Indo-American News: November 06, 2020

Friday, November 6, 2020 | Vol. 39, No. 45

Indo American News

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November 6, 2020

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Activists, both Republican and Democrat, took to the streets as vote counting continued in the battleground states. Joe Biden gained ground on President Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania, but his lead diministed in Arizona as Indo-American News went to press on Thursday.

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POLITICS

November 6, 2020

Republican Red Tide Upsets Sri Preston Kulkarni’s Bid for TX-22

Houston: Sri Preston Kulkarni’s second atballots postmarked on Election tempt to win the TX-22 Congressional District was Day or earlier. The first sweep swept away by an unexpected Red Republican tide. must start immediately, and the Kulkarni lost to former Sherif Troy Nels by a 44.6% second one must take place at 4 to 51.6%. p.m. E.T., according to CNN’s Democrats in the local Indo-American community Paul Murphy. put their hearts and souls to help Kulkarni through According to Sullivan’s order, multilingual phone banking, poll canvassing and litany ballots which are postmarked erature drops. In the opposition were Conservaative on or before Election Day must be members of the community, raising concerns about delivered to election officials by 5 Kulkarni’s support for India in general and Hindus p.m. ET, Wednesday. in particular.

The sweep is not likely to One bright spot for the South Asian community change any of the election verwas Nabil Shike’s victory for the Fort Bend County dicts, but could shift some of the Precinct 4 Constable. winning percnetages, but the order In other election news, Harris County District Atdoes helps ensure that all votes are torney Kim Ogg fended off challenge from Repubcounted in Texas. lican Mary Ann Hoffman, who was backed by the Indian American Democrats campaigned long and hard on behalf of Sri Kulkarni.

Houston Police Union. Ogg received 54% of the votes.

Among the judgeships in Harris County, Judge RK Sandill won re-election by more than 100,000 votes for the 127th Civil District Court.

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POLITICS

November 6, 2020

All Indian American Congress Reps Re-elected

Five Indian-American Democratic lawmakers— Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ami Bera, Senator Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, Pramila Jayapal from Washington, and Ro Khanna, and California’s Ro Khanna.

Washington DC: Even as the world awaits the results of the US presidential elections, IndianAmericans have some reason to celebrate.

The “Samosa Caucus” comprising five Indian-American Democratic lawmakers—Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, Ami Bera and Ro Khanna from California, Pramila Jayapal from Washington, and Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris—have had a promising run in the elections.

Hiral Tiperni, running for House in Arizona, lost with a thin margin.

The Mumbai-born doctor and cancer research advocate who moved to the US at the age of three built a campaign rallying behind a broad spectrum of issues including Medicare, reproductive rights, second amendment rights, equality for the LGBTQ+ community, and racial justice, among other things.

Had she been elected, she would

have become the second IndianAmerican woman after Jayapal to make it to the House.

After narrowly losing in 2018, Sri Preston Kulkarni ran for House in Texas again this year.

The 42-year-old former Foreign Services worker, who lists making healthcare affordable and accessible as a big campaign issue, was hoping to turn Texas blue this time.

Andhra Pradesh-born Manga Anantamula, a vocal supporter of India’s controversial Article 370 and Citizenship Amendment Act, lost the race for a House seat in Virginia.

“This year’s election represented a giant leap forward for the IndianAmericans’ role in US politics,” Neil Makhija from the Impact Funds, which had raised $10 million during this election cycle, told The Week. He added that this election featured a record number

of Indian-American candidates running in state and federal races.

And Kamala Harris, of course, became the first Indian-origin leader to win the vice-presidential ticket.

IMPACT raised a groundbreaking $10 million to support turnout efforts in the Asian American and Indian American community and to elect IMPACT’s 2020 slate of candidates. The funds were invested in the presidential, statewide, and congressional races in battleground states, including nearly $2 million apiece in Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and Texas.

Even as citizens, Indian-Americans have emerged as a force to reckon with. Around 2 million of them voted, with half a million coming from battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. They also donated more generously than ever before to this year’s campaign.

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INDIA

November 6, 2020

India, United States Sign Crucial Agreement on Geo-spatial Intelligence

New Delhi: A day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper arrived in India, both the countries signed the crucial Indo-US Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which pertains to geo-spatial intelligence, sharing information on maps and satellite images for defence purposes. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the third edition of the 2+2 talks with Pompeo and Esper.

After inking the pact, Singh talked about protecting territorial integrity and sovereignty. “We held a comprehensive discussion on a range of key issues. Inking of BECA with US is a significant move. Our military to military cooperation with the US moving forward very well.

We identified projects for joint development of defence equipment.

We reaffirmed our commitment to peace and security in Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

Esper, on the other hand, talked about increasing aggression and destabilising activities by China while Pompeo referred to the Galwan incident where 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

“We visited National War Memorial to honour brave men & women of Indian armed forces who sacrificed for the world’s largest democracy, including 20 killed by PLA in Galwan Valley. The US will stand with India as they confront threats to their sovereignty,” Pompeo said.

“US and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against

ministerial dialogue.

US Presidential elections.

Both the top US admin“Today’s discussions will add istration officials also met new vigour to India-US defence Prime Minister Narendra relations and mutual cooperation,” Modi. Defence Minister Singh tweeted after his meeting Rajnath Singh, EAM S Jais- with Esper which lasted for about hankar and NSA Ajit Doval an hour in South Block. Esper was were also present during the received by Singh for the ceremomeeting. nial tri-services guard of honour.

They also visited the Na- The talks, Singh said, were “aimed tional War Memorial and at further deepening defence cooppaid tributes to India’s fallen eration in a wide range of areas.” heroes.

MEA spokesperson Anurag On Monday, they started Srivastava said Monday that the talks with their counter- 2+2 dialogue has been “signifiparts, Singh and Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in what is being seen as a cant in propelling India-US ties forward”. The first edition of the (right) with their US conterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper. strong reinforcement of the dialogue took place in Delhi in bilateral relationship and an September 2018, the last one was all manner of threats & not just cooperation between India and the those posed by Chinese Commu- US. The cooperation also includes unambiguous signal of renewal in Washington December 2019. -nist Party. Last year, we’ve ex- sharing of high-end satellite imag- and continuity a week before the Indian Express panded our cooperation on cyber es, telephone intercepts, and data issues, our navies have held joint exchange on Chinese troops and Consulate General of India exercises in the Indian ocean,” he weapons deployment along the Houston added.

3,488-km India-China LAC. On Tuesday, a high-level diaSources said that the call beNOTICE INVITING QUOTATIONS logue began during which both tween Pompeo and Jaishankar in sides highlighted the need to June — after the June 15 Galwan The Consulate General of India, Houston take forward shared objectives incident —set the stage and gave invites sealed quotations from and build capabilities across all a political impetus to the already approved and eligible companies domains so as to ensure a safe, existing security cooperation apto install a 3-ton Air-Conditioning system stable and rule-based regional paratus in place. Also, Esper had at 5634 Briar Drive, Houston, TX and global security environment. called up Rajnath Singh in the secas per the scope of work.

The signing of BECA allows ond week of July.

For complete details, log on to website: India to use US geospatial intelPompeo and Esper held talks ligence and enhance accuracy of with National Security Advisor http://www.cgihouston.gov.in or automated systems and weapons Ajit Doval, covering key aspects https://eprocure.gov.in/list/Mg like missiles and armed drones. It of growing strategic ties between gives access to topographical and the two countries. Issues of strateLast date for submission of quotations is aeronautical data and advanced gic importance were discussed at 23rd November, 2020 at 1200 hrs products which will aid naviga- the meeting, PTI quoted sources Address: Consulate General of India, tion and targeting. This could be as saying. The meeting took place 4300 Scotland Street, Houston, Texas 77007 key for Air Force-to-Air Force ahead of the third edition of 2+2

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BUSINESS

November 6, 2020

Southwestern Bank’s 23rd Anniversary Houston: Southwestern National Bank is incredibly proud to be marking our 23rd anniversary. 2020 is a special year where the world is facing an unprecedented health crisis. While it’s not a time for celebration, it is still important for us to reflect on the past, and more importantly, to focus on the future. CEO Mark Simmons said it’s been 23 years since the founding of Southwestern National Bank.

There have been many challenges and rewards that we have learned from, and we appreciate them all. Our continued success comes from our two most significant assets, our customers and employees. Our customers continually show their confidence in us by giving us their business and recommending us to others. We are grateful for that con-

fidence, and we will continue to do all we can to earn it. That confidence is a special thanks to our talented and dedicated employees who operate our bank with a high level of quality and consistency in mind.

Those efforts and continued dedication give us all reasons to be excited about our future.

Chairwoman Jody Lee added the SWNB family will continue to work together and provide excellent services to the communities we serve. We are also proud and honored that Director General Mr. Robert Lo from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of Houston and the Directors of Southwestern National Bank joined the management team and employees to celebrate this important milestone.

Indo-American News • Friday NOVEMBER 6, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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ENTERTAINMENT

November 6, 2020

“Mirzapur 2”: Amazon Prime Video Series Gives You Sense of Deja Vu

By Ektaa Malik

Directors: Gurmmeet Singh and Mihir Desai Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu Sharmaa, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajesh Tailang, Amit Sial, Isha Talwar, Priyanshu Painyuli, Anjum Sharma, Vijay Varma Rating: Two stars While the backbone of Mirzapur, economically speaking, is the carpet weaving and brassware industries — not to mention the illicit trade of country-made guns — the one other profession that will surely thrive in this small Uttar Pradesh city, will be that of therapists. Clearly, the local population and the main protagonists of the show have had a lot on their minds since we last met them.

Some noteworthy cast members had been killed off in the last season’s blood-soaked finale, leaving the audience and the residents of Mirzapur reeling. A session or two with a friendly therapist might just come in handy for the most part.

Those sessions will go a long way in addressing the oh-so-dominant daddy issues that almost everyone in the cast seems to have in abundance; we will come to that later.

We see Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal), Golu (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) and Dimpy (Harshita Gaur) who are on the run, which

is a tad difficult as Guddu has been shot in the knee, on the other hand, we see Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) sitting on the bedside of injured Munna Bhaiya, the unhinged son, who had been shot five times in the back. And a game of cat and mouse ensues, though it takes a long convoluted way to figure out who’s the cat and who’s the mouse. The prize though remains the same, from last season — the reign of Mirzapur.

There are some new players in the fray: Sharad Shukla, son of Rati Shankar who was killed by Guddu Pandit last season; there are the Tyagis from Siwan, who deal in everything from stolen cars to liquor; and there are the new alliances where the CM of Uttar Pradesh is now on first-name ba-

sis with Kaleen Bhaiya. It’s exhausting to keep with the constant backstabbing, the constant hustle and backhanded deals that seem to fuel this desire for revenge, the recurring theme of season two. Everyone is out for something, and that single-minded pursuit seems to justify everything.

Mirzapur season two is essentially a feud between four sets of fathers and their sons. The Pandits, The Tripathis, the Shuklas and the Tyagis, the father-son duo in all these clans are at loggerheads.

All upper-caste men, dealing with their overbearing, controlling fathers and doing everything to step out of their father’s shadow. The above-mentioned therapist will have a field day when left alone in a room with Munna Bhaiya or even Junior Tyagi. The daughters

assert themselves, albeit sporadically.

Golu Gupta, who debuted with the rather unnecessary and outof-place masturbation scene last season, has an interesting journey, but yet it leaves a lot to be desired.

Similarly for Beena (Rasika Duggal), who decides to cut her losses and does whatever it takes to survive after a rather traumatic finale. Certain plot points have been introduced to tick off boxes, to make sure the show looks and promotes an image of a ‘progressive, liberal, strong woman,’ but it all reeks of tokenism. Everything rings hollow and is downright jarring.

Mirzapur season two fails to learn from the mistakes of season one.

There are some improvements,

Indo-American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

sure. Production quality has gone up; it no longer feels and looks like a telefilm from the nineties that used to air on Doordarshan. But everything else gives you a sense of deja vu. We even see a recreation of a famous scene from The Godfather, the one where someone comes to propose the selling of drugs to Don Vito Corleone, and the ageing Mafia don declines, while being interrupted by his younger offspring. The one in Mirzapur involves Dadda Tyagi (Lilliput) and Bharat Tyagi, and all we can think of was Marlon Brando. We have seen all this many, many times.

Everyone speaks in one-liners, the dialoguebaazi gets heavy, and each dialogue is supposed to hold pearls of wisdom. But you cannot help but roll your eyes, because there is only as many times as we can hear lines like “Kuch log bahubali paida hote hain, kuch ko banana padta hai,” or “Rone se kamzoor to nahin pad jayenge naa.” Etc etc etc.-- Indian Express

SPORTS

November 6, 2020

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IPL 2020: MI vs DC: Mumbai Indians Win by 57 Runs, Qualify for Final Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 57 runs in Qualifier 1. MI have thus booked their place in next week’s IPL 2020 final. DC will meet the winner of the Eliminator between SRH and RCB in Qualifier 2.

MI, batting first, put up 200/5 in 20 overs. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a first-ball duck but Quinton de Kock (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (51) ensured MI still got off to a flier. Ravichandran Ashwin (3/29) accounted for both the MI openers, even as all others went for runs. However, DC stormed their way back at the halfway stage, as Suryakumar was picked up by Anrich Nortje and Ashwin dismissed Kieron Pollard for a duck to peg back the scoring rate. Ishan Kishan (55*) powered MI off to a resurgence in the late overs. Hardik Pandya (37*) joined him in a massive blitz towards the end, as 78 runs were scored in the last 5 overs. DC, needing 201 to win, suffered a horror start – their top three were all dismissed for ducks by Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah (4/14). Marcus Stoinis (65) and Axar Patel (42) put up a 5th wicket partnership that provided some hope to DC of a close finish, till Bumrah came back in the 16th over to snuff out Stoinis.

DC eventually ended their innings at 143/8 in 20 overs. Halfcenturies from Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan guided Mumbai Indians to a score of 200 for 5 in their 20 overs against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier of Indian Premier League 2020. Hardik Pandya played a fiery cameo towards the end and remained unbeaten on 37 off 14 balls. Ishan turned out to be the top-scorer with unbeaten 55 of 30 balls, including 3 maximums. For DC, Ashwin was among wickets as he returned with the figures of 3/29. Earlier, DC won the toss and opted to bowl first againstMumbai Indians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today. DC are playing the same eleven while MI have made three changes to the side - Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya are back for James Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni and Saurabh Tiwary. The winner of this face-off will enter the mega finale. The losing side will get another chance to try its luck out in the qualifier 2, to be held on November 8 in Abu Dhabi.

The next match in the IPL 2020 fixtures is the Eliminator on Friday between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Abu Dhabi. The Sunrisers Hyderabad won three matches in a row to make the playoffs whereas the Royal Challenges Bangalore lost their last four games, and were lucky to scrape into the top four.

The Sunrisers’ attention will no doubt be on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The finals between the Mumbai Indians and the winner of the SRH and RCB will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at Dubai.

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November 6, 2020

Indo-Americans on the Move

As the influence of Indian Americans in the US grows, they have increasingly morphed into a key demographic that could come to play an important role in the current election.

At roughly 4 million, the Indian American community is one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the US, second only to the Mexican community Politically, the Indian American population has historically been skewed towards the Democratic party with 77 per cent voting in 2016 for Hillary Clinton, and just 16 per cent siding with the presidential incumbent, Donald J Trump.

Visibility on the political stage has been equally matched with that in the corporate realm with numerous Indian Americans now heading some of the most influential corporations in the US. Voting in the United States is underway in an election that may have profound implications both, domestically and across the world. Among the various scenarios that may play out is one where a clear Joe Biden victory will also see Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate’s vice president pick, not only become the first-ever woman vice-president the US has ever had but the first Black woman and Asian one as well.

But the bonhomie between President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on display first during the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston that drew crowds in excess of 50,000, and earlier this year at the ‘Namaste Trump’ event in Chennai, has lent credence to a theory that the traditional Democratic bias may be being chewed away.

The Carnegie Indian American Attitudes Survey 2020 revealed that, of all the participants included, 56 per cent sided with the Democratic party, and 15 per cent with the GOP. Despite President Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, evidenced in part by his gradual dilution of the H-1B visa, there is reason to suggest that an increasing portion of the community may favour the current president winning a second term.

Meanwhile, the role that Indian Americans may play in the current election has not been lost on former vice president and Democratic challenger, Joe Biden either. Earlier this year, Biden became the first-ever candidate to release a document exclusively declaring his solidarity with the Indian American community, while promising to reverse many of the immigration policies enforced by the Trump administration.

While Harris has certainly attracted all the headlines, it is worth noting that she isn’t the first American with an Indian background to hold elected office. In fact, Indian American representation in US politics has been growing significantly from Piyush ‘Bobby’ Jindal, who served as the governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016, to Nikki Haley, President Trump’s choice for the position of US ambassador, to highly popular US Congress representatives Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna.

There may be several explanations for the consistently overwhelming support that the Democrats receive from the Indian American population but most analysts suggest that this could very well be due to the party’s more welcoming immigration policies. How much that will change this election though, remains to be seen.

-- Times of India, Text by Shiv Nalapat; data research by Sourjya Bhowmick

The Winter of Our Discontent

By Pravin Prakash “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York”. These immortal lines, the opening salvo of Shakespeare’s Richard III, indicated a prolonged period of unhappiness coming to an end with the budding promise of deliverance. There seems to be a similar sense of hope building around the American presidential elections.

Most democrats, liberals, moderates and all those loosely coalesced around the Joe Biden bonfire of “Never-Trumpism” are, understandably, too anxious or traumatized by the ghosts of 2016 to show any semblance of optimism.

Most political scientists and analysts agree that over the last four years, American democracy has taken a generous beating. This is a phenomenon political scientists refer to as democratic backsliding or autocratisation, referring to a transition — often gradual — away from liberal democracy towards a closed autocracy. They further noted, rather ominously, that only one in five democracies undergoing autocratization are able to reverse the trend without succumbing. Beating the odds will require two herculean efforts.

First, it will require a sacrifice, rather than flexing of power. Repairing America’s democratic institutions and structures will take time, effort and commitment.

Trump’s authoritarian impulses were enabled by a compliant Senate willing to indulge his whims and fancies and to fawn over him as he ran roughshod over accepted practices and established notions of public decency. Beyond a mollycoddling legislative branch, however, Trump was also empowered by an executive branch of government that had been incessantly strengthened over the last few decades by incumbents, both Democratic and Republican. The situation necessitates a recalibration of the different branches of government, rebalancing the dynamics of power between them

and limiting a supercharged presidency by holding the executive branch more accountable to Congress and the courts. Doing this will require support from a President willing to constrain himself in office for the future of American democracy. More than anything else, this could truly be the legacy of the Biden presidency, a willingness to constrain rather than wield power in service of a beleaguered democracy.

Second, restoring American democracy will require repairing its “common sense”. The Italian Marxist philosopher, Antonio Gramsci used the term common sense to refer to collective consciousness, an accepted, public understanding of norms, beliefs and ideas that often function in a reflexive way, rather than the product of critical reflection. The collective knowledge of what is right, what is acceptable and what accounts for righteous behavior and common decency is part of our common sense, from a Gramscian perspective. Four years of a Trump presidency and 14 years of Mitch McConnell’s leadership over Republican senators has birthed a political culture that is polarized and premised on the principle of obstructionism, with an absolute abhorrence for bipartisan collaboration. The sustained vilification of opposition politicians and the willingness to engage in Machiavellian strategies (particularly with regards to Supreme Court nominations) has helped create a social sphere in America divided on party lines. Repairing this will require the Democrats to pursue a different political strategy from the Republicans. Refusing to expand the Supreme Court, giving a legitimate hearing to Republican grous-

Indo American News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Publisher: Jawahar Malhotra Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Correspondent: Sanchali Basu ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. Deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 212, Houston, Texas 77036.Tel:713-789-6397, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www. indoamerican-news.com

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es and trying sincerely to embrace bipartisan solutions may seem foolhardy and naïve to many. In addition, this will expose the Democrats to accusations of being losers, particularly by sections of their own supporters. But it might be the only way to renegotiate American “common sense” from a society of winners and losers to one that is co-dependent and collaborative.

A vote for Biden, for many, will be a vote against Trump rather than a vote in support of the former vice-president. It would not be presumptuous to say that Biden is not an exciting candidate and that he has not fired up the Democratic base in any significant way. He is a compromise candidate, who is seen as a viable leader by many classic conservatives and Republicans weary and wary of Trumpian politics.

However, it would be a monumental mistake to conclude that a Biden victory would signal a desire for a return to pre-Trumpian politics and a re-embrace of establishment politics at the Capitol. It is worth noting that both Obama (“Yes, we can”) and Trump (“Make America great again”) emerged victorious from underdog campaigns on the back of mass movements, with slogans advocating monumental changes in American politics.

The fractures in American politics can be traced to events and legacies dating back decades, ranging from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Supreme court decision on Roe vs Wade in 1973, the embrace of neoliberalism in the 1980s and the institutionalisation of big money in politics through Citizens United in 2010. But it is undeniable that the financial crisis of 2008, and the realisation that the working class bore the brunt of the crisis, while the financial elite were “bailed out” triggered the socio-political crisis of today. The utter betrayal felt by large sections of the American public is underpinned by a burgeoning resentment and distrust of perceived elites and establishment politics. IE

August 31, 2018 18 SUDOKU/CUISINE SUDOKU/RECREATION

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

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11 PUZZLES / RECIPES November 6, 2020

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

It is that time of year when Fall colors and festivals – Diwali, Hanukah, Thanksgiving, Christmas - fill up all our days. There are parties big and small everywhere and lots of little things to snack on and this dish is a perfect fit and so easy to make. Below is a reprint of Mama’s Coconut de Pede recipe, which is a perfect little finger dessert for Diwali. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions.

Coconut de Pede

(CONDENSED MILK COCONUT DISKS)

There is no shortage of sweet confections in India as they are made of various types of base ingredients.

Very few are actually made of flour dough and many use milk, either condensed, coagulated, reduced or separated for its whey and cheese.

Most of these “sweetmeats” (as Indian are fond of calling them) are very rich in sugar calories and deep frying and adding nuts make them even more fattening. All the same, they are extremely delicious and hard to pass up.

Some sweets – like laddus (balls made of various ingredients), burfi (reduced milk squares), boondi (sweet fried gram flour drops) and pede (dough disks), apart from being eaten as a dessert, are often used as offerings to the deities in temples and then distributed to others as prasad (blessed food). But not all sweets are used in temples as offerings. They are often sold at the stalls and shops that line the way to the temple.

Pede is a sweet that is made with khoya (reduced milk), sugar and traditional flavorings like illachi (cardamom), piste (pistachio) and kesar (saffron) and can come in creamy white to a caramel color. Pede originated in the holy city of Mathura (associated with Lord Krishna) and these – along with petha (caramelized white pumpkin or winter melon) – is what the city is also famous for all over the country.

The traditional way halwais (confectioners) make pede is to first boil whole milk on a stove till it has evaporated down to a thick paste.

They then make small disks of them.

It’s a time consuming process that requires patience, a lot of supervision to stir the milk so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom and burn, and the ability to stand over a hot stove for long hours.

But there is a much simpler way too. This recipe allows the average home cook to cut back the work and still make tasty pede that can match the store made ones. It is quick and easy to make - in about 30 minutes – and those who eat it will never know the difference Ingredients: • 1 cup non-fat milk powder • 1 cup bariq narrial powder (fine coconut powder) • 7 oz (200 gm) condensed milk

• Condiments to taste: crushed piste (pistachioes); illachi (cardamom) powder Directions: 1. Pour all the non-fat milk powder and coconut powder in a bowl and mix together.

2. Pour in the condensed milk and mix thoroughly.

3. Coat your hands with some vegetable oil so that the ball will not stick.

Now knead the mixture till it forms into a ball.

4. Coat a clean dinner plate with a thin film of vegetable oil so that the pedde will not stick.

5. Take a small amount of dough and roll between your palms of till it forms into a small ball.

6. Place the ball on a serving plate and then press down with your palm to form a half-inch thick disk, about 1.25 inches in diameter.

7. Continue to make more disks with

the remaining mixture.

8. To the top of each disk, place some crushed piste. Then sprinkle the entire plate lightly with the illachi powder.

9. Cover with some wrapping paper and place the plate in the fridge for an hour.

Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947.

People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her early-nineties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

WE

EK TO ADD SOME CO LOR TO BURFI AN D PEDE, USE SOME TURM ERIC

Most people thin that gives off a deepk of haldi (turmeric) as just another sp effective antiseptic yellow color. Some may even know ice to cook with most people do realand skin lightener, both scientifically that haldi is an proven facts. But out if left untouche ize that haldi stains on clothing is fairl d for awhile. y difficult to get But what many used as a coloringpeople may not understand is that ha ldi is also often burfi and pede. If agent to make different foods, especia no other color is av lly sweets like creamy color, just ad ailable, or if you wa d a nt a slightly lit tle ha ldi wh give a nice, pleasin g color without addiile kneading the dough and it will ng any taste to the sweets.

Sanchali Basu

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