Nov 11 Pages 1-26

Friday, November 11 2011 | Vol. 30, No. 45

Indo American News

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Accomplishments

A decade ago, four young brothers destined to make history in their pursuit for perfection in cinema arts, shrugged on their creativity like action hero capes and plunged headfirst into the competitive realm of cinematography. Today, they have risen to the top of their field, arguably the most popular in Houston, Story on Page 4 a veritable household brand.

a salute to

Photo: RK Nagar

Sachin

Tendulkar achieved another milestone as he became the first cricketer in the history of the game to cross the 15,000-run mark in Test cricket.

Story on Page 33

City of Houston Council Member Gordon Quan presents Certificate of Recognition to (from left) Irfan Khokhar, Imran Khokhar, Krishna Giri, Rizwan Khokhar and Farhan Khokhar at the inauguration of A&A Videography/Photography in September 2002.

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November 11, 2011

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Sreepadam School of Arts’s Nithya Haritham Recital Exuberant, Sprightly

By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: The cosmos, nature, and humanity were explored with thematic vibrancy when the Sreepadam School of Arts, under the prolific stewardship of Founder/Artistic Director Divya Unni, presented its dance recital Nithya Haritham at the Stafford Civic Center on November 6, 2011. The program, that incorporated the sprightly participation of nearly two hundred of Unni’s students, generously benefitted Harita Teeram, the Green Shore Project, a non-profit international collaborative of charities that offers succor to the world’s poor, and provides relief to areas stricken by natural disasters.

Funds garnered through the dance event will be channeled toward antierosion projects along 280 kilometers of South India’s coastline beleaguered by the tsunami of 2005.

With the auditorium and galleries packed to capacity, the dance school’s annual event began with a visit down memory lane through a video presentation of the Sreepadam School’s past performances. Guest Speaker, City of Stafford Councilman Ken Mathew, paid rich tribute to Unni, a former actress and a veritable tour d’ force in cinema in her native Kerala, who left behind a lucrative career in India to marry, raise a family, and teach dance here in this city.

“I’m here to appreciate and acknowledge Divya Unni for selflessly contributing and perpetuating continued on page

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COMMUNITY

November 11, 2011

A&A Video Poised on 10 Years of Cutting Edge Accomplishments

By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: A decade ago, four young brothers destined to make history in their pursuit for perfection in cinema arts, shrugged on their creativity like action hero capes and plunged headfirst into the competitive realm of cinematography. Personable, intelligent, and powered by a sound education and a hard work ethic, they quickly learnt to navigate their way around a tough marketplace. And soon, with the chutzpah of seasoned entrepreneurs, discovered their niche in this city. Today, they have risen to the top of their field, arguably the most popular company in professional cinematography, a veritable household brand.

“Our passion for cinema was our driving force, hence our gathering the courage to persuade our dad to allow us to pursue a formal education in filmmaking,” said Farhan Khokhar, in contemplation of the early days. “Dad’s (Dost Khokhar) best and only advice to us that has always been our constant source of inspiration was, ‘whatever you choose to do, do it with passion and from your heart’,” added Farhan, the youngest of the four siblings who along with Imran, Irfan, and Rizwan, formed A&A Video ten years ago; the brothers continue to gain strength and inspiration from their traditional and tightly-knit South Asian family.

Recently, the company collaborated with Tomas Ramos’s Nico Photo, and collectively has over 35 fulltime employees.

The award-winning team at A&A Video/ NICO Photo was pleasantly surprised when video footage they had taken at a wedding topped the viral charts earlier this month.

The piece, a father/daughter dance featuring

Wedding Dance Goes Viral on Internet

Houston-based bride Ashley Sparks Richmond and her father David Sparks, and uploaded by the bride on Youtube, was viewed over a whopping seven million times. Excerpted on Yahoo, Good Morning America, Fox News and other media outlets, the video has shone intense media interest in A&A Video and the team has been inundated with calls since. John Graves, Director of Marketing for A&A Video/NICO Photo was self-deprecating and gave credit to Sparks and Richmond.

“You can just feel the love that Ashley and her father share, and he’s very happy she’s getting married,” said Graves. “She’s found the man of her dreams, and dad’s happy to move her along to the next chapter in her life.”

A&A Video/NICO Photo isn’t your average mom/pop operation conducted out of a storefront; the company, sprawling over 10,000 square feet of studio space at a commercial building on Southwest Freeway, is equipped with cutting edge accoutrements designed to offer the optimal finished product to clients. They average state-of-the-art wedding and event coverage at about 400 per annum, with the brothers and team members often traveling outside of Texas to shoot destination weddings and events.

They enjoy success that they oft dreamed of, but take time to count their blessings, confided Farhan, an alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Filmmaking and Communications.

“Back in 2001, our great challenge was to

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break the stereotype of the ubiquitous ‘video-wala’ or the derogatory ‘video-guy’ and rebrand ourselves as cinematographers,” said Farhan. “We were unique as we were able to bring our filmmaking experience to the table and offer diversity. We do not take our responsibility lightly when given the opportunity to capture memorable events, and we realize that there is only one take for every given production. We attempt not merely to document, but to tell a story about your event, but instead of a crew of 50, the videographer is the sole director, cinematographer, audio engineer, lighting tech, and grip all rolled in one. It is a craft that requires experience to have the confidence to fulfill the responsibility,” added Farhan.

The company’s work has been featured on Platinum Weddings, a series spun by television cable channel WE. They have been named four times as Best of Houston in Video from the online wedding site, The Knot, and have been the proud recipients of the Crystal International Special Event Society (ISES) Award. A&A Video also has now expanded its services to include corporate video production. The corporate division has experience in ground breaking, eye-catching productions that include commercials, social media videos, and appealing marketing videos. Recent clients include Dresser Rand, PK Architects, ARS, Embassy Suites, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and ABS. The company draws clientele through word of mouth from satisfied clients, though social media like

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Reflecting on the early days, Farhan recalled with affection, a man he calls Khokhar brothers’ mentor.

“Very early on, my brothers and I were fortunate to meet with Krishna Giri who has been a mentor with his unique experience in South Asian community and media production,” said Farhan. “He was key in shaping the business model and with years of experience, suggested what would work and what would not. We valued his input and he partnered with us for several years as the photography division of our company,” added Farhan. Giri, a renowned photographer in the local community with over 35 years of experience in motion-picture and broadcast television production, is also the managing partner/marketing director of this publication, Indo American News.

In turn, Giri responded with like affection.

“From day one when I first met Imran, Irfan, Rizwan, and Farhan, I saw their potential and passion. With them, the process is seamless as the brothers work intuitively and they are so gifted that each can take over from where the other left off. I do believe that their best days are yet to come,” said Giri.

On this their tenth anniversary, more power to them.

Visit www.ana-nico.com, or visit their studio at 10101 SW Frwy, Ste 574, Houston, Tx 77074. Or call A&A Video/NICO Photo at 713-517-8766. To view the video that went viral, visit www.ana-nico.com/wedding/video/

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COMMUNITY

November 11, 2011

Sreepadam School of Arts’s Nithya Haritham

continued from page

1

our great cultural heritage in this city,” said Mathew. “She is doing an invaluable service in nurturing a love of dance and art in our bright young people in this country, she is a true cultural ambassador,” he added.

Envisioned and creatively choreographed in its entirety by Unni, Nithya Haritham explored and depicted mankind’s contentious relationship with nature and the impact of some of those actions in causing distress to the planet. Reiterated, was the message of hope that human beings become more aware, compassionate, and help restore balance and harmony on earth. The first piece paid celebratory homage to Surya, the sun. Led by their guru, young dancers in vibrant shades of orange flooded the stage in observance of the daily advent of the life-giving force, the sun. Next, artistes in shimmery silver, with synchronized hand and body movements presented the phases of the moon. In the item Tara, a constellation of Sreepadam’s youngest stars converged onstage in brightly-hued tiered costumes, holding aloft starshaped placards; quite disciplined for their age, they took their cues in a timely fashion, dancing exuberantly and smiling joyfully, apparently inspired by the audiences’ enthusiasm and tumultuous applause.

The next piece, the Shivashtakam, penned

by Sage Sankaracharya, introduced the first

purely classical piece in an otherwise light classical/contemporary/folk/Bollywood/ retro ethos. It paid obeisance to Lord Shiva Nataraja, the Cosmic Lord of the Dance in shifting tableaus as devotees worshipped Him also as the divine ascetic and sought salvation from rebirth. An Asthapathi followed, describing the Vrindavan where Lord Krishna resided happily in harmony with nature. In Monsoon, Unni’s choreography showed the resilience and stoicism of the people in the onslaught of the relentless monsoon. The life of Jesus Christ was eloquently detailed in Divinity, a piece delineating Man’s capacity to destroy. Set to orchestral music interspersed with strings of

Saadhana Unmesh 2011

Budding musicians of today depict the time theory of Raagas in the event “Ashta Prahar” HOUSTON: Students of the Mewati Gharana maestro Pandit Suman Ghosh in the coming biennial event will be taking the audience through the moods represented by the time cycle of a day through their Raaga presentations. The event will take place on Saturday, November 19 at 4.30pm in the Old Stafford Civic Center. This is a featured event by the Center for Classical Music of Houston (CICMH).

The students of varying ages have been learning Hindustani Classical music under the ancient Guru-Shishya tradition from Pandit Suman Ghosh. The Unmesh events in the past have been showcasing the development of students with respect to skills and complexity with each passing year. Unmesh which literally means blossoming has been well appreciated by the Houston audience ever since 2005. The event itself has also blossomed considerably over the years.

This genre of music has kept its roots in tradition and in doing so has tried to remain true to the core of its “raison de etre”. Music is considered to be the language of the soul. Our bodies and souls have connection with nature. The very moods we have are a reflection of the state of surroundings. The time of the day probably plays the most important role in nature and its appearance. It is not surprising therefore that ancient Indian tradition noticed this connection and created everlasting signatures of these moods through melodies called Raagas. The time

theory of music is a core concept in Hindustani classical music.

As the student body expands and their abilities, awareness and appreciation of nuances increase, they start realizing these connections, and with passage of time are firmly connected to the art and its tradition.

At first the blossoming is to some extent for others, but as time passes, the blossoming is more for this connection of self with nature. In 2011, the attempt is to allow for this connection to be established through “Ashta Prahar”. Prahar is a unit of time. A day is divided into eight (Ashta) Prahars each of 3 hrs with first Prahar starting at 3am. Raagas in their respective prescribed Prahar are said to maximize their aesthetic effect due to the corresponding mood of the Prahar.

The range of Raagas needed to effectively showcase the entire 24hours of the day is quite considerable and is not usually seen in any one performance.

The music that these students learn is a creative form of peace, meditation and spirituality. This music has remained the pride of our civilization for thousands of years, and one of the best gifts to the world from Indian heritage. In Houston, the Indian diasporas’ desire for Indian-ness is arguably best served through seeing this process of “Unmesh” unfold.

“Unmesh” is a continuous process and it starts to touch everyone around.

Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $30 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036, tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.

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spoken syllables and quick violin interludes, the finale of the song heralded the dramatic reappearance or resurrection of Christ, portrayed by Unni, after His brutal crucifixion.

Divinity also threw a spotlight on remorse, forgiveness, a mother’s enduring love, and sacrifice. The final piece of this segment, Harmony, included an excerpt indigenous to the Kuchipudi style of Andhra Pradesh, where Unni, flawless in her sequined green and red ensemble, and joined by her students, danced while balanced on the edges of brass trays, with pots of water on their heads; in dance parlance, it is a feat of accomplishment that shows the mettle of a dancer.

5

The performance concluded with Rangoli, a medley of movie and folk dances that saw Unni’s young students, with undulating hands and tiny feet in constant motion, basking in the ebullience of the moment.

Adding to the luster of the evening was Luckmi Pawa, the eloquent and charming Mistress of Ceremonies. Also a parent of one of Unni’s young charges, Pawa attested to the guru’s dedication as a teacher.

“Divya offers unconditional guidance, love and support to each of her students,” said Pawa. “She is single-minded, talented, and teaches and choreographs classical, modern, contemporary, or cinematic pieces with such attention to detail. I want to thank her collectively on behalf of all of us parents and students, and commend her for her tireless support,” added Pawa.

Divya Unni has carved a niche for her school in this city, fulfilling the cultural needs of young people through the diverse range of disciplines in the arts that include Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohini Attam, folk, and Bollywood dance. Enigmatic and gracious, the award-winning dancer and actress has in a short few years, garnered a large fan base locally.

For more information visit www.sreepadam.org or call 713- 838-7752.

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INDIA

November 11, 2011

Run with your Mind, not just your Legs!

Success in life is not defined just by talent and physical ability...

By Prakash Iyer Sometimes one single line can make a huge difference to your life.

It could be something you’ve read somewhere. Or a line someone said to you. And it seems to stay on in your mind and become a guiding force. Has that happened to you? Just the other day, a dear friend of mine a retired Brigadier - was narrating the story of how a line he heard many, many years ago impacted him deeply and shaped his life.

Here’s his story...

It was his first week in the army.

He had just completed his engineering and amongst his colleagues in the army were a host of young men who had come through the National Defence Academy. Not engineers, but men exposed to the physical

Mental strength plays a key role in defining your success. You can run the extra mile! conditioning so essential for success in the armed forces It was a Sunday morning. The task ahead was rather simple. They had to run ten miles.

My friend recalls starting enthusiastically, and then quickly tiring out.

After running half the distance, he felt he couldn’t continue any longer.

He felt his legs would fold up and he’d collapse. And just as he was about to give up and stop, he heard his commanding officer say to him: “Come on, young man. Up till now you’ve been running with your legs.

Now run with your mind!� And those words seemed to work like magic.

While my friend doesn’t quite recall what happened thereafter, all he remembers is that he kept running.

And finished the entire ten mile run.

And to this day, he often hears the officer’s words echoing in his mind. ‘Don’t just run with your legs. Run with your mind.’ It’s been the motto that’s inspired him through everything he’s done in his life ever since.

And it’s a line we would all do well to remember. Success in life is not defined by talent and physical ability – but by the mental strength to stay the course, and run the extra mile. When you run with your legs, you allow the pressures to weigh you down. You allow obstacles to come in the way of your progress. You find yourself saying “I can’t!� But when you run with your mind, you become unstoppable.

Your mind says “I can!�

Take Soichiro for instance. He was a Japanese engineer who dreamt of a career in the automobile industry. He applied for a job with the Toyota Motor Corporation, but was rejected. He remained jobless for a long time – and the temptation to give up on

him out of business. He decided to try and sell his unique chicken recipes to other restaurants. He met over a thousand restaurantowners and they all turned him down. But the Colonel didn’t give up. On his 1009th call, one restaurant owner agreed to buy his recipe. And thus was born the world’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. Soon KFC’s were opening up all over the world.

Just seven years after he started

At an event recently, theactress automotive dream and take up a non-automotive job – any job – Sonakshi was huge. He Sinha then tried makingseems scooters at home. to haveBut he had no money. His caring neighbours contributed their miteon to fund his been caught enterprise. And thus was born the billion-dollar Honda Motor Comthe wrong foot. pany. Had Soichiro (Honda was

the first KFC, Colonel Sanders sold his business for over 15 million dollars. Clearly, running on your mind can be rewarding!

Next time you are staring at failure and rejection and want to quit, think of Honda and KFC. Stay the course. Don’t give up. And at all times, remember the officer’s line.

Don’t just run with your legs. Run with your mind!

Prakash Iyer is MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever and Executive Coach. For more inspiring life lessons, read Mr Iyer’s new book The Habit of Winning.

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his surname) merely run with his legs, he’d have given up long ago.

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

November 11, 2011

Going on Probation?

You don’t need your passport

By Mukul Kelkar Earlier this month, we explained a provision of Alabama House Bill 56 that allows local law enforcement to hold immigrants without bond if they cannot provide proof of residency. That decision allows Alabama to enforce federal immigration laws. Here in Texas, however, a recent court ruling has denied Texas the same privilege.

In Gutierrez v. State, one of Maricela Gutierrez’s probation conditions was that she had to obtain legal residency status before a stated deadline, or she would have to leave the United States. She failed to obtain legal status, and the State sought to revoke her probation. The 6th District Court of Appeals of Texarkana explained that the probation condition “violate[d] the exclusive authority of the United States of America to absolutely control immigration to, and banishment from, the United States.”

This ruling makes for an interesting counterpart to the Alabama bill. In Alabama, a federal judge authorized local police to engage in Immigration Enforcement laws. But the Texarkana court rebuked Texas’s efforts to try the same. It is not exactly two courts coming up with diametrically opposite positions, but the contrast between the two is

7

still great.

The immediate beneficiary in the Texarkana ruling is Ms. Gutierrez, but the long-term winners are all aliens that find themselves on probation. The ruling fires a volley at aggressive state prosecutors that try to enter a space that the Constitution does not allow them to go. Immigration enforcement is still in flux, but the Texarkana court reaffirmed Texas’s position that it is an issue we as a State are not obligated to resolve.

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November 11, 2011

HISD’s Asian American College and Career Day

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It’s been said that experience is one of life’s best teachers. That’s the idea behind the Houston Independent School District’s sixth annual Asian American College and Career Day, when Asian American middle and high school students in the Houston area learn about career options from young Asian professionals who relate their experiences leading to success.

“We have seen that as students have a chance to interact with successful Asian role models, they are often inspired to seek career opportunities that had not previously been considered,” said Gordon Quan, chair

public service, legal, media, and medical.

This year, speakers will be available to meet with students informally during breakfast, prior to the opening assembly.

Throughout the morning, students also will have access to local and regional college and university representatives who share information about financial aid, admissions requirements, and college life.

Special workshops will be available for parents to help them understand college and financial aid requirements and the emotional issues surrounding the transition to college.

Interpreters and translators in Chinese/

of the HISD Asian Advisory Committee, “An engaged community opens doors for our students,” said HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier.

“Opportunity is what Houston is about.”

Keynote speaker Miya Shay, reporter for KTRK Channel 13 news, will kick off this free, four-hour event, which starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 19 at Bellaire High School, 5100 Maple Street in Bellaire.

With “Marketing Yourself” as this year’s event theme, students will be encouraged to hone skills and practices (leadership, good interpersonal relationships, teamwork, promoting their capabilities, and good grooming habits) that enhance academic excellence. And as in years past, Houston-area Asian American professionals serve as role models, providing students and parents with advice and information in the following areas: business, counseling and social work, creative arts, culinary arts, education, energy and engineering, entrepreneurship, health care, information technology, law enforcement/

Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Bhutanese will ensure a high level of interest and understanding among parents.

Middle school students and their parents will also be welcomed at a one-hour session presenting information on how to prepare for high school, college, and careers.

The college and career day for students in Houston’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities is a signature activity of the HISD Asian Advisory Committee, which was established in the fall of 2005 by the Superintendent of Schools.

Event partners are the University of Houston, Houston Community College, and ARAMARK.

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November 11, 2011

Vishala Grocers Celebrates Diwali Masala Style!

Vishala II owner Yomesh gives away free Thumbs Up while Masala Radio’s Sunil T offers a hand to Sanjay of Swagat Brands in making fresh Mumbai Style Pao Baji with Amul Butter. Over 1500 plates were served between 6-9pm at Vishala I on HWY 6. Owner Virendra Thakkar (not pictured) busy with long customer lines inside.

HOUSTON: Vishala I on HWY 6 celebrated Diwali Masala Style! A primary draw was the One Day Sale with ridiculously low prices on Spices, Dals and Fresh vegetables. Unbeliveable specials included Buy One get One Free all spices $3.99. Toor Dal $2.99 for 4 lbs.

Almonds $6.99. Most Vegetables were 4 pounds for $1.

Virendrabhai Thakkar invited all of Houston from 6-9pm for free Pav Bhaji and Thumbs Up Soda and Fuljadi & Moonwalk for the kids. In fact, Sanjay of Swagat Foods, made sure that the Pav Bhaji was made Mumbai Style, with plenty of Amul Butter and authentic Pav ordered from India. “We served over 1500 plates free with love!” said Sanjay. Ajit Patel joined in offering free samples from his newly opened Straw Hat Pizza.

Masala Radio Jockey Ajay Chunchu said, “I felt like I was in Mumbai.

You could smell the Pav Bhaji the minute you parked, and as you were buying your groceries outside, just like the spice markets in India.” The prices were so low, there were 3-4 registers running non-stop from 9am to 9pm. Lines were 45 minutes long to check-out, but patrons hardly looked inconvenienced as they munched on the Pav Bhaji and sipped their Thumbs Up. Sunil Thakkar of Masala Radio hyped Houston to come out in great numbers, rocked the live event with DJ AV, random dance contests, impromptu Garba and Bollywood dancing, and general Comedy.

Ambassador Nirupama Rao to Visit Houston HOUSTON: During her first visit to Houston, Texas, HE Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India to the United States will have substantive interactions with the Houston community in diverse fields.

Ambassador Rao will give a lecture on “A perspective on India-US global strategic partnership” at Rice University on November 10 at 6 pm. The lecture will be held at the Jones Graduate School of Business’ Shell Auditorium in McNair Hall, 6100 Main St., and is free and open to the public.

Ambassador Rao will have an exchange of views with CEOs of Energy companies and other business leaders at a luncheon meeting graciously hosted by Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor of the University of Houston (UH) System & President of UH on November 11. This would be followed by an interaction with the students and the faculty at the UH main campus.

On November 12, Hon. Annise D. Parker, Mayor of Houston and HE Ambassador Nirupama Rao will jointly inaugurate the new premises of Consulate General of India at 4300 Scotland St., Houston, TX 77007. The inauguration ceremony will be held at 11.15 am. All members of the Indian community are most cordially invited. The attendees are requested to bring a photo ID. Ambassador Rao will be the Chief

Guest at the 12th Annual Gala of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) on November 12 at 6.30 pm at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Ambassador Rao’s programme also includes visits to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Johnson Space Center, and interaction with the Board Members and patrons of the World Affairs Council of Houston.

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COMMUNITY

10 November 11, 2011

Maheshwaris Celebrate Diwali

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From left: Kavita Sharda, Deepti Biyani, Deepali Ladha, Preeti Rathi, Sushma Pallod, Renu Khator, Sheetal Jakhotia, Shradha Bhutada, Varsha Gattani, Anita Chandak, Rakhi Sarada

HOUSTON: The MMNASouth-West Chapter celebrated Diwali on Sunday, Nov 6th at Madras Pavilion. Traditionally, the Maheshwari community is a business community whose members are spread across India and have many successful businesses. Even though the Maheshwari community is small, its members in the US are succeeding in various fields such as education, engineering, medical professions, and community service as well as businesses.

The program started with traditional Lakshmi Puja, followed by a variety of entertainment and fun activities. Kid’s performances, thali decoration, dance performance by kids and couples, and a Bollywood musical quiz related to the retro theme were part of the entertainment program. A retro fashion walk was one of the main new attractions in the program. A number of men and women of all ages dressed up like the beautiful Bollywood actors and actresses of bygone eras of 1960s and 1970s.

Sushma Pallod who dressed up like Mumtaz was the winner of the contest. Several middle-school kids presented a small skit to show the significance of five days of Diwali celebration. Also young-

er kids below three were nicely dressed up as grooms and brides from different regions of India.

Kids above three presented special talents – be it a Sanskrit prayer, Hindi poem or playing piano. It was heartening to see all kids performing in some way.

Narendra Zamwar, President of the South-West chapter, welcomed all and updated briefly on current committee’s work and events organized in past year. This year committee trying to arrange small value-addition activities along with specific occasion celebration.

Breakout sessions for kids and financial planning and investment options were arranged during the Labor Day weekend camp. During this Diwali, the committee organized services to notarize personal wills. The importance of having a personal will is often discussed.

Yet many people do not have a personal will. Around 30 families took advantage of this unique opportunity. Glenda Cruickshank who helped with notarizing was impressed with so many wills being done in one single event. Zamwar continued, saying that the committee encourages every child and young person to participate in MMNA since this gives them an

opportunity to learn about our culture and heritage.

The Maheshwari community is very proud of Renu Khator, President and Chancellor of University of Houston. She graciously joined the event as chief guest along with her husband Suresh Khator. She was very impressed with all kids’ performances and also shared some of her own Hindi poems which everyone truly enjoyed. In order to cherish success within community, Chapter recognized Sejal Lahoti for graduating as Valedictorian for Hightower High School earlier this year. Sejal is currently attending Duke University. Also MMNA proudly recognized Mr Harish Jajoo as he elected for Sugarland City Council in June 2011. Harish Jajoo is believed to be the first Maheshwari in USA to elected as City Councilman. Both the honors were presented by Renu Khator.

Participation from members was very good. Around 120 members attended program. Mr. Lalchand Bajaj who is visiting his son in USA was very impressed with overall program, He expressed that he felt like he was attending a program in India. Many other members expressed greatly enjoying program and food arrangement.

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

12 November 11, 2011

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi

The Beginning of Gandhi’s Spartan Life-style

The story thus far… Gandhi realizes that he could be more effective at supporting the cause of the Indians in South Africa if he returned to India. Once in Calcutta, he drew attention to the plight of the South African Indians to the Indian government and media, where there was widespread support. But he was soon recalled to South Africa as the Lord Chamberlain was visiting South Africa.

In 1906, an ordinance introduced by the Transvaal government required all Indian men, women, and children, to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing their name and thumb impressions. It was demeaning and humiliating to Indians, who refused to submit to the terms of the ordinance. They resolved to fight it. Gandhi saw the need for passive resistance or satyagraha. He explained to the people his concept of satyagraha. First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence. The authorities would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use violence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance, Gandhi told them.

“Merely disobeying the government’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.”

The Government ignored all Indian protests against the ordinance and it came fully into force. The Indians decided to disobey the provisions of the ‘Black Act.’ Hundreds of Indians were arrested, tried, and jailed. They all pleaded guilty and went to jail without putting up any defense. Gandhi too was imprisoned. Then one day he was taken out of prison and sent to Pretoria to see General Jan Smuts.

“This movement you have started,” Smuts said, “must stop at once. It is not in me to dislike Indians, but they must obey the law”.

“I would rather die than submit to this law,” Gandhi replied. “It is meant to humiliate the Indians.”

After some argument, however, they reached a compromise. Gandhi promised to end the satyagraha if the act was repealed and the

Gandhi as a Satyagrahi in South Africa. He gave up his law practice,and vowed to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the injutices were abolished.

prisoners released. Smuts agreed to do this provided the Indians would register of their own accord. On this agreement, they parted.

Back in Johannesburg, Gandhi called a meeting of the Indians.

“We must now register voluntarily to show that we do not intend to bring a single Indian to the Transvaal by fraud,” he said. “If we show our goodwill by prompt registration, General Smuts will see to it that the “Black Act” is repealed,” added Gandhi.

Many Indians agreed with Gandhi, but a man named Mir Alam disagreed, saying it was Gandhi who had earlier preached that only criminals get finger-printed. He wanted to know why Gandhi had changed his mind.

Early the next morning Gandhi, with his fellow satyagrahis, set out for the registration office.

But on the way Mir Alam attacked him with a heavy stick. Gandhi fell down unconscious. Mir Alam and his associates went on beating

him until he was rescued. When Gandhi recovered consciousness, he found himself on a couch in the house of an Englishman whom he hardly knew.

Struggling to sit up, Gandhi requested that Mir Alam not be judged too harshly for not understanding Gandhi’s stance about the registration. Then he insisted that a clerk from the registration office should come to take his thumb impression and make out his certificate. In this way Gandhi was duly registered. Many Indians followed Gandhi by registering voluntarily.

But General Smuts, reneged on the deal and did not repeal the “Black Act.” The Indians, disappointed at the Government’s attitude, demanded a return of their applications for voluntary registration. The Transvaal government did not budge. Gandhi, who had by then recovered from his injuries, gave the government a very firm ultimatum: If the Black Act is not repealed before a fixed date, the certificates collected by the Indians will be burnt. When the Government ignored this threat, Gandhi started another satyagraha movement. A big bonfire was lit and more than two thousand certificates were burnt. Many Indians openly crossed the border into the Transvaal, where their presence was illegal. Gandhi and many of his compatriots were imprisoned several times in the course of the agitation. When Gandhi came out of jail for the third time, the Indians held a meeting and decided to send a deputation to England to acquaint the British Government with the real situation in South Africa.

Gandhi and Seth Haji Habib were asked to go to London and present the grievances of the Indians. Accordingly they went, but accomplished nothing as the British government favored the British domiciled in South Africa. They returned with grim determination to fight to the bitter end. Gandhi then made a big decision. He gave up his practice as a lawyer. He felt it was a conflict of interest earning his living by law while defying it. Hermann Kallenbach, a white

farmer, was so impressed with the peaceful way of life at Phoenix that he offered Gandhi his own big farm near Johannesburg to start another colony. He suggested that all those who had lost their jobs and homes by their participation in the satyagraha could settle there. The new colony was established in 1910 and named “Tolstoy Farm” after the Russian writer whom Gandhi much admired.

Here people who were different in nationality, religion, and color

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi is brought to you courtesy Mahatma Gandhi Library. www.gandhilibrary.org lived together like one family.

They worked hard and shared the fruits of their labor. Gandhi spent much of his time at Tolstoy Farm.

He was engaged in teaching the children and in other constructive activities.

Gandhi’s efforts to persuade General Smuts to change the attitude of the Government towards the Indians had failed. Meanwhile, the struggle continued against the Black Act and the poll-tax. And now hundreds of Indian women, including Kasturbai, joined the

movement.

Meanwhile a recent court decision in South Africa holding that the law did not recognize Indian marriages, drew much unhappiness amongst the Indian women who could not stand this attack on family ties. They openly broke the law and were imprisoned in large numbers. In the coalmines at Newcastle, in Natal, Indian workers went on strike protesting against the repression. News of the arrests, the deportation of passive resisters, and the untold sufferings of Indian families angered the people of India. A large amount of money was collected for the relief of the victims.

Many satyagrahis were beaten and flogged, and some lost their lives.

Gandhi, who felt intensely the humiliation his people suffered, took a triple vow of self-suffering.

He decided to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the poll-tax and other injustices were abolished. But Gandhi found the Government relentless. There was no solution in sight. He knew he had to take further drastic measures for any chance of change benefitting the Indians and people of color in South Africa.

— To be Continued

K.C. Mehta Announces Candidacy for FCCA

SUGAR LAND: K.C.Mehta, a long time resident of Sugar Land and member of First Colony Community Association (FCCA) has announced his candidacy for FCCA Board position.

There are two open positions and seven candidates contesting for it. FCCA has 9000 plus resident members and 4000 plus commercial members.

K.C. has consistently volunteered as a neighborhood rep for FCCA serving as a nominating committee member. He is currently serving as a member, City of Sugar Land Parks & Recreation Board as well as on several other Boards and Commissions.

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

© 2011 All rights reserved.

November 11, 2011

Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

13

14 November 11, 2011

Jam Filled Thumbprint Cookies

Little Crunchy from outside and melts in the mouth with the bite; these delicious Jam Filled Thumbprint Cookies are so easy and quick to make. Your kids will love to munch on these delicious cookies and so will you.

Did I say, these are eggless? So go ahead and get baking. You’ll be amazed to see how easy these are to bake and tastes so awesome.

Ingredients: 1 Cup All purpose Flour 1/2 cup Sugar 1 Tsp Cardamom Powder 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 1/4 Tsp Salt Ghee or Melted Butter (Around 10 tbsp or enough to knead a soft dough) Jam- of your choice Method: 1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a cookie sheet.

2. In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix.

3. Now start adding Ghee or Melted Butter a Tbsp or Two at a time and start kneading the dough. The dough should come together and it will be quite soft.

4. Now make smooth balls of approx 1.5 inch in diameter and press each balls light in between palms.

5. Make a thumbprint in the center of each ball and fill it with your favorite Jam ( Should be seedless jam) 6. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes. Cookies will develop slight scars on the top.

7. Let them cool on a wire rack for atleast

10 minutes ( This is very important otherwise you will end up burning your tongue with that HOT Jam filling :)...So have patience :D ) These cookies store well in an air-tight container (Only if your kids and family will leave any)

For more recipes, visit www. zestyflavors.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Zestyflavors-AddingZest-to-your-Cooking/145518712165348 Also “LIKE” Zestyflavors on FACEBOOK.

Recipe by Vaishali Sharma

Please send your feedback to indoamericannews@yahoo.com

FOOD CORNER To Boil or not?

Dr. Ritika Samaddar (Hindu) As you pick up those packets of milk delivered every morning, boiling the whole lot is probably your first thought.

Now the question is: why do you boil milk?

Some do it out of habit, some know that boiling kills germs and some to make it last longer. Boiling milk is an effective way of dealing with disease-causing organisms. Although it does not remove all impurities, it does kill most of the dangerous bacteria and other organisms. But it also kills the nutrients However when you reach for that glass of milk every day, you are looking for your daily dose of nutrition.

Milk is a veritable store house of nutrients. It is a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Minerals like Calcium and vitamins like Vitamin A, D, B1, B2, B12 and K are found in good quantities in milk. Boiling affects many of these vital nutrients in your milk, depriving you of the nutrition they provide. Particularly vulnerable to destruction are the B group of vitamins.

So is there a way to retain the nutrients?

Yes there is.

Here are some basic don’ts • Don’t boil milk at very high temperature for a long time • Don’t leave your milk out in the open after boiling. Refrigerate it immediately.

• Don’t heat your milk repeatedly.

• Don’t forget to stir your milk while boiling.

• Don’t use microwave-ovens to heat and re-heat milk.

These practices rob milk of vital nutrients.

Doing away with these practices help but it may not be easy even if people are conscious of the mistakes they are making. “Imagine!

Being so careful about as simple a thing as boiling milk. I try to do it correctly but honestly, ensuring that you are heating it at just the right temperature for just the right amount of time, among a range of other precautions, is a bit tough”, says Shraddha, a housewife and mother of two.

So, it all boils down to walking the tightrope between safety and nutrition. Rendering your milk safe to drink doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise on nutrition.

If you have to boil your milk, make sure that you do it correctly.

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November 11, 2011

M T Vasudevan Nair Wins Ezhuthachan Award

By Gireesh P Krishnan KOZHIKODE: M T Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M T, has been selected for the highest literary prize instituted by the Kerala government, the Ezhuthachan Award, for his contributions to Malayalam literature.

M T is a recipient of India’s highest literary honour Jnanapith. He was bestowed the award in 1995.

The Ezhuthachan Award carries a cash award Rs 1.5 lakh, a citation and memento.

The award was instituted in 1993 by the late T M Jacob when he was the culture minister in memory of Thunchathathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, father of the Malayalam language.

M T said the whole amount will be given for the development of children’s library at Thunchanparambu.

In a literary career spanning five decades, many accolades have come MT’s way. He won Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his novel Nalukettu in 1958. In 1982 he won the Akademi award for Gopura Nadayil (drama) and in 1986 for Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam (short story). He won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi in 1970 for his novel Kaalam.

He was selected for the award by a jury chaired by Dr M Leelavathi, winner of the award in 2010.

The award was announced by the minister

15

Eminent writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair

for rural development and culture K C Joseph on Tuesday in the presence of minister for social welfare M K Muneer and M K Raghavan, MP. Later Joseph, Muneer and Raghavan visited the writer at his home here to inform about the award.

The date for award ceremony is yet to be decided.

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

10/26/11 2:47 PM

COMMUNITY

16 November 11, 2011

Filing Tax Returns is a Nightmare, but New Reporting Rules make it Easier for Investors !

By Jay Kabad The Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative deadline of September 9th and October 15th tax deadline (for filers with extensions) is over. The political season is in full swing and there are many proposals for tax reform floating around----tax simplification, the flat tax, the consumption tax and the now famous 9-9-9 plan. These or similar proposals have been put forward before and have had limited success. The reasons are obvious because tax policy has been used not only to raise funds to meet government expenditures but also to ‘redistribute’ wealth in order to level the societal playing field.

It has been also used to promote winners and losers as also to encourage economic behavior. There are many examples- oil and gas subsidies, depreciation schedules, the R&D credit, the employee health insurance deductions for companies, the 401k and retirement plans for everyone, the mortgage interest deduction and the charitable deduction. With so many people (as represented by their lobbies) affected by any drastic changes in tax law, it may be prudent to assume that nothing is going to happen at least for the next two years or more.

Therefore it may be time to rethink the strategies for the year end as well as for 2012. One problematic area for investors has been the fact that purchase costs and dates of any investment trades that were done in the investor’s account (taxable accounts only) did not have to be reported by the custodian or clearing broker dealer. In one recent experience, I found that a well-

known clearing broker dealer informed us that they never supply ‘the cost basis’ of the investments in the account, though they had maintained the account for a long period of time. Why is this so important from a financial planning point of view? As is commonly said ‘it is not how much money you make but how much you keep that is important’, taxes play an important and critical role in any planning situation. Many of us ignore the tax ramifications that occur with any investment transaction. A few examples would illustrate the benefits of paying more attention to this aspect of tax planning.

In the first example, let’s take an account which has ‘realized’ gains of $100,000 and ‘unrealized’ losses of $ 95,000 (all are short term for simplicity). Now not proactively managing the account would lead to ordinary income of $ 100,000 with taxes of $ 35,000 at the highest rate. On the other hand, if one had only gone ahead and sold the investments to realize the ‘losses’ of $ 95,000, then the gains would be only $ 5000 and the taxes would reduce to $ 1750, a far cry from the earlier tax bite (One can buy back the investments with the ‘losses’ if one wishes as long as the wash sale rules are met). In another example, I can reverse the situation and assume that in an account there are $ 100,000 long-term ‘realized’ losses and $ 100,000 in long-term unrealized gains. It may make sense to sell the stock with a gain of $ 100,000 and buy the stock back the next day hopefully at about the same price.

By doing this, the advantages are two foldfirstly one is minimizing the taxes on the

gain and secondly one may be able to raise the ‘basis’ of your favorite investment, With the year-end approaching, timing is the key to better tax management.

In another example where ‘cost basis’ reporting becomes really important is in a situation where one has inherited investments from a parent or relative at death. In many situations these inherited or legacy investments are maintained in the form they were received. After many years, these investments may be sold by the heirs for liquidity to meet living expenses or for diversification. In inheritance situations, due to the ‘step up in basis’, the ‘date of death’ values become important. If the investments or assets are received as gifts from parents or relatives, then the ‘cost basis’ at the original purchase by the parents or relatives become important.

All this time, the individual investor had to maintain his or records with regards to receipts, purchases and sales of investments and the clearing broker dealers were not required to provide the information, even though some did. With the passage of ‘The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008’, going forward (not retrospectively for past purchases), broker dealers must report realized gains and losses and holding period for covered securities to the clients, their advisors and the Internal Revenue Service on form 1099-B. The proposed rules which became effective starting in 2011 with reporting for certain kinds of securities will be phased over 3 years to cover all securities, As to the actual reporting of the costs, there

are a number of methods that may be used as long as certain rules are followed (In this article as we are limited by space we will not go into the details). The intent of Uncle Sam in passing this law is clear- to recover more in taxes from such transactions. At the same time, it will aid individual investors obtain and maintain proper records. It will help in reducing the ‘nightmare’ we face in reporting and filing our returns. Lastly but more importantly, it can also help with proactive tax planning of an individual’s investment accounts to minimize the tax burden as shown in the examples above.

Jay Kabad, CFP®, is President of Jaykay Wealth Advisors, Inc, a Houston-based wealth management firm.

He received his Graduate degree from IIT Madras and an MBA from University of Pittsburgh, PA in 1981 and has been in business for 29 years. He is a Financial Advisor with LPL Financial and can be contacted at 713-780-4575. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only. Consult your tax advisors for advice with regard to your financial situation.

Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDIA

November 11, 2011

17

Biggest Moment When Michelle Wore My Dress: Naeem Khan NEW DELHI (TOI): who launched his colMichelle Obama, Beyonce lection Naeem Khan Knowles, Eva Longoria and in 2003.

Lady Gaga. With a client list Associating with as formidable as that, it’s little A-listers is a common wonder that New York-based practice amongst deIndian designer Naeem Khan signers and Khan says says that he loves crafting such collaborations glamorous clothes for powhelp in making a name erful women. for the brand.

“Designing glamorous Recently, Khan clothes is second nature to dressed pop icon Lady me. I’m fortunate that my Gaga and says he loved collection is worn by royit. alty, important social figures, “She is a superstar movie and rock stars across and has a galaxy of a the world. It’s very thrilling fans. The media loves to see your clothes on people her. I am ever so gratein the limelight,” Naeem told ful she acknowledged IANS in an email interview me. Celebrities and from New York. designers are a great “My biggest and most recipe for success,” exciting moment was said the designer who when Michelle Obama calls Gaga an ultimate wore my dress for the first fashion icon. state dinner for our prime “I love Lady Gaga. minister. I love designfashion should be fun ing for powerful women,” and Lady Gaga is doadded the 53-year-old. ing just that. She thinks Describing fashion as a out of the norm and serious business, he said: Michelle Obama donned a Naeem Khan gown to the White we must respect that.

“There is a lot of thought House State Dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Today she has several process required when Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur hundred million fans, you design for celebrities, it’s because of her talent and style. She specially for heads of state.” event, weather, colour, comfort and is a fashion Icon. Bizarre as many call “Clothes make a statement; they how much power to put into the dress it but, yes, she knows how to make a send a message. You have to keep as you don’t want to overpower the statement and live by it fabulously,” many factors in mind - age, body, personality with the dress,” said Khan said Khan.

Gaga made her first formal public appearance in India in Khan’s dress, a one-shoulder gown teamed with neckpiece and earrings.

“My dress was a great move...it was totally unexpected by the world. It made her look so regal, sophisticated and certainly got the attention of the fashion world,” he said.

Khan, who moved to New York in the 1970s, feels Indian designers are super-talented but require support from the government.

“The Indian government needs to pay attention to the power of fashion on the world stage. Designers need to be helped and built to compete in the world.

“The Indian fashion industry (designer) is very well set in India itself as the consumer base is huge. It would be great to see more designers holding world stage as the Italian or the French do,” he said.

He says his father, a fabric designer in India, influenced him and then it was his role as an assistant to Roy Halston Frowick that helped him in understanding the fashion world in America.

“It’s been not easy...the world of fashion is tough and unforgiving. To create a world brand takes patience, money and your blood... Fashion never stops.”

He doesn’t get time to visit India but dreams of becoming part of the Indian fashion industry.

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Work Requirements:

• Research and development of new products • Duplicate to taste Spice Blends • Product Testing and Lab analysis • Maintain all documentation concerning Ingredients • Creating samples of new and existing products • Support Sales Department and Production • Customer Support

• Strong background in Food Science • Must be punctual on site on time everyday • Must be detail oriented • Knowledge of weights and measures • Knowledge of finished blends as well as raw spices • Proficient in math, Calculation of Percentages • Proficient in reading and writing • Must maintain and complete all documentation in an expedited manner • Have a full understanding of process equipment and process flow • Have full knowledge ofHACCP and Third party audits including AlB and others • Maintain and update all regulatory issues concerning

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Job Responsibilities:

“I am so wanting to come and show in India but my NY (New York) shows keep me tied down. The good things is in plan for the near future and I will be showing in India very soon. I love India. My dream is to show and retail in India. One day soon,” he said.

Of course, he is interested in styling Bollywood celebrities.

“I love Freida Pinto and I am grateful she has been wearing my clothes. I would love to dress more Bollywood stars but it becomes difficult being in NY,” he said.

Tips for upcoming designers?

“Hard work, whatever it takes, patients and passion....have a vision and live by it...

People who start at the top can easily fall. It is the most rewarding world but needs everything you have.

It’s an industry which needs constant creation and you are only as good as your last collection,” he concluded.

FDA, USDA and Homeland Security • Assisting Production as needed • Sales support in the development of new customers while also maintaining existing customer accounts.

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Gulf Rice Milling Inc. 12010 Taylor Road Houston, TX 77041 Ph: 713/464-0606 Email:mahuja@gulfpac.com Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

EDITORIAL

18 November 11, 2011 Seven Billionth Baby Baby Nargis Yadav, born on October 31, 2011, in Dauraha village on the outskirts of Lucknow, was officially declared, in India at least, to be the seven billionth citizen of the world. The status accorded to her is of course symbolic. For, coinciding with Nargis’s arrival on earth, many more births were recorded in diverse parts of the globe, including at least three from UP. The claim made on Baby Nargis’s behalf is also symbolic in a more fundamental way. For the world that Nargis has been born into is in a real sense a very different planet from that in which her counterparts in the more materially advanced countries had their births. Economically and technologically, our supposedly common globe has long been divided into at least three different planets: the developed First World, the developing Second World and the underdeveloped Third World. There may even be Fourth and Fifth Worlds, represented by communities so marginalised by mainstream populations that they barely, if at all, register on the radar of our consciousness.

The differentiation of Earth into separate planets, separate Worlds with separate numbers assigned to them- First, Second, Third etc- is best illustrated by the case of the US, which is the leader and role model of the so-called First World. With a population of some 312 million people, it is the world’s third most populous country, after China and India whose populations are 1.3 billion and 1.2 billion respectively. In terms of population size, China and India are obviously way ahead of the US; in terms of the consumption of resources, however, India and China, and other residents of the Second and Third Worlds, are just as obviously way, way behind.

Americans constitute about 5% of the global population but consume 24% of the world’s energy. One American is said to consume as much energy as six Mexicans, 13 Chinese, 31 Indians, 128 Bangladeshis, 307 Tanzanians and 370 Ethiopians. Americans, and other inhabitants of the First World, don’t just live in a different world; they live as though they were on a different planet from the people of Asia and Africa and other less privileged parts of the globe.

With seven billion people and still growing, the world is getting dangerously overcrowded. It is. But it is not dangerously overcrowded with people; it is dangerously overcrowded with the increasing inequalities in accessing the world’s non-renewable resources. The problem is not population growth; the problem is- and long has been- the plundering of Earth’s resources to benefit the First World at the expense of the other, lesser Worlds which are seen as colonised planets to be exploited for their natural wealth, which includes the wealth of their growing markets with their capacity to absorb goods and services produced by the First World.

So what’s the best birthday wish we can give to Baby Nargis and all those like her? That in their lifetimes there is hope at least of someday bridging the unbridgeable distance between their World, their planet, and the planet that calls itself the First World.

A’s on the Campaign Trail

By Sagarika Ghose It’s the week of the two As. LK Advani is on a yatra and Team Anna is campaigning in Hissar. Advani, the veteran yatri and the creator of India’s political rightwing, has set off on his Jan Chetna Yatra from Sitabdiara in Bihar. Meanwhile, the indomitable anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and his team are openly asking voters to defeat the Congress, creating a fresh debate about Anna’s political neutrality.

Let’s compareAdvani and Hazare, both men with a mission. Advani is pushing at the limits of formal politics and opting for what many have called “extraconstitutional” means to further a political agenda. Hazare is pushing at the limits of the “apolitical” and willy-nilly becoming an unelected politician. Both aim to be national symbols of the fight against corruption. Both are senior citizens making a determined bid to capture the hearts and minds of the youth and both are the faces of anti-Congress forces. The 83-year-old Advani fills a leadership vacuum in his own party. At 74 years, Hazare fills a leadership vacuum in public life.

Advani was clearly galvanised to launch his anti-corruption yatra by the stupendous success of Hazare’s movement. The 24x7 media coverage, buzz in the middle class and the outpouring of protests in cities must have been the object of some envy for the BJP, whose trademark has also been high-pitched media campaigns and urban mobilisation on the street. With RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat declaring that Sangh cadres had turned out in strength to support Anna, the BJP was feeling upstaged and needed its own anti-corruption event.

So is Advani in danger of looking like a ‘wannabe Hazare’ or a ‘copycat Hazare’?

Will the public, which gravitated towards an apolitical Gandhian, respond with equal enthusiasm to a career politician?

Can the same arrow of the rath yatra be fired twice?

Advani’s Somnath to Ayodhya yatra of 1990 has been called the most divisive event in the history of independent India, undertaken as a cry of Hindu “rage” against “minority appeasement” of the Congress. Yet, this was the yatra that made the BJP a serious contender for political power.

Today the democratic political process, which Advani forced the BJP into, has,

to an extent, moderated Advani and the BJP. Representative democracy contains within it an inexorable drive towards the Center. Extreme positions are inevitably chiselled away. To get the largest number of votes, divisive ideologies have to be rejected. The same LK Advani who led the rath of Hindu rage now finds that a Ram Janmabhoomi movement mark 2 will simply not cut the mustard and he must focus on the more inclusive agenda of anti-corruption. To be electable in the 21st century, ideological extremism has to take a backseat. The inclusive Nitish Kumar flagged off the yatra this time; good governance is the aim, not Hindu pride.

Indeed, ideological protests have limited shelf life in a democracy constantly in the throes of elections. Regular polls channelize protests and render them marginal after a while. Which is why Anna Hazare and Team Anna must cease to attack democratic politics as dirty and politicians as hateful, and wholeheartedly join democratic politics. Team Anna should either form a party or a coalition with other parties, and openly and honestly contest elections. Corruption in Hissar won’t end the instant either Om Prakash Chautala’s son or Bhajan Lal’s son comes to power. To ask voters not

to vote for the Congress and not offer an alternative is a short cut.

Today, it is not politics itself which is degraded, it is the kind of politics we have which has become venal. Most citizens want deliverance from the politics of criminality, politics of dynasty, politics as a private enterprise or politics as big business. As the wise Jayaprakash Narayan, founder of the Lok Satta always says, the way to change bad politics is through good politics, not by running away from politics or scorning it.

Why, then, is it so unthinkable for an Arvind Kejriwal to contest from Hissar or a Kiran Bedi to contest from Delhi? Many idealists like Narayan’s Lok Satta and former IAS officer Arun Bhatia’s Peoples Guardian Party of India have tried to set up political parties, but they have lacked the national heft and media coverage.

For the first time, a non-dynastic, noncriminal, non-caste based force has high visibility, funds, a leader and even a manifesto. Anna says he is a Gandhian and Gandhi was a politician in the noblest ideal of the term. So were Ambedkar and Sardar Patel.

But today the best and brightest have shunned politics, leaving the space open for criminals, family members and carpetbaggers. Whether the anti-corruption plank in itself is sufficient to create a party and whether Team Anna is capable of building a nation-wide organisation remains to be seen, especially without a change in election laws that still place a premium on money power. For the moment, Team Anna agitates outside politicians’ homes and plans to campaign against the Congress in UP rather like a team of swimmers eager to plunge into a pool but for some reason only dipping their toes in the water. Team Anna’s entry into politics could be just the electric shock that the system needs.

Advani’s yatra may be an afterthought inspired by Hazare, but he and his party will ultimately be tested on the touchstone of democratic politics. Why should Team Anna not take this test too and, perhaps, pave the way for a radical new political culture? After all, what if the original Jayaprakash Narayan had rejected the opportunity of forming the Janata Party as an anti-Emergency force in the 1977 elections? HT Sagarika Ghose is deputy editor, CNNIBN.

IndoAmerican News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani

Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Business Manager: Jawahar Malhotra Managing Partner: Krishna Giri Community Reporter: Kalyani Giri Community Editor: Manasi Gokhale Administrative Manager: Vanshika Vipin Business & Recreation: Jacob David Graphic Design: Saqib Rana correspondents Chicago: Nand Kapoor, UK: Aseem Kulkarni New Delhi: Raj Kanwar ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDIA

November 11, 2011

Soaps have their Uses too!

By Sriram Balasubramanian (Hindu) Every day when I come back home from work, I tend to get frustrated yet amazed. This duality in emotion is when you enter the house at 8 p.m. after a tough day at office.

These two emotions are not necessarily in equal measure, with the former winning over the latter. Whatever be the mix, both emotions are attributed to the same source: the eternal syndrome called soap opera, i.e., the television serial.

The first thing that frustrates me the most is the decibel level soap operas generate. In any south Indian household, the noise of these melodramatic serials exceeds sane levels from 6 p.m. and through till late in the night. It’s not just the noise levels, I mean if you leave me in a room with ballistic rock music, that would at least be bearable. This type of noise is loud, it changes swiftly with varied levels of impact and it is accompanied by people yelling at the top of their voice. For a person who is just entering the house after a tough day at the office (courtesy the brilliant boss), this just riles him to the core.

Leave alone the noise, what frustrates me is the sheer plot-less negativism these serials convey.

Take any mega-serial today. I can safely guarantee you that even if you come six months later without watching any episode in between, you still would have an idea of the sequences. A woman is being tortured by society and harassed by her “mother-in-law.” In some cases, a woman has an extra-marital affair. In between the tamasha among all the ladies are a bunch of jobless guys who are either drunk or are inept in the plot of the story. At the end of it, the tortured woman emerges victorious amid all obstacles posed by the other women around. The story doesn’t have any novelty at all. It is neither factual nor does it merit your spending hours watching the serial for years.

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The noise, the vigour, the crass language, the devilish women (rarely are there male villains) make one feel miserable at the end of the day creating a sense of negativism, with one getting so immersed in the story. Furthermore, the same negativism is reflected in the way housewives actually handle people at home. What else would you expect when you are engrossed in this garbage for half of your day?

Though I am frustrated by the sheer stupidity, negativism and noise explosion, I am also amazed. When I ask my grandmother why she is watching a serial, she says: “I watch it to pass time. This is just entertainment for me since I don’t go outside.” While my macho self asserts itself with my youthful and articulate rhetoric, the other point of view actually hits me after some time. I do get amazed by the fact useless and frivolous serials (from my perspective) can actually capture the imagination of a certain section of society.

It might be frivolous to me but for people who are at home all day long, this might be the only source of excitement.

The nasty sound might be their version

of rock music. This might be the kind of humour they enjoy since they find the ridiculous nature actually funny. This might actually give them the excitement cricket gives me. This might actually be their version of Facebook, don’t people of my generation waste hours on it? I actually feel that this might, just might, make some sense and that amazes me!

While I see the other side of the coin with amazement, I still am not convinced on two counts. The level of negativism that the stories overflow with bothers me a lot. It bothers me even more when people watch these soap operas so intently as if their “own” lives were involved.

I convey my views to my grandmother at night after her session with the TV. She nods her head and says, “I totally agree with what you say. You should also follow the same, take this lightly, and with a pinch of salt, and laugh it off.” She was probably spot on; probably, compromise is needed from both generations. After all, that would be the best way forward for an inclusive family that caters for everyone’s needs.

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Diabetes, Hypertension Becoming Twin Epidemic in India

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MUMBAI (SI): With increasing urbanization, life style diseases like diabetes and hypertension are becoming an epidemic across the country, according to a study.

“Diabetes and hypertension are becoming a twin epidemic across the country, with nearly 21 per cent of those surveyed suffering from both diseases,” Lilavati Hospital Consultant Endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi told reporters.

He said a Sanofi SITE (Screening India’’s Twin Epidemic) study showed that 60 per cent of those surveyed suffered from diabetes, hypertension or both, which is alarmingly high and demands immediate attention and implementation of necessary measures.

The study screened 16,000 patients in over 800 medical centres in eight states.

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY INDIA

20 November 11, 2011

Next Time you Enter the Elevator, Look out for these Guys

procedures, checks the total capacity of the lift, counts the passengers to check if more people have got into it.

Entry level: This person will always prefer to stand at the edge of the lift very close to the door and ignores advice to stand back a little. He feels that he is entitled to the number one position.

The mobile guy: He continues to talk loudly on the phone, constantly telling the person at the other end that he is inside a lift and therefore signals are weak. Needs a crash course in cellphone manners.

The ‘Hot’ guy: He switches on the fan the moment he enters the lift.

The Olympian: This person does not wait for others to come out of the lift and zooms inside as if in a race.

The loner: This guy does not enter the lift if he is alone. He waits for company so that if the lift is stuck, he will have somebody to talk to.

The lift in the movies: Lifts are huge.

Like in Kamal Haasan’s Ek Duje ke liye or Salman Khan’s Wanted. They get stuck. Songs are optional, depending on the director’s vision.

By Philip Joshua (Hindu) Life is an elevating experience.

Literally so, given the number of times we board and exit the elevator in a day. Have you ever taken a look and tried to analyse the kind of people who get into the lift and share that space with you? Broadly, they fall into these categories.

The tough guy: He presses both the up and down buttons with full force as if he has an age-old enmity with it. He is impatient and views the others waiting for the lift with suspicion.

Touch-me-not: This chap who is already in the lift looks at others entering it with a sense of domination and authority, as if the entire facility belongs to him. He does not believe in eye or body contact, come what may.

Ignoramus: This person, upon seeing that somebody is walking towards the lift, tries his hand at all the buttons except the one which is meant to keep the door open.

Anxiety man: Upon entering the lift, he looks all nervous, as if he will get trapped inside. He reviews emergency

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By Reshmi AR (TOI) We all know the benefits of sleep. For a better you - physiologically and psychologically - sleep is the best treatment.

Studies have shown that sleep, besides keeping you fit, also improves your productivity at work, makes you efficient.

We are in a fast age where we brag about how we can survive with little or no sleep.

However, doctors say, this condition would adversely affect health in the long run. Remember it’s the body that knows and decides how much rest it needs and not you. Being fit physically is definitely not in the mind because after a point, it shows on you in the form of dark circles, fatigue, irritability and lethargy. Hence, 8 hours of sleep is a must to keep your balance.

Reasons for sleep deprivation • Staying up too late • Watching TV till wee hours of morning • Drinking too much coffee • Eating late at night (it may even be munching junk food) It always helps to eat at least three hours before you hit the sack • Late night parties • Addicted to internet (blame it on social media) • Late night texting and phone calls • Too much alcohol consumption

Benefits of sleep • Better immunity: Getting enough sleep will ensure you are in the pink of your health.

• Mood enhancer: We have heard it before. When you are breaking your head over solution to a problem, just sleep over it. In all probability, you may wake up with a strategy or at least feel better.

• Beats fatigue: Sleep is always

refreshing, rejuvenating and a great stress buster.

• Check on weight: Quality sleep will ensure that you maintain a healthy weight.

• Better appetite: Getting enough sleep will keep your digestive system in a good working condition.

• Better memory: Good sleep means better recall power.

• Sleeping beauty: Good skin has been linked to a good night’s sleep.

Hence, sleep is the best beauty treatment.

How to get good sleep?

Take a warm bath: If you have trouble falling asleep, take a warm water bath. Naturopathy recommends washing your feet with cold water for better sleep. Check both and stick to whatever works for you.

Stick to a routine: Make sure you go to bed at the same time everyday. Exceptions do happen, but do maintain a fixed schedule for sleeping every night.

Stop worrying: Sleep is the way to relax. Hence, when you hit the sack, remember to put all your worries behind. This will keep your nightmares away.

Environment matters: Where you sleep also affects its quality.

Make sure you are in a comfortable setting where you can get a sound sleep.

Employ sleep-inducing methods: I don’t mean pills here. If you are suffering from insomnia, then try meditation before sleep or you could also play your favourite music that’s soothing enough to put you to sleep.

Stay active: To get a good night’s sleep, the body has to be physically exerted enough. The key is to stay active throughout the day. Exercise and yoga are also known to aid sleep.

Announcement Special General Body meeting of India Culture Center will be held on Sunday December 11 at 10am at India House.

Amendments to the By-Laws will be presented for final approval. All members are requested to be present at the said meeting.

Proxy form and Draft By-Laws are posted on ICC website. If you are unable to attend the meeting please fill out proxy form with your signature and hand it to any Current ICC Director or Trustees or mail it to 8888 West Bellfort Ste 210 D, Houston Texas 77031 before Saturday December 10, 2011.

Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

November 11, 2011

Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

21

INDIA 22 November 11, 2011 Why make the Middle Class the Whipping Boy?

By V.N. Mukundarajan (Hindu) Some labels stick when used by more and more people for more and more times. The term middle class is a classic example of a semantic conspiracy.

It has been misused, twisted and straightjacketed into something essentially evil.

It has become fashionable to use the term middle class pejoratively. It is a legacy of the Victorian era that is long past us.

Why we are still stuck with this linguistic monstrosity?

The rich are busy counting their cash.

They do not bother about what others say about them. The poor are the darling of the political class and social scientists, and the intelligentsia. They are always struggling to make both ends meet. Then we are left with the middle class, who

have no patrons or godfathers because they mind their own business. They do not have political clout as they are suspected to abstain from voting during elections.

No wonder the middle class has become the whipping boy of many politicians and commentators.

In Nazi Germany, it was easy to kill a person by merely calling him a Jew. In India, it is easy to demonise a movement by labelling it a ‘middle class’ phenomenon. Some ruling party politicians tried to rubbish Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement as a middle class-sponsored agitation. So what? It is as if the middle classes have no right to protest. Is political legitimacy the birthright of the rich and the poor only? Who are these middle classes any way? There are still no universally accepted criteria for defining middle class. Simply put, they are neither rich nor poor. Even the income criterion has not been settled. According to the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), a family with an annual income between Rs. 3.4 lakh to Rs. 17 lakh (at 2009-10 price levels) falls in the middle class category. According to NCAER, by 2015-16, India will be a country of 53.3 million middle class households or about 267 million people.

It has become fashionable to deride “middle class morality” and “middle class mentality” without even bothering to think what they really mean. Yes, the

middle classes are conservative. They believe in incremental changes. But they are also progressive in many respects.

They embrace change more easily than others. They hate violence and provide stability and order to society.

Mahatma Gandhi was middle class.

So were other stalwarts of the freedom movement. So were great social and religious reformers, scientists and poets.

Selfishness is a charge that has been frequently levelled against the middle class. If being focussed on providing a decent standard of life to one’s family through hard work is selfishness, then middle class-baiters will also face the same charge. If the middle classes aspire to get rich through honest means after paying taxes, what is wrong with it? Nobody wants to get poor, right?

The middle classes may not be politically active, but many of them are RTI activists, members of public-spirited NGOs, and public interest litigants who have exposed corruption and defended the rights of the common man.

Consumerism is another bogey raised against the middle class. There are over 800 million mobile phone subscribers in India. Are they all middle class? Everybody loves buying stuff, right?

It is the middle class that is going to spur the rise of India and China as world powers. Should we have any other reason to stop maligning the middle class?

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It took me 20 years to be an overnight success

Has scalability, the ability to release thousands of prints across the country and abroad as in Ra.One, helped big stars like you? You are able to mop up revenues before the feedback floats in.

This is the Hollywood model and they know the business. So there must be something good about it. We have released in over 4,500 screens in India and abroad. If you are not a big enough star, you cannot release so many prints.

So, I’ll say this strange thing: it took me 20 years to be an overnight success. Jo bees sal ka stardom hai, woh pay kar raha hai aaj kal.

Has endorsement , which so many top stars do so frequently, helped stars being selective ?

Absolutely. I joke about it too. I dance at weddings. I do shows. I make no bones about it. I am able to choose my dream because of it. Many years ago the famous comedian Deven Verma told me something at Yash Chopra’s house during a Diwali night. He had said in Hindi, “Make movies only for two-three reasons. Ek to karna man ke liye, doosra dhan ke liye. Aur teesra, bas aise hi.” (For the satisfaction of your heart, for money, and then just like

By Avijit Ghosh (TOI) Articulate as always, Shah Rukh Khan is all alphabets and attention as he speaks to Sunday Times about the business of movies these days, the films that changed him, and what it takes to be a star in India.

Are you happy with the public response to Ra.One? It is a new genre film. It is meant for people under-30 . And I am not decrying anyone . I am above 30 but I love these kind of films. It is not going to be Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. It was not meant to be that way. When my wife and their friends go to Spiderman, they don’t come back liking it. The children like it. The younger people like it. I tried to do a mix that is new.

There’s a huge number of people going and seeing it. I am very happy for my business partners. In my head I had attempted to take parents along. May be that hasn’t succeeded.

You have made such an expensive film. The budget is Rs 160 crore, right?

We spent Rs 125 crore plus Rs 10 crore for prints and advertising. Rs 135 crore in all. For most of the publicity, we have partners.

November 11, 2011

that - for a friend or anybody).

Stars were traditionally known for their mystique, their elusiveness.

By becoming easily accessible, even dancing at weddings, you demystified stardom. How did the idea come to you? Was it instinct?

I can walk on a road and 90 per cent of the people - from a six-year-old to a 75 year-old lady - will not say, hello. They will say, “Give me a hug, Shah Rukh” . Acting and the whole show business is about giving. If you become coy and cloistered, it becomes about taking.

That’s how I have made a connection.

Now you have spent nearly 20 years in Hindi movies, what do you think are the decisive moments that shaped your career?

Honestly, Darr and Bazigar . The negative thing made me unpredictable as an actor. After these intense films, I just decided to do a very simple, frothy love story. Something which had I refused when I was 26. I did my first love story when I was 30. That was DDLJ. I think it was a huge defining moment. Another decisive moment came when I turned producer with Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, which flopped miserably. I was very disheartened

for three days. Then it made me very strong. Sometimes you need to fall down on the canvas to know that you can take a punch and fight the whole fight. Then I did Main Hoon Na, Chalte Chalte, Om Shanti Om - money talks for these movies . Lately also Chak De! India, My Name Is Khan and Swades.

I personally choose not to do such films because I feel I have high energy levels. But I think my injuries helped me do films like this. All these three films were made during my most scary operations. Now Ra.One is.

Is there one film that is close to your heart that you felt deserved better?

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. It was a black comedy on media. Now when it comes on TV, it apparently breaks good TRP. Many new things are happening in the film industry. How do you see the future will pan out?

The business has become very different now. The game is being played on a different turf. There are no silver jubilees and Test matches. There is only T20 and weekends. In future, there won’t be a superstar of longevity.

It will be the superstardom of monies.

The description of superstardom will be

according to the tangibility factor. You may not have a shelf-life of 30 years as of superstars of yore but you will have a shelf life of kitna jaldi bikta hai aur kitna zyada mehnga bikta hai.

Real stardom takes about 10 years to achieve?

Minimum. Yeh mujhe Amitji ( Amitabh Bachchan) ne bataya tha. Aatth saal tak tum Hindustan mein star nahi ban sakte. Ab to thoda jaldi ho jata hai, kyunki reach zyada ho gayi hai. He had told me, Shah Rukh, desh ko aath saal lagte hain tumko jaanne mein. Let me elaborate with a small incident.

I had gone to meet a friend in south Delhi. He was’t there. I wrote a small note saying, I came, and gave it to the watchman.

He looked at me and said, have you written your name on it? I looked at him and said, yes. Then he said, have you written the address . I said, ji. He said, also write what is it that you do.

And I stood there and thought there is still one man, a security guard in a posh Delhi locality, who does not know me. So I still have to work. It’s been 20 years but there’s still one man in this country who doesn’t know me. So I need to work harder.

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SENIOR HEALTH

24 November 11, 2011

Medicare Premiums and Deductibles for 2012 Mostly Sweet

By Sudhir Mathuria MEDICARE PART A: Medicare Part A premiums will be increasing by just $1 per month, and the deductible will increase by just $24. For Medicare Part A, which pays for inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care, about 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a premium since they or their spouses have at least 40 quarters of Medicarecovered employment.

However, some enrollees age 65 and over and certain persons with disabilities who have fewer than 30 “quarters of coverage” obtain Part A coverage by paying a monthly premium set according to a statutory formula. This premium will be $451 for 2012, an increase of $1 from 2011. Those who have between 30 and 39 “quarters of coverage” may buy into Part A at a reduced monthly premium rate which is $248 for 2012, the same amount as in 2011. The Part A deductible paid by a beneficiary when admitted as a hospital inpatient will be $1,156 in 2012, an increase of $24 from this year’s $1,132 deductible. The Part A deductible is the beneficiary’s cost for up to 60 days of Medicare covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. Beneficiaries must pay an additional $289 per day for days 61 through 90 in 2012, and $578 per day for hospital stays beyond the 90th day in a benefit period.

For 2011, per day payment for days 61 through 90 was $283, and $566 for beyond 90 days.

For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily co-insurance for days 21 through 100 in a benefit period will be $144.50 in 2012, compared to $141.50 in 2011.

MEDICARE PART B: The standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $99.90 in 2012, a $15.50 decrease over the 2011 premium of $115.40. However, most Medicare beneficiaries were held harmless in 2011 and paid $96.40 per month. The 2012 premium represents a $3.50 increase for them.

Medicare Part B covers a portion of the cost of physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items. By law, the standard premium is set to cover one-fourth of the average cost of Part B services incurred by beneficiaries aged 65 and over, plus a contingency margin. The contingency margin is an amount to ensure that Part B has sufficient assets and

income to (i) cover Part B expenditures during the year, (ii) cover incurred-but-unpaid claims costs at the end of the year, (iii) provide for possible variation between actual and projected costs, and (iv) amortize any surplus assets. Most of the remaining Part B costs are financed by Federal general revenues. (In 2012, about $2.9 billion in Part B expenditures will be financed by the fees on manufacturers and importers of brand-name prescription drugs under the Affordable Care Act.) The largest factor affecting the contingency margin for 2012 is the current law formula for physician fees, which will result in a payment reduction of about 29 percent in 2012.

For each year from 2003 through 2011, Congress has acted to prevent smaller physician fee reductions from occurring. The 2012 reduction is almost certain to be overridden by legislation enacted after Part B financing has been set for 2012. In recognition of the strong possibility of increases in Part B expenditures that would result from similar legislation to override the decrease in physician fees in 2012, it is appropriate to maintain a significantly larger Part B contingency reserve than would otherwise be necessary. The asset level projected for the end of 2012 is adequate to accommodate this contingency.

In 2012, Social Security monthly payments to enrollees will increase by 3.6 percent. The dollar increase in benefit checks is expected to be large enough on average to cover the increase in the Part B premium of $3.50 that most beneficiaries will experience. For those who were paying the standard premium of $115.40, their benefits checks will only increase.

MEDICARE PART D: The estimate for the average 2012 Part D premium for basic coverage is $30. This is slightly lower than the actual average for 2011 of $30.76. The estimate for the average 2012 Part D premium for supplemental coverage is $8. The estimate for the average 2012 total Part D premium is $38.

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS: On average, Medicare Advantage premiums will be 4 percent lower in 2012 than in 2011, and plans project enrollment to increase by 10 percent. Of people with Medicare, 99.7 percent continue to enjoy access to a Medicare Advantage plan, and benefits remain consistent with those offered in 2011.

INCOME RELATED ADJUSTMENT: As required in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, beginning in 2007 the Part B premium a beneficiary pays each month is based on his or her annual income.

Specifically, if a beneficiary’s “modified adjusted gross income” is greater than the legislated threshold amounts ($85,000 in 2012 for a beneficiary filing an individual income tax return or married and filing a separate return, and $170,000 for a beneficiary filing a joint tax return) the beneficiary is responsible for a larger portion of the estimated total cost of Part B benefit coverage.

In addition to the standard Part B premium, affected beneficiaries must pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount. These incomerelated amounts were phased-in over three years, beginning in 2007. About 4 percent of current Part B enrollees are expected to be subject to these

expenditures will be financed by the fees on manufacturers and importers of brand-name prescription drugs under the Affordable Care Act.) The largest factor affecting the contingency margin for 2012 is the current law formula for physician fees, which will result in a payment reduction of about 29 percent in 2012.

For each year from 2003 through 2011, Congress has acted to prevent smaller physician fee reductions from occurring. The 2012 reduction is almost certain to be overridden by legislation enacted after Part B financing has been set for 2012. In recognition of the strong possibility of increases in Part B expenditures that would result from similar legislation to override the decrease in physician fees in 2012, it is appropriate to maintain a significantly larger Part B contingency reserve than would otherwise be necessary. The asset level projected for the end of 2012 is adequate to accommodate this contingency.

Are you Enrolled in a Right Plan?

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higher premium amounts.

The 2012 Part B monthly premium rates to be paid by beneficiaries who file an individual tax return (including those who are single, head of household, qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, or married filing separately who lived apart from their spouse for the entire taxable year), or who file a joint tax return can be requested from Medicare or by e-mail to Sudhir Mathuria.

Medicare Part B covers a portion of the cost of physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items. By law, the standard premium is set to cover one-fourth of the average cost of Part B services incurred by beneficiaries aged 65 and over, plus a contingency margin. The contingency margin is an amount to ensure that Part B has sufficient assets and income to (i) cover Part B expenditures during the year, (ii) cover incurred-but-unpaid claims costs at the end of the year, (iii) provide for possible variation between actual and projected costs, and (iv) amortize any surplus assets.

Most of the remaining Part B costs are financed by Federal general revenues.

(In 2012, about $2.9 billion in Part B

In 2012, Social Security monthly payments to enrollees will increase by 3.6 percent. The dollar increase in benefit checks is expected to be large enough on average to cover the increase in the Part B premium of $3.50 that most beneficiaries will experience. For those who were paying the standard premium of $115.40, their benefits checks will only increase.

MEDICARE PART D: The estimate for the average 2012 Part D premium for basic coverage is $30. This is slightly lower than the actual average for 2011 of $30.76. The estimate for the average 2012 Part D premium for supplemental coverage is $8. The estimate for the average 2012 total Part D premium is $38.

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS: On average, Medicare Advantage premiums will be 4 percent lower in 2012 than in 2011, and plans project enrollment to increase by 10 percent. Of people with Medicare, 99.7 percent continue to enjoy access to a Medicare Advantage plan, and benefits remain consistent with those offered in 2011.

INCOME RELATED ADJUSTMENT: As required in the Medicare Pre-

scription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, beginning in 2007 the Part B premium a beneficiary pays each month is based on his or her annual income.

Specifically, if a beneficiary’s “modified adjusted gross income” is greater than the legislated threshold amounts ($85,000 in 2012 for a beneficiary filing an individual income tax return or married and filing a separate return, and $170,000 for a beneficiary filing a joint tax return) the beneficiary is responsible for a larger portion of the estimated total cost of Part B benefit coverage.

In addition to the standard Part B premium, affected beneficiaries must pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount. These incomerelated amounts were phased-in over three years, beginning in 2007. About 4 percent of current Part B enrollees are expected to be subject to these higher premium amounts.

The 2012 Part B monthly premium rates to be paid by beneficiaries who file an individual tax return (including those who are single, head of household, qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, or married filing separately who lived apart from their spouse for the entire taxable year), or who file a joint tax return can be obtained from Medicare or by e-mail to Sudhir Mathuria.

Information is available at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-6334227) and, for hearing and speech impaired, at TTY/TDD: 1-877-4862048.

(To be continued)

Sudhir Mathuria, a Houstonian for over 30 years, has been an active participant in various community associations.

He is a licensed proffesional for Medicare and Medicaid related health care plans. He can be reached by phone at 713-771-2900 or via email at sudhir@ MyMedicarePlanning.com.

For more information, visit: www.MyMedicarePlanning.com

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Indo American News • Friday, NOVEMBER 11 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

HOROSCOPE

lead to mental stimulation.

There may be unrest, if you do not channelize your energy properly. Despite tight deadlines at work, you are likely to fulfil your familial commitments. You indulge in refurbishing your home or office, for stylish décor. Although it can be expensive, the aesthetic surroundings will lift your spirits.

SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: Your lucky stars are showering success and happiness upon you, and how! You tend to be more practical during this phase and wish to be emotionally balanced. Your decisions are influenced by your brain and not by your heart. The way you handle tricky situations is very commendable. This may result in many intellectual, physical and spiritual gains.

The wheel of fortune turns in your favor, you buy new assets or property. It could be a piece of land, a sprawling mansion or a plush farmhouse!

As you enjoy the luxuries of life, you feel the stardust on you.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: An interesting week ahead for you, Archers. A flurry of activity will keep you on your toes. A lot of brainstorming and hard work is required at work. Your superiors may expect a lot from you, work pressure may mount. Too much work may make you irritable and agitated.

However, spending quality time with your children may give you some respite. Subjects like philosophy, psychology and religion are likely to interest you. You experience growth both on the personal and professional levels, making remarkable progress. Get ready for an action-packed week!

CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: This is a favorable phase for making investments.

Purchasing land and assets and investing in shares and bonds are important to you.

Business expansion is also on your mind. As life has opened a box full of goodies for you, you have no reason to regret or complain. In fact, to enjoy this exciting period fully, you call up your family and friends for social gatherings and parties. You are likely to bring home artefacts, objects d’art and items that could give you a feeling of affluence.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: You are likely to swing into top gear as you get back to your job/ business. Your energy levels are on an all-time high, and you think of innovative ideas that may elevate your spirits.

With intentions to collaborate and expand your work/business, you are likely to travel to different places. Your cards depict monetary gains. And with them come happiness, satisfaction and financial security. You may soon reap the benefits of hard work. Until then, keep it up.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: Carefree and fun-loving as you are, you feel like a child again.

You are in a relaxed mood and are likely to be surrounded by love, laughter, friends and companionship. Taking up challenging tasks has nearly become a part of your routine, and this week, you may do it with a renewed zest. You may also come across new trends or projects at work that may interest you. You enjoy a glorious period at work as you may be appreciated and rewarded for your outstanding performance. Apart from your work, you may also focus on savings and investments that may yield long-term benefits.

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ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: Your caring and considerate nature dominates. Your unconditional love for family builds up a harmonious environment at home. Probably, something to do with your financial status worries you. A limited cash flow may lead to unhappiness.

In an effort to augment your earnings, you may neglect domestic responsibilities. Considering your situation, your loved ones are likely to lend you emotional and monetary support. Family’s support may help you to revive your financial status and achieve your goals.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 This week you are likely to be in a mood to unwind and de-stress. As relaxation is on your mind, you indulge in things that truly rejuvenate your mind and body. Going on an unplanned trip, catching up with loved ones, and attending social gatherings may also bring the much needed freshness in your life. Be patient and try to handle delicate situations with maturity.

GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: Business projects, official work and meetings will keep you busy. This phase is highly crucial as it indicates significant progress in your career. But, like a caring Twin, you ensure that your family life does not take a back-seat. Picnics, entertainment for your family, long walks and meditation, nutritious food and relaxation help you a lot. You think of resolving some long-standing issues. With the help of your expertise and intuitive power, you solve these issues. You now have the best of health, wealth and happiness. Touchwood!

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: Your financial situation looks quite stable this week. Now that you have realized the importance of financial security, investments are on top of your priority list. You may look for options to invest your hardearned money to get good returns. At the same time, there will be pressure to fulfil the demands of your family. You may go out of your way to keep your loved ones happy.

Consciously or sub-consciously, you have realized that money rules the world so slogging for extra bucks rules your spirit.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23: Your imagination runs riot and your creative juices flow. It is a good phase to hone your skills, express your ideas and give them an identity. So, if you are one among the creative community writer, dancer, artist, sculptor, etc. make the most of this benevolent phase! Focus on your individual style. This phase is likely to be highly rewarding as your work may be appreciated by all. Be confident and maintain your individuality.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Begin this week with a fresh outlook, let the past remain so.

Focus so you can achieve your goals. You are more meticulous and disciplined, and put in long hours at work. Focus and determination will help you this week. You may soon reap the fruits of your consistent hard work.

Your efforts are appreciated by your peers and superiors. Finances and relationships, both look very promising. You are on stable ground both professionally and personally. Your stars are shining bright, and success seems to be following you wherever you go. Enjoy the good times!

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: It’s all about mind games, this week. A lot has to do with your mental activities and mental strength. It is an action-packed period with a lot of ideas, expressions, updating your knowledge bank, getting experience and everything that would

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