venue located at 3101 Fuqua Street, Houston. -- PAGE
The event was held at one of the biggest furniture showrooms across Houston, which resembled
Masala Radio at Exclusive Furniture
Celebrating india’s CriCket ViCtory and start of 4th of July sale
Houston: On Sunday, June 23, Exclusive Furniture’s Grand Parkway location offered shoppers the chance to take advantage of the spectacular Pre-4th of July Sale. Catering exclusively to Masala Radio listeners, the event promised unbeatable deals on designer furniture and mattresses, making it a must-visit destination for Houstonians gearing up for the holiday. The event was held at one of the biggest furniture showrooms across Houston, which resembled a grand Bollywood mansion complete with a striking spiral staircase.
The atmosphere was transformed by the presence of Sunil Thakkar of Masala Radio and his team including Bhavisha Thakkar, Sujithra Baskaran, Vidya Roy Chowdhury, and Abhishek Mukerji proudly sporting Indian cricket team jerseys highlighting the country’s success in the T20 World Cup series in the USA and the Caribbean. DJ Alam enhanced the ambiance with lively Bollywood melodies, maintaining high spirits and energy levels throughout the event.
“It was a pleasure for Masala Radio to host this amazing event,” remarked Sunil Thakkar. “This store offers a unique shopping experience unlike any other. Sammy Zavery stands out as an inspirational business figure, starting with a single store 25 years ago and now leading 8 expansive locations that showcase high-quality designer furniture. Alongside him, Fawad, Fauzia, and Director of Marketing Carolina, consistently deliver the finest designs and deals for all their customers. They exemplify great people doing great business.”
The highlight of the sale was the enticing offer: the more you buy,
the more you save, with potential savings of up to $750 on furniture storewide. Coupled with a tempting five-year, no-interest financing option, the sale aimed to make high-quality furniture and mattresses more accessible than ever. They sweetened the deal with a free smartwatch accompanying select mattress purchases. This whole experience was further elevated with the presence of the Tikkas & Takkos food truck where customers enjoyed a complimentary meal.
“We’re thrilled to bring these incredible savings to our valued customers,” said an Exclusive Furniture spokesperson. “Our goal is to offer not only the lowest prices in town but also a range of exceptional perks that give a special shopping experience.”
During this event, attendees also had the opportunity to enter a raffle for a chance to win a $500 furniture gift card by simply registering via a QR code along with a free Houston Diwali Festival of Lights 2024 ticket for the first 30 customers. This interactive approach encouraged engagement and excitement among shoppers. This special Pre-4th of July Sale not only exceeded expectations but also set a benchmark for future events, promising continued value and exceptional service. It’s a must-visit for anyone furnishing a new home, especially with the additional discount for Masala Radio listeners.
As the various promotions continue, Exclusive Furniture invites everyone to visit any of their 8 locations to take advantage of the exceptional deals. For more information and event highlights, follow MasalaRadio98.7FM on social media.
OCC Hosts 17th Rath Yatra Festival
Houston: While the tradition of the chariot festival in the city of Puri, Odisha dates back to a thousand year or more, here in greater Houston the tradition was set some 16 years ago by the people of Odisha residing in Houston and the members of the Orissa Culture Center (OCC). The vision was to celebrate the same age-old tradition of Puri where people of all walks of life throng to the grand pavilion in front of the temple of the Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the universe to take a glimpse of their God along with His elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra on the chariot.
This year’s chariot festival will be held on 13th July at the OCC
venue located at 3101 Fuqua Street, Houston, TX 77047. This full-day event with free parking is a never-to-miss festival of love, friendship and togetherness.
The summary of the day’s event is:
Havan or fire worship in the • morning @ 8:00 am
Health camp by community • doctors for free health evaluation for all between 9 am and 11 am
• dance recitals
Morning Arati and Odissi
of Indian Classical dances, Hawaiian, Mexican and Irish dances @ 2:30 pm
Pahandi procession of the • deities to the chariot and chariot pulling @ 6 pm
India Donates $1.1 M for Hindi
new York: The Government of India has made a whopping contribution of $1,169,746 to expand the use of Hindi in the United Nations.
The ‘Hindi @ UN’ project, in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information, was launched in 2018 with the objective of enhancing the public outreach of the United Nations in the Hindi language and spreading greater awareness about global issues among millions of Hindi-speaking people around the world.
India has been partnering with the UN Department of Global Communications since 2018 by providing an extra-budgetary contribution to mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content of DGC in the Hindi language.
To continue with this initiative, a cheque of USD 1,169,746 was handed over today by Ambassador R Ravindra, Cd’A & DPR, to Ian Phillips, Director and Officer In-Charge (News and Media Division), United Nations Department of Global Communications, it added.
Delicious Chappan-Bhog
• offering to the Gods and lunch for all devotees @ 12
•
noon
Multi-Cultural programs
Sandhya Arati to the Deities
• on the chariot by all devotees @8 pm
• devotees @ 8:30 pm
Dinner prasadam for all
We at OCC invite people of all communities to this one-day fun filled event and realize the common bond of humanness that binds all mankind. For details visit rathjatra.org and for sponsorship visit https://occhou.org/getinvolved/ give/sponsorship.
UN News in Hindi is disseminated through the UN’s website and social media handles – Twitter, Instagram, and a UN Facebook Hindi page. A UN News-Hindi audio bulletin (UN Radio) is released every week.
“Since 2018, the UN News in Hindi is disseminated through UN’s website and social media handles – Twitter, Instagram and a UN Facebook Hindi page. A UN News-Hindi audio bulletin (UN Radio) is released every week,” it also said.
Its weblink is available at the
Almost a year ago, India’s then Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj handed over a cheque to Melissa Fleming, Under Secretary General of the United Nations Department of Global Communications towards the expansion of usage of the Hindi language in the United Nations.
With 50,000 current followers on Twitter, 29,000 on Instagram and 15,000 on Facebook, UN Hindi social media accounts publish nearly 1000 posts every year. The Hindi UN News website with 1.3 million annual impressions remains in the top ten in internet search engines. (ANI)
UN Hindi News website as well as at the Soundcloud – “UN NewsHindi”.
Indian-American CEOs of Health Tech Startup Charged in $ Billion Fraud
CHiCago: Three former executives of Outcome Health, a Chicago-based health technology start-up company, were sentenced for their roles in a fraud scheme that targeted the company’s clients, lenders, and investors and involved approximately $1 billion in fraudulently obtained funds. The startup’s investors included Goldman Sachs Group, Google parent Alphabet Inc and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s venture capital firm.
* Rishi Shah, 38, a co-founder and former CEO of Outcome, was sentenced on June 26 to seven years and six months in prison.
* Shradha Agarwal, 38, a cofounder and former president of Outcome, was sentenced yesterday to three years in a half-way house.
* Brad Purdy, 35, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Outcome, was also sentenced yesterday to two years and three months in prison.
“Outcome’s former executives deceived their clients, their auditor, their lenders, and their investors for years,” said Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their sentences should serve as yet another reminder that ‘faking it until you make it’ is not an acceptable practice for any business, whether that company is a technology start-up or a well-established corporation. Lying about your revenue to obtain customers or financing is fraud, plain and simple. The Criminal Division is committing to holding companies and their executives accountable for their misconduct.”
and evidence presented at trial, Outcome, which was founded in 2006 and known as Context Media prior to January 2017, installed television screens and tablets in doctors’ offices across the United States and then sold advertising space on those devices to clients, most of which were pharmaceutical companies.
it appear as if the company was delivering advertising content to the number of screens in the clients’ contracts. Purdy and others at Outcome also inflated metrics that purported to show how frequently patients engaged with Outcome’s tablets installed in doctors’ offices. According to the trial evidence, the scheme targeting Outcome’s clients began in 2011 and lasted until 2017, and resulted in at least $45 million of overbilled advertising services.
“The defendants’ vast scheme defrauded the clients, investors, and lenders who supported their business,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “Although
they sought to hide the fraud by silencing whistleblowers and duping auditors, a jury rightly held the defendants accountable for their extensive fraud scheme. Our office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice for the victims of complex fraud schemes.”
According to court documents
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Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy sold advertising inventory the company did not have to Outcome’s clients and then under-delivered on its advertising campaigns. Despite these under-deliveries, the company still invoiced its clients as if it had delivered in full. Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy lied or caused others to lie to conceal the underdeliveries from clients and make
“This was an elaborate, billiondollar fraud scheme by three people who were supposed to be leaders of the company,” said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “Instead, these now former executives attempted to illegally line their own pockets. This type of fraud and abuse takes critical resources out of our health care system, and the FBI will always work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute anyone who intends to defraud the American public.” -Business Insider
Shradha Agarwal and Rishi Shah, both 38, have been convicted and sentenced for fraud in Chicago.
Gratitude and Remembrance at IMAGH’s Eid Party
bY JawaHar MaLHotra
sugar Land: The music was light and lively for the flock of people who came together at the Indian Summer restaurant banquet hall to celebrate Eid al Adah on Friday, June 28, albeit over a week after the actual event. Dressed in their traditional finery, the over 100 people mingled and listened to foot-tapping Bollywood music from yesteryear. They served themselves from a appetizer and dinner buffet line and on the outdoor patio, another line waited on freshly made dosas.
Imtiaz Munshi, the man with the golden, smooth voice, had teamed up with Bindu Malhotra - she of the lilting voice – to lead the night with music and songs that caught people’s imaginations and took them back to another time, and another place. As the evening progressed they were joined in by Rafiq Munshi for a medley of Bollywood hits well past midnight.
The effervescent Khalid Rizvi recited several limericks in Urdu and snippets from ghazals.
In keeping with the spirit of Ed al Adah, the organizing committee made presentations of plaques to two beloved and senior original members of the Indian Muslim association of greater Houston. With much tenderness, Club 65 President Rahat Kalle remembered the
late Shakuntla Malhotra - affectionately called Mama by one and all - who had passed away at the age of 96, just five weeks ago. She presented a plaque to her son - this
reporter - recording Mama’s “devotion to the community and dedication to peace and unity”.
Kalle and IMAGH President Tasnim Vadva presented the other plaque to 95 year-old Kaka Shipchandler, for his love and devotion to IMAGH. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to sing in his still strong voice, Kaka sat in a chair and sang a long desi ballad. They also handed out gifts to winners of a raffle, including a Father’s Day gift bag to Waseer Musa.
The well attended event was organized by the committee of Tasnim Vadva, Rahat Kalle, Yasmin Udawala, Shaheen Vora, Hina Azam and Ali Dhanji who used all their talents to pull together a smooth and timely program.
Event Committee with Parul Fernandes
Kaka Shipchandler honored
Plaque for Mama Shakuntla Malhotra
Singers Imitiaz Munshi & Bindu Malhotra with admirers
Opening Ceremony of International Space University at Rice University
Indian Consul General DC Manjunath (center) participated in the opening ceremony of the Space Studies Program of the International Space University this year at Rice University. The group consists of ISRO scientists and engineers and doctoral/masters students from various universities. The delegates also benefited from interacting with senior scientists/administrators NASA, particularly those of Indian origin.
SOS, India House Host Seminar to Introduce Financial Literacy to Seniors
bY PraMod kuLkarni
Houston: Share Our Secrets (SOS) and India House collaborated to host a free seminar titled “Empowering Women in Dealing with Financial & Legal Matters in Retirement” at India House on Sunday, June 30 afternoon.
The seminar was the brainchild of Dr. Prita Mohindra, who said that after retirement, she felt the need to learn at least the basics financial and legal matters that are of significance during retirement. SOS had conducted a year-long course for the first batch of women and decided to host an introductory seminar at India House, said SOS Founder Ranvir “Biki” Mohindra. Similar seminars were held two years ago prior to the pandemic.
Overall coordinator for the seminar was Atma Ram. Col. Vipin Kumar, Executive Director of India House, welcomed the seniors to the seminar. Approximately 100 seniors attended. While there were many women in the audience, a few men attended as well.
Attorney Bri Luna was to serve as the emcee for the event, but she could not attend at the last minute as she had to attend her grandfather’s funeral in Mexico City.
Mohindra talked about how SOS helps second-generation men and women learn life skills they would not have learnt in college and also helps them climb the career ladder in a corporate environment, and also be able to make an impact as entrepreneurs. SOS was able to recruit several dozen women to join upcoming financial literacy courses.
Joe Pascoe was the first technical speaker. His segment was titled “Getting organized, Risk tolerance, and Managing Cash flow in Retirement.” Pascoe spoke about the need to transition from aggressive investing to grow one’s portfolio in the early years of your career to transitioning to a more stable, less risky portfolio approaching the retirement years.
Attorney Anthony Brister’s presentation introduced the audience to estaste planning, which involves wills and trusts, to make sure your assets go to the right individuals without having to go through probate, and minimize inheritance taxes. Brister also explained the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts.
Fidelity executive Caleb Liao talked about the investment and educational services for retirees available through Fidelity.
Fort Bend County Candidate Accused of Faking Facebook Attacks Faces New Allegation of Impersonating a Judge
riCHMond: Taral Patel, 30, was arrested June 12 and charged with online impersonation, a third-degree felony, and misrepresentation of identity, a Class A misdemeanor, after he allegedly used another man’s image to create a fake Facebook account under the name “Antonio Scalywag” and used it to send racist attacks to himself.
Investigators now believe Patel also created a fake Facebook account pretending to be Fort Bend County 240th Criminal District Court Judge Surendran Pattel, according to a new search warrant signed Monday.
The purpose of the search warrant is to gain access to the fake Pattel Facebook account to determine whether additional charges should be filed, the court records state.
Patel, who is the Democratic nominee for the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 commissioner’s office, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Scalywag’s fake page at first communicated with Pattel’s real page, with several “complimentary” comments on Pattel’s posts and a conversation via direct messages, the warrant says. “The conversation was friendly in nature until January 2022, when it appeared that Pattel was upset with
something Antonio Scalywag had posted publicly,” the warrant states. In November 2023, Scalywag sent several messages to Pattel that went unanswered.
Investigators seized and searched Patel’s phone after his arrest and on June 24 discovered the fake Pattel Facebook page, which they said was associated with a Taral Patel email address, the warrant states.
When authorities showed Pattel the Facebook page, Pattel stated that he did not create the profile, and he did not authorize anyone else to create the profile on his behalf, court records show. He also reported that his name and photo
were used without his consent.
Pattel was slated to be the presiding judge in Patel’s criminal case, but records show Patel has since been assigned a new judge.
Patel is the former chief of staff to Fort Bend County Judge KP George.
Andy Meyers, current Pct. 3 commissioner and Patel’s Republican opponent, said the media maelstrom that came as a result of Patel’s allegations of racist attacks has damaged the reputation of Fort Bend County, which in turn could cause economic fallout.
“When you search for Fort Bend County, you see horrible stories about racism, and it’s an untruthful portrayal of Fort Bend County,” Meyers said. “How do we attract major corporations to come here, pay taxes and create jobs when they read these claims that were so obviously phony?”
Under Texas Penal code, it is a third-degree felony to send an electronic mail, instant message, text message, or similar communication that references a name, domain address, phone number or another item of identifying information belonging to any person.
The Class A misdemeanor charge is added if the impersonation is done with intent to harass an individual, according to the code.
-- The Houston Chronicle
Astronaut
Sunita Williams’ Return to Earth May be Delayed Up to 90 Days
Houston: Projected to last only days, the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft with two astronauts onboard faces uncertainty with no exact return to Earth announced.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich has said that the US space agency is considering extending the duration of Starliner’s mission from 45 days to 90 days.
Officials have repeatedly hinted that the Starliner, which faced issues with helium leaks and thruster outages heading to the International Space Station in early June, will be safe to bring astronauts including Sunita Williams. ‘Suni’ Williams and Butch Wilmore home.
On June 30, Stich said that NASA is considering extending the maximum length of Starliner’s mission from 45 days to 90 days and there is no firm return date on the horizon.
He added, “We’re not in a rush to come home.”
Part of that desired extension is due to the ground tests that Boeing and NASA plan to conduct in New Mexico, seeking to better understand why some of the Starliner’s thrusters unexpectedly failed during the first leg of its journey.
Stich and Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the Commercial Crew Program for Boeing, also said that engineers are still not certain about the reason behind the Starliner’s problems.
Meanwhile, Sunita Williams and Wilmore have integrated with the rest of the crew currently aboard the International Space Station and are conducting routine tasks.
Several more helium leaks were identified while the craft was heading to the International Space Station, along with the thruster issues. The Starliner’s service module, a cylindrical attachment at the bottom of the spacecraft that provides much of the vehicle’s power during flight, faced several issues, CNN reported.
The seminar was intended primarily for women, but many men attended as well.
bY CLaire goodMan
Taral Patel
Speakers at the seminar included SOS Founder Biki Mohindra (left), investment counselor Joe Pascoe, Fidelity executive Caleb Liao, and attorney Anthony Brister.
At a round table conference after the formal seminar, Attorney Anthony Brister (center) took questions from interested seniors.
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‘Kalki 2898’: Amitabh, Visuals Outshine Flaws
Story: In the year 2898 AD, the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu, Kalki, is poised to be born, heralding a new era amidst a dystopian world fraught with malevolent forces.
Review: ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ begins with a gripping depiction of the aftermath of the Mahabharata war, when Lord Krishna cursed Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) with immortality. This sets the stage for a fictional narrative within a star-studded cinematic universe, deeply rooted in Hindu mythology. A story about the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu, who is prophesied to arrive on a white horse, signaling the end of the Kali Yuga.
Writer-director Nag Ashwin crafts his story around it, but the film is a precursor to what you can expect in the future installments of this massive universe. To do that, he uses his imaginative prowess and transports the audience into a visually stunning world. This is the biggest and most obvious strength of the film. Ashwin, with the help of his cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic, takes us into the lone existing city of Kasi, ruled by the evil Commander Manas (Saswata Chatterjee) and led by God King Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), who lives in a mysterious powerhouse known as Complex. It’s a dark world where fertile women
are killed and men are enslaved.
The only ray of hope, perhaps, is Bhairava (Prabhas) and a motley bunch of rebels from Shambhala until they rescue one of the subjects from the Complex, SUM80 (Deepika Padukone), the bearer of the awaited avatar.
It’s a simple story thrown into a complex web of too many characters and subplots, some of which have little to do with the broader narrative. Ashwin’s plot meanders into unnecessary detours so many times that it gets tiring to wait for it to get back on track. The entire first half suffers from this back and forth, especially with Prabhas’ character. The futile attempts to generate comedy, even with a veteran like Brahmanandam (who plays Bhairava’s landlord Rajan), fall flat, much like his half-baked love angle with Roxie (Disha Patani) that could have been completely done away with.
Thankfully, the film picks up pace in the second half with Amitabh Bachchan’s re-entry. The veteran superstar wows us with his infectious energy in high-octane action scenes. Even with all the special effects and latest tools of computer animation, he manages to breathe life into his character and bring a level of realism into Ashwatthama’s unbridled power. Deepika Padukone shows commendable restraint and skill in playing a subdued character who is destined to eventually be powerful.
South superstar Shobhana provides good support as the wise Mariam. Saswata Chatterjee comes across as somewhat caricaturish in his role of Commander Manas. Kamal Haasan once again delivers a role that is strikingly distinctive and sends chills down the spine. Special appearances by Vijay Deverakonda, Mrunal Thakur, Dulquer Salmaan, S.S. Rajamouli, and Ram Gopal Varma leave a brief but memorable impact.
The film’s production design by Nitin Zihani Choudhary deserves special mention for creating a captivating visual landscape that enhances the immersive experience. Although the music score by Santhosh Narayanan is a letdown, the background score effectively complements the film’s narrative, elevating key moments.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is undeniably a larger-than-life visual spectacle that transports viewers into a vividly imagined universe. In fact, the film’s visual quality is so high that it overshadows many of its obvious flaws by engaging the audience into the atmospherics of the make-believe world of Kasi and the Complex. Moreover, it’s a concept that can spark imaginative experiences beyond the cinema. If you enjoy diving into a world of epic battles between gods, good, and evil, then ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ offers quite a satisfying audio-visual experience, even though it may require some patience. -- TNN
Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
Send us the correct answer before July 9, 2024. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
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