Indo-American News: May 19, 2023

After a Three-Year Gap, IMAGH’s Eid Milan Comes Back in Style!

By Jawahar Malhotra

houston: It’s been three years due to the COVID years, since the last time the Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston took on such a huge event but after the Eid Milan held this past Saturday, May 13, it was a happy déjà vu moment again!

The last time the Milan was held live was in 2019 and then the COVID pandemic put everything into a tailspin but the IMAGH held its course and went high tech, holding a virtual Eid Milan through Zoom in May 2020. As the health crisis worsened and lingered, the Eid function was scrapped for the next two years.

This year, with a change in the leadership that ushered in its first female president, Tasnim Vadva, the IMAGH returned to its favored venue, the Marriott Hotel in Westchase to once again hold a live Eid Milan celebration with all the hallmarks of the previous years.

The foyer to the Grand Ballroom was bustling with the nearly 400 guests attending the gathering, as they lingered to admire the oil paintings with an Islamic theme by artist Nizar Maknojia, mingle and have appetizers by Aga’s Restaurant (who catered the function).

The program was started off by emcees Dinaaz Vadva and Danny Uddin and blessed by a Quran recitation by Sana Rafi and Sofa Langha, followed by drumrolls and rousing musical renditions of the American and Indian National Anthems. Adina Nasir led the singing of the patriotic song, “God Bless America”.

This led into the opening remarks by President Tasnim Vadva as she welcomed the gathering. Chief Guest, Indian Consul General Aseem Mahajan spoke about the strong support that the Indian community has offered as India makes great strides in building a strong partnership with the Gulf Coast region in bilateral trade. He outlined the growth of all sectors of the Indian economy and its growing prominence on the world stage as a powerhouse economy and diplomatic leader.

US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, who is running for Mayor of Houston in the November elections, followed next and spoke of her deep roots among the South Asian community. She explained her decision to run for the seat as a way to better serve the city she loves in the latter years of her career. She presented a Congressional proclamation for Eid Milan to Vadva.

Others who spoke were past-president Munir Ibrahim and Texas State Rep. Gene Wu. Later, Grand Patron and a Keynote Speaker of the event Dr. Aziz Jamaluddin of Epcon Industries spoke of the great work that IMAGH had done in projecting a positive image to the community and was presented with an award.

The Colonel Bhalla Award for recognition of their work went to Dr. Gaber representing Nora’s Home, a non-profit that offers a place for transplant patient families to stay while supporting their loved ones, and was presented by Dr. Raj Bhalla himself. The Latafath Hussain Award for exemplary community service went to Atul Kothari, who has worked tirelessly for building the Eternal Gandhi Museum, scheduled to open later this summer.

Vadva also recognized the dedicated organizers and coordinators of the seniors group, Club 65, Rahat Sultana and Farida Bandali who have made sure the group holds its popular regular meetings and functions.

Entertainment for the evening featured children enacting the true meaning of Chand Raat and Eid through two skits, choreographed by Naeem Vehvariya, showing the love between generations and the joyous celebrations held during the special occasion.

Big Success: AFC Urgent Care Grand Opening -- Masala Style!

houston: AFC Urgent Care opened its 15th Houston Area location in Sugar Land on Mother’s Day Weekend with a huge Grand Opening event hosted by Masala Radio. Masala Radio invited local politicians to officiate the Ribbon Cutting with CEO Kuleen Lala, including Sugar Land City Council Members Naushad Kermally & Stewart Jacobson, Fort County Commissioner Andy Meyer’s rep Nikita Khambe, Stafford Council Member Xavier Herrera and Indo-American Community leaders GSH President Kalpesh Rana, Treasure Bharat Patel, and Indian Hindi Assocation’s Swapan Dhairiyavan. Fort Bendy County Judge sent a Proclamation welcoming the addition of Urgent Care Services to the area. Dr. Ashima Chauhan, president of Indian Doctor Association congratulated Lala and also reminisced how her first job as a doctor in the US was with AFC Urgent Care Centers, a wonderful start to her career.

Masala Radio’s Sunil T made the event fun with DJ music / Hummer / and white Lamborghini photo ops. In celebration of Mother’s Day Weekend, Lala presented to all mothers: Silver Coins (first 25), Free B12 shots worth $50, and a voucher for a FREE School Physical worth $65. Many mothers loved the Free Vitals Checks with the ability to speak to the providers to ask about health issues. The Hot chai and warm samosas were perfect to go with the erratic showers! The clinic was overwhelmed

with the requests for B12 shots and Vitals Checkup and decided to extend the offer again this SAT MAY 20th from 11AM – 2PM. They have extended the complimentary School Physical Vouchers through SEP 15th, as a welcome to the community!

Lala emphasized that AFC Urgent Care doesn’t take the place of wellness care provided by one’s primary care physician. Rather, they work hand in hand to provide urgent sickness and minor injury treatment with a quick turnaround, usually under 45 minutes 7 days as week. AFC offers same day appointments, or walk-in service which is convenient for anyone who has trouble booking a same day doctors visit. AFC can perform tests and Xrays in house, as well as minor procedures. AFC treats infants to seniors for most illnesses, injury, lab work. All records and test results are sent to your PCP for follow up. AFC Urgent Care is open 7 days a week, 8am to 8PM; conveniently located for Sugar Land and Missouri City residents on HWY 6 at Settlers Way. They accept all major insurances including Medicare, and Medicaid. For Lala, this is his first Urgent Care Center venture, and he chose AFC for its high standards & quality services at over 300 locations nationwide. Future plans include opening more locations to serve in the Fort Bend County and surrounding areas. www.afcurgentcare.com/ sugarland (281) 277-0036

A Memorable Gita Chanting Competition in Chinmaya Prabha, Houston

By oindrila riMi Bhawal and shalini rao

houston: Children and adults of Chinmaya Mission Houston (CMH) came together on the weekend of

May 6-7th, 2023, offering the children’s Gita Chanting Competition (GCC) as birthday gift to beloved Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda on His 107th birth anniversary on May 8th and celebrating his life-long dedication and profound passion in sharing the deeper meaning of the Bhagavad Gita. This year, the annual competition was centered on Karma Yoga - Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita.

Before the competition commenced on May 6th, Sreedevi Gundamaraju, the GCC Coordinator, explained the rules and guidelines. The Acarya of CMH, Pujya Gaurang Nanavaty, in his opening remarks, reminded us that while we call this a competition, all participating children and their parents really competed with themselves by committing to learn, appreciate, and embrace Gita as a way of life.

As the chants flowed from about 75 Bala Vihar students in age range from kindergarten to high school, the delighted audience was in awe of the clarity of enunciation and pronunciation of the Sanskrit verses and the ability of the older children to explain the meaning of the verses with relatable examples and experiences from their own

life. One of the biggest delights of this event was to see the 4–5year-old Anagha group of children who barely knew how to read, also chant the Gita verses with deep sincerity. One may argue that these children do not even understand what they are chanting, but the early bonds they are forming with the Bhagavad Gita are now engrained in their foundational value system. Another noteworthy fact of this competition was the Medhavi group where children from all age groups were welcome to participate and chant the entire chapter 3 and demonstrate their relentless commitment to learn Bhagavad Gita.

Some of the parents shared their stories of how and more importantly why they invested themselves into their children taking on this journey. While it would be easy to put the Gita chanting endeavor on the backburner with kids navigating through school, sports and other activities, those families’ commitment and belief in the value of this effort was evi-

dent in the children’s soulful rendering of the Gita verses.

Preparation for this annual competition begins early in February each year and a team of dedicated teachers help students with diction, chanting style, pronunciation, and melody. The children spend over three months each year preparing for the big day. All children who participate in the competition are recognized as champions in gold, silver, and bronze levels.

On May 7th, Chinmaya Mission families assembled in Smriti Hall during two sessions to commemorate the winners from the competition, while rightfully celebrating all participants and their families as the results were announced by GCC Coordinator Shravan Arra. Listed below are the categories and the gold champions:

Anagha (KG): Prakrthi Bhat, Atharv Dixit, Apoorva Muchintaya, Advika Vemuru

Arjuna (1st,2nd grades): Reeshma Verma, Samhita Penmatsa, Jiya Simha, Aanika Rana, Sachit Venkataraman, Pranav Manthena,

Arjun Surati, Medhya Khanduri, Camila Jaisingh

Bharata (3rd, 4th grades): Ananya Rao, Sri Shivamsha Veruva, Rishab Verma, Samarth Gupta, Anagha Vemuru, Snigdha Mishra

Partha (5th,6th): Vashi Banavalikar, Pranati Shenoy

Gudakesa (7th, 8th); Pranav

Sriram, Shree Shodashi Veruva, Eakanshi Tripathy

Dhananjaya (9th to 12th grades): Prakrati Shenoy

Kounteya (9th to 12th grades, no memorization): Mauli Chawla, Diya Parikh

Medhavi (1st to 12th grades):

Pravar Bhat, Pranav Sriram, Samarth Srivatsan, Ahana Rao, Shree

Shodashi Veruva, Prakrati Shenoy, Vashi Banavalikar, Pranati

Shenoy, Khushi Buxani, Arya Panchakshari

To add to the celebration, Shlokathon trophies were awarded by Pujya Gaurang Uncle to a select group of children who undertook the mammoth effort of memorizing a total of 241 verses from a se-

lection of Stotra and chapters from the Gita. Shlokathon is a special feature of CMH, envisioned by CMH Acarya, Pujya Darshana Nanavaty, and guided by Smt. Rucha Sheth who has taught Shlokathon classes for over 30 years at CMH. This year’s winners are Ahana Rao, Inaya Tripathy, Eakanshi Tripathy, Keshav Narkar, Hariharan Jayant and Shyam Jayant.

Pujya Acharya commended all volunteers who facilitated the celebrations - the GCC coordinators, GCC teachers, the Shlokathon effort, and a host of volunteers from Facilities, Sound/recording, Bhajan/Orchestra, Kitchen, Welcome Desk and more.

Finally, in a moving tribute to Pujya Gurudev, Dr. Sameer Murali touched our hearts in a very relatable way as he described his 30+ year journey with Chinmaya Mission highlighting Gurudev’s impact on his evolution from a youngster struggling to find his cultural identity to becoming a champion of the Vedanta way of life.

The entire celebration at CMH was a humble offering of appreciation for Pujya Gurudev’s legacy with the hope that this year’s GCC would pave the path for more families toward the Gita way of life.

For more information about Chinmaya Mission Houston, Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya and its activities please visit www.chinmayahouston.org, www.saumyakasi. org or call temple 281 568 1690 or Jay Deshmukh 832 541 0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233

Pujya Gaurang Uncle awarded Shlokathon trophies. Photos by Bharath Rao and Ashutosh Kak

TCC Winter 2022 Tournament -- Winners: Gladiators, Runners Up: Tuskers

houston: Gladiators won TCC Taped ball Winter 2022 tournament by clinically chasing the target of 102 set up by Tuskers. This was a Final between seasoned Gladiators (9th Final) versus the youth of Tuskers (first final) , in which experience triumphed. With rain threatening to arrive in the second half, Tuskers after winning the toss chose to bat first. The game started as anticipated, with Gladiator bowlers bowling to a plan and inviting Tuskers openers to play risky shots. Tuskers on the other hand did not hold back and started positively. Vishal provided an early breakthrough by knocking Shan’s stumps and then Mathew lured Sukitha into playing a lofted shot that culminated his innings with Sanman taking a catch on the boundary. At the end of power play Tuskers were 24 for 2. That’s when ever young Subodh, delivered a perfect yorker to uproot in form batsman Gihan. After 8 overs the game was evenly poised with Tuskers score at 47 for 3. Sisindu then launched Ninad for a massive six and just when it appeared that floodgates may open, Ninad bowled a beauty to take the wicket of Geethike caught by Sandeep. Aradhya followed it with the key wicket of hard hitting Sisindu and Sandeep bowled Kumudu to pull back Tuskers to 68 for 7. Some sensible batting towards the

Winners: Gladiators

end, between Thushara and Tharindu took them to a respectable score of 101. For Gladiators, Vishal and Ninad took 2 wickets each while Subodh,

Mathew, Khatwani and Aradhya chipped in with one wicket each. Calm and reliable wicket keeper Darshan took two catches and athletic fielder Sheetal assisted in one

run out.

At the half time, it started to pour heavily, making conditions challenging to bat and Tuskers bowlers who did not allow more than 100 runs in any playoff games were smelling an upset. However, Gladiator openers decided to take the challenge to the bowlers and with some crisp off side shots and rotating strike, Sanman and Amit Patel quickly got off the blocks scoring 22 runs in the first 4 overs. Sisindu then got the prized scalp of Amit. Mathew who has been in good touch joined Sanman and both of them neutralized the bowling attack with high quality display of batting. Sanman scored 32 runs and stitched match winning partnership of 46 runs with Mathew. Mathew (48) and Ninad (9) then finished off the game with relative ease as Gladiators rampaged towards the target in the 16th over.

Gladiators captain Emad, and Mr. Dependable Aradhya did not even have to bat much during the playoff games, which is a testament to how far Gladiators batting has come this season.

For Gladiators, this was a reward for the hard work the team had put behind the scenes and the celebrations after winning their 4th championship felt like it was their 1st . This team does not get OLD and loves to have fun!!

Gladiators team was support-

ed on the sidelines by Dinesh (owner), fast bowler Pawan and Bhargav, batsman Amit Shah and Neeraj and Lucky Mascots Navendu and KP.

The game was followed by a well-managed presentation ceremony organized by Jagdish Biradar. Emad Babri, the captain of Gladiators was handed over the winner’s trophy and the runners up trophy was handed over to the captain of Tuskers Geethike. Mathew from Gladiators was the MVP of the final. Tournament awards were also handed over. Vishal from Gladiators was nominated as the MVP of the tournament. Kusal from SLCC was the best batsman with 275 runs. Kishore from Miura Bulls CC and Kushal from BHCC were the best bowlers with 14 wickets each. Arun from Masters was the best wicketkeeper with 29 Dismissals. Sadesh from HCF was the best Allrounder with 211 runs and 8 wickets. Special Awards for Century were given to Kusal from SLCC and Ashwin from Cougars. Special Awards for Hat Trick were given to Manish from Masters, Moiz from Deccan Royals, Sai Prasad from Woodland Hurricanes and Sampath from SLL. Online scorecard is at: https:// cricclubs.com/3T/viewScorecard. do?matchId=1508&clubId=8675 and YouTube video is at https:// youtu.be/rijLN6zsAcY

Runners Up: Tuskers

CLASSICAL ARTS

A House-full IAA Audience Enjoys Kaushiki Chakraborty Concert

By Jyoti KulKarni and radhiKa day

houston: Houstonians enjoyed a very special treat for Mother’s Day. On Saturday May 13th, IAA-Houston, Houston’s leading arts organization for three decades, presented acclaimed Indian classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty at the Wortham Center.

One of the finest classical vocalists of the modern era, who has been hailed as the” torchbearer of the Patiala tradition, Kaushiki’s ability to capture emotions and express them though her fluid vocal style mesmerized the audience.

Kaushiki enthralled the audience with her scintillating performance, powerful stage presence and humility. She was accompanied on stage at the sold-out show by Ustad Murad Ali Khan of the Moradabad gha-

rana on sarangi, Sandip Gosh of Farukhabad gharana on tabla, and Tanmay Deochake of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya on harmonium. Each of these accompanists being highly accomplished artistes, the interludes they provided during the performance were very liked and enjoyed by the listeners. Divya Rath and Krisha Rath provided the taanpura accompaniment.

With her beautiful and evocative voice, Kaushiki opened with a Khayal followed by Drut Bandish in Raag Rageshri. Kaushiki effortlessly rendered vigorous, complicated and rhythmic taans with intricate patterns with razor sharp clarity, which charecterises this Gayaki (musical style).

Especially electrifying was Kaushiki’s rendition of the saragam (musical phrases), its aakar, and boltans, which the audience enjoyed immensely.

In the second half of the concert, Kaushiki beautifully emoted the longing of a lover in the rainy season (it had been raining in Houston) as she sang the Kajri -- “Sawan ke ritu aaye sajaniya,

pritam nahi aaye”, followed by “Barasan laage badariya zum zum ke”. Kaushiki also sang “Aaji dev mahadev he dayani”, a devotional bhajan in praise of Lord Shiva.

Kaushiki, whose voice simply glides through all the three octaves, concluded the evening with the famous signature thumri. “Yaad piya ki aaye.” This thumri has been sung by many legendary artistes and Kaushiki’s rendition, in her open throated voice, was a sublime musical experience, which you wished would never end.

IAA is a 501 (C)(3) non profit organization bringing the best of Indian arts and entertainment to Houston through it’s annual season. IAA’s goal is to promote and preserve Indian performing arts.

The next not-to-be missed event is “Dil Se”, a multi-media tribute to AR Rahman by Milind Oak and Niche Productions from Pune on June 02 at the Stafford Center. For tickets and information contact IAA at 832.315.6586 or by email at info@iaahouston. org

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‘The Kerala Story’ : Supreme Court Lifts West Bengal’s Ban on Islamic State Film

KolKota: India's Supreme Court has stayed a ban imposed by West Bengal state on a controversial film that shows three women from the country joining the Islamic State group.

The court also asked the film's makers to add a disclaimer that the film is "a fictionalised version of events".

The Kerala Story was banned in West Bengal last week. The state government said the decision was in the interests of maintaining peace.

The film's makers say The Kerala Story is based on years of research, but critics have called it propaganda.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, an association of multiplex owners had also said they would stop screening the film, citing protests and low audiences.

The film's makers approached the Supreme Court against the ban in West Bengal and the move by multiplex owners, which they called a "de facto ban" against their work.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court asked authorities in Tamil Nadu to provide adequate security at theatres for people to see the film safely.

It also directed authorities in West Bengal not to take any steps to prevent screenings of the film.

The Kerala Story - based in the southern state of Kerala - had sparked controversy months before its release.

In its teaser, released in November, an actress had claimed that her character was one among 32,000 women from the state who had joined Islamic terror groups.

But after criticism and legal challenges, the makers updated the film's description on YouTube to the "compilation of the true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala".

In its Thursday's order, the Supreme Court asked the makers to add two disclaimers to the film as well - one which said that the was "a fictionalised version of events"

and another saying that "there is no authentic data to back up the suggestion that the figure of converted people is 32,000 or any other figure".

The court said that it will watch the film before hearing other petitions against it in July.

After West Bengal had announced the ban, some filmmakers and several leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had criticised the move. The BJP is in power nationally but is in the opposition in West Bengal, which is governed by the Trinamool Congress.

Two state governments - Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, both governed by the BJP - have made the film tax-free. -- BBC

Film Released in Over 200 Theaters in US, Canada

The Kerala Story, a national blockbuster caught up in controversies, was released in more than 200 screens in the United States and Canada on Friday.

The film, which has been vociferously championed by the Hindu right, including the BJP, has been boycotted by cinemas across Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The movie’s director Sudipto Sen said that the movie is a mission which is beyond the creative boundaries of cinema.

“The country was in denial of the long existing issue in the state of Kerala. The Kerala Story is a mission which is beyond the creative boundaries of cinema, a movement that should reach the masses all over the world and raise awareness,” Sen told a group of Indian American reporters dur-

ing a virtual news conference.

“The film’s subject was hidden from the masses and deserved to be told. We made the film in order to initiate deliberation worldwide,” said the producer of the film, Vipul Shah.

“This is a very bold, honest and true film which in the beginning got no support, today stands at the point of releasing worldwide with a spectacular box office success in just 6 days,” Shah said in response to a question at the virtual news conference organised by its Impact Advisor Priya Sawant and community leader Vijay Pallod.

The film had been banned by the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee, but Supreme Court has stayed the ban.

The film stars Adah Sharma in leading role. -- India Today

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Audience at ‘The Kerala Story’ screening in Sugar Land.

‘Love Again’: Priyanka, Celine Shine in Rom-Com

By shalini langer

With Celine Dion playing Cupid, counsellor, serenader-in-chief and producer in this film, does love have an option but to burst forth in song and opera, and tick off everything from cheeseburgers to cheesy lines?

But if this rom-and-only-somecom has anything going in the department of rom-coms, it is that it is clearly a Dion vehicle, featuring her film debut, as herself.

For us natives, it is also a chance to appreciate how smoothly Priyanka Chopra Jonas slips into this role, and does a fair job of it — not trying too hard, at something that is not to be tried hard at anyway.

Jonas is Mira Ray, an awardwinning illustrator who sees the love of her life die in front of her eyes, run over by a drunk driver. That can be hard for one, made harder by the director’s decision to keep the camera lingering on Jonas’s surprisingly impassive face.

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Two years later, Mira is still moping, but is also easy to cheer up. A lot of that heavy burden of lifting Mira’s spirits is done by her sister Suzy (Barclay), and Barclay is pretty lovable even as a second fiddle.

The premise of the film is that Mira decides to pour her heart out to John’s mobile number, and ends up connecting to a newspaper music critic, Rob (Heughan), who has presumably got John’s number now.

One thing leads to another, and then to Dion as Rob has been assigned the task of doing a profile of the Canadian singer, who is making her first US tour in a decade.

‘Love makes you do crazy things’ is one of the advice the film lends, usually accompanied by a maudlin musical score.

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Director: Jim Strouse

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Kumud Athavale, Ramana Vadrevu, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Sanchali Basu, Yudhveer Singh Bagga, Prabha Barvalia, Arup Gupta, Amar Keerthi, Pothiraj Bethanasamy, Aadhya Pantam, Taranjit Singh

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Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Sofia Barclay

Rating: 2 stars -- Indian Express