs. Lakshmi Takkar who is fondly called as Maaji by one and all. The SSJM board later thanked all the dance schools, performers and their parents for their dedication and support in making this event a memorable one. A sumptuous dinner followed the cultural event & snacks were available throughout the event. SSJM & their amazing set of volunteers ensured that the event went on smoothly without a slight glitch. The volunteers were all around assisting the devotees with a smile & ensured that the event was a grand success.
Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 201113
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Funeral of Sri Sathya Sai Baba: in Pictures
Devotees gather near the body of Sri Sathya Sai Baba during a public viewing at the Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram in Puttaparthi
Nephew R. J. Ratnakar, seated center right in white, weeps as he performs the last rites for Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram in Puttaparti on Wednesday, April 27
Hundreds of devotees hold a candlelight vigil as they march around the Parasakthi Hindu Temple in Durban, South Africa Photo: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP/ Getty Images
PUTTAPARTI: Iconic spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba passed away at Puttaparthi in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning, leaving behind millions of mourning devotees in India and abroad, and a sprawling system of educational, medical and philanthropic services that has huge resources at its command. He was 85. He had bravely battled complications of the heart, lung and kidney for four weeks. The end came at 7.40 a.m., after 28 days of intense anxiety among his followers and frenetic activity by doctors of the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSIHMS). The medical team gave him expert care but could not save his life as multi-organ failure set in. After his admission to the hospital on March 30, a cardiac pacemaker was implanted. As his condition deteriorated, doctors put him on a ventilator system and on dialysis.
Devotees grieve as they wait to pay homage after the final rituals of the burial of Hindu guru Sathya Sai Baba, inside Prashanthi Nilayam in the village of Puttaparthi, some 200kms north of Bangalore on April 27, 2011.
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
Miracles: Baba’s Mark on Page of Destiny
By Gautam Chikermane My uncle had heard that a “miracle” was underway, but he didn’t know how to drive a scooter. I was a teenager, with exams behind me, and a Chetak under me, pressured to cart him under the scorching June sun halfway across city. When we reached the devotee’s house, I was told to be silent, take off my shoes. And then, we were ushered to the inner chamber. On a wall, with the plaster cracking and the paint falling, was a huge picture of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Around the edges of this life-sized frame and towards the calves of Baba were patches of grey powder. “This is Baba’s vibhuti (sacred ash used for religious worshipping by Hindus),” the devotee, with tears in his eyes told us. “He has come and blessed my humble home.” Apparently, the vibhuti had materialised on its own. The tears moved to my uncle’s eyes and it was a long time before he could get himself to speak without trembling. Today, after ingesting huge doses of religion and spirituality, meeting believers and atheists, studying four faiths and their interrelationships, and following the work of those who went beyond the narrow confines of religious dogma, I meet the miracle man all over again. Baba’s most popular signature among his 37 million devotees was his capacity to deliver miracles. These could be pulling vibhuti out of thin air or even just looking at and giving a spiritual sanction to housing plans of believers. “The Baba himself has blessed this plan,” a 76-year-old retired pilot told me. “The vaastu of this house is perfect.” Everyone, at some point or the other, needs a miracle. Anyone who provides it, or even claims to offer it, becomes god. Baba was one such. “This is not Swami’s illness; this is an illness which Swami has taken on, in order to save someone,” Baba said, referring to himself, through a translator in July 1963 after an attack of cerebral thrombosis and tubercular meningitis that kept him bed-ridden for eight days. “Swami has no illness, nor will He get ill at any time. You must all be happy; that alone will make Swami happy. If you grieve, Swami will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food.” The faithful put hard demands on their gurus. They constantly want to be reminded of the guru’s powers to heal; to accumulate wealth; to get a spouse, a child; to do anything that an ordinary consciousness is unable to. The faithful need the dazzle and the glamour of a miracle; in its absence, they get impatient. An insider to one such guru told me how an extremely wealthy and powerful woman was known to change her gurus: “Gurus came and gurus went, but she has remained where she was.” Very often, the guru’s assent to doing a certain thing in a particular manner is enough to label it a miracle — if it works, no questions asked, only stronger faith; if it doesn’t, “that was the best for me at that point”. Baba’s miracles might be true. His claim to being an Avatar could also be correct. He said that he was the human form of Shiva, who would be born in the Bharadhwaja Gothra thrice: “Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakthi together at Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba and Shakthi alone as Prema Sai, later.” But like science has decoded and turned every physical miracle into a replicable act, the development of spirituality will take the same path and turn all glamorous miracles into mundane day-to-day actions. “I am God,” Baba told his devotees. “And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.” This is a line that is common to all followers of the Vedic spiritual system, from Ramanna Maharishi’s “I am That” to Swami Vivekananda’s “All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I. The gulf between God and me is thus bridged”. Today’s miracle is tomorrow’s matter of fact, the destiny of man’s perfection. But the road to living miraculously is paved with effort and time — the effort of aspiration through yoga, concentration, meditation and other techniques; and the time that the process of evolution needs for man to become god. It is on this page of spiritual destiny that Baba scribbled his distinct signature of miracle. - Hindustan Times
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The $8 Billion Mystery
By Pritish Nandi
The Hasan Ali case gets curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say. Every few days, the IT guys keep upping the tax dues of the Pune-based stud farm owner. Recently they added penalty and made it a nice round figure of Rs 100,000 crore. So you now have one lakh crore of tax dues and they still don’t know where the money in his Swiss bank accounts came from. Meanwhile, rumours fly fast and furious. Some say the billions belong to a powerful Maharashtra politician who is everyone’s pet target these days. Others say it belongs to a Tamil Nadu politician currently out of power. There are also dark whispers that it belongs to anAndhra politician who passed away sometime back. While Ram Jethmalanai alleges dramatically in court that it leads all the way to the very top. The general consensus is that it belongs to many politicians and businessmen, and Hasan Ali is just a banker for them. The list includes even Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, once touted as the richest man in the world. But whoever the money belongs to must be so powerful that Hasan Ali, even in custody, refuses to sing. No one has managed to get the slightest clue from him as to where the billions came from. By all accounts, Hasan Ali has beaten the late Harshad Mehta to the highest tax defaulter stakes. One lakh crore is no laughing matter, particularly when it’s based on conjecture and vague insinuations. For, as on date, there’s nothing proved against Hasan Ali nor his charming second wife Rheema, against whom the investigating agencies are now plotting to move, in the hope they can use her to prise open the dark secrets behind their Swiss bank accounts. Even the Supreme Court last month queried the State as to why enough is not
being done to find out more about his unexplained transactions. Custodial interrogation hasn’t helped either. The main question remains unanswered: Does the money belong to Hasan Ali? If so, where did he get it from and for what services rendered? It’s a tidy sum, $8 billion in cash in Swiss banks and no one quite knows where it came from, what it was paid for, who paid it and why. The actual tax claim against Hasan Ali, excluding penalty and interest, is reportedly Rs 72,000 crore, enough to provide drinking water to India’s six lakh villages. Yet no action has been taken to clear the mystery behind the man and his funny money. It’s funny money because, till date, there’s simply no evidence, certainly not in the public domain, that suggests Hasan Ali actually owns that $8 billion. The money could belong to anyone—and probably does. The IT guys claim that any further delay and the matter can get time barred. This means the case has been going on for much longer than we know. Tax cases don’t get time barred easily. They take years to reach that stage. So, probably, someone has dragged his feet in this case either to protect Hasan
IndoAmerican News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Business Manager: Jawahar Malhotra Managing Partner: Krishna Giri Community Reporter: Kalyani Giri Community Editor: Manasi Gokhale Administrative Manager: Vanshika Vipin Business & Recreation: Jacob David Graphic Design: Saqib Rana correspondents Chicago: Nand Kapoor, UK: Aseem Kulkarni New Delhi: Raj Kanwar ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com
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Ali or protect those whose money he may be shielding. The delay may also be politically inspired, if it’s true that the money belongs to politicians. In fact, if it wasn’t for the courts, Hasan Ali would have been by now (like Q) a free man with nothing to hold him back except a long buried controversy. Clearly, there appears to be a cover up somewhere. Yet I also believe the man when he says he fears for his life. We saw how the key witness for the 2G case, Sadiq Batcha mysteriously died on the very day he was planning to turn approver and spill the beans. The doctor who gave his post mortem report, calling it a case of suicide, is now an election candidate. He resigned from his job the very next day. A coincidence? Possibly. Hasan Ali, whatever may be his crime, is clearly in a dangerous space ever since he sent out a small slip of paper to a news reporter saying he fears he may be killed before the actual facts of the case emerge. Does that mean he wants to sing but is not being allowed to? Before we judge Hasan Ali, our first job is to protect him. Most such cases in India never get solved because someone or the other, the villain or the victim or the key witness, gets bumped off during investigations. There is convenience in sudden death. Those who know the facts are then too terrified to speak out and with no clearly identified villain to pursue, the media quietly sneaks away to hunt down new crimes. Let not Hasan Ali’s case go the same way. He may be a bad guy. But no bad guy, however smart, however well connected, gets $8 billion from nowhere in his Swiss bank accounts unless he is protecting someone who he believes is powerful enough to rescue him or dangerous enough to kill him if he speaks the truth. - Times of India
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are not guaranteed. Publicly traded insurance companies A publicly traded company must balance the interests of its policyowners with the earnings expectations of its shareholders. Shareholders typically judge a company’s performance based on a number of factors, including projected earnings for the next quarter or the next year, which might conflict with the longterm interests of policyowners. Knowing how a company is run may be one factor to help you decide which works best for you. Learn more about prospective companies before deciding which company is the right choice. © 2010 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Jimmy Abraham is a financial representative with Strategic Financial Group, LLP, a MassMutual agency who represents Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and other companies, courtesy of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) © 2010 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. CRN201201-129572
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By Jimmy Abraham What is the sign of a good decision? It’s knowing how a company is run – one factor that can help you decide which is right for you. There are many reasons to choose a life insurance company to help meet your financial needs: protection for your family or business, products to help provide supplemental income, and the confidence of knowing you will be better prepared for the future. Two common forms of insurance companies – mutually owned and publicly traded There are two common forms of insurance companies: 1) mutually owned, and 2) publicly traded. So why does a life insurance company’s ownership structure matter to a policyowner – to you? When choosing a life insurance company, it’s important to know how a company is run. While both a mutually owned company and a publicly traded company can provide you with life insurance protection, the company’s ownership structure is one factor that can help guide you as to which company is right for you. Key considerations By asking the following questions, at a high level, you may learn the differences in how a company is run and what drives its business strategy: • When making decisions, who
comes first – policyowners? Shareholders? • Does your insurance company have the financial strength to always keep your needs a top priority? • Will you be able to take some role in the decision making process of your insurance company by exercising certain voting rights? Mutually owned insurance companies A mutual company is owned by and accountable to its members and participating policyowners, not stockholders. Mutual companies have no shareholders; instead, policyowners and members are often described as sharing in its ownership. Members who are insured under certain policies issued by a mutual insurance company may be eligible to vote for its board of directors and, those who also own the policy, may be eligible to share in dividends the company may declare. Of course, dividends for a given policy are influenced by such factors as policy series, issue age, policy duration, policy loan rate, smoking status, changes in experience, and
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
VISIT THE HOUSTON ZOO THIS WEEK
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Purchase Discount Zoo Tickets at any of the 33 Fiesta Mart stores. Visit the courtesy booth of Any Fiesta Mart to purchase an adult zoo admission for $9 and a child zoo admission for $6. - IA News
Indo-American Association Presents WEDDING ALBUM
GHAZAL KA SAFAR
A hilarious comedy in English Written by the internationally renowned playwright Girish Karnad and directed by Lilette Dubey of MONSOON WEDDING fame, the play about an NRI marrying a traditional girl in India has been staged more than hundred times to standing ovations, including weeklong performances in packed houses in UK. (Tickets: $30-75)
GHAZAL KA SAFAR a narrated journey of Ghazal and Urdu covering all genres and eras by a group of singers, musicians, and the fabulous narrator Salim Arif. A Niche Entertainment, Pune production (folks who brought you Black & White)!!
Friday May 13, 8pm
Sunday May 1, 6pm
Tickets for all IAA events are available by phone at 281-648-0422 (group discounts available) or online HYPERLINK “http://www.iaahouston.com” www.iaahouston.com (pick exactly the seat you want at no extra cost). Tickets are also available at Maharani Music on Hillcroft (713.782.6553) Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
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Michael Perschke: No Audinary Task
The head of Audi India wants the company to move up the podium from bronze to gold in luxury car sales within five years By Seema Chowdhry (Mint) Michael Perschke has been married twice…to the same woman. In 1998, when Perschke was a general manager with Mercedes-Benz in Pune (1997-2000), he went home with his then girlfriend Kathrin to Garmisch, a village on the border of Germany and Austria, to get married. When they returned to Pune, his colleagues in India insisted on taking Perschke shopping for a kurta. “They told me to wear it the next day and be at Koregaon Park. When my wife and I arrived, we found that they had arranged for a traditional Maharashtrian wedding for us—complete with a priest and rituals such as kanyadaan. “I wonder, if I were ever to get divorced, would I have to do it twice— the Indian way and the German way? Nobody has been able to answer that for me,” he says with a laugh. India is a country of relationships and warm people. At least that is what Perschke, 42, says he and his wife believe, thanks to lovely memories and some good friends made in India during their first stint in Pune, a decade ago. In July, Perschke returned to India for the second time as the head of Audi India, based in Mumbai. He did not hesitate to take up the job, just as he had not hesitated when he left a consulting job in Germany in 1994 to move to Hong Kong to be with Kathrin. “We had visited Asia earlier and had liked Hong Kong. So when Kathrin moved there for a six-month project, I followed, giving myself a month to secure a job there.” After many cold calls to every German company in Hong Kong—from banking and insurance to cars—he landed a job in the finance department of Mercedes-Benz. “I always knew I was better at sales or marketing, but I also wanted to stay in Hong Kong, so I took that job.” Two years later, he got a chance to work in sales, but in India. Once again, Perschke seized the opportunity. Within three months of his return to India in 2010, he had visited Audi dealers in all 15 locations—from Chandigarh and Ludhiana to Kochi and Chennai. Audi’s goal is to be the top-selling car in the luxury segment by 2015—and car dealers will play a key role. “A luxury car sales experience has to be like the service experience of a great five-star hotel. I like how the Oberoi group manages to give a consistent, high-quality experience in its service across India. We hope to do the same at all Audi outlets,” he says. That’s why Perschke says he needs to know his dealers, and through them, understand Audi’s clients in this country. “India is all about that—knowing people, building relationships. It’s a networking thing. Besides, our business model is also not so much activity-based as it is relationshipbased. If you want to reach out to a certain target audience, you have to be in the same clubs as them; you have to meet them on the golf course in their city.”
Yet Perschke does not believe that the way to woo an Indian customer is to hot-tail him. “India has the strong silent strength to resist if you push too hard. It is like a shy animal in the woods. If you run after it, it will flee. If you stand still and let it come to you, there is a much bigger impact.” Perhaps it was this thought process, the cautious approach, that went in his favour when his name came up for the India posting. “The car market, especially the luxury segment, is in an embryonic stage. India is not China; Perschke has worked for Mercedes-Benz as well as BMW— Audi’s two main rivals. Jayachandran/Mint
you still sell more motor scooters and bikes than cars. The Chinese are 8-10 years ahead of India in terms of car-buying decisions. That is why I always press for a cautious approach here.” Perschke should know. He has worked with two rival brands (BMW, Mercedes), run his own BMW car dealership in Germany, worked in India as a Benz employee in Pune until 2000, and on an India-specific project when Volkswagen was looking to set up a plant here in 2004. So Perschke’s insights make him a unique player in a nascent market where Audi’s real competition comes from two compatriot brands: German giants Mercedes-Benz and BMW. “The top three players in the luxury market are Germans and all three of us are fighting for the same space. The podium is set up: The question is who will get gold, silver and bronze.” Though Perschke agrees that Audi currently holds the bronze position in the Indian market, he adds confidently, “I have just started in this competition.” Being a sportsman— he used to be a ski instructor, claims to be an above-average mountain biker
and trekker—Perschke enjoys the challenging position he is in. In the last 13 years, a lot has changed in the luxury car sector. “Twelve years ago, whenever youngsters wanted to buy a new car, an official blessing from the head of the family was a must, maybe from the father or grandfather. Earlier, children could not drive cars bigger or more expensive than their parents. All that has changed now. I find all these people take their own decisions and want newer models.” Audi has that advantage, being the new kid on the block, so it represents “new toys for boys”. The latest car on offer from its collection is the super sports car Audi R8 Spyder, which Audi India launched at the Mint Luxury Conference in Mumbai in March. The car was launched internationally in the first quarter of 2010 in Germany. India, says Perschke, is strong on word of mouth, or a customerto-customer endorsement system. Yet Audi does not subscribe to the brand ambassador approach to selling cars. Perhaps that’s why it believes in gifting its cars to top performing cricketers. “The Audi voyage to India started when Ravi Shastri won the Audi 100 (in the 1985 cricket World Championship in Australia). I don’t think there can ever be a better unofficial ambassador than Ravi for us.” In line with collecting “unofficial brand ambassadors”, Audi India announced that it would be gifting an Audi (the model is yet to be announced) to Yuvraj Singh, the Man of the Tournament at the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, between April 2010 and February, BMW sold 6,052 units compared with the 5,839 and 3,528 units sold by Mercedes and Audi, respectively. As Perschke begins work on increasing the Audi share in India, one thing he is keeping a close watch on is the management of expectations. “When someone buys an expensive car, they expect it to be flawless. People think that a car with the biggest wheels in India can run on full steam over potholes from Delhi to Chandigarh and come out unscathed. Sometimes, expectations are just too high, and you have to be able to tell your clients that in spite of the superior technology, even an Audi is bound by the law of physics and cannot perform impossible feats. “I always tell my people, don’t overpromise and under-deliver.”
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A Past Connected by the Indian Railroads
By Jawahar Malhotra ON THE RAJDHANI EXPRESS FROM BOMBAY TO DELHI: I have travelled these tracks often ever since I was a young boy on his first train ride in August 1958 to Bombay. But before I even boarded a train, railroad tracks were pivotal in my childhood. We lived near a train yard and, as is still often the case with little kids in India playing unsupervised, my little 4-year old friends and I (in my new black and white checkered shirt) took my new birthday tricycle through the wire screen fence and we played on the tracks in the afternoon heat. I tripped, cut my leg, a man shooed us off and when we got home, we were screamed at for our dangerous heroics and we all got a slapping from outraged mothers, uncles and grandmothers. In August 1958 I was excited about my first train ride in a 2nd class compartment (no AC) for my parents, brother and myself on the Bombay Express, the predecessor to the Rajdhani Express. We closed the door behind us and had our own attached toilet and sink bowl, with four pulldown beds with red-brown leather upholstery. I remember the fun my brother and I had trying to stay steady in the wobbling floor and the clatter of the wheels on the rails which became an enlongated muffled rumble when we passed over a bridge. We had brought our own clay surai (longnecked pitcher) for cool drinking water and our two enormous round soft bedrolls, packed with pillows, sheets, towels and other necessities, and great fun to jump on and soft to sit on. But mostly, I remember the clean platform of New Delhi Railway Station with porters in blue shirts and white dhotis running around with heavy trunks on their heads, near where we lived in Karol Bagh and not far from my nanaji’s (maternal grandfather) home in Daryagunj in the Old City. Fifty or more relatives, including my 6’ 6” tall nana with his white Gandhi cap and my maternal great grand father Lalji, the patriarch of the huge extended family, resplendent in a white Hindu turban with a long tail, came to see us off with marigold and rose garlands that they placed around our necks, posing for many group pictures for my father’s new Rolliflex camera. I never saw Bauji again as he passed away a year later, but Lalji, who had been a barrister and District Collector in the British Raj, lived on till the age of 97. We traveled during the Monsoons, which caught up with our train after we crossed the still parched hills of Rajasthan and travelled south into Surat and entered Maharashtra. It rained buckets after we crossed the wide bulging mouth of the Ulhas River with rain runoff and crossed into the Bombay peninsula, washing off the dirt from the vegetation and making people yank up their dhotis, saris, pajamas, pants with one spare hand, black umbrella in the other, water splashing at their feet and
of entering a pre- up on German in New Delhi, when dominantly Muslim my parents asked me to get direction country which was from the night conductor at the Haupt hostile to India and Banhhof station. showed loathing toIn the ensuing years, I have taken wards Hindus, and the train to other places, sometimes also still fresh mem- the overnight recliner seater coach ories for my mother but often the 2nd class sleeper for long of the atrocities of journeys. Train travel in India can be the Partition that she a great pastime as you roll through had lived through. the countryside and see the changing Three years later, we vistas of plains, mountains villages rode back the same and lives that hug the tracks. But the way on the train railway stations that dot the country with my nani (ma- are micro time capsules that tell the ternal grandmother) story of the country’s development with us travelling over the years and just how much of for safety bunched the legacy from colonial times India with another return- still clings too. It is at once simple and ing Indian family. easy to comprehend, like the peasants I can still feel the in their colorful attire huddled on the heat of the after- platform floor and talking loudly with noon at the border bundles and babies scattered around. crossing at Lahore It is laughable and irritating when the as we descended the Duty Officer is munching away at his compartment and tiffin lunch at his post, fingers dipped The writer with his family on his first train ride from New Delhi Railway (where the tinge of nervous in curry, motioning with his free hand fear in biji and my and a sway of his head in response to a the extended family came to send them off) to Bombay’s Victoria Terminal. mother, both sari- question of directions. It is disgusting clad as we walked and shameful in the filthy conditions across to the Indian of the tracks and adjoining spaces and side of the platform the disregard to clean and comfortfor the Indian train able amenities. to take us further In this way, and many more nuback to Delhi. ances, the Indian railways remain After a couple remarkably unchanged, even as the of months, back to computerized booking system makes Bombay we went it just as easy to book, but not confirm, to catch a small a ticket as it is to pay stiff penalties freighter with for cancellations of any sort. Just 100 passengers to when you feel revulsion at the onKhoramsharr, Iran. train toilets and the shabbiness of Years later, we took the compartments and stations, you the (what had since suddenly appreciate the unsophistibecome) Rajdhani cated service from the sleeper coach Express to Bombay waiters when they bring you a water to catch an Italian bottle or hot tea and lunch on a tray passenger ship, that saying “Koyi baat nahin, Sir!” (No sailed around Afri- problem, Sir!) when you ask for ca to the Mediterra- some changes to the menu. When the New Delhi Railway has undergone a major chnage with the addition of a Metro nean and docked in salesman draped in chains and locks line connection. Future plans are to have a modern terminal building take its Venice 31 days later ambles by on the platform to ask if where we caught a you need some security measures to place Photos: Jawahar Malhotra train to Bern, Swit- tie up your luggage, you can feel rewater suction breaking their rubber a 20-day voyage to the Southampton zerland. My father was annoyed at assured that, like the river, the Indian docks outside of London flip-flops. my being tounge-tied as we arrived Railways will never change and go Five years later we came back at midnight, despite having crammed on this way forever. As the train slid through the northern suburbs, the poor people of the through the Suez Canal again on the adjoining slums stood with black Queen Elizabeth I, which made a port umbrellas under dripping lush green call at Gibraltar, Port Said, Aden and banana palms and watched at the then docked in Bombay just in time cStay tuned every Sunday, track crossings, others under a quilt for Diwali which we celebrated with of thatched roofs with a veil of water our host family by driving around to HIREN JOSHI dribbling down. 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My father, carriages) with the driver sitting on papaji, was a career foreign service the wooden arm of the harness, that Sat & Sun 2- 6 PM officer on his second overseas as- brought us home to Old Delhi with all For your business ads our metal trunks and bedrolls. signment. Cell: 832-878-4338 | Tel: 281-265-3498 A few months later, my mother and The rain followed us even as we boarded a P&O passenger liner, the I took the train through the Punjab, 713-545-4749 S.S. Corfu, and sailed off to see the tip through Amritsar and the border to Fax: 281-265-3498 | 713-932-8037 of Colaba disappear in the grey skies. Lahore and then onwards to Karachi. shobajoshi999@gmail.com We sailed through the Suez Canal on The train ride brought out a paranoia
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
Sachin Tendulkar Celebrates 38th Birthday
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Let’s take some laps down memory lane
Sachin snapped showing a book on his life titled ‘Tendulkar’ on his 35th birthday celebration in Chennai on April 24, 2008.
Here’s wishing Sachin Tendulkar all the luck and a long life as the iconic cricketer celebrates his 38th birthday
Sachin Tendulkar seen with Don Bradman. Tendulkar was the only player of his generation to be included in Bradman’s Eleven.
Sachin Tendulkar with Kapil Dev (L) and Md. Azharuddin. Another one from old times!
President Pratibha Patil presenting Padma Vibhushan award to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Vijay Verma)
Sachin poses with the trophy after winning the Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai
Coach Ramakant Achrekar seen teaching some cricketing techniques to Sachin back then!
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movie review
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Dum Maaro Dum
A slickly crafted crime thriller: stylishly shot, crisply edited. But it gets exhausting midway... By Namrata Joshi (Outlook ) In Dum Maaro Dum, writer Shridhar Raghavan does a ‘Keyser Soze’ on us. Taking a leaf out of The Usual Suspects, he takes us on the chase of a Soze-like villain called Michael Barbossa and shoves in a proverbial twist in the tale. Does Barbossa exist for real or only in our imagination? The backdrop is real—a ‘jannat’ called Goa hit by the drugs trade. It’s an organised corporate setup with its recruitments, sales and exports divisions. The state is divided into pockets of peddlers from Russia, Nigeria, Israel, France and the one lording over this ‘drugs ka Disneyland’ is a shadowy Barbossa who keeps changing his identity, Vincent Vega once, Colin Coutino another time. ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek) is out to nab Barbossa, whose innocent victims are a young Lawrie (Prateik), Jokie (Rana) and his girlfriend Zoe (Bipasha). Director Rohan Sippy fashions a slickly crafted crime thriller: it’s
stylishly shot and crisply edited. Smart lines a r e
thrown in, for each and every character. There is also enough emotional quotient—family talk, friendships and heart-breaking deaths. However, even the high emotions are articulated in a terse, offhand manner, making the film self-conscious and indulgent. Moreover, the narrative gets exhausting midway, making one wish for an early resolution. The climax does aim at being tantalising, but is execut-
Annam
ed in slapdash manner. Abhishek gets an author-backed role here, stitched to his personality, be it that careless swagger, the sensitive teary-eyes, the deadpan attitude, those wolfwhistle lines or that rocking rap song, Thayn Thayn. But dig deeper and you wonder if his persona is any different from the Neil Menon he played a few weeks ago in Game? Not really. Also, can he stop being his father’s son? The referencing to Khaike paan banaraswala, however cool, is so lame. Rana is all meat but his acting chops are not convincing enough. Prateik is effortless. Be it a boy in love or getting bashfully initiated into sex and drugs, he brings in a vulnerability and fluidity all his own. However, for me the find of this film is Gulshan Devaiah in the throwaway role of drug peddler Ricky. Very brief, but arresting!
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horoscope
Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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WEEKLY HOROSCOPE www.GaneshaSpeaks.com
THE GRAND WINE & FOOD AFFAIR
APRIL 27 - MAY 1, 2011
desired targets. You will be the star performer in your office. Your multitasking skills will be appreciated by your colleagues and boss as well. However, while your professional life will keep you busy, your personal life may go for a toss. You are the best at balancing life, keep spare time for your beloved. You are happy when your family is happy, so, give them their due attention. SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: With Stellium of Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter in Aries, a string of events are lined up for the week, you are going to be busy as a bee. Maintaining a balance will be a herculean task. You may be very irritable and will lose your temper in office and at home. Avoid getting annoyed. For business, you may have to contact many people. While this heavy transit of four planets operates, your personal front is demanding. Your family and your life partner may feel you are running away from your responsibilities, this may lead to altercations. Your financial graph is likely to plunge. Take it easy, the difficult times will pass. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: Performance matters in every field, be it sports or arts. Start focussing on your performance on all quarters of your life. Work assigned to you at workplace or demands on the business front will keep you on your toe. Around midweek, it is one of the busiest time of the year for you! People will look up to you for guidance, assistance, and advice. You need to help yourself as well by resting and indulging in recreation activities. There are too many targets to achieve, and this may, disorient you. Take some time, contemplate, and orient yourself. CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: The time is a little challenging for you if you are in business. Dissatisfaction may lead to frustration. Although you will strive to be more organized and systematic, you may end up disorganized. Your expectations from others will be high, and you will feel frustrated. If you are doing a job, your attention may shift from work to loved ones. Your near and dear ones will long for your attention but your work will hardly give you any free time. Financially, the time is quite favorable. Lessen your expectations, stay happy. AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: Haven’t you packed your bags yet? The week indicates a high probability of travel. You are brimming with new ideas; try implementing one of them in one of your projects. The project may turn out to be a path-breaking one. This is a good time for you if you are into sales and marketing. In business, you can afford to take risks, as they may fetch you good gains. At the home front, all is well. Don’t start a new project. PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: Wipe off your tears, and stop thinking that no one loves you or cares for you. You will feel highly emotional when it comes to your loved ones or even money matters. Smile, as Cupid, with his bow and arrow, is ready to strike. If you are single, and contemplating a wedding, and if a family member suggests a good match for you, go ahead. It’s the ideal time for beginning relationships on the personal front. You might be tempted to switch your job. Business may be more than satisfactory, provided you don’t let your clients enjoy long-term credits. Follow up for the payments. www.indoamerican-news.com
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IA News © 2011
ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: You will have a pretty romantic week ahead. It all depends on how you handle your relationship. Avoid arguments with your companion. It is the time when you will wish to pamper yourself and buy new clothes. To add to your happiness, some fiscal gains are possible towards the end of the week; ensure that you don’t end up spending beyond limit. This is a highly active week. This is an ideal time to begin work on new projects. TAURUS Apr 21 - It is a rather arduous week for the Bull. The expenses may go sky high and the income may not seem sufficient. In business, you are advised against taking any risks as the stars are not in your favor. If you are in a partnership in business, you will need to be extra careful. If you are not, the partnership may dissolve. The service class need to do their work with sincerity and attention, as the chances of blunders may lead to major problems. Your love life may run smoothly. GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: Smile Twins, there is a financial windfall for you this week! Everything seems to be in perfect sync on the professional front. It is the best time to explore new job opportunities, new business options or freelance projects. On the flip side, your personal front doesn’t look very bright. Differences and clashes with near and dear ones are likely. You will be worried about the future of your kids. Your friends may act as supporting pillars in times of trouble. You will wish to join new social or professional networks. CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: If you are a Crab and a businessman, you are in for some excellent times. You will mint money, effortlessly. Best time to go ahead with negotiations. This is an ideal time to make your business international! If you are an employee, the times are unfavorable. You will be loaded with work, and the pressure will not let you enjoy it. You will focus on targets and burn the midnight oil. With Saturn’s retrogression in Libra, you are likely to remain disturbed on the personal front. Parents’ health may be a cause of concern. LEO July 24 - Aug 23: This is the time to strengthen long distance relationships. You start communicating with people living abroad. It is that exceptional period when you will definitely not incur any losses in case you take risks for business. If you are in a job, you will need to work very hard. Colleagues may not be very cooperative, and your relation with superiors too may not be good. This may keep you disturbed both mentally and emotionally. Personal relationships will require your attention. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Mercury, the Lord of your sign is transiting through the 8th sign from yours. This transition is not good for your health. A typical Virgin, you are very punctual in your routine, be it sleeping on time or eating on time, but despite that, you may face health issues. This is not the right time to apply for new jobs. You may be expecting some fiscal gain but luck may elude you, things may get delayed. Keep an eye on your bank account, spend money responsibly. LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: You will slow down in your business this week. On the job front, this is a leisure time. If you are in sales or marketing, you will be on your toes to achieve
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Indo American News • Friday, April 29, 2011
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Indo American News • Friday, APRIL 29 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com