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Friday, September 14 2012 | Vol. 31, No. 37

Indo American erican News

Deepak Chopra At Akshaya Patra Fundraiser

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September 14, 2012

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Deepak Chopra at Akshaya Patra: “Provide Hope for School Children”

BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: Dr. Deepak Chopra won’t tell you to take two aspirins and call him in the morning.

Instead he’ll tell you to practice meditation, reflection, yoga, seek happiness through creative fulfillment and that’s exactly the message that was delivered in his calm, incisive way at the Akshaya Patra fundraising dinner held at the Westin Galleria on Sunday, September 9.

The event was attended by a host of personalities like Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and his wife Gwen; Madhu Sridhar, President and CEO of Akshaya Patra USA; Dr. Desh Deshpande, Chairman of the Board of AP USA; District Judge Sandill as well as prominent members of the Indo American community.

Chopra put it beautifully when he said, “Akshaya Patra is a perfect example of what happens when creativity and compassion come together.” Bringing technical expertise to the table with a sense of compassion has enabled Akshaya Patra to become the largest nonprofit organization to provide a wholesome midday meal daily to 1.4 million school children in India in a cost effective manner.

Often their only meal of the day, this acts as an incentive for economically backward children to continue coming to school, which is a simple solution to promote education and eradicate poverty.

Dr. Deshpande explained how Akshaya Patra works. The foundation currently needs $30 million a year for its midday meal program.

Of this, $18 million comes from the Government of India, $2.4 million is donated by Indo Americans and the rest is raised in India by generous corporate partners.

“Do the math – it costs only $30 to feed one child for an entire year!” he added.

The food is prepared hygienically in centralized, state-of-

Deepak Chopra (left), Madhu Sridhar, President and CEO of Akshaya Patra USA and Dr. Desh Deshpande, Chairman of the Board of AP U SA. Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

the-art kitchens and delivered to schools in custom designed trucks by noon. The empty containers are taken back to the kitchens to be cleaned and readied for the next day. This program covers 9,000 schools in 10 states of India and all this is done by incorporating environmentally friendly practices.

The beauty of the program, according to Deshpande, is that it provides local cuisine using local produce and local support. What this means is that a child in South India would get rice, sambhar and yogurt which is their staple food whereas a child in North India would get roti, dal, and a vegetable curry. Deshpande urged the audience to skip the Taj Mahal on their next visit to India and visit an Akshaya Patra kitchen instead.

The results of Akshaya Patra’s efforts are heartwarming. Enrollments, attendance and performance levels in schools have shot up. Three weeks ago, Akshaya Patra served it billionth meal. Their next goal is to feed 5 milllion children by 2020.

Deshpande’s address was followed by an appeal by Ashok Rao, the emcee for the evening, to the

audience to donate and “donate until it hurts.” With his tongue in cheek humor, Rao cajoled and coaxed everyone to open their checkbook, wallet and heart. It wasn’t long before the contributions started pouring in with Deshpande promising $116,000 and the Steering Committee of Akshaya Patra, Houston matching it. Chopra donated $70,000 while Arpita and Amit Bhandari, Nimmi and Mukesh Turakhia as the main sponsors donated $50,000 each.

The other chief sponsors – Peggy and Avinash Ahuja; Nidhika and Pershant Mehta; Leena and Ash Shah and Anuradha and Mani Subramanian – also made large contributions. The tally steadily went up with almost everyone present contributing anything from $100 and above.

Those who weren’t whipping out their checkbook were warned

by Rao that their food would taste like dust. His style must have worked as a cool $600,000 plus was collected during the entire evening.

The fundraising and a delicious dinner catered by Madras Pavilion was followed by the highlight

of the evening, a talk by Chopra, who Time magazine has described as “the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.” An endocrinologist by profession, Chopra is better known for his path breaking work in the field of mind body medicine and human wellbeing. He believes that brain chemicals such as serotonin – the feel-good hormone - and emotional states of the mind have a huge impact on our brain chemistry, immune system and our overall state of health and wellbeing.

In other words, a happy positive mind is the key to a healthy body.

So how does one go about being happy? At His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s urging, Chopra along with a group of scientists and physicists got together to study the concept of happiness. In two years they returned with their findings and a happiness formula. Studies clearly showed that happiness is the goal of all goals and happy people are more successful, have better relationships and better health.

The formula for Happiness is H = S (Set point in the brain) + C (Conditions of living) + V (voluntary activities). Chopra further explained that Set point determines almost 50% of our daily happiness. The brain recognizes a situation, finds an opportunity and rises to the challenge of solving it and

Indo American News

this brings happiness. Conditions of living make up 10% of our total happiness and are related to one’s circumstances. The third part of the formula is about the voluntary choices we make in our lives. It could be as simple as shopping which brings us temporary happiness whereas finding meaning and fulfillment in your life brings about a more permanent happiness.

Chopra also asked us to understand the human body as a body of consciousness and said that humans are endowed with divine attributes like love, happiness, insight, compassion and it is with these attributes of the soul that the process of healing begins. Healing is the return of the memory of who we are and if we do not heal ourselves by our divine attributes, we face extinction.

At the end of Chopra’s talk, there was a brief question and answer session. In response to a question about life, Chopra said that life is progressive realization of worthy goals, the ability to find the creative source within and to eventually merge with the Divine.

For more information about akshay Patra, visit www.akshayapatra.org.

For more information about Deepak Chopra, visit www.deepakchopra.com

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COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

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Sewa Reemphasizes Service Goals with Dazzling Dance Drama

BY HAIDER KAZIM HOUSTON: A houseful audience watched in rapt attention, interrupted by frequent applause, the mesmerizing dance drama Shri Krishna Vyjayanti by Prabhat Kala artists on Saturday, September 8 at Old Stafford Civic Center.

Most Indians know by heart the legends surrounding Lord Krishna. The pages from these legends came alive by songs, music, dance, drama and philosophy in the famous Harikatha story-telling style. With its exquisite choreography, powerful songs and music and a dazzling display by Prabhat Kala performers and local artists, the show would be remembered for a long time in Houston by those who saw it and those who missed it.

The show was brought in Houston by Sewa International as part of its fund-raising efforts. The charitable organization, founded in 2003, focuses on disaster relief, assistance to refugees, health and education and will soon add family welfare to its impressive list of activities. The show has already been staged in several US cities with roaring success and rave reviews.

Sewa International is part of a larger movement that started in India in 1989 and is operating in 17 countries with a total of 165,000 individual projects. The organization served the needy irrespective of race, color, religion and gender. Its guiding motto is ‘Service to Humanity is Service to God (Nar Sewa Narayana Sewa)’.

Prabhat Kala, a group of talented and wellknown artists, dancers, singers, choreographers and technicians, was founded in 1930 and has given over 100,000 performances all over the world since its inception. The music for Shri Krishna Vyjayanti was composed by Padmashree Pandit Vijaya Raghava Rao and the choreography was done by renowned guru Lakshminarayana Udipi.

The Prabhat Kala team included well-known artists Narayana Raju, Betarayaswamy, Deepashree Harish, Mariyappa and others.

The local artists included Girish Naik, Sanjay Shah, Sameer Wadwalkar, Arjun Luthra, Umesh Parwal, Soham Dhar, Vatsala Mundra, Nishika Jaiswal, Sarika Adi and Tanaya Kumar.

The dance drama is a tribute to Lord Krishna, his exploits and teachings. It begins with his birth and early life in the home

The mesmerizing dance drama Shri Krishna Vyjayanti was brought in Houston by Sewa International as part of its fund-raising efforts Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

of his adoptive mother Yashoda among cowherds and Gopikas in Vrindavan. It progresses through the destruction of assassin Puthani, serpent demon Kaalinga and finally his evil uncle Kamsa who had imprisoned his parents at the time of his birth. The ballet climaxes into the famous dialogue on the battlefield of Mahabharata as captured in the Bhagvad Gita.

The show impressed Indians and nonIndians alike. Troy Nehls, Precinct 4 Constable, running for Fort Bend County Sheriff, and his brother Trever Nehls, Precinct 4 Constable elect, were impressed by the performance and were amazed how the artists remembered the dance steps so well. They were also surprised to see so many philanthropists in the Indian-American community.

Manju Gupta, President of Sewa International Executive Committee, said the performance by Prabhat Kala was outstanding.

“They mesmerized the audience. It was a combination of devotion and entertainment.

People were moved by Sewa’s goals and projects, which is in line with Lord Krishna’s teaching in Gita,” she said.

She said the donations totaled $125,000.

“This will help support and realize Sewa’s goal of “family service” education to the needy.

Sarojini Gupta, member of the Advisory Committee, said she “was thrilled to see the roaring success of the Sewa International program.

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She thanked the members of advisory committee, executive committee and several volunteers who put the program together.

Radio personality Meena Datt, who appealed for donations to the Sewa cause during the intermission, said: “Sewa, as I see it, is an admirable cause, a sincere effort, and a compassionate team. Their mission is to help humanity in distress, regardless of race, color, religion or nationality. What could be more noble than that ?Who would resist getting involved?”

Sanjeev Jaswant, who saw the show with

his family was highly impressed by the “awesome” program. He said his sevenyear-old daughter Soha loved the show.

“She was so inspired by it that she wanted to learn more about it. We introduced her to ‘Mahabharata’ on YouTube and she watched 3 episodes on her own in the last 2 days and wants to watch the complete series.”

Girish Naik, who was one of the local artists, said: “It was great working with a group of artist that represents a company third generation youth. For us this was a unique idea as we had only one face to face practice on the day of the play. It was really a great compliment to us when people came to meet us and thought we were part of the participants from India. The makeup was so amazing that even friends were not able to recognize us. The dances and the projection of the different screens really brought liveliness in the play TV artist Harish, a lead performer in Lord Krishna’s role, said: “We performed thousands of similar shows back in India, but it is a great honor and we feel very proud to perform abroad in front of our own people.

Sewa volunteers have done a great job in putting together the event and I am really impressed with the local artists who filled the roles in very short notice. I am very happy that the show was very successful.”

For more information about Sewa International, visit www.sewausa.org

The dance drama artists with local artists; Manju Gupta, Girish Naik, Umesh Parwal , Sanjay Shah, Sameer Wadwalkar, Sripal Soni , Arjun Luthra , Kriti Dogra, Soham Dhar, Sarika Adi, Vatsala Mundra, Tanya Kumar, Nishika Jaiswal. Many of the local artists performed for the first time. Photo: Vijay Pallod

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COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

Helping Others through Persuasiveness and the Magic of Friendship

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: As Dimple Ahluwalia spoke from the podium she choked a bit and held back a tear as she recalled the day eleven years ago when she learnt that her ailments were caused by an autoimmune disease called Lupus. “I had never even heard of it,” she remembered when she was told of the reason behind the inflammation, swelling and joint pains, “but they told me there was a new experimental treatment that would cost $80,000.”

Daunted by the terrible news and also the formidable expense, Ahluwalia’s friends told her not to despair and immediately started fundraisers. Within weeks, they had raised the money and that was the kernel that launched Friends Helping Friends, a non-profit organization now in its 11th year, with a group of twelve passionate, dedicated women (with the exception of Michael Lobo, the treasurer) Directors on its Board.

And this past Sunday evening, September 9, FHF celebrated its annual fundraiser gala at Maggiano’s Italian restaurant on Post Oak Boulevard as they have done for the past four years, with 250 of its supporters and donors on hand for a night of appreciation, dinner and entertainment by the remarkable magician Curt Miller. A silent auction in the smaller room across from the second floor banquet hall allowed people to bid on 18 items, from jewelry to wines to dresses and paintings. A number of expected guests and media didn’t show up as they decided to go to the Akshaya Patra fundraiser instead, a short distance away at the Westin Galleria hotel.

Ahluwalia, this year’s President of FHF

Keynote speaker, Stephen K. Jones, CEO of Clear Lake Regional Medical Center spoke about the upcoming changes to the healthcare system due to the provisions of the recently approved Affordable Care Act. Photos: Jawahar Malhotra Friends Helping Friends Board at its annual fundraiser gala held on September 9 at Maggiano’s Italian restaurant on Post Oak Blvd.

Photo: Bobbie Baggett

made way for Past President Toni Bassone who introduced Vice-President Dr. Neeta Bhutani to welcome the keynote speaker Stephen K. Jones, the CEO of Clear Lake Regional Medical Center which is central to where FHF began and where most of its support comes from. Bhutani added that Ahluwalia’s condition continues to require dialysis three evenings a week.

Jones spoke about the upcoming changes to the healthcare system due to the provisions of the recently approved Affordable Care Act, which will come into full force in 2014 should it not be challenged further.

Jones noted that Texas had the fourth highest number of uninsured, highest Medicaid Magician, Curt Miller (left) performs at the Magic Island in Galveston and has appeared on the Disney Channel, among other venues nationally.

enrollment and fourth highest number of people on Medicare in the nation.

“While folks are struggling to get insurance and how to pay for it,” Jones remarked, “the Texas legislature is struggling with the issue too.” Gov. Rick Perry has stated his opposition to accepting the $100 billion in Federal funding that would help offset Medicaid costs over 5 years, even though there has been a 20% increase in the population and an 80% increase in enrollment.

This has led CLRMC to write off 80% of the money for those who have no income to pay their bills. Jones considered the current expenditure on healthcare at 18% of GDP an untenable situation and expects it to get worse as 47 million Americans on Medicare grow to 76 million in 15 years.

Inspite of this and remarkably, CLRMC has been the go-to facility for many of the severe medical cases that reach FHF and they presented two cases: Angelina Sey-

mour who needed $21,000 of chemotherapy that she could not afford and Cindy Swedlund, who was unable to work due to severe anemia, although both women could not attend the function.

Bhutani and Panna Bhatia, another Board member, described how FHF was able to help these people despite only having an operational budget of $25,000. It all boils down to the magic of compassion, networking and the art of persuasiveness that allows FHF to reach many of the providers and convince them to provide services pro-bono or at heavily reduced fees. Each Board member reaches out to the people they know, with 75% of the physicians in this informal “network” being Indian, and they are able to plead their cause well. Most of those who reach out to FHF come from outside the 610-East loop in the South Houston-Clear Lake-Galveston Bay area.

Every year FHF helps on an average 40 people with medical needs, 100 women with free mammograms and 10 families with funeral assistance. “We could help a lot more,” exclaimed Bhatia, “if we had more funds. As it is, our overhead expenses are zero. Right now we have to refuse a lot of people.” This year’s fundraiser netted about $50,000 for the organization.

Appropriately, this year the group chose an entertainer who personified the magic that FHF performs – a magician! Curt Miller performs at the Magic Island in Galveston and has appeared on the Disney Channel, among other venues nationally. He mesmerized the audience not only with the sleight of his hands but also his wit and humor that often had everyone not only in awe – as when he cracked open what we believed was a hollow wooden egg to reveal the yolk or guessing and revealing the correct card from an imaginary deck – but in stitches, with one liners like “What’s your name sir?” “Azad.”

“Good memory.” or taking the watch off an unsuspecting man’s wrist.

Cornyn Statement on US Consulate Attack in Libya

WASHINGTON: U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on September 12.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of Ambassador Stevens and fellow Americans who lost their lives in Libya. I am outraged by this terrorist attack against our country and committed to bringing these terrorists to justice.

Yesterday’s attack is a reminder that violent extremism is alive and well in the Middle East and that we must continue to eliminate those who seek to do the U.S. harm.”

The US ambassador to Libya is among four Americans killed in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

Senator Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

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COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

Fundraiser and Pep Rally Organized for Vy Nguyen’s State Rep Run from Ft. Bend

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Vy Nguyen (in blue) with Steven Brown (on left), Rafael Anchia (on right), Fredericka Allen Petry, Candidate for Judge 387th District Court (second from right) and Richard Morrison (extreme right). Photo: Jawahar Malhotra

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA SUGAR LAND: Friends and supporters of Vy Nguyen got together at BLU restaurant and lounge in Town Center to hear from area Democratic leaders and help raise funds for her race for State Representative from District 26. The seat has been held by Republican Charlie Howard since 1995, who is retiring. Her opponent is candidate Rick Miller who recently served as the Fort Bend County Republican Chairman. Nguyen, 34, owns her own law firm and is a professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and this is her first run for public office.

Supporters included Steven Brown, the Fort Bend County Democrats Chairman; Richard Morrison, Commissioner, Fort Bend County Precinct 1 and Rafael Anchia, State Rep from District 103 near Dallas who had just flown in from the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, NC and a number of Asian supporters. Anchia stressed that in Fort Bend County at least, the American Dream was really fashioned by the hard work and values of immigrants, who constituted over 30% of the county’s population. Nguyen has been coalescing these groups with her message that she hopes will resonate equally well with the mainstream community too.

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September 14, 2012

Mittal Shows Creative Flair at Exhibit of Devotional Paintings

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Anju Mittal’s artwork exhibit was held on September 8 at the Radha Krishna Temple auditorium.

Photos: Jawahar Malhotra

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: One of the newest paintings in Anju Mittal’s collection is that of the head of a smiling Shiva, looking away and encompassed by swirling winds, all set in shades of blue and white. It is a departure from her normal composed art in the Tanjore style that she exhibited last December (see IAN, December 23, 2011; http://www. indoamerican-news.com/?p=5002) but it shows her free flowing inspiration as she experiments with other styles.

Not to say that she has moved away from the style that is her hallmark – the use of gold, silver and semi-precious stones in a multi-phase process to create beautiful masterpieces of devotional, religious paintings – many of which were on display too.

There were many examples of both types of her artwork at her latest exhibit this past Saturday afternoon, September 8 at the auditorium of the Radha Krishna Temple on Beechnut near South Kirkwood on the Southwest side. A constant trickle of people visited the exhibit which featured nearly 30 of the painter’s choicest works. Her main supporters, Rajiv Bhavsar and his wife Bela who are close friends, helped to organize the exhibit, as they have with the previous two

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Mittal walked the visitors through the two line-ups of paintings, explaining the process and concepts. On display was another example of her whimsicalness – a painting she calls “Omar Khayyam” of a reclining Persian couple under a tree and an open book of poetry (presumably the 11th century Persian poet Khayyam’s Rubaiyat), done in the same Tanjore style.

True to her devotion to Lord Krishna, as people left her exhibit, Mittal made sure they took a small token of her appreciation: a simply decorated bansuri (flute) from among a pile in a wicker basket and a plasticized bookmark featuring two of her paintings.

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COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

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Hindus in the US MilitaryLauded at Hindu American Foundation Gala

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA SUGAR LAND: As the South Asian population has grown rapidly in the United States over the past three decades, so has the proportion of its representation in the military and para-military forces, a branch of the government in which they were virtually nonexistent in before the 1980s.

Although exact numbers are hard to find, these days it is not unusual to come across a South Asian enlisted in the military, as cadets at West Point or as frontline soldiers in conflict areas like Afghanistan and Iraq. One such soldier who is in the National Reserves, Mayur Sharma, is the son of long-time Houstonians Bal and Kamana Sharma and has already served a tour of duty in Iraq. Others serve in the military in administrative jobs, like Lt. Col. Om Sandill, father of local District Court Judge Ravi Sandill, who retired after 28 years in the Air Force as a Hospital Administrator.

So, when Capt. Rajiv Srinivasan, 26, strode up to the podium at the meeting room of Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land this past Friday, September 7 it was not unusual to meet another South Asian military man; but what was unexpected was the fervor with

Capt. Rajiv Srinivasan was in town to attend the annual Houston area fundraiser for the Hindu American Foundation.

which he spoke about his Hindu faith and the turning points in his tour of duty in Afghanistan that he contributed to his firm belief in Hinduism.

Srinivasan was in town to showcase the annual Houston area fundraiser for the Hindu American Foundation, a Hindu advocacy and lobbying group based in Washington, DC. In 2011, Srinivasan won the first essay contest sponsored by the HAF about what it meant to be Hindu, and ever since, he has gone to many cities

Rishi Bhutada is co-founder of HAF in the Houston area.

across the US to help the HAF with their fundraising activities.

“HAF helps people like me who never embraced their faith as a young person,” said Srinivasan.

“HAF gives us the tools to find our Hindu faith again.” HAF was able to raise over 65,000$ during the event.

Srinivasan, who is from Roanoke, Virginia and spoke about how tough it was as a child growing up as a vegetarian and a Hindu while trying to mix in with other American kids. He joined the US Military Academy in West Point right after high school more so to

show his friends and community that he was one of them. “I put my Hindu-American and later my Indian-American identify in the closet,” said Srinivasan. “Many thought I would come back as “Roger” and forget my heritage.”

But Srinivasan found the military life ethically challenging to his beliefs, which he had suppressed. He found that he could not really answer questions about his religion. So he turned to the Bhagvad Gita and the sermon that Krishna gives Arjun on the battlefield resonated with him.

Krishna’s admonishment to stand up and fight for what is right gave Srinivasan a realization. “All of a sudden, my views about the pacifist nature of Hinduism went out of the window,” he told the audience of about 150 people, “and I understood that you have to fight for what you believe in.”

While in Afghanistan, Srinivasan attributes the reconnection with his faith for saving the lives of four Afghanis digging near a compound on a Friday night. At first he commanded his platoon to zero in on the men thinking they were burying a bomb; only to retract that command when his instinct told him they might be burying their dead. He credited

that instinct for saving the lives of those four men.

The rest of the evening belonged to two HAF fulltime staffers, Sheetal Shah, based in New York and Samir Kalra, based in the Bay Area in California who showed a new HAF promotional video that outlined the progress that the group has made since its inception in 2003 in defending Hinduism in the US and global issues concerning Hindus. Among those present was a co-founder of HAF, Rishi Bhutada, who is also CFO of Star Pipe Products in Houston.

Shah and Kalra are two of among five fulltime staff members of HAF, which aims to speak for 2.5 million Hindus in the US on a budget of $550,000, and also supports internship programs, education initiatives, lobbying efforts and fighting cases that violate the Hindu faith and culture. Of the 2,000 religious advocacy groups in the US, HAF is the only one that deals with the needs of Hindus.

They both explained why HAF is needed to control the narrative that flows about Hinduism; explain the faith to those in power; expand advocacy to people on Capitol Hill and speak out for grandchildren and great grandchildren in defense of their heritage.

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Festival to Screen Ten New Films and Celebrate 100 Years of Indian Cinema

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: With a roped off red carpet entrance and doorman, the Indian Film Festival of Houston kicked off their fourth season at the Marque Houston across from the Sorella Hotel in CityCentre on the Westside. Inside the black and red décor, video screens on all walls and pumping music created the mood to reveal the plans for this year’s festival. Most of the IFFH’s Board of Directors were on hand for the occasion as well as the media and many supporters and professionals in Houston’s movie production business.

The person who first imagined such a festival four years ago, Festival Director Sutapa Ghosh and her husband were delighted by the turnout of about 60 people who are die-hard supporters of her efforts as well as enthusiastic film lovers and Indophiles, such as socialite Carolyn Farb, businessman Robert Sakowitz, Houston Film Commission Executive Director Rick Fergusson and Indian Entertainment Promoter Moid Khan.

Ghosh said that this year’s festival had over 80 entries, almost double those of the past year, which had to be whittled down to ten films that will be screened from October 3 through 7 at the Studio Movie Grill in CityCentre.

“This year we will also celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema,” Ghosh added and showed a short two-minute clip from an anthology of Indian film beginning with the Lumiere Brothers who devised the first motion-picture camera.

The movies lineup for this year’s festival are: Gattu directed by Rajan Khosa; Shanghai directed by Dibakar Banerjee; Sarsa directed

by Jatinder Mauhar, An Unknown Guest directed by Durba Sahay; Saving Face directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Decoding Deepak directed by Gotham Chopra; Pad Yatra A Green Odyssey - directed

Atul Badwal (left), Jose Grinan, Sutapa Ghosh, Carolyn Farb and Moid Khan

by Wendy J.N. Lee; White Knight directed by Aarti Shrivastava; Mumbai directed by Shadaab Mirza and Jameela directed by Arun Kishore.

All movie screenings at Stu-

dio Movie Grill, CityCentre, 822 Town & Country Blvd. Houston TX 77024.

For further information, visit www.iffhinc.org

Atul Badwal (left), Sutapa Ghosh, Renu Khator and Suresh Khator

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COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

Non-partican Seven-Language Campaign to Educate South Asian Voters Launched

WASHINGTON (TOI) : A coalition of South Asian community organisations has launched a national, non-partisan campaign called South Asian Vote in seven South Asian languages to engage the community in the Nov 6 US elections.

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) said it is doing this through several strategies including distribution of voter education materials in Bengali, Gujurati, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil and Urdu.

The material covers Know Your Rights, How to Get Involved, and the Election Process; voter outreach and voter registration by civic leaders throughout the country; and election monitoring and protection for language access. “Are You Ready To Vote?� is a checklist for US citizens, who will be at least 18 years old by election day, and have met their state’s residency requirements for voting to make sure they are ready to exercise their fundamental right to vote. “A Guide to the Presidential Elections� shows how an individual’s vote counts, it says. “By deciding who should represent you and your community in local, state and federal government, your vote can help shape the policies and laws that affect the

daily lives of all Americans,� the guide tells the community. “Unfortunately, in past elections, many South Asians have faced challenges at the polls due to voter intimidation and suppression and have encountered difficulties in casting their ballot due to language barriers,� SAALT said.

Noting that “As a result, many have felt discouraged from participating in the electoral process,� it said a guide titled “Know Your Rights on Election Day� answers frequently asked questions about protecting one’s right to vote on election day and where to turn if they feel their rights are violated. “As we approach the 2012 Elections, it is important for everyone, citizen or not, to become involved in the civic and political process in the US,� SAALT said suggesting ten ways members of the community can make a difference in the 2012 elections.

11

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Thank you so very much for an excellent coverage of Eid Milan function in Indo American News. Only a great newspaperman like you would have cared to ďŹ nd out the full name of Adam, or mentioned the names of Nisar and Mirza saheb, and mentioned the presence of Honorary CG of Sri Lanka, Dr. Bandula Wijay. My hats off to you for catching these inadvertent mistakes we made. Thanks a lot.

There was one misstatement. We did not give a donation of $30,000 to IWISH. We wished we could have because of all the great work that they do. But as a relatively new organisation (formed on April 8, 2012) we just do not have the ďŹ nancial resources. We acknowledged them and we gave them a plaque. With Sincere Thanks for all that you do for the Community - Latafath Hussain, IMAGH President

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

12 September 14, 2012

Shri Sita Ram Foundation Presents “Ram Leela 2012” at Wortham Center

HOUSTON: Shri Sita Ram Foundation produced and introduced the first major production play of Ram Leela in the Cullen Auditorium at Univ. of Houston in 2010 and then again in 2011 with 100% attendance two years in a row. The aim of this play has been to maintain and reinforce our rich culture, values, and teachings from the Ramayan in adults and especially our children born and raised in the United States. The Foundation’s guiding principles are the teachings and moral values as described in the holy scripture of Ramayan.

Shri Sita Ram Foundation, is a 501 (C) (3) non profit organization

, engaged in several philanthropic activities directly & indirectly.

The Foundation assists religious and educational institutions in promoting Sanatan Dharma. Financial assistance is also given to students to complete their full education and for housing persons’ in need.

With the success of the last two years, this year, the Foundation has embarked to increase awareness in not only the Indian community, but also the general Houston population and to have the play at the prestigious Wortham Theater in Downtown Houston.

The Wortham Theater is the finest Theater in Houston and is the destination of many of the finest bal-

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lets and musicals such as the infamous Madame Butterfly and Romeo and Juliet. For more information about Wortham Center, visit www.houstonfirsttheaters. com/worthamcenter.aspx With former director not available to direct this play for 2012 , the Foundation used this opportunity to recruit the uttermost talented individuals to be the actors in this remarkable play. The actors, directors and choreographers of this play are renowned artists such as Dr. Rathna Kumar who is an internationally known dancer and choreographer and Head of the Anjali Center of Performing Arts in Houston. She is also the award winner of the prestigious Natya Kala Akademy award , apart from numerous other accolades.

ticipate in the play.

Divya has been in 50 South Indian films.

This Ram Leela will be the most spectacular event Houston has seen and will represent the Indian community on a large scale event with special effects. You will not want to miss this incredible opportunity to reconnect with you roots and have your children witness the essence of our culture through drama, dance and music.

The play is on October 28 from 5-8 pm.

The tickets to the play are available on line at www.ShriSitaRam. org or at several locations on Hillcroft and in Sugar Land like Maharani Music, Patel Brothers, Keemat Grocers.

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For Franchise inquiries email to info@santhigramusa.com 11000 Richmond Ave, Ste 300, Houston, TX 77042 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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14 September 14, 2012

COMMUNITY

Community Members Discuss Alleged Racial Discrimination

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BY HAIDER KAZIM HOUSTON: A number of Indian-American community members gathered at Madras Pavilion on Tuesday, September 11 to discuss the case of alleged racial discrimination against three Indian cardiologists by the Citizen Medical Center in Victoria, TX. The meeting was sponsored by the Houston Chapter of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-Houston), the Indo-American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) and the Indian Culture Center (ICC).

The meeting was briefed by GOPIO-Houston President Mahesh Shah who made a PowerPoint presentation explaining the case and the alleged racially motivated jokes and emails against Indians and the Hindu religion.

IAPAC President Sanjay Rao and Past President Gitesh Desai spoke about the efforts of IAPAC in contacting elected officials in Victoria and informing them about the alleged racial discrimination of the case in which privileges of three qualified and well-known cardiologists of Indian origin

were withdrawn by CMC. The doctors are Dakshesh Parikh, MD, Harish Chandra, MD, and Ajay Gaalla, MD. Dr. Devinder Bhatia, a cardiothoracic surgeon, told the community members about his meeting with CMC Administrator David Brown in which he allegedly told Dr. Bhatia that “these Indian guys are not trustworthy, and I don’t want them on staff here at hospital.” Brown did not know at that time that Dr. Bhatia was also of Indian origin. Dr. Bhatia late applied for privileges at CMC but his application was denied. “My application for privileges reflected that he was of Indian descent. “ Several suggestions were made at the meeting to increase awareness of the case in the community

and seek corrective action. These included: • Voice our concern over alleged racial discrimination; • Inform local, state and federal elected officials and seek their assistance for corrective action; • Sign and submit petitions to local and state officials; and • Be resilient to such adversity and together prevent future discrimination.

Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, suggested that IAPAC should consult organizations like American Civil Liberties Union or Anti-Defamation League to gain from their experiences in fighting cases of alleged racial discrimination.

Kaushik Basu Named World Bank Chief Economist (DC) The World Bank appointed Kaushik Basu as its Chief Economist and Senior Vice President.

Basu (60) will begin his term on October 1, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement. Basu, who replaces Justin Yifu Lin, was Chief Economic Adviser in India’s Finance Ministry till July.

“Having worked in the Ministry of Finance, in addition to his impressive academic achievements, Kaushik is uniquely suited to help us offer evidence-based solutions and advise to client countries and provide innovative excellence in leading our development research,” Kim said.

Photographer / Editor

KTRK-TV, the ABC/Disney owned station located in Houston, TX has an immediate opening for a Full Time Programming Department Photographer/Editor who can do it all. (Shoot, edit, produce) Responsibilities will include working on a variety of innovative station programming projects both long and short form. Qualified candidates must be detail-oriented with the creative knack for compelling storytelling through sound and pictures.

Minimum of 3 years broadcast television experience required. Must have a valid driver’s license and be flexible to working any shift assigned. All interested candidates should send a video sample of your best work to be considered.

Candidates must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file. Please Reference Job ID: 63022BR on all materials submitted.

Send non-returnable DVD or VHS resume tape to the attention of Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet; Houston, TX 77005 and include the job reference ID. No phone calls please.

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Jagdip Ahluwalia (left), Swapan Dhairyawan, Rajiv Bhavsar, Mahesh Shah and Sanjay Rao at the meeting at Madras Pavilion.

“Kaushik brings the first hand experience from a developing country and will be a terrific asset to the institution,” the World Bank statement added. Basu, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, founded the Cen-

Job Posting:

tre for Development Economics at the Delhi School of Economics in 1992. He has also published widely and his contributions to the field span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organisation and public economics. Raghuram Rajan, Chief Economist of IMF, has replaced Basu as India’s Chief Economic Adviser.

India’s Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was also associated with the World Bank. He joined the multilateral institution in 1968 as a Young Professional and then held various positions including Chief of the Income Distribution Division.

SPECIAL PROJECTS PRODUCER

KTRK-TV, the ABC O&O located in Houston, TX is looking for a strong television writer, researcher and field producer. Responsibilities will include working on a variety of news and programming projects, including short and long format TV. Qualified candidates must have at least 5 years television broadcast writing experience and must be creative, self-starters who can generate story ideas on a daily basis and execute all aspects of the television story telling process.

No relocation assistance provided.

For consideration, interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 62983BR on all materials submitted.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

15

COMMUNITY

Anand Veeravagu

Aisha Salon & Spa Inaugurates Its Newest Location in Copperfield

September 14, 2012 Indian Neurosurgeon Appointed as White House Fellow

HOUSTON: This past weekend, on September 9, Aisha’s newest salon opened on 6860 Hwy 6 North #G. Eyebrow threading was offered free of cost only for the grand opening day and a huge turnout of women visited the salon and took advantage of this offer. Other skincare and hair services were offered at 50% off only for the day.

Aisha Khalid cutting the cake along with her sons Rahman, Usman, Ahmad, Daughter in law Saher (right) and husband Khalid Hasib (left).

The Music Masala Radio crew entertained gatherees in their signature Masala Style.

Refreshments and cake were served at the event.

Aisha has numerous locations of her salons in Houston, which are achieving a very high level of customer satisfaction. Aisha also has her own line of skin care and cos-

metics which are exclusively sold and used at all of their locations.

Aisha’s offers premium skincare, haircuts, make-ups, make-overs, threading, waxing, and facial services.

For more information, call 281-859-6000, or visit Aisha’s Salon and Spa at 6860 Hwy 6 N, # G, Houston, TX 77084

PALO ALTO, CA (SI): U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed Indian-American neurosurgeon from California, Anand Veeravagu, as one among the 15 White House Fellows.

Veeravagu, a neurosurgeon in training at Stanford University, most recently served as Chief Neurosurgery Resident at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital caring for soldiers returning from Afghanistan with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.

Focused on advancing minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical techniques for diseases of the central nervous system, in 2006, he developed a novel radiotherapeutic to treat Glioblastoma Multiforme, a malignant brain tumor. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and has written for the Huffington Post.

The White House Fellows Programme was created in 1964 by President Lyndon B Johnson to give promising American leaders ‘first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs’.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

16 September 14, 2012

COMMUNITY

Shreya Ghoshal to Perform in Houston on September 29

BY NIK NIKAM, MD, MHA Best known as a playback singer in Hindi films, Shreya Ghoshal will perform in Houston on September 29 at 8pm at Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston.

Shreya Ghoshal, a consummate ambassador of music representing India, was born on March 12, 1984. When she was two months old, her parents, Biswajit Ghoshal & Sarmitha Ghoshal, moved from West Bengal to a small town along a river-side, called Rawatbhata, near Kota, on the green side of Rajasthan. Since the smalltown was a nucleus of numerous nuclear scientists, the main form of entertainment was music. When Shreya was only four years old, she demonstrated her musical talent on stage, in front of her family, friends, and of course nuclear scientists. Her initial training in Hindustani classical music came from her teacher Maheshchandra Sharma.

Early Dawn of Shreya’s Music Shreya captivated the nation’s audience, mesmerized the music directors, and astonished the judges in the Junior Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest, which she won. Then she went on to triumph the Senior Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest, and imprinted in the stands of time, a new era in the Indian Bollywood music.

People in Her Life Shreya attributes most of her accomplishments to her parents.

They have supported her in her mystical music journey, and gave up their lives’ aspirations to see that Shreya could realize her dreams.

Veteran music director, Kalyanji, convinced her parents and Shreya to move to Bombay and pursue a career in music. At that time, she was only sixteen years old and her parents had to give-up their professions so that Shreya could reach the heights, of which she hadn’t even imagined. After moving to Bombay, she completed her graduation from SIES College.

The Ice Breaker After a two-year wait, a stellar maiden performance by Shreya in Devdas, put her on top of the Bollywood music hall of fame and she has never looked back. She sang all the songs in Devdas and went on to win the national award as the best singer in year 2002. She is very appreciative of Director of the movie, Sanjay Leela Bansali for giving her the chance of a lifetime. Now it is year 2012, after four national awards and numerous regional awards, yet her modesty, humbleness, depth of musical

genius, her sweet soothing voice is reflected in every one of her songs.

Her polite, respectful, youthful, and vibrant accent is reflected in many of her interviews.

Music Diversity She has not only sang in most languages from South India,

including Malayalam, Kannada, Telagu, Tamil, she also has own the best playback singer awards in most of those languages. In June 2012, she capped a triple crown by winning the best playback singer award in Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil, an accolade which only accents her versatility and mastery

in music diction in multiple languages.

Shreya the Person Shreya is a symbol of poise, grace, elegance, beauty, and melody. She has a laser sharp, crystal clear tonal pitch. And, in my opinion, Shreya is vibrant, radiant, and an ambassador of music representing more than a billion people on the face of this earth.

Future Shreya says that she is pretty happy with the Indian music and doesn’t have any inclination to experiment with the western music, even thought she likes to listen to them. On the other hand she wants to learn more classical Hindustani music. Recently, she has taken-up piano. She also had a dream to produce her own non-filmy music album and record some Ghazals. Just this month, she reached that landmark dream by launching her own Bengali Album, “Mon Kemoner Station.”

Hobbies When Shreya is not busy with her music recordings, interviews, or on the road, she plays with her six-month old cute dog, named, “Sherlock.” Shreya has more than 5 million followers on Facebook and more than a million followers

on Twitter and she tops above most movie stars and Bollywood singers, in the social network.

Food Shreya’s favorite dish is fish curry and rice. She loves spicy food. She says she likes cooking channels, because in addition to the sweet talks, the chefs always top off their shows with delicious food.

Mystical Music Journey 20022012 Her career began in year 1998, and her first Bollywood break came in year 2002. Shreya remembers her first sitting: March 9, 2000.

The first song recorded was Bairi piya. She was asked to rehearse the song once before finally recording.

When it was over, Sanjayji told her the song done so well; it would go down the reminiscence line as the final version. To this day, she has completed more than 800 songs.

Shreya Ghoshal will perform for AAPI (Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) on September 29 at 8pm at Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston. The proceeds from the show will go to support charity medical services.

To buy tickets, call Dr. Nikam at 281-265-7567. For more information about AAPI, visit www. aapiusa.org To watch a video, visit http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=POjU4dOR9F4

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

September 14, 2012

Raaz 3: A Totally Watchable Masala Horror Flick

BY SARIT RAY (HT) Direction: Vikram Bhatt Actors: Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu, Esha Gupta What do film stars with waning mojos do when they fail to win awards?

Swig whisky on the rocks and wallow in self-pity? Raaz 3’s megalomaniac, mantra-reciting, tacky-costumewearing heroine Shanaya (Bipasha Basu) plays out those clichés, in front of a giant photograph of herself no less, before she seeks out the devil.

But instead of the sell-your-soul-forwishes route, she walks the twisted path — spook out the new girl (Esha Gupta as Sanjana) who’s taking your place. A totally foolproof plan, if there were just two actresses left in the world. Then again, logic and character motivation aren’t really the cornerstones of a Vikram Bhatt film. So, the ‘aatma’ called Tara Dutt (Manish Choudhary wearing too much kohl) agrees to help her, for no apparent reason. Maybe he runs a dial-an-aatma service, who knows? After reciting some gibberish that sounds vaguely Arabic, he hands her a jar of evil water that will be Sanjana’s nemesis.

But the water must be given by a ‘bharosewala aadmi’. Enter Bhatt boy Emraan Hashmi, who’s made a career of kissing and effortlessly seducing on-screen babes. This time he plays film director Aditya, who seems to aid Shanaya in her evil

ible. But logic is killed and hanged from a fan when Aditya also sees the paranormal forces.

It all goes downhill from there, with love, revenge and blackmail mixed up with aatma-rescuing priests, phoneusing zombies (yes, here they speak) and a Matrix-like world of spirits you can go in and out of. At one point, it feels like someone put the script for another Murder sequel in the blender with horror set pieces.

But you might forgive all of this in a horror film with impressive visual effects and scary make-up. Unfortunately, the grunting ghost covered in

plan in exchange for sex. In one of the most unintentionally funny moments in the film, Shanaya takes her shirt off, stands over him, and with the camera focused on her assets, asks him to look into her eyes. Right.

With the evil water administered, the horror finally begins: Sanjana

17

maggots belongs in a Ramsay Brothers franchise (they had less technical help in the ’80s) and the computer graphics imagery, or CGI, appears dated. The 3D is up to the mark (it’s not the dark, upconverted variety), but just ends up taking the tackiness to another level. As usual, Bipasha gets to show more skin than acting prowess, but is startlingly better than Esha, who competes with cleavage but forgets to emote altogether. Add to that every available cliché in the book — Ganpati to the rescue, ganga jal as a weapon — and it’s more likely to scare you away than scare you.

has nightmares in which voices and choking hands come out of the TV (The Ring, anyone?); she is chased by a clown in an empty studio; and a maid drives giant shards of glass into her own body.

The theory of the water causing hallucinations would be perfectly cred-

Vidya Gets Rs. 5 Cr for Endorsing Sari Brand

(TOI) Vidya Balan has turned the brand ambassador of a South Sari brand for a phenomenal amount of Rs 5 crores.

The first thing actress Vidya Balan brings to your mind is ‘saris.’ Following the success of The Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan was the sole reason why the trend of saris came back to Bollywood. She made wearing saris trendy and cool.

And now Vidya Balan has signed an endorsement deal at a phenomenal amount of Rs 5 crores. The sari brand is based out of South India and wanted to largely target the youth as well over the traditional Indian woman. So they wanted an ambassador who could have an edge for youngsters and also a strong youth appeal. And they found both the qualities in Vidya Balan.

Swati Iyer from the company that manages her endorsements says, “Vidya Balan today represents the quintessential India woman. She not only dazzles in saris but is also astoundingly self-assured to follow a path charted out only by her. At a time when everyone is sporting similar looks she stands out far apart from the crowd. She brought saris ‘back’. Hence it is no surprise that we got her to be the face of the biggest sari brand in the country. Today Vidya stands for everything beautiful, real, honest, Indian and fearless.”

Atul Kasbekar who heads the celebrity management company adds, “Internally we have positioned her as India’s Meryl Streep. To a movie going audience worldwide, if the venerable Ms Streep’s name is in the titles, its reason enough to watch the film. We believe that Vidya is now in that league in India by a unique combination of critically acclaimed performances and box office success”.

Ek Tha Tiger Crosses Rs. 200 Crore Mark

Director Kabir Khan is basking in the joy as his latest film ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ starring Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan in the lead has crossed the 200 crore mark. Released on Independence Day, August 15 ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ made a history of biggest opening in

Bollywood. It also made a record of fastest 100.

Kabir Khan had also thrown a big bash to mark the success of the movie.

He said that he is very happy that his film crossed the 200 crore mark at the box-office but also said that there is more to films than just numbers.

Combination of good script and ear-soothing songs made the film the biggest opener of 2012. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s jodi really done wonder.

The way the film ended, it leaves a scope for the sequel but Kabir Khan as well as Yash Raj banner refused any such plan.

“We have not thought of a sequel for ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. We don’t have any idea (story line) for the sequel,” Kabir informed.

Yash Raj banner also denied the chance of sequel “With the success of the film, it would be the obvious conclusion for anybody to assume that the film deserves a sequel. However, as of now, there are no such plans and it is more conjecture,” Yash Raj Films’ vice president (marketing and communications) Rafiq Gangjee said.

‘Ek Tha Tiger’ is an action thriller with an intense love story of an ISI agent and RAW agent at the backdrop.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18

EDITORIAL

September 14, 2012

Winds of Change Houston’s typical hot and humid weather took a turn for the cooler last weekend. A ten degree drop in temperature and an occasional breeze have had a calming influence on our physical well being. Similar fresh winds of change at Scotland Street are having a calming influence on applicants at the Indian Consul General’s office with the arrival of the new CG, P. Harish.

His background in management and public relations have helped CG Harish to put into effect a few quick fixes that have reduced some of the unnecessary hassles applicants for Consular services.

For one thing, the applicants had to park in front of the building and walk around to the back. This is no longer necessary as now the the applicants can enter from the front.

Secondly, the applicants did not have access to the toilets in the building. CG Harish is now allowing the applicants the sorely needed relief.

The walk up to the second floor offices is still difficult for applicants with physical disabilities, but efforts are underway to upgrade the rickety elevator.

The Consular telephone answering services used to be jammed earlier. Through an automatic menu, most of the standard FAQs are being directed to the external visa processing service, so it is now easier for people to receive answers to more complex requirements. Emails are now beings answered by the next business day.

CG Harish explained these simple but necessary changes during an introductory conversation last week with each member of the ethnic news media. The CG also suggested that most Consular services do not require an intermediary, and he suggested that people shy away from unscrupulous agencies that extort large funds for routine services.

Indo-American News welcomes the calming winds of change on Scotland Street and hope that they blow our way in years to come.

Singh is Not King Middle class India has few heroes. Once in a while we find someone. Politicians are rare in this pantheon. The middle class has long stopped trusting them. Luckily, Manmohan Singh was different. He was a respected economist, a finance minister by happenstance who did his job well. That was a while back. Today he leads what is arguably one of the most corrupt, arrogant, inept governments this nation has ever seen. The latest bunch of scams lie, like a huge dung heap, outside his office.

Singh’s reaction to crises around him is also peculiar. This week’s arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on grounds of sedition is the most sinister among a series of strange occurrences under his watch. Never since the Emergency has anyone reacted like this. The middle class has lost yet another hero. But what’s worse, Manmohan Singh has finally lost the plot. Times of India

Obama or Romney?

BY C. RAJA MOHAN As American Presidential campaign gets into top gear, the foreign policy establishment in Delhi might be looking for continuity rather than change in the White House.

This preference might seem counter-intuitive for many reasons.

For one, in recent decades, India has had greater political comfort doing business with the Republicans rather than Democrats.

For another, Delhi was deeply anxious about the Obama presidency four years ago. Obama’s thesis that Pakistan will be more cooperative on Afghanistan if India could be brought around to make compromises on Kashmir deeply worried India.

India’s then ambassador to Washington, Ronen Sen, mounted a massive campaign to prevent the inclusion of Jammu & Kashmir in the mandate for Obama’s special envoy to South Asia, Richard Holbrooke, who was appointed within a few days of the new president being sworn in.

Delhi was also concerned at the Obama Administration’s talk on making China, the top strategic partner of the United States in Asia. There was informal talk of a G-2, or a Sino-US condominium, running Asian and world affairs that alarmed New Delhi.

India was also anxious if Obama, who as a Senator from Illinois had raised many questions about the US-India nuclear deal, would help implement it as President.

Obama’s record at the White House has helped dispel many of India’s concerns. He has done everything possible for the quick implementation of the nuclear deal, despite the deep reservations within the Democratic Party’s foreign policy establishment.

Obama was quick to walk away from the untenable idea of an American mediation on Kashmir.

And then some. Obama has turned the traditional US policy towards Pakistan on its head.

After his initial effort to woo Pakistan with additional economic and military assistance failed,

India enjoys strong bipartisan political support today in the United States.

The direction and intensity of Delhi’s partnership with Washington are not tied to the outcome of the presidential elections.

India’s big challenge is to restore Delhi’s rapidly declining credibility in the United States as a purposeful state that can act in its own interests, cut political deals and implement them.

Obama has taken a very muscular approach to dealing with the sources of international terrorism in Pakistan.

He ordered US Special Forces to launch a bold raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout deep inside Pakistan. He has rained drones on Pakistan’s western borderlands to dismantle the terror sanctuaries.

Last week he has designated the Haqqani network as an international terror organization, despite the deep reservations in Pakistan.

On China too, Obama turned on the dime. In his visit to China at the end of 2009, the President offered a strategic partnership to Beijing only to be spurned by the communist leaders.

And as Beijing began to assert itself in the waters of East and South China Seas, Obama announced a controversial ‘pivot to Asia’. He reaffirmed the US commitment to maintain the balance of power in Asia amidst the rise of China.

Most of India’s traditional complaints about America were about Washington’s intimate ties with Rawalpindi and Beijing. With American relations with India’s challenging neighbours at their lowest ebb in decades, Delhi has little reason to complain about Obama’s policies.

The US President has gone out of the way and defied the Indiasceptics in the Democratic Party to deepen Washington’s strategic partnership with Delhi.

It is the UPA government’s political drift at home that has slowed the forward movement in the U.S.India relationship and not the lack of strategic interest in Washington.

To be sure, there are many in Mitt Romney’s camp calling for a stronger relationship with India.

The Republican Party’s electoral platform has indeed declared India as a ‘geopolitical ally’ of the United States.

On trade-related issues, the Republicans tend to be less critical of outsourcing and less protectionist. Unlike Obama, Romney is not likely to denounce Bengaluru in talking about America’s economic future.

For all the seeming advantages to India from a Republican presidency, Delhi, which is intensely risk averse, should be happy dealing with the familiar Obama in the next four years than cope with the turbulence that might be generated by a change of guard in the White House.

India enjoys strong bipartisan political support today in the United States. The direction and intensity of Delhi’s partnership with Washington are not tied to the outcome of the presidential elections.

India’s big challenge is to restore Delhi’s rapidly declining credibility in the United States as a purposeful state that can act in its own interests, cut political deals and implement them.

C. Raja Mohan is a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi and a Contributing Editor with The Indian Express

Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI PARTNER: KRISHNA GIRI MANAGING EDITOR: MANASI GOKHALE ADVERTISING & ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN CORRESPONDENTS HOUSTON: PARTH DWIVEDI, SOWMYA NANDKUMAR, CHETNA SAMAL CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, INDIA: RAJ KANWAR ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 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

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

BOOKS

September 14, 2012

Indians in America: The ‘Desi’ Mutation

BY SHOBHA NARAYAN (Mint) Dressing up for an Indian party in New York was, for me, a complicated exercise fraught with rules and miscues. Dressing up for a party at Zahid’s house made it doubly so. On the one hand, I didn’t want to seem too Indian, dressed like my mother in a traditional sari and dime-sized bindi. On the other, I didn’t want to show up in a cocktail dress or pantsuit and confront a sea of women decked to the gills in ethnic finery. Not only would I stand out, worse, I would be instantly labelled as a pseudo Indian who tried to be too westernised.

Indians in America have a highly honed instinct for spotting artifice, probably because many of us have attempted it ourselves. After all, what is the point of starting afresh in a new land if you cannot reinvent yourself into someone else, be it a suave corporate chieftain, Nobel-prize winning professor, media-darling, policy wonk, or a UN high-flier who cloaks ambition with charm?

Yet, within each of us lay contradictions. We touted American enterprise and capitalism, yet engaged in acts that were antithetical to free will: conducting an arranged marriage before a thousand guests at one’s native village after spending years in America was one. Consulting an astrologer or shaving a child’s hair on a preordained auspicious day was another. We were—all of us—rational professionals with some irrational Indian predilections such as a love for cricket, curry and cold water without ice; a craving for mango pickle and mother’s rasam; and a belief in the curative powers of Vicks Vaporub, Fair & Lovely face cream and Woodwards Gripe Water.

I thought of this as I stood before my closet, discarding outfit after outfit. Usually, my sartorial decisions weren’t so complex. I wore Indian clothes to Indian parties and western clothes everywhere else. But Zahid and his American wife didn’t fit into either category. There was a fair chance that their party would be full of Americans, in which case a cocktail dress or a pantsuit would work just fine. Then again, they may have invited only Indians, in which case an elegant silk sari was more appropriate. Sari or suit, Indian or western—therein lay my dilemma.

Every Indian carries a mental inventory that is divided between being ‘Indian’and being ‘Western’. Certain clothes like saris and shawls are Indian, while pantsuits and short skirts are western. Chunky gold jewelry is Indian, while sterling silver is western. Sandals are Indian, shoes, western. Long hair in braids or a chignon give women an Indian look, while short boyish cuts are more westernised. Living in Queens, New Jersey or Long Island is Indian, while living in edgy Manhattan is more western.

Goods that offer value for money are Indian; while outrageous splurges are western. Driving an SUV or BMW is western; driving a Toyota or Honda is definitely Indian. Leasing, or for

In her new memoir, Shoba Narayan writes about the duality of living as an Indian in the US

that matter, anything construing a short-term mindset is western; owning, paying off the credit card bill in full at the beginning of each month, and offering cash for all transactions is Indian. Decorating your home with Indian artifacts is obviously Indian, while buying minimalist modern furniture is western. And so it goes.

The problem with such a list was that random acts became deliberations. Lifestyle choices that should have been spontaneous became complicated by over analyses. Should I keep an ‘Indian’ home or a ‘western’ one? Should I wear a bindi or not?

Should I keep my Hindu name, or anglicise it, like the Jews and Chinese had done? Should I celebrate Christmas, a holiday that I didn’t grow up with, or should I ask for a day off to celebrate Diwali, the most important Indian holiday? Should I remain aloof or assimilate? Should I wear the colourful Indian clothes that I loved, or quit wearing them in public because I am tired of being stared at? Such questions rattled my brain to the point where I sometimes just wanted to check out. Sometimes, I just wanted to pick an outfit, not a country.

When I was single, the answer to such questions was simple and pointed to all things American. I wanted to wear western clothes, celebrate American holidays, embrace new traditions, and assimilate com-

pletely. That changed after I became a mother, and took upon myself, the self-imposed, but rather nebulous task of passing on ‘Indian values and culture’, to my child. I didn’t have a clue as to what exactly constituted Indian values, but I knew that they had to be different from American ones, which meant that I had to be different too. I had to become more ‘Indian’, whatever that meant, or entailed.

There were many overlapping circles amongst Indians in New York and Zahid’s party contained a fair representation. On one side was the Asia Society crowd—the auteurs and art patrons who paid $500 a pop for an evening with filmmaker Mira Nair or economist Amartya Sen. Across the room were the artfully rumpled journalists and the professors, holding forth about foreign policy and the Indian elections. A few doctors stood around with their beepers and cell phones, looking preoccupied and vaguely out of place amidst such studied, forbidding elegance. Many of the men were from Wall Street and you could tell who was where on the corporate ladder by what they wore. The ones who appeared genial, almost professorial, were the top guys who ran big divisions. The ones with the $1,000 Armani suits were the ladder-climbing mid-level executives, and the young single analysts… well, there weren’t any young singles at Zahid’s party. They were all probably enjoying Indian Bhangra Night at SOBs downtown with DJ Rekha.

Midnight stood nearby, talking loudly about his trip to India as part of the American India Foundation.

He saw me and waved. I waved back.

When had Midnight become such a board-chaser? All he talked about these days were benefits, boards and galas that raised money for a variety of Indian charities. The American India Foundation was a favorite amongst this group, mostly because Bill Clinton was a fellow enthusiast.

‘And Bill was such a sport about everything,’ Midnight was waxing eloquent to his audience. ‘The heat, the horses, the garlands, the crowds, nothing fazed him.’ He turned to me expectantly.

‘Absolutely,’ I obliged. ‘Clinton loves India. He got Bob Rubin to speak at the last benefit, didn’t he?’

Bob Rubin indeed. I was such a sham, making it sound like I personally knew the ex-Secretary of Treasury, like I went to all their benefits, when in fact I had been to exactly one. And the crowd here probably knew it too.

Something about Indian parties brought out the Holden Caulfield in me. It was as if I suddenly suspended logic and compassion and viewed my fellow Indians through one lens: how ‘pseudo’ they were. As cultures went, India and America were quite different that it was difficult to assemble a composite Indian-American identity.

It was hard to mesh the two cultures together in one individual.

We were unlike any of the Indians we had left behind back home but hadn’t completely become American either. We were mutants.

19

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ENTERTAINMENT

September 14, 2012

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Priyanka Chopra in Debut Music Album

BY PRASHANT SINGH MUMBAI (HT): As Priyanka Chopra gears up to release her first single in India, we give you a glimpse at the actress’ first look in her upcoming music album. In the image, Priyanka gives a fun and mysterious look. The actress looks hot with a rugged hairdo and funky nail paint in the picture. Until now, everyone was led to believe that Priyanka Chopra’s first single, In My City — from her maiden international album — would be launched on American channel NFL Network’s event, Thursday Night Football on September 13. But now, the news is that the actor has decided to launch the number for her Indian fans before American audiences get to see it.

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during NFL. Priyanka wanted the song to be heard in India first for her fans here. Later, the NFL launch will happen during the pre-game show for Thursday Night Football,” says a source. When contacted, the actor’s spokesperson says, “Priyanka has always been very clear that India would hear her music first. So all plans have been worked out to ensure that. She will be in India for the launch when the song and special video will air during the TV telecast of NFL.”

The song also features international artiste Will.i.am (from the band Black Eyed Peas). Global pop star Lady Gaga’s producer RedOne has produced the album. The release of the full song and accompanying video for ‘In my city’ are expected later this year. For now, Priyanka is just happy to have her desi fans hear the first track: “It had to be launched here (in India) first.

It couldn’t have been any other way,” says Priyanka. The venue and other details for the launch are still being

worked upon. A day after the song releases, Priyanka’s upcoming film Barfi! will hit the theatres. A couple of days ago, she had tweeted: “7 days to go...for my single ‘in my city’ and my special film ‘Barfi’ Jeeeez! Scared... excited... nervous (sic).” As for the album launch, the dates are yet to be confirmed. It is likely to hit the stores early next year after Priyanka wraps up her film commitments as she wants time to promote it properly. They have worked together in the Don series, and Priyanka Chopra has always been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

So when SRK praised the actor for her album, she immediately thanked him. On Friday, she tweeted: “Thank u @iamsrk.. ur belief has always kept me going (sic).” The tweet was posted with a link to an online portal in which SRK has stated, “Priyanka has the capacity and talent to become the first crossover star from India, our first creative export. She has a super team backing her and she is truly an international brand and will make India very proud.” The countdown for the release of Priyanka Chopra’s first single “In my city” and her unique film Barfi! has started. The actress is excited, but not without a bit of nervousness, she says. “Seven days to go... for my single ‘In my city’and my special film ‘Barfi!’. Jeeeez! Scared... excited... nervous,” the 30-year-old tweeted.

DISH Launches GET Punjabi

GET Punjabi, a leading Punjabi entertainment channel from India, launched exclusively on DISH. Offering a variety of entertainment options, GET Punjabi represents Punjabi culture with its dramas, devotional programs, news, movies, comedies, horror, music, cooking shows and reality series. Popular programming includes: Sukhmani Sahib, Kinna Sona Tainnu Rabb Ne Manaya, Agg De Kalirey, Saanjh Dilan Di, Pehli Khabar, Khabar Teeje Pehar Di and Khabar Har Kone Di. GET Punjabi is currently available on channel 738 in DISH’s Punjabi Pack.

Priced at $24.99 per month, the Punjabi Pack includes seven channels featuring news, dramas, movies, documentaries, talk shows, musical programs and children’s shows.

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September 14, 2012

21

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s Ed ^hWWKZd z >> /E / E h>dhZ >͕ ^K / > E Z >/'/Kh^ KZ' E/ d/KE^ INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY HOROSCOPE

September 14, 2012

Extravagant Ashtami Rohini Festival at Sri Guruvayurappan Temple

Open 7 days a week

BY CHITTOR RAMACHANDRAN HOUSTON: On the auspicious occasion of Ashtami Rohini, the tenacre premises of Sri Guruvayurappan Temple at the heart of Houston seemed to be submerged in an atmosphere of divinity. Prayers, Aarti, Kirtanam, Bhajan, recitation of Sahasranamam and Narayaneeyam were held till midnight on September 8. Miraculously, the mercury dropped substantially, upgrading the outside life from miserable to manageable. Highlight of the event that cheered the large crowd was the spectacular fireworks. Within a short period, even before the construction is completed, Sri Guruvayurappan temple of Houston has become successful in setting precedence for conducting high standard Hindu religious festivals in this town.

The only prayer room at Sri Guruvayurappan Temple was elegantly decorated that emitted instantaneous attraction in the visitors’ minds. The melodious bhajan created a divine ambiance throughout the event. ‘ I never could imagine of such a celebration in the US’ said Dr. Ranjani Balasubramanian, one of the touring classical musicians from Chennai.

She was thrilled to see the prospect of having a Guruvayur temple in the near future at Houston. According to her, the outstanding discipline practiced here is what attracts this temple most.

The charismatic procession with a decorated chariot and dozens of boys and girls dressed up as Krishna and

Elegantly decorated chariot in procession

Radha was capable of showering joy in every human heart. The astounding look of the chariot fascinated many visitors to pose for a photo by the side of it. The inviting rows of ladies in traditional attire for thalapoli, the colorful mthukkudakal, and the boisterous chendamelam greeted the image of Sri Guruvayurappan placed in the chariot before an oil lamp, karppoora deepam and the sahasra dala padmam ( lotus flower) grown at the temple pond.

The crowd outside packed the tented area with great interest to watch the entertainment. Some others moved towards the attractive advertisement booths or to have the variety of ethnic food. Happy children content with

the free balloons they got took the opportunity to have a good time with their friends and families. The ground turned into a cultural carnival. Despite some inconvenience for parking close by since most of the area was barricaded, everyone enjoyed the evening.

The six prominent Indian classical dance schools from Greater Houston enchanted the audience with highly sophisticated dance forms. “ We only wished if we could give each school more time to make their presentation’, said Mr. Anand Guruvayur, the event coordinator. This program was an opportunity for young aspiring students and parents to learn about the excellent choices they have to

nurture their interest in classical arts in this city. The show convincingly proved that our town is one of the primary hubs in the western world to learn, appreciate and enjoy the variety of Indian classical dances as good as Chennai or Allahabad. Several world class artistes teach the youngsters in Greater Houston. It is a great fortune that these highly acclaimed artistes live among us to enrich our community.

The variety food available was of excellent quality. Considering the tremendously incredible task of serving the several hundreds of people, the seasoned volunteers performed their work very efficiently. Using highly sophisticated technology, this mega mission was precise in every aspect, especially for ensuring the convenience of the public was taken care of efficiently.

The crowd of Krishna devotees Photos: Vasanth Kumar

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The social dances Garba and Raas prompted active involvement of men and women of all age groups. Excellent sound system provided the authentic music and perfect rhythm.

It was an amazing evening to just sit and watch the dances. The traditional Uri-Adi ( group game) was amusing and entertaining.

Introduction of fireworks to this yearly festival attracted and entertained people of all age groups alike.

Everyone in the audience appreciated this part of the festival. The spectacular show under utter darkness and clear sky was very successful in drawing ‘ awe-inspiring wows ‘ every seconds throughout the entire duration . No doubt, the divine sanction was in everybody’s favor. The devotees of Sri Guruvayurappan left with the gratification of completing an impeccable festival.

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OPINION COMMUNITY

September 14, 2012

Sri Jayanthi Celebration at Meenakshi Temple

BY SURABI PADMASINI VEERARAGHAVAN PEARLAND: Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Sri Jayanthi or Gokulashtami, marks the birth of Lord Krishna. This joyous occasion was celebrated at the Meenakshi temple in Pearland, on Sunday, Sep-

was open to children from different age groups. Over 50 children ranging from the cute little 1 year olds to the energetic 10 year olds participated in this fun filled event. In line with the “Krishna” theme all the children came dressed as characters from the life of Krishna. It was a delight to

Sri Jayanthi was celebrated at the Meenakshi temple in Pearland on September 9

tember 9. The event, coordinated by Roopa Balakrishnan and Surabi Padmasini Veeraraghavan, commenced at 10am with the “swami purapaadu” (Procession of the deity) and the idol of the presiding deity was brought to the kalyana mandapam, the venue for the celebration.

The cultural program started with the fancy dress competition which

watch little Krishnas and Radhas dressed beautifully reciting slokas and singing praises of Lord Krishna.

Some of the children sang melodious bhajans and danced to rhythmic tunes and the audience was awestruck by the amazing talent in all the children.

The confidence exhibited by the children presenting to the large audience is highly commendable. Also, one

must appreciate the efforts put in by all the parents who were anxiously waiting to watch their children on stage.

A team of expert judges with much difficulty came up with three winners for each category (Group A: 1-3 years, Group B: 4-6 years; Group C: 7-10 years). All the judges unanimously felt that the judging process was very difficult because of the high quality of presentation and the level of competition.

Parthiban, Treasurer of the Meenakshi temple society (MTS) presented the winners with wonderful gifts. The fancy dress was followed by dance performances by students representing different dance schools in Houston. All the songs were in praise of Lord Krishna ranging from the famous Purandaradasar kriti to the evergreen Sunday, composition of Ambujam Krishna. The dance performance was followed by Uriyadi (filled with candies) symbolizing the breaking of the butter pot by Krishna..

It was a funny sight to watch all the kids struggling to break the piñata, the substitute to the earthen pot, as part of the celebration. All the children were treated to cool punch with fresh fruit chunks and otherT:10” snacks on this hot September morning.

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Ethics of it All

First Jain Bioethics Conference Held in California

BY DILIP V SHAH CLAREMONT, CA: On August 24 & 25, Claremont Lincoln University was the host of “2012 Claremont Lincoln International Jain Bioethics Conference”. The spiritual interaction of 25 scholars with students and the members of the Jain community was a delightful learning experience for everyone involved. Over 125 participants exchanged their views on Bioethical issues with Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, Jewish and Islamic perspectives.

The two-day conference began with welcoming remarks by President of the CLU, Dr. Jerry Campbell. Dr. Campbell stated that the philosophy of the Claremont Lincoln University, the world’s first fully interreligious is to offer a seat to every religion on an equal footing, so that we may all learn from each other and join together to wage Peace in the world. Dr. Sulekh Jain of Houston, Chair of the JAINA’s Academic liaison committee and Chair of the International School of Jain Studies made the opening remarks detailing the Jain collaboration with Claremont Lincoln University.

After the lamp lighting ceremony (flameless candles to minimize himsa and candles that would stay lit for the entire conference), Pramodaben gave the benediction (Manglacharan) by a video message and Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji expressed his warm wishes and hope that the International Jain Scholars conference will continue year after year.

The planning committee for the conference included range of sessions covering issues ranging from conception and birth to death. There were five Keynote speakers at the conference. The First was Dr. Cromwell Crawford of University of Hawaii. India born Cromwell is a muchloved friend of the Jain community in North America and chair of the Academic Council of International School of Jain Studies. In his speech, Dr. Crawford argued that indeed, religion has a lot to contribute to

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the discussion on Bioethics. The next keynote speaker was Dr. James Hughes of Trinity College, Connecticut. He spoke on “Procreation”: “How do we Care for future people?” with an emphasis on Jain and Buddhist ideas on reproductive ethics. Dr. Dilip K. Bobra of Phoenix, Arizona, gave a keynote speech “Living With Non- Violence”. Dr. Brian Cummings of University of California, Irvine, gave a keynote speech about “ The Future” highlighting Stem Cell Research – what is the Science and what is the Hype?

Three speakers presented views on Sallekhna – Jain thinking on imminent death due to disease, old age or when one is unable to function self-sufficiently - and tradition of progressive withdrawal that leads to peaceful death. Dr. Christopher Chapple of Loyola Marymount University who had witnessed in 1989 an octogenarian Jain sadhwi’s last hours of her Sallekhna - explained why it should not be called “Death

by Starvation”.

Scholars of other faiths made the conference even more vibrant. Dr. Rita Sherma of the Nalanda Confluence Institute discussed the Hindu chaplaincy program they are offering and Dr. Ram Agarwal from the University of Miami presented a paper on Hindu Bioethics in the present medi-

cal context. Dr. Robert presented a Christian perspective on “Conscience and Consciousness”. Faisal Qazi, President of Medical Network Devoted to Service (MiNDS) presented the Islamic view on Brain Death. Seth Clark of CLU presented Buddhist perspectives on Reincarnation and Rabbi Elliot Dorff discussed the approach of Judaism to moral issues raised by the new artificial reproductive techniques and modern genetic testing. A father and son duo – Dr. Thomas Peteet and John Ray Peteet explored how the virtues embodied in four major religious traditions shape the character, attitudes and behavior of physicians making bioethical choices.

This was the first International Jain Scholars conference in the US jointly organized by CLU, JAINA, JCSC – (Jain Center of Southern California) and ISJS – (International School for Jain Studies). This collaboration between 4 distinct entities is a promising start for many good things to come for Jain studies at CLU. In honor of Gurudev Chitrabhanuji’s 90th Birthday, who was the major financial supporter of the conference the entire two-day event was made a Jain vegan event for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This was the most joyful and fitting ending to a two-day serious learning experience for all.

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Matthew Zaro Fisher (left), President Jerry D. Campbell, Dr. Manibhai Mehta, Dr. Nitin Shah, Sudhaben Modi, Rajen Dhami, Dilip Shah and Brianne Donaldson at lamp lighting inauguration ceremony.

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OPINION

September 14, 2012

Grandparents Day: A Tribute to the Memories

BY KRISHAN GUPTA The impetus for National Grandparents Day was originated with Marian McQuade in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary ambition was to champion the cause of lonely and elderly people living in nursing homes. She also desired to persuade grandchildren to have close relationships with their grandparents. She spent lots of time to establish a day to honor grandparents, but such a day was not formally established until 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a federal proclamation that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year. To honor such grateful people, the United States has declared the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. This day is celebrated nationwide to honor grandparents and convey your heartiest feelings and emotions towards them. Since Sep.9, 1979, it has been celebrated every year to honor our nation’s grandparents.

Grandparents are one of the most wonderful relations in the life of every human being. They give unconditional sympathy, love, lifelong feelings, and care to their grandchildren. These feelings never fade with the passage of time. We can feel the warmth and affection of our grandparents when they embrace us.

The innate and undying love can be clearly reflected through their eyes.

They are the ones who are responsible for passing on wisdom, values,

and principles from generation to generation, to help the youngsters lead a better, most loveable and fulfilling life.

Lots of families get together and take a great pleasure in reciting poems, making crafts, and doing various other special things, to extend their gratitude and appreciation towards their grandparents. Poets also have contributed a lot on the wonderful relationship of grandparent-grandchildren by writing poems that truly capture the real essence of such as immortal relationship. These poems thoroughly reflect the love we feel for our grandfather and grandmother. Next time, whenever you feel like expressing your feelings towards your grandparents, pick one such poem and recite or express it in a greeting card.

Many people may not know that this day exists. You may have noticed very little advertisements. Some may choose to ignore it. They may think, “must we have a day for every person in the universe, when does all this day naming end?”

Unfortunately, those people probably did not have an opportunity to develop a relationship with their grandparents. They may have the slightest ideas and understanding the gifts that grandparents can provide; Grandparents can provide a sense of continuity and roots to their grand-

children. They can provide a sense that life matters, and the ability to see life within a larger context of time.

If you are one of t h e lucky ones to b e blessed with a

granddad and a grandma, you probably know how comforting it is to be put up with someone with a wealth of experience behind them, someone who loves you unconditionally and spoils you rotten with their affection.

Grandparents cement the bonds between generations and infuse family values, religious beliefs and principles in the young ones. They can be

your companion in times of solitude, and may be even act as a mediator, advisor and your patient audience in times of need. Grandparents are truly God’s most cherished gifts and there is little reason why you shouldn’t have a day to commemorate their presence in your lives.

Grandparents Day, a day dedicated to all the granddad and grandma in the world, to acknowledge their humungous contributions in our lives and celebrate their worth is truly one occasion to let the senior most member of your household know how much they are loved and cherished.

Celebrate this grandparent’s day with lots of cheer and a few beautiful lines of appreciation and make your grandparents feel truly priceless.

Get together and help your Children and/or Grandchildren to identify and dates all photos in old family albums. Many happy memories can be derived from these memories. Involve yourself with the family in the observance of this day - a time to discover one’s roots and learn patience, understanding and appreciation for the elderly. This is the perfect time to enhance communication between the generations. Together, re-construct a family tree, giving children the opportunity to learn the ancestral line of their family. Strive to preserve particular ethnic or religious beliefs.

Many times, only grandparents have

25

answers to questions about family histories. When this information is passed down to the grandchildren, everyone can be assured of his heritage being preserved. Most important, Grandparents Day can signify a loving spirit that lives within us throughout the year--a spirit of love and respect for our elders.

Along with Grandparents Day, we should not forget to go and visit in nursing homes those who are unable to be with their families or have no families. Every effort must be made to include these people in the mainstream through cards, community projects and visitation at times other than just holidays.

Here is wishing all the wonderful grandparents out there a perfect Grandfather’s Day, who rose, and brought us, and thanking them for their selfless dedication and love.

May you be blessed with a life of contentment, peace and happiness forever? For our life wouldn’t have a purpose to strive and excel without their support and secure guidance.

Grandparents are special people with wisdom and feel pride. They always offer love, kindness and are there to guide. They often make you feel great, so confident and strong.

Their arms are open no matter what you did wrong. They are always there to listen and to lend a helping hand.

They show you respect and always try to understand.

This year, Grandparents Day was celebrated on Sunday, September 9.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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SPORTS September 14, 2012

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IndoAmerican News

Business IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Pakistan and India Negotiate Infosys Acquires Swiss Firm Lodestone New Visa Deal, Easing Travel for $345 Million for Consulting Services

The move is part of efforts to improve ties between Islamabad and New Delhi

BY AISHA CHOWDHRY ISLAMABAD (Reuters) Pakistan and India will ease tough visa restrictions, their foreign ministers announced on Saturday, in a small step forward in ties between the two countries.

The agreement was the culmination of a visit by Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna to Pakistan as part of a tentative peace process that froze after Pakistani militants attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people.

The new pact offers eight types of visa. Pakistanis visiting India have long grumbled about New Delhi’s restrictive visa regime for both tourists and businesses.

Pakistani businessmen are restricted to particular cities, so visitors cannot travel from Delhi to the nearby thriving business hub of Gurgaon without permission.

Businessmen also have to report to an Indian police station in the

evenings “like a criminal”, Pakistani trade official Zafar Mahmood complained in April.

Indians visiting Pakistan face similar restrictions on moving between cities.

The two countries have gone to war three times since Pakistan split off from India in 1947. The partition tore many families apart. The restrictions have been in place ever since.

In April, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited India, the first trip by a Pakistani head of state in seven years. Last year Pakistan promised India most-favoured nation trading status.

But potential flashpoints between the two nations remain.

They include a long-running dispute over the mountainous province of Kashmir, currently divided between the two nations; Indian dams that Pakistanis say threaten their water supply and more attacks like those in Mumbai.

NEW DELHI (The Hindu) Infosys, on Monday, announced the acquisition of Zurich-based Lodestone Holding AG, a leading management consultancy firm, for 330 million Swiss francs ($345 million or Rs.1,925 crore), which is expected to strengthen the company’s consulting capabilities.

The Swiss company will bring in more than 200 clients from across several industry segments, including manufacturing, automotive and life sciences, to Infosys’ existing pool of over 700 clients. With this, the combined consulting practise based on the SAP programme, is expected to bring in revenues of more than $1 billion.

For the acquisition process that is expected to be completed by October this year, Infosys will pay two-thirds of the amount immediately while the rest is to be paid after three years.

Lodestone, which reported revenue of 200 million Swiss francs in 2011, derives 50 per cent of its revenues from Switzerland, and 23 per cent from Germany.

Announcing the acquisition at Infosys headquarters here, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director S. D. Shibulal said that the move “strengthens the company’s capabilities in Europe, and is in line with the Infosys 3.0 strategy.” Terming the acquisition as “strategic,” he said: “Only 10 per cent of our revenues now come from Europe, and we expect the share of revenue from Continental Europe to increase.”

The acquisition, he pointed out, would expand Infosys’ consulting

Infosys CEO and Managing Director S. D. Shibula during a press conference in Mysore. File photo: GRN Somashekar

and systems-integration business. At present, these businesses contribute 31 per cent of Infosys’ revenues. “We have been highlighting that the future is in combining consultancy services

and IT assets to the clients, and this is the only way to create high quality growth. The acquisition is also aimed at balancing our portfolio.”

Asked about the relatively “small size” of acquisition, he said: “we are comfortable making acquisitions that are up to 10 per cent of our revenues.”

“Acquisition is not the only way,” he said.

Infosys Chief Financial Officer V. Balakrishnan termed the acquisition as “a small step for Infosys, and a

great leap for the Indian IT industry.”

“For every dollar earned through consulting, we expect to earn two to three dollars in overall business,” he said. Balakrishnan said Infosys was investing in Europe at a time when the continent was going through turmoil, which demonstrated the company’s commitment to the area’s long-term potential. “We are investing in the worst of times, but this is going to be a game changer. This is the first step to achieve Infosys 3.0 goal, and we are taking a series of steps to ensure high quality services,” he added.

Balakrishnan said that the company’s guidance for the current quarter remained unchanged because the acquisition process was to be completed only by October.

Lodestone Chairman and CEO Ronald Hafner, via a tele-conference from Germany, said: “This is a strategic and cultural fit, and we have found partners (Infosys), who will fulfil our needs.” Among the clients, who would come to Infosys, included BMW, he added.

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28

SPORTS

September 14, 2012

Slow Pitch Leads to 1-Run Win for Kiwis

collided trying to take a topBY ABHISHEK edged pull off Milne.

PUROHIT It was Franklin who beCHENNAI (ESPNgan the turnaround when Cricinfo): New Zealand he had Kohli lofting his 167 for 5 (McCullum second delivery to wide 91, Irfan 3-31) beat Inlong-off. New Zealand also dia 166 for 4 (Kohli had McCullum to thank, 70, Mills 2-17, Franklin for lifting them from 2 for 2-26) by one run 2 with a calculated 91 that A solitary Twenty20 highlighted his importance it was, but it featured to his side, especially in multiple narratives, an Twenty20s. McCullum had emotional return for support from Kane WilYuvraj Singh and his liamson and Ross Taylor, fans, an anti-climax for but he was almost singleIndia and an incredible handedly responsible for comeback from New New Zealand reaching a Zealand. After Brencompetitive score with a don McCullum had knock that began watchpunched a furious 91, fully, and then exploded Virat Kohli counterinto a frenzy of powerful punched with a mahits over extra cover, down jestic 70, leaving India the ground and over midwith 49 to get off 42 wicket. deliveries with seven McCullum often begins a wickets remaining.

Test innings with a charge That is when the down the track and it was Chennai pitch started to probably the two early behave more like a typiwickets that made him play cal Chennai pitch; the with some caution initially. ball had come on niceRob Nicol and Martin Guply till then. MS Dhoni till came out swinging but and Yuvraj struggled were bowled by incomto get the ball off the ing deliveries from Zaheer square, James Franklin Khan and Irfan Pathan. and Jacob Oram took McCullum broke free in all pace off the ball to make it harder, and the Yuvraj returned to T20 cricket after cancer treatment the fifth over, flicking and cutting Zaheer for boundasking-rate surged sud- in the U.S. aries. L Balaji, making his denly. Dhoni, having India’s defeat was the last thing T20I debut and playing his first game promoted himself ahead of Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma, ended on the Chennai crowd’s mind when for India since February 2009, was unbeaten on a perplexing 22 off 23 Kohli, opening in place of the injured inside-edged past short fine leg and deliveries, failing to find any timing Virender Sehwag, was raining bound- sliced over point for boundaries in on his swipes and slogs and reduced aries on New Zealand during his the next over.

15th fifty-plus international score this Williamson, a calm man under to nudging singles on the leg side.

With 20 needed off the last eight year. Wide deliveries were swatted pressure usually, ensured he gave deliveries, Yuvraj managed to heave away with disdain, length deliveries the strike to McCullum, who was Oram over deep midwicket for six. were willed into gaps with confident now in control enough to ward off With 12 needed off the last five, pushes, spinners were lofted inside- his usual self-destructing tendencies.

Dhoni managed to pull Franklin to out over extra cover, fast bowlers McCullum was only nine short of deep square leg for four. With six were charged at and hammered down what would have been his second T20I hundred when he was eventuneeded off three, Yuvraj heaved and the ground.

Kohli’s assault and his 60-run sec- ally bowled after missing a sweep off was bowled for 34 off 26.

There was still time for one final ond-wicket stand with Suresh Raina a slow cutter from Irfan in the 17th narrative. Enter Rohit, under pres- allowed Yuvraj to ease into his come- over. India rode on Kohli’s brilliance sure for his lack of form, with six still back knock. The crowd erupted when in the chase, bottled up for a while needed. He tried gamely, swinging Yuvraj thick-edged Adam Milne past after he fell, and when they tried to both the remaining deliveries for a slip for his first boundary and swung catch up, it was too late. couple of runs each, but India had Daniel Vettori over deep midwicket Abhishek Purohit is an editorial to pay for tapering off after Kohli’s for his first six. In between, he was letoff when McCullum and Kyle Mills assistant at ESPNcricinfo dismissal in the 14th over.

Pak Lose Match, Win Series

DUBAI: Australia 168 for 7 (Warner 59, Watson 47, Ajmal 2-19) beat Pakistan 74 (Starc 3-11, Cummins 3-15) by 94 runs Australia began the series with one of their worst Twenty20 losses but they finished it with their second-best win in the format, crushing Pakistan by 94 runs in the dead rubber in Dubai.

David Warner and Shane Watson set up the victory with an Australianrecord opening partnership before Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc ran through Pakistan, who suffered their worst defeat in a T20 international and were all out for 74, their lowest total in the format.

Pakistan still won the series 2-1 but if the old sporting cliché that you’re only as good as your last performance can be trusted, the Australians will be reasonably happy when they arrive in Sri Lanka in the next few days for the ICC World Twenty20. The fact that Warner and Watson both fired and found their six-hitting rhythm would be especially pleasing for the captain George Bailey, although some more runs from the middle order would have been preferable.

Cummins was outstanding with the new ball as Pakistan slumped to 19 for 5 in the chase, and Brad Hogg’s 1 for 11 - the most economical fourover spell by an Australian in a T20 international - was another positive sign for the Australians. They narrowly missed out on bettering their most comprehensive T20 victory, the 95-run defeat they inflicted on South Africa at the Gabba in January 2006,

and it was a win Australia desperately needed, having fallen to tenth on the ICC T20 rankings.

Pursuing 169 for a clean sweep, Pakistan simply couldn’t get into the chase. Imran Nazir was lbw to a Starc inswinger in the second over and Cummins picked up two wickets in the next over, Mohammad Hafeez caught at cover and Shoaib Malik bowled for a third-ball duck by a super inswinger that swerved in between bat and pad.

The 94-run win is the second-biggest victory margin for Australia in Twenty20 internationals after their 95-run win over South Africa at Brisbane in 2006. It is, however, the largest margin of defeat for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s total of 74 is their lowest in Twenty20 games. Their previous lowest was 89 against England in Cardiff in 2010.

The 111-run opening stand between David Warner and Shane Watson is the highest for Australia. It is also the second century stand between the two batsmen after their 104-run stand against India in the Twenty-20 World Cup in 2010.

Brad Hogg’s economy rate (2.75) is the lowest for an Australian bowler in a four-over spell.

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September 14, 2012

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Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi’s Sedition Arrest Sparks Outrage MUMBAI (HT) Freelance cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, arrested on sedition and other charges, was on Monday sent to jail after a local court remanded him to two-week judicial custody.

The 25-year-old cartoonist was arrested on Saturday under IPC Section 124 (sedition), section 66 A of Information Technology Act and section 2 of Prevention of Insults to Nation Honour Act. He was remanded in police custody till September 16 on Sunday.

Producing Trivedi before a Bandra court, police said their investigations in the case were over and his custodial

interrogation was not needed.

The Kanpur-based artist has been accused of putting up banners mocking the Constitution during a rally of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare here late last year and posting the same on his website.

Police informed the court the posters drawn by Trivedi had been put

me inside the jail. Remember, Anna Hazare has said that one should go to jail for the sake of nation.”

According to the statement, Trivedi said he was not seeking bail because he was proud of whatever he did and he will do it repeatedly.

“I am not a criminal that I should deposit money and seek bail, but till the time the charges of sedition are not dropped against me, I will continue to be in jail,” the statement added.

Trivedi had come to Mumbai on Kanpur-based cartoonist Aseem Trivedi who was arrested on charges of posting seditious contents on his website is seen outside a Mumbai court. PTI

up at the rally but it was very hard to recover them at this stage as they were thrown by the cartoonist at the rally venue in Bandra Kurla Complex.

Police further said Trivedi was using a mobile phone registered on his father’s name. They said in so far as posting of Trivedi’s cartoons on a social networking site was concerned,

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the Cyber Cell of the department was carrying out investigations.

After going through the remand application, the court observed that investigations were complete and remanded Trivedi to judicial custody till September 24.

Trivedi was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a member of Republican Party of India, Amit Katarnayea.

Clad in black kurta and jeans, Trivedi was brought to the court in the afternoon. The Magistrate asked him whether he had any complain against police, to which he replied in the negative. After the proceedings, Trivedi, sporting a beard, was whisked away by the police. He did not seek bail.

Outside the court, around 200 volunteers of India Against Corruption (which organised Hazare’s rally last year) had gathered to support Trivedi.

One of them distributed copies of a statement purported to be written by Trivedi in jail.

The statement read, “If telling the truth is against the country, then I am a traitor....If raising voice against injustice is against the country then I am a traitor..If the definition’s of ‘Patriot’ and ‘Traitor’ have changed in the course of time, then I am a traitor”.

“I oppose disrespect shown to the Constitution. I believe in the Constitution as well as Dr BR Ambedkar.

Seeing disrespect to the Constitution pains me and I am trying to stop this through my cartoons,” the statement in Hindi said.

“I am following the path shown

by Mahatma Gandhi and serving the nation... Do not get bothered seeing

September 8 and went straight to Bandra-Kurla Police station where the complaint was registered against him. He was immediately arrested and produced before the court the next day.

Earlier, a team of Mumbai Police had gone to Kanpur to look for Trivedi. Not finding him, they had met his father.After Trivedi learnt that a complaint had been filed against him in Mumbai, he surrendered to police.

British Woman Feared Kidnapped in Pakistan

BY ROB CRILLY (Telegraph) Ayesha Ali, 22, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, was in the country for a family wedding and was due to return home this week.

Police fear she is being held for ransom by one of the Pakistani police are searching for Ayesha criminal gangs that Ali, 22, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, who regularly target for- went missing in the city of Lahore. eign nationals of Photo: Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images who burst into his family’s house in Pakistani origin.

She went missing during a visit to Punjab province. He was released Liberty Chowk market with her sis- when a ransom was paid as part of ter and brother-in-law, Abdul Rauf a police sting.

A married couple have been jailed Ali, who said she was out of sight for 10 years in Spain for their part in for only a matter of minutes.

“She came to Pakistan a few the crime.

However, there is also a more weeks ago and was planning to leave for UK in next few days. She sinister side. Warren Weinstein, did not have passport, cash or any an elderly American development other document with her at the time worker, is being held by al-Qaeda after he was kidnapped from his of disappearance,” he said.

“She went missing in minutes home in Lahore. Security officials when she told her sister to wait for believe he was sold on to extremists her in a shop and she went to collect by criminals who carried out the abduction in August last year. her purse from their car.”

Rana Naseer, a city police officer, Ayesha had been staying with relatives in Mirpur, Kashmir, before said: “We are investigating the case but are yet unable to find any clue for visiting Lahore.

Kidnappings are commonplace the recovery of the woman.”

He added that the swift speed of in Pakistan.

Professionals and employees of the abduction suggested she may foreign companies are particular have been followed to the market.

A spokesman for the British High targets as criminals believe their families have ready access to cash. Commission confirmed the inciBritish-Pakistanis are also viewed dent.

“We are providing consular asas lucrative hostages.

In 2010, five-year-old Sahil Saeed, sistance to the family of a British from Oldham, was held for 12 days national who has gone missing in after being snatched by armed men Lahore,” he said.

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September 14, 2012

Stallions: HPL 2012 Champions

BY ROHAN BAVADEKAR HOUSTON: The Stallions won the 2012 Houston Premiere League (HPL) season by defeating the Avengers by 64 runs. Thus, they remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and capped off an excellent season by winning the final in emphatic fashion.

Put in to bat by the Avengers skipper Niraj Shah, the Stallions put up a mammoth score of 222/4. The highlight was the first and only century of this year’s HPL by Japen Patel, who scored a sparkling 104. The total proved to be beyond the reach of the fighting Avengers’ batting line-up, despite some aggressive hitting by their middle order. Unsurprisingly, Japen was adjudged the MVP of the finals for his fine batting performance, picking up a couple of wickets and affecting a crucial run-out as well.

Charan Gowda, of the Texans, was the high-

est run-scorer of this year’s HPL with 230 runs while Majid Rizvi of the Stallions was the highest wicket taker with 11 wickets. Waleed Ahmed of the Stallions was the best fielder of the tournament with 8 catches. For his excellent performance in both batting and bowling, Majid Rizvi was named the Man of the Series for the 2012 HPL season.

The finals witnessed a huge turn-out featuring supporters of both Avengers & Stallions alongside cricket lovers from all over the Houston area. Asim Khan provided the play-by-play commentary, free delicacies from Salam Namaste and even a magic show for children.

This year’s HPL was a resounding success featuring a lot of closely contested games and a healthy spirit being on display.

For more information about HPL, visit www. houstonpremierleague.com

India House Sunday Cricket Team Hosts Send-off Party for Curt King

Hogg Foundation Awards $2 Million in Grants to Benefit Mental Health Services for Houston-area Children

India House cricket players, who practice on Sunday mornings, held a send-off party for their manager Curt King (center). Curt, who became an enthusiast after watching World Cup cricket five years ago, was one of the founders of the India House Youth Cricket Clinic.

He maintained the pitch and organized Sunday cricket. Curt is moving to his native state of South Carolina.

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AUSTIN: The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health has awarded about $2,056,000 in grants to continue developing and strengthening mental health services and supports for children, youth and families in Houston and Harris County. Eight mental health providers will receive one-year of additional funding through a continuation of the 2009 Ima Hogg Children’s Mental Health Grants program.

The original grants were based on recommendations from a two-year, community-wide strategic planning process conducted by the City of Houston and Harris County Joint City/ County Commission on Children.

“With the additional year of funding, we are better positioning these organizations to serve their communities for years to come,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the foundation. “Miss Ima Hogg’s vision, caring and concern for children and families lives on in the community she loved through her generous gift.” The original eight grantees that were selected will now receive a fourth year of funding to continue offering services to children, youth and their families to help build capacity and focus on sustainability efforts.

The grantees are: Asian American Family Services (AAFS) ($159,294) will continue to enhance the mental health and social well-being of children and families in Houston’s ethnically diverse Asian immigrant and refugee communities through Project SHINE. During the next year, AAFS will use lessons learned and evaluation results to improve program services and supports by developing or making modifications to its current curriculum to be culturally relevant to its constituents.

ChildBuilders ($102,014) will focus on building capacity and sustainability of mental health promotion in 45 Head Start centers in high-need areas through the Tools for Building Healthy Families program.

Collaborative for Children ($862,580) will continue the South Region Children’s Mental Health Collaborative to provide a full range of quality mental health prevention, intervention and treatment services.

DePelchin Children’s Center ($136,732) will continue the Lazos Program to provide culturally competent mental health screening and trauma-focused treatment for Latino children and families.

Family Services of Greater Houston ($93,193) will use the fourth year of funding to implement classes on the attachment theory for teachers, child care workers and parents in the Spring Branch area through the Building Bonds, Building Futures program. Family Services also plans to build a sustainability plan that includes enhancing revenue streams for counseling services offered to children.

Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults ($490,597) will focus the next year of Kashmere SWAP on five identified schools to provide a continuum of mental health services and supports to students and their families in the Kashmere/Trinity Gardens area.

Montrose Counseling Center ($130,945) will continue to serve gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning teens ages 13 to 18 in high schools in Houston and Harris County through peer support groups.

Star of Hope Mission ($81,391) will increase assessments focused on social and emotional development, build new classrooms and increase the number of children served through Project Early Start.

For more information, email Carrie Dyer at carrie.dyer@austin.utexas.edu or call Hogg Foundation at 512-471-4804

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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