Indian Music Society Houston’ s biennial program, Laya Taal Saadhna (LTS) 2025 was dedicated to the late Ustad Zakir Hussain. -- PAGE 5
Third Flight of Shackled Indian Deportees Arrives in Amritsar
AmritsAr: A third batch of 112 illegal Indian immigrants from the US landed at Amritsar airport Sunday night. This comes after the second batch of 119 Indians arrived at the airport at 11:40 pm Saturday. Deportations will continue every other week till all illegal immigrants are returned to their home countries as part of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration, sources said.
Among the 119 landed yesterday night, 100 are from Punjab and Haryana. While 67 are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. A senior police official said those from Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra are being transported to their respective states via early morning flights.
Amid the row over “inhuman” treatment of deportees, sources told The Indian Express, the second batch of Indians were handcuffed and shackled. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his commitment to repatriate the immigrants during his visit to the US, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann slammed him saying, “While Modi was shaking hands with his friend Donald Trump, Indian citizens were being deported in chains on a military aircraft. The chained Indians being sent back are Trump’s return gift to Modi.”
The White House on Tuesday afternoon posted a video online showing immigrants in shackles being prepared to board a deportation flight from Seattle.
The video includes footage of a set of handcuffs and chains jingling as they are pulled from a basket containing other shackles and then laid out on the airport tarmac next to four other sets of restraints.
The X post by the White House is titled, “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.”
ASMR is a nonclinical term that stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” It refers to a pleasant, tingling feeling some people experience when watching videos featuring unusual sounds, like whispering or fingernails tapping on a surface.
One shot in the 41-second video shows an immigrant with his hands cuffed in front of him and ankles bound by a chain as he walks past an officer.
Other shots include a close-up of a man having his handcuffs linked together, a man’s feet in chains as he walks up a stairway to a plane, and a man about to board the aircraft. None of the men in the video have their faces shown.
But the clip and the White House’s description of it capture the enthusiasm in the Trump administration and among the president’s supporters for his mass deportations.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday briefed Parliament on the recent deportation of 104 illegal Indian immigrants from the United States. Clarifying that the deportation process “was not a new one” and had been ongoing for several years, Jaishankar informed Rajya Sabha that a total of 15,668 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported to India from the US since 2009.
A day earlier, a US military plane carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar. Rejecting all the opposition’s charges, the minister also addressed the “handcuff” charges, Jaishankar said deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities and “the standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints”.
“However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies are attended to,” he said.
During toilet breaks deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard, the minister said, adding, “this is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft”.
“There has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5, 2025,” Jaishankar said. -- ToI, CNBC
Pandit Shantilal Shah’s “Laya Taal Saadhna” in Tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain
houston: The name Zakir Hussain and the salutation “Ustad”, are very well known, worldwide. What Ustad Zakir Hussain did to popularize the Tabla is unequalled. It was only apt hence that Indian Music Society Houston’ s biennial program, Laya Taal Saadhna (LTS) 2025 was dedicated to this phenomenon performer and outstanding human being.
The Laya Taal Saadhna a showcase event of Houston’s Tabla Guru - Pt. Shantilal Shah, has now become a staple and much anticipated event for all music lovers. This year’s program, started with a fitting tribute to the stalwart –video clippings of interviews, instances where this juggernaut was at a loss for words when talking about the sacred symbiosis of the instrument and the individual. This tribute that was superbly stitched together by Anuraag Shah, moved
the audience and served as a blessing for the program.
Seasoned emcee Jigisha Doshi introduced Smt. Aparna Shah who rendered a soulful invocation to Goddess Saraswathi. Pt. Shantilal Shah – fondly referred to as Guru ji - then took to the stage with the first group - Taal. This group of performers who were only a few inches taller than the Tablas themselves, wowed the audience with their dexterity and prowess!!
Pt.Shantilal Shah explained the rich tradition of his Tabla learning under Bade Guruji Taal Yogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, his zeal for perfection and the importance of regular Riyaz.
There were 5 groups aptly named with musical references – Theka, Maatra, Khand, Laya and Peshkar – that followed, and every one of them held the audiences spellbound with their fantastic perfor-
mances playing Kaidas, Paltas and Tihaee in Teentaal.
The second half of the program upped the ante. Guru ji was not
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part of the performance ensemble. This clearly highlighted his confidence in the prowess of the performers. The first three groups – Kaida, Tihaee and Sum wowed the audience with their resounding renditions in various Taals ranging from Rupak to Jhap Taal. All the Kaidas, Relas and Paltas were quite complex and required numerous hours of dedicated Riyaz, which was evident in their performances. The epitome of this LTS came from the Aavartan group. This group consisted of Guru ji’s senior most students who are currently professionals and/or college students. They performed a variety of Relas, Chakradaars and Tihaae all in Drut (very high speed) Teen Taal. Their crystalclear recitals of each of the Tukras left the audience spellbound. This phenomenal finale received a
standing and thunderous ovation from the audience that consisted of students, parents, senior artists, classical music enthusiasts, IMS members and many more. This year’s LTS helped reiterate the extremely high bar of excellence that this program has established and continues to elevate even further every time.
While Jigisha ensured a smooth program flow, key tasks such as brochure creation, backstage coordination were very well organized, planned and executed by dedicated parent volunteers, under Vishy Narayanamurthy’s leadership.
Laya Taal Saadhna is a pride of the Houston Tabla community. We hope to see more young and adult students learn Tabla in its true spirit. For more details visit www.tablahouston.com & www. imshouston.org
The Laya Taal Saadhna was presented as a tribute to the late Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Facts about Undocumented Indians in US
by soutiK biswAs
wAshington dC: Donald Trump has made the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals a key policy, with the US said to have identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered illegally.
Now a new paper, external by Abby Budiman and Devesh Kapur from Johns Hopkins University has shed light on the numbers, demographics, entry methods, locations and trends relating to undocumented Indians over time. Here are some of the more striking findings.
How many illegal Indians are in the US?
Unauthorised immigrants make up 3% of the US population and 22% of the foreign-born population. The number of undocumented Indians among them is contested however, with estimates varying widely due to differing calculation methods.
Pew Research Center, external and Center for Migration Studies of New York, external (CMS) estimate some 700,000 people as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. In contrast, the Migration Policy Institute, external (MPI) puts the figure at 375,000, ranking India fifth among origin countries.
The official government data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers yet another picture, reporting 220,000 unauthorised Indians in 2022. The vast differences in estimates highlight the uncertainty surrounding the true size of the undocumented Indian population, according to the study. Yet numbers have dropped from their peak
A surge - and shifting migration routes
Before 2010, encounters involving Indians at the two borders were minimal, never exceeding 1,000. Since 2010, nearly all encounters involving Indians occurred along the US-Mexico southern border. In FY 2024, encounters of Indian nationals on the northern border surged to 36% of all Indian crossings, up from just 4% the previous year. Canada had become a more accessible entry point for Indians, with shorter visitor visa processing times than the US.
Also, there was a surge in attempted border crossings from 2021 onwards, and the encounters at the Mexico border peaked in 2023.
Where are the illegal Indians staying?
The study finds that the states with the largest Indian immigrant populations -California (112,000), Texas (61,000), New Jersey (55,000), New York (43,000) and Illinois (31,000) - also have the highest numbers of unauthorised Indian immigrants. Indians make up a significant
share of the total unauthorised population in Ohio (16%), Michigan (14%), New Jersey (12%) and Pennsylvania (11%).
Meanwhile, states where more than 20% of Indian immigrants are unauthorised include Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, Wisconsin and California.
Who are the Indians seeking asylum?
The US immigration system allows people who are detained at the border who fear persecution in their home countries to undergo credible “fear screenings”. Those who pass can seek asylum in court, leading to a rise in asylum applications alongside rising border apprehensions.
Administrative data doesn’t reveal the exact demographics of Indian asylum seekers, but court records on spoken languages provide some insight.
Punjabi-speakers from India have dominated Indian asylum claims since 2001. After Punjabi, Indian asylum seekers spoke Hindi (14%), English (8%) and Gujarati (7%). They have filed 66% of asylum cases from FY 2001–2022, suggesting Punjab and the neighbouring state of Haryana as key migrant sources.
‘Gaming the system’ - why asylum claims are rising
US data collected by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows Indian asylum requests in the US have skyrocketed. The requests jumped tenfold in just two years, rising from about 5,000 in 2021 to over 51,000 in 2023.
While this spike is most dramatic in the US, similar trends are seen in Canada, the UK and Australia, where Indians are among the largest asylum-seeking groups, the study says.
Remittances
India received an estimated $120bn in 2023
- fuel aspirations for a better life, driven not by poverty but “relative deprivation”, as families seek to match the success of others abroad, the study says. A parallel industry of agents and brokers in India has cashed in on this demand.
The Indian government, says the study, “has looked the other way, likely because the issue of illegal migration is much more a burden for receiving than sending countries”.
How many Indians have been deported?
Between 2009 and 2024, around 16,000 Indians were deported, according to India’s ministry of external affairs. These deportations averaged 750 per year under Obama, 1,550 under Trump’s first term, and 900 under Biden. Indian migrant removals spiked between FY 2023 and 2024, but the peak was in 2020 with nearly 2,300 deportations. -- BBC
Job
Posting
Job Summary: KTRK-TV, the Disney-owned television station in Houston, is looking for a seasoned journalist with a passion for storytelling both in the field and at the anchor desk. The ideal candidate is looking for stories that can lead newscasts. This position will require some reporting and some anchoring.
Candidates must be master storytellers who can identify, develop, shoot, write, edit, produce and report high-quality, enterprising stories for multiple platforms.
Our ideal candidate also knows how to tell high-impact stories utilizing data and other research tools and is willing to experiment with new technology.
Must have a desire to serve the community and a knack for quickly cultivating contacts and exclusive story ideas.
Leadership ability as an Anchor during Breaking news.
Required Qualifications & Skills:
Must be a team player with an exceptional work ethic, the ability to work under deadline, multi-task, prioritize assignments, and have the flexibility to work any shift required. We want a respected, knowledgeable, ethical station representative and team player with a strong presence on social media. Must have a desire to serve the community and a knack for quickly cultivating contacts and exclusive story ideas.
Qualified candidates must have a minimum 2 years major market television news experience with excellent editorial, writing, shooting, editing and on-air presentation skills, including live reporting & ad lib expertise.
Past experience in streaming or digital content producing is a plus.
Past experience in covering sports is also a plus.
Background check clearance and clean driving record will be required.
Education: High School Diploma
Preferred Education: Journalism Degree
Interested candidates apply via Disneycareers.com reference JOB ID # 10111125
About Disney Entertainment:
At Disney Corporate you can see how the businesses behind the Company’s powerful brands come together to create the most innovative, far-reaching and admired entertainment company in the world. As a member of a corporate team, you’ll work with world-class leaders driving the strategies that keep The Walt Disney Company at the leading edge of entertainment. See and be seen by other innovative thinkers as you enable the greatest storytellers in the world to create memories for millions of families around the globe.
About The Walt Disney Company:
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with the following business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, Disney Parks, and Experiences and Products. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.
This position is with KTRK Television, Inc, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment.
KTRK Television, Inc is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Indian asylum seekers from Gujarat await US border patrol after crossing into Arizona in 2024. Getty images.
Indians in Quantum Milestone
sunnyvALe: Microsoft has announced the arrival of Majorana 1, a new quantum chip that produces more reliable and scalable qubits than its predecessors. Qubits are the building blocks of quantum computers.
The tech giant considers Majorana 1 to be a major milestone in the road to the future of useful quantum computing. Appearing on a podcast on YouTube, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company will be able to build a quantum computer somewhere between 2027-29.
“We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age. What properties does it need to have?’” said Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow. “And that’s really how we got here – it’s the particular combination, the quality and the important details in our new materials stack that have enabled a new kind of qubit and ultimately our entire architecture.”
Microsoft’s breakthrough revolves around engineering a new type of particle known as Majorana. These Majorana particles have been fabricated using topological conductors and they exist in
a topological state, which differs from traditional states of matter such as solid, liquid, and gas. In 2023, India decided to join in this global effort in a big way, by setting up a Rs 6,000 crore National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications. Development of homegrown quantum computers is one of the major objectives of the mission. Several scientific groups in the country are already working on quantum computers and related technologies. A collaborative effort of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is developing a 7-qubit quantum computer. -- IE, Microsoft
Save Smart, Prosper Strong
Year of the Snake Special CD rates!
new deLhi: The weakening rupee has started impacting Indian corporates that have gone for foreign currency borrowings, compounding concerns at a time when trade wars and economic slowdown are casting a shadow over global growth prospects. The five per cent depreciation in the rupee since April 2024 has directly increased the rupee equivalent of debt repayment for companies relying on external commercial borrowings (ECBs) by the same percentage, pinching the corporate sector.
SPIRITUAL
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Chhaava’:Vicky Roars, Races and Rampages
by renuKA vyAvAhAre
Story: The death of the mighty Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who founded and led the Maratha empire to its undefeated glory relieved the Mughals. Little did they know they would now be entering the tiger’s den by facing Shivaji’s valiant son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, if they wished to expand their empire in the deccan.
Review: Based on Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novel, Chhaava (lion’s cub) aims to acknowledge the bravery of Shambhu Raje (Sambhaji Maharaj played by Vicky Kaushal), that most history books haven’t been able to. There’s more to him than being Shivaji’s son who was betrayed by his own men, captured and brutally executed by Aurangzeb (played by Akshaye Khanna). The film sheds light on why he was widely revered by his people and feared by rivals in the nine years that he held the Maratha throne. Still reeling from the loss of his father, Sambhaji and Sersenapati Hambirrao Mohite (essayed by Ashutosh Rana) invaded Mughal stronghold Burhanpur right under their nose. For the nine years that followed, Sambhaji trampled on Mughals’ expansion plans making him a thorn in their side. Sambhaji’s bravery overcame the betrayal he faced by his own people until he was ambushed and captured in Sangameshwar. Even his brutal execution couldn’t kill his warrior spirit and fight for Swaraj.
Mughals. “Kuttay ke pillon se, sher ka baccha nahi bhaag jata” The writing ups the drama and feisty theme. The fight scenes are well choreographed and executed. The last part of the movie has been splendidly shot and deserves a theatrical viewing.
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 February 25, 2025. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
Director Laxman Utekar builds his historical on a massive canvas, giving the film the larger than life appeal it deserves. The film starts off with promise and a grand slowmo entry but the first half lacks an engaging story beyond the obvious reverence. It feels like a collage of action sequences and songs.
You miss that tension or sense of discovery around the events that unfold. AR Rahman’s songs and background score drive the narrative, overriding the story and dialogues. The legendary music composer’s ‘Aaya re toofan’ (war cry) is a winner with its classic Maharashtrian Nashik Dhol Tasha but rest of the tracks don’t complement the film’s setting or theme. Romantic number ‘Jaane Tu’ is beautiful as a standalone song but throws you off guard when placed in the movie as it sounds way too contemporary for the era. Piano doesn’t go with the paithani. You constantly wonder if Ajay Atul would have been a better fit for a story like this.
The film’s soul lies in the second half, and it is here that Chhaava gets truly gripping and thrilling.
The story picks up the pace, gets the emotions right and keeps you on the edge throughout the outstanding climax that sees Sambhaji single handedly fighting the
Last but not least, the film belongs to Vicky Kaushal and it’s fair to say he has given his blood, sweat and tears to this titular part. He channels his inner rage, allows his rudra avatar to take over and roars like a tiger in every scene, commanding your undivided attention. This is one of his finest performances till date and no one could have done it better than him. Akshaye Khanna and his one-liners are effective. He is refreshingly understated, even as his makeup and extensive prosthetic work go over the top. Actor Vineet Kumar Singh is a great casting choice to play Kavi Kalash. His conversation with Vicky gives the film some of its best scenes.
The women don’t get as much screen space. The immensely talented Divya Dutta as Maharani Soyarabai has a powerful presence and deserved a meatier role. Rashmika Mandanna looks the part but struggles to get her language, accent and emotions right. Diana Penty turns out to be the biggest disappointment. She barely gets to speak but when she does, her stone-faced performance distracts you from the most intense scenes.
Chhaava’s excellence lies in its gripping second half and a terrific climax. Vicky Kaushal is breathtaking as he exudes Sambhaji Maharaj’s valour and passion for swaraj like it were his second skin. You just wish the film relied and trusted its solid story more than Rahman’s music, which largely feels out of place..-- ToI
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