Friday, July 16, 2021 | Vol. 40, No. 29
Indo American News
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July 16, 2021
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Published weekly from Houston, TX
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Special Reports Community Briefs Local Politics South Asians in the News
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Houston Celebrates 14th Annual Jagannatha Rath Yatra
Great Immigrants
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‘Haseen Dillruba’
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W E D D I N G S , S P E C I A L E V E N T S , T E N T E D E V E N T S , O U T D O O R C O U R T YA R D
3 3 3 0 F M 1 4 6 3 | Ka t y, T X 7 7 4 9 4 | 8 3 2 . 8 5 5 . 5 5 2 0 | p a l m ro y a l v i l l a . c o m
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COMMUNITY
July 16, 2021
14th Annual Jagannatha Rath Yatra at New Orissa Culture Center (OCC)
Houston: Houstonians celebrated the annual Ratha Yatra on July 11th with pomp and grandeur at Orissa Culture Center (OCC). Ratha Yatra is the celebration of devotion, universal brotherhood, cultural diversity, and spiritual bonhomie and that is what was exhibited at Orissa Culture Center on the sunny Texas summer day. However, this year’s Ratha Yatra was a particularly special one for the Odia community of Houston as the much anticipated Jagannatha Temple and the Culture Center was inaugurated at 3101, Fuqua St, Houston TX 77047. On July 1st, 2021, OCC officially opened its doors to the public as Shri
Houston Ratha Yatra has been gaining popularity year after year and this is possible because of the steadfast encouragement provided by City of Houston and Houston Arts Alliance. Orissa Culture Center was decorated and decked up since the night before, with volunteers working in synergy up until the very day to have everything ready for Ratha Yatra. Traditionally, the build-up for Ratha Yatra starts on Akshaya Tritiya, and that is exactly when the Houston Odia community led by OCC began the activities for Jagannatha Rath Yatra. Like the previous years, Houston Ratha Yatra was a day-long event begin-
ning with traditional ‘puja-archana’ which involved havan and puja dedicated to Shri Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Shri Jagannatha. The customary ‘Chhappan Bhoga’, which includes 56 Odia delicacies, was offered to the deities along with the prayers for individual and global peace. Concurrently in the morning, free community health and dental check-up camp led by distinguished doctors was offered as part of the day-long festivity. Consul-General of India (CGI) Honorable Shri Aseem Mahajan and Chairman of Shri Sitaram Foundation Shri Arun Verma graced the occasion with their presence and encouragement.
Following the scrumptious afternoon ‘Maha Prasad’, there was a lull for an hour where the deities were rested, and volunteers prepared for the big event. As the evening approached a host of cultural activities kicked off the second part of the day long Ratha Yatra. Celebrating the core message of Universalism, the evening cultural program, which was aptly named, samskruti-o-sangam, was ushered by a soulful bhajan led by the kids of the community. ‘Samskruti-osangam’ displayed a rich mix of dance forms like Chinese Dance piece titled ‘Artistry in motion and Spring Outing’ by Dance of Asian America, along with the tra-
Indo-American News • Friday, July 16, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com
ditional Indian dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Odissi. Bharatnatyam was showcased by Anjali Center for Performing Arts with their presentation of ‘Dance of Celebration’. Kathak dance program titled ‘Rim Jhim Barse’ and ‘Kathak Tarana’ was performed by Natya Upasana Dance Academy. Kalaangan School of Odissi presented of ‘Nritya Bilas’ and Odissi Academy enthralled the audience with Odissi dance presentation named ‘Battu Nrutya’. ‘Samskruti-o-sangam’ concluded with mesmerizing Sambalpuri dance performed by OCC members. Continued on Page 11
COMMUNITY
July 16, 2021
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HGH to Celebrate 32nd Krishna Janmashtami at VPSS Haveli on Sept 4 The Hindus of Greater Houston has celebrated the most popular Hindu festival “Janmashtami”the birth of Lord Krishna in all its grandeur ever since its inception in 1989. For many years it was celebrated at George R. Brown Convention Center, downtown Houston, in the heart of the city. It is one of its kind in the USA, that unites all Hindu Community together under one roof and invites other communities that have a curiosity of understanding and celebrating the birth of our Lord. The 32nd year celebration will be held on Sep. 4th Sat. (Rain day Sep.11th) This event is free and open to all will be held from 6:00 pm till midnight. The tradition of celebrating this Hindu festival on a grand scale is continued this year by partnering of Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj -Shri Nathji Haveli and Hindus of Greater Houston. We are inviting all Temples, non-profit organizations, and Commercial Business to have booths. Special thanks to all temples and Organization for joining us in showcasing their deities, share their events and their presence in the Greater Houston area. This year 2021 the HGH received a special invite from VPSS - Shree Nathji’s Haveli located at 11715 Bellfort Village Dr, Houston, TX 77031 to join HGH in celebrating Janmashtami. Visitors will be greeted at the entrance with Hindu traditional
HGH Janmashtami committee met recently to plan to celebration.
welcome with Tilak (Sindhur) anointed on the forehead, shoes to be kept in specific area and exhibit presentation of decorated temples and attractive booths and many other interesting events for all age groups. Delicious mouth- watering vegetarian delicacies will be available. As always, the Most attractive event of the festival will be the costume contest for children dressed up to portray characters from Krishna’s life. Cultural program will be one of its kind this year with special dance performances. Special Aarti will be
In-person VFS Global Visa Services Available
Houston: With effect from 15th July, 2021 VFS Global, the Outsourcing Service Provider for consular services for the Embassy of India and the Consulates General of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York and San Francisco will start accepting in-person applications for Passport, OCI, Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) and Global Entry Program (GEP) services at its center with prior appointment only. (The current practice of accepting the applications by Mail will also continue.) An applicant is required to visit the VFS Global Website https:// services.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ ind/for online submission of applications (at the Government of India portals) for respective services. Thereafter he/she can make an appointment for in-person submission of applications at the concerned VFS Global Center (Indian Consular Application Centre 1001 Texas Ave, Suite #550, Houston, TX 77002 in case of Houston). At this stage, the applicant is required to pay the service charge of US$15.90 to VFS Global. Other charges, i.e., the Government of India fee and the ICWF charges and for optional services (e.g. for return courier), if any, will need to be paid at the VFS Center. The applicants are advised to carry all the required documentation to VFS Global as per the check-lists for the respective services at the scheduled time of appointment. Indo-American News • Friday, july 16, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com
preceded before the start of Garba Raas with Jhulan Sewa at 10 pm signifying the birth of Lord Krishna. Although the event is free for all as always, however, sponsors and donations are welcome. For additional details, for reservation of Temple Booth/Vendor Booth or Hindu non-profit organization. Please visit http://www.hindusofhouston.org/ or call Girish Naik – HGH Janmashtami – Event Chairman Tel: 281-851-6866 or Co-Chair : Rasesh Dalal-Tel: 832646-4996 and Vice Chair: Hemant Jadhav Tel: 713-504-9277.
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July 16, 2021
India House Provides Free Food for 175 Families
Houston: Since 2008, India House has been living up to its mission of serving the community by bringing resources to those in need. On Wednesday, July 7, India House distributed fresh groceries and fresh produce to around 175 needy families. The Houston Food Bank mobile pantry unit arrived at 8 a.m. The truck was loaded with fresh produce like watermelon, romaine lettuce, carrots, potatoes, squash; some canned food including ravioli and chicken noodle soup; and boxed cereal. The groceries were unloaded, bagged, and distributed to families by thirty volunteers and India House staff. The distribution was contactless and drive-through. The staff set up an assembly line to bring out the assorted groceries in a cart and loaded them in the waiting cars as they pulled up on the side entrance. India House also provided groceries to several families who did not have cars. No prior registeration or documentation is required to participate. We provide food to families in need regardless of their citizenship, race, social or economic status, national origin, or religion. We believe that no one in our community should go hungry. Durga and Sushila Agrawal sponsored today’s food distribution and also refreshments for the
volunteers. India House would like to thank Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for providing deputies to help with security and traffic control; and Maharaja Bhog for lunch for staff, volunteers, and law enforcement officers. Honorary Consul of Honorary Consulate of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Lynden B. Rose, was in attendance, and he volunteered in the distribution. In 2018, India House collaborated with Houston Food Bank to launch the Free Food Distribution program. The event is held bi-monthly with the help of sponsors, volunteers, and staff. The volunteers were gratified and fulfilled by their charity service. The receiving clients expressed their gratitude to India House, Houston Food Bank, and the volunteers for
their service. The upcoming food distribution is on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Apart from the ongoing bimonthly food distribution, India House offers many free services to the community to keep them mentally and physically fit. Since COVID-19, we have moved most of our services online. India House offers Yoga classes, BollyX fitness classes, relationship coaching, telehealth services, technology classes for seniors, and legal consultation on immigration and family law. In addition, we offer soccer coaching and art classes for children. For more information, please visit us at http://www.indiahouseinc.org/, India House is a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit organization serving the Greater Houston area.
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COMMUNITY
July 16, 2021
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Carnegie Honors Gita Gopinath, Kamlesh Lulla as Great Immigrants New York: Two Indian Americans — International Monetary Fund’s Chief Economist Gita Gopinath and NASA Scientist Kamlesh Lulla — figure in Carnegie Corporation of New York’s annual list of Great Immigrants. The 2021 list honors 34 individuals “who have enriched and strengthened our society and our democracy through their contributions and action,” the philanthropic foundation set up by noted industrialist Andrew Carnegie, announced June 30. The 16th class of Great Immigrants, representing more than 30 countries of origin will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on July 4 and through a social media campaign, it said. Called “one of the world’s outstanding economists,” India- born Gopinath focuses her research on international finance and macroeconomics, her profile noted. She has been widely published in top economics journals and has received numerous honors, including election as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Gopinath says that her most important advice is to have inner strength because you really have to believe in what you are capable of to keep pushing your ideas forward. “It’s exactly what the world is worried about: recession, jobs, inequality. It’s so clear to people these are important issues. And given my science background, I like that I’m bringing in some mathematical rigor … to understand these issues of the day.”
Gita Gopinath
Kamlesh Lulla
Growing up in India, Gopinath did not know anyone who worked in economics, the profile noted. It was more common for children to aspire to become a doctor or an engineer. She studied science through high school and when her parents’ friends suggested that she would enjoy success working for the
country’s administrative services, she went to Delhi to study economics. Gopinath took a “leave of public service” from her job teaching international studies and economics at Harvard University to assume the position as chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. India-born Lulla has trained astronauts, helped develop the International Space Station’s observational science capabilities, and published vital research on topics such as climate change science, according to his profile. An internationally recognized scientist with a storied career at NASA that has spanned more than three decades, Lulla is the recipient of three NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals. A widely published author, Lulla is a senior advisor for uni-
versity research and technology collaboration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the former chief scientist for Earth Observations
(Space Shuttle). The president of Ohio University has called Lulla a “genuine people-to-people ambassador for
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July 16, 2021
Indo-American News • Friday, July 16, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com
INDIA
July 16, 2021
Delhi’s Fake Call Centre Targeted US Citizens New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday night busted a fake call centre in South Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri and arrested 26 persons, including five women for allegedly duping hundreds of US nationals by posing as officials of Amazon Technical Support. DCP (south district) Atul Kumar Thakur said the special staff of South district received information about a call centre being run in Sultanpur, Mandi Road. “Acting on this specific information, a raid was conducted and they found several telecallers making these calls. The team asked them for permission/authorised certificate to run the call centre, but they could not produce any valid documents,” a senior police officer said. Thakur said their team found that the accused at the call centre were pretending to be employed by Amazon Inc and used illegal techniques like VOIP calls, bypassing the legal international long-distance gateways. “They were extorting Amazon customers based in the US by claiming their amazon ID had been hacked. We have recovered cell phones from their possession, which contained various US mobiles numbers in a Whatsapp group,” he added. During questioning, the accused told the police that they would send fake messages to phone numbers of Amazon customers, informing them that their amazon ID was hacked and charges had been imposed upon them. “When the customer would call back to know more
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about it, the accused would show them fake repair of their amazon ID through Any Desk app. The target would be made to pay up in form of target gift cards, which the accused would redeem,” Thakur said. Police have recovered 29 computers, two internet switches, two Modems and other accessories from their possession. “The illegal call centre has been operating from various places for around two to two-and-a-half-years. They used to send pre-recorded IVR messages through voice mails to foreign nationals. When the foreign nationals responded to the messages, the calls landed in India. The mastermind of the syndicate who has criminal cases registered against him operates from Dubai. The team leaders and operators arrested here are in cognisance about the offence,” Anyesh Roy, senior police official Cyber Cell, Delhi said while briefing the press. As per reports, police said, the accused have duped over 4,000 foreigners (primarily from the US) to the tune of Rs. 90-100 crore. -- IANS
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COMMUNITY
July 16, 2021
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti: Ambassador to India New Head for Village School
Los Angeles: Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has led the city during a period of booming development, a worsening homelessness crisis and a devastating pandemic, is President Biden’s nominee to become ambassador to India, the White House announced Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would be the first L.A. mayor in more than a century to voluntarily leave office before the end of his term. He had been scheduled to step down in December 2022, when he would have finished a second term that was extended by 18 months after the city changed its election calendar. In making the announcement, the White House emphasized Garcetti’s sweeping responsibilities and Los Angeles’ global role, highlighting the mayor’s oversight of the busiest container-ship port in the Western Hemisphere and one of the world’s busiest airports. Garcetti has also networked with counterparts around the globe, including in India, to push for stronger policies to battle climate change. “I have committed my life to service — as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant and, if confirmed, next as an ambassador,” he said. “Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call.” Garcetti’s nomination signaled that the White House is standing by him amid high-profile con-
troversies that have engulfed the mayor’s office over the last year. An ambassadorship in President Biden’s administration gives Garcetti a new career path, away from electoral politics. But it also opens him to criticism that he is abandoning Los Angeles as it grapples with an intractable homelessness crisis and rising gun violence. City Council President Nury Martinez, in a statement following Friday’s announcement, praised Garcetti for his work raising the minimum wage and overseeing the city’s COVID-19 response. Councilman Mike Bonin called the appointment “phenomenal,” saying he had seen Garcetti’s diplomatic skills firsthand during trade missions to Asia. “He will make a great ambassador and will do Los Angeles proud,” said Bonin, who represents part of the Westside.
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Houston: The Village School, the premier private day and boarding school in Houston, recently announced Bill Delbrugge as the new Head of School. Delbrugge joins The Village School with more than 30 years of education experience, including over a decade serving as headmaster at schools in Egypt and Dubai. “We look forward to Bill serving as the new Head of The Village School,” said Ann McPhee, regional managing director, Nord Anglia Education. “Bill’s education philosophy is closely aligned with ours and is founded on developing a successful educational environment strengthened by strong school community spirit. He believes in close collaboration between parents and students as well as motivating students to improve their learning so they can become positive role models in their local communities and society,” McPhee continued. In his most recent position as the founding headmaster at the Dunecrest American School in Dubai, Delbrugge developed a culture of educational excellence where students were known as positive and active community members. While in his role as headmaster with The American International School in Egypt, Delbrugge’s team grew the school from 1,100 students to its current student enrollment of 3,500 students located
New Head of Village School: Bill Delbrugge
across two campuses. Delbrugge also led the teachers and students to achieve a 100% pass rate with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program four years in a row. “I am extremely proud and honored to be joining The Village School as the new head of school,” said Delburgge. “The history, community, and mission of The Village School is second to none. The school’s mission matches my own personal philosophy as an educator and I am impressed with the international community that is committed to developing inquisitive lifelong learners with a global perspective.” .For more information about The Village School, a Nord Anglia Education School, visit thevillageschool.com.
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ENTERTAINMENT
July 16, 2021
‘Haseen Dillruba’: A Dark, Twisted Tale of Love By Ronak Kotecha Story: A young woman obsessed with crime thriller novels is accused of plotting her husband’s gruesome murder. But as the investigation delves into her rocky married life and a torrid affair, what seemed like an open and shut case, turns into a complex whodunit. Review: Rani’s (Taapsee Pannu) married life has much less action than the gritty crime novels she is a fan of. While Rani is fiery and seductive with a history of multiple flings, her husband Rishu (Vikrant Massey) is the quintessential good boy nerd, who toes the line. But soon Rani’s seemingly simple life finds a lot more action than she had bargained for, when Rishu’s hunky bad boy cousin Neel (Harshvardhan Rane) comes to stay with them for a few days. Director Vinil Mathew and writer Kanika Dhillon take us into the starkly different worlds of Rani and Rishu that has the simplicity and relatability of a small town and at the same time, an eerie
sense of the looming disaster waiting to happen. This in itself lends the film’s non-linear screenplay an undercurrent of tension and constant suspense. This makes it quite engaging, entertaining and unpredictable for the most part, as we see the lead characters go through their journey of love, lust and desires. There might be a point where you’d have cracked the plot, but that won’t be a big spoiler. Because at the heart of this twist-
ed love story are strong emotions and flawed characters. Like the strong and stoic Rani, played efficiently by Taapsee Pannu. A lot of the film’s suspense hinges on Taapsee’s pitchperfect expressions and the way she deals with the uncomfortable graph of her character. It’s hard to read and hence hard to play, but Taapsee makes it look effortless. She makes Rani look seductive and desirable with conviction and not at all distasteful. Vikrant Massey is aptly cast as the mild-mannered yet assertive Rishu, who talks less, but says a lot through his eyes. Kanika gives them nicely etched characters and ample scope to develop through the narrative that builds slowly yet sharply. They also get to mouth colourful dialogues (Ankana Joshi) attributed to the imaginary novelist ‘Panditji.’ Harshvardhan Rane does well within his limited scope for performance. Among the character actors, Yamini Das as Rishu’s raucous mother, brings good comic relief and innocence. Music (Amit Trivedi) and cinematography (Jayakrishna Gummadi) compliment the film’s contrasting tone. ‘Haseen Dillruba’ has its moments of being preposterous and unbelievable, but it never stops being a delectably dark and defiant love story with a thrilling twist. -- Times of India,
‘Mimi’: Hilarious, Heartfelt Film
Kriti Sanon’s Mimi trailer landed on Tuesday and, just as makers promised, it is “nothing like what you’re expecting!” The family entertainer, which revolves around the plot of surrogacy is set to release on Netflix on July 30. Unlike all the films around surrogacy we’ve seen in Bollywood so far, Mimi doesn’t take things very seriously. Rather, it prefers to treat the theme with a lot of innocence and simplicity, laced with dollops of humour, courtesy actor Pankaj Tripathi. Mimi revolves around a small-town girl from Rajasthan, played by Kriti Sanon, who gets offered Rs 20 lakh to act as a surrogate for an American couple. The middleman is Tripathi, who, in his impeccable style, manages to convince both parties The only hindrance being, how Mimi will hide her pregnant belly from her parents and the society at large. The film touches upon the challenges of surrogacy and how society looks at it. Things, however, take a turn when the couple retracts from
the deal and refuses to accept the child. Mimi’s family thinks a pregnant unwedded daughter means it’s an illegitimate child. And all this comes with a pinch of religious rivalry. Special mention to Tripathi, who breaks the image of Kriti Sanon’s father from their previous outing Bareilly Ki Barfi, and convincingly plays a small-town agent, who even dons the role of Mimi’s partner in the film. Speaking about Mimi, Kriti Sanon told PTI, “It’s not preachy or serious. It’s not like you are going to watch a film on surrogacy and it’s going to be a documentary film. It’s a very entertaining film, filled with humour, and a lot of ups and downs. There’s a beautiful graph of the woman I am playing, Mimi, where she wants to be an actress.” Mimi reunites Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, director Laxman Utekar and producer Dinesh Vijan after their hit romantic-comedy Luka Chuppi. It is also the latest collaboration between Dinesh Vijan and Kriti Sanon. -- IE
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SPORTS
July 16, 2021
Banerjee Wins Wimbledon Boys’ Singles Title
Wimbledon: IndoAmerican tennis player Samir Banerjee lifted the Wimbledon boys’ singles title on Sunday, in just his second Grand Slam. The 17-year-old from New Jersey didn’t have his coach Carlos Esteban with him since his wife had reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Up against compatriot Victor Lilov, the teenager won 7-5 6-3 in one hour 22 minutes. He broke his rival thrice and dropped serve only once “It’s going to be amazing, this trophy is going to be my centrepiece, I’m going to look at this and be inspired to keep playing and hopefully come back here as a pro,” he was quoted as saying by the Wimbledon website. “I really just wanted to win a round, I didn’t expect this. I had a tough French Open, lost to a good player. So here I just wanted to keep my expectations low so that if I passed them, then I’d be happy. But this was way beyond my wildest dreams,” he said. Since the coach was unavailable, Banerjee ‘s uncle, Kanad accompanied him. “My uncle is here, he’s not technically a tennis coach, but if these results keep happening then I should start travelling with him more,” he joked. “Remember the name - Samir Banerjee. The American wins his first junior Grand Slam singles title by beating Victor Lilov in the boys’ singles final,” the official
T20: India Women Beat England
Deepti Sharma celebrates another late England wicket.
twitter handle of the Championships posted. Legendary Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj congratulated Banerjee. “Wonderful win for Indian American 17 yr old Samir Bannerjee in the boys singles at Wimbledon 2021. Wish him well for a great future,” the 67-year old who reached singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon and US Open tweeted. Banerjee’s father Kunal was born in Assam, and his mother Usha was brought up in Andhra Pradesh before both migrated to the USA in the mid-1980s and got married there. The youngster, reportedly, will take a break from the tour to enroll for a degree in either economics or political science at the Columbia University in the coming months. While Banerjee’s victory is a testament to the system that US Tennis Association has put in place,
India has been struggling to field a worthy contender at junior Grand Slams for some time now. Due to the lack of a robust domestic circuit and not having enough competitions at home to earn world ranking points, India has been struggling to create the next crop of youngsters. Yuki Bhambri was the last Indian to win a junior singles title when he triumphed at the Australian Open in 2009 while Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon boys’ doubles event in 2015 with Vietnam’s Ly Hoang Nam. Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to win a junior major when he won the 1954 Junior Wimbledon championship. His son Ramesh Krishnan won the 1970 junior Wimbledon and junior French Open titles while Leander Paes won the 1990 junior Wimbledon and junior US Open. Paes was also a runner-up at the junior Australian Open. -- PTI
Hove, England: India 148 for 4 (Verma 48, Kaur 31) beat England 140 for 8 (Beaumont 59, Knight 30, Poonam 2-17, Sharma 1-18) by eight runs A flurry of late wickets consigned England from a position of strength to a nail-biting eight-run defeat at the hands of India in their second T20I in Hove. England lost six wickets for 31 runs in the space of 5.4 overs, including three run outs, as India pulled off a stunning fightback in the penultimate match of their multi-format series. In doing so, India kept alive their hopes of ending level on points after the final match in Chelmsford on Thursday, which is worth two points for the win. India now have six points to the England’s eight. Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight looked set to see their side home in good time to watch “that other match” and with the promise of a guilt-free beer or two while doing so if they could wrap up victory in both the T20I leg and the multi-format series. But when they fell on consecutive balls -
Indo-American News • Friday, July 16, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com
Knight run out somewhat controversially - it sparked a slump they would hope wasn’t an omen for their football-playing counterparts against Italy just two hours away. Deepti Sharma had a hand in both dismissals - a hand and a leg in fact - while Poonam Yadav ensured there would be no late heroics from Amy Jones or Katherine Brunt. A highlight for India was Shafali Verma’s innings of 48 which came in a 70-run opening partnership off 53 balls with Smriti Mandhana. It was India’s first 50-plus opening stand in T20Is in England, their highest across 12 previous appearances being 27. Both openers showed excellent intent and it was Mandhana who took a supporting role to Verma, the breathtakingly talented youngster plundering eight fours and a six on her way to 48 off 38 balls as Mandhana faced 16 balls for her 20. The pair was looking decidedly dangerous before Mady Villiers played her part in dismissing both. -- ESPN Cricinfo
SUDOKU/CULTURE 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.
July 16, 2021
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14th Annual Jagannatha Rath Yatra at OCC
Send us the correct answer before July 19, 2021. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com and send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
Solution Next Week
Continued from Page 2
Last Week’s Solution
By now Orissa Culture Center was beaming with people from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes, beating the heat to drench themselves in high-octane spiritual experience, in anticipation of the chariot-pulling. The procession of deities or the pahandi started with the eldest in the family, Shri Balabhadra, which was followed by Devi Subhadra and finally Shri Jagannatha. The pahandi of each deity was associated with high energy ecstatic dance and music, which reached its crescendo when Shri Jagannatha or known fondly as ‘Kalia’ made way to the Chariot. Before the Chariot could roll the ceremonial sweeping or the Chhera Pahanra, where tra-
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Sanchali Basu
ditionally the King of Odisha or the Gajapati sweeps the Chariots was emulated by anointing Mr. Bansidhar Lenka from Bhubaneswar. The Chariot powered by devotion made a big parikrama and reached the Gundicha Temple located on the other end of the vast OCC land, where it was be greeted by representatives from various religious and spiritual organizations of Greater Houston area. As the sun was setting with the sanguine hue in the sky, the ‘Samuhika Maha Aarti’ was performed which was followed by personal darshan, thus bringing close to yet another eventful and fulfilling Ratha Yatra. The Houston Odia communities led by Orissa Culture Center
(OCC) is blessed to be able to organize Houston Ratha Yatra and are thankful of City of Houston for their generosity and co-operation without which event of such scale would certainly be a herculean task. We sincerely thank all the spiritual organizations of Greater Houston for the moral support and participation in making Rath Yatra truly an international event. With the success and blessing of this year’s Rath Yatra we look forward to re-creating the same synergy in 2022. Jai Jagannath!! For more information and interesting facts please check us at http://www.rathjatra.org/. We are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HoustonOdias/
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July 16, 2021
Indo-American News • Friday, July 16, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com